The third year of Yanxi had just begun and the people had not yet finished celebrating the new year. Taking advantage of the fact that it was not the beginning of spring and everyone was still resting, General Quan Cong of Wei found a time and went directly to Zhu Ju's mansion.
Zhu Ju personally welcomed Quan Cong into the inner hall, with some unexpected expressions at the same time:
"Why did Brother Zihuang come to your door at this time?"
Sun Quan's favorite Bu family had two daughters.
The eldest daughter was Sun Luban, who married Quan Cong; the second daughter was Sun Luyu, who married Zhu Zhi.
Therefore, Quan Cong and Zhu Ju were actually brothers-in-law.
But Sun Luban was his elder sister, so it stands to reason that during the Chinese New Year, even if he had to visit Quan Cong's house, Zhu Ju would be the one visiting Quan Cong's house.
At this time, Quan Cong suddenly came to visit, which was beyond Zhu Ju's expectation.
Quan Cong did not answer Zhu Ju's words, let alone any polite words, but went straight to the point:
"Zifan, I came here because I have something I want to discuss with you."
During the Chinese New Year, Quan Cong didn't look festive at all, but looked serious. This made Zhu Ju's heart skip a beat, and he vaguely guessed Quan Cong's intention.
He raised his glass and took a sip of tea:
"Zihuang, please speak."
Although Zhu Ju was promoted to General of Hussars a few days ago, Quan Cong was promoted to General of Guards eleven years ago.
Whether it was qualifications or reputation, Quan Cong was far ahead of Zhu Ju.
Not to mention that Zhu Ju was implicated in the Yinfan incident a few years ago and was dismissed from office and banned from home for four full years.
"Your Majesty had the intention of sending troops out to sea again before the year to conquer Zhuya and Yizhou. Fortunately, it was the end of the year, so this matter was postponed for the time being."
Quan Cong stared at Zhu Ju and said, "It's almost the beginning of spring. As soon as the official office starts to go on duty, Your Majesty will definitely mention this matter again."
"Zifan, although I don't know much about the cavalry, I also know that the money and food consumed by the cavalry is extremely huge."
"You are my cavalry general of Da Wu. You are responsible for building Da Wu's cavalry army. You should know the losses involved."
"Da Wu's current treasury is not enough. Now he has to build a cavalry army, but also waste money and food, going to sea to find those ethereal fairy mountains..."
Before Quan Cong finished speaking, Zhu Ju's hand holding the tea cup shook!
He looked at Quan Cong with some fear and interrupted him:
"Zihuang, be careful! Your Majesty wants to send troops overseas. He is trying to expand territory and establish contacts with overseas countries. How can he say that he is looking for immortals?"
Seeing Zhu Ju lose his bearing, Quan Cong was a little unhappy:
"Zifan, there are no outsiders here, why should we be so hidden between you and me?"
"Even if we put aside the righteousness between monarch and subject, you and I still have to call His Majesty my uncle."
"His Majesty sent generals Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi to sail across the sea with tens of thousands of soldiers to seek Yizhou and Danzhou. Others don't know why. Don't you and I still know?"
What place is that in Quanzhou?
The elders and elders rumored that Emperor Qin Shihuang sent the alchemist Xu Fu to send thousands of boys and girls into the sea to pray for the Penglai Mountain and the elixir, and they would not return until they reached this island.
Your Majesty insists on saying that he is plundering overseas people to enrich the population of Jiangdong. In this case, it is okay to deceive others, but can he deceive his own people?
Ten years ago, we sent tens of thousands of soldiers to sea, but they only managed to plunder thousands of people and returned them.
However, the soldiers fell ill at sea and died sixty-seven out of ten times.
Zhuge Zhi, the general who led the army to sea, was even convicted and executed.
If we really want to plunder people to enrich Wu, the barbarians in Jiaozhou in the south are still rebelling, so we can capture as many as they can.
Even if you send a large army to the north to plunder the people of Wei, it is better than going to sea.
When Zhu Ju heard this, he remained silent.
After all, he couldn't tell Quan Cong that even if there were no fairy mountains overseas, there would definitely be hidden sects that could cultivate disciples like Feng Mingwen.
What does a million soldiers count?
Don’t you see, after acquiring Feng Mingwen, the territory of the Han Kingdom became wider, the more elite soldiers became, the people became richer, and the number of people increased?
As long as Feng Mingwen's mysterious master can be found, it will not be a just-in-case benefit, but a huge profit.
When Quan Cong saw that Zhu Ju did not accept his words, he just said that he had said too much, so the other party did not dare to speak easily.
So he slowed down his tone:
"Zifan, Wu's life-and-death enemy is in the north and not in the south. Moreover, Wei is strong and Wu is weak. It is not enough to concentrate on the north. How can we spare the strength to send troops overseas?"
"Even those who used troops like Zhuge Liang and Feng Mingwen, in the early years, they were in seclusion and colonization, isolating the north, using troops in the south, and not daring to divide their troops."
"Over the years, the Han Kingdom has become more and more prosperous, but I, Wu, have been repeatedly blocked at the foot of Hefei City, unable to advance even an inch."
"Your Majesty sent Zifan to the Han Kingdom, and he did not hesitate to exchange my skills as a boat master from Wu in exchange for the skills of the Han Kingdom's cavalry. I believe Zifan understands what this means better than I do."
"Zifan, the situation in the world is too late for Da Wu!"
The more Quan Cong spoke, the more excited he became:
"So this time, for no other reason than I want Zifan to join me in persuading Your Majesty to stop thinking about sending people to sea."
Zhu Ju also sighed after hearing these words.
Zihuang, it is precisely because time waits for no one that Wu should go to sea to find opportunities instead of preventing your majesty from sending people to sea!
The longer he stayed in Han and the better he understood Han, the more Zhu Zhi understood that the gap between Han and Wu had quietly widened.
It's just that he naturally didn't dare to say this openly.
Thinking of the fierce opposition of the ministers to this matter also made him a little uneasy.
Moreover, in Zhu Ju's opinion, Feng Mingwen's disciple would definitely not be easily found.
If not, how could His Majesty have returned without success when he sent people to sea ten years ago?
Thinking of this, Zhu Ju finally said:
"Zihuang, your Majesty is determined. If you are serious about something, I am afraid that you and I will not be able to persuade you."
"Ten years ago when we sent people to sea, I don't know how many people opposed it. Did your Majesty listen to it? Now that His Majesty's authority is getting stronger, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult to persuade him."
"Therefore, I think that instead of objecting, it is better to postpone this matter until the situation in Dawu improves. If we can't persuade His Majesty by then, it will be better than asking His Majesty to send people to sea now."
How could Quan Cong not know Sun Quan's temperament after all these years?
In the past, His Majesty could still listen to advice, but in many cases, he liked to act arbitrarily.
Especially once you make up your mind about something, very few people can persuade you.
However, when he heard what Zhu Ju said, he frowned and looked at the other party strangely.
He didn't know why, but he always felt that there was something wrong with Zhu Ju's current words and deeds.
the reason is simple.
Zhu Ju's behavior was too inconsistent with his temperament.
Although he was a child of an aristocratic family, Zhu Ju had a forthright temperament, quite a chivalrous spirit, and liked to make friends with others.
Otherwise, I would not have been implicated because I was optimistic about Yinfan's talents and had a close relationship with him.
At the moment, he was speaking in a flash, with a hesitant look on his face, as if he didn't want to talk about this matter in depth.
It was just a matter of national importance, but Quan Cong still suppressed these doubts, calmed down, and asked:
"What does Zifan mean by the situation getting better?"
"Zihuang, since His Majesty came to the throne, he has sent troops to the north almost every year. But in the past two years, it has quieted down. Do you know why?"
"Of course we need to prepare a cavalry army."
Isn't this something that everyone in the court knows?
"That's right, it's just to prepare a cavalry army." Zhu Zhi nodded, and then continued to ask, "Does Zihuang know how many years it will take to form a cavalry army?"
Quan Cong didn’t know what he meant:
"Even if I don't understand the cavalry army, I also know that building a cavalry army that can fight can only be achieved overnight. Ten years is not too long, and decades are not too short."
Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered something and looked at Zhu Ju in disbelief:
"Zifan means..."
Zhu Ju nodded understandingly and said with a smile:
"Yes, under normal circumstances, even if you have horses, you may not be able to build a cavalry army in ten or twenty years."
Take the former Han Dynasty as an example. After several generations of hard work, they not only saved countless money and food, but also opened up horse farms and raised countless war horses, which led to the illustrious martial arts of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
"But it's different now. The Han Dynasty is willing to help us form a cavalry army. There is no shortage of horses, armor, and weapons."
"We just need to recruit people," Zhu Ju raised a finger, "I have to say that Feng Mingwen is indeed a rare and famous general in the world."
"He changed the ancient cavalry, allowing Han to have a cavalry that could compete with Wei's elite cavalry in just a few years."
"Even soldiers who have never ridden a horse can become proficient in equestrian skills after just one year of training."
"Now, he has taught us all these methods, and we, Da Wu, can also build a cavalry army in a few years."
After saying so much in one breath, Zhu Ju became more determined in his heart to support His Majesty in sending people to sea.
If Zhuge Liang is the person who turned the Han Kingdom into danger, then Feng Mingwen is the person who can continue to push the Han Kingdom to prosperity.
Da Wu also wanted this kind of prosperity.
Quan Cong didn't understand the cavalry army, but he knew that forming a cavalry army couldn't be as simple as Zhu Ju said.
He looked at Zhu Ju, who looked excited, but still couldn't believe what he said, and even felt that he was a little crazy.
"Zifan, are you sure? This kind of thing is no joke."
"Zihuang, this year Han will transport everything. And this year, it has just begun."
Zhu Ju took a deep breath and said, "Then you will know why Han can defeat Wei thieves repeatedly."
"Next year, or the year after at the latest, we will send our troops north, and we will no longer have to endure land battles with the cavalry and the Wei thieves."
"When the time comes, Wu will march from the south to the north, while Han will march from the west to the east, and they will attack the Wei thieves together. Why worry about not succeeding?"
"So, we don't have to dissuade His Majesty, but we can use this matter to persuade His Majesty to postpone sending people to sea."
"As long as the plan to go north in the next year or so can be accomplished, the two countries will equally share the power of the world. By then, even if Your Majesty wants to send people to sea, what's the harm?"
After destroying the Wei thieves, it is not easy to compete with Han for the world.
General Shang may be able to defeat Feng Mingwen in foot combat and water combat.
But Wu's cavalry methods were learned from Han.
The longer Zhu Ju stayed in Han, the more he understood that the Han cavalry, especially the armored cavalry, was truly worthy of being the best in the world.
Looking at the whole Wu Dynasty, Zhu Ju had no confidence that anyone could compete with Feng Mingwen in the cavalry.
But if it couldn't defeat Han's cavalry, how could Wu defend the Central Plains and even cross Hebei?
Therefore, it is best to get help from the mysterious mountain gate.
As long as Da Wu can send back the two books that Mysterious Mountain Gate has been looking for.
In addition, they regard Feng Mingwen as an abandoned disciple, so they will definitely be dissatisfied with Feng Mingwen.
Zhu Ju is convinced that when that time comes, it shouldn't be difficult as long as Da Wu asks them to take action against Feng Mingwen.
It's just that these ideas are destined to be secrets that only a very few people can know.
After listening to Zhu Ju's words, Quan Cong's feeling of disobedience became even stronger.
Just seeing Zhu Ju's vows, Quan Cong could only sigh in the end, no matter how much he disagreed with Zhu Ju's views:
"If we really can't dissuade His Majesty from sending troops to sea, then we really can only postpone the matter for a while and find another way."
Although he did not achieve the goal he most wanted to achieve, as long as Zhu Ju was not talking big words and could really delay His Majesty from sending troops to sea, it would be considered a possible and acceptable result.
For the future, let’s take it one step at a time.
After walking out of the gate of Zhu's Mansion, Quan Cong turned around and took a deep look at the gate of Zhu's Mansion before lowering his head and getting on the bullock cart.
After returning to the house, Quan Cong's wife Sun Luban saw that Quan Cong didn't look well, so she asked:
"Why is Alang like this? Could it be that things went wrong when he went out on this trip?"
After Sun Quan became emperor, I don't know what kind of thoughts he had.
Not only were they in a stalemate with the ministers over the selection of the queen, but their own daughter was not given the title of princess.
This made the ministers of the Wu Kingdom a little embarrassed. Sometimes when they mentioned the princess, they didn't know how to call her.
In the end, Sun Luban married Quan Cong, and the officials had to call her Princess Quan, while Sun Luyu married Zhu Zhi, so they called Sun Luyu Princess Zhu.
Being favored by the emperor but not having a title, he had to take his husband's surname as his title. This phenomenon can be regarded as a strange thing among the many unnatural things in the Three Kingdoms.
Although Princess Quan and Princess Zhu are identical sisters, their temperaments are quite different.
The younger sister, Princess Zhu, has a gentler temperament and stays in the inner courtyard, while the older sister, Princess Quan, has a strong desire for power.
Not only did she often take part in the affairs of the court, but she also actively advised Quan Cong on weekdays.
Just like this time, Princess Quan not only knew why Quan Cong went out this time, but also took the initiative to ask about it after Quan Cong came back.
The relationship between Quan Cong and Princess Quan can be considered loving. Over the years, they have given birth to two sons.
In the absence of outsiders, Quan Cong's expression became a little ugly in front of his wife.
He shook his head:
"Zhu Zifan did not want to dissuade His Majesty. He only said that he would advise Your Majesty to delay this matter."
Princess Quan and Quan Cong have been married for twelve years. When Quan Cong returned home, she was keenly aware that something was wrong with her Alang's mood.
Hearing Quan Cong's words at this time confirmed her original thoughts.
But when he saw her sitting down with Quan Cong, he hesitated and said:
"Zhu Zifan's actions don't seem to be in line with his past style?"
When Quan Cong heard this, his spirits perked up:
"Does Mr. Xi also think this is the case? In fact, when I was talking to him at his house, I felt a little strange."
This is why he is willing to discuss matters with Princess Quan.
In many cases, Princess Quan can make a lot of useful suggestions.
In addition, she was deeply loved by His Majesty and was canonized as the eldest princess by His Majesty.
When the master of the harem is not established, the princess can even influence the palace.
It can be said that Princess Quan is a great help to Quan Cong.
As the couple spoke, they looked at each other, as if they had a clear understanding of each other.
There are some words that Quan Cong is not comfortable saying, but Princess Quan has no pressure:
"Alang, tell me, Zhu Zifan suddenly came back at the end of last year and talked with His Majesty in the palace for a whole day and night. Could it be..."
Quan Cong nodded and said:
"After Zhu Zifan talked with His Majesty, Your Majesty suddenly said that he wanted to send troops to sea. Thinking about it carefully, it may not be..."
The two of them said nothing, but doubts arose in their hearts.
As a woman, Princess Quan is even more petty-minded.
But she looked annoyed:
"What is Zhu Zifan doing? Are you kidding A Lang? How dare he!"
Quan Cong shook his head:
"Until the matter is clear, we cannot say that it must be Zhu Zifan's fault."
"Then I will go back to the palace to visit His Majesty in the next few days to see if I can find out anything."
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