Chapter 47 Middle-aged

Sun Quan gently threw Sun Deng's book on the desk, curled the corners of his mouth, turned around with his hands behind his back, and looked at the huge map on the wall. His eyes fell on the position of South County, slowly down the narrow arc, bent over Jiuzhen, and slid to Jiaotong, and the irony at the corners of his mouth became stronger.

"Ziyu, do you think those Yi people in Funan can attack from South County to the north until Jiuzhen and Jiaolan?"

Zhuge Jin's mouth was bitter, but his heart was uneasy. Zhuge Ke left in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to say hello to him. When he received an urgent letter from Zhuge Ke, he knew that his son had arrived in Qian Tang, and he and the prince decided to send troops to fight against Funan with Sun Shao and recapture Nanjun. He wanted Zhuge. Jin said to Sun Quan to make sure that he could agree to their decision.

Although Zhuge Jin is loyal, he is not stupid. He saw Zhuge Ke's desire to take this opportunity to control the military power. In the long run, this is of course a good thing, but in the short term, Zhuge Jin has a deep sense of fear: military power is a very ** thing. If Sun Quan doesn't take the initiative to give it, how can you take the initiative? Especially proposed by Sun Deng, what's the difference between that and seizing power?

From Sun Quan's words, Zhuge Jin heard the ominous taste.

"Your Majesty, I think they are too young to be deceived and can't be a heavy responsibility." Zhuge Jin answered calmly, "The Yi people come to the south just to disturb and rob. If it is good, they will come. If there is no profit, they will leave. It is an accident that they can capture Xijuan City. How can they continue to attack Jiuzhen to the north and even hand over? To recover the South County, why do you need to send special troops? You just need to order Jiaozhou Mubuzi Mountain.

"Young?" Sun Quan turned his head and looked at Zhuge Jin, nodded and said, "They are indeed young. Young people have courage and momentum, but they have no experience, but experience also needs to be accumulated slowly. How can they accumulate experience without incident? Let them go and see the customs of Jiaozhou and see if it is the same as what is written in the book.

Zhuge Jin took a cold breath. He instinctively wanted to ask Sun Quan what his intention was, but when he came to his mouth, he swallowed it back. He was never used to having a head-on conflict with Sun Quan, especially when it came to his son, but he was very worried that Zhuge Ke was young and numb. He only knew that he would take the opportunity to seize the military power, but he Don't think about it, how did he seize the military power? At present, which soldier in Jiangdong does not belong, and who is willing to transfer his own soldier to Zhuge Ke?

"Bu Zishan can't leave in Changsha. Let Lv Dinggong go to Jiaozhou to be the assassin, and the prince's army is Jiaozhou." Sun Quan said lightly, paused for a moment, and added, "Yuan Xun is talented, so let him assist the prince to make contributions."

Zhuge Jin was shocked to hear this. Sun Quan sent Sun Deng to Jiaozhou, but withdrew Bu Qian from Jiaozhou. He must send Lv Dai to Jiaozhou, and from Jiaozhou to be demoted to assassin. It can be regarded as giving way to the prince, lest Lv Dai's authority too heavy and affecting the prince's authority, but this can also be understood as Sun Quan's heavy responsibility. Sun Deng's shoulder did not help him. What else does Sun Deng have besides an identity? Sun Quan did not allocate another soldier to him, but he gave him the task of recovering the south.

"Your Majesty, Lv Dinggong is good at fighting. Just have him to go to Jiaozhou. The prince's status is noble, and it is not appropriate to visit the front line in person, so as not to..."

"Is the status noble?" Sun Quan interrupted Zhuge Jin's words: "He is just a prince now. No matter how noble he is, can he be more noble than the king of Yue?" Didn't the king of Yue still lead his army across the sea and pacification of Yizhou? He has always admired the king of Yue. Of course, he should follow the example of the king of Yue. Besides, there will be no problem with the king of Yue this time.

Zhuge Jin didn't dare to say anything more. He heard a strong anger from Sun Quan's words. At the same time, he was surprised to find that Sun Quan, who had been bedridden, was in high spirits today and full of energy. How could he look a little sick? The more Zhuge Jin thought about it, the more shocked he became, and he had to respond. Sun Quan immediately asked people to come in to draw up an edict, sent a letter back to Sun Deng, agreed to his plan, and asked him to leave for Jiaozhou immediately.

By the way, Sun Quan also agreed to Sun Luban's request to march south with the prince. He ordered Zhou Xun to be a partial general and lead 2,000 people to protect the safety of the princess.

When Sun Deng received the order, he also received a letter from Zhuge Jin. Zhuge Jin did not say much in the letter, but earnestly taught Zhuge Ke to protect the prince and never be a hero, so as not to delay the prince's future. Sun Deng felt Zhuge Jin's worry between the lines. After carefully thinking about Sun Quan's series of arrangements, they also saw a strong murderous intention.

Sun Deng regretted it. His biggest reliance at the beginning was Bu Qian. Bu Qian has been operating in Jiaozhou for many years and has more than 10,000 elite soldiers under him. As long as Bu Qian helps, he can calm down the south smoothly. To be honest, Sun Deng doesn't think how difficult it is to deal with those Yi people in Funan. Maybe when they arrive in the south, the Yi people have already looked forward to it. Maybe the wind will escape. The reason why he promised Sun Luban to go to Jiaozhou together was that he hoped to use Sun Luban's Bu family's blood to get closer to Bu Qian. However, he never expected that Sun Quan agreed to all his requests, but did not transfer Bu Qian back to Jiaozhou. He even went further and cancelled Bu Qian's pastoral status in Jiaozhou and resented Lv Dai as the governor of Jiaozhou. . In this way, the responsibility fell directly on the supervisor in his hands. He is not even as good as Princess Sun Luban. Sun Luban is protected by 2,000 private soldiers led by Zhou Xun. He only has two staff, Xie Jing and Zhuge Ke.

Zhuge Ke also had a headache. He didn't expect things to turn out like this, but he was still full of confidence and believed that he could accomplish such a credit with his own efforts.

"Prince, it's enough for Lv Dinggong to go to Jiaozhou, and it's enough to defend Nanjun." Zhuge Ke calmly said, "Let alone the army of the king of Yue, it is enough for Lv Dinggong and Zhou Boying's men to repel the Yi people in the south."

"I don't think so." Xie Jing shook his head disapprovingly: "I heard that the Prime Minister of the State of Yue and the Royal History Doctor did not agree to send troops to the South." He glanced at Zhuge Ke, and the beard at the corners of his mouth trembled: "It is said that Nan, I am the territory of the State of Wu. For the State of Yue, there are only a few merchants who died. How can they stir up the crowd? I'm afraid this war can't be expected of Yue.

Sun Deng narrowed his eyes and looked at Xie Jing's complicated expression. At this time, he had no time to distinguish his personal anger. After losing such a big help as Bu Qian, he couldn't help but wonder whether Sun Shao could send troops to the state. As Xie Jing said, in the change of the south, the country of Yue lost only a few merchants and some goods. Although the country of Yue was important to merchants, it was only Sun Shao's wishful thinking for the death of several merchants. His real purpose may be to occupy the south, and revenge for the death of the merchants was just a cover. Now that the Prime Minister and the Royal History Doctor have expressed their opposition, can he still be so resolute?

It seems that this trip to Jiaozhou can only be done by yourself.

... Sun Shao looked at Prime Minister Yu Fan and Yu Ji, who were serious and resolutely refused to give in, and pinched his eyebrows and said nothing. He had long expected that the two would oppose sending troops, but he didn't expect them to be so determined. Yu turned around and waved his sleeves and spoke generously. The spit star could almost wash his face. He said that the State of Yue has attracted nearly 20,000 households in the past few months. They have just settled in the State of Yue, and their doubts have not completely subsided. At this time, they should focus on stability. When they are really at ease, it is not too late to go on an expedition. Now they are in a hurry. Not only have difficulties in preparing materials, but also once they are frustrated, only I'm afraid that these people's confidence in Vietnam will be hit hard. At that time, we will get nothing from the large amount of financial and material resources we invested in the early stage. If you want to play, you can play again in two years. You can't do it now.

Lu Ji doesn't have so many words, but what he said is the same as the stone thrown [***]. There is no room for discussion. If you want to send troops, you can be exempted from my position of imperial historian first. I would rather go to Zhuya College to study, rather than to see that the king's laborer has no merit and has just shown a good momentum of development. Vietnam suffered a major setback.

Commenting on the conscience, Yu Fan and Lu Ji are both right. Yue Guo should not make a big move under such a situation of rapid development momentum. Although the so-called "stability overwhelms" sounds very vulgar, it is very true. For the rulers, stability is the most important thing at any time. Several merchants have died. What is a person? Think about the big man. The Xianbei people in the frontier have been making trouble for so long. They have disturbed the border year by year, and they have not been able to touch the foundation of the big man, but with the yellow scarf, the world will be in chaos.

However, Sun Shao had Sun Shao's idea, and he didn't argue with them. He just wiped his face with his sleeve and frowned and interrupted Yu Fan's words: "Mr. Prime Minister, you have been a little angry recently. This tone is very heavy."

Yu turned his face and blushed. Only then did he find that he was too excited just now and spit on Sun Shao's face. He took a step back awkwardly and bowed: "The old minister is innocent. Please forgive me. It's just that the old minister is loyal to the country, and the words from the bottom of my heart, please think twice.

"I didn't say you were wrong." Sun Shao waved his hand and motioned Yu Fan and Lu Ji not to be nervous: "It's really normal that the opinions are different. The light is not lit, and the reason is unclear. If there are any different opinions, let's discuss it together. This is the principle I have been emphasizing. There is nothing wrong with you."

Yu Fen breathed a sigh of relief. Although his surname is Zizhi and he is unwilling to follow the situation, it will more or less bring disadvantages to him if he angers a monarch like Sun Shao. This has been verified by him for half his life. It is very rare for Sun Shao to care about his temper. It's just that since he is in the phase, he must be loyal to his duty. He knows that this is wrong, but he is worried about his own safety and does not say anything. That is not his rule for him to be a man.

"Your Majesty, it is not that I do not support the expedition, but according to the news we have received, the vast number of people in Funan is far from Yizhou. It is easy to start a war, and it is up to the king to end. The king sacrificed the lives of countless soldiers for the sake of a few businessmen. Is it worth it? Yu Fan further bitterly persuaded, "I think that the king will raise his soldiers and wait for another two or three years. At that time, Yue's household registration will be abundant, and at least 20,000 troops can be added. Isn't it more appropriate to attack and help the southern country again?"

"Pres Prime Minister, of course, what you said makes sense, but I also have my reason." Sun Shao stood up, walked to Yu Fan, and looked at Yu Fan earnestly: "I said that my court in Yue is not a word, and I don't have the final say. When we have a disagreement, it doesn't mean that you must listen to me, nor does it mean that you must listen to you. Let's choose the good, okay?"

Yu was stunned for a moment. He didn't know what Sun Shao wanted to say. He didn't do what he said, and he didn't do what he said. What on earth did he do?

"Minister, I want you to hold an expanded meeting. Not only the three princes will participate, but also Jiuqing will participate. You should publish the topic first, so that the people of Vietnam know what is going on. If they have any opinions, they can also express them. You can speak to your Prime Minister's Office and the Imperial History Office, or you can also come to me. Yan, if necessary, you invite those families who are not officials to participate in the discussion. We have already seen each other. Whoever speaks reasonablely and supports more people, just listen to whom, okay?

Yu turned his eyebrows and locked his head tightly. He had never encountered such a thing. It is understandable to invite the three princes and nine ministers to participate in the discussion on national affairs. It is also understandable to let hundreds of officials express their opinions. However, it is not rare to let those people without official positions participate in formal meetings, but it is rare. At first sight, such as the salt and iron conference, it is of course a good thing for Sun Shao not to say a word, but such a thing has to be so grand, isn't it a little too much?

Yu glanced at Lu Ji, and Lu Ji also frowned slightly. The two exchanged glances with each other, and finally agreed. Now they have the opposite opinion of Sun Shao. If they persist to the end, they still have to listen to Sun Shao. Since Sun Shao is willing to hold this expanded meeting, let's hold it. No matter what the final result is, it can at least be delayed for a period of time.

"I obey the king's edict." Yu took a step back and bowed.

"The Prime Minister, you can arrange it first. Dr. Yushi, stay. I have something to say to you." Sun Shao smiled and waved to Lu Ji. Yu Fan looked at Sun Shao warily. Sun Shao asked him to go first, but left Lu Ji. Did he want to break through each other? He took a look at Lu Ji, but Lu Ji smiled calmly and said, "Mr. Prime Minister, you don't have to look at me. Is Lu Ji a villain who fell with the wind?"

Yu turned around and grinned awkwardly and turned out. Sun Shao let Lu Ji sit closer and did not open his mouth. He looked up and down at Lu Ji's face first. Lu Ji sat upright, did not smile, and directly ignored Sun Shao's eyes. Sun Shao looked at it for a while and smiled, "Mr. Lu, how have you been recently?"

Lu Ji smiled faintly: "Thank you for your concern. I've been fine recently."

"Well, it seems that the soup is still useful." Sun Shao twisted the ribbon and smiled, "I just don't know how it tastes?"

Lu Ji didn't care about it all of a sudden. He glanced at Sun Shao in surprise and said doubtfully, "Your Majesty, what are you talking about... Tang?"

"Didn't you drink tonic soup?" Sun Shao squeezed his eyes.

Lu Ji thought for a moment, and Bai Yu's face turned red. He stammered a few times and didn't say anything. After a while, he raised his head again: "Big...Your Majesty, this is a private matter..."

"Why are you so nervous?" Sun Shao smiled and said, "Do you think I want to use this relationship to make you support me?"

Lu Ji didn't say anything. He looked at Sun Shao suspiciously. He was so worried. This matter is a misunderstanding. He originally had a wife and a concubine. The wife had been staying in Wu County and gave birth to her eldest daughter Lu Shan. The concubine was taken by him in Yulin and gave birth to her son Lu Rui and daughter Lu Yusheng. However, my concubine died when she was in Yulin, and my wife also passed away the year before last. Now he is alone. It is supposed to continue or take a concubine. However, in the past two years, she has been a doctor of imperial history. She is busy with government affairs and has not taken care of this matter. It happens that her eldest daughter Lu Shan has also been helping him handle affairs by his side and taking care of his life. It's not so urgent for the continuation. Last year, he went to Zhuya with Sun Shao. His elder sister, Mrs. Lu, made the decision. Lu Yusheng, the youngest daughter who left him in Jianye, married Zhang Wen's younger brother Zhang Bai. Only then did he remember that his eldest daughter was 20 years old and it was time to marry.

When I was in Zhu Ya, because I had to conduct a thorough investigation of Zhu Ya's accounts for several years, the people of the imperial historian were very busy from him to all the members. Everyone lost a lot of weight and was just seen by Sun Shangxiang, who came to find Lu Shan. At that time, Sun Shangxiang had just won the battle in Yizhou and was in a very good mood. When he saw their miserable situation, he took the female soldiers from the Flying Tiger Camp to make soup for them and replenish their bodies. However, I didn't expect that Sun Shangxiang's heart was good, but her craftsmanship was very poor. Although the soup was made with a lot of ingredients, the taste was not so bad. Those members looked more uncomfortable than taking medicine. Lu Ji also felt bad, but he was well-cultivated. Even if he really drank medicine, he could keep his face calm. It's just that he didn't expect that this gave Sun Shangxiang a lot of courage. He continued to work hard, and his life was endless, and he couldn't stop making soup. Inadvertently, the soup originally made for everyone in the imperial palace became his own. When he woke up, it was too late to declare it. Even his daughter Lu Shan didn't believe it, let alone other cronies. Everyone's reason is that the soup is so bad. If it's not interesting, how can you drink it?

Lu Ji was depressed for a period of time, but he soon found that in fact, Sun Shangxiang was also quite good. Although the soup was a little poor, he was very attentive. The craftsmanship was increasing day by day, and the effect was indeed not bad. After drinking the soup she made, Lu Ji's foot disease, which was often painful, slowly got better. Later, as soon as he inquired, he knew that Sun Shangxiang heard that he had a foot disease and specially asked Dong Feng for a prescription from the imperial doctor to look for medicinal herbs everywhere, but it took a lot of effort, and Sun Shangxiang had never mentioned all this in front of him.

Lu Ji felt a strange warmth and a sense of care from this woman who had always been as strong as a tiger. He made a mistake and acquiesced to this fact. He was considering when to ask Sun Shao. Unexpectedly, Sun Shao took the initiative to ask for it, and it was such an expression.

"Don't worry, I won't blackmail you with this kind of thing." Sun Shao smiled and said, "I just want to ask if you really like my aunt. As you know, my aunt had an unsuccessful marriage. I don't want this to be her wishful thinking and any misunderstanding.

Lu Ji is very embarrassed. He doesn't know how to answer Sun Shao. He is thirty-seven years old. He is middle-aged. He doesn't have the impulse of young people, and his feelings are also very real. Sun Shangxiang has also had a marriage. Although they didn't say anything, how much does the other party think? You can guess how many points.

"Your Majesty, I... I... I am... I am..."

Looking at Lu Ji, who was as shy as a love teenager, Sun Shao laughed. He pressed Lu Ji's shoulder: "If you are embarrassed to say, you can nod or shake your head to show it. If you agree, you can nod. If you don't agree, you can shake your head. I will tell my aunt truthfully. No one can delay anyone, don't you think?

Lu Ji nodded nervously. After thinking for a moment, he clicked hard twice again, as if he was afraid that Sun Shao would repent.

Sun Shao smiled, patted Lu Ji's shoulder twice, and then sat back in his position. He pondered for a moment. When he looked up again, there was no joke in his look, but very serious: "Mr. Lu, you are all adults. I believe you will not be a joke. I understand what you mean. I'll ask her what she thinks. If you really don't have a misunderstanding and agree with each other, then I will ask the empress dowager to get married and do this wedding as soon as possible. If not, make it clear as soon as possible, so as not to misunderstanding.

"This is exactly what I want to ask the king." Lu Ji saluted and said sincerely.

"Good, this is a family matter. Let's put it aside first." Sun Shao said seriously, "Let's talk about business. Mr. Lu, please think about it seriously and then say to me, do you have the confidence to do a good job as a doctor of imperial history?

Lu Ji frowned, and his eyes suddenly became very serious, and he stared at Sun Shao's eyes without blinking. Sun Shao looked at him quietly, his eyes calm and calm, and he could not see a trace of dodge. Obviously, he raised this question thoughtfully.

Lu Ji pondered for a long time, and finally said, "Your Majesty, I... is like walking on thin ice, trembling."

"Why?" Before Lu Ji's words fell, Sun Shao asked.

"Your Majesty..." Lu Ji took a deep breath, and Bai Yu's face suddenly turned red. He suddenly raised his head and looked at Sun Shao with bright eyes: "Your Majesty, those people are too greedy and shameless. When they have never been satisfied, no matter how many benefits you give them, they will not be satisfied. Your Majesty, in just over two years, I have stored a few thick boxes of files in the imperial historian's office. They... They are too bold. As long as they have money, they dare to sell anything and ask for any money.

"Why have you never heard what you said?" Sun Shao didn't have a trace of nervous look. He picked up the teacup and took a sip, looking coldly and seriously: "Two year-end audits, you never showed even a trace of words in the report you gave me. Why is that?"

"I..." Lu Ji looked at Sun Shao and suddenly fell to the ground. He knocked his head twice in a row. When he raised his head again, he was already full of tears: "I am afraid that I will be careless and destroy the good situation in front of me. Although they are not greedy enough, they are still within my control. I want to solve these crises. Invisibly, however, my lord, I am ashamed. Although I study the Book of Changes, I can't lift the weight lightly. I... I'm so happy at night that I'm ashamed of my trust in the king.

"Are you afraid of tearing these pustules and getting dirty?" Sun Shao picked up Lu Ji and still asked quietly.

"Yes, the king has been campaigning. I'm afraid that I will act too quickly and mess up the king's plan. The king, I did not support the king's expedition at this time, which is also out of concern. The crusade against Funan State is not a matter of a year and a half. If Qian Tang is in chaos, won't the king become a rootless tree?

"Lu Gong, your heart is good, but you worry too much." Sun Shao smiled faintly: "Can a few profit-seeking people shake the foundation of our Yue country? To treat the sick and save people, it is better to punish before and after, sooner rather than later. The more you look forward and backward, the easier it is to breed trouble, and stability is more important than everything else. However, if the inside is rotten, can you just make the outer layer of skin look shiny to cover up the essence of things? The whitewashing of peace is a manifestation of a guilty heart. Lu Gong, the gap between the classics and the world is not small.

(to be continued)