My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 355 Zhu Zhi Begs for Surrender
Even though Yuan Xiong was currently very dissatisfied with Lü Meng, he could not help Lü Meng, because this young man was someone he had always admired and even wanted to recommend to Sun Ce after he made some contributions.

The same was true in the original timeline. Lü Meng came from a poor family, his brother-in-law died early, and he had committed the serious crime of murdering military officers. In the end, thanks to Yuan Xiong's care, he was not only spared punishment, but was also valued and appreciated by the brothers Sun Ce and Sun Quan. At the same time, he was regarded as a general of his faction by the powerful figures of Huai and Si, such as Zhang Zhao, who strongly recommended and promoted him.

It can be said that he has everything going his way and is spiraling upwards.

Lu Meng's smooth rise to power was largely due to Yuan Xiong, one of his indispensable benefactors.

“General Zhu, this young man is a personal guard of my beloved general Deng Dang. He is always exceptionally quick-witted. His unusual movements at this time may indeed be, as Deng Dang said, a brilliant plan to offer.”

Yuan Xiong stepped forward, first bowing respectfully to Zhu Zhi, and then suggested, "Why not listen to what he has to say first, and then make a decision?"

Yuan Xiong's words immediately eased the atmosphere in the room.

Zhu Zhi pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

He waved his hand, signaling the guards to release Lü Meng, and then decisively said, "Let him speak."

Lu Meng breathed a sigh of relief. He had been quite frightened just now, thinking he was going to die.

However, he had been bold since childhood and had a strong desire to make a name for himself. His fear immediately subsided and his ambition to achieve merit was rekindled. He bowed deeply to Zhu Zhi and Yuan Xiong and said, "Generals, please hear me out. The matter that you generals are discussing right now is only about the whereabouts of General Sun. In that case, why not ask the Ling family boy?"

At this point, Lü Meng turned to Ling Tong and said, "Brother Ling, you have come to persuade me to surrender. If you can tell me the truth, it will help you fulfill your mission."

Zhu Zhi's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked Ling Tong, "A-Tong, what is the situation outside?"

In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on Ling Tong, but he did not answer immediately, instead pondering for a moment.

Although Ling Tong was not a man of great wisdom, he was not stupid either. Lü Meng had already made his point so clear, and after careful consideration, he understood what the other party meant and realized that what the other party said was a calculated scheme.

As Lü Meng said, what the outcome is for Sun Ce is no longer important to Liu Feng.

Whether captured alive, killed in battle, or escaped, none of these factors affect the overall victory.

On the contrary, it is quite important to Zhu Zhi and others who are besieged, as Lü Meng has already openly told Ling Tong.

After realizing what had happened, Ling Tong sincerely told the truth: "General Sun was not humiliated. There is no fighting on the battlefield now. If General Sun was not killed in battle, he must have already broken through and left."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhi and the others all relaxed.

Zhu Zhi looked up at Cheng Pu and the others, only to see them exchange a glance, then clasp their hands in a fist and bow, saying, "We are willing to obey the general's command."

Zhu Zhi showed no emotion, only a slow nod, before turning to Ling Tong and saying, "Please convey to Zheng Nan that we... are willing to surrender!"

After making the decision, Zhu Zhi also changed his form of address to show his sincerity and respect.

Ling Tong returned to Liu Feng and recounted Zhu Zhi and the others' decision, including the turmoil caused by Lü Meng.

Upon hearing the familiar name, Liu Feng's lips curled up slightly.

At the same time Ling Tong returned, Zhu Zhi and others also issued the order to surrender.

Liu Feng personally led Taishi Ci, Gao Shun, Jia Kui, Zhou Yu, and others to accept the surrender.

Zhu Zhi led his two sons, Zhu Cai and Zhu Ran, his trusted general Ling Cao, and generals Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Yan, Yuan Xiong, and Sun Xiu to surrender.

Zhu Zhi and Han Yan's troops suffered no major losses, totaling more than 7,000 men. Yuan Xiong's troops lost more than half of their strength, leaving more than 900 men. Sun Xiu's troops still had more than 1,800 men.

The worst off were Cheng Pu and Huang Gai's troops, along with the remnants of Song Qian and Rui Liang's army that they had taken down, totaling only five or six hundred men.

All of Sun's troops, totaling over 11,000 men, surrendered, removed their armor and weapons, and then lined up in formation to accept the surrender of the Southern Expeditionary Army.

Upon seeing Liu Feng, Zhu Zhi led all the generals to kneel down.

At this time, all the generals had removed their weapons and armor, wearing only close-fitting robes. Although it was beginning to warm up, the generals were still freezing.

Liu Feng immediately tore off his cloak, stepped forward, and draped it over Zhu Zhi's shoulders.

Zhu Zhi was already forty-three years old at this time, which was quite old. In addition, after fighting for half a day and suffering a great defeat, his mental and physical strength had dropped to a low point.

Although he was determined, his body was not able to keep up and he felt quite unsteady.

Liu Feng feigned a sigh, then helped him up.

“Feng once heard that when Sun Polu left, he entrusted his heir to Zhu Gong. This must be because Zhu Gong is mature, prudent, and diligent in serving the country.”

After Liu Feng helped Zhu Zhi up, he patted the man's arm and said, "But Sun Bofu recognized a traitor as his father, ran for Yuan Shu, and brazenly attacked Lujiang, forcing Lu Kang Gong to his death. Afterwards, he crossed the river and became an enemy of Liu Yao Gong, the governor appointed by the court, ravaging the Wu region. Later, he even brought the flames of war to Kuaiji. How could Zhu An not advise against it?"

Upon hearing Liu Feng's question, Zhu Zhi lowered his head, feeling depressed.

He himself never thought highly of Yuan Shu, and even told Sun Ce directly that Yuan Shu was not a wise ruler because of his lack of political integrity and moral depravity. He strongly advised Sun Ce to cross the river and return to Jiangdong to establish himself.

But Sun Ce wouldn't listen to him.

In the original timeline, Sun Ce was definitely right, because with the help of Yuan Shu's power and supplies, he swept through Jiangdong and gained the benefits of the Wu and Kuaiji commanderies.

Then, taking advantage of Yuan Shu's foolish declaration of himself as emperor, he conveniently betrayed him, not only without any cost, but also gained control of Danyang County, making a fortune.

But now things are different; Sun Ce has been manipulated by Liu Feng from beginning to end.

The people of Jiangdong weren't fools either; any discerning person could see that Liu Feng was letting Sun Ce run rampant.

But while this matter can be seen through, it cannot be explained.

Because revealing the truth would not only not harm Liu Feng, but would actually harm them themselves.

This is because Liu Feng has been doing loyalist work for the emperor for the past two years.

You Jiangdong can't possibly think that your status is higher than that of the emperor and the imperial court, can you?
Therefore, Zhu Zhi also had many complaints about Sun Ce. If he hadn't been grateful, he might not have raised an army in Yuhang and Qiantang to respond to Sun Ce.

For Zhu Zhi, Liu Feng's words at this moment were actually giving the other party a way out.

Zhu Zhi only needed to follow Liu Feng's lead and say that he had tried to persuade Sun Ce to leave Yuan Shu but failed, and then he betrayed Sun Ce and returned to Guzhang.

In this way, Liu Feng could naturally forgive Zhu Zhi and win over a group of local gentry.

But Zhu Zhi fell silent.

Liu Feng remained expressionless, but the others' faces showed something was amiss.

The expressions of generals such as Taishi Ci, Zhou Yu, Gao Shun, and Jia Kui all changed, and their gazes towards Zhu Zhi were quite unfriendly. Meanwhile, Zhu Zhi's eldest son Zhu Cai, his nephew and adopted son Zhu Ran, and his confidant Ling Tong were all extremely anxious, wishing they could agree on Zhu Zhi's behalf.

But no one dared to interrupt at this moment.

Because Liu Feng hadn't spoken yet. At this moment, Liu Feng already possessed enough prestige and influence to intimidate everyone present.

After a long while, Zhu Zhi slowly knelt down and kowtowed to Liu Feng, saying, "I am but a commoner. I am deeply grateful to Sun Polu for recommending me as a candidate for the civil service examination and for keeping me by his side to guide him in the essentials of military strategy. This kindness is as heavy as a mountain. This time, my resistance against the Heavenly Army is truly an unforgivable crime."

As Zhu Zhi finished speaking, Liu Feng's smile began to turn cold.

In his view, Zhu Zhi was not only being unreasonable, but was actually trying to blackmail him.

However, Zhu Zhi's next words surprised Liu Feng.

Zhu Zhi continued, "Now that the royal army has won a great victory, this wicked subject bows his head and begs for surrender. I, Zhu Zhi, am willing to ride alone to Shanyin to persuade the Sun family to surrender."

Liu Feng suddenly realized that Zhu Zhi actually wanted to rescue the Sun family from their predicament.

Regardless of whether Zhu Zhi succeeds or not, Liu Feng greatly admires his intention.

As Liu Feng's status rose higher and higher, some interesting changes gradually occurred.

Although Liu Feng still valued talent, he inevitably had a higher tolerance and appreciation for those who were loyal.

If Zhu Zhi were to negotiate with him for the sake of his family's status and power in Guzhang, Liu Feng would not hesitate to use Zhu Zhi as a scapegoat to warn others.

But Zhu Zhi was willing to risk his life, or even the extermination of his clan, to beg for a chance for the sake of the Sun family.

This gave Liu Feng a completely different feeling.

Liu Feng immediately felt that his displeasure had completely turned into appreciation.

Liu Feng sighed, then helped Zhu Zhi up again and fastened his cloak back on. "People say that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. Was Sun Polu's kindness a drop of water? Is Zhu Gong's kindness a spring of gratitude?"

Liu Feng's change in attitude moved Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Yan, Yuan Xiong and others. They all kowtowed to Liu Feng and shouted, "This sinful general is willing to atone for his sins with his death. He only asks that the General of the South give the Sun family a chance to forgive him."

Sun Jun's main force and elite troops have all been lost, and now he has no chance to turn the tide.

Cheng Pu and the others were well aware that what they were begging for was for Liu Feng to forgive the Sun family. Even if he couldn't forgive Sun Ce, they hoped that Liu Feng would show mercy and let Sun Quan and the others go.

Liu Feng himself had not yet made up his mind on how to deal with Sun Ce.

From a conservative perspective, killing it would be the better option.

Sun Ce was too ambitious; he never considered submitting to anyone.

Even when he was living under Yuan Shu's command, he would often try to take back his father's troops so that he could return to Jiangdong and establish himself independently.

To be fair, Sun Ce was quite capable. He almost never lost a battle in Jiangdong. He was not only good at military tactics but also had great wisdom and strategy. He tricked Liu Xun so much that he was almost powerless to fight back.

Moreover, Sun Ce was not without his concerns. He was not only a filial son but also a good elder brother, treating his younger siblings like fathers. He spared no expense in cultivating Sun Quan and Sun Yi.

If the Sun family members were taken hostage, Sun Ce was indeed confident that he could control them.

Another point is that Sun Ce really killed a lot of people in Kuaiji. Yu Fan and He Qi are currently so angry that they wish they could eat his flesh alive. This is also something that needs to be considered.

After much deliberation, Liu Feng still did not give a definite answer, but solemnly said to Zhu Zhi, "Lord Zhu, please allow me to think about it carefully."

Zhu Zhi, Cheng Pu, and the others were overjoyed. Liu Feng's attitude was enough to make them extremely grateful.

At this point, the entire battlefield has come to a complete end.

The surrender of Zhu Zhi's troops officially marked the end of the Battle of Qiantang.

In this battle, Liu Feng won a great victory. Sun Ce barely escaped with his life, and apart from Chen Wu, the captain of the personal guard, who followed him in breaking through the encirclement, none of his generals survived.

Despite the presence of nearly ten thousand Sun family troops in Shanyin and north of the city, only two thousand of these soldiers, led by Lü Fan, and a few hundred of Sun Quan's personal guards, were truly reliable.

Apart from these, the fact that the other members of the tribe did not immediately rebel was considered a testament to their loyalty to Sun Ce.

Although a great victory has been achieved, there is still much to be done.

First, the entire Kuaiji region must be pacified. Northern Kuaiji is alright; although Sun Ce's remnants are still stationed there, no one takes them seriously.

The situation in northern Kuaiji was already chaotic, and it was only through Sun Ce's military force that it was suppressed.

Now Sun Ce's main force has been wiped out, and Liu Feng has already crossed the Qiantang River and occupied Yuji.

Unless the powerful clans and gentry of northern Kuaiji are utterly foolish or cowardly, they will surely try every means to assassinate key members of the Sun family in their respective counties, in order to vent their previous resentment and at the same time curry favor with Liu Feng.

Given the consistently arrogant and unruly nature of the powerful clans and gentry of Kuaiji Commandery, they would likely take action as soon as they received the news.

Therefore, Liu Feng was not worried about the problem of northern Kuaiji; what he was more worried about was southern Kuaiji.

As mentioned before, the essence of Kuaiji is all in Beihui. Beihuiji only occupies less than a quarter of the entire Kuaiji Commandery, but it has a total of ten counties.

Zhongkuaiji and Nankuaiji together occupy more than three-quarters of the territory, yet they only comprise four counties.

In particular, Nan Kuaiji, which only has one county, Dongye, has the largest territory, exceeding more than half of the entire Kuaiji Commandery.

Liu Feng was most worried about Central Kuaiji and Southern Kuaiji, especially Southern Kuaiji.

Liu Feng, who was familiar with history, knew very well that Nan Kuaiji could easily organize an army of more than 10,000 people to resist outsiders.

Outsiders, unless they travel by sea, must endure the obstruction of towering mountains and traverse two thousand miles to reach Dongye.

The most disgusting thing is that even if you occupy Dongye, you can only control a very small area of ​​the Fuzhou Basin near Dongye. Beyond that, there are high mountains and ridges, inhabited by tens of thousands of Yue people and southern barbarians.

These people were a mix of Han Chinese, but they were incredibly fierce.

There was another equally critical issue: Yuzhang Commandery, north of Kuaiji.

This place is even more troublesome than Kuaiji, and it lacks the convenience of sea transportation, yet it is a strategic location that cannot be easily abandoned.

Losing Yuzhang is tantamount to handing over Danyang, Wu, and northern Kuaiji, the heartland of Jiangdong, to the enemy's forces, which is extremely foolish.

Liu Biao of Jingzhou has always harbored ambitions to seize Yuzhang. If he were to actually occupy Yuzhang, it would be tantamount to handing over the strategic initiative to him.

After Liu Biao occupied Yuzhang, he could freely conquer Jiangbei, send troops to Danyang, cut off Kuaiji, and launch surprise attacks on Wu Commandery, making him almost impossible to defend against.

Therefore, Yuzhang is also a top priority now and must be brought under control as soon as possible.

However, all of that is for later. Right now, we should first station ourselves in Yuji County, reward the entire army, and send out a proclamation to the Northern Conference.

(End of this chapter)