Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 186 Sun's Generals
At noon that day, the two cargo ships, escorted by a hundred warships, slowly left Qiantang Port and headed for Jiangling Port in Jingzhou.

The cargo ship's hold was filled with expensive gifts from Yan Yi to Li Jue, Guo Si and Emperor Xian Liu Xie.

When he had earlier conquered Yuncheng, he had sent two groups of people, disguised as merchants and migrants, to Chang'an in an attempt to establish contact with Emperor Xian. However, one group was detained by Yuan Shu, while the other was plundered by the remnants of the Yellow Turbans in Runan, and they returned home in defeat.

This failed experience made Yan Yi realize the danger of the road to Chang'an and began to look for a safer route.

Collaboration with Liu Biao greatly facilitated this search process.

Taking advantage of the favorable environment of the breakdown in the relationship between Yuan Shu and Li Jue, after careful preparation, the second team set off for Chang'an.

This team will head to Jiangling under the escort of one hundred warships and the support of the Jingzhou navy, then enter the northern area of ​​Nanyang controlled by Zhang Ji through Jingzhou, and finally arrive at Wuguan and enter the sphere of influence of Li Jue and Guo Si.

Liu Biao helped him to establish the relationship between Li Jue and Guo Si, and the security issues in Zhang Ji's jurisdiction were handled by Tao's Trading Company.

There are so many details in it that it would be tearful to talk about them too much.

Such a huge price was paid just to remove the label of "Wu Hui bandit" from Yan's body, obtain the official title from the court, and complete the transformation from bandit to Han official.

Yan Yi bribed Yan Baihu for the position of Wujun Duwei and bribed himself for the position of Danyang Taishou, and also made corresponding arrangements for his subordinates.

If this trip goes smoothly, the Yan family will gain the legitimacy to rule a region, which is of great significance.

Although Yuan Shu held the emperor's scepter, it was nothing compared to the edict issued by the emperor himself. Otherwise, Liu Yao's existence would not have made Yuan Shu feel afraid.

Yuan Shu in Shouchun City has been in high spirits recently, and he even dreams that Jiangdong has been taken into his pocket.

But his mood today was ruined by a voice that gradually made him feel annoyed.

"My lord, you must not allow Sun Ce to lead his troops to Wucheng! This is tantamount to releasing a ferocious tiger into the mountains and handing a sharp blade to a warrior. Once his claws are fully formed, they will surely devour their master!"

In the Zhongshi Palace in Shouchun, Yan Xiang grabbed Yuan Shu's robe and begged desperately.

Yuan Shu's face was filled with impatience. He struggled, but couldn't break free. His expression grew increasingly angry, and he shouted, "Wu Jing murdered civilians in several cities, and his reputation has been ruined. Now, word has spread that Zhu Zhi was killed by him, causing disunity among the officers and soldiers, and unsettling the army's morale. If I don't send Bo Fu to stabilize the situation, wouldn't this promising situation be ruined in an instant?"

After suffering the tragic defeats in the Battle of Yanzhou and the Battle of Xiangyang, Yuan Shu once fell into the quagmire of self-doubt, but now, he has regained his confidence and believes that his decision is absolutely correct.

The Wujun coalition forces were pinned to the ground by his own army, which made him see the weakness of Wujun.

The mutual losses of Yan Yi and Wang Lang made him see a fleeting opportunity for battle.

The fear and trepidation of Zu Lang, Zhou Shu and others made him regain his former confidence.

The victory reports from the front line made him see the possibility of capturing Wu and Hui counties with only a small number of troops.

Yuan Shao and Liu Biao wanted to use Yan Yi to hinder his control of Jiangdong, which made him want to retaliate immediately, and Yan Yi was the chicken he killed to scare the monkeys.

All these things made Yuan Shu determined to conquer Wuhui in one battle!

Now, the morale of Sun's troops is in turmoil, and only Sun Ce, who can take Lujiang as easily as taking something out of a bag, can stabilize the situation and expand his territory.

Thinking of this, Yuan Shu's expression turned fierce. He suddenly broke free from Yan Xiang's entanglement and strode away.

"My Lord, think twice! Even if we capture Wu Hui, we will only gain a powerful vassal and create an enemy!"

Yan Xiang's hoarse shouts came from behind.

As the sun sets in the west, Sun Ce stands with his sword on the ruined city wall of Shucheng.

The whistling river breeze blew up his blood-stained battle robe, and the big flag with the word "Sun" behind him unfurled in the smoke, like a ball of fire burning the sky and the earth.

Yuan Shu fooled him again and gave the post of Lujiang prefect to Liu Xun.

But Sun Ce no longer cared, because he was about to go to Jiangdong to create his own foundation!
"Come here! Gather all the generals to discuss this matter immediately!"

Following his order, famous and brave generals who had been through many battles walked towards the Shu County official temple one after another.

Han Dang, Cheng Pu, Chen Wu, Lü Fan, and Sun He.
Han Dang, courtesy name Yigong, was a native of Lingzhi in Liaoxi. He was an expert in archery and horsemanship, and was known as the Iron Wall of Jiangdong in history. He rose to the rank of General Zhaowu of the Eastern Wu, and was given the title of Commander-in-Chief and the title of Marquis of Shicheng.

Cheng Pu, courtesy name Demou, was a native of Tuyin, Youbeiping. He was the foremost veteran general of the Huaishui region, a pillar of the Sun family for three generations, and the leader of the Twelve Tiger Generals of Jiangdong. Chen Wu, courtesy name Zilie, was a native of Songzi, Lujiang. He was a hero of the Lujiang Shangjia, a fierce warrior who fought to the death to protect his master. He was the commander of Sun Wu's elite 'Lujiang Shangjia'.

Lü Fan, courtesy name Ziheng, was a native of Xianyang, Runan. He was a close minister of the Wu Kingdom and a man of great wisdom in planning strategies. Historically, he rose to the rank of Grand Marshal of the Eastern Wu Kingdom and was granted the title of Marquis of Nanchang.

Sun He, courtesy name Bohai, was a relative of Sun Jian and the chief of the imperial guards of Sun Ce.

Everyone here is a famous or talented person.

Clang
From the south street of Guansi Temple in Shucheng came the sound of a jade pendant tapping against a sword sheath. A young man in a white robe walked towards the gate of the temple with steady and calm steps. The soles of his boots stepped on the scattered arrows on the street, making crisp clicking sounds.

The young man was about twenty years old, eight feet tall, with sword-like eyebrows and a high nose bridge. His face, illuminated by the setting sun, was like a piece of warm jade, extremely handsome. When he walked, the corners of his robe fluttered like the wings of a crane, exuding a sense of elegance and grace from the Jiangnan water towns, while also exuding a heroic and majestic air.

As Lü Fan reached the gate of the official temple, he looked at the young man and couldn't help but laugh, "Gongjin, you look like you're out for an outing."

Zhou Yu smiled faintly and pointed to the ground, "Ziheng, you see swords, but I see a path to world peace. Look, the broken flags scattered on the ground are like green grass, the smoke of war has become a musical score, and the wind has become fallen petals. To express a man's aspirations with this scenery, isn't it a joy?"

The two looked at each other and laughed, then walked into the official temple side by side.

In the meeting hall in the front yard of the official temple, all the generals of the Sun family gathered together.

Sun Ce looked around and spoke aloud, "I have two strategies for heading to Wucheng this time, and I'd like to discuss them with you. First, we'll have Wu Jing and Le Jiu attack Wujun, while we'll combine with Qiao Rui's army and attack Qiantang to the south. This is a simultaneous attack. Second, we'll have Qiao Rui and Le Jiu intercept the reinforcements from Qiantang and Yuhang, while we'll combine with Wu Jing's army to first defeat Xu Zhao and Xu Gong, then take Wucheng, and then sweep across Wujun. This is a strategy where we're focused and the enemy is divided. What do you think we should do?"

Among the four armies, Wu Jing's army has the largest number of soldiers, and Sun Ce's army is the most capable. The combined forces of Sun and Wu account for almost 70% to 80% of the combat power of the four armies, which is exclusively for me.

The generals chose my strategy without hesitation. Sun Ce had made it very clear that he and Wu Jing would first take Wujun as their base! Anyone who didn't understand was a fool.

"Bofu, although our army has 10,000 soldiers, 6,000 of them will be led by Li Feng. He is Yuan Shu's confidant, so we must be on guard against him!" Cheng Pu reminded.

After hearing this, everyone showed indignation on their faces, and was extremely dissatisfied with Yuan Shu's arrangement. Yuan Shu not only let Sun Ce lead the troops, but also was wary of him at every turn. How despicable!
Sun Ce clenched his fists and looked at Zhou Yu and Lü Fan. "Gongjin, Ziheng, do you have any countermeasures?"

Zhou Yu and Lu Fan's eyes met, and there was a sense of calmness and confidence in each other's eyes.

"Gongjin's calculations are ten times better than mine. I'm willing to listen to your advice."

"Ziheng is a man of foresight and foresight, and I am not as good as him. How dare I overstep my bounds?"

Everyone looked at the two people who were refusing each other, all with helpless expressions and frowns.

Sun Ce coughed lightly and said, "Ziheng, you speak."

Lü Fan smiled and said, "This is a simple matter. Li Feng will arrive tomorrow. Bofu can select 4,000 elite soldiers from the 10,000 troops overnight and recruit them for his own use, leaving the 6,000 old and weak soldiers to be led by Li Feng."

Sun Ce nodded slightly, a look of joy on his face.

Zhou Yu also smiled and said, "Bofu, I have discussed with my father and am willing to hand over two thousand elite soldiers from my clan to you to help you."

He and Sun Ce have been friends since childhood. Although they are not brothers in name, they are brothers in reality. This move is out of personal friendship, and also because Zhou is optimistic about Sun Ce's future and development and is ready to invest in him.

The Lujiang Zhou family has three dukes in its second generation and is the most prominent family in Jiangdong. They are known as the "chief of Wuzhong". If such a family fully supports someone, even stones can be turned into gold, not to mention Sun Ce, who is regarded by the world as the reincarnation of Xiang Yu.

Sun Ce was able to quickly capture Shucheng this time, and Zhou, as an insider, deserves at least half the credit.

"With Gongjin's help, I have no reason to worry about not accomplishing my great cause!"

Sun Ce was so happy to have his good friend's support that it was greater than having ten thousand elite soldiers. He laughed loudly and punched Zhou Yu in the chest. The two looked at each other and laughed heartily.

Just as Sun Ce was selecting 4,000 elite soldiers to join his army overnight, a piece of news spread quickly in Qiantang City.

"Have you heard? The young master will lead his troops to war tomorrow."

"I've not only heard about it, I've seen the troops being mobilized with my own eyes."

"My elder brother is a sergeant in the military. He said he's going to fight... Hey, you bitch, why are you pulling my ears? Let go!"

"I hope that the young master will return safely soon, so that we can live a good life."

(End of this chapter)