My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 338 The Hua Family's Strategy
Hua Zheng was taken aback, but then overjoyed and said, "What brilliant plan do you have, my brother? Tell me quickly!"

Hua Zhong quickly walked back to Hua Zheng and said in a low voice, but with a murderous intent, "Sun Fu is currently in the city. He is Sun Ce's cousin. If we offer his head as a gift, my brother will have nothing to worry about."

Hua Zheng narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

Hua Zhong dared not disturb his elder brother. Although he was anxious and somewhat resentful that his brother had not made a decisive decision, he still stood obediently in the distance and waited.

After a long while, Hua Zheng slowly exhaled and shook his head under Hua Zhong's expectant gaze.

Hua Zhong was shocked and didn't understand Hua Zheng's decision. He raised his voice and called out, "Brother!?"

Hua Zheng raised his hand to stop the other party and said seriously, "Your plan is indeed a good plan, but things cannot be done this way."

Seeing Hua Zhong's puzzled expression, Hua Zheng bluntly said, "Sun Fu cannot die, nor can he be arrested. Otherwise, what kind of people would our Hua family become? Traitors, a family that murders its masters? What reputation would we have left? It would be better for me to die!"

Hua Zhong was suddenly jolted and realized what was going on. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that his plan was like drinking poison to quench thirst. Although it could save his brother's life, it would also completely destroy the family.

"Besides, I heard Commander Zhu say that Sun Yangwu is no ordinary man. His elder brother is General Sun Ben, who surrendered to General Liu Biaoqi with several thousand men in Liyang. I heard that General Sun Ben and Sun Yangwu are related to you and me. If my family really harms Sun Yangwu, we will have made a deadly enemy of General Sun Ben. Why would we do that?"

Hua Zheng continued, "If we let Sun Yangwu go, we can surrender the entire city without offending Sun Zhenglu. Moreover, we've saved face for Commander Zhu, so if we have the chance to meet again in the future, we can still have a word with him. Why not do it?"

After hearing this, Hua Zhong felt that everything his brother said was true.

But if Sun Fu doesn't die, then my brother is doomed.

Just as Hua Zhong was feeling extremely distressed, Hua Zheng laughed and said, "However, my brother's plan is only a little naive. With a slight modification, it will become a good strategy!"

Hua Zhong was overjoyed and quickly sought advice from his elder brother.

Hua Zheng relaxed at this point and even had the leisure to instruct his younger brother: "Although Sun Fu cannot die or be arrested, I can let him go on his own."

I thought my younger brother would cheer, but to my surprise, he just stared at me with his clear eyes, clearly not understanding.

Hua Zheng was somewhat helpless, so he simply stopped explaining and directly assigned tasks: "Second brother, you still need to go out of the city and go to the Southern Expeditionary Army camp to serve. As for me, I will go and see Sun Yangwu."

After Sun Fu crossed the river, he was recommended by Sun Ce to be the Yangwu Colonel, while Sun Xiu was recommended to be the Yangwei Colonel. Huang Gai and Han Dang were still only Commandant at this time, and the troops under their command were actually assigned to them by Sun Ce.

This is the difference between having shares and not having shares.

"Go see Sun Fu?"

Hua Zhong's eyes became clearer. Didn't his older brother just say that he couldn't be killed?

Why do I have to see him again?
"Let him get lost."

Hua Zheng had no choice but to explain to his younger brother: "After you leave, I will tell him that the Southern Expeditionary Army is already twenty miles outside the city. What do you think Sun Fu's reaction will be?"

"Then running away is the only option, right?"

Sun Fu had less than a thousand men in the city; the remaining troops were escorting supplies across the river.

In this situation, no matter how bold Sun Fu was, he couldn't possibly believe he could win with fewer troops, so running away was the only option left.

If Sun Fu runs away, then Hua Zheng will be in charge of Qiantang City.

When the city surrenders, along with the various supplies and food within, the Southern Expeditionary Army commander, unless he is an unpopular and cruel individual, will not cause trouble for Hua Zheng.

Hua Zhong suddenly realized what he meant and nodded repeatedly: "Brother's insight is brilliant! I will listen to you, brother."

Hua Zheng nodded: "Second brother, you should prepare quickly and leave the city as soon as possible. After you leave, I will go to find Sun Fu."

"Here!"

After Hua Zhong left, he quickly made preparations, took three or four close followers and a few tenant farmers, and quietly left the city through the north gate to head towards Zhou Yu's camp.

After Hua Zhong left, Hua Zheng went to Sun Fu's place.
It was already past midnight, and Sun Fu was already asleep.

After being awakened by his personal guards, he was somewhat puzzled, but immediately decided to meet with Hua Zheng.

Sun Fu was well aware of the Hua family's status in Qiantang, which was even greater than that of the Sun family in Fuchun.

If it weren't for Sun Jian, the Sun family would have been nothing more than a local tycoon.

The Hua family had been a powerful and influential family in Qiantang for over a hundred years, a true century-old clan. Not only the tenant farmers and commoners, but also the gentry and powerful families of Qiantang recognized the Hua family's name.

Therefore, although Sun Fu had only been in Qiantang for a few days, he was highly valued by the Hua family.

Because of the Three Mutuals Law, the Hua family naturally could not become the magistrate of Qiantang County, so Zhu Zhi originally wanted to recommend Hua Zheng to be the magistrate of a neighboring county.

Hua Zheng would naturally not agree. If he did, he would be stuck on the same boat forever, and it was very likely that not only he would be implicated, but his entire family would be dragged down with him.

Therefore, Zhu Zhi had no choice but to settle for second best and asked Hua Zheng to serve as the registrar of Yuhang.

After considering it for a while, Hua Zheng agreed. After all, although Zhu Zhi's position as Commandant of Wu Commandery was recommended by Yuan Shu, it was a legitimate official position in the imperial court and had considerable prestige.

Because Yuan Shu used Ma Ridi's Grand Tutor's staff to grant him the official position, although this was slightly less legally justifiable than an appointment by the imperial court, it was still recognized by the court and the people.

Moreover, the position of registrar is not as conspicuous as that of county magistrate. It is perfectly reasonable for members of the gentry to serve as local registrars, merit officers, or even administrators and deputy governors, and it does not constitute taking sides.

Historically, there are numerous examples of officials such as the Prefectural Governor, the Chief Clerk, and the Registrar who effectively sidelined their superiors.

After arriving in Qiantang, Sun Fu hosted a banquet for Hua Zheng that very day, expressing his acceptance of Zhu Zhi's arrangements and indicating that he would continue to entrust Hua Zheng with the handling of future government affairs.

This series of actions can be described as showing respect and humility. Hua Zheng's arrival in the dead of night must be for something extremely important, and Sun Fu dared not refuse to see him.

"and many more."

While dressing, Sun Fu suddenly remembered something and ordered, "Arrange two squads of armored soldiers behind the hall to await my command."

Sun Fu thought about it and decided that he still had to be careful. If something happened in the middle of the night, it was unlikely to be a good thing, so he arranged for two teams of armored soldiers to be on the safe side.

After making the arrangements, Sun Fu entered the main hall through the back door, where Hua Zheng had been waiting for a long time.

"The registrar has come so late at night, what brings you here?"

Sun Fu strode into the hall, sat down, and began to ask questions.

Sun Fu idolized his elder brother Sun Ben, and therefore always imitated Sun Ben in his conduct.

However, Hua Zheng's next sentence broke Sun Fu's composure.

Hua Zheng bowed and said, "General, the Southern Expeditionary Army has reached twenty li north of the city and will arrive at the city of Qiantang around noon tomorrow."

"What!?"

Sun Fu was about to sit down when he heard this and almost jumped up. "My tenants outside the city have seen the main force of the Southern Expeditionary Army and its camp, so I came to report this."

Hua Zhengkua said, "This time, the army marching south has at least twenty or thirty thousand men. General, you should make a decision quickly."

"Twenty or thirty thousand people!?"

Sun Fu's face turned pale with fright. After all, he was only a teenager at the time. Although he wanted to imitate his older brother Sun Ben in every way, he still couldn't compare to his brother in terms of courage, even when he was in his twenties or thirties.

Hua Zheng, of course, did not know the details of Zhou Yu's army. It was already difficult enough for the tenants to recognize that it was a large army, let alone give you specific numbers, not even an approximate figure.

Hua Zheng said there were 20,000 to 30,000 men to deliberately intimidate Sun Fu. If he had said less, Sun Fu might have considered defending the city, and Hua Zheng would have been in serious trouble.

"Exactly! It just so happens that one of my servants went to the estate outside the city to take stock of the grain. After being approached by these tenant farmers, he went to investigate and estimated that the enemy had at least ten thousand men, and that more and more troops were coming from behind."

Hua Zheng had already arranged for a clever, capable, loyal and reliable servant.

As Hua Zheng had predicted, Sun Fu immediately wanted to personally inquire with his servants.

Hua Zheng had already brought the man in. After leading him into the hall, Sun Fu asked several questions, which the servants were able to answer.

Suppressing his panic, Sun Fu turned to Hua Zheng and asked, "Master Hua is a renowned scholar of Qiantang. Now that a formidable enemy is at hand, how should I deal with this? Please teach me, Master Hua."

Sun Fu trusted Hua Zheng completely at this time. If Hua Zheng had any intention of harming him, he didn't need to do anything. He could just wait for the Southern Expeditionary Army to arrive at the city gates the next day, and he would be doomed.

Hua Zheng didn't mince words. He extended his right hand, raised his index finger, and said, "General, there is only one plan at the moment."

Sun Fu hurriedly asked, "What plan?"

"Let's go!"

Hua Zheng said decisively, "There are less than a thousand generals in the city now. Even if my Hua family mobilizes all the people in the city, we can probably only get two or three thousand able-bodied men. But the Southern Expeditionary Army has tens of thousands of men, almost ten times the number of us. This city is really indefensible."

"The general's insistence on defending this city is tantamount to trapping himself in a deadly situation, and it has also implicated the entire city's elders."

Hua Zheng bowed deeply to Sun Fu and said, "General, I dare to speak frankly. Since General Sun entered Wu County, my Qiantang has contributed greatly to the Sun family's foundation. On behalf of all the elders of the city, I earnestly request that you withdraw south in time. This is not out of personal motives, but for the sake of you and all the elders of the city."

Sun Fu was speechless upon hearing this, but he felt no displeasure.

The thought that Hua Zheng could persuade him to leave in person instead of betraying him made Sun Fu feel no anger at all.

"Registrar, please rise quickly."

Sun Fu stepped forward and helped Hua Zheng up, comforting him, "The registrar's words are wise and experienced; how could I blame you?"

After careful consideration, Sun Fu realized that the other party was right. He had less than a thousand men under his command, and without the full support of the powerful clans of Qiantang, he had no chance at all in defending the city.

Hua Zheng is now so frank and open. Qian Tang doesn't want to die with him, and Sun Fu's life has only just begun. How could he bear to die in Qian Tang City like this?

Therefore, Sun Fu made a decision.

However, Sun Fu still asked, "Lord Hua, in your opinion, where should I go?"

Hua Zheng, however, was already prepared and replied directly, "We should go to Fuchun!"

Sun Fu's heart skipped a beat, and he continued to ask, "Why?"

Hua Zheng, however, spoke eloquently: "Now, General, you have three paths to take. The best option is to go to Fuchun, as this is the safest route. However, there are many mudslides along the way, and the road is rugged and difficult to travel."

"The middle strategy is to go west to Yuhang and join up with Commander Wu. Although this route is easier, there is a risk of being pursued by the Southern Expeditionary Army. Therefore, Commander Wu suggested that the general go to Fuchun and then cross the river."

"The worst option is to drive straight to the Qiantang River, cross it, and head south. This is the easiest route, but also the most dangerous. The key is whether the entire army can cross the river before the Southern Expeditionary Army pursues us. If something unexpected happens, the general will be left with his back to the river."

Hua Zheng's suggestion was quite reliable, with clear logic and sufficient reasons, showing that he had indeed put a lot of thought into it.

"Thank you for your honest advice, Chief Clerk. I am deeply grateful."

Sun Fu did not say which path he would choose, but instead expressed his gratitude directly.

Hua Zheng was not angry, and then took his leave.

Sun Fu also seized the opportunity, abandoning all useless supplies and only taking rations and military equipment with him, and left Qiantang City under the cover of night.

However, Sun Fu did not choose the best strategy or the worst strategy suggested by Hua Zheng, but instead chose the middle strategy, heading straight for Yuhang after leaving the west gate.

Sun Fu's choice of the middle strategy was actually quite well thought out. In his view, the main road was easy to travel and only a day's journey away from Yuhang. As long as they marched quickly, they could enter Yuhang city that very night.

With the fortified city and Wu Jing's troops, they had no fear of the Southern Expeditionary Army pursuing them.

At that time, turning south to Fuchun would be foolproof.

Compared to the two options, this is the truly foolproof solution.

It's no wonder Sun Fu made such a decision; just like Wu Jing, they never considered the threat from Wu Cheng.

According to their intelligence, Wucheng's troops had already joined Zhou Yu in the counterattack against Youquan and were still in Youquan City.

Wucheng must be quite vulnerable. If it weren't for the fact that the Sun family would gain nothing from counterattacking Wucheng strategically, they would have already taken action against it. Therefore, Sun Fu never considered the possibility that Yuhang had already fallen, because in the Sun family's view, the Southern Expeditionary Army would inevitably come from the northeast.

When Sun Fu fled west, it was already past 3:45 AM. In another half hour, the sky would begin to brighten.

Meanwhile, Hua Zhong, who had emerged under cover of darkness, had already arrived at Zhou Yu's camp.

After being discovered by both visible and invisible sentries, Hua Zhong immediately stated his purpose and was then taken to Zhou Yu's tent.

"Are you from the Hua family of Qiantang?"

After being awakened, Zhou Yu immediately put on his robes and received him.

This trip south to Qiantang can be described as a godsend.

Logically speaking, if Zhao Yun and Fan Neng's troops hadn't marched so quickly that their strength hadn't recovered, and if they hadn't been unfamiliar with the terrain, this credit might not have been so easily given to Zhou Yu.

Therefore, Zhou Yu attached great importance to this matter.

They were already close to the city when a powerful clan from Qiantang suddenly arrived in the middle of the night, forcing Zhou Yu to take the matter seriously.

Upon seeing Zhou Yu, Hua Zhong stood up.

Although somewhat shocked by Zhou Yu's handsome appearance and extraordinary bearing, Hua Zhong still remembered his most important task.

"General, I am a member of the Hua family of Qiantang. I am willing to guide you!"

(End of this chapter)