Chapter 34: Lu Bu in Qingzhou, Sun Ce in Jiangdong
While Cao Cao was busy welcoming the emperor,
In Yuzhou, Yuan Shu's territory, a major event that will have a far-reaching impact on the Han Dynasty is also taking place.
After getting Zhou Yu's advice, Sun Ce immediately proposed the idea of borrowing troops from Yuan Shu. As for the price, it was to hand over the imperial seal that caused his father Sun Jian's death!
The so-called jade seal passed down from the country is said to have been carved by Li Si, the prime minister of the Qin State, using He's jade.
The jade seal is four inches in diameter, has five dragons on it, and is engraved on the front with the eight seal characters "Ordered by Heaven, may you live forever". It has always been used as a token of the imperial power and legitimacy.
There are even rumors that "the one who gets the jade seal will win the world", which is why Sun Jian was ready to return to his hometown in Jiangdong after getting the jade seal.
Emperor! That must be what many men dream of!
But the problem is that anyone with a bit of foresight knows that obtaining the jade seal cannot gain the world, and may even lead to death...
Since Sun Jian's death, Sun Ce has been hiding the jade seal by his side.
Although Yuan Shu knew that the Jade Seal was with Sun Ce, and although he was very eager to get the Jade Seal, he never forced Sun Ce to hand over the Jade Seal.
It has to be said that even a person like Yuan Shu, who is full of shortcomings, is not without merit.
At least his chivalrous spirit is still there, and he doesn't even bother to force the orphans of his former subordinates.
It was precisely because of his redeeming qualities that Yuan Shu was able to quickly recover after his defeat at the hands of Lu Yan, occupy more territory, and become more powerful.
Although Sun Ce's current residence is not luxurious, it is better than most civil servants and generals.
Yuan Shu had always admired Sun Ce's martial prowess, and even considered adopting him as his adopted son, so he kept giving him rewards in an attempt to influence Sun Ce.
In the study, a young man of similar age to Sun Ce, with elegant appearance and magnanimous bearing, sat opposite Sun Ce.
He is Zhou Yu and Zhou Gongjin, who are known as the beautiful Zhou Lang!
After pouring a bowl of tea for himself and Sun Ce, Zhou Yu showed a teasing smile on his face and said:
"Bo Fu, Yuan Shu wants to adopt you as his adopted son, why don't you agree to him directly?
You know, he now occupies Yuzhou and most of the Jianghuai area, and his strength is one of the few in the entire Han Dynasty!"
Sun Ce showed an expression of disgust and replied: "Gong Jin, you know clearly that he just covets the jade seal in my hand, why do you still mention this matter..."
"Indeed, he cares more about Yuxi than you." Zhou Yu shook his head and replied: "But Bo Fu, do you plan to stay under Yuan Shu's hand and spend the rest of your life in confusion?"
"Of course I don't want to!" Sun Ce raised his sword eyebrows, slapped his hand on the table, and said in a passionate tone: "I am willing to inherit my father's will, wipe out the traitors in the world, and restore the world to the great man!"
"Then why do you still keep the jade seal?"
"Um...this...Jade Seal..."
Seeing Sun Ce hesitating, Zhou Yu still didn't understand the thoughts in his friend's heart. Everyone can say lofty words, but in the end, it is just for the benefit in his heart.
After sighing helplessly, Zhou Yu said: "Bo Fu, the world is defeated by civil servants, counselors, generals, soldiers and horses with hard work!
What we need now is territory, foundation, talents and money, not jade seals.
A piece of jade seal, besides bringing you trouble, what else can it bring you?"
Zhou Yu's words made Sun Ce fall into deep thought.
It's not that he hasn't thought about similar issues, but after all, the jade seal was left to him by his father Sun Jian, and he really couldn't bear to hand it over.
Now that his most trusted friends have said this, Sun Ce gritted his teeth and finally said: "In that case, how should I act? Please teach me Gong Jin!"
"Okay!" What Zhou Yu admires most is Sun Ce's courage, which is very fascinating.
He continued: "Didn't Yuan Shu always want the jade seal? Then we will give it to him!"
"Just... give it to him??" Sun Ce opened his mouth and asked in disbelief.
"Of course not!" Zhou Yu's lips curled up slightly and he replied, "You must use the jade seal to exchange for the freedom of you and your father's old team. If possible, you may be able to exchange for a team of several thousand people!"
Sun Ce is not an idiot. Zhou Yu said it so directly. How could he not understand?
"Okay, let's use the jade seal to make a deal with Yuan Shu!" After saying that, Sun Ce stood up suddenly, looked out the window and murmured: "How can I be without you and my brother in this world?"
Zhou Yu looked at Sun Ce's back and nodded unconsciously.
After draining the tea soup in the bowl, Zhou Yu stood up and came to Sun Ce and said, "Yes, I will be much duller in this world without you..."
In the autumn of the second year of Xingping, a "little incident" occurred under Yuan Shu's command.
Sun Ce took advantage of Yuan Shu's efforts to send Wu Jing to attack Zhang Ying and others for several years, so he asked for help.
After presenting the jade seal, Yuan Shu happily appointed Sun Ce as the captain of Zhechong to defeat the bandits.
He also returned his father Sun Jian's old troops, and gave Sun Ce more than a thousand soldiers and dozens of horses, allowing him to rush south to aid Wu Jing.
Sun Ce reunited with his father's old troops and led his army to leave Yuan Shu.
Along the way, they continued to expand their ranks, reaching five to six thousand in number. When they arrived at Liyang and Wu Jing, Zhou Yu successfully joined forces.
At this point, Sun Ce was completely out of Yuan Shu's control.
And the six counties in Jiangdong are about to usher in a bloody storm and earth-shaking changes!
...
The situation in Qingzhou has become increasingly clear.
Tian Kai finally couldn't withstand the attack from some forces of Lu Bu and Yuan Shao. After his defeat, he was completely driven out of Qingzhou.
Linzi, the administrative seat of Qingzhou, in the Prefecture Mufu,
Lu Bu stood on the throne, looking down at his current team.
Although Yanzhou lost two generals in the first battle, many noble families left Yanzhou with Lu Bu.
After entering Qingzhou, with his unparalleled reputation, Lu Bu was joined by some small Yellow Turban forces.
Although many of them have not left their names in history, they are not without merit. Today's Lu Bu's men can be said to be full of civil and military talents.
"Sir, did you say that Cao Cao welcomed the Emperor?" Lu Bu asked Chen Gong, who was standing first on the left, with a very calm face.
Since the one-on-one draw with Lu Yan and the defeat of his entire army in the Battle of Puyang, with the loss of his family, Lu Bu has gradually calmed down his arrogant temper.
Now Lu Bu has also learned to be calm and think. When he first started out, he was a civil servant, so intelligence was not a problem at all.
Chen Gong was very pleased with Lu Bu's change, and he was even a little grateful to Lu Yan for bringing about Lu Bu's change.
"That's right, if Cao Cao welcomes the Emperor, he will be able to use the Emperor to command the princes in the future!"
But Lu Bu was a little confused and asked: "But will the princes really listen to his orders?"
Chen Gong smiled and replied: "Of course not!"
"In that case, didn't Cao Cao bring himself into trouble?" Lu Bu had stayed in the palace for a long time, and he naturally knew how annoying those grandfathers were.
Chen Gong shook his head and said in a solemn tone: "As long as the emperor is here, Cao Cao is already invincible. Before the emperor sends a clear signal from King Qin, who dares to attack Cao Cao?"
"Didn't Cao Cao issue a corrective edict back then? Could it be that only Cao Cao could do it and others couldn't do it?"
"But the problem is, he is Cao Cao, not Dong Zhuo!"
Lu Bu suddenly said, "Yes, Cao Cao is not Dong Zhuo. He is ten times more difficult to deal with than Dong Zhuo!"