The northwest wind was howling, the sea was frozen, and there was deathly silence everywhere. The bone-chilling cold made the world seem to have stopped.
There were only a few lonely figures on the vast shore. Although a fire was burning in front of them, it could not dispel the murderous atmosphere that filled the world.
Standing here were Zhou Yu and Taishi Ci, father and son. Although they had suspected that everyone was caught in a conspiracy, when they heard that the person behind the conspiracy was Wu Guotai, and that Sun Ce, a hero of his time, was ruined by a woman, Zhou Yu could not help himself and screamed and fainted.
After waking up, the three of them went to the beach and looked southeast to offer sacrifices. Sun Ce's token was piled on the rocks on the coast, and the ancient ingot knife was inserted in the cracks of the rocks, as if that unyielding man was howling to the sky.
The little tyrant of Jiangdong was murdered by his own family. His resentment will surely burst through Niu Dou after his death, right
The chilly wind was biting, but it was nothing compared to the sadness in Zhou Yu's heart at the moment. From a childhood friend to a friend of life and death, and then to a wise ruler and a virtuous minister, such a grand cause came to an abrupt end. How could one not feel sad
Taishi Ci stood with his hands behind his back and sighed, "The old lady committed suicide by taking poison, and Zhongmou was an innocent man. I would rather give Jiangdong to Liu Bowei to forgive his crime. Now Bofu's injustice has been redressed, but this matter concerns the reputation of the Sun family, and the first lord is also a hero of the time. The family's shame should not be made public. Please accept my condolences, Governor!"
Zhou Yu was not an ordinary person. He collected his thoughts and looked back to see Taishi Ci's gray hair and beard. He smiled bitterly and said, "Zi Yi is gray!"
Taishi Ci was startled, then laughed and said, "A man who has accomplished great things, how dare he say he is old? In ancient times, Lian Po fought at the age of seventy, and today, Huang Zhong and Yan Yan are still strong even at their old age. Huang Gongfu is also responding to us in Huainan. You and I have received Liu Qi's kindness in clearing our names and saving our lives, how can we not repay him?"
Zhou Yu stared at the ancient ingot sword with a stern look in his eyes, and said slowly: "Although Bofu is dead, you and I have been entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of him. We should continue his ambition and build achievements. When we defeat the enemy and revive the Han Dynasty, and return home in glory, we can drink and chat happily with Bofu in front of his tomb. Otherwise, how can I face returning to Jiangdong?"
"What a great thing the commander-in-chief said!" Taishi Ci nodded and said, "Now that Cao Cao has returned to the Central Plains, there will be a fierce battle. Liu Bowei will personally go to Huainan to supervise the battle. If we work together from north to south, we will surely be able to fulfill Bofu's ambition to conquer the north."
"Liu Bowei actually went to Huainan?" Zhou Yu was somewhat surprised and asked, "Who will be his adviser and commander?"
Taishi Ci said: "Except for the attendants and entourage, there is no one else, they are all former Jiangdong people."
"Oh?" Zhou Yu narrowed his eyes slightly and chuckled, "Liu Bowei is quite magnanimous."
Taishi Ci shook his head and sighed, "The Huainan army is not as strong as before. If Liu Qi really uses this army to defeat Cao, Sun Zhongmou... will probably be laughed at for thousands of years!"
Zhou Yu thought that he had been open with Sun Quan before, but this was the result. In addition, he and Taishi Ci were almost killed. He was filled with resentment and said in a deep voice: "Isn't it enough to fight in Hefei?"
"It is easy to get thousands of soldiers, but it is difficult to get a good general!" Thinking of the two battles of Huainan, Taishi Ci was also very disappointed with Sun Quan's command of the troops, and his expectations for Liu Qi were even higher.
When Jiangdong's shocking conspiracy was revealed, both of them felt like they were reborn. They bowed to the southeast again and turned back to the city.
Zhou Yu looked back at the reef from time to time. The past events were like fish and shrimp hidden under the ice. When Cao was destroyed and Han was revived, the scorching sun would finally melt all of it. At that time, he would go boating on the river, look at the bright moon with Sun Ce, and enjoy the fresh breeze together, and end the rest of his life.
Ding Feng and others did not know what was going on in Ganlu Temple. They thought that Zhou Yu went to the seaside to pay tribute to Wu Guotai. Everyone was worried about Sun Quan. If they handed over Dongwu to Liu Qi, wouldn't that be like welcoming a tiger into the palace
The lesson of Liu Zhang was right in front of him, yet he did such a foolish thing. Could it be that he was too sad and lost his mind
Just as he was complaining about Zhang Zhao, Lu Su and others not fulfilling their duties as subjects, the garrison suddenly came to report that an angel had arrived with an imperial decree.
Ding Feng was surprised and said, "The Marquis of Wu is in Jiangdong, how did the imperial edict come here? Could it be that even His Majesty is confused?"
"Chengyuan, be careful what you say!" Zhou Yu glanced at Ding Feng and sneered, "This must be Cao's plan. Please come in."
Soon the messenger arrived at the government office. Zhou Yu had already ordered people to prepare an incense table to receive the imperial edict. The edict directly stated that Sun Quan was plotting against Liu Qi. Now Jiangdong was in danger, so Zhou Yu was appointed as the General of the Southern Expedition and the Marquis of Wancheng, and he followed Prime Minister Cao to the south to fight.
Zhou Yu did not accept the order after hearing it. He stood up and said, "Since my lord took over Jiangdong, the country has been peaceful and the people are happy. Why should we send troops? Zhou Yu has been a Han official for generations, not a Wei official. How can I obey the orders of Cao thief?"
The messenger was only following orders. Seeing that Zhou Yu was angry, he dared not say anything and left the city in embarrassment.
Ding Feng and others cursed Cao Cao for being shameless. Not only did he sow discord, but he even tried to make Zhou Yu obey his orders to counterattack Dongwu. Did he really think that everyone in Jiangdong was a person who was fickle
Taishi Ci sneered, "Could it be that during the trip to the northern frontier, Cao Cao's brain was frozen and he sent such an imperial edict?"
Zhou Yu said, "Cao knew that this edict was useless, but he did it deliberately. He must have an agenda: the two families stopped fighting before, and Cao Pi recommended me to be the governor of Qingzhou. Cao was reluctant to send troops, so he issued the edict. If I disobey the edict, he can justify my attack!"
Taishi Ci said coldly: "In the past, Cao Cao killed so many innocent people to avenge his father. If he comes again, I will make sure that he will never set foot in Qingzhou again."
When the war was about to begin, Zhou Yu ordered all his generals to make preparations, send out more scouts, and train the troops so that they could be ready to go out at any time.
A few days later, Xu Sheng sent someone to report urgently that Cao Cao had indeed sent troops in compliance with the order and had arrived in Xuzhou. He ordered Xiahou Dun to advance to the Jibei area, and the vanguard Cheng Xi led 5,000 troops and had already arrived in Linzi.
Taishi Ci said: "Cao's army has been defeated repeatedly by the Grand Commander and lost Qingzhou. This must be because Cao is dissatisfied and wants to attack the Commander. I am willing to be the vanguard!"
"Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken?" Zhou Yu waved his hand and said with a smile: "Cheng Xi is just a defeated general, a mere vanguard, why bother Ziyi to go out and fight?"
Taishi Ci clasped his fists and said, "I haven't fought in several years. I need to stretch my muscles and bones. I am willing to be the vanguard."
Zhou Yu said, "I have already ordered Xu Sheng to defend Linzi, and Cheng Yuan will go to support him! Xiahou Dun must not know that Zi Yi is in the army. Once we defeat the enemy, we can attack together and kill Xiahou Dun by surprise."
Taishi Ci had to suppress his emotions temporarily and let Ding Feng come forward to receive the order. Suddenly he remembered something and asked him to bring the ancient ingot knife to Linzi and give it to Xu Sheng for use.
Ding Feng was puzzled and asked, "This is a precious sword handed down from the Sun family. If Marquis Wu were here in person, it should be in the hands of the Grand Commander. Why was it given to General Xu?"
Taishi Ci sighed inwardly, but smiled, "General, you don't know that before she died, Wu Guotai gave this sword to Liu Bowei, and told Sun and Liu to live in harmony and not to fight among themselves. It is no longer owned by the Sun family! This sword was actually given to General Xu by Liu Bowei!"
"Why?" Zhou Yu understood that Sun Quan gave the ancient ingot knife to Liu Qi as a way of breaking off ties with the Sun family.
Although this sword has lost its meaning to the Sun family, it is still a precious sword that can cut through iron like mud. Why did Liu Qi give it to Xu Sheng
Taishi Ci also curled his lips helplessly and said: "General Liu only said that he admired Xu Sheng very much when he first met him!"
Ding Feng took the precious sword, put the secret in his pocket and rushed to Linzi, where he conveyed Zhou Yu's order and handed over the ancient ingot sword.
Xu Sheng took the precious sword and was confused after hearing it. He drew out the sword with a clang. The blade was white as snow, and there was a chill. He grinned and said, "With this sword, I will defeat the enemy and capture the enemy. I will live up to General Liu's trust!"