mtl008 Chapter 437 Sun Quan: If I can't be a wise ruler, can't I be a tyrant?
Chapter 437 Sun Quan: If I can't be a wise ruler, can't I be a tyrant?
When any dynasty reaches its end, various contradictions will erupt in a concentrated manner, ruthlessly destroying the dynasty in the most tragic way.
Why did the conflict arise, and how should it be resolved to prevent the dynasty's demise? Didn't the high-ranking officials of the court understand these questions?
Do not……
They knew better than anyone else why the dynasty had such great contradictions, and they knew how to resolve or alleviate these contradictions to prolong the dynasty's life; they simply couldn't do it.
Because to alleviate the conflict, reforms are necessary, and to reform, bloodshed and sacrifice are necessary, and the bloodshed is that of the kings, nobles, and officials. Who would be willing to do that?
Therefore, although the officials in the court were clear about the causes of the conflict and the ways to alleviate it, they had neither the ability nor the will to resolve it, and could only sink along with the dynasty.
Zhang Zhao governed Jiangdong for many years and was a recognized wise minister and prime minister of his time. With his discerning eyes, he could see through the past and present. How could he not know the reasons why the Han Dynasty had fallen to this state?
Zhang Zhao clearly understood that the core reason why the Han Dynasty had fallen to its current state was land annexation, resource monopoly, and class solidification.
To put it bluntly, the rentier class was too greedy. They took more and more than their share, seizing all resources in an almost barbaric way, leaving no way for the common people to survive, forcing them to rise up in rebellion.
Another problem is that the emperors were too weak. If the emperors of the Han Dynasty had strictly enforced the decree to relocate powerful families like Emperor Gaozu, Empress Lü, and Emperors Wen, Jing, Wu, and Xuan, and had relocated powerful families from various regions to the imperial mausoleum every now and then to plunder the upper class, the Han Dynasty would definitely be prosperous and strong now.
Zhang Zhao was once an ambitious young man. Now that he knew the crux of the court's problems, he naturally wanted to solve them. However, the powerful families of Jiangdong made it difficult for him to realize his ambitions.
But things are different now. The political environment under Liu Bei's rule is much better than that under Sun Quan's rule in Jiangdong, allowing him to fully realize his ambitions, such as land reform.
Moreover, the Zhang family's land and estates had all been taken away by Guan Xing through land reform, and Old Zhang had now become a miserable proletarian. Naturally, he was unwilling to see the Jingzhou gentry continue to enjoy their vast tracts of fertile land, living a life of leisure and comfort.
Zhang Zhao continued, "As soon as the news of Han Dang and Xu Sheng's deaths reached Jiangling, Wu Hou decisively ordered Zhou Cheng to lead 5,000 elite troops to retreat to Jiangling. Therefore, Wu Hou himself still holds the most troops in Jiangling. As long as Wu Hou is willing to surrender to Liu, he can quickly take control of Jiangling and expel or even execute Gu Yong, Mi Fang, and others."
"If that's the case, then the King of Hanzhong will no longer need to make any compromises with the gentry of Jingzhou. Not only will he not need to, he can also hold the gentry of Jingzhou accountable. This is extremely beneficial for the King of Hanzhong to stabilize Jingzhou."
The gentry of Jingzhou were indeed very powerful in the past, but they were severely weakened by Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs and their strength was no longer what it used to be. During the Battle of Xiangfan, they tacitly allowed Mi Fang and Fu Shiren to betray Guan Yu and take the blame. If they were to firmly oppose Liu Bei and surrender to Cao Cao again, Liu Bei would have no scruples when dealing with them.
Without the constraints of local gentry, wouldn't the land reform in Jingzhou be a natural outcome?
Therefore, if Sun Quan had truly surrendered to Liu Bei, he could not only have helped Liu Bei easily recover Jingzhou, but also clear away all obstacles to the land reform in Jingzhou for Liu Bei.
However, if Sun Quan surrenders to Cao Cao, many variables will arise.
Fei Yi was well aware of the benefits of Sun Quan surrendering to Liu Bei, but he said with concern, "I'm afraid that Lord Wu will still hesitate and be unwilling to make a decision."
Zhang Zhao shook his head and said, "There is no time for him to hesitate. Gu Yong and Mi Fang are already preparing to force him to abdicate. What is he hesitating for? If he hesitates any longer, he will become Gu Yong and Mi Fang's pledge of allegiance and be taken to Luoyang. Therefore, I would like to ask Ambassador Fei to come with me to see Marquis Wu and explain the pros and cons to him so that he can make a decision immediately."
Fei Yi pondered for a moment and said, "No problem. However, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I would like to ask the strategist to write a letter to General Bu Zhi, persuading him to surrender to the Han and requesting him to lead his army north to capture Jiangling. What do you think, strategist?"
Zhang Zhao had no authority to mobilize Bu Zhi, but that was under normal circumstances. Now that Jiangdong was almost finished, who cared about such things?
In this perilous situation, Bu Zhi also needed to find a way out for himself. Moreover, he was now Guan Xing's maternal uncle. With this relationship and Zhang Zhao as his guarantor, the possibility of him surrendering to Liu Bei was very high.
More importantly, Bu Zhi is in Gong'an, less than 100 li away from Jiangling, and can arrive in two days at most.
This is the only force Fei Yi can rely on at present, so he must make good use of it.
Zhang Zhao thought to himself, "No problem. Besides Bu Zhi, we can't give up on Zhu Ran either. I'll write a letter to Zhu Ran as well."
Fei Yi was overjoyed and rose to bow deeply, saying, "Thank you, strategist. Please wait a moment while I make some simple arrangements and then I will go with you to see Lord Wu."
Although with Zhang Zhao's help, the probability of persuading Sun Quan to surrender is high, we must also be prepared for the worst-case scenario of being detained or even killed by Sun Quan if the persuasion fails.
With the thought that he might not be able to return, Fei Yi went out to find Dong Hui and explained the situation. Then he instructed, "If I don't come back, you and Deng Hong will go out of the city to contact General Anguo and follow his orders."
Dong Hui nodded emphatically and said, "Take care, General."
He really wanted to go on Fei Yi's behalf, but he was only a deputy envoy and was not qualified to accept such a high-level mission. The main reason was that if Sun Quan saw that Fei Yi had only sent a deputy envoy, he would probably give up the negotiations and turn against Fei Yi on the spot. You don't even value me and you still want me to surrender?
Therefore, only Fei Yi could personally handle the matter of persuading Sun Quan to surrender. Dong Hui's actions would only backfire. Dong Hui was aware of this, so he dared not object and could only obediently accept the order.
Fei Yi then used Dong Hui's words to give Deng Hong, who was still in the study, a few more instructions before returning to the study and bowing, saying, "Strategist, you may leave now."
The two went out together in one carriage and rushed to the general's mansion as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Sun Quan was staring blankly at the letter Yu Fan had sent to him in his study. The letter had arrived half an hour earlier and naturally contained the devastating news of Lu Xun's capture.
The news was now confirmed, and his last glimmer of hope was shattered. Sun Quan resigned himself to his fate, slumped on his heels, and prepared to give up.
But he can't just sit in this position whenever he wants; he needs other people's permission to abandon it even if he wants to.
Just as Sun Quan was pondering whether to find two beautiful women to soothe his weary soul, Hu Zong suddenly led a young man in plain clothes into the main hall and bowed, saying, "My lord, something terrible has happened! Gu Yong and Mi Fang are about to rebel."
Sun Quan's expression changed drastically, and he sat up abruptly, asking, "What did you say? Say it again."
Hu Zong pulled the young man behind him and said, "Reporting to my lord, this man is named Wei Zhu. He is the gatekeeper of Mi Fang's residence and also a spy that I planted in the Mi residence on your orders. Wei Zhu, tell my lord the details."
Wei Zhu clasped his hands in a salute and recounted in detail how Gu Yong had grabbed him by the collar to meet Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, as well as the content of their conversation. He then respectfully retreated behind Hu Zong to await Sun Quan's decision.
After hearing this, Sun Quan's eyes flashed with intense killing intent, and he said in a cold tone as icy as the heavens: "Gu Yong and Mi Fang, where do you get the audacity to force the emperor to abdicate and rebel? If I, Sun Zhongmou, can't deal with Liu Bei and Cao Cao, can't I deal with you? Do you really think I, Sun Zhongmou, am too weak to lift a sword?"
"Wei Zhu, right? Go back and collect fifty gold coins from Hu Zong, then return to your residence and continue to keep an eye on Mi Fang's actions."
"Thank you for your generous gift, my lord." Wei Zhu was overjoyed, bowed, and took his leave.
After Sun Quan waited for him to leave, he said to Hu Zong, "Gu Yong has summoned all the members of the surrendered Cao faction to his residence for a meeting at 7 PM. We will then make our move at 7 PM and wipe them out in one fell swoop. Have the secret agents of the Gu residence closely monitor Gu Yong's movements and report any news immediately. Also, have Zhou Cheng prepare secretly for my orders. Remember to prepare secretly and don't let Gu Yong, Mi Fang, and the others find out."
He used to be wary of Gu Yong's aristocratic status and dared not offend him too much, but now...
Sun Quan had already been kicked out of the game by Cao Cao and Liu Bei, so why would he care about this?
He has now gone from wearing shoes to being barefoot. Since he is barefoot, there is nothing to be afraid of. He can completely kill Gu Yong and all the aristocratic officials who have surrendered to Cao Cao gathered around Gu Yong, and vent his resentment at being bullied by the aristocracy over the years.
If I can't be a wise ruler, can't I at least be a tyrant?
I, Sun Quan, have done the same thing before: massacring entire cities and exterminating entire clans. What's wrong with doing it again?
Thinking this, Sun Quan's eyes flashed with an unprecedented murderous intent, startling Hu Zong so much that he immediately bowed and said, "Yes..."