By the time Sun Ce arrived at the battlefield to the east, even Jiang Qin, who was supposed to arrive after him, had already arrived. Where could he see Guan Yu's shadow?
Wei Yan and Su Fei apologized to Sun Ce, but Sun Ce couldn't blame them because he was unreasonable. Rather, he was relieved to see that the two of them were safe and sound, and he quickly comforted them with kind words.
There were no more disturbances in the war, and it didn't take long for Xiaopei City to fall completely under the control of the Chu army.
When the dust settled, Xu Shu, one of the two great military strategists of Xu and Han, was captured, and the only elite unit, the "White Ear Elite Soldiers", was completely wiped out. The only fly in the ointment was that Guan Yu fled to Xiapi City with five or six thousand remaining soldiers.
But what the hell!
"Come down with the order, reward the soldiers with good wine and meat, let the soldiers have a good rest for a day, and then march to Xiapi tomorrow."
Sun Ce put one hand on his waist and held his sword with the other as he looked around at everyone with a slight smile on his face. He was obviously very satisfied with the result of the battle.
After all, Xiaopei was unplugged, Xiapi City was right in front of him, and the war had come to an end.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration!"
Rest and recovery during wartime are necessary, especially after the end of one battle and the beginning of another. Soldiers need to adjust physically and mentally. Just as everyone expressed their approval with joy, another piece of good news came in.
"Good news! Good news!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment, and saw a soldier quickly walking into the tent with a victory report in his hands, kneeling on one knee in front of Sun Ce and saying.
"Your Majesty, our army has won a great victory! The general has been ordered to report the victory!"
Sun Ce was stunned, with a confused look on his face.
"What good news? Did Gongjin conquer Xiapi?!!"
This time it was the young general's turn to report. He was stunned and replied blankly.
"Yes, it's a great victory in Jingzhou."
"Ziyi?"
Sun Ce's eyes widened and his brows furrowed, and the confusion in his eyes only worsened.
"Who is Ziyi fighting with?"
••••••
Three months ago, Shu Kingdom, Chengdu.
Sun Qian, the Xu Han envoy who had just attended the court meeting, stepped out of the carriage and returned to the annex.
Why does Sun Qian, Liu Bei's subordinate, appear here?
The answer is self-evident.
Liu Bei, who betrayed the Chu-Han alliance, allowed Sun Ce to flee back to Jiangdong. Now Sun Ce launched a battle of revenge. One hundred thousand elite Chu troops gathered and began to march towards Xuzhou. Xu Han was on the verge of life and death.
Will Wei Guo help Xu Han?
If Sun Ce dies, Wei Guo will. Not only Wei, but also Qin will put aside their grudges with Wei and work together to carve up the Chu pie. But it is a pity that Sun Ce did not die, so the Chu Kingdom would not be in chaos. Without enough confidence to cross the Yangtze River's natural chasm, Qin will naturally not fall out with Chu, and Wei will not put itself in danger for Xu and Han to fight on two fronts.
The only thing that could help Xu Han was Shu, which was bordering Chu on land and didn't have to worry about Chu's navy. However, it is not difficult to see the result of the negotiation from Sun Qian's disappointed face.
"So, how should I go back and report back to my lord!"
Sun Qian punched the table hard, but the pain in his hand could not relieve the anguish in his heart.
"Sir, Mr. Fazheng would like to see you."
Fa Zheng?
Fa Zheng was the military advisor of the Shu Kingdom offering wine. Could it be that the King of Shu had changed his mind when he came here?
"Quickly, please ask Mr. Fazheng to come in."
Sun Qian was overjoyed by the attendant's words. Not long after he sat down, he immediately stood up and went out to greet him.
Soon, Fazheng, who was wearing a white cloak to cover his face, came over under the guidance of his attendants. When Sun Qian saw this, the enthusiasm that had just risen in his heart seemed to be poured with a basin of ice water, but his face The enthusiasm has not faded at all.
"My lord, please!"
The two entered the room and knelt down facing each other. Sun Qian asked the attendant to go out, then poured Fazheng a cup of hot tea and asked.
"Mr. Fazheng, what's the purpose of coming here?"
"Come to send troops to attack Chu."
The cap of the cloak fell down, revealing a young and handsome face. This face did not have the vigor of a young man in his early twenties, but was instead rigid and serious. The moving voice seemed to come from a far away place, making Sun Qian lose his mind for a while.
After experiencing the ups and downs of emotions, Sun Qian asked cautiously.
"Did King Shu really change his mind?"
Fazheng bared his teeth and smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Liu Xun, Liu Cheng and other royal family members are greedy for pleasure and only know how to maintain the status quo. How can they have the ambition to pacify the world and pursue great causes? The king is timid and has no independent opinion. He is surrounded by these people who are whispering in his ears. How can he be willing to provoke him? This tiger from Chu State?”
Sun Qian was very anxious when he heard this and said quickly.
"Sun Ce suffered a great defeat in Xuzhou, and this time almost all his troops fled. This is the time when the Chu State is at its weakest. As long as the King of Shu is willing to send troops, Jingzhou will be at his fingertips. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..."
Fazheng repeatedly waved his hand to signal Sun Qian to stop. He took over the conversation and spoke slowly while drinking tea.
"I know very well what Military Advisor Zhuge means."
"Both Cao Cao and Sun Ce are unparalleled heroes and lords of the world. They both have the ambition to conquer the world. Sooner or later, Shu and Chu will have a battle. It is just a fool's dream to think that they can sit back and relax without offending those powerful countries. Only Shu and Xu Han join forces Defeating the powerful Chu and advancing and retreating together is the best strategy."
"Besides, Chu is now strong in foreign countries and is supported by a strong spirit. This is the only chance for Shu to swallow Jingzhou and become a powerful country in the world!"
Sun Qian didn't expect Fazheng to understand the situation so thoroughly and couldn't help but ask.
"Since you know this, sir, why don't you advise the King of Shu again?"
"Sir, do you think that if I give advice again, the king will accept it?"
Fazheng asked Sun Qian calmly.
This confused Sun Qian. As a foreign minister, how could he know the King of Shu better than Fazheng?
However, Fazheng is the chief counselor of the Shu Kingdom. Could it be that Liu Zhang didn't listen to Fazheng's words?
Fazheng seemed to have seen through Sun Qian's thoughts, but he did not continue to explain, but sighed.
"Mr. Sun, there is no need to think too much. My purpose of coming has already been made clear."
With that said, Fazheng took out a letter from his arms and gently put it on the table and pushed it in front of Sun Qian.
"Mr. Sun will set off to go back immediately. When he arrives at Yong'an City, he will hand this letter to Zhang Ren and reinforcements will come."
Sun Qian picked up the envelope and looked at it carefully. Although the envelope was thin, it was made of fine paper. The papermaking industry was not yet developed at the moment, and most of them were made of bamboo slips and brocade. An envelope made of such good paper was considered valuable. It’s just that Sun Qian still doesn’t understand.
"If I send the letter to General Zhang, will the King of Shu agree to send troops?"
"You don't need the king to agree to send troops, you just need the general to be willing to send troops."
Sun Qian's hand couldn't help shaking and let the envelope fall to the ground. He looked at Fazheng in shock and couldn't help but shudder.
"Concealing military information and deploying troops privately is a serious crime of deceiving the emperor! Sir, do you want your life?"
Fa Zheng sat upright and said calmly.
"When the general reads it, burn the letter and you will have nothing to do with me. Sir, you are asking the wrong person."
Sun Qian was slightly startled. He lowered his head and looked at the envelope that fell on the ground. Only then did he realize that this envelope was more than valuable. He picked up the envelope with both hands and put it in his arms, then turned around and asked.
"Lord Jijiu, are you so sure that General Zhang is willing to take the risk and send troops to rescue?"
Fazheng sneered and said.
"Mr. Sun, don't get me wrong. I told you that reinforcements are coming. But if the general sends troops, it is not to rescue Xu Han, but to open up and expand the territory of Shu, and to force the king to embark on the path of conquering the world."
"As long as Jiangling is conquered and the gate of Jingzhou is opened, Taishi Ci will not be able to protect himself. Seeing the immediate benefits, the royal family will definitely persuade the king to send more troops. When the entire Jingzhou is conquered, Shu will become a powerful country in the world. Even if the king does not want to dominate the world, he will not be able to do so. ”
Fazheng said quietly with a terrifying light in his eyes that made Sun Qian afraid.
"So, the general will definitely send troops."
