Mi Han

Chapter 768: The Fire at Zhang's Mansion

In order to avoid causing panic among the parties in the city for the time being, Sun Quan's departure from the palace this time was very low-key.

He did not ride in the emperor's chariot, did not display the emperor's flags, and even brought only a few guards.

This is in stark contrast to Sun Quan's previous trips when he was accompanied by a large entourage.

Because of this, when an ordinary carriage was driving on the streets of Jianye City, no one would have thought that the person sitting in the carriage would be their emperor Sun Quan.

Sun Quan, whose figure was hidden inside the carriage, had a livid face.

Especially when Sun Quan lifted the curtain of the car and saw the big red lanterns hanging high on both sides of the street.

Red means joy.

But that touch of red now took on a completely different meaning in Sun Quan's eyes.

ridicule!

Those patches of bright red fluttering in the wind seemed to represent Mi Yang's endless ridicule towards him.

When he thought of this, Sun Quan's stern words came out from the carriage:
"Send a message to the Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guards to remove all the lanterns in the city.

Leave no one behind! "

Although the pain in his heart has eased a lot now, Sun Quan's accent is still hoarse.

The hoarse accent invisibly deepened the murderous intent, which made Sun Chao tremble outside the car.

As Sun Quan's nephew and having served as the commander of the palace's Yulin Army for many years, Sun Chao knew Sun Quan too well.

Sun Chao knew that Sun Quan was on the verge of going berserk and killing anyone at any time.

In order not to anger Sun Quan, Sun Chao quickly responded, "I obey your order."

After Sun Chao responded to Sun Quan, he found that the car fell into an eerie silence again.

It was so quiet that Sun Chao seemed to be unable to hear even Sun Quan's breathing.

This made Sun Chao feel even more helpless.

Fortunately, Sun Quan's destination was not far from the palace, and Sun Chao's fear did not last long. He drove Sun Quan's carriage to a magnificent mansion.

Judging from the magnificent appearance of this mansion, the person living in it must be of extraordinary status.

The same is true.

The person living in this mansion is Zhang Zhao, the most important minister of Eastern Wu.

But when Sun Chao drove to the outside of Zhang Zhao's mansion, what caught his eye were not only the two tall palaces that symbolized the family's heritage, but also a mound of earth.

The mound of earth was right outside the gate of Zhang's mansion, preventing people from entering and leaving on a daily basis.

After seeing the mound, Sun Chao unconsciously recalled an imperial decree issued by Sun Quan not long ago.

It was unknown why Zhang Zhao angered Sun Quan that day. After Zhang Zhao returned home, the angry Sun Quan ordered him to lead the army to seal the gate of Zhang Zhao's mansion with earth.

Sun Quan's action meant that Zhang Zhao would not have to go out again, and he did not want to see Zhang Zhao again.

It can be said to be very decisive.

If we think more deeply, Sun Quan's move was intended to humiliate Zhang Zhao with imperial power.

The Zhang family was a large and wealthy family with many servants. Under normal circumstances, a mound of earth could not hold back the hundreds of people in the Zhang family.

However, this mound was built under the order of Emperor Sun Quan. How could an ordinary servant dare to move it without permission?

Unless Zhang Zhao is willing to surrender to Sun Quan.

But this is impossible.

Zhang Zhao had a strong character and would never be bullied by power, something Sun Quan knew very well.

Sun Quan, who knew Zhang Zhao well, knew that the mound he set up could successfully trap the unyielding Zhang Zhao inside the palace.

In this case, how can Zhang Zhao continue to interfere in state affairs in the future?

Of course, Zhang’s mansion is so big that besides the main gate there is also a back door, but there is no mound of earth outside the back door of Zhang’s mansion.

But Sun Quan also knew that with Zhang Zhao's reputation in the world, how could he be someone who would use backdoors or shortcuts?

If Zhang Zhao really left, his reputation would suffer a blow. How could he continue to support Sun Deng then?

In terms of political skills, Sun Quan was indeed the best in his time.

He would not harm Zhang Zhao openly, but he could use "impulsive actions" to put Zhang Zhao in a dilemma.

Do you want your own reputation, or your loyalty to Sun Ce?

This was both Sun Quan's persecution of Zhang Zhao and his humiliation of Zhang Zhao.

As it turned out, Zhang Zhao was designed by Sun Quan and successfully put himself in a dilemma.

Ever since Sun Quan sealed the gate of Zhang's mansion with a pile of earth, Zhang Zhao, who was unable to go out, was gradually losing influence in the court and the country.

If things had developed as Sun Quan had planned, he could have almost gotten rid of the big trouble Zhang Zhao quietly.

But things are unpredictable!

The battle situation in Chaisang is critical at the moment, and except Zhang Zhao, there is no one in Jianye City who can make plans for Sun Quan.

For the sake of state affairs, Sun Quan, who had previously made a bold statement that he would "never see Zhang Zhao again in this life", had to take the initiative to look for Zhang Zhao.

Sun Quan knew that by doing this, the humiliation he had inflicted on Zhang Zhao would be doubled back on him.

And his previous carefully planned efforts to weaken Zhang Zhao's power would be wiped out in an instant.

But Sun Quan had no choice.

The moment the carriage stopped, Sun Quan put down his hands that had been covering his chest.

Even if it is like drinking poison to quench thirst, he must drink this cup of wine from the Zhang Mansion today!
With this in mind, Sun Quan threw aside all other thoughts and got off the carriage with the help of Sun Chao.

When Sun Quan's eyes fell on the mound outside the gate of Zhang's mansion, Sun Chao immediately understood. He ordered his men to take the initiative to move forward and remove the mound that had blocked Zhang's mansion for several months.

Soon after, when there was no longer any obstruction in front of the gate of Zhang's mansion, Sun Quan signaled Sun Chao to go forward and knock on the door.

But what Sun Quan didn't expect was that after Sun Chao knocked on the door for a long time, the door of Zhang's mansion was still not opened.

Sun Quan did not think that everyone in Zhang's mansion was deaf.

Sun Quan realized that even if he was willing to "show kindness" to Zhang Zhao, Zhang Zhao did not want to see him.

After knowing Zhang Zhao's intention, Sun Quan's already unhappy expression became even worse.

An angry Sun Quan ordered Sun Chao to send people to climb up the high wall of Zhang's mansion to see what was going on inside.

Sun Chao quickly followed Sun Quan's orders.

When the guards who had climbed up the high wall came back, Sun Chao was shocked when he heard the guards' report.

Sun Quan saw the shock on Sun Chao's face at a glance.

He quickly asked, "What is the situation in the mansion?"

Facing Sun Quan's question, Sun Chao carefully organized his words and answered:
"There is also a mound of earth blocking the main gate of Zhang's mansion."

After Sun Chao said this, he didn't dare to look Sun Quan in the eye again.

As Sun Chao expected, when Sun Quan heard what he said, his eyes almost shot out fire.

Sun Quan was so angry that he covered his chest again.

"Good job Zhang Zhao, good job Zhang Zhao!"

There was already a hint of murderous intent in Sun Quan's tone at this time.

As the saying goes, thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the Lord.

He can block the gate of Zhang's mansion, and he can also unlock the gate of Zhang's mansion.

Because he was the emperor and could do whatever he wanted, Zhang Zhao, as a subject, could only accept it.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhao completely disregarded the code of conduct as a minister - you don't have to block my door, I will block the door myself. You don't want to see me, and I don't want to see you even more.

Zhang Zhao's behavior was full of rebellion, and it also subtly revealed that he was not afraid of Sun Quan at all, or rather, he looked down on him.

How could Sun Quan tolerate this?

Sun Quan was so angry that he gave the order directly:
"Burning the gate of Zhang's house, I want to see today if he is really not afraid of death!"

As soon as Sun Quan gave the order, Sun Chao was frightened out of his wits.

Sun Quan was the emperor, and he could decide Zhang Zhao's life and death at will.

But if he forced Zhang Zhao to death with his own hands today, wouldn't Zhang Zhao's disciples and former officials in the court and the country eat him alive?

Sun Chao was concerned about Zhang Zhao's influence in the court and the country, so he did not dare to move for a while.

But then Sun Quan's look scared Sun Chao so much that he had to do it.

Sun Quan's eyes were telling Sun Chao: If he doesn't burn, he will be the one to die.

Under the threat of Sun Quan's gaze, Sun Chao had no choice but to order his men to light the gate of Zhang's mansion with torches.

The wooden door quickly caught fire under the cover of flames.

The black smoke produced by the burning rose into the sky and attracted the attention of people around.

Those who could be neighbors with Zhang Zhao were basically high-ranking officials of the dynasty.

When they saw black smoke rising from Zhang's mansion, they immediately rushed to the outside of the mansion to check the situation.

When they looked up, they saw that the person who burned down Zhang's mansion was Sun Quan.

As smart people, they all understood Sun Quan's intention at once.

Just when they thought that Zhang Zhao would be forced to come out because of Sun Quan's move, as the fire spread further, there was no movement at the gate of Zhang's mansion.

This situation made them all think that Zhang Zhao was going to be burned to death in his mansion by Sun Quan today.

But Sun Quan's next move surprised them.

Seeing the flames getting more and more intense and Zhang Zhao still hadn't come out, Sun Quan was shaking with anger.

Sun Quan really wanted to burn Zhang Zhao to death with just a fire.

But Sun Quan was a qualified emperor, and his reason told him that he must not do this.

In the end, his reason prevailed, and Sun Quan had no choice but to order Sun Chao to lead men to put out the fire.

Seeing Sun Chao stepping forward to put out the fire under the instruction of Sun Quan, the officials and servants in the surrounding mansions also joined the fire-fighting team in time.

With everyone's concerted efforts, the fire outside Zhang's house was quickly put out.

After the fire was put out, all that was left outside Zhang's house were burnt black wooden pillars.

Looking at the black wooden pillars, Sun Quan felt a burning pain on his face.

He slapped himself twice in front of everyone today.

How can it not hurt?

And his behavior just now also made Sun Quan realize how stubborn Zhang Zhao was.

This made Sun Quan change his approach immediately.

Sun Quan knew that Zhang Zhao had a weakness. Although it was a bit shameless to exploit that weakness, Sun Quan couldn't care less now.

Sun Quan took out a memorial from his arms and asked Sun Chao to shoot it into the palace.

Sun Quan knew that once this memorial reached Zhang Zhao, Zhang Zhao would definitely come out to see him.

Sun Quan's judgment was correct. A few minutes after Sun Chao shot the memorial into Zhang's mansion, the door of Zhang's mansion slowly opened under the gaze of everyone.

Zhang Zhao, who had not appeared in public for a long time, walked step by step from the mansion to Sun Quan's front with the support of his eldest son Zhang Cheng.

After Zhang Zhao came to Sun Quan, he raised his hunched body, stared at Sun Quan and said:

"He is your nephew."

What was the memorial that Sun Quan showed Zhang Zhao?

It was a memorial impeaching Sun Shao for illegal activities.

This memorial was sent to Sun Quan when he ascended the throne by someone who guessed the emperor's intention.

Sun Quan kept it all along in order to deal with Zhang Zhao one day.

It doesn't matter whether the content of the memorial is true or false. What matters is that this memorial gave Sun Quan a reason to punish Sun Shao.

It is impossible for Zhang Zhao to put Sun Shao in danger.

After hearing Zhang Zhao's words, Sun Quan sneered and said:

"Have you not seen Sun Deng?"

Sun Deng was Sun Quan's eldest son and had once received a lot of favor from Sun Quan.

But now when Sun Quan read this name, his tone was full of coldness.

Sun Quan's answer made Zhang Zhao cough violently.

Zhang Zhao really didn't expect that Sun Quan could be so heartless.

After coughing violently, in order to protect Sun Shao, Zhang Zhao turned around and took Sun Quan towards the palace, no matter how reluctant he was.

Zhang Zhao guessed that Sun Quan must have encountered some difficulties.

When Zhang Zhao brought Sun Quan to the lobby of the mansion, he dispersed the outsiders and did not invite Sun Quan to sit down like a subject.

After sitting down, Zhang Zhao asked indifferently:

"Are you here because our army lost the state mausoleum?"

As soon as Zhang Zhao said this, a cold light flashed in Sun Quan's eyes.

The fall of Zhouling occurred after he blocked Zhang Zhao's gate.

I didn't expect that even though the door was blocked, Zhang Zhao was still well aware of the things he had deliberately suppressed.

Sun Quan began to feel a little wary of Zhang Zhao.

However, now that Sun Quan needed help from Zhang Zhao, he could only soften his tone and tell him about the Han army's threat to Chaisang.

After hearing the latest information, Zhang Zhao was so shocked that he couldn't hold the crutches in his hands.

"Mi Yang, you are trying to undermine the foundation of our dynasty!"

Zhang Zhao revealed Mi Yang's purpose in one sentence, and also expressed Sun Quan's deepest fear.

Seeing that Zhang Zhaoneng hit the nail on the head, Sun Quan felt a little comforted.

"Growing more shrewd with age" is the best evaluation of Zhang Zhao.

It was worth it for him to endure the humiliation to come to Zhang Zhao today.

When Zhang Zhao was shocked, Sun Quan directly told him his plan:

"I intend to issue an edict to Generals Lü Fan and Lü Dai, asking them to lead their troops to help Chaisang."

Although Sun Quan was not good at military strategy, he had his own ideas.

Before coming, Sun Quan had already thought of a countermeasure. He came to find Zhang Zhao mainly to ask Zhang Zhao if he had a better solution.

After Sun Quan finished speaking, he waited for Zhang Zhao to offer good advice.

But after a while, Zhang Zhao still didn't speak.

This made Sun Quan anxious, and he couldn't help but threaten again:

“If Chaisang is lost, the foundation of Great Wu will be unstable.

Mr. Zhang, things are different now than they were in the past.

If Sun Shao had surrendered at the Battle of Red Cliff, he might have still kept his title of marquis.

But today, how could Sun Shao, a relative of the Great Wu clan, have a good ending? "

Sun Quan directly revealed the real reason why Zhang Zhao surrendered.

This is also the biggest rift between Sun Quan and Zhang Zhao.

Although Sun Quan was shameless, what he said made sense.

After listening to Sun Quan's words, Zhang Zhao was indignant but still sighed and said:
"Have you ever thought that what Mi Yang wants is for you to mobilize the army to help Chaisang?"

Zhang Zhao's words made Sun Quan feel uneasy.

"Mr. Zhang, what you mean is that the bandits want to surround the enemy and attack their reinforcements?"

After realizing this, Sun Quan looked at Zhang Zhao with pleading eyes, hoping that Zhang Zhao could help him solve his doubts.

(End of this chapter)