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

Chapter 170 Jiangdong has been secured, it’s time to deal with Cao Cao! Sun Quan begs on his knees: Please spare my life, I am willing to surrender to Lord Xuande!

"Why is it like this, Zibu, what is going on?"

Sun Quan held Zhang Zhao tightly and asked in a trembling voice.

Zhang Zhao looked in the direction of Juquze, then at Liu's army rolling in from outside the camp. Suddenly, his body was shocked and he woke up with a start.

After a long sigh of helplessness, Zhang Zhao said with a bitter face:

"Liu Bei must have anticipated our plans to dig up the Juqu Marsh, so he took advantage of the situation and ambushed our cavalry on the lakebank, waiting for us to fall into his trap!"

"As for the enemy outside the camp, I believe Lu Xun, Gu Yong, and others must have defected to Liu Bei. That's why the enemy army crossed Wu County and suddenly attacked our water camp."

"My lord, our plan has failed!"

Sun Quan suddenly woke up, struggled to his feet, and shouted excitedly:

"Zi Bu, your plan is so unpredictable, who can see through it?"

“Who can see through it?”

Zhang Zhao looked helpless and asked bitterly:

"Besides Xiao He, who else under Liu Bei has this ability?"

Sun Quan was like being struck by lightning, his whole body trembled and suddenly became stiff.

Zhang Zhao sighed again, smiled wryly and said to himself:
"I, Zhang Zhao, really overestimate my own abilities. I actually tried to show off my abilities before an expert and used a trick in front of Xiao He."

"Zhou Lang, Lü Ziming's brilliant plans were all defeated by this man, let alone me?"

"Don't overestimate your own abilities, don't overestimate your own abilities..."

Zhang Zhao's remaining self-confidence seemed to have been destroyed at this moment, and he began to mutter in a trance.

Just as his master and his ministers were shocked and sighing, the sound of the camp wall collapsing was heard, and Liu's army had crashed into the water camp.

The 4,000 terrified Jiangdong soldiers fled towards the shore like frightened birds.

"My lord, the camp wall has been breached, and Liu's army has charged in. You must make a decision!"

Jia Hua was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and screaming in a trembling voice.

Sun Quan shuddered, the shock on his face turned into panic, and he looked at Zhang Zhao anxiously.

Zhang Zhao took a few deep breaths, tried his best to calm down, and sighed helplessly:

"The situation is hopeless. We can no longer hold the water camp. We must board the ship immediately and sail north."

Sun Quan frowned deeply and pointed at the messy ferry terminal.
"We haven't collected enough ships yet, and we're running low on food and supplies. We have so many families with us, we don't have enough time—"

"Lord!"

Zhang Zhao interrupted Sun Quan's complaints and said sternly:
"It's already this late, how can we drag it out any longer?"

"Now we can only take as many people as we can. As for the rest, we can only let them accept their fate!"

"If you hesitate any longer, we will all die here!"

Sun Quan shuddered, suddenly awakened, and without thinking, he shouted:

"Get on board, everyone on board, and set sail immediately—"

After saying that, Sun Quan pushed away Zhang Zhao's support and stumbled towards the nearest ship.

Zhang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ordered Jia Hua to call on his personal guards to follow Sun Quan onto the ship.

The soldiers along the coast, the civil and military officials who followed Sun Quan, and thousands of their families, young and old, rushed to the ships.

Unfortunately, there were not enough boats, and most people were unable to board. They could only watch as the fully loaded boats left the ferry and abandoned them on the shore.

Cries, pleas, curses... echoed on the shore and were eventually drowned out by Liu Jun's deafening roar of killing.

Sun Quan stood at the stern of the boat, looking at the ferry terminal that was gradually moving away with lingering fear, his fists clenched, his heart aching.

"Jiangdong, after this separation, I don't know when we'll meet again..."

Tears welled up in Sun Quan's eyes and he sighed reluctantly.

Obviously, what broke his heart was not the tribesmen and subordinates who failed to get on the ship, but the homeland and country that he was about to say goodbye to.

Zhang Zhao patted Sun Quan's shoulder gently and said comfortingly:

"Don't worry, Zhongmou. We are only leaving Jiangdong temporarily. When Cao Gong defeats Liu Bei and reclaims Jiangdong, you will naturally have the opportunity to return home in glory."

From the moment he boarded the ship, Sun Quan was no longer the lord of Jiangdong, but a surrendered minister of Cao Cao. Zhang Zhao also changed his address and addressed him directly by his courtesy name.

However, Sun Quan felt uncomfortable when he heard Zhang Zhao's word "Zhongmou", and the phrase "returning home in glory" made him feel a bit ironic.

"Returning home in glory? Even if I could return to Jiangdong in the future, would that be worthy of being called a return home in glory?"

Sun Quan smiled bitterly and laughed at himself.

Zhang Zhao was speechless, realizing that his words were inappropriate and not knowing how to make amends.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Zhao simply didn't bother to say anything more to soothe Sun Quan's sensitive nerves.

Jiangdong has changed hands. From today on, you, Sun Quan, and I are both ministers of Cao Gong. We are on equal terms. Why should I flatter and serve you anymore?
If you feel bad, then just be sad.

Zhang Zhao then shook his head, sighed, turned around and left.

Sun Quan looked at the "Liu" flag gradually disappearing into the distance under the light of the fire, and could only snort coldly, comforting himself:
"Even if I, Sun Quan, am no longer the ruler of Jiangdong, I can still enjoy the rest of my life in wealth and honor. In the future, I will be able to return to Jiangdong and return to my roots."

"Big-eared thief, even if you stole Jiangdong, what good will it do? Cao Gong dominates the north. Do you think you can turn the tide with just Jing and Yang?"

"Sooner or later, you will be destroyed by Cao Gong, and your body and reputation will be destroyed, and you will have no place to bury your body."

"In the end, you still lost to me!"

"Hahaha--"

...

noon.

Liu Bei spurred his horse and entered Wu County.

Lu Xun, Gu Yong and others all gathered at the city gate, and Duke Liu Bei entered the city.

"Lu Xun greets the lord!"

Seeing Liu Bei's figure from afar, Lu Xun stepped forward to pay his respects.

Liu Bei dismounted, stepped forward to help him up, and said with a smile:

"Boyan, I hope you are doing well since we last met in Chaisang."

Lu Xun looked ashamed and bowed his hands to confess his crime:

"Xun was forced by the situation and pretended to surrender without knowing his own limitations. I am truly ashamed—"

"The past is gone, let's not talk about it!"

Liu Bei interrupted Lu Xun's confession and smiled generously:
"Boyan, I said I wanted to drink with you again and discuss the world. Do you have the wine ready?"

Lu Xun was stunned for a moment, then gratitude welled up in his eyes. He was deeply impressed by Liu Bei's magnanimity and his heart was finally at ease.

Then he laughed heartily and said:
"The fine wine of Wujun is not inferior to that of Jingzhou. I have prepared the fine wine. Please enter the city, my lord."

Liu Bei laughed heartily, and Xiao He, Lu Su, Zhao Yun and others behind him all laughed heartily.

"Let's go into the city!"

Liu Bei turned around and waved his hand, then led everyone into the Wujun government seat.

An hour later, Liu Bei was already in the mansion hall, drinking happily with everyone to celebrate the victory of taking Wu County.

"Now that Wu County has been conquered, all the other counties in Wu Commandery will naturally submit to you. Kuaiji County can also be conquered with a single edict. The Three Wus will all be yours, and Jiangdong will be secure!"

Lu Xun raised his wine glass and laughed, then changed the subject and sighed:

"It's a pity that Sun Quan sailed down the river and into the sea, probably heading north along the coast to join Cao Cao."

"Sun Quan has been managing Jiangdong for ten years and still holds considerable influence there. Cao Cao will undoubtedly use Sun Quan to disrupt the people's hearts in Jiangdong and prevent our lord from maintaining his position there."

"It's a pity that Sun Quan is gone."

Liu Bei smiled and said comfortingly:

"Boyan, don't worry, that Bi Yan'er can't escape from my grasp!"

Lu Xun failed to hear the hidden meaning in Liu Bei's words for a moment.

"Bo Yan, Military Advisor Bo Wen predicted that Sun Quan would flee north by sea, and he advised the lord in advance, ordering Gan Xingba to lead the navy down the river eastward to intercept Sun Quan. He won't be able to escape!"

Lu Su smiled and explained the reason to Liu Bei.

Lu Xun's expression brightened, and he looked at Xiao He with surprise.

Then his surprise turned into respect, and he saluted and exclaimed:

"It turns out that Military Advisor Xiao is a master of strategy. Sun Quan's every move is under his control."

"How ridiculous that Xun had shown off his skills in front of Military Advisor Xiao, resorting to a false surrender scheme and even offering the iron chain boat. He truly made Military Advisor Xiao laugh."

Xiao He just smiled and waved his hand:
"My lord has already said that the past is over and it is better not to mention it. Boyan, please don't keep it in your heart or talk about it all the time."

"Although the Lord has recovered Jiangdong, you still need to do more to appease the people."

"Only after pacifying the people's hearts and securing Jiangdong can you, my lord, have no worries and march north to challenge Cao Cao for the Central Plains!"

Lu Xun's spirits were lifted, and a sense of mission suddenly arose.

He immediately stood up and bowed solemnly to Liu Bei:
"Xun Ding will do my best to help the lord soothe the people of Jiangdong and win their hearts. I will help the lord eliminate the Cao thief and restore the Han Dynasty!"

Gu Yong and other Jiangdong surrendered ministers suddenly stood up and expressed their opinions generously.

Liu Bei was pleased, so he raised his glass and said with a proud smile:
"With the help of all these talented and brave men, and the support of the people of Jiangdong, we will have no worries about restoring the Han Dynasty!"

"Come, after drinking this cup of wine, I, Liu Bei, will share the joys and sorrows with all of you. Together, we will work together to uphold the country!"

Everyone laughed and drank heartily.

An upbeat and exciting atmosphere permeated the lobby.

...

Two days later, east of the Yangtze River estuary.

More than ten ships were sailing along the coastline, heading north.

"Zhongmou, we've reached the Yangtze River's mouth. Beyond this stretch of water, looking north, we'll reach Guangling County. We'll be safe." "In three days at most, we'll reach Yandu Port. Lord Cao has sent his son, Cao Zhang, to meet us there for landing."

"The fact that Lord Cao sent his legitimate son to meet you shows how much he values ​​you, Zhongmou."

Zhang Zhao pointed to the confluence of the river and the sea ahead and smiled as he outlined a blueprint for Sun Quan.

Hearing that it was Cao Cao who ordered Cao Zhang to pick him up, Sun Quan felt the courtesy from Cao Cao and his heart gradually settled.

"Zi Bu, it seems you are right. Lord Cao is truly an extraordinary man, a rare and heroic ruler!"

"He is so kind to me. His generosity and magnanimity are far greater than mine."

"This world will eventually belong to Cao Gong. It would be a great pleasure for me, Sun Quan, to live a wealthy life under his protection."

A look of admiration welled up on Sun Quan's face, and he praised Cao Cao highly.

At this time, he seemed to have forgotten the pain of leaving his hometown and fleeing his country, and began to imagine the comfortable life of a rich man.

"My lord, there seem to be warships of Liu's army at the mouth of the Yangtze River!"

Suddenly, Jia Hua's warning sounded in my ears.

The smile on Sun Quan's face disappeared instantly, and he opened his eyes wide and looked towards the river mouth in the northwest direction.

really.

On the surface of the river mouth in the left front, nearly fifty warships were rushing towards his fleet.

On the warships, the flags with the characters "Liu" and "Gan" were hoisted respectively.

"Jin...Jinfan Thief? The Big Ear Thief's navy?"

"Why...why did they appear at the mouth of the Yangtze River?"

Sun Quan's face changed drastically with horror, and he looked at Zhang Zhao with fear.

Zhang Zhao's face was pale at this moment, with big beads of sweat on his forehead, and the hands that were stroking his thin beard were shaking.

The Yangtze River estuary is extremely wide, and this is equivalent to entering the sea.

Judging from the situation, Gan Ning and this navy must have been lying in ambush here for a long time, waiting to intercept them.

This shows that Liu Bei had guessed that they were going to go north by sea and go to Jiangbei to join Cao Cao!
But it has only been less than three days since they entered the sea from Songjiang.

How could Liu Bei's navy get ahead of them and ambush them at the mouth of the Yangtze River in such a short time?
Zhang Zhao's eyes darted around, and he shuddered suddenly, exclaiming in a trembling voice:

"Could it be that Xiao He, that country bumpkin, had already calculated that we were going to flee north by sea, and so, before Liu Bei's army reached Wu County, he had already instructed Liu Bei to send those thieves of the Jinfan Army down the river to intercept us?"

Sun Quan suddenly woke up, his legs went weak again, and he broke out in a cold sweat. His eyes were filled with fear as if he had seen a ghost.

How could they figure out that he was going to flee north by sea without any warning?
What kind of horrible strategy is this?

Is that human being?
Sun Quan froze in place, trembling all over, and was momentarily at a loss.

Just as he was stunned, Gan Ning's navy had already hoisted full sails and began to intercept their fleet.

"My lord, those Jinfan pirates are coming and we only have less than ten warships. What should we do?"

Jia Hua was so panicked that his voice was filled with tears.

Sun Quan shuddered again and was now in a state of panic. He quickly turned to look at Zhang Zhao for advice.

Zhang Zhao took a deep breath, suppressed his shock, and said through gritted teeth:

"Since we've been targeted by that Jinfan thief, there's no way we can escape. We can only charge forward!"

"As long as we can reach Jiangbei, we can abandon the ship and escape to the shore, and there will be a chance to escape!"

Sun Quan realized that this was the only way out, so he had to pull himself together, drew his sword, and ordered all the ships to speed up.

With less than ten ships and less than eight hundred remaining soldiers from Jiangdong, they had to hastily fill sails and oars and desperately drive the ships northward.

A few miles away, on Liu Jun’s flagship.

Gan Ning was standing with his sword drawn across his shoulders, staring at the ten ships with a cold gaze, a look of deep respect between his brows.

"People say that this Military Advisor Xiao is a disciple of an immortal and has learned the immortal's ability to predict the future. I think it's probably true."

"If you weren't a god with divine eyes, how could you have predicted that Sun Quan would flee north by sea?"

After sighing, Gan Ning's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and he shouted:

"Send the order, intercept the remaining Jiangdong rebels. Don't let a single ship or soldier escape!"

The command flags waved and the sound of war drums echoed on the sea.

More than forty warships of Liu's army rushed like the wind and attacked the flank of the enemy ship.

In a moment, the two fleets were only about seventy steps apart.

On each of Liu Jun's ships, sharp arrows rose into the air like rain and poured down towards the ten ships.

Sun Quan fled in such a hurry that most of the military supplies could not be loaded onto the ship, and there were very few bows, crossbows and arrows on each ship.

At this moment, they could only advance under the rain of arrows from Liu Jun, without any means of counterattack.

Streams of blood rose on the deck, screams echoed on the sea, and soldiers from Jiangdong were constantly pinned down by the rain of arrows.

Sun Quan hid under the shield of his personal guards, not daring to breathe, and could only pray in his heart that he could escape this disaster.

Unfortunately, Gan Ning's flagship was heading towards him from the very beginning.

In the blink of an eye, the warship came rushing over and rammed into the middle.

With a loud bang, the ship swayed from side to side. Sun Quan lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Zhang Zhao, Jia Hua and others on both sides also fell to the ground.

"Leave Sun Quan dead, I want to capture him alive!"

With a sharp roar, Gan Ning jumped up with his sword and jumped onto the ship.

With a wave of his sword, several Jiangdong soldiers who had not yet gotten up were chopped to the ground.

The Jinfan soldiers behind him rushed to board the ship and pounced on the panicked Jiangdong soldiers.

Ghosts cried and wolves howled, and blood mist flew everywhere.

In a blink of an eye, more than a hundred Jiangdong soldiers on the boat were killed and collapsed, running around with their heads in their hands.

When Sun Quan got up, he was shocked to see Gan Ning had boarded the boat and was charging towards him.

He was so exhausted from fighting that he retreated while shouting:
"Stop him, stop that Jinfan thief—"

Zhang Zhao, who was standing aside, looked around at the situation and realized that he could not stop Gan Ning, so he quickly withdrew and headed towards the boat tied to the side of the ship.

"My lord, we can't hold the ship anymore. We must quickly switch to a boat and abandon it!"

Jia Hua supported Sun Quan and shouted in a trembling voice.

Sun Quan suddenly woke up and hurriedly moved to the side of the boat with the help of Jia Hua.

But when he arrived, he saw that Zhang Zhao had already taken the lead and drove his boat away from the ship.

Zhang Zhao, actually abandoned him and ran away alone at this critical moment!

"Zhang Zibu, come back! I haven't boarded the boat yet. Come back—"

Sun Quan was horrified and shouted at Zhang Zhao anxiously.

Zhang Zhao looked back at him, then sighed helplessly, turned around and ignored him, urging his soldiers to row and flee.

"Zhang Zibu, Zhang Zhao, you disloyal and shameless scoundrel, how dare you abandon me and flee alone—"

Sun Quan was completely desperate, filled with grief and anger, and cursed Zhang Zhao fiercely.

Zhang Zhao never looked back, but just drove the boat away.

"Sun Quan, you have been deserted by everyone and have nowhere to go!"

"If you don't surrender now, when will you surrender?"

Gan Ning's powerful shout came from behind.

Sun Quan shuddered and turned around tremblingly, only to see Gan Ning, covered in blood, standing right in front of him.

The bloody knife in his hand was raised, the tip pointing directly at him.

The moment he saw Gan Ning, Sun Quan, who was originally panicked, suddenly felt an endless rage in his heart.

This Jinfan thief was driven away by Huang Zu in the past, and came to me in poverty.

Now, not only did he betray himself, but he also forced him into this desperate situation with his own hands!

Sun Quan was filled with rage, and he didn't know where he got the courage from, so he shouted:
"Kill this Jinfan thief, kill this ungrateful pirate for me, kill him—"

After looking at each other, Jia Hua and the remaining guards, driven by their loyalty to Sun Quan, roared and pounced on Gan Ning like trapped beasts.

"You are seeking death!"

Gan Ning's eyes were burning with murderous intent, and the bloody knife in his hand slashed out with lightning speed.

Jia Hua, who had just rushed forward, was hit in the neck by Gan Ning before he could make any move with his sword.

Heads flew off and corpses fell to the ground with a thud.

Gan Ning then swung his bloody knife wildly, killing all the more than ten personal guards who rushed up in an instant as easily as cutting vegetables and melons.

Finally, all the enemies blocking their way were killed.

Gan Ning stepped on the corpses on the ground and approached Sun Quan step by step like a killing god.

At this moment, Sun Quan was truly a lonely man.

Zhou Tai, the only person who could fight Gan Ning, happened to be on another ship, protecting Wu Guotai and his young son Sun Deng.

There was no one in front of him to shelter him from the wind and rain, and he could only face Gan Ning's blade alone.

The brief anger and courage were instantly shattered by Gan Ning's bloody killing, and only the fear of death remained in his heart.

Just as Gan Ning raised his bloody knife slightly, Sun Quan gritted his teeth, his legs softened, and his knees hit the deck hard.

"Xingba, for the sake of our relationship as master and subject, I beg you to show mercy!"

"I, Sun Quan, wish to surrender to Lord Xuande. Please take me to see him!"

(End of this chapter)