"You!" Zhang Zhao now understood that this Fatty Yang was tricking him step by step. Fatty Yang obviously knew Lu Su's identity, but he did not say it in the beginning. Instead, he waited for Zhang Zhao to make a fool of himself. Zhang Zhao's joy and anger were all seen by Yang Hong. Zhang Zhao was being played like a monkey while Yang Hong was watching him act.
Zhang Zhao took a deep breath. He could not be angry because once he was angry, he would lose his reason. If he was led by the nose during the negotiation, he would be led by others. If he was impulsive and did something that would damage Jiangdong's reputation, it would not be good!
"Fine! I admit that this Lu Su is not only my nephew, but he is also the military counselor of the 100,000 troops in this punitive expedition to Wancheng city! " Zhang Zhao said Lu Su's identity. He knew that since Yang Hong was playing with him, then he must know Lu Su's identity. Instead of hiding it, it was better to say it directly. Now that I have told you Lu Su's identity, let's talk about the price!
"If Brother Zhang Zhao had done this earlier, then why did you let Yang Hong go through so much trouble? This Wan Cheng prison is on the other side of Wan Cheng. It would take a lot of time to go back and forth! " Yang Hong looked at Zhang Zhao with a look of pity and blame, as if everything was Zhang Zhao's fault. Zhang Zhao couldn't help but feel angry. What a waste of time. Zhang Zhao admitted that he had concealed Lu Su's identity, but you, Yang Hong, should have just said it directly from the start. Why did you have to put on an act and send the soldiers out, then come back to laugh at him?
"Elder Yang, speak!" Zhang Zhao was ready to be slaughtered by Yang Hong. Yang Hong tricked Zhang Zhao to tell him that they already knew Lu Su's identity and also knew Lu Su's position in the Jiangdong Army. So, Zhang Zhao should be obedient and not play any tricks.
"Haha!" Yang Hong knew that it was time to start the price. Yang Hong stretched out his hand.
"Five thousand gold?!" Zhang Zhao's face sank. Five thousand gold was not a small amount. Five thousand gold was enough to recruit ten thousand troops. Moreover, these troops were equipped with armor and weapons. Even if they were to form a cavalry unit, they would still be able to form a small cavalry battalion. Sometimes, even a small or medium-sized aristocratic family wouldn't be able to do so.
Even the daughter of the richest man in Xu Province, Mi Family, was only given five thousand gold coins as a dowry to Liu Bei. That was two thousand servants and several carriages full of jewelry. That was a shocking event. Now, Jiangdong wanted to redeem Lu Su with five thousand gold coins. Wasn't that similar to robbery? No matter how valuable Lu Su was, they shouldn't do this! This was equivalent to half a year's worth of taxes in Jiangdong.
However, Zhang Zhao calmed himself down. Although five thousand gold was a lot, it was still within Zhang Zhao's acceptable range. One must know that Lu Su was not only Jiangdong's military advisor, he also had another identity. He was the heir of the Lu Family. Now that the Lu Family's head was no longer in charge, it could be said that Lu Su was the head of the Lu Family. Before coming here, the Lu Family had offered Zhang Zhao several thousand gold. As long as Zhang Zhao could save Lu Su, the price would be worth it.
So, Zhang Zhao looked at Yang Hong. What he needed to do now was to bargain with Yang Hong to see if he could lower the price. Even if the price was not lowered, Zhang Zhao would not be sad. This was because most of the money was paid by the Lu Family. Jiangdong only needed to pay a part of it. Moreover, if the price of redeeming Lu Su was spread out, it would only be good for Jiangdong.
Zhang Zhao was very familiar with the War Book. There was a chapter called Buying a Bone with a Thousand Gold. It was about a monarch who played with horses. He wanted to buy a horse with a thousand gold coins. After three years, he still did not get anything. At this time, a low ranking official in the palace volunteered and said, "Please give this task to me!" The monarch nodded in agreement. In less than three months, the man found a good horse that could travel a thousand miles in a day. However, when he wanted to buy the horse, the horse died. After thinking for a while, he still spent five hundred gold coins to buy the bones of the dead horse. When he brought the bones of the horse back to the palace to report to the monarch, the monarch saw that it was the bones of a horse and was very angry. He scolded, "I want a live horse. What's the use of buying a dead horse? Isn't it a waste of five hundred gold coins? "The official smiled and said," Monarch, please calm down. Money is not wasted. You are willing to buy a dead horse at a high price. When the news spreads, people will believe that you are a monarch who sincerely loves good horses. Moreover, you know what is good and you keep your word. This way, people will come to you and offer you horses. "Later, in less than a year, the monarch really did get three horses that were offered to him.
Now, Zhang Zhao was treating Lu Su as a dead horse. It should be said that Lu Su was also a good horse. Zhang Zhao wanted to use the five thousand gold coins to tell the world that Jiangdong was willing to pay five thousand gold coins to redeem Lu Su. You can see that Jiangdong has a strong desire for good people and there will be a lot of people coming to Jiangdong.
"Five thousand gold coins is too expensive! This is a price that Jiangdong cannot accept! "Zhang Zhao said to Yang Hong with a sullen face.
"Five thousand gold coins?" Yang Hong heard Zhang Zhao's words and did not care about Zhang Zhao's attitude. He shook his head and said, "Not five thousand gold coins!"
"Not five thousand gold coins?" Zhang Zhao was stunned for a moment. If it was not five thousand gold coins, then how much was it? Zhang Zhao knew that Lu Su was a great talent because in the younger generation of Jiangdong, besides Zhou Yu, Sun Ce and Sun Quan, there was also Lu Su. Zhang Zhao was very close to Sun Quan and knew that Sun Quan was interested in Lu Su. Although Lu Su was a loyal person, he was not inferior to others in terms of strategy. His ability to command troops and governance was excellent. The reason why he was not as good as Zhou Yu was because Lu Su did not have as much contact with the military as Zhou Yu. When Lu Su gradually became familiar with the military, Jiangdong would not only have Jiangdong's General Zhou, but also Lu Military Advisor.
Lu Su was originally following Zhou Yu. Lu Su's intelligence was not inferior to Zhou Yu's. What he lacked was experience. At this time, Zhou Yu was seriously ill because of the journey. Zhou Yu's death eliminated a great enemy, especially Cao Cao. He wanted to conquer Jiangdong and was very happy with Zhou Yu's death. He thought that Jiangdong was going to be conquered, but who knew that after Zhou Yu, there was Lu Su. Lu Su had been watching and learning for many years. His intelligence was not inferior to Zhou Yu's. He was naturally familiar with the situation. Under his leadership, Cao Cao did not have much of an advantage.
Lu Su was worth thousands of gold. Zhang Zhao did not believe that Yang Hong did not know. Since Yang Hong said that it was not 5,000 gold, then it must be 50,000 gold! Zhang Zhao immediately stood up and looked at Yang Hong angrily. "Elder Yang, are you crazy? 50,000 gold? Even if we had it, we would not be able to take it out! " 50,000 gold was enough for Sun Ce to create a new Yuzhou Cavalry. It was enough for the Jiangdong Navy to change their equipment. It was enough for the Jiangdong Army to take over Jingzhou's provisions.
"50,000 gold?" Yang Hong knew that Zhang Zhao was anxious, but he still smiled. "Brother Zhang Zhao, don't be impatient."
"Hmph! Elder Yang, we came with sincerity. If Lü Bu is not sincere, then let's not talk. You should let Gan Ning's Navy go back to Jiangxia! At worst, our Jiangdong Army will abandon Jiangxia and make peace with Jingzhou's Liu Biao! " Zhang Zhao could not take out 50,000 gold. Jiangdong also could not take out this amount. This amount was too big. If it was exchanged for provisions, because of the turmoil in the world, provisions were very precious. 50,000 gold could be exchanged for 200,000 Dan of provisions. This was enough for many people to eat! Lü Bu had confiscated provisions from many nobles in Wan Cheng, but he only got 100,000 Dan. How could Zhang Zhao agree? If he really forced the Jiangdong Army to withdraw from Jiangxia and continue to fight with the Lvbu's Army, it would not be fun! Yang Hong believed that when the time came, Liu Biao would not intervene. On the contrary, he would provide convenience for the Jiangdong Army. Anyone could sit on top of a mountain and watch the tigers fight!
"Brother Zhang Zhao, do you mean that Jiangdong does not want to negotiate and still want to fight? Good! " Yang Hong also changed his smiling expression. "Since you do not want to negotiate, then I will go and report to Milord and let General Gan Ning go down the Yangtze River!" Yang Hong knew when to be soft and when to be hard.
"Go down the Yangtze River?" Zhang Zhao thought that Yang Hong was threatening him to let Gan Ning's Army go back to Jiangxia to threaten the Jiangdong Army. "Not go to Jiangxia!" Zhang Zhao subconsciously said this.
"Go to Jiangxia?" Yang Hong sneered twice. "Since Milord said that General Gan Ning's Navy will withdraw from Jiangxia, then General Gan Ning will take his Navy down the Yangtze River. Zhang Zhao, you should go back and tell Milord to wait for our arrival!"
Milord! Zhang Zhao thought of the meaning of going down the Yangtze River. The Jiangdong Army not only had to guard against Gan Ning's Army entering Jiangxia, but also the Jiangdong Army had a long coastline. The Yangtze River gave the Jiangdong Army a natural barrier, but it also made the coastline too long. If the Lvbu's Army did not have a Navy, then it would be fine because the Jiangdong Navy was the overlord of the Yangtze River. Over the years, the Yangzhou Navy, the Yuzhou Navy, and even the Xuzhou Navy had suffered losses. The unluckiest one was the Jingzhou Navy.
If Yang Hong had said this before, Zhang Zhao would have laughed disdainfully. Go if you have the ability! Who was afraid of who? The Jiangdong Navy was the overlord of the Yangtze River. The others were simply not enough. Even the old overlord, the Jingzhou Army, was suppressed. But now, the Lvbu's Army had a weapon in their hands. On the surface of the Wancheng Navy, 30,000 Jiangdong Navy had mysteriously disappeared. If it happened again, it would be a big joke. Now, Jiangdong only had two main Navy forces left. One was in the hands of Zhou Yu, and the other was in the hands of Sun Quan. Zhang Zhao did not dare to gamble. Even if they could defeat Lü Bu's Navy, the Yangtze River was so big and the coastline was so long. If the Lvbu's Army's Navy attacked here and there, then Jiangdong's Navy would be exhausted. If the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry was also sent to Jiangdong, haha! Zhang Zhao did not dare to think about it. In order to fight against Lü Bu and Jingzhou Liu Biao, Jiangdong had transferred a lot of troops. Now, some cities only had a few hundred people, including officials. Some small counties only had a few bailiffs. The rest of the City Defense Army had been transferred.
Once the hinterland was attacked, then Zhang Zhao's sin would be big. He was here to negotiate, not to continue the war between the Lvbu's Army and Jiangdong.
"Hmph!" Zhang Zhao coldly snorted. 50,000 gold was a huge amount. Jiangdong could not give it, even if Lu Su was sacrificed. Zhang Zhao still did not relent. "At most, we will fight to the death. 50,000 gold? Your Lvbu's Army thinks highly of our Jiangdong!" If Jiangdong gave the Lvbu's Army 50,000 gold, then the Jiangdong Army would suffocate. Not to mention other things, they would not even be able to pay the soldiers. If they could not even feed the soldiers, then how could they serve you?
"Who said it was 50,000 gold?" Yang Hong looked at Zhang Zhao and asked. Although Zhang Zhao did not say anything, Yang Hong knew that Zhang Zhao was about to give in. He wanted to force Zhang Zhao, but he did not want to drive Zhang Zhao crazy. It was true that Gan Ning's Navy had destroyed 30,000 Jiangdong Navy outside of Wancheng City, but only 10,000 of the 30,000 Jiangdong Navy were the main force. Moreover, Gan Ning was able to win so easily because the Jiangdong Navy was not prepared. This was the first time they encountered ballistae, and it was also the first time they saw a Navy that could fight like this. However, the second time was different. After all, Jiangdong was still a Navy, and the Navy Generals were not to be trifled with. If they were to go all out, they would be able to gather 70,000 Jiangdong Navy.
If Lü Bu lost these thousands of Navy soldiers, it would be difficult to rebuild them. This was because Lü Bu did not have a dock to build warships. Now, Gan Ning did not have a warship to build. Although Lü Bu gave Gan Ning 5,000 people to strengthen the Navy, these 5,000 people still lacked warships.
A Navy without warships would not be called a Navy. At best, they would be a group of Army that could swim.
"Not 50,000 gold?" If it was not 50,000 gold, then why did Yang Hong shake his head when Zhang Zhao said 5,000 gold?
"Who told you it was 50,000 gold?" Yang Hong sat down and drank a cup of tea. "From the beginning to the end, did I, Yang Hong, say 50,000 gold?" Yang Hong's expression was as if he was thinking for Zhang Zhao's sake. "Brother Zhang Zhao, think about it. I, Yang Hong, am not a reliable person. I was once an official under Yuan Gong. Even Yuan Gong could not take out 50,000 gold at once. It is even more impossible for Jiangdong to do so."
When Yang Hong was working under Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu's palace in Shouchun was worth less than 40,000 gold. This amount of money made Yuan Shu's heart ache for a long time. Yuan Shu forcibly plundered the people's wealth and collected taxes. After more than ten years, he did not expand his army and did not recruit soldiers. He only wanted to enjoy himself. Even so, 50,000 gold was not something that Yuan Shu could take out. As for Jiangdong, they had been fighting against Liu Gu, Yan Baihu, Wang Lang, Liu Xun, and Liu Biao. Sun Ce's army has already destroyed the front line but do not forget that Sun Ce's army suffered heavy losses. Do you think Sun Ce's army did not suffer any losses? There were only a few people left who followed Sun Ce in the past. His bodyguards were changed again and again, not to mention the other soldiers.
After fighting so many battles, it was natural to recruit soldiers and buy horses. There was also food. The Yuzhou Cavalry was saved by Sun Ce. These things had consumed more than half of Jiangdong's tax burden. There was no spare money. Sometimes, the warehouse was so empty that rats could run out.
"How much is it?" Zhang Zhao was so angry that he laughed. It was not 50,000 gold or 5,000 gold. "Is it 500 gold?" Zhang Zhao looked at Yang Hong with ridicule. Five hundred gold may be a lot for a commoner or a small landowning household, but for a warlord, a single reward would be more than that. Yang Hong's face was really hypocritical. Zhang Zhao wanted to see Yang Hong slap his own mouth!
"It is also not 500 gold!" Yang Hong shook his head and continued to drink his water.
"Haha, Yang Hong, if you do not want to negotiate, then say it earlier. Our Jiangdong Army is not begging you to negotiate!"
Yang Hong looked at Zhang Zhao's attitude. He knew that if he continued to play, Zhang Zhao might really change his attitude. "It is only 50 gold!" Yang Hong still extended his hand.
"50 gold!" What kind of price was this? The price of a few warhorses? The price of a few sets of armor? Or the price of half a warship? Was this a joke? Sometimes, 50 Gold Coins wasn't even enough to buy a good horse or a good set of armor. Zhang Zhao liked antiques. He had a jade statue at home. The jade statue was worth more than platinum. But now, Lu Su was only worth 50 gold?
"It is 50 gold. Could it be that Jiangdong can't even afford 50 gold?" Yang Hong once again showed a regretful expression, "If that's really the case, then Brother Zhang Zhao, you should leave! Just treat it as if there is no one called Lu Su in your Jiangdong Army! "Yang Hong waved his hand as if it was difficult to be a good person.
Lu Su was only worth 50 gold? If that was the case, then wouldn't it be as cheap as cabbage? If that was the case, then why did you, Zhang Zhao, want to kidnap so many people? If Zhang Zhao was willing to pay 50 gold to Lu Bu's army, then he could take Lu Su away right now!
"Someone, go to my room and take out 100 gold for Mr. Yang Hong!" Zhang Zhao was still in disbelief. He had a hundred gold coins in his room. This was the cost of the journey to Lujiang. If what Yang Hong said was true, then he could immediately release them. After a while, the guard brought a package with a hundred gold coins in it.
"Elder Yang, there is 100 gold inside. Count it!" Zhang Zhao pushed the package on the table.
"Mr. Zhang Zhao, how can I, Yang Hong, not believe you! There is no need to count it! "Yang Hong smiled and pushed the package to the side.
"Then can you release Lu Su now?" Zhang Zhao said to Yang Hong.
"Don't worry!" Yang Hong still has a smile on his face, "It's already late. Even if I bring Lu Su to Mr. Zhang Zhao today, it's not good for you to go back. It's better for me to arrange a place for Lu Su to freshen up and then you can leave Wan Cheng together!" It was indeed late. Lu Su had just been released from Wancheng city's prison. He needed to clean himself up. Otherwise, his body would stink.
"Next, let's talk about other people. Mr. Zhang Zhao, in order to show his sincerity, Milord let General Gan Ning withdraw to Wancheng city and let you take away all the prisoners. Even Lu Su, such a great talent, was taken away by Mr. Zhang Zhao for a mere 100 gold! Now, Mr. Zhang Zhao can show your sincerity to Sun Ce! "Yang Hong smiled and looked at Zhang Zhao.
"Huh?" Zhang Zhao's brow wrinkled. If what Yang Hong said is true, then Lu Bu's sincerity is really big. Sun Ce should also show some sincerity. Otherwise, if other people knew about this, they would laugh at Sun Ce's stingy army.
"We released Sun Cejun's prisoners. Your Jiangdong should also release our Lvbu's Army's prisoners!" Yang Hong finally talked about his purpose.
"Your Lvbu's Army's prisoners?" Zhang Zhao did not understand. In the battle of Lujiang, their Jiangdong Army went ashore from Wancheng city's Navy camp and directly went outside Wancheng city. In the end, the 100,000 troops were almost wiped out. Only Sun Ce brought back 5,000 people. Where did Sun Cejun get the prisoners? If there were prisoners, it should be Sun Cejun and the Lvbu's Army!
"There is!" Yang Hong took out a piece of paper from his bosom. On it was what Yang Hong wanted. "Brother Zhang Zhao, please take a look. This is the list of Sun Cejun's prisoners! : "
Zhang Zhao took the paper and looked at it. He finally understood the meaning of the prisoners. Written on the paper were basically places in Danyang County. Even the names and seniority were written. These were the families of the former Danyang soldiers under Sun Ce. Now, Lü Bu's City Guard soldiers under Liu Mang. Especially the Chu Barracks. The Chu Barracks included the entire Chu Village! The other Danyang soldiers also followed suit and wrote down their family members. These people's family members were all in Jiangdong. They were worried about their family members. They were afraid that they would be implicated by Sun Ce. After all, it was because of their strike that Sun Ce failed to attack Wancheng city. If they were one step earlier, even if the Bing Province Heavy Cavalry came, they would not be able to do anything. Sun Ce had already entered Wancheng city. In order to make these Danyang soldiers serve him wholeheartedly, Liu Mang could only bring their families out. However, there were too many people. It was impossible to sneak into Jiangdong and bring them out. So, they could only exchange the prisoners openly.
"Good idea!" Zhang Zhao sneered. Lü Bu was selling people's hearts. After these people were brought to Lujiang by the Lvbu's Army, their loyalty to Lü Bu would be stronger. They would wholeheartedly work for Lü Bu. This Lü Bu was really daring. There were tens of thousands of people, tens of thousands of people! Jiangdong's population was not much, only a million. How could these tens of thousands of people be given away in vain?
"Good!" Zhang Zhao thought for a moment and agreed. After all, there were a lot of prisoners in Jiangdong. These people were strong and could be brought back to form an army. They were much better than the old, weak, women and children.
"Haha, this is the best!" Yang Hong smiled. His first goal was achieved. Originally, Lü Bu gave him the standard of exchanging Lu Su for tens of thousands of people. But Yang Hong asked Zhang Zhao to buy Lu Su for 50 gold. What was the meaning of this? This was completely shaming Lu Su! If Zhang Zhao used five thousand gold to exchange for Lu Su, then Lu Su would really become famous. A fine steed that couldn't be bought with money! You see, Jiangdong was willing to spend 5000 gold for a military advisor. Good horses were common, but Bole was not common. Sun Ce would become the Bole. Those talented people would certainly look at Sun Ce. They might even seek refuge in Jiangdong. Yang Hong could not do something like increasing the reputation of the Jiangdong Army.
Therefore, with shame and anger, he sold Lu Su for 50 gold. If Lu Su went back and found out that he was only worth 50 gold, his expression would definitely be very interesting. Using the word 'sincerity', he asked Zhang Zhao to hand over the families of the Danyang soldiers to Lu Bu's army.
"Let's continue with the second goal!" Yang Hong waved his hand. "Hold on, we still have time to settle down!"
"Also, those nobles, you have to teach them to us!" Zhang Zhao's second goal was the nobles. Originally, Sun Ce wanted to tell the nobles that the nobles had died in Lujiang. The ones who killed them were the Lvbu's Army. However, the Lvbu's Army had already released the news that the nobles were still alive under Chen Gong's plan. Chen Gong's advice to Lü Bu was not to offend the nobles. Doing so would only make them support Sun Ce even more. Therefore, the nobles were a bargaining chip. The Lvbu's Army wanted to show goodwill to the nobles. The nobles would certainly accept this goodwill.
"Okay!" Yang Hong was as straightforward as ever. This made Zhang Zhao a little embarrassed. Yang Hong originally wanted the nobles to return to Jiangdong. If they did not return to Jiangdong, how could the Lvbu's Army plan be carried out? The Lvbu's Army wanted to watch the fun. Therefore, the nobles would certainly be released. Now, it all depends on the price.
"One thousand gold!" Yang Hong stretched out a finger. He no longer teased Zhang Zhao and directly said the price. "One thousand gold for one person. In our Wancheng city, there are nine nobles!"
"One thousand gold!" These people were not as talented as Lu Su. They were basically a bunch of trash that only knew how to snatch credit. How could they be worth one thousand gold? However, the ransom did not need to be paid by Sun Cejun. One thousand gold was one thousand gold! The nine of them added up to nine thousand gold coins, which was not a small sum.
"Don't rush to agree!" Yang Hong stopped Zhang Zhao. "This one thousand gold is only the ransom. My lord has additional conditions!"
"What conditions?" Zhang Zhao asked. This was the first time Yang Hong put forward conditions. Zhang Zhao had to be careful.
"One person in exchange for one hundred people! A hundred people who can really repair ships and build ships! "This is what Yang Hong really wants, craftsmen who can repair ships and build ships!
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