As soon as Sima Shi finished speaking, everyone around him broke into a cold sweat for him. The suggestion was practically a slap in the face. Yet, to their surprise, Sun Quan was actually intrigued.
"Explain it in detail." Sun Quan stroked his purple beard and spoke kindly.
"Chaisang has already been captured by Gan Ning. The situation in Yuzhang and Luling, the two western commanderies of Yang Province, is unknown, and the fate of the Jiangdong main force led by General Lu hangs in the balance. Why not cede Yuzhang and Luling? Secondly, Zhang Zibu coerced the officials of Jianye into rebelling against my foster father. It would be perfectly reasonable to have those officials raise funds afterward to redeem their guilt. As for the hostage..." Sima Shi did not dare continue.
"Lü'er was already trapped in Jianye. We can only wrong the child." Sun Quan found Sima Shi's plan feasible. Fortunately, Sun Deng was currently spending the summer in Wu Commandery. Otherwise, he truly would have lost the will to fight on.
Sun Quan turned to the others and asked, "What do you all think?"
Hu Zong, Zhuge Jin, and the others all remained silent. Seeing this, Sun Quan made his decision at once. "Eastern Wu is now as precarious as a pile of eggs. The plan offered by shier is not without merit. I will immediately write a letter seeking peace."
"My lord, Yuzhang and Luling may already be a fait accompli, but Lan Tian's military edge is at its height. He bears deep grudges against Eastern Wu and may not agree. Even if we negotiate, we must have military strength to contend with him. This minister still advises gathering troops as quickly as possible to retake Jianye. Otherwise, given enough time, the people's hearts will scatter."