“Is the Lord here?” Zhou Yu struggled to get from his bed and coughed.
“Gongjin! Don’t move! Be careful of your wound!” Sun Ce hurried to Zhou Yu’s side. Zhou Yu’s wound was starting to form a scar. The danger had passed and now he only needed to wait for his wounds to heal but the situation could deteriorate if his wounds reopened.
“In that case, I won’t get up.” Zhou Yu smiled back at Sun Ce.
“Gongjin. We have news of Xiang’er.” Sun Ce said to Zhou Yu. His relationship with Zhou Yu was so good that there were many things he did not keep secret. One of which was his worries when his treasured little sister went missing.
“There is news of Xiang’er? That’s good! Quickly have her return!” Zhou Yu saw Sun Shangxiang as a sister. Since Zhou Yu knew Sun Ce for a long time, he had also watched Sun Shangxiang grow up.
“She might not come back.” Sun Ce replied gloomily.
“Did something happen to Xiang’er?” Zhou Yu was shocked. Was Sun Shangxiang murdered?
“No. In fact, she is living very well.” Sun Ce shook his head as he smiled bitterly.
“Hm?” If she was living well, then why was Sun Ce acting like this?
“Xiang’er got married.” Sun Ce said to Zhou Yu.
“Married? Who did she marry?” Zhou Yu was shocked. In that era, marriage is decided by the parents. Yet, Sun Ce was the last to find out.
“She married Yangzhou’s King of Shu, Liu Mang.” Sun Ce replied.
“What!” Zhou Yu’s eyes widened.
“Gongjin, do you remember I once ‘respected’ Yuan Shu as an adoptive father in order to obtain his support and my father’s old subordinates.” In other words, Liu Mang could use the Yuan Family’s name for approval. Yuan Fang could call Sun Shangxiang sister and ‘act’ as matchmaker for the Yuan Family.
“She married Liu Mang?” Zhou Yu started to feel dizzy.
“Liu Mang wants to obtain my Jiangdong.” Sun Ce was not a fool. It is just that sometimes, he did not want to think too hard. The things he is puzzled by could easily be solved by Zhou Yu.
He clearly knew the reason Liu Mang married Sun Shangxiang. Otherwise, it was unlikely for Liu Mang to accept her as a wife since it might cause disorder at the rear court.
“Liu Mang wants to gain righteousness.” Zhou Yu understood. Now Liu Mang had the right to send troops to Jiangdong. Cao Cao’s decree caused Liu Mang of Yangzhou and the Sun Family of Jiangdong to be related by marriage. Now Liu Mang could send troops to Jiangdong as the brother-in-law of Sun Ce.
“If it was not because of Zhongmou...! Sigh!” Sun Ce sighed regretfully. If it was not because of Sun Quan causing trouble, Liu Mang would not have the right to get involved with Jiangdong even if he married Sun Shangxiang.
“Did the messenger from Yangzhou asks you to surrender?” Zhou Yu’s question was if Yangzhou had threatened Sun Ce to surrender or they would attack.
“No. All they sent was a letter from Xiang’er.” Sun Ce shook his head. Liu Mang was being very polite.
“Damn it!” Zhou Yu was not gratified and instead became worried.
“Milord! Quickly send someone to chase down Yangzhou’s envoy!” Zhou Yu said worriedly.
“Hm?” Sun Ce did not know why he should chase down the envoy.
“Quickly chase him down and ask him what treatment we will receive if we surrender to Yangzhou!” Zhou Yu said to Sun Ce.
“Surrender? No! I will not surrender!” Sun Ce shook his head. It had already been said before that Sun Ce was someone who values his own reputation a lot. After losing to Liu Mang, he would be thinking of how to win instead of surrender.
“Milord. We will just be pretending. We must do this if you still want to pursue Jiangdong’s ambition!” Zhou Yu said to Sun Ce. Another way of saying it is that if Liu Mang was not ready to attack, then he would be threatening Sun Ce. On the other hand, there was no threat which meant that Liu Mang had already prepared to dispatch troops. It might be possible that this envoy would return saying that there was nothing to discuss, resulting in an immediate invasion.
“Grand Governor! Where are you?” A voice anxiously called while Zhou Yu and Sun Ce were talking.
“The Lord and the Grand Governor are in this room. What’s wrong?” Lu Meng who was outside stopped this person.
“Quick! Tell the Grand Governor that Yangzhou’s army at Jiangxia has moved!” The man fainted right after speaking. He was someone dispatched by Zhou Yu to watch Yangzhou’s movements after Zhuge Liang sent their army sinking in the river.
“Quick! Help him in!” Lu Meng ordered for the person to be let in. Sun Ce and the others wanted to question him but the man was unconscious.
“Use cold water!” Zhou Yu said from his bed. “Military situations are urgent so we can only do this!”
Cold water was quickly brought over and splashed onto the soldier. The soldier got up in a daze.
“Where am I?”
“This is the Grand Governor’s room. Quickly speak. What happened at Jiangxia? What about Yangzhou’s army?” Lu Meng asked anxiously.
“Milord. Grand Governor. Lujiang and Jiangxia are allocating provisions. The Jiangxia Navy has begun to move down South.” The soldier replied.
“South?” Sun Ce and Zhou Yu started to feel nervous. If Yangzhou was heading South, then the only possible reason was to attack Jiangdong.
“How many men are there?” Zhou Yu and Sun Ce asked.
“I... I do not know. But there are a lot of provisions and ships. There were three camps at Lujiang moving.
“Three camps?” Normally, each camp would have about five thousand men stationed there. Three camps meant at least fifteen thousand men. Jiangxia’s Navy should also be sending this amount of troops. So the total should be about thirty thousand to fifty thousand men. Yangzhou’s King of Shu really thought too highly of them to be sending so many elites without making a sound. If it was not because Sun Ce was present here on this day, they would have only found out by the time Yangzhou was at their doorstep. At that time, there would be no other options besides surrender.
“Fifty thousand men!” Sun Ce furrowed his brows. Before this, he would not be too concerned about numbers since Jiangdong could still take out a hundred thousand men even if it was not as prosperous as Jingzhou. It was one of the reasons why Jiangdong’s Navy was famous. But now, Jiangdong was exhausted and could only spare twenty thousand men at most. How were they supposed to fight?
“If they attack, I will defend Jiangdong myself!” Sun Ce gritted his teeth. One of the ways he could do that was to rely on Jiangdong’s walls.
“Milord! No!” Zhou Yu immediately objected. “Milord, are our walls as firm as those from the Central Plains?”
Sun Ce shook his head. Since they relied on the Yangtze River as a moat, their walls were low. On top of that, the ground was muddy so the foundation wasn’t deep and strong. Their walls really could not compare walls from the cities on the Central Plains.
“Milord. That Liu Bei was using his fortified city of Yuzhou but what happened in the end?” Zhou Yu said. At the end of the day, Liu Bei was only left with Runan.
Sun Ce became discouraged. It was true that Jiangdong’s walls was weaker than Yuzhou so he could not hope for it to help.
“Must I really surrender to Liu Mang?” Sun Ce still wanted to salvage his face.
“Milord. We don’t actually need to surrender.” Zhou Yu smiled and replied.
“Hm?” Sun Ce did not understand what Zhou Yu meant.
“Milord. What we need to do is stall them.” Zhou Yu replied. What Jiangdong lacked was time and money. If they had those, Jiangdong could recover.
“In that case, we should dispatch someone to Jiangdong to negotiate with Marquis Wu.” Liu Mang smiled as he said to the others. “Who is willing to go?”
“Milord. I am willing to go!” Zhuge Liang quickly took the lead and recommended himself.
Liu Mang frowned. Though it was good that Zhuge Liang was proactive, he had just tried to stop Jiangdong from surrendering. For some reason, Zhuge Liang was also extremely hostile to Zhou Yu. Liu Mang was afraid that Zhuge Liang would ruin things. So Liu Mang shook his head. “Kongming. It is not that I don’t want you to go. However, you had sent sixty thousand men into the Yangtze River. If you were to go to Jiangdong, I would not be able to guarantee your safety!”
Zhuge Liang’s actions had already vilified him to the populace. After all, each of the soldier that died was someone’s father, brother or son. If Zhuge Liang were to go, Liu Mang would also need to dispatch people to protect him.
“Milord. Is there anyone more familiar with Jiangdong compared to me?” Zhuge Liang frowned as he replied. “Milord just needs to dispatch a troop of guards. Even if I don’t have guards, they would not dare to harm me!” Zhuge Liang said with a little bit of disdain. He had learned much when fighting against Jiangdong with Jingzhou’s navy. Besides that, as Liu Mang and Yangzhou’s representative, harming him would immediately start a war. As a result, Sun Ce would even need to dispatch people to protect Zhuge Liang.
Zhuge Liang’s words were correct but Liu Mang simply did not want Zhuge Liang to go in fear of him messing things up. Besides, there actually is someone who is more familiar with Jiangdong. Liu Mang turned to look at Lu Su.
Lu Su Lu Zijing may be an honest person but that does not mean that he is without worldly wisdom. As Zhuge Liang had already recommended himself, Lu Su did not speak up as it would mean trying to fight for the position with Zhuge Liang.
Not wanting to offend anyone, Lu Su was ready to close his eyes and ignore everything. But then he could only smile bitterly when he noticed Liu Mang staring at him with a glint in his eyes. It would seem that offending someone could not be avoided. Lu Su helplessly agreed while cupping his fist. “Milord. I am willing to go.”
“Zijing! You!” Zhuge Liang’s eyes grew wide as he stared at Lu Su. Even he had to admit that Lu Su knew Jiangdong more than him but he did not expect that the honest Lu Su dared to offend him.
Lu Su looked back at Zhuge Liang helplessly. It is not like he could say that the Lord was threatening him. He could only say to Zhuge Liang. “Kongming. It is not my intention to oppose you but Jiangdong is my home. If a discussion is possible then discussion would be better.” Lu Su was saying that as a Jiangdong person, he wanted Jiangdong to surrender peacefully so that the people will not suffer. Zhuge Liang could not even say anything back because Lu Su was not wrong. He could not obstruct Lu Su through words.
“Milord. Zijing is honest in nature. He is not suitable for diplomacy!” Zhuge Liang tried to persuade Liu Mang. If he was even more blunt, he would have said that Lu Su was so unsuited for diplomacy that he could have sold houses and still lose money.
Liu Mang frowned. If he were to send Zhuge Liang, there was a high chance it would turn into a battle. Everyone knows that Zhuge Liang was pro-war. However, if he were to send Lu Su instead, he would first of all, offend Zhuge Liang. Second, Lu Su was an honest person so there was a high chance that Lu Su would end up causing them to lose profit.
“Milord, High Official Zhuge. Do not worry. I will dispatch someone to accompany High Official Lu.” Yang Hong stood forward and said.
“Foreign Minister Yang!” Zhuge Liang could not oppose any more since Yang Hong was the one in charge of foreign affairs. In comparison to Yang Hong, Zhuge Liang and Lu Su are both amateurs. Yang Hong was the real expert. Even Zhang Zhao of Jiangdong who wanted to benefit from Yang Hong ended up getting the tables turned on him.
If the real expert have already spoken, what else could Zhuge Liang say?
“Good. If Uncle Hong says this, I am sure Kongming can be reassured.” Liu Mang smiled.
“Lu Su, receive the order!” Liu Mang turned to Lu Su.
“Lu Su is present!” Lu Su stepped forward and knelt down.
“Lu Su. I order you to go to Jiangdong to serve as an ambassador. You can decide on all matters and if you need anything, you can take it from Yangzhou. Bring me Jiangdong. Whether it is through peace or force, you can decide for yourself.” Liu Mang said, giving Lu Su a lot of authority. If Lu Su doesn’t want to negotiate anymore, he can order the fifty thousand troops that is already on standby to attack.
“Lu Su accepts the order and will live up to Milord’s expectations.” Lu Su nodded and was very grateful to how Liu Mang treasures him.
The meeting was quickly wrapped up. Liu Mang appointed Lu Su while Yang Hong will dispatch someone to assist him in making Jiangdong surrender.
Zhuge Liang left with a poor expression. Lu Su saw Zhuge Liang and shook his head before chasing after him.
“Kongming! Wait for me!” Lu Su chased Zhuge Liang with large strides.
Zhuge Liang could not help but snort coldly when he saw Lu Su. “Is something the matter?”
“Kongming. You know that I really did not want to compete against you!” Lu Su smiled bitterly as he replied to Zhuge Liang.
“Is there any meaning to saying such things?” Zhuge Liang said back.
“Kongming. You are right that I am too honest. I also did not expect the Lord to dispatch me. But I have no alternative. Jiangdong is my home. My family still lives there. So please forgive me for this but I really do not want Jiangdong and Yangzhou to go to war.” Lu Su explained.
Zhuge Liang sighed at Lu Su’s sincere appearance while shaking his head. “Zijing. Normally, you are intelligent but why are you so pure this time? Don’t you know what kind of people Jiangdong’s Sun Ce and Zhou Yu are? Milord wants Jiangdong to surrender but can’t you see that these two will not surrender?” Zhuge Liang said.
Sun Ce was an ambitious warrior and also a feudal lord. As a warrior, surrendering to Liu Mang would not be a problem. But in that era, feudal lords that surrendered are kept in captivity. How could an ambitious person like Sun Ce be willing to be held captive? Then there was Zhou Yu who is extremely loyal to Sun Ce. If Sun Ce refuses to surrender, Zhou Yu would not either.
“Kongming. I...!” Lu Su did not know what to say.
“Zijing. If you treat me as a friend then listen to me. Didn’t the Lord give you the authority to decide matters? Have General Lu Xun march towards Jiangdong. Have the soldiers split up to attack Jianye in the North and Kuaiji in the South. That way we can capture Jiangdong.” Zhuge Liang already had plans for attacking Jiangdong. If Liu Mang had given the authority to Zhuge Liang, he would have attacked immediately.
“Kongming. I cannot promise you this.” Lu Su shook his head.
“Why?” Zhuge Liang asked as he stared back unwaveringly.
“Milord ordered me to go to Jiangdong to make a decision. We should use tricks before attacking.” Lu Su tried to persuade Zhuge Liang.
“Don’t talk to me about the Art of War. I have read more than you about such matters! Let me tell you. Zijing, you know the Art of War but you do not know how to read people. Let us wait and see who is right. I will tell you that you are wrong. I will also tell the Lord that Jiangdong will not surrender!” Zhuge Liang replied and then left, ignoring Lu Su’s calls.
“Kongming!” Lu Su gritted his teeth. He wanted to listen to Zhuge Liang’s advice as Zhuge Liang was his friend. However, Zhou Yu was also his friend.
“Kongming, do not worry. I will look at things in JIangdong carefully. If they act suspiciously, I will immediately send the troops.” Lu Su mumbled to himself as he looked at Zhuge Liang’s back.
Instead of returning to his residence immediately, Zhuge Liang went to his office at the Ministry of Justice. He then quickly wrote a letter.
“Men! Quickly send this letter to Jiangdong!” Zhuge Liang ordered.
“Hm? What is this?” One subordinate asked skeptically. Many people already knew that Zhuge Liang’s proposal was rejected by Liu Mang. So he thought that Zhuge Liang was still unwilling to give up.
“No need to waste words. This is just a family letter. You just need to quickly send it to Jiangdong.” Zhuge Liang replied in a bad mood.
“Understood!” The subordinate did not dare to talk back so he took the letter and saw that it was addressed to one ‘Dear Brother, Zhuge Jin’. He was certain that it was indeed a family letter.
“Kongming sent a letter to Jiangdong?” Liu Mang was in his study with Xu Shu and a group of people. Xu Shu was reporting about other things as well and mentioned this matter in passing.
“Zhuge Liang is sending letters behind my back? Could it be...?” Liu Mang furrowed his brows.
Seeing Liu Mang frown, Xu Shu quickly explained. “Milord. It is just a family letter. Kongming definitely has no intentions of betraying Milord!” Xu Shu had a good relationship with Zhuge Liang. It can even be said that Xu Shu went to Yangzhou to see how things were like before becoming Liu Mang’s subordinate because of Zhuge Liang.
Liu Mang shook his head at Xu Shu. “Yuanzhi, you are thinking too much. Am I someone who suspects my subordinates? There is no way he is Jiangdong’s spy. Even if he is, I will happily accept him.” Liu Mang replied. Zhuge Liang wiped out sixty thousand of Jiangdong’s elites. If Sun Ce did this just to insert a spy, then Liu Mang would happily ask for people to send more spies.
“I am just angry that he is stubborn and even send letters behind my back!” Liu Mang replied unhappily. How could an evildoer like Zhuge Liang send a normal letter. There is definitely a purpose. Yes, Zhuge Liang has a brother working in Jiangdong but why send a letter now?
“Should I send someone to stop the letter from being sent to Jiangdong?” Xu Shu asked.
“No need. He won’t give up if we stop the letter. Might as well let him send the letter and give up.” Liu Mang no longer tried to stop Zhuge Liang.