Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 209 The Entire Clan Submits
crunch
The black iron-rimmed carriage wheels rolled over the bluestone street, making a harsh, muffled sound, but the noise was quickly drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the market.

Three supply wagons and two light carriages slowly drove away from the Wu residence amidst slight bumps.

Pedestrians along the way recognized the carriage of Wu Jing, the Prefect of Danyang and Military Governor, and quickly moved to the sides of the street to make way. No one could have imagined that this would be the last time they saw Wu's carriage in Qu'a.

The reason was that the carriage carried not only Wu Jing's relatives, but also Wu's wife, Sun Jing, Sun Shangxiang, Sun Yi, Sun Kuang and other core members of the Sun clan, and their purpose for this trip was to escape Qu'a and go to Qiantang.

Sun Jing sat in the first supply wagon, his thin body swaying slightly with the bumps of the carriage. Although he was a little nervous, he still pretended to be relaxed and comforted Madam Wu, who was sitting on the other side of the carriage: "Sister-in-law, don't worry. I saw Bo Fu before I left, and he is doing well."

How could Lady Wu not be worried? Sun Ce was not only her and Sun Jian's favorite son, but also the eldest son who would inherit the Sun family's legacy. The moment she heard that Sun Ce had fallen into enemy hands, she felt as if the sky was about to collapse. She was overwhelmed by an unprecedented worry and concern, and almost fainted on the spot.

After calming herself down and listening to Sun Jing's purpose and suggestions, she agreed to Sun Jing's request to submit to the Yan family almost without thinking, and was eager to rush to Qiantang to redeem Sun Ce.

"Uncle, where did my eldest brother go?"

Beside Madam Wu, a little girl with a face like a pink dumpling, her cheeks full like newly blossoming peach blossoms, yet with a touch of heroism, asked in a childish voice.

Looking into her clear almond-shaped eyes, Sun Jing couldn't help but show a look of doting affection: "Shangxiang, your eldest brother is in Guangde. Your uncle came here this time to take you to see him."

Sun Shangxiang was lively and active by nature, like a restless little animal. Before he could finish speaking, she broke free from Madam Wu's hand, stood up on the carriage seat, reached out to lift the curtain on the right side of the carriage, and peered out the window.

Sun Jing was taken aback and instinctively reached out and pulled her down into her arms.

This is the young matriarch of the Sun family, bearing the heavy responsibility of a marriage alliance with the Yan family. Half of the Sun family's future fate rests on her shoulders, and she must not be allowed to have any mishaps.

Madam Wu was aware of this, and with a stern face, she gently scolded, "Xiang'er, from now on, when riding in a carriage, you are not allowed to move around, and you are not allowed to stick your head out of the carriage window!"

Sun Shangxiang pouted, turned her eyes to Sun Kuang beside her, snatched the wooden sword from his hand, and waved it around.

When Sun Kuang's beloved wooden sword was taken away, he burst into tears.

Sun Jing was speechless. The Sun Shangxiang he had envisioned should be quiet, dignified, gentle, and virtuous, not like this.

He pulled Sun Shangxiang in front of him, about to give her a few words of instruction, when he suddenly heard a soft shout from outside the carriage: "Stop!"

Sun Jing was slightly startled. She gave Madam Wu a look, got up and stepped out of the carriage, glancing around.

After he took in his surroundings, a bad feeling suddenly washed over him.

The road leading to the city gate was already packed with soldiers in armor and carrying swords. At the head of the group was a military officer dressed in black armor, who was walking toward the carriage with his hand on his sword hilt.

Black represents the element of water and was the most commonly used color for armor in Yuan Shu's army. Water overcomes fire, and fire is associated with red, which happened to be the main color of the army's armor in this dynasty. From the color of their armor, one could tell that Yuan Shu already harbored ambitions to usurp the Han throne.

Sun Jing was not concerned with who Yuan Shu wanted to usurp; he was only concerned with whether he could safely lead Lady Wu and her party away from Qu'a.

Qu'a was originally Wu Jing's sphere of influence, but after Wu Jing suffered a crushing defeat at Guzhang, Yuan Shu gradually began to send troops to Qu'a, and now Qu'a is Yuan's territory.

Sun Jing cursed Wu Jing inwardly for not even being able to protect his own territory. Her brows furrowed, and her eyes flashed like torches as she swept them toward the military officer who was inspecting the carriage with ill intent: "This is Lord Wu's carriage. How dare you act so presumptuously!"

"I only know you, my lord, but not Lord Wu!" The military commander chuckled coldly and suddenly reached out to lift the front curtain of the carriage, but Sun Jing stopped him.

Sun Jing's face was ashen, and she said coldly, "The woman inside the carriage is the wife of the former Governor of Yuzhou, General Who Destroys the Barbarians, and Marquis of Wucheng, Lord Sun. Do you know the consequences of your actions?"

The military commander seemed to already know who was inside the carriage, his expression unchanged, and a large, scarred hand still reached towards the curtain.

Unexpectedly, just as the hand reached halfway, the carriage curtain was lifted a foot or so from the inside by a well-maintained hand. Madam Wu peeked out, her phoenix eyes gleaming with cold light, and said in a chilling voice, "I intend to go to my manor outside the city to recuperate. Who are you, daring to block my carriage?!"

The moment the military commander met her gaze, he looked away somewhat awkwardly, then glared at her angrily and said in a deep voice, "Recently, bandits have been rampant outside the city. This humble general has been ordered to protect Madam. Please return to the manor!"

"What if I insist on leaving the city?"

"If Madam insists on leaving the city, I have no choice but to offend you."

Sun Jing's heart sank to the bottom. She had already cursed Wu Jing to the core in her heart. Seeing the soldiers surrounding her menacingly, she didn't know what to do. Suddenly, she heard the sound of clear hooves coming from the direction of the city gate. A familiar figure galloped over, followed by hundreds of soldiers in blue armor.

"roll!"

Wu Jing rode in, his warhorse rearing up, and lashed the military commander's back hard with his whip.

Under the gloomy sky, his face looked even more haggard than a month ago, with sunken eye sockets and two dark circles under his eyes, like bruises from not having slept for many days.

Wu Jing has been in a very bad mood lately. He paid the price of disgrace to help the Sun family gain power in Dan and Wu counties. However, the two incidents in Guzhang and Guangde have caused his efforts and hard work over the past six months to go to waste. Even the Sun family has fallen into an unprecedented predicament and has no choice but to submit to their former enemy.

"Lord Wu, what brings you here?" The military commander stammered, staring at Wu Jing's murderous gaze.

"If I hadn't come soon, would the Qu'a City that I worked so hard to conquer have become someone else's?" Wu Jing, who had an unusually fiery temper, swore, "Go back to where you came from, or I'll take your head and offer it as a sacrifice to the flag today!"

The military commander glanced at the growing number of soldiers behind him, shrank back, forced a stiff smile, and turned around. His face had turned ashen as he led his soldiers away in a disheveled state.

Wu Jing dismounted and strode to the carriage. He lifted the curtain and looked at Madam Wu with concern: "Sister, are you alright?"

Madam Wu shook her head slightly.

Wu Jing reached out and pinched Sun Shangxiang's rosy cheek. Amid her dissatisfied grumbling, he lowered the curtain and whispered to Sun Jing, "This place is not safe to stay for long. Come with me out of the city quickly."

He left 3,000 troops in Qu'a, half of whom had already been won over by Yuan Shu. Before long, Qu'a would be completely under Yuan Shu's control, and the foundation he had worked so hard to build would soon vanish.

With a heavy heart, Wu Jing led over a thousand soldiers to escort his elder sister's carriage out of the North Gate and headed straight for Furong Ferry, northeast of Qu'a.

Furong Ferry, located at Furong Pavilion in Wujin County, was just an inconspicuous little ferry crossing, about 25 li away from Qu'a City. The carriages and horses traveled swiftly along the official road, raising clouds of dust, and gradually some soldiers, exhausted, fell behind.

Wu Jing knew that Yuan's army might catch up at any time, so he dared not linger and kept urging his soldiers to hurry.

After traveling five or six miles, the group came to a crossroads. The official road leading to Furong Ferry was narrow and difficult to travel, while the official road leading to Yunyang Ferry to the east was wide and easy to travel.

Wu Jing ordered four hundred soldiers to march towards Yunyang Ferry. After these four hundred men had gone far away, he led the remaining five hundred elite troops to continue towards Furong Ferry. He also ordered his men to carefully erase the wheel tracks, hoof prints, and footprints on the official road.

This tactic allowed him to successfully deceive the pursuers who came from Qu'a City.

When the pursuers intercepted Wu Jing's feint force only five miles from Yunyang Ferry, they realized they had been tricked. By the time they chased after them to Furong Ferry again, it was too late.

At dusk, Wu Jing and his party arrived at Furong Ferry without any major incident.

Sun Quan, who was about to turn thirteen, had been waiting at the ferry with more than a hundred guards. When he saw Lady Wu leading her three younger brothers and sisters down from the carriage, he breathed a sigh of relief. His furrowed brows relaxed, and a look of joy that was appropriate for his age appeared on his still childish face.

“Mother, Uncle, this is Lord Quan from Qiantang,” Sun Quan introduced politely.

Quan Rou glanced at Sun Shangxiang without showing any emotion, first bowed to Madam Wu, and then clasped her hands in a fist salute to Wu Jing and Sun Jing, saying, "There is no time to lose, please board the ship immediately."

Wu Jing and Sun Jing nodded slightly and organized everyone to board the ship in an orderly manner.

As the sun sets and the tall grass ripples, the Qiantang Navy raises its sails, cutting through the waves, and heads towards Qiantang Port, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun.

The Sun family members stood on Quan Rou's Bluebird ship, gazing silently at the land gradually disappearing into the distance. Their emotions, like the surging waves, rose and fell, filled with endless melancholy and感慨.

The following day at noon, the fleet sailed into Qiantang Bay, entering Yan Yi's sphere of influence.

Wearing a cloak, Wu Jing stood on the bow deck, facing the whistling sea breeze, gazing at the clear blue sky and sea, the warships crisscrossing, and the fishing boats returning to port. A look of surprise and solemnity gradually appeared on his face.

Since the fleet entered Qiantang Bay, he has encountered four patrol fleets.

"Youtai, how much sea area has Yan Yi occupied in Qiantang Bay?" He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Sun Jing beside him.

“The entire Qiantang Bay is now under the control of the young lord. It is said that the Qiantang Navy has begun to build camps on several large islands in Wengshan.” Sun Jing withdrew her gaze from the vast blue sea, her tone tinged with emotion, and reminded him, “Zilian, now that our clan has submitted to the young lord, you should change how you address him.”

Wengshan is the Zhoushan Islands of later generations, and it is also the largest archipelago in China. It is located on the east side of the Pacific Ocean and on the west side of Hangzhou Bay, and has extremely rich fishery resources.

Wu Jing's eyes widened, astonishment washing over him like a tidal wave. His Adam's apple bobbed: "Is this really true?"

The combined area of ​​Qiantang Bay and Wengshan sea area is equivalent to the entire Wu County.

People often only focus on the dozen or so cities under Yan Yi's control, but they are unaware that his naval power is expanding at an incredible speed.

"It's true, of course. The Qiantang Navy is second only to the Jingzhou Navy, Jiaozhou Navy, and Kuaiji Navy in size. The Jingzhou Navy and Jiaozhou Navy are thousands of miles away. Although the Kuaiji Navy is slightly stronger than the Qiantang Navy in overall strength, it is scattered in various places and it is difficult to form a cohesive force. In terms of the combat power of the main fleet, it is not as good as the Qiantang Navy. In this sea area, no one can compete with the Qiantang Navy."

Sun Jing gripped the railing and sighed. He had lived in Fuchun for many years, just a stone's throw from Qiantang, and knew the situation there all too well. Yan Yi's power was expanding at a speed far beyond his imagination, which was one of the important reasons why he was willing to align himself with Yan Yi.

As the two men conversed, the mighty fleet, like a giant dragon, slowly sailed into the Qiantang Port, where masts lined the waterfront.

Si Qing had already led a thousand soldiers to blockade one of the docks and line up to welcome them.

He watched as Madam Wu and her entourage slowly descended from the deck, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and he clenched his fist in excitement.

The Sun clan members from Fuchun are gradually moving to Qiantang. With the addition of core Sun clan members like Madam Wu, Shaojun has already taken control of most of the Sun clan members, completing the first step in controlling the Sun clan.

There are 10,000 troops stationed in Qiantang City. Once these people arrive in Qiantang, it won't be so easy for them to leave.

Now that the Sun family has come to surrender, the young lord's forces have suddenly gained many more generals.

Sun Bofu was exceptionally brave, Sun Boyang was skilled at managing soldiers, Zhu Junli was adept at military administration, Lü Ziheng and Sun Youtai were masters of strategy, and there were also excellent generals such as Huang Gongfu, Wu Zilian, Cheng Demou, and Han Yigong, all of whom had followed Sun Jian in battle for many years and were seasoned veterans.

With a group of mid- to low-ranking officers gradually being trained, the young lord finally has no shortage of generals to lead troops.

Thinking of this, Si Qing unconsciously smiled.

He straightened his clothes, stepped forward slowly, and greeted Sun Jing, Wu Jing, and the others one by one.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with him, Sun Jing couldn't wait and asked in a low voice, "Ziyue, can I take the three daughters that the young master prepared with me now?"

He seemed to be asking about the three daughters, but in reality he was testing Yan Yi's attitude, fearing that Yan Yi would swindle them and then abandon them.

Si Qing smiled slightly: "The three thousand gold coins have been prepared, and Lord Sun can take them today."

Sun Jing breathed a sigh of relief, her heart finally at ease. Yan Yi's integrity seemed to be much better than Yuan Gonglu's. That bastard Yuan Gonglu never kept his promises and had been making a fool of the Sun family for years!
He told Madam Wu about it with a smile. Instantly, the tense nerves of the Sun family relaxed, and a relaxed atmosphere gradually spread.

The group boarded the baggage carts one after another and, led and escorted by Si Qing, entered Qiantang City.

The spies planted by various factions in Qiantang watched the long procession of supply wagons pass by, their hearts filled with curiosity. They couldn't wait to peek through the curtains and see what important figures had arrived, that Si Qing and Quan Rou were receiving them with such solemnity.

This news could not be kept secret for long. Just a few days later, the news that the entire Sun family had submitted to Yan Yi spread throughout the country.

On the third day after the Sun family arrived in Qiantang, the Guangde city gate, which had been closed for a long time, was finally opened.

A massive army marched out in formation, exuding a murderous aura, heading north!

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(End of this chapter)