Chapter 49: The Sovereign is a Barbarian

Zhang Zhao stood up and spoke fluently, "There must be no second option!"

"First, Prime Minister Cao comes representing the imperial court. For us to oppose the court is not the way of loyal subjects!"

"Second, the imperial court boasts an army of eight hundred thousand, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry are incomparably elite. What we rely on is merely the natural hazard of the Yangtze River. Now, the greater part of Jingzhou has already surrendered to the court, so the natural barrier is no longer solely in our hands. Furthermore, our forces are vastly inferior to those of the court; how can we possibly resist?"

As soon as Zhang Zhao finished speaking, many officials began to echo his sentiments.

"Quite right, precisely so!"

"Surrendering to the imperial court is the only logical path!"

Some went even further, petitioning Sun Quan directly.

"General, do not hesitate. I beg you to put this man in chains, send him to Prime Minister Cao in Jingzhou, mobilize our great army, and join forces with Prime Minister Cao to annihilate Liu Bei!"

...

Sun Quan’s expression was extremely grim, as though frozen in place, yet he still revealed no substantive emotion. Instead, he looked at Zhao Shaojie and asked, "What does the envoy have to say?"

Zhao Shaojie glanced at Zhang Zhao and asked, "On what grounds do you believe Cao Cao can represent the imperial court?"

Zhang Zhao was about to reply when Zhao Shaojie immediately spoke in a stern voice, "I come from the northern lands, where I learned of a secret conversation between Cao Cao and his premier general, Xiahou Dun. Cao Cao's subordinates had long urged him to declare himself emperor. Cao Cao hesitated somewhat and asked Xiahou Dun for his opinion. Xiahou Dun replied that once the empire is unified, he may ascend the throne!"

"Your ancestors were all subjects of the Han, and you remain subjects of the Han today. You urge General Sun to dispatch troops to encircle and besiege the General of the Left simply to enable Cao Cao to unify the empire and smoothly usurp the dynasty!"

"In acting thus, do you have any sense of shame?"

At these words, Zhang Zhao and the others turned pale with shock, their previously aggressive demeanor instantly replaced by fear and panic.

Someone immediately stood up and shouted loudly, "This is merely your biased word! Who can vouch for this?"

Zhao Shaojie looked at the man, too lazy to ask his name, and stated directly, "I can swear upon my life and my family that if my words are false, let me be struck dead by the wrath of heaven. Do you dare to wager?"

"If Cao Cao or his descendants usurp the dynasty, betray the Han, and establish themselves as rulers, may you and your families be struck dead by the wrath of heaven!"

The crowd immediately fell silent.

In truth, everyone understood that by this stage in Cao Cao's career, the possibility of a dynastic transition was exceedingly high.

Seeing that no one dared to refute him, Zhao Shaojie pressed his advantage and said once more, "Cao Cao is a traitor who has long lost the hearts of the people. Moreover, having come from the north, his men are unaccustomed to the climate and waters of the south, suffering greatly from illness. Nor are northern men skilled in naval warfare. In Jingzhou, the hearts of the people all lie with the General of the Left. How can this campaign hope to contend with our righteous Han army of united hearts and minds?"

"Furthermore, Cao Cao marched south with no more than one hundred thousand troops, and received the surrender of another fifty to sixty thousand from Jingzhou. Combined, they amount to barely over two hundred thousand. Where on earth is there an army of eight hundred thousand?"

"Now, the General of the Left is resolved to make a stand against Cao alone in Jiangxia, without requiring the troops of Yang Province. He merely wishes to form an alliance with Yang Province and requests that Yang Province's forces harass the Huai River region. Are you all truly so cowardly that you dare not even form this alliance?"

Zhang Zhao and the others were left speechless; they knew full well that an army of eight hundred thousand did not exist.

Moreover, Liu Bei actually did not require their Yang Province troops, choosing instead to independently resist Cao?

All they were asked to do was attack Xuzhou, and attacking Xuzhou would also serve to expand their own power.

Such an alliance entailed absolutely no loss!

Lu Su seized the opportunity and quickly stood up, exclaiming, "General, hesitate no longer! If the rebel Cao unifies the empire, we will all become accomplices and traitors. For the sake of the Han dynasty, I implore the General to ally with Jingzhou, jointly punish the rebel Cao, and restore the House of Han!"

Zhang Zhao and the others opened their mouths, but found no words with which to retort.

Sun Quan stood up and declared in a booming voice, "My family has served the Han for generations. For the sake of the Han empire, I must ally with the General of the Left! Whoever harbors dissenting views is a traitor to the Han!" Feeling that his words lacked sufficient force, he suddenly drew his treasured sword, sliced off the corner of the table, and shouted, "Whoever speaks again of surrendering to Cao is a traitor to the Han, just like this table!"

Lu Su cried out loudly, "The General's judgment is brilliant!"

Having no other choice, the assembled officials could only chime in.

"The General's judgment is brilliant!"

...

Later that evening, Zhao Shaojie paid another visit to Sun Quan.

This time, Zhao Shaojie carefully observed Sun Quan's appearance. As Sun Quan rose to welcome him, he checked whether Sun Quan's limbs were long and his torso short, and looked closely at his purple beard and emerald-green eyes.

This bore the unmistakable lineage of a Caucasian!

Could Sun Quan have Western ancestors, or had Sun Jian been cuckolded?

Feeling uncomfortable under Zhao Shaojie's intense gaze, Sun Quan chuckled softly and asked, "Why is Shaojie staring at me so?"

Zhao Shaojie smiled and said, "I have heard that in the far west of the continent, there are people with red hair, yellow hair, and pale white skin. They share the General's green eyes as well. Might the General have ancestors among such people?"

Lu Su was stunned, subconsciously looking at Sun Quan with a ridiculous thought flashing through his mind: The Supreme Lord is a barbarian?!

Sun Quan was also somewhat bewildered. His unique appearance had long been considered by many to be the physiognomy of an extraordinary person, adding an aura of mystery and suggesting his destiny for greatness.

To think it was actually barbarian blood?!

Naturally, Sun Quan could not admit to this, nor did he know whether it was true. He shook his head and said, "Utter nonsense! I am a descendant of Sun Wu, a scion of China, and of noble Han stock!"

Zhao Shaojie chuckled awkwardly, "Oh, then truly extraordinary indeed!"

Sun Quan had previously held a favorable view of Zhao Shaojie, who had earned Liu Bei's deep trust, but now he felt instantly uneasy. Frowning, he remarked, "Commander Zhao is certainly well-informed! You know quite a lot about such matters!"

Zhao Shaojie smiled. "Just average, I simply converse widely with people."

Sun Quan let out a cold snort, steered the conversation elsewhere, and asked, "Why does the General of the Left forbid us from entering Jingzhou? You must know that joining forces gives us a better chance of victory!"

"General Sun, let us speak plainly without hiding behind pleasantries. We all know you have your sights set on Yizhou. But to take Yizhou, you must first pass through Jingzhou. Does General Sun truly believe he can fly over Jingzhou to attack Yizhou? Even if we grant you passage and you conquer Yizhou, when Cao Cao marches south, how will you defend it? We might grant you passage once or twice, but we cannot do so indefinitely. Who knows if you might suddenly launch a surprise attack on my Jingzhou?" With that, Zhao Shaojie took a sip of tea.

The enjoyment of drinking tea with sugar had also been introduced to Sun Quan by Lu Su.

When Zhao Shaojie came, he had brought a chest of sugar, a chest of tea leaves, and various other items as gifts for Sun Quan.

Sun Quan was quite fond of these.

Watching Zhao Shaojie's earnest expression, Sun Quan popped a piece of brown sugar into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. With Yizhou and Jingzhou waiting to be conquered, who would want to fight Cao Cao? He remarked aloud, "What if the General of the Left is no match for the rebel Cao? May my Yang Province forces then enter Jingzhou?"

Zhao Shaojie had also worried about this exact issue, and replied, "If he is defeated, naturally we must invite the Yang Province troops into Jingzhou!"

Joy bloomed across Sun Quan's face. That Liu Bei was no match for Cao Cao was a decades-long established fact. He loudly declared, "Come, let us share a cup together."

In his heart, Zhao Shaojie was speechless. This Sun Quan had truly set his sights on Jingzhou and Yizhou and refused to look away.

However, being well-versed in history, and with Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong holding the fort and offering guidance, they surely would not lose!