Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 197 Climbing to the Clouds, Suddenly Plunging Down
"Lord Yuan has treated us with great kindness, why does Brother Quan want to rebel?"

"Second brother, you've really put us in a terrible situation. What are we going to do now?"

“Zhongmou has always been a sensible person. Perhaps it is a fabrication or slander by a villain? It must be that my Sun family has been thriving recently, which has affected the interests of the important person.”

"Since things have come to this, we might as well fight to the death!"

Hearing the chaotic chatter of his clansmen around him, Sun Ce felt a wave of dizziness. The evil dragon sitting on the cloud raised its head, its cold vertical pupils opened, and with just a single chilling glance, it could cause the once-prominent Sun family to collapse in an instant.

He could take me in as his godson and grant the Sun family a path to becoming a high-ranking clan, but he could also allow power to be used for treason and turn everything he had given me into nothing!
That night, some members of the Sun family were terrified; some packed their valuables and fled; some visited acquaintances seeking a glimmer of hope; some spent large sums of money to bribe court officials to obtain information; and some even contacted former subordinates, attempting a desperate last stand.
Thunder and rain, all are the Emperor's grace!
Above the city of Shouchun, where the sky was clear and blue, it seemed as if a wicked dragon was lowering its eyes, stirring up clouds and rain, and dark clouds were about to destroy the city. Before the lightning struck, thunder had already shaken the heavens!
When a king is enraged, the power of heaven and earth is so great that how can mortals not be terrified?

Only Sun Ce ignored his wife's concerned gaze, missed his mother's worried expression, and disregarded the chaos in his entire clan.

That night, he walked alone to his father Sun Jian's memorial tablet, stroking the old sword and ingot that were already rusted and mottled, his eyes welled up with tears, and he could not close his eyes.

Ce was born in Fuchun, Wu County in the fourth year of the Xiping era.

In my youth, I was chivalrous and admired my father's illustrious name. I befriended heroes from five different cities, and our friendship was so deep that we were inseparable. In our conversations, we shared life and death, and a promise was worth a thousand pieces of gold!

Riding a white horse and wielding a long spear, full of vigor and ambition, he sought fame among scholars and visited Lu Kang, the prefect of Lujiang, but was refused entry.

Therefore, he often harbored resentment and was determined to use his spear to quell the chaos of the world and to establish his rule with his blood and courage!

At the age of sixteen, my father died in the chaos of war, and our family fortunes were completely ruined. Like a broken pillar, the future seemed uncertain.

He carried on his father's legacy and, as a young man, traveled far and wide, shouldering the responsibilities of family, country, and the world all by himself!
However, if one befriends heroes, they will look down on him; if one recruits talented people, they will ridicule him; if one looks around in disappointment, money and food will be wasted, youth will be squandered, and nothing will be accomplished.

Soldiers need food and money to support them, but he not only had no food or money, he didn't even have a foundation to make a living.

Only then did Ce realize that in this world, having lofty ambitions and abundant talent was not enough to achieve great things. In this cold reality, having no way to serve one's country and being unable to fulfill one's ambitions was the norm.

In this turbulent and ever-changing world, amidst the flames of war, the situation was unpredictable and the downfall of the Sun family seemed imminent.

The family fortune and fame that my father earned through a lifetime of fighting with a long sword are about to be ruined in the hands of his eldest son.

In order to preserve the family business and to ensure that the reputation of Sun Jiabing would not be tarnished, he was persuaded by his maternal uncle Wu Jing and cousin Sun Ben to pay homage to Yuan Gongdian, just as his father had done years before.

However, by this time the Sun family had already fallen apart, and the Sun family's troops had been dispersed and reorganized by Yuan Shikai, who then took them back for his own use.

He had no way to deal with this. Soldiers were fed and paid, and Yuan Gong happened to have both money and food. In this situation, how could he command Sun's army?

Relying on the favors left by his father? His legacy? Or just his words, empty promises, to make everyone abandon the benevolent Yuan Gong and gamble their lives for a future with a mere young man like him?
At that time, not to mention the old troops of the Sun family, even his maternal uncle Wu Jing and cousin Sun Ben did not think highly of him.

He decided to make a name for himself through his extraordinary courage and outstanding military talent!
My father's old subordinates were still around, and my maternal uncle Wu Jing and cousin Sun Ben still held a certain amount of military power.

As long as we give everyone another hope, as long as everyone can see the shadow of his father Sun Jian in him, as long as we loudly tell everyone that the fierce tiger of Jiangdong is still here!

Driven by a shared dream and cherished memories, more and more people will follow him, just as they once followed their father.

He will be like his father, Sun Jian, who, with his spear, will fight his way through blood and fire, risking his life for a future.

Therefore, he always took the lead in Yuan Ying's army, charging into battle and never falling behind others. Wherever he went, the enemy army was terrified.

He spurred his horse and whipped it, like a tiger emerging from the mountains. He was brave and resourceful, and often launched surprise attacks on enemy camps.

Finally, an opportunity came his way.

Yuan Gong promised him that as long as he captured Lujiang, he would appoint him as the governor of Lujiang.

On that day, he seemed to have already foreseen that he would take Lujiang as his base and gather the old subordinates of the Sun family to plan for the future.

However, fate always seemed to throw curveballs at him when he was at the height of his success.

Lujiang? Lujiang!
Lu Kang, you old man, why don't you surrender!
The city of Lujiang cost him countless sums of money, provisions, and troops. He fought for two whole years, and Shouchun kept urging him to return, until there were no more troops or provisions to support him.

They defeated him until he was out of ammunition and supplies, and his newly displayed talent as a general and the illustrious reputation he had earned through countless life-and-death battles vanished in an instant.

It turns out that Sun Jian's son, the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, was a mediocre general who could fight for two whole years against an isolated city with no outside support and few soldiers and generals.

New and old grudges! Lu Kang!
When I, with my white horse and golden spear, was about to fight for fame among scholars as the son of the Marquis of Wucheng, you tried to stop me. When I, with my spear stained with blood, was about to make a name for myself as a famous general, you tried to stop me again.

Old fool, do you really think the spear in your hand isn't sharp enough?
That night, a great fire broke out in Lujiang City, burning all night long. The long streets were littered with the bones of nobles and officials. The Lu family nobles, whom he had once been unable to reach, groveled and begged for mercy under his spear, their heads falling to the ground.

But when he returned to Shouchun with the credit for conquering a prefecture, he was not rewarded or praised, but instead faced two whole years of criticism and ridicule from the people.

The position of prefect that Yuan Gong had promised was casually given to his trusted confidant Liu Xun. And what about Sun Ce? He was like a joke, wasting two whole years of his youth and gaining nothing!
He knew clearly that he couldn't continue like this. Living under someone else's roof meant enduring endless scorn and suffering.

In order to escape his predicament, he offered up the imperial seal that his father had risked his life for, and begged for three thousand soldiers. Under the pretext of crossing the river to rescue his mother, he wanted to go to Jiangdong to establish a career.

Yuan Gong loved the imperial seal very much, and it seemed that everything would develop as he predicted, and he would usher in a brand new future.

But fate and reality once again played a trick on him.

On the day they left the city, Lord Yuan led his cavalry to catch up, personally rescued his mother, and visited his grandson.

From then on, entering Yuan's household was like entering a deep sea. He was adopted by Yuan as his godson. On the surface, he was glamorous and envied by the world, but he was like a bird in a cage or a fish in a net, unable to be free.

Under the guise of love, Yuan Gong tightly controlled him. He struggled several times to break free and become independent, but the more he struggled, the tighter he became entangled.

He became a son of the Yuan family, married a daughter of the Yuan family, risked his life for Lord Yuan, and won battle after battle. His name, Yuan Lang, became known throughout the world, and Lord Yuan's love for him was known to all.

Gradually, he became like a wild goose separated from its flock, looking up at his childhood dreams, only to have them broken and fall amidst the storms of life.

The young man may have lofty ambitions and live up to his three-foot frame, but as the swan spreads its wings for nine thousand miles, how many of his iron bones can withstand such hardship?
With a long sigh, just as he was about to put it down, his younger brother rebelled, and the entire clan was about to be exterminated!

Unwavering in lofty aspirations? In this world and reality, are there really people who can persevere through setbacks, never lose their lofty aspirations, and relentlessly pursue that unattainable ideal no matter what desperate situation they face?

If such a person truly existed, what choices would he make and what kind of future would he lead when faced with a similar situation?

Hahaha.

Before my late father's memorial tablet, the flickering candlelight illuminated his weathered face, and tears streamed down my face. Life's trials had taken their toll, his hair had turned gray prematurely, and though he was only twenty-two, his heart was already old.

"Yuan Ce? Yuan Ce."

From this day forward, my name is Yuan Ce, Yuan Bofu.

He carefully returned the rusty longsword to the memorial tablet, bowed three times, got up and left the dark room, heading towards Shouchun Palace.

As he passed through the Sun family's hall, seeing the panicked crowd and meeting his wife's worried gaze, he tightly grasped her hand.

The young man's weathered eyes held an unprecedented calm. The vicissitudes of life always wear down one's edges. How could the innocent and blazing wildfire of youth have illuminated the land and dyed the world red?
Four hundred years have passed, and countless heroes and patriots have tried to change the world called the Han Dynasty. Their talents, their ideals, and everything they created have transformed into countless vibrant colors.

Ultimately, they all blended together in this world into the same kind of darkness, a bottomless darkness that devours people until they are reduced to bones.

Now, Sun Ce is also going to join the corrupt forces. After dawn, he will be the high and mighty Yuan family nobleman, the eldest son of four generations of high-ranking officials, the nobleman Yuan Ce!
Holding his wife's hand, Sun Ce walked to his mother and bowed deeply.

“The child is gone.”

"Mother, don't be afraid, my brothers will get better, and the Sun family will get better too."

As soon as he finished speaking, he left home alone, facing the night, stepping through the frosty moonlight, and knocking on the gate of Shouchun Palace.

His experiences during this period made him acutely aware that, given Yuan Gong's control, if he truly wanted to destroy the Sun family, he would suddenly die in his bed, his entire clan would be exterminated, and he might not even know what happened before he died.

People like Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, former subordinates of the Sun family, were under close surveillance, so how could they possibly have had the opportunity to tip off others?

Did Lord Yuan discuss important matters with the elders of the Yuan clan? On both sides of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, it was merely a matter of his word; his words carried imperial authority, so how could the elders object? It was even less likely that a married Yuan clan woman would overhear it.

The disillusioning scene before him brought back that nightmare to mind: the panic and commotion of his clansmen, the worried looks of his mother and wife. How was it any different from the scene of the candlelight and the sound of the axe that night when the lanterns of Shouchun Palace burst open?
As for Sun Ce, he was as powerless to resist as ever. It seemed that nothing had changed.
No, it has largely changed.

This time, he no longer gritted his teeth and harbored resentment in his heart. He was no longer the phoenix that once looked down on rotten rats and aspired to soar through the heavens.

Finally, in a world of hunger and cold, it climbed to the top of the clouds, then suddenly fell down, flying with sparrows and eating with owls.

Everything was ultimately within Yuan Gong's calculations, yet it was only part of those calculations.

Sun Ce could sense that Sun Quan's rebellion was a grand scheme, not merely aimed at forcing him into complete submission. Rather, it was like a dragon hidden in the mist, capable of rising and hiding, growing large and small, unpredictable and ever-changing.

Having been in the thick of things for a long time, he could see the small scales and claws that the evil dragon stretched out, but the fog was so thick that it was difficult to see the whole picture.

"Announce!"

"General Yuan Gongyi, son of the rebel-suppressing general, hereby pays his respects!"

As soon as his close advisors announced this, Lord Yuan indeed did not go to bed and waited quietly in the palace.

Sun Ce followed closely behind, walking into the hall. As the bronze chime sounded, clouds and mist swirled around the high platform, and the man seemed to be sitting on a cloud, his eyes lowered like a wicked dragon bowing its head.

“My son Bofu has arrived. Your father has been waiting for you for a long time.”

Familiar words, familiar circumstances. Two years ago, the "Candle Shadow and Axe Sound" incident led to his adoption as a son. Two years later, a devastating disaster struck, and he was adopted as a son again.

Sun Ce knelt before the palace and bowed his head in reverence.

“I have no intention of rebelling. I am always grateful for my adoptive father’s kindness and have no way to repay him. I beg my adoptive father to grant me permission to be adopted as his son.”

Yuan Ce vowed to serve his father for the rest of his life, to live and die with him, and to repay his kindness with kindness and loyalty, without any complaints.

He only begged his father to spare the Sun family.

Yes, times have changed. It is no longer Yuan Shu who is forcing him, but he is begging Yuan Shu. Only by begging Yuan Shu can the Sun family have a chance to survive.

Yuan Gong cultivated a reputation for benevolence and virtue, and won over the hearts of the Sun family. Under normal circumstances, he would not have done the deed of wiping out the entire Sun family. This would have caused the Sun family's former subordinates to become disloyal and disloyal, and Yuan's camp would be filled with panic and unease.

But Sun Quan's defection to the enemy and rebellion gave Yuan Shao a pretext, and Yuan Shao personally handed over the sword meant to kill the entire Sun family to him.

Such matters can range from minor to major. A minor one is like Xiahou Dun surrendering to Yuan Shao, leaving the Xiahou family unharmed. A major one is like Yue Jin surrendering to Yuan Shao, resulting in the annihilation of the entire Yue family. Life and death hang in the balance, depending on a single thought.

Sun Ce had no idea what Zhongmou was thinking. He only knew that Zhongmou had been captured and taken to Liu Biao's camp.

Perhaps it is a matter of preferring death to surrender, like Xiahou Dun, whose life was not his own?
Or perhaps there is great terror between life and death, causing one to kneel down and beg for mercy?

Or perhaps it's like following in the footsteps of Yuan Gong, whereby if the entire Sun family in Shouchun were wiped out, Sun Zhongmou would be the head of the Sun family, upholding the righteous cause of revenge.
He bowed deeply, unable to rise, only to see those unfathomable eyes looking down at him indifferently from the clouds, the emperor's punishment as lawful as the law, thunder resounding for miles.

"Yuan Ce?"
My son Bofu, in this life, one can make countless mistakes, but some mistakes, if made just once, can wipe out the accumulation of several generations of parents and elders overnight!
"It just so happens that your brother is exactly that kind of person. I think you already know that Zhongmou has caused a terrible disaster for your Sun family!"

"Father!
Ce'er wishes to change his surname to Yuan and follow his father for the rest of his life, assisting him in his great cause until his death. He only asks that his father not implicate the Sun family.

As for Zhongmou?

I do not have a younger brother like that! Nor is there a member of the Sun family named Sun Quan!
I have expelled him from the family genealogy and severed all ties with him. From now on, he is no longer a member of the Sun family.

As for the monstrous disaster he committed, I will pay for it!

Ce requested permission to lead an expedition to Changsha to recover the nine counties of Jingzhou and Xiangyang for his father. He personally beheaded Zhongmou and hung his head at the gate of Shouchun to appease his father's hatred.

Father! Your son begs you.

Zhongmou delayed the important affairs of Jingnan, losing several counties and cities. He will make up for it twice over!
Go to Jingzhou to atone for your crimes and perform meritorious service; let your blood stain the nine prefectures, and you will not return until you have conquered it.

I beg my father to grant my request!

The sound of bronze chimes echoed, and the sound of kowtows continued. Yuan Shu looked down indifferently at Yuan Ce, who was pleading with him to become his father, just as he had when they first met.

It seems like nothing has changed, yet it also seems like everything has changed.

(End of this chapter)