The clouds cleared and the afternoon sun shone.
While Zhou Yu was washing his hands, he heard a conversation in the tea room.
Sun Ce's voice: "I discussed it with Gong Jin last night. According to the current situation, it is not suitable to stay here for a long time. Otherwise, even if Shu County doesn't care, it is not a long-term strategy."
Zhou Yu was silent, put the kettle under the bamboo tube to catch the water, and watched the butterflies flying among the flowers.
"What's your plan?" Huang Gai asked, "Zhou Yu regards you as the master, maybe everyone has the same idea in their hearts now. But you are a greedy and rash person, and you have to think twice about everything. The uncles didn't tell you, but they were on guard." This floor."
Sun Ce remained silent for a while, and then seemed to have made up his mind, and said, "Yuan Shu's letter has arrived, and I've thought about it too. All generals, set off and go back to Shouchun."
"Have you really thought about it?" Cheng Pu asked.
"En." Sun Ce nodded, looking at Zhou Yu's back in the yard, the water in the jug was full, and it was slowly overflowing from the spout, making a sound. Zhou Yu was holding his sleeves, but he still didn't turn his head.
"Gong Jin is right." Sun Ce heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Yuan Shu is afraid of only me, Sun Ce. All the generals will be treated kindly if you vote. Now my Changsha lineage is homeless and has no family to enter. Moreover, there is no one in the world today." It is better to keep the establishment and merge it into Yuan Shu's army."
"Wait for me to write a book." Sun Ce looked at everyone's eyes one by one, and said, "When I let go of the military power and go back to the lonely mountain, all the generals are under Yuan Shu's command, don't mention me too much, just say that my heart is ashamed, There is no hope of revenge, just be a turtle with a shrunken head by the Chaohu Lake and under the lonely mountain, that's all."
Sun Ce was still joking, but no one laughed. Sun Ce said again: "The sooner you go to Yuan Shu, the better. What to do next is left to your uncles to act expediently. Yuan Shu is greedy, forgetful, and narrow-minded... "
Zhou Yu said in the courtyard: "Yuan Shu has obtained the Jade Seal of Chuanguo, and with his nature, he will definitely choose a day to proclaim himself emperor."
No one answered in the tea room, Zhou Yu came in with a pot, put it on the charcoal stove, and said seriously: "Whoever proclaims the emperor right now will be a traitor that everyone in the world will target. You can take the opportunity to take down Shouchun later."
"Although the generals are relying on Yuan Shu," Zhou Yu said, "I don't think I will be the same as that guy. Those who have different ways will not conspire with each other. You just need to hide your strength and bide your time, and wait for Sun Lang's order."
"Exactly." Sun Ce replied, "Hide your strengths and bide your time. Four thousand people, one letter, all of them can be brought to Yuan Shu, and a hundred people can be left for me in Shu County. Everyone, how about this plan?"
Fei Yu went and went back, the day the Changsha army pulled out their troops and set off, Cheng Pu and the others all had red eyes. Although Zhou Yu's scheme seems to be seamless, everything in the world is ever-changing, and no one knows what is waiting ahead. A group of people resigned from Sun Ce and led the main force of the Changsha Army to withdraw from Gushan.
Zhou Yu and Sun Ce walked back slowly along the mountain road. The autumn air was crisp and the mountain wind was rustling. Sun Ce seldom talks in recent days, almost to the point of being dumb. Sometimes Zhou Yu even suspects that Sun Ce will stay in the lonely mountain, and go to practice meditation with the dumb monk. However, after he made up his mind, he finally came to life like a leaf in the winter snow.
"Sun Lang." Zhou Yu said.
"Call me 'Hi'." Sun Ce walked ahead without looking back, with a faint smile in his voice, and said, "What are you doing with such a birth? The people next to me call me Sun Lang, and you call me Sun Lang too. "
Zhou Yu laughed, and Sun Ce turned around, glanced at Zhou Yu, and said, "Are you flying a kite?"
"Okay." Zhou Yu nodded, raised his eyebrows, and Sun Ce bought a kite at the lakeside market. The two were still the same as when they were children. Sun Ce walked ahead holding the string, Zhou Yu let go, and the kite flew all the way up to the blue sky.
"Don't you not like to listen to what I have to say," Zhou Yu said.
"Say!" Sun Ce pulled the string, watching the kite fly in the sky intently.
Zhou Yu said: "Your father will be like a Jianghu gang. If things go on like this, there will be something wrong."
"The old man never thought that he would die." Sun Ce turned his head, glanced at Zhou Yu, and said, "Understood?"
After hearing what Sun Ce said, Zhou Yu finally knew that Sun Ce had come out.
His pain healed faster than his own. When his father died, Zhou Yu spent three years to change himself before he got out of the predicament, and Sun Ce could laugh now.
"A minister is not a minister, a master is not a master." Sun Ce said, "From the time he raised his troops to serve the court, it has been like this, like a big brother of a gang, calling his subordinates brothers and sisters. Live. It was okay when he was there, but now that he’s gone, leaving a mess for me to clean up, all the bad things will come out.”
"What are you going to do?" Zhou Yu asked.
Sun Ce looked up again, and saw that the kite had already flown high, so Sun Ce handed the string to Zhou Yu and said, "You ask this, it shows that you have a plan in mind."
"Your servants," Zhou Yu said, "it's not just them. If the plan goes well, you have to understand that you are the young master of Changsha, and you can't make the same mistakes as your father."
Sun Ce nodded, and Zhou Yu said, "The master is the master, and the subordinates are the subordinates. Now that you understand, let's start with me."
With a smile on his face, Zhou Yu thought that Sun Ce would be taken aback for a moment, but Sun Ce said brightly, "No."
Zhou Yu: "..."
"Only this matter," Sun Ce said, "cannot be compromised."
Zhou Yu had nothing to do with Sun Ce, and Sun Ce turned around and said, "But don't worry, I know what to do."
Now that Sun Ce said so, Zhou Yu had no choice but to believe him. After all, he didn't want Sun Ce to obey him completely. At least he thought about something, and his mood would gradually improve. Didn't say anything, just stayed by his side.
He knew that Sun Ce sometimes just talked about it, and he couldn't be happy if he really wanted to live in Shu County for the rest of his life. After a few days, the knot in his heart gradually eased, and he became like a big monkey again, loving to play and making trouble. . Another autumn came, and Shouchun sent someone to send a secret letter. Cheng Pu and others went to vote. Yuan Shu was overjoyed. He immediately arranged positions for them, and sent them money and food to appease Sun Ce, and wrote a letter to persuade him to come out of the mountain again. Be a military officer. Sun Ce knew that this was a tactic to lure the enemy, so he went to work in Yuan Shu's mansion, how could he come back with his life? So I discussed with Zhou Yu, Zhou Yu dictated, Sun Ce wrote, and returned thousands of words eloquently. Only in Shu County can I truly feel at ease for a moment.
Zhou Yu was still not satisfied, but he had to deliver a letter for him. Sun Ce folded the letter and said with a smile, "I really think so."
"What do you think?" Zhou Yu replied, and put away the ink cartridge.
Sun Ce said thoughtfully: "When I was in Luoyang and Changsha, I often thought about your family when I was fighting abroad, so when you told me to let my mother live with your mother, I agreed wholeheartedly."
"No matter how big the world is," Sun Ce put away the letter and said with a smile, "this is the only home, and the rest are just places to stay. Only the blue waves of Chaohu Lake and the beautiful scenery of the lonely mountain can make me feel soothed."
Zhou Yu said: "The mountains and rivers are beautiful. People in the previous dynasty often said that this place was a fertile land for avoiding chaos in Qin Dynasty. But we have to discuss it carefully. The Wenrou Township is the Hero's Tomb. In the coming year, we can't stay here too often."
"Whose gentle town?" Sun Ce said with a smile.
Zhou Yu flew over with a wooden cup, and Sun Ce quickly dodged, grabbed the cup, was splashed with water, went out with a smile, and handed the letter to the messenger. Wu's family and Zhou's mother didn't seem to care about Zhou Yu and Sun Ce's affairs at all. During the time Sun Ce wanted to stay, he assisted Zhou Yu in managing the business. After looking for the account book, he found that almost all of the Sangtian silk shop had been short-sold and cashed in. There are dozens of acres of ancestral land and less than one thousand taels of silver left.
Sun Ce asked, "Have you sold all the property passed down from your ancestors?"
Holding Sun Quan in his arms, Zhou Yu taught him how to write, looked up at Sun Ce, and replied, "Aren't all the ancestors here?"
Sun Ce said, "Where did the money go?"
"Buy ships, train troops, recruit troops and buy horses." Zhou Yu said, "Leave it all to Lu Zijing."
Sun Ce held the ledger and stood silent for a long time, then turned to look for Lu Su's monthly military newspaper on the wooden shelf, read it for a while, then looked at Zhou Yu, and then the military newspaper.
"What are you looking at?" Zhou Yu was puzzled, "Is there something on my face?"
"Lu Zijing is a talent." Sun Ce smiled. When he looked down at the military newspaper again, his eyes seemed to have something dripping on the book. Then he put away the book, went to sit in the yard, and stared blankly at the clear sky in late autumn.
Zhou Yu taught Sun Quan how to make a fuss in a gentle voice. Sun Quan obviously liked Zhou Yu more than the impatient Sun Ce.
"What are your plans after spring?" Sun Ce asked in front of the porch, with his back to Zhou Yu and Sun Quan who was lying in his arms, without turning his head.
"I don't have any plans." Zhou Yu said casually, "Just live here, what plans can I have?"
"I plan to cross the river to find my uncle," Sun Ce said.
"Oh." With a successful and cunning smile on the corner of Zhou Yu's mouth, he said lightly, "Finally can't sit still?"
"Can I go?" Sun Quan immediately asked again.
Zhou Yu made a "shh" gesture to Sun Quan, signaling him not to interrupt.
"I also plan to cross the river to find my uncle." Zhou Yu said casually, "You look for your uncle, and I look for my uncle."
Sun Ce was puzzled and said, "Don't fool me, where is your uncle?"
"Father." Zhou Yu laughed and said, "My cousin."
"What do you want him for?" Sun Ce said.
Zhou Yu remained silent, and Sun Ce asked, "Can you take me there?"
"Hmm." Zhou Yu said with a smile in his eyes, "Let me think about it."
Sun Ce said: "I heard that someone took a city as a dowry..."
Zhou Yu said solemnly: "If you continue to be so glib, I won't take you there."
Sun Ce hurriedly begged for mercy, got up and said, "Your father is Zhou Shang, prefect of Danyang, isn't he?"
Zhou Yu nodded slightly.
The winter of this year was extremely cold, and the door was blocked by heavy snow just after the twelfth lunar month. The warships on the shore of Chaohu Lake were hanging on the shore, and Lu Su no longer trained troops. Zhou Yu and Sun Ce made a special trip to visit. The three paid homage to Zhou's mother and grandson's mother at Zhou Yu's home, drank a little wine, and ate four-color dishes. A thriving.
After the new year, on the second day of the first lunar month, the Zhou family and the Sun family paid homage to their ancestors, and Sun Ce and Zhou Yu also paid homage to their deceased fathers, and they packed up their business. It happened to be cold in the late spring, and the mountains and plains were icy cold, so the two of them wrapped themselves in thick fur coats, said goodbye to their mother, and prepared to go on the road.
Zhou Yu brought less than a hundred gold coins with him, and he and Sun Ce first visited Zhou Shang in Danyang, and then Wu Jing in Wujun.
Since Sun Ce came to Shu County a few years ago, he has not been out of Gushan for half a year. He used to be very energetic and fought in the battlefield, but now he is alone, fortunately he has Zhou Yu by his side. The two traveled around the mountains and rivers during the day, and slept together on the same couch at night, being very close. Occasionally, when the sky was snowing heavily and the cold current was heading south, they would simply not be busy on their way. The two stayed in the post station, talking, drinking, and warming up by the fire, talking about romantic affairs.
When I crossed the river that day, the surface of the river was never frozen. Standing in the heavy snow, the ferry went north. Zhou Yu didn't know why, listening to the tune in his ears, he thought of that arrogant and domineering Gan Xingba.
"What are you thinking about!" Sun Ce put his sleeves on his back, breathing out white mist. Zhou Yu glanced at him, smiled, and remained silent.
"I'll see my Congfu later," Zhou Yu said again, "Don't be glib."
Sun Ce jumped out of the boat with a bag on his back and said, "Yes."
Zhou Yu taught again: "Don't argue with me in front of him, let alone the people around you, you and I are used to confrontation, my father is the most prudent, and if I make a few jokes, I feel that I have neglected him. "
Sun Ce said: "When did I argue with you? You can't say no to me, so you keep making trouble for no reason..."
"You're bragging!" Zhou Yu said angrily, with bruised veins on his forehead.
Sun Ce laughed, and Zhou Yu said: "When you see him, you have to follow his words. You should give me this face, but don't brag too much..."
"It's like seeing my father-in-law." Sun Ce said, "Are you my daughter-in-law? He won't despise your husband and me for being poor, and beat me out with a stick?"
Zhou Yu's knuckles were crackling, and Sun Ce hurriedly said seriously, "Never say half a word."
"You..." Zhou Yu grabbed Sun Ce's collar and said, "If you play around later, you will be beaten twice."
"Understood." Sun Ce nodded knowingly immediately, and said, "You will beat me once, and my father will beat you once."
"Just understand." Zhou Yu smiled like a spring breeze.
Zhou Yu arrived at the Danyang mansion and handed over the name card, which immediately alarmed the whole mansion. Sun Ce was still looking left and right, following behind Zhou Yu like a follower, Zhou Shang was in the process of discussing government affairs, and a group of literati in the courtyard had no time to take care of Zhou Yu, so Zhou Yu went to order the kitchen to prepare some snacks, and personally brought them to Sun Ce. The two ate in the concierge.
Although spring has begun, this year it is still bitterly cold. Both of their faces were flushed from the cold. Sun Ce asked, "You didn't want to go to Shouchun to come to Danyang. Your cousin's house doesn't lack anything. Why did you go to Shouchun?" ?”
The corners of Zhou Yu's mouth twitched slightly, and he said, "I don't know which forgetful person asked me to meet in Shouchun, otherwise I would just run away and do something?"
Sun Ce remembered that Zhou Yu went to do a good job for Yuan Shu, but it was not for himself. So he scratched his head, smiled embarrassedly, and wanted to say something. Zhou Yu was still very nervous, and said to Sun Ce: "My father has always looked down on people. For my sake, if you are stabbed for a sentence or two, don't bother with him."
Sun Ce looked at Zhou Yu, dumbfounded.
Zhou Yu was still worried, and said, "Did you hear that?"
Sun Ce patted the back of Zhou Yu's hand, and comforted him: "Don't worry, am I so irritable? I'll take a car from you and stab me. Isn't it easy to be a small man?"
Zhou Yu said: "There's no need to lie down and be petty, and I'll be underestimated by him."
"Then what do you want from me?" Sun Ce said helplessly, "It's better if you don't talk, and he will blame you for bringing a piece of wood later."
Zhou Yu also felt that he was too poor and nervous, so he couldn't help laughing. After thinking about it for a while, he said, "Forget it, let it go with the wind. Whatever you like can be said in these few words."