NOVPUBSun Ce naturally did not know that after his Inner Qi Manifestation reached a certain level, he kindly gave Yuan Yao, who often weakly followed him around calling him "big brother," a small empowerment that did not diminish his own strength.
This allowed Yuan Yao, who had always been unable to cultivate due to physical reasons, to possess the Inner Qi of the lowest-ranking warrior. But then Yuan Yao ran around joyfully and even ventured into areas stricken by the epidemic. Although generally unharmed by the protection of Inner Breath, it was enough to make Sun Ce worry when he found out later.
Yuan Shu also knew that Yuan Yao had recovered his health thanks to Sun Ce and was even more pleased with Sun Ce’s actions, bringing up again the previously shelved proposal of adoption, which put Sun Ce in a very awkward position.
However, as a result, Yuan Shu agreed without a second thought to Sun Ce’s proposal to take control of Eastern Wu and even deliberately allocated 8,000 fully equipped and fierce soldiers to him. Furthermore, Zhou Yu was also appointed the deputy commander of the Jiangxia Navy. As for the commander-in-chief, it was Yuan Shu himself, meaning that Zhou Yu had the final say in most matters concerning the Jiangxia Navy.
"Cao Mengde, that guy, is attacking Xuzhou, henghengheng, watch me pull off a ’Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao’!" Yuan Shu, in high spirits, arranged military affairs and then ordered someone to find Yuan Yao, prepared to let his only son get involved in military affairs. The boy could not cultivate Inner Qi before due to his physical condition, but now having surpassed the physical quality of normal people, it was time for him to strive to take over his responsibilities.
"Gongjin, how about you and I take on Yangzhou together?" Sun Ce didn’t think twice about pulling Zhou Yu into his plan to take over Eastern Wu.
"That’s possible, but in doing so, Jingzhou will be a bit stretched thin. Yuan Gong will surely call General Ji to his side to take Nanyang, and without a renowned general to guard Xiangyang, I fear it’ll fall prey to Liu Biao’s schemes," Zhou Yu readily accepted Sun Ce’s invitation, but expressed some concerns about the defense of Xiangyang.
"That is a problem indeed. That Huang Hansheng is too formidable; even I cannot withstand his dozens of strikes," Sun Ce said, somewhat troubled. Xiangyang was very important to Yuan Shu, and they couldn’t afford to neglect it while focusing on other areas.
"Bofu, I suggest we send Dong Yuan and Liaoo Gong Yuan there. With Liaoo Gong Yuan’s wisdom and capabilities, he can easily gain recognition," Zhou Yu thought for a moment, "As for the defense of Jiangxia, we can entrust it to Gu Yuantan and Ling Gongji. Although they may lack offensive prowess, their defensive capabilities are more than sufficient."
"Let’s do it that way!" Sun Ce agreed without giving it a second thought, "I’ll write the transfer orders. Yuan Gong said as long as it does not involve more than three thousand men, I can write them myself."
[Alas, both Yuan Gong and Bofu are stubborn in their ways; because they’re not driven by any malicious thoughts, they seem naive, yet they get along surprisingly well.] Zhou Yu silently pondered, without any change in his expression.
"Gongjin, come, look at the map. I want to take him down; help me think of a way." After quickly finalizing the transfer orders, Sun Ce spread out the map, pointing to the administrative center of Lujiang in Lujiang County.
"The Lu family?" Zhou Yu instantly recalled that this was the only place north of the Yangtze River that stubbornly resisted Yuan Shu, refusing to deal with him as a rebel against the Han court. Yuan Shu, infuriated, had not dealt with them due to the inconvenience of moving his administrative center at the time.
"Send troops under the pretext of disaster relief to borrow grain. Just having a justifiable cause for the campaign will do," Zhou Yu sighed and said.
Zhou Yu had no interest in this last holdout north of the Yangtze River, knowing that once Eastern Wu was conquered, they would automatically capitulate. But since Sun Ce was displeased with them, Zhou Yu had nothing to say; they would be eliminated then.
"Alright, how did Lu’s family usually collect grain before?" Sunx Ce asked outside the door, and Zhou Tai entered with some embarrassment, "The Lu family always gave money and grain directly; we’ve never collected it."
"How about other times? Give me a set of procedures; I want to give it a try." Sunx Ce waved his hand, indicating Zhou Tai could leave.
Zhou Tai hesitated for a moment but eventually backed out. In Zhou Tai’s view, there were only four people in the Lu family considered to be from the direct lineage, and when the time came, he and Jiang Qin just needed to ensure those four were spared; there was no need to tell Sunx Ce and Zhou Yu about the unspoken rules of the Yangtze River, as the extent to which the river bandits had gone was indeed embarrassing.
Elsewhere, Yuan Shao looked at Juo Yi, who knelt in the snow, and sighed deeply, "Zhengli, stand up. I agree to this matter, but you must ensure your safety. Whether it takes one year or three, I will surely annihilate Gongsun Zan—you don’t need to bet your life on him."
"Lord, Gongsun Bogui will indeed be annihilated by you sooner or later, as you’ve said. But the sooner Gongsun Zan is eradicated, the sooner you will possess the power to pacify the world," Juo Yi stood up, completely ignoring the snowflakes that had covered him. Once he recognized a person, he would consider everything wholeheartedly for that person, completely disregarding his own life.
"Summon Yann Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He, and Gao Lan to see me immediately!" Yuan Shao nodded at the resolute Juo Yi. Having agreed to Juo Yi’s suggestion, Yuan Shao, who had previously dawdled, now acted swiftly and decisively.
Soon, all four courts of Hebei appeared in Yuan Shao’s courtyard, "I want to set out troops to Youzhou now. If not to kill Gongsun Bogui, at least to push him west of Youbeiping!" Yuan Shao declared authoritatively.
"We are at your command, Lord!" Yann Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He, and Gao Lan said in unison, but unlike Yann Liang and Wen Chou who acted without question, Zhang He had already guessed that this was surely Juo Yi’s proposal.
"Zhengli, this time you are the commander-in-chief for the northward strike against Gongsun. You will also select the officers. As for logistics, even if heavy snow blocks the roads, I guarantee everything will be in place!" Yuan Shao spoke with the authority of the lord, "How can I let the soldiers at the front go hungry!"
"Your war spirit is so high, my Lord; how can we forget about ourselves?" Xun Shen appeared with a smile, clad in a fur coat, followed by a large group of civil officials including Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Sheni Pei, Guo Tu, Fengg Ji, Xuu You, Xin Pi, and Xin Ping.
"Unexpectedly, the matter of Gongsun Bogui has made all of you so cautious," Yuan Shao glanced at these people, his chest filled with pride.
"In strategy, there are no trifles; warfare is a matter of life and death," Xun Shen solemnly stated, "Even with a renowned general like General Juo, we must still be cautious." n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
"Youruo makes a valid point. Unlike the warmer weather in the south, our northern winter can be described as turning water to ice. Striking at Gongsun Bogui during the harsh winter would certainly surprise everyone and could indeed achieve the outcome General Juo has described—a defeat of Gongsun. However, there is an important question: whether our soldiers can meet this demand, and how many of them will be able," Tian Feng stepped forward and said. Now under Yuan Shao, there was a united determination to topple Gongsun Bogui.
"We have three thousand six hundred men who can do it, and my goal is to use these three thousand six hundred to defeat Gongsun Bogui!" Juo Yi declared fervently, eyes gleaming; he was a warrior that reveled in the madness of war.
Upon hearing this, a hush fell over the crowd, and even the snowstorm seemed to pause, Three thousand six hundred men to seize Youzhou; how mad can you be! (To be continued. If you like this work, please cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile readers please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
