Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 262 256. Checks and Balances
"...Now that things have come to this, it would be better to submit to the State of Wei..."

In the messy hall, the officials of Eastern Wu were already in a state of confusion.

"No, if we do that, won't we be called traitors to the Han Dynasty? It would be better to cede land to the Han Emperor and ask for peace."

However, these civil officials, who were usually well-mannered and behaved like great scholars, were now divided and helpless as to how to deal with the Han army's undisguised murderous intent.

Sun Quan watched his ministers quarreling with dark circles and bloodshot eyes, without saying a word.

"Ahem, you are all arguing like women on the street. How can this be allowed?"

In the end, Zhang Zhao couldn't stand it anymore and coughed twice, interrupting the chattering of the crowd.

Zhang Zhao interrupted them for no other reason than that he felt something was wrong with Sun Quan's state. In the past, Sun Quan always followed his principle of "balance" and spoke to adjust the ministers, but now he sat there in silence, which was unusual. Zhang Zhao felt that something seemed to be wrong, so he stopped everyone.

"...What do you think we should do? Fight? Surrender?"

Sun Quan's bloodshot eyes moved and glanced at the people below who had different reactions. Finally, he opened his cracked lips and let out a hoarse voice.

Everyone was silent. This moment was just like that moment. Sun Quan had asked the same question before the Battle of Red Cliffs, but at that time everyone dared to speak freely. Later everyone realized that Sun Quan probably had the idea of ​​fighting at that time, but he just didn't want to speak up.

Now, of course, everyone will not be fooled again, but will remain silent, waiting for Sun Quan to bring it up himself or for someone else to step forward.

"Why are you all silent?"

Seeing that everyone was silent, Sun Quan spoke again, but this time his questions were chilling.

"Your Majesty, I think we cannot surrender, neither to Han nor to Wei."

It was Zhang Zhao who saw the ministers lowering their heads, acting like ostriches, while Sun Quan above seemed to be on the verge of exploding. He could only sigh and take up this heavy responsibility.

"Oh? Zibu, can you explain it to me?"

When Sun Quan heard Zhang Zhao's answer, he immediately looked at Zhang Zhao, but the sense of pressure in his words instantly faded a lot, letting Zhang Zhao know that he had figured out Sun Quan's thoughts.

"Nothing else. If Your Majesty surrenders to Cao Wei, at best the Wei army will enter Jiangdong and Your Majesty will never be able to make a name for yourself. At worst, Your Majesty will have to go to Luoyang in person and live under the roof of the Wei Emperor. No matter which one, Your Majesty's life will depend on the mercy of the Wei Emperor from now on. If the Wei Emperor is murderous, all he needs is an imperial decree and a few officials to kill Your Majesty.

Jiangdong and Shuhan have been fighting for more than a year, and both sides have suffered heavy casualties. It is said that Feng Xi, the commander-in-chief of Shuhan in Jingzhou, once urged Liu Bei to attack Jiangdong and take over the river to resist Cao Wei. At first, Liu Bei was reluctant, but after the Battle of Yiling, he thought Jiangdong was short-sighted, so he followed Feng Xi's advice, which led to the subsequent Battle of Dongting Lake.

If the king surrenders, I am afraid Shu Han will not tolerate the king either."

Zhang Zhao's analysis made sense, and even Sun Quan couldn't help but nod his head. But Zhang Zhao knew that his analysis was not accurate. It was Sun Quan who thought so, and he just said it through his mouth.

Zhang Zhao thought for a moment and knew that if Sun Quan really surrendered to Ji Han, he would probably not die, but would be imprisoned for life. Sun Quan probably also guessed that for him, this was no different from death.

Moreover, in the past, Wu and Han were on equal footing, and one of them was even dominant in Jiangdong. How could Sun Quan possibly swallow his pride and surrender now?
"Zi Bu's words make sense. Neither the Emperor of Wei nor the young Liu Chan will tolerate me. The only option for Jiangdong now is to fight to the death."

Sun Quan spoke slowly, but very slowly, as if he was still thinking about something in his mind. "...But now Shu Han keeps claiming that we are the 'King of Wei Wu', which has greatly damaged the morale of Jiangdong."

Sun Quan thought for a while, and suddenly blurted out this nonsensical remark, which made the ministers below a little confused. They didn't know why the king said this for no reason.

But Zhang Zhao's face changed. Sun Quan's doing this was really equivalent to cutting off his own retreat. You know, although Zhang Zhao said so just now, if Jiangdong really fell, and Sun Quan ran away to Cao Wei with his family, the Emperor of Wei would most likely still take Sun Quan in.

There is no other reason. Everyone knows the story of buying horse bones for a huge sum of money. With Cao Pi's shrewdness, he would definitely make full use of such excellent propaganda material. He would not die, but on the contrary, he would be well fed and well provided, but he would not have much freedom.

But if Sun Quan really wanted to take that last step, there would be no turning back. By then, both the Han Dynasty and the Wei Dynasty would probably want to kill Sun Quan as soon as possible.

"Does Zibu have any good ideas?"

While Zhang Zhao was still calculating the gains and losses in his mind, Sun Quan's eyes swept over him again. Unlike before, this time his eyes revealed an aura of eagerness, even fanaticism, coldness, bloodthirstiness, and madness.

"Ugh……"

Zhang Zhao sighed again in his heart. Sun Quan seemed to have gone crazy. Zhang Zhao understood this situation very well. It was a kind of revelry and indulgence without any scruples, knowing that his time was coming.

But now that Sun Quan asked him, Zhang Zhao could no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb, and could only say what Sun Quan wanted to say.

"I think that both Cao Wei and Shu Han claim to be emperors, but Your Majesty is the King of Wu, and your momentum is inferior to the other two. Now, in accordance with the will of heaven and people, Your Majesty is requested to ascend the throne as soon as possible and inherit the throne, so as to boost the morale of our six counties and eighty-one states in Jiangdong, and to fight against the two thieves on equal footing."

When Zhang Zhao said this, he secretly observed Sun Quan and found that although his face was still calm, his eyes were immediately filled with admiration and satisfaction.

"What do you think, sir?"

Sun Quan stopped making things difficult for Zhang Zhao and pretended to ask other civil and military officials for their opinions. Everyone was not stupid, and since Sun Quan asked this question, they must agree.

"Your Highness, we are reviewing this. Recently, auspicious signs have appeared in Jiangdong. People say that a blue dragon has emerged from the clouds in the East China Sea, a phoenix has been singing in the mountains, a white tiger has been spotted in the dense forests by the river, and a black turtle has been swimming in the river. These are all auspicious signs. May God grant your approval, Your Majesty."

When Bu Zhi saw that Sun Quan had this intention, he immediately stepped forward and flattered Sun Quan, making Sun Quan feel very comfortable.

"Alas, are you trying to harm me? If so, wouldn't I be the same as Cao the traitor who usurped the throne?"

Sure enough, Sun Quan began to make excuses to shirk responsibility. Of course, it was not because Sun Quan had a change of heart, but to shut up the world.

Later generations would think that Sun Quan was unwilling but was forced to proclaim himself emperor due to the enthusiasm of his ministers, and it was definitely not that Sun Quan just wanted to satisfy his desire to be an emperor.

"I beg the king to ascend the throne."

The ministers naturally knew what to do and immediately knelt down to ask for orders.

(End of this chapter)