Chapter 138 Sun Quan was deposed, and Liu Bei appointed the Marquis of Wu!
Chapter 138: Sun Quan was deposed, and Liu Bei appointed the Marquis of Wu!
Absolutely not?

We, the civil and military officials of Jiangdong, have discussed rescuing our lord. What qualifications do you, an outsider, have to say "absolutely not"?
Everyone in the hall looked unhappy. Zhuge Jin saw that his brother had offended the civil and military officials of Jiangdong, and his heart tightened immediately. He was about to open his mouth to scold...

"Mr. Kong Ming!" Zhou Yu looked at Zhuge Liang coldly: "Although I respect you as a great talent and the brother of Zi Yu, if you want to stop us from saving the life of Wu Hou, I will not let you go in Jiangdong!"

Many generals had already placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, looking at Kong Ming with indifference...

As long as the Marquis of Wu does not return, Jiangdong will be leaderless and in danger. Anyone who dares to stop Jiangdong from rescuing the Marquis of Wu at this time must be Jiangdong's enemy!

No matter who the other party is, they will fight with swords.

The atmosphere in the hall was tense, but Zhuge Liang remained calm and said, "Generals, you may take my life, but please let me finish what I want to say..."

"Liu Wu only wants to exchange prisoners with Jiangdong today, and you have agreed, but how do you know what he will ask for tomorrow?"

"If he doesn't force Jiangdong to cede land today, how can we be sure he won't force Jiangdong to cede land tomorrow?"

"A rare commodity is worth keeping! The Marquis of Wu is now in Liu Zilie's hands. If Jiangdong bows its head today, Liu Zilie will have tested the bottom line of all of you gentlemen. In the future, he will definitely use the Marquis of Wu as a threat..."

"Time and again, the lion opens its mouth wide and is insatiable!"

"Cao Mengde ceded more than 30 counties in the north of the Yangtze River to Liu Zilie. After that, he is still the overlord of the north. But can Jiangdong give more than 30 counties to satisfy Liu Wu?!"

Zhuge Liang's words were passionate and powerful.

There was silence in the hall.
The generals silently let go of their swords, and Zhou Yu said nothing.

Yes, this letter must be a test from Liu Zilie.

As long as Liu Zilie finds out clearly that Jiangdong is willing to pay a price to redeem the Marquis of Wu, he will certainly make more and more excessive demands later.

There are only eighty-one counties in Jiangdong in total. If Jiangdong really cedes more than thirty counties to Cao Cao as it did, it would be better for it to just surrender to Liu Wu.

But Wu Hou is the ruler of Jiangdong after all, and his life and death are now controlled by Liu Zilie. If Liu Wu is not allowed to exchange prisoners today, he might get angry at Wu Hou...

"Gentlemen! Liu Wu has no integrity at all, Jiangdong must not be fooled!" Seeing that the Jiangdong civil and military officials in the hall were somewhat shaken, Liu Xuande immediately "said in person".

Emperor Liu talked about his own painful experience: "After I returned to Gong'an from Jiangdong, I received a letter from that rebellious son. He spoke kindly and softly, inviting me to Jiangling City for a chat, wanting to bow his head and beg for mercy from me."

"Bei believed it to be true, so he crossed the river and entered the city..."

"Who would have thought that the little bastard would actually trick Cao Mengde into Jiangling City, where he fought with Cao Mengde and nearly lost his life several times!"

When Liu Xuande mentioned this incident, he was filled with resentment, and the more he spoke, the more he gnashed his teeth: "Then that little beast even planned to send people to abduct Bei to Bashu..."

"As a result, the four counties in southern Jing were leaderless and the people were in panic. This allowed Liu Wu to seize the opportunity and take over southern Jing."

"Even though I saw through his trick on the way to Bashu and jumped into the river to rush back to Gong'an, I still failed at the last moment and Liu Wu took over Gong'an City!"

Is this how Liu Xuande lost Jingnan?
Everyone in the hall was dumbfounded. Liu Zilie was so cunning that he was almost as cunning as Cao Mengde.

The key is,

Liu Zilie was not shy about cheating his own father Liu Xuande, so he would have no hesitation in cheating Jiangdong. Being cheated by Liu Zilie was fine, but what would they do if the Marquis of Wu didn't come back after being cheated?
"If what Lord Xuande said is true, Liu Wu's words are not to be believed, should we discuss the prisoner exchange again?"

"Otherwise, Liu Zilie and Uncle Liu have a grudge, so Liu Zilie harmed Uncle Liu. Now Jiangdong and Liu Zilie are related by marriage, and Marquis Wu is his uncle. How could Liu Zilie harm Jiangdong?"

"Don't forget that not long ago, the Marquis of Wu secretly led the Jiangdong navy to attack Hefei. How could Liu Zilie not bear a grudge?"

"Exchanging prisoners is a small matter, but I am afraid that Liu Wu will find out our bottom line as Kong Ming said, and use Wu Hou as a threat in the future, and make even more demands. What should we do?"

The doubts in the hearts of Jiangdong civil and military officials grew stronger and stronger, and they discussed among themselves in low voices.

Zhang Zhao's expression kept changing, and several strands of his beard were pulled out.

Zhou Gongjin held the handwritten letter from the Marquis of Wu in his hand, unfolded it and closed it, and then unfolded it again. He had to admit that what Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei said made sense.

Once we agree to Liu Wu's request today, it is very likely that Jiangdong will fall into Liu Wu's trap in the end!

Liu Xuande looked at the scene before him and secretly breathed a sigh of relief...

Jiangdong is his last hope at the moment. If Jiangdong and Liu Wu are on good terms, how can they help him repel Liu Wu and regain the four counties of southern Jing?
Liu Wu...

Thinking of his eldest son, Uncle Liu couldn't help but clench his back teeth.

This rebellious son was truly his nemesis. First he took away his Jingnan, and then he almost took his life.

After finally escaping to Jiangdong, he had hoped to form an alliance with Sun Quan and ask Sun Quan to help him retake Jingnan. However, he did not expect that this rebellious son was captured alive by the Marquis of Wu, which almost destroyed his last hope!

Why does this little beast always go against me?
No matter what, I can't let him...

"My lords!"

The captain who had just delivered the letter appeared again at the entrance of the hall: "Xi Ling has sent someone to deliver another letter, and it is a letter written by Marquis Wu himself."

Another handwritten letter from Marquis Wu?
It has only been a short time, but Xiling has actually sent two handwritten letters from Marquis Wu in succession? !

Everyone was stunned. They didn't understand what Liu Wu was doing.
Lu Su was the first to react. He stepped forward to take the letter and started reading:

"【Gentlemen of Jianye personally wrote to me. I was invited by Zilie to attend a banquet in Xiling City. Both the host and the guests were very happy.】"

"【Zi Lie is my sister's husband, and a relative of Jiangdong. You gentlemen don't need to worry about me..."

"【First, I have already written to you all that the exchange of Xiakou prisoners with Shanyue prisoners cannot be delayed. Once the exchange of prisoners is completed, I can return to Jiangdong. In addition...】"

Lu Su glanced at Liu Xuande with a strange expression and continued reading: "[Also, I heard that Liu Xuande has arrived in Jianye.]"

"【Liu Xuande is a useless and incompetent person, a cunning and treacherous person!】"

"[He repeatedly lived under other people's roofs. He went to Gongsun Zan, but Gongsun Zan died. He went to Tao Qian, but Tao Qian died!]"

"【If he committed himself to Lü Bu, he would suffer the disaster of Baimen. If he worked for Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao would suffer the defeat of Guandu! If he attached himself to Liu Biao, Liu Biao would have no descendants and his foundation would be destroyed!】

"【This kind of disaster must not be allowed to stay in Jiangdong. No matter how cunningly he speaks, you must not listen to him. When the letter arrives, you can drive him out of Jianye.】"

This, is this a handwritten letter from Lord Wu?
How can he defame someone's innocence out of thin air? !
Liu Xuande was completely confused and had nothing to say.

All the civil and military officials of Jiangdong, including Zhou Yu, Zhang Zhao and others, looked at Liu Bei with something strange in their eyes. What the Marquis of Wu said seemed to make sense.

If you think carefully about Liu Xuande's experiences for most of his life, it seems that the fates of those princes whom he had taken refuge with were not very good in the end...Except for the northern overlord Cao Mengde who was strong enough to withstand Liu Xuande's "curse", none of the other princes could withstand it?

Of course, these are not important...

The important thing is that the Marquis of Wu said in the letter that he would be able to come back after the prisoner exchange was completed.

As long as the Marquis of Wu can come back, would expelling Liu Xuande be a problem?

Seeing everyone looking at him with flickering eyes, Liu Xuande panicked. This group of people really wanted to drive him away!
If I leave Jiangdong now, who can help me recover Jingnan and return to Gong'an?

Liu Bei's forehead was covered with cold sweat, and he hurriedly explained: "No! This can't be a letter from the Marquis of Wu!"

"This letter must be fake! How can the Marquis of Wu drive Bei away..."

"Alas, Uncle Liu, it's not that we are heartless." Zhou Yu sighed and just bowed to Liu Xuande: "I have read it just now. This letter is also written by the Marquis of Wu."

"The Marquis of Wu has issued an order, and we cannot disobey it. Come!"

Several soldiers holding spears entered the hall: "Here!"

Zhou Yu: "Please bring out Uncle Liu..."

"Wait a minute!" Zhuge Liang stood in front of Liu Bei again.

He looked at everyone in the hall and said, "I understand. I think you all believe that as long as Liu Wu's conditions are met, the Marquis of Wu will be able to return safely. I don't know how likely this is..."

"Liang just wants to ask you, for Jiangdong at the moment, who is more important, Uncle Liu or Marquis Wu?!"

Who is more important to Jiangdong, Liu Bei or Marquis Wu?
Zhou Yu, Lu Su and others were stunned. Is this even necessary to ask?
Zhang Zhao sneered: "Mr. Kong Ming is confused. Wu Hou is the ruler of Jiangdong, and Liu Huangshu is just an outsider. Naturally, Wu Hou is more important to Jiangdong."

Kong Ming: "No!"

"Without Uncle Liu, Jiangdong has lost its most important ally! As for Marquis Wu, the Sun family of Jiangdong has existed for three generations. Now that Marquis Wu has been captured, Jiangdong's foundation is unstable..."

"I would like to ask you again, which is more important, the Marquis of Wu or the foundation of Jiangdong?!"

What exactly does Kong Ming want to say after going through so much trouble?
Generals such as Huang Gai and Han Dang were completely confused and had no idea what Zhuge Liang meant.

Zhou Yu, Zhang Zhao, Lu Su and others stood there in a daze. A bright light seemed to flash through their minds, but they couldn't catch it.

Zhuge Liang's voice penetrated into everyone's heart like the wind: "During the Spring and Autumn Period, during the Battle of Hongshui, King Cheng of Chu captured Duke Xiang of Song alive and took him to the capital of Song State, intending to force Song State to cede land!"

"The people of Song then appointed Prince Mu Yi as the king, and King Cheng of Chu was in a dilemma. He had no choice but to let Duke Xiang of Song return to his country, and Duke Xiang was able to save his life."

"During the Warring States Period, King Huai of Chu went to the Wuguan Alliance, but was detained by King Zhaoxiang of Qin, who wanted to cede the two lands of Wu and Qianzhong from Chu. Chu then established King Qingxiang of Chu as its king, and Qin's wish to cede land became a bubble..."

"Liang thinks that the situation in Jiangdong is very similar to that of Song and Chu. Why not follow suit..."

Clang clang! ~
Before Zhuge Liang finished speaking, dozens of swords were suddenly unsheathed in the hall!
The coldness enveloped the hall!

"Zhuge Kongming! How dare you!"

"How dare Zhuge Liang let us become traitors to our master?!"

"The Marquis of Wu is still alive! How dare you deceive us and depose and enthrone us without authorization!"

"You want to test our swords, are they sharp?!"

All the generals in the hall drew their swords, their eyes bloodshot.

How could they, who had received great favors from the Marquis of Wu, do such a heinous act?
Zhuge Jin pointed at his second brother tremblingly: "You, are you crazy? You are crazy!!"

Lu Su and Zhang Zhao's heads were buzzing and their backs were soaked with cold sweat. This Zhuge Kongming actually wanted to establish a new ruler for Jiangdong?

How brave is he?!
"Kong Ming!" Zhou Yu's voice was extremely cold, his chest rising and falling slowly, and his voice was mixed with a hint of unconcealed resentment: "How dare you say such crazy things in front of me, the civil and military officials of Jiangdong?"

"Are you really not afraid of death?!"

Zhuge Liang's eyes were filled with coldness: "Liang is speaking from the bottom of his heart for the safety of the Marquis of Wu and for the foundation of Jiangdong!"

"If you are willing to establish a new ruler for Jiangdong, then the Marquis of Wu is like a bowl of hot soup for Liu Wu. It is neither right to throw it away nor to keep it."

"He can no longer profit from the Marquis of Wu, but it is even more impossible for him to kill a worthless Marquis of Wu and create a life-and-death feud with Jiangdong. This will not benefit him at all!"

"This way, Jiangdong's foundation can be preserved, and the life of Marquis Wu can be saved. Isn't this a great deed?!"

In the hall, the generals who were holding swords with murderous intent suddenly lost their murderous intent unconsciously.

What Zhuge Liang said does not seem to be unreasonable. If it can both preserve Jiangdong's foundation and the life of the Marquis of Wu, then it seems reasonable to establish a new ruler...

The generals were shocked!
Zhuge Liang was clearly spreading lies to confuse the people. How could we believe such treasonous words? !
Zhang Zhao, Lu Su and other civil servants were filled with mixed feelings.

Establish a new master!

Establish a new master!

These four words echoed madly in their ears.

Although what Zhuge Liang said was bold, if we take it seriously, and it really is as he said... we will establish a new master!
All of Jiangdong’s current difficulties will be solved!

No, no way! No way!
This is not the way to be a minister!

The civil servants shook their heads subconsciously, but the idea of ​​"establishing a new master" took root in their hearts like a seed...

Zhou Yu stared at Zhuge Liang closely, his face looking very ugly: "You are such a silver tongue! Your strategy may seem to have solved the crisis for Jiangdong, but in fact it has caused disunity between the ruler and his subjects in Jiangdong. How could we fall for your trick?"

"I received great favor from our first lord, General Sun Bofu. How can I watch you wreak havoc on the government of Jiangdong?"

Zhuge Liang smiled and waved his feather fan gently: "Don't worry, Gongjin, I haven't finished what I want to say."

"If you really want to establish a new ruler, I think..."

"Sun Shao, the son of the former Lord Sun Bofu, can be the fourth generation Lord of Jiangdong and the new Marquis of Wu!!"

　No more today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)