With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Cao Zhen was like a tiger descending the mountain, he was so eager to get rid of it. Lu Su never expected that Cao Cao had a plan. How could he possibly hand over Jiangling to Jiangdong so easily?

The reason Zhou Yu was able to capture Jiangling so easily that day was simply because Cao Cao voluntarily ceded Jiangling to him.

Cao Jun only offered a token resistance at the time, and Cao Zhen had already led his men to hide beforehand.

They dug a secret chamber in the city and lay in wait there, where they had prepared plenty of food and water.

So even if they don't go out and do anything for all these days, they still have no problem eating and drinking.

Cao Zhen's eyes were like torches as he gripped his long sword tightly. Behind him, two hundred warriors, each with a heroic bearing and high morale, charged toward the city gate like a gust of wind.

The Jiangdong soldiers at the city gate were few in number and completely unprepared, so the sudden situation left many of them bewildered.

Cao Zhen took the lead, roaring as he swung his sword at the enemy, displaying agility and extraordinary bravery.

The two hundred soldiers behind Cao Zhen were also fearless, their hearts burning with an intense fighting spirit, like a raging fire that could not be extinguished.

In an instant, swords clashed and clashes flew, the shouts of battle deafening. Every swing of Cao Zhen's blade carried the force of a slashing hammer.

Jiangdong soldiers fell one after another under his fierce offensive. His warriors followed closely behind, fighting bravely and without flinching.

Blood stained the earth, but it could not stop Cao Zhen and his men from charging forward.

Someone hurriedly reported this to Lu Su, who was greatly surprised. Just as he was about to send reinforcements, a loud creaking sound came, and the huge gate was raised.

"not good!"

The usually composed Lu Su's expression immediately changed.

Just then, a stone was hurled by a catapult and landed right next to Lu Su. An unlucky Jiangdong soldier was hit on the head and his brains splattered everywhere. Because he was so close, some of the brains also landed on Lu Su's face.

crunch!
Under the desperate charge of Cao Zhen and two hundred warriors, the city gate slowly opened, and the dawn of victory shone on their resolute faces.

"Kill! Charge!"

After successfully opening the city gate, Xiahou Dun, who was closest to the gate, immediately led his men into the city.

The battle cries shook the heavens as the Han army surged into the city like a raging tide, their fierce momentum seemingly capable of swallowing everything in its path.

Xiahou Dun, wielding a long spear, charged ahead, thrusting wildly into the enemy ranks, unleashing a torrent of bloodshed. Wherever he went, cries of agony filled the air, and none could withstand a single blow from him.

Despite having only one eye, Xiahou Dun at this moment was a wolf with fangs, a one-eyed wolf, brave and fearless, and anyone who stood in his way would die!
The Han army was in high spirits and charged forward with fervor. Their eyes burned with the flames of war, and they charged toward the Jiangdong soldiers with sharp blades in hand and shouting.

The Jiangdong soldiers were caught off guard and confused by the sudden and fierce attack. They were caught off guard and could hardly resist.

Xiahou Dun was very clever. After entering the city, he immediately blocked the passage connecting to the city wall, trapping Lu Su and his men on the city wall.

Han soldiers were everywhere, inside and outside the city, shouting and wildly waving their weapons. Lu Su, standing on the city wall, was also thrown into disarray, and despair arose in his heart.

Lu Su attempted to lead his men to charge down the hill, but the Han army's offensive was too fierce, making it extremely difficult for the Jiangdong soldiers to break through.

One person comes down, and one dies; two people come down, and a pair dies.

Cao Zhen and Xiahou Dun held their ground tightly, making a perfect defense so that no one could take a single step forward.

Seeing that the time was right, Cao Cao waved his hand, ordering the soldiers outside the city to stop attacking, and then accompanied Liu Xie into the city.

When Cao Cao saw Lu Su again, he was quite pleased with himself. Although he was below and Lu Su was on the high city wall, Cao Cao's aura was superior and everything was under his control.

Cao Cao had hidden Cao Zhen in the city beforehand, and Liu Xie only found out today. Cao Cao's boldness was something that most people could not match, after all, Cao Zhen had always been treated as his own son by Cao Cao.

Cao Cao looked at Lu Su and said in a deep voice, "Lu Su, the timing is just right, a full day and night. How about it? Now that I have breached the city, you should fulfill your bet."

Surrounded by Han soldiers, densely packed, Lu Su's expression was solemn, his eyes revealing helplessness and pain. His loyalty to Sun Quan was like a flame burning in his heart, never extinguished. Yet now, faced with this irreversible situation, his heart was churning with complex emotions.

He recalled every moment he spent with Sun Quan, the trust and entrustment between ruler and subject, and their shared determination to fight for the great cause of Jiangdong. He also remembered the "Strategy on the Couch" he had presented to Sun Quan. But now, he had to betray his original intentions and make the choice to surrender.

He lost his bet with Cao Cao to capture Jiangling within a day.

Lu Su clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain. The torment in his heart far surpassed the physical torture; he hated his own powerlessness and the cruel tricks of fate.

Loyalty and helplessness clashed fiercely in his heart, and tears began to well up in his eyes, but Lu Su held them back.

Lu Su seemed to have grasped at a straw, his eyes searching through the crowd before finally landing on Liu Xie.

"I am only willing to surrender to the Han Dynasty and to His Majesty!" This was his last act of defiance.

Cao Cao was a little angry, feeling that he had been slighted by Lu Su, but Liu Xie walked over with a smile and said, "Surrendering to the Prime Minister is the same as surrendering to me."

This offered Cao Cao some consolation. Lu Su hesitated for a moment, then finally let out a long sigh and slowly lowered his proud head, saying, "Your subject is willing to surrender!"

At that moment, Lu Su seemed to hear the sound of his own heart breaking!

Seeing that Lu Su had surrendered, the remaining Jiangdong soldiers all gave up resistance. After a while, Lu Su came to Liu Xie with his head down and a sigh, and knelt down respectfully on the ground.

This time, Liu Xie didn't rush to help him up. In the past, Liu Xie would have already helped him up before he even knelt down.

Liu Xie wanted Lu Su to remember this moment, because Lu Su had previously vowed to live and die with Jiangling, which showed that deep down he still had deep feelings for Sun Quan.

With everything settled, Cao Cao immediately ordered Xiahou Dun to clean up the battlefield.

"Zijing, now that you have surrendered, are you willing to help me persuade the soldiers of Jingnan to surrender as well?"

After a while, Liu Xie asked another question that made Lu Su wish he could die immediately.

Lu Su's face was filled with sorrow, and he remained silent for a long time without uttering a word. Liu Xie was somewhat disappointed. "...What? You're not willing?"

"Don't you wish for peace and stability in the world soon? I understand your feelings. After all, Sun Quan has treated you well over the years and entrusted you with important responsibilities. However, I hope you can consider the bigger picture. No one can stop my determination to pacify Jiangdong. Even if you don't help me this time, do you think Jingnan can be defended? It will only result in more innocent deaths."

Guo Jia also came over to persuade him: "Zijing, even if you remain silent to the end, the outcome is already predetermined. I must remind you, if you had stepped forward to persuade them to surrender, many people would not have lost their lives in vain." Lu Su felt that today was the most unlucky, most painful, and most unbearable day of his life.

Every choice left him in a dilemma, filled with immense turmoil and self-blame.

However, from Liu Xie's perspective, even if he understood Lu Su's dilemma, he would not support him, because Sun Quan was going against the court.

"Since Zijing is in a difficult position, I will not force you. I will now order an advance into Jingnan!" Liu Xie waited for a while, but he was already losing patience.

Seeing the emperor's cold expression, and knowing he was about to issue the order to attack Jingnan, Lu Su finally spoke up, "Your Majesty, this humble subject is willing to step forward and persuade him to surrender."

Now that Lu Su has surrendered, from a rational point of view, he should share the burden of the court and minimize the difficulty of advancing troops. Of course, it would be best if he could take back the four southern prefectures without losing a single soldier.

But it was clear that getting Lu Su to make this decision was not easy.

"Report!" Just then, news of victory came from Xichuan.

"Your Majesty and the Prime Minister have been informed that Zhou Yu was killed by Guan Yu, and all the Jiangdong troops who entered Sichuan, except for those who had already surrendered, have been wiped out!"

"What? Zhou Yu has been killed?"

Before Liu Xie could get too excited, Lu Su behind him cried out in alarm.

The messenger nodded vigorously, "It's absolutely true. General Guan sent me with Zhou Yu's head as well."

Because it was dark, Liu Xie did not notice that there was a wooden box on the ground next to him.

The messenger respectfully presented the wooden box to Liu Xie. Cao Cao, Guo Jia, and others curiously gathered around, and Lu Su, suppressing his shock, also stepped closer.

Sure enough, the head in the wooden box belonged to Zhou Yu of Jiangdong. His eyes were wide open in anger, and his handsome face was full of resentment.

He was still young, with a long life ahead of him, but with Guan Yu's single blow, everything was over!
"This...this...this."

Upon seeing Zhou Yu's severed head, Lu Su felt a sudden dizziness, his body staggered backward, and he almost fell to the ground.

Guo Jia glanced at Lu Su, shook his head slightly, and said to Liu Xie, "Your Majesty, it would be better to wait two days until we have taken Jingnan, and then send someone to inform Sun Quan of all the news at once."

At this moment, Sun Quan is still completely unaware of the situation, whether it's Zhou Yu's side or Lu Su's side.

Even without Lu Su's help in persuading others, Jingnan would have had a hard time stopping the imperial army of tens of thousands.

Liu Xie nodded, "Alright, it will be as you say, Fengxiao!"

Before dawn, Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun crossed the Yangtze River, and tens of thousands of troops marched straight towards Gong'an.

Lu Su seemed to have just recovered from a serious illness, following Cao Ren around in a daze.

With Lu Su's intervention, the garrison commander of Gong'an surrendered on his own initiative.

We have no choice but to surrender. The entire city of Gong'an only has two thousand garrison troops, while Cao Ren has brought tens of thousands of men. This battle is simply unwinnable.

After that, apart from some resistance in Changsha, the other three prefectures all surrendered in less than ten days.

After taking control of Jingnan, Liu Xie was very pleased and appointed Lu Su as the governor of Nanjun.

On this day, Guo Jia took the initiative to say to Liu Xie, "Your Majesty should send a suitable envoy to Jiangdong to persuade Sun Quan, and also bring Zhou Yu's head over so that Sun Quan can see it."

Seeing Guo Jia's mysterious smile, Liu Xie felt that something must be hidden. "Then tell me, who should be sent as an envoy to Jiangdong?"

Guo Jia smiled and replied without hesitation, "Naturally, Lu Su, the Prefect of Feinan Commandery, is the most suitable person for this task!"

Lu Su's eyes widened immediately, thinking: Guo Jia, are you doing this on purpose? Are you playing me for a fool?

Lu Su hurriedly shook his head, "Your Majesty has many capable people around you, I'm afraid I'm not up to the task."

First you made me surrender Jiangling and surrender to you, then you made me help you persuade the garrison commanders of the four southern counties to surrender. Is this never going to end?
Now he's asking me to take Zhou Yu's head to Sun Quan. Lu Su's heart is bleeding; he's filled with bitterness.

Everyone says His Majesty is benevolent and virtuous. I thought that after surrendering, I would be respected. But now, I feel like I've fallen into a pit, getting deeper and deeper, and I can't even struggle out.

Guo Jia shook his head and walked up to Lu Su. “Zijing, you see, with your intervention, Jingnan surrendered to the court very smoothly. There is no one more suitable than you to persuade Sun Quan. You and I are both smart people. How can we better persuade him to surrender? There are only two ways: one is to intimidate him, and the other is to persuade him.”

"I don't need to go into details about persuading you. You've known Sun Quan for many years, so you're naturally no problem with appealing to his emotions and reasoning with him. Let's talk specifically about intimidation. Intimidation means demonstrating the court's determination and strength, making Sun Quan feel fear to the greatest extent possible, and making him realize the current situation as soon as possible. If others try to intimidate Sun Quan, the effect will be greatly reduced. But if you personally bring Zhou Yu's head to him, even if you don't say anything, the effect will be enough to shock him."

Lu Su was also a good strategist, and he certainly knew that Guo Jia was not deliberately trying to frame him; indeed, it was very effective.

Zhou Yu and Lu Su were two people whom Sun Quan valued highly. In the end, one died and the other surrendered. Surrender is, frankly speaking, betrayal.

It would be a miracle if Sun Quan didn't vomit blood from anger upon seeing Lu Su.

But no one could anger Sun Quan more or frighten him more than Lu Su.

Lu Su felt that he was truly unlucky and was once again caught in a painful dilemma.

Guo Jia smiled and advised, "Zijing, don't overthink it. If Sun Quan can surrender smoothly, won't you and him still be on the same side? You can get along harmoniously again, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Liu Xie almost burst out laughing. Guo Jia was really good at tormenting people, bullying Lu Su like a wronged little wife, with no way to deal with him.

After some persuasion, Guo Jia gave Liu Xie a wink, and Liu Xie understood immediately. "Lu Su, this matter is settled. If we can pacify Jiangdong soon, the greatest credit will undoubtedly go to you!"

Lu Su was heartbroken; he would rather not have received such a great credit.

Next, Lu Su reluctantly boarded a small boat, carrying Zhou Yu's head, and headed towards Chaisang. He traveled downstream along the Yangtze River and arrived in less than two days.

The Jiangdong soldiers patrolling the riverbank saw Lu Su followed by a servant carrying a wooden box. They assumed Lu Su had found some priceless treasure for Sun Quan and hurriedly came over with smiles.

Lu Su was no longer able to laugh; he didn't even know which leg to step with first. (End of Chapter)