Chapter 121: I, Liu Shan, Founder of the Third Empire of Great Han

This group of people spoke in veiled language, stopping just short of directly cursing Sun Quan.

Could Sun Quan's expression possibly be good?

This was mainly because of Sun Quan's current inaction; let alone having the ambition to unify the world, he did not even have the ambition to look out across the world.

Many ministers within Eastern Wu currently held the same opinion.

Therefore, Eastern Wu had formed two factions: one pro-Cao Wei, and one pro-Shu Han.

In short, as far as Eastern Wu was concerned, these two factions were actually the same—they were both surrender factions.

It was just that the targets of their surrender were different.

As for firm supporters of Eastern Wu within the state, there were not many.

After all, in everyone's view, the one to unify the world could be Cao Wei, or it could be Shu Han.

But the possibility of it being Eastern Wu was not great.

Their monarch had chosen to live in temporary ease, so what else did they have to say?

Furthermore, that move back then when Eastern Wu backstabbed Shu Han indeed exceeded everyone's comprehension and broke the bottom line of morality.

It is not to say that one cannot backstab; the moment a treaty is signed, it is meant to be torn up.

Between nations, what is always valued is interest.

The formulation of every nation's national policy must be based on safeguarding its own interests.

Was Eastern Wu's starting point back then wrong?

It was not!

Guan Yu flooded the seven armies, his prestige shook Huaxia, and he shocked Cao Wei.

Shu Han looked as if it were about to leap forward and become the most powerful side.

Eastern Wu's starting point was not wrong, but unfortunately, the means employed were indeed immoral.

There is no need to mention the means Lv Meng used in his white-clad crossing of the river; more importantly, he actually went and directly beheaded Guan Yu.

Who could have imagined that Lv Meng would be so ruthless as to kill Guan Yu directly?

No one in this world had expected it.

On the battlefield of the Three Kingdoms, even if it were the long-standing enemies of Cao Wei and Shu Han, if they captured the other side's great general, they would not easily kill them; they would certainly try to persuade them first.

Especially a general as important to Shu Han and as prestigious across Huaxia as Guan Yu.

Let alone between allies.

Being allies, that is fine.

But Eastern Wu actually killed Guan Yu directly; who could have imagined that?

Would it not have been better to take Guan Yu and negotiate terms with Liu Bei?

Of course, the fact that Eastern Wu backstabbed Shu Han had already become reality.

Now that Eastern Wu was facing this choice again, what choice would Eastern Wu make?

There was no surprise.

Sun Quan already had a decision in his heart, and he said with a gloomy face, "Now that Shu Han is coming aggressively, is this why I let you argue here? Zhuge Liang has already occupied Chang'an; Cao Wei could be destroyed in a single morning or evening, and the next one might be us, Eastern Wu. Tell me, what should we do in the end?"

Once Sun Quan said this, how could the ministers present not understand?

What could they do?

The King's meaning was clearly that he wanted to backstab Shu Han again.

Although backstabbing Shu Han was an old routine that everyone was very familiar with.

But the King did not want to take the blame and wanted someone else to propose it, right?

Everyone was filled with contempt for Sun Quan in their hearts, but helplessly, even if they felt contempt, they still had to take the blame.

"King, the current strategy should be to deploy troops to Jingzhou. While Shu Han occupies Chang'an City, we shall deploy troops to Jingzhou, and we must make it so that Shu Han cannot attend to both ends."

Even if other ministers had objections, knowing that Sun Quan had already made his decision, they said nothing more.

Mainly because they could not persuade him anyway.

Sun Quan looked at the ministers present, sighed, and said, "It is not that our Eastern Wu disregards the feelings of the alliance, it is truly that Shu Han is being too overbearing."

Sun Quan began another performance, and as for how exactly Shu Han was being overbearing, he did not say.

In any case, regarding the matter of backstabbing an ally.

It was enough to barely cover it with a fig leaf.

Everyone knew the true situation and what it was all about.

Sun Quan immediately ordered people to station troops in Jingzhou, ready to use force against Shu Han at any time.

Ever since Guan Yu was killed, Shu Han had been in an unfavorable position on the Jingzhou battlefield.

Eastern Wu occupied a large portion of Jingzhou's territory, driving a nail into Shu Han, placing them in a position where they could advance to attack and retreat to defend.

"King, once our Eastern Wu army goes straight into Shu Han, using the land of Jingzhou to swallow Shu Han and annex the world, our Eastern Wu might not be unable to unify the world. At that time, King, you will be the only master of this world."

Immediately, a minister began to flatter him, loudly praising the King's wisdom.

Sun Quan was also very excited to hear these words.

Eastern Wu unifying the world and becoming the only master of this world—he, Sun Quan, would be the only emperor.

Master of the world, Emperor.

Thinking of this, Sun Quan could not help but have his breathing become a bit rapid.

This master of Eastern Wu, when he died, had posthumously conferred upon himself the title of Great Emperor.

One can imagine the extravagant hopes in the heart of this master of Eastern Wu.

Of course, extravagant hopes were just extravagant hopes; he had no actions to take now.

At this age, he only wanted to enjoy himself well.

However, upon hearing someone say this, Sun Quan inevitably had a beautiful fantasy once again.

Of course, this fantasy lasted only for an instant, and Sun Quan quickly calmed down.

Whether he could swallow up the world was unknown, but now was indeed a prime opportunity to attack Shu Han.

In Shu Han, Zhuge Liang was currently in Chang'an City, digesting the fruits of the battle of Chang'an City.

Within Shu Han, only the child Liu Chan was guarding it.

If he, Sun Quan, could not deal with Zhuge Liang, could he not even deal with a child like Liu Chan?

With an order from Sun Quan, the Eastern Wu army began to move.

And the envoy from Cao Wei had not yet arrived when he heard this news, and he was not at all surprised.

This was the kind of thing Eastern Wu was capable of doing.

The people of Cao Wei still had some respect for Eastern Wu, and Shu Han was a respectable opponent.

But they looked down upon Eastern Wu quite a bit.

Yet now, for the sake of the overall situation, they had to cooperate with this group of Jiangdong rats.

In Chengdu City, Liu Chan also received the news that the Shu Han army had occupied Chang'an City.

Liu Chan could not help but laugh out loud and say, "I knew it, Prime Minister would definitely be able to do it. Do you see? Did you all see? Prime Minister has already occupied Chang'an City, to restore the Great Han and return to the old capital; Prime Minister will eventually lead our Great Han soldiers to rebuild the Great Han."

Hearing Liu Chan's words, the ministers present were all somewhat surprised.

Had Prime Minister really achieved such military merit, and even occupied Chang'an City?

That was Chang'an City after all.

Restore the Great Han, return to the old capital.

The Great Han had two old capitals.

One was Luoyang, and the other was Chang'an.

Had Prime Minister actually achieved such a great military feat?

To tell the truth, Zhuge Liang had led the Shu Han army on northern expeditions time and time again.

Even if they occasionally achieved a little success, they were quickly repelled by Cao Wei again.

That is to say, the northern expeditions, one after another, basically ended in defeat.

Several northern expeditions had basically achieved no results.

Many ministers no longer held any hope for Zhuge Liang's northern expeditions.

They were even full of complaints about Zhuge Liang.

After all, war costs money.

Shu Han only had the territory of Yizhou, and battle after battle had already left Shu Han unable to bear the burden.

The comprehensive national strength of Shu Han was not as good as Cao Wei's to begin with, and if they continued to fight like this, Shu Han would be dragged to death.

Many ministers had complaints in their hearts regarding every northern expedition of Zhuge Liang.

However, Zhuge Liang was the anchor of Shu Han, and his prestige was very high.

Moreover, the Emperor trusted Zhuge Liang very much.

Restoring the Great Han and returning to the old capital was also the dying wish of the First Emperor, Liu Bei.

With so many buffs added, even if they had complaints, they had no way to do anything.

But who would have thought that in this northern expedition, Prime Minister not only won a great victory, but also occupied Chang'an City.

A minister of Shu Han immediately asked excitedly.

"Your Majesty, is this true? Prime Minister, has Prime Minister really conquered Chang'an City?"

Liu Chan snorted coldly and said, "Naturally it is true. I said it, Prime Minister would be able to do it sooner or later. You all usually point fingers and whisper behind his back; you are simply short-sighted."

Hearing Liu Chan's words, the ministers did not feel that they had lost face; on the contrary, they all could not help but reveal smiles.

Since these people of Shu Han had been following Liu Bei and following Zhuge Liang, they certainly hoped to restore the Great Han.

These people certainly included those who joined Shu Han for their own interests or the interests of their factions.

But more of them were persistent idealists.

They wanted to use their own actions to tell the people of this world that the Great Han had never left, and the glory of the Great Han still shone upon this world.

Now that they heard Zhuge Liang had occupied Chang'an City, how could they not be happy?

This meant they were one step closer to the dream of restoring the Great Han.

"Your Majesty is right. It is this humble minister who was blind and cannot compare to Prime Minister. Prime Minister plans strategies within a command tent and has conquered Chang'an City; he is truly a divine man."

"Your Majesty, we must reward Prime Minister. Prime Minister was able to achieve such great results; he must have put in unprecedented effort. We must reward Prime Minister."

All the ministers present offered their congratulations in unison.

Prime Minister had achieved such a great victory; he must be rewarded, rewarded heavily.

There were also factional struggles within Shu Han, such as the Jingzhou faction and the Yizhou faction.

But on the common goal of restoring the Great Han, there was no disagreement.

And they also had the ambition and vision to unify the world.

Liu Chan smiled and said, "Of course we must reward Prime Minister well. The Great Han will eventually become great again in Prime Minister's hands and in My hands. Prime Minister and I will definitely restore the Great Han for the third time."

Hearing Liu Chan's words, the ministers present could not help but have their eyes erupt with intense fervor.

To rebuild the Great Han for the third time, the third restoration of the Great Han.

At this moment, all the ministers present seemed to hear the echoes of the Great Han and felt the mandate of heaven surging.

If they could restore the Great Han for the third time, then all of them would leave their names in history.

That only those with the surname Liu could be kings would become the consensus of the world thereafter.

Thinking of this, all the ministers present erupted with unprecedented spirit; they could still fight for Shu Han for another hundred years.

At this moment, a minister spoke up, "Your Majesty, Zhuge Chengxiang has occupied Chang'an City, but we must also pay attention to Eastern Wu."

The words of this minister served as a reminder to all the ministers present.

Indeed, one had almost forgotten the rats of Jiangdong.

Back then, under the leadership of the First Sovereign Liu Bei, the Shu Han was as imposing as a rainbow.

General Guan Yu shook Huaxia with his might and shocked Cao Wei.

The Shu Han was at an unprecedented peak at that time, nearly driving Cao Wei to the brink of national collapse.

But who would have known that Eastern Wu would step out and stab them in the back, harming General Guan Yu.

The peak national strength of the Shu Han could be said to have plummeted directly from that very moment.

Later on, the First Sovereign of Shu Han, Liu Bei, passed away.

The Shu Han, which had once shown signs of unifying the world, fell into complete silence.

How could the Shu Han ministers present not hate Eastern Wu?

After all, if it weren't for the ally Eastern Wu stabbing them in the back, the Shu Han would not have nearly been unable to recover.

This time, with Zhuge Chengxiang occupying Chang'an City, I fear the rats of Jiangdong are going to stir up trouble again.

After all, it is not the first time the rats of Jiangdong have done such a thing as a backstab.

Of course the Shu Han hates the rats of Jiangdong; if it weren't for the rats of Jiangdong, the Shu Han would not still be recovering its vitality to this day.

The First Sovereign Liu Bei even passed away because of the rats of Jiangdong; this is a blood feud.

It is only because they have always had to face Cao Wei that this blood feud has been temporarily buried.

If there is an opportunity to avenge the First Sovereign, the Shu Han will certainly seize it.

And in reality, it did not exceed the expectations of the people of Shu Han; soon, everyone received the news.

The rats of Jiangdong have already made unusual movements, deploying troops to Jingzhou.

It is clearly a preparation to reenact the act of stabbing an ally in the back from before.

Upon receiving this news, the ministers of Shu Han were all filled with indignation.

"Your Majesty, we must teach the rats of Jiangdong a harsh lesson."

"Your Majesty, revenge! Avenge the First Sovereign, avenge General Guan Yu."

For so many years, these hatreds have never disappeared; they were merely hidden away.

Waiting only for the day when they could exact revenge and wipe away the shame.

Now that there is an opportunity for revenge, they will certainly seize it.

An unprecedented fire of rage also ignited in the heart of Liu Chan.

He remembered the heavy snow at Maicheng; he had lost his second uncle.

He remembered the great fire at Yiling; he had lost his father.

Those were the elders who had watched him grow up.

Liu Chan took a deep breath; back then, in his ignorance, he had taken on the heavy burden of the Shu Han.

The uncles who had always sheltered him from the wind and rain were almost all dead.

Fortunately, he has had his Prime Minister all these years, otherwise, he would not have known how to carry on.

Liu Chan looked at the Shu Han ministers present and said in a deep voice, "Revenge, of course we must have revenge. The rats of Jiangdong have bullied us too much, stabbing us in the back time and time again. I will definitely make the rats of Jiangdong pay the price."

As soon as Liu Chan spoke, the ministers present were filled with righteous indignation.

The harm the rats of Jiangdong caused the Shu Han was truly too great; it could be said to have directly led to the decline of the Shu Han from its peak.

"Your Majesty, this time, we must show those rats of Jiangdong what we are made of."

"Your Majesty, this old minister requests to fight."

As long as it is to fight the rats of Jiangdong, all the Shu Han ministers present want to join in.

To tell the truth, if it were not for the struggle for legitimacy with Cao Wei, the one the Shu Han would rather fight is the rats of Jiangdong.

"Your Majesty, these rats of Jiangdong want to stab us in the back again this time; even if we deploy troops, we must be careful and cautious."

"Yes, after all, those rats of Jiangdong have always been full of treacherous schemes."

There were also calm ministers who spoke up, pouring a bucket of cold water on the Shu Han ministers present.

The rats of Jiangdong must certainly be fought, but one must be cautious.

After all, last time the Shu Han fell for the treacherous scheme of the rats of Jiangdong due to carelessness.

This time, there must absolutely be no mistakes.

More importantly, the elite forces of the Shu Han are currently on the battlefield against Cao Wei, all having been taken away by Zhuge Liang.

Facing the rats of Jiangdong, the strength they can mobilize is very limited.

Liu Chan smiled and said, "Everyone, rest assured, this time I will lead the campaign in person."

(End of this chapter)