The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Knowing Guan Yu's temperament, Wang Fu saw that he had made up his mind and did not try to persuade him further. He honestly replied, "The Zhu, Gu, Lu, and Zhang families are the most respected among the four great families of Wu County. The Zhu family has a manor about 20 miles to the southwest, and the amount of grain inside is roughly estimated to be no less than 200,000 shi."

Guan Yu exclaimed in surprise, "So many?"

Wang Fu spread his hands and said, "Wu County is a land of plenty. Since Sun Ce died, there has been no major war in the area. The weather has been good for so many years, so it is not surprising that we have accumulated some money and grain."

Guan Yu's beard trembled with excitement. After rummaging through chests and cabinets for a while, he found a map of Wu County, spread it on the table, and said, "Mark all the manors of the four major families that are closest to me. I'll scan them one by one."

Wang Fu: "..."

Are you not planning to leave any way out for the gentry? Are you a general or a bandit?

While inwardly grumbling, his hands didn't slow down at all, quickly circling several manors. Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed into his mind, and he slapped his forehead, cursing, "Look at my brain! Why bother with all this effort? Why not just find a few guides who know the area well?"

After sending Wang Fu away, Guan Yu began to make preparations and then patiently waited for news.

Three days later, news came back that the gentry had gone to the Gu family manor to attend the funeral. Guan Yu immediately mustered 20,000 troops and charged out of the city towards the Zhu family manor.

Attacking a small manor naturally wouldn't require so many people, but don't forget they're there to plunder grain; so much grain needs to be carried.

These days there are no semi-trailer trains; transportation relies entirely on manpower. Without carrying more people, how could hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain be transported back quickly?

……

Gu Family Manor.

Today is the day of Gu Mu's burial. All the prominent gentry of Jiangdong have come, including Zhou Yu's son Zhou Xun and his wife Sun Luban.

The funeral was presided over by Gu Yong's younger brother, Gu Hui, the Eastern Cao Yuan. Gu Hui, along with a group of Gu family members, busied himself with preparations, inviting all the guests to the mourning hall to offer incense. Then, leaning on the coffin, he cried out in grief, "My poor nephew suffered such a cruel fate at such a young age at the hands of the Guan family father and son. How can I face my brother?"

"Xiao Ze died young, and J Ze also met with misfortune. If my brother knew, how could he bear it? My poor nephew."

The "filial piety" he mentioned was the courtesy name of Gu Yong's eldest son, Gu Shao, who passed away in the nineteenth year of Jian'an at the age of thirty-one. The "Ji" was the courtesy name of Gu Mu.

If Gu Yong had known that his two sons had died in just a few years, he would have been terrified of death.

Gu Hui cried so bitterly that he infected everyone else, and they too were immersed in sadness.

Zhang Wen patted Gu Hui on the shoulder and advised, "Zitan (Gu Hui's courtesy name), don't worry. A life for a life and a debt for a debt. We will never let this matter go."

“That’s right, revenge is necessary.” Gu Hui grabbed Zhang Wen’s sleeve, but looked at Zhang Zhao and said, “Strategist, you must stand up for me and for the Gu family in this matter.”

Zhang Zhao has served as the chief steward of Jiangdong for many years, and his prestige in Jiangdong is unmatched. When people encounter problems, he is the first person they think of.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhao stepped forward, patted Gu Hui on the shoulder, and sighed, "Don't worry, Zi Tan, I will give your Gu family an explanation for this matter."

After speaking, he turned to face the crowd and said to the group of elite gentry, "To be honest, none of us expected Guan Yu to suddenly storm Jianye, but one thing was foreseeable: Guan Yu is now an isolated force, without allies or reinforcements, and he certainly won't last long."

"I originally thought that Guan Yu would recognize his situation and accept my suggestion to negotiate with Jiangdong. At worst, I could just return Jingzhou to him. But now it seems I was wrong."

"Not only did Guan Yu reject my proposal, but he also sent his second son, Guan Xing, to act recklessly, attempting to reform Jiangdong and annex it. He simply doesn't take us seriously. Yuan Xun, show everyone what you've collected."

Zhuge Ke took out a piece of silk from his bosom, and together with Zhou Xun, unfolded it and placed it in front of everyone.

As everyone drew closer, they discovered that the silk was covered with tiny writing. Upon closer inspection, their expressions changed drastically; the words written on the silk were far too shocking to hear.

The aristocracy eat your flesh and drink your blood, yet they turn around and despise your blood for being dirty. All rights belong to the working people; those who do not work shall not eat…

Every single word touched a nerve with everyone present, making them furious.

Zhang Wen once again acted as the mouthpiece, shouting angrily, "What does Guan Anguo want to do? Does he want to incite the people to rebel and kill all the gentry of Jiangdong? Who does he think he is, the Great Teacher of Virtue?"

Sun Shao chimed in, "Guan Xing's words and actions are far too arrogant. Jiangdong will not allow such an arrogant person to exist. Zibu, what do you suggest?"

Everyone chimed in, saying, "Chief Secretary Sun is right. Jiangdong belongs to our gentry, a Jiangdong that even Cao Cao couldn't conquer. What right do the Guan family have? Strategist, just give the order."

Seeing that the people's hearts were with them, Zhang Zhao didn't mince words and said directly, "The lord has sent word that the Grand Commander has led his army back and will arrive in a few days to launch a counterattack on Jianye. However, the army is traveling light and has not brought much food. The food in the city's granaries has fallen into Guan Yu's hands. Therefore, we need to provide the Grand Commander with the food needed for this battle."

Gu Hui said impatiently, "No problem. Giving it to the Grand Commander is better than giving it to the Guan family father and son, right? Strategist, you name the amount, and I'll scrape together the money even if I have to sell everything I own."

Zhang Wen echoed, "I have no problem with that either."

Guan Xing's murder of Gu Mu aroused public outrage, and his reforms made the gentry feel an unprecedented crisis, thus successfully uniting them together.

Zhang Zhao continued, "Besides provisions, I also need troops. Jianye City is under the Grand Commander's jurisdiction, so we won't interfere. But I will not allow this scoundrel Guan Xing to continue to roam free; he must be eliminated as soon as possible."

Gu Hui spoke first again, saying, "No problem, my Gu family will send three thousand soldiers. I'll fight the Guan family father and son to the death."

Zhang Wen echoed, "My Zhang family will send two thousand soldiers, personally led by my younger brother Zhang Bai."

Others also contributed troops, some contributing a thousand, others eight hundred, and soon they had raised twenty or thirty thousand men. Zhang Zhao was terrified when he heard this and quickly said, "It doesn't take that many to deal with Guan Xing. Eight thousand soldiers are enough, but I want to select the best of the best, the absolute elite."

To be honest, the Jiangdong gentry were truly wealthy.

After gaining everyone's support, Zhang Zhao continued, "The auspicious time has arrived. Let my nephew Ji Zexian be laid to rest. After that, go home immediately to prepare. I have already ordered my son Zhang Cheng to return from Ruxukou. He will lead the troops to conquer Guan Xing."

Everyone has selfish motives, and Zhang Zhao is no exception. Conquering Guan Xing is a military achievement, and it shouldn't be given to outsiders, right?

Although he already knew that the surprise attack on Jianye was Guan Xing's idea, he didn't think Guan Xing was that great; at most, it was just a lucky coincidence.

After all, Guan Xing had no record of leading troops on his own. How fierce could a greenhorn who was new to the battlefield be? Did they really think that all the Han people were Huo Qubing?

Even if Guan Xing were as brave as Huo Qubing, so what? He only had two or three thousand soldiers under his command, and he was unfamiliar with the area in Jiangdong. What waves could he possibly make?

His son, Zhang Cheng, was different. He had repeatedly campaigned against the Yue tribes and fought against the Wei army at Ruxukou for many years. His abilities and experience far surpassed those of Guan Xing.

More importantly, Zhang Cheng was fighting on home ground and had an absolute advantage in troop strength. If he could still lose, Zhang Zhao felt he might as well jump into Taihu Lake.

While Zhang Zhao was lost in thought, the Gu clan members had already carried the coffin to the cemetery to prepare for burial. Unexpectedly, just as they left the mourning hall, a strong man stumbled into the mansion gate, crying out, "Strategist, something terrible has happened! Guan Yu has launched a surprise attack on the Zhu family manor and robbed all the grain and supplies. Now he's heading for the Zhang family manor."

Thump... Ah...

The young men carrying the coffin stumbled, and the coffin fell and smashed onto their feet, causing them to howl in pain.