"Sister-in-law, Zibu, and Zhongmou, are you truly incapable of shouldering this great responsibility? Have you truly failed your elder brother's trust?"
Sun Quan was utterly devastated.
Zhang Zhao was still a little blaming himself. Had he gone too far in finding out this stack of letters? He should have softened his approach and handed them over to Sun Quan.
He hadn't expected this young man to have such poor mental fortitude.
Qiao Jingjing said the following:
"What do you mean you're not up to the task? How old are you? How old was Cao Cao? How old was Sun Ben? How old was Sun Fu? This world isn't about who's older, or who's eaten more salt!"
Zhongmou, this world belongs to the young; it's an era where the new generation surpasses the old, leaving the former stranded on the beach. The more they bully you because you're young, the more you must achieve something to show them!
"Sun Fu's matter must be resolved properly, and he should be executed as a warning to others, so that Cao Cao can see your determination to reorganize Jiangdong."
With encouragement and guidance from his sister-in-law, Sun Quan regained his confidence.
Sun Quan nodded firmly, and he said to Zhang Zhao:
"Zhang Changshi immediately sent an official document to the Prefect of Luling, requesting Sun Fu to return to Wu County to discuss important matters."
Zibu can explicitly tell him in the letter that because of Sun Hao's rebellion, I, Sun Quan, wish to invite him back to Wu Commandery to oversee important matters.
Sun Quan believed that as long as he offered the bait of taking charge of important affairs in Wu Commandery, Sun Fu would definitely come.
As soon as Sun Fu returns, he will be dismissed from his post on the spot.
Qiao Jingjing believed that Sun Quan would handle the matter of Sun Fu very well.
Sun Quan's earlier moment of frustration and sorrow was merely due to the betrayal by those close to him.
What defeats a person is not necessarily external forces; the most terrifying thing is the collapse of their inner self.
Who is Sun Quan? He is the future Emperor of Eastern Wu. Can he stop his progress because of a moment of sadness or despair?
Qiao Jingjing then discussed another matter with Sun Quan:
“When your elder brother was alive, he would often talk to me about the geography and climate of the Taihu Lake area of Wu Commandery, including Jingkou and Moling. Wu Commandery was located in the southeast, and it was actually very difficult for it to contend with Cao Cao’s Jingzhou.”
Qiao Jingjing paused here, observing Zhang Zhao and Zhu Zhi's reactions.
Zhang Zhao nodded, and Zhu Zhi also nodded.
Sun Quan then asked everyone if they wanted to move the capital to the west or the north.
Qiao Jingjing said, "You, your elder brother, and Zibu are all people who have been fighting on the front lines for many years. You know the geographical conditions better than I do."
Sun Quan then said that he had long wanted to move the capital to Beigushan in Jingkou.
However, the topic of that day was building a temporary palace for His Majesty the Emperor.
Sun Quan himself moved into the palace built for the emperor, which was somewhat criticized at the time.
Zhang Zhao then said, "Since the general wants to move the capital, given our current situation, we should complete it as soon as possible."
Wu Commandery, situated in the southeast, faced numerous difficulties in its attempt to defend against the north and west from a disadvantageous position. Furthermore, Jingkou, relying on the Yangtze River, possessed a natural barrier. Zhou Yu was able to train his navy there, making its defenses quite formidable.
When discussing moving to Jingkou, Sun Quan also mentioned that a very sturdy iron fortress must be built there.
Ideally, the entire city wall should be built with blue bricks and stones and then molten iron poured in, making it as solid as a rock.
This was the lesson Sun Quan learned after this campaign.
This time, it was his sister-in-law Zhang Zhao and Zhu Zhi who narrowly won, preserved Wu Commandery, and killed Sun Hao.
But as the person in charge, Sun Quan could not place his hopes on something he could not control.
He must be confident of victory.
If the opponent is someone even stronger than Sun Hao, or if the defenders are weaker, or if something unexpected happens...
He would never allow his stronghold to be at risk of being raided. His mother, wife, son, daughter, sister-in-law, and his elder brother's children were all there.
Sun Quan then told Lu Xun that he wanted to build an iron fortified city, the most impregnable one. Once it was completed, he planned to move everyone to Jingkou.
Sun Quan ordered the construction of an iron city.
On the one hand, they continued to recruit talented individuals.
Sun Quan wanted to have talented people, under the leadership of Zhang Zhao and his sister-in-law, engage in agriculture, academic research, and urban development, so as to continue to steadily improve the economic level of the people and make Jiangdong the richest place in the country.
Even though Cao Cao's territory was large and his army was numerous, the north had been plagued by war for a long time, and the people were always poor.
Needless to say, Jingzhou was shattered, and many people had fled to Jiangdong.
By then, Sun Fu had already returned to Wu Commandery.
When Sun Fu first received the official document from Zhang Zhao, he thought that the old man Zhang Zhao had suddenly realized that the young Sun Quan was not capable of being assisted and had come to ask him, Sun Fu, to take over.
Sun Fu returned happily, and Zhang Zhao warmly received him.
Sun Quan then formally hosted a banquet.
During the banquet.
Sun Quan had Zhang Zhao bring out the stack of letters so that Sun Fu could read them himself.
Sun Fu read through the documents one by one, and only after reading them did he realize that Sun Quan had already set his sights on him.
“You…you’re clearly struggling to take care of yourself! You’re so young, how do you know all this? You’re so young…”
Sun Fu's face, etched with the marks of experience, trembled slightly.
Sun Quan simply said, "So, my second cousin has always looked down on Zhongmou for being young! Yes, although Zhongmou is young, he knows loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness!"
Although I am young, I know my elder brother's dying words to me: "Our father and brothers have worked so hard to establish Jiangdong! We must rise early and retire late, and if there are any external matters to consult, ask Zhou Yu; if there are any internal matters to consult, ask Zhang Zhao."
In matters large and small in Jiangdong, I rely entirely on my two cousins, Zhu Zhi, the Prefect of Wu Commandery, and my maternal uncle, the Prefect of Danyang. I dare not act on my own initiative.
I have never abused my power for personal gain.
Receiving this seal from my eldest brother was like shouldering an immense burden. Even if my second cousin doesn't trust me, even if he doubts my abilities, what matters between brothers can't be discussed openly and frankly? Why must he collude with outsiders to plot against my Jiangdong? How is this any different from treason and rebellion, from the actions of Sun Hao?
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
