Chapter 669
Chapter 669
In the end, Lu Su was not sent over to the other side of the river by Sun Ce. Instead, Lu Su chose to leave together with Yang Hong. Either way, the exchange has already been made. If Sun Ce chose to act shamelessly, then it would be his moral standing that comes into question. Sun Ce no longer dared to offend Liu Mang too much, otherwise he would really have to fight when Liu Mang sends his army over. Sun Ce himself did not want to fight a war.
That was why he agreed and sent Lu Su over to Yang Hong.
Yang Hong’s mission was accomplished. He stood by the riverbank of Jianye as he watched the soldiers of the New Armies return to their ship dejectedly. They were clearly dejected as they were captives and were returning home in defeat. If it was not because of their Lord who was more willing to part with provisions than to part with them, they would die without a Lord to serve.
“Is this everyone?” At the bow of the ship, one naval officer asked an official that was in charge of counting.
“The agreed number was eight thousand six hundred and twenty two people. We have received eight thousand six hundred and twenty people.” The official replied.
“Where are the remaining two?” Yang Hong frowned. In this chaotic world, two people were not much. But it was different for Yangzhou since all of Yangzhou’s troops were registered. Those that die are to be celebrated as heroes for the others to worship. On the other hand, the ones that defected or deserted do not receive this benefit.
“Those two said that they were too ashamed to return and hanged themselves in prison.” The official replied to Yang Hong.
“They hanged themselves?” Lu Su mumbled to himself.
“What about their corpse?” Yang Hong asked. He respected such loyal characters.
“I have already ordered someone to burn their bodies and keep their ashes in a box.” The official replied. As Jiangnan was hot and moist, they corpses could not be preserved for too long.
“Bring them back on the flagship. They are loyal so they should be placed in the Hall of Heroes.” Yang Hong said.
“Understood!” The official accepted the order and brought the ashes onto the flagship.
“Now everyone is on board. Brothers, let’s go home!” The Yangzhou Navy started to sail towards the opposite end of the river.
“Oh right. Where is General Dai Yun?” Yang Hong asked.
“Your Excellency. Didn’t you already see General Dai Yun?” One officer asked back gloomily.
“I already saw him?” Yang Hong tried to remember but he did not see anyone that looked like a high ranked officer.
“One of that two boxes contains General Dai Yun.” The officer replied bitterly.
Yang Hong was silent for a moment before shaking his head. “Sigh. There was no need to do that.”
“Your Excellency. Our ships are here for us.” Yang Hong’s bodyguard pointed at another ship. Yang Hong was not being pretentious but as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he needed to be a little extravagant or he would be mocked by others.
“N!” Yang Hong nodded. “Zijing. Let’s go on the ship together.” Yang Hong said towards Lu Su.
“Your Excellency. You go on ahead.” Lu Su replied.
“What about you?” Yang Hong asked back. He did not know what Lu Su was thinking.
“Haha. Your Excellency. Even those soldiers are like this so how could I go back?” Lu Su replied with a light smile.
“Zijing. Do not be rash. The Lord did not blame you at all for this incident. If he did, he would not have ordered me to bring you back.” Yang Hong was starting to feel anxious. His mission was to bring Lu Su back. How was Yang Hong going to explain himself if Lu Su foolishly refused to go back and instead takes his own life like Dai Yun? ŔÂΝօβĘ𝙎
“It is precisely because of this that I am too ashamed to go back.” Lu Su shook his head bitterly. Liu Mang leniency made Lu Su feel even guiltier especially since he still chose to trust Zhou Yu despite Zhuge Liang’s warning. Now Yangzhou failed to achieve their objective. On top of that, only about eight thousand of the fifteen thousand elites returned. Even their General, Dai Yun, committed suicide.
“Your Excellency, please be relieved. I still have a father and no heir. I will not do something foolish.” Lu Su smiled lightly. He would not take his own life lightly since he has no heir. He could not allow himself to be the last of the Lu Family line.
“But…!” Yang Hong still wanted to say something but Lu Su shook his head. “Your Excellency. Even if you take me back, I would just be a walking corpse. I would never be able to forgive myself.” Lu Su said when he felt like Yang Hong was thinking of using force to bring Lu Su back.
“In that case, Zijing. You have to promise me and the Lord. You must take care of yourself properly. The Lord cannot lose you. Yangzhou cannot lose you.” Yang Hong said after finding himself unable to persuade Lu Su.
“Yes. I know. I am still waiting to help the Lord conquer the land.” Lu Su said as he got off the ship. “Your Excellency. Please tell the Lord that I will return once I have dealt with this matter.” Lu Su said and then left without looking back.
After that, another person got off the ship.
“Yang Chen. Where are you going?” Yang Hong furrowed his brows as it was his son that got off the ship.
“Father. I will be following High Official Lu.” Yang Chen replied with a smile.
“You fool! Come back here.” Yang Hong was anxious as Yang Chen was his sole heir. He was able to go to Jiangdong last time because Yang Hong was certain that Sun Ce and Zhou Yu would not dare to kill Lu Su and Yang Chen. But now, the troops are all supposed to go back. Lu Su and Yang Chen no longer have any diplomatic immunity.
“Father. You have taught me to be dutiful to my death since I was young. Have you forgotten that Lu Su was to be Chief Envoy and me his assistant? Father, take care of yourself.” Yang Chen said and quickly went after Lu Su.
“Yang Chen! Yang Chen!” Yang Hong shouted at his son but his son only went further away.
“Your Excellency. Should I send someone to bring him back?” A guard asked.
“Forget it. Let him go.” Yang Hong rubbed his head. He knew that there was no use in bringing Yang Chen back. All he can do now is pray for his son’s safe return.
“High Official Lu! Wait for me!” Lu Su turned around to see Yang Chen chasing after him.
“Young Master Yang Chen? What are you following me?” Lu Su did not understand. He had just recently found out that Yang Chen was Yang Hong’s son. That was why his impression of Yang Chen was good. At the very least, Yang Chen was not someone who is arrogant because of his father’s position.
“High Official Lu. Where are you going?” Yang Chen asked.
“I am going to settle some unfinished business.” Lu Su replied.
“But Jiangdong…” Yang Chen asked and Lu Su nodded.
“Then it is all right. Does High Official Lu still remember the Lord’s orders? For Jiangdong’s matters, High Official Lu will be the Chief Envoy while I will be your assistant. Since High Official Lu is going to settle unfinished business, it would also be my business.” Yang Chen replied.
“Young Master Yang Chen. I am not going on a diplomatic mission this time.” Lu Su warned.
“Don’t worry, High Official Lu. If I was afraid, I would not be here.”
“What about His Excellency?”
“My father taught me do finish the things I started!”
“Good! Then follow me!” Lu Su nodded. He knew Yang Chen well. The man was talented and it was also good to have a helping hand.
“Thank you, High Official Lu!” A look of joy appeared on Yang Chen’s face.
“Don’t call me High Official Lu anymore.” Lu Su said to Yang Chen.
“Then what do I call you?”
“Just call me Brother Lu.” Lu Su said. It was too dazzling to be called High Official Lu.
“Alright, Brother Lu!” Yang Chen shouted happily. It was proof of Lu Su’s trust in him. “Brother Lu. Where are we going now?”
“Let’s go. We are going to a place they call Zhang’s residence.” Lu Su’s eyes glinted as he spoke.
***
“What? Yangzhou and Jiangdong made peace?” Zuo Li and the other nobles were shocked at the news. They originally planned to launch a mutiny once Sun Ce surrenders to Yangzhou. Then they received news that Sun Ce deceived Liu Mang and got the common people to start a revolt at the naval barracks at Jianye. The nobles all rejoiced at this as they did not need to fight against Yangzhou. Their continuous defeats have already left them afraid. Had Sun Ce surrendered, they would need to fight both Sun Ce and Yangzhou. But now that Sun Ce attacked Yangzhou, they no longer needed to do anything. The two sides can fight to the death while they pick up whatever that is left.
But then Liu Mang managed to endure his resentment and negotiated peace with Jiangdong? This only made the nobles worry.
“Is the King of Shu a coward? After being bullied like this, he should be fighting back!” The Hao Family’s Patriarch shouted as though he was the offended party.
“That’s right! His army of fifteen thousand was beaten so badly and treated like a joke! Yet he refuses to send troops! Wasn’t he vicious last time when he wiped out all the nobles in Wancheng?” To the Jiangdong nobles, Liu Mang was a butcher for killing all of the nobles in Wancheng. Many of them had good relationship with the nobles in Wancheng.
“This must be fake.” There were some that do not believe the news.
“How could it be fake? Yangzhou dispatched Yang Hong over!” The Cheng Family’s Patriarch said indignantly.
“Lord Zhang. Is the news really true?” The nobles all turned to their leader, Zhang Zhao.
The entire time, Zhang Zhao was relaxing with his eyes closed. Now that someone asked him a question, he opened his eyes and nodded. “Yes. That King of Shu, Liu Mang, dispatched Yang Hong to negotiate for peace.” Zhang Zhao had a profound impression of Yang Hong. The first time he suffered loss was because of Yang Hong. He lost his investment thanks to Yang Hong.
“Not only that. Yang Hong took away Lu Su Lu Zijing and gave Sun Ce twenty thousand provisions.” Zhang Zhao said, causing an even bigger uproar.
“What? Twenty thousand provision?” To the nobles of Jiangdong, these was not a lot of provisions. But the situation was different since Sun Ce can now expand his army by twenty thousand men. This would total up to fifty thousand men. A good deal of Jiangdong nobles started to back away. They would not be able to deal with Sun Ce who has fifty thousand men.
When the nobles planned their mutiny, they only planned to face the defenders and Sun Ce’s personal guards. If Sun Ce now also has fifty thousand men with him, they would not be able to win. It does not matter if it was the Shanyue Bandits or Yan Baihu’s remnants. They were all defeated by Sun Ce.
“Lord Zhang. What should we do now?” If Sun Ce found out about this, they would all suffer the consequences.
At that moment, the bell at the study was rung.
“Who is it?” Jiangdong’s nobles were all very wary.
“Report! There is someone outside who said he is the Patriarch’s old acquaintance. He said he wants to meet the Patriarch.” The housekeeper said.
“Didn’t I already say I am not meeting with anyone when I am meeting with the others here?” Zhang Zhao was angry. The matters discussed here were too important. If Zhang Zhao was successful then his family can become the most influential one in Jiangdong. But if he loses, then he would also lose everything.
“Patriarch. That person says that if you refuse to meet with him, he would report you to Marquis Wu!” The housekeeper cautiously replied. He was not aware of the finer details of what Zhang Zhao was doing but he still had a gist of it.
“Report me?” Zhang Zhao’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s right! He says that if you do not meet him, then the next day you would be in prison!” The housekeeper added.
“Have already been exposed? What should we do now?” Some of the nobles panicked.
Zhang Zhao simply rolled his eyes. “Go and bring my old acquaintance here.”
“Yes!”
Soon, two men were brought over. One was wearing robes and a mask on his face while the other was a young man.
“Master Zhang Zhao. It has been a long time.” The robed stranger spoke. His voice was so hoarse that those that hear it could sense the pain.
“Which one of my former acquaintance are you?” Zhang Zhao furrowed his brows as he heard the voice. He could not tell who this person is.
“There is no need to find out who I am. You only need to know that I am here to help you.” The masked stranger spoke.
“Help me? Haha. What is there to help me with? Marquis Wu is already making me leave Jiangdong. Soon, I will be heading to Xudou. I will be very thankful if you can instead find me a peaceful property at Xudou!”
“Haha. As expected of Master Zhang Zhao. Even in this situation, you remain calm.” The stranger laughed.
“What do you mean by that? This one is slow witted so please explain.” Zhang Zhao said.
“Of course I mean that you and the rest of the Zhang Family is about to face a catastrophe.”
“How can you say that?” The housekeeper felt uncomfortable at this and shouted angrily. But then he was stopped by Zhang Zhao.
“The Zhang Family is about face a catastrophe?”
“The Zuo Family, the He Family, the Hao Family and the Cheng Family’s patriarchs are not home. Do you know where they are?” The stranger asked.
“How could I know? They must be busy!” Zhang Zhao still kept his smile on.
“Oh? Then do you know where we guess them to be?” The stranger’s voice became hoarser as he spoke.
“I am guessing they must be in your residence.” The stranger replied. Zhang Zhao’s eyes narrowed at this as they seemed to glow red with killing intent.
“Does Master Zhang Zhao want to silence me?” The stranger was not afraid at all. Instead, he looked happy.
“Then I suggest Master Zhang Zhao quickly kill me and dispatch someone to the main gates of Jianye. Otherwise, the next day, Marquis Wu would order your arrest for conspiring with the others.”
“Who are you?” Zhang Zhao was no longer calm and stood up from his seat.
“Me? I am just an ordinary person who wants to prove myself to Jiangdong’s new Lord. I am just an ordinary person who wants to make schemes in these chaotic era.” The stranger laughed.
Zhang Zhao furrowed his brows for a while and then smiled. Jiangdong’s new Lord clearly meant it is not Sun Ce. In other words, this person came to join them.
“So? Will the Hao, He, Cheng and Zuo Families be willing to show themselves?” The stranger said as he looked for a place to sit down.
However, there was no response. It was as though the stranger was talking to himself aloud. The stranger sat in an empty seat. “Hmm. This tea is not bad. Master Zhang Zhao is truly nice to prepare tea for me and my servant. But… isn’t there a little too much? There are four cups here. Also, the tea is already cold.” The stranger laughed.
At this moment, Zhang Zhao realized that it was no longer necessary to hide the others away. He clapped his hands. “Come out.”
As expected, the four family patriarchs all came out from behind a screen.
“Who are you?” Zuo Li, the Zuo Family’s Patriarch asked.
The stranger did not reply and instead turned to Zhang Zhao. “Master Zhang Zhao. The tea is already cold. How about brewing a new one?”
Zhang Zhao nodded. “Someone. Come and serve… Sir, what should we call you?” Zhang Zhao suddenly remembered he did not know this person’s name.
“Just call me Yang Kui.” The stranger answered.
“Come and serve Master Yang Kui some tea!” Zhang Zhao said to the housekeeper who was waiting outside. Soon, a new batch of tea was brought over.
“Master Yang Kui. What are you going to teach us?” Zhang Zhao asked. He did not believe that this stranger was here just to threaten them. No one in this world would be so senseless.
“I am just here to tell everyone that this is not the most opportune time to change Lords.” The stranger replied.
“Hmph! Acting all mysterious like some kind of villain! On top of that, acting now would only result in a dead end. A single look is enough to tell you don’t have any good intentions. Lord Zhang. I suggest we imprison him and interrogate him.” The Cheng Family’s Patriarch suggested.
Zhang Zhao would have already did it if he could. The problem is that he could not. Like what the stranger himself said, unless Zhang Zhao could dispatch someone to Jianye, Sun Ce would find out about their conspiracy. How could Zhang Zhao dare to act? People would obviously make certain that they would be able to leave Zhang Zhao’s residence in one piece.
“If you all do not act now, I, Yang Kui, no longer needs to stay around. You all will be destined to go to the afterlife. If I, Yang Kui am free, I will offer you a stick of incense.” The stranger’s words made their blood run cold.
“Master Yang Kui. How is this the most opportune moment? Marquis Wu now has thirty thousand men! His strength is slowly returning.” Zhang Zhao said.
“Haha. But what about after that?” The stranger laughed as he asked back. Zhang Zhao already had the intentions to rebel. “Sun Ce now has thirty thousand men. Are you going to wait for Yangzhou’s provisions to arrive and for him to recruit another twenty thousand men before acting?”
Thirty thousand men was already enough to frighten them. If they were to wait until Sun Ce had fifty thousand men, then they would just give up.
“Lord Zhang… How about we just stay as the Lord’s subordinates?” The He Family’s Patriarch asked cautiously, even addressing Sun Ce respectfully.
“Haha. Stay as Marquis Wu’s subordinate? Do you still think you have a way out?” The stranger laughed. “Master Zhang Zhao. You are already forced to leave Jiangdong. The Zhang Family in Jiangdong can be said to be finished. Others may have a chance to continue to serve Sun Ce but not you.”
Zhang Zhao was silent at this. The black robed stranger was right. He was already judged by Sun Ce and would no longer be given a chance. If it was just getting fired, then Zhang Zhao would have no complains. However, being forced to go to Xudou was another matter. It was something Sun Ce should not have done.
“You are Governor Zuo Li right?” The stranger looked at Zuo Li and added. “Governor Zuo. You are now Jiangdong’s laughingstock. If you have submitted to that Zhuge Jin, it would not be too bad. The Zuo Family would just have no face. But since you didn’t, haha. I suggest Governor Zuo resign from your position to avoid suffering.”
The metaphorical slap in the face that Zuo Li received from Zhuge Jin was loud and clear. If Zuo Li were to submit, then he would have no more face in the eyes of the other nobles. How could a native Jiangdong noble lose to a foreign Jiangdong noble? It was a disgrace to all the nobles in Jiangdong. In the future, no one would be willing to have dealings with them anymore.
On the other hand, if Zuo Li does not submit, then he would be challenging Zhuge Jin’s authority. Though it was unlikely for Zhuge Jin to kill Zuo Li, the Zuo Family would no longer have an easy time.
“As for the Hao and Cheng Families. Did the two of you think gathering at Zhang Zhao’s residence went unnoticed?” During this period, Jiangdong was frighteningly calm. If Sun Ce wasn’t busy with Yangzhou, he would have already investigated this.
“We are just here to see Lord Zhang off.” The Hao Family’s Patriarch gave an excuse.
“Haha. There is no point telling me this. Go and say it to Marquis Wu!” The stranger said. Even the Hao Family’s Patriarch considered this to be a lame excuse that could not persuade anyone.
“Finally, we have the Patriarch He! You indeed have a good relationship with Zhou Yu. Your family and Zhou Yu’s family were longtime allies. You can be given an opportunity by Zhou Yu to serve Sun Ce. You can even make use of the others here to climb even higher. Without the Zhang Family and the others here, Jiangdong would truly become a fine place for you!”
“Hm?” These words made the others turn towards the He Family’s Patriarch with killing intent.
“I did no such thing!” The He Family’s Patriarch said. “I, He Rui, would definitely not betray you all. I would not dare to do such things! You all must believe me! We have been colleagues for many years!”
It wouldn’t have been so bad if He Rui did not try to explain himself. This is because He Rui has been Zhou Yu’s henchmen for a long time. There were many nobles forced to death due to He Rui’s actions. One such example was the Deng Family. While drunk, the Deng Family’s Patriarch once talked about how things used to be when Yan Baihu was around. He Rui immediately reported this and Sun Ce came accusing the Deng Family for trying to rebel. This caused the entire Deng Family to be wiped out. Although everyone present there took part in robbing the Deng Family’s property, the He Family’s actions was still despised.
“He Rui! Let me tell you why you are cooperating with us! Isn’t it just so that you can sell us off for Zhou Yu’s benefit?” The Cheng Family’s Patriarch shouted. This family were initially bandits. So they quickly came to blows during an argument.
“I did no such thing! Do not listen to this black robed person speak rubbish! Someone who does not even show his face cannot be a good person!”
“Haha. Patriarch He. I did not offend you at all. I am just making an analysis. As for my appearance, it is because I am too ugly I do not dare to show my face.”
“Then He Rui. Tell us why we should submit to Sun Ce?” The Hao Family’s Patriarch asked.
“Is there any other way? Before he realizes anything, we quickly sent him a thousand gold and provisions. That way we can at least keep our property in Jiangdong!” He Rui said earnestly.
“Isn’t it just several thousand gold and provisions? We can always earn it back. With our positions, as long as the Lord remains in control of Jiangdong, it would be nothing. Doesn’t the Lord have thirty thousand men now? When he has fifty thousand men, do you think we would still have any odds of success? If we fail, our whole family is finished!” He Rui’s advice managed to persuade a few people such as Zuo Li. The black robed person underestimated Zuo Li’s shamelessness. Zuo Li would accept being Zhuge Jin’s dog if it meant favorable conditions for the Zuo Family.
“Patriarch He’s words are reasonable.” Zuo Li nodded.
“You see! Even Governor Zuo says so! As long as we know our mistakes, the Lord will not blame us! We can always earn back our wealth!” He Rui persuaded. “Let us catch this black robed person and send him to the Lord! We can push all our mistakes to him!” He Rui was really good at entrapping people. He planned to hand the black robed stranger to Sun Ce and blame this man for everything by saying that this man is one of Sun Quan’s people. This way, they would become victims rather than rebels plotting a rebellion.
The nobles all started to look at the stranger differently. This is because He Rui was correct. None of them actually wanted to rebel. It was better to live peacefully as a landowner.
“Haha.” Despite the glares, the stranger was still calm.
“Yes! We should arrest this person! Men! Come and arrest this…!” Before He Rui could finish, he felt a pain in his chest. He turned his head to see that he was stabbed from the back. The culprit was the owner of the study, Zhang Zhao.
“Lord… Lord Zhang?” He Rui sucked in his own blood as he looked at Zhang Zhao with disbelief. He did not expect Zhang Zhao to dispose of him like this. He eyes was wide alongside the realization that he would not live long.
Zhang Zhao took out a hankerchief and wiped off the blood from his own body as though he was not the one that stabbed He Rui. “You, He Rui, may have a way out. The same goes for the rest. But not me!” The others could still admit their mistakes and buy peace and security but Zhang Zhao was already banished. He would soon have to move out of Jiangdong. Zhang Zhao pulled out his sword from He Rui’s body.
He Rui finally understood why Zhang Zhao wanted to kill him.
“Does anyone else want to leave?” Zhang Zhao asked the rest indifferently. The sword in his hands gleamed coldly.
“No!” The others quickly replied. Anyone that dared to answer with yes would quickly share He Rui’s fate.
“If there are any who wants to leave, you’d better speak up now. Otherwise, you won’t have any more chances to say it.” Zhang Zhao said as though he was being considerate.
The others felt like crying. When did you even give us the chance to leave? Anyone that wants to leave would just get killed. On top of that, He Rui was already dead.
He Rui was one of Zhou Yu’s men. He could at least put in a good word for Zhou Yu. With He Rui dead, no one would be able to speak for the rest of them. On top of that, He Rui’s death also meant that they would have a falling out with Zhou Yu.
“We will follow Lord Zhang’s instructions.” Zuo Li who could adapt to the circumstances knelt down. The Cheng and Hao Family’s patriarchs quickly followed.
“Master Yang Kui. What should we do next?” Zhang Zhao did not bother looking at the three patriarchs and instead turned towards Yang Kui.
Truthfully speaking, Yang Kui was shocked by Zhang Zhao’s decisiveness. He only expected Zhang Zhao to put He Rui under house arrest. However, Zhang Zhao really showed the decisiveness one would expect of the man leading the nobles of Jiangdong by killing He Rui on the spot.
Though Yang Kui was shocked, he kept his calm demeanor. “I wonder if Master Zhang Zhao has heard of this saying before.”
“What saying?”
“Beat seven inches from the snake. To catch a traitor, first catch the King.” (Cut off the head and the body will follow.)
“Hm?” Zhang Zhao thought about it for a moment then his eyes glinted. “Are you saying…?”
“Jiangdong has two heads. The first is Marquis Wu Sun Ce!” The stranger explained. Initially, Sun Quan had the right idea. Once he kills his brother, he would become Jiangdong’s new ruler. Unfortunately, he was exposed by Liu Mang.
“Sun Ce is highly skilled in martial arts and he is followed by his bodyguards. How could we kill him?” The Cheng Family’s Patriarch voiced his doubts. Sun Ce increased his guards since the last assassination attempt. There were over twenty experts around him at all times. Lu Meng was also accompanying him throughout the day.
“Since we cannot capture Sun Ce, we go for the other one. Once we capture this person Sun Ce would definitely fall into disorder! This person is Jiangdong’s Grand Governor, Zhou Yu!” The stranger suggested.
“Zhou Yu?” The others had never thought of attacking Zhou Yu as Zhou Yu was Sun Ce’s brains and Zhou Yu’s methods made them fear him. Zhou Yu was too clever. They would probably be found out before they could even approach him. On top of that, Zhou Yu has many guards at his residence especially after he was injured, courtesy of Sun Ce who frequently visits Zhou Yu.