Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 182 Zhou Yu: Bofu, just listen to me
Zhou Yu asked with a smile: "Does Bofu know the story of the Marquis of Huaiyin?"

Sun Ce nodded and said, "I and Gongjin are very open with each other, we can talk about anything."

Zhou Yu bowed and continued, "In the past, I was a halberd-wielding doctor under Xiang Yu's command. Although I was good friends with the Chu general Zhongli Mei, I was never given much importance. After joining Emperor Gaozu, I was appointed a general. If I had not taken credit for my achievements and become arrogant, I would have been killed by Empress Lü. The Han family would have been dukes for generations. Isn't that better than being laughed at by Long Ju in Xiang Yu's command?"

"A real man should soar high in the sky, how can he lie low? When alive, he should be a noble, and when dead, he should be a servant of others, how can he be a servant of others?!"

"Now that Envoy Liu has the strategy of Emperor Guangwu, the prosperity of the Han Dynasty is just around the corner. All we need to do is pacify Hebei, and then we can overthrow the whole country and sweep across the universe."

"At this moment, scholars from Qing, Yan, Xu, Yu, and Yang provinces have left their relatives and hometowns to follow Lord Xuande. This is the general trend of the world. Those who follow him hope to climb the dragon's scales and attach themselves to the phoenix's wings to achieve their goals. The prominent families in Yingchuan have heard the news and moved. The sons of the noble families in Taishan, Henei, Chenliu, Huainan, and Langya are all serving in the government. Even the noble families in Jingxiang have sent people to make friends with Envoy Liu. You and I have been friends since childhood. Could it be that Yu would deceive you?"

Hearing these words, Sun Ce's eyebrows twitched and he clenched his fists in joy. He had suffered enough of the humiliation in Yangzhou.

If there were better options, who would be willing to stay under Yuan Shu, but... the reality is more difficult.

Sun Ce pondered for a long time, and finally sighed: "I have no connection with Envoy Liu, so it would be difficult even if I wanted to surrender. Besides, Yuan is my benefactor, so I dare not betray him without reason."

Zhou Yu reminded him, "Bofu, Yuan Shu cannot use you at present, and even teases you. Cao Mengde has occupied Jiangdong, leaving you homeless, and Liu Biao of Jingzhou has killed your father. Apart from Envoy Liu, where else can you go?

Now that we have attacked Pei, we have offended Lord Liu. Even if we are a hero who can shock Huainan, we will have no place to use our military power. What will we do in the future?"

Seeing Sun Ce's hesitation, Zhou Yu continued, "Back then, your father had the heart to restore the Han Dynasty. He pointed out that Dong Zhuo had overthrown the royal family. If you don't exterminate his three clans and show it to the world, you will die with regret. The Yuan family of Runan has been Han officials for generations. To support the Han Dynasty is to honor the Yuan family. Yuan Shu is just a descendant of the Yuan family. How can he replace the Yuan family?"

"Gongjin, you..." Sun Ce was stunned when he saw Zhou Yu separate Yuan Shi and Yuan Shu with just a few words.

Zhou Yu then smiled and said, "Everyone knows what Yuan Gonglu is thinking."

He patted Sun Ce's arm and said, "Bofu, you only need to lead your troops to Pei State and station them outside the city. Just ignore Yuan Shu's orders."

"There are rumors that the Yuan family has seized the national seal. Even if Peidi is out of reach, Yuan Gonglu will certainly not stop. It is only a matter of time before he rebels. Then we can draw a clear line with him."

Sun Ce pondered over his words, shook his head and said, "Gongjin, without Yuan Shu's provision of military equipment and food, how can I survive in Pei? Moreover, the families of the soldiers are mostly in Jiujiang County. This plan is not appropriate."

Zhou Yu smiled and said, "What if General Liu leads his troops to attack Jiujiang? What do you think, Bofu?"

Sun Ce was just about to ask how you knew that, but suddenly he remembered that Zhou Yu was planning to go to Xuzhou. Perhaps the Zhou family of Lujiang and Envoy Liu had a close connection, which is why he could be so sure.

Sometimes I really envy Zhou Gongjin's family background, unlike him who always runs into obstacles.

Perhaps seeing what Sun Ce was thinking, Zhou Yu explained, "I don't have close contact with Envoy Liu, we just exchange letters."

"It's strange to say, last June a letter came from Qingzhou, and after several transfers it arrived in Lujiang. When my father opened it, he found that it was written by Envoy Liu himself, and he praised Zhou a lot."

Zhou Yu recalled with a strange look on his face.

"Is there such a thing?" Sun Ce was also surprised when he heard it.

In fact, they didn't know that Liu Bei had written several letters in his personal name and sent them to Xu and Yang states. However, some of the letters were lost on the way, while some had already been taken across the river, resulting in the letters not being delivered.

Zhou was luckier and just received it.

"The decisive battle between Yuan and Liu in Hebei is imminent. Envoy Liu must first stabilize the rear. Yangzhou is the place to use military force at this moment, so I hurried to persuade you. I am afraid that if you lead your army to Peidi, what awaits you is not Chen Gui's county soldiers who will collapse at the first blow, but the extremely powerful Qingzhou army that is rampant in Hebei and the Central Plains. I heard that the Qingzhou cavalrymen are all armored, and Pei is mostly plains. How can you resist the heavily armored cavalry?" "Even if your honorable order is still facing an unstoppable army that has won every battle, you dare not be sure of victory, right?"

Zhou Yu asked from the bottom of his heart.

He was not afraid that Sun Ce would attack Chen Gui, he was afraid that Sun Bofu would die!
Using thousands of people to fight against the two states of Xu and Yan behind Pei, I am afraid it is just like what Zhuang Zhou said, 'Don't you know that you are a mantis?' He angrily uses his arms to block the wheel ruts, not knowing that he is not up to the task.

Maybe Zhou Gongjin will have to go to Pei every year to pay tribute to his childhood friends.

If we compile history books, we might even record the ridiculous story of an ant trying to shake a tree, which would be ridiculed by future generations. Why do we have to do this?

Sun Ce couldn't help but fall silent. He rose to prominence in Huainan and had rarely fought against cavalry, but he often heard Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Huang Gai, and Sun He mention the power of cavalry. When A Weng was alive, he also lamented that when he was fighting against Dong Zhuo, he was narrowly defeated by Xu Rong and was besieged by the cavalry led by Hu Zhen and Lu Bu. Fortunately, the two were not in harmony, which allowed him to fight his way out and kill Hua Xiong, a general under Dong Zhuo.

It can be seen that cavalry is indeed difficult to defeat infantry. Moreover, there are less than a thousand people wearing iron armor under his command, and the rest are wearing leather armor.

When the commander of Cao's army was captured, he said that the Qingzhou army was almost entirely covered in iron armor. At that time, Cao Mengde had just been defeated head-on in the Battle of Liaocheng with tens of thousands of troops, and retreated all the way to Puyang, and finally fled to Jiangdong.

Pei was the place where Emperor Gaozu rose to power, and no powerful Han royal relative would leave it alone.

If he really encountered Envoy Liu on the plain, how could he evacuate safely?
Sun Ce thought for a long time but could not think of any good way to resist the armored cavalry and infantry.

He wanted to ask Yuan Shu to build hundreds of chariots and send them over, but Yuan Shu was usually very stingy even with the money for transporting military equipment and food. Now if he was asked to let the craftsmen build chariots, even if he agreed, it would be too late.

After hearing what Zhou Yu said, Sun Ce suddenly felt caught in a dilemma.

No wonder Yuan Gonglu asked Zhang Xun to bring reinforcements, but what’s the use of two thousand people?

He turned his gaze towards Zhou Yu unconsciously and said through gritted teeth: "Gongjin, what do you think I should do?"

Zhou Yu laughed and said, "Bofu, have you forgotten what our ancestor said? A general in the army may not obey the orders of his lord."

"You can temporarily station your troops here. I will go to Pengcheng to meet with Liu Shijun, and then write to you. If you trust me, Zhou Yu, you can act according to the plan."

Sun Ce slammed his palm on the table and said with determination: "Okay, I will do as Gongjin said. I hope Gongjin will write to me soon."

After saying this, he took three steps back and bowed to Zhou Yu.

He didn't want Sun's generals to lose their swords and bows to Yuan Shu, fight till their blood was shed in Pei, and not even get the title of prefect or county governor.

Fighting for others is not just for fame, fortune and wealth. Yuan Gonglu is no different from Xiang Ji. When he sees someone sick, he will share his food with them with tears. When someone deserves a reward, he will be reluctant to give it to them even if the edges of his seal are worn out.

Yuan Shu often said in public: "If I had a son like Sun Lang, I would have no regrets in death."

However, even the prefect who had promised him the throne was unwilling to give him Sun Bofu. You must know that he did not just sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor, but fought for it at the risk of his life.

"This thief is hateful!" Sun Ce cursed inwardly.

It's not that I owe you, it's that you broke your promise and owe me too much.

(End of this chapter)