“Indeed, it is excessive.”
Zhou Yu nodded in agreement before continuing:
“Brother Zijing, in my opinion, the realm is likely in complete chaos now.”
“If you ask me…”
“Since you’re unhappy in Xu Province, why not move your entire family to Yang Province? Chen Yu has already recovered several commanderies there, and with the natural defenses of Jiangdong as a shield, there should be no warfare for at least several years.”
To the Han Empire, Yang Province’s importance was even less than that of You Province.
Its economic development was also relatively slow.
However, the region was blessed with beautiful landscapes, pleasant scenery, and was one of the few major rice-producing areas in the realm, making it an exceptionally comfortable place to live.
For precisely these reasons, Yang Province had become a favored refuge for many people.
“Gongjin, I appreciate your kindness.” Lu Su replied with a smile.
“If that day truly comes, I will certainly bring my family to seek refuge with you. I only hope you won’t find us a burden.”
“Haha!” Zhou Yu laughed heartily.
“Who in the realm does not know that the Lu clan of Dongcheng is one of immense wealth? And that Lu Zijing is renowned far and wide for his generosity? If you were to move to Shu County, I should be the one asking for your care and support.”
“You…” Lu Su said helplessly.
“You never lose an argument, even with your words. Earlier you said the realm had already fallen into chaos, yet you seem entirely unconcerned. Tell me, have you already found a worthy lord to serve?”
Lu Su knew this friend well.
Since childhood, Zhou Yu had possessed exceptional intelligence and an extraordinarily keen sense for the trends of the age.
Though only eighteen years old, Lu Su was convinced that his friend would accomplish great things in the future.
“A worthy lord? More or less.” A strange gleam flashed through Zhou Yu’s eyes as he smiled.
“He is the same age as I am. Broad-minded, unafraid of the powerful, courageous and decisive. Most importantly, my friend possesses great ambition.”
“We have made a pact.”
“One day, we shall join hands and accomplish a great undertaking together.”
As he spoke, Zhou Yu’s eyes sparkled like stars, his face filled with anticipation and longing.
“Gongjin.” After a moment of thought, Lu Su spoke.
“The man you speak of—could he be the son of the Tiger of Jiangdong, Sun Ce, courtesy name Bofu?”
“Exactly. It is him.” Zhou Yu nodded firmly, smiling.
“What do you think of my elder brother?”
“Gongjin, forgive my bluntness.” Lu Su carefully chose his words.
“Sun Bofu may be called a youthful talent. However, his father was formerly a subordinate of Yuan Shu, and Changsha has already fallen into Liu Biao’s hands. Even with your assistance, accomplishing a great enterprise would be exceedingly difficult.”
“As far as I know…”
“Chen Yu, the Governor of Yang Province, is aligned with Yuan Shu. A month ago, Sun Ben led Sun Jian’s former officers and troops to join Yuan Shu in Yu Province. When Sun Ce’s mourning period ends, I’m afraid his only path will be to seek service under Yuan Shu.”
“Otherwise, he will have no place to establish himself.”
Sun Jian had died in battle the previous year.
At present, Sun Ce was still observing mourning rites for his father.
Even in these troubled times, he was expected to mourn for at least a year.
Meaning he still had roughly six months remaining.
Yet those six months were crucial for Sun Ce.
The most troublesome matter was that Sun Ben had already taken Sun Jian’s remaining forces and pledged allegiance to Yuan Shu.
When Sun Ce emerged six months later, he would essentially be a commander without an army.
If he chose to serve Yuan Shu, it would be tantamount to tying himself completely to Yuan Shu’s fortunes.
And in Lu Su’s view, Yuan Shu was not a man destined for great success.
“Hahahahaha!” After hearing Lu Su’s analysis, Zhou Yu laughed so hard that tears nearly came to his eyes.
Pointing at Lu Su, he said:
“Zijing, oh Zijing, you know only one side of the matter and not the other!”
“I would be honored to hear your enlightened view, Gongjin.”
Lu Su’s eyes filled with surprise as he fixed his gaze on Zhou Yu.
He wanted to know where he had gone wrong.
“Zijing.” Once Zhou Yu’s laughter subsided, he looked at Lu Su and asked:
“Tell me, who is Sun Ben?”
“Sun Ben is Sun Jian’s nephew.” Lu Su frowned slightly.
“His father died early, and he raised his infant younger brother by himself. Later he served as a district inspector and local administrator. When Sun Jian became Administrator of Changsha, Sun Ben joined his command and followed him in campaigns across the land.”
“After Sun Jian died in battle… Sun Ben led the surviving troops and escorted Sun Jian’s coffin back to Qu’a.”
As he spoke, Lu Su suddenly realized something.
His head snapped up toward Zhou Yu, his gaze becoming profoundly thoughtful.
“Have you noticed it as well, Zijing?” Zhou Yu smiled faintly and said, “That’s right. Sun Ben’s decision to bring the old troops under Yuan Shu’s command was my idea. And those veteran soldiers acted under Bofu’s instructions as well.”
“After General Sun’s death, we were still able to gather more than three thousand surviving troops.”
“But an army must be fed, and horses must be supplied. How could we possibly sustain them on our own? To preserve the army, the only path available was to seek refuge with Yuan Shu.”
“In this way, thanks to the relationship between the late General Sun and Yuan Shu, those veteran officers would naturally be entrusted with important positions.”
“Moreover, those who joined Yuan Shu were not just Sun Ben, the old officers, and the army.”
“Wu Jing, Lu Fan, and Sun He went as well.”
“And Wu Jing has already been appointed Administrator of Danyang by Yuan Shu and will soon assume office.”
Wu Jing was Sun Ce’s maternal uncle.
He had also been one of Sun Jian’s longtime subordinates and had campaigned alongside him for many years.
In other words, although these men appeared to be serving Yuan Shu, they were actually using Yuan Shu’s grain and resources to sustain Sun Ce’s army and establish territory for him.
“Hiss—”
After hearing Zhou Yu’s arrangements, even Lu Su could not help but draw in a sharp breath.
The man before him was only eighteen years old.
“What a masterful strategy—finding life in the midst of certain death.” Lu Su’s eyes were full of admiration.
“As long as the veteran troops remain intact, Sun Ce will still have a chance to participate in the struggle for the realm. And with Gongjin planning things for him, taking control of Jiangdong should not be difficult.”
He had never underestimated Zhou Yu.
Yet at this moment, he was still astonished by the young man’s brilliance.
At the very least, such a scheme was beyond Lu Su’s abilities.
And it was precisely because of Zhou Yu’s plan that Sun Ce, whose position had seemed utterly hopeless, now had a chance to rise again.
………………..
Time swiftly passed, and the end of the third month arrived.
Yan Province, Taishan Commandery.
Fenggao, the administrative seat.
Zhang Jing was inspecting the city walls.
At his side were not only Dian Wei and Sima Ju, who was stationed in Fenggao, but also a broad-shouldered, powerfully built man clad in armor.
This stranger was none other than Taishi Ci of Donglai, a general under Kong Rong.
He had escorted eighty thousand shi of grain to Fenggao.
The grain convoy alone consisted of nearly ten thousand laborers and able-bodied men.
Fortunately, the two regions were not far apart, making the transportation effort relatively manageable.
“Ziyi.” Looking toward an open training ground within the city, where several thousand Qihuo Army soldiers were drilling, Zhang Jing spoke.
“What do you think of my Qihuo Army?”
Zhang Jing had long coveted this fierce warrior from Donglai.
However, this time he could not very well detain him.
After all, he was currently occupied with transforming and consolidating his own forces.
Furthermore, Taishi Ci had come specifically to deliver grain on his behalf.
To detain him after that would be difficult to justify.
Xun Yu had been a different matter.
At that time, Zhang Jing and Cao Cao had been mortal enemies.
But if the person standing here had been Guo Jia or Zhuge Liang instead— Zhang Jing would have had only one principle:
If they cannot be used by me, they must be eliminated.
“They may be called elite troops.” Taishi Ci’s expression was serious, but he said little more.
Truthfully, he did not understand why the leader of the Qihuo Army had invited him here.
Yet the journey itself had changed his view of the Yellow Turbans.
Or rather, they could no longer truly be called Yellow Turbans.
They were now the Qihuo Army.
As for their combat effectiveness, he could not yet judge.
But the spirit and discipline displayed by the army were something he had rarely seen in all his years.
“The world calls us bandits.” Zhang Jing spoke as they walked along the wall.
“Ziyi, do you know why we bandits have been able to establish ourselves in Yan Province?”
— The end of the Chapter–
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