Chapter 412 Public Opinion Policy
Hu Zong was a little mysterious just now, and the King of Wu himself had a changeable personality, so Zhuge Jin and Quan Cong did not dare to ask more questions and followed Hu Zong into the side hall.
Not to mention that Hu Zong was originally the commander of 10,000 troops. Even if he held a low official position, given his status as a long-time follower of the King of Wu, the foreign generals had to deal with him with caution.
Hu Zong was in the west, Zhuge Jin and Quan Cong were in the east. After the three of them sat down, Quan Cong looked around and saw that there was no one around, so he asked:
"What's the matter, Wei Ze? Why do you want to come to the side hall to talk alone?"
"It's not the order of the Supreme Lord, but I have something to discuss with you two." Hu Zong didn't keep him in suspense and said directly: "In terms of official affairs, General Zhuge and General Quan are both important ministers of the country. In terms of personal friendship, you two are both close confidants of the King of Wu."
"Now that the Supreme has a difficult matter, I hope the two generals will fulfill their duties as subjects."
Zhuge Jin and Quan Cong also looked serious. Zhuge Jin was the first to bow and ask, "Wei Ze, what's the matter?"
Hu Zong paused and said, "The envoy from Chengdu came and said that the Han Emperor is willing to issue an edict to divide Han and Wu into two countries. If so, Your Majesty can take another step!"
The two looked at each other, then stood up and looked at Hu Zong.
Zhuge Jin cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty should have taken a step further long ago! This is a very good thing!"
Quan Cong also cupped his hands and said, "I second the proposal and share the same opinion as General Zhuge."
When talking about the ministers of the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu, only the ministers of Eastern Wu were the least concerned with their titles.
In the past, Cao Cao was a prime minister, and Liu Bei was a governor and a relative of the clan. When Sun Quan was only the governor of Kuaiji, he inherited Jiangdong and was supported by all the officials of Jiangdong.
To put it more clearly, the officials of Eastern Wu were a group of separatists who were dragging local noble families under their wings and rushing towards the path of separatism.
When Sun Quan became governor of a state, his subordinates could become governors and generals. When Sun Quan became the King of Wu, his subordinates could become governors, generals, and be granted titles of nobility. If Sun Quan became the emperor, wouldn't his subordinates be able to become the highest officials of the Three Dukes?
One glory and one glory.
Zhuge Jin was on good terms with Sun Quan and was well aware of his ambitions. Quan Cong was even more ambitious, and it was Quan Cong who proposed to call Sun Quan "Supreme" on the top of Wuchang City.
Seeing that the two men were clear and determined, Hu Zong nodded with satisfaction and took them to find Sun Quan. It was not that Hu Zong was nosy, but on the one hand, he wanted to communicate in advance, and on the other hand, he was just in case.
After Zhuge Jin and Quan Cong met Sun Quan, they exchanged greetings as they were both important generals. Earlier, when Jiang Wan first arrived in Wuchang, Sun Quan learned from Jiang Wan that Zhuge Jin's son had passed away. When he sent an envoy to summon him back to Wuchang, he also sent a sacrifice gift, which was very considerate.
As they talked, Hu Zong naturally brought the topic to the matter of proclaiming the emperor. Of course, it was Hu Zong who brought it up, because that was the purpose of him accompanying them today.
Doesn’t Sun Quan want to be emperor?
Of course I do.
Whether it comes from the heart or is concealed on the surface, Sun Quan must show a humble attitude.
Previously, in order to enhance trust and avoid misjudgment in diplomatic occasions when communicating with Jiang Wan, Sun Quan had to respond with clearer words. Hu Zong could still be considered an internal official who accompanied the emperor, but in front of Zhuge Jin and Quan Cong, two external officials, Sun Quan had to be more reserved.
Sun Quan was born and raised in Jiangdong. Even if he was not familiar with the etiquette of Luoyang, he understood the basic principle of refusing three times.
As soon as Hu Zong spoke, Sun Quan frowned and sighed in a slightly reproachful tone: "Although the Sun family has lived in Jiangdong for three generations, even if the divine artifacts are without a master and the order of heaven is in tatters, I can just be the King of Wu. How can I be virtuous enough to be the Son of Heaven?"
Hu Zong stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, although you are the King of Wu, matters such as whether you are virtuous or not are not decided by you."
Sun Quan and Hu Zong had only some basic tacit understanding, but they had not rehearsed every sentence, and this sentence was beyond Sun Quan's expectations.
Sun Quan raised his eyebrows and looked at Hu Zong. He pointed his right index finger at his chest and raised his voice slightly: "Wei is talking about my moral character. I don't have the final say, do I?"
Hu Zong was getting more into the mood: "Of course not!"
"The virtue of the Supreme is determined by Heaven. If the Supreme is the one that Heaven wishes him to be, then he will be able to achieve his imperial career!"
Sun Quan nodded slightly: "Wei Ze's words make sense. Let's not talk about my own affairs, just talk about destiny. How should we view this destiny?"
Zhuge Jin coughed lightly and joined the conversation between the two, saying, "Your Majesty is right. I have always been talented and learned. Please tell me how to view destiny."
Today seems to be Hu Zong's home court.
Hu Zong looked up at the beam with a resolute expression, and said with deep emotion: "If you want to know the will of heaven, it is nothing more than prophecies, people's will, and auspicious signs."
Quan Cong asked with a hint of curiosity: "Wei Ze, I wonder if there are any prophecies or signs?"
Hu Zong nodded: "General Quan has been in the army for a long time, so he may not know this. As early as the Xingping period of the Han Dynasty, there was a saying that 'the golden carriage, the orchid ears, the gate of the emperor, will come out'."
Quan Cong was stunned for a moment: "Kaichang Gate, isn't this the west gate of Wu County? The Supreme is the King of Wu, which is a perfect omen!"
Hu Zong laughed and said, "The prophecies are very mysterious, how can there be only one place?" "I heard that when Qin Shihuang was on his eastern tour, a fortune teller said, 'Five hundred years later, the aura of an emperor will emerge from Wu in Jiangdong, and the land of Jinling will have the potential to be a king.' So Qin Shihuang changed Jinling to Moling and dug the northern mountain to cut off its potential."
"During the Han Dynasty, there was also a saying that 'yellow flags and purple umbrellas are seen between the bullfights, indicating that there is an emperor's presence in Jiangdong'."
The words of prophecies and divinations are still extremely popular in this era, and can even be used as the basis of legal rationality in many cases.
Needless to say, there was the prophecy of the Cao family that 'the one who will replace the Han Dynasty will be in high position'; when Liu Bei was promoted to the throne of the emperor in Chengdu, Yizhou, there were also prophecies such as 'the third red day will bring prosperity, the ninth generation will meet Bei and become the emperor', 'the way of heaven will determine Bei to be the emperor, he will rule in the world and will be invincible' and 'who will send the master Xuan Qie to come'.
It was just that Quan Cong had never heard of any of the prophecies that Hu Zong said today. Then Quan Cong and Zhuge Jin looked at each other, and from Zhuge Jin's confused and surprised look, it seemed that he had never heard of it either.
However, the two important ministers were not stupid. Since they had never heard of it, they just followed suit in surprise and admiration!
Sun Quan had certainly heard of this, but at this moment he also sighed: "The matter of prophecy is really mysterious, I really don't understand it."
"But how do we explain the people's wishes and auspicious signs?"
Quan Cong and Zhuge Jin had already come to their senses and knew what the King of Wu was thinking and doing today. Quan Cong was quicker to speak and hurriedly spoke before Zhuge Jin:
"Your Majesty, the will of the people should be based on the support of all the people in the world, and the appearance of auspicious signs should be carefully investigated everywhere."
"Since Your Majesty has ordered me and General Zhuge to return to Wuchang, why not let us search carefully in our respective areas? If there are auspicious signs or letters from the people, we will report back to Your Majesty."
Zhuge Jin certainly didn't want to miss this opportunity to persuade the emperor to ascend the throne.
"Your Majesty, I once heard that someone saw a white deer and a unicorn in Nanjun, but I was busy with military affairs at the time and did not investigate carefully. This time I will definitely look for them carefully when I return."
Sun Quan stood up and said in a rebuke, "Zi Yu, Zi Huang, you two are important officials of the state, how can you spend more time on such things?"
"I summoned you to Wuchang today because I have some serious military affairs to discuss. Zhuge Liang and I have agreed to attack Wei at the same time. He wants me to send troops to Hefei to make it difficult for Wei to take care of both the east and the west."
"I think it's better to attack Xiangyang than Hefei. What do you two think about this?"
Sun Quan was busy discussing military affairs with his ministers, but his mind drifted to the prophecies that Hu Zong had just mentioned.
As luck would have it, when Zhuge Jin and Quan Cong had not yet left Wuchang, on the morning of March 1st, many people exclaimed in succession at the dock and post station in the north of Wuchang City.
Hearing the screams of the dock clerks and the post station clerks, many people ran to check, but found nothing.
Naturally, this matter alarmed the King of Wu. Sun Quan sent the school official Lu Yi to investigate. More than ten officials all said the same thing: they saw a yellow dragon and a phoenix on the river north of Wuchang City in the early morning!
At noon on March 1, an urgent report came from General Sun Huan in Xiakou. Also in the morning of the same day, many soldiers and generals in Xiakouwu also saw the yellow dragon and the phoenix.
For a time, rumors spread throughout Wuchang City, and everyone was discussing what this conscription was.
……
While Sun Quan and his ministers were busy building public opinion, Cao Rui, leading 20,000 cavalry, was still crossing Jingxing from east to west and heading towards Taiyuan.
At this time, in the Xianbei royal court in the former Yunzhong County, Kebineng sat cross-legged in the big tent, drinking mare's milk and staring at the flames, actually in a daze in broad daylight.
The crackling sound of burning firewood in the tent was definitely a rare luxury on the grassland where wood was scarce. For ordinary Xianbei herdsmen, it was already good enough to have dry cow dung as fuel.
Just as Ke Bineng was deep in thought, his son-in-law He Qibu walked in from outside the tent and said, "Sir, the envoy from Lord Tian has just come to urge us again, and his words have become more intense."
Ke Bineng glanced at his new son-in-law, shook his head slightly but did not answer.
Talents are rare among the Xianbei people. The deceased Yu Zhuqian was extremely talented and had the ability to lead troops, but he died at the hands of Guanqiu Jian in Yanmen County three years ago.
Yu Zhugan was dead, but there were many Xianbei people, and Kebi Neng's daughter could not remain a widow. It would be nice to find a son-in-law to help.
He Qibu, whom Ke Bi could choose, was a rare man of wisdom and strategy, and was completely different from Yu Zhugan.
Ke Bineng said calmly: "How fierce is the envoy?"
He Qibu imitated the Han etiquette and saluted: "The envoy said that you can either kill him or follow him to Yanmen to fight."
Ke Bineng sighed: "The Han Dynasty has changed to the Wei Dynasty, and the Han envoys have become Wei envoys, why is it still as intense?"
"He Qibu, tell the messenger that I will send you to lead 3,000 cavalrymen to join the expedition. If there is anything else, please have Lord Tian write to me personally."
“I can read Chinese characters.”
(End of this chapter)
