"You want to make peace?" Sun Ce was stunned for a moment. He simply couldn't believe his eyes. This was because Sun Ce had already planned for the King Of Shu, Liu Mang, to send an army to attack Jiangdong. Sun Ce had already planned to use the Space to trade for time. He wanted to abandon Yangzhou and enter Jiao Province. He wanted to rely on the people of Jiangdong as well as the money sent by Jing Province to rebuild his army. However, Sun Ce didn't expect that Yangzhou would actually stop fighting and even come to make peace.
Sun Ce simply could not believe it. But this Yang Hong was not fake. He was indeed Yangzhou's foreign affairs minister. If it was not a declaration of war but a declaration of war, then it would have been enough to send an insignificant person. There was no need for this Yang Hong to personally come.
"Mister Yang Hong really came here to make peace?" Sun Ce asked with uncertainty.
"Haha, Marquis Wu, I am standing here for real. What do you think, Marquis Wu?" Yang Hong always had a smile on his face.
"Liu Mang, no, His Highness, the King Of Shu, didn't Mister Yang Hong come here to deliver the letter of challenge?" Sun Ce was prepared to go to war with Yangzhou. Sun Ce took advantage of the anger of the people of Jiangdong towards the Yangzhou army and recruited a lot of troops. Now, he had 30,000 troops. The money used to form the army was given to Jiangdong by Liu Mang. It was the provisions for the 15,000 troops. Out of these 30,000 soldiers, Sun Ce thought that if 3,000 to 5,000 of them could survive, then it would be a profit for Sun Ce. Those who could survive would definitely be elites.
"Whether it is a letter of challenge or not, Mister Wu Hou will know when you see it." Yang Hong handed over the letter.
"Oh!" Sun Ce received the letter from Yang Hong. He looked at the cover of the letter. It said that Liu Mang had married Sun Ce's little sister, Sun Shangxiang. Therefore, it was only right to call him Big Brother.
Sun Ce continued to read the letter. It was filled with the King Of Shu, Liu Mang's courteous words to Sun Ce. It said that everyone should get together and write to each other. In the end, it said that all of this was a misunderstanding and that he came here to mediate the conflict between the Big Brother and the Second Brother. There was also Liu Mang's seal on the letter.
Sun Ce's eyes lit up. However, it was not because of Liu Mang's words. It was because there was another sentence in the letter. That is, 20,000 shi of grain and provisions were sent as a gift for Mister Wu Hou who did not invite them to his wedding.
"His Highness the King Of Shu, no, brother-in-law really sent 20,000 shi of grain and provisions?" Sun Ce's eyes lit up. In the past, Sun Ce would only look at the 20,000 shi of grain and provisions and would not care much about it. However, it was different now. Jiangdong was so poor that they could only use their pants. Even if it was 2,000 shi, Sun Ce would still want it. Not to mention 20,000 shi, he could form an army of 20,000 people. Even if he was an elite, he could still form an army of 5,000 people.
Therefore, for the 20,000 shi of grain and provisions, Sun Ce actually called Liu Mang brother-in-law.
"Of course. The 20,000 shi of grain and provisions have already been loaded onto the ships. They should be outside the Yangtze River now. Calculating the time, they should reach Jiangdong soon." Yang Hong smiled as he calculated the time.
"Oh?" Sun Ce was still puzzled. Soon, a general ran in and cupped his fist to Sun Ce. "Reporting to Milord, there is an additional fleet on the Yangtze River."
"What fleet? How many people are there?" Sun Ce was still vigilant. He was afraid that Yang Hong would come to make peace and Liu Mang would secretly attack. That would be terrible.
"There are more than a dozen military ships. The rest are all merchant ships. Each merchant ship seems to be carrying something. They are all fully loaded." The dispatch sergeant said to Sun Ce. "Huang Gai asked me to ask Milord, how should we deal with this fleet?"
"Mister Yang Hong, are those really grain and provisions?" Sun Ce asked again.
"Marquis Wu, of course. If it weren't for provisions, why would we need to use merchant ships?" Yang Hong said with a smile. He knew that Sun Ce was worried that the merchant ships were not loaded with grain and provisions but soldiers. Yang Hong directly dispelled Sun Ce's worries. If they were loaded with soldiers, they could just use military ships. Why would they use merchant ships? Wasn't it superfluous? How many soldiers could a merchant ship hold?
"Quickly, let Huang Gai prepare to let those merchant ships enter Jianye Water Fort!" Sun Ce ordered his subordinates. He believed that Huang Gai would investigate whether the ships were loaded with grain and provisions or soldiers. If they were enemies, they would directly close the door and beat the dogs. If they were grain and provisions, then it would be fine.
"Wait!" Yang Hong stopped Sun Ce. "Milord, without orders, these grain ships cannot enter Jianye's port." Yang Hong said with a smile.
"Mister Yang Hong, what do you mean? Who is this person? "Sun Ce was a little anxious. These 20,000 dan of grain and provisions were urgently needed by Sun Ce.
"This person is Yangzhou's Minister of Personnel, Lu Su." Yang Hong said to Sun Ce.
"Lu Su?" Sun Ce's eyes were filled with hesitation. Lu Su's talent was naturally seen in Sun Ce's eyes. Lu Su could be schemed against by Zhou Yu because Lu Su trusted Zhou Yu too much and thought that Zhou Yu was his best friend. Even later on, Lu Su understood it. However, it was too late and he was put under house arrest by Zhou Yu.
"Haha, didn't Minister Lu of Yangzhou already return?" Sun Ce laughed. He did not want to hand Lu Su over to Yangzhou. Although he called Liu Mang brother-in-law on the surface, the two were actually enemies.
"Haha, Marquis Wu, at this time, let's not beat around the bush. If Marquis Wu hands over Lu Shangshu, then Jiangdong and Yangzhou will naturally become friends. If Lu Shangshu cannot return to Yangzhou, then Marquis Wu can say that our lord, the King of Shu, will send someone to Jiangdong to look for Lu Su. "Although Yang Hong was smiling, his tone made Sun Ce's face turn gloomy.
"Are you threatening this Marquis?" Sun Ce looked at Yang Hong and said. Sun Ce's eyes were bloodshot and filled with killing intent.
If Sun Ce was an ordinary scholar, then he would have been frightened by Sun Ce. But who was Yang Hong? When he followed Yuan Shu, Sun Ce was just a kid wearing open-crotch pants. Sun Ce even gave Yang Hong the etiquette of a junior. So Sun Ce's killing intent was useless against Yang Hong.
"Yang Hong does not dare. What I want to tell Marquis Wu is Marquis Wu's close friend. Marquis Zhou Yu should know that Minister Lu is just an idle person in Jiangdong. Marquis Wu still has to provide food for him. But if you give him to us, then it is different. We can exchange him for provisions on the Yangtze River. Isn't this what Marquis Wu lacks the most?" Yang Hong explained the pros and cons to Sun Ce.
"Can't I take the provisions on the Yangtze River myself?" Sun Ce said to Yang Hong. When he said take the provisions on his own, it meant that he had to send out the navy.
"Haha, Marquis Wu, even if it is an ordinary merchant, he would need to spend some money to hire some soldiers to escort him. Is there no one to escort 20,000 shi of provisions? If Marquis Wu thinks that General Lu Xun is an incompetent person, then please leave. " Yang Hong also used Lu Xun. Let me tell you, Sun Ce. Although there are ships transporting provisions on the Yangtze River, they are also escorted by the Yangzhou Navy. The person escorting them is our General Lu Xun. How can Sun Ce not have a deep impression of Lu Xun? After all, Lu Xun had made Sun Ce's face covered with dirt. In the past, the Jiangdong Army could only rely on human heads. Now that the elites of the Jiangdong Army were lost, Lu Xun was no match for them.
"Does your Lord not know how much Lu Su is worth? 50,000 shi, don't mention it if it is less than that. "Sun Ce said to Yang Hong.
"20,000 shi!" Yang Hong still said the same thing.
"Forty thousand. I can't go any lower."
"20,000 shi!"
"30,000 shi!" Sun Ce gritted his teeth and said. Take Lu Su back? Sun Ce can keep such an idle person because this idle person will not cause trouble for him. But if Lu Su was taken back, it would be different. Yangzhou Liu Mang's strength would be greatly increased.
"20,000 shi still." Yang Hong's smile did not change.
"20,000 shi? A Yangzhou Minister of Personnel is worth 20,000 shi? " Sun Ce ridiculed. Liu Mang's salary for a Minister of Personnel was 5,000 shi. It can be said that if Liu Mang did not reward Lu Su, his salary for four years would be 20,000 shi.
"Marquis Wu, you misunderstood. This 20,000 shi is not only for Marquis Wu to take back Minister Lu. It is also for the 8,000 soldiers of Yangzhou New Army that have been bothering Marquis Wu for a long time, as well as Lu Su's deputy envoys." Yang Hong said with a warm smile, but it made Sun Ce furious.
Sun Ce wanted to bargain. Originally, he wanted to ask for more money. But now, not only did he not want more money, he also wanted to give him gifts.
8,000 Yangzhou New Army! These were all elite troops! Sun Ce was drooling over them. But what made Sun Ce tangled was that these 8,000 Yangzhou New Army were not willing to surrender to Sun Ce. Sun Ce could only stare at them helplessly without being able to eat them. This kind of feeling was very uncomfortable! Originally, he wanted to slowly wear them down, but Yangzhou came to ask for more soldiers.
"These 8,000 soldiers of Yangzhou New Army, if Marquis Wu is kind, you can let them stay. But Marquis Wu, if these 8,000 soldiers are injured, our Lord will have to talk to Marquis Wu. " Yang Hong said to Sun Ce. If these 8,000 soldiers were to stay in Jiangdong, Sun Ce would not be able to persuade them to surrender. But these were people, not things like armor or weapons. They had to eat every day. Jiangdong was already starving, how could they take care of these people?
Yang Hong said that if Sun Ce could persuade them to surrender, then he would not say much. The 8,000 soldiers of Yangzhou New Army would be given to Sun Ce. But if Sun Ce could not persuade them to surrender, Sun Ce could not kill them or not give them food. If something unpleasant happened, then there was no need for both sides to make peace.
"Good! I will give you all of them. The 8,000 soldiers plus Lu Su and his deputy envoys. Oh right, I will also give you Yangzhou's General Dai Yun. 20,000 shi of provisions, I need them immediately. Today, I want them in Jiangdong's treasury. " Sun Ce is really afraid of being poor. Twenty thousand shi? Even if it is twenty thousand shi, he will still take it. Lu Su will return it. As for the 8000 Yangzhou New Army, he will give them back. Keeping them is a waste of food.
"Dai Yun?" Yang Hong was a little surprised. The Yangzhou side thought that Dai Yun had died in battle. They did not expect that he was captured by Sun Cejun. However, Yang Hong did not show the slightest change in his expression.
"Don't worry, Marquis Wu. The grain transport ships are already on the river. As long as Minister Lu and the eight thousand warriors return to the other side of the river, the grain transport ships will naturally enter Jianye's port." Yang Hong nodded.
"Good, this Marquis will immediately send people to handle this matter. Mister Yang Hong, it is already late. You should go back and rest." Sun Ce began to ask his guest to leave.
"If that's the case, goodbye!" Yang Hong nodded and left to return to the station.
…
"20,000 shi, Zi Jing, so in the eyes of our King Of Shu, you are only worth 20,000 shi!" In Zhou Yu's residence, Zhou Yu smiled and said to Lu Su who was drinking wine.
"Gong Jin, is there any meaning in saying this now?" Lu Su did not pay attention to Zhou Yu's words. How could he not know what Zhou Yu meant? He wanted Lu Su to have resentment towards the Prince of Shu, Liu Mang. He only used twenty thousand shi to redeem Lu Su. Did he really see Lu Su's true colors? However, who was Lu Su? Naturally, he could see Zhou Yu's intentions with a glance.
"Haha, I'm just speaking up for you, Zijing. Zijing has the talent to help the world, but in the eyes of our King of Shu, you're only worth 20,000 dan of grain!" Zhou Yu also raised his wine cup and shook his head.
"Haha, then in the eyes of Marquis Wu and Gong Jin, how much am I worth?" Lu Su asked with a smile.
"Naturally, you are a priceless treasure." Zhou Yu replied.
"Then why does Marquis Wu still want to swap me out? Priceless treasure? Marquis Wu is doing a losing business! "Lu Su mocked Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu was also a little embarrassed, but he quickly recovered. "Alright, Zi Jing, you and I don't need to be like this. I was wrong for tricking you this time, but Zi Jing, you have to know that I, Zhou Yu, have never harmed you." Zhou Yu sincerely said to Lu Su. Indeed, even so, Zhou Yu still gave Lu Su a monetary gift. He even asked Sun Ce to give Lu Su a position as an envoy. If Lu Su was not a good friend of Zhou Yu, he would have been executed long ago. Or perhaps he would have already been sent to prison.
"Gong Jin, although you have the intention to harm me, you have trapped me in a heartless and unjust situation. Although you do not have the intention, you have already harmed others." Lu Su smiled bitterly. Zhou Yu had also told Lu Su about the peace between the Yangzhou Army and the Jiangdong Army. Lu Su also knew about it. Lu Su also knew that Yangzhou's plan to attack Jiangdong was to directly attack Jianye and capture Jiangdong. Now, not only did they not capture Jiangdong, but they also had to retreat. Lu Su blamed all of this on himself. If he had not been too impulsive and trusted Zhou Yu too much, this would not have happened.
My lord, my lord, Zi Jing really has no face to see you in front of me.
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