Your Majesty, please spare Diao Chan; your yang energy is too strong.

Spring of the fourth year of Jian'an.

Zhou Heng took advantage of the situation while Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were locked in a stalemate at Guandu.

They launched an attack on Jiangdong.

In the present world, the only place Zhou Heng can conquer in the shortest amount of time is Jiangdong.

After all, Jingzhou had Liu Biao.

Forcing an attack on Jingzhou with his current strength is not a good decision.

Xuzhou is not bad.

However, as the saying goes, Xuzhou is a place of constant warfare.

And it's in the heart of the north.

A strategically vital location for military strategists.

Regardless of whether Cao Cao or Yuan Shao wins, neither will be able to let go of this piece of fat meat.

Zhou Heng naturally wouldn't set his sights on Jingzhou and Xuzhou.

For him, the now unclaimed Jiangdong region is undoubtedly the best option.

Because in Jiangdong there was only Sun Ce, a small warlord.

He only had a few thousand soldiers under his command.

The most crucial thing is...

In order to quickly conquer Jiangdong, Sun Ce slaughtered the powerful families of Jiangdong.

This had already aroused the dissatisfaction of the powerful families in Jiangdong.

Now that Zhou Heng has led his troops into Jiangdong, he has the perfect combination of favorable timing, geographical advantage, and popular support.

If we don't send troops now, when will we?

So, just when everyone in the world was focusing their attention on the north.

Zhou Heng secretly dispatched troops from the Jianghuai region.

He ordered Zhang Liao to be the general and Liao Hua to be the deputy general, leading an army of 100,000 to march straight towards Yuzhang in Jiangdong.

The news shocked the entire world.

.............

Especially Sun Ce.

It's important to understand that Jiangdong is still a very complex place.

Although Sun Ce captured several counties in Jiangdong in a short period of time.

It was nothing more than the result of violent massacre.

His men did not obey him.

Moreover, Jiangdong also has a legitimate governor, Liu Yao.

The two sides were evenly matched.

Hearing this news at that moment was like a bolt from the blue for him.

"Damn it, damn it! Zhou Heng, that scoundrel, not only did he seize my Jianghuai, but now he even dares to send troops to attack my Jiangdong. He's truly a scoundrel."

Sun Ce was furious.

He couldn't understand it no matter how hard he racked his brains. Zhou Heng had just taken over Jianghuai, so why was he not properly managing Jianghuai instead of coming to Jiangdong to mess around?

“Bo Fu, I think we should not be considering why Zhou Heng attacked Jiangdong right now.”

"The question is, how should we defend against his massive army?"

"You should know that Zhou Heng's current military strength can be said to be the third largest among the warlords in the world, after Cao Cao and Yuan Shao."

"With the troops we have, we are simply no match for them."

"Even if we wanted to mobilize the gentry of Jiangdong, it would be difficult to resist. Moreover, given our current situation of slaughtering the Jiangdong clans, it is impossible for them to support us."

Zhou Yu shook his head.

This was the first time I felt something was really difficult.

Although he had already guessed that Zhou Heng's next move after taking over Jianghuai would definitely be to enter Jiangdong.

Because apart from Jiangdong, Zhou Heng had no other way to expand his territory in the entire world.

Unless he wants to confront Cao Cao and Yuan Shao prematurely.

This is unrealistic.

Therefore, the only direction of attack is Jiangdong.

Only by taking over Jiangdong and using it as a springboard could he conquer all directions.

But he never expected that this time would come so quickly.

It's worth noting that Zhou Heng has only just acquired Jianghuai.

The territories and clans under his command have not yet submitted.

Shouldn't he be resting and recuperating?

Why would they attack Jiangdong at this time?

How could this not give him a headache?

He had already guessed this outcome.

Therefore, during this period, he kept urging Sun Ce to speed up his pace.

They even went so far as to carry out large-scale massacres of the Jiangdong clans.

The goal was to have the strength to fight Zhou Heng before he could fully launch his attack on Jiangdong.

He never expected that Zhou Heng would directly abandon the effort to stabilize Jianghuai.

Instead, they chose to directly attack Jiangdong.

No time for them to react at all.

This completely disrupted all his plans.

"What else can we do? We have to fight."

Sun Ce said coldly.

"Fight? How can we fight? I know you are brave and skilled in battle, Bo Fu, but Zhou Heng is very powerful."

"Moreover, this person is different from Yuan Shu; he is skilled in scheming."

"At this time, the enemy is coming with an army of 100,000. They must be determined to take Jiangdong. Our forces alone are not enough to resist them."

Zhou Yu shook his head.

"Then what do you mean?"

Sun Ce frowned.

"The best course of action is to negotiate. If that fails, we will have no choice but to seek refuge with Liu Biao in Jingzhou. Only if he sends troops will we have a chance of survival. Otherwise, we will surely meet a gruesome end."

Zhou Yu offered two options.

Fighting is unrealistic.

Not to mention that they only have a few thousand soldiers under their command, and they are attacked from both sides.

We must be prepared to face Liu Yao's counterattack at any time.

They also had to contend with the schemes of the powerful families of Jiangdong.

There were simply no extra troops to stop Zhou Heng, and even if there were, the gap between the two sides was too great.

Resisting Zhou Heng is by no means a simple matter.

"Talk? How do we talk?"

"They took my Jianghuai region, and now they want to take my Jiangdong region. You want me to talk to them?"

Sun Ce was furious.

It's one thing to have expended so much effort to attack Jianghuai, only to end up with nothing.

Now that they've come to our doorstep, I can't be angry; instead, I have to say they're doing a good job.

You even have to give them gifts so they won't hit you? You call this peace talks?

If you're going to back down, then back down. Why even talk about peace?

What a joke.

Is this my style of doing things?

“Bo Fu, I know you’re feeling frustrated, but this is the best solution right now.”

Zhou Yu sighed.

"All right!"

Left with no other choice, Sun Ce had to accept it reluctantly.

Although he was impulsive, he wasn't stupid.

With his current strength, he is no match for Zhou Heng.

Because so far, he only has a few thousand soldiers.

He's not even as good as Zhou Heng was back then.

If we successfully capture Liu Yao, we might be able to significantly strengthen our forces.

But right now, he is not in a position to benefit from favorable timing, location, or popular support.

There was no way to resist.

The solution Zhou Yu suggested was the only solution available.

“Alright, I’ll personally talk to Zhou Heng. As for Liu Biao, back then, Zhongmou was able to retrieve his ancestor’s body from Liu Biao at the age of nine, so I’m sure he can persuade him now.”

Zhou Yu said.

"Just do as you say."

Sun Ce had no choice but to nod.

"Of course, Bo Fu cannot rest during this period. Whether it is negotiating with Zhou Heng or with Liu Biao, in the end, it is only a temporary measure."

"It would be best if we could take over Jiangdong during this period, so that we would have a foothold."

"Only then can they develop in peace."

"To realize our plan to divide the world in two."

Zhou Yu reminded him.

It must be said that Zhou Yu truly devoted himself to his friend.

Even when faced with life and death, they never forget to remind each other.

"Don't worry, I understand."