Forced by the situation, Sun Quan was appointed General of the Front, received a golden seal and purple ribbon, and was appointed Governor of Yangzhou. Lu Su was appointed Deputy Governor and Zhang Zhao was appointed Governor. The rest of the officials were promoted and appointed according to their merits.
Although it was a great defeat, the civil and military officials of Jiangdong were promoted successively. Huang Gai was previously only a general, but was promoted to General of Annan. Lu Xun was appointed Sima of Huainan and guarded Hefei. Sun Quan led his troops back to Jiangdong.
Lu Meng's body could not be found, so Sun Quan ordered people to carve a body out of golden nanmu wood and gave it a close-fitting robe and armor to bury the body. Deng Guang carried the coffin, and the three armies marched in plain clothes.
When they reached Ruxu, Lü Meng's sister, Lü, and her wife crossed the river and rushed over. Their two sons, Lü Ba and Lü Cong, were only a dozen years old. Sun Quan comforted them and asked them to live in the same mansion with Taishi Xiang after returning to Jianye and raise them personally.
After offering sacrifices by the river, Sun Quan thought that Ruxu Fort was originally proposed and supervised by Lu Meng, and since Lu Meng was a native of Runan, he should be buried at the foot of Ruxu Mountain. Sun Quan secretly vowed to let him witness the day when the Central Plains would be conquered in the north.
Three days later, the troops crossed the river. Wu Guotai had already brought people to wait at the riverside and personally boarded the boat to visit. Sun Quan was shocked and wanted to get off the boat to pay his respects, but was stopped by Wu Guotai.
After sending his men away, Wu Guotai examined the wound and saw that it was blue and swollen. It had been raining for days and it was festering and oozing. She wept and complained, "My son was injured like this. Why didn't he go back to Jiangdong to recover earlier?"
Sun Quan comforted her with kind words: "Mother, you don't have to be like this. My father and brothers fought in many battles and shed blood to build the Sun family. I will inherit their aspirations and continue their business. What's the point of a minor injury?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Wu Guotai said sternly, "Now the foundation of Jiangdong depends on you alone, so you must respect yourself. Your father was killed in pursuit of the enemy, and Bofu was killed for showing off his ability. The lessons of the past are still before our eyes. How can my son not be cautious?"
Sun Quan nodded and said, "Mother's teachings will be engraved in my heart."
"This arrow is poisonous and has penetrated into the bone marrow!" Wu Guotai looked at the injury and couldn't help crying. She was angry and anxious: "Although the poison is not strong, if it is not treated in time, it may hurt the bones and muscles. My son's life is in danger. How can you be so willful..."
Before he could finish his words, he became breathless and fainted. Sun Quan hurriedly supported him and ordered the maid to help him to the cabin to rest.
After a while of hustle and bustle, Wu Guotai slowly woke up, but she lay on the couch unable to speak. Sun Quan was so anxious that he burst into tears again and knelt in front of the bed, calling her "unfilial".
Several doctors were helpless and could only speculate that it was a case of anger attack and that he would recover after resting. Sun Quan had no choice but to order preparations for carriages to return to the city.
After returning to Jianye, Sun Quan entrusted the task of conquering Shanyue to Lu Su. He did not bother to govern the country. He first brought Wu Guotai into the palace to serve her. After the medicine soup was ready, he dismissed the servants to feed her.
It was late at night, and the cicadas were chirping. Sun Quan was standing alone in front of the window, his heart in turmoil. The war in Huainan was going badly, and his trusted general Lu Meng was killed. Zhou Yu was trapped in Qingzhou again, and Jiangdong was once again in trouble.
Just as he was thinking hard about how to break the impasse, he heard a noise behind him. When he turned around, he saw Wu Guotai slowly sitting up. Under the candlelight, her expression was somewhat gloomy. He was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "How is mother's health?"
"I'm fine!" Wu Guotai shook her head slightly, turned around, took away the pillow, opened the secret compartment at the head of the bed, took out a brocade box and handed it over, saying, "This is the detoxification pill I have been refining for many years. It is made of fish oil and turtle gall. It can cure ordinary poisons. You can take it first."
Sun Quan took it with both hands and asked with concern: "My child is young and strong, and a few injuries are not serious. Mother, don't worry too much. If I get sick because of this, it will make me feel guilty and uneasy."
Wu Guotai smiled gently, deeply moved by Sun Quan's filial piety, and sighed softly, "Don't worry, my son. I fainted on the river, faking illness to deceive the officials."
"Ah?" Sun Quan was shocked and asked in confusion, "My child has already returned to Jiangdong, why did mother do this?"
Wu Guotai stared at Sun Quan, the tenderness in her eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by a cold look, and slowly said: "If I were not sick, how could I ask Shangxiang to return to Jianye and trick Liu Qi into going to Jiangdong?"
Sun Quan was shocked and asked, "Mother, why do you say that?"
Wu Guotai asked: "Do you know why the Northern Expedition failed repeatedly?"
Sun Quan looked embarrassed and cursed, "I was going to accomplish my mission, but Sima Zhongda was so despicable and treacherous that he ruined my plan twice. What a trick of fate!"
Wu Guotai said: "Zhongmou is wrong. Our army was drowned by water, not because of fighting."
Sun Quan's expression eased slightly, and he asked, "What do you think, mother?"
Wu Guotai said, "In my opinion, it is because the soldiers of Jiangdong are not good at land warfare, and the area north of the Huai River is good for land warfare but not for water warfare. How can our army win without the advantage of terrain? My son led Jiangdong himself and defended the land with the three rivers. Yuan Shu, Liu Biao, and Cao Cao did not dare to go south of the Yangtze River because of the strength of our navy! Even if you take the land of Xuzhou, if Cao's army attacks in large numbers, it may be difficult to hold it without the support of the navy."
Sun Quan twirled his beard and pondered for a long time. What Wu Guotai said today was surprisingly similar to what Lu Meng said before. If they brothers had not often asked the Second Madam for advice since childhood, they would have been shocked today.
Wu Guotai added: "Now Cao Cao has fled north, Cao Pi is far inferior to his father, and does not have Zhongmou's ability to defend the land and employ people. He first lost Guanzhong and then moved the capital to Yecheng, which has shaken the foundation. I am afraid he is no match for Liu Qi. Once Liu Qi gains power, if he raises troops from Yizhou and Jingzhou and goes down the river under the current situation, who can stop him?"
"Hiss—" Sun Quan took a breath, then shook his head and said, "Liu Qi is my brother-in-law. I have made alliances with him many times, and together we defeated Cao Qinwang and supported the court. How could I turn against him?"
"People have no intention to harm tigers, but tigers have the intention to hurt people!" Wu Guotai said solemnly, "Even if the two of you agree to eliminate the Cao family and revive the Han Dynasty, Liu Qi is a descendant of the Liu family. He should be given a title of king and a piece of land for his contribution to the revival of the Han Dynasty, and his name should be passed down to future generations. He may even be enthroned as the ruler of the world. These are all matters of the Liu family. My son is just a vassal of the outside family. How can he lead the affairs of Jiangdong alone? If you don't obey, you will be branded as a traitor. If you obey, you will lose your foundation. How can you face your father and brothers in the future?"
"This..." Sun Quan's expression changed several times. This conversation made him feel a little strange and in awe of the person in front of him.
Wu Guotai sighed, "In the past, Cao's army was approaching the Yangtze River, and Dongwu was in danger. We had no choice but to form an alliance with Liu Qi. Now, looking back, it was Liu Bowei who bullied my widowed mother and me, plotted against Zhongmou, and tied down Cao's army. We didn't gain an inch of land, but he took Yizhou and Guanzhong, won the hearts of the people, and became famous. The authorities are confused. My son, you must wake up as soon as possible."
Sun Quan finally understood why Wu Guotai had feigned illness and asked in surprise, "Mother, are you trying to trick Liu Qi into crossing to Jiangdong so that I can seize Jingzhou?"
"Not just Jingzhou!" Wu Guotai sneered, "Liu Biao is my son-in-law. Now that Liu Biao has passed away and Liu Cong is still young, if Liu Qi is trapped in Jiangdong, my son, as the elder brother, will go and take over the foundation. It is only natural. Who dares not to obey?"
Sun Quan was stunned for a while, took a deep breath and asked: "Mother, your profound remarks make me feel like the clouds have been cleared and the sun has appeared. I didn't expect that mother, who lives deep in the palace, also knows the major events in the world. Even if Fu Hao is reborn, she is no more than this."
Wu Guotai shook his head and smiled, "How can I know about national affairs? There is someone else who has this plan. I think it makes sense, so I tell you about it."
Sun Quan was very surprised and stood up to ask, "Who is this person and where is he now? I want to visit him in person."