Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 206 Bo Fu, time to eat.
The great enmity Cheng Pu spoke of naturally referred to the Battle of Guzhang and the deaths of Xu Kun, Sun He, and Chen Wu.

In the Battle of Guzhang, the Sun family not only lost its hard-earned 8,000 troops, but its ambition to conquer the two counties of Wu and Kuai to establish its foundation was also shattered and turned into nothing by this crushing defeat.

The deaths of Xu Kun, Sun He, and Chen Wu were also a great loss to the Sun family.

Yan Yi is undoubtedly the culprit behind the Sun family's current predicament. From top to bottom, everyone in the Sun family hates Yan Yi to the core.

Sun Jing also deeply resented Yan Yi, but he knew that if a family wanted to prosper and endure, it could not be swayed by momentary emotions, but must deal with problems rationally.

This way of dealing with problems, though painful, is nothing compared to the rise and fall of the entire clan.

Sun Jing sighed softly, stood up from the couch, walked to Cheng Pu and Han Dang, pulled them down to sit, and said earnestly, "The hatred of losing soldiers and generals, the resentment of the collapse of our foundation, is more intense than yours. However, you all just said that Bo Fu is irreplaceable, and the rise and fall of our Sun family depends on Bo Fu. If we don't do this, what else can we do?"

Upon hearing this, the anger on Cheng Pu and Han Dang's faces gradually faded, replaced by a look of sorrow and helplessness.

Sun Jing's eyes flickered slightly, carrying a hint of deeper meaning, as she glanced at Lü Fan.

There are some things he cannot say himself, so he has to ask others to say them for him.

Lu Fan and Sun Jing exchanged a brief glance and Lu Fan understood what he meant. He not only did not object to Sun Jing's decision, but he also fully supported it.

He joined Sun Ce in Shouchun, and was not a former subordinate of Sun Ce. He did not have a deep relationship with Xu Kun, Sun He, and others. He only cared about Sun Ce's interests.

"Lord Sun, I have a few words to say, but I'm not sure if I should," Lü Fan said with a light, feigned cough.

"Ziheng, please speak freely."

Lu Fan turned his gaze to Cheng Pu and Han Dang, observing their expressions while carefully choosing his words: "The defeat at Guzhang is a painful memory for all of you. However, this battle was initiated by our army, and Yan Yi was merely defending himself. If we were to vent our personal grievances on him, it would be biased. We should also reflect on our own actions."

"The deaths of Xu Kun, Sun He, and Chen Wu are indeed a painful loss. However, casualties are inevitable in a battle between two armies. Warfare is based on deception, and although Yan Yi's use of trickery is despicable, it is still a common practice in war. Do you gentlemen expect the enemy to preach some gentlemanly principles to you?"

"The dead are gone, but the living can be brought back. Even if we are filled with grief and indignation, it will not change anything. The most urgent task is to rescue Bo Fu. If Bo Fu returns, the predicament will be resolved and the danger will disappear."

After Lü Fan's impassioned speech, his tone softened: "If we turn hostility into friendship with Yan Yi, then Bo Fu, Bo Yang, Gong Fu, and Jun Li can all turn danger into safety. This is the only solution at present."

After saying these words, he fell silent again, his eyes slightly narrowed as he glanced at Cheng Pu and Han Dang from time to time, as if observing their reactions.

Cheng Pu and Han Dang sat upright on the couch, like wooden sculptures, as if they had not yet recovered from Lü Fan's words.

Sun Jing gazed at Lü Fan for a long time, her eyes filled with admiration, and sighed, "Ziheng's words truly come from the bottom of his heart."

His views were basically the same as Lü Fan's, the only difference being that the deaths of Xu Kun and Sun He caused him particular heartache.

Although it's not exactly a case of the elderly burying their children, how could one not feel pain upon hearing that a junior they had watched grow up had died in battle?

While feeling heartbroken, Sun Jing also felt a faint sense of relief.

Sun He was originally surnamed Yu, but after marrying his aunt, he changed his surname back to Sun. Xu Kun was also Sun Jian's nephew. Neither of them were direct descendants of the Sun family.

The hatred between the Sun family and the Yan family had not yet reached an irreconcilable point.

After weighing her options, Sun Jing noticed that Cheng Pu and Han Dang remained silent, so she couldn't help but glance at Lü Fan again.

Lu Fan was speechless. "You want me to say something again? Can't you say a word or two yourself?"

He sighed and spoke again: "Guangde is a dead end for Yan Yi. He has no hope of winning. If it weren't for Bo Fu's incident, he would probably have already led his troops to retreat. If our army cooperates with Yan Yi at this time, it will be enough to turn his defeat into victory. This favor is heavier than Mount Tai, and he will definitely give us a satisfactory reward."

Cheng Pu and Han Dang, both burly men, shifted slightly and exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of compromise and resentment in each other's eyes.

Sun Jing deeply agreed with Lü Fan's words, which was also the reason why he was willing to consider putting aside his past grievances with Yan Yi. He glanced at Cheng and Han and finally picked up where Lü Fan left off.

"I have been observing Yan Yi in Fuchun for a long time. His military skills are almost comparable to those of Bo Fu. What is even more remarkable is his talent in governance, which can be described as 'officials fear his power and the people cherish his kindness.' I once passed through his jurisdiction and heard the villagers say, 'I would rather be beaten by Yan Lang than rewarded by any other official.' Is this kind of governance not a model of a good governor?"

Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and Lü Fan were deeply moved upon hearing this, never expecting Sun Jing to give Yan Yi such high praise.

Sun Jing suddenly became serious, her eyes flashing with a sharp light, and then said something that made the three men's hearts race: "Yan Yi is no ordinary man. Xu Gong is just a name without substance, Wang Lang is confined to his study, and Zhou Shu and Zu Lang are nothing but withered bones in their graves, destined to be destroyed sooner or later. If our army joins forces with them, we can sweep across Jiangdong, and this fertile land will surely have a share for us."

A brief silence fell over the tent. After a long while, a slightly hesitant voice rang out: "I'm afraid it's another Yuan Gonglu."

"Looking at all the warlords in the world, Yuan Gonglu's shamelessness is unparalleled."

"In this predicament, it is a necessary expedient measure."

"Let's observe their attitude for now."

The flickering lamp cast dappled shadows on the leather tent, and whispers continued inside until late into the night.

The next day at noon, a light rain began to fall, the cool raindrops landing on people's cheeks with a refreshing touch.

Li Feng, dressed in rhinoceros armor and with a long sword at his waist, waited anxiously at the east gate of the camp early in the morning with a troop of personal guards.

This man is thirty-one years old this year. He has a wolf-like head and eagle-like eyes, and his cheekbones are like knives. He holds the official rank of General of the Army and is a sharp weapon used by Yuan Shu to restrain Sun Ce.

But this sharp blade was no different from a dull knife in front of Sun Ce.

From the moment he arrived in Shucheng, Li Feng was constantly suppressed by Sun Ce, especially by the six thousand old and weak soldiers Sun Ce assigned to him, which infuriated him. In addition, Cheng Pu and others often spoke to him in a sarcastic tone, and over time, a personal grudge gradually developed between Li Feng and the Sun family.

Li Feng, harboring resentment, kept a closer eye on Sun Ce than on his most beloved concubine. His favorite pastime was collecting dirt on Sun Ce to settle scores later.

One of the biggest pieces of evidence against him was that Sun Ce recruited four thousand elite troops into his own service.

These four thousand elite troops were originally Yuan Shu's retainers, but Sun Ce used various means to firmly control them, turning them into his private army. This alone was something Yuan Shu absolutely could not tolerate, and he would definitely make Sun Ce pay in the future.

However, Li Feng's attention was not on the four thousand elite troops, but on Sun Ce himself. This man, whose every need for food, drink, and sanitation was under his close surveillance, had mysteriously vanished.

For the past two days, he had been trying his best to find out Sun Ce's whereabouts, and even once tried to force his way into Sun Ce's central command tent, but was blocked by Cheng Pu for various reasons.

Li Feng keenly sensed that something big was about to happen. After secretly investigating for two days, he reported to Zhang Xun, who quickly responded. *Clatter clatter!*

The sound of hooves thundered outside the east gate of the camp as hundreds of cavalrymen galloped in and reined in their horses in front of the gate.

"Bowell, how have you been?"

A general dressed in fish-scale armor stepped forward from the crowd, smiling as he looked at Li Feng.

Li Feng felt a pang of disappointment, because the person who came was not Zhang Xun or Lei Bo as he had expected, but Chen Lan, whose prestige in the army was slightly lower.

Never mind, as long as Zhang Xun's military order is brought, that will suffice.

Li Feng, disregarding pleasantries, said impatiently, "Zi Ren, there's no time to lose, come with me to the central command tent!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Chen Lan's eyes. "I rushed here in the rain without stopping, and you won't even serve me a bowl of hot soup? Do you really think I'm some kind of beast of burden?"
However, Li Feng's next words immediately made him realize the seriousness of the problem, and the slight dissatisfaction in his heart dissipated.

"Including today, Sun Bofu has been missing for three days. He has neither been seen alive nor dead."

"Sun Jian's second son, Sun Quan, came, but for some reason, he turned back halfway."

"I sent people to investigate the places where Cheng Pu fought the enemy. There were two battle sites. One of them was quite strange. It didn't seem like a regular battle, but rather had some traces of assassination."

“Last night a supply wagon came to the outside of the camp and went straight into the central command tent, but that scoundrel Cheng Pu did everything he could to stop me from going in. Don’t you think there’s something fishy going on here!”

The two men, each leading several hundred soldiers, rode swiftly towards the central command tent.

Upon hearing the news, Han Dang arrived with several hundred elite troops to block their path, and said coldly, "What is the meaning of this, you two?"

Chen Lan spurred his horse forward, tossed a scroll of documents to Han Dang, and shouted, "General Fenwu sent me to deliver military orders. Quickly have Bofu come out to receive them!"

Han Dang took the bamboo slip, unfolded it and glanced at it a few times. He said expressionlessly, "The general left the camp this morning and has not yet returned. If there are any military orders, just let me know."

"Nonsense!" Li Feng rode forward and stood side by side with Chen Lan, pointing his whip at Han Dang: "Sun Bofu has not appeared in the camp for three days, so how can you say he left the camp this morning?"

"That's because you didn't see it."

"Bo Fu has not submitted military reports to General Fenwu for three days. What is your explanation for this?"

"How can there be military reports before the war has even started?"

"You're full of sophistry. Get out of my way, I'll go to the main tent to see Bo Fu myself!"

Li Feng gently squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, making a charging motion, but a dark shadow flashed before his eyes, and he was stopped by Han Dang.

Chen Lan suddenly shouted and spurred his horse forward: "I have come on orders to see Bo Fu. Who dares to stop me!"

Hundreds of cavalrymen followed closely behind him, closing in on Han Dang in the blink of an eye.

"Lord Chen, what is the meaning of this?" Han Dang's face turned ashen, and he suddenly raised his halberd: "How dare you act so presumptuously before the central command tent!"

Swish swish!
A metallic scraping sound rang out, and the hundreds of infantrymen standing behind him drew their swords together.

"Do you intend to rebel?!" Chen Lan roared, his face so dark it seemed like it could drip water, and looked at Han Dang: "I will only take ten riders in. If you stop me again, you will bear all the consequences!"

Taking advantage of Han Dang's hesitation, he spurred his horse and charged towards the main tent.

Before his warhorse had even settled properly, he had already leaped off its back, strode forward, and abruptly pulled back the tent flap!

The tent was completely empty.
Chen Lan walked around the tent but found nothing amiss. She couldn't help but look up at Li Feng, who had arrived shortly after.

Li Feng's sharp, hawk-like eyes swept around the tent, and he frowned, saying, "Cheng Pu brought back several hundred cavalrymen who are stationed at the East Camp. We can go there and take a look."

Han Dang's expression changed slightly, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly drew his sword, cursing, "Li Bowei, are you deliberately looking for trouble?! Who will bear the consequences if the camp is disturbed? If you want to see, ask this sword in my hand first!"

Just as Han Dang was trying his best to stop Li Feng and Chen Lan, Yan Yi carried a food tray in both hands and walked into a side room in the backyard of the official temple.

The room was empty except for a bed and a lacquered table. Judging from the marks on the walls, it had once been a place with beaded curtains and embroidered pillars, but all the items in the room had been moved out.

Sun Ce, like a tiger trapped in an iron cage, sat on the bed with his head down. The silk cloth, stained with blood, was wrapped from his shoulders to his waist, but it could not hide his intimidating aura.

Hearing footsteps, he suddenly raised his head, his tiger-like eyes glaring at Yan Yi, his eyes flashing with undisguised killing intent.

However, his hands and feet were tightly bound by cowhide ropes as thick as his little finger, so even though he wanted to tear Yan Yi to pieces, he was powerless to do so.

Yan Yi placed the food tray on the table, picked up a porcelain plate with his left hand and a pair of chopsticks with his right hand, took a piece of fish from the plate, and handed it to Sun Ce's mouth: "Bo Fu, this is Songjiang perch that I ordered to be made. It was sent by fast horse from your hometown. Try it and see how it tastes."

Capturing Sun Ce was a pleasant surprise. He had originally planned to withdraw his troops to Guzhang to avoid the enemy's advance, but now he intended to observe the situation for a few more days.

"If you have the guts, kill me with one blow!" Sun Ce said through gritted teeth.

Seeing that he wouldn't eat, Yan Yi sighed and put down the porcelain plate: "If you don't eat, you will starve to death. If you starve to death, how can you talk about reviving your father's legacy?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce was deeply saddened. Now, trapped in his own predicament, how could he possibly dream of restoring his father's legacy? But then he thought, 'Sun Bofu, how can I be discouraged by a temporary setback? Goujian was once a prisoner, suffering endless humiliation, yet he ultimately succeeded in restoring his kingdom. As long as I'm not dead, there is still hope.'

For the past two days, Yan Yi had been bringing him every meal. The two were no longer strangers. He reluctantly hummed, "Fish."

'He's like a little kid; I have to coax him several times before he'll eat.'

Yan Yi thought to himself, picked up a piece of fish, and fed it to him.

The two were chatting casually, their affections evident, when suddenly Yin Li hurried over and stopped at the door: "Young Master, Sun Jing is here. She has something important to discuss with you."

Yan Yi and Sun Ce exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of something different in each other's eyes.

(End of this chapter)