Tiger Owl

Chapter 81 The Strange Case of Xuchang
At the same moment the Battle of Gansu and Huangzhong broke out in Jingzhou, the Battle of Guandu between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao also broke out. This time, history did not go astray. Cao Cao won with fewer troops and set fire to Wuchao, causing chaos in Yuan Shao's army. Cao Cao's army made great strides and defeated Yuan Shao's army in one fell swoop. Yuan Shao's more than 100,000 troops were completely wiped out, and countless surrendered. Yuan Shao fled back to Ye City in a panic. Cao Cao's army then marched north and advanced into Hebei. From then on, the Yellow River was no longer the dividing line between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

When news of Cao Cao's great victory reached Xuchang, the city erupted in celebration. The streets were filled with singing and dancing, and the sounds of drums and gongs could be heard everywhere. The whole city was celebrating the victory.

All the restaurants and eateries in the city were packed with customers. There was an old Xuchang restaurant in the east of Xuchang that was very high-class. The customers who came here to drink and dine were all rich and powerful.

That evening, the old Xuchang Restaurant was packed with customers. People usually ate dinner quite early, mostly starting around 4 p.m. and ending around 6 p.m. This was partly because they didn't eat lunch and were hungry, and partly because there was a curfew at night, so everyone had to go home before dark.

It was around 5:30 PM, the peak time for banquets at the restaurant had passed, and the patrons were paying their bills and taking their leave. In a private room on the second floor, a dozen officials had also finished their drinking and merrymaking. The beautiful women who had accompanied them took their tips and left with smiles, leaving the table in a mess.

The officials, having eaten and drunk their fill, rose to thank their hosts and take their leave. Today's host was none other than Sun Yi. Although he outwardly admitted defeat and said he would no longer vie for the position of ruler of Jiangdong, he had never actually admitted defeat. Sun Quan had captured him using deceitful and underhanded means; how could he possibly admit defeat? Now, with Xuchang being sent as a hostage, Sun Yi felt even more resentful.

However, Sun Yi has matured a lot now. A few days ago, he wrote a letter to his mother, requesting that his fiancée, Xu Wei, be sent to Xuchang to get married.

Perhaps because Cao Cao wanted to use him, he also tried to win over Sun Yi. He not only gave him a large house and beautiful concubines, but also did not send anyone to monitor him. He even allowed him to make connections in Xuchang.

So for the past few months, Sun Yi has been hosting banquets and drinking parties almost every day. He has to give money and gifts to officials for their weddings, funerals and other important occasions. He spends money like water, spending at least a thousand strings of cash a month.

The more money he spent, the more reputation he gained. When officials in Xuchang mentioned Sun Yi, everyone praised him for being wise and capable.

Sun Yi accompanied the guests who were walking behind him out of the restaurant. The area in front of the restaurant was very lively, with carriages coming and going and everyone exchanging greetings and saying goodbye.

A carriage drove by, and suddenly a poisoned crossbow bolt shot out from it, swift as lightning and powerful, aimed at Sun Yi's head. Although Sun Yi was highly skilled in martial arts, he was slightly drunk, and the alcohol had severely numbed his nerves. He didn't react at all. "Thud!" The arrow struck his temple, and Sun Yi groaned as he fell backward to the ground.

A dozen guards were shocked and rushed forward to save him, but a crossbow bolt pierced his skull. Before the poison could take effect, Sun Yi died on the spot.

Chaos erupted in front of the restaurant as guards shouted, "Assassins! Assassins!"

The guards stopped the carriage, but it was empty. The coachman looked bewildered and shouted, "This is Imperial Censor Chen's carriage, not an assassin!"

The carriage belonged to Imperial Censor Chen Qun. Chen Qun was exchanging pleasantries and saying goodbye to Sun Yi when he was stunned to find an assassin hiding inside the carriage.

Just as chaos erupted in front of the restaurant, a carriage drove out of the East Gate and soon arrived at the dock. A man with a Jiangdong accent, wearing a straw hat, got off the carriage, went to the dock, and boarded a passenger ship. The passenger ship then left the carriage.

Inside the cabin, Wang Xiaoman asked, "How is it?"

The man removed the crossbow from his arm and laughed, "Got it!"

Wang Xiaoman finally breathed a sigh of relief. They had been lying in wait in Xuchang for more than a month, patiently waiting for an opportunity and observing Sun Yi's weaknesses. Sun Yi was highly skilled in martial arts, and it would not be easy to assassinate him. His only weakness was when the drinking ended. When he drank too much, his reactions would be sluggish, and when he saw off his guests, his personal guards would keep a little distance. This was the best opportunity.

Wang Xiaoman and his men finally seized their opportunity and struck successfully. The passenger ship quickly left Xuchang, heading south.
Half an hour later, the city gates were closed, martial law was imposed throughout the city, all the inns were searching for the assassin, and a large number of officials came to Sun Yi's residence to conduct a thorough investigation and offer a reward for clues.

The result was obvious: all the searches and investigations yielded nothing. There were no clues, and no signs of an assassin could be found. The only clue that could hardly be considered a lead was that a coachman had reported the crime and asked for a reward. Shortly after the incident, he had picked up a passenger near the restaurant where the crime occurred and taken him to the dock outside the city. The passenger was young, around twenty or thirty years old, very strong, wearing a bamboo hat that covered his face, and seemed to have an accent from the Jiangdong area. He then boarded a boat and left.

Three days later, Cao Cao returned to Xuchang. Upon hearing that Sun Yi had been assassinated, Cao Cao was furious and immediately summoned his second son, Cao Pi, who was stationed in Xuchang, for questioning.

"Reporting to Father, we have thoroughly searched and conducted various investigations, but to no avail. The other side has made meticulous plans and has been planning for a long time, which is why we have not found any clues."

"Not a single clue?" Cao Cao asked angrily.

“A coachman said that shortly after the assassination, he drove a man in black wearing a straw hat out of the city to the dock. We all suspect that the man was very likely the assassin.”

What are the characteristics of an assassin?

"The man spoke Mandarin, but the coachman was more knowledgeable. He noticed that the man had a slight accent from the Jiangdong region, and that a boat was there to pick him up. We investigated carefully and found that the boat's origin was unknown, but someone heard the boatman speak with a Jiangdong accent, from the Wu region."

Cao Cao's expression changed, and he said coldly, "Sun Quan has still made his move!"

"Father, could it be that someone deliberately framed us?"

Cao Cao shook his head. "It's not a frame-up. A frame-up requires deliberately leaving clues, but the assassins left no clues. If it weren't for the reward, the coachman wouldn't have reported it to the authorities. What's the point of them framing him?"

Cao Pi bowed and said, "Father is right. I think it might also be the work of Sun Ben, who deliberately provoked internal conflicts in Jiangdong. It could also be the work of Sun Yi's enemies, who are said to have been cruel and bloodthirsty when he was in Kuaiji Commandery."

Cao Cao sighed, "In just half a year, two of the Sun brothers have been assassinated. This is no coincidence; it is the cruelty of their internal power struggle!"

Cao Cao had already concluded that Sun Quan had sent someone to assassinate his brother in order to eliminate future troubles, and that it was the same thing that Sun Ce had been assassinated.

After a long pause, Cao Cao asked again, "Are there any other important matters?"

Cao Pi hurriedly said, "There is another important matter: Gan Ning and Sun Quan joined forces to seize Lujiang County and defeat Huang Zu. Immediately afterwards, Gan Ning led the navy to defeat Huang Zu in Jiangxia, killing tens of thousands of enemies and annihilating Huang Zu's entire navy."

Cao Cao's eyes widened suddenly. He could hardly believe that Gan Ning had actually defeated Huang Zu. How did he do it?
Cao Pi said, "Father can ask Military Advisor Jia for specific details. I only know the general idea from what he told me!"

Cao Cao immediately ordered, "Summon Jia Xu to see me immediately!"

(End of this chapter)