Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 222 Let Sun Ce be the villain

Seeing Cao Yan's serious expression, Zhang Hong knew he wasn't joking.

Cao Cao, Xun You, and Jia Xu all looked at Zhang Hong, wanting to see how he would respond.

Zhang Hong's expression quickly returned to normal, but he was weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

"Cao Yan wants me to stay in Xuchang, probably because he wants to use me as a hostage..."

"Although our lord now occupies Jiangdong, he was formerly a subordinate of Yuan Shu and was not appointed by the court, so his position is ultimately illegitimate."

"If I could exchange my life for a formal appointment from the imperial court, allowing my lord to gain a foothold in Jiangdong, it wouldn't be a bad idea."

"While I remain in Xuchang, ostensibly as a hostage, I can secretly gather and transmit intelligence to gain more initiative for my lord..."

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Hong made up his mind to sacrifice himself for Sun Ce's ambition.

“Hong, I am willing to go to Xudu.” Zhang Hong bowed deeply and then pleaded, “I only ask that Minister Situ submit a memorial to the Emperor as soon as possible, so that Bo Fu can rightfully assist Minister Situ in eliminating the false emperor Yuan Shu, and not chill the hearts of the many young men of Jiangdong.”

Zhang Hong was a great talent. Besides what everyone knows, what Cao Cao loved most was talent.

Upon seeing that Zhang Hong was willing to stay in Xuchang, Cao Cao was overjoyed and quickly went to Zhang Hong's side to personally help him up.

"Rest assured, sir, I will immediately petition the Emperor to appoint Bo Fu as General Who Subdues the Barbarians and Marquis of Wu, while retaining his concurrent post as Governor of Kuaiji! After we defeat Yuan Shu, I will again commend Bo Fu for his achievements!"

General Who Subdues the Barbarians, Marquis of Wu...

This was probably the best possible conferment they could come up with when they discussed it with Zhou Yu.

"Thank you, Minister!" Zhang Hong bowed again and then said, "Rong Hong, please go back and pack your things quickly. You will head to Xuchang the next day."

Cao Cao was not afraid that Zhang Hong would go back on his word. Perhaps to show his magnanimity, he immediately waved his hand and said, "From now on, we are all family. You may leave now."

"Farewell."

"Take care of yourself!"

……

Zhang Hong returned to Sun Ce's camp and carefully recounted the whole story.

Sun Ce was so angry that he almost drew his sword to fight Cao Cao and Cao Yan, but after being persuaded by Zhou Yu, Zhang Hong, Cheng Pu and others, he finally accepted the fact that Zhang Hong had left him.

Although Zhang Hong has left, there is still Zhang Zhao.

So although Sun Ce lost Zhang Hong, he gained official endorsement and a formal identity that allowed him to secure his position in Jiangdong. In fact, this deal wasn't a bad one.

At night, Cao Yan sat alone in his tent.

At this time, Sun Ce was merely a young general whom Cao Cao could use.

Before the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao did not really take the Sun family of Jiangdong seriously, especially after Sun Ce died young.

But it was Liu Bei, an extremely down-on-his-luck imperial uncle, and the seemingly weak Eastern Wu, who actually defeated Cao Cao, who claimed to have a million-strong army, which led to the Three Kingdoms period.

In the current situation, we need to stabilize Sun Ce first before we can focus on dealing with Yuan Shu and Lü Bu.

As for the future, with Cao Yan around, even if there is another Battle of Red Cliffs, it's still uncertain who will burn whom.

……

Ten days later, the imperial edict was delivered to Sun Ce's camp.

"Sun Ce was appointed General Who Subdues Rebels, enfeoffed as Marquis of Wu, and appointed Governor of Kuaiji... Zhang Hong was appointed Imperial Censor and remained in Xuchang..."

After getting the result he wanted, Sun Ce indeed personally led an army of 30,000, along with Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang and other former subordinates of Sun Jian, north to the city of Shouchun, where they joined forces with Cao Cao's army to besiege Shouchun.

Outside Shouchun City, both Cao Cao's and Sun Ce's armies were diligently digging trenches and building fortifications, seemingly determined to wage a long-term siege.

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu arrived at Cao Cao's camp to discuss the upcoming siege.

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu arrived at Cao Cao's camp.

Inside the camp gate, soldiers stood in neat rows on both sides, holding long spears, looking imposing and majestic, while shouts of drill could be heard from afar.

The two men couldn't help but exchange a glance, and Sun Ce sighed, "Cao Cao is indeed skilled at managing his army, but the men of Jiangdong are no less capable."

Zhou Yu merely smiled, but his heart was not so optimistic: "Cao Cao's army is well-equipped, even the ordinary soldiers wear fish-scale armor! This also reflects that Cao Cao's economy is prosperous and the people's livelihood must be good... How difficult it is to compete with such a person for the world! But I, Zhou Gongjin, will never admit defeat easily!"

Cao Cao was discussing military matters with Xun You, Jia Xu, and others in the central command tent when he heard that Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had arrived. He immediately got up to greet them.

Outside the camp,
Cao Cao looked at Sun Ce and thought to himself, "This young Sun Ce is brave and valiant, and has the style of his father, Sun Jian." Then he looked at Zhou Yu, "Wearing a scholar's robe, he has an imposing presence, and his eyes occasionally flash with a sharp light. He must also be a man of wisdom and strategy."

"These two, one a scholar and the other a warrior, complement each other perfectly. No wonder they were able to pacify the six counties of Jiangdong in such a short time!"

Cao Cao, beaming, opened his arms and said, "Haha, Bofu and Gongjin, you two have come from afar. I, Cao Cao, have failed to greet you properly!"

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Minister Cao."

Cao Cao welcomed the two men into his tent and seated them as host and guest.

After exchanging pleasantries, Cao Cao spoke first: "Bo Fu, it is a great fortune for the court and the world that you have personally led the army here to fight against Yuan Shu with me. This reminds me of the days when I fought against Dong Zhuo with Sun Wentai."

When Sun Jian was mentioned, Sun Ce looked somewhat dejected.

But he quickly composed himself and respectfully replied, "Yuan Shu's claim to the throne is a heinous act. Although I am not talented, I am willing to serve the court, quell the rebellion, and set the record straight."

Cao Cao nodded in approval, then looked at Zhou Yu and asked, "Bo Fu, what are your thoughts on this attack on Shouchun?"

Sun Ce naturally turned to look at Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu then stood up, cupped his hands slightly, and said, "Shouchun is Yuan Shu's stronghold, with strong city walls and ample food supplies."

Although Yuan Shu lost popular support after declaring himself emperor, he still had many generals and soldiers under his command.

If we launch a direct assault, our army will likely suffer heavy casualties.

In my opinion, we should first besiege Shouchun, cutting off its food supplies, and then, when its morale is low, launch a full-scale attack.

Xun You added from the side, "Yuan Shu is cunning. If we cannot capture him for a long time, he may break out and escape. Our army needs to set up ambushes around the perimeter to prevent Yuan Shu from escaping."

Jia Xu, who had been listening silently, suddenly spoke up: "My lord, you can order the Jiangdong army and our army to split into two groups and attack the city at the same time."

The Jiangdong army attacked from the south gate, while our army attacked from the east gate.

This would disperse Yuan Shu's army and increase the chances of winning the siege.

Cao Cao looked at Sun Ce and Zhou Yu and asked, "What do you two think?"

Sun Ce looked at Zhou Yu, who nodded slightly. Sun Ce said, "This plan is feasible."

However, when our army attacks the city, Cao Cao should send troops to feign attacks at other city gates to prevent Yuan Shu's army from concentrating its forces against both our and Cao Cao's armies.

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Don't worry, Bofu, I will make the arrangements."

After the discussion, Cao Cao hosted a banquet for Sun Ce and Zhou Yu.

After several rounds of drinks, Cao Cao said, "Bo Fu, Gong Jin, if we can capture Shouchun this time, I will definitely submit a memorial to the Emperor on your behalf to reward you for your merits."

Sun Ce stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Minister Cao, I only ask for the court's recognition, to secure a proper status for the people of Jiangdong. As for rewards, that is secondary."

Cao Cao understood Sun Ce's thoughts and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Bo Fu. As long as you make great contributions to the court, the court will not treat you unfairly."

After the banquet, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu took their leave.

As Cao Cao watched the two figures depart, he said to Xun You and Jia Xu, "Sun Ce and Zhou Yu are truly the twin jewels of Jiangdong. We must be more vigilant in the future."

Jia Xu joked, "So it turns out that the Minister of Works is also on guard. I thought that the Minister of Works also wanted to adopt Sun Ce as his son."

Cao Cao was both amused and exasperated, saying, "My son Xiu is no less capable than Sun Ce."

Xun You cupped his hands and said, "What you say is absolutely right, my lord."

Cao Cao suddenly remembered something and turned to Xun You, asking, "By the way, what has Zi'an been doing today? I haven't seen him around."

Xun You replied, "I was just about to report this to the lord. Zi'an went to inspect the Huai River today."

"The Huai River?" Cao Cao was taken aback upon hearing this and asked, "What are you going to the Huai River for, Zian?"

"I suspect that Zian might be planning a water attack!" Jia Xu said.

Cao Cao frowned slightly and said, "You intend to flood Shouchun? Leaving aside the fact that the Huai River's water level is low in autumn, even if a water attack were possible, it wouldn't align with Zi'an's character of loving the people like his own children… unless…"

"Unless Zi'an is trying to lure Sun Ce into a trap and make him the villain..."

"Sigh... Zi'an's habit is really bad..."

But it works!

(End of this chapter)