Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Sun Ce heard Wei Yan's voice outside the tent, suppressed the swirling thoughts in his head, endured the sharp pain from his ribs, and said in a hoarse voice: "It's Wen Chang, come in." Before he finished speaking, he coughed violently again, and the blood seeping from between his fingers spread on the bedding.

Wei Yan strode into the tent, his phoenix-beaked sword slamming heavily onto the blue brick floor, making a dull sound. He looked at Sun Ce, whose face was pale on the couch, and a trace of heartache flashed in his eyes: "My lord, are you in any serious condition?"

Sun Ce struggled to stand up. The excruciating pain from his wounds made his vision go black, and cold sweat instantly soaked the bandages on his back. He forced a smile: "The wound is a bit serious, but fortunately it's only a superficial wound, not affecting my internal organs. However, I'm afraid that revenge for my brother...will be delayed."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yan's expression suddenly became serious. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "My lord, there is something suspicious about your pursuit of Huang Zu today."

Sun Ce's originally somewhat distracted eyes suddenly tightened, and a dizziness came over him. He held his forehead and said in a hoarse voice: "Wen Chang, if you have any doubts, please tell me." As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to suddenly think of something and looked up suddenly: "By the way, Wen Chang, why did you rush to this chaotic army first today?"

Sun Ce struggled to stand up. The excruciating pain from his wound made him see stars, but he still stared at Wei Yan, his eyes full of surprise and doubt: "We set out together today. You were escorting the food and grass in the rear. When I was chasing Huang Zu, Lü Meng, Lü Dai and the others were all behind me..." He coughed violently a few times, and the blood seeping from between his fingers stained the bandage red. "Why are you the first to break through the encirclement?"

Wei Yan slammed one knee down on the bricks with a "bang," slamming his phoenix-beaked sword into the ground, making the teacups on the table buzz. Blood seeped through the cracks in his armor, and his breath carried the smell of rust. "My lord! I was escorting a convoy of grain and fodder when I suddenly heard the deafening sound of fighting from the north! I immediately ordered my soldiers to entrust the grain carts to Mr. Zigang for the time being, while I, sword in hand, mounted my horse and galloped away at the head of three hundred light cavalrymen!"

His Adam's apple rolled, and his face was stained with blood and sweat. "I ran into soldiers on the way and learned that our lord had defeated Huang Zu and was leading an elite force in pursuit! Thinking that this was a rare opportunity to make a contribution, I whipped my horse and spurred it on, crossing three mountain ridges in a row! But as the sun set, I saw the army stagnant at the entrance of Hulu Valley!" Wei Yan suddenly clenched the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white. "When Lu Meng and Lu Dai saw me questioning them, one looked around and talked about other things, while the other lowered his head and fiddled with the reins. Xue Zong was even more hesitant and couldn't speak clearly!"

Outside the tent, a cold wind blew dead leaves against the curtains. Wei Yan looked up suddenly, his eyes bloodshot. "I ripped open the collar of a soldier and interrogated him, only to find out that our lord had already entered a dangerous area! When I asked him why he didn't move his troops, Xue Zong stammered, 'It's dark at night and the road is dangerous. We might have an ambush!'" He laughed in anger, his laughter filled with suppressed cruelty. "If you were afraid of an ambush, why didn't you rush to the main army to support them? Instead, you stopped outside and let our lord take the risk himself."

Sun Ce's pupils suddenly constricted, and cold sweat trickled down his pale cheeks. He recalled the large army behind him during the pursuit. As the night deepened, the sound of horse hooves gradually faded. He recalled the distance Lu Meng and the others had deliberately maintained when returning to camp, and his stomach suddenly churned. "You mean... they were deliberately delaying?"

Sun Ce clutched Wei Yan's wrist tightly, a strangled growl emanating from his throat. The candlelight within the tent cast a flickering shadow over his pale face. "If this is true, it will be like a storm sweeping across Jiangdong!" He coughed violently, blood splattering on Wei Yan's bloodstained armor. "Lü Meng and Lü Dai hold military power... If they've been harboring rebellious intentions for a while now, alerting them now would put Jiangdong in danger!"

Wei Yan was about to speak when Sun Ce raised his hand to stop him, his gaze fixed on the swaying shadows on the tent ceiling. "Tomorrow morning, order the entire army to break camp and return to Jiangdong." He gritted his teeth, each word tearing at a wound. "Speak only of my serious injuries and need to rest. All military affairs will be temporarily handed over to Sun Quan." At this point, a cold glint flashed in Sun Ce's eyes. "When we return to Jianye, I'll see what these 'loyal and righteous men' are up to!"

Before he could finish his words, hurried footsteps suddenly rang out from outside the tent. Sun Ce and Wei Yan simultaneously held down their weapons as a medical officer trembled as he entered, holding a medicine bowl. "My lord, it's time to take your medicine..." Sun Ce stared at the swirling black mist within the bowl, his mind aroused by Zhang Hong's previous anomalies. He calmly took the bowl, then caught a glimpse of Wei Yan quietly blocking the couch, his blade looming in the shadows.

"Leave it here." Sun Ce placed the medicine bowl on the table and closed his eyes wearily. "Tonight, you will stand guard outside the tent. No one is allowed to approach." After the medical officer left, he looked at the flickering candlelight, a sinister smile curling his lips. "Wen Chang, from now on, we must keep our eyes open—the nights in Jiangdong are probably darker than we imagined."

Wei Yan looked at the steaming medicine bowl on the table and said, "My lord, good medicine tastes bitter but is good for the disease. It is better to take it while it is hot."

Sun Ce stared at the brown liquid bubbling in the medicine bowl, sneered, and gently stroked the edge of the bowl with his fingertips: "If they really have second thoughts, this bowl of medicine..." He suddenly pushed the medicine bowl hard, and the porcelain bowl made a harsh friction sound on the table. "I'm afraid we should be careful!"

Wei Yan's expression suddenly changed. His iron-like knuckles instantly clenched the phoenix-beak knife, and the scabbard rubbed against the armor, making a crackling sound. "My lord! Now that you have sensed the danger, I am willing to fight to the death to protect you and break through! Mount your horse now, and you will definitely be able to fight your way out!" He knelt heavily on one knee, and the dust he kicked up mixed with the wet blood.

Sun Ce coughed violently, pressing a bloodstained handkerchief to his lips. The excruciating pain from the wound made his vision blur. He forced himself to wave his hands, a wry smile playing on his pale face. "Master Wen, please be patient..." A sweet and fishy feeling welled up in his throat, but he suppressed the discomfort. "Not to mention that the matter is still unresolved, even if they truly have evil intentions..."

He struggled to sit up, blood seeping from the bandage leaving dark red marks on the bedding: "If the army takes action rashly outside, Jiangdong will be in chaos! I don't know how many soldiers under Lü Meng and Lü Dai have been bewitched. If they mutinied, they would not only be attacked from all sides?" Sun Ce's eyes swept over the swaying torches outside the tent, "Not to mention that Zhou Tai and I are seriously injured. If you are alone..." He coughed again before he finished speaking, "The best policy is to stabilize the situation. When we return to Jiangdong, I want to see how many followers they have!"

Sun Quan stumbled out of the tent. The cold night wind whipped gravel into his face, but it couldn't suppress the undercurrent surging in his eyes. His fingertips unconsciously stroked his brother's blood-stained handkerchief. His tear-stained face was a complex expression of grievance and resentment. Sun Ce's words, "You're a real man, why are you crying?" struck like a hammer to his heart. Even though he was seriously injured and dying, his brother's authority remained like an invisible shackle, trapping him in the shadow of his "useless younger brother."

Memories flooded back like a tide. He was only a young child when his father, Sun Jian, died in battle, while his elder brother, Sun Ce, had already wielded his sword, single-handedly slaying the enemy and reclaiming his former territory in Jiangdong. Over the years, his mother had constantly urged him to "learn from your brother." Soldiers spoke of the young master with awe, but only with scrutiny when they looked at him. Zhang Zhao's words from that day in the study echoed in his ears: "Zhongmou, when a tiger is soundly asleep, it is most vulnerable to being surrounded by wolves..."

He clenched his handkerchief tightly, his knuckles turning white from the strain. The campfire stretched his shadow long, twisting it into a hideous shape on the ground. The sound of patrolling footsteps echoed in the distance, startling jackdaws that fluttered across the night sky. Sun Quan looked up at the pitch-black sky, a suppressed growl rolling from his throat. They were all of the same Sun family, so why did everyone only see Sun Ce's brilliance? Now that his brother was seriously injured, perhaps this... was the turning point bestowed by fate?

The night wind, carrying gravel, rustled against the cowhide tent, sending a faint whimper. Sun Quan curled up in his brocade quilt, tossing and turning. His brother's cold, reprimanding eyes and Zhang Zhao's profound words from the past flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. Just as he grasped the quilt and sat up, deliberately quiet footsteps suddenly sounded outside the tent.

"Has the Second Young Master rested?" Zhang Hong's aged voice, wrapped in a chill, seeped into the tent. Sun Quan flung open the curtains, and a north wind, whirling dead leaves into the tent, flickered the candlelight on the table. Zhang Hong, draped in a dark cloak, stood in the moonlight, a faint smile on his face, the outline of a small, gilded bottle faintly visible through his wide sleeves.

"Mr. Zigang is visiting late at night..." Sun Quan's throat tightened, and his eyes unconsciously fell on the faint light. Zhang Hong turned sideways to avoid the draft and reached out to close the tent door. His old fingers left several dark fingerprints on the animal skin curtain: "I saw that the candle in your tent was still burning, so I came to visit." He walked to the bed, "General Sun Ce is seriously injured, and Jiangdong will not be able to return..."

"Oh, sir, feel free to speak up." Sun Quan suddenly flung aside his fox fur coat and sat up. The brocade quilt slipped back, revealing half of his bloodstained undershirt. The candlelight illuminated the bloodshot veins in his eyes. Outside the tent, the night watchman's drums rumbled, startling the distant night owls with their mournful cries.

Zhang Hong stroked his beard and chuckled, his wide sleeves sweeping across the cold medicine bowl on the table, stirring up a subtle porcelain sound: "Just now I heard the night patrol soldiers talking about how the master scolded you..." Before he finished speaking, Sun Quan grabbed the sword beside his pillow and slammed the hilt against the table with a loud noise: "What? Sir, you are not sleeping in the middle of the night, are you here to laugh at me?"

The old man didn't flinch, but instead leaned closer to the candlelight, a sinister shadow swirling in his wrinkles. "No, no, Second Young Master has misunderstood." His bony fingers traced a half circle in the air. "Thinking of such a heroic man like Second Young Master, who disregarded his own safety and shed tears for his brother, it is this kindness and sincerity that I admire."

Sun Quan's brows arched, and he was about to explode when he saw Zhang Hong stroking his goatee, his eyes half-smiling as he surveyed Sun Quan's suddenly tense face. "Everyone knows of Sun Ce in Jiangdong, but few have heard of Sun Zhongmou," he said, deliberately dragging out the last syllable, his bony fingers tracing across the scattered bamboo slips on the table. "Second Young Master and your brother are both descended from Mr. Sun Wentai, and both have the blood of heroes flowing in their bones. Your brother was able to shoulder the cause of Jiangdong, so why can't you?"

Sun Quan stood up abruptly, his brocade robe sweeping off the teacup on the table. The sound of porcelain shards shattering startled the patrol outside the tent, who subconsciously tightened his grip on his sword. "What nonsense, sir!" His eyes widened in anger. "Although my brother is seriously injured, his life is not in danger. How dare I covet the position of Lord of Jiangdong?"

Zhang Hong calmly pulled a white handkerchief from his sleeve and slowly wiped the tea that had splattered on it. "But what if..." He suddenly approached, a sinister glint in his cloudy eyes. "What if our lord suddenly passes away from illness? Do we really want to let that infant Sun Shao, a baby who can't even hold a sword steady, lead a hundred thousand-man army in Jiangdong?" Before he could finish his words, a strong wind suddenly arose outside the tent, blowing the candlelight to flicker and casting distorted shadows on the two men's faces.