Tiger Owl

Chapter 192 Seeking Refuge in Chaisang
Bu Zhi waved his hand, "Don't talk nonsense. A death sentence is a death sentence. There's no need for Lord Wu to do something like this, which is both murderous and morally damaging."

Bu Xie asked anxiously, "Does Father believe that my sister really did commit witchcraft?"

"How could that be? My Bu family has never been involved in witchcraft, and your sister is a kind person. She would never do such a thing!"

"So what? If Lord Wu were to order her to die, what if one day it was proven that she didn't do it? How would Lord Wu face the world? So Lord Wu wouldn't order her to die, but would instead accuse her of committing suicide out of fear of punishment, so that my sister would never be able to recover."

Bu Zhi sighed deeply, "Let's give your sister a proper burial first! I'm leaving this matter to you."

The eldest son, Bu Xie, followed the coffin away. Bu Zhi walked to the steps with his hands behind his back and stared at the sky for a long time without saying a word.

In truth, he knew perfectly well that Lord Wu was not targeting his niece, but rather him. He had followed Sun Ben for many years, and in Lord Wu's eyes, he was Sun Ben's henchman.

After Sun Ben's southern attack, Sun Quan began to gradually eliminate Sun Ben's remaining followers. Apart from the Gu and Lu families, whose power was too great, Sun Quan dared not act rashly. Other officials involved with Sun Ben were demoted one by one by Sun Quan for various reasons.

Finally, it was his turn. Although he was not an ally of Sun Ben, in Sun Quan's eyes, he was. Since Sun Quan could not directly attack him, he used his niece instead.

If the niece used witchcraft against Lady Xu, there was a reason to plot against her as the principal wife. But why would the niece use witchcraft against Marquis Wu, her husband? He doted on her so much, and she had no son of her own.

Despite the obvious absurdity, Lord Wu didn't even give his niece a chance to explain before storming her into the Changdong Courtyard, where she committed suicide that very night out of fear of punishment.

Was Lord Wu targeting his niece? No! He was targeting him. Lord Wu considered him a follower of Sun Ben, someone he was determined to eliminate completely. Demoting him to the position of magistrate of Lingyang County was just Lord Wu's first step, just as he had imprisoned his niece in the Changdong Courtyard. The next step was for him to commit suicide, just like his niece.

This is the true method of the Marquis of Wu. Just like when he participated in the murder of his brother, he made Sun Ben bear all the blame in the end, while he himself obtained the title of Marquis of Wu. What a deep cunning and ruthless scheme!

Bu Zhi clenched his fists tightly and muttered to himself, "Sun Quan, you want to exterminate us all, but how can I, Bu Zhi, just sit here and wait to die!"

In the official residence of the Marquis of Wu, Sun Quan stood with his hands behind his back by the window, listening to his subordinates' reports.

"Reporting to Lord Wu, Bu Zhi has sent his steward to Lingyang County to purchase land."

"sure?"

“It’s confirmed. I’ve bribed the steward’s men. According to them, Bu Zhi thinks the county magistrate’s residence is too dilapidated and wants to buy a piece of land to build his own house.”

Sun Quan snorted coldly, "Buy land, buy yourself a burial plot!"

Five days later, Bu Zhi set off by boat with his family. Lingyang County is located in the mountainous area in the southern part of Danyang County. It is a small mountainous county. You can go to Lingyang County by land, but the land route is very difficult and will take at least two months.

But traveling by water was much more comfortable. First, you would take a boat from Dantu County to Wuhu Town in Danyang County, and then turn onto the Qingge River. Lingyang County was located on the upper reaches of the Qingge River. During the Three Kingdoms period, the Qingge River was not yet fully formed; it was just a small tributary of the Lishui River, only navigable by small boats with a capacity of less than 300 shi.

Therefore, travelers going to Lingyang County would change boats in Wuhu Town and continue south on small passenger boats costing 300 shi (a unit of weight).

Bu Zhi was traveling on a passenger ship with a value of two thousand shi (a unit of dry measure), accompanied by his wife, two sons, daughter-in-law, grandson, and a large group of servants. The large passenger ship was sailing on the Yangtze River, but just two li (a unit of distance) away, several small warships were following Bu Zhi's large ship at a distance.

The Zouge is a patrol boat with a capacity of 300 shi (a unit of weight). Each boat is equipped with eight people: two people are deployed at the front and back to scout the river, while the other four people are responsible for rowing inside the awning.

Ten days later, the large ship arrived at Wuhu Town, where Bu Zhi's family rested and ate, preparing to change ships. Several patrol boats were still watching them.

As evening fell, Bu Zhi's family and servants rented over a dozen small boats, which departed one after another, with several patrol boats quickly following behind. In one of the older boats, Bu Zhi's family of eight squeezed together. Watching the patrol boats disappear into the distance, the eldest son was about to ask a question when Bu Zhi raised a finger and shushed him, whispering, "Everyone, follow me!"

They climbed out of the small boat and boarded another passenger ship, a two-thousand-stone vessel, which the steward had rented in advance.

"Father, the two thousand stone passenger ship probably won't be able to cross the Qingge River!"

Bu Zhi said calmly, "Who said we were going to Lingyang County?"

"Ah! Where is Father going?"

A deep emotion flashed in Bu Zhi's eyes as he calmly said to his family, "Sun Quan wants me to die of illness in Lingyang County. Of course, I cannot wait to be executed. Let's go to Chaisang."

In the morning, Lu Su rushed into Gan Ning's official residence and exclaimed, "General, good news! Huge good news!"

Gan Ning put down the document and smiled, "What good news has made the strategist so excited?"

"General, Bu Zhi has come to serve you."

Gan Ning was taken aback. Bu Zhi was the second most important figure in the Jiangdong Huaisi Group, second only to Zhang Zhao! He had always been highly valued by Sun Quan, and his niece was Sun Quan's second wife. Why would he come to join him?
"Strategist, you're not mistaken, are you? Bu Zhi is actually here as an envoy to Chaisang."

“No mistake, he said that Sun Quan was purging Sun Ben’s followers, and he was identified as one of them. He fled Jiangdong.”

Gan Ning was also a little excited. If Bu Zhi really came to join him, that would be a great thing!
"Has he settled in?"

"I have arranged for their whole family to stay in the VIP courtyard of the Zhaoxian Hall, and everything is settled."

Gan Ning thought for a moment and said, "Strategist, have another good talk with him and understand the situation clearly."

"Understood, I will go and discuss it with him in detail."

Just as Lu Su was about to leave, Gan Ning called him back, "Strategist, wait a moment!"

Lu Su stopped in his tracks, and Gan Ning waved the document in his hand, saying, "Have you read this livestock report submitted by Chen Jiu?"

"I have read your suggestion. Chief Steward Chen has proposed allowing donkeys to be sold in the civilian market. I feel that the time is not yet ripe. In the future, when we conquer the south, we will need a large number of mules and donkeys. This is the original intention of our large-scale donkey breeding. We have not yet started military use. Therefore, I do not agree with Chief Steward Chen's suggestion."

Gan Ning nodded. "I understand. Go ahead, strategist! Treat Bu Zhi well."

Lu Su bowed and left. Gan Ning and Chen Jiu's report was set aside. Bu Zhi's arrival made him lose interest in reading the government affairs report.

Historically, Bu Zhi was an important minister of Eastern Wu, rising to the high position of prime minister. However, his appearance changed the fate of many people, especially Sun Ben's self-determination, which greatly altered the landscape of Jiangdong.

Bu Zhi was ultimately affected by Sun Ben's attempt to establish his own independent regime, and he became one of Sun Ben's henchmen.

Bu Zhi's defection to me is a typical example of political asylum, but now that things have come to this, he can no longer return to Eastern Wu. I need to carefully consider how to use Bu Zhi.

(End of this chapter)