Tiger Owl

Chapter 250 Four Conditions
Zhang Zhao took a sip of tea and slowly said, "Cao Cao put forward four new conditions. First, the Marquis of Wu must pay homage to the Emperor every year. Prime Minister Cao promised to guarantee the Marquis of Wu's safety and hold the Marquis of Wu's brothers hostage in Ye City. Second, the total military strength of Jiangdong must not exceed 80,000 men, including local militia. Third, all officials in Jiangdong must be appointed by the court, of course, recommended by the Marquis of Wu. The last condition is that the Marquis of Wu must pay tribute to the court every year with 200,000 shi of grain and 100,000 bolts of cloth."

These four conditions were all very demanding, and Sun Quan fell silent for a moment. At this time, Lü Fan asked, "Does Military Advisor Zhang think Cao Cao is sincere?"

Zhang Zhao nodded. "I just received news that Cao Cao's army has already marched towards Lujiang County and has reportedly captured Shu County. This shows that Cao Cao's primary target is Gan Ning, and we are secondary."

Moreover, the four conditions Cao Cao proposed this time were very harsh, indicating that Cao Cao indeed intended to temporarily set aside Jiangdong, eliminate Gan Ning, and then launch a full-scale attack on Liu Bei and Ma Teng of Xiliang. Both Liu Bei and Ma Teng were people implicated in the imperial edict, and Cao Cao would definitely not let them go. I believe Cao Cao will also weigh the options and could completely put us aside for the time being, deal with Ma Teng and Liu Bei, and then turn his attention to us, which would be a matter of seven or eight years from now.

"But has the strategist considered Sun Ben?" Lü Fan asked again.

"Of course I've considered that. Cao Cao might temporarily set us aside and then use Sun Ben to constantly harass and restrain us, or even use Sun Ben to destroy us. But I think we can take advantage of Cao Cao's intentions."

"Oh? How do we use it?" Lü Fan continued to ask.

Zhang Zhao laughed and said, "Actually, we are not afraid of Sun Ben. We can deal with Sun Ben completely. We can even give Cao Cao the illusion that Sun Ben alone is enough to deal with us, so that he can concentrate on dealing with Liu Bei and Ma Teng."

Lu Fan pondered for a moment and said, "We are not afraid of Sun Ben now, but what if it is Cao Cao's army flying Sun Ben's banner?"

"This"

Zhang Zhao hesitated for a moment, then said, "Does Cao Cao need to do this? If he wanted to do this, he might as well just wipe us out. Why go through all this trouble?"

Lü Fan did not deny Zhang Zhao's idea, but Cao Cao indeed had no need for it.

Lü Fan sighed, “I’m worried that Jia Xu is Zhang Yi, and we are King Huai of Chu. He’ll trick us into giving up our cooperation with Gan Ning and then launch a sudden attack on us. At that time, we’ll be helpless, and even if Gan Ning wants to save us, it will be too late.”

Sun Quan shook his head. "If I agree to these four conditions, Cao Cao should not attack us for the time being. These four conditions are basically a form of surrender."

Sun Quan was in a heavy mood, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. Finally, he stopped and said to Zhang Zhao, "Continue negotiating with them. Tell them that I can agree to the last three conditions, but the first condition must be changed. I cannot go to Ye City!"

Zhang Zhao nodded. “Lord Wu is wise. We can reform the military system and implement universal conscription. Then it doesn’t matter whether we have 50,000 or 80,000 troops. The appointment of Jiangdong officials by the court is just a formality and can be disregarded. I think the last point can also be changed, for example, to 300,000 dan of tung oil. This would lighten our burden.”

"Yes, strategist, continue negotiating with Jia Xu. As long as these two points are agreed upon, the negotiations can be concluded."

"I will think about it again and discuss it with Jia Xu in detail tomorrow."

The following morning, Zhang Zhao approached Jia Xu and presented his two requests for revision: to remove the clause requiring the Marquis of Wu to pay homage to the emperor annually, and to replace grain and cloth with tung oil.

Jia Xu laughed and said, "I will immediately send someone to Guangling County to deliver a message to the Prime Minister by pigeon. If the Prime Minister agrees, I will certainly have no objection!"

Zhang Zhao was overjoyed, "I entrust everything to Master Jia!"

Zhang Zhao took his leave, and Jia Xu personally saw him off at the gate. Watching Zhang Zhao's carriage disappear into the distance, the deputy envoy Wang Xiu smiled and said to Jia Xu, "This humble servant almost believed that the strategist would send a message to the prime minister."

Jia Xu stroked his beard and laughed, "The most ingenious deception is one that even you believe."

"After the negotiations are completed, will the strategist present the terms to the Prime Minister?"

Jia Xu nodded. "Of course, it needs to be given to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister also needs to add his seal. This is the final step. Everything must be done as if it were a genuine negotiation before they will truly believe it." "I see, the strategist is indeed brilliant!"

The Western Chu Inner Guard is directly under Gan Ning. It was officially established by Gan Ning three years ago, and its number has gradually increased from several hundred to three thousand. The commander-in-chief is Wang Xiaoman. It is divided into one department and three battalions. The department is the Inner Guard Department, which is responsible for the daily management of the Inner Guard and intelligence analysis. The three battalions are the Investigation Battalion, the Military Battalion, and the Logistics Battalion. The Investigation Battalion consists of three hundred elite scouts, divided into ten groups. The Investigation Battalion is also the core of the Inner Guard.

This time, Gan Ning issued a strict order to find Cao Cao's intelligence point in Chaisang within a month.

The head of the seventh group of the investigation battalion was Li Qun, who was originally a clerk in Pengze County. He was very shrewd and capable, with a sharp mind. When he heard that the Imperial Guard was expanding and recruiting talents, he volunteered. After several rounds of examinations and strict background checks, Li Qun officially became the head of the seventh group of the investigation battalion, with thirty people under his command.

Since the Western Chu officially implemented the "Wartime Regulations," various controls were strengthened. On the surface, there were not many changes, but internally, things were very tight. For example, all outsiders who came to do business, visit relatives and friends, study, or even travel had to register with the county government if they stayed for more than ten days.

In addition, each guesthouse and doormat has established a ledger, and all visitors must register for inspection. Any suspicious persons must be reported immediately.

That morning, Li Qun arrived at the Ping An Inn in the west of the city with several of his men. He had just received news that a suspicious person had checked into the Ping An Inn.

Li Qun walked into the lobby, and the shopkeeper hurriedly came out to greet him. "Manager Li, a very suspicious person has come to our shop."

What's suspicious?

“I suspect his travel permit is fake.”

Once the traveler enters the territory of Western Chu, an entry permit is issued by the checkpoint. At each stop, the inn must register and stamp the entry permit, just like a travel pass, making the entire journey clear and transparent.

Li Qun's heart skipped a beat. "Where could a travel permit be fake?"

"He entered the country from Yidao County and claimed to be a medicinal herb merchant. He passed through Luo County and stayed at the Ping'an Inn there. But I know that there are only two Ping'an Inns in Changsha County, both in Linxiang County. There are no other Ping'an Inns in other parts of Changsha County."

Li Qun thought for a moment and then said, "What if any random roadside shop were to be named 'Peaceful Inn'?"

The innkeeper quickly shook his head, "But it's a stamp with a triangular mark, which is the unified stamp of all fifty-eight Ping An Inns."

Li Qun also became suspicious, so he asked, "What's this person's name? Where does he live? Is he inside the house now?"

"This man is named Jin Yang, from Yiling County in Nanjun. He lives in the easternmost room on the second floor. He is currently..."

The shopkeeper glanced back at the waiter, who quickly replied, "He's inside. I just brought him some water!"

Li Qun waved his hand and led several of his men up to the second floor.

As soon as they reached the second floor, they encountered a man. The man paused for a moment upon seeing them, then immediately turned and ran away. He seemed to have stuffed something into his mouth before jumping out of the window at the end of the corridor.

Then came a loud 'bang!' followed by shouts from outside: 'Someone jumped off a building! Something terrible has happened!'

(End of this chapter)