Tiger Owl

Chapter 61 Negotiations Begin

Early in the morning, Gan Ning sent someone to Xuchang to deliver a letter to both Cao Cao and Cao Pi.

The imperial court's appointment of him as the Prefect of Yuzhang Commandery was extremely important, as it meant that he was the legitimate ruler, and this legitimacy was enough to cover up the disadvantages of his background and past.

Why was it necessary to gain the support of powerful clans? Because only with the support of powerful clans could Gan Ning collect taxes. The vast rural areas were controlled by powerful clans; if they did not support him, the peasants would not pay taxes, and the government would not investigate.

No sooner had the messenger left than Gan Ning received another message: Zhu Zhi, the envoy from Jiangdong, had arrived in Nanchang County.

Gan Ning immediately arranged for Lu Su to invite Zhu Zhi to the back hall of the prefectural government office.

"I am deeply saddened and regretful about the passing of the Marquis of Wu, and I hope that Eastern Wu will stabilize as soon as possible."

Zhu Zhi bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, General Gan. I have come to Yuzhang County on orders to discuss with General Gan the release of Sun Fu and Cheng Zi. Let us have an open and frank discussion. What conditions does General Gan require?"

Gan Ning smiled slightly and said, "I only have three conditions, which are not high, and I believe you can accept them!"

"General, please speak!"

Gan Ning smiled and said, "First, please send General Xu Sheng's family to Yuzhang. That's not a difficult request, is it?"

"Yes, I can agree. I'll have my lord arrange it when we get back. Please state your second request!"

Zhu Zhi was truly delighted. Gan Ning's request was indeed not demanding, which meant that he could return to Jiangdong today with Sun Fu and Cheng Zi.

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said, "The second condition is that Jiangdong recognizes Xunyang County as a county under the jurisdiction of Yuzhang Commandery."

Xu Qiu, the newly appointed governor of Lujiang Commandery, has reported to Sun Quan that Xunyang County, the westernmost county, has been occupied by Gan Ning. He dares not act rashly and requests instructions from Jiangdong.

Xunyang County is too remote. If Xunyang County had a large city and a large population, it could have become an important piece to contain Jingzhou and Xiangyang. However, Xunyang County has a small population and a dilapidated city. Not only can it not become a piece, but it will also become a burden.

Sun Quan then considered exchanging Xunyang County for Sun Fu, which is why this was included in Zhu Zhi's authority.

Zhu Zhi nodded. "We can give up Xunyang County, but that's the biggest concession we can make. We hope General Gan won't make any more substantial demands."

Gan Ning smiled slightly, "The third condition is not a substantive requirement, but a symbolic one. We hope that Jiangdong will acknowledge that Yuzhang Commandery belongs to us!"

Zhu Zhi was stunned. He had just said not to make any more substantive demands, but suddenly a huge mountain had been erected. This was even more outrageous than substantive demands. How could he agree to this? If he agreed, it would be tantamount to admitting that Yuzhang County did not belong to Jiangdong. How could that be allowed?
Lu Su slowly said from the side, "In fact, Yuzhang Commandery never belonged to Jiangdong. The court successively appointed Zhu Hao and Liu Yao as the governor of Yuzhang. After Liu Yao died, Yuzhang Commandery was in a state of no master. Even when Sun Ben led his army into Yuzhang Commandery, he only occupied part of it. Since Jiangdong never truly obtained Yuzhang Commandery, there is no question of losing it. It is just that they recognize us as the masters of Yuzhang Commandery. What is so difficult about that?"

Zhu Zhi understood that once Jiangdong recognized Gan Ning as the ruler of Yuzhang Commandery, it would be tantamount to legally acknowledging that Yuzhang Commandery did not belong to Jiangdong. If Jiangdong then sent troops to attack Yuzhang Commandery, it would be both untrustworthy and legally untenable, triggering a series of consequences. This was something he could not decide.

Zhu Zhi gave a wry smile and said, "I have to go back and report to my lord. This is not something I can decide."

Gan Ning nodded. "Alright then! Out of our sincerity, we can release Cheng Zi first. I hope I can reach an agreement with the new Marquis of Wu as soon as possible, and we can join forces to deal with Huang Zu!"

...........
Zhu Zhi took Cheng Zi back to Jiangdong that same day on a passenger ship with a price of 1,000 shi (a unit of weight).

Gan Ning was not idle either. On the same day, he issued a decree to recruit talents, sending people to Jingxiang, Bashu and Jiangdong to post it and recruit talents from all over the country. He clearly put forward the political proposition of "regardless of whether one is a scholar or a commoner, only those with talent should be appointed".

Gan Ning was well aware of his situation. The aristocratic families looked down on him and regarded him as an outsider. They would rather serve Cao Cao, Liu Biao, Sun Quan, and Huang Zu than serve him. Since he could not win over the aristocratic families, he focused on winning over the common people and giving them a chance to rise up.

Zhu Zhi's journey was smooth, and he returned to Wu Commandery within a few days, where he met Sun Quan. Upon hearing Gan Ning's third condition, Sun Quan flew into a rage, exclaiming, "He stole my Yuzhang Commandery and now expects me to acknowledge the legitimacy of his theft? This is utterly outrageous!"

Sun Quan knew perfectly well that he couldn't get past Sun Ben first. He had just taken the throne, and if he agreed to such humiliating terms, how would the people of Jiangdong view him?

Sun Quan immediately summoned Zhang Zhao, Lü Fan, and Zhou Yu to discuss countermeasures.

Zhang Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "After all, Sun Fu is in his hands, so we can't completely turn against him. It would be better to agree to the first two points first, and then slowly negotiate the third point."

Lü Fan also said, "We can also appeal to the court for the third point, to get the court to recognize that Yuzhang Commandery belongs to us, so that Gan Ning's demands will be untenable."

"What does the Grand Commander think?" Sun Quan asked Zhou Yu again.

Zhou Yu had already considered this issue. He slowly said, "In fact, the court only recognized our occupation of Wu Commandery, so Bo Fu was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wu. The court does not recognize the other five commanderies: Kuaiji Commandery, Danyang Commandery, Jiujiang Commandery, Lujiang Commandery, and Yuzhang Commandery. This is the reality."

Since our lord has decided against the Northern Expedition, we can try to ease tensions with Cao Cao. We can use this decision to negotiate with the court and gain recognition of our rightful ownership of the five commanderies. This will secure the position of Governor of Yangzhou for our lord, and then Gan Ning will no longer be able to force us to acknowledge the ownership of Yuzhang Commandery.

Zhang Zhao praised, "Commander Zhou is right. We lost Bo Fu's life for the Northern Expedition, and we must get appropriate compensation. My lord can send an envoy to negotiate with Cao Cao and try to get the position of Governor of Yangzhou."

"What about Sun Fu?" Sun Quan asked worriedly.

Lu Fan stroked his beard and said, "My lord, rest assured, Sun Fu will be fine for the time being. Negotiations are always a back-and-forth process; it won't be settled all at once."

Sun Quan nodded. "Who would be the best choice to go to Xuchang for negotiations?"

Zhang Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Cao Cao greatly admires Hua Sima, so I recommend Hua Sima as the envoy."

Hua Sima was Hua Xin. Sun Ben refused to take over the position of Chief Clerk, so Sun Quan appointed Lü Fan as Chief Clerk and Hua Xin took over the position of Sima.

Sun Quan readily agreed, "It's decided then. Hua Xin will represent me on the mission to Xuchang."

In fact, Sun Quan also longed to obtain the position of Governor of Yangzhou.

Sun Quan then met with his uncle-in-law Xu Zhen, and Xu Sheng's mother, brother and sister-in-law were all under Xu Zhen's protection.

The Xu family was a prominent clan during the Three Kingdoms period. Their main branch was the Xu family of Donghai, but the Xu family branched out and developed in many places. The most famous of these was the Xu family of Wu County. Because of their marriage alliance with the Sun family, they became board members of the Sun family group in Jiangdong.

Xu Zhen's son, Xu Kun, was a trusted general under Sun Ce and was one of the earliest to follow him. He was also Sun Quan's cousin. Xu Zhen's nephew, Xu Qiu, is currently serving as the governor of Lujiang Commandery.

The Xu family also prospered in other places; the Xu family of Langya produced Xu Sheng, and the Xu family of Yingchuan produced Xu Shu.

Xu Zhen was genuinely dissatisfied with Xu Sheng's surrender to Gan Ning without his consent. Despite his dissatisfaction, he agreed to Wu Hou's request to send Xu Sheng's mother, brother, and sister-in-law to Yuzhang.

He knew these were the negotiation conditions between Wu Hou and Gan Ning, and he didn't want his personal emotions to influence Wu Hou's decision.

Xu Zhen had just returned home when his son, Xu Kun, hurriedly came back with a letter.

(End of this chapter)