Chapter 341: Acting Again
"In the days of Emperor Huan, a yellow star was seen at the border between Chu and Song. Yin Kui of Liaodong was good at astronomy and predicted that a true man would appear between Liang and Pei in fifty years. His might would be unstoppable. It has been exactly fifty years now!"

In Shucheng, Jiang Gan came to lobby Zhou Yu again.

Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao stepped forward. Zhou Yu appeased the Sun family, while Zhang Zhao appeased and gained the trust of the Jiangdong officials.

With the assistance of these two people, Jiangdong's reception work went very smoothly.

The armies of Sun Ben, Xu Kun, Cheng Pu, Jiang Qin and others were also reorganized smoothly, and everything was developing in a good direction.

If there is a better development, who can refuse it?

Jiang Gan rose to the occasion and was now full of confidence in his lobbying methods, which had led to his success.

According to human nature of pursuing profit and avoiding harm, as well as the current internal and external situations, why should Zhou Yu resist?

Jiang Gan was full of confidence and his words were quite contagious.

But in Zhou Yu's eyes, this seemed a little ridiculous.

If Liu Fu had not sent the crown prince to Guanzhong as a hostage as soon as he became king, how could he have easily intimidated Sun Ben and Xu Kun?
Do you really think that becoming a king can scare and intimidate Sun Ben and Xu Kun?

The situation is going so smoothly now that Sun Ben and Xu Kun also want to take advantage of it.

Zhou Yu coughed twice, pretending to hold it in. He raised his right hand to touch his chest, and his face turned a little red as he held his breath.

Jiang Gan could clearly see the outlines of the blood vessels behind Zhou Yu's eyes bulging slightly when he coughed dryly. Zhou Yu still couldn't help it and had another violent dry cough.

After a final violent cough, Zhou Yu took out a white handkerchief and covered his mouth and nose.

Realizing that Jiang Gan was observing him, Zhou Yu raised his left hand to cover his face with his sleeve and wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief in his right hand.

When he finally put his left hand down, his right hand had already balled the handkerchief up and stuffed it directly under the table.

Zhou Yu's face turned red from coughing, and then turned pale.

Feeling somewhat discouraged and exhausted, Zhou Yu sat up straight and said, "According to the proverb, the real person born between Liang and Pei should be Cao Cao, the Grand Marshal and the King of Huainan. But as far as I know, Cao Cao suffered several major defeats when he started his army and almost wiped out his entire army, only escaping with his life. The only one who is unstoppable is the Grand Marshal."

"Why did Gongjin ignore the king?"

Jiang Gan was drinking tea, so he put down the tea bowl and said in a gentle tone: "Since your Majesty went to Yangzhou alone to comfort the soldiers and civilians, Huainan has been prosperous for three years. When Sun Quan invaded, your Majesty fought the first battle, and the officers and soldiers were loyal and united. Sun Quan's army of more than 100,000 people fell apart and rushed to join him. It can be seen that your Majesty is virtuous and admired by all sides, which is why we have such a prosperous situation today."

Zhou Yu covered his chest tightly with his right hand, but he looked calm and composed. Jiang Gan noticed that the knuckles of Zhou Yu's right hand were white due to the tension.

After taking a deep breath, Zhou Yu said, "I have been to Guanzhong. The people there are very enthusiastic and prosperous, which is far beyond the reach of Huainan."

He turned to look at Jiang Gan: "Ziyi, I know that the people of Jianghuai are not willing to bow their heads and serve as a tail, but I know military affairs, Ziyi does not know military affairs, and Zhang Zibu does not know military affairs. As for Lu Zijing, he does know military affairs, but he wants to display his ambitions in this chaotic world. Dividing the world into two is his limit, how can he talk about conquering the Great Sima and unifying the world?"

Jiang Gan was silent for a moment, then asked hoarsely, "Could it be that in Gongjin's eyes, I am wrong?"

"It can't be said to be wrong, but it's difficult to succeed."

Zhou Yu took a sip of tea and patiently explained: "There are disadvantages to being an emperor, but there are also advantages. The advantages are obvious. Once you become an emperor, Jiangdong and the old members of the Sun family will surely return to you and regard you as the confidant of the King of Huainan. Also, because the Grand Marshal is strong, all parties will rush to submit to him, and the prestige of the court established by the King of Huainan will suddenly rise. In this way, in the early stage, the internal forces can still unite their hearts and minds."

He went to see Jiang Gan again and said, "If I were the Grand Marshal, I would stop the troops and not move. Please ask Ziyi, how can the various tribes of the Xin Dynasty maintain long-term harmony?"

Jiang Gan naturally understood what he meant. If Black Bear stopped his troops from moving, the forces that would subsequently submit to the imperial court would probably start fighting among themselves.

Zhou Yu’s attitude was very clear, that is, Guanzhong would definitely defend and wait for changes to occur.

Can this variable be suppressed?

It’s too difficult unless a fierce war breaks out with Guanzhong.

If enough people died in the war, some conflicts would disappear. It is possible that this long and fierce war could help integrate the regions and forces that have gradually surrendered, making the court a real court.

But Zhou Yu's assumption makes sense. If the Grand Marshal is unwilling to send troops, then who among the people in Hebei, Yizhou, Jingzhou and the Central Plains who subsequently surrendered would dare to take the initiative to attack?

What's the point of not daring to take the initiative to attack and just deploying troops to wait and see?
For a moment, Jiang Gan was silent.

Zhou Yu could not help but cough twice, took out a handkerchief from under the table and wiped the corner of his mouth. Jiang Gan saw that there was a little blood on the handkerchief in Zhou Yu's hand.

The flash of blood made Jiang Gan's heart tighten, but he also felt relieved. The thread that had been tense in his heart for such a long time suddenly broke, and he felt light-hearted from the inside out.

Grit your teeth, tighten your face, and maintain your emotions.

After Zhou Yu put away the handkerchief, Jiang Gan asked, "From Gongjin's point of view, would you give up such an opportunity?"

"This is the voice of the people of Jianghuai and Liangpei. How can we easily reject it?"

Zhou Yu looked at Jiang Gan impatiently and said, "I just hope that Ziyi can find a way out for the people of Huainan so that we won't be in a state of collapse like Taiyuan and Hedong counties."

Having said this, Zhou Yu raised his hand to cover the tea bowl.

Seeing this, Jiang Gan said, "Gongjin is thinking long-term, how dare I not follow him. Now the king is also hesitant and worried about the safety of the prince. I will select a suitable person and send him to Guanzhong. Even if he cannot rescue the prince, he must preserve some vitality."

Zhou Yu nodded and said, "Now that Yangzhou has been unified, we can set up Yangzhou University and send envoys to Chang'an and Luoyang to plunder the Golden Bamboo Slips and Stone Classics. Send some people there first to avoid implicating them. The rescue of the prince must be done quickly and in secret, and not too many people should be informed."

Jiang Gan nodded and asked, "Does Gongjin have a suitable candidate?"

"Go ask Xu Kun. He has people who are familiar with Guanzhong. I can't help you much."

After saying this, Zhou Yu closed his eyes and no longer concealed his weakness.

"I will never forget the guidance you gave me."

Jiang Gan bowed and then found an excuse to resign.

Less than a minute after leaving, he walked back quickly. When he turned the corner along the corridor and arrived at the door, he saw Zhou Yu being supported by two servants. Zhou Yu was looking at him unsteadily with a bad face: "What happened to Ziyi?"

Jiang Gan smiled apologetically: "I accidentally left some things behind."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the seat where he had been sitting before. Sure enough, there was a brocade bag placed next to the table.

Seeing this, Zhou Yu just nodded with a bitter smile.

Jiang Gan stepped forward and took the brocade bag himself, then took a few steps back and bowed deeply to Zhou Yu, expressing his apology.

Zhou Yu, supported by two strong servants, squinted his eyes and watched Jiang Gan's departing back. It was not until a long time later that Zhou Yu raised his hand to wave away the two servants and stood in front of the hall with his hands behind his back.

Looking at the small flowerbed in front of the hall and a strange rock in the flowerbed, he squinted his eyes and thought about his responses and performances before and after.

Soon, Xiao Qiao came to see him quickly: "Husband?"

"Go pack your bags and leave tonight."

Zhou Yu's tone was calm and gentle, and he looked at the surrounding scenery with some reluctance, wondering if he would be able to come back for the rest of his life.

He also understood the style of the Grand Marshal, and now he had to run away for his own sake and that of his family.

Otherwise, when the final reckoning comes in the future, no one who gets involved now will be able to escape.

(End of this chapter)