He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Chapter 88 The Hilarious Tale of the Eastern Han Dynasty: The Wrongful Deployment of Troops

This feeling of being out of control is really unpleasant, but now that we're under someone else's thumb, we have no choice but to bow our heads.

As for Liu Biao's previous letter of alliance, Sun Ce's assessment was that it was a classic case of getting a bargain and then acting innocent. "Your son is already the governor of Yangzhou, with a strong claim to it, and now you come to me saying that our biggest enemy is actually Liu Bei, that he's the one sowing discord between us? If we join forces against the people of Xuzhou, then we'll let bygones be bygones. When we destroy Liu Bei, we'll each go our own way; I'll call you brother, and you'll call me father."

Damn it, who wants to forgive and forget with you? Of course you can say that if it wasn't your father, Liu Biao, who died!

However, the situation in Jiangdong no longer allowed him to act recklessly. This failed Northern Expedition did not result in a significant loss of Sun Ce's direct military strength, but he lost a lot in some unseen aspects.

The most typical example is the issue of public sentiment among the people of Jiangdong. Because he had always wanted to achieve a decisive victory in one battle, a large number of people in the Jiangdong region were conscripted as transport laborers, resulting in a huge loss of population.

Of course, this does not mean that all the laborers died. Rather, during the transportation process, many people could not bear the beatings and abuse from the soldiers escorting the grain, or could not endure the long hours of labor. In addition, the people of Jiangdong were generally quite fierce, so the laborers banded together to kill the soldiers escorting the grain, seized their weapons, and became outlaws, leading to chaos in the Jiangdong region.

Moreover, the removal of even one laborer meant one less able-bodied worker in agricultural production. Many people had their spring planting delayed due to Sun Ce's actions, which could significantly impact future grain yields. This was a considerable cost for Sun Ce.

Beyond these reasons, Sun Ce had already killed too many people when he swept through Jiangdong, causing great resentment among the Jiangdong aristocratic families. Even now, the people of Jiangdong grit their teeth when they mention Sun Ce. In addition, Jiangdong had suffered from war and many people were displaced. No one was willing to spend money, and artisans and merchants were also having a very hard time. Naturally, they would not sing praises to Sun Ce.

Popular support waned, powerful families grew hostile, the economy collapsed, and public order was in disarray. Hefei was lost, and the regime was locked down for over a year (during which time Sun Ce was unable to launch any more military campaigns). He lost over seven million coins and gained nothing. This situation was far worse than Sun Ce's situation at the same time in history. In just a few short years, Sun Ce delivered a failing grade to all levels of society in Jiangdong.

Aside from those who were originally Sun Ce's personal retainers, the Jiangdong region's favorability towards his rule was negative. If this were a Total War scenario, every city would be in a state of conflict. The only reason Sun Ce is currently able to remain peacefully in Moling is because the army left by his father is still obedient and has helped him suppress all dissent. What Sun Ce is now aiming for is to first bring the people's negative favorability back to zero.

Sun Ce's advisors, including Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao, were also giving him advice on these issues.

First and foremost, Sun Ce himself must soften his stance and stop insisting on taking a hard line. He cannot evade the problem; he must personally step forward and take full responsibility. He should issue something akin to an edict of self-reproach (Sun Ce is not the emperor and therefore cannot issue a formal edict, so a similar document is necessary), placing the blame for the entire ruling group's problems on his own shoulders. Even if this doesn't alleviate public anger, it will leave considerable room for Sun Ce to adjust his policies later.

Historically, edicts of self-reproach were actually used for this purpose, and Emperor Wu of Han was the one who truly utilized them. These edicts weren't confessions begging for forgiveness from Heaven or the people; they were authoritative documents explaining a stark contrast between the new and old governing philosophies. They indicated that the author had made mistakes, now recognized them, and would correct them, moving towards a different path and never repeating the same errors.

By using this tactic, Sun Ce indicated that his governing philosophy would officially shift from military expansion to recuperation and development. He had tormented the people of Jiangdong for too long; it was time for him to take a break.

Secondly, apart from the necessary garrison troops, all other troops were stationed on-site to establish military settlements, assisting the people in replanting and making up for losses during spring planting. Taxes for the current year and even the next year were reduced or exempted, especially in areas affected by disasters or delayed planting seasons.

For those who had become outlaws, a proclamation was issued granting a complete pardon to all laborers who had succumbed to oppression. As long as they laid down their weapons, returned to their hometowns to farm, their past transgressions would be forgiven, and they would enjoy the same policies of lending grain and seeds, and tax reductions. Meanwhile, for the few stubborn elements, Sun Ce would take swift and decisive action to eliminate them all.

The most important of these, and the one that Sun Ce himself most disliked, was extending goodwill to the powerful families of Jiangdong. He summoned the outstanding young talents from these families to join his staff, granting them official positions and involving them in various affairs of Jiangdong.

After all, the opposition only needs to cause trouble for the ruling party. But if they were given power and became the ruling party, they would cherish it and wouldn't cause trouble anymore, at least not openly.

Turning his attention to diplomacy, Sun Ce, though not particularly adept at diplomatic maneuvering, had to calmly observe the current situation. To the west, Liu Biao was extending olive branches while simultaneously sending envoys to persuade Hua Xin, the governor of Yuzhang, hoping to seize the important stronghold of Chaisang without bloodshed.

Sun Ce knew that once Chaisang fell into the hands of the now-powerful Jingzhou navy, he would be completely trapped within the three counties of Jiangdong.

This is another reason why Sun Ce absolutely refused to make peace with Liu Biao: his life was always in Liu Biao's hands. If Liu Biao wanted, he could sail downstream and directly into Sun Ce's territory, which was a huge threat. As long as this sword hanging over his head remained, he could not live in peace.

Although Liu Bei in the north posed a significant threat, he was actually someone with whom peace could be maintained for the time being. This was because Liu Bei himself didn't have many naval forces, and his previous naval stronghold had been burned to the ground; he wouldn't be able to cross the river for at least two or three years.

In Sun Ce and Zhou Yu's original plan, as long as there was no external invasion, Sun Ce was confident that he could stabilize the currently occupied territory within a year. He would then spend another year stockpiling various resources, and the rest would be about wreaking havoc.

From this perspective, forming an alliance with Liu Bei in the north, at least to prevent him from causing trouble, is a necessary step. But who would have thought that Liu Bei would approach them immediately to discuss trade after ending his southward advance?

Although almost every warlord in the Eastern Han Dynasty was cursing Liu Bei, the idea of ​​severing trade ties with him and ceasing all purchases of his goods was something they were unwilling to accept. Xuzhou alone produced books, which were irreplaceable luxury items. Add to that the thin, writable paper, the sturdy and durable farm tools, and the inexpensive and high-quality salt—each a highly competitive flagship product. If these were all lost or discontinued, not only would the powerful families under the warlords' control suffer, but the warlords themselves would also be devastated.

In other words, the warlords hated Liu Bei, but they hated even more that they were not Liu Bei.

Sun Ce was the same way. He said more than once in front of everyone that Liu Bei's ability was nothing special, and that it was his subordinates who were both capable and loyal that made Liu Bei rise to power. He said that if he, Sun Bofu, were in charge of Xuzhou, he would be a hundred times better than Liu Bei is now.

Boasting is ultimately just talk and shouldn't be taken seriously. Sun Ce greatly welcomed goods from Xuzhou, as they were both cheap and of good quality, making Xuzhou a truly conscientious merchant of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, when faced with Liu Bei's overtures, Sun Ce did not heed the repeated advice of Zhang Zhao and others, but instead made the decision unilaterally.

If there was anything new to report in April of the second year of Jian'an, it was that Lu Bu, that indestructible cockroach, jumped out again.

Previously, in an attempt to plunder Cao Cao's territory, Lü Bu launched a surprise attack on Cao Cao's Shanyang Commandery without declaring war. The operation was initially quite safe; he only intended to loot the wealthy households outside the city and then retreat. However, the Cao army's commander was incompetent, easily frightened into calling for reinforcements. This forced Lü Bu to ambush the arriving reinforcements and blind Xiahou Dun, the commander. Then Cao Cao went berserk, shouting about brothers and bonds, and gathered a large group of men to surround and beat Lü Bu, forcing him to flee even from Xiaopei to Runan.

Why such a big reaction? Anyone who didn't know better would think Cao Cao had lost his son. Besides, what bad things have I, Lü Bu, done? All I did was kill, burn, and rob! Is it really necessary to beat me like this?

At first, Lü Bu was truly desperate. Apart from Chen Gong, he had only a handful of advisors left. His generals were in an even worse state; most of his old comrades had deserted, with only Gao Shun remaining. His old comrades from Bingzhou were also almost entirely gone, with the rest mostly being greenhorns captured along the way.

With such limited resources, how could I possibly defeat figures like Cao Cao and Liu Bei? Is this truly the end for me, Lü Bu?

Just when he was in despair, he suddenly encountered a group of bandits entrenched in Runan. Instead of running away when they saw him, these people dared to attack Lü Bu's army.

Lu Bu was furious. "What a bastard! I might not be able to beat Cao Cao, but I can certainly beat you!" He immediately charged towards the group, wielding a smaller version of his halberd. The previous halberd had become Zhang Fei's trophy, hanging on the wall to show off to visiting guests. This new one was forged by someone else, and due to his physical condition, he had to reduce its weight, otherwise he couldn't wield it properly.

As it turned out, even with his advanced age and lingering health issues, Lü Bu's strength was still formidable, placing him firmly in the top tier. He wielded his halberd with ferocious power, annihilating bandits one by one as easily as cutting vegetables.

Now Lu Bu finally understood why things had been so difficult for him before. It turned out that he, a Diamond player, hadn't been properly matched with opponents and had been playing in high-ranking matches all along.

Now back in the Bronze Bureau, Lü Bu quickly regained his form and taught these bandits a lesson in what it meant to be a great general of the Han Dynasty.

These bandits had never fought against such a powerful figure, and when they realized things were going badly, they surrendered immediately. Lü Bu himself was unfamiliar with Runan, so he spared their lives and didn't pursue their foolish crimes too much.

Seeing the group of people kneeling before him, Lü Bu didn't waste any words and went straight to the point, asking, "Who's the leader here?"

A burly man raised his head and said to Lü Bu, "Reporting to Lord Wen, it is I. My surname is Pei, and my given name is Yuanshao. Seeing that Lord Wen's troops were few in number and that most of them rode fine horses, I was blinded by greed and thus committed a heinous crime."

"You dare steal my horse, Lü Bu? You're quite the man! Get up and lead the way to the nearest city to rest. Don't try anything funny! Otherwise, I can take your lives in a single move!"

Pei Yuanshao dared not refuse, so he had no choice but to shrink back and point the way for Lü Bu's army.

Along the way, Lü Bu was also discussing the next step with his only strategist, Chen Gong: "Gongtai, what should we do now?"

"Let's find out where this is first. Runan is quite good though, it has everything you could want, and it's located at the intersection of the three powers of Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Liu Biao. Anyone who wants to invade here will have to consider whether the other two will join forces. In that case, Marquis Wen, why don't you take this place as a new starting point and rebuild your foundation here?"

"If we follow Gongtai's suggestion, this place is indeed good; it's a good place to settle down." Lu Bu was somewhat moved when he thought about how he had been wandering for so long and finally had a place where he could rest in peace.

"If we can integrate the entire Runan region here, it's not impossible to have another showdown with Cao Cao." Chen Gong's biggest concern was still to eliminate Cao Cao and send that bastard who had deceived him to meet the Lord of Mount Tai.

On the other side, Pei Yuanshao was also whispering to his confidant Zhou Cang: "We're in big trouble now. How could we have gone to find someone like Lü Bu? We must have been blind."

Zhou Cang was speechless: "You have the nerve to say that? You can't resist a good horse. Didn't you ever think about what kind of nobody could afford such a good horse? You just went and delivered yourself to the enemy, causing the deaths of dozens of brothers. I really don't know what you were thinking."

"I didn't want to either. Who knows why Lü Bu would suddenly come here? Look at the people in there, they all look half-dead, you can tell they've been starving for a long time, it's the perfect time to strike. Besides, there are less than a hundred of them in total, who knew there would be such a capable fighter among them?"

"Alright, alright, you're right. So what do we do now? Do we really have to work for Lü Bu? Let me tell you, I, Zhou Cang, despise Lü Bu from the bottom of my heart. He's a fickle and treacherous man, and I will never submit to him."

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