There was a soft sound in the distance.
Then came the rustling sound.
Zhou Yu closed his eyes, soaked in hot water, and heard the soldiers outside the cave say "General Sun", and Sun Ce hummed.
Barefooted, Sun Ce stepped into the cave, stepped on the wet rocks, and said, "Hey."
Zhou Yu still closed his eyes and said, "What are you doing here?"
Sun Ce replied, "What are you doing here? I told you to go to the living room for dinner, but I can't find anyone to talk to you."
Zhou Yu didn't answer, Sun Ce stood in the steam and said, "Hey, it's a good place, you'll enjoy it."
Zhou Yu opened his eyes and looked at Sun Ce. Sun Ce had broad shoulders, strong chest muscles, well-defined abdominal muscles, long hands and long legs, and was strong and strong. In Zhou Yu's memory, Sun Ce had always swam with him in the dark lake at the bottom of the lonely mountain that year. At that time, he looked like a boy dressed in single clothes Shengxue, but now that they were naked, Zhou Yu couldn't help but look at each other a few more times.
Sun Ce was sweating from the steam, and his muscles were covered with fine beads of sweat, like a layer of grease. He rubbed his abdominal muscles casually, touched his neck, noticed that Zhou Yu was looking at him, and looked away. Said: "See what to see, you don't have it yourself?"
Zhou Yu laughed, "I never noticed it." Zhou Yu said, "Your smell is clearer than your muscles."
Sun Ce walked into the water and asked interestingly, "Smell?"
The two sat on one side, Zhou Yu lazily said: "Clean clothes, short clothes, single clothes, and the smell on your neck."
They used to sleep on the same couch, with their feet on their feet. The feeling of rubbing against each other and the smell of each other's man's skin made Zhou Yu's impression much deeper.
Sun Ce raised his foot, placed it between Zhou Yu's legs, and said, "You're angry."
Zhou Yu also raised his foot and stepped on Sun Ce's chest, trying to step him into the water. Sun Ce lifted his foot and hooked Zhou Yu, but Zhou Yu couldn't stand still. Sun Ce hurriedly pulled him back to make him sit still.
"You're angry." Sun Ce said.
The two sat facing each other, Zhou Yu blushed from the heat, Sun Ce looked into his eyes and said, "It's not interesting."
"That's all." Zhou Yu said, "I'm not angry, so I won't lie to you."
Sun Ce put his hands on his knees, and Zhou Yu faced him with his legs crossed. They were silent for a moment, and Sun Ce said, "Suddenly, I feel quite boring."
"You did a good job." Zhou Yu replied.
Sun Ce said, "There is no way to give them a home yet."
Zhou Yu replied: "I asked Lu Zijing to bring over one thousand taels of gold. It's already on the way. It's enough for you to spend. How much is left from last time?"
Sun Ce replied, "There are not many warehouses left."
Zhou Yu said: "Wait a few days, and settle in the mansion first."
Sun Ce seemed a little guilty, always asking Zhou Yu for money, and let out a long sigh.
"Back rubbing." Zhou Yu said, "One thousand and two times."
Sun Ce laughed, rubbed his hands and rubbed Zhou Yu's hands and feet, the pressure was just right, Zhou Yu was pressed very comfortably, and he felt that every place he needed was taken care of by him.
"Turn around," Sun Ce said, "Lean on me."
Zhou Yu turned sideways and leaned his back against Sun Ce's chest. Sun Ce's fingers pressed behind his ears and all the way down his neck.
"Old Qiao said to marry his daughter to us." Sun Ce said, "Let me ask you what you mean."
Zhou Yu's breathing trembled a little, and he felt comfortable being pressed. He closed his eyes and said, "You marry yourself."
Sun Ce said again, "Aren't you going to marry?"
Zhou Yu said, "I don't know how to marry."
Sun Ce: "If I teach you, you will understand."
Zhou Yu let out a long breath, and his eyes reflected the steam in the pond, and the wet and faint water droplets on the cave wall. It happened to be dusk, and the setting sun followed the cave, reflecting the water in the hot spring, rippling away, Turned into the looming red clouds all over the sky.
It was like the fire that shattered the sky and the earth in Chibi many years later.
After the bath, the mountains were misty and rainy, and the spring fog was heavy. Zhou Yu and Sun Ce went back to the prefect's mansion side by side with their wet hair loose. Zhou Yu's face was slightly red, Sun Ce supported him, walked back carelessly, and tightened the palm holding Zhou Yu's shoulder.
Neither of them spoke, and the birds chirped across the drowsy sky.
"What do you think of Zhang Zhao?" Sun Ce asked.
Zhou Yu thought for a while, and replied: "Strong and straightforward, cautious and conservative, can be used to govern the army."
"How about Lu Zijing?" Sun Ce asked again.
Zhou Yu replied: "Knowing people and making judgments can be used to govern people."
"How is Zhang Hong?"
"Brilliant and virtuous, he can write books and judge literary affairs." Zhou Yu said.
Sun Ce: "How about Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Zhu Zhi, Ling Cao and others?"
"Cheng Pu is brave and courageous, and can lead the vanguard." Zhou Yu replied calmly, "Huang Gai is old and hot, good at judging the situation of the battle, advancing, attacking, retreating, and defending, without being anxious, and responds freely, he can defend the central army; Zhu Zhi is honest and honest. If you are good at braking with stillness, you can defend a city; Ling Cao is talented and skilled in martial arts, but arrogant in nature, difficult to cooperate, and can lead an army alone. It should be handed over with full authority."
"How about Zhou Gongjin?" Sun Ce looked at Zhou Yu with a smile and asked.
Zhou Yu walked down the stone road and returned to the garden.
"Zhou Gongjin..." Zhou Yu replied, "Indecisive and indecisive, you can't be a big deal!"
Sun Ce laughed out loud, but Zhou Yu replied solemnly: "What's so good about that fellow Zhou Yu? Isn't it because he's rich?"
"How about Sun Bofu?" Sun Ce asked seriously again.
Zhou Yu replied: "You are foolish, you don't mean what you say, the city is quite deep and insidious."
Sun Ce thought it was funny, grabbed Zhou Yu's hand, led him into the main hall, and said, "If I can really do something in the future, you will be the only one who knows what I have been fooling around all these years."
"There are no heroes among peers." Zhou Yu said lightly, "You know that?"
Sun Ce took Zhou Yu's hand and returned to the hall. I saw that the hall was full of people, and the food and drink were served, but no one moved their chopsticks, they were all waiting for Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. Sun Ce walked into the hall calmly, facing the wind, and said with a smile, "I've been waiting."
Zhou Yu didn't expect that everyone was waiting for him to eat, he was a little embarrassed, and said with a smile: "Haihan Haihan, I forgot the time."
Everyone in the hall laughed, busy saying it might as well. Over the past few days, just looking at Zhou Yu and Sun Ce, anyone who has a little wink knows that they have a very close relationship. Most of the time, when Sun Ce met Zhou Yu, he was blocked and had nothing to say. Although Zhou Yu seldom appeared, he seldom talked when he showed up, which made people feel even more mysterious.
This was the first time that Zhou Yu sat with the counselors recruited by Sun Ce publicly. Compared with when Sun Ce was there, everyone became more restrained. Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong and others have inquired in private that now Zhou Yu is the biggest financial backer behind Sun Ce. The Zhou family has been wealthy for generations, has raised a large family, and holds a heavy army. Everyone is polite to him.
Zhou Yu's anger was almost dissipated, chatting and laughing happily during the dinner, and he couldn't restrain himself, and soon merged into the counselors. He and Sun Ce sat on the chairman seat, two short tables were placed side by side, and he personally did all the wine serving, serving dishes, etc., which made the two of them very close.
"It's raining continuously," Zhang Hong said with a smile, "it's hard to say that it makes people lazy."
Lu Fan also said: "Although there is plenty of fish and rice here, it is not as good as the scenery of Chaohu Lake in Shu County, which is full of mulberry trees."
"Wu County is as good as Wu County." Zhou Yu said with a smile to many scribes from Wu County's rich families, "Wu County is prosperous and prosperous, and its business exchanges are naturally incomparable in southern Hui."
Zhang Zhao added: "I asked my lord earlier, why is there a kite hanging in the hall after moving here?"
Zhou Yu was stunned, and Sun Ce looked back. Zhou Yu followed his gaze, and suddenly felt that he couldn't laugh or cry. There was a kite they used to play in the hall, and the kite had faded.
"Why did you hang this up too?"
Sun Ce smiled and said to everyone, "Shu County is a good place. I have always thought about it since I was a child. When I grow old, I might have to spend the rest of my life beside Chaohu Lake."
While talking, Sun Ce teased Zhou Yu again, saying, "I found a broken piano from the previous dynasty in the backyard. When will I play it? I heard that you have the best temperament."
Zhou Yu was silent, noncommittal. Sun Ce also said: "If I can take over this burden in the future, I can row a boat under the lonely mountain, fly a kite, and listen to the qin. There is nothing else to think about."
"Shu County is famous for silk." Zhang Hong said again, "Chaohu Lake is not as big as Taihu Lake, but the scenery is also good."
"Exactly." Zhou Yu was somewhat happy when he heard the praise of his hometown, so he nodded with a smile and told some anecdotes about his childhood. The host and guest enjoyed a meal, from Shu County to Jiangdong, and then to the Central Plains.
Zhou Yu didn't show his face, and turned the topic to the people's livelihood and strategy. It seemed to be small talk, but in fact it was all about the counselors' skills.
Sun Ce just listened with a smile and didn't speak. Occasionally, a serious look flashed in his eyes, but he never spoke. At the end of the meal, many people couldn't answer Zhou Yu's question, but Zhang Zhao was the only one who was still thinking about it seriously, pondering every word.
"Wu soldiers are not as brave as soldiers outside the Great Wall," Zhang Zhao finally said, "It is appropriate to make use of strengths and avoid weaknesses."
Zhou Yu said: "Not necessarily. The children of Jiangdong have heard their name in ancient times. In the past, the overlord sent troops to Wujiang, sitting in Jiangdong, and gaining a finger in the world..."
"Good!" Sun Ce cheered.
All the people in the hall were shocked by it, unexpectedly Zhou Yu had such an ambition.
Zhang Zhao didn't refute or express his agreement, but just nodded and smiled, stroking his beard. Zhou Yu also said: "What bothers me the most right now is the three subordinates of Liyang Army, Danyang Army, and Wu Bing."
Zhang Zhao said: "If it is in my hands, it will not be difficult to integrate the three armies."
"How to integrate?" Zhou Yu asked again.
Zhang Zhao replied: "Do not reorganize in disorder, and must be selected in advance. The Lord's subordinates are divided into three teams. The first level is the personal soldiers. The personal soldiers are selected based on bravery and resourcefulness. The first level, the second level, and the third level , In this way, if you build up military merits at the bottom, you can be promoted to the personal army."
This is not a bad idea. Zhou Yu's thought in recent days is nothing more than disrupting and reorganizing the formation so that Sun Ce can command with ease.
But no matter what, Zhou Yu still didn't want Sun Ce to rush too far every time he fought.
"Brother Zhang's plan is brilliant." Sun Ce said, "After I arrange it carefully, I will leave it to Brother Zhang to take care of it."
"It should be shared with the Lord." Zhang Zhao said.
At this moment, Fei Yu rushed in, flapping his wings, and immediately the table was dripping with wine, turning the whole case over. Everyone was taken aback. Sun Ce smiled and said, "This is a messenger in our army."
Zhou Yu untied the cloth strips on Fei Yu's feet and took a look, his face immediately changed.
"Lü Bu assassinated Dong Zhuo and escaped from Chang'an overnight. Li Jue and Guo Si led their troops back to the city. The whereabouts of Tu Wangyun and others and the emperor are unknown."
"The counselors around Yuan Shu in Shouchun jointly wrote a letter, imploring Yuan Shu to proclaim himself emperor."
The whole hall was silent for a moment.
At the second watch, the lights in Sun Ce's study were on. Zhou Yu drank a little wine, his brows were solemn, but his face was slightly flushed.
A map was posted on the wall, on which the map of the Central Plains and Chang'an area was drawn, and several lines were drawn out, showing the marching routes of various people and horses.
"Cao Cao faces west from the east," Zhou Yu marked with a cinnabar pen, "from Yecheng to Chang'an. After Lu Bu escaped from Chang'an, he withdrew to Xuzhou. Yuan Shao intercepted him on the middle road and sent troops to Pi."
The news came so fast that people were caught off guard. The news of Chang'an reached Shouchun, Huang Gai got the news and immediately sent Fei Yu to inform Sun Ce. In an instant, the whole world fell into a quagmire again, the emperor disappeared, and the heroes rose together. This time the situation was obviously more serious than the allied forces fighting for Dong.
"Cao Cao should be going to Chang'an." Sun Ce said, "I want to rob the emperor."
Zhou Yu: "Regardless of whether he can successfully find the emperor, within a few months, chaos is inevitable. After Yuan Shu becomes emperor, who do you think will be the first person to deal with?"
"Tao Qian and the others." Sun Ce thought for a while, and said, "Mostly it is an alliance, otherwise we will send troops to sweep them out. It has always been the case since ancient times. The first one to deal with, I guess will be Cao Cao."
Zhou Yu was not sober after drinking, so Sun Ce asked someone to bring tea for Zhou Yu to sober up.
"Three days at the latest." Zhou Yu said, "Yuan Shu's call-up order is coming here, we must stand in line, otherwise the trouble will only get worse."
Zhou Yu let out a long breath, and Sun Ce frowned deeply, and said, "I have to choose now, much earlier than I thought."
"There is no way." Zhou Yu replied, "One faction is headed by Yuan Shu, and the other is headed by Yuan Shao. In a short period of time, there will inevitably be a situation where the Yuan family brothers will fight."
Sun Ce said: "Yuan Shu is too restless, and the future is bleak. What do you think will be the final result of the two brothers fighting?"
"The Jingyi area connects the entire Jiangdong." Zhou Yu said, "It is our short-term goal."
Zhou Yu stood in front of the map, gestured to Sun Ce to look at the map, and said, "In the end, the world will inevitably be a multi-party regime. After Yuan Shu's defeat, Yuan Shao will occupy Jizhou and other places, connecting the entire Youzhou. If Cao Cao can find Son of Heaven, then according to Chang'an, integrate the army in your hands, and occupy a place for yourself."
"So in the future, it will become a situation where the three armies are separated." Zhou Yu said, "We will take Jingyi and Yizhou, together with Jiangdong, Yuan Shao will occupy Jizhou Youzhou, and Cao Cao will occupy Sili, Bingzhou, and Liangzhou."
"How long?" Sun Ce asked thoughtfully.
"At least ten years." Zhou Yu replied, frowning deeply. "In the near future, you must not act rashly. At least one of them must be stabilized."
"To Yuan Shao, it's better to offer an alliance with Yuan Shu," Zhou Yu said, "At this time, you must have made up your mind."
"I want to hear your opinion." Sun Ceji sat down with his hands hanging between his legs, looking out at the dark night sky and the dripping water under the eaves.
Zhou Yu just replied: "I can't make this decision for you, you are the master."
"It's okay to talk about it?" Sun Ce smiled and glanced at Zhou Yu.
"Hmm." Zhou Yu shook his head and said, "No."
Sun Ce was immersed in thinking, and said: "It is wisest to form an alliance with Yuan Shu; Yuan Shao is powerful, and he unites the weak to resist the strong, and buys time for development."
"But once Yuan Shu proclaims himself emperor, he will be free," Zhou Yu said. "The first thing to do is to deal with us. In contrast, Yuan Shao has no grievances. If he can fish in troubled waters, he can occupy the area north of Shouchun and south of Huizhou." , is the short-term strategic goal.”
Sun Ce was still thinking, but Zhou Yu left without disturbing him.
In the middle of the night, Zhou Yu was extremely sleepy, turned over, and felt that Sun Ce came in again, next to his bed.
"I thought about it all night, but you slept happily." Sun Ce said, "How do you share your worries?"
"Get lost..." Zhou Yu replied in a daze.
When he heard this, he knew that Sun Ce had made up his mind, so he stopped worrying immediately.