Three Kingdoms Sugar King - Chapter 653



Only Krnovel

653. Interview with Zhang Hong

Sayanghyeon, Gwangneung-gun.

The little one was riding Cheoa and heading somewhere. As we passed Hyeonseong and approached a mansion in a village, the little boy quietly looked at the mansion and muttered to himself.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

Since I had been here once before, as I approached the front gate of the mansion, I saw other guests who appeared to be gathered there.

“Everyone get out of the way. “This is General Yongyang!”

At Mareuk’s shout, those gathered in front of the gate hurriedly scattered to the left and right and made their way.

But only one of them looked at Small without moving an inch.

“hmm? Someone said, was it just Sun Lang? “What brought you here?”

The person standing still in front of the gate was none other than Sun Ce. In response to the small question, Sun Ce politely spoke with a reluctant face.

“It’s been a while since I saw you. General Yongyang. Sun Ce of the Council sends greetings to General.”

“… … Sun Ce? ah! yes. You were the same age as Joo Rang. “So, did you follow the customs?”

“yes. I recently got crowned. “It is called Baekbu (伯符).”

“I understand. From now on, I will call you uncle. But what brought you here? “From what I heard, you went to Suchun after receiving a call from the general there.”

Since he was protecting Sun Ce’s family at Sun Jian’s request, he heard every detail of Sun Ce’s movements.

‘Yuan Shu sent someone to take Sun Ce away not long ago. Realizing that Sun Jian, who was in charge of the armed forces by his side, has a big vacancy, he is placing expectations on his son, Sun Ce, right? Still, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have an eye for talented people.’

In response to the small question, Sun Ce spoke with a sad expression.

“I envy you, General.”

“… … “You’re jealous of me?”

“yes. General, you have already built up great power in Western Zhou and Yangzhou and made your name known throughout the world. “Now that I am an adult, I am so envious of the fact that I can express my thoughts without hesitation.”

“… … .”

The little boy couldn’t tell if Sun Ce was truly envious or jealous, so he quietly looked at Sun Ce.

However, Sun Ce continued talking with a confident attitude.

“So now I want to speak out as an adult. So I came to see a famous person who could advise me on what I should do next.”

When he heard Sun Ce’s answer, he frowned and became lost in thought.

‘The owner of this mansion, Zhang Hong, was Sun Ce’s advisor and later played a major role in establishing the Wu Dynasty… … While I was out of sight for a moment, did he come here to be my copy? As expected from someone who laid the foundation of the Wu Dynasty, he has an eye for people.’

After thinking like that, he looked at Sun Ce and nudged him with words to find out his true intentions.

“hmm. Jagang is famous for his good handwriting. Is that perhaps why you want to meet me?”

Although Zhang Hong was excellent as a copyist, he was also famous for being good at using the small writing style. He was praised by Gong Yong for his academic prowess.

“yes? Is that possible? I have no particular interest in academics, so I have no interest in writing. “I just want to follow in the footsteps of my late father and become a general who fights enemies for my country.”

When Sun Ce revealed his aspirations, before he could say anything, someone came out from behind Sun Ce and intervened.

“General. “I hope you’ll stop by and criticize our master.”

“huh? “Who are you?”

In response to the question, the man spoke politely.

“My name is Yeobeom (呂範), and I am from Yeonnam-gun. He is a sleeping character (子衡). As you can see, he is an insignificant person living as an empty guest of the Son family.”

“Yeobeom?”

The little boy quietly looked at Yeobeom at the familiar name. He followed Sun Ce from the time he first raised an army, and was a talented person who was both a civil servant and a general.

Although he didn’t do anything remarkable enough to stand out, he was useful enough to be trusted to subdue bandits and rule a region as governor.

‘hmm. Come to think of it, there was a female criminal, right? It’s a pity that he was from Yeonam-gun. If he had known earlier, he would have sent someone to be his subordinate.’

As I clicked my tongue inwardly, Yeo-beom glanced at me and spoke cautiously.

“Our master has just completed his formal rites and has become an adult, so he is not yet skilled in worldly affairs. So, I hope that the general will look favorably on our master and encourage him to move forward as a general who will be loyal to the country.”

When Oh Beom turned around and told him to stop manipulating him and be nice to him, he smiled bitterly.

“… … hmm. I understand. Son Lang, or rather, Moon Dae, my uncle’s father, is a benefactor who has shown me great grace. So he also asked me to take care of the rest of my family. “So, Mrs. Oh, the uncle’s mother, sent plenty of her wealth and grain so that she could raise her children well.”

At those words, Oh Beom bowed his head and expressed his gratitude.

“I know very well that the general has been very considerate. “How could I not know that the rice I eat from home is also made from grains sent by the general?”

“is it? Anyway, I don’t have any ill feelings toward my uncle, so don’t worry. “I hope that he becomes a general who dedicates himself to the country like the late Master Moon, so I hope he does well.”

When I spoke my truth in such a small way, Sun Ce, who was listening, smiled and accepted it with a much more relaxed face.

As the atmosphere became more friendly, someone came out from the front door, looked at Sun Ce, and said.

“My master wants to see you two, so please come in.”

Hearing those words, Sun Ce stood shoulder to shoulder and entered the mansion.

* * *

In front of the separate room of Zhang Hong’s mansion.

When the servant guided him to the separate room where Zhang Hong was, Lu Fan spoke with Sun Ce and then approached him and said,

“General. “We have limited time, so it would be best to start with the busy general and see Jagang.”

“okay? “Thank you for that.”

“He says all kinds of things. The general took care of our master and his family, but would he not be able to do this much? Anyway, we will wait here, so please go in first and take care of business.”

The little boy thanked Sun Ce for giving him up and gave him a wink and immediately went into the separate room.

Inside the separate room, a middle-aged man in his 40s who looked spunky just by looking at him was waiting, standing upright.

“welcome. General Yongyang. I am Zhang Hong, the owner of this mansion. He is said to be a sleeping person.”

When Zhang Hong came in, he greeted him politely and offered him a seat. When Yeo sat down, Jang Hong took the kettle he had placed on the brazier next to him and served him a cup of tea.

“Since you have come a long way, let’s have some tea first.”

“yes.”

When Jang Hong gently offered tea and postponed the conversation, he just quietly sipped the tea. After some time had passed, Zhang Hong placed the teacup on the table and opened his mouth.

“I’ve had this much tea, and there are other customers outside, so it might be a good idea to have a chat. “Is the reason you came here the same as before?”

“yes. I came here to recommend Jagang as Mujae. I want you to be by my side and help me. “Right now, the task of governing Western Zhou and Yangzhou is not easy due to lack of talent.”

When he finally revealed his business, Jang Hong finished his tea and spoke.

“First of all, before I talk about that, I would like to thank you, General, as a citizen of Xuzhou. “If it weren’t for you, General, it’s scary to think how many people in Western Zhou would have died from that ruthless man named Cao Cao.”

“No, I don’t think that’s why you’re bowing down… … .”

When Jang Hong stood up and bowed, he was embarrassed and helped him up. However, only after Zhang Hong bowed patiently, did he sit down and continue speaking.

“Anyway, I really wanted to say thank you to the general. But that’s one thing, and me being commissioned after the general is a different matter.”

“yes? “What does that mean?”

In response to the question, Zhang Hong raised his hand and stroked his beard and said.

“I wonder what the general’s intentions are. “You have to know that before you can decide whether to serve it or not.”

“What do you mean? “I don’t know what you mean.”

When Jang Hong said that he did not understand the English sentence, he answered with a stern expression.

“General, do you have any intentions for the world?”

At that question, he said with a frown on his face.

“Is it heavenly? You’re saying something dangerous. I am a general who is respected by the Han Dynasty. “How could I have such an evil mind?”

“… … Isn’t that really true?”

When Zhang Hong continued to doubt and asked, the boy shook his head with a stern expression.

“no. “I will do my best to rebuild this collapsing country by attending His Majesty who is in Changan until the end.”

“I do my best. So, you’re saying that it might not be possible if things aren’t going well?”

He answered Jang Hong’s question with a serious expression.

“What I want is to end this chaotic mess. Just as the people of Western Zhou were brutally killed by Cao Cao, many people will continue to suffer in the future. “I’m just trying to stop that.”

“Are you saying that protecting the people comes before serving the emperor?”

“yes. Can a country really be safe without its people? “If fighting continues like this everywhere, in a few decades there will be less than half of our people left.”

“… … “Do you think it will go that far?”

When asked about the location, he answered with a sigh.

“That was a good shot too. “It’s scary to even think about how miserable it would be.”

As he said that, he recalled a paper that remained in his memory.

The paper said that from 184, when the Yellow Turban Rebellion occurred, to 220, after the establishment of the Three Kingdoms, the population dropped from about 60 million to 23 million.

‘In less than 40 years, 60% of the entire population disappeared. This is also a relatively small amount. Another paper said that 90% were dead. Moreover, after the Three Kingdoms were established, the average life expectancy of an adult male was in the mid-20s. Just thinking about it must have been a horrible hell.’

Zhang Hong looked at the boy’s stern appearance with a serious expression and was unable to say anything for a while.

“… … hmm. If the war continues, it may be as the general said. Well, let’s say that’s true. Then wouldn’t the priority be to serve the Son of Heaven and establish the country properly? When the government becomes stable, military leaders from various regions will submit to the government one by one, and fighting will naturally stop.”

The little one shook his head and answered those words.

“Mr. Jagang. “I’m sorry, but that’s wrong.”

“Wrong?”

“yes. The authority of the court has already fallen to the ground. Since the general there regained Changan and lost it to the traitors, no one has followed the government. Until then, governors and governors appointed by the government took office without any hindrance, but what has it been like since then?”

“… … It was shit. “The government-appointed officials clashed with the original officials, and a fight broke out.”

“yes. Moreover, everyone is fighting repeatedly by appointing governors and governors as they please. In such a situation, even if someone were to save the Emperor from the hands of traitors, would you easily follow him? Even people like Yuan Shao tried to appoint a new emperor, claiming that the emperor currently in Changan was not legitimate. “Will such people really listen to me?”

Jang Hong shook his head with a sad look on his face at the boy’s criticism.

“Huh. I have nothing to say. Yes, you are right. In the current situation, even if the Emperor were to attend, it would be difficult to end the war. Unless someone powerful helps. I want you to play that role. “Can you please give me an answer?”

As the younger Jang Hong said that and looked at him quietly, he gathered his thoughts for a moment and opened his mouth.