Chapter 336: Zhang Xian is critically ill, and a major epidemic breaks out in southern Jing Persuading Zhang Xian to surrender was the task Qin Zhen assigned to Lu Xun, but how to accomplish this task was up to Lu Xun himself. In fact, on the way here, Lu Xun had thought about what attitude he should have. After all, Zhang Xian had no connection with them, so even if he was desperate, he had no reason to surrender to them. Liu Bei is now only the General of the Eastern Expedition, and it is neither reasonable nor logical for him to be in charge of the internal affairs of Jingzhou. If Zhang Xian wanted to surrender, legally he should surrender to Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, rather than to them. In this case, how could he get the meal into their mouths? So Lu Xun thought about it and came up with a strategy to persuade Zhang Xian to surrender first. Then, through the relationship of interest, they would lead the object of surrender to them, so that Zhang Xian would take the initiative to welcome Qin Zhen to the north. Only in this way could Qin Zhen enter the southern part of Jing openly and gradually seize Jingzhou.

So when he saw Huan Jie asking for a way to break the impasse, he said that it was simple and that all he had to do was surrender directly. But as to to whom the surrender was being offered, he vaguely defined it and did not directly state their purpose. These words obviously confused Zhang Xian and Huan Jie, and Huan Jie immediately said: "Your Excellency has not said enough. You only said that we surrender, but did not say to whom we surrender!" "Should I surrender to Liu Jingsheng or your army? Could you please tell me frankly?" Seeing him continue to ask questions, Lu Xun said to them as if it was a matter of course: "Jingnan is located in Jingzhou. If your army wants to surrender, it should surrender to Liu Mu." "As long as your army surrenders to Liu Mu, my lord will ensure that the Lord is safe!" These words made Zhang Xian and Huan Jie confused. They didn't expect Lu Xun to be so decisive. According to their judgment, Qin Zhen is sending an envoy now, and he must want to pick peaches. So now, if we want to persuade someone to surrender, the person to surrender should naturally be Liu Bei of Huainan. But the two did not expect that Lu Xun would give a decisive answer and ask them to surrender to Liu Biao. Could it be that Liu Bei came here specially to act as a lobbyist at Liu Biao's request? For a moment, Huan Jie, who was quite sure of Lu Xun's intention, said: "What do you mean by that? Don't you know that Liu Biao has already responded to the traitor Yuan Shao?" "The reason why you are leading the troops here to resist is because you have received the order from the court to help fight against the enemy." "I think Liu Zhengdong has received great favors from the country, and now he is joining Cao Gong to attack Yuan Shao, so they should be an alliance." "Why don't you think of sending troops to help them, but instead encourage us to surrender to the enemy?" Zhang Xian, who was listening to this, also looked at Lu Xun indignantly: "If Liu Zhengdong really wants to help Liu Biao, the thief, then even if the army is coming, Xian should not follow him!" The relationship between him and Liu Biao was not simply a national feud, but a personal grudge! Zhang Xian was a very stubborn person, which was why he would never surrender. Seeing the two's reaction, Lu Xun knew what was going on and pretended not to know: "If what you two said is true, Liu Mu actually allied with Yuan Shao." "My master really doesn't know about this matter. Do you have any evidence?"

Seeing him like this, Huan Jie realized that Liu Bei probably had no excuse to attack Liu Biao, so he said in a deep voice: "Why do we need evidence for this? Liu Biao and Yuan Shao have been friends for a long time." "When Sun Polu went south, Liu Biao was ordered by Yuan Shao to kidnap him." "After Liu Biao firmly established himself in Jingzhou, he often acted presumptuously." "As for last year, this man received a letter from Yuan Shao and led his troops north to attack the emperor." "Fortunately, our army was able to hold the thief back from the sidelines and prevent him from succeeding." "I didn't expect this man to attack the emperor's carriage with Yuan Shao. Now Liu Zhengdong is going to attack Yuan Shao, why not attack Liu Biao?" When Lu Xun heard this, he was shocked and asked again: "Sir, are you serious? Liu Biao really wants to go north and abduct the emperor?" He had come to persuade the enemy to surrender under Qin Zhen's orders, but he also knew that Qin Zhen was deliberately looking for trouble! But now after hearing this news, he felt that even if he failed this time, his trip would not be in vain! Because what they lack now is not Jingnan, but an excuse to send troops! An excuse that was enough to turn against Liu Biao but would not affect the world's evaluation of them. And Liu Biao sent troops north to kidnap the emperor, which was obviously a good excuse. After all, Liu Biao could interpret the simple act of going north to rob the emperor's carriage as welcoming the emperor south. But that time the emperor was assassinated, and Yuan Shao was slandered because he sent troops. If Liu Biao also participated in the military operation, then this basin of dirty water would be thrown on Liu Biao. Huan Jie said this because he knew Liu Bei's needs. He directly stated: "The Lord and I are willing to act as guarantors. I wonder if Liu Zhengdong is willing to send troops to attack him?" Zhang Xian also saw Huan Jie's intention at this time, nodded and said: "I wish to write a memorial to accuse Liu Biao of his crimes and have Liu Zhengdong attack Liu Biao!" Faced with such statements from the two, Lu Xun was naturally very happy. With this memorial, Qin Zhen could naturally send troops. But thinking about the mission he was on this mission, he hesitated and said: "But I see that the Lord is in good health and Liu Biao is attacking him very urgently. I am afraid it is too late to submit a petition now!" "To be honest with you two, our Jiangdong Grand Commander Qin Jun is now leading his troops to Cangwu." "If you are willing, you can write a letter asking for help and ask Qin Jun to come and help first." "Then I will submit a memorial to the emperor, detailing Liu Biao's crimes, and ask you to send troops. Is that possible?" Having said this, he naturally revealed his true intentions and stated his purpose. Since you can no longer resist, why not ask for help directly and let us go north to help. Once we go to war with Liu Biao, subsequent troops will naturally follow. However, the two of them remained silent after hearing what he said. Zhang Xian stroked his beard and smiled:

"In this way, we can understand the intention of General Zhengdong. Coming to help Jingnan is fake, and the real intention is to take Jingzhou." "Since your army has such intentions, why don't you just state it clearly when you arrive? Why resort to such tricks?" When Lu Xun saw him like this, he immediately looked ashamed. It turned out that Zhang Xian already knew his intention and was just trying to lure him into revealing his true purpose. "The reputation of the mansion master is indeed well-deserved, but this time I have made a fool of myself!" "Otherwise, today we will be able to meet the talented people under Liu Zhengdong's command!" Seeing Lu Xun's ashamed expression, Zhang Xian shook his head and sighed: "I see that you are not even an adult yet, but you have such a mind. Your future is limitless!" "It's a pity that in our land of Jingnan, with a population of over a million, there is no such young talent." "You know, to support the Han Dynasty, we need heroes like Liu Zhengdong!" "Well, I know my time is coming, and I can't protect the three counties." "It would be better to offer it to Liu Zhengdong, so that the officials of the three counties can be saved." "Bo Xu, can you come with me to find the wooden letter? I will personally ask Liu Zhengdong to send troops!" Huan Jie saw that he was about to get up, so he hurried forward to support him and said: "Your Majesty is ill, I can do it for you, why do you have to do this?" Zhang Xian listened to his dissuasion, then grinned, waved his hand and said: "It's okay. It's just a letter. It won't take much effort." "Now that we are asking for General Zhengdong's help, we should write it in person to show our sincerity." "Don't talk nonsense, go and get me the wooden tablet and writing brush!" Seeing him like this, Huan Jie's eyes couldn't help but turn red, and he went out to find the wooden tablet. When Lu Xun saw Zhang Xian being so heroic, he felt a little admiration in his heart. Before the two of them could see, it didn't take long for Zhang Xian to write a letter for help and hand it to Lu Xun. But before Lu Xun took over, Zhang Xian spat out a mouthful of blood. Lu Xun was shocked when he saw this, and he and Huan Jie quickly helped Zhang Xian onto the couch. After Zhang Xian got on the bed, he took Lu Xun's hand and said: "I will not be here long. If you leave, please come back quickly, otherwise the land of Jingnan will be difficult to defend!" After hearing the instructions, Lu Xun nodded hurriedly and walked out of the mansion. But at this moment, a middle-aged man with a white cloth covering his face suddenly came out and said: "Who are you, where are you from, and why do you want to see my brother?" The sudden appearance of the middle-aged man startled Lu Xun. After reacting, he realized that the middle-aged man might be Zhang Xian’s brother, so he bowed and said: "I am Liu Zhengdong's subordinate, and I am here on a special mission under the order of my superiors!" "Now I have received a letter from the Lord asking for help, and I want to go to Cangwu to ask for help!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw the middle-aged man in a panic, grabbing his hand and saying: "My friend, don't go. Don't send any more troops to Jingnan!" "Since last year, a major epidemic has occurred in southern Jing. Many people have died and the treasury is empty." "Now that the epidemic is about to end, it is time to rest and recuperate and comfort the people." "Why are you still raising an army? Don't you know that great epidemics often start in the army?" The middle-aged man's words made Lu Xun's scalp numb and his face turned pale. "Sir, you just said that there is an epidemic rampant in the southern part of Jing?" Epidemics are the most deadly disasters in history, bar none. The end of the Eastern Han Dynasty was the time when plague was most prevalent in history. Since the last years of Emperor Huan's reign, an unprecedented nationwide plague broke out in the Han Dynasty. Almost before autumn and winter, the epidemic would return, taking away large numbers of people. Although Lu Xun had never experienced an epidemic, he knew how terrifying it was. When he heard that there was an epidemic in Jingnan, he was shocked. If this is true, then if they send troops to Jingnan now, it would be tantamount to bringing their subordinates to their deaths. In response to his inquiry, the middle-aged man hurriedly recounted the situation in Jingnan. It turned out that since Zhang Xian started his rebellion, Liu Biao and Zhang Xian had fought several battles in Xiangjiang River. Under the leadership of Liu Biao's generals Huang Zhong and Liu Pan, Zhang Xian was defeated repeatedly. By last spring, Zhang Xian could no longer hold on. But at this time, a plague swept across the four counties of southern Jing, and the people of southern Jing were infected one after another. Before the epidemic, the population of the four counties in southern Jing exceeded two million. But after a year of epidemic, the population of the four counties dropped sharply to more than million. A full quarter of the population died in this massive epidemic. The soldiers under Liu Biao were also infected with the disease, and suffered countless casualties, so he had to retreat. This epidemic lasted until the summer of the fifth year of Jian'an. It was not until autumn that the epidemic gradually subsided, but as the weather turned colder, the epidemic showed signs of resurfacing. This is also the reason why the middle-aged man hurried to dissuade them when he heard that there was going to be another war. Listening to the middle-aged man's words, Lu Xun couldn't help but frowned and bowed. "I haven't asked for your name yet? What is your relationship with the Lord?" When the middle-aged man heard this, he hurriedly revealed his identity, and he was Zhang Ji Zhang Zhongjing. Zhang Ji was originally Zhang Xian's younger brother and came from a family of officials. However, he hated the intrigues in officialdom since he was a child, and at the age of ten he became a disciple of the famous doctor Zhang Bozu.

Since the pandemic began last year, he has been treating patients and looking for a cure. It was because of the kindness of a doctor that Zhang Ji felt extremely desperate when he saw the people dying helplessly. But he has preliminarily judged that the plague is related to the respiratory tract, so he always wears a mask when going out. Lu Xun naturally had never heard of Zhang Ji's reputation, but now he was in a difficult situation! Seeing that Zhang Xian was terminally ill, Jingnan was about to fall into the hands of Liu Biao. If they miss this opportunity, it will be difficult for them to find an excuse to send troops again. But if we send troops now, we may be defeated because of the epidemic! Thinking of this, he couldn't make a decision for a moment, so he could only bow to Zhang Ji and say: "If what you said is true, we really shouldn't raise an army." "But I have a heavy responsibility and it is difficult for me to make a decision. I need to go back and report." "If Lord Qin had said that we should not send troops, our army would not have come forward!" Zhang Ji saw that he was in a dilemma and could not help but frowned and said: "Who is the Qin Jun you are talking about? Where is he now?" When Lu Xun heard this, he told the truth and explained that Qin Zhen was in Cangwu. Unexpectedly, when Zhang Ji heard this, he immediately clapped his hands and said: "In that case, wait a moment, my friend. I will go with you to persuade him!" After saying that, he took Lu Xun to pack his luggage and followed Lu Xun directly to Jiaozhou. ps: It’s already 2025 before we know it, I wish all my readers a happy new year! (End of this chapter)