My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 167: Are you trying to flip the table? Before I run away with the bucket, I want to win once, I want to prove that I am not a pig!

Sun Quan was stunned.

Lu Xun actually contradicted him in public?
He also forced Sun Ce to death the children of the Lu family, brought the blood feud between the two Sun families directly to the table, and questioned him angrily?
Ever since Lu Xun took office, the master and his minister, for the sake of superficial decency, tacitly kept silent about the blood feud between the two families, as if it had never happened.

But now you, Lu Xun, brought it up openly in public, in front of so many people, breaking the tacit understanding of many years!
What do you want to do?
Do you want to break the window paper, tear off your face and turn the table over?

Sun Quan was stunned at first, but then he came to his senses and became furious.

"Lu Xun!"

Sun Quan slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Lu Xun and about to lose his temper.

"Lord, calm down!"

Zhang Zhao, who had remained silent, interrupted Sun Quan in time and said:

"Bo Yan is a man who values ​​friendship and loyalty. He was concerned about the lives of his family members and offended the lord in a moment of haste. I hope the lord will understand."

While Zhang Zhao was making excuses for Lu Xun, he kept coughing lightly and blinking his eyes as a reminder.

Sun Quan suddenly realized and swallowed back the angry words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Things are different now...

Although nearly 10,000 soldiers were killed in the battle of Qu'a, there were still less than 10,000 soldiers left inside and outside Wu County.

About 60% of these 10,000 troops were either Shanyue soldiers or private soldiers offered by wealthy families such as Lu and Zhu. These soldiers were nominally loyal to him, but in fact they were all under the control of Lu Xun.

You flew into a rage and started arguing with Lu Xun in a fit of rage, and what good would it do you to completely break up with him?
What would you do if Lu Xun got angry and defected to Liu Bei in a rage, selling you out?
Thinking of this, Sun Quan had to suppress his anger. After coughing a few times, he forced a smile on his face.

"Boyan, don't get excited. That's not what I meant."

"Your Lu family has made great contributions to me. I regard your Lu family members as my own brothers and sisters. How could I disregard their lives and treat them as ants?"

"I mean…"

Sun Quan was thinking about how to smooth things over when Jia Hua rushed into the hall with a panicked look on his face.

"My lord, urgent news has arrived from Moling. The Big Eared Bandits recently took advantage of our failed attempt to rescue the city and captured it in one fell swoop."

"Kan Ze, Zhu Zhi, Zhou Cang and others all died in the chaotic battle."

"Zhou Yu held Sun Shao hostage and set himself on fire in the state government office. Both of them have died!"

There was dead silence in the lobby.

Everyone was stunned and looked at each other in surprise.

Zhou Yu lost half of his troops in this defeat, and the fall of Moling City was only a matter of time. Everyone present knew this.

However, when the news of the fall of Moling really came, they still couldn't help but be shocked.

The news that Zhou Yu and Sun Shao set themselves on fire shocked them even more.

After a moment of dead silence, the hall exploded and there was an uproar.

Sighs, sounds of fear and panic, sounds of helplessness...all came one after another in the blink of an eye.

"Zhou Lang, oh Zhou Lang, why are you doing this? If you hadn't rebelled and instead followed your lord to surrender to Cao Gong, how could you have ended up like this, with your body and reputation ruined, and even caused Master Shao to lose his life as well?"

"You keep saying that everything you did was for Bofu, but you ended up killing his only bloodline. Do you really have the nerve to see Bofu in your grave?"

Zhang Zhao shook his head and sighed, his words full of regret and blame for Zhou Yu.

Only Sun Quan, upon hearing the news that Zhou Yu and Sun Shao were dead, was so excited that he secretly clenched his fists, and a barely perceptible ecstasy flashed in his eyes.

"Zhou Yu, Sun Shao, you two disloyal and unrighteous traitors! If you hadn't rebelled and seized the throne, I would have surrendered to Cao Gong long ago!"

"You have fallen into this state now, it is truly what you deserve, this is your retribution!"

"Ha ha--"

The more Sun Quan thought about it, the happier he felt. If there hadn't been so many people present, he would have almost laughed out loud.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his gloating mood, and pretended to show regret on his face.

"Shao'er, Shao'er, if you hadn't been bewitched by that traitor Zhou Yu, how could you have ended up in such a tragic death?"

"On the road to the underworld, you should finally understand that we uncles and nephews are blood relatives, and we are of one mind..."

After saying this, tears welled up in Sun Quan's eyes.

At this moment, Lu Xun suddenly reacted and asked Jia Hua anxiously:

"Now that Moling has been conquered, what about my Lu family and the other clansmen who are being held captive in the provincial capital? Are their lives safe?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Gu Yong and others looked at Jia Hua anxiously, all worried about the life and death of their own people.

"According to spies, Liu Bei did not harm any of the civilians in the city after entering, and there was no unnecessary killing."

"The spies seemed to have mentioned that Liu Bei escorted all your clansmen back to his mansion and treated them with courtesy."

Jia Hua was also a rough man. He didn't even look at Sun Quan's expression and just said whatever he wanted to say.

When Lu Xun heard that his clansmen were safe, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

When he heard that Liu Bei not only did not kill his clansmen, but also treated them with courtesy, a subtle change flashed in Lu Xun's eyes.

Surprise, gratitude, admiration...

Sun Quan saw the meaning in Lu Xun's eyes and couldn't help but frown.

"Now that Moling has fallen, Cao Gong's 200,000-man army is blocked at Ruxukou, unable to cross the river to take over Jiangdong."

"Liu Bei is insatiable. I predict that within a few days he will lead his troops south and attack Wu Commandery, wiping us out completely."

"The situation is not optimistic. We can only rely on ourselves. We must come up with a solution as soon as possible."

Zhang Zhao, who had calmed down, poured a bucket of cold water on everyone's heads.

Sun Quan's body shuddered, and the joy of Zhou Yu and Sun Shao's self-immolation disappeared. A feeling of sadness as if the rabbit had died and the fox had grieved for it came over him.

"Zi Bu's words make sense. The big-eared thieves won't let us go and will definitely attack Wu County." "Everyone, do you have any good strategies for resisting the enemy? Tell us quickly!"

Sun Quan's voice was a little hoarse, and he looked at everyone eagerly.

Lu Xun said nothing.

Gu Yong, Yu Fan and others remained silent.

It seemed that at this point, they were helpless and there was no way to turn the situation around.

Or perhaps their mentality has undergone subtle changes, and even if they have a solution, they are unwilling to speak it out to help Sun Quan solve his problems.

Seeing that no one said anything, Sun Quan's face darkened and he was about to lose his temper.

A personal guard hurried in from outside the hall and reported that the envoy Lu Fan had returned with Cao Cao's order.

Sun Quan's eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked Lu Fan to come in.

After a while, a scholar, looking exhausted, walked into the hall.

Without waiting for the scholar to greet him, Sun Shao couldn't wait to ask:
"Ziheng, what are Cao Gong's orders? Has he figured out a way to save us?"

Lu Fan wanted to say something but stopped himself. Instead, he glanced around and hinted to Sun Quan with his eyes to dismiss Lu Xun and other non-trusted subordinates.

Sun Quan understood what he meant and ordered Lu Xun, Gu Yong and others to withdraw.

In the palace hall, only Zhang Zhao, Zhou Tai, Jia Hua and other close relatives of Huai Si were left.

"Prime Minister Cao said that Liu Bei has captured Moling, and our lord can no longer defend Jiangdong on his own."

"He ordered the lord to quickly travel north by sea and land in Guangling County at Yandu..."

Lü Fan then reported Cao Cao's order to retreat and presented Cao Cao's handwritten letter.

Sun Quan's eyes lit up, and he quickly snatched Cao Cao's handwritten letter and read it carefully. A glimmer of hope gradually appeared in his originally gloomy eyes.

"The Prime Minister really hasn't abandoned us, Zibu! The Prime Minister really hasn't abandoned us!"

"Why didn't I think of that? I don't need to defend Wu and Kuaiji counties. I can just leave and go north by sea to join Prime Minister Cao!"

"This is really God's will, hahahaha——"

Sun Quan was ecstatic. He jumped up, danced with Cao Cao's handwriting in his hands, and laughed excitedly.

Zhang Zhao also breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

But then, his brows furrowed again:
"Going north by sea is no small undertaking. We must gather enough ships. We have so many family members and soldiers going out to sea, and we also need to prepare sufficient food and supplies."

"All of this takes time, but Liu Bei's army is approaching Wujun. I'm afraid we don't have much time left."

Sun Quan's laughter stopped abruptly, and a shadow immediately covered his face.

"My lord, there is one more thing I must remind you of."

"That Lu Xun dared to contradict the Lord like that today. It's obvious that he is dissatisfied with the Lord. And the same goes for Gu Yong and the others."

"What if they refuse to follow the lord out to sea and instead head north to join Cao Gong?"

Zhou Tai couldn't help but remind him.

Even a simple-minded warrior like him could see the dissatisfaction of Lu Xun and others.

Sun Quan's face was filled with darker clouds, and he stroked his purple beard and fell into deep thought.

Lu and Gu were both from Jiangdong, and they might not be willing to follow him to the north by sea.

Now that Liu Bei's army is approaching, what if they become dissatisfied with him and defect to Liu Bei?
Of the less than 10,000 soldiers and horses in Wu County, at least 6,000 were controlled by Lu Xun and his men, and he only had 4,000 of his own troops.

What if they followed Zhou Yu's example, rebelled and wanted to capture him and present him to Liu Bei to seek credit?

The more Sun Quan thought about it, the colder he felt on his back, and he couldn't help shivering.

"Zi Bu, your reminder is very correct. What should I do?"

Sun Quan could only ask Zhang Zhao for advice.

Zhang Zhao stroked his half-white beard and paced in the hall, thinking hard for a countermeasure.

After a long time, Zhang Zhao's eyes moved and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

"My Lord, Zhao has come up with a plan that kills two birds with one stone!"

"My lord, you can order Lu Xun, Gu Yong, and the others to lead the Shanyue troops to defend Wu County, while you lead your own troops to station at the water camp south of the city. If Lu Xun and his men dare to rebel, you can immediately sail into Songjiang and sail eastward down the river to the sea."

"When Liu Bei's army approaches Wu County, my lord, you can secretly send a group of troops westward from Songjiang to Juqu Lake..."

Zhang Zhao had a sneer on his face as he slowly and calmly told his plan.

The clouds on Sun Quan's face cleared up, and a look of surprise gradually appeared on his face.

After listening to Zhang Zhao's words, Sun Quan praised him highly:

"Zi Bu, Zi Bu, I always thought you were just an incompetent official, but I never thought you could come up with such a brilliant plan!"

"If I had known you were so wise, I should have appointed you, Zibu, as the commander-in-chief during the three expeditions to Jingzhou. How could we have ended up in this predicament today?"

"Zi Bu, ah Zi Bu, I, Sun Quan, feel so ashamed of you."

Zhang Zhao had waited for so long, and finally heard Sun Quan say "I'm ashamed of you". He was filled with emotion, and a hint of arrogance could not be concealed between his brows.

Sun Quan slammed the table and stood up, sneering:

"Okay, okay, let's follow your plan, Zibu."

"I've fought Liu Bei countless times, but I've never defeated him once. Before I leave, I'll give him a good beating to vent my anger!"

"I will use a victory to prove to Cao Gong that I, Sun Quan, am no dog or pig!"

(End of this chapter)