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

Chapter 22 Everyone was once a swan, and everyone will become a sparrow.
This is attacking someone's spirit!

What was being punished was the Sun family, who had risked their lives to follow Sun Jian and pursue their ambitions for a better future!

The Sun family had nothing in the past, so they dared to fight and risk their lives. Under the leadership of Sun Jian, they fought all over the country to gain wealth and status.

But now?

Everything changed after he was adopted as a son. Yuan Shu no longer regarded the Sun family with the same arrogance as before, but instead humbled himself and valued them deeply.

Once the wealth and status once sought have been obtained, who would still be willing to follow him and risk their life for lofty ambitions?
He had heard that when people have nothing, they are often willing to gamble everything, but when they have wealth and status, they become more willing to cherish their lives.

Has this meant that people have changed? It's just that people's hearts are fickle.

As his thoughts raced, Sun Ce coldly observed Yuan Shu and the Sun family enjoying themselves. He felt a chill run through him, and a sense of despair far deeper than that experienced during the banquet at Shouchun Palace, gradually spread and overwhelmed him.

Everyone was once a swan, but everyone will become a sparrow?

But Sun Ce was not willing to accept it!

Perhaps his mother only hoped for a stable future for him, filled with peace and joy; perhaps his younger brothers only wanted stable wealth and a life free from worries about food and clothing.

But there are always some ambitions that your family won't understand, that the world won't comprehend, and that everyone thinks you won't succeed. But does that mean you should give up?

He won't!
Because he was the son of Sun Jian, the Tiger of Jiangdong, he was the Little Conqueror of Jiangdong, Sun Bofu!
At this moment, Sun Ce understood that his deepest secret was one that even his family could not confide in. The only person who could understand him was probably Zhou Yu, who shared the same lofty ambitions and ideals.

"Ce'er, what are you thinking about? Madam Wu and I have arranged a very important matter for you, aren't you coming over?"

Sun Ce, in a daze, looked up at the sound and saw Yuan Shu and Lady Wu smiling at him.

“My son has now conquered Danyang and wiped out the remaining forces of Liu Yao. He deserves a great reward.”

"It so happens that the Master has a daughter, a beautiful and sensible young woman of sixteen, who is well-educated, intelligent, and kind. He wishes to marry her to you as a token of his favor."

what!
Sun Ce snapped back to his senses, as if struck by lightning. Just as he was about to refuse, he saw his mother frown and give instructions.

"Lord Yuan is marrying off his daughter because he values ​​you. It is truly an honor for our Sun family to be married off. Ce'er, why don't you express your gratitude?"

Not only Madam Wu, but other members of the Sun family also joined in the commotion and urged them on, as if the wonderful prospect of a marriage alliance with the Yuan family, a family that had produced four generations of high-ranking officials, was just around the corner.

Meeting those pairs of eager, expectant eyes, Sun Ce felt a lump in his throat, unable to utter a word of thanks.

"It's alright. From now on, we're family. Why bother with thanking each other?"
Bo Fu was ambitious and perhaps still wanted to find a suitable match for himself, so Madam Wu tried to persuade him against it.

"The marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers; how can it be treated lightly?"

Ce'er has always been a sensible person; I reassured him, and I assure Lord Yuan that you can rest assured.

Watching his family joyfully send Yuan Shu away as if they had received immense wealth, and anticipating their endless admonitions and advice "for your own good," Sun Ce felt as if a large net was binding him. The more he struggled to break free, the tighter it became, making him feel as if he were suffocating.

Was it arranged by parents and matchmakers?

What a huge trap!
Arranging matters for Sun Ce and subduing the troops of Danyang, just as Yuan Shu gained another commandery and the other commanderies of Jiangdong were secretly on guard and filled with anxiety.

He did not rush to send troops, because spring plowing had arrived.

Yuan Shu reorganized his troops, pacified the people of Guangling, Wujun, Danyang and other places, prioritized agriculture, and consolidated his power base.

That steady, methodical approach, advancing while cultivating the land, gave those with ulterior motives absolutely no chance.

Yuan Shu first fulfilled his promise made at the start of the campaign, rewarding the soldiers with the captured money, grain, and supplies according to their military merits. He also implemented a twenty-level military merit system in the army, modeled after the Qin Dynasty, to reward those who had made contributions.

Even though these titles were only valid within Yuan Shu's territory and not recognized by other warlords, who could remain unmoved by top-tier titles such as Marquis of Guannei and Marquis Che?
Even if you are indifferent, you can still be indifferent when you see that the brother who slept in the same bed with you last night has made a meritorious contribution and become a second-level superior official, receiving a reward and wearing gold and jade, while you are still a commoner and have not even reached the first-level position of public servant.
The worst thing is to compare oneself to others, especially to be bound by class distinctions. Even worse, once one enters a different class, there are different levels of honors and titles. Thus, those who have received titles worry about being surpassed and crave higher ranks, while those without titles are itching to have a sword in hand, wishing for a few enemy soldiers to come and chop off their heads!
Yuan Shu's actions were tantamount to opening a private server on the Great Han server.

In the Great Han server, family lineage (VIP level) matters. Even if you have made great contributions (by spending money), the amount of reward depends on the mood of the superior (whether you are lucky or unlucky).

But in Yuan Shu's private server, you can exchange a certain number of heads for a certain number of titles (you can see the experience bar), and you can advance in rank by killing enemies (leveling up by fighting monsters)!

Who can bear this?
The morale of the troops was greatly boosted, and the soldiers' desire to fight was higher than ever before.

Just then, upon hearing that Yan Baihu, a mountain bandit, was causing trouble in Wu County, the eyes of all the soldiers lit up.

On that day, Yan Baihu, who was drinking wine from large bowls and eating large chunks of meat in the village, was not concerned when he heard that government troops were coming to invade. He laughed heartily.

"Men, bring me my golden hammer! Behold, I will slay generals and raise banners!"

When he gathered his men and charged into the mountains, he saw tens of thousands of people surrounding the stronghold, with a huge banner bearing the character "Yuan" fluttering in the wind.

Yan Baihu swallowed hard, his hand trembling as he held the hammer. "The enemy is numerous, and it would be disadvantageous for us to fight outside the camp. My men, stay with me and hold the line."

However, how could they hold out without reinforcements?
In Yuan Jun's eyes, Yan Baihu and his band of mountain bandits were already walking military achievements.

Faced with wave after wave of fierce and valiant soldiers, with Sun Ce and Taishi Ci leading the charge, Zhou Tai being the first to breach the camp, and Zhou Yu holding the central command to assist Yuan Shu in directing the operation.

With this lineup, how could they possibly defeat a mountain bandit?
"Youping, what's wrong with letting you go first?"
Behold, a dilapidated village!

Before the people arrive, the sound arrives first!
A burly man, shirtless and muscular, charged forward with a loud shout, lifting a two-zhang-long log.

With a loud crash, the gate of the stockade shattered and flew open!

The power of a single collision is astounding!

Yan Baihu's face turned green. What kind of trouble had he caused?
Before he could react, he saw that the gate of the stronghold had been breached, and two more brave young soldiers, spear in hand, charged at him on horseback amidst the fighting.

"Ziyi, don't try to take my head!"

"Young Master, you have already made a great contribution by conquering Danyang for our lord. I have not yet made any contribution. How can I let you have it?"

Yan Baihu: "."

Seeing that the situation was hopeless and his head was in danger, he hurriedly shouted, "The might of Lord Yuan is now known! Yan Baihu has surrendered! He has surrendered!"

Fortunately, Yuan Shu had more than just heads; prisoners were also considered military merits, so the two immediately stopped and looked at him coldly.

"Will you subdue me, or him?"

“I am Yuan Gong’s adopted son. Think it through before you speak.”

Yan Baihu: ? ? ?

Seeing his hesitation and indecisiveness, Sun Ce and Taishi Ci exchanged a glance and understood that they should each rely on their own abilities.

How could Yan Baihu be a match for the two of them?

With one man and one spear piercing both sides, in the ensuing struggle, this bandit leader, who had roamed Wu County for many years and plundered for years, was killed, his body torn in two.

Only that fine head, which rolled off the ground, died with its eyes wide open in disbelief!

(End of this chapter)