Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 19 Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai!

There were three thousand soldiers outside the city. They came and went twice. At that time, they were full of heroic spirit, but today their ambitions remain unfulfilled.

Noticing Sun Ce's low spirits, Zhou Yu smiled and looked up at him, "I often hear my brother say: If we had three thousand elite soldiers, the mediocre men of Jiangdong would be no threat at all!"
Why, now that we have acquired the troops, is my brother so silent and preoccupied?

Sun Ce clenched his fists tightly, yet could not loosen them. He looked at Zhou Yu and let out a long sigh.

"Why does Gongjin ask such a question when he already knows the answer? I am not the kind of person who abandons his family and property. These troops will eventually be returned. Now, for the sake of these three thousand men, we have lost the last Sun family army under my maternal uncle. Such a loss is truly heartbreaking for me."

"You!"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yu lightly waved his feather fan, pointed at Sun Ce, and laughed and scolded, "Brother, you are so muddle-headed!"

"Why do you say that, Gongjin?"

Sun Ce frowned in confusion, "Today you said that wherever the army goes, the troops in Danyang will surely be annexed by them, and asked me to volunteer."

After being rejected, you devised another plan, using clever words and letters to imply that I should cooperate with my maternal uncle and his associates to achieve military merit and protect my troops.

"I hate that my prediction came true again, leading to this situation. My mother and family are about to fall into his hands. Instead of helping me find a way out, why are you making fun of me?"

"The solution to this impasse is right here, right before our eyes. Why should we seek it elsewhere, brother?"

Pointing lightly at the three thousand men, Zhou Yu patiently explained, "The man behind Lord Yuan is highly skilled; he always anticipates my moves and is extremely adept at predicting others' intentions!"

When Lu Boyan suddenly asked a question at the banquet last time, I thought I would finally see him appear in front of everyone to smooth things over for the unprepared Yuan Gong, so as not to lose the hearts of the people of Jiangdong.

I don't want to watch Yuan Gong's reply; perhaps he has already anticipated that the Jiangdong aristocratic families will test me.

This man's strategic planning and meticulous calculations are unparalleled in my life. It's no wonder such a master strategist prefers to remain hidden; a person who never appears leaves no room for error.

Upon hearing Zhou Yu's evaluation of someone in this way, Sun Ce was shocked. Only now did he realize what a terrifying opponent he was facing. Gongjin must have spent countless efforts scheming to help him.

But then another possibility occurred to him, "Gongjin, do you think it's possible that it's actually my adoptive father?"

"Are you saying that everything so far has been Yuan Gong's own doing, and that we've all been overthinking things?"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yu seemed to have anticipated his idea, saying, "How could I not know what you're saying? But this doesn't make sense."

If Yuan Zhen truly possessed such skill and ability, then what was he doing for the first half of his life? Was he hiding his talents? What was the point?

Sun Ce thought about it and agreed, then awkwardly asked, "And Gongjin, what about you today...?"

At this point, Zhou Yu, with his feather fan and silk turban, couldn't help but reveal a hint of self-satisfaction in his words.

"Don't you know that the fact that my scheme was exposed is also part of my calculation? His plans may be unsolvable, but Lord Yuan has a solution."

Even if he could list out countermeasures and impart them to Lord Yuan, how much of it could Lord Yuan himself remember? As our strategies change and evolve, layer by layer, the weakness of his inability to serve Lord Yuan at his side becomes glaringly obvious.

"My acquisition of Gongjin is a blessing from Heaven!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce was filled with admiration!
A thunderclap was heard in the silence. Who would have thought that what seemed like a verbal exchange between him and his adoptive father in the tent was actually a power struggle between the mastermind behind the scenes.

"As Gongjin said, no matter how perfect his plans are, Yuan Gong is not him after all, and cannot adapt to changing circumstances."

"Exactly that."

Zhou Yu nodded slightly. “On the surface, you lost Wu Jing’s troops and your mother and family to Yuan Gong for these three thousand soldiers. But think about it carefully, are these really what you lost?”

Even without this incident, once Yuan Shao's army reached Danyang, wouldn't they have absorbed Wu Jing's troops and spared the Sun family?

Before Sun Ce could answer, Zhou Yu interjected, "He won't! It's like bargaining. If you're offering goods as a gift and ask for a hundred gold pieces, the other person will refuse outright. But if they counter-offer, no matter the price, we'll make a deal immediately! Therefore, these three thousand soldiers were obtained through a series of clever tricks. With that in mind, are you still feeling troubled, brother?"

Unfortunately, it will all have to be repaid eventually.

"If you borrow and repay, it's easy to borrow again."

Right now, Lord Yuan's power is immense, and he is overwhelming Jiangdong with his might. Brother, you cannot defy his will. Not only must you return these troops, but you must also help him slay generals and capture flags, thus achieving great merit.

Only by gradually gaining his trust—three thousand today, five thousand tomorrow—until he is willing to entrust tens of thousands of troops to his brother, can he plan his escape.

"To humble oneself and wait for the opportune moment is to be too hasty in one's plans."

"It's alright. My elder brother is only just twenty, while Lord Yuan is nearing forty. This game of chess must be played slowly."

The two men looked at each other and smiled. Sun Ce was comforted by this and felt a surge of heroic spirit. He immediately spurred his horse and rode to the front of the army, raising a cloud of dust.

"The tiger tally is here; all three thousand men under your command shall obey!"

"Follow me straight to Danyang, we will not return until we conquer it!"

With Sun Ce's bravery and Zhou Yu's strategic acumen, the two worked together seamlessly. Although they only had three thousand men, due to Liu Yao's defeat, the remaining troops in Danyang were already in a state of panic, and desertions were rampant.

Their leaders were nothing more than nameless figures like Fan Neng, Zhang Ying, Yu Mi, and Zuo Rong; though they commanded tens of thousands of followers, they were nothing more than a mob.

On the battlefield, Yu Mi rode out into the fray, but was killed by Sun Ce in less than three exchanges. Fan Neng saw this and charged in, but was also killed by Sun Ce's shout!

In an instant, one general was killed by force, and another by shouting. Zhang Ying and Ze Rong were terrified. Zhou Shang then led his troops out to attack, and together with Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, they launched a coordinated attack. In a short time, Zhang Ying and Ze Rong were forced into a series of defeats.

Fortunately, after learning of Liu Yao's defeat, they made plans in advance. Zuo Rong, originally a general under Tao Qian, had already prepared boats and led the defeated troops to cross the river and escape to Xuzhou.

Just as Sun Ce was frantically searching for boats and secretly annoyed that these remnants would escape, he suddenly saw sails like clouds and boats like a forest on the Yangtze River. Dozens of warships and fast ships sped by and surrounded the fleeing soldiers.

The river wind howled, and the sails billowed. The already desperate and defeated soldiers were utterly thrown into chaos by this sight. They fought each other on their own, and were no match for the enemy.

Seeing their escape route cut off, Zuo Rong and Zhang Ying were filled with despair. "Zhou Yu's strategy is truly admirable!"

Sun Ce also laughed and said to Zhou Yu, "Gongjin, if you were prepared, why did you keep it from me?"

"We were indeed prepared, but..."

Zhou Yu's expression was strange. He pointed to the other side of the river, where a group of sails and ships had just appeared. "My uncles are over there."

"what?"

Sun Ce was greatly alarmed. Looking at the boats surrounding Liu Yao's routed army on the river, he loudly questioned them!
"I am Sun Ce, the Little Conqueror of Jiangdong! Who are you? State your names!"

"It was actually the eldest young master in person! I've made it just in time."

A small boat came ashore and brought two people on board. Upon seeing Sun Ce, they both bowed and clasped their hands in greeting.

"Jiang Qin/Zhou Tai pay their respects to the Eldest Prince!"
"I've come here for no other reason than to seek refuge with Lord Yuan!"

Sun Ce: "."

Sun Ce was speechless for a while, realizing that Yuan Shu's intentions in taking him as an adopted son were malicious.

Those who sought refuge with him all did so because of Yuan Shu, his father; who would seek refuge with their adopted son?
(End of this chapter)