My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 294 Zhuge Liang's Poem to Kill Sun Ce
In the sixth year of Jian'an, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, it was the Lantern Festival.

Wujun, Qiantang County.

Two or three days had passed since Wu County was captured by Guan Yu and Zhao Yun and Zhu Zhi and Zhu Ran were killed.

However, this bad news has not yet reached the ears of Sun Ce, who is seriously injured and dying in Qiantang.

In the backyard of Qiantang County Government Office, in a ward filled with the smell of various bitter medicines, Sun Ce's face was wrapped like a mummy. He lay on the sickbed with a swollen face and barely had the strength to even groan.

His cheek had been sutured and the bleeding had stopped, but it was very difficult for the wound to heal completely. The bandage could only be applied to the outside of the mouth, and the mucous membrane inside the mouth could only be stuffed with gauze, and could not be completely wrapped.

It is similar to the situation after hemorrhoid surgery, where only the skin on the outside of the digestive tract can be bandaged, but the inside of the rectum cannot be bandaged and can only be plugged with gauze. Go to the anorectal department and you will know how painful it is to hear the wailing every time the dressing is changed.

"My lord, it's time to drink the medicine. Don't choke." Two beautiful maids brought the medicine bowls and tiptoed to Sun Ce. They spoke in a humbly and low voice so as not to anger Sun Ce.

Then one of the maids continued to hold the bowl, while the other maid who had rinsed her mouth in advance took out a clean reed tube, inserted it into the medicine, took a sip, held her breath, and moved the reed tube to Sun Ce's mouth, which was wrapped so that only a hole was left, and carefully inserted it in, passing the wound and reaching the root of the tongue.

After confirming that it was inserted in place, the maid slowly released her tongue that was blocking the upper end of the reed tube. The atmospheric pressure difference at both ends of the straw gradually balanced, and the medicine in the tube slowly injected into Sun Ce's throat.

Sun Ce seemed to have gotten used to this method of taking medicine, and he should have been doing it for half a month. After taking the medicine, he slowly drank some liquid food and soup by the maid sucking the straw.

But even without chewing, the action of swallowing still caused Sun Ce to slightly pull the wound, causing him terribly pain. He was sweating profusely after drinking a bowl of soup.

He couldn't not drink. It had been a month since Sun Ce was seriously injured. If he didn't replenish his nutrition and water, he would have died long ago. Even if the external injuries could be gradually healed, the infection was also untreatable and was constantly eroding Sun Ce's health.

If it weren't for the cold winter weather and the slow reproduction of bacteria, Sun Ce might have been infected and died.

The maid breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave with the plate, but Sun Ce stopped her and pointed to a piece of paper at hand. The maid hurriedly lowered her head to look at it, and it said concisely "Call Gongjin, and let Zhongmou wait outside."

Next to Sun Ce's sickbed, there was always a pen, ink and paper. Because of the tear on his cheek, he couldn't speak well, so he communicated by writing. The silent atmosphere in the room was indescribably strange.

After a while, Zhou Yu was called in, and Sun Quan stayed outside, waiting to be summoned.

Of course Zhou Yu hoped that Sun Ce would get better, including the treatment method of having the maids feed medicine and soup through a straw, which was all taught to the maids by Zhou Yu with his smart brain.

Zhou Yu had learned a lot about the ingenuity used by Zhuge Jin and Chen Deng during the war, and his understanding of "physics" had become a little stronger. Although he still didn't understand the principle of "air pressure/siphon", it didn't prevent him from applying it flexibly.

When Sun Ce saw Zhou Yu, he handed him a note, which was obviously written in advance while he was waiting for Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu took it and looked at it. It asked about the territories that the Sun family had lost in recent days.

Zhou Yu did not want Sun Ce to worry, but he knew he could not fool him today, so he reported truthfully: "In the middle of last month, after Jurong and Piling fell, Yongping and Yangxian were captured by Guan Yu in the second half of the month, and the defenders surrendered without a fight.

Anji and Guzhang in the south took the initiative to welcome the surrender. Zhu Gong was still struggling to defend Wu County, but the area west of Wucheng-Yuhang had already fallen into the hands of the enemy...

In addition, Wang Lang has sent troops from central Fujian to the north to persuade Linhai and Dongou, the border of Kuaiji County, south of Zhejiang, to surrender. Now only Shanyin, Juzhang and other counties along the Zhejiang coast are still in my hands. "

Sun Ce couldn't help shedding tears as he listened. Zhou Yu quickly took a silk scarf to wipe them away to prevent the tears from flowing onto the gauze wrapped around the wound.

Sun Ce sighed, took the pen and wrote again: "Does Cao Gong have any news?"

Zhou Yu looked at it and shook his head silently.

Sun Ce hesitated for a few seconds and wrote: "Time is running out. Please take my sons and all the ships and retreat to the Yongdong Islands on the sea. I fought with Liu Bei for the world. Although I lost, Liu Bei should not be cut off. My sons and daughters have never been involved in the war and should not be held accountable for their crimes.

After Gongjin arrives in Yongdong, he can continue to inquire. If he can find out that Cao Gong has won, he can go to surrender. If the road is blocked, he can pretend to surrender to Yuan Shao in Qingzhou and surrender his troops to him. If Yuan Shao loses, he will not be harsh on those who surrender. Then he can wait for an opportunity to abandon the army and escape with only his clansmen without taking his troops. Once he enters Cao Gong's territory, he will be safe.

If we learn that Cao Gong has been defeated, we can only ask Gongjin to find another way out. He may go to Jiaozhou, Liaodong, or Sanhan or Yizhou. I don’t know. At that time, we can also let my uncle, my uncle and Zhongmou flee separately, so that they can have three burrows.

Zhou Yu wanted to persuade him again, but he also knew that things had come to this point and he shouldn't deceive himself. After hesitating for a while, he finally agreed.

Sun Ce then patted Zhou Yu's arm and wrote, "I heard that Lu Su and I have always been on good terms. When I escaped from Chu County, Liu Bei did not detain my family. If I had not fought with Liu Bei for the world, Liu Bei would have been considered a benevolent gentleman, who would do what he should and not what he would not.

As long as you can protect the children of the Sun family, I will have accomplished my mission. If you surrender to Liu in the future, I will not interfere."

Zhou Yu read the words and bowed sincerely: "Why do you have to do this? If Sun is defeated, I will escort Zhongmou and others away safely, and then I will retire overseas."

Sun Ce shook his head and pointed outside the door without writing anything. However, Zhou Yu knew what he meant and immediately called Sun Quan in.

While Zhou Yu was going out to call for help, Sun Ce had already written a note to his brother. His handwriting was very sloppy, as if he wanted to finish it quickly.

Sun Quan knelt in front of the bed, took the note and read it. It said, "You have no knowledge of military affairs. If Gongjin can protect you and let you surrender to Cao, you can just be a rich man in this life. Don't think of revenge and don't ask Cao Cao for troops to fight."

After reading it, Sun Quan wiped his tears and nodded in agreement.

Sun Ce then wrote a last note, and then waved his hand to signal them to leave. The note simply said, "I will set off soon. My injuries are difficult to recover, so I will defend Qiantang to the death. A fox dies on its own hill, and a real man cannot die in the wind and waves."

Zhou Yu suppressed his grief and pulled Sun Quan to retreat.

However, at this moment, another guard ran in hurriedly from the door. His footsteps were as light as possible, but they still could not be hidden from Sun Ce's ears.

The guard seemed to be afraid of irritating Sun Ce, so he whispered to Zhou Yu for a long time. This was not excessive, because this was how they handled their daily business when Sun Ce was injured.

Sun Ce just waited quietly, and only after the guard finished speaking did he look at him inquiringly.

Zhou Yu knew him too well, so he knew what he wanted to know without any verbal communication. After hesitating for a while, he seemed to have made up his mind, and Zhou Yu frankly relayed:

"Just three days ago, Wu County was captured, and Zhu Gong and his son were killed by Guan Yu and Zhao Yun. Haiyan, Jiaxing and other places also surrendered to Liu Bei afterwards - we don't have much time left.

Also, after the fall of Wu County, Liu Bei’s army suddenly began to spread a poem, which was said to be written by General Fu Bo Zhuge Jin, titled "Remembering the Overlord"..."

Zhou Yu paused for a moment, but Sun Ce showed a probing look, seeming to be very interested, so Zhou Yu read out:

"Live as a hero, die as a ghost hero. I still miss Xiang Yu, who refused to cross the Yangtze River."

After hearing this, Sun Ce's expression was confused at first, but then he suddenly laughed, which affected his wound. He then coughed violently twice, spitting out some scabby blood clots.

Zhou Yu was shocked and quickly held Sun Ce down, asking someone to quickly change the gauze bandage. But Sun Ce pushed him away and spoke for the first time today, enduring the pain:

"Zhuge Jin is reminding me! Since you have the title of Little Overlord, you should live a glorious life and not escape humiliation! I won't run away! This injury can't be cured anyway, it's just to prolong my life for a few more days. I will stay in Qiantang City and wait for him to attack the city!"

As Sun Ce spoke, blood was flowing out of his mouth, which looked very creepy, but he seemed to have no sense of pain and did not care at all.

……

The next morning, under the pressure of Sun Ce, Zhou Yu took the families of his brothers including Sun Quan, Sun Ce's wives and concubines, his youngest son Sun Shao, and Sun Ce's uncle Sun Jing's family, and set sail from Qiantang County out of Zhejiang Bay, heading straight for the Yongdong Islands at the mouth of the bay (Zhoushan Islands) to rest temporarily and continue to gather news.

Sun Ce's uncle Wu Jing was supposed to retreat with his sister, Madam Wu, but they were both ill and felt they could not withstand the storms at sea, so they insisted on not leaving, hoping to stay in Wu County and spend the rest of their lives.

Historically, Wu Jing died of illness in the eighth year of Jian'an (203), which is only two years away from his death. His health was not very good in his later years.

According to the "Records of the Three Kingdoms", Mrs. Wu died in the seventh year of Jian'an, earlier than her brother, and had only one year left to live.

As for the "Tai Wu" in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", she was created entirely for the purpose of having an elder to be the mother of Sun Shangxiang when Sun Quan married his sister, and for Zhuge Liang to use strategies to squeeze Zhou Yu.

The situation of Sun's family in this life is worse than the same period in history, and everyone is under greater psychological pressure. Mrs. Wu and Wu Jing's health will only deteriorate compared to the same period in history.

Since they couldn't win, the two of them stayed in Qiantang to accompany Sun Ce.

Five days later, Guan Yu's army restored order in Jiaxing, Haiyan and other places, and marched to Wucheng (Huzhou). The Wucheng defenders delayed for three to five days, put up a little resistance, and finally surrendered.

Guan Yu continued to march south, passing through Yong'an (Deqing, Huzhou), where the defenders surrendered without a fight. After another two days of marching, he arrived at Qiantang and Yuhang on the 28th day of the first lunar month.

Yuhang County, the ancestral home of the Sun family, also surrendered without a fight.

Qiantang County was Sun Ce's base of defense, so of course he would put up some resistance. Guan Yu then leisurely besieged the city, built siege weapons, and destroyed outer fortifications.

After three days of delay, Sun Ce sent an envoy, Zhang Hong, to negotiate terms with Guan Yu, who proudly received him.

The condition Zhang Hong put forward was: not to offend family elders. His mother, Madam Wu, and uncle Wu Jing were both old and frail, and he hoped that after Sun Ce's death, they could live out their days in peace.

Guan Yu was always arrogant, so he would definitely agree to this: "Madam Wu is the widow of General Sun Po Lu. General Po Lu was also a hero who fought against Dong Zhuo and a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. How could I be disrespectful to him? The fault lies with Sun Ce, and I cannot overshadow his father's merits and loyalty."

After Zhang Hong brought Guan Yu's reply into the city, Sun Ce went up to the city wall in person the next day and called Guan Yu to answer.

After more than ten days, his wounds had healed a lot and he could basically speak again, but his overall health continued to deteriorate as the infection and inflammation problems became more and more serious.

His face was swollen and he mumbled when he spoke.

Sun Ce used up his last bit of strength and roared in pain, "Guan Yu! My defeat today is God's will, not my fault! In that battle, I stabbed Zhang Liao and killed Cao Xing, but Zhang Liao was no match for me!"
It's just that our army's morale is low and the soldiers have no desire to fight, so he messed it up! If he dares to fight me head-on, I will kill him!
Also, Zhuge Jin wrote a good poem, hahahaha, live as a hero, die as a ghost hero, still thinking of Xiang Yu, who refused to cross the Yangtze River - it's a pity that he was too sentimental, I don't need him to squeeze him at all! He really judges others by his own standards! "

After cursing, Sun Ce, wearing black armor and with blood gushing from his mouth, jumped down from the city wall and fell to the ground and died.

When Guan Yu saw this, he was filled with awe.

(End of this chapter)