roccoschili Chapter 522 This boy is not worth discussing with!
Chapter 522 This boy is not worth discussing with!
"My lord, we must make a decision quickly."
"That young emperor has issued warrants for our arrest throughout the land. Our spies have been seeing more and more strangers in the vicinity these past two days. If we hesitate any longer, we may all become prisoners of that young emperor!"
After waiting for several more days, Zhong Hui felt that his patience had been completely exhausted.
This was the last time he urged him.
If Sima Zhao still refuses to listen to advice and remains hesitant, he will simply abandon him and seek refuge elsewhere.
Whether they genuinely pledged allegiance to Eastern Wu or to Shu, it didn't matter.
Even turning against the emperor and joining that young emperor would be far better than following this indecisive person!
If it weren't for the kindness shown to him by the general, he probably would have already gone to find another wise ruler.
"Shiji, is there really no other way?"
Sima Zhao was clearly still finding it difficult to make up his mind.
This decision was tantamount to him abandoning all the resources of the Sima family and gambling on an uncertain future in Jiangdong.
“There’s no better choice!”
"My lord, if you delay any longer, our last remaining options will be wiped out. Once the young emperor's men discover us, we will all be trapped beasts!"
Zhong Hui was disappointed in his son's lack of progress.
He was so anxious he was about to explode.
Jia Chong, who had narrowly escaped death in the capital, nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, sir. Now that the young emperor has gained power, at least until internal turmoil erupts within him, we will have no chance to confront him directly."
"However, my lord, there is no need to worry too much. Judging from the intelligence brought back by our spies these past few days, the young emperor has already divided up almost the entire Great Wei."
Although Liu Bang did not bestow titles of kings, he was extremely generous in granting titles of hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of households.
Based on the intelligence they currently possess, the Great Wei is no different from the feudal princes.
The most ridiculous thing is that the young emperor even granted three or four marquises with a thousand households each within the capital.
In Jia Chong's view, this seemed even less desirable than enfeoffing princes!
At the very least, the princes would never cede the capital!
Hearing his words, Zhong Hui's expression softened slightly.
Indeed, this is also one of the reasons why he has been able to tolerate Sima Zhao until now.
Although the young emperor was not simple, his abilities were clearly limited.
After eliminating the powerful aristocratic families in the capital, in order to deal with the aristocratic descendants who had fled to other places and to prevent their rebellion, the young emperor could only resort to generous rewards and large amounts of honors to suppress the rebellions that were bound to arise.
But for the Great Wei, this is like drinking poison to quench thirst; compared to aristocratic clans, powerful families are far more destructive.
The gentry, at least, considered themselves respectable scholars, and their actions were concerned with external opinions and their reputation in history books.
But what about the powerful and wealthy?
They can only see profit.
When given benefits, they become the most loyal dogs.
If you don't give it to them, or if you can't give them any bones, then this loyal dog will surely turn around and kill its master!
Given Zhong Hui's understanding of the strength of the Great Wei, the young emperor should soon be running out of options.
That is why he felt that Sima Zhao still had a chance to dominate the world.
All we need to do is take over Jiangdong, wait for the local warlords to rebel, and then we can take the opportunity to head north!
"So your current opinion is that we should head to Jiangdong?"
Sima Zhao nodded, though he was asking about you, his gaze was actually directed at Jia Chong.
He trusted his confidants more than Zhong Hui.
"If from now on you no longer hope to take over the Central Plains and no longer want to ascend to the throne, then you will naturally have more options, whether it is to go north and occupy the former Wuhuan lands, or to enter Shu and seize the southern barbarian lands."
“These options are obviously much safer. Compared to the Eastern Wu army, these soft targets are much easier to bully.”
"But the problem is that once you get into these places, it's harder than climbing to heaven to get back."
"If you wish to reclaim the glory that belongs to the Sima family, then Jiangdong is indeed the only way!"
Jia Chong and Zhong Hui initially disliked each other, but at this point, they developed an unspoken understanding.
If Sima Zhao continues to hesitate and waste time, they will all consider other options.
Fortunately, after listening to Jia Chong's advice, Sima Zhao struggled for a long time before finally nodding.
"Then we'll do as you say and feign surrender to Jiangdong. I'll handle dealing with the Emperor of Eastern Wu, and the rest is up to you two!"
Zhong Hui: "..."
He really wants to escape right now.
"Sun Liang, the emperor of Eastern Wu, was nothing but a puppet. Before the Sima family lost power, if someone from Shu came to surrender, would they not go to the Grand General, but instead go to that little emperor?"
"My lord, the Sima family has lost its former power. If you wish to restore its former authority, you must be extremely cautious in every decision you make."
"We can certainly offer advice to you, sir, but if we speak carelessly in front of outsiders, it will surely incur their displeasure."
"You mean I should contact Sun Chen?"
How could Sima Zhao not understand something so simple?
However, judging from rumors, Sun Chen held absolute power in Eastern Wu, and his personality was tyrannical.
To rashly approach such a capricious and cruel person could easily cost you your life.
He wasn't stupid; he simply didn't want to personally contact Sun Chen.
Zhong Hui understood his implied meaning, but he didn't give him a way out. Instead, he directly looked at Jia Chong.
Jia Chong: "?"
Seeing that both of them were looking at him expectantly, Jia Chong pointed to himself incredulously.
"I?"
Sir, would you like to listen to what you're saying?
Even if I were willing, Sun Chen, as the ruler of Eastern Wu, a figure above all others, would he bother with a mere retainer like me?
"My lord, if the Sima family had been in power back then, would you have gone to meet with Sun Chen, a mere retainer?"
"No one can do this for you; you have to do it yourself."
Seeing that Jia Chong was reluctant to refuse, Zhong Hui simply spoke up for him.
It wasn't that he genuinely wanted to help Jia Chong, but rather that he didn't want Sima Zhao's cowardly little scheme to ruin the bigger picture.
You only get one chance.
If Jia Chong squandered the first opportunity, given the current decline of the Sima family, Sun Chen would most likely not give them a second chance!
"...What if he tries to kill me?"
What if I don't get along with him?
"Shiji, sometimes you should think about me too, shouldn't you?"
"You know Sun Chen's unpredictable nature. If I say the wrong thing, I could lose my life!"
Sima Zhao felt that Sun Chen resembled his elder brother.
People who wield great power often have somewhat unpredictable personalities.
He was already somewhat afraid of his own elder brother, let alone Sun Chen.
Zhong Hui: "..."
He only has one sentence to say right now.
There is no shortage of tricks and strategies!