Lujiang Commandery, Shouchun.
Yuan Shu was furious when he heard the news that Yuan Yao had failed to attack Huaicheng with a large army and that Qiao Rui had been captured. He slammed the jade bowl in his hand to the ground. Fragments of the jade bowl and the honey water inside splashed all over the floor. The surrounding guards and maids were all as quiet as cicadas in winter, lowering their heads and not daring to breathe loudly.
Yuan Shu's anger had not subsided, and he paced back and forth in the room, "Useless!"
"Useless!"
GOOGLE SEARCH TWKAN
"Lü Bu isn't even there, and they can't take an empty city with tens of thousands of men!"
"Too disappointing!"
"And Qiao Rui was captured again?"
"Is he acting?"
"Could it be that he betrayed me long ago, so he deliberately got caught?"
The subordinates standing below looked at each other, none daring to step forward. Yuan Yin, the Administrator of Danyang, finally stepped out and said, "Qiao Rui has always been loyal to you, and he personally led troops into the city for a surprise attack, which is why he was captured. There shouldn't be any problems, right?"
Yuan Yin, by seniority, was Yuan Shu's nephew. At this time, he was the only one who dared to speak up for Qiao Rui. Moreover, blaming captured generals could easily alienate subordinates, so after hesitating again and again, he still came out to advise.
Huang Yi, Yuan Shu's son-in-law, heard this and said, "I heard that the one who captured Qiao Rui this time was that ferocious tiger of the Yuan family."
"He was the one who captured Qiao Rui last time as well, and he inexplicably released Qiao Rui back. If there is no hidden reason, I'm afraid it's not entirely true."
"What you are worried about is not without reason."
Yuan Shu nodded when he heard this, "Huang Yi is right!"
"I valued Qiao Rui so much, but I didn't expect him to disappoint me time and time again!"
"What an ungrateful wretch!"
The generals all knew very well that the root cause of Qiao Rui's trouble with Yuan Shu was not that he had been defeated and captured, but that he had privately befriended Sun Ce.
Moreover, this timing was very delicate. Officials from all over Yuan Shu's jurisdiction gathered in Shouchun because Yuan Shu was discussing the matter of declaring himself independent, so the officials rushed over.
Originally, Yuan Shu's plan was very good. He would have Yuan Yao lead troops to defeat Lü Bu and make him surrender. At the same time, he would bring back Lü Bu's daughter. When he declared himself independent, it would create momentum for himself, and his prestige would greatly surpass that of the already nominal Han court!
But Yuan Shu never expected that with Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui, two great generals, guarding the city, Yuan Yao would not even be able to take Huaicheng, a city with only a few thousand soldiers, without Lü Bu present, and suffered a great defeat!
Yuan Shu was very superstitious about prophecies and omens. At this time, suffering such a great defeat was not a good sign, which made Yuan Shu feel extremely bad.
Now, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this defeat was caused by Qiao Rui, and he couldn't help but angrily say, "Qiao Rui deserves to die! Someone, go and confiscate his property and exterminate his clan!"
Everyone was shocked, and several generals immediately stepped forward and said, "The matter has not been clarified yet. I hope you will wait for your son to return and inquire about the truth in detail."
"Moreover, your great undertaking is imminent, and you should grant amnesty and be lenient. At this time, causing bloodshed and death is probably not an auspicious sign."
Mentioning omens, Yuan Shu was immediately persuaded and nodded, "In that case, we will wait for Yuan Yao to return and thoroughly investigate this matter!"
"If this defeat is really caused by Qiao Rui, I will severely punish him!"
Everyone hurriedly agreed.
Yuan Shu looked at the generals below the steps, full of pride.
Now in the world, apart from Yuan Shao, who can still be evenly matched with him, everyone else is just a paper tiger!
Even Yuan Shao, although he is said to have eight strategists and four pillars, in Yuan Shu's view, his talents are far inferior to his own.
Yuan Shu claimed to have an army of 300,000, and he could send tens of thousands of people to Yuan Yao at will. Even if Yuan Yao was defeated, let alone suffered a defeat, these tens of thousands of people were not a big deal to Yuan Shu.
The main reason why he was so angry was because he had lost face.
Yuan Shu had many soldiers, and even more talents under his command, in large numbers. Just looking at the subordinates below the steps, one could know.
Yuan Yin, the Administrator of Danyang, Yuan Si, the Chancellor of Chen, Liu Xun, the Administrator of Lujiang, his younger brother Liu Xie, Chen Yu, the Inspector of Yang Province, Yang Hong, the Chief Clerk, and Yuan Xiang, the Registrar, and others.
Strategists Li Ye, Han Yin, Zheng Tai, Zheng Hun, Zheng Mao, Zhang Cheng, and others.
Generals Ji Ling, Liu Xiang, Chang Nu, Qi Ji, Qin Yi, Li Feng, Liang Gang, Le Jiu, and commanders Chen Ji, Lei Bo, and others.
In total, there were no less than fifty or sixty people, all of whom were famous clans in the world. Each person's background and ability were no worse than Yuan Shao's subordinates.
And this does not even include Sun Ce's independent and detached force!
Sun Ce currently has subordinates Zhou Yu, Sun Jing, Sun He, Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Huang Gai, Zhou Tai, Xu Yi, Xu Kun, Dong Xi, etc., as well as his maternal relatives such as Sun Ben and Wu Jing, who are closely related to him. The power under his command is no less than that of a local warlord!
But this is also a pain in Yuan Shu's heart. Sun Ce is too capable of fighting and has great ambitions. Although he has been trying his best to suppress him, Sun Ce's power has become established, and Yuan Shu is about to proclaim himself emperor. It is not appropriate to create additional complications at this time.
What's more, Yuan Shu also needs his help to take down Yangzhou. If Sun Ce is alerted at this time because of the extermination of Qiao Rui, it would be a loss.
Thinking of this, Yuan Shu had to suppress the anger in his heart, put on a calm and nonchalant appearance, accept the flattery of the subordinates below the steps, and at the same time secretly vowed that after he became emperor, defeated Yuan Shao and Liu Biao, and seized the world, he would definitely make Sun Ce wish he were dead!
Until then, you will be my dog and help me bring the Jiangdong territory into my possession!
Outside Moling City in Danyang, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu stood on a warship, looking west towards Qia of Jiangdong, and north of Qia was Guangling City.
At Qia Wharf, ships were heading north across the river to Guangling Wharf from time to time.
Sun Ce looked at it and smiled, "The hearts of the people in Qia have already scattered."
"I heard that Liu Yao is seriously ill, and I'm afraid that some people are already thinking about their escape routes and fleeing to Guangling to take refuge."
"Giving some of these gentry to the Fierce Tiger is fine. I don't like these people anyway. Once we take Wu Commandery, we can install our own people."
Zhou Yu said in a deep voice, "There are many talented people in Jiangdong. It's a pity to let them go. Bo Fu, you must try to win people's hearts. That's the best strategy."
"Moreover, the Fierce Tiger is full of tricks. There's a possibility that he'll take the opportunity to attack us after we take Qu'a."
Sun Ce didn't take it seriously. "When it comes to horse warfare and infantry, this Fierce Tiger has some skills, but on the Great River, this is our territory!"
"If he dares to cross the river to attack, I'll definitely make sure he doesn't return!"
Zhou Yu was still a little worried. "Bo Fu, don't underestimate this man."
"I heard that he joined forces with Cao Cao to welcome the Emperor and received rewards from him. He's already the Governor of Xu Province."
Sun Ce laughed and said, "The Governor of Xu Province?"
"He may have the appetite, but not the ability!"
"With his small force, what waves can he make?"
"Guangling Commandery has at most a few thousand soldiers. I heard that Liu Bei has recruited nearly twenty thousand in Xiapi!"
"If Yuan Tan, who is Cannibalization the Taishan bandits in the north, doesn't interfere, can the Fierce Tiger defeat Liu Bei?"
Zhou Yu also felt that Sun Ce's words made sense and nodded. "It's good that Bo Fu understands."
"The most important thing right now is to take Qu'a before Yuan Gonglu declares himself emperor, and Cannibalization as much of Yang Province's territory as possible, to prepare for our departure from Yuan Gonglu."
"Otherwise, if Yuan Gonglu sends someone to take over the territory we've conquered, our efforts of the past two years will be in vain."
Sun Ce gritted his teeth and said, "That Yuan thief is deceiving me! This hatred must be avenged!"
Zhou Yu said in a deep voice, "Bo Fu, please be patient for now."
"When Yuan Gonglu proclaims himself emperor, the world will surely attack him. At that time, we can rely on Jiangdong to resist Yuan Shu, preventing him from entering Jiangdong, and we will be invincible."
"Yuan Shu has great power, with many soldiers and generals. We can't fight him alone. If he doesn't declare himself emperor, we'll be in real trouble."
"Yuan Shu is defying the world, which is tantamount to seeking his own death. As long as we hold out until the various lords attack him, we will surely be able to take advantage of the situation to counterattack, seize his territory, and achieve great things!"
Sun Ce listened, grasped Zhou Yu's hand, and said emotionally, "I rely on Gongjin for everything!"
Then he looked towards Guangling, a complex look flashing in his eyes. "At that time, Cao Cao will surely attack Yuan Shu, and Liu Bei will not miss this opportunity either."
"But what if the Fierce Tiger also wants to get a piece of the pie?"
Zhou Yu smiled. "If they want to come, let them come. At this time, more help is always good."
"If they want to attack Shouchun, they must take Xiapi by land, and go west along the river by water, and this road has long been under our control."
"When the time comes, we can let them pass if we want, and if we don't want them to return, we can just block them on the river, and they will be at our mercy, won't they?"
"Although the benefits of destroying Yuan Gonglu are great, based on the Fierce Tiger's current naval strength, I'm afraid he's not capable of it."
"On the contrary, in Yu's opinion, Cao Cao and Liu Bei are a greater threat."
"Both of them have the hearts of wolves and tigers and will never be content to be subordinate to others, especially Liu Bei. This man's ambition is not small and must be guarded against."
Sun Ce listened, and a feeling of heroism arose, and he laughed loudly, "The harder it is to fight, the better. I want to meet the heroes of the world!"
"Bo Fu, give me ten years, and I will definitely build an unparalleled foundation!"
Zhou Yu was also surging with emotions and said in a deep voice, "Yu will stand by Bo Fu's side and witness Bo Fu's name being recorded in history!"
Inside Qu'a City, Taishi Ci held a pair of halberds and said to Lu Xun, "Please get in the carriage, sir."
Lu Xun appeased the Lu family members behind him who wanted to speak out in scolding, and said helplessly, "General, why must you make things difficult?"
"Although Xun is temporarily acting as the head of the family, such important matters require the real head of the family to come forward."
He pointed to the boy behind him who was less than ten years old and said, "This is my uncle, the real head of the family."
"Since the head of the family has decided not to go north to Guangling, why must the general make things difficult?"
Taishi Ci sneered, "Lord Liu is seriously ill, and Wu Commandery could be breached at any time."
"The Lu family had a great feud with the Sun family before, but now they don't think about a way out. This is really too abnormal."
"There is no one in the world who is not afraid of death. I'm afraid the Lu family has already privately surrendered to Sun Ce, right?"
"If I report this matter to Lord Liu, what will be the Lu family's fate?"
The Lu family head, who was Lu Ji, said, "Wu Commandery is the ancestral land of the Lu family. The ancestors have ordered that they must not cross the river without authorization."
"Moreover, the Lu family has a connection with Yuan Gonglu. Even if Wu Commandery is breached, the Lu family should be safe in Yuan Gonglu's face."
"In comparison, I don't understand the Fierce Tiger, so I can't entrust the Lu family to him."
Taishi Ci listened and sneered, "I didn't expect the head of the family to be so opinionated at such a young age."
"But if that's the case, what if the Lu family turns around and attacks our lord? Wouldn't our hard work in defending the city in Guangling during this time be wasted on ingrates?"
Lu Ji also knew that what he was doing was a bit unkind and said helplessly, "What does the general want?"
Taishi Ci said coldly, "I want to take the head of the family across the river as a hostage."
"If the Lu family turns against Guangling, then the head of the family can just wait to die."
As soon as these words came out, the Lu family members shouted. Taishi Ci waved his halberds, and everyone was silent.
They were afraid when they saw a row of murderous guards behind Taishi Ci. What if the other party really made a move?
At this time, Lu Xun's voice sounded, "I am now acting as the head of the family, let me go with you."