Chapter 330 Brother Jiang Huai
On the fifth day of July, Sun Quan crossed the Huai River to the north.

However, when they were crossing the river, Sun Ben led his troops closer. Although they did not attack, they caused chaos in Sun Quan's army, and groups of soldiers fled in an organized manner.

In the end, only more than 3,000 people followed Sun Quan across the Huai River, most of whom were from Huai and Si and Xuzhou.

On the south bank of the Huai River, Zhang Zhao, with his hat crooked, looked at the Sun Quan army retreating far away on the north bank, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

More than a thousand soldiers gathered around him, and only when Sun Ben approached did these soldiers retreat to the side.

Sun Ben stepped forward and greeted him: "Mr. Zibu."

"General Boyang, why has it come to this?"

Zhang Zhao asked in a hoarse voice. Since escaping to Dangtu, he has been confused about his future belonging and destination.

He mixed in with the army and was about to cross the Huai River to the north; but Sun Ben came too fast, and the soldiers resisting on the periphery collapsed and turned against them, allowing Sun Ben to advance directly to the south bank.

The result was that the ship refused to come back after leaving the shore, leaving Zhang Zhao and his group who were about to board the ship with nothing more than a sigh at the sight of the Huai River.

Sun Ben didn't know how to answer Zhang Zhao, so he brought up his brother: "Have you seen what happened to my brother Sun Guoyi?"

After thinking for a while, Sun Ben said, "My family is just a poor family. It is difficult for us to conquer a big country with our small family. We should cut through the thorns and brambles. Even if there are rocks blocking the way, we should cut through the rocks. Uncle and Bofu are both good candidates, and Shubi is also good. Only Zhongmou lacks responsibility."

When encountering trouble, Sun Ben, influenced by Sun Jian, thought about dealing with the people who caused the trouble.

He is such a person, and so is Xu Kun.

Sun Quan's rise to power meant that people with their ideas and lines would inevitably be unacceptable to Sun Quan and the big families in Jiangdong.

Only after the real rebellion did Sun Ben break free from his emotional constraints and be able to look at the differences between before and after events accurately and objectively.

In short, if he didn't rebel, he and Xu Kun would be dead.

This was something that was determined by seniority, merit, and blood relationship. Sun Quan felt really uncomfortable with the pressure put on him by these two cousins.

With these two sharp knives, it would be difficult for Sun Quan to truly gain the trust of the big families in Jiangdong.

Only by breaking them could Sun Quan gain the trust of the big families in Jiangdong.

It might also be a rebellion. The more Sun Ben thought about it, the more his guilt subsided.

Zhang Zhao had no response to Sun Ben's answer.

Because Zhang Zhao also understood this principle, he and Zhang Hong supported Sun Ce and never regarded the Jiangdong big families as human beings from the beginning to the end.

During the Han Dynasty, Jiangdong was a barren land with almost no respectable and famous families.

For Guandong, the so-called big families in Jiangdong among the literati are just Wu Yue barbarians wearing hats and belts in the eyes of Guandong celebrities.

Therefore, when Sun Ce was advancing into Jiangdong, from Sun Ce to Zhang Zhao, they almost ignored the big families of Jiangdong.

After Sun Ce was assassinated, Zhang Zhao still held this view. He was a strong man and felt that he could rely on an administrative team composed of northern scholars to suppress and govern Jiangdong.

He strongly recommended Sun Yi, but Sun Ce had other concerns, so he chose the thoughtful Sun Quan.

Now Sun Quan's downfall further proves Zhang Zhao's previous persistence.

No matter how bad Sun Yi is, at least he can get the full support of the army.

The army is stable, how could things have deteriorated to this point?
Especially Sun Quan, who led his troops north in the name of attacking Cao Cao, but was defeated without a fight and fled to Cao Cao.

This kind of behavior really hurts the reputation left by Sun Jian and Sun Ce, and will damage the prestige of other members of the Sun family.

While Zhang Zhao and Sun Ben were looking at each other in silence, Jiang Ji arrived by car.

Zhang Zhao straightened his hat and belt and adjusted the cuffs of his robe after noticing it. Jiang Ji then stepped forward and bowed, "Mr. Zibu, my great king has been a virtuous and upright man for a long time, and he is willing to be entrusted with the responsibility of the country."

Sun Ben went to see Jiang Ji in surprise. Shouldn't Jiang Ji be the prime minister of Huainan?

Zhang Zhao also frowned: "I am a defeated general who has no ability to judge people. I have caused more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians to start an unjust war. How can I be called a virtuous person?" "Sir, don't be modest. Sun Quan is so stubborn and fickle that even if Wu Qi and Wu Zixu were resurrected, it would be difficult for them to help him achieve great things."

Jiang Ji took out the silver seal of the Prime Minister of Huainan and held it in both hands, bowing and offering it: "At this time of turmoil in Yangzhou, I implore you to think of the well-being of the common people, take charge of state affairs, and manage military and civilian affairs."

Although Jiang Ji had fame and influence, it was limited to Lianghuai.

Because of the war, Jiang Ji's influence could not penetrate deep into the counties of Jiangdong; but Zhang Zhao was different. He became famous early and had extensive connections, and was also an important assistant minister of the Sun family.

With Zhang Zhao's intervention, the civil and military officials who stayed in various counties in Jiangdong, as well as the big families in Jiangdong, would believe in Zhang Zhao and accept his mediation.

There is no need to fight any more wars. As long as there are wars, the victorious officers can accumulate prestige and strengthen their control over the soldiers.

After fighting several battles in a row, these officers and generals, whose confidence had skyrocketed, became more difficult to control.

Therefore, if they want to quickly integrate the Jiangdong counties, they must stop the war now and push Zhang Zhao up to become the agent of the Sun Group.

Zhang Zhao will naturally divide and disintegrate the internal factions. When Zhang Zhao is promoted to Guanzhong in the future, what will be left behind will inevitably be a relatively stable Jiangdong that is easy to take over.

As for himself, in theory, the Prime Minister of Huainan can only manage one country and one county, but the position of Yangzhou Beijia can assist Liu Fu in managing the counties of Yangzhou.

It doesn’t matter whether there is a loss or not, Jiang Ji must make concessions now.

As for Zhang Zhao, after a brief thought, he realized that this opportunity was too precious.

There are not many people like Jiang Ji who can suppress their desire for fame and status. Now Jiang Ji is so restrained. If he gives up this opportunity, resulting in the delay in the integration of the Jiangdong counties, then when the reckoning comes in the future, Zhang Zhao will have no way out in this life.

As the head of Jiangdong's political affairs, Zhang Zhao had heard of the stories of the famous Guanzhong scholars Du Ji and Su Ze. He did not want to anger the Grand Marshal and be hung up and become a laughing stock.

But Zhang Zhao was somewhat hesitant and said awkwardly: "My former master has just been defeated. If I accept the seal of the Prime Minister of Huainan, people of the time will inevitably laugh at me. A hundred years later, how will future generations look at me?"

Sun Ben then spoke up to persuade him: "Mr. Zibu, please do not think about your personal reputation. If you refuse, the battle in Jiangdong will be unavoidable, and more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians will die in vain. Who will be to blame for this?"

Jiang Ji also looked up at Zhang Zhao and said, "Sun Quan was defeated because of his incompetence and lack of morality. This is not your fault, sir."

Seeing that he was sincere, Zhang Zhao reluctantly said, "Then I will have no choice but to take over the seal and contribute to the peace between Jianghuai."

"Sir, I am so generous. I thank you very much."

Jiang Ji bowed again and handed the silver seal of prime minister to Zhang Zhao. Seeing this, the officials of Sun Ben and Sun Quan who were watching nearby cheered and many of them threw their helmets high into the air.

As long as there is no war, many of them can return home.

Even if Jianghuai reunites in harmony, many of them will no longer have to leave their families to fight in the future.

More than 20,000 people gathered together and cheered, and many people excitedly lifted Zhang Zhao up.

Now only Zhang Zhao can mediate between the parties, allowing everyone to put down their swords and live a peaceful life.

If anyone refuses, Zhang Zhao has the prestige to gather forces from all sides to eliminate the rebels.

Ordinary people don’t care whether Sun Quan or Liu Fu will rule the southeast in the future. They just want to be with their families and live a normal life.

Jiang Ji stood beside the car, looking at Zhang Zhao who was lifted up by the soldiers like a god, and couldn't help but smile.

A Yangzhou with internal peace would naturally receive high praise from the Grand Marshal.

As long as there is no war, there will be no variables.

Jingzhou's military has been weak for a long time. Although it is upstream, it cannot pose any significant threat to Yangzhou.

To the north is the natural barrier of the Huai River. If either Cao Cao or Liu Bei wins, they will have no strategic opportunity to attack the Yangtze and Huai Rivers.

Therefore, as long as Zhang Zhao was promoted, he would be able to unify Yangzhou and restore peace.

Until the Grand Marshal defeated all parties and the world was reunited.

(End of this chapter)