Lü Yi advised, "I am a person of limited talent and knowledge, and I don't know who Hong Yan is, but I often heard the story of Gou Jian, King of Yue, in Jiangdong. My lord is many times more talented than Gou Jian. If you can endure the humiliation and bear the heavy burden, you will eventually achieve great things."
"To build more achievements?" Sun Quan retracted his gaze, and after a long pause, he shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Gou Jian had the help of Fan Li and his old subordinates, and the people missed their homeland, so they were able to survive in desperate situations. Now I am in disgrace, deserted by my friends and relatives, what can I rely on?"
Lu Yi said: "Although I don't know how to govern a country, I know a little about running a business. It is not the right way to run a business so that both sides will suffer losses and lose all the money. Liu Qi has always been kind and benevolent. If he wants to take Jiangdong, he will definitely not harm the lord. You can negotiate with him based on this. I am sure Liu Qi will weigh the pros and cons."
"Oh?" Sun Quan did not expect Lü Yi to say such insightful things, and asked, "In your opinion, what should I talk about with Liu Qi?"
Lu Yi shook his head and laughed dryly: "This villain really doesn't know anything. He only knows to stop losses in time and wait for the opportunity to make a comeback."
"Revenge?" Sun Quan's eyes were slightly cold. He glanced at Wu Guotai's corpse and fell into deep thought.
Before they knew it, it was already noon. Sun Shangxiang ordered her maid to bring food. Sun Quan ordered Lu Yi to stop her and said in a cold voice, "Ask Liu Qi to see me."
Lü Yi hurriedly advised: "My lord, please remember to be patient. I will go and ask General Liu to come."
After consulting Sun Quan, Lü Yi hurried to see Liu Qi and reported: "As you expected, Sun Quan has no intention of dying. Although he has great ambitions, he has no one to help him and is at a loss."
Liu Qi nodded and smiled, "If this is accomplished, all maritime trade will be under your control in the future."
"Thank you, General!" Lu Yi was overjoyed. He had made a fortune since cooperating with Fengxiang.
He now only invests in a few large ships that come from the sea every month, and he already earns more than 100,000 yuan a month. If he manages the entire sea fleet in the future, won’t he be rich enough to rival a country
The two came to the Buddhist temple and saw Mu Ran sitting in front of Wu Guotai's coffin. He sighed softly, "You are a hero of the world and a wise ruler, but you are trapped in this situation. If it weren't for this, you would have ruled Jiangdong and dominated the world. You would have been remembered in history and admired by future generations."
"How dare you, you brat, deceive me?" Sun Quan raised his head suddenly and said coldly, "I didn't expect that Jiangdong's foundation would be destroyed by you. Since ancient times, victors are kings and losers are bandits. Why do you have to speak coldly to me?"
"This is just a slander!" Liu Qi, who was sitting opposite, said with emotion: "In the past, we all planned great things. There is no need to talk about the merits and demerits. Have you ever thought about the future?"
Seeing that Liu Qi really wanted to negotiate with him, Sun Quan felt more confident and sneered, "A man of honor will die if he fails at the last moment. Why bother talking so much?"
"Haven't you heard that heroes don't ask where they came from?" Liu Qi shook his head and said, "Although you were born in the wrong family, you have received the courtesy of China. You are smart and brave. It would be a pity if you die here. You had no choice in the past, but in the future, why not show your talent?"
Sun Quan snorted coldly: "Liu Bowei, if you want me to serve you, you are dreaming!"
Liu Qi pointed at Wu Guotai's body and said slowly, "You don't want your mother's affairs to be known to the world, do you?"
…
The Mid-Autumn Festival moon-watching and the alliance between Sun and Liu were supposed to be grand events in Jiangdong, but they turned into funerals in the blink of an eye.
Wu Guotai died of illness, and Sun Quan was seriously injured. He had to mourn for the prefect and temporarily entrusted the government affairs to Liu Qi. When the news came out, there was an uproar in Jiangdong.
If Zhang Zhao, Lu Su, Gu Yong, Zhuge Jin and others had not personally assisted in the government office, they would have believed that Liu Qi was deliberately seeking power.
Some people praised Liu Qi for his righteous help, while others secretly scolded Sun Quan for being foolish and ignorant. This move was even more childish than Liu Zhang welcoming Liu Qi to Shu. The lesson of the past was right in front of them, yet he dared to entrust such an important matter to Liu Qi.
The mourning hall for Wu Guotai was set up in Ganlu Temple. Sun Quan personally wrote letters to all the members of the Sun family, ordering them to rush to Jianye as soon as possible to pay their respects and keep vigil over the casket.
When the messenger arrived in Chaisang, Sun Fu was shocked when he heard the news and urgently asked his brother Sun Ben to discuss the matter. Although the others did not know the inside story, he and his two brothers knew that there must be something fishy about the matter.
Sun Fu said, "The Marquis of Wu tricked Liu Qi into crossing the river in order to seize Jingzhou. This was a plot by the Queen Mother of the State. Now that the Queen Mother of the State has passed away, Liu Qi is in charge of all affairs in Jiangdong. There must be a trick. Could it be that the Marquis of Wu has been held hostage?"
Sun Ben frowned and said, "This is the heartland of Jiangdong. How dare Liu Qi act rashly? Although I don't know what happened in Ganlu Temple, there is a letter from the Marquis of Wu here. Zhang Zhao and others all respect Liu Qi without any complaints. There must be something fishy about this. Now they are summoning the Sun family members to Jianye in the name of mourning. Are they trying to catch us all in one fell swoop?"
Sun Fu looked serious: "I am worried about this matter. If the Sun family's foundation is taken away by Liu Qi, how can I let it go?"
Sun Ben sighed and said, "In my opinion, Liu Qi has great ambitions and has the intention to harm us. You and I have just arrived in Yuzhang and have not established our authority. If we openly resist, I am afraid we will not be able to do it."
Sun Fu gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "For now, we should unite all the brothers, expose Liu Qi's scheme, avenge the Queen Mother, save the Marquis of Wu and revive the family business."
Sun Ben thought for a moment and said, "My dear brother, what you said is very true. My second uncle's family has all been plotted against by Liu Qi. I can only discuss with my third uncle's family. Fortunately, Sun Yu is in charge of Lujiang and Sun Hao is in charge of Wujun. As long as these two people and I brothers work together, the three counties will raise troops, return to Jianye, and capture Liu Qi easily."
Sun Fu shook his head and said, "We were prepared when Liu Qi came. Zhang Fei led 50,000 soldiers and is eyeing Jiangxia covetously. We must be on guard. With only a few brothers like me, it may be difficult to accomplish anything."
Sun Ben said, "My dear brother, are you going to contact the generals in Huainan? I am afraid that Huang Gai and others are foolishly loyal and will not respond to orders from the Marquis of Wu. Water from afar cannot quench a nearby fire."
Sun Fu chuckled and said, "Brother, don't forget that you still have a son-in-law!"
Sun Ben was startled, then asked in shock: "You mean... to ally with Cao Wei?"
Sun Fu nodded and said, "Jiangdong is in danger, and you and I can't stand alone. If Liu Qi really takes power, where will we stand? Now that Sun and Cao are shaking hands to negotiate peace, why not ask Cao Pi to send troops to help? To put it another way, even if Jiangdong is lost, we can't give it to Liu Qi. If Cao gets the world, you and I will be royal relatives, and we will also be famous for our contribution to the country!"
Sun Ben suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "As long as we persuade Sun Yu to raise an army, Cao's army can enter Lujiang, and respond to you and me from the north and south, cut off Liu Qi's way back, and trap him to death in Jiangdong, which will be a great achievement."
Sun Fu said, "There is no time to lose. Brother, send someone to contact them immediately. I will send my family to meet Sun Hao and Bu Kuaiji."
Sun Ben asked in confusion, "We have no friendship with Bu Zishan, why are we looking for him?"
Sun Fu sneered, "Brother, don't forget the plan that the Marquis of Wu made before we set out. He told us to launch a surprise attack on Nanjun, and Bu Zhi would send troops from Kuaiji to take Jiaozhi. His cousin is engaged to the Marquis of Wu, and if he knew the news, he would definitely raise troops to help."
Sun Ben was greatly inspired when he heard this. Suddenly, his eyes turned and he pulled his beard and chuckled, saying, "Among all the counties in the south of the Yangtze River, only Danyang is not a member of my clan. However, there is a rebellion in Shanyue and they are too busy to take care of themselves. The rest have responded to us. If this goes well, you and I can be the lord of Jiangdong."
"Zhongmou is still too young after all!" Sun Fu sighed and clasped his fists, saying, "Among the clan members, my brother has the highest prestige. If he can capture and kill Liu Qi, he will surely shock the world and take over the position of Marquis of Wu. Who dares not to obey?"
Sun Ben laughed triumphantly. The two men discussed carefully and decided to act separately, preparing to raise an army to besiege Jianye.