Three Kingdoms: Madam, I am a decent person

Chapter 783 Xu Shu Surrenders
Wen Pin, Zhou Yu, and Pang Tong were all shocked when they heard Liu Bei say this.

Throughout history, we have always heard of subjects fighting to the death for their rulers.

This was the first time they had ever heard of a monarch fighting to the death for his subjects.

Pang Tong glanced at Liu Bei, his heart filled with emotion.

For the first time, he felt he had sided with the wrong person.

Although he had joined Zhou Yu's forces, Zhou Yu still respected him greatly.

However, he knew that Zhou Yu always remembered Sun Ce's kindness, so it was unlikely that he would rebel against Sun Quan.

Without rebelling against Sun Quan, one cannot sustain a hegemonic ambition.

His own great talent, capable of assisting in the great cause of kingship and hegemony, was wasted on Zhou Yu.

If I had met Liu Bei earlier, I might have been able to take over Jingzhou or Yizhou much sooner, relying on my talents.

Therefore, there is definitely a chance to confront the Great General.

Now, it's too late!
The general led eight thousand cavalrymen, along with troops from the powerful families of Jingzhou, and no one could stop them.

Jiangdong could only defend itself by the Yangtze River and look for other opportunities to see if there was a possibility of moving north in the future.

Pang Tong turned and left first.

Zhou Yu looked at Liu Bei, and felt quite sorry for him.

He even saw a brighter brilliance in this so-called Liu Bei than in Sun Ce.

However, this is all we can do now.

He did not have a deep friendship with Liu Bei.

Moreover, the other party has great ambitions and also holds the title of imperial uncle.

To be honest, even if the other party were truly willing to submit to Jiangdong, Sun Quan would not feel at ease.

I still need to find a way to get rid of him.

Otherwise, given Liu Bei's so-called status as an imperial uncle, coupled with the charisma he displayed today, the powerful clans of Jiangdong would likely follow him.

Zhou Yu could only look on with regret, then turned to Wen Ping and asked, "General Wen, what do you say?"

Wen Ping stared blankly at Liu Bei.

Only when Zhou Yu asked did Wen Ping look over, forcing a smile as he said, "Zhou Lang, you should go now!"

"I cannot abandon my Lord and leave alone."

"Moreover, Jingzhou is Wen Ping's hometown."

"I simply cannot retreat to that desolate land of Jiangdong."

Turning around and looking at the soldiers surrounding the city wall, Wen Ping said loudly, "Anyone who wants to leave can follow Zhou Lang south to Jiangdong, as the general has given his word."

The soldiers on the city wall looked around in bewilderment.

Except for a very small number of people who began to walk down the city walls, the vast majority of people remained standing still.

Wen Ping gave a bitter smile and said to Zhou Yu, "Zhou Lang, you should go!"

"These soldiers of mine are all fine young men I selected from Jingzhou."

“I used to lead them to guard Jingbei, in order to protect our homeland.”

"Now, it's too difficult to ask them to abandon their children and leave alone."

"They are soldiers trained by me, Wenping."

“I, Wenping, am stubborn, and they’ve picked up this bad temper too.”

Zhou Yu glanced at the guards on the city wall with some disbelief.

Seeing them all bowing their heads, their expressions sorrowful, yet none of them moved, Zhou Yu felt a pang of indescribable emotion.

Why do I feel that most of the soldiers in the world, except those from Jiangdong, are resolute?

Thinking of the soldiers in Jiangdong, Zhou Yu smiled bitterly.

The soldiers in Jiangdong were mostly retainers of various powerful families.

Although he had received training, his naval combat skills were extraordinary.

However, if they were truly faced with such a life-or-death crisis, very few of them would likely be able to stay.

This is also one of the reasons why Sun Quan's 100,000-strong army attacked Guangling, only to be defeated by Zhang Liao's 6,000-strong garrison. Although he was furious, he was helpless.

Zhou Yu gently patted Liu Bei and Wen Pin on the shoulders, and ordered the 20,000 naval troops belonging to Jiangdong to withdraw from Maicheng.

However, Zhou Yu also left fifty men in Maicheng to report on the battle results there.

Zhou Yu and Pang Tong went straight out of the south gate of Maicheng. Looking at the city walls, they saw that the number of people had decreased by more than half, and both Zhou Yu and Pang Tong couldn't help but sigh.

Afterwards, the two led their army straight to Jiangling County, the capital of Nanjun.

Even if it means fighting a major battle with General Zhang Sui's army on the Yangtze River to stop Zhang Sui's army from advancing south.

However, we cannot allow his army to reach the Yangtze River so easily.

The commotion on the walls of Maicheng quickly attracted the attention of Zhang Sui's army.

Chen Zhen noticed it immediately.

He immediately rushed to the commander's tent to find Zhang Sui.

Meanwhile, inside the commander's tent, Zhang Sui was talking to an old woman.

The old woman was none other than Xu Shu's elderly mother.

Xu's mother had originally fled with Liu Bei and his family.

However, the people were terrified and fled and charged indiscriminately, scattering her and Liu Bei's family members to pieces.

Having no other choice, Xu's mother discussed with her family members how to sneak among the people and escape to Maicheng.

Who knew that Liu Bei's army would be defeated so quickly, and all the civilians were taken into custody and captured alive.

The only thing that made them feel fortunate was that Zhang Sui's cavalry did not massacre the civilians.

When she was brought before Zhang Sui, Xu's mother was still thinking that she absolutely could not hold her son back.

If the enemy forces her to coerce her son Xu Shu into surrendering, she would rather commit suicide on the spot.

Unexpectedly, when she arrived at the commander's tent and met Zhang Sui, Zhang Sui did not mention anything about persuading her son Xu Shu to surrender. Instead, he talked to her about his three subordinates: Xun Chen, Guo Jia, and Chen Dao.

All three were from Yuzhou, so they were all her fellow townsmen.

Xun Chen and Guo Jia were both from Yingchuan.

Guo Jia was from a neighboring county not far from her hometown.

When Xu's mother was chatting with Zhang Sui, Zhang Sui also mentioned that when he was the governor of Zhongshan County, he encountered many scenes of refugees selling their children.

The young man in front of her made Xu's mother feel no pressure from his high position and power, but rather a sense of pleasure from chatting with a younger generation.

Just as Xu's mother was listening intently to Zhang Sui and Yan Liang's pursuit of the Xiongnu, the curtain of the commander's tent was lifted.

A middle-aged scholar in his early thirties entered, flanked by two bodyguards.

The personal guards retreated outside the commander's tent.

The middle-aged scholar looked at Xu's mother, who was nervously listening to Zhang Sui's story in the general's tent, and his face showed some discomfort.

The middle-aged scholar was none other than Xu Shu, Liu Bei's strategist.

Xu Shu's arrival distracted his mother.

Xu's mother turned her head to look at the entrance of the general's tent. Seeing her son appear unharmed, she waved to Xu Shu and said, "Yuanzhi, my son, come here and greet the General!"

Zhang Sui smiled and looked at Xu Shu.

Xu Shu glanced at Zhang Sui, then walked over with his head down, came to Xu's mother's side, and solemnly bowed to Zhang Sui.

Zhang Sui asked, "Yuanzhi, have you ever seen the common people being harassed or even slaughtered?"

Xu Shu turned his head away and gritted his teeth, saying, "No."

Zhang Sui smiled and said to Xu's mother, "Grandma, my reputation for benevolence and righteousness is not just talk; it's earned through my actions."

"Once Jingzhou is pacified, I'll take you to Ye City to see how well the people of Ye City live."

"I dare not speak of anything else, but on the road, you can no longer see any starving refugees."

"Whether you are old or young, as long as you can move, you can join the government and earn a living with your own hands."

When Xu's mother heard Zhang Sui say this, her face was full of hope.

She didn't know what orthodoxy was.

All she knew was that an official who ensured the people had clothes to wear and food to eat couldn't be bad.

Xu Shu saw the longing in his mother's eyes as she looked at Zhang Sui, and then closed his own eyes.

He could choose to die alongside Liu Bei.

However, he owed his elderly mother too much.

At least until his mother passes away, he wants to fulfill her wishes as much as possible.

Xu Shu clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhang Sui and said in a low voice, "Your subject, Xu Shu, is willing to follow the General and give it a try."

(End of this chapter)