jdhmnovel Chapter 438 Zhang Zhao earnestly persuades Sun Quan
Chapter 438 Zhang Zhao earnestly persuades Sun Quan
Sun Quan originally intended to appease Gu Yong, Mi Fang, and others first, and then break ties with these rebels after Zhou Tai returned with his army. However, Gu Yong and Mi Fang were too impatient, so he had no choice but to act ahead of time and let these traitors see just how brutal and deadly the final blow unleashed by a desperate and insane monarch can be.
As Sun Quan was pondering how to deal with these traitors, his subordinate hurriedly entered the hall and bowed, saying, "My lord, Military Advisor Zhang Zhao and Ambassador Fei Yi have come to see you, saying they have important matters to discuss with you."
Sun Quan said speechlessly, "Why are you all so impatient? Let them in."
His key ministers were so eager to surrender that his idea of waiting for Cao Cao and Liu Bei to determine the victor before making a decision had no room to be implemented.
These damned bastards! Not a single one offered help when I was in trouble, but they ran away faster than anyone else when I was down. How come none of them care about the years of loyalty between ruler and subject?
Zhang Zhao and Fei Yi arrived quickly, bowed, and said, "Zhang Zhao greets the lord (Fei Yi greets the Marquis of Wu)."
Sun Quan was in no mood for pleasantries. With his arms crossed and a half-smile on his face, he said, "You've come to persuade me to surrender to Liu Bei, haven't you? Go ahead, I'm listening."
Uh……
His roguish behavior left Zhang Zhao and Fei Yi speechless, unsure where to begin. The two exchanged a glance and fell silent, the atmosphere in the hall instantly freezing. Fei Yi, embarrassed, scratched his toes.
After a moment of silence, Zhang Zhao sighed and said, "Since that's the case, I'll get straight to the point. Eastern Wu is completely out of the game, and surrender is a foregone conclusion. My lord, do you acknowledge that?"
Sun Quan nodded silently. Although he didn't want to admit it, this was reality. Reality was like a wicked stepmother who never considered your feelings and only forced you to accept it in the most tyrannical way, leaving you powerless to resist and with no choice but to accept it.
Zhang Zhao continued, "My lord's concerns about surrendering to Liu Bei are nothing more than the enmity he incurred with Liu Bei and Guan Yu by crossing the river in disguise, and the fear of being ridiculed and humiliated after surrendering. In addition, he is worried that he will be imprisoned by the King of Hanzhong like Liu Zhang, right?"
Sun Quan nodded again.
Zhang Zhao continued, "My lord's concerns are very reasonable, but the question is, will these concerns disappear if we surrender to Cao?"
"You know Cao Cao better than I do. Have you forgotten how he treated Lü Bu and Zhang Xiu, and how he treated Liu Cong?"
"That treacherous Cao Cao is cunning and treacherous. He even killed Lü Boshe and Chen Gong, who were kind to him. What are you in his eyes? Once you are no longer of use, do you think he will still keep you alive?"
"Moreover, my lord's ancestral home is Wu Commandery. As a person from Jiangnan, he cannot integrate into the circle of the Central Plains gentry. If you really surrender to Cao Cao, you will suffer more than just insults and ridicule from Cao Cao alone."
"On the other hand, the King of Hanzhong is different. His reputation for benevolence and righteousness is widespread, and his promises are absolutely trustworthy. Although you have had some unpleasant experiences with Liu Bei and Guan Yu, you are still relatives. You are Liu Bei's brother-in-law and Guan Yu's in-law. What can your own relatives do to you? Even if Guan Yu really wants to deal with you, he would have to ask Guan Xing for his consent, right?"
"Furthermore, Lu Xun, Lü Dai, and myself, we, the former officials of Jiangdong, have only surrendered, not died. If Liu Bei really wants to deal with you, he should ask for our opinion first, shouldn't he?"
"If our lord surrenders to Liu Bei, we, the former officials of Jiangdong, still have a bond of loyalty to you as ruler and subject. At the critical moment, we can at least protect your safety. But if you surrender to Cao Wei, even if we, the former officials of Jiangdong, want to help you, we will be powerless to do so, my lord."
"In short, if you surrender to Cao Cao, you will only receive the highest honors at the beginning of the surrender, but it will become increasingly difficult later on. If you surrender to Liu Bei, you may be insulted when you meet him, but it will become increasingly comfortable later on. I think you can understand this point."
Sun Quan's pupils contracted slightly, and his arms, which had been crossed over his chest, loosened and fell to his sides unnaturally.
He listened.
Zhang Zhao is right. The former officials of Eastern Wu were only captured, not killed in battle. Even if they surrendered to Liu Bei, they still had a bond of loyalty to him. Therefore, Liu Bei had to consider the opinions and feelings of the former officials of Eastern Wu in any action he took against him.
So even if they surrendered to Liu, these former Jiangdong officials would still be their source of confidence. But if they surrendered to Wei, would Guan Yu and his son send the captured former Jiangdong officials to Cao Wei?
Even if they did, would these former officials of Jiangdong go?
the answer is negative.
Seeing Sun Quan's interest, Zhang Zhao's spirits lifted, and he continued, "And most importantly, the King of Hanzhong's determination to launch a northern expedition to restore the Han Dynasty is evident to all. As long as he lives, he will never give up his ambition to launch the northern expedition. Moreover, the King of Hanzhong is six years younger than Cao Cao and does not suffer from a chronic illness like headaches. By all accounts, he will outlive Cao Cao. If Cao Cao were to die one day, do you think Cao Pi, who succeeds him, would be a match for the King of Hanzhong?"
Sun Quan leaned forward unconsciously, and even the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. How could he have forgotten this? With Liu Bei's amazing martial prowess, comparable to Zhao Yun, and physical qualities far exceeding those of his peers, he didn't seem like someone who would die young at all. He might even be the one to die before Liu Bei.
In contrast, Cao Cao suffers from headaches and fevers every day. He reportedly fell ill right after the Battle of Xiangfan ended, and recently he was forced by Liu Bei to go to Chang'an to take charge. It's uncertain whether he can even make it to the end of the year.
If I were to surrender to Cao Cao, and he were to die shortly after I joined him, wouldn't I be left out in the cold?
Zhang Zhao continued, "And there's your good son-in-law Guan Xing. You've already witnessed Guan Xing's ability to command troops. Although Cao Wei has many talented people, how many can rival him? Plus, he's only about twenty years old, just like Huo Qubing. He can outlast even Cao Wei's so-called famous generals."
"And then there's Zhuge Liang. You know Zhuge Liang's abilities; he alone is worth two Zhang Liang and Xiao He. Add to that Han Xin and Guan Xing, plus Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and other brave and skilled veterans, and Emperor Gaozu's Three Heroes of the early Han Dynasty are all here. Reaching Luoyang might only require one decisive battle. If you surrender to Cao Cao then, and the King of Hanzhong defeats Cao Wei and restores the Han Dynasty, wouldn't you still have to surrender to Liu Bei? Why suffer two rounds of torment?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Quan's face darkened instantly, and he rebuked him unhappily, "Stop talking."
If he surrendered to Cao Cao and was then captured by Liu Bei, that would be incredibly embarrassing.
Zhang Zhao ignored the order and continued, "Although we offended Liu Bei and Guan Yu by crossing the river in white, we also lost Jiangdong. From this point of view, Liu Bei not only did not lose but actually gained. The matter of crossing the river in white should naturally be put behind us. If the King of Hanzhong continues to hold a grudge, then it is his fault. The King of Hanzhong is a man who aspires to rule the world. How could he keep harping on such a trivial matter as crossing the river in white?"
"Moreover, my lord still has tens of thousands of elite troops and the city of Jiangling, so you have plenty of leverage. At this time, if you hand over the city of Jiangling intact to the King of Hanzhong, the King of Hanzhong will surely be grateful for your kindness and treat you with the highest honors. But if you wait until the Han army is at the city gates before surrendering, you may not receive such good treatment. My lord should understand that there is a difference between surrendering and surrendering, right?"
Sun Quan was persuaded, and the scales in his heart began to tip in favor of Liu Bei, but he had not yet made a final decision, and kept struggling, saying, "Stop talking, let me think about it."
Zhang Zhao, however, did not allow him to think further. Instead, he suddenly drew his sword, knelt on one knee, and presented the sword to Sun Quan with both hands, saying sternly, "There is no time. My lord has been a vassal for so many years, you should know the principle that hesitation leads to chaos, and that you should know that you need to make quick and decisive decisions when faced with a situation. Even if you make a wrong decision, it is better than being indecisive and hesitant to make a decision."
"Moreover, Gu Yong is already contacting Mi Fang and Fu Shiren to prepare for a coup. There is really not much time left for our lord. Jiangling is your pledge of allegiance. You cannot turn your pledge of allegiance or even yourself into a pledge of allegiance for Gu Yong and Mi Fang to surrender to Cao Cao because of hesitation. If you really become Gu Yong and Mi Fang's prisoners, you will have no qualifications at all."
"Therefore, if my lord wishes to surrender to Liu, please make a decision immediately; if he wishes to surrender to Cao, please kill me and use my head to prove to Gu Yong and Mi Fang that I am determined to surrender to Cao."
Sun Quan's gaze gradually shifted from Zhang Zhao's sword to Zhang Zhao's face. He stared at Zhang Zhao's old face for a long time before he couldn't help but scold, "Zhang Zibu, do you know how annoying your bad temper is? Do you know that sometimes I really want to beat you up?"
Zhang Zhao remained silent. He knew his temper perfectly well, but he had no intention of changing it.
Sun Quan sighed and said, "Enough, enough. I, Sun Quan, am still a subject of the Han Dynasty. Since I am paid by the Han, I must be loyal to the Han. I will go and apologize to the King of Hanzhong with a bundle of thorns on my back."