Tiger Owl

Chapter 152 Conflict escalates
When Zhu Zhi returned to Dantu County, he brought back a result that Sun Quan found hard to accept: Gan Ning refused Jiangdong's demands and refused to hand over Huang Zu to Jiangdong. At the same time, Gan Ning demanded that Jiangdong immediately lift the sanctions on Yanyuan, otherwise Yuzhang County would have the right to abolish the alliance.

This outcome caught Sun Quan somewhat off guard and put him in a difficult position. If he swallowed his anger, he would not be able to explain himself to the people of Jiangdong. However, if he did not swallow his anger, the Gan-Sun alliance would be in danger of being nullified, and what would happen to Lujiang County?
Helpless, Sun Quan could only hand the matter over to everyone for discussion. Unlike Sun Quan, who was caught in a dilemma, the people in Jiangdong were basically in agreement. It was a matter of Jiangdong's dignity, and they demanded that the Marquis of Wu take a tough stance.

Inside the official residence, Sun Quan summoned Zhang Zhao and Lü Fan to discuss the matter.

Sun Quan sighed and said, "Actually, I also want to abolish the alliance, but once the alliance is abolished, I'm afraid Lujiang County will be lost. I'm in a dilemma now. Please come and discuss it with me."

Zhang Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "I believe the most crucial thing here is the salt source. Has Gan Ning truly solved the salt source problem, or is he just bluffing and pretending to be tough? We should investigate this thoroughly first."

"This kind of investigation is unnecessary!" Lu Fan said coldly from the side.

"What does Chief Secretary Lü mean?" Sun Quan then turned to Lü Fan.

Lu Fan said calmly, "Gan Ning simplifies complicated matters. If we don't lift the salt ban, he will abolish the alliance. But we're just rambling on and on, unable to find a direction, making a very simple matter incredibly complicated. We even have to investigate the other side's salt sources. By the time the investigation is over, Wu Hou's reputation will be almost ruined."

Zhang Zhao was a little embarrassed and said angrily, "Chief Secretary Lü must take responsibility for his words!"

"I'm just telling the truth!"

Lu Fan said noncommittally, "The problem now is not salt, but Huang Zu. Military Advisor Zhang has gone in the wrong direction."

Lü Fan then said to Sun Quan, "Gan Ning has made it clear that he will not send Huang Zu back, and he even threatened that if we do not lift the salt ban, he will abolish the alliance. How straightforward! He has slapped us in the face and then kicked us hard."

And what are we doing? We're discussing whether that slap was hard enough, whether that kick was vicious enough? Lord Wu, you must strike back immediately and without hesitation. Every minute you delay will damage your reputation and make everyone think you're weak.

“Then what about Lujiang County?” Zhang Zhao retorted.

"Let Gan Ning occupy Lujiang County if he wants; we'll just send troops to take it back. When has territory ever been obtained by begging for others' pity?"

Lü Fan's question left Zhang Zhao speechless.

Sun Quan nodded, "Then there's no need to discuss it further. Chief Secretary Lü, please come up with a plan."

Lü Fan acted decisively, and that afternoon he came up with a plan that made no mention of the salt issue, but instead continued to escalate the matter concerning Huang Zu.

On the same day, Sun Quan issued another decree from the Marquis of Wu: Since Yuzhang Commandery once again refused to hand over Huang Zu, showing no sincerity in its negotiations with Jiangdong, seriously violating the alliance signed by both parties, and trampling on the dignity of Jiangdong, it is hereby announced that Jiangdong will suspend the implementation of the alliance signed by both parties, and gives the other party two months to correct all mistakes and apologize, otherwise the alliance between the two parties will cease to exist.

Lu Fan sent someone to deliver the Wu Hou Ling to the official liaison office of Yuzhang Commandery stationed in Dantu County.

Lu Fan's thinking was also very clear and mature. He did not take a one-size-fits-all approach and directly abolish the alliance. Instead, he used an upgraded approach. While Zhang Zhao was still considering whether the other party had solved the problem of salt supply, he believed that salt was just a tool. When this tool failed, a higher-level tool would be needed.

This is the suspension of the alliance, which of course includes the salt ban.

He then passed the ball back to Gan Ning, giving him two months to correct all his mistakes and apologize.

.........

Just as a crisis of trust was brewing between the Gan and Sun families, Jia Xu quietly arrived in Xiangyang.

As dusk fell, Cai Mao's carriage slowly returned to the mansion. As soon as he alighted, the steward hurriedly stepped forward and presented his master with a wax-sealed visiting card.

Cai Mao opened the visiting card and saw a single line: "My old friend Jia Xu requests an audience with Lord Cai!" Cai Mao was startled and quickly asked, "Where is the sender?"

"Reporting to Master, it's right outside the gate."

Cai Mao hurriedly walked out of the mansion gate and saw a carriage parked opposite. The carriage window slowly rolled down, revealing the face of a middle-aged scholar. Cai Mao recognized him at a glance as Jia Xu.

Cai Mao hurriedly instructed his steward, "Quickly invite the carriage from the other side into the mansion!"

The steward ran over, and soon the carriage started moving and slowly drove into the Cai residence. The gates of the Cai residence were then closed.

Jia Xu had dealt with Cai Mao many times. When Zhang Xiu borrowed Wancheng, it was Jia Xu and Cai Mao who made the agreement.

Cai Mao welcomed Jia Xu into the inner hall, and the two took their seats as guests.

"It's been many years since I've seen Master Jia. I heard that Master Jia is in charge of Guangling. What brings you to Xiangyang?"

Jia Xu smiled slightly, "Naturally, I have come on the orders of Minister Cao."

At this moment, a maid came in and served tea. Jia Xu took out Cao Cao's handwritten letter and handed it to Cai Mao, saying, "This is a letter from Minister Cao. Please take a look, General Cai!"

Cai Mao quickly took the letter and read it carefully, while Jia Xu sat to the side, calmly drinking tea.

After reading the letter, Cai Mao sighed and said, "I know that Liu Bei is a wolf in sheep's clothing. If we let him grow, he will surely become a future threat. I have repeatedly advised General Zhennan to get rid of Liu Bei, but he just won't. Now Liu Bei has occupied Nanyang County and I heard that his army has reached 40,000. He has already formed his own power base. It will be very difficult to get rid of him now."

Jia Xu nodded and said, "We also understand Liu Bei's current situation. Cao Sikong's intention is not for General Cai to eliminate Liu Bei, but to prevent him from seizing Nan Commandery."

"Please rest assured, Master Jia, unless Liu Bei launches an attack on Xiangyang, he will not be able to obtain Nanjun."

Jia Xu took a sip of tea and said calmly, "That's not necessarily true! Without the support of certain forces in Jingzhou and Xiangyang, Liu Bei would not have been able to obtain Nanyang Commandery. Even we can see some clues, so surely General Cai can't see them either?"

Cai Mao looked somewhat embarrassed and said after a long while, "It is true that many aristocratic families in Jingxiang like to play both sides in order to protect themselves. It's not that they support Liu Bei, but it's their consistent tactic to hedge their bets. The Liu family and the Kuai family are the same. This has led to the existence of two factions in Jingxiang."

"How do we distinguish between these two factions?" Jia Xu asked again.

"It's actually quite simple. One faction is led by the eldest son, Liu Qi, and the other by the second son, Liu Cong."

"You mean to say that Liu Qi's faction supports Liu Bei?"

Cai Mao nodded. "That's right. Take Kuai Liang, for example. He is Liu Qi's biggest supporter. Liu Bei is an outsider, but he also supports the eldest son, Liu Qi. There are also some people in the military who support Liu Qi, like Wen Ping."

Jia Xu thought for a moment and then asked, "How is Liu Biao's condition now?"

Cai Mao gave a bitter smile. "Liu Biao has aged rapidly this year and has almost no energy left. He spends less than an hour a day on official business. He puts Liu Qi in charge of government affairs and Liu Cong in charge of the army, which seems fair, but in reality, the two brothers don't even speak to each other when they meet, and they have gradually come to the point of turning against each other."

Jia Xu pondered for a moment and said, "So you must be very careful. Liu Bei may very well use Liu Qi as an excuse to seize Nan Commandery."

(End of this chapter)