Tiger Owl

Chapter 82 Swearing to Resist the Marriage
Before long, Jia Xu arrived at the Sikong Mansion, and at the same time, Guo Jia also arrived as ordered.

After listening to Jia Xu's report, Cao Cao was quite anxious. He paced back and forth in his study with his hands behind his back. In Cao Cao's plan, Gan Ning would not be able to contend with Huang Zu for at least a few years. He did not expect that Gan Ning would defeat Huang Zu so quickly.

Guo Jia, however, was engrossed in reading the report on Sun Yi's assassination. Cao Cao glanced at him and sighed, "Fengxiao, don't worry about Sun Yi's case for now. The case is already very clear. It's obvious that Sun Quan eliminated the potential threat after securing his position."

Guo Jia smiled and said, "If it was Sun Quan who did it, he could have simply bribed someone close to Sun Yi to carry it out. Since Sun Yi often beats and scolds his subordinates, this would create the illusion that one of his subordinates was retaliating against Sun Yi. He wouldn't need to send someone else to assassinate him. This would make everyone think it was him. Sun Quan wouldn't be so stupid as to ruin his own reputation!"

Although Guo Jia's words made a lot of sense, Cao Cao was no longer concerned about Sun Yi's case. No matter who did it, it wouldn't affect his own interests or cause any major changes in the overall situation.

Gan Ning's rapid rise to power has given Cao Cao a headache. In just one year, Gan Ning was able to defeat Huang Zu, his rise has been too fast.

"Fengxiao, tell me about Gan Ning! I can't let him get any stronger, or he'll become a major threat to me."

Guo Jia smiled slightly and said, "It's not surprising that Gan Ning is developing so quickly. My lord should have noticed that Liu Yao took over the four counties of Jiangdong in less than a year, Sun Ce swept through the five counties of Jiangdong in a year, and Gan Ning took over Yuzhang County and half of Jiangxia County in a year. This can only mean that their opponents are too weak, so they were able to rise strongly and grow rapidly."

However, Gan Ning's power will eventually reach its limit, mainly because the population and resources of the south cannot compare with those of the north. Therefore, my lord, you don't need to worry too much. You should try not to change your strategy towards Gan Ning; a two-pronged approach of appeasement and suppression is the correct method, which also embodies the principle of "befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones."

Jia Xu also said, "Guo Junshi is right. Gan Ning is a smart man. He will not let himself advance too quickly. I observed that he defeated Huang Zu this time. He could have continued to annihilate Huang Zu and seized the entire Jiangxia territory in one fell swoop, but he did not do so. He only weakened Huang Zu."

Clearly, he wasn't prepared for a direct confrontation with Liu Biao, so he temporarily left Huang Zu as a buffer. Moreover, with Gan Ning's rise to power, Liu Biao and Jiangdong should be even more anxious and under greater pressure; they would try every means to eliminate Gan Ning.

The comforting words from the two strategists eased Cao Cao's anxiety somewhat. Cao Cao nodded, "I lost my composure. I just defeated Yuan Shao and was riding high, yet I was so easily distracted by a minor southern warlord. It was truly inappropriate. What should I do next? Should I ignore him?"

Guo Jia smiled confidently and said, "Last year I told the lord that once Gan Ning became a little stronger, we could use the 'two peaches kill three warriors' strategy. Now we can give it a try."

Cao Cao immediately became interested, "What plan does Fengxiao have?"

"First of all, Sun Ben is a very useful force in the south. He is ambitious but short-sighted. My lord can support Sun Ben, raise him as your dog, give him soldiers, armor, money and food, and help him grow stronger in Jiangbei so that he can deal with Gan Ning and Jiangdong."

Secondly, the lord allowed the court to allow E County to be renamed Wuchang County and recognized Wuchang Prefecture. At the same time, he enfeoffed Gan Ning as the Marquis of Wuchang County. This was just a small favor, but Sun Ben was narrow-minded. He was only the Marquis of Duting, but Gan Ning was enfeoffed as the Marquis of a County. He must have been very dissatisfied.

Huang Zu was even more unwilling to accept Jiangxia being granted to Gan Ning. This humble servant believes Huang Zu will definitely join forces with Sun Ben to deal with Gan Ning; this is what is meant by "one peach against three warriors." Furthermore, Gan Ning can be appointed as a general with a miscellaneous title; he should be given the official rank he deserves, otherwise he will leave the court.

Cao Cao fully accepted supporting Sun Ben, which was his long-standing plan. He had previously considered supporting Sun Ben to counter Sun Ce and even sent Jia Xu to Nanchang to meet with Sun Ben. Supporting Sun Ben now was also a way to counter Sun Quan.

However, Cao Cao was a little worried about Huang Zu, saying, "I'm afraid Huang Zu doesn't have the strength to fight Gan Ning again."

Guo Jia smiled slightly and said, "Huang Zu is backed by Liu Biao, so my lord doesn't need to worry about Huang Zu's strength. As long as my lord supports Sun Ben as soon as possible, we can leave the rest to them. My lord can then concentrate on completely defeating Yuan Shao and recovering Hebei as soon as possible."

Cao Cao suddenly realized that he had forgotten about Liu Biao, who was behind Huang Zu. Cao Cao immediately said to Jia Xu: "Wenhe will be in charge of Sun Ben's side. Give him military supplies and territory, and help him to fight against Jiangdong as soon as possible to reduce the pressure on our east."

At the same time, send people to closely monitor Liu Bei's development in Jingzhou. Report to me immediately if he shows any intention to launch a northern expedition!

Cao Cao was not worried about Liu Biao; he was worried about Liu Bei, and that Liu Bei might persuade Liu Biao to launch a northern expedition.

Jia Xu quickly bowed and said, "This humble servant will certainly make the arrangements!"

The following morning, the imperial court issued an edict approving the establishment of Wuchang Prefecture and the renaming of E County to Wuchang County. At the same time, Gan Ning was appointed as the Prefect of Wuchang Prefecture, and was granted the title of General Jianwu and promoted to Marquis of Wuchang County.

The imperial court also approved Sun Quan's memorial, praising Xu Kun for his meritorious service in suppressing Li Shu's rebellion, and conferred upon Xu Kun the title of Marquis of Guangde County and the additional title of General Who Pacifies the Barbarians.

This is the status of the Xu family in Jiangdong, having obtained the third county marquisate in Jiangdong.

When Madam Sun returned from the Wu Palace, she immediately summoned her husband, Xu Zhen.

"Just now, Madam summoned me to Wu Palace and asked us to send Xu Wei to Xuchang as soon as possible. We also need to go to Xuchang to hold their wedding there."

Xu Zhen frowned. "Isn't it inappropriate to hold the wedding in Xuchang? What about the groom's family?"

Sun's almond-shaped eyes widened as she glared at her husband. "You know it's wrong, but who told you to betray him? Now Sun Yi can't come back either. What are we going to do?"

Xu Zhen said awkwardly, "That's not betrayal, it's stopping those brothers from killing each other. Don't you all understand my good intentions?"

"Understand you my ass. I just don't want to fall out with you. Do you think I don't know your little schemes? You want Sun Quan to marry Fen'er to consolidate the Xu family's position."

"Madam, you are also a member of the Xu family. How can you bear to watch your granddaughter remain a widow?"

Xu Zhen touched on his wife's sore spot, and Madam Sun's expression softened slightly before she said, "Madam's wish is for Sun Jing to represent the groom's family and officiate the wedding in Xuchang." "That works too! He's an elder in the Sun family; he's the most suitable person to go. Doesn't that solve the problem?"

Sun snorted, "There's another big problem, that brat might not be willing."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Xu Wei's voice came from below the hall, "Is Grandmother looking for me?"

Sun and Xu Zhen exchanged a glance, and Sun immediately put on a smile. "Wei'er, come in quickly. Grandfather and I were just talking about you!"

Xu Wei walked in and gracefully performed a curtsy, saying, "Wei'er greets Grandfather and Grandmother!"

Xu Wei's grandparents had both passed away. Her birth mother died when she was very young, and her father was too busy to take care of her, so he entrusted her to Sun's care. Sun loved her dearly and raised her as if she were her own granddaughter.

However, the relationship between the Sun family and Xu Wei has been somewhat strained in the past two years, mainly due to Xu Wei's marriage. The marriage of Xu Wei to her nephew Sun Yi was arranged by the Sun family, and the Xu family naturally agreed, as it was a marriage alliance with the Sun family, in line with the Xu family's tradition.

However, Xu Wei herself was unwilling. She had seen Sun Yi domineering and tyrannical since she was a child. He often bullied his two younger brothers, Sun Kuang and Sun Lang, and it was common for him to beat and scold the servants. Therefore, she disliked Sun Yi since she was a child. Unfortunately, her grandmother betrothed her to Sun Yi, whom she hated the most, which made her extremely sad.

This time, Xu Wei's unauthorized trip to Nanchang to find Gan Ning really enraged Sun Shi. After Xu Wei was brought back, she was confined to her quarters for a whole month.

Xu Wei's personality was gentle on the outside but firm on the inside. She neither begged for forgiveness nor explained herself. She locked herself in her room for a month to protest silently. In the end, Sun learned about the situation from Qin Yan. Although Qin Yan was vague, Sun still vaguely guessed that Xu Wei might like Gan Ning.

This won't do. She must marry her off as soon as possible. Madam Sun made up her mind to send Xu Wei to Xuchang as soon as possible, and she also had to keep Xu Wei's trip to Yuzhang County a secret from the Sun family.

Madam Sun smiled and said, "I went to the Wu Palace this morning. I should have taken you with me. My wife misses you very much."

Xu Wei bowed and said, "Grandmother, I would like to go to Kuaiji County to keep Father company. Please grant me permission!"

Sun's expression changed, and she flatly refused, "No! If you want to go to Xuchang, you must leave tomorrow."

What are you going to Xuchang for?

"You're asking a question you already know the answer to. Your wedding date has already been set for the beginning of next month, so you need to leave tomorrow."

Xu Wei felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and tears welled up in her eyes. "No! I won't go, I won't do it!"

Madam Sun slammed her hand on the table. "You have to go, whether you like it or not. Your marriage is not up to you!"

"I'm not going, just kill me!"

Xu Wei shouted, burst into tears, and turned to run away.

Xu Zhen couldn't bear it and said to his wife, "Speak nicely, you're scaring the child!"

Sun turned around and glared at her husband. Xu Zhen had been afraid of his wife his whole life, and he dared not utter a sound.

Xu Wei ran back to her room, threw herself onto the bed, and burst into tears. She threw the three coins off her pillow, saying that they were not allowed to be married for three years, which was utter nonsense.

Xu Wei cried bitterly. She suddenly made up her mind that even if the King of Heaven himself forced her, she would not marry Sun Yi.

Xu Wei immediately sat up, wiped away her tears, and began to quickly pack her clothes. She was going to Kuaiji County right now. Anyway, she wasn't going to marry him, so she didn't care what they did.

Xu Wei packed a small bag and took all her savings with her. After hesitating for a moment, she picked up three copper coins, which her master had given her, and she couldn't throw them away.

There were several strong women guarding the front door, so Xu Wei jumped out of the back window. To her surprise, she saw three strong women holding wooden sticks lying by the flower bed. The back door, which was always locked, was actually open.

Xu Wei was stunned for a moment. Without thinking, she rushed out of the back gate and ran to the side gate of the mansion. Qin Yan appeared in front of her, "Miss, this is where you end it!"

Xu Wei burst into tears again. "Sister Yan, please let me go! They're sending me to Xuchang tomorrow. I have to leave. I don't want to marry him."

Qin Yan stared at Xu Wei for a moment, then sighed softly, "Let the Xu family punish me however they want! I'll go with you."

Qin Yan turned slightly to the side, and Xu Wei was overjoyed. He immediately ran out of the side door, and Qin Yan quickly followed. The two escaped through the side door of the Xu residence and rented a boat to go directly to Kuaiji County.

Just an hour after Xu Wei and Qin Yan escaped, Xu Kun brought back important news: Sun Yi had been assassinated in Xuchang.

(End of this chapter)