Zhou Yu hadn't closed his eyes for three consecutive nights, and now he was so sleepy that he was in a daze. Sun Ce was still talking intermittently, but Zhou Yu couldn't hear him at all. He hugged Sun Ce's waist, curled up beside him, pillowed his arm, and buried his head in front of his shoulder.
Sun Ce's chest was like a bellows, gasping for breath, sometimes making a muddy sound.
"Gong Jin." Sun Ce said.
"Hmm." Zhou Yu replied vaguely.
"If one day I leave first, Sun Quan and Jiang Dong will be handed over to you. If he can't, you can take it yourself..."
"No... don't talk stupid..."
Zhou Yu burrowed into Sun Ce's arms again.
"Do you remember, when your father went away that year, a relative came to bully you... I beat you out, what's your name..."
Zhou Yu didn't answer, breathed evenly, and fell asleep.
"Do you remember, the day I was whipped by Hua Xiong... It was you who cured me with herbs..."
"Gongjin."
Sun Ce looked at the kite hanging on the wall, and the two children of that year were reflected in his eyes, laughing, holding the string, and ran to Chaohu Lake.
The blue sky is boundless, and the lake and mountains are of the same color.
"I'm sorry." Sun Ce said in a low voice, "I kicked you into the lake that day, didn't you catch a cold..."
In the distance, the snow was falling more and more heavily, and the firewood shed outside the backyard was crushed with a "crash", and the muffled sound was like a bang in the snowy night, which made Zhou Yu wake up suddenly and opened his eyes wide.
"Bofu... Bofu?" Zhou Yu said tremblingly.
He stretched out his hand, groped along Sun Ce's chest, and touched his nose.
Sun Ce died.
Zhou Yu let out a desperate cough, as if something had completely shattered in his heart and turned into powder. The loneliness and coldness of the snowy night suddenly overwhelmed him, making him unable to breathe.
"Ah—" Zhou Yu knelt on the bed, raised her head to the sky, and hugged Sun Ce's already cold body in her arms, screaming several times in succession. The door was knocked open, Zhou Yu's heart was broken, her tears had already dried up, her voice was hoarse, she yelled hoarsely, and then was dragged away by Lu Su.
"Bo Fu—" Zhou Yu yelled loudly, he couldn't believe it anyway, everything was like an unreal dream, as if a giant hand had nailed an iron wedge of torture into his whole body, making him His soul suffered unprecedented pain, as if his heart was torn out of his body.
"Bofu—"
"Sun Lang—"
"My lord!!"
There was endless wailing in the prefect's mansion, screaming for heaven and earth.
"Let me see him... let me see him..."
Zhou Yu untied the black cloth belt, burst into tears, threw himself on the bed, and fell in front of Sun Ce, trembling all over. He choked up tears and couldn't help convulsing, reaching out to touch Sun Ce's face.
Sun Ce's cheeks were rotten to the bone, his face was gray, and blood clots had dried up in his mouth.
His brows and eyes are serene, his aura is like a sword's edge, his closed eyes are pressed under his sword eyebrows, and the corners of his mouth are still slightly raised.
"Bofu—"
Zhou Yu shouted with all his strength, and then let out a heart-piercing scream.
In the early morning, a round of scorching sun shone on Wu County, the brilliance was overwhelming, the snow reflected the golden morning light, and three death knells sounded from the prefect's mansion—
Sun Ce died.
Shouchun, Danyang, Kuaiji, Yuhang, Changsha, Jiangdong and Jiangnan, city guards and eunuchs from all over the world came day and night, the mansion was in chaos, Huang Gai and Zhang Zhao quarreled loudly, Lu Meng urged to persuade them. As soon as Sun Ce died, the six counties and thirteen counties in Jiangdong were in chaos without a leader.
"Captain Zhou is here—" said the guard in front of the door.
Wearing a mourning belt and flying white robes, Zhou Yu led Sun Quan into the hall, and all the counselors fell silent.
Zhou Yu paled, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
"Zhongmou, go to your seat." Zhou Yu said to Sun Quan.
"I..." Sun Quan said.
"If you are told to go, you can go." Zhou Yu said again.
Sun Quan gasped for breath and looked at Zhou Yu with tears in his eyes.
Zhang Zhao got down, took Sun Quan's hand, and led him to where Sun Ce was. He made him sit down, stepped back, and stood beside Zhou Yu, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
"See my lord." Zhou Yu bent down and knelt down.
Sun Quan wanted to come up to help, but Zhou Yu raised his hand to signal him not to move, and Zhang Zhao also knelt down.
"See my lord!" Zhang Zhao said.
The civil servants and generals in the hall were silent for a long time. Huang Gai lifted the lapel of his robe, knelt down on one knee, and clasped his fists.
"See my lord!"
All of a sudden, everyone in the hall knelt on the ground, Sun Quan bit his lip fiercely, finally couldn't hold back his tears, trembling, and cried out. A scorching sun was hanging high, shining on Zhou Yu's back, and the shadow turned. Sun Quan faced the sun and said tremblingly, "Everyone... Please stand up."
Zhou Yu burned the kite that day, and the tongue of flame jumped up, swallowing countless pasts, just like thousands of red lotuses pulling apart the red cliff, and the tongue of flame fluttered between the sky and the earth, like a grand ceremony.
The raging fire all over the sky exploded with a "boom", burning the sky full of fierce clouds.
Zhou Yu waved the five strings in his hand, and the sound of the piano vibrated. The majestic mountains and rivers and the surging rivers trembled. The mast collapsed and fell into the water, and the river reflected the flames. I don't know where is the blood and where is the fire.
"Later..."
"Later," Zhou Yu pressed the strings and said, "That's it."
Sun Quan was sitting behind Zhou Yu with his hands on his knees. The two of them looked at the fire in Chibi together.
Before he knew it, he had talked for so long. From the moment the fire started, Zhou Yu remembered so many past events that he was so absorbed in them that his eyes were blurred with tears.
Sitting beside him, Sun Quan was overwhelmed with emotion after listening to the memories for so long, and didn't know how to continue.
Zhou Yu said again: "Your brother is neither a saint nor a hero, he is just him, he is just Sun Bofu."
Sun Quan said again: "Actually, you and him have been together less and more apart these years."
Zhou Yu said: "I don't know what kind of evil I have fallen into. I have only been with him intermittently for two or three years, but I am completely devoted to him. It can be seen that in this world, feelings have nothing to do with time. Some people even know each other for only a day. , and can entrust their lives to each other. Some people, even if they are separated for a long time, they are strangers."
Sun Quan sighed and said, "Brother Gongjin, you have treated me like a brother like a father these years..."
Zhou Yu raised his hand and said, "I follow you and serve you as the master, all because you are working hard. When you took over the position of your elder brother, you were still young, but you are cautious in everything you say and do, you are brave and you can listen to me." In this regard, you are better than your brother, I still remember the day when Cao Cao sent his army south... "
On that day, Cao Cao sent a letter of war to Jiangdong.
- There are 800,000 people in the Jinzhi water army, and Fang and the general will hunt in Wu.
After the Battle of Guandu, Liu Bei gained a foothold in Jingzhou, and received a letter from Liu Biao to take charge of Jingzhou animal husbandry. However, Liu Biao's son communicated with Cao Cao, so Liu Bei had to flee Dangyang with his people.
One hundred thousand people in Jingzhou followed Liu Bei and embarked on a long journey.
When I received Zhao Yun's letter again, it was the eighth year since Sun Ce's death in the blink of an eye.
Jiangdong has already become a mess. Cao Cao's army of 830,000 went down to Jingzhou to suppress the Yangtze River and persuade Sun Quan to surrender, otherwise the army would flatten the left side of the river and leave no one alive.
Including Wujun and Jiaoyi, Jiangdong's army strength is only 70,000, and they are scattered in various counties and counties, so they cannot be deployed for a while.
"My lord!" Zhang Hong said, "You don't know what's going on. From the north of Jiangling and Xiakou to Xiangyang, Cao Cao's army is invincible, Liu Biao's new funeral, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun surrendered to Cao..."
"Who doesn't know what's going on?" Zhou Yu said in a deep voice.
Zhou Yu walked into the hall, and the voice came first before anyone arrived.
With six words, he interrupted Zhang Hong's words extremely forcefully and mercilessly, and looked up at Zhou Yu from all over the hall.
This was the first time that he had such a bad attitude towards civil servants. In fact, since Sun Ce died of illness eight years ago, almost no one had worked with Zhou Yu in the court. King Wu commanded a large number of civil servants and generals, but Zhou Yu left alone.
When he reappeared, Zhou Yu was wearing a red-tasseled military helmet, a silver armor with chains, and Cangjiao combat boots, and his cloak fluttered in the evening wind. With his hands behind his back and his feet slightly apart, he stood in the center of the hall, wearing the divine sword Red Army on his waist, and the hilt of the Red Army sword shone with the afterglow of the setting sun.
Everyone is used to him wearing official robes, and rarely sees him wearing armor. Even Sun Quan, the only memory in his mind, cannot find Zhou Yu wearing armor and helmet. After the death of his brother Sun Ce, Zhou Yu never saw him again. Don't touch the Red Army Sword anymore.
Zhou Yu's appearance is more mature, not old, nor decadent and depressed. After years of tempering, what has gradually settled down is the indomitable momentum and the style of a general who has gone through vicissitudes of life. He is like a mountain, a wall, standing in the hall.
"How many soldiers do we have?" Zhou Yu asked.
"I only have the number of the infantry, how many are there in the navy?" Sun Quan asked Zhou Yu from a distance of ten steps in the noisy hall.
"Twenty-two thousand naval forces." Zhou Yu said, "There are seventy-three large ships, one hundred and twelve medium ships, and one thousand and eighty small ships. How about the infantry?"
The hall fell silent, and Sun Quan replied: "The troops in the surrounding counties and counties cannot be mobilized. Yizhou is suppressing the rebellion. I am afraid there will be changes. I can only give you 10,000 infantry."
"Thirty-two thousand." Zhou Yu paced a few steps in the hall.
"Cao's army claims to be 830,000!" Zhang Zhaodao, "Captain Zhou, you must think twice about this battle!"
Zhou Yu nodded, but did not speak, and all the civil servants looked at Lu Su.
"Don't worry about it," Zhou Yu said, "it was Lu Zijing who asked me to come back."
Zhou Yu looked calm again, his eyes were like still water, and said: "Lu Zijing knew that you would surrender the enemy, so he called me back first."
This sentence threw the floor, and there was an uproar in the hall. Zhang Zhao said angrily: "Captain Zhou, what are you talking about! Could it be that you are the only one who is protecting Jiangdong, and we are all selling out the owner for glory?!"
Zhou Yu was silent for a while, then took a step forward.
Sun Quan had never felt that Zhou Yu was so tall, as if sitting in front of him, this elder who was also a teacher and a father could only be looked up to, and time went back to that year, and he became that child again.
"Yu has followed the Sun family since childhood," Zhou Yu said in a deep voice, "it has been thirty-four years. I first met Bofu in Shu County. Except for General Huang Gai, General Cheng Pu, and General Zhu Zhi, I was the only one who followed here. My lord has the longest time."
As soon as Zhou Yu showed off his qualifications, the hall fell silent, even Huang Gai and others could not make a sound. After all, after Sun Jian passed away, only Zhou Yu was with Sun Ce.
"After the first lord passed away, Zhongmou took over." Zhou Yu turned his head, looked at Zhang Zhao, and said, "In the past, Mr. Zhang and I were loyal to the lord, and vowed to protect Jiangdong and create a great foundation."
"Brother Zibu's heart, Gong Jin has no objection." Zhou Yu clasped his fists again, and said in a deep voice, "Back when Bo Fu was still alive, he asked Zhang Zhao about internal affairs and Zhou Yu about foreign affairs. Jiangdong is able to have what it is today, brother Zibu has made great contributions and is indelible."
Zhang Zhao snorted coldly, and his face softened a little.
Then, Zhou Yu let out a long sigh, sat down before Sun Quan's case, and said, "Let's talk about whether it's really time to hand over this foundation."
Huang Gai sneered and said, "Hand over to others? Even if Lu Bu is alive again, he will be defeated by General Sun, and he won't be able to occupy Jiangdong!"
After Huang Gai finished speaking, he took an arrow with the arrow pointing upwards, and inserted it into the pot on Sun Quan's case.
"Jiangdong's natural danger has been lost, and it is no longer a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack." Zhang Hong sighed, and said, "The strength of the enemy and us is very different. With less than 30,000 navy in hand, we can fight against the 100,000 navy in Jingzhou alone. Male and female are extremely unwise."
Zhang Hong also drew out an arrow, with the arrow pointing down, and inserted it into the copper pot.
After Cheng Pu drank, he threw the arrow into the pot with the arrow pointing upwards, and there was a clattering sound.
"The Overlord of Chu led 20,000 Jiangdong disciples in the Battle of Julu, and even defeated the Qin army." Cheng Pu said coldly.
Zhuge Jin took an arrow, walked slowly, stood in front of Sun Quan, cupped his hands and said, "Master."
"Generals," Zhuge Jin said, "the Dao means that those who win the hearts of the people win the world. Cao Cao was the chancellor of the Han Dynasty, and he embraced the emperor so that he would not be a minister. Although the Jiangdong area was the foundation passed down by the generals who broke the captives in the past, the roots , Tracing back to its source, the lord is still a Hanchen."
Zhuge Jin put the arrow into the pot, with the arrow pointing down, and said seriously: "At this moment, Cao Cao came here with the order of the emperor. Jiangdong Yuli is indeed a Han minister; Yuqing, it is the duty to be loyal to the Han Dynasty. In reason, hope My lord, think twice."
Han Dang sneered and said, "What kind of prime minister is he just a thief who usurped the throne! Why didn't you return the capital to Luoyang after supporting the emperor for many years? Why didn't you return the right to the emperor?"
Han Dang waved his hand, and the arrow went into the pot with a loud clang, which lasted for a long time.
"That's right!" Jiang Qin said coldly, "If the Son of Heaven comes in person, there is still room for discussion. The Cao thief usurps the Han and must not surrender!"
Another arrow went into the pot.
Lu Fan said: "You generals are so belligerent, do you know how this unjust and unruly battle will kill people?" Yu Fan said again: "Sun Tzu has a saying, the first is to attack the army, and the second is to attack the diplomatic relations. Cao Cao can take Jiangdong, how to govern?"
Yu Fan walked up to Sun Quan's case, put the arrow down into the pot, and said in a deep voice, "Even if he surrendered, but changed back to the title of Hanchen, how is it different from now? If Cao Cao wants to rule Wu, he still needs to activate it." Wu people."
"Exactly." Zhang Zhao said, "I have taken care of the lives of the people in Jiangdong, and I have done no harm to myself. My lord, think twice."
Zhang Zhao put the last arrow in his hand into the pot.
There was silence in the hall, and Zhu Zhi finally said, "I also followed General Polu for decades."
Most of the generals around Sun Jian in the past are now covered with frost on their temples. Zhou Yu looked up at Zhu Zhi.
"In the past, General Polu sent troops to Changsha," Zhu Zhi said loudly, "I would like to ask all of you present, if the former master is still there, would he surrender today or not?"
After the words fell, Zhu Zhi threw an arrow into the pot, and Lu Su also stood up and said, "If I surrender to Eastern Wu today, it will not be a vassal, but a subjugation of the country."
Lu Su shot an arrow. Holding the last arrow in his hand, Zhou Yu stood in front of Sun Quan in a daze.
"Gongjin." Sun Quan said.
Holding the arrow, Zhou Yu looked at the two copper pots on the table.
"You said that if your brother was still here today," Zhou Yu said slowly, in a low voice, "Will he surrender or not?"
Sun Quan did not answer. Zhou Yu was silent for a long time, and then said: "For a while, I actually forgot his appearance, why can't I remember it all the time?"
"Do you still remember what Bo Fu looked like?" Zhou Yu asked the civil servants present.
Zhang Zhao took a deep breath, and replied in a firm voice, "Bo Fu... loved to laugh when he was alive."
Zhou Yu smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in that smile.
"Nine years." Zhu Zhi said.
"Nine years." Zhou Yu replied with a hoarse voice, "I even forgot what he looked like."
"Did you really forget?" Sun Quan asked.
Zhou Yu didn't answer, put down the arrow, turned and left.
Huang Gai and the others got up to leave, and there were only two copper pots in front of Sun Quan's case. One was filled with the arrows of the civil servants, with the tail feathers facing outwards, and the other was filled with the arrows of the generals, shining with a sharp cold light.
The setting sun was like blood, reflecting the torrential river, and Zhou Yu stood in front of the river with his martial robe fluttering.
"You haven't made up your mind yet?" Xiao Qiao handed a robe to Zhou Yu, and said, "I heard from them that in front of the lord today, you said that you can't even remember Sun Lang's appearance."
Zhou Yu replied: "I still remember, how have I ever forgotten a day in these years? I just don't know which one is him."
Xiao Qiao sighed, and said softly, "Zhou Lang, do you want to fight?"
"You go back first." Zhou Yu said, "The night wind is cold."
Sun Quan walked along the river wind, Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao turned their heads at the same time, looking at his lonely figure on the bank.
"I'll go warm some wine for you guys." Xiao Qiao knew that Zhou Yu and Sun Quan had something to say.
When Sun Quan was standing on the high ground by the bank, the two did not exchange a word.
"You don't play the piano anymore," Sun Quan said.
"No one listens." Zhou Yu replied.
The two stood side by side, and Zhou Yu said again: "You are almost taller than your brother back then."
Sun Quan said: "If there is a spirit under the spring, he must be calling me a coward."
"He won't scold you," Zhou Yu said, "it's just a pity. After all, if we surrender, we will all be Hanchens, and you, my lord, will not be Hanchens. If you are willing to make this sacrifice for Soochow, I admire you, If you want to fight, I will follow you."
Sun Quan was stunned for a moment.
Zhou Yu avoided Sun Quan's gaze and looked at the surging river. Sun Quan was silent for a while, Zhou Yu was right, once Jiangdong fell, all civil servants and military generals would be ministers of the Han family. However, Sun Quan decided that it would be impossible for him to have the status he has today.
"If you've made up your mind, then go back." Zhou Yu nodded slightly and said, "If you want to fight, come with me."
At this last moment, Sun Quan finally calmed down, but Zhou Yu ignored him and turned back into the room.
Xiao Qiao warmed the wine, Zhou Yu sat down in front of the case, and Sun Quan chased him in. The gentle wind blows the gauze curtain, and there seems to be a figure passing by outside the gauze curtain. Zhou Yu looked up, their thoughts intersected each other in that short moment, as if a person stood there and said to him—
Gong Jin, Sun Quan and Jiang Dong are entrusted to you.
"What are the chances of winning?" Sun Quan asked.
"You make your decision first." Zhou Yu said in a deep voice, taking the warm wine from Xiao Qiao's hands.
Sun Quan drank it all in one gulp, then looked up at Zhou Yu. He knew that Zhou Yu was planning to fight to the death, but he still couldn't help asking some questions.
"What if we lose?" Sun Quan said.
Zhou Yu said calmly, "Throw yourself into the river to apologize, and go to accompany your brother."
As if she didn't hear anything, Xiao Qiao poured wine for Sun Quan, got up and left.
"Hit." Sun Quan finally spit out a word softly.
"We have to fight," Zhou Yu said in a deep voice, "We have a five-point chance of winning."
"First: Cao's army came from far away, trekking long distances, terrified, the weather is cold and the supply of food and grass is not enough, and the cavalry and infantry are not good at water warfare, even if it is 800,000, it will be futile, but we are waiting for work."
"Second: People in the north are not acclimatized to the water and soil, and they will suffer from seasickness and bumps."
"Third: Cao Cao has no water army, and Cai Mao and Zhang Yun have 70,000 generals, and the people's hearts are unstable."
"Fourth: Han Sui is enough to be a trouble for Cao Cao's rear."
"Fifth: Liu Bei went south to enter the police, and we still have allies."
Zhou Yu pressed his palm in front of Sun Quan, divided his five fingers slightly, and replied, "That's the five-point chance of winning. With 30,000 elite soldiers, I can defeat it, but we need to investigate."
Lu Su walked in, put his sleeves on his sleeves, and said with a smile, "My lord, the glass of wine you drank is mine."
Sun Quan said: "Sit down, Zijing, I think I've figured it out, you two have already thought about it."
"No," Zhou Yu replied, "If you have a heart, then do it. Come, my lord."
Zhou Yu poured three glasses of wine with his own hands. After the three drank, Lu Su wiped the corner of his mouth and said, "Liu Bei's army is waiting to cross the river at Xiakou, and sent a letter."
"Pick him up." Sun Quan got up and said, "I'll make arrangements."
Until now, Zhou Yu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Let Zhang Zhao and others leave it to the lord."
Without further ado, Sun Quan made arrangements for that night. Zhou Yu stood by the river, tied the cloth strips to Fei Yu's claws, Fei Yu let out a long cry, crossed the vast river, and threw it to the north.