Chapter 69: A Small Person’s Words Have No Effect (Please Read Later) Although Zhang Liang was only a general with little influence, his idea of "sending troops upstream to compete with the enemy for profit" really surprised all the civil and military officials of the Eastern Wu present. As soon as Zhang Liang's remarks came out, the audience who originally supported the use of wooden fences or iron chains to block the Miankou were surprised. From where Sun Quan was standing on the stage, he could hear voices of doubt and opposition. Zhang Liang stood with his back to the crowd. After all, he was just a general. Hearing the questioning from behind him, he lowered his head slightly and didn't dare to look up at the King of Wu, Sun Quan, on the stage. At this time, another civil servant, He Cong, stepped out from the audience, bowed to Sun Quan, and refuted him, saying, "Your Majesty, I think Zhang Liang made such remarks only because he himself led troops to station near Miankou!" "How much military resources and manpower would it take to control such a long area from Miankou to Xiangyang by going upstream along the Han River from Miankou?" "I think Zhang Liang's words are absolutely unacceptable!" Hearing this, Zhang Liang was so nervous that he didn't even dare to look back, and his face began to turn slightly red. Sun Quan did not respond to He Cong's words, but instead looked directly at the young general Zhang Liang: "Zhang Liang, He Cong refuted your strategy. I want to ask you what you have to say?" Zhang Liang gritted his teeth slightly, mustered up the courage to look up at Sun Quan, saluted, and then loudly expressed his views. Zhang Liang said loudly: "Your Majesty, I think that the most important thing that we can rely on for our great Wu territory, which is thousands of miles long, is the navy that crisscrosses the Yangtze River."
"Compared with the vastness of the Han River and the Yangtze River, how long can the so-called wooden fences or iron locks stop the enemy?" "I think that occupying the Han River, defeating the enemy, and making them afraid to enter the water from land, although it costs military resources, is much better than waiting for the enemy's fleet to assemble in Xiangfan and then attack Xiakou. By then, the military resources and manpower will only be consumed more!" Sun Quan on the stage laughed when he heard Zhang Liang's words, and said to Zhang Liang's superior, the clan general Sun Huan: "Ji Ming, your general has such courage, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Sun Huan smiled and bowed: "In times of doubt and difficulty, a man's true character is revealed. If Your Majesty wants to use him, it is not too late to appoint him now." Sun Quan nodded and said on the stage: "You are all my trusted ministers. Today I asked for advice from you. Some of you said we should defend the country, and some said we should waste military funds. I know you are all worried about the country, but I am not satisfied with any of you." "Only Zhang Liang's words are most in line with my own." "I have always had the ambition to conquer the world. I have made countless military achievements in the Wu Kingdom. At Chibi, I made Cao Cao flee north in panic. At Yiling, I made Liu Bei escape with his life. At Ruxu, Jiangling, and Guangling, I made the Wei army dare not go south many times!" "What I want to tell you is that both Wei and Shu are ruled by young rulers, so there is no need to worry. I have such a fierce army under my command. Previously, the Great Wu attacked less and defended more, but now the situation has changed. It is time for the Great Wu to make progress!" "Zhang Liang, come here, onto the stage." Zhang Liang hesitated and looked at his own governor Sun Huan who was beside him. Sun Huan glared at Zhang Liang and urged him to go up. Sun Quan saw Zhang Liang standing beside him and continued to speak to the ministers below the stage: "Although Zhang Liang is a small general, he dared to clear the Han River for me and said that the Wei soldiers would not dare to enter the Han River. Today I will reward him." Sun Quan looked at the Prime Minister Gu Yong standing in the audience and said, "Prime Minister, I want to promote Zhang Liang to the rank of Lieutenant General, grant him the title of Marquis of Guannei, and have him attack the banks of the Han River." Gu Yong agreed repeatedly, but Zhang Liang beside him knelt down excitedly: "Your Majesty, I dare not accept the generous reward." Sun Quan patted Zhang Liang on the shoulder: "With the guarantor of General Yangwei and Jiangxia Governor Sun Huan, how can you not dare to accept it? Remember to do it for the merit of isolation!" Zhang Liang quickly thanked him. Sun Quan looked at the ministers below the stage and said, "I hope you will emulate Zhang Liang's courage and make contributions to the Wu Kingdom. I will share the wealth and honor with you all!" The ministers below the stage bowed and agreed, cheering. Although Sun Quan was smiling as he looked down at the stage, he was still quite conflicted in his heart. Even Lu Xun, an important official of the country, was conservative in the use of troops, and he used Zhang Liang's words as an excuse to encourage some generals, lieutenant generals, and guards. Although it can certainly inspire people, how much real effect can it have? How many troops would Cao Xiu bring southward? If he fought a land battle with Wei troops in Wancheng, what would be the outcome? Sun Quan's mind was full of unknowns, but decades of experience in ruling Jiangdong had enabled him to make decisions very quickly. Since there were no knowns, he would just prepare for war with all his strength! In fact, when Soochow fought against Cao Wei, it lost more than it won when attacking, but lost less than it won when defending. Part of the reason was the complexity of the composition of Soochow's army. As early as when Sun Ce had just pacified Jiangdong, he faced an internal crisis in ruling Jiangdong. Sun Ce himself was only a lieutenant with a salary of two thousand stones. Although he occupied a piece of land around Jianye, how could he reward his generals who had made great military achievements? The two thousand stone Zhechong Xiaowei could at best be rewarded with some minor officials such as Sima and Yajiang. Therefore, Sun Ce could only reward the generals with military power. For example, Cheng Pu and Lu Fan were each rewarded with two thousand soldiers as their troops.
Sun Quan took over Jiangdong after Sun Ce's death, but as the military unit system had become a common practice, Sun Quan could only hold his nose and continue to reward his generals, military units and population. Although the Wu Kingdom was convenient for defense along the river, it would encounter resistance from the Wei Kingdom if it attacked northwards, so it was easier to defend than to attack. However, it was also difficult to conceal that the generals were trying to preserve their strength during the battle. In the 20th year of Jian'an, when Sun Quan led an army of 100,000 to attack Hefei in the north, Zhang Liao led 800 soldiers to break into the Wu army camp, and took advantage of the Wu army's unpreparedness to attack directly under the flag of Sun Quan's commander. The morale of the Wu army was demoralized, and Zhang Liao established a great reputation because of this attack. When Sun Quan was retreating, he led more than a thousand men and together with Lu Meng, Jiang Qin, Ling Tong, Gan Ning and others, he blocked the retreat to the north of Xiaoyaojin. Seeing Zhang Liao leading his troops to attack, the Eastern Wu army became demoralized and wanted to flee. Fortunately, Ling Tong fought with all his 300 elite soldiers to ensure that Sun Quan retreated safely to the south of Xiaoyaojin. Logically speaking, Ling Tong's rescue of Sun Quan was a great achievement, but Ling Tong burst into tears because his own troops were almost completely destroyed. The losses were his own troops, including Ling Tong's own relatives, so Ling Tong was naturally very sad. When Sun Quan faced his own strategic mistakes, he could only wipe Ling Tong's tears and rewarded Ling Tong with several times more troops. Sun Quan could only reward troops. Given that all the generals of the Eastern Wu had their own troops, it was inevitable that offensive warfare would be relatively conservative. This was an institutional problem that could not be changed immediately by Sun Quan alone. …… That night, in Wuchang, inside Lu Xun’s mansion. Xiakou is not far from Wuchang. After the meeting in Xiakouwu was over, Sun Quan led all the officials back to Wuchang City from Xiakouwu. Tonight is Lu Xun's last night in Wuchang. Tomorrow Lu Xun will return to Xiling and return to the defense zone he is responsible for. (End of this chapter)