The battle of Lujiang had come to an end. Sun Cejun's army was defeated. Out of the 100,000 soldiers, only 5,000 of Sun Ce's soldiers returned. The rest were either captured or killed. Other than Taishi Ci, none of the generals survived. Chen Wu, Dong Xi, and Zhang Kai were all killed. Jiang Qin and Lu Su's fate was unknown. Although Sun Ce had broken through to the peak of refinement stage, he was still seriously injured.
Two ferocious tigers fought in Lujiang and finally Lu Bu obtained the final victory.
Liu Mang, Liu Hanyang, Huang Zhong, Huang Hansheng, Gan Ning, Gan Xingba, and Gan Zhong appeared in front of the world.
Liu Mang and Liu Hanyang blocked Wan Cheng with 10,000 soldiers, making it difficult for Sun Cejun's army to advance. They even lost tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. If not for Lü Bu underestimating the enemy, Wan Cheng would not have been lost.
Huang Zhong, Huang Hansheng, fought against Jiang Qin, Taishi Ci, and Sun Ce. These three were the strongest generals in the world, especially Sun Ce. Jiangdong's Little Conqueror was not a joke. Taishi Ci was also a character. However, the three of them were unable to defeat Huang Zhong. This was similar to the time when the three of them fought against Lü Bu at Hulao Pass. Huang Zhong, a veteran general, also appeared in front of the world. He was not inferior to Lü Bu. If they were Lu Bu's enemies, then there would be a lot of fun to watch. But now that they have become Lu Bu's subordinates, this is a big joke. One Lu Bu is already a headache, now there is a second one. Only Big Eared Liu's two brothers, who were currently living in Runan, heard of Huang Zhong's name, and their eyes flashed. Guan Yu stroked his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, while Zhang Fei practiced martial arts day and night.
Gan Ning, Gan Ning, was the most dazzling one! This was because Gan Ning destroyed 30,000 of Jiangdong's navy. Although it was only a portion of the 100,000, it made the world stunned. What was the Jiangdong Navy? It was the Flood Dragon of the navy! In the Yangtze River, who could stop the Jiangdong Navy? Even the Jingzhou Army could only retreat in defeat. The Jiangdong Navy's position in the navy was no less than the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry's position in the army. But now, this position was snatched away by someone else. If it was just a spear, it would have been fine, but it was a slap in the face. 30,000 Jiangdong Navy!
In Jiangxia, the Jiangdong Navy that was fighting against the Jingzhou Navy only had 30,000 soldiers. Although they were all elites, the Jiangdong Navy that was fighting against the Jingzhou Navy was 70,000 soldiers. The Jiangdong Navy that defeated the Jiangdong Navy in front of Wancheng City was only 7,000 soldiers from Lu Bu's Navy! Did Lü Bu play with the navy before? He was completely a landlubber. If Lü Bu was placed on a ship, he might get seasick.
But now, Lü Bu's Navy, the Lvbu's Army, was led by someone called Gan Ning, Gan Xingba, and destroyed the 30,000 Jiangdong Navy! This was a slap in the face! Lu Su and Jiang Qin were also captured.
Gan Ning's weapons were also investigated by the various warlords. Among them were Cao Cao, Liu Biao, Sun Ce, Zhang Lu, and Liu Zhang. This was because these warlords had their own navy in their territories. Liu Biao used it to deal with Sun Ce, Sun Ce used it to find out why he lost, Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu used it to protect themselves. As for Cao Cao, he was currently in a confrontation with Yuan Shao in Guandu. If he obtained Gan Ning's weapons, would he be able to change the current situation of Cao Cao? Would Cao Cao gain the initiative by striking first? Seven thousand people could destroy 30,000, and Cao Cao had nearly 100,000 troops. Could he not destroy Yuan Shao's 300,000 troops? They all knew that the ballistae were ballistae, but when they loaded the ballistae onto the ships, they were useless. They could only fire once and the range was short. Compared to Gan Ning's Navy, it was much better. Moreover, it was heavy and required dozens of people to pull the bowstring. If they were fighting on the battlefield, pulling the bowstring would tire them to death.
As for Yuan Shao, who also had his own navy, he looked down on all the warlords. The Jiangdong Navy was strong because he was not in the Yellow River. If he encountered Yuan Shao's navy in the Yellow River, he would not even have a corpse left.
In fact, the ones who lost the most face were not the Jiangdong Navy, but Huang Zu and Liu Biao who were confronting Zhou Yu. This was because they all knew about Gan Ning. He was the Jinfan Bandit! Liu Biao disliked him and kicked him to Huang Zu. Huang Zu also disliked him for only being a small captain. Later on, he was promoted to Field Marshal with the help of Su Fei. Now that Gan Ning had left, the Jingzhou Navy had been defeated by the Jiangdong Navy. Half of Jiangxia was suppressed by the Jiangdong Navy. On the other hand, this bandit that even Huang Zu and Liu Biao looked down on had wiped out 30,000 of the Jiangdong Navy. This made Liu Biao and Huang Zu lose face. To put it bluntly, they were completely blind. Such a great talent was placed in front of them, but they forced him to leave.
As a result, no one was allowed to mention Gan Ning's name in the Jiangxia Navy's camp. All of this made the other warlords laugh their heads off. With Gan Ning as an example, no one in the world would go to Jingzhou. No one would go and work for Liu Biao. No one would! This was because Liu Biao did not have the ability to recognize people. A fine steed was common, but a Talent Scout was rare.
On the contrary, Lü Bu had become a new Talent Scout. Huang Zhong, Gan Ning, and the other generals had just joined the Lvbu's Army. Lü Bu's original subordinates were the Eight Great Generals. Now, the Eight Great Generals Wei Xu, Song Xian, and Hou Cheng had died in Xiapi. Hao Meng was killed by Lü Bu's subordinate, Gao Shun. Cheng Lian was captured when Cao Cao attacked Xiapi. Cao Xing also died at the hands of the Xiahou Brothers. Only Zang Ba, Zhang Liao, was still under Lü Bu's command.
Therefore, Huang Zhong, Gan Ning, and the others were all newcomers. They had just joined the Lvbu's Army. As soon as they joined the Lvbu's Army, they emitted such brilliance. How could they not attract the attention of the world? Some people with lofty ideals who did not care about Lü Bu's reputation began to take an interest in Lü Bu.
For example, a middle-aged scholar in Wan City was looking at the intelligence reports while pondering. Lü Bu had changed too much. He and Lü Bu had known each other for a long time. They had even been officials of the same palace. Originally, he had defined Lü Bu as a headstrong and self-opinionated man. Although he had unparalleled martial strength, he only had the brain of a pig. Moreover, he was cold-blooded and would definitely die a horrible death. This could be seen from Lü Bu's betrayal of his adoptive father and the fact that he did not appease the Western Liang soldiers after the mutiny. But now, it seemed that Lü Bu had changed. He had become a person that the middle-aged scholar did not dare to believe.
Jia Xu originally intended to persuade the current lord, Zhang Xiu, to disregard the former enmity and surrender to Lao Cao in Xudu. This was because Lao Cao was the real person who could unify the world. But now, Jia Xu was really hesitant. With Lü Bu, could Cao Cao really pacify the Central Plains? Moreover, Lao Cao was now caught in the struggle for hegemony with Hebei Yuan Shao. So, Jia Xu began to wait and see again.
In the Zhuge Hut of Nanyang
"I won again!" The young man with a feather fan said with a smile. His black piece once again killed the dark-faced fatty's dragon. "Thank you for letting me win, Shiyuan!"
"Don't be complacent, Kongming!" The dark-faced fatty's gloomy face could not be seen because of his black skin. On their table was the summary of the battle of Lujiang. These were sent by their teacher, Master Shui Jing, and the dark-faced fatty's uncle, Pang Degong.
"Hehe!" Kongming was not angry because of the dark-faced fatty's impoliteness. Instead, he advised the dark-faced fatty not to be too calculative about winning or losing.
"Kongming, I will leave tomorrow to seek refuge with my wise lord! Don't forget our bet! "The dark-faced fatty stared at Kongming. He was really afraid that Kongming would say that he had forgotten.
But Kongming stopped laughing and became serious. "Have you really decided? Shiyuan! " Kongming knew who the dark-faced fatty was talking about. Originally, Kongming had thought that this person was not an ordinary person, and that he could conquer the world with one move. But after going to Lang Ye, Kongming changed his mind. Although the wise lord that the dark-faced fatty sought refuge with had some ability, Kongming did not think highly of him. The territories around him that could be developed had been occupied by others. Now, the victory in the Central Plains had not been decided yet. However, this person had no chance in the Central Plains. Only Sichuan had a chance. But even if he wanted to succeed, it would be a very difficult road!
"En!" The dark-faced fatty nodded.
"Then, Liang congratulates Shiyuan in advance for helping the wise lord achieve great things!" Kongming did not pretend at all. That kind of hypocrisy was completely the kind of happiness that came from seeking refuge with a wise lord for his friend.
"Kongming!" The dark-faced fatty was a little moved. He just remembered that although they had been fighting all these years, he was the one who was aggressive. But Kongming only smiled indifferently because they were true friends.
"Don't give me that!" The dark-faced fatty suppressed his emotions and scolded with a smile, "You want me to be merciful after losing to me! Let me tell you, in your dreams! "
"Shiyuan, you think too much!" Kongming shook his head, "Go, go, go, do something for Pang Degong and the teachers to see!" Kongming was acting like an elder brother now.
"Don't give me that!" The dark-faced fatty almost ran out of the thatched hut. He was afraid that he would cry in front of that person. How could he cry? He was a Fledgling Phoenix, a Fledgling Phoenix that was as famous as Crouching Dragon. How could he cry?
"Shiyuan!" Seeing the dark-faced fatty leave, Kongming looked at the chessboard in a daze. Although Kongming did not like the dark-faced fatty sometimes, the dark-faced fatty was one of Kongming's few good friends! Now that the dark-faced fatty left, no one would disturb him. He found excuses to say that Kongming should be happy, but he did not feel happy. He smiled bitterly and shook his head. He stood up and looked at the house that he had lived in for many years, "It's time to leave!" Although he was a little reluctant, it was time for him to leave!
"Shiyuan, Shiyuan, I hope we don't meet on the battlefield too soon. When that time comes, I will not be merciful!" Kongming smiled and walked into the thatched hut. He left a letter on the table and took some money with him as he left Nanyang Zhuge Hut with his servant.
-----
"Is it really good to let Sun Ce go?" Liu Mang's condition had improved a lot and he could walk. At this time, the father-in-law and son-in-law were drinking tea and discussing. When Sun Ce left through the West Gate that day, they were all foot soldiers. If Lü Bu really wanted to stop Sun Ce from leaving, he could use the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry to chase after Sun Ce in Lujiang. At that time, Sun Ce would be really unlucky.
"It's not that I don't want to let him go," Liu Mang smiled bitterly as he looked at Lü Bu who had been struggling like a child. Lü Bu really did not want to make enemies because he would take revenge on the spot. After being beaten by Sun Ce and falling into Sun Ce's trap, it would be strange if Lü Bu was happy in his heart. Therefore, he had always wanted to chase after Sun Ce and kidnap him back to vent his anger. However, he was stopped by Liu Mang!
Liu Mang also did not want to let Sun Ce leave. To be honest, Liu Mang's hatred for Sun Ce was much stronger than Lü Bu's. How many City Guard soldiers were left in his hands? More than 400. General Su Fei had also died in the hands of Sun Ce. Sun Ce had also ordered Jing Lan to kill so many civilians. Liu Mang could not wait to kill Sun Ce.
However, Old Man Chen, who was far away in Shucheng, seemed to be able to predict the future and sent a letter to Liu Mang. This letter told Liu Mang that he could cripple Sun Cejun, but he absolutely could not kill Sun Ce. He must let Sun Ce go. This was the first reason why Liu Mang let go of Sun Ce. Another reason was that when Sun Ce left, he did not destroy the provisions of Wan Cheng city. This could be considered as returning a favor. If Sun Ce set the provisions of Wan Cheng city on fire, then the Lvbu's Army would be prepared to starve. Sun Ce's sincerity also made Liu Mang's heart feel a bit better.
If Liu Mang knew that Sun Ce did not set the provisions of Wan Cheng city on fire because he was afraid of alerting the enemy and preventing him from leaving, then he would not know how Liu Mang would feel.
"Sun Ce cannot die!" Liu Mang put down the teacup. At this time, tea can be said to be good tea but it can also be said to be a pile of things that were put together and burned. That is why Liu Mang would rather drink plain water than drink bitter and unbearable tea.
Liu Mang was talking about the letter that Chen Gong wrote to Liu Mang. "Father-in-law, why did we take Wan Cheng city and conquer Lujiang?" Liu Mang asked Lü Bu.
"Why?" Lü Bu was surprised. He thought about the reason. This reason was a bit strange. It was because he, Lü Bu, was not willing to be Sun Ce's sword. Moreover, it was because Chen Rui, that old man, was aggressive. This made Lü Bu angry and ordered his army to take Wan Cheng city and have a good battle with Sun Ce. Lü Bu was really embarrassed to say this reason to his son-in-law. Was it because he was angry?
"Haha!" How could Liu Mang not know Lü Bu? He also did not say it. "Father-in-law is not willing to be used by Sun Ce of Jiangdong, but are you willing to be used by Liu Biao of Jingzhou?" Liu Mang looked at Lü Bu and said.
"Huh?" Lü Bu frowned. Lü Bu could be regarded as an idiot when it came to politics. Otherwise, he would not have been played by Wang Yun in Chang 'an City. If not for Madam Ren falling in love with Lü Bu, he was afraid that Lü Bu would have been played to death by Wang Yun. Fortunately, Madam Ren helped Lü Bu and killed his adoptive father. Otherwise, there would be no Lü Bu now.
"If we kill Sun Ce, who will benefit the most?" Liu Mang admitted that he was also an idiot when it came to politics, but he was much better than Lü Bu. At least Liu Mang cared about some interests. The one who would benefit the most from killing Sun Ce would be Liu Biao of Jingzhou. Now, the Jiangdong Army had conquered half of Jiang Xia. Although Liu Mang of Jingzhou had sent General Wen Pin and 70,000 naval troops to support, they could only defend half of the territory.
If they killed Sun Ce at this time, Liu Biao was afraid that he would wake up laughing in his sleep. Zhou Yu was Sun Ce's sworn brother. If he knew about Sun Ce's death, he would definitely withdraw his troops and leave Jiang Xia. Of course, Zhou Yu would deal with Lü Bu.
In Jiangdong, 25,000 of the 30,000 troops were killed by the Lvbu's Army. But don't forget that this was not all of Jiangdong's strength. This was only one-third of the total strength. Jiangdong was divided into three forces. The first was Sun Ce's troops, which were the 30,000 troops. The second was Zhou Yu's subordinates. Zhou Yu was Sun Ce's sworn brother. Sun Ce trusted Zhou Yu. Therefore, the tens of thousands of troops under Zhou Yu's command were also elites. The last part was the troops guarding Sun Ce's Kuiji. These troops were under the control of Sun Ce's younger brother, Sun Quan.
If Lü Bu killed Sun Ce, then Lujiang would have to bear the anger of the entire Jiangdong.
"Anyway, we have already offended him so much. Why do we still care about other things?" Lü Bu did not understand. Was there any possibility of reconciliation with Sun Ce? He had occupied Sun Ce's city. On the surface, Sun Ce's wife had died in the hands of the Lvbu's Army. Now, 100,000 troops had been killed. Was there any possibility of reconciliation between Jiangdong and Lujiang?
"Haha!" Liu Mang smiled: "Father-in-law, if there is only one Sun Ce in Jiangdong, then there is no way to reconcile." Sun Ce's bad temper was the same as Lü Bu's. Whoever offended him, he would not let them off easily. He would only be happy if he made them suffer. However, Sun Ce was not the only one in Jiangdong. Jiangdong also had Zhou Yu, Sun Quan, and the nobles. These people would not allow Sun Ce to continue fighting. At the very least, it was impossible now.
The loss of 100,000 troops had greatly damaged Jiangdong. Now, Zhou Yu was thinking about how to deal with Liu Biao in Jingzhou. You attacked Liu Biao's territory and conquered half of Jiang Xia. You want to leave just like that? Liu Biao would not agree to it. Moreover, half of Jiang Xia was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Because of Jiang Xia, Jiangdong could not conquer Jingzhou. With Jiang Xia as a springboard, Jingzhou would be far away.
What about the nobles? Liu Mang had a lot of chips in his hands. Among the people who attacked Wancheng City, there were many nobles who held high positions in their respective families. Liu Mang even had a young lord in his hands. How could they watch their family members die in Wancheng City? Also, the nobles did not get anything in the end. They were very angry. If Sun Ce wanted to attack Lujiang again, he would need the support of the nobles. With these hostages in his hands, the nobles would not dare to act rashly.
"Therefore, Jiangdong is not only Sun Ce's Jiangdong, but also the nobles' Jiangdong! Jiangdong is not our Lujiang. Our Lujiang can kill all the nobles, but Sun Ce can't. He needs the support of the nobles to stabilize Jiangdong. So even if Sun Ce is not happy, he will have to reconcile with Lujiang. At least, before the outcome of the battle with Jingzhou is decided, he will not be able to step into Lujiang again! " Liu Mang explained to Lü Bu. These were all written in Old Man Chen's letter. Liu Mang only used his own words to explain to Lü Bu.
"If we kill Sun Ce, our enmity with Jiangdong will be irreconcilable. In order to get the support of Jiangdong's generals, the new Lord will attack Lujiang directly. They will even give up Jiangxia. Zhou Yu will also come back to besiege us. After all, he and Sun Ce have a deep relationship!" Liu Mang continued to analyze. "As for us, although we have hundreds of thousands of provisions in Wancheng City, Old Man Chen's army, Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, Formation Breaker, and Gan Ning's navy, we only have less than 50,000 people. If we go all out against Jiangdong, we will lose! Even if we win, we will not have a share in this world! " If they really kill Sun Ce, then the Lvbu's Army will have no other choice but to give up Lujiang. Where will they go if they give up Lujiang? Xu Province is Lao Cao's place. Yuzhou is also in the hands of Lao Cao. Jingzhou? Liu Mang dared to bet that Liu Biao will never let the Lvbu's Army leave. He may even pretend to help Sun Ce to seek justice. He will block the Lvbu's Army in Lujiang and watch the Lvbu's Army and Jiangdong Army fight. Even if they won in the end, it would be a pyrrhic victory. Furthermore, who knows how long this war would last. By the time the war was over, Old Cao would have already dealt with Hebei's Yuan Shao. With the power of the Central Plains, at that time, other than waiting for death and surrendering to Lu Bu's Army, there would be no other choice! So Sun Ce must not die.
Lü Bu did not hear Liu Mang's explanation clearly, but he heard one thing clearly. That is, they will not have a share in this world! What does Hanyang mean? Does he want to support the Han dynasty or replace Liu Xiu? Lü Bu looked at Liu Mang thoughtfully. Liu Mang was baffled.
Lü Bu stood up and looked at Liu Mang and said word by word, "I know!"
"You know?!" Liu Mang was dumbfounded. What does Lü Bu know?
"Gongtai will bring people back tomorrow! When the time comes for the official meeting, do not be late! "After saying that, Lu Bu strode away! Leaving behind a confused Liu Mang!
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