Chapter 156: Discussion (Part 1)
"This matter was decided on the spur of the moment," Sima Jun continued. "If I had informed Madam, and if something went wrong along the way, and the secrets were leaked, the consequences would be disastrous. I have an agreement with the Wuchang garrison commander that if Huan Yi attacks, we will close the city walls. The food and weapons in the city will be enough to sustain them for six or seven days. As long as they can hold out until I capture Jingzhou, Huan Yi will surely return to support us, and the siege of Wuchang will be easily lifted. However, I never expected Madam to take action. Madam's actions also caught me off guard."
Sun Wei glanced at him and said, "Your Highness, do you mean that we are even and owe each other nothing?"
Sima Jun said, "I don't know Madam well enough."
His voice was deep and gentle.
Sun Wei still glanced at him without saying anything.
Sima Jun simply poured himself a cup of tea, stood up, and filled Sun Wei's cup again.
"If Madam is upset, I will offer tea instead of wine to apologize to Madam. How do you think?"
That calm demeanor still showed no sincerity in his apology.
Sun Wei said, "The prince said earlier that his plan was undecided and could not be considered a secret, so he could not tell me. Today, it seems that this is the case. I should tell me the unformed plan. Otherwise, if we meet again, I will still do what I want."
Sima Jun looked at Sun Wei and said, "Even if the future is uncertain, Madam, do you still want to act on your own?"
"Of course." Sun Wei said seriously, "I am a military advisor, but also a family member. The prince and I are in the same boat."
Sima Jun's eyes were deep. After a while, he lowered his eyes and drank the tea in the cup.
Then, he showed the empty cup to Sun Wei.
It really is like wine.
Sun Wei didn't say much and drank his tea.
The grudges were put aside and the two sat down again to talk about Wuchang.
"What about the Empress Dowager's decree?" Sun Wei asked, "When did the Crown Prince obtain this item? Is it a forgery?"
"How could such an important item be forged?" Sima Jun said, "I only asked for it last time when I saw the Queen Mother, under the pretext of thoroughly investigating the Xunyang Rebellion, thinking it might be useful. Unexpectedly, within a month, I used it."
Sun Wei nodded and asked, "Is Huan Yi really attacking Wuchang for Huan An?"
Sima Jun said, "It's not all about Huan An. He has had this intention for a long time."
"oh?"
"After I arrived in Wuchang, I received a report from a spy saying that Runan was gathering troops. The Runan troops were originally intended to attack Wuchang. However, attacking Wuchang is only part of the attack on Jiankang. Huan Yi's overall plan has not yet been finalized, and the date for the attack on Wuchang is also uncertain. This is not good for me. The war in Kuaiji could break out at any time, and I cannot stay in Jiangzhou for long."
"So the Crown Prince decided to spread the news about Huan An, angering Huan Yi and causing him to attack Xunyang immediately?"
"That's right," Sima Jun said. "Huan Yi has become increasingly impatient in recent years. I knew he would fall for this trick. After deploying in Wuchang, I immediately headed to Jiangxia for a surprise attack on Xiakou. Then, something happened."
Sun Wei thought for a moment and said, "Could it be related to Huan An?"
Sima Jun nodded and said, "The vanguard battalion guarding Xiakou was none other than Huan An. They had also heard the news that Huan An was in Jiangzhou. Before the battle, some of them came forward and said they only wanted to follow Huan An. They would submit to whoever Huan An surrendered to."
Sun Wei's eyes lit up: "Did the prince agree?"
“No.”
"Why?"
"The factional strife in Jingzhou is a prime example," Sima Jun said. "I don't want Jiangzhou to be tainted by this trend and repeat the same mistakes."
Sun Wei understood.
Sima Jun is not often in Jiangzhou these days, so stability is paramount in the army. The two armies have always had different styles of conduct. Huan An brought 8,000 men to Jiangzhou. If he can't integrate into the Jiangzhou army, there's no guarantee that he'll cause chaos.
"So the Crown Prince didn't allow them to surrender to Jiangzhou, but instead allowed them to occupy Jingzhou?"
Sima Jun said, "Without Huan An, this would not be possible."
Sun Wei suddenly realized that this move was most appropriate for Huan'an.
Sima Jun said, "If I can't use Huan An with peace of mind, then sending him back to Jingzhou is not a bad idea. However, Madam said not to do business at a loss. If I release him, it must be beneficial to me. He may not be able to capture Jingzhou with his vanguard battalion, but as long as he can stabilize Jingzhou, it will be a huge benefit."
Sun Wei looked at him and felt inexplicably relieved.
"What did Huan An say when the prince mentioned this to him?" she asked.
"He originally refused because he thought I was going to swallow Jingzhou in one gulp."
After Sima Jun said this, Sun Wei thought it was a good idea.
"Don't you want to, Prince?"
Sima Jun shook his head. "Even if I wanted to, the time isn't right yet. To capture Jingzhou, we must eliminate the Huan clan. Although Huan Yi's fate is nearing its end, the Huan clan is deeply rooted and won't submit to me anytime soon. I still have matters to attend to in Kuaiji, so I have no time to spare. Huan An, however, is different. He's a member of the Huan clan, and he has the loyal Vanguard Battalion. Letting him succeed Huan Yi will make it easy to stabilize Jingzhou."
Sun Wei thought about the situation in the governor's mansion today. Huan An was obviously prestigious in front of the civil and military officials, and was indeed an excellent candidate.
"Since the Crown Prince has captured Lu Qiuyan today, why not just execute him?" Sun Wei said, "Not to mention that he is the culprit of the Xunyang Rebellion, this man is extremely scheming. If he is left alone, there will be endless trouble."
Sima Jun stared at Sun Wei and suddenly asked, "Madam, are you still thinking about the divination you made earlier?"
He was referring to the fact that Sun Wei, through divination, told him that Lu Qiuyan had conquered the world in his previous life.
Sun Wei said, "After what happened today, does your Highness still think this man can be kept alive? Last time, I urged you to kill him, but you held back out of concern for Jingzhou. Now that you have the Queen Mother's decree, you can seize the opportunity and put an end to this threat once and for all."
Sima Juan smiled faintly.
"Madam, do you think the Huan family's people will let me take action?"
Sun Wei was surprised.
"The Huan family is large, and Huan Yi himself has six sons," Sima Jun said. "In addition to the eldest son and Huan An, the second, third, and fifth sons are also in Jingzhou. Now that Huan Yi is unable to take charge, what do you think the Huan family will do, Madam?"
"Of course, we must choose someone to inherit the throne of Duke of Nanjun." Sun Wei thought for a moment and said, "This person should be the eldest son."
After saying that, she suddenly understood.
Huan Lingxian is the daughter of the eldest son Huan Ding.
"My Lord, do you think Huan Lingxian will stop this?" she asked.
As soon as he finished speaking, a servant came in to report that the eldest son Huan Ding came to ask for an audience.
Sima Jun seemed to have anticipated this. He looked at Sun Wei and said, "Here it comes."
Sun Wei was puzzled: "Are they here to protect Lu Qiuyan?"
"That's right," Sima Jun said. "From Madam's perspective, Lü Qiuyan held Huan Yi hostage and is a ruthless person. But from Huan Ding's perspective, even if Huan Yi's illness had nothing to do with Madam, it was definitely not Lü Qiuyan's fault. Furthermore, Lü Qiuyan was always considerate of him, a hero who helped him maintain his position as Duke of Nanjun."
Sun Wei knew that Huan Ding and his wife doted on Huan Lingxian, and that Huan Lingxian would definitely try to speak on Lü Qiuyan's behalf and get Huan Ding to intervene. If that happened, Sima Jun might not be able to take action on Jingzhou's territory.
She frowned, feeling unwilling.
"Madam, have you ever thought that keeping Lu Qiuyan alive would be more useful than letting him die?" Sima Jun said.
"How do you mean?"
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