My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 315 The Chaos in Wu Nan
By mid-year, both Guzhang and Wucheng had become independent.

This story begins with Sun Ce crossing the river, and also involves the four major clans of Jiangdong.

As mentioned before, there are actually five families among the four major surnames in Jiangdong, and the last one is the Zhu family of Guzhang.

The Zhu clan of Guzhang originated from the Zhu clan of Pei State, but only migrated to Guzhang a few generations ago.

The head of the family was Zhu Zhi, who rose from a minor official position and followed Sun Jian in his campaigns, becoming a loyal subject of the Sun family.

After Sun Jian's death, Zhu Zhi became loyal to Sun Ce and assisted him.

Sun Ce later decided to go to Shouchun to rely on Yuan Shu. Zhu Zhi saw that Yuan Shu lacked political integrity and was not a capable person, so he advised Sun Ce to simply return to Jiangdong and start from scratch.

However, Sun Ce considered that his father's troops were still in Yuan Shu's hands, and he was not the head of the Sun family. In addition, his uncle Wu Jing and cousin Xu Kun were all serving under Yuan Shu.

If he returned to Jiangdong, he would likely find no help at all, so he politely declined Zhu Zhi's offer.

Under these circumstances, Zhu Zhi left alone and returned to Jiangdong.

The following year, when Ma Ridi arrived in Jianghuai, he was recommended by Yuan Shu and appointed Zhu Zhi as the Commandant of Wu Commandery, which was the same position that Xu Gong held before he became the Prefect of Wu Commandery.

For Zhu Zhi, this official position was actually quite good, because Zhu Zhi's hometown was Guzhang County, which was right next to Wu County, and it was also separated from Wu County by the entire Taihu Lake.

These are the reasons why Zhu Zhi had a strong influence in Nanwu Commandery, and was even able to bring Sun Ce's family to Guzhang for protection under the threat of Xu Gong and Liu Yao.

After Sun Ce crossed the river, Zhu Zhi actively worked in Wu Commandery to cooperate with Sun Ce.

"Xu Gong suffered a crushing defeat at Youquan and was nearly captured alive by Sun Ce because Zhu Zhi raised an army in Qiantang and attacked him from both sides."

As Zhou Shang spoke, his face became full of worry: "Guzhang is now under the control of Zhu Zhi's clan and no longer obeys his uncle's orders. Wucheng is even more chaotic, with the county occupied by powerful figures such as Zou Ta and Qian Tong. At the same time, they have supported the former governor of Hepu, Wang Sheng of Jiaxing, as their leader, gathered more than 10,000 soldiers, and carved up the area."

"The Zhou and Shen families of Yangxian are also holding their own troops, but for the time being they are still submissive. The Prince of Kuaiji has gathered a large army and stationed it in Guling, forming a standoff with Sun Ce's army that is marching south to Yuhang and Qiantang. Whether war will break out or not, there is still no news."

Zhou Shang shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Sun Bofu, like a tiger crossing the river, has actually caused unrest throughout Jiangdong."

Zhou Yu was quite shocked after hearing this.

Youquan is the later Jiaxing, Wucheng is Huzhou with water, so Zhang is Anji County, and Qiantang, Yuhang and Guling are all the places where Hangzhou was located later.

It can be said that it is a place of the finest essence.

Even during the Eastern Han Dynasty, apart from the unfavorable climate, this place was still a land of plenty, rich in fish and rice.

Boiling seawater for salt, cultivating land for grain, crisscrossing lakes, abundant fish and shrimp, and the benefits of mining—it is truly a blessed land, except for its somewhat unfavorable climate.

Yes, at that time, the south was a land of miasma, far less comfortable than it is in later times.

Fortunately, the main force heading south was the Xuzhou army, and it was late autumn. In addition, the army carried a large amount of medicine and military doctors.

Most importantly, Liu Feng strictly required his troops not to drink anything that was not boiled, even at the cost of consuming a large amount of firewood, to ensure that the army's drinking water was boiled and then cooled. While this brought a considerable burden, it also greatly reduced the number of troops suffering from water and soil incompatibility.

Most cases of acclimatization problems during the Eastern Han Dynasty were indeed directly related to drinking water. After all, germs varied from place to place, and in an era where people drank raw water, it was no wonder that they suffered from acclimatization issues.

Zhou Yu originally planned to march south via Guzhang and Wucheng to launch a surprise attack on Sun Ce's flank. However, upon arriving at Wanling, he discovered that Sun Ce's flank was already embroiled in fierce fighting.

This left Zhou Yu dumbfounded and his head spinning.

Zhou Shang advised, "Gongjin, I know you are highly talented and capable, but the Wu region is in real chaos right now, so you must be cautious."

Zhou Yu nodded slowly, while analyzing the situation in his mind.

Liu Feng sent him to Wanling not to sit idly by and watch the outcome fail. If he stayed here waiting for Liu Feng to march south without achieving anything, how could the Zhou family and Zhou Yu himself still stand in front of Liu Feng?
Liu Bei had a wealth of talented people under his command, with a multitude of strategists and fierce generals.

If Liu Bei and his son hadn't greatly admired him, they wouldn't have given him such a good opportunity to stand alone alongside his own father.
Such an opportunity should be cherished; it should not be squandered because of danger.

Now it seems that Xu Gong is no longer a threat. When he first came to power in Wu Commandery, he lost the support of the people because of his opposition to Sheng Xian. The gentry did not like him much.

Now he has been defeated by Sun Ce again, especially the recent crushing defeat at Youquan, and almost had to flee alone.

Such a nominal prefect, who had neither prestige nor troops, might have some value if someone else had been appointed, but in the eyes of Liu Bei and his son, he was truly worthless.

Following this logic, Zhou Yu quickly divided these local warlords into three factions.

Zhu Zhi's faction was the enemy, so the Zhang Zhu family had invested too much in the Sun family and would almost never turn back. They also had no benefits to offer in order to win the other side.

After studying the relationship between Zhu Zhi and the Sun family, Zhou Yu even felt that even if he decided to give the position of Prefect of Danyang to Zhu Zhi, Zhu Zhi would not leave Sun Ce.

Zhou Yu knew very well that most people in this world could be persuaded to talk about interests, but there were some people who were destined to be unattainable through interests.

Zhu Zhi's force numbered about six or seven thousand men, divided into three parts: two thousand in Guzhang, one thousand in Yuhang, and the remaining four thousand were led by Zhu Zhi north to Youquan to join Sun Ce.

The second group was Yan Baihu. After the fall of Xugong Free Fist City, they also fled to Wucheng to join Yan Baihu.

Yan Baihu has gathered over ten thousand followers and four or five thousand retainers, but it would be quite difficult for him to fight against Sun Ce.

The final wave consisted of the powerful local gentry in Wucheng County. They had jointly elected Wang Sheng as their leader and occupied the county, making them naturally more compliant with the imperial court and easier to win over. Moreover, Wang Sheng was a member of the Youquan faction, and once they persuaded him to help them, it would greatly benefit their subsequent attack on the Youquan.

"Father, is it possible to win over Wang Sheng?"

Zhou Yu set his sights on the powerful figures of Wucheng, making Wang Sheng the key to breaking the deadlock.

Upon hearing Zhou Yu's words, Zhou Shang's expression became quite strange.

Zhou Yu couldn't help but urge, "From your father?"

"Even his father didn't know if he could fight for it."

Zhou Shang shook his head and clicked his tongue, saying, "Do you know that this man is Sun Wentai's brother?"

"Sun Wentai's brother?"

Zhou Yu gasped. In this era, the concept of brotherhood wasn't like it was in later generations, where you could just call someone whatever you wanted.

To become brothers, one must either proclaim to heaven and earth their brotherhood like Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Kong Rong, and Sheng Xian.

Or they would enter the house and offer their wives and children.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, most brothers were even closer than blood brothers.

After all, you can't choose your biological brothers, but you can choose your sworn brothers.

Of course, since they are brothers, there are examples of them turning against each other. During the Chu-Han Contention, Zhang Er and Chen Yu had a brotherhood that was even willing to die for each other, but they still ended up fighting to the death.

Was Wang Sheng able to be supported by powerful figures like Zou Ta and Qian Tong in Wucheng because he had also turned against Sun Jian?

Seeing through Zhou Yu's thoughts, Zhou Shang shook his head: "Wang Sheng did not have any disagreements with Sun Jian, but he did not support Sun Ce and regarded Sun Ce as a traitor."

Zhou Yu suddenly realized that Wang Sheng was the former governor of Hepu, a conservative scholar who was still loyal to the Han emperor.

Sun Ce was not only under Yuan Shu's command, but also committed many killings after crossing the river. He also became an enemy of Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou appointed by the court, and even made Xu Gong, the legitimate governor of Wu Commandery, flee in terror.

Wang Sheng naturally couldn't stand by and watch, and being of a higher generation than Sun Ce, it's not surprising that he would raise an army to oppose him.

"However, Wang Sheng is in a rather embarrassing situation right now."

Zhou Shang suddenly looked somewhat sorrowful and said in a sad voice, "His sons all supported Xu Gong in the Battle of Youquan, and after the city fell, they were all captured and killed by Sun Ce."

Zhou Yu looked shocked: "Sun Ce is so cruel!?"

Many people believe that Zhou Yu and Sun Ce became like brothers after their first meeting in Jiujiang.

In reality, however, the relationship between the two families is quite distinct.

In the original timeline, Sun Ce was able to break through the Niuzhu defense line and enter Jiangdong entirely because of the Zhou family's betrayal.

However, many people have overlooked one point: after Sun Ce crossed the river, he pursued Liu Yao all the way, and after capturing Qu'a County where Liu Yao was located, he began the first reward distribution for his merits.

In this distribution of rewards, Cheng Pu, Lü Fan, and Jiang Qin were all heavily rewarded for their bravery in battle and their repeated merits, each receiving a unit of troops. However, Zhou Yu and his family, who had made the greatest contribution, were instead politely escorted out of the country by Sun Ce and invited to join Yuan Shu in Jiangbei.

What's even more interesting is that when Yuan Shu later went mad and declared himself emperor, Sun Ce immediately announced his break from Yuan Shu and established his own system. He wrote letters to his uncle Wu Jing, his cousin Xu Kun, his cousins ​​Sun Ben and Sun Fu, and even his distant cousin Sun Xiang. All of them received Sun Ce's letters.

But his sworn brother, Zhou Yu, who was as close as a brother and was the one who made the greatest contribution to crossing the river, was forgotten.

Later, when Yuan Shu failed, the Zhou family crossed the river to join Sun Ce. Although they were warmly welcomed, they did not actually give Zhou Yu many opportunities to make contributions.

Imagine if Sun Ce had truly been close to and trusted Zhou Yu, treating him like a brother. If Zhou Yu had recommended Lu Su, Sun Ce would have praised him endlessly, yet wouldn't have even given him a chance to try him out.
Contrary to popular belief, it was actually Sun Ce who consistently suppressed Zhou Yu, while Sun Quan, who used Zhou Yu to counterbalance his uncle Wu Jing and cousin Xu Kun, was the truly wise ruler who placed immense trust in Zhou Yu and allowed him to use his talents freely.

Of course, this is not to say that Sun Ce was wrong.

Sun Ce did not actually do anything wrong. If he had made full use of the Zhou family when crossing the river, given Zhou Yu's abilities and the merit of betraying Niuzhu, would Jiangdong still belong to the Sun family?

It could easily turn into a situation where Sun and Zhou share Jiangdong.

However, Sun Ce died unexpectedly before he could give Zhou Yu a chance to make his move. If Sun Ce had lived a few more years, Zhou Yu might have had a turning point.

At this moment, however, the relationship between Zhou Yu and Sun Ce was essentially still one of superficial brotherhood.

Both of them had devoted themselves to their families, so how could they possibly sacrifice their family's interests for their brother?

Hearing that Sun Ce was so cruel, even turning against his father's brother who had entered his home and offered his wife and children, he was shocked.

If it were just a battle, that would be one thing, but to capture someone and then order their execution is to show absolutely no mercy.

"That's true."

Zhou Shang's sorrowful expression was clearly a result of shared grief, as he recalled the three generations of elites from his own family who had been wiped out by Dong Zhuo after they marched north.

“Sun Bofu is cruel and has a bloodthirsty nature. I don’t think he can last long.”

Zhou Shang sighed and put away Qi Rong's words, saying, "Wang Sheng is indeed someone we can win over. If Wucheng surrenders, Guzhang will be trapped like a turtle in a jar."

Wucheng is located to the right of Guzhang and to the left of Youquan, making it the only route between Guzhang and Youquan.

Therefore, Zhou Shangcai made this judgment.

Zhou Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Does my father have any dealings with Wang Sheng?"

"We had no prior dealings with each other."

Zhou Shang shook his head, then changed the subject, saying, "However, I do know someone who can definitely persuade Wang Sheng."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu was overjoyed: "Father, who has such ability?"

"This is Lü You, the current head of the Lü family of Wanling. He is the great-grandson of Lü Gai, the Minister of Works of the He Dynasty. Lü You and Wang Sheng became close friends when they were young. If he is willing to help, Wang Sheng will definitely agree."

At this point, Zhou Shang couldn't help but remind him, "However, in Wucheng County, Zou Ta and Qian Tong have gathered several thousand people, and their strength is even greater than Wang Sheng's. Gongjin, you must not underestimate them."

Zhou Yu respectfully thanked Zhou Shang for his advice.

Then, before the banquet, Zhou Yu hurriedly wrote a long letter, recording the chaotic situation in southern Wu Commandery, Sun Ce's movements, his current predicament, and his proposed solutions. He intended to send it to Qu'a to present to Liu Feng in person.

********
From the fist, the county government.

Cheng Pu, dressed in military uniform, walked to the gate of a courtyard, followed by Huang Gai. He glanced at Lü Fan and Chen Wu, who were standing outside the gate, and asked with a furrowed brow, "Is Bo Fu still inside?"

Chen Wu and Lü Fan exchanged a glance and both shook their heads.

Cheng Pu's face stiffened. Ever since Sun Ce received the news, the Xuzhou army had launched a major southward offensive and defeated Yuan Shu in a month.

General Liu Feng, who was in charge of the Southern Expedition, had already crossed the river from Liyang and, with the welcome of Liu Yao, had stationed himself at Niuzhu.

Sun Ce locked himself in his room and refused to see anyone; it has been three days now.

"No, we can't let Bo Fu continue like this. I have to see him today!"

Cheng Pu was undoubtedly one of the most senior members of Sun Jian's army. Although he could not be compared with Sun Ben, Wu Jing, Xu Kun, and others, he was indeed the number one among Sun Jian's old retainers.

Even Sun Ce had to respectfully address him as Uncle Cheng. Although he did not hold the same status as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei before Liu Feng, they were still quite similar.

Seeing Cheng Pu about to force his way in, Chen Wu and Lü Fan wanted to stop him but dared not, while Huang Gai behind Cheng Pu was also conflicted, not knowing whether to go up and pull Cheng Pu back or follow him in.

Huang Gai was also quite worried about Sun Ce at this time.

"Please come in, Uncle Cheng!"

Just then, Sun Ce's voice came from inside the room, which cheered everyone up.

Since Sun Ce had already agreed, how could Chen Wu and Lü Fan dare to obstruct him? They immediately made way for Cheng Pu to enter.

Cheng Pu took the lead, followed closely by Huang Gai. Chen Wu and Lü Fan exchanged a glance and then quietly followed as well.

Once inside the room, everyone noticed that Sun Ce appeared calm and composed, with bright, sparkling eyes, showing no sign of discouragement.

Originally, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and even Chen Wu and Lü Fan, who were close confidants, suspected that Sun Ce might have been defeated by the Xuzhou army. But now, upon seeing Sun Ce, they immediately realized that they were just overthinking things.

"Uncle Cheng, Uncle Huang, are you worried about your nephew?"

Sun Ce was a strong-willed man who never wavered in his word. Even with his father's trusted lieutenants like Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, the final decision-maker in the army was none other than Sun Ce, the one who made the final call.

Hearing Sun Ce's smiling question, Cheng Pu and Huang Gai felt a little guilty.

Finally, Cheng Pu gritted his teeth and said, "Exactly."

Sun Ce's expression turned cold, a hint of ferocity flashing across his handsome face: "Aren't you two uncles underestimating your nephew too much?"

Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were startled and wanted to explain, but they knew Sun Ce's temper. Explaining would not only be useless, but might even have the opposite effect.

So Cheng Pu and Huang Gai simply admitted defeat: "We were overthinking it, and we hope that you will not take offense, Bo Fu!"

As soon as Cheng Pu and Huang Gai softened their stance, Sun Ce's expression immediately changed. He laughed heartily and stepped forward, grasping one of them with each hand: "What are you saying, uncles? You are only concerned about Bo Fu. How could I not know? I'm just a little wronged."

"Uncle, please come with me!"

Despite being only 1.78 meters tall, Sun Ce was incredibly strong, pulling Cheng Pu and Huang Gai directly to the table.

At this moment, a large map was spread out on the table; it was a topographical map of Jiangdong.

On this map, there are many grains of rice placed in the Youquan area, and two large clumps of rice placed in Wucheng and Guling respectively, which are exactly to the west and southwest of Youquan.

After taking control of Youquan, almost everyone advised Sun Ce to first march west and deal with Yan Baihu and Wang Sheng, who were entrenched in Wucheng.

After eliminating the threat on the flank, we can then calmly head south and attack Kuaiji.

What if Wang Lang marches north while attacking Wucheng?
That would be a tremendous stroke of good news. Not to mention that Zhu Zhi has the two counties of Qiantang and Yuhang, which can cut off Wang Lang's retreat at any time, even Cheng Pu and Huang Gai are confident that they can defeat the enemy in a battle at Youquan City.

Sun Ce's army was full of confidence from top to bottom, and they did not take Yan Baihu and Wang Lang seriously at all. They even thought that if Wang Lang dared to send troops, he would be courting death.

Objectively speaking, Sun Ce's thinking was not unreasonable. After all, Youquan was a fortified city, Sun Ce's army, which was advancing south, was strong, and Wang Lang was also threatened by Zhu Zhi's army on his flank. However, Sun Ce's arrogance was undeniable. After a series of victories, Sun Ce's army had even become somewhat disdainful of others.

Originally, this wasn't a big problem.

Although military strategy says that an arrogant army will surely be defeated, that applies only to battles against normal armies.

The Jiangdong army was exceptionally bad, even far inferior to the arrogant Sun Ce's army, which was quite comical.

At this very moment, Sun Ce proposed a solution that was quite different from others.

"My two uncles, I intend to march south with all my might, first capturing Guling, and then crossing the Qiantang River!"

(End of this chapter)