Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

"To trap their troops is easy," Guanqiu Jian said in a deep voice. "Two thousand weak soldiers are nothing to worry about, and they are not enough to determine the fate of Wu Commandery. What about the second thing you mentioned?"

Lou Xuan said solemnly, "The second thing I want to say is to attack their will!"

"Winning hearts and minds?" Guanqiu Jian asked rhetorically.

"Exactly!" Lou Xuan explained, "The Sun family has occupied Jiangdong for nearly forty years, committing countless atrocities and accumulating a mountain of blood debts. Although they have relied on local gentry to assist in government affairs, they still tolerate rampant torture by the police. Furthermore, the Lu, Gu, and Zhu families have repeatedly suffered misfortune. Although the local gentry are obedient, it is merely out of habit after years of following orders. Now that the Great Wei army has arrived, if we reason with them, they will surely pledge their allegiance immediately!"

"Just tell the people of Wu County three things."

"Firstly, the imperial court's campaign against Wu was a formidable force."

"Secondly, it serves to demonstrate the numerous atrocities and evil policies committed under the rule of the Sun family."

"After the three have submitted to the Great Wei, how should they serve the Great Wei?"

Guanqiu Jian's expression grew cold as he questioned, "Lou Xuan, did you think about these things before you said them? These three matters are none of your business."

“I will speak for you! And I can speak better than you, General!” Lou Xuan replied loudly.

Xiahou Xian also spoke up in a deep voice: "Stop talking nonsense. Half an hour will pass in the blink of an eye. If you want to attack the city, you, the magistrate of Wuxi County, will be taken here!"

Lou Xuan took two steps back, bowed slightly to Xiahou Xian, then bowed to Guanqiu Jian, and stood up straight before saying, "If you're going to talk about it, you should know who to talk to."

“The Wu County has long been known for its four surnames and eight clans.”

"The four surnames are Zhu, Zhang, Gu, and Lu."

“Eight clans: Chen, Huan, Lü, Dou, Gongsun, Sima, Xu, and Fu.”

"As for where to look for these four surnames and eight clans, and who to look for, I know all about it."

Seeing Guanqiu Jian's furrowed brows, Lou Xuan explained, "Before I came of age, I studied under the Prime Minister and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Lord Gu. When Lord Gu was demoted and sent home, I accompanied him until last December when I was appointed magistrate of Wuxi County!"

Then, Lou Xuan recounted the assassination attempt on Sun Quan in Wuxi County the previous year. Guanqiu Jian and Xiahou Xian listened and finally understood.

Lou Xuan was a disciple of Gu Yong, who was the most renowned scholar in Wu and a prominent family in Wu County.

Gu Yong's selection of Lou Xuan as magistrate of Wuxi was partly motivated by a desire to use his trusted disciple to cover up the plot that had occurred in Wuxi. After all, the bloodshed in the city was so horrifying that everyone was appalled; it was better to have his own disciple in office.

Moreover, Lou Xuan was aware of Gu Yong's dissatisfaction with the court, and naturally had access to all the secrets of the Wu Kingdom.

In short, Lou Xuan was a powerful local tyrant in Wu County.

Guanqiu Jian sighed, exchanged a glance with Xiahou Xian, and then looked at Lou Xuan: "Good, now that we have found these four surnames and eight clans, how shall we discuss the tyranny and evil policies of the Sun family?"

Lou Xuan cupped his hands and said, "First, it's indiscriminate killing; second, it's tyrannical governance; and third, it's absurd!"

"His words of indiscriminate killing are countless." "Sun Jian boasted of restoring the Han Dynasty, yet for decades he committed numerous acts of indiscriminate killing and plunder. In the past, when Sun Jian was summoned by Yuan Shu, he marched from the north and south, first killing Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou. Wang Rui came from the Langya Wang clan, and it was rumored that he had always been disloyal to Sun Jian. Sun Jian ordered his troops to surround him. When Wang Rui asked what crime he had committed, Sun Jian dismissed him with the words 'ignorance,' forcing him to swallow gold and commit suicide."

"Zhang Zi, the governor of Nanyang, was murdered by Sun Jian because he refused to supply his army with provisions. Sun Jian pretended to be seriously ill and tricked Zhang Zi into leading several hundred soldiers to his camp. Sun Jian pretended to be lying in bed, and then suddenly rose up, drew his sword, and killed Zhang Zi."

"After Sun Jian entered Luoyang, he obtained the Imperial Seal of the Han Dynasty from a well in Luoyang and kept it on his person. Therefore, he had the ambition to establish a separatist regime."

"Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, was an official appointed by the imperial court. Sun Jian was of bad character and attacked Liu Biao's counties. In the end, he was killed by Liu Biao's general Huang Zu."

"General," Lou Xuan said, bowing, "the Sun family is rotten to the core!"

Guanqiu Jian remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he laughed mockingly. Indeed, one's own people know best the bad deeds of their own; the dirt on Wu still comes from the people of Wu themselves.

Lou Xuan continued, "When Sun Ce occupied Jiangdong, he conquered counties and drove out and killed officials of the court and local heroes."

“Lu Kang, Xu Gong, Zhou Xin… the number of victims is countless.”

"By the time of Sun Quan, the number of officials murdered was countless. Not to mention Lu Mao who was murdered, there were Sheng Xian, Shen You, Sun Fu, Ji Yan, Xu Biao, Wang Jing... too many to mention."

"And the number of bad policies and absurd acts is countless!"

"Massacres, forced burials, betrayal of oaths, usurpation... all these atrocities, General, please allow me to describe them to you in detail!"

"Good, good, good!" Guanqiu Jian clapped his hands lightly: "Magistrate Lou, I have always looked down on the people of Wu since I crossed the river. I thought that the people of Wu were all cowards and lacked courage, but I did not expect to meet such a talented person as Magistrate Lou here today!"

"In this light, the Sun family has ruled Jiangdong for three generations, and their crimes are numerous and countless! The four clans and eight families of Wu County must also have many conflicts with the Sun family. It would be most appropriate for Magistrate Lou to write a letter of persuasion to surrender!"

Lou Xuan then spoke up in defense, saying, "General, you are mistaken! I am from Qiao County. As you just said, I am a native of the Emperor's hometown and a proper citizen of the Great Wei, not a Wu person!"

"Then I was wrong," Guanqiu Jian said with a smile. "I hereby acknowledge that Magistrate Lou is a man of the Great Wei in front of the ten thousand cavalry. In that case, I will submit a memorial to the court later to appoint you as the Prefect of Wu Commandery. You will temporarily remain in your post as the Magistrate of Wuxi County."

Lou Xuan said, "I understand. Please take a look at how this matter has been handled, General!"

Xiahou Xian reminded him from the side, "General, Magistrate Lou just said that he would make a promise to the four clans and eight families in Wu. I wonder what the promise is?"

Guanqiu Jian said, "Kang Ren asked a good question!"

"Magistrate Lou, let me first share my thoughts with you. If you feel it's insufficient, we can discuss it further later."

"General, please speak." Lou Xuan bowed.

Guanqiu Jian said, "Of the four families, Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang, the Gu and Lu families are the most prominent. Lu Boyan has also been appointed as the General Who Conquers the East in the Great Wei. I have heard that Jianye City is still under the control of Gu Yong. As for the Gu family, we will have to wait and see how Gu Yong acts before making any decisions. I can only promise the Gu, Zhu, and Zhang families one official position of two thousand shi each, plus one marquis position for each family. The Lu family already has the protection of the General Who Conquers the East, so I don't need to worry about them."

"General, you are absolutely right. As a disciple of Lord Gu, I am also aware of the implications," Lou Xuan replied.

Guanqiu Jian said, "As for the eight clans... since the Great Wei is going to bestow favors, then let each clan receive one person with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain). What do you think?" (End of this chapter)