My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 340 Bloodstained Shanyin

"What is Wu Jing doing?! Incompetent! Incompetent!"

As Sun Fu fled in disarray, he loudly berated Wu Jing, no longer even calling him "uncle."

No wonder he was so angry; Sun Fujun was easily defeated.

In reality, given Sun Fujun's true combat strength, even if it were a thousand against a thousand, he would most likely be no match for Taishi Ci's elite troops.

As long as it wasn't a naval battle, the old troops of the Sun family could easily sweep across Jiangdong and crush the heroes of Jiangdong. However, when facing the elite veterans of Xuzhou, apart from the several thousand old troops that Sun Jian left to Sun Ce, the others would find it very difficult to win.

Even so, it won't collapse at the slightest touch.

The reason for such an exaggerated record is that Sun Fujun was already extremely exhausted, and his mood had also been on a rollercoaster.

They thought the opposing force was friendly reinforcements coming to their aid, but it turned out to be a formidable enemy force.

The psychological gap, coupled with physical exhaustion, meant that the fact that they didn't flee at the first sign of trouble already showed they were elite.

Sun Fu was unaware that Wu Jing had been captured. He thought Wu Jing was just sitting idly in Yuhang City, oblivious to the fact that the Southern Expeditionary Army was right under his nose. Naturally, he was furious.

Looking at the dozens of cats and dogs around him, Sun Fu almost burst into tears.

His brother entrusted him with a full two thousand elite troops.

He could only hope that the thousand troops escorting the grain would receive the news in time and escape across the Qiantang River; otherwise, he would truly be left with no one to command.

Sun Fu fled at breakneck speed, leaving almost all of his troops to Taishi Ci, except for his remaining forty-odd cavalrymen.

If he hadn't escaped quickly and hadn't been positioned further back, he probably would have been surrounded by the Southern Expeditionary Army cavalry that appeared from both sides.

However, the Southern Expeditionary Army did not seem to give up. Taishi Ci personally led two hundred cavalrymen in hot pursuit, making Sun Fu dare not relax his guard in the slightest.

The two sides pursued and fled. Although Sun Fu's troops were not as strong as Taishi Ci's, Sun Fu had run ahead for a quarter of an hour. Before Taishi Ci could catch up, he had to separate the surrendered soldiers of Sun Fu's army who were blocking the road. This made it difficult for Taishi Ci to catch up with the enemy for a while.

Seeing that he could shake off his opponent, Sun Fu sped away as fast as he could. Just two more miles ahead, there was a small road that would turn south, and then he could escape Taishi Ci's pursuit.

As they drew closer, just after turning a corner, they ran head-on into a rapidly marching troop of soldiers—none other than Zhou Bin's troops.

There is only one reason for this outcome: neither side sent out scouts.

However, Zhou Bin's troops were clearly on guard, and the sound of dozens of riders' hooves was quite loud.

Therefore, after Sun Fu turned the corner, he directly encountered a vanguard force of more than two hundred men. Although they did not have time to put on their armor, more than sixty long-handled weapons were already lined up on the front line.

Ordinary horses, even warhorses, will avoid it; it's a biological instinct.

Only after training can they be improved. Those that can directly charge into lines of long-handled weapons such as spears and lances are naturally the best warhorses, and they are very difficult to train well.

Therefore, many charging cavalrymen would even blindfold their warhorses to reduce the difficulty of training.

At this moment, although Sun Fu and his men had collided head-on with their opponents, their horses began to panic.

They either darted off to the sides of the road or stopped on their own, which gave Zhou Bin's troops an opportunity. The swordsmen and shieldmen behind them rushed out through the gaps between the spearmen.

Although cavalry has an advantage over infantry, its fundamental advantage lies in its kinetic energy.

At this moment, Sun Fu's cavalry was in complete disarray and had become stuck together. Many horses even collided with friendly forces, causing chaos and overturning.

Encountering an organized infantry attack in this situation would be a nightmare.

In just a dozen breaths, Sun Fu's cavalry suffered heavy casualties, with many riders being pulled from their horses, captured, or killed with a single blow.

Although Sun Fu charged ahead, he was not blocked. Seeing the situation deteriorating, he panicked and turned his horse around, fleeing from both sides of the road back the way he came.

The cavalrymen who could still escape followed, but only a dozen or so managed to escape successfully.

Taishi Ci, who had been struggling to catch up with Sun Fu and was even hesitant about whether to withdraw his troops and return to Yuhang, witnessed a miraculous scene.

Sun Fu actually ran straight towards him!
Has he figured it out?

Taishi Ci once thought that Sun Fu felt that his entire army had been wiped out and that his own elder brother had also surrendered, so he might as well surrender as well.

After capturing Sun Fu, he suddenly realized that Qiantang had also been recovered by his own forces, and that a southern expeditionary army had dealt a heavy blow to Sun Fu.

Taishi Ci laughed heartily. His earlier hesitation to withdraw his troops stemmed from his concern that Sun Fu's army in Qiantang had received reinforcements and that Sun Fu could be met with reinforcements at any time.

If I underestimate my opponent and act rashly, turning victory into defeat, that would be incredibly embarrassing.

Therefore, after capturing Sun Fu alive, Taishi Ci did not rush back to his army, but instead met with Zhou Bin.

At this moment, Zhou Bin also learned the latest situation from the prisoners. He learned that Sun Fu's troops had been defeated by Taishi Ci, and he was very disappointed.

However, Taishi Ci was a commander of a detachment alongside Zhou Yu, and was also the archery and horsemanship teacher of the young lord Liu Feng. He was also a trusted and important general, so Zhou Bin dared not have any complaints.

However, soon, good news brought Zhou Bin great joy, and he was very grateful to Taishi Ci.

After they reunited, Taishi Ci also admired Zhou Bin's ability and courage in his long-distance raid, and decisively gave half of the credit to Zhou Bin's troops.

Zhou Bin was overjoyed, but he repeatedly declined. In the end, Taishi Ci made the decision, so the trip was worthwhile.

In this way, of the three cities north of the Qiantang River, only the most remote Fuchun County remains, which is also the ancestral home of the Sun family and their true hometown.

Although only Sun Xiu's faction was present here, the people's hearts still leaned towards the Sun family.

Taishi Ci planned to send troops from Yuhang, and at the same time, he tried to persuade Sun Xiu to surrender using Sun Xiang's letter.

This letter was sent by Liu Feng from Wubei. At the same time, Sun Ben also sent a letter advising Sun Fu, but it seems that the latter no longer needs it.

But before actually launching a southward campaign, Taishi Ci needed to meet with Zhou Yu and Zhao Yun to discuss the matter.

If Taishi Ci were to march south to attack Fuchun, he would greatly need Zhao Yun and Zhou Yu's troops to put pressure on Sun Ce's army on the Qiantang River. Otherwise, if Sun Ce concentrated his forces and marched north along the ancient Chadu Road to launch a surprise attack on Fuchun, Taishi Ci's situation would be quite dangerous.

Sufficient pressure must be applied to the south bank of the Qiantang River from the north to prevent Sun Ce's main force from moving.

********
Outside Shanyin City, by Jingruo Lake, hundreds of people, their hands bound, knelt on the lakeside like chickens.

Sun Ce looked at these people with icy eyes, including the entire clans of powerful families from Kuaiji such as the Zhou, Yu, and He clans.

Honestly, Sun Ce didn't want to kill them. But he had no other choice.

Since the middle of the year, Sun's army has marched south, first capturing Youquan, then crossing Qiantang, and finally breaking through Shanyin. His soldiers have fought more than a dozen battles, large and small, and are not only exhausted, but have also accumulated a large number of casualties.

Regardless, Sun Ce had to reward his troops; otherwise, even if they didn't betray him and collapse, their morale would plummet, and such an army would have no fighting power whatsoever.

Moreover, before capturing Shanyin, Sun Ce explicitly instructed the entire army that after the city fell, they could cleanse it for three days.

If Sun Ce still wants to maintain the army's fighting capacity, he cannot go back on his word.

Sun Ce originally did not want to go to such extremes. In his view, if the powerful clans of Shanyin were willing to take out their accumulated wealth and grain to supply the army, and organize their clan members to train troops to serve him, then Sun Ce would not be unable to let go of the powerful clans of Shanyin.

However, the powerful clans and gentry in Shanyin City refused to cooperate and even threatened Sun Ce, especially the Zhou family, who had a deep-seated hatred for the Sun family.

The Sun family's dream of dominating Yuzhou was shattered by the Zhou family.

As a result, all the military leaders under Sun Ce volunteered to avenge Sun Jian and the Sun family.

Sun Ce knew very well that these words sounded nice, but they were actually another form of coercion.

After Liu Feng entered Jiangdong, he won one victory after another, conquering cities and seizing territory along the way, and was invincible.

Sun Ce's army's morale was naturally severely damaged. If this had happened before Liu Feng crossed the Yangtze River, Sun Ce's prestige in the army would have been unparalleled. His generals and officers dared not even glance westward when Sun Ce said he was going east.

Therefore, Sun Ce was keenly aware of the dangers within the army.

If it were peacetime, it would be fine; with time to adjust and gather supplies, Sun Ce's prestige would not be a concern at all in pacifying the army.

But this is not a time of peace, and Liu Feng is still fighting his way south from Wubei.

Not only will Sun Ce's main force not be able to rest, but it may also face even more brutal battles.

In this situation, it would be better to use the blood and flesh of the soldiers and officers above and below to feed the army and its soldiers than to sacrifice their own morale, fighting spirit and combat power to save the lives of these aristocratic and powerful families who are not of one mind with them.

So, at Sun Ce's command, all the major and minor gentry families in Shanyin City, except for the Lin and Jiao families who were observing from Shangyu, were arrested. Six or seven hundred men were all taken to the lakeside to be executed, while more women and children were given to the soldiers as slaves.

At the same time, all the wealth and supplies found in their homes, as well as the fertile fields and beautiful houses in Kuaiji County, were distributed to the entire army.

The lakeside was now bustling with noise. Among the six or seven hundred people, some were shouting and cursing, some were cursing the Sun family to die a horrible death, some were weeping and begging for mercy, and some were trembling and unable to speak.

In particular, the curses and swears were incessant, and the more vicious the curses, the better.

Seeing that Sun Ce had not given the order, Cheng Pu and the other generals exchanged glances, then quietly stepped forward and approached Sun Ce, saying, "Bo Fu, should we tell them to shut up first?"

Sun Ce, however, was jolted awake, the chill in his eyes almost tangible.

But under the questioning gazes of Cheng Pu and the others, he slowly shook his head: "No need."

Cheng Pu looked at each other, puzzled. If these people were allowed to talk nonsense, even without considering the feelings of the Sun family, it would still have some impact on the morale of the troops.

Cheng Pu wanted to continue persuading him, but Sun Ce made his decision first.

"cut!"

Although Sun Ce was still conflicted, he no longer hesitated and waved his hand coldly.

With Sun Ce's order, the shores of Jingruo Lake became a bloody slaughterhouse. Row after row of men were brought to the lakeside, their heads were chopped off, and their blood flowed into the lake, turning a large area of ​​the lakeside into a crimson stain.

Sun Ce kept his promise and bestowed a large amount of wealth, real estate, and land upon his generals and soldiers. Even the lowest-ranking soldiers were granted five to ten acres of land. Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, Song Qian, Chen Wu, Lü Dai, Yuan Xiong, and others received thousands of acres of land, as well as mansions and shops in Shanyin City.

In addition, there were also a considerable amount of gold, five-zhu coins, a large quantity of silk, and female relatives from powerful and wealthy families in Kuaiji who were enslaved.

In this way, the morale of Sun Ce's army was restored. The officers and soldiers, both high and low, were all overjoyed. Having received a great deal of benefits, they were willing to risk their lives for Sun Ce again.

Even Marquis Deng Dang of Qujun received many rewards, including more than 200 acres of farmland and a courtyard in Shanyin City, enough to house his wife, mother-in-law and brother-in-law.

His brother-in-law was ambitious, brave, and exceptionally courageous.

When he was young, he followed his mother across the Huai River to Lujiang to rely on his brother-in-law Deng Dang. When he was fifteen or sixteen, he secretly followed his brother-in-law to fight against the Yue tribes.

Deng Dang's wife's family name was Lü, while his brother-in-law's given name was Meng.

Because of Liu Feng's appearance, Sun Ce's expansion in Jiangdong was extremely unsuccessful. In two years, he only occupied half of Wu Commandery. When he conquered southern Wu, Liu Feng came to Jiangdong again and occupied northern Wu.

Therefore, Lü Meng was unable to follow his brother-in-law Deng Dang in the campaign against the Shanyue and make meritorious contributions. At this time, he was still serving as his brother-in-law's personal guard.

However, Lü Meng was not happy in the army. The officials under his brother-in-law Deng Dang looked down on him, especially a junior officer named Shan Jiang, who thought that Lü Meng was just a boastful talker who pretended to be brave.

Lu Meng once secretly infiltrated his brother-in-law's army. After being discovered, he was taught a lesson by his brother-in-law Deng Dang, who also told his mother-in-law about it.

The brother-in-law is the only son of the Lü family. If anything were to happen to him, the Lü family line would end.

As a result, Lü Meng said to his mother, "Poverty and lowliness are hard to endure, but if one makes a mistake and achieves merit, wealth and honor can be attained. And how can one catch tiger cubs without venturing into the tiger's den?"

Lu Meng's mother took pity on him and forgave him.

This was originally a good story. Even if Deng Dang didn't have much influence, spreading it would bring Lü Meng considerable fame. He might even be noticed by a general, and his future would be bright.

But this minor official named Shan Jiang seemed to have a deep-seated hatred for Sun Ce, and actually openly proclaimed in the army that Lü Meng was nothing but a good-for-nothing boy, and what skills he could possibly have.

Lu Meng once used Ban Chao's famous saying, "If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch tiger cubs?" to express his lofty ambitions.

As a result, Shan Jiang bluntly mocked him, saying that he went to the tiger's den not to retrieve tiger cubs, but to feed the tiger meat.

This shows how awkward and embarrassing Lü Meng's situation was.

Although Deng Dang was a military commander, the soldiers under his command were all under Sun Ce's command. Apart from a few personal guards, Deng Dang himself did not have his own troops.

Moreover, all the officials, including Shan Jiang, were personally appointed by Sun Ce. As long as they didn't make any mistakes, Deng Dang couldn't do anything to them just by making a few sarcastic remarks about Lü Meng.

Lü Meng strongly disapproved of Sun Ce's large-scale massacre of the powerful clans and gentry of Shanyin.

In his view, the best way was to force these powerful clans to submit; otherwise, although killing was simple, the consequences would be extremely dire once the matter spread.

However, he was of low status and his voice carried little weight. He couldn't even get a meeting with Sun Ce, let alone offer advice. Moreover, his position was different from Sun Ce's. Lu Meng wasn't even qualified to see the dangers and difficulties Sun Ce faced.

(End of this chapter)