flstandardbreds Chapter 439 Each Has Their Own Schemes
Chapter 439 Each Has Their Own Schemes
The phrase "Okay, that's enough" carries a hint of defiance; if it were used during a couple's argument, it would definitely send the other person's anger level soaring.
But Zhang Zhao didn't care about that, and knowing that Sun Quan harbored deep resentment towards him, he didn't dare to refute him. Seeing that Sun Quan had relented, he hurriedly said, "My lord is wise."
While speaking, he didn't forget to wink at Fei Yi. Fei Yi immediately understood and bowed, saying, "Lord Wu, rest assured, I will report today's events to the King of Hanzhong truthfully and prove to Your Majesty that you surrendered voluntarily."
Zhang Zhao was the one communicating with Sun Quan the whole time, and Fei Yi couldn't get a word in edgewise. So the question is, if Zhang Zhao was confident in persuading Sun Quan to surrender, why did he bother to invite Fei Yi over?
Needless to say, they wanted him to act as Liu Bei's envoy and witness the fact that Sun Quan had taken the initiative to surrender.
After all, there is a world of difference between surrendering voluntarily and surrendering passively.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhao sheathed his sword, stroked his beard, and smiled.
Sun Quan lowered his noble head and looked at Fei Yi with a slightly embarrassed smile, saying, "Ambassador Fei, how is your injury? I'm sorry about what happened last time."
Fei Yi's lips twitched involuntarily, and he bowed insincerely, saying, "Lord Wu, you flatter me. This is just a minor injury and nothing to worry about. Besides, it was Jiang Ji who did it, what does it have to do with you?"
Sun Quan nodded in satisfaction, then his smile vanished, his face darkening and even revealing a murderous intent as he said, "Let's get down to business. I just received news that Gu Yong has ordered Mi Fang and Fu Shiren to contact the gentry of Jingzhou and the generals of Wu, and to hold a meeting at Gu's residence at 7 p.m. to discuss how to attack the General's residence and imprison me. Strategist, you're right, we really don't have much time left."
Zhang Zhao and Fei Yi's expressions changed simultaneously. After a moment's thought, Zhang Zhao calmly smiled and said, "Since our lord has received the news, he must have a plan. What do you intend to do?"
Sun Quan said in a cold tone, "Naturally, we should wait until these rebels gather and then immediately take action to wipe them all out and execute them all. Consider it my gift to the King of Hanzhong."
These people were obstacles to Liu Bei's governance after he regained control of Jingzhou. If these people were handed over to Liu Bei alive, he might not only be unable to kill them for various reasons, but also have to appease them against his conscience. However, if these people's corpses were handed over to Liu Bei, he might scold them verbally, but he would definitely be overjoyed in his heart.
Liu Bei had to be careful not to kill too many people, but Sun Quan, who was already out of the game, had no such concerns and could kill freely, doing all the dirty work for Liu Bei so that Liu Bei could achieve his goal while preserving his reputation for benevolence and righteousness.
Fei Yi was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Lord Wu is wise. If there is anything you need me to do, please feel free to give the order, and I will do my best to cooperate."
Sun Quan said, "No need for now, just wait patiently until the hour of Xu (7-9 PM). Also, I will write a letter to Yu Fan, Bu Zhi, and Sun Huan, ordering them to surrender the city and hand it over to the Han army."
Just as he was about to pick up his pen, he suddenly remembered something, slapped his forehead, and said, "Oh right, how could I forget about this? Wang Sima is still in jail. After we deal with Gu Yong and the others tonight, please ask Ambassador Fei to go to the jail and bring Wang Sima back."
Fei Yi exclaimed in surprise, "What? Wang Sima is still alive?"
The Wang Sima they were referring to was Mi Fang's subordinate, the former Nan Commandery Sima Wang Hong. As for why Wang Hong was in prison, that's a long story.
Although Mi Fang's surrender of the city allowed the Wu army to easily enter Jiangling, the process of accepting Jiangling was not smooth for the Wu army, because not everyone was willing to surrender to Wu like Mi Fang. Sima Wang Hong was a staunch anti-Wu faction. After the Wu army entered the city, instead of kneeling to welcome them like Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan, he gathered troops to ambush them halfway, trying to force the Wu army to retreat and take back Jiangling.
Unfortunately, Yu Fan had anticipated this move, and Wang Hong, with his small army and few generals, was captured. Even after being captured, he refused to surrender to Wu and was imprisoned by Sun Quan until now.
Sun Quan did not kill Wang Hong because he appreciated Wang Hong's loyalty and wanted to recruit him. After all, such a loyal man who was still thinking of fighting to the death even after everything had settled was much better than traitors like Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, or opportunists like Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan.
However, to the outside world, Sun Quan openly declared that Wang Hong was dead in order to deter those who dared to rebel, thus letting the people of Jingzhou know the consequences of resistance.
Therefore, everyone, including Liu Bei, thought Wang Hong was dead, and even held a funeral for him in Bashu. If they had known that Wang Hong was still alive, Fei Yi would have tried to rescue him on the first day he entered Jiangling. Why would he have waited until now?
Sun Quan nodded and said, "Yes, but to avoid arousing suspicion from Gu Yong, Mi Fang and others, we cannot release him now. We can only ask Wang Sima to suffer a little longer."
Sun Quan, after all, had been a feudal lord before, and his ability to execute decisions was very strong.
But as the saying goes, plans can never keep up with changes. As soon as Sun Quan finished speaking, his personal guards rushed in and bowed, saying, "My lord, Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan request an audience."
Sun, Zhang, and Fei were all stunned, and asked in unison, "What are they doing here?"
……
Mi Fang and Fu Shiren were the ones who needed a powerful backer the most, so after receiving Gu Yong's order, they dared not delay and immediately went to contact Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan.
But these two fools, desperate for a cure, forgot one thing: Pan Jun was treacherous and Huang Chengyan was a shrewd old fox. They even pushed the blame for the betrayal of Guan Yu onto the two of them. How could they possibly be the ones to stand up for Guan Yu at such a time?
Mi Fang and Fu Shiren arrived at the Pan residence and met with Pan Jun, explaining their purpose. Pan Jun readily agreed to their request and, under the pretext of discussing matters with Huang Chengyan, took them to Huang Chengyan's residence.
The four then discussed matters briefly in Huang's study. Pan and Huang then used the pretext of gathering troops and provisions to send Mi Fang and Fu Shiren away, and then began their secret meeting.
Inside the study, Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan exchanged glances for a moment before Pan Jun couldn't help but mock Huang Chengyan, saying, "Don't these two idiots think it's a bit too late to start thinking about their escape route now?"
Huang Chengyan chimed in, "And Gu Yong, so eager to pledge allegiance to his new master, does he really think his old master is incapable of wielding a sword? If Marquis Wu couldn't deal with the Guan family father and son, surely he can deal with him?"
"Let them do what they want, we won't get involved. But we can't just sit idly by. We must take advantage of the distraction that Gu Yong, Mi Fang, and others are using to complete our own plan. Has Jiang Ji replied yet?"
Pan Jun was not a fool like Mi Fang who only sought help at the last minute. He had already established contact with Jiang Ji when Jiang Ji was still in Jiangling. As soon as the news of Han Dang and Xu Sheng's deaths reached him, he sent the message to Jiang Ji to express his loyalty to Cao Wei and to ask Jiang Ji to be prepared to send troops to seize Jiangling at any time.
Jiang Ji was an imperial envoy personally appointed by Cao Cao, and he also had the 30,000-strong army of Yu Jin that he had just redeemed from Sun Quan. If a real battle were to break out, he might not be without the strength to fight.
Pan Jun said, "Although Jiang Ji's reply has arrived, the news that Mi Fang and Fu Shiren just sent was too shocking. I can't guarantee whether our plan can still succeed."
Huang Chengyan said with a wry smile, "Yes, Guan Xing actually annihilated Lu Xun's eastern expeditionary army. This is too damn unbelievable. Is Guan Anguo really the reincarnation of Han Xin, Bai Qi, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing?"
"Although Guan Xing's sudden emergence has brought some changes, there is no turning back now that things have come to this point, and we have no other choice."
Pan Jun said, "What you say is true, but there is one thing I don't understand. I would like to ask Elder Huang to enlighten me. If Elder Huang does not explain this matter clearly, I will immediately withdraw, bind my hands, and go to the King of Hanzhong to beg for forgiveness and accept all the punishments imposed by the King of Hanzhong."
He now regrets betraying Guan Yu. Who could have imagined that Guan Yu not only survived but also rose again in Jiangdong and was about to return to Jingzhou as a king?
Had he known this would happen, he would have insisted on eliminating Mi Fang and protecting Jiangling that day. Don't forget that Pan Jun was personally appointed by Liu Bei as the Chief Administrator of Jingzhou, Mi Fang's superior. If he really wanted to stop Mi Fang from surrendering the city, he could have done it easily.
But what's the use of saying all this now? There's everything in the world, except for a cure for regret.
Huang Chengyan's pupils contracted slightly, and he said with an unnatural expression, "What question do you have to ask?"
Pan Jun asked, "Zhuge Liang is your son-in-law, and based on that relationship alone, the King of Hanzhong would not dare to make things difficult for you. Why do you insist on betraying the King of Hanzhong?"