Mi Han

Chapter 707: Prelude to Cooking and Killing
Perhaps in front of elders such as Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei, Mi Yang has always been a humble junior.

But Mi Yang would only give such an appearance to his ancestors.

Although Sun Deng is currently the Marquis of Wu of the Han Dynasty and his status is noble in the eyes of outsiders, in Mi Yang's eyes, Sun Deng is just a political tool.

This is cruel, but it is the truth.

After hearing Mi Yang's words, Sun Deng gradually realized this fact.

In an instant, Sun Deng's face turned pale.

Emotionally speaking, Sun Deng was absolutely unwilling to hurt Zhang Zhao.

But when he thought of Mi Yang's identity, Sun Deng felt that at this point, did he still have any choice?

Ever since Mi Yang personally brought him to Jingzhou, his life was no longer in his own hands.

Don't be shameless.

Sun Deng realized this, and after a long sigh, he asked Mi Yang sadly: "What does the Grand Marshal want me to say to Mr. Zhang in the letter?"

After seeing Sun Deng's ability to understand current affairs, Mi Yang nodded with satisfaction.

As for Sun Deng's question, Mi Yang already had an answer in mind:

"As for you, just write more about your wonderful life in the Han Dynasty in your letter.

I will also write some more about how I valued the former Marquis of Wucheng and the former Marquis of Wu.

Of course, my admiration for some of the Jiangdong families should also be truthfully stated in the letter.

Over the years, Sun Quan has slandered me so much that many outstanding people in Jiangdong have been deceived.

This is not conducive to the spread of the image of me winning people over with my virtue.”

After hearing Mi Yang's words, Sun Deng couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

Sun Deng originally thought that Mi Yang wanted him to write a letter to Zhang Zhao to persuade him to surrender, so that Sun Quan would no longer be able to suppress his fear of Zhang Zhao.

But now Sun Deng feels that he is still too young.

Conquer people with virtue?

Considering the threatening words Mi Yang just said, did the Grand Marshal in front of him have any misunderstanding about these four words?
Sun Deng was young, and his Qi cultivation skills were insufficient, so the abnormality in his facial expression was immediately noticed by Mi Yang.

Seeing Sun Deng's struggling look as if he wanted to be shocked but didn't dare to be shocked, Mi Yang felt that the people of Jiangdong had a deep misunderstanding of him.

It needs to be twisted around.

Mi Yang was just about to tell Sun Deng about his past deeds of winning people over with his virtue, but unexpectedly he saw Shi Bao walking hurriedly towards his carriage.

After seeing this scene, Mi Yang felt a little confused. What happened that could make Shi Bao so anxious?
When Shi Bao came to the carriage not long after, Mi Yang asked, "Why did you ask Zhongrong to walk?"

At this time, Mi Yang still had a smile on his face.

But Shi Bao's next answer made Mi Yang's smile slowly fade.

"Report to the Grand Marshal, an urgent report has come from Xiangyang, saying that Lu Xun has sent an envoy to pay a visit."

Mi Yang felt a little surprised when he heard Shi Bao say this.

"Lu Boyan, what is your intention in suddenly sending an envoy?"

Mi Yang's question was answered by Shi Bao's following response.

"Lu Xun's envoy is here to issue a declaration of war!"

As soon as Shi Bao said this, before Mi Yang could respond, Sun Deng, who had just picked up a teacup in the carriage, suddenly had his hand shaken violently, and the tea in the cup spilled between his legs.

Ignoring the warmth between his legs, Sun Deng now had only one thought in his mind:
Lu Xun, are you crazy?

When Mi Yang learned of Lu Xun's purpose, his first reaction was surprise, but then a burst of laughter came out of his mouth.

"Good job Lu Boyan!"

As soon as Mi Yang opened his mouth, he began to praise Lu Xun.

Because unlike ordinary people, Mi Yang vaguely sensed Lu Xun's true purpose.

"Zhongrong, return to the city!"

Since Lu Xun had made the move, Mi Yang naturally had no choice but to accept it.

……

Zhu Huan glanced at the bloodstained ground beneath him. According to what Deng Zhi had just inadvertently revealed, the bloodstains belonged to Li Yan.

It seemed that a few days ago, Mi Yang severely punished Li Yan at the place where he was standing now.

And from the dried bloodstains on the ground, it can be seen how badly Li Yan was beaten by Mi Yang that day.

Mi Yang is so cruel and ruthless!

Zhu Huan was not unaware of the crime Li Yan had committed.

But in Zhu Huan's opinion, Li Yan was just a little greedy for money. These things were not worth mentioning in the face of Li Yan's status. Did he deserve such punishment?
The different political environment made Zhu Huan unable to understand Mi Yang's actions.

However, Zhu Huan knew why Deng Zhi did not welcome him into the hall, but instead let him stand here.

It's nothing more than a demonstration.

Perhaps Deng Zhi's idea may be useful to others, but it is not very useful to Zhu Huan.

Since he dared to come this time, he was prepared to face the threat of death.

Thinking of this, Zhu Huan held his head high and chest puffed out even more.

Deng Zhi and others on the side saw that Zhu Huan was not afraid at all, but instead held his head high and chest out provocatively. How could Deng Zhi and others tolerate this?
So under Deng Zhi's order, several Han soldiers soon came outside the hall with bundles of firewood.

In addition to the Han soldiers holding firewood, another team of Han soldiers appeared, carrying a huge pot.

How big is that pot?
Zhu Huan looked at his body and then at Xu Sheng beside him. He felt that this iron pot was big enough to hold both him and Xu Sheng.

Next, Zhu Huan saw that several Han soldiers, under the command of Deng Zhi, started to make a fire.

This made Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng's eyes focus at the same time.

Hey hey hey, that’s too much!

Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng's eyes kept lingering on the iron pot from which steam was gradually coming out, and their fists clenched unconsciously.

Just when Zhu Huan felt that things were going to get bad, a gentle voice came from behind him:
"What are you doing?"

Zhu Huan looked back in the direction of the sound and saw a figure he hadn't seen for a long time.

Thief!

Deng Zhi and the others, upon seeing Mi Yang return, showed respect on their faces and bowed to him, saying:

"Welcome Grand Marshal!"

After saying this, Deng Zhi pointed at Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng and replied to Mi Yang:

"To cook and kill the unjust is in line with the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period!"

Deng Zhi's words almost made Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng burst into curses.

Since they entered Xiangyang, they have not said a word except for holding their heads high.

How can we see that they are unrighteous?
However, due to the presence of Mi Yang, Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng could only suppress the grievance and anger in their hearts.

The two of them remembered what Lu Xun said to them when they came:
"Mi Yang is the bearer of Liu Xuande's legacy. He will not rashly harm you."

As expected, after listening to Deng Zhi's words, Mi Yang did not show any agreement.

Mi Yang walked into the hall, passing Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng, with an indecisive attitude.

"Bring them both in."

After hearing what Mi Yang said, Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng entered the hall and came to Mi Yang under the supervision of several Han soldiers.

After Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng stood still, Mi Yang immediately asked:

"Who are you two?"

Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng were both generals with considerable reputation in Eastern Wu in recent years, but given their reputations, they were obviously not recognized by Mi Yang.

Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng also knew this, so they then introduced themselves as usual.

Perhaps because they were afraid of Mi Yang's reputation, or because they were afraid of the crackling iron pot outside the hall, Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng no longer stood so straight in front of Mi Yang.

Mi Yang is not very fond of Xu Sheng.

But when he knew that the person in front of him was Zhu Huan, Mi Yang's eyes lit up.

If he remembered correctly, his Mi family and Zhu family were "old friends" back then!

Then Mi Yang enthusiastically asked Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng to sit down.

Mi Yang's enthusiasm was beyond the expectations of Zhu Huan and the others.

Before coming, they had imagined that Mi Yang might speak ill of them.

But unexpectedly, this scene did not happen.

Mi Yang's attitude caused Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng to change their impressions of him.

After Zhu Huan and the other two sat down, Mi Yang asked:

"Where is Boyan's declaration of war?"

Mi Yang addressed Lu Xun using a respectful title.

This naturally attracted the attention of Zhu Huan and the other man, but the current environment did not allow them to think too much. When asked by Mi Yang, Zhu Huan quickly took out a document from his arms and handed it to Mi Yang.

After receiving the letter of challenge, Mi Yang immediately opened it and started reading it.

The letter of challenge reads:
"The great virtue of heaven and earth is that they send heavy frosts in autumn; the sages are extremely benevolent and put weapons in the criminal code. Therefore, we know that the nature has cruelty and killing, and the justice is selfless; the scholars use weapons, but it is not for their own good.

In the past, Ganye swore an oath to all the troops, and Xia began to carry on Dayu’s work; Shang was held accountable for crimes, and Zhou began to fulfill King Wen’s ambitions.

Mi Yang is a clown, stubborn and self-righteous. He gathered his troops between Jing and Xiang and scattered them in the territory of Jiangdong.

After several years of suffering, the country became increasingly aggressive and warlike, and the signs of its downfall were already evident.

I am a scholar, and I run my business at home. However, the sun and the clouds have reached Jing, and the gates and drums are not kept quiet, so I have to give up my business because of it.

Moreover, the laws of the pseudo-Han Dynasty were harsh and the taxes were onerous and heavy. Powerful ministers and wealthy families all controlled the country, and cliques formed factions and formed customs. Bribes and goods were rampant in the market, and no one could redress injustice.

If disaster strikes, every household will suffer from famine, wars will never stop, forced labor will have no end, and people will be exhausted from transporting food and end up in ditches.

The people are in distress, who can help them? The whole country is in mourning and panic, and it is too bad to bear the consequences.

Looking back, everyone has a plan for their own life, and the old and the young all sigh with cruelty.

I live in poverty and have received Your Majesty's grace. If this is intolerable, what cannot be tolerated?
So he personally led the six armies and used Shen Jiu to attack the enemy, saving them from danger, cooperating with the will of heaven, destroying the evil and succeeding to the advice of his ancestors.

Now we should help the people and start the march, assign fiefs to the generals, raise the reins like thunder, and resist the cruelty like lightning. Hold the spear and armor, swear an oath before marching, repeat the order again and again, and fight only when you must win.

Our army is as brave as jackals and leopards, and victorious in every battle. When they look back, mountains collapse; when they shout, clouds rise. They have the same heart and mind, and their claws and teeth are here.

Thousands of boats and ships, huge warships flying like clouds, crossing the Yangtze River, and attacking the rebels. With this large force in battle, we will surely crush them.

"

After reading the entire content of the letter of challenge, Mi Yang couldn't help but sigh, "Lu Xun is such a talented writer!"

This seemed to be the first time he had been scolded like this?

Then Mi Yang raised his head and found that everyone in the hall was looking at him.

It seems that Deng Zhi and others were very curious about the content of Lu Xun's declaration of war.

Seeing this, Mi Yang was not stingy and directly handed the letter of challenge to Ding Feng behind him and asked him to read it out in public.

After Ding Feng took the letter of challenge, he took a quick glance at the contents.

But just this one glance made Ding Feng's face turn red.

This is angry.

In Ding Feng's heart, Mi Yang has always been his idol. How could he tolerate others insulting and slandering Mi Yang?

However, Ding Feng still suppressed his anger and read out the contents of the declaration of war word by word with gritted teeth.

At the beginning, the atmosphere in the hall was normal.

But when Ding Feng read out those insulting contents about Mi Yang, Deng Zhi and others' faces changed drastically.

Before Ding Feng could finish, the hot-tempered Ding Feng drew out the long sword from his waist, rushed to Zhu Huan, put the sword on Zhu Huan's neck, and shouted angrily:

"Do you want to die?"

Not only did Ding Feng react so violently, but Chen Dao and several others also slammed the table and stood up, glaring at Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng.

Deng Zhi's reaction was a little bit different. In addition to slamming the table and standing up, he also shouted to the outside of the hall:

"More oil! More oil!"

The sudden uprising of the Han ministers caught Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng off guard.

Even after hearing the contents of Lu Xun's declaration of war, their heads were buzzing.

They didn't know the contents of the declaration of war. If they knew, how could they come and die in vain?
Zhu Huan asked himself that he had also seen declarations of war written by other people, such as the one written by Cao Cao during the Battle of Red Cliff:

"I will hunt with the general in Jiangdong to compete for the supremacy of the world."

Although this sentence also has a threatening tone, at least it looks polite on the surface, right?
What's more, Lu Xun had written letters to Han generals before, such as the one he wrote to Guan Yu. Zhu Huan clearly remembered how respectful Lu Xun's words were in that letter.

But what no one expected was that when Lu Xun met Mi Yang, he would be so tough.

All kinds of thoughts surged through Zhu Huan's mind, including blame and confusion, but after feeling the coldness on his neck, these thoughts turned into resignation.

It's a matter of time and fate. Since he came for power, he naturally has to take risks.

He admitted it!
But just when Zhu Huan thought he was going to die here, he heard Mi Yang say:

"Get out!"

Mi Yang's order puzzled Ding Feng and others.

However, Ding Feng and others did not dare to disobey Mi Yang's orders at all.

So no matter how unwilling they were, Ding Feng and the others returned to their seats angrily.

After stopping Ding Feng and others, Mi Yang turned his attention to Zhu Huan.

Thinking of the influence of the Zhu Huan family in Jiangdong, Mi Yang said meaningfully:

"Bo Yan was right to choose you."

It was obvious that Lu Xun's letter of war was intended to anger Mi Yang.

The most direct consequence of angering Mi Yang is that Zhu Huan might very likely lose his life.

But if Zhu Huan was killed by Mi Yang, then Mi Yang's strategy to win the hearts of the Jiangdong nobles would naturally fall apart.

Perhaps Lu Xun himself would modestly say that he was just a scholar.

But judging from his actions, he is just pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger.

Using Zhu Huan's death to break Mi Yang's strategy of eastward expedition and Mi Yang's use of Zhang Zhao as a breakthrough point to disrupt Jiangdong are essentially the same.

Compassion does not command troops!

Since Mi Yang had seen through Lu Xun's thoughts, he would not fall into his trap.

"If he wants to fight, then let him fight!"

　Chapter Early morning.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)