Lu Su and Lü Meng returned to Lukou to see Sun Quan and reported their alliance with Guan Yu at Dongting Lake.

At this time, the people sent by Sun Quan to Jianchang had not returned, but it was confirmed that Cheng Pu had been defeated, and Ling Tong and Huang Gai were both killed in the battle.

Faced with the ironclad facts, Sun Quan sadly returned to Jiangdong. Although he had re-allied with Liu Bei, the gap between the two families could never be eliminated, so he had to beware not only of Cao Cao, but also of Guan Yu from Jingzhou.

When Sun Quan left, he left behind 10,000 elite soldiers and appointed Lu Su, the governor-general, as the prefect of Jiangxia.

On the way back, the warship passed by Jiangxia for supplies. Sun Quan disembarked and rested in the Linjiang Pavilion.

Looking at the vast Yangtze River, Sun Quan felt that life was insignificant.

The world is really like Zhou Lang's "Yang of the Yangtze River", where the Yangtze River rolls eastward and its ambitions are covered up by the sound of the waves.

Sun Quan was in a bad mood on the road. None of the generals, big or small, wanted to come near him. Only Lü Meng cheekily stayed by his side.

"Hey, I will return to Jianye after losing my troops this time. I don't know what those old officials will think..." Sun Quan sighed.

Lu Meng cupped his hands and said: "My lord, if you have a stable command in the Yangtze River, easily captured Jiangxia, the important town in Jingzhou, how can you say that you lost your troops and generals? As for Cheng Gong's defeat in Changsha, it has nothing to do with you, so don't worry about it..."

Sun Quan was still worried: "But it was me who gave the order, and I don't know what happened to Zi Heng and Zi Qi..."

"Well, this matter is Lu Meng's suggestion. It can be downgraded to calm the public's anger. It has nothing to do with the lord..." Lu Meng knew Sun Quan's character well and said in his heart that helping the lord take the blame is not something outsiders can do. This is called retreating to advance.

.

Sun Quan shook his head gently: "Cheng Gong has a high prestige in Jiangdong. If I punish you but not him for this defeat, won't people say that I don't know the rewards and punishments?"

While Lu Mengxu was wiggling his eyes and wiping his beard, lowering his head in deep thought, Fu Shiren, the surrendered general, bravely came to Jiangting to see Sun Quan.

A villain who betrays his master is very unpopular, especially when Fu Shiren admitted to poisoning "Zhou Yu". Although he said that he had done a good job in dedicating the city, he was looked down upon by the army, and even Sun Quan didn't like him very much.

Sun Quan raised his chin, cocked his head and looked at Fu Shiren doubtfully: "What are you doing here?"

"My lord, I have been suffering from the cold these past few days. It happens that my son is still in Jiangxia City. I want to stay in Jiangxia to assist the Governor..." Fu Shiren bowed down and bowed in a respectful manner like a servant.

Fu Shiren originally thought that by sacrificing Jiangxia, Jiangdong soldiers and horses could take advantage of the situation to seize Jingzhou. Unexpectedly, after twenty days of confrontation on the Yangtze River, he finally received news of Cheng Pu's defeat, which greatly exceeded his expectations.

Fu Shiren didn't want to go back with Sun Quan at all. After all, Zhou Yu had been 'poisoned' by him, and he still had many relatives and friends. If he went to Jiangdong, he might die mysteriously.

Sun Quan knew Fu Shiren's thoughts very clearly, so he comforted him with a smile: "General Fu, please insist on it. The cold wind can't trouble Jiangdong's famous doctors. How can Jiangdong not treat you lightly for your contribution to the city? Now it will take some time to replenish the warships, and you can go there just in time."

Take your family out of the city, the city of Jianye will be stronger and safer than Jiangxia."

"Uh... I... I can still hold on. I won't delay the army's departure. The family members will come to move later. I will retire first..." Fu Shiren stood up and rushed to Sun Quan. Lu Meng saluted one after another, and then fled in embarrassment.

Exit Linjiang Pavilion.

Lu Meng looked at Fu Shiren's back and asked: "Since my lord doesn't like Fu Shiren, why doesn't he stay in Jiangxia or find an opportunity to get rid of him?"

"This man is disloyal to Liu Bei and Guan Yu. Staying in Jiangxia may be detrimental to Zijing. There are two reasons why I don't kill this man. First, if I kill him rashly, who will dare to surrender to Jiangdong in the future? Second, let him go.

In Jianye, we can absorb the dissatisfaction of the nobles and common people and give them a place to vent." Sun Quan sneered.

"Wonderful, this is a plan to replace others with others." Lu Meng complimented from the bottom of his heart.

Just when Sun Quan was a little complacent, Lu Meng said in surprise: "Cao Cao's main force is waiting in Runan now. Why not attack Wancheng on the way back? Zhu Guang's farming there will be a big problem. Our original plan was to go out this year. If we can

Winning will reduce the impact of Cheng Gong's defeat."

Sun Quan frowned. Cheng Pu's defeat had dampened his confidence. He hesitated and said, "What if Cao Cao has an ambush in Wancheng?"

Lu Meng clasped his fists and said vigorously: "I am willing to be the vanguard. If I can't win, I will raise my head to see you. Furthermore, if I can capture Wancheng, wouldn't it be more of a demonstration of my lord's use of troops? At that time, I will make a judgment with Duke Cheng..."

Sun Quan's eyes lit up when he heard this: "What you said is right. I ordered the warships to stop replenishing and set off immediately. If we are short of anything, we can go to Wancheng to get it."

"Wei." Lu Meng was overjoyed.

Just as Jiangdong's warship left the shore and left the port, a small ship from the east was sailing in the opposite direction towards the dock. The warships on guard and patrol did not dare to stop it, because it was the fast ship that Sun Quan was riding with, and he had just returned from Jianchang to inquire about the news.

.

The attendant had a serious look on his face and boarded Sun Quan's ship directly. Then he motioned to Sun Quan to go to a quiet place, and then whispered in his ear to report.

It turned out that Cheng Pu fell ill after his defeat and returned to Jianchang. He blamed himself for the deaths of tens of thousands of Jiangdong athletes, and died of worry and anger due to his old age.

"Did Mr. Cheng leave any last words before his death?" Sun Quan was startled when he heard this. He was worried that Cheng Pu was confused before his death and would say something detrimental to him.

The attendant nodded, "In addition to sighing and blaming himself, Mr. Cheng also kept repeating a poem."

"What poem?" Sun Quan asked eagerly.

"Owl, owl, even if you take my son, you will not destroy my house. Enshensi, Minsi of the son..."

After hearing this, Sun Quan signaled his followers to leave. This poem comes from "The Book of Songs: Bin Feng". It seems that in addition to blaming himself, Duke Cheng also has a deep fear of Lan Tian. Is he telling me to be wary of this person?

Birds sing mournfully when they are about to die, and their words are kind when people are about to die. Sun Quan fell into deep thought with his eyes empty.

Lu Meng saw that Sun Quan had a different look on his face, so he strode over and asked, "My lord, you still have doubts about attacking Wancheng? I have sent people to the direction of Han River to spread rumors that we have reconciled with Liu Bei and that Guan Yu is leading troops to counterattack Xiangyang."

, and we will return to Jiangdong to quell the rebellion in Shanyue..."

Sun Quan nodded: "Ziming has done a good job. It is just as it should be to use troops in a weak and strong manner. This is like Lingling Lantian, hiding in the darkness like an owl. Once its sharp claws are exposed, it will hurt people."

"My lord, what are you doing..." Lu Meng looked puzzled.

"In the future, I will use the owl to replace Lantian. I will learn from Gou Jian's example of sleeping on the firewood and tasting courage, so as to alert myself at all times." Sun Quan said seriously.

Lü Meng replied sonorously: "My lord is truly a wise master in ancient and modern times. Lü Meng is lucky enough to be able to ride a horse in front of him and behind him as a blessing. One day he will capture an owl and offer it to you."

Sun Quan nodded and said: "I am lucky to have Ziming. Let's go all out to capture Wancheng first."

"Wei." Lu Meng was moved to tears.

Sun Quan did not tell everyone about Cheng Pu's death. In his heart, the shock of Cheng Pu's defeat was far greater than the death of Cheng Pu. Even when he heard the news of his death, Sun Quan was a little happy.

Cheng Pu followed Sun Jian in the southern and northern wars, and later became loyal to Sun Ce and now Sun Quan. His prestige in the army is very high, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he is the pillar of Jiangdong.
Chapter completed!