Shuhan

Jianye.

Prince's Mansion.

in the lobby.

Prince Sun Deng, the crown prince of Wu, was entertaining a group of officials from the prince's palace in the lobby.

Sun Deng is the eldest son of Sun Quan. His biological mother was of humble origin, so Sun Quan gave Sun Deng to his wife, Mrs. Xu, to raise. From this we can also see that when Sun Deng was born, Sun Quan had already appointed him as his heir. heart of.

Sun Deng is also very ambitious. He has been studying hard under Sun Quan's supervision since he was a child, and has learned a wealth of knowledge. He is already like a wise master.

Not long ago, Sun Quan was named King of Wu by Cao Wei and became his subordinate minister. Sun Deng was also made the crown prince by Sun Quan, and his identity was initially determined.

According to the established rules, since the Kingdom of Wu is so powerful, Sun Quan must send his closest heir to the Kingdom of Wei as a hostage to reassure the King of Wei.

During this period of time, Cao Pi approached Sun Quan many times to ask for someone, and what he wanted was Sun Deng, but Sun Quan tried his best to reject him.

This is partly because Sun Quan was not sincere when he declared his vassalship, but it also has a lot to do with the importance Sun Quan attaches to Sun Deng.

After all, in Sun Quan's view, Sun Deng is his future successor. If something unexpected happens if he is sent as a proton, it will take too much time to train a qualified successor.

The most similar thing about Sun Deng to Sun Quan is that he was a courteous corporal, and even more so.

At that time, there were several ministers selected by Sun Quan beside Sun Deng. Sun Deng never bullied others and showed the crown prince's pedigree in front of them. Instead, both parties treated him equally. They often rode together, ate and slept together.

Sun Deng also had a half-friend, half-subordinate named Chen Biao. Although Chen Biao had some surplus food at home, he used more of it to support the scholars. Therefore, when Chen Biao died, his family was so poor that they didn't even have a house. After Sun Deng learned about it, he came specially to express condolences for Chen Biao and built a house for his relatives.

It can be said that Sun Deng has a charming personality.

But no matter how charming his personality is, if he wants to solve the problems that need to be solved now, this Prince Wu also frowns.

"Everyone, please drink from this cup!"

Among the officials in the Prince's Mansion, many were after the generals, but more of them were after the Jiangdong nobles.

This is normal.

Most of the descendants of those who fought on the battlefield could not read a word and only knew how to fight on the battlefield. When they entered the Prince's Mansion, they had nothing to do.

In the palace of Prince Wu today, Zhuge Ke is the Zuofu Commandery, Zhang Xiu is the Youbi Commandery, Gu Tan is the Fuzheng Commandery, and Chen Biao is the Yizheng Commandery, known as the "Four Friends".

Xie Jing, Fan Shen, Diao Xuan, Yang Di, etc. were all guests, so the Prince's Mansion was known to be full of famous people and talented people.

"Your Highness, please!"

Zhuge Ke picked up the wine bottle and drank all the wine in one gulp.

His father, Zhuge Jin, was deeply trusted by Sun Quan in the court, although he rarely succeeded in sending envoys.

But success is relative. If you can complete the tasks assigned by Sun Quan to the letter, even if your ability is slightly lacking, at least you can rest assured!
For example, Lu Meng, who was originally the governor of Jiangdong, was sent to Chengdu as an envoy. Although he returned this time, he was sent to the south to conquer Shanyue.

What is Shanyue?
When Lu Xun was not yet famous, he was able to lead troops to pacify the situation, but now he wants the governor to go?
Isn't this a bull's knife for killing chickens?
but.
Everyone in the Wu Kingdom knew why this was the case.

Even the male protagonist Lu Meng knows it in his heart.

It's just that he has lost Sun Quan's trust and is jealous.

Everyone drank a glass of wine, and Sun Deng even blushed slightly after drinking. He said to the people around him, "Do you think that I want my father to attach himself to the Kingdom of Wei? Is this right or wrong?"

Is it right or wrong?
Zhuge Ke was seven feet six inches tall, with a short beard and eyebrows, a crested forehead and a wide forehead. He spoke loudly. He stood up immediately and said in a loud voice: "Attachment to Wei is the best policy. What can be wrong?"

"It's just that Prince Liu Chan of the Han Dynasty has already cut off the business of the Jiangdong Merchant Alliance. The transportation of materials to various places has stopped for a while. I heard that there are considerable losses everywhere."

Jingzhou merchant alliance has many caravans, and Jiangling is a transfer station, which can continuously transport items from Yizhou, Jingzhou, and even Wei to Jiangdong.

Like beautiful porcelain, like glass, like perfume, even beauties, actresses, as long as you have money, there is nothing you can't buy.

Relying on the transfer of business alliances, various places in Jiangdong have flourished for a while, and even the newly established business tax has made tens of millions of dollars from it, which can be said to be huge profits.

And those Jiangdong nobles in charge of the merchant alliance were all mouth-watering.

Now that the good business has been cut off, Sun Deng is worried that the Jiangdong nobles will take desperate risks, so he wants to summon the officials of the Prince's Palace today to resolve the matter.

After all, many of the current officials in the Prince's Mansion are from the Jiangdong family.

Sun Deng looked at Zhuge Ke with a smile and said, "I heard that the captain's family also participated in business alliances. In just one month, they made millions of money, but?"

After all, Zhuge Jin's surname is Zhuge.

In addition, he and Liu Chan also had a "revolutionary friendship", so they were deeply involved in the business alliance.

This time Jiangdong relied on Wei, and Liu Chan cut off the benefits of the merchant alliance, and the Zhuge family suffered serious losses.

Zhuge Ke laughed and said: "The reason why my Zhuge family can benefit from the merchant alliance is because there is a king managing Jiangdong? This was originally extra wealth, but now it is lost, what will happen?"

Zhuge Ke is a clever person.

Once, Sun Quan met Zhuge Ke and asked him: "Who is better, your father or your uncle (referring to Zhuge Liang)?"

Zhuge Ke responded: "My father is better."

Sun Quan asked him why, and Zhuge Ke said: "My father knows who to serve, but my uncle does not, so my father is better."

Sun Quan laughed after hearing this.

Later, an envoy from Shu arrived and the ministers gathered.

Sun Quan said to the Shu envoy: "This Zhuge Ke likes riding horses. Go back and tell Prime Minister Zhuge to choose a good horse for his nephew."

Zhuge Ke immediately knelt down in front of Sun Quan and thanked him. Sun Quan felt strange and asked him, "The horse hasn't arrived yet, why do you thank him in person?"

Zhuge Ke said: "The Kingdom of Shu is like Your Majesty's stable outside. Now that you have a decree, good horses will be delivered to you. How can I dare not thank you?"

There are many other things like this that show Zhuge Ke's quick thinking and good handling.

Therefore, it is not unreasonable to say that Zhuge Ke could become a powerful minister in the later period of Jiangdong.

This kid's mind is so flexible.

"The captain is truly a loyal and brave man, and the Zhuge family is a loyal and brave family!"

After saying this, Sun Deng looked around everyone and fixed his gaze on Zhang Xiu and Gu Tan.

Gu Tan is the son of Gu Shao and the grandson of Gu Yong.

This Gu Shao was well-read and was as famous as his uncle Lu Ji, better than Lu Xun, Zhang Dun, Bu Jing and others.His reputation spread far and wide, and Sun Quan betrothed Sun Ce's daughter to him.Known for being good at recognizing people.

Zhang Xiu is the son of Zhang Zhao. After Sun Quan was granted the title of Queen of Wu, Zhang Zhao was appointed as General Suiyuan and granted the title of Marquis of Quan.Later, he participated in the compilation of court rituals.When Sun Quan wanted to appoint a prime minister twice, everyone recommended Zhang Zhao.

It can be seen that its power in Jiangdong is not small.

Whether it is Zhang Xiu or Gu Tan, they are all figures brought to the forefront by the four major families in Jiangdong. Now that the interests of the gentry have been harmed, Sun Deng will naturally test the attitude of the gentry in Jiangdong.

Gu Tan gave a wry smile and said: "There are many people in the family, so they spend a lot of money. In addition, many clan members are obsessed with perfume, colored glaze, beautiful porcelain and other objects. It seems that they have made a lot of money in the business alliance, but most of them It was exchanged for goods, and it didn't make much money. Now that the business alliance is cut off, the clan's income is gone, but the extravagant enjoyment has not stopped, and many people in the clan have complaints."

It is easy to get money, but difficult to keep it.If you suddenly become rich, you will naturally have to spend money. Now that you have no money, but your spending habits have not changed, you will definitely not be able to spread your resentment on yourself, so who can you blame it on?
Of course, it was Sun Deng, the prince of Wu who proposed to attach himself to Wei.

"The Zhang family is the same as the Gu family. In the past few days, there have been frequent letters from home urging me. I have no choice but to do anything."

Seeing the sad faces of the two of them, Sun Deng's heart sank to the bottom of his heart.

It seems that the family's interests have been affected, and the impact is greater than he thought!
"If we depend on the Han State, we have no possibility of making progress in Jiangdong. This is not good. Now that the Wu State is dependent on the Wei State, we will soon be able to use the power of the Wei State to seize Guangling. The descendants of each family can contribute money. , we will share the place we get."

The merchant alliance is short of money, right?

Then after taking Guangling, wouldn't it be wonderful if you share the cake and your family can make up for the losses?
Zhang Xiu smiled bitterly and said: "Then Zang Ba of Xuzhou is either Yi's generation, or he has the help of the Wei State. How much help can the Wei State help? How much food will be wasted to capture Guangling County? How many soldiers will die?"

Gu Tan also nodded.

"The benefits of the merchant alliance can be earned by just lying down. However, attacking Guangling will waste money and food, and there is a possibility of failure. Even if Guangling is occupied, the income of each family will not be as good as the profit of the merchant alliance. .”

This doesn't work either?

Sun Deng frowned and said, "Can't I, Jiangdong, also form a Jiangdong merchant alliance? Sell Jiangdong's goods to Wei State in exchange for money?"

At this time, Zhuge Ke also came forward to speak.

"Your Highness, this business alliance is not easy. The reason why the Han Dynasty was able to create a business alliance is because it has the attributes of colored glaze, beautiful porcelain, and perfume. Even Jiangdong cannot make these!"

Business Alliance Business Alliance.

You have to make a profit!

Are there any special products from Jiangdong that can be sold to Wei?
Even if there are specialty products, including travel expenses, how much can you earn every time you come back?

After hearing the answers from these people, Sun Deng's expression turned completely gloomy.

"I just don't believe it. Could it be that if I'm in Jiangdong, those business travelers in Jingzhou won't be in trouble?"

The Jiangdong Merchant Alliance suffered heavy losses, so wouldn’t the forces responsible for Jiangdong in Jingzhou also suffer heavy losses after losing Jiangdong’s arm?

"Isn't it possible to have an affair with the Jingzhou nobles and conduct business travel secretly?"

Gu Tan immediately shook his head and said: "Jingzhou Merchant Alliance, some businesses do not stop in Jiangdong. Losing the business in Jiangdong is indeed a heavy loss for them, but it will not be unsustainable. Besides, The Han Dynasty has a military division that is so pervasive that the Jingzhou gentry who are in charge of the Jiangdong Merchant Alliance would not dare to joke with the lives of the whole clan."

This doesn’t work, and that doesn’t work either?

"Is it possible that we can only rely on the Han State to find a way out for Jiangdong?"

As soon as Sun Deng said these words, Zhang Xiu immediately stood up and said: "If we rely on the Han State, our Jiangdong will be as prosperous as before, but if we rely on the Wei State, our Jiangdong will continue to be turbulent. Please give me a warning from the crown prince!"

During this period, not only the Jiangdong family was moving, but also Shanyue in the south was becoming restless.

However.
Such a situation strengthened Sun Deng's determination to attach himself to Wei.

Now that it has not attached itself to the Han State, the influence of the Han prince Liu Chan in Jiangdong is so great. If Jiangdong becomes attached to the Han State in the future, will Jiangdong's surname be Sun or Liu?

It’s unknown!

"No!"

Sun Deng's eyes were sharp, and he immediately said: "It is a national policy to attach to the Wei State! From today on, we will cut off the Han State's military affairs department in Jiangdong!"

"Your Highness."

Gu Tan and Zhang Xiu wanted to remonstrate, but Sun Deng waved his hand and said: "I have made up my mind to attach to the Wei State. The business alliance is severed and the domestic chaos is just a short-term pain. If I attach to the Han State, then It’s just a long-term pain. Whichever is the lesser of the two will be a big pain.”

Kuyiku big guy?

Everyone looked at each other with complicated expressions.

Sharing wealth is easy, but sharing adversity?

Difficult~
The situation in Jiangdong gradually became turbulent, and in Chengdu, the early preparations for the westward expedition to Badi were completed.

Even the vanguard troops were sent there.

The vanguard is Zhang Bao, the deputy general is Wang Ping, and the military advisor is Ma Su.

Of these three, Zhang Bao is a veteran general. He has accompanied Liu Chan on many expeditions and is already the best among the second generation.

Wang Ping had not been reused since his surrender in the Battle of Hanzhong. As a time traveler, Liu Chan knew that Wang Ping was talented, but he had no foundation, so he was reused.

As for Ma Su, although he is talking about military affairs on paper, he is not allowed to lead the army now, but is only allowed to serve as a strategist.

If you can talk on paper, you will often make suggestions.

After he has experienced it on the battlefield, he might not be able to become a good general.

The vanguard army went out to disrupt the situation in Badi and make arrangements in advance.

The next 7000 people are almost ready.

last night.

Liu Chan was summoned to the palace by Han Emperor Liu Bei.

Originally, Emperor Liu Xuande of the Han Dynasty wanted Liu Chan to stay in Chengdu and just choose a general to conquer Badi.

However, Liu Chan rejected Liu Bei's suggestion on the grounds that Badi was of great importance and Chengdu was guarded by his father.

The Han Kingdom seems to be in a good situation now, but things like the situation are changing rapidly. After Cao Pi became emperor, the Wei Kingdom also got on the right track. The Central Plains is rich and recuperative, which is better than Jingzhou and Yizhou. Much faster.

There is no way, the Wei state has a strong foundation, which is not as good as the Han state.

If he is slacking off now, he will be slowing down one step at a time, and the Han Dynasty cannot delay even a moment.

After meeting Liu Bei, Liu Chan handed over the supervision of the country.

Liu Bei returned to the throne to govern.

but
While Fazheng and Zhuge Liang were handling state affairs, Liu Bei just nodded on important matters.

Another point that must be mentioned is Liu Bei's body.

Although Hua Tuo and others took care of Liu Bei's health, sometimes when his health deteriorated, it could not be solved by simple recuperation.

According to Hua Tuo's words, the Emperor of Han Dynasty had only a few years to live.

And Liu Chan wanted to take advantage of the few years Liu Bei was still alive to work hard to develop national power.

I hope that this long-cherished wish of this Han clan clan can be realized:

Rejuvenate the Han Dynasty!

just
To achieve this goal, it will take several years, which is really too difficult. (End of chapter)