Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 289 283. The Outcast Land
"Does Lord Zibu think that I, Feng Xi, am a three-year-old child? In a few months, if the Emperor of Wu does this again and demands that our Han army withdraw from Jiangdong, and then asks us to withdraw from Jingzhou, will we have to obey him obediently?"

Feng Xi sneered, showing disdain for this condition.

"In Jiangdong, trust and loyalty are our top priority, and the emperor's word is law..."

Seeing that Feng Xi had begun to doubt Jiangdong's credibility, Zhang Zhao was determined to argue with him.

"Please wait, Lord Zibu. I have long heard about the credibility of people from Jiangdong. Otherwise, I would not be at the gates of Jianye at this moment.

I will not agree to the conditions you just mentioned. Please remember the lowest conditions I can accept."

Feng Xi straightened his back, looked at Zhang Zhao, and spoke word by word. Zhang Zhao knew that Feng Xi was serious about it, so he did not dare to be negligent and listened attentively.

"First, Jianye City must be given up. Lord Zibu can see that it is only a matter of time before our Han army conquers Jianye. This Jianye City should be our Han city, so don't talk about those nonsense.

Second, keep Zhuge Ziyu's family, so that our "Emperor Wu" won't try to do anything with him in the future.

Third, there is no need to negotiate a ceasefire, but I can give you Wu Jun three days to leave Jianye. When I see you again after that, I will do the same thing as before. "

Feng Xi stated all his conditions in an orderly manner. To put it bluntly, he wanted to spare Sun Quan's life in exchange for Zhuge Jin's family.

Although Feng Xi didn't care about Zhuge Jin, it was still good to return the jade intact to Zhao. It was the best option to rescue Zhuge Jin unless it was absolutely necessary. As for letting Sun Quan go, Sun Quan couldn't even return to the Wu army in three days, so Feng Xi didn't care too much about it.

"Grand Commander, I cannot make the decision on this matter. I have to go back and ask His Majesty for his opinion."

Zhang Zhao listened to Feng Xi's conditions calmly without expressing any opinion. He only asked to go back and discuss it with Sun Quan.

"That's right. Bao Feng! Send Lord Zibu back! And Lord Zibu, I hope that Emperor Wu can make a decision as soon as possible. I can only wait for him for one day. If there is no reply after one day, I will just think that Emperor Wu is unwilling, and don't blame me for continuing the attack."

When Bao Feng entered the tent and prepared to escort Zhang Zhao away, Feng Xi specifically reminded Zhang Zhao to think twice before Sun Quan did anything, and then think twice for ten days or half a month.

Zhang Zhao cupped his hands to indicate that he understood, then left tremblingly with Bao Feng.

Zhang Zhao and Bao Feng came to the west gate from the Han army. They had a safe journey. Zhang Zhao walked with his crutches through the blank buffer area on the city wall between the two armies and returned to the Wu army.

Under Bu Zhi's "protection", Zhuge Jin was still leading the charge at the front line. He was relieved to see Zhang Zhao return.

"Mr. Zibu, what's the situation?"

Zhuge Jin came forward and asked Zhang Zhao in a low voice.

"This is an urgent matter. I need to see His Majesty."

Zhang Zhao shook his head slightly at Zhuge Jin, but spoke to Bu Zhi.

"Quickly send Zibu Gong to see His Majesty."

Bu Zhi nodded. Knowing that Zhang Zhao's life and property were now at stake, he did not dare to neglect it. He immediately ordered the captain Shi Ji to take a team of soldiers to escort Zhang Zhao to meet Sun Quan. He continued to watch Zhuge Jin on the west gate tower while confronting the Han army.

"Your Majesty, Lord Zhang Zhao is back."

The Jianye Palace seemed extremely stable, but Sun Quan, who was actually a little anxious, sat up immediately.

"Please."

Zhang Zhao, leaning on a cane, walked slowly but firmly into the hall.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." "Why do you have to be so polite, Lord Zibu? I wonder if Lord Zibu has seen that little Feng Xi kid?"

Sun Quan was so impatient that he almost caught Zhang Zhao to question him.

"Your Majesty, I have met the Han army commander-in-chief Feng Xi, and..."

Zhang Zhao disclosed the details of the communication between the two parties, and finally emphasized Feng Xi's conditions to Sun Quan.

"Hmm...let me think about it..."

Sun Quan lowered his head, rubbed his chin and began to think about Feng Xi's conditions. First of all, sending Zhuge Jin to Ji Han was within Sun Quan's bottom line. He had this plan from the beginning, so it didn't matter.

However, the other two conditions, whether it was giving up Jianye City or just a three-day ceasefire, were somewhat unacceptable to Sun Quan.

The key point is that although he could survive, where should he go? Escape to Wu County? Escape to Kuaiji County? And then continue to be chased around the world by Feng Xi's Han army like a rabbit after three days?

Sun Quan was a little confused.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to tell you. In my humble opinion, our Great Wu does not need to be confined to the 81 states of Jiangdong. There are other places to go."

Zhang Zhao below seemed to notice Sun Quan's hesitation and he spoke suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to himself.

"I hope the teacher can give me some advice."

When Sun Quan heard what Zhang Zhao said, he immediately humbled himself, as if he had returned to the young man who had not yet become the lord of Jiangdong and was studying classics and history with Zhang Zhao.

"Your Majesty should also know that Xu Fu once sailed eastward and reached Yizhou and Danzhou, both of which are paradises on earth. Your Majesty has nowhere to retreat now, so why bother to stick to the Central Plains? Why not retreat to Wujun, prepare ships, sail eastward, find these two islands, isolate yourself from the world, and still establish a country outside the barbaric world."

Although Sun Quan had been somewhat cold and distant towards him since the Battle of Red Cliff, Zhang Zhao still bowed from the bottom of his heart. The angle at which he bowed was a bit difficult for someone of his age.

"Go to the outside world... and become the master of the outside world..."

Sun Quan lowered his head and silently repeated several times what Zhang Zhao had just said, weighing the pros and cons.

"Now our Great Wu is no longer able to contend with Shu Han. It is better to follow what Lord Zibu said and retreat to Wujun, gather the ships, leave some soldiers to guard Wujun, and delay the Han army. Your Majesty can then take your elite confidants and cross the river to the east to search for Yizhou and Tanzhou."

Prime Minister Sun Shao, who was standing by, also agreed with Zhang Zhao's opinion and expressed his support for it.

"...Okay, then I'll trouble Lord Zibu to go to the Han army camp again. I agree to the Han army's conditions, so I'll act accordingly."

Sun Quan nodded repeatedly, letting Zhang Zhao take the blame, and prepared to visit Feng ********* again to report. Although the Han army proposed this plan, we cannot guarantee that they will keep their promise. I have an unreasonable request. "

Zhang Zhao did not move, but continued to bow to the ground.

"Teacher, why do you have to do this? If you have anything to say, just say it directly."

Sun Quan seemed to have thought of something, but was not sure, so he could only let Zhang Zhao finish what he wanted to say.

"Your Majesty, I am old and weak, and cannot stand the rapid march and the wind and waves. I am willing to stay in Jianye and supervise the Han army's agreement for Your Majesty. If the Han army cannot keep its promise, I will execute Zhuge Ziyu."

Zhang Zhao lowered his head, his pale silver hair reflected the light, but the words he said were chilling.

(End of this chapter)