"30,000 gold! This Slave of Three Surnames Lu Bu is so poor that he went crazy! " These nobles were not like Pang Tong who directly called Liu Mang a fake king. After all, the Han dynasty was still around. Therefore, if they wanted to humiliate Yangzhou, they could only use Lü Bu.
In Lujiang, Lu Bu was wronged to death. They thought that he was a pauper who went crazy from poverty. This ransom had nothing to do with Lü Bu. Moreover, Liu Mang wanted 10,000 gold. However, when it came to Zhou Yu, it became 30,000 gold.
"I don't know if this Lü Bu is crazy or not, but the 30,000 gold must be paid!" Zhang Zhao shook his head and said to the nobles. The people of Yangzhou knew that if they wanted to ask for food, it would be impossible for Jiangdong to take it out. Sun Ce wanted to use food to trap Yangzhou. Moreover, the Jiangdong Army and the Jingzhou Army were facing each other in Jiangxia. The Jiangdong Army also needed a large amount of food. Otherwise, if Jiangxia lost, Jiangdong would be trapped.
Therefore, the letter sent by Yangzhou was very strict. They only wanted money and not food. However, money was also difficult. Jiangdong had been militaristic for so many years. They basically had no money. They were fighting with their own capital. Even Sun Ce, as the Lord, had to cut back on food and clothing, not to mention the other nobles.
As soon as Zhang Zhao spoke, the people below all stopped talking. Many of the landowning households were looking around or lowering their heads. The whole place was terrifyingly quiet.
"Milord, how are we going to take out this 10,000 gold?" Sun Ce had been on the battlefield for many years, so he didn't have any extra money. Even if he had money, he wouldn't have extended his hand to these nobles. If it wasn't for Zhou Yu stopping him, perhaps these nobles would have already been confiscated. A nearby noble family head said such a sentence, but he was immediately glared at by the other nobles.
The head of the landowning household seemed to have realized that he had said something wrong and wanted to make up for it. However, Zhang Zhao didn't give him the chance!
"Master Xu is right. My lord can't take out so much money!" Zhang Zhao wanted someone to throw out a brick so that he could continue to speak of his purpose.
"Second Young Master Yu Jiangdong, I believe everyone knows who he is! No one here wanted Second Young Master to die, right? That's why the Lord entrusted me to gather all of you here, hoping that you can come up with a plan! Give me an answer! " Although Zhang Zhao didn't mention anything about money, the nobles below were all shrewd people! Now that the second young master had been captured, the Lü Bu of Yangzhou could only be exchanged for money. The lord did not have any money, and could not watch the second young master die. Thus, only the officials like them were left to raise the money.
At this moment, there were only a few dozen people present. If everyone were to split the bill, each person would have to pay a few thousand gold. The nobles in Jiangdong were not as wealthy as Jingzhou. Jiangdong did not have as developed a trade route as Jingzhou. A few thousand gold was equivalent to cutting a piece of meat from the nobles in Jiangdong.
"Mister Zhang Zhao, we should be duty-bound to help the second young master. But, Mister Zhang Zhao, you also know that in recent years, natural and man-made disasters have been incessant and the flames of war have raged. We, we have no money left. But, I, Cheng, have to live frugally and take out a hundred gold coins to help the lord redeem the second young master!" A family head surnamed Cheng stood up and said righteously.
"Me too, me too. Second Young Master has done me a great favor! I will definitely repay him! My Liu family will also take out a hundred gold! "All of a sudden, the nobles were very generous and took out their money.
However, Zhang Zhao sneered. He walked forward and said, "I, Zhang Zhang family, will take out three thousand gold to solve the Lord's problem!"
Zhang Zhao took out a thousand gold. The nobles below all sneered in their hearts. A thousand gold was not a small amount. They were all taking a step back in order to advance. Your Lord doesn't have money. I will take out money, but you didn't ask me to take out a lot. Giving you a thousand gold is my support, and a hundred gold is also my support. You can't say that I didn't give you any money.
"Master Zhang Zhao is righteous. You can take out three thousand gold. Unlike us, small families, who don't have much money!" Everyone was praising Zhang Zhao, but in their hearts, they were mocking Zhang Zhao for being a fool. The more the Zhang family took out, the less the nobles would take out.
"Is that so?" Zhang Zhao looked at the family head who spoke and walked forward. "Family Head Cheng, I still remember that you have thousands of acres of fertile land and four courtyards outside of Jianye!"
"Haha, those are the foundations left behind by our ancestors. These years, the weather has been good, but the disasters have been constant. The thousands of acres of fertile land have been abandoned. The four courtyards are nothing more than a pile of trash! "
"Oh?" Even if the weather had not been good, the fertile land in Jiangdong had not been abandoned. As long as the land was planted, there would be no loss.
There was also the courtyard in Jianye. Each of those houses was worth a hundred taels of gold. It was a joke to say that the Cheng family did not have money. If they did not have money, then where did the money and food come from when Second Young Master Sun Quan went to war?
"Oh, is that so? Master Cheng, you're really living a frugal life! " Zhang Zhao smiled at Family Head Cheng. "Rest assured, Family Head Cheng. I will definitely tell the Lord what you said and ask the Lord to exempt you from taxes and help the Cheng family through this crisis! Similarly, the Second Young Master knows that Family Head Cheng is so generous and saved him. He will also give the Cheng family the greatest help in the Assembly! The Jiangdong salt permits will also be given to Family Head Cheng! "Zhang Zhao said with a smile.
Hearing Zhang Zhao's words, Family Head Cheng was not surprised. The Cheng Family's Patriarch didn't feel happy at all. Instead, he shivered. Salt permits were a very profitable thing. In ancient times, salt and iron were in the hands of the government. People could eat less, but they couldn't lack salt. Without salt, they would be powerless. Therefore, the barbarians used all kinds of things to trade for salt with the Han people.
Salt permits were a certificate for the noble families to sell salt. Only with this certificate could they sell salt. Otherwise, even if they could get salt, they would be sentenced to death if they dared to sell it. For these salt merchants, salt permits were not worth much because they could not get much. However, with this certificate, they could hide the fact that they were selling salt illegally.
Official salt was very expensive, but illegal salt was very cheap. Basically, everyone needed to eat salt. You could see how big the market was. Once it became serious, and a strict investigation was carried out, then the illegal salt trade really couldn't be hidden. Who didn't want to participate in the illegal salt trade? However, this was the unspoken rule. If it became serious, no one could escape.
If it was before, everyone would not take out the money because they knew that the law could not punish the majority. They were all noble families in Jiangdong. No matter how strong Sun Ce was, he would not dare to offend all of them. However, now that Zhang Zhao was calling them out, it was naturally not good! How could he do this if he only targeted his family?!
"Aiya, I forgot, I forgot!" Family Head Cheng suddenly shouted. His face that had changed color a moment ago was now smiling. "I suddenly remembered that we still have a batch of jewelry left behind by our ancestors! Since it is useless, why not use it to save the Second Young Master! It can be sold for two thousand gold! "
"Haha! Family Head Cheng is so righteous! " Zhang Zhao said mockingly. "To be able to take out something left behind by your ancestors to save the Second Young Master, I admire you!"
"You flatter me!" How could Family Head Cheng not hear the ridicule in Zhang Zhao's words. Selling something left behind by one's ancestors was a disgraceful act. It was equivalent to cursing, but Family Head Cheng could only pinch his nose and endure.
"Haha, Family Head Cheng donated two thousand gold!" Zhang Zhao took out a piece of paper and wrote Family Head Cheng's name on it.
The other Family Heads still did not say a word. Zhang Zhao called out their names one by one.
"Family Head Xu, is your Young Master safe and sound? Last time, he was imprisoned for a few days. Was that enough to scare him? " Zhang Zhao was talking about the Young Master of Xu's tyrannical behavior. In Jiangdong, not only did he commit adultery, he also killed a family of four. This was a shocking murder case. Once this matter was spread out, the Young Master of Xu would certainly die without a burial place. In order to appease the people, Sun Ce had to behead this person. Family Head Xu tried to bribe the Young Master of Xu but to no avail. Sun Quan used his followers to take the blame for the Young Master of Xu's crimes. He even went to Sun Ce to plead for leniency. Only then was the Young Master of Xu saved.
If Family Head Cheng did not repay this kindness, then it would naturally be considered an old debt.
"This old man is also old and dim-sighted! Even if I have to sell my family's property and have nowhere to go, I will still do my part to save the Second Young Master! My Xu Family will donate two thousand gold! " Family Head Cheng's property was bigger than Family Head Cheng. Family Head Cheng could donate three thousand gold while Family Head Xu could only donate two thousand gold. Zhang Zhao named three people in a row. These three people were all people who had received benefits from Sun Quan. They also expressed that they were willing to take out the money. Zhang Zhao didn't need to name the remaining people again. They endured the pain and directly took out the money!
"My Bian Family is willing to donate two thousand gold!"
"My Shen Family is willing to donate one thousand five hundred gold!" One by one, they took out their money. The highest amount was three thousand gold, while the lowest amount was more than one thousand gold. This amount of money had increased to more than twenty thousand gold.
"Well, the rest of the money will be paid by Milord! Milord and Second Young Master will definitely not forget everyone's kindness! " Zhang Zhao said to everyone with a smile. Twenty-four thousand gold was in their hands. Apart from ten thousand gold that needed to be handed over to Yangzhou, the remaining fourteen thousand gold would be Milord Sun Ce's. Governor Zhou Yu's plan was good.
"We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare!" Although their hearts ached, they all cupped their fists and responded to Zhang Zhao with a fake smile.
Zhang Zhao directly left with his men. His task had been completed. He believed that these nobles would obediently send the money to Milord. There was no need for him to do this.
… …
In Shouchun, Yangzhou.
"Zijing, Zijing, tell me, am I really a good-for-nothing?" In the prison of Shouchun, a man with blue eyes and purple hair was smiling bitterly at another young man.
"Milord. How can you be a good-for-nothing? " The other man was also a handsome man. Unfortunately, both of them were wearing the same white coarse cloth clothes. A big word behind them was so dazzling and ironic.
"If I'm not a good-for-nothing, then why am I here? If I'm not a good-for-nothing, then how can I use seventy thousand troops and lose to ten thousand enemies? " This blue-eyed man was the Second Young Master of Jiangdong. He was the founder of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Quan, Sun Zhongmou. Unfortunately, he was destined to be a tragedy in this life.
His elder brother was not dead, so he went into hiding. In his previous life, his elder brother was assassinated because Jiangdong defeated Jingzhou. Seeing that their great cause was in sight, Sun Ce had the leisure to go hunting. In the end, he was assassinated. In this life, there was Liu Mang. Not only did Jiangdong not have the slightest progress, but he also lost Lujiang County. Although he gained half of Jiangxia, Jingzhou had another Zhuge Liang. The Jiangdong Army did not have much of an advantage in the war in Jiangxia.
Sun Ce had a headache. Naturally, he was not in the mood to hunt. If Sun Ce did not die, Sun Quan would not have the opportunity to command Jiangdong. He wanted to go out and make a name for himself. But in the end, he gave the troops and the money. In the end, it was like this. Sun Quan was naturally disappointed to the extreme.
"Milord, you …" Lu Su did not know how to comfort him. Was Sun Quan a waste? Sun Quan was not. It was just that his elder brother was too strong. Sun Quan wanted to show himself too much. Therefore, he lost because he was too anxious. When he seized the military power, he wanted to kill Lu Meng and Ling Chao to seize the military power. He was also like this in Linhuai. He was too anxious. He could get Qin Feng's military power, but he could not be so anxious. Otherwise, he would have buried the root of his defeat.
Sun Quan wanted to fight steadily and surely. The provisions of the 70,000 soldiers were very sufficient. As long as they fought steadily and surely, Yang Zhou would be able to retreat. At that time, Sun Quan would have the opportunity to occupy Linhuai. Afterwards, he would have to continue attacking Yang Zhou or conspire against Cao Cao's Xu Province. Unfortunately, there was no 'if' and he was defeated. Now, he had become a prisoner.
Just as Lu Su was about to say something, the door to the prison suddenly opened.
A group of soldiers and horses came in. Looking at their armor, they were all from Yangzhou. They were the most elite soldiers of Yangzhou, the City Guard.
"Where is Jiangdong's Lu Su, Lu Zijing?" The person who came in frowned as soon as he entered the prison. The smell in the prison was really unpleasant.
"Reporting to Milord, he is in front!" The jailer hurried forward and said.
Hearing this conversation, Lu Su and Sun Quan were startled. They were looking for them. Just when they were wondering why they were looking for them, the captain of the Urban Army arrived in front of their cell under the lead of the prison guard.
"Open the door!" The captain of the City Guard said to the jailer.
The jailer nodded and opened the door. The captain walked in and looked at Lu Su with a smile. "Lu Su, Mr. Lu Zijing, I trust you have been well since we last met!" The captain of the City Guard was not a stranger. He was the Battalion Commander of the Chu Battalion, Buttface, who had defected to Yangzhou from the Jiangdong Army.
"Chu Ergou?" Lu Su saw him and asked in confusion.
"How dare you treat our General like this?" The City Guard at the side immediately shouted angrily. "This is our General Chu Ju!"
"Chu Ju?" Lu Su was stunned for a moment, but then he laughed. Wasn't half of a dog just Ju? The Buttface of the past had become Chu Ju in a refined manner.
"Ha, ha, Mr. Zijing, I am indebted to the Lord for giving me the name Ju. Please call me Chu Ju!" Buttface was very respectful to Lu Su because Lu Su was a person who was respected in the army and because Lu Su was selfless.
"A dog is a dog! Chu Ju? "Sun Quan at the side snorted and said disdainfully.
"You!" The City Guard at the side was furious and wanted to beat Sun Quan up, but he was stopped by Buttface.
"What is the matter, General Chu Ju?" Lu Su gave Buttface face. After all, people always wanted to climb higher. The Buttface of the past was now a thousand-man general.
"Naturally, I am here to send Mr. Zijing on his way!" Chu Ju said to Lu Su with his fists clasped.
"On the road?" Sun Quan at the side was stunned. How was that possible? Normally, the ones who died on the battlefield were the thousand-man generals or the hundred-man generals. It was very rare for a general to die in battle. These generals were either captured or escaped, especially for generals and strategists like them. It was not a big deal if they were captured. At worst, they could be exchanged. Lu Su was ransomed in this way last time. They were still waiting for someone to ransom them.
"General Chu, can you make it clear?" Lu Su asked Buttface calmly.
"I am sorry, Mr. Zijing. I can't help you. You and I serve different masters. Mr. Zijing was able to return to River East last time because someone in River East ransomed you. But today, River East has abandoned you!" Buttface said to Lu Su.
"Is that so?" Lu Su's eyes flashed with sadness. Last time, the ransom was paid by the Lu Clan. It was a full thousand gold coins. The Lu Clan was not a wealthy landowning clan. Now that they were captured again, the ransom would definitely rise. The Lu Clan could not afford so much money.
"Please come with me, Mr. Chu. I will make sure you leave without suffering! This is the only way I can help you! "Buttface said to Lu Su with his fists clasped.
"Thank you very much, General!" Lu Su clasped his fists and did not say anything. Chu Ju waved his hand and two City Guard soldiers came forward to take Lu Su away.
"Zijing, Zijing, don't leave me!" Sun Quan panicked. He had Lu Su to accompany him. Now that Lu Su was going to be executed, he would be left alone.
"Get out of my way!" The two Urban Army soldiers on the side did not care whether he was the second son of Jiangdong or not. They directly kicked him. Sun Quan wanted to come up, but he was scared by the Urban Army soldiers pulling out their swords.
"Take care, my lord!" Lu Su turned his head to look at Sun Quan. He bowed to Sun Quan before being brought out by Chu Ju. Sun Quan heard a voice coming from outside the cell.
"Lu Su of River East, Lu Zijing, has offended his superiors and caused chaos in the world. He should be executed according to the law!"
Sun Quan sat on the ground. He was frightened. Sun Quan was not an inexperienced person. He had been an executioner before. However, it was different if someone close to him was executed.
"Let me out, let me out! I don't want to die, I don't want to die! Let me out! "Sun Quan and Meng De grabbed the door of the cell and pounded on it fiercely.
"What are you shouting for?" The jailer ran over and shouted at Sun Quan. The whip in his hand fell directly on Sun Quan's head and left a bloody mark. There were no second sons of River East here. There were only prisoners in Yangzhou.
"Ah! Let me out, my big brother, my big brother will come and save me. My big brother is the ruler of River East. He will redeem me. Let me out, I don't want to die, I don't want to die! " The jailer's whip was not able to wake Sun Quan up.
Another whip landed on his face, leaving a bloody mark on his face. The mark on his face was now well-proportioned.
"Oh, your big brother! Your big brother has long abandoned you! He can't even protect himself. Do you know how much money you need? A whole ten thousand gold! Can your big brother take it out? " The jailer sneered.
"Ten thousand gold?" Sun Quan was stunned for a moment. Ten thousand gold was really a lot. However, ten thousand gold was nothing compared to his life. "Yes, yes, my big brother will definitely do it!"
"Boom!" The door of Shouchun's cell was opened once again. Buttface, who was a butcher in Sun Quan's eyes, appeared once again. He walked in front of Sun Quan again.
"Second Son of River East, right? I, Buttface, was very envious of your second son! I even wanted to work for your second son! "Sun Quan's reputation in River East was really good." But now it seems that it's just so-so! Mr. Zijing is on his way. It's your second son's turn! "Buttface was full of the smell of blood, which frightened Sun Quan.
"Impossible, impossible! How could it be my turn? My big brother will redeem me, he will redeem me! "Compared to the high-spirited Sun Quan of the past, Sun Quan was really scared in the face of death.
"Ten thousand gold? Your big brother can't bear to do that! Jiangdong is now involved in the war with Jiang Xia. Jiangdong's resources are almost exhausted. In front of the great cause, a little brother like you is nothing! " Buttface said disdainfully.
"No, no!" Sun Quan still couldn't believe it and wanted to hide behind him. However, Buttface was also a general, and Sun Quan's hands and feet were shackled. He pulled Sun Quan out directly as if he was dragging a dead dog. He directly dragged him out.
"Let's go, let's go, Second Young Master. I'll send you on your way. Look at Mr. Lu Su, Lu Zijing. It's a simple matter. If Second Young Master gets in my way and this knife doesn't chop you to death but gets stuck on your head, then Second Young Master, don't blame me!" Buttface's words sounded like words from hell to Sun Quan.
What did he mean by not killing him with one knife? What did he mean by not killing him with one knife?
"My big brother will come back to save me, my big brother will come back to save me! I don't want to die, I don't want to die! " From the beginning, Sun Quan still thought that his big brother would come to save him. Later, Sun Quan was scared to death. He was really afraid of death. Sun Quan, Sun Zhongmou, was the person who cherished his life the most in the Three Kingdoms. Even Cao Cao, Liu Bei, didn't live as long as he did. Even Cao Cao's son, Cao Pi, couldn't resist Sun Quan.
Sun Quan alone lived for 71 years. He outlasted Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Cao Pi! From the middle period of the Three Kingdoms all the way to the later period!
In his later years, he was even more afraid that his son would usurp the throne. He was fickle on the issue of the successor. Lu Xun and other important officials of the country were implicated, causing the political situation to become even more chaotic. After Sun Deng's premature death, under the influence of Sun Luban and others, Sun Quan first abolished Sun He, then ordered Sun Ba to die. Finally, he appointed Sun Liang. It could be seen how afraid Sun Quan was of death.
Sun Quan wanted to achieve greatness. He wanted to achieve his own hegemony. He didn't want to die here or in Shouchun. He wanted to die without knowing why. Sun Quan was terrified. He wanted to struggle, but it was all in vain.
"Sun Ce, Sun Ce, big brother, save me, save me!" Sun Quan shouted miserably, but no one answered. He was dragged out on the ground by Chu Ju like a dead dog.
"Sun Ce, Sun Ce, if you don't save me, you will die a horrible death!" Sun Quan even hated his big brother, Sun Ce. He hated Sun Ce for not coming to save him. He hated Sun Ce for not being willing to part with money. He hated Sun Ce for not giving him the throne of Jiangdong. If the throne of Jiangdong was given to him, would he still need to go to war? Would he lose if he didn't lose? Would he die if he didn't lose? Sun Quan was directly dragged to the execution ground by Chu Ju. There was a fresh human head lying there, causing Sun Quan to be even more frightened. Could that be Lu Su and Lu Zijing?
"Second Young Master, go to hell!" Chu Ju smiled coldly and raised the butcher's knife in his hand.
"No, no!" Sun Quan screamed miserably as Chu Ju's knife fell.
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