Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 171 The Little Tyrant of Jiangdong Emerges

Jizhou, Yecheng.

Yuan Shao was sitting in the main seat of the council hall, quietly reading the messages sent by his spies from Luoyang, Anyi and other places.

When Yuan Shao raised his head, his advisors, who had been waiting for a long time, all bowed and greeted him, saying, "Greetings, my lord!"

Yuan Shao glanced at Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Xu You, Feng Ji, Guo Tu, Shen Pei, and others, nodded slightly, and said, "You've all arrived."

"My lord, what is the situation with Cao Cao?" Tian Feng asked first.

“Cao Mengde has defeated the Xiliang army and welcomed back the emperor… Tell me, what is his true motive? Is he truly loyal to the Han dynasty and willing to hand over his legacy to the emperor?” Yuan Shao asked his advisors, full of doubt.

Ju Shou was the first to bow and reply: "Reporting to my lord, in my opinion, Cao Cao's actions are tantamount to holding the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords!"

"Heh heh, Cao Cao wants to use the emperor to command the feudal lords, but he still needs someone to obey him!" Guo Tu said with a sneer, his face full of disdain.

"This move should not be underestimated! If the emperor issues edicts frequently, whether our lord responds or not will become a thorny problem," Tian Feng said with a worried expression, his brows furrowed.

Xu You stepped forward, cupped his hands, and offered his advice: "My lord, Yuan Hao is absolutely right. If Cao Cao repeatedly issues edicts to us in the name of the emperor, should we accept them or not?"

If one does not accept the order, one will lose the greater good and become a traitor who defies the emperor's command.

But if we accept the imperial edict, wouldn't that be tantamount to acknowledging Cao Cao as the legitimate ruler?

After Ju Shou, Tian Feng, and Xu You spoke, Yuan Shao immediately realized that it was a huge mistake not to welcome the emperor back then.

But it was a decision I made myself, so how could I contradict myself?
Guo Tu clearly saw Yuan Shao's dilemma and immediately spoke up, "Gentlemen, aren't you exaggerating a bit?"

Ju Shou was straightforward and hot-tempered. When he saw Guo Tu jumping out to contradict him again, he glared at him and shouted angrily, "It's all your fault! Back then, we tried our best to persuade our lord to welcome the emperor, but it was you and Feng Ji who said that the emperor was a burden and prevented our lord from sending troops!"

Ju Shou's roar completely humiliated Yuan Shao, who had initially shared the same idea...

What to do? I've already put on this act, so I have to keep it up even if it's painful!
Seeing the arguing group in the hall again, Yuan Shao angrily rebuked them, "The Emperor's affairs are irrelevant to the overall situation. Let Cao Cao be pleased this time. The most important thing is to eliminate Gongsun Zan!"

After Yuan Shao spoke, Ju Shou, Tian Feng, and Xu You could only sigh inwardly.

……

While Cao Cao was busy welcoming the emperor...
Lu Xun lost his parents at a young age and lived with Lu Kang. Later, he studied in Lujiang with his uncle Lu Ji, Lu Kang's second son.

By some reckoning, Lu Xun was Lu Kang's great-grandson.

Lu Kang knew that he and Sun Ce were sworn enemies, and that they would fight to the death. So he arranged for his descendants to leave the city to seek refuge, and Lu Xun was among them.

Even so, more than half of Lu Kang's clan of over a hundred people died in the war and famine!
After capturing Lujiang, Sun Ce was overjoyed and hurriedly returned to report to Yuan Shu, demanding the position of Prefect of Lujiang that Yuan Shu had previously promised him.

However, Yuan Shu, who had never shown any martial virtue, went back on his word and appointed his trusted confidant Liu Xun as the governor of Lujiang.

After Yuan Shu broke his promise to Sun Ce, Sun Ce was quite disappointed, but he did not do anything outrageous, which made Yuan Shu feel more apologetic.

But in reality, all of this was within the expectations of Sun Ce's good friend Zhou Yu.

Next, Sun Ce would propose to borrow troops from Yuan Shu, and the price would be to hand over the Imperial Seal that had caused his father Sun Jian's wrongful death!

The so-called Imperial Seal of the State is said to have been carved by Li Si, the Prime Minister of the Qin State, from the He Shi Bi jade.

The imperial seal is four inches square, with five intertwined dragons on it. The front is engraved with eight seal characters: “Received the mandate from Heaven, may the emperor live long and prosper.” It has always been regarded as a symbol of divine right and legitimacy of imperial power.

There were even rumors that "whoever obtains the imperial seal will rule the world," which is why Sun Jian planned to return to his hometown in Jiangdong after obtaining the imperial seal.

Being an emperor—that's something countless men dream of!
But those with a little foresight understood that whoever possessed the imperial seal might not necessarily gain the world; in fact, it could bring about their own demise...

After Sun Jian's death, Sun Ce kept the imperial seal close to his body.

Although Yuan Shu knew that the Imperial Seal was in Sun Ce's hands and desperately wanted it, he never forced Sun Ce to hand it over.

It must be said that even someone as flawed as Yuan Shu was not entirely without merit.

Sun Ce's current residence, while not luxurious, is still better than that of most civil and military officials.

Yuan Shu had always greatly admired Sun Ce's martial prowess, and even considered adopting him as his son. Therefore, he showered Sun Ce with gifts, attempting to influence him. In the study, a handsome and distinguished young man, roughly the same age as Sun Ce, sat opposite him.

This man was none other than Zhou Yu, also known as Zhou Gongjin, who was famous for his handsome appearance!
Zhou Yu poured himself and Sun Ce a bowl of tea, a mocking smile on his face, and said, "Bo Fu, Yuan Shu wants to adopt you as his son. Why don't you just agree? You should know that he now controls most of the Jianghuai region of Yangzhou, as well as parts of Yuzhou and Xuzhou. His power is among the greatest of all the warlords!"

Sun Ce's face showed disgust as he replied, "Gongjin, you know perfectly well that he only covets the imperial seal in my possession, so why bring it up again..."

“Indeed, he values ​​the Imperial Seal more than you,” Zhou Yu shook his head slightly and said, “But Bo Fu, do you intend to remain subservient to Yuan Shu and live out the rest of your life in a daze?”

"Of course I refuse!" Sun Ce's eyebrows shot up, and he slammed his hand heavily on the table, saying passionately, "I am willing to inherit my father's will, wipe out the traitors of the world, and restore a bright and peaceful world to the Han Dynasty!"

"Then why are you still keeping the imperial seal?"

"Uh... this... the Imperial Seal..."

Seeing Sun Ce stammering, how could Zhou Yu not understand what his friend was thinking?

Anyone can make grand pronouncements, but in the end, it's all about their own self-interest.

After a helpless sigh, Zhou Yu said, "Bo Fu, the world was won by the strategies of civil officials and strategists, and the bloody battles of military generals and soldiers."

What we urgently need right now is territory, foundation, talent, and funds, not the imperial seal.

What good has this jade seal done for you now, besides bringing you trouble?

Zhou Yu's words made Sun Ce fall into deep thought.

He had considered similar questions, but the imperial seal was, after all, a relic left to him by his father, Sun Jian, and he couldn't bear to hand it over just like that.

Now that even his most trusted ally had said so, Sun Ce gritted his teeth and finally said, "In that case, I hope Gongjin will teach me how to proceed!"

"Good!" What Zhou Yu admired most about Sun Ce was his decisiveness and courage, which was admirable and fascinating.

He continued, "Hasn't Yuan Shu always been obsessed with the Imperial Seal? Then let's give it to him!"

"Just like that... give it to him??" Sun Ce asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Of course not!" Zhou Yu replied with a slight smile, "You must use the Imperial Seal to exchange for your and your father's former subordinates' freedom. If possible, you might even be able to gain a few thousand more troops in return!"

Sun Ce was no fool. Zhou Yu had put it so bluntly; how could he not understand?

"Alright, let's use the Imperial Seal to make this deal with Yuan Shu!" After saying that, Sun Ce suddenly stood up, looked out the window, and murmured to himself, "How can this world be complete without the presence of brothers like you and me?"

Zhou Yu watched Sun Ce's retreating figure and couldn't help but nod.

After finishing his tea in one gulp, Zhou Yu rose and walked to Sun Ce's side, saying, "Indeed, the world would lose much of its color without the two of us..."

In the autumn of the second year of Xingping, a "minor incident" occurred under Yuan Shu's command.

Taking advantage of the fact that Yuan Shu had sent Wu Jing to attack Zhang Ying and others but had failed to achieve victory for several years, Sun Ce volunteered to help in the battle.

Sun Ce advised Yuan Shu: "My attack on Jiangdong is actually to expand your territory. After I have pacified Jiangdong, I will lead the Jiangdong soldiers to help you conquer the world and achieve great things."

Sun Ce presented his reasons in such a "grand and dignified" manner, and even offered up the imperial seal, leaving Yuan Shu with no excuse to refuse.

Therefore, Yuan Shu appointed Sun Ce as Colonel of the Vanguard and General Who Pacifies Bandits, returned his father Sun Jian's old troops, and gave Sun Ce more than a thousand soldiers and dozens of horses, ordering him to go south to aid Wu Jing.

After reuniting with his father's former subordinates, Sun Ce led his army away from Yuan Shu.

Along the way, they continued to expand their ranks, which grew to five or six thousand people.

Upon arriving at Liyang, he successfully joined forces with Wu Jing and Zhou Yu.

At this point, Sun Ce had completely broken free from Yuan Shu's control.

The six counties of Jiangdong are about to face a bloody storm and a tremendous upheaval!

(End of this chapter)