Xu Xiang sent an envoy to Cao Ying to "please surrender" and caused Xia Houdun to withdraw his troops. Cao Cao got the news and in order to dissolve the alliance between Sun and Liu, he sent an envoy to Jiangdong to propose a marriage between the two clans.
Sun Quan was worried that Xiahou Dun would go south again, so he agreed to marry the daughter of his late clan relative Sun Yu into the Wei state.
Sun-Cao's war came to an abrupt end. When Xiahou Dun withdrew his troops to the north, Jiangdong's warships also prepared to withdraw to Jianye.
Before leaving, Sun Quan appointed Pinglu general Zhou Tai as the governor of Ruxu, and Xu Sheng and Zhu Ran as deputy generals to guard Ruxuwu. Then the building ships and sterns sailed along the Yangtze River along the Ruxu River.
The fleet sailed near Niuzhu and caught up with a group of warships wrapped in white cloth in front of them.
Sun Quan looked out from the deck and asked Lu Meng beside him doubtfully: "Weren't the bodies of the soldiers who died in the battle transported away long ago? Why did it take more than ten days to arrive at Niuzhu?"
Lu Meng also looked confused. He shook his head and said, "The general doesn't know either. Ordinarily he wouldn't be so slow..."
"Could it be a merchant ship?" Pan Zhang guessed as he helped Lu Meng to rescue him.
Sun Quan frowned: "Wen Gui, what's wrong with you? Can't you tell it's a warship?"
Pan Zhang's face was full of embarrassment: "Uh...I made a mistake..."
"Why do you need to guess? Just go over and ask and you will know." Veteran Han Dang shook his head and said.
Han Dang walked under the mast of the building ship, first ordered someone to flag the warship ahead, and then ordered the boatman of the building ship to move closer.
The stern wrapped in white cloth looked like a child in front of Lou Chuan. After Han Dang confirmed it, he walked to Sun Quan with a livid face.
Sun Quan saw Han Dang's expression was wrong, so he frowned and asked, "What did General Han ask you?"
Han Dang replied with a hint of sadness: "The Governor died of illness in Jiangxia two days ago. This fleet is to escort his body back to Jianye..."
"What did you say? This is impossible." Sun Quan suddenly felt dizzy, and finally his vision went dark and he fell on the deck.
"Lord..."
Several generals exclaimed and helped Sun Quan into the cabin to rest. After medical examination and treatment, it was found that there was nothing serious. He just fainted due to a sudden attack on his heart.
It was already dusk when Sun Quan woke up, and only his veteran Zhang Zhao was with him.
"Lord, how do you feel?" Zhang Zhao asked with concern.
"Where have you been?" He stood up and looked out the dim window.
Zhang Zhao replied: "We have arrived at the Jianye waters, and we estimate that we will be able to dock in less than half an hour."
Sun Quan nodded, and then asked: "Where have Ziming and the others gone?"
"The commander-in-chief suddenly died of illness and the whole army is in mourning. If we hadn't followed Jiang Xia's funeral boat slowly, we should have arrived in Jianye long ago." Zhang Zhao sighed.
Sun Quan rolled over from the couch and got off the ground. Upon seeing this, Zhang Zhao quickly stopped him and said, "My lord, please rest first and don't be in a hurry to get down. It won't be too late to get down when we reach the shore."
"Zijing is on the boat in front, right? I want to get closer to him at the bow..." Sun Quan put on his cloak and walked out of the cabin.
"host..."
Zhang Zhao originally wanted to persuade the other party not to get cold, but Sun Quan's firm look just now meant that he couldn't stop him, and he didn't follow him out.
Lu Su's significance to Sun Quan is very special. He is equivalent to Cao Cao's Xun Yu and Liu Bei's Zhuge Liang. Sun Quan, who lost his arm, is extremely melancholy at this time. He knows that no one in Jiangdong will defend the Sun-Liu alliance anymore. The Confucian scholar who was on the bed back then Finally left myself.
Sun Quan's cabin was on the top floor of the building. He stepped out of the platform and stood on the bow of the ship, leaning on the railing. The evening breeze from the Yangtze River brought a biting chill, and the flickering candlelight of Jianye City could be seen not far away.
Just when Sun Quan felt melancholy, he seemed to hear someone whispering below him. The sound of wind and waves covered up the human voice, and there were vague words like "Great Governor" and "The people are waiting for him".
Didn’t it mean that the whole army was in mourning? Why didn't I feel it? Sun Quan frowned and slowly walked downstairs.
As soon as I reached the corner of the stairs, I heard several officers talking quietly.
"The Governor was only forty-six years old. Does this count as an untimely death?"
"It depends on who you compare it with. If you compare it with Governor Zhou, it probably doesn't count..."
"That's right. Governor Zhou was only thirty-five when he died..."
"Our Grand Governor doesn't seem to live long, and we don't know who the next Grand Governor will be. I hope he can live longer..."
"Why are you so stupid? General Lu must be the next governor."
"Why are you so sure?"
"Maybe you don't know yet? General Pan, General Zhang, and General Ding are all congratulating each other in advance..."
"Can't you? Governor Lu's body is still cold, and the Lord has not appointed him yet. Are you too anxious?"
"Don't you understand that everyone is expecting you? How much does my lord rely on General Lu?"
...
The more Sun Quan listened, the uglier his face became. Someone was already making the decision for him? He didn't like this feeling of being manipulated, even though Lu Meng was a general he had personally trained.
The generals had their own cliques, which Sun Quan could not accept at all, so he was thinking of finding a way to break it.
Sun Quan returned to his cabin calmly, as if he hadn't heard those words just now.
When the fleet docked at Jianye Wharf, Sun Quan ordered Zhang Zhao to prepare more silk tapestry and rushed to Lu Su's home overnight to mourn him.
Lu Su had not produced any children in these years. His wife, Lu Kou, became pregnant unexpectedly while serving in the army. She returned to Jianye in advance to raise the baby and wait for the birth. Unfortunately, the baby lost his father before he was born.
Sun Quan had already laid out the mourning hall when he arrived. Lu Su's former friends got the news and came to express their condolences. Lu's house was already filled with weeping. Lu Meng, Pan Zhang, Ding Feng and other generals also came to watch the mourning.
Although Lu Su's wife was sad, she was mentally prepared for her husband's death because she had experienced inexplicable pain two years ago.
After Sun Quan comforted him with words, Lu's wife handed Lu Su's suicide note to Sun Quan and said that it was confidential and would be burned after reading it.
Zhou Yu left a suicide note before his death, and Lu Su also left a suicide note after his death. Sun Quan then said goodbye to the mourner and walked to the mourning hall to take a look at the generals.
"My lord, I'm sorry. I'm here to guard you. You can go back and rest first." Lu Meng stepped forward and said.
Although Lu Meng's words were sincere, Sun Quan always felt uncomfortable in his ears. He nodded slightly and turned to leave.
Quickly returning to his dormitory, Sun Quan gave in to his trainer and lit the candle, and he used the light to open Lu Su's legacy letter.
In the letter, Lu Su first thanked Sun Quan for his kindness. Secondly, he said that the current situation in the world was changing rapidly. After Liu Bei occupied Yizhou and occupied the land of three states, he gradually gained the capital to fight against Cao Cao in the north. He suggested that Sun Quan work hard to govern and be close to virtuous ministers. Yuan Xiaoren, and told him that there is no eternal enemy in the world. If Cao is strong, he will ally with Liu Bei to fight against him. If Liu is strong, he will be a check and balance. Otherwise, the weak Jiangdong will be annexed first.
In order to check and balance Liu Bei, Lu Su suggested alienating Liu Bei's relationship with Guan Yu and Lan Tian. Liu Bei had a close relationship with these two people, but they held military power and were alone in the field. Liu Bei might not fall into the common rumors. He suggested using a more subtle way. Dealing with it, such as bypassing Liu Bei and marrying two people. If the marriage can succeed, Liu Bei will definitely be suspicious.
At the end of the letter, it was customary to recommend Lu Meng to take over as the governor. After all, among all the generals, he was the most suitable.
After reading the letter, Sun Quan put it on the candle and lit it. Then he smiled bitterly and said to himself: "Zijing is so respectable. He is still giving me advice before he dies. The friendship I owe can only be repaid to your descendants." ..."
