Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

After Gu Tan and Zhu Yi opened the north gate of Wu County, Xiahou Xian's troops were the first to enter the city to take control, quickly seizing control of all the city gates and government offices within the city. Because the city was opened at night, the various powerful families in Wu County didn't have time to put on any show of kneeling to welcome them outside the city. Instead, they secretly cursed the Gu and Zhu families for getting there first and selling out Wu County.

The conqueror's demeanor is always one of composure and ease.

Guanqiu Jian did not enter the city, but instead led 5,000 cavalrymen from the Central Army Camp and 5,000 elite guards to garrison outside the city. The gentry in the city repeatedly tried to go out of the city to see the Wei army commander, but they were all blocked by Xiahou Xian's cavalry.

At 9:00 AM, Lou Xuancai, the prefect of Wu Commandery, led the way into the city and summoned Wei soldiers Gu Tan and Zhu Yi to his side.

"Zimo, Jiwen, how have you been?" Lou Xuan stood in the open space of the city government office, surrounded by several Wei soldiers, and smiled as he looked at Gu Tan and Zhu Yi who had come to visit.

Lou Xuan was thirty-five years old, a few years older than Gu Tan and Zhu Yi. As Lou Xuan was Gu Yong's student, he had many connections with the sons of prominent families in Wu County, and he was practically a close friend of Gu Tan and Zhu Yi. After two months apart, they met again in this situation.

"Brother Chengxian," Gu Tan said, bowing first. "Yesterday, I heard from the messenger who entered the city that you had surrendered Wuxi. So last night, Ji Wen and I followed suit and opened the north gate. I wonder... what is the military situation outside the city like now? Why hasn't General Guanqiu entered the city yet?"

Lou Xuan said, "There's no rush to enter the city. General Guanqiu sent me here because there's something he wants Zimo to do for the royal army."

Zhu Yi smiled and looked at Gu Tan: "Zi Mo, take out the letter you prepared. Just as you said."

Gu Tan took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it forward: "No need for you to say that, Brother Chengxian. I have already written a letter to my grandfather. Yesterday, I heard from the messenger that General Cao Zijian of the Warships is controlling the main roads outside Jianye City, and the city is under tight defense. Brother Chengxian, just send someone to deliver it to him."

"Zimo is indeed reasonable." Lou Xuan took the letter, glanced at it briefly, and then carefully put it away. "Your Gu and Zhu families have made great contributions this time. Do you have any requests of the Great Wei? I, as your elder brother, have boasted to General Guanqiu that I would help him pacify Wu County within ten days, and I have promised the Gu, Zhu, and Zhang families two thousand shi of grain and a marquis position. I wonder if that's enough?"

Zhu Yi sighed softly: "Two thousand shi and a pavilion marquis might not mean much under normal circumstances, but in this time of national ruin and family destruction, they are exceptionally precious. Brother Chengxian, we will do whatever General Guanqiu says. Now we have no choice but to obey orders; we have no room for bargaining."

Lou Xuan scrutinized Zhu Yi for a few moments, then turned his gaze to Gu Tan: "Where's Zi Mo?"

"My brother is the same," Gu Tan said solemnly.

"Okay, I understand." Lou Xuan nodded, and after saying goodbye to Gu Tan and Zhu Yi, he personally went to the prefectural government office and met with Teng Yin, the prefect of Wu County, who was being held under guard there.

One of the important criteria Sun Quan used to choose a son-in-law was appearance. Teng Yin was very handsome, with fair skin, and had an air of nobility that he exuded at first glance. He was much more handsome than Zhu Ju, another son-in-law of Sun Quan.

As for Sun Quan's other son-in-law… Lou Xuan secretly thought of the Emperor of Wei, but then shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind. He had just submitted to Wei; how could he have such thoughts? Respect for the ruler should be as if the emperor were right before one's eyes. Now that the Mandate of Heaven has been revealed, the Emperor of Wei is the true Son of Heaven; to think like this would be disrespectful.

However, Lou Xuan had always heard that the Emperor of Great Wei was incredibly handsome, and if he ever had the chance, he would like to see him in person.

Teng Yin was imprisoned in a side room of the Wu County government office. His hands were bound with rope, and two Wei soldiers stood on either side of him to guard him.

Lou Xuan glanced around and said, "I have something to discuss with Teng Chengsi, so please excuse us for the time being."

A squad leader on the left clasped his hands and replied, "If Your Excellency has something to say, please do so here. There is no need to hide it from us. We are here on the orders of General Xiahou and are not allowed to leave without permission. Please understand."

Lou Xuan didn't insist, and stepped forward with a smile to greet him:
"Lord Teng, how have you been? I heard you were frightened last night, which is truly a sin. Fortunately, the city has now returned to normal."

Teng Yin glanced up at Lou Xuan, snorted coldly, and turned his head away: "Lou Chengxian, you are now the Prefect of Wu Commandery, while I am a prisoner. What brings you here? Do you wish to kill me? Do you wish to punish me?"

From others' perspectives, Teng Yin was merely a typical northern scholar who, due to his family background and good looks, was fortunate enough to become Sun Quan's son-in-law, but he didn't have any outstanding achievements in politics. However, Lou Xuan knew that Teng Yin had another personality trait.

That's arrogance.

That makes sense. He became Sun Quan's son-in-law in his early twenties, and in his thirties, he first served as the governor of Danyang and then as the governor of Wu Commandery. How could he not be arrogant? It's just that he was always patient and rarely showed it; he only appeared humble on the surface.

Lou Xuan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "I was once the magistrate of Wuxi County. How could I possibly call for my life upon seeing the former Lady of the County?"

"General Guanqiu asked me to ask a question. If you agree, the previous matter will be cancelled, and General Guanqiu is willing to recommend you to continue serving as a 2,000-stone official."

Just as Teng Yin was about to frown and glare, Lou Xuan smiled and said, "Lord Teng, why don't you listen to me finish two things before you start cursing me?" "Go ahead," Teng Yin said, barely suppressing his anger.

Lou Xuan said, "The first thing is that, in just one morning, in Wu County, apart from the Gu, Zhang, and Zhu families, the Chen, Huan, and Lü families all wrote letters to General Guanqiu expressing their loyalty to the Great Wei. Furthermore, the Huan, Gongsun, Sima, and Lü families even suggested that the head of Lord Teng beheaded and sent to various parts of Wu County to force the cities to surrender."

"General Guanqiu also said that if these powerful families of Wu Commandery perform their duties effectively and can help the army procure grain, laborers, and supplies, not to mention the Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang families, General Guanqiu is willing to recommend each of the eight families of Chen, Huan, Lü, Dou, Gongsun, Sima, Xu, and Fu for an official position of two thousand shi..."

"How dare you, you scoundrel!" Teng Yin glared at Lou Xuan. "These people from Wu County have always looked down on me, and today they actually want to kill me to curry favor with the Wei people? Chengxian, how can there be such despicable people in the world?"

"You and I are both from the North. Can't you see how despicable these people from Wu County are and how sinister their intentions are? Even if I die, I will not see these scoundrels occupying positions with salaries of two thousand shi!"

Lou Xuan said lightly, "If Lord Teng is unwilling to help the army, why should we conquer each city in the prefecture one by one? That would be too time-consuming and laborious, and the mobilization of resources would not be so smooth. So what if we don't seek help from these eight clans? Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang each have their own futures, which do not conflict with these clans."

Teng Yin gritted his teeth, putting aside his father-in-law for the moment, his mind filled with rage at these Wu County dogs trying to kill him to curry favor with the Wei army. With a stern face, he asked Lou Xuan, "And the second matter?"

Lou Xuan said, "General Guanqiu said that your Teng family of Beihai is not prosperous, and has only produced one county magistrate in the past few decades. If you submit to the Great Wei, you can be allowed to move your father's coffins back to the ancestral grave."

"I don't need to explain the situation between Wei and Wu. Wu has no reason to linger on. You've become someone's son-in-law, not someone's son. You're only in your thirties. It's not worth dying for Wu. Don't make a mistake."

Teng Yin exchanged a complicated look with Lou Xuan for a moment, then lowered his head and remained silent. Lou Xuan smiled at Teng Yin, then paced around the small house without urging him on.

Fifteen minutes later, Teng Yin finally spoke:
"Inheritance..."

"What is it?" Lou Xuan replied.

Teng Yin asked, "What kind of person is General Guanqiu? Is he kind and generous?"

Lou Xuan replied, "General Guanqiu comes from a prominent family in Hedong, with generations of officials holding the rank of 2,000 shi. He is skilled in both literature and military strategy, and was a former official of the Great Wei Emperor when he was still a prince. Now, at just over thirty years old, he has become the commander-in-chief of an army. It is conceivable how much the Emperor trusts him."

"Let me speak from the heart," Lou Xuan leaned closer and lowered his voice, "If you join General Guanqiu's service and wholeheartedly assist him in the affairs of Wu Commandery, you'll have a powerful backer in the Wei court in the future. The Emperor is over thirty, and you, I, and General Guanqiu are all over thirty. There's a long road ahead! It's only because you and I are fortunate that we have this opportunity. Other generals in the Wei army might not have so many advantages!"

Teng Yin swallowed hard and nodded, saying, "Very well, I am willing to help General Guanqiu send out proclamations to all the counties! But I must make one thing clear beforehand: I can do this, and I can do it better than these powerful families of Wu County!"

"Chengxian, please tell General Guanqiu that the people of Wu Commandery are of low character and cannot be trusted; they are all cowards! I am capable of doing things, so General Guanqiu does not need to give them two thousand shi of grain!"

Lou Xuan nodded and asked the soldiers to take Teng Yin into the carriage, which then followed him out of the city. Things didn't turn out quite as Lou Xuan had anticipated. It seemed that what truly prompted Teng Yin's surrender wasn't his life or possessions, but rather the desire to kill him from those in Wu County who had always looked down on him! Moreover, Teng Yin hadn't asked a single question about the princess or Sun Quan!
Upon arriving at the camp outside the city, Lou Xuan first entered the military tent and told Guanqiu Jian about all these things, which left Guanqiu Jian somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Very well, please have Chengxian bring Teng Yin in later, and I will speak with him myself. With Teng Yin's help, I don't need to promise him two thousand shi of grain; promising him a thousand shi of grain as an official position will suffice, which will save the court some trouble." Guanqiu Jian said, "In addition, Gu Tan did a good job in this matter. I have read the letter and will have it sent to Dantu later, and then General Wang will send it to Jianye."

"Gu Tan and Zhu Yi are both so capable that I wish to recruit them into the army. What official positions would they be suitable for?"

Lou Xuan didn't think much of it and immediately said:
"General, Gu Tan is quick-witted and has a keen eye for situations. He can temporarily serve as the chief clerk in the army. As for Zhu Yi, his family has a blood feud with the Sun family. He is sincerely surrendering to the Great Wei. Moreover, his family is small and has no future connection with Wu County. He can do some difficult things for you."

Guanqiu Jian glanced at Lou Xuan casually: "What could you possibly do?"

Lou Xuan said, "Kill people for the general! Kill those powerful families in Wu Commandery who outwardly comply but inwardly defy orders and refuse to obey!"

"Very well, I understand. You may go about your business. I dispatched troops to Jiaxing yesterday, and the cavalry should be back tomorrow," Guanqiu Jian said calmly.

Lou Xuan took his leave.

Guanqiu Jian sighed deeply, watching Lou Xuan's retreating figure with mixed feelings. As the commander-in-chief of an army, he had witnessed firsthand how the people of Wu responded to the threat of collapse. He would have to discuss these events with His Majesty in the future.

As for Teng Yin's wife, Princess Sun Quan, she cannot be protected; it would be best to send her to His Majesty. (End of Chapter)