Seeing that Zhou Yu was disappointed with Sun Quan and hated Liu Qi, Jiang Gan thought the time had come and was about to persuade him, but unexpectedly Zhou Yu stunned him with a word.
Along the way, he had made countless assumptions and prepared many arguments to persuade Zhou Yu, but he never expected that Zhou Yu was so obsessed with Jiangdong that he even planned to establish himself as the master.
For a moment, the plan was in chaos. Zhou Yu was also saddened by seeing his old friend and missing Sun Ce. He couldn't stop crying and got drunk, and fell down in front of the table.
Jiang Gan had no choice but to inform Xu Sheng and help Zhou Yu to the back hall to rest. Before he knew it, it was getting late, so he had to stay in the inn and think about countermeasures.
In the bedroom, Zhou Yu had already returned to normal and ordered: "Patrol the city tomorrow morning and ask a few battalions of soldiers to deliberately cause trouble due to insufficient money and food, so that Jiang Gan can see that I am short of food and grass."
Xu Sheng was puzzled and asked, "Since the governor is using a delaying tactic, why not just pretend to agree to Jiang Gan's request? Why go to all that trouble?"
Zhou Yu sneered and said, "Cao is suspicious by nature. If I agree easily, he will not believe me. Only by agreeing with me on conditions can he stop being suspicious."
Xu Shengyan said: "Xiahou Dun has sent troops to attack Beihai. How should we respond?"
Zhou Yu smiled and said, "With Ziyi in Beihai, we are safe. I will take this opportunity to defeat Xiahou Dun's army first, protect Qingzhou first, and then wait for an opportunity to deal with Cao Cao."
Xu Sheng followed the order and went out, but stopped at the door and said hesitantly, "I have something to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not."
Zhou Yu nodded and said, "We are all isolated in Qingzhou, so we should be united. Wen Xiang has something to say, please feel free to speak."
Xu Sheng said: "Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be both loyal and filial. However, the Marquis of Wu followed the Queen Mother's will and ordered Liu Qi to take charge of Jiangdong affairs. This is like inviting a wolf into the house! The governor is powerless to intervene in Qingzhou. Why did no one persuade Zhang Gong, the governor of Lu, and others? General Huang and others also kept silent? What if Liu Qi refuses to hand over power in the future and takes over the power..."
Zhou Yu's eyes were slightly stern, and then he waved his hand and smiled, "I have my own reasons for this, Wen Xiang, don't worry. You just need to remember that Cao is now the king and has the intention of usurping the throne. We are the ministers of the Han Dynasty. A real man should put state affairs first and work hard to defeat the enemy and support the court. This is the most urgent task. Jiangdong is a family matter, and we will see the outcome in the future."
Xu Sheng stood at the door for a moment, then left silently, wondering in his heart: Shouldn't we serve the Great Wu
In the Wei camp outside the city, Xiahou Dun waited anxiously for the whole afternoon, until the sun set in the west and his feet were numb, then he returned to the tent.
Zhong Jin said, "Jiang Gan has been in the city for half a day and has not returned. Could it be that he angered Zhou Yu and was beheaded?"
Xiahou Dun said with a smile: "Zhou Yu is a great man from Jiangdong and a trusted general of Sun. How could he surrender so easily? Jiang Gan has not left the city to report, and Zhou Yu has not hung up a head as a warning. This shows that there is still room for maneuver. Let's wait for another day."
Zhong Jin asked: "Since Zhou Yu still wants to surrender, why not temporarily transfer Tian Yu back to show sincerity."
Xiahou Dun said, "It will take two or three days to march to Beihai, and we can catch up with him in one day. Don't worry. If Zhou Yu is still hesitating, we can use this opportunity to suppress him. We need to make Zhou Yu understand that persuading him to surrender is just to make him look more respectable!"
"Whether Zhou Lang is willing to surrender or not is all in the general's hands!" Zhong Jin flattered him.
Since Xiahou Dun was captured in Nanyang, his personal guards all dispersed after he returned. His two brothers were promoted from the army and were appreciated by Xiahou Dun for their intelligence.
Now that Cao Cao has become king, seeing that Xiahou Dun is about to become a royal relative, he tries his best to please him so that he can get a share of the pie in the future.
Jiang Gan had not slept all night in the city. He went out in the early morning in a freezing cold wind. As he was rushing to the government office, he saw many soldiers shouting at the door.
Jiang Gan stood at a distance and listened for a while. It turned out that the Wu army was making trouble because the firemen were withholding money and food. Not only did they reduce the food, but they also mixed moldy rice and sand into it. It seemed that they were about to start a fight.
Xu Sheng went out to call everyone back, and stood at the door with a worried look on his face. Seeing Jiang Gan standing in the middle of the street, he hurriedly welcomed him into the government office and explained awkwardly: "In fact, the Grand Commander has always been strict in training soldiers and has extremely strict military laws. This has never happened before."
Jiang Gan understood and stroked his beard, saying, "As the saying goes, soldiers need food. Lack of food in the army is a big taboo. Even if Sun Wu were reborn, I'm afraid he would be powerless to save the army."
Xu Sheng sighed and said, "Sir, you are right. However, the governor has issued an order for us to show you our strength and to demonstrate that we have sufficient food and ample soldiers. Sir, you must not tell anyone about what happened just now, or I will be beheaded."
"This Zhou Lang is still so arrogant!" Jiang Gan laughed and twirled his beard. Only then did he understand why Xu Sheng and others were so murderous yesterday. It turned out that they were just strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
"I will keep this a secret for the general!" Jiang Gan thought he had caught Xu Sheng's handle, and his demeanor became more confident. Seeing that Zhou Yu was not in the mansion, he asked, "Where is Gongjin?"
Xu Sheng said helplessly: "The governor has not seen his old friend for a long time. Yesterday he talked about his inner thoughts and couldn't help himself. He is still drunk."
"Zhou Lang is a man of true character!" Jiang Gan sighed, and then tried to test him: "Now Jiangdong has been seized by Liu Qi, and Cao's army is attacking fiercely. There is no food in the city, and you have no way to advance or retreat. General, have you ever thought about retreating?"
Xu Sheng sighed, "The matter of Marquis Wu has greatly frustrated the governor. We also suspect that Marquis Wu has other hidden motives. But the governor seems to be a little confused recently. He often wanders around and talks to himself. I dare not discuss with him. Yesterday, you said you came to save the governor. I wonder if you have any suggestions?"
Jiang Gan said, "If the Lord is humiliated, the minister will die. If the Marquis of Wu is really imprisoned, you should immediately raise an army to attack him. Zhou Lang also said yesterday that he was concerned about Jiangdong's cause and hated Liu Qi. Now you are fighting against Cao Gong. Aren't you helping Liu Qi, making his relatives sad and his enemies happy?"
"Oh, you are worthy of being my classmate!" Xu Sheng suddenly realized something and slapped his forehead in regret, saying, "Your words have opened my eyes, just like the clouds have been cleared and the sun has appeared."
Jiang Gan said with emotion: "With Zhou Lang's wisdom, he should have seen through this matter earlier. It's a pity that he was so confused and in the middle of the situation that he was obsessed with it. This is what is called the one who is in the situation is confused!"
Xu Sheng hurriedly asked, "Sir, what insights do you have? I hope you can give me some advice."
Jiang Gan twirled his beard and said slowly: "In my opinion, it is better to join hands with Cao Gong and get rid of Liu Qi first. Saving the master and avenging him is the most urgent task!"
"This..." Xu Sheng frowned and said, "We have been fighting with Cao's army and have long since forged a grudge. Now we are far away in Qingzhou, and our boats are all destroyed. How can we return to Jiangdong?"
Jiang Gan whispered, "General, you don't know that Cao Gong sent me here because he intends to accept Zhou Lang and join forces to deal with Liu Qi. With Gongjin's prestige in Jiangdong and the help of Cao Gong's powerful army, it will be easy to retake Jiangnan."
Xu Sheng frowned slightly and hesitated again: "The Grand Commander is arrogant and proud. I am afraid that the Marquis of Wu will not be willing to be inferior to others and will anger him."
"The city is short of food, and you are all desperate. How could Gongjin not know that?" Jiang Gan saw Xu Sheng was moved, and he was overjoyed. He took the opportunity to say, "General, if you are willing to work with me to persuade Zhou Lang to surrender to Cao, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort. In the future, I will recommend you to a high position, a high rank, and a high honor for your wife and children."
Xu Sheng was indeed moved, and after a moment's hesitation he asked, "I wonder what conditions Prime Minister Cao promised?"
"Conditions?" Jiang Gan was stunned.
Xu Sheng raised his thick eyebrows, rolled his eyes and sneered: "Nonsense, who would surrender without conditions?"