Sun Quan's eyes twitched slightly, as if he was very reluctant to be compared with Sun Ce. He waved his sleeves and said, "The foundation of Jiangdong has been passed down for three generations. My father and brother are heroes. However, I am not someone like Liu Biao who just sits back and waits. I must expand the territory. How can I cede land to seek peace?"
Seeing that he had successfully aroused Sun Quan's fighting spirit, Lu Su clasped his fists and said, "Lu Su did not intend to compare, but I am afraid that the general's ambition is not there, and he will be deceived by Cao's family. If he keeps playing between the two families, he will be laughed at by future generations!"
Sun Quan's dissatisfaction flashed away, and he laughed and said, "Zi Jing, there is no need to say more. Since I took over Jiangdong, I have respected the wise and courteous, and I should have the bearing of a hero. Honest words are unpleasant to the ears, don't I know that?"
Lu Su said: "As the saying goes, a gentleman never ceases to improve himself! If we show weakness to Cao, he will surely press us step by step. The only way is to meet the enemy with all our might and show that we are heroes in Jiangdong, so that we can protect ourselves calmly."
Sun Quan nodded slightly and instructed Zhuge Jin: "Zi Yu should immediately prepare some generous gifts and sail to Jingzhou to test the situation and see what Liu Qi has to say."
Lu Su also said goodbye and went out with Zhuge Jin, and said, "Brother Ziyu, when you go to Xiangyang, remember to bring a pot of Du Kang."
Zhuge Jin smiled knowingly and said, "To be honest, I have missed the taste of that wine for a long time!"
After seeing Zhuge Jin off, Lu Su's eyes became dazed as he recalled the days spent in Shuiyunjian.
Although it is not the most luxurious place, it always makes people linger and reminisce.
"The wine is mellow, the food is plentiful, and the people are even more charming..."
Lu Su sighed, shook his head and rushed to the military camp, waiting for Zhou Yu to come and then send troops to fight.
The next day, Zhou Yu arrived from Chaisang. Sun Quan once again summoned civil and military officials to discuss the matter. Without allowing any discussion, he directly appointed Zhou Yu as the Grand Commander and ordered a decisive battle with Cao's army.
Huang Gai and other generals were overjoyed and praised Sun Quan for his wisdom, saying it was time to avenge the previous humiliation. Only Cheng Pu looked unhappy.
Zhang Zhao was shocked and stepped out to persuade them: "My lord, Cao Cao has taken the emperor hostage and conquered all over the world, always in the name of the court. Those who rebelled, such as Lu Bu and Yuan Shao, were killed. Now that Cao Cao has unified the north, his power is growing. We should not send troops. We should send envoys to seek peace, otherwise Jiangdong will be in disaster. I hope my lord will think twice."
This time, Cheng Pu stroked his beard and watched coldly. He had served three masters and was highly respected. He thought that he would be the only one to lead the troops this time. However, he did not expect that Sun Quan would appoint Zhou Yu as the commander-in-chief. He was unhappy and wanted to see how Cheng Pu would respond.
Zhou Yu sneered, "Mr. Zhang, what you said is wrong! Bofu left a will to entrust foreign affairs to me, and to Mr. Xiao He. Now, instead of repaying the Lord's kindness and preserving the country, you want to bend to the enemy. Do you intend to surrender to Cao?"
"I... stop spitting blood at me!" Zhang Zhao's hair and beard stood up, and he shouted: "You are young and hot-tempered, and you don't know how to avoid the sharp edge. When you encounter the disaster of war, it will be too late to regret it!"
"How can Cao Cao bully me? I have no one in Jiangdong." Zhou Yu said with a proud smile: "I have served my country and protected Jiangdong's foundation. What regrets do I have even if I die? A real man should repay his majesty's kindness. I am lucky to die on the battlefield and return home wrapped in my horse's hide!"
"Gongjin is so great!" Cheng Pu couldn't help but feel his blood boiling when he heard this. He was full of heroic spirit and praised: "The words of the governor are really a talented general. We swear to fight Cao Cao to the death."
As soon as Cheng Pu said this, the generals who were still watching also saluted Zhou Yu one after another, including scholars such as Bu Zhi and Yu Fan. The pro-war faction gained the upper hand.
Zhang Zhao and the others were horrified. Zhang Hong hurriedly said, "My lord, Cao Cao is using the name of the emperor, and his army cannot be resisted. I heard recently that his navy has been formed, and there are many warships. I am afraid it will be difficult to deal with them. It is better to pretend to be submissive, seek peace temporarily, and then make plans later."
"What a pedantic scholar's argument!" Zhou Yu flew into a rage, staring at the group of people who advocated surrender, all of whom were from the aristocratic families of Jiangdong. He was afraid that the disaster would affect him, and said in a deep voice:
"Although Cao pretended to be the prime minister of Han, he was actually a traitor to Han. Liu Qi was able to resist Cao with the land of Nanyang. How could your lord be inferior to Liu Biao and his son in terms of his bravery and talent, and the solidity of Jiangdong? Now is the time to uphold justice in the world and eliminate cruelty and violence for the country. I am willing to be the vanguard and fight a bloody battle for my lord, even if I die."
"Don't say any more!" Sun Quan saw Zhang Zhao about to step out again, so he stood up, swept his blue eyes over the crowd, and said in a loud voice, "The thief Cao has long wanted to abolish the Han and establish his own regime. I and the old thief cannot coexist! The words of the Grand Commander are very much in line with my opinion. I will select the generals to send troops today. No need to discuss further!"
"My Lord, you cannot..."
"General, please think twice..."
"Shut up!" Sun Quan was furious and drew out his sword with a clang. Zhang Zhao and others were so frightened that they shuddered and retreated into the line with their necks shrank, like defeated quails.
Sun Quan raised his sword and chopped off a corner of the memorial. He said in a deep voice, "Anyone who talks about peace again will be treated the same as this one!"
He looked around at the crowd, and no one dared to speak. Then he gave the sword to Zhou Yu and ordered: "Gongjin, go to the battle without worry. I will personally supervise the grain and grass in Jiangnan and kill the envoy to sacrifice the flag!"
Zhang Zhao couldn't help but say: "When two countries are at war, they don't kill the envoys..."
Sun Quan said in a deep voice: "Cao's army is approaching our borders and bullying us too much. If we don't kill the envoy, it will not be enough to show our respect."
"It's over..." Zhang Zhao sighed. Killing the envoy would mean a complete break with Cao Cao, with no room for maneuver.
Sun Quan expressed his determination and appointed Cheng Pu as deputy commander-in-chief and Lu Su as captain of the army. All civil and military officers in Jiangdong must obey his orders. If anyone violated his orders, he would be killed with his sword first and then reported to the emperor.
Zhou Yu took the sword, bid farewell to Sun Quan, and immediately led his generals to Niuzhu, and ordered Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin to raise the tent and offer sacrifices to the flag on the river bank the next day.
At dawn the next day, Zhou Yu went to the central army tent and sat on the commander's seat. All the generals stood on his left and right, awaiting his orders.
Pan Zhang first escorted the Cao army envoys into the tent. The five of them knelt on the ground and trembled. The envoy was sweating and said in a trembling voice: "General, I was just following orders and had no choice. Why are you beheading me? It's unfair, it's unfair!"
Zhou Yu said sternly, "The thief Cao is even more corrupt than Dong Zhuo: he imprisoned the emperor in Xuchang and led violent soldiers to kill our generals. You are his minions and enemies of Jiangdong. How can we keep you?"
Ignoring the messenger's cries, he ordered his executioners to behead him outside the tent and hang his head on both sides of the water stronghold to show his determination to resist Cao.
After offering sacrifice to the commander's flag, Zhou Yu ordered Han Dang and Zhu Huan to be the vanguard, leading their warships, crossing the river to the north. Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin led the Niuzhu navy to follow up and set up camp at the mouth of the Wuhu river.
The morning sun rose, and the river sparkled. The Eastern Wu navy left the water stronghold. The large three-story warships were tall and mighty, and the smaller dragon boats sailed through them, and they marched towards the north of the river in a mighty manner.
Zhou Yu stood on the bow with his sword in hand, looking at the thousands of overlapping sails that covered the sky and the sun. His white battle robe billowed in the wind, making him look very heroic.
Taishi Ci came over silently, held onto the side of the boat, and suddenly said, "If Bofu were here, and the three of us were fighting side by side, who could defeat us?"
Zhou Yu turned his head and saw that there was exactly two steps of space between him and Taishi Ci, where Sun Ce used to be.
A majestic and powerful figure seemed to appear at the bow, with one foot on the side of the ship, pointing out the mountains and rivers, chatting and laughing.
When he led his troops across the river to attack Lujiang, he married the two Qiao sisters in Wancheng. The two became brothers-in-law and their relationship became closer. He thought they could work together to create a great cause, but who knew that the battle would be their final farewell.
Taishi Ci, who was far away in Yuzhang, fighting against the clan rebels, did not see Sun Ce for the last time and felt deep regret!