Chapter 136: Lead troops north to conquer the Central Plains!
Chapter 136: Lead troops north to conquer the Central Plains!
Xiling City,
In a hall of a house somewhere.

"I heard that General Zilong held Adou in his arms at Changbanpo, and went in and out seven times! He also moved back and forth among the thousands of troops! He killed fifty Cao army generals, cut down two large banners, and seized three spears. He is a true hero!"

"I don't know what the scene was like at that time. General Zilong, can you explain it to me?" Sun Quan stared at Zhao Yun opposite him with his blue eyes.

Since the day Sun Quan was stuffed into the carriage, he has never seen any outsiders since.

He thought he would meet Liu Wu in Gong'an City, but when he got off the car, he found himself in Xiling?
Instead of meeting Liu Wu, Sun Quan was imprisoned in this mansion. Even the person guarding him was the famous general Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong, who had fought seven times at Changbanpo!

The Marquis of Jiangdong Wu seemed to have a great interest in Zhao Zilong's past achievements.

However, Zhao Zilong sat opposite Sun Quan with his Qingguang sword on his waist and closed his eyes. No matter how many questions Sun Quan asked, he just said nothing.

Sun Quan did not give up and asked another question: "When Cao Mengde's army besieged Xiling, Liu Zilie led 2,000 cavalrymen and attacked Cao Cao's central army among tens of thousands of troops..."

"He rode alone and defeated seven armies in a row, and reached Cao Aman's banner!"

"He either killed or defeated more than thirty cavalrymen of Cao's army, and captured Cao Mengde alive in front of the two armies and brought him back to the city... May I ask, General Zilong, who is better between the two of you in terms of fighting?"

Zhao Yun remained silent, but recalled the day when he first arrived in Xiling City...

At that time, the eldest son was still seriously injured and had not recovered, but he still had the upper hand in the fight with me. If the eldest son had not been injured, I am afraid I would have no chance to fight with him at all.

"General Zilong, you don't know..." Sun Quan stared at Zhao Yun with hope in his eyes, "Before I came to Xiling, I got the news that Liu Zilie's army has been besieging Gong'an City for nearly a month. The morale of the soldiers in the city is shaken, and Gong'an City is about to fall!"

"Once Gong'an City is captured, the four counties of Jingnan will surely be captured by Liu Zilie, and Liu Xuande will also be imprisoned by Liu Zilie, with his life or death uncertain..."

"If the general is willing to protect me and fight my way out of Xiling and return to Jiangdong, I will definitely mobilize all the Jiangdong land and sea forces, go up the river, and rescue Liu Xuande from the predicament of Gong'an!"

Sun Quan finally revealed his true purpose.

He's going to run!
Think of Sun Zhongmou, the Marquis of Wu and the lord of the southeast!

How could I be willing to be Liu Zilie's captive? !

He had been asking questions about Zhao Yun's martial arts just now, just to confirm whether Zhao Zilong was really as brave and invincible as the rumors said.

Even though it was a little different from the rumors, it would not be a problem for him to protect himself and fight his way out of Xiling City where there were not many defenders left.

If I continue to help Liu Xuande out of his predicament as a condition, I believe I won’t be able to persuade Zhao Zilong!
As long as he could escape from Xiling City, why would Sun Zhongmou be afraid of Liu Zilie?
"Please General Zilong..."

boom! ~
Before Sun Quan could finish his words, the door was suddenly pushed open.

The hot and bright sunlight shone into the lobby and sprinkled on Sun Quan.

Sun Zhongmou was stabbed so hard that he could hardly open his eyes.

Step! ~
Step! ~
Step! ~
In the brilliant sunlight,
A figure slowly walked in front of Sun Quan.

Liu Wu's voice rang out: "Uncle, how are you?"

……

"Liu Zilie?"

Sun Quan stared blankly at Liu Wu in front of him. Why was he in Xiling?

Shouldn't he be in the police force?

Did he capture Gong'an City?
What is the current situation in the four counties of Jingnan?
Have Gongjin and the generals of Jiangdong received my letter? Where are they now?
Countless doubts arose in Sun Quan's mind...

Since the defeat in Hefei until today, he has almost completely lost contact with the outside world. He knows nothing about the latest situation in Jingxiang, and Sun Quan doesn't know what attitude to take towards Liu Wu at this moment.

I just thought of my defeat in Hefei.

I was humiliated twice on the shore of Chaohu Lake.

Then, he was escorted to Xiling City as if he were being held hostage...

Sun Zhongmou's face darkened instantly: "Liu Zilie, what on earth do you want to do?"

"You and I have an agreement. I will marry my sister to you, and Jiangdong will send troops to help you take the four counties of Jingnan as Jiangdong's dowry. You will cede Hefei City to Jiangdong as a betrothal gift..."

"Now I am going to take over Hefei City as agreed, but Gao Shun, that Hefei rat, attacked me twice on the shore. What do you mean by that?!"

Liu Wu: "It's meaningless."

Means nothing?
As the Lord of Jiangdong,

Like a duck being chased, Gao Shun drove him into Chaohu Lake and he almost drowned!

Like a hunted beast, he was knocked off his horse by Gao Shun's halberd!
He was taken to Xiling City like a criminal!

Now this damn Liu Zilie actually told me that he was meaningless? !

The rage instantly burned Sun Quan's chest.
boom! ~
wow~
He suddenly overturned the table in front of him, and tea cups and fruits rolled around, making a mess on the floor.

Sun Quan gritted his teeth and said, "It's meaningless. Then why did you capture me and bring me to Xiling City?!"

Liu Wu remained calm: "The princess misses her brother, so..."

"Liu Zilie!" Sun Quan's face was so gloomy that it looked like water could drip out of it: "Do you really think I'm a fool and want to tease me?!"

"Second brother." A charming face that could either be angry or happy came out from behind Liu Wu: "Little sister really missed you..."

He looked at the sister he had loved since childhood, and found that she was actually cooperating with Liu Wu to tell lies and fool her brother.

Sun Quan was shaking with anger.

He suddenly strode forward and waved his hand towards Sun Shangxiang: "How dare you, naughty girl, bully your brother like this?!"

call! ~
Sun Zhongmou's hand had just been raised to mid-air when it could no longer be lowered.

Because another stronger hand held down his wrist.

That's Liu Wu's hand...

Sun Shangxiang muttered quietly: "Why did I fight Hefei if I didn't have the ability? Now I've been captured alive..."

Although Sun Shangxiang's voice was soft, Sun Quan heard it clearly.

The ridicule from his own sister was like a sharp slap in the face.

Sun Quan's face turned red and anger burned fiercely in his heart, but in front of Liu Wu, all this anger was useless.

Sun Quan retracted his raised arm and looked at the other person coldly: "Just tell me, what do you want to do? If you want me to cede land like Cao Aman, then you don't have to ask for it."

"The six counties and eighty-one states of Jiangdong are the foundation of three generations of Jiangdong!"

"It was Sun Quan's father and brothers and the generals of Jiangdong who fought for this with their lives, with every spear and every sword. We will never give an inch of our land to anyone else!"

His reputation as a ruler who could maintain the status quo had already spread throughout the world. If he couldn't even protect the territory that his father and brother had earned with their lives, how could he still have the face to lead Jiangdong? !

Liu Wu looked calm: "No need for my uncle to cede land..."

He took out a blank bamboo slip from his bosom and handed it to Sun Quan: "I took Xiakou and got 10,000 captives. I want to exchange these 10,000 captives for 10,000 Shanyue in Jiangdong."

"Please ask my uncle to write a letter to the officials in Jiangdong and ask them to prepare the Shanyue prisoners... Jiangdong will not lose out on this deal."

Prisoners in exchange for Shanyue?
Sun Quan was stunned. Liu Zilie went to so much trouble, even going so far as to capture him alive and take him to Xiling City, just to exchange these ten thousand Shanyue with him?
It's ridiculous!
Sun Zhongmou looked bewildered: "That's all?"

Liu Wu: “Yeah.”

Sun Quan: "And then... nothing?"

Liu Wu: “No more.”

The hall fell into an eerie silence. After a long while, Sun Quan tentatively asked, "Zi Lie, you, you don't have any other conditions?"

Liu Wu said calmly: "What conditions do you want to negotiate for my uncle to be my guest?"

Sun Quan had ruled Jiangdong since he was 19 years old. When he first ascended the throne, he was scheming against a group of old ministers and noble families. What conspiracies and tricks had he not seen? What traps and snares had he not experienced?
He thought he could see through people's hearts and minds, but now...

Sun Quan really couldn't figure out what Liu Wu was trying to do.

The more nonchalant the other party seemed, the more unsure Sun Quan felt.

Invite yourself to be the guest?

Is it possible to invite someone to be a guest with hundreds of cavalrymen, like escorting prisoners?
In order to negotiate a prisoner exchange deal with Jiangdong, you captured the leader of Jiangdong?
Ask Cao Mengde if he believes this...

Sun Quan couldn't figure it out, so he simply gave up and asked the most crucial question directly: "When can I return to Jiangdong?"

If Liu Zilie really had no other thoughts about himself, he would definitely not avoid this issue.

Otherwise, he would make all kinds of vague excuses.

Liu Wu's answer was unexpectedly straightforward: "The prisoner exchange is complete, and you can leave at any time."

As long as the prisoners are exchanged, I can return to Jiangdong?
Did he really bring me to Xiling just to negotiate this deal with me?

Although Sun Quan thought this reason was outrageous, Liu Zilie neither asked Jiangdong to cede land nor gave him an accurate answer to leave Xiling.

Apart from exchanging prisoners, the other party had no other demands.

Sun Quan really couldn't guess what Liu Wu was trying to do, but since Liu Wu had promised in front of him that he would let him go after the prisoner exchange was completed, he would not break his promise on this matter.

"Okay! I promise you! I hope you will keep your promise." Sun Quan felt much more relaxed. He took the blank bamboo slips and wrote a letter on another table, asking the civil and military officials of Jiangdong to prepare the Shanyue captives.

In a moment, the letter was written.

"Huh!~" Sun Quan blew dry the ink on the bamboo slips and handed them to Liu Wu.

Liu Wu took it and read it slowly. He nodded and said, "From today on, you can walk freely in Xiling City without any restrictions."

"I have been in Xiling these days. If you want to have a drink or a banquet, Zilie will be there to accompany you at any time."

After getting the promise that he could move freely in Xiling City, Sun Zhongmou secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Since Liu Zilie did not restrict his movements in Xiling, it at least meant that he was safe for the time being.

"Just drink..." Sun Quan waved his hand and pursed his dry lips: "I have been imprisoned for so long, my mouth tastes very bland, honey water would be the best."

Seeing that her husband and brother were no longer at loggerheads, Sun Shangxiang finally stopped worrying and said, "Wait a moment, brother."

Sun Shangxiang left the hall and returned a moment later with a lacquer tray holding honey water.

Sun Quan's blue eyes lit up, he raised the cup of honey and drank it all...

Gulp! ~
The sweet honey water flows down the throat into the stomach.

"Huh!" Sun Quan let out a long breath, feeling relieved. It seemed that all the resentment and dissatisfaction of the past few days disappeared with this cup of honey water.

He patted Liu Wu's shoulder with satisfaction: "Zilie, ah Zilie, you Liu Zilie are still a kind person!"

……

"I have met my lord."

Outside Xiling City, Mi Zhu and Jian Yong respectfully saluted Liu Wu who was leaving the city. This time when their lord returned to Xiling, he specifically asked them to go with him, but they didn't know what it meant.

Liu Wu looked at Mi Zhu and said, "I will go north to the Central Plains soon to meet the emperor! To meet the emperor, I must bring tribute. Please, Zi Zhong, prepare some valuables for me..."

As he spoke, Liu Wu turned his gaze to Jian Yong: "I want to lead the troops north this time. In order to avoid Cao Mengde's misunderstanding, I need to prepare some gifts and let Uncle Xianhe go to Xuchang first to lobby Cao Cao."

Liu Wu had previously written a letter to Emperor Liu Xie, mentioning the matter of going to Xuchang to pay homage.

Now that the situation in Jingnan has been settled, and I have moved into the Liu family, the matter of the emperor's direct lineage should be put on the agenda.

Liu Xuande escaped death this time, but I will have to face him in the future.

As long as the matter of moving the clan is accomplished, there will be no father-son relationship between him and me anymore. If he still wants to use the title of king and father to pressure me, that is wishful thinking.

Meet the emperor!

Lead troops north!

Mi Zhu was stunned. He didn't expect that the first thing he would do after joining Liu Wu's army would be such a big thing.

That is a tribute to the emperor!

Even if the current emperor has lost power, he is still the emperor recognized by the people of the Han Dynasty!

After all, Mi was just a merchant. Even though she followed Emperor Liu, it was not her turn to be responsible for arranging the audience with the emperor and presenting tribute.

But now, the lord just gave this important task to him, Mi Zhu.

Mi Zhu felt his whole body was heating up. He bowed deeply to Liu Wu and said, "Mi will never let you down!"

Jian Yong, who was standing beside Mi Zhu, was still in a daze at this moment.

His eyes widened, and four words kept echoing in his mind...

Lead troops north!

Lead troops northwards!!
The lord led tens of thousands of troops north to the Central Plains...

By then, the north will surely be shaken!

The Han court was shocked!

The world is shocked!!
Jian Yong had almost imagined what the scene would be like.

“Zi Lie…” Jian Yong’s voice trembled a little: “How can you say you are meeting the emperor? This is clearly about challenging for the throne of the Central Plains!”

"You, are you going to follow the example of Duke Huan of Qi, respect the king and expel the barbarians, and fight for hegemony?!"

Jian Yong was in a daze. The young man who had suffered from hunger and cold and needed his help back then, now has the potential to conquer the world and compete for supremacy in the Central Plains?

When Liu Xuande was defeated repeatedly and had to flee everywhere, why did Jian Xianhe always stay with Liu Bei?
It was not only because of his friendship with Liu Bei when they were young, but also because of Liu Xuande's ambition to revive the Han Dynasty for the third time!

But Liu Bei had been shouting the slogan of reviving the Han Dynasty for more than ten years, what was the final result?
They only occupied the four counties in southern Jing.

The goal of restoring the Han Dynasty is still a long way off...

How much time had passed since Liu Wu took over Jingnan?

We must go north to the Central Plains and fight for world domination!

It was indeed the right decision to take the risk of being accused of betraying his master and to raise an army to welcome Liu Wu into the city! A wise ruler like Liu Wu would inherit Liu Xuande's legacy.

Why worry about the Han Dynasty not prospering? ! !

Faced with Jian Yong's question, Liu Wu just remained silent.

Liu Wu said nothing, but it seemed like he said everything.

Jian Yongquan understood everything. He took a deep breath and said, "I know what Zilie is going to do! But even if I can persuade Cao Mengde for you, I'm afraid Cao Cao won't agree to your mobilizing so many troops to march north."

Cao Cao doesn’t agree?
Liu Wu turned his head and looked towards the vast world in the north: "This is not up to Cao Mengde!"

(End of this chapter)