Chapter 85 Unity is Strength

Sun Shao was stunned, and then smiled, half sitting and half leaning on a few, looking at Zhuge Ke with a smile, and then at Zong Yu: "100,000 yuan?"

"100,000 yuan." Zong Yu nodded solemnly, expressionless, and pretended that he would not add any more money, but his eyes were staring at Zhuge Ke. Zhuge Jun suddenly visited and revealed to him the opinion conveyed by Zhuge Ke that 200,000 yuan is the highest price. If it exceeds this price, both sides will give up and cannot compete with each other, allowing Sun Shao to take advantage of it. Zhuge Jun told Zong Yu that although he did not participate in the transformation of the crossbow, he knew that the cost of the crossbow did not exceed 20,000 yuan, so Zong Qian and Zhuge Ke believed that if the price reached 200,000 yuan, Sun Shao would definitely sell it.

The key to this is that the two sides can't go back on their terms. Although they are connected through Zhuge, they are afraid that the other party will put themselves together. On the surface, they will unite with Sun Shao to bargain and raise the price behind their backs.

"100,000 yuan." Zhuge Ke also nodded and added with a smile, "Your Highness, most of the crossbows are wooden components, and only the wheels and crossbow machines are metal. I estimate that the cost is 30,000 to 40,000 yuan. If you sell us 100,000 yuan, you have already made money."

Sun Shao couldn't help laughing. He didn't say anything. He picked up the teacup and drank tea. He looked at Zong Yu and Zhuge Ke from the teacup with joking eyes. Although the two tried not to exchange eyes, they couldn't help but look a little uneasy. These all fell into Sun Shao's eyes. He ssed his lips and said with a smile, "It seems that my people don't think it's important. You're still ventilated. Now join hands to bargain with me, right?"

"Your Highness joked, there is no such thing." Zhuge Ke and Zong Yu said in unison that none of them wanted to let Zhuge be implicated.

"It doesn't matter." Sun Shao waved his hand and motioned them to calm down. "There is the so-called unity is strength. Now you finally understand the truth of this sentence, right? In those years, Sun Liu joined hands to defeat the invincible King of Wei in Chibi, tried his best to turn the tide, and help the building be in the general. Unfortunately, later, Sun Liu has been in the same bed and has been in different dreams and has wasted many good opportunities many times. Otherwise, there may be no State of Wei now.

Zong Yu sighed silently. He was too clear about the open and secret struggles between Wu and Shu over the years. To be honest, if it hadn't been for Cao's seizure of Hanzhong and the pressure on Chengdu in the 19th year of Jian'an, Liu Bei would probably have fought with Sun Quan. Maybe it's God's will. If Cao Jian conquers Hanzhong later and waits for Liu Bei and Sun Quan to lose both sides, maybe the situation in the world is another matter. Sun Shao said that unity is strength, and Zong Yu deeply agreed, but he could not express this situation.

"You are both general knowledgeable people, well, so is Zigao." Sun Shao clicked a little Zhuge Ke, and his condescending look was natural and calm. Zhuge Ke and Zong Yu were not disgusted. Obviously, they felt normal about this situation. They listened to Sun Shao quietly and were slightly nervous in respect. In this case, there is no need for you to buy any crossbows. Go back and think about how to persuade them. It's really not a wise move to make trouble like this for a local tycoon in Yizhou. Your two families are half a catty to eight taels. No one can eat anyone, so why do you have to kill more? With Zhang's descendants, the State of Wu can't get Yizhou. Otherwise, if you don't return to Zhang's descendants, there will be no real loss of the surname of Shu. At present, it's better to withdraw the army, and it's more realistic to prepare for the Southern Expedition.

Zong Yu had an idea. He thought for a moment and quickly said, "My prime minister is having the intention of the southern expedition, but there is not enough food and grass and ordnance. If the king can support some, it is actually not difficult to calm down the Yizhou Rebellion. It really doesn't matter whether there is Zhang Ji or not."

Sun Shao patted his leg: "That's right, Deyan, go back and tell Kong Ming that as long as he is willing, I can support him in the southern expedition. I want food and fodder, and ordnance. If necessary, I can also send troops to assist you. Hey hey, don't you know? I have nearly 20,000 Funan elites who are good at mountain jungle warfare. As long as you open your mouth, they can enter Yizhou at any time. After Pingding Yizhou, if the cooperation between the two sides is smooth, the connection between Yueshu will be more convenient. The goods in Chengdu will no longer need to be transferred by the Yangtze River in the future. They can directly come to Funan County through Yizhou and Yongchang, and the commercial road in the jungle should flourish. As far as I know, some barbarians have entered the state of Shu from there, but the soldiers are in chaos. It is very dangerous, and there are not many people willing to leave.

Sun Shao said it with a lot of interest, but Zong Yu poured a basin of cold water from head to toe. Are you kidding? Did you send troops to help? Whether it's Liu Bei or Zhuge Liang, it's definitely impossible to agree. As for that commercial road, Zong Yu also knows a little about it. That road began with the time of Emperor Xiaowu. Many Yi merchants in Chengdu came from that road. As Sun Shao said, on the one hand, the road came because it was difficult to walk, and on the other hand, it was because the official government of Shu could not manage it at all. The merchants along the way were often robbed by the indigenous people and killed more and more. Misfortune is commonplace, so there are not many people who are willing to leave. If Yizhou can be pacified and management can be strengthened, it is very likely that this business road will flourish. Now Sun Shao has taken Funan. With the importance he attaches to business, businessmen are at least safe in Funan, and it is only in Yizhou and Yongchang County that are not safe.

"Your Majesty, when can you give us the crossbow?" Seeing that they were talking lively, Zhuge Ke couldn't help interrupting.

"I won't sell it." Sun Shao waved his hand and said, "You all go back. Since the two sides want to make peace, why should I sell you a crossbow? Although I earn less money, it is also a merit to kill less soldiers.

Zhuge Ke was suddenly anxious. What did Zong Yu think? He didn't know. Looking at him like this, it seemed that it didn't matter whether he bought it or not. If Wu didn't buy it, he would not be interested, but Wu was different. Sun Deng also wanted to rely on these crossbows to improve his speaking weight.

"Yuan Xun, go back and say to Zi Gao, with you as a general, it's enough to be worth a hundred crossbows." Sun Shao smiled and said, "I won't talk to you. I have asked the emperor to make peace. At the same time, I also wrote a letter to the king of Wei, hoping that he will also persuade the king of Wu and the king of Shu. It's better not to fight this battle. I really can't be idle, and there is no need for my own people to mess with my own people. Look at me, but I took Funan in a year, made a lot of money, and my hands cramped. We big men, if we don't only focus on our own people and agree with the outside world, it's very easy to get rich. I hope you can all give me some thin noodles. If you have something to say, how about it?

Zong Yu and Zhuge Ke looked at each other in front of each other. No one expected this result. Zhuge Ke measured it quickly and immediately nodded, "The king's benevolence is in the four seas. If the king comes forward to mediate, he will definitely succeed. I will reply to the prince and go back to Changsha to persuade him to make peace. If I can succeed by chance, it is also a blessing. If it's not harmonious, please ask the king to come forward.

Sun Shao nodded and turned his eyes to Zong Yu. Zong Yu hesitated for a moment and felt that it was not necessarily a good thing to do so. If Sun Shao really has this heart and talks about the emperor and Cao Qian, the king of Wei, he will not only have a moral advantage, but also have a strength advantage. Yue and Wei will join hands, and the State of Wu will not be able to retreat. Otherwise, the State of Yue will attack its east, the State of Wei will attack its north, the State of Shu will attack its west, and the State of Wu will be overthrown.

"Dare not to obey."

"It's so good." Sun Shao was overjoyed and then negotiated with them about food. This time he took Funan, and he received almost all of Fan Man's accumulated reserves over the past 30 years, not only a mountain of money, but also a large amount of food. Funan is located in the alluvial plain, with vertical and horizontal waterways. The rice planting industry is very developed. Fan Man searched and fiercely, and the accumulated grain is enough for ten years. If it hadn't been for the capture of Fan Man in the city of Dunxun and the capture of Fan Chang outside the Xijuan City, Funan's troops had lost too much. With these accumulated reserves, Fan Manzu could guard the special pastoral city for several years, which consumed the grandson. Shao is exhausted. Now he is rich, and of course he speaks much louder.

After consultation, Sun Shao supported Sun Deng's 30,000 stones of rice, which was enough for his 10,000 troops to eat in Changsha. Then he supported Zong's 30,000 stones, and sent a ship to them. First, he was transported by sea to the South China Sea, then landed from the South China Sea, traced up the water, turned to Xiangshui through the spiritual canal, and went straight to Changsha County. Such an arrangement can only be done by Sun Shao, a person who stepped on the two ships of Wu and Shu. Otherwise, this batch of rice was either intercepted by the Shu army or by the Wu army.

Before sending them away, Sun Shao took care of them again and again, hoping that after they went back, they would try their time to persuade their kings to calm down and not make a big fight because of a little thing. Zhuge Ke and Zong Yu nodded repeatedly and left. When Zong Yu was about to leave, he went into the palace and said goodbye to Queen Guan Feng. Guan Feng gave him another gift, another 10,000 stone meters, as well as a boat full of gems, peacocks, ivory and other Funan specialties. Zong Yu smiled happily and left happily.

At the same time, Sun Shao asked Xiahou Hui to write two letters, one to the emperor in his name. While repaying his meritorious service, he asked the emperor to mediate the dispute between Wu and Shu and restart the plan of the western expedition. One letter was written to Empress Cao Jie in the name of Xiahou Hui, saying to her that Sun Shao sincerely supported the royal family and hoped that the emperor If she can stand up and preside over the overall situation, the State of Yue will spare no effort to be the strong backing of the emperor. I hope that the queen can persuade the king of Wei to act together and safeguard the dignity of the emperor.

At the same time, there is also a long gift list.

Two letters arrived in Luoyang City at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month of the fourth year of the Republic.

Prime Minister Yang Biao received the news and immediately rushed to the palace as soon as possible. He was eighty-three years old, but he was still in good spirits. When he walked on the road, his voice was so loud that the emperor's ears were shocked. He was not like an old man over 80 years old. As soon as they met, Yang Biao bowed and said loudly, "Your Majesty."

"What am I happy about?" The emperor smiled and shook the gift list attached to it, and said half-jokingly, "Just because of this gift? Although there are a lot of these things, compared with what Sun Qing got this time, they are really humble.

Yang Biao shook his head and smiled, "Your Majesty, it is not this gift, but the heart of His Royal Highness. Although he has taken Funan now, his strength has soared, surpassing Wu and Shu, and can compete with the State of Wei, but he still has your majesty in his heart, which is the most rare.

"Yes, yes." The emperor said happily, "Speaking of which, his current territory is not much smaller than mine. With such strength, it is really rare to be so respectful to me as a emperor. Prime Minister, he asked me to mediate Wu Shu's dispute. Do you think it's feasible?

"It's feasible." Yang Biao said without thinking, "And it is imperative."

The emperor didn't say anything, smiled faintly, and listened to Yang Biao's explanation.

"Your Majesty, after the soldiers, the world was peaceful, and Wu Shu fought again. Up to now, he has not reported to the court. It is clear that there is no court in his eyes." Yang Biao smiled and put a little evil spirit on his face: "Among the four countries, these two countries are the worst. They are all so arrogant. If your majesty can't punish them, where is your majesty? Can the King of Wei listen to His Majesty's will again in the future?

The emperor smiled bitterly and nodded. He didn't understand this truth, but if he wanted to mediate, he must have strength. I'm afraid that he can't even get out of Luoyang City. No one in Wu Shu will listen to him. Instead of saying that no one is ashamed to listen, it's better to pretend to be deaf and mute. Wu Shu doesn't come to report, and he pretends not to know. One day.

"Now there is a letter from the King of Yue asking His Majesty to mediate, which shows that there is a court in his eyes. As long as he talks about the King of Wei again, Wu Shu will not dare not listen. If it's done, it's your majesty's glory. If it doesn't work, then the king of Yue and the king of Wei will certainly refuse to give up. With their strength, isn't it a matter of tying Wu Shu to be captured in one fell swoop?

The emperor curled his lips: "The king of Yue also wrote a letter to the queen, hoping that the queen would come forward and ask the king of Wei to cooperate. However, I don't have much confidence in whether the king of Wei can cooperate. Maybe he is watching my jokes. Maybe he is sharpening his knife and waiting for Wu Shu to lose both sides. He can take advantage of it. At this time, he will stand behind me?"

"Here's the key." Although Yang Biao said it angrily, he was not sure whether he could move Cao Jian was the top priority. Sun Shao wrote to Empress Cao Jie, and he must have seen the key to this. However, he still seemed to be very confident: "Your Majesty, with the King of Yue coming forward, this matter has become half. With him to contain the King of Wei, even if the King of Wei is not willing to sincerely help His Majesty, it must be difficult for him to make a profit. Now that the king of Yue has proposed, why not make the king of Yue public in the world and use the hearts of the people of the world to help him? The world is safe. After all, there are not many people who hope that Wu Shu will go to war.

"I can only try it. I hope he can talk about the king of Wei."

The emperor's confidence is seriously insufficient. Last time, Sun Shao proposed that the court should convene Wei Shu to send troops to Xiliang and recapture the Western Regions. Unexpectedly, after two years of quarreling, he still broke up unhappily, which disappointed Lieutenant Jia Xu and ended up depressed.

"Your Majesty, is it time for the King of Yue to be rewarded for his conquest of Funan and the South China Sea this time?" Yang Biao reminded.

The emperor frowned, stretched out a white finger and scratched his eyebrows: "How can I appreciate it? He is already a prince. If he is promoted again, I can only give up the throne to him. He is now a general of Fuyi. If he rises again, he is a general. Is he willing to come to Luoyang to serve? In the end, the emperor couldn't help laughing, but the smile was more bitter.

"Of course, the position of the emperor cannot be given." Yang Biao said lightly, "However, the position of general is not necessarily impossible. The position of the general is higher than that of the three princes, but the three princes are not without precedent. When Zhang Wen used his troops in Xiliang, he used to be a lieutenant. Now Sun Shao lives in the South China Sea and is a general. Why can't he? Or, after the death of Wen He, the position of lieutenant is already idle. Although the old minister's physical strength is not bad, after all, it is also eighty-three. As the saying goes, seventy-three, eighty-four, if the emperor does not call himself, I can still support him for a few days, which is really hard to say. There is no one in Luoyang now. Does your majesty want to let two of the three princes empty, but he is reluctant to give a loyal minister like the king of Yue?

The emperor frowned slightly, as if he were thinking. This problem is really difficult to deal with. Nowadays, among the officials in Luoyang, there is really no one who can compare with an old minister like Yang Biao, not even Jia Xu, who has just passed away. Among the four countries, Cao Qian, the most domineering king of Wei, is more or less concerned about Yang Biao. Once he dies again, who else can suppress these people?

Perhaps it is a good choice for Sun Shao, who can at least respect the royal family on the surface, be a general.

"Oy, let's follow the Prime Minister's opinion." The emperor sighed: "Mr. Prime Minister, you have to take good care of yourself. Although the King of Yue is powerful, he is still too young compared with the Prime Minister. I'm afraid he can't control the situation."

"Your Majesty, I have confidence in the king of Yue." Yang Biao advised, "I believe that he will be able to handle it better than me. After all, the Han can maintain the situation to this day. On the one hand, His Majesty's benevolence is not fading, and the fire of the Han is not extinguished. On the other hand, it is also the result of the mediation of the King of Yue. Although he has won a lot of victories and expanded his territory, his strength in my Han Dynasty has not increased. He has maintained such a situation. For him, it is better to respect the emperor than to fight.

The emperor grinned and didn't say anything. He knew that this was the reason why he could be safe and sound, but from Yang Biao's mouth, it still hurt his self-esteem.

After Yang Biao left, the emperor took the letter to the pepper room where the queen lived. The Pepper Room Hall was originally a palace in the Weiyang Palace in Chang'an. Because the wall was coated with pepper paste and had a fragrance, it was called the Pepper Room Hall. At first, it was the residence of Empress Wei, and later it became a custom. When the emperor was in Chang'an, the pepper room hall could not even be found for a long time, but the name left a deep impression on the emperor. After rebuilding Luoyang, he specially built a pepper room hall. As the queen's residence, Cao Jie now lives.

Before entering the hall, she smelled the faint fragrance of Jiaolan from afar. The queen, who had received the news, was kneeling in the threshold and frowned and ready to greet her. The emperor showed a smile, and his back was already a little straighter.

Although the queen's surname is Cao, she is a virtuous queen. She is not only capable, but more importantly, she has no respect for the emperor. Every time the emperor comes to the Jiaofang Hall, she has to meet him at the door.

"Queen, get up." The emperor bent down, picked up the queen with both hands, and took her to the temple. Because the glass from the king of Yue is installed on the roof, the hall is much brighter than before. When the sun is shining, you can read and write without lighting a lamp in Your Highness. The sunlight from the skylight is falling on the self-ringing bell from the king of Yue, and the gold jewelry on the clock surface is shining.

"My son, I will pay my respects to my father." Prince Liu Xing knelt down next to the desk and said in a milky voice. The emperor pulled him up with a smile on his face, reached out and touched his pink face, and said with a smile, "Xing'er, are you reading?"

"Fly to my father, my son read "Funan War" after listening to my mother."

"The Battle of Funan?" The emperor took a curious look at the book spread out on the case and turned to look at the queen: "When was the new book? Why didn't I hear about it?"

"It was sent by Xia Houhui, the wife of the King of Yue. The first book published by Funan New Bookstore, the ink fragrance is still very fresh. Cao Jie replied with a smile, holding the book in both hands and handed it to the emperor: "Your Majesty, please have a look."

The emperor took it in his hand, turned straight to the table of contents, quickly scanned it, and said with a smile, "Is it the end of this war against Hunan?"

"It seems so. My concubine just read it with Xing'er. He was in a hurry to read the picture, but he didn't have time to read the article carefully."

"Alas--" The emperor sighed for a long time: "The speed of His Royal Highness Yue's expansion of the territory is too fast. He set Liaodong in one year and Yizhou in one year. Now it is only the fourth year, and he has taken Funan again. The Prime Minister just told me that he should be appointed as a general. I'm very worried that if he takes another place next year, how can I block him?

"I don't think so in the short term." The queen smiled and said, "I heard from Mrs. Yue's letter that it was a coincidence to take Funan this time. If Fan Man hadn't underestimated his strength and rashly attacked, King Yue would only occupy a small piece of land at most and could not hurt Funan's muscles and bones. Now he has taken Funan, but Funan's land and household registration are far more than the original Yue Guo. If he doesn't take some time to clean up people's hearts, how can he rest assured of the expedition?

"It's also a truth to say so." The emperor nodded in agreement, thought for a moment, and then said, "Well, do you think the king of Wei will support me to mediate the dispute between Wu and Shu?"

Cao Jie paused and bowed and saluted, "I try my best, hoping to move my father and help your majesty. As a relative of the country, how can he not be as a descendant as His Royal Highness the King of Yue?

The emperor touched it and felt something was wrong. Cao Jie seems to be reminding him that the king of Wei is the father of the empress. According to the habits of the Han Dynasty, if there is a general, it is usually a foreign relative. If Cao Shen is put aside and Sun Shao is appointed as the general, will Cao Shen have a problem? If he disobeys, he does not object, but does not contribute, then with the power of Sun Shao alone, it may be difficult for the emperor to mediate Wu Shu's war.

Let Cao Shen be a general, what about Sun Shao? If he is not happy, won't he lose more?

The emperor was a little embarrassed and silent. He just subconsciously turned the book page by page.

Seeing the sad clouds on the face of the emperor, the queen knew that her words had hit the weakness of the emperor. Although she is virtuous, she is a woman after all, and it is impossible not to fight for power for the family. If the Cao family is overshadowed, she, the queen, will not be able to do it for a long time. However, she couldn't bear to look at the emperor's feelings. She hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, neither the king of Wei nor the king of Yue will actually come to Luoyang to serve. In fact... whether it is the general or the position of the third prince, there may not be much difference for them."

The emperor glanced at her and muttered, "The position of the three princes? Do you mean the captain?

The queen nodded and shook her head again: "Your Majesty, Yang Gong is already eighty-three years old. If he doesn't prepare early, once he abandons your majesty, where can he find a pure minister with both virtues like Yang Gong?"

The emperor clicked in his heart. Yang Biao had just raised this question, and now the queen has mentioned it again. It seems that this problem is imminent and can't be delayed any longer. After thinking for a while, he asked, "What's the queen's opinion?"

The queen smiled and said, "My concubine is a woman, how dare I talk about it? Why don't your majesty discuss this matter with Yang Gong? He is close to the government, and he will be able to make a perfect plan for your majesty.

The emperor smiled, nodded, stopped talking, and read the book in his hand softly.

(to be continued)