mesbooks Chapter 129 Lü Meng Wields the Butcher's Knife Against His Own People
Chapter 129 Lü Meng Wields the Butcher's Knife Against His Own People
People are less valuable away from home, and few who can make a living locally are willing to go to other places to develop their careers.
This was true for ordinary people, let alone for wealthy and powerful clans.
The greatest wealth of the gentry lies in their fertile lands and manors, which cannot be taken with them. Forcing them to retreat to Jingzhou would mean losing all their wealth and starting all over again. Would you be willing to do that?
Zhang Zhao shook his head and said, "This is very simple. Summon all the officers of the Jiangdong gentry above the rank of colonel to a meeting, then take them into custody on the spot and forcibly take them away."
"This matter must be handled quickly. If we delay, the aristocratic generals may strike first. It is best to strike first. Yi Gong (Han Dang's courtesy name), go back and prepare now. Once the generals arrive at the command tent, immediately lead your troops to surround the command tent."
With Zhang Cheng's defeat once again, their greatest enemy has changed from Guan Yu to their former subordinates and comrades. If they don't control this group, these aristocratic generals will turn around and kill them.
Although Zhang Zhao used various means to force the aristocratic leaders such as Zhang Wen and Gu Hui to Jiangling that day, the core of the aristocratic families was still there, and they all held important positions in the army, so it was necessary to be on guard.
"I'll go right away." Han Dang turned and left.
Zhang Zhao continued, "And there's Ruxukou. Zhu Huan, as the patriarch of the Zhu clan, will definitely not agree to retreat to Jingzhou. If he raises an army to escort the Wei army, not to mention the garrison at Ruxukou, even the commander Zhou Tai might lose his life."
"So you should immediately write a letter to Zhu Huan in the name of the Grand Commander, summoning him back to Jianye. At the same time, tell Zhou Tai to stop guarding Ruxukou and to choose an opportunity to retreat to Jingzhou. Instruct him to make sure that the 20,000 elite troops are safely brought to the lord."
Ruxukou was the front line of Eastern Wu's defense against the Wei army, and also the lifeline of Eastern Wu.
This vital point requires both a large force to be stationed there to prevent the enemy from breaching it, and a way to restrain it to prevent generals from becoming too powerful and threatening the lord. Therefore, the personnel arrangements must be extremely careful.
To avoid the above situation, Sun Quan put a lot of effort into personnel arrangements. First, he appointed Zhou Tai, who came from a humble background and was loyal to him, as the supervisor of Ruxu. Then, he appointed Zhu Huan and Sun Shao as his deputies.
Among the three, there were those from humble backgrounds, those from noble families, and those from the imperial clan. They checked and balanced each other, making them practically perfect.
They may seem perfect under normal circumstances, but problems can easily arise in critical moments like these. If the three of them don't agree, they might start fighting amongst themselves.
Lu Meng nodded and said, "I'll write it down right away, but I'm more worried about Guan Yu than these things. If Guan Yu comes out of the city to attack, we won't be able to hold him off."
They have decided to place mid- to high-ranking generals from aristocratic families under house arrest. Once these generals are placed under house arrest, the army will immediately come to a standstill. At that time, let alone Guan Yu, even a band of bandits could easily bring the Wu army to its knees.
After all, you've taken the initiative to eliminate your own generals; do you expect them to fight for you?
Zhang Zhao said, "I will write a letter to Guan Yu and ask him to allow us to withdraw safely. After all, we still have to resist the Wei army in Xiangyang. He probably doesn't want us to completely surrender to Cao Cao."
When Wu attacked Jianye, they were Guan Yu's enemies, but if they abandoned Jianye and retreated to Jingzhou, they would instantly become Guan Yu's allies. Cao Cao's existence allowed Sun Quan and Liu Bei to switch between friend and foe at will.
Lü Meng lacked the ability to handle such a crisis, so he could only say, "I will do as the strategist says."
The two began writing a letter. Just as they finished, a noise came from outside the tent. Lü Meng quickly grabbed the cloak behind him to wipe the bloodstains on the table and then summoned Chen Zan to stand behind him.
After finishing these tasks, generals of all ranks arrived one after another. Lü Meng's gaze swept over everyone, and after secretly counting the number of people to make sure no one had escaped, he said, "News has just come from Wushang that General Zhang Cheng's entire army was wiped out in Shan County, and he himself has been captured again."
what?
All the generals turned to look at Zhang Zhao, and even with Zhang Zhao's composure, he couldn't help but feel his face burning.
This unfilial son is truly a disappointment.
Not wanting Zhang Zhao to be embarrassed like this, Lü Meng quickly said, "Now that our army has suffered repeated defeats, there is no hope of recapturing Jianye. Therefore, I have decided to withdraw to Jingzhou and leave tomorrow."
what?
Retreat to Jingzhou, abandoning Jiangdong?
The generals were all dumbfounded, exchanging bewildered glances for a long time. General He Qi of Andong stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Grand Commander, are you joking? Our families and businesses are all in Jiangdong. Where are we supposed to go if we abandon Jiangdong?"
He Qi is the patriarch of the He clan in Shanyin. Nearly half of the land in Shanyin belongs to his family. Now that he is leaving, will Guan Yu leave this land for him?
Besides the land, there are also his clansmen. His wife and children are all back in his hometown. What will happen to his family if he leaves?
Zhou Fang, the Western Commandant of Danyang, chimed in, "Yes, Grand Commander. It's easy to leave Jiangdong but difficult to come back. Besides, losing territory is a serious crime. How can we explain this to our lord if we just leave like this?"
Other generals voiced their opposition to the withdrawal, and some even implied that they would surrender to Guan Yu if they were forced to leave their hometowns.
If they surrendered to Guan Yu, at least they could stay at home with their wives, children, and a warm bed. But if they went to Jingzhou, they would have neither land nor relatives. Would they starve?
Faced with the collective opposition of his generals, Lü Meng finally displayed the composure befitting a Grand Commander, coldly stating, "I am informing you all, not discussing this with you."
After saying that, he slammed the wine bottle in his hand onto the ground with a loud thud.
Upon hearing the shouts, Han Dang, who was lying in ambush outside the tent, immediately led his troops into the tent. He gripped his sword hilt, glared at the crowd, and said menacingly, "Let's see who dares to disobey the Grand Commander's orders!"
The generals in the tent were dumbfounded. They finally realized why Lü Meng had summoned them. This bastard actually wanted to force them to submit by force.
Damn you, Lü Meng, you just wait.
While cursing inwardly, the generals all shrank back, understanding the principle that a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. No one was willing to confront Lü Meng head-on, and they all prayed that someone else would stand up for them.
After a moment of silence in the tent, He Qi laughed first, "General Han, what are you doing? We didn't say we would disobey the Grand Commander's orders. Why are you so tense? It's just a retreat to Jingzhou. Let's retreat then. Our lord is the Governor of Jingzhou. Where else can we go if we don't retreat to Jingzhou? Right?"
Everyone in the tent, including Zhang Zhao and Lü Meng, looked on with strange expressions upon hearing this.
They then remembered that Sun Quan also held the position of Governor of Jingzhou. Wasn't Sun Quan the ruler of Jiangdong? How did he become the de facto Governor of Jingzhou?
Did Cao Cao have some kind of fortune-telling ability, or did he know that Sun Quan would enter Jingzhou and appoint him as the governor of Jingzhou in advance?
And Guan Yu, weren't you supposed to be the garrison commander of Jingzhou? How did you become the ruler of Jiangdong?
This damn world is just too surreal!
What are we then? Are we just going to switch places with you two?
Moving house isn't a big deal, but the problem is that if you two move house, all the wealth we've accumulated over generations will be wiped out.
Damn you blue-eyed thief, damn you red-faced thief, you two aren't working together to sabotage us, are you?
The more they thought about it, the more aggrieved they felt, but they had no choice but to submit to Han Dang's sword hilt and reluctantly admit defeat.
Lu Meng took in everyone's expressions and said leisurely, "Then please follow General Han to Jiangling first. I will apologize to you all when we arrive in Jiangling."
Helpless, everyone followed Han Dang and was about to leave when a messenger suddenly rushed into the tent and said urgently, "Grand Commander, something terrible has happened! Zhang Zhi has rebelled and is marching on Wu County under the guise of welcoming the King of Wei!"
What the hell? Wasn't Zhang Zhi supposed to be with Zhang Cheng to fight against Guan Xing? How come he rebelled after Zhang Cheng was captured?
Damn Guan Xing, you captured so many Wu generals, how come you missed this guy?