jdhmnovel Chapter 441 Huang Chengyan's Resentment towards Sun Quan
Chapter 441 Huang Chengyan's Resentment towards Sun Quan
In the study room.
Sun Quan, Zhang Zhao, and Fei Yi were all somewhat surprised to hear that Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan were requesting an audience. None of the three of them had any connection with these two, so what were they doing here?
After a moment of silence, Sun Quan frowned and said, "The two of them didn't attend Gu Yong and Mi Fang's gathering, but instead came to see me during this sensitive time. I'm afraid they have ulterior motives."
Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and said, "Why don't we listen to what they have to say first?"
Sun Quan thought it made sense, so he ordered his personal guards to invite the two men in.
When Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan entered the room and found Zhang Zhao and Fei Yi there, their hearts sank. It was probably not a good omen that these two were here.
The two bowed and said, "Pan Jun (Huang Chengyan) greets the Lord."
Sun Quan smiled kindly and said, "Please rise, both of you. What brings you here?"
Huang Chengyan did not answer but secretly glanced at Zhang Zhao and Fei Yi. Sun Quan smiled and said, "The strategist and Ambassador Fei are our own people, so feel free to speak your mind."
Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan's pupils contracted simultaneously, keenly realizing that Sun Quan was preparing to surrender to Liu Bei; otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed Fei Yi to be present.
Now that Sun Quan had made his decision, there was no need for further hesitation. Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan exchanged a glance, knelt down with a thud, and said in trembling voices, "My lord, you are wise. Just now, Mi Fang and Fu Shiren came to me and said that they were ordered by Gu Yong to invite me to Gu's residence to discuss raising an army to seize the city and force the emperor to abdicate. My lord has been very kind to us, and we dare not betray you. We have come to report to you that Gu Yong, Mi Fang, and others are preparing to betray you and surrender to Cao Cao. Please make preparations as soon as possible."
Sun Quan, Zhang Zhao, and Fei Yi were all stunned. These two had come to betray them?
If someone asks you to cooperate, and you turn around and betray them, is that appropriate?
Although Sun Quan was surprised by the two men's despicable behavior, he also knew that it was time for them to put on a good show again. Upon hearing this, he put away his smile and asked with a gloomy face, "Is this true?"
Pan Jun hurriedly replied, "It's absolutely true. Mi Fang and Fu Shiren came to see me first. To prevent them from becoming suspicious, I took them to see Elder Huang. After we worked together to get rid of them, I immediately came to report to my lord and asked him to make preparations in advance to prevent them from being taken advantage of by villains."
Sun Quan slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, roaring with murderous intent, "You, Gu Yuantan! I thought you were a loyal minister of Jiangdong, but I never expected you to be such a treacherous villain. I trusted you so much! And Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, you betrayed Guan Yu yesterday and betrayed Jiangdong today. Are you addicted to betrayal? Or do you think I, Sun Zhongmou, am too weak to wield a sword? Men, order Hu Zong to immediately arrest Gu Yong, Mi Fang, and Fu Shiren!"
He naturally didn't want to make the arrest now, because if he did, how could he find out Gu Yong and Mi Fang's accomplices?
But if I don't say it, I can't express my anger. What should I do?
Fortunately, there was Zhang Zhao. Having worked with Sun Quan for many years, Zhang Zhao had a tacit understanding with him. Upon hearing this, he immediately advised, "My lord, please calm down. Gu Yong has no authority to mobilize troops. He cannot accomplish this task on his own. There must be others involved. Moreover, Pan Zhonglang (Pan Jun was appointed by Sun Quan as Assistant General of the Army) just said that Mi Fang and Fu Shiren were invited to Gu Yong's residence for a meeting on Gu Yong's orders. In that case, why not wait until they are discussing matters in the evening and then take action to wipe them out in one fell swoop, so that no one escapes?"
Sun Quan angrily cursed, "But I don't want to wait a moment longer. That damned Gu Yuantan! I trusted him so much, and he treated me like this. He's despicable and hateful!"
Zhang Zhao continued to persuade, "We understand your feelings, my lord, but we must prioritize the greater good."
Sun Quan pretended to be furious and took several deep breaths before reluctantly saying, "The strategist is right. In that case, let them live a little longer. Pan Zhonglang and Huang Lao, I will remember what happened today and will definitely ask for credit from you two in front of the King of Hanzhong in the future. Now, please go back and attend Gu Yong's banquet in peace."
Since they accepted Gu Yong's invitation, they had to attend the banquet; otherwise, Gu Yong would become suspicious.
"Here..."
The two bowed and took their leave. As soon as they left the study, their smiles vanished. Huang Chengyan muttered under his breath, "Sun Quan has indeed decided to surrender to Liu Bei. That damned Sun Zhongmou, he instigated us to rebel against Liu Bei, but now that we've rebelled against Liu Bei, he's surrendered to Liu Bei. Is he playing us for fools? Is this something a human being would do?"
To ensure their neutrality during the crossing of the Yangtze River in white robes, Sun Quan went to great lengths to win them over, promising the Jingzhou gentry too many benefits. Huang Chengyan originally thought that by driving away Guan Yu and inviting Sun Quan, the clouds would part and the moon would shine, allowing them to enjoy a life of luxury reserved for the gentry. But look what happened! We betrayed Liu Bei and surrendered to Sun Quan, yet Sun Quan wants to lead us to surrender to Liu Bei. Are you trying to set us up for a trap?
Pan Jun's expression changed slightly. He quickly looked around and whispered, "Old Huang, keep your voice down. Be careful, the walls may have ears."
Huang Chengyan didn't dare to actually curse Sun Quan on Sun Quan's territory. Upon hearing this, he could only force a smile and calmly leave with Pan Jun.
Meanwhile, inside the study.
After Sun Quan and the other two left, he immediately put on a smiling face and asked meaningfully, "Strategist, do you think these two came to deliver a message sincerely or to use someone else to do their dirty work?"
Zhang Zhao pondered, "It's unlikely they're genuinely trying to deliver a message; they're not that loyal to you."
Sun Quan sighed, “Yes, they are not old officials of Jiangdong and there is always a layer between them and us. They must know this themselves. If they really did not want to collude with Gu Yong and Mi Fang, they could have just stayed at home and slept soundly. There was no need for them to come all this way. But they chose to inform on us. What does that mean? It means that they also have the intention to betray Liu and surrender to Cao, but they are not the same kind of people as Gu Yong.”
If the two of them rebelled and Gu Yong came to inform on them, Sun Quan might actually believe it. But it's absurd that Gu Yong rebelled and they informed on him. When did the gentry of Jingzhou become so loyal to him, Sun Quan? How come he didn't know?
There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.
Zhang Zhao said, "So they wanted to mislead the lord by informing on him, and at the same time, they wanted to use Gu Yong, Mi Fang and others to attract the lord's attention so that they could secretly do something without the lord's notice."
Sun Quan snorted coldly, "That's probably it. Have Hu Zong keep an eye on the two of them, and at the same time keep an eye on the movement of their private troops at their manor outside the city. If they really want to cause trouble, we'll definitely have to use troops."
Zhang Zhao frowned and said, "Keeping an eye on them is fine, but they have openly declared their stance by informing on us. Without solid evidence, we probably won't be able to deal with them."
"Moreover, they are local strongmen in Jingzhou after all. We have no way of knowing whether they have other plans in private, or even whether they have made contact with Cao Wei. Therefore, I think that my lord must make the worst-case scenario plan. If something really happens, we must find a way to sacrifice a pawn to save the king, at least to keep one city gate intact, so that General Zhou Tai will not have nowhere to enter when he returns."
Zhang Zhao's worst-case scenario was the same as Huang Chengyan's: to hold the city gates and secure the passage into the city, and then hold out for reinforcements.
He also wanted to defend the entire Jiangling City, but the problem was that there were too many rebels in the city. Gu Yong and Mi Fang had not yet been dealt with, and now Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan had emerged. He also secretly estimated that there were others who had not yet emerged. Judging from this situation, it was obviously unrealistic to defend the entire Jiangling City. At this critical moment, he had to make some choices.
Sun Quan nodded and said, "The strategist is right. I'll have Hu Zong take two thousand men to guard the east gate. Let's hold one gate first to ensure we're invincible."
"But we should deal with Gu Yong and Mi Fang now. Let's wait until 7 p.m. tonight to meet Gu Yong."
As the group waited anxiously, evening finally arrived. Hu Zong returned on time to report: "My lord, Mi Fang, Fu Shiren, Zhu Ju, Zhang Bai (Zhang Wen's younger brother), and others have gone to Gu Yong's residence. In addition, according to reports from Gu's spies, the Gu family's servants have taken out their weapons and put on armor. I don't know if they are targeting my lord or the guests at the banquet."
Sun Quan sneered, "Who cares who he's targeting? Is Zhou Cheng ready?"
Sun Quan didn't even consider the servants of the Gu family a threat. If he couldn't even handle this rabble, wouldn't all his years as a feudal lord have been for nothing?
Hu Zong bowed and said, "All preparations are complete, and we await your command, my lord."
Sun Quan stood up and said with a smile, "Then let's go."