Chapter 52

"Zigan..." Cai Yong walked into the hall at this moment, seeing the haggard Lu Zhi, and greeted him with a trembling voice.

Lu Zhi, who had been silent all along, saw Cai Yong, his eyes reddened, and he sighed deeply, "If this is the will of heaven, what can we do?"

Cai Yong took Lu Zhi, Liu Bei, and Zhang Fei away. Although Zhang Hao felt that Zhang Fei would not cause trouble again, he still had someone keep an eye on him to avoid any accidents.

Zhang Hao also comforted and encouraged Cai Mao and Jing Liang, despite disliking some of their actions, as they had made great contributions. As for the things he did not like, they could be corrected later.

They probably had some psychological preparation for this. They were well aware of the policies of the Da Qian dynasty towards the aristocratic families.

In the evening, a formal banquet was held to entertain Cai Mao and Jing Liang, and Lu Zhi was invited, but he did not show up, which was normal. A famous general being captured in such a humiliating way would naturally make him resentful.

With the help of these insiders, the affairs in Jingzhou proceeded smoothly, and Zhang Hao's territory would soon expand. This was a cause for celebration. Therefore, this banquet was very formal, and a large number of officials were invited, also to show the acceptance of the Jingzhou aristocratic families.

With such an attitude, the Jingzhou aristocratic families would be more enthusiastic.

Zhang Hao's approach was very effective.

With the local strongmen working hard to help, it did not take long for Jingzhou. After Lu Zhi was secretly captured, using his name, all the commanderies except Lingling and Guiyang were under control.

The biggest troublemaker in Jingzhou was also at a dead end when Zhang Hao was hosting the banquet.

This troublemaker was Sun Jian, the governor of Changsha. Sun Jian was a man of fierce temperament and sometimes did not care much about the imperial regulations. Two years ago, he directly crossed the border to attack bandits, despite the imperial rule that governors could not cross the border without permission. But Sun Jian did not care.

One could say he was full of righteous blood, believing in justice. Or he was just hot-headed and acted without thinking.

From Sun Jian's historical performance, he could not be called a true loyalist, as he had even killed his superior. But he was definitely not a traitor. During the campaign against Dong Zhuo, few people were as dedicated as Sun Jian and Cao Cao. But the only one who achieved real results was Sun Jian. No matter what, Sun Jian's abilities were beyond doubt.

After the rise of Da Qian, Sun Jian did not idle. This fierce tiger from Jiangdong knew that his hometown had been occupied by Da Qian, even though his family was with him. He was still very upset and once led troops to attack Yuzhang commandery.

At that time, Zhang Hao was recuperating, and Sun Jian's strength was indeed formidable, having trained a group of capable soldiers.

At first, the Da Qian troops in Yuzhang suffered some setbacks. But after regaining their strength and finding guides familiar with the terrain, the Da Qian army's technological advantages were fully utilized, and Sun Jian suffered a defeat.

Even though Sun Jian was extremely brave, and his subordinates like Cheng Pu and Zu Mao were highly skilled, they were still in a sorry state under the attack of cannons and various firearms. If not for the complex terrain, Sun Jian might have been captured in Yuzhang.

Returning to Changsha with his defeated troops, Sun Jian was extremely unwilling. But after calming down, he knew that the situation was hopeless. He began to study the Da Qian army in detail, and the more he learned, the more uncertain he became. He was very anxious because he could not think of how to resist the Da Qian if they attacked.

When he learned that Lu Zhi had been appointed as the governor of Jingzhou, Sun Jian felt relieved. He respected Lu Zhi as a famous general. Although he did not think his abilities were inferior, at least with a famous general like Lu Zhi as the governor, there was a chance to coordinate the entire state's forces.

After receiving the order from the governor's office, Sun Jian immediately led his troops to Xiangyang, eager to know what methods Lu Zhi had to deal with the Da Qian.

Obviously, Sun Jian was walking into a trap.

His troops were left outside the city, and he entered the city with a few generals. When he arrived at the governor's office, the situation became clear. Surrounded by soldiers with crossbows from above, and with Huang Zhong and Dian Wei present, one could imagine Sun Jian's situation.

The sunset shone on the governor's office, and in the courtyard, Sun Jian, in full armor, scanned the soldiers on the surrounding walls and finally looked at Huang Zhong and Dian Wei at the head of the table.

With the rise of Da Qian, the imperial court, especially the neighboring commanderies, had a certain understanding of the various officials of Da Qian, and there were portraits and descriptions.

Although the accuracy of these portraits and descriptions was a joke, in the presence of the real person and the environment, Sun Jian still recognized Huang Zhong, a leading figure in the Da Qian army.

"Where is Secretary Lu?" Sun Jian asked Huang Zhong.

"Sun Wentai is indeed loyal and brave, worthy of the title of the fierce tiger of Jiangdong," Huang Zhong said, admiring Sun Jian's composure in such a situation.

"As for Secretary Lu, he is probably already in Liyang. Rest assured, a person like Secretary Lu, even if my king cannot use him, will not harm him. In fact, this might not be a bad thing. On the battlefield, life and death are hard to control, but now at least safety can be guaranteed."

Sun Jian's expression did not change, and he asked again, "My family should have been captured by now, right?"

"Wen tai, you underestimate us. We would not use your family to coerce you," Huang Zhong said disdainfully, shaking his head and looking at Sun Jian seriously.

"Wen tai, you are different from others. You should know the strength of the Da Qian army and the outcome of a direct confrontation. The Jingzhou aristocratic families are just following the will of heaven to reduce unnecessary casualties."

Sun Jian was speechless.

"My king has mentioned you before. At that time, you were leading troops to invade Yuzhang. The prince praised you for your fierce and brave nature, calling you a rare general in the world. You have quelled rebellions everywhere, but my king admires your actions on the frontier the most. Anyone who resists the barbarians, my king is willing to treat differently. You should know that the Han dynasty is already rotten to the core and cannot be saved.

The prince pities your talent and your achievements and does not want you to be wasted in internal strife. Your stage should be on the frontier. So, Wen tai, surrender. The prince knows you are loyal and righteous and does not force you to serve Da Qian. You just need to wait and see the outcome.

And your family needs your care. You must also be curious about what the prince, who descended from heaven, will achieve.

You have seen the situation in Yangzhou. Do you not want to see the people live in peace and prosperity? You can witness everything, see how the prince changes the world, and even point out any flaws."

Huang Zhong rarely spoke at such length, knowing that Sun Jian was a talent and that he could not be too harsh.

"Lord?" Sun Jian was silent for a long time, and Huang Gai could not help but call him.

"Alas, the corrupt officials are rampant, and I have strength but no place to use it. What can I do now?" Sun Jian sighed and threw the ring sword in his hand to the ground.

Huang Zhong was overjoyed, dismissed the soldiers, and personally escorted Sun Jian into the hall. Huang Zhong knew what to do at this moment, and after having food and drinks brought in, he had Gu Yong explain the various policies and advantages of Da Qian to Sun Jian and his men.

In fact, Sun Jian had read the Qian Law. Since Zhang Hao had invented printing and advanced papermaking techniques, he naturally did not waste this advantage. Besides printing a large number of books, the Qian Law was printed the most and distributed widely. It could be said that the Qian Law was now available throughout the Han dynasty.

Many aristocratic families and literate people would secretly read it. Besides the Qian Law, there were also books about land consolidation and the advantages of Da Qian's measures and technology. Many people, including Sun Jian, had read these.

But there were some things he did not understand or did not believe before. Now, with Gu Yong's explanation, they had a better understanding, as these measures had already been implemented in Yangzhou.

Huang Zhong knew what such a general as Sun Jian was more interested in. After the meal, he took Sun Jian and his men to visit the Da Qian army's weapons. Having seen the power of cannons and other firearms before, seeing a wider variety of weapons and understanding the standard equipment of each Da Qian soldier, Sun Jian had no other thoughts. Even a small soldier's equipment was not inferior to that of a general in the imperial army.

Not to mention the more powerful firearms, even without them, such an army was terrifying.

Sun Jian did not refuse to serve the enemy. Since he had already tried his best and failed, he did not cling to it. After learning about the Military Academy, he proactively proposed to study there, indicating his willingness to serve.

Huang Zhong was very pleased to hear this and took Sun Jian to see the large radio device to request Zhang Hao's approval.

After understanding the situation, Zhang Hao was somewhat surprised. After some thought, he did not let Sun Jian go directly to the Military Academy for further training. Instead, he ordered Huang Zhong to dispatch a batch of troops to Sun Jian, letting him lead the Da Qian army to capture Lingling and Guiyang commanderies.