Chapter 680 Sun Quan refuses to give up
"Is Ma Su really seriously ill?"
In Jianye, Sun Quan repeatedly asked the people of Xiaoshi about the situation. As a victim who had been beaten by Ma Su countless times, he was really afraid that Ma Su was pretending to be sick.
However, the person in charge of Xiaoshi answered very affirmatively,
"Your Majesty! Ma Su is really seriously ill and is about to die. Our people in Xu County have discovered that not only Zhuge Liang has come, but even the prince of Western Shu has come to visit."
"And the spies far away in Chang'an also reported that the Western Shu court has sent people to express condolences, which is unlikely to be false."
"That's hard to say... Ma Su, this bastard, has the most ideas!" Sun Quan shook his head and said calmly.
After being beaten by Ma Su many times, Sun Quan still knows this bastard well. He will always take action in places you don't expect and give you a fatal blow unexpectedly.
Especially since this willful bastard is the general of Western Shu, his status is second only to Liu Chan and Zhuge Liang. If he had some ideas, it would not be impossible to get Chang'an to cooperate.
So based on these alone, Sun Quan still did not dare to believe that Ma Su would be seriously ill.
But soon, the person in charge of the Akatsuki room brought him a more convincing intelligence.
"General, just half a month ago, the Prime Minister of Western Shu, Zhuge Liang, had taken over the military affairs of the Huai River and Huai River. Now the Shu army has been preparing for battle in Huaibei and is ready to go south at any time."
This intelligence was originally sent to tell Sun Quan that the situation was critical. After all, Zhuge Liang suddenly took command again, and it was clear at a glance that Western Shu was serious.
But hearing this, Sun Quan was slightly relieved.
"It seems that Ma Su is really sick, and he can't even continue to lead his troops." Sun Quan breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand.
After fighting against Ma Su for so long, Sun Quan had already known Ma Su's temperament. This is an absolute war maniac, and he would never give up his military power unless it was necessary.
Now that Zhuge Liang is in charge of the army himself, it is likely that Ma Su is indeed ill.
"Since Zhuge Liang is here, it seems that Ma Su is indeed seriously ill... In this way, the situation can be eased a lot." Sun Quan was no longer so nervous, and then his mind began to work.
Ma Su is the pillar of the West Shu, as long as he can still move the knife, Sun Quan has no intention of counterattacking. But now he is suddenly seriously ill, and the originally timid Sun Quan suddenly became brave.
Without Ma Su, the combat power of West Shu is just so-so. And the most important thing is that if Sun Quan does not take action now, he will have no chance at all when Ma Su recovers from his illness.
Now Ruxuwu is gone, and the main force of the navy led by Luo Tong is dragged to Xiakou. If the Shu army wants to force a crossing of the Yangtze River, Sun Quan is really not sure that he can hold it.
So no matter what, we must find a way to take Ruxuwu back!
At this moment, Sun Quan is like a gambler who is about to lose everything. After racking his brains and seeing no hope, he tried to make a last-ditch effort.
"Send people to Yecheng again and find a way to unite with Cao Wei." Sun Quan narrowed his eyes and gave an order.
"Tell them that Ma Su is seriously ill, and now the people guarding the Central Plains in West Shu are all juniors. They still have elite soldiers, and my troops are also the overlord of Jiangdong. It may be possible to push back the front line together!"
"By the way, remind that kid from the Sima family that Ma Su is very vengeful. I advise him not to be too naive. If I fall, he will be the next one!"
As a political veteran, Sun Quan has long seen who has the final say in Hebei. So after explaining the reasons on the surface, he still has to quietly pass a message to Sima Shi.
Don't be too naive, Ma Su is just seriously ill, not really dying. If you just sit back and watch my Dongwu, when Jiangdong is broken, Ma Su will just recover from his illness...you Hebei will not be in a good situation!
After the envoy took the order and set off, Sun Quan quickly summoned the governor Lu Kang and ordered him to prepare a way to counterattack Ruxu. But when Lu Kang was summoned, he firmly opposed to mobilizing troops again.
"Your Majesty! We can't mobilize troops now! We... have no food."
"No food?" Sun Quan was shocked and even at a loss for a while.
As the lord of Jiangdong, he had never heard of this word before. Basically, every time he went on an expedition, he could easily prepare a large amount of food and fodder, without worrying about logistics.
Even if his treasury was not enough, those big families who invested in him would be generous at the first time. The whole Jiangdong was in such a harmonious atmosphere, and once developed into a regime that controlled the three states of Jing, Yang and Jiao.
However, now Lu Kang's helpless "no food" completely woke Sun Quan up from his dream.
"Your Majesty! We really have no food..." Lu Kang shook his head heavily and reported to Sun Quan honestly.
"We have been fighting the Shu army for two years. In the past two years, the Shu army has marched south twice in a row, and it is about to march south for the third time."
"Every time the Shu army marches south, we have to use all the strength of Jiangdong to resist the river and defend it. A large number of strong men have been conscripted to transport grain as laborers, and there is no one to farm on the ridges."
"So Jiangdong has suffered from severe harvest failures in the past two years, and taxes cannot be collected every year!"
There is no need to talk about Lu Kang, as Sun Quan has figured it out himself.
The good families under the rule of the court have an extremely difficult life, so taxes cannot be collected naturally. As for those big families... Sun Quan knows them, and it is obviously impossible for them to contribute money and grain as before under the current situation.
He seemed to have returned to the day before the Battle of Chibi, when only their own people from the Sun family were available. But in this situation, who else from their Sun family could be on the stage?
In addition to Lu Kang, there was only Luo Tong. The former Twelve Tiger Ministers of Jiangdong had long been dead...
"We have to find a way to attack! Ma Su is seriously ill now, and this may be the only time that Dongwu can save the country's destiny!" Sun Quan's eyes were filled with resentment, but he still gritted his teeth.
If it were an ordinary monarch, he would have given up long ago. Eat, drink and have fun all day, and then wait for his final fate honestly.
But it is obvious that Sun Quan does not want to give up like this. He has been in charge of Jiangdong since he was sixteen years old, and he does not want to face such a fate after fighting for so many decades!
He must save himself! Do everything he can to save himself!
"Take my hand order and go to see the prime minister and those people, and ask them for money and food directly!" Sun Quan seemed to have suddenly become much more resolute, and said to Lu Kang with a stern face.
"If they ask, tell them that this is my intention! For the fate of Dongwu, they must contribute a little!"