The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 74 The Alliance is Finalized, Based on the Han-Mian Region

Ma Liang rubbed his throbbing forehead and could only smile without answering.

Sun Quan is blatantly acting like a rogue; what can you say in response?
You can't just draw your sword and spill blood five steps away, can you?

Wouldn't that make it seem like the other person was right?

Seeing that he had finally stumped Ma Liang, Sun Quan pointed at him and laughed to his subordinates:
"It is said that Ma Jichang was the most virtuous of the five Ma brothers, and this is no exaggeration! Ma Jichang would not even lie for his master, he was a true gentleman!"

The room erupted in laughter.

But Sun Quan was still not satisfied, so he turned to Mi Wei:

"Although you are young, since you are the deputy envoy appointed by Xuande, you must have some insight."

"Tell me, is my son better, or is your Lord's son better?"

Looking at this Jiangdong ruler with a long upper body and short lower body.

Miwei, who had already drunk quite a bit, almost couldn't help but curse.

You've become addicted to bullying at the dinner table, haven't you?
At least he remembered his identity as an envoy, and didn't act rashly and draw his sword on the spot.

But the "key energy" is already brimming and ready to be unleashed.

He immediately straightened his posture and said solemnly:
"General Huzi is naturally extraordinary."

"But compared to my lord, there is one thing he is far inferior to!"

These words were met with a barrage of sneers and jeers, which need not be repeated.

Sun Quan, however, remained smiling and pressed on, "Where is it inferior?"

Mi Wei: "As everyone knows, my lord is a member of the Han imperial family and takes it upon himself to restore order to the world."

"As the saying goes, the Han and the traitors cannot coexist. My lord will never submit to the traitor Cao Cao."

He paused slightly, then continued:
"Now that you have submitted to the north, General, given Cao Cao's cunning and suspicious nature, he will surely want you to come to court and demand your son as a hostage."

"In this respect, isn't my lord's heir superior?"

"Let alone General Guan's daughter, no decent woman in the world would want to become a hostage right after getting married, would she?"

pat.

I wonder which drunkard knocked over the cups and plates.

But after that shout, the entire venue fell into a long, deathly silence.

Sun Quan stopped drinking and eating, lost in thought for a long time.

She was probably thinking of her eldest son, who was just over ten years old.

In the end, he abandoned his servants and guests and left on his own.

The farce has come to an end.
……

"Now that we're back in Jiangling, Lord Mi is determined to make a name for himself!"

The next day, after sobering up, Ma Liang was filled with emotion.

“At that banquet, Brother Yu, you refuted Zhuge Ke so well that he covered his face and retreated. Although I admired you, I only thought you were ‘wise’.”

"But after yesterday's debate, I realized that you not only understand words, but also understand people's hearts."

"It both saves face for its own family and cleverly sows discord between Cao Cao and Sun Quan."

"Exactly!" Fei Yi, standing beside him, also praised with a smile.

“I only knew that Lord Mi was skilled in riding and archery, but I never knew that your archery skills could penetrate the heart.”

"The Sun family and their ministers put on a show of force for most of the day, but you easily suppressed them with a 'hostage'."

Mi Wei quickly declined the offer.

He wasn't thinking that much at the time.
He was just drunk and thought he had the advantage of being familiar with history, knowing that Sun Deng was Sun Quan's weakness, so he couldn't help but criticize him.

He hadn't expected to silence the Jiangdong ruler and his ministers on the spot.

In conclusion, Sun Quan, lacking the support of military victories, was ultimately a paper tiger.

In short, I, Miwei, never overestimate myself.

"By the way, there's something I haven't asked you about."

"Why did the captain look at his subordinates twice when Sun Zhongmou launched his attack yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Liang smiled mysteriously and said:
"You will know when you return to Jiangling to report back."

"Right now, we should focus on the alliance between the two families."

Mi Wei could only suppress his curiosity and agree with Fei Yi.

……

In the following days, Ma Liang, along with Mi Wei and Fei Yi, met with people of different social standing.

The alliance treaty was also finalized during this process.

Firstly, both sides largely restored the territories demarcated along the Xiang River in the twentieth year of Jian'an.

That is:

The areas west of the Xiang River, including Nanjun, Wuling, and Lingling, belonged to Liu Bei.

Jiangxia, Changsha, and Guiyang, east of the Xiang River, came under Sun Quan's control. Secondly, based on this, Dukou, within Jiangxia, along with the four counties north of Dukou, were also included.

That is: Jingling, Yundu, Anlu, and Nanxinshi. (Note)
All of them were given to Liu Bei.

This is three counties more than the original bottom line!

From then on, the entire Han River basin north of the dam was under their control.

Guan Yu not only secured the Xia River and Han River passages, which were crucial for the northward advance to Xiangfan.

This also essentially blocked any possibility of Sun Quan ever seizing control of Xiangfan in the future.

From now on, we can only honestly fight Hefei and Xuzhou head-on.

Sun Quan's side naturally had reservations about this, and even brought up the idea of ​​"leasing" again.

However, this was met with strong rebuttal from Ma Liang and Mi Wei.

The answer is that we won the battle.

Another question is whether you still want the troops from Nanjun and Wuling.
Sun Quan's side certainly couldn't do without it.

So he admitted it, grumbling and cursing.

However, Ma Liangmiwei did not let his guard down.

According to the information gathered by Zhan Sifu and others, the other side seemed to be making some small moves in the direction of the blockade.

Fortunately, I reported to Jiangling in time, so I wasn't scared at all.

Good news is expected soon.

Third, both sides resumed traditional trade in Shu brocade, Shu horses, Ba salt, copper and iron, grain, timber, boats, and other commodities.

This was a win-win situation, and it was passed without much debate.

Fourth, Liu Bei acknowledged Sun Quan's occupation of Jiaozhou, while Sun Quan refused the allegiance of Yong Kai and others from Yizhou Commandery and ceased to claim the title of Governor of Jingzhou.

But this ultimately depends on how the situation develops in the future; the current alliance may very well be torn up in the future.

After this incident, the trust between the two sides could never be fully restored.

They were forced to form an alliance because they shared a common enemy and a common goal.

This is why Guan Yu strongly demanded the actual control of the Han River channel.

Fifth, they agreed to launch a joint northern expedition in the future.

This is obvious, but it can't be decided in just a few words; we can only discuss it when the time is right.

The above five points are the main terms of the renewed alliance between Liu and Sun.

leftover.

Trivial matters such as exchanging prisoners of war, withdrawing troops, offering sacrifices to ancestors, exchanging gifts, etc., are not to be mentioned.

After a busy journey, Mi Wei compared the rise and fall of Liu Bei's group in his previous life during the "24th year of Jian'an".

I couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

However, given the times and the circumstances...

Ultimately, his efforts, which he considered "insignificant," led to a different outcome.

Guan Yu and his son no longer need to suffer a defeat at Maicheng.

Zhang Fei probably won't have to die such a pathetic death.

Liu Bei no longer needed to tragically entrust his son to Zhuge Liang at Baidi City.

Even the "Prime Minister" whom I admired most in my previous life should not die prematurely from overwork in this life.

So I felt relieved and gratified.

He couldn't help but have higher expectations for the future.

After the start of spring, it will be the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an.

It was also the last year of the Later Han Dynasty.

Then came the true "Three Kingdoms" period.

Will the Northern Expedition have a good outcome in this lifetime?

With this thought in mind, he was eager to return home.

Once everything was finally settled, they couldn't wait to board the ship for their return journey.

However, just as he crawled into the cabin, preparing to lie down and rest for a moment...

Two unexpected guests suddenly arrived on the ship.

One was Zhuge Ke, who had a crooked nose and a big mouth.

One was a boy who resembled him in some ways, but whose features were more regular.

The latter also carried a thick bag.

……

Note: According to the "Biography of Sun Jiao", Jingling, Yundu, and Nanxinshi were all fiefs of Sun Jiao, indicating that at least before Cao Pi's three-pronged attack on Wu in 222, these three places belonged to Sun Quan. According to the "Biography of Zhou Fang", during Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions, Sun Quan ordered Sun Huan to govern Anlu and build a residence, indicating that Anlu also belonged to Sun Quan at one time.

(End of this chapter)