Chapter 496

“This Qin Feng is not bad!” Liu Mang laughed. He would not like having a dishonest teammate digging a hole for him but if it happened to his enemies, he would feel happy.

“We can make him a marquis and a governor. However, it cannot be at Linhuai.” Liu Mang said as he had Jia Xu write a reply to Yangzhou. Qin Feng had contributed greatly by helping to defeat Sun Quan’s Army. However, it would be problematic if Qin Feng continued to rule over Linhuai. It was no longer possible for Qin Feng to return to Jiangdong’s side but that does not mean he could not give Linhuai to other factions.

Besides that, Linhuai was a strategic point for Liu Mang. He wanted to use it as an entryway to the ocean. That was why he could not leave Linhuai to Qin Feng.

“Anfeng still does not have a governor. Let us place Qin Feng there.” Liu Mang remembered. Anfeng surrendered during the time Liu Bei and Zhang Xiu attacked so it still did not have a governor. Anfeng was also no longer as important. Most of the people, especially the talented ones have moved to Guangzhou. Rather than calling Anfeng a province, it was more of an attachment to Guangzhou. They would not need to fear any possible tricks by Qin Feng.

“Milord. We have also captured the enemy’s advisor Lu Su Lu Zijing and second lord, Sun Quan Sun Zhongmou!” Jia Xu reminded.

Liu Mang looked at the list of prisoner names and noticed that these two were the most important captives. The others may have died or escaped. “What about Lu Meng and Ling Cao?” Liu Mang suddenly remembered. They were the first people to fight Zhang Liao. However, these two were not on the list. Liu Mang frowned and wondered if they died. Ling Cao was not as big a problem but he definitely wanted to know Lu Meng’s fate.

“Lu Meng and Ling Cao? They should probably still be alive.” Jia Xu was unfamiliar with these names. These two should only be a small general at most so he could not understand why Liu Mang was so cautious about these two. However, Liu Mang knew about Lu Meng’s true worth. It was Lu Meng that formed the strategy that resulted in Guan Yu’s death. It can also be said that he was the one that ultimately caused the death of the three brothers.

“They must have escaped from Linhuai city!” Jia Xu was referring to the escaped soldiers that had been in charge of guarding the city. He guessed correctly. Lu Meng and Ling Cao had indeed been ordered to guard Linhuai. Sun Quan intended to disregard them and show off his military strength. Instead Sun Quan got crushed and the two intelligent generals knew that defending the city was impossible. They promptly decided to escape since guarding the city would be pointless.

“Milord. What should we do about Lu Su and Sun Quan?”

“Lu Su Lu Zijing?” Liu Mang laughed. Lu Su was an acquaintance. Lu Su had almost got Liu Mang killed. If Gan Ning had not sank the Jiangdong Navy, they would have lost Wancheng and later, Lujiang.

Lu Su who had been captured were exchanged for at least a thousand gold. Now, Lu Su was captured again.

“Let us keep Lu Su!” Liu Mang did not want Lu Su to return. Liu Mang allowed Lu Su to return last time mostly because he needed craftsmen to make warships. Since he already had both, he no longer needed more. Besides that, these craftsmen were the core of Jiangdong. It was unlikely for them to agree sending over more craftsmen. That was why it was better for the talented Lu Su to be left here.

“Persuade him to surrender. If he doesn’t, just keep him in prison.” Liu Mang did not want to kill Lu Su. This was not just because of his talent. If it had been someone like Pang Tong, Liu Mang would have him executed in a heartbeat. However, Lu Su was an honest person so Liu Mang wanted to keep him.

“As for Sun Quan…”

“Does Milord have a plan?” Jia Xu gave a smile. Liu Mang knew that Jia Xu had already guessed his intentions.

“I am sure Wenhe has an idea as well. There is no need to hide it!” Liu Mang did not like Jia Xu looking at him with a knowing gaze. It was like an unrelated individual watching everyone’s idiotic play.

Jia Xu also stopped talking nonsense when he noticed Liu Mang’s unhappiness. “Let him go!”

“Why should I let him go when he has blue eyes like the Conqueror of Western Chu?” Liu Mang purposely asked even though he had the same thought as Jia Xu. Having blue eyes is just a genetic difference but in ancient times, it was enough to be considered an auspicious sign. This can be used to gather the citizen’s support.

“Having blue eyes is good for him. Unfortunately there is another conqueror above him!” Jia Xu replied, referring to Sun Ce. Liu Mang then purposefully asked a few more questions and made Jia Xu answer them.

In the end, the summary is that Sun Quan was a talented and ambitious person. He would definitely not want to fall from grace. Unlike Sun Ce who had military talent, Sun Quan was able to obtain the nobles favor. If Sun Quan were to be executed, these nobles would only be able to support Sun Ce and Jiangdong would become stable. On the other hand, sparing Sun Quan would allow the nobles to continue supporting Sun Quan to chase away Sun Ce. Sun Ce would then have two choices. The first one was to abdicate while the other was to kill his brother.

So Liu Mang chose to spare Sun Quan while extorting ten thousand gold from them.1

“Ten thousand gold? Would they fork out the money?” Jia Xu asked.

“I can’t make it cheaper than last time. Lu Su was already worth a few thousand gold so Sun Quan must be priced higher. I don’t believe Sun Ce has no money!” Liu Mang replied mercilessly. All he needed to do was to announce the price. Sun Ce would have no choice but to fork out the money. If he does not, he would be pressured not just by the nobles and citizens but also his mother. He would also obtain the reputation of someone who abandons his own little brother.

*****

Unable to control his anger and strength, Sun Ce once again smashed his table, splitting it into two. Standing by Sun Ce’s side was his advisor, Zhou Yu. He was the only one that could advise Sun Ce in this situation.

“Report! General Lu Meng and General Ling Cao has returned. They are requesting an audience!” The messenger reported. He fearfully gave his report when he saw the destruction inside the main camp for the Jiangdong Navy.

“Haha! They still dare to return? Why did they not just die on the battlefield? Tell them to get lost!” Sun Ce shouted as he smashed another newly replaced furniture into two. The wood shavings scattered and struck the messenger in the face. The messenger did not even dare to wipe the blood from his face until he was given permission to leave and treat his injuries by Zhou Yu.

“Bofu. Do not be so angry. Victory and defeat are common in military operations. Didn’t we also lose disastrously at Sanjiangkou?” Zhou Yu tried to console Sun Ce after the soldier left.

Unfortunately, Zhou Yu’s efforts did not bear fruit. “Lose? These pigs did not just lose! An army of seventy thousand got wiped out by an army of ten thousand! It was a battle that even pigs could win!” Sun Ce shouted angrily. It was not the defeat itself that enraged him but the numbers involved.

“Bofu! I am not trying to praise our enemies and diminish our own might. However, you must remember that Lu Bu’s Army are full of soldiers that are kings in land battles. The Wolf Cavalry and the Formation Breaker are all trump cards. Have you forgotten the battle at Wancheng?”

“Wancheng?” This was another sore point for Sun Ce. He sent out an army of one hundred thousand but was only left with five thousand survivors. Sun Ce himself did not want to remember this incident. If it had been anyone else aside from Zhou Yu that reminded him of this, Sun Ce would have personally killed him.

Seeing Sun Ce’s reaction, Zhou Yu continued. “Bofu. You have met the Xiliang Cavalry before. They may not be as good as the Wolf Cavalry but they were also one of the best!” Sun Ce had encountered the Xiliang Cavalry when it was still under Dong Zhuo’s command. At that time, they had defeated Sun Jian and caused the death of Zu Mao.

“There is also the Black Flag Army!” Zhou Yu said and then turned silent. The Black Flag Army had been the Zhou Family’s personal soldiers. The Zhou Family had spent a lot of money and at least ten years creating the Black Flag Army so that they could help Sun Ce and Jiangdong. He never expected they would end up turning against him at Wancheng. In fact, one of the reasons they failed to attack Wancheng was because of the Black Flag Army.

“These soldiers are definitely not inferior to your own troops.” Zhou Yu evaluated them and then frowned. “Then there is Zhang Liao Zhang Wenyuan.” Zhang Liao had been Lu Bu’s deputy general but when Zhang Liao commanded the troops personally, there is such a beautiful result. Zhou Yu could not help but frown as there was another huge threat.

“Lu Bu’s subordinate that can follow him up till this point is definitely a valiant general. Second Lord’s defeat was reasonable!” Zhou Yu added. He did not speak well for Sun Quan because he had a favorable impression of Sun Quan. On the contrary, Zhou Yu feared Sun Quan because the man was talented and had the support of the nobles. Such a person was also Sun Ce’s little brother. It would be strange if Zhou Yu was not vigilant. Yet, Zhou Yu still had no choice but to speak for Sun Quan at this point in time.

“An army of seventy thousand!” Sun Ce laughed bitterly. Twenty thousand soldiers within the army of seventy thousand had been elites. Lu Meng lost five thousand while Sun Quan lost the remaining fifteen thousand.

“Gongjin. Is Lu Bu truly our nemesis?” Sun Ce was at a loss. He, the elder brother threw a hundred thousand men at his opponent and lost ninety five thousand. His little brother threw seventy thousand men at his opponent and lost all of them. On top of that, he even got himself captured. In total, they had already lost almost a hundred and seventy thousand men. This was already half of Jiangdong’s strength.

“Milord. I already said that victory and defeat is common in war. If Lu Bu always wins, he would not have been chased out of Yanzhou and Xuzhou by Cao Cao. He was like a stray dog then and would have continued as such without our assistance!” Zhou Yu said this to make Sun Ce feel more at ease. However, it ended up making Sun Ce feel worse. This is because Sun Ce remembered that all of these wouldn’t have happened had he not try to scheme against Lu Bu especially since they initially had a cordial relationship. It was too late for regrets.

Sun Ce sighed and finally granted Lu Meng and Ling Cao an audience. Although he was not completely persuaded by Zhou Yu, he was no longer as irritable as before.

Despite Sun Ce finally granting an audience, Lu Meng and Ling Cao never entered the tent. Zhou Yu had to go out and see what was going on. He then returned and asked Sun Ce to go out and take a look.

Sun Ce angrily exited the tent with his sword and saw Lu Meng and Ling Cao kneeling on the ground. It was an exemplary case of kneeling and asking for punishment.

“Haha! Do you think I would not kill you if you do this? If you think you deserve death,2 then why did you not just die at Linhuai?”

“Milord! We…” Lu Meng was ashamed. Sun Ce’s words were too hurtful to his self-esteem. A general should die on the battlefield but he fled. Lu Meng himself did not have the face to look at Sun Ce.

“Milord is correct. We do not have the face to see you!” Lu Meng stood up and took out his sword.

“Protect the Lord!” Sun Ce’s bodyguards also reacted.

“Move aside.” Sun Ce roared at them coldly. As he himself was much more powerful than his bodyguards, he did not need them to protect him. Anyone that could kill him would be able to make short work of his bodyguards.

“There is no need to live! It is better to die!” Lu Meng said and tried to slash his neck.

“General Lu!” Zhou Yu shouted. He did not expect Lu Meng to act this way.

“You want to die? You still need my permission!” Sun Ce shouted and threw his sword. His sword flew and struck Lu Meng’s sword, disarming him.

“Milord! If you want us to die, please settle with just my life!”3 Ling Cao knelt in front of Sun Ce.

“Death is too light a punishment for you! I’ve told you before! Even if you lose, you must bring Zhongmou back! Yet you guys returned alone!”

“Milord. Don’t blame General Lu Meng for this! It is all the Second Lord’s fault!”

“Ling Cao! Don’t say anymore!” Lu Meng immediately scolded.

“General! If we don’t say it, you will definitely die!” Ling Cao ignored Lu Meng. While he was usually obedient, he knew that Lu Meng would die if he did not say this.

“Hmph! Speak! I want to see what is stopping you from dying!” Sun Ce coldly replied.

“Milord. This is not our fault. The Second Lord wanted to forcibly take military power. Milord had told us to command twenty thousand of Jiangdong’s elites. However, the Second Lord placed his trusted aide there instead. We lost a battle at Linhuai, suffering casualties of a several thousand men. Yet, the Second Lord initially wanted to execute us without question. In the following battle, the Second Lord did not bother consulting us. He made us defend the city while he took the rest of the army out for a decisive battle. The enemy defeated him without suffering much casualties. On the other hand, our remaining troops defending Linhuai were all old and weak soldiers. How are we supposed to save him?”

“Ling Cao!” Lu Meng shouted again.

“Is this true?” Sun Ce asked as he narrowed his eyes at Lu Meng.

Lu Meng could only brace himself and confirm that Ling Cao’s words were true.

Sun Ce felt his head ache and massaged it. Forcibly taking military power was a serious crime. Sun Ce knew that Sun Quan was ambitious but he tried to fool himself. He allowed his little brother to go out and fight despite Zhou Yu’s protests. Unfortunately, Sun Quan was too terrible. He could have chased Lu Meng and Ling Cao away with an excuse. However, he should not have done it before winning the battle. Now, Sun Quan himself was even captured.

“Milord! What’s wrong?” Zhou Yu quickly went to support Sun Ce.

“Nothing.” Sun Ce replied as he struggled to stand.

“Milord. When I gathered the men and withdrew, we came across a letter. Please look at it.” Lu Meng said as he ordered a soldier to hand over the letter.

Sun Ce read the letter and was immediately alarmed. “Ten thousand gold? Liu Mang Liu Hanyang! You might as well come and rob us!”

The letter contained Liu Mang’s orders to Yangzhou to exchange Sun Quan for ten thousand gold. The others who heard this also hissed. This amount was more than several years of military expenses. Even the richest people in Jiangdong did not have that much money.

“Milord! We have to save the Second Lord!” Zhou Yu cupped his fist at Sun Ce.

“How are we going to get the money?” Sun Ce laughed bitterly. He also wanted to save Sun Quan. Sun Quan was his little brother. While Sun Ce was cruel to others, he treated his family very well. Unfortunately, he had no money. “Gongjin. Have the craftsman change all the warships under construction into merchant ships!”

“Milord! We must not do this!” Zhou Yu was stunned. These warships were all being made to replace their old ones. It was needed to win Jiangxia. Not only was it needed to advance their war efforts. Without it, the soldiers can only hide and would not dare to fight. This is because Jingzhou would still be able to bring out more ships after a battle while Jiangdong would not have any new ships.

“What else can we do? Am I supposed to watch Zhongmou die?” Sun Ce was also helpless. He was a Lord but also a brother. In fact, after the death of his father, he had raised his two siblings up and gave them everything that he could give. In a sense, he was also their father.

His little sister loved weapons instead of clothing. So he invited violent women for his sister to play soldiers. His little brother was ambitious and he allowed it instead of killing his little brother like what others would have done. Even though this would endanger his position.

On the other hand, Zhou Yu actually wanted Sun Quan to die. He would be happy with Liu Mang killed Sun Quan. That way, Jiangdong would be at peace. He had tried reminding Sun Ce about Sun Quan’s threat many times but Sun Ce would always avoid this topic. Sun Ce would not listen to Zhou Yu at all and even if he did, it was less likely for him to follow through in action.

Zhou Yu shook his head. He did not want to save Sun Quan but he had no other choice especially if Sun Ce was willing to abandon his cause to save his brother. “Milord. There are other ways to save him but the warships need to be made!”

“Gongjin! I know you must have a plan!” Sun Ce said happily.

Zhou Yu secretly hoped his actions is worth it. “Milord. We don’t have the money but Jiangdong has money!”

“Hm? Gongjin. Would they be willing?” Sun Ce was confused for a while but he was not an idiot. He understood that Zhou Yu was referring to the nobles.

“Haha. It does not matter if they are unwilling. Since they have also contributed to that battle, we can bestow them their reward!” Sun Ce had only given Sun Quan twenty thousand men. Of the remaining fifty thousand men, thirty thousand was sent by the nobles. If they are not willing to pay up, they could be held accountable for the heavy crime of instigating the Second Lord to go to war and taking over military authority. Since the alternative of giving up his cause by stopping the construction of warships was much worse, they might as well offend the nobles.

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