Chapter 29: Marriage

Lu Ji put down the bamboo slips in his hand, looked up at Lu Xun who was slowly entering the room. He was puzzled by his strange expression and couldn't help but smile and said, "Brother, why is it so useless? You are so frowning but secretly happy?"

Lu Xun sat opposite Lu Ji, while reaching out to pour the tea cooked on the small charcoal stove, glanced at Lu Ji and smiled: "Public Ji, you claim to be proficient in Yi Xue. Even Yu Zhongxiang said that your Yi Xue has entered the house, why not just divine it, so as not to ask again."

Lu Ji smiled. He patted Jian Ce on the table and stared at him for a moment and said, "I'm not hiding it from my brother, I've been a little confused recently. In the past, divination was always accurate and everything was correct. But in the past two years, I was at home and worked harder, but I felt something was wrong."

Lu Xun laughed silently. He sipped the tea and looked at Lu Ji, who was puzzled by the lingering tea atmosphere and smiled: "What's wrong? You are like the magician Wu Wenze (Wu Fan), who failed?"

Lu Ji shook his head, his face with a faint smile, but there was no joking. Lu Xun felt a little strange, and also put down the smile on his face, put down the teacup, and frowned slightly: "Mr. Ji, are you in trouble? Is the lord's arrangement beyond your expectations? In fact, don't take it too seriously. Although he is guarding against my Lu family, my Lu family has been in Wujun for not only a day or two. You are now idle at home and live in seclusion, so there should be no handle being caught by him. Wait for a while, he still has to arrange a seat for you."

Lu Ji shook his head, he moved to Lu Xun and whispered: "Brother, do you remember what I told you that this world dispute will take for a long time and a century before the unification can be restored?"

When Lu Xun heard this, Zhan Yan smiled: "What? What new discoveries are there? Is it too late or too early?"

Lu Ji looked outside and lowered his voice: "In the first month of last year, a big star entered the palace. Just as Yuzhou was divided, the star that should have disappeared shone brightly as soon as this star entered. I had never seen what this meant at that time, now..." He pointed to the northwest direction: "Someone emerged and showed off his strength in Jingzhou. I'm afraid this star responded to this person."

The smile on Lu Xun's face froze. He held his mouth full of tea but didn't swallow it. He looked straight at Lu Ji, his expression changed constantly, and drops of tea dripped from the corner of his mouth. He was stunned for a moment, then swallowed the tea in his mouth and asked anxiously: "Are you talking about Cao Cangshu, who should have died prematurely but still lived a very moist life?"

Lu Ji stared at Lu Xun and smiled suddenly. He nodded but said nothing, stretched out a hand and flipped it over.

"ten years?"

"Within ten years." Lu Ji smiled proudly.

Lu Xun looked at his face, stunned for a moment, and smiled. He retracted his forward-looking body. He shook his head and said, "Pong Ji, since Yu Zhongxiang went to Danyang, you are really not good at Yi Xue. The more you say this, the more you say, the more you are defeated in the Battle of Wulin, the north was defeated. Even if they won, Cao Mengde could not unify the world within ten years, let alone a yellow boy." He looked at Lu Ji with some jokes: "And I will tell you that he was surrounded soon, and it is also a question whether Jiang Xia can defend it."

Seeing that he didn't believe it, Lu Ji didn't say much, put Jian Ce in a soap bag and put it in. He smiled and said, "It's okay if you don't believe it. We are all young anyway. We must have been waiting for ten years. Then he will see the difference." As he said, he got up and put the soap bag in the bookcase. Then he turned around and sat down. He also picked up the teapot that was singing happily on the small charcoal stove and poured a cup for Lu Xun. Then he put the teapot with scalding water back on the stove. He whispered and said, "My lord was defeated a few months ago. What chance does he have to resist this time? To seize Jiangxia? I heard that Cao Cangshu used a trick this time. But he beat Guan Yu so badly. Not only did he lose Xiling City, but he was beaten to escape in a panic. The lord suffered a big loss in Hefei last time. Even Dong Xi's minions were discounted. How dare he go to Jiangxia to make trouble?"

Lu Xun smiled softly. He knew that although this fellow disciple was unemployed at home, he had always been well-informed. Even if he didn't tell him about the outside, he would have a channel to know. At that moment, he no longer made fun of Gan Ning and took down Dangyang. Zhou Yu asked Sun Quan to send troops to Jiangxia and restrain Cao Chong. After he took down Jiangling, he surrounded Cao Chong on three sides and wanted to drive Cao Chong out of Jiangxia and Jiangdong to take Jiangxia and Nanjun.

"Did Zhou Gongjin win a battle a little lost?" Lu Ji said with some disdain: "Liu Xuande played a game of a golden cicada, and abducted his men and ran to Jiangnan. He easily captured the four counties. Guan Yu lost Jiangxia, and he was about to be surrounded. At this time, he didn't want to retreat as soon as possible, so why did he still want to take Jiangling? Jiangling had been fighting for three or four months, and he didn't take Cao Zixiao and stopped his troops under the city. He became arrogant at this time. He still wanted his lord to cooperate with him to send troops? He was not afraid of his lord's suspicion."

He smiled and said, "I understand, it must be the lord who got angry, so you all got beaten up and were in a bad mood, right? Brother, I asked you to become an official, but I stayed at home and studied leisurely, which was really a bit difficult for you." Later, he closed his smile and looked at Lu Xun apologetically and raised his glass: "I will use tea instead of wine, and I will toast you."

Lu Xun smiled silently, and he raised his glass and took a sip and said, "It's a bit unhappy to serve the lord, but there are also some people who can't enjoy the fun of studying at home. Gong Ji, this is what is called gain and loss."

"Oh?" Lu Ji smiled and said, "Let me tell you, it's better to have fun than to have fun alone."

Lu Xun thought for a while and said, "Zhou Gongjin is a dragon and phoenix and is extremely clever. How could he not know the consequences of Liu Bei taking Jiangnan and Guan Yu losing Jiangxia? But he came up with a solution. He wanted his lord to marry Liu Bei, and chose a woman of appropriate age from the royal family to marry Liu Bei. It would be better to recruit Liu Bei to Kuaiji and put him under house arrest with beautiful colors. In this way, Zhang Fei and others have no leader, Jiangnan is a new achievement, and it takes time to calm people's hearts. Naturally, it cannot pose a threat to him within a year and a half.

Maybe he will still use it for him. Although the four counties in Jiangnan were under the hands of Liu Bei, they were equivalent to his warehouse. As for Nanjun, when Dangyang was lost, Jiangling had become an isolated city. Although Cao Ren had not left, it would be a matter of time sooner or later. If the lord sends troops, plus He Gongmiao (He Qi), the land of Lujiang County, Cao Cangshu was afraid that he would not be able to defend Jiangxia. He seized Xiling just to make wedding dresses for others, and he would give me Jiangdong a free gift." When he mentioned Lujiang County, he couldn't help but think of Lu Kang, and sighed.

"Lujiang County?" Lu Ji was also stunned for a moment, thought for a while and smiled, "I heard that Prime Minister Cao placed Xiahou Shuquan in Dongcheng as the chief minister. Although this person is not famous, he is the most talented among Xiahou Miaocai and his sons. He is extremely brave and well-read in military books. He is deeply appreciated by Prime Minister Cao and is also caring with Cao Cangshu. Can he watch He Gongmiao threaten Jiangxia without being moved? Brother, don't forget that although the prefect of Dongcheng is still Chen Yuanlong, Chen Yuanlong has been treating illness in Xiangyang. Xiahou Shuquan now has the final say in Dongcheng."

Lu Xun shook his head: "I naturally know what you said, but the Dongcheng County is narrow and there are few soldiers. Xiahou Shuquan is afraid that he is powerless. Besides, he may not be the opponent of He Gongmiao. Li Dian, Hefei, was beaten up last time. He didn't have many soldiers and could not help. At most, he would have restrained him. He Gongmiao had more than 10,000 elite soldiers in his hands. How could he be dragged by them?" He paused and said, "After marriage, the thousands of troops left by Liu Bei in Jiangxia will be used by me, and more than 30,000 people will be surrounded by Xiling. No matter how capable Cao Cangshu is, he will not be able to fight on the two fronts of Jiangling and Xiling. Once Jiangling loses, he can only retreat and give up Jiangxia and defend Xiangyang Fancheng."

"Has the marriage been made?" Lu Ji was a little surprised: "The lord agreed so readily? I don't know which woman it was. Liu Bei is nearly fifty years old and fled in panic as soon as he was defeated. It is not a good thing to marry him."

"My lord is willing to even Sun Jizuo. How can he care about a woman?" Lu Xun curled his lips and said disdainfully: "But he is both a brother and a hero. He always has some dignity at this time. Of course, I will do such a compromise." Lu Xun smiled and received Sun Quan from Zhou Yu's letter, and was angry and happy. He felt that Liu Bei had taken advantage of it but could not turn against him. Instead, he wanted to marry Liu Bei, a half-bian, and was very furious. He was furious in front of everyone. He wanted to return to the army to deal with Liu Bei first. Lu Xun, Zhang Zhao, Zhuge Jin and others, who knew the mystery, quickly persuaded Sun Quan to accept Zhou Yu's suggestion. He talked to Liu Bei and his relatives, and Lu Ji chuckled and was very happy.

"What a pity, this little girl Sun Shangxiang." Lu Ji smiled happily: "She has always liked military affairs. This time she married a veteran, which has fulfilled her wish. Although Liu Bei was so old that he could be her Ahon, it would be better than being chopped into meat like Sun Jizuo. But why did Sun Quan be willing to let his own sister go this time? In the past, he always sent other people's women to marry Prime Minister Cao. Brother, it's not your credit, right?"

Lu Xun curled his lips, and a hint of pride appeared in his eyes: "He was willing to send his sister-in-law out, and even his brother was willing to send his sister out, but he couldn't bear to give up a sister? Although I was talking, it was exactly what he thought. If he didn't want to, could I say it?"

The two brothers laughed and pointed at each other, and they had a deep understanding of each other and were not talking much.

Sun Quan thought it would be difficult to convince the sister who was dancing swords all day long, so he specially sent the wise Mrs. Xie to persuade her first, and then pretended to be helpless in her family and country career. He ran to Sun Shangxiang and cried, and told Sun Shangxiang the truth that Zhuge Jin and others persuaded him that "the relationship between brothers and sisters is small, and the legacy of fathers and brothers is big." He performed very well. Unfortunately, the effect was not very good. Sun Shangxiang sat there, touching the sword in his hand and watching Sun Quan without saying a word. Seeing Sun Quan's heart pounded, and he was full of energy. He prepared her to draw the sword and run away immediately, so as not to be picked by this sister who claimed to be a skilled martial arts.

Fortunately, although Sun Shangxiang had been touching the sword, she had no intention of drawing the sword from beginning to end. Her beautiful almond eyes narrowed and looked at Sun Quan, who was sweating in front of her with some disdain. It made Sun Quan feel numb, and his voice became smaller and smaller, and finally he shut up.

"Brother didn't take me as a hostage to Cao's camp. He was chopped into meat like Silang. It's worthy of me." Sun Shangxiang said coldly: "Although Liu Bei is old, he is barely a little heroic. Just marry him. Anyway, my life has been decided long ago."

Only then did Sun Quan breathe a long sigh, and his straight body softened. He smiled with a pile of smiles: "I knew that my sister was very wise and could understand the painstaking efforts of being a brother."

Sun Shangxiang silently pulled Yinghong's lips and looked at the beating flames: "Dalang has left long ago, and his sister-in-law and Shaoer were placed under house arrest in Xiangyang. Sanlang has been gone for several years. Silang has been chopped up and I will marry again. The only five children born to my mother are left. Erlang, be your overlord, I hope you can stand up straight when you meet your father, mother and two brothers, and have a clear conscience."

Sun Quan's face turned pale. He stopped Mrs. Xie, who was about to persuade her, coughed dryly and said, "Little sister, don't worry. I will work hard to revitalize my father and brother's legacy. I will definitely bring you back if I have the chance in the future."

Sun Shangxiang turned his head and turned his head back, stood up and left without saying a word. Sun Quan was stunned for a long time when he saw her graceful back, and then slowly walked under the help of Mrs. Xie. His back was a little hunched and his steps were a little slow. He walked very slowly. He seemed to want to turn around a few times, but hesitated for a moment, and continued to move forward. The room was only ten steps under the eaves. He seemed to have walked for a few years. It was not until the sunlight outside the house hurt his eyes that he came to his senses. He looked at the maid standing with a knife and a spear next to him. He was a little confused. In a few days, the only scenery of this man might never be seen again.

"Husband, will Shangxiang..." Mrs. Xie gradually straightened her back and her pace also rose. Then she looked back at Sun Shangxiang's yard with some concern and looked at the maids in front of the door.

Sun Quan shook his head and said with certainty: "No, although Shang Xiang is a woman, she is much more trustworthy than ordinary men. Since she has agreed, she will not do anything stupid." He raised his head, looked at the gray clouds in the sky to the west at some point, and gritted his teeth and murmured: "It is much more trustworthy than the emperor who is famous for his benevolence and righteousness."

When Sun Quan returned to the mansion, Zhuge Jin and Zhang Zhao were waiting for him. When Sun Quan saw them, he immediately covered up the anger on his face and showed a calm smile.

"How was the matter investigated?" He glanced at Zhuge Jin.

Zhuge Jin was a little embarrassed, he lowered his head and replied, "Jin is incompetent. The source of this matter has not been found yet."

When Sun Quan heard this, he was a little unhappy and flicked his fingers on the table twice. Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Zhao stepped forward and said, "Why do you have to investigate again? The so-called "why are you accustomed to the stranger? The rumors are defeated by themselves, and the rumors are said to be stopped by the wise man. The lord and the governor of Zhou have a deep understanding of each other, so why are you afraid of those rumors and ignore him? You will naturally fade away after a few days."

Sun Quan's Adam's apple ran up and down. He looked at Zhang Zhao's serious face, forcibly suppressing his displeasure, and squeezed out a smile and said, "Mr. Zhang is right. I have been with Gongjin for a long time, how could I take these words seriously? I just thought that these people are here to bewitch the people and slander Gongjin's reputation, and I am very uneasy." He paused and asked again, "Is there any news about your nephew?"

Zhang Zhao blushed and quickly lowered his head and said, "I am worried about the lord, but I have not believed it yet."

A disdainful smile flashed at the corner of Sun Quan's mouth. He took the document that Zhang Zhao had been holding in his hand, and discussed government affairs in an orderly manner. It was not until an hour later that the smile on his face was taken back and said to Lu Yi who had been standing next to him: "I don't expect Zhuge Ziyu to do that anymore, you go and check it."

Lu Yi was overjoyed, bowed his hand and walked out quickly.

Sun Quan looked at Lu Yi's hurried back, took out Zhou Yu's letter from the document on the table, and read it again and again. He had a headache and kept rubbing his temples. Zhou Yu's suggestion was very attractive. He really wanted to take Jiangxia, especially after Liu Bei betrayed his faith and suddenly took down the four counties in Jiangnan. After taking Jiangxia and Zhou Yu took Jiangling, his income was no worse than Liu Bei. Looking back, he might have dealt with Liu Bei who had not yet established a stable foothold. However, under the current circumstances, if he wanted to take Jiangxia safely, he could only marry his sister Sun Shangxiang to Liu Bei, a scoundrel who was nearly fifty years old, an old scoundrel. He not only needed Liu Bei to stay in Jiangxia, but also needed Liu Bei to keep Zhou Yu's retreat. Once things went wrong, he would not throw all 20,000 elite soldiers in Jiangling.

When it comes to these 20,000 elite soldiers, he remembered the rumors that have been circulating in Kuaiji City recently. There is nowhere to come from, and it is said that Zhou Yu was actually dissatisfied with the transfer of the soldiers when he was about to take down Jiangling, so he must take this opportunity to take down Jiangling, so that he could burn Cao Cao's hundreds of thousands of troops in Wulin and make his achievements more complete. Then he gained his own troops, cut off Jiangling, and took Yizhou west, so that he would not be afraid of his great achievements. Some people said that

In fact, Zhou Yu took such a great danger but didn't want to go back to Chaisang. He didn't want to take Jiangling at all. He just wanted to firmly grasp the military power in his hand. If the army is outside, the king's orders will not be accepted. Some people also said that he and Liu Bei had discussed it. Liu Bei took Jiangnan, and he took Nanjun and Nanyang, divided Jingzhou equally, and then took Yizhou together. Otherwise, how could Liu Bei run from Jiangbei to Jiangnan so easily, and evenly strayed thousands of troops from Jiangdong.

These words came from somewhere, but they soon spread everywhere in Kuaiji City. Zhou Yu's eldest son Zhou Xun was frightened when he heard this. He went to the mansion to confess his innocence that day and asked him to stay in the general's mansion in Sun Quan. Sun Quan smiled at that time, comforted him very much, and asked Zhou Xun to go back. But his heart seemed to be deeply rooted in his heart. He was indeed a little puzzled by Zhou Yu's stay at Jiangling City. Yes, it was a good time to take Jiangling and take Jiangxia, but the problem now is that these are a bit dangerous, and it is unknown whether Jiangling can be taken down. Zhou Yu personally mastered the elite soldiers assigned by him Sun Quan to him for half a year. He knew Zhou Yu's demeanor, and even veterans like Cheng Pu were attracted by him, not to mention those young generals who had long admired his style. The letters of Lu Meng and Ling Tong these days became increasingly rare, which made Sun Quan feel more and more uneasy.

Jiangdong is not as powerful as the Central Plains. When Sun Ce crossed the river, there were only a few thousand troops. He had been fighting Shanyue for many years, and the number of soldiers was increasing, but most of them were scattered in the hands of the generals. For example, He Qi had more than 10,000 elite soldiers in Shanyue. The He family was a Kuaiji clan with deep roots and great power, so he did not dare to draw the troops in He Qi. Although the other generals did not have as many as He Qi, it was common for three or four thousand to three. In comparison, he directly controlled only 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers. Before the last war, Zhou Yu and him had 50,000 at once. He couldn't take it out, and he was really worried about putting all the elite soldiers in Zhou Yu's hands and finally gave him 30,000, including the troops of Lu Meng, Dong Xi and others who could trust. He left more than 10,000 people in his hands as a reserve team for precautions.

Wu Lin burned Cao Cao away, and his sister-in-law had an iron hairpin. She almost killed Cao Cao. This made Sun Quan overjoyed. He immediately used the excuse to kill Li Dian and besiege Hefei, and transferred more than 20,000 people from Zhou Yu. He thought that he could almost transfer the people in Zhou Yu's hands, but unexpectedly, Zhou Yu added more than 10,000 troops and had 20,000 people in his hands.

What made Sun Quan even more uneasy was that he was defeated in Hefei, Dong Xi, Chengdang and others died in battle, Chen Wu and Xu Sheng were seriously injured, and the army suffered more than 10,000 casualties. He wanted to make a balance of military achievements, but he was disgraced. Zhou Yu successfully conquered the surrendered soldiers and advanced to Jiangling. Most of the surrendered soldiers were Jiangling's navy, and a small half were Cao Cao's Northern Army. Within a few months under Zhou Yu, they all became Zhou Yu's strength.

Zhou Yu's fame and strength forced Sun Quan to be wary of Zhou Yu.

If Zhou Yu takes Jiangling and then takes all Nanjun, can he still control him? Sun Quan often asks himself in his mind.

This seemingly stupid rumor suddenly touched the thorn in Sun Quan's heart, making him unable to sleep or eat. He wanted to take Nanjun and Jiangxia, but he could not follow Zhou Yu's method. If Zhou Yu's plan was based on Zhou Yu's plan, then he would be a supporter. The war in Jiangling had nothing to do with him. In the war in Jiangxia, he was just a cooperation. All the credit would be conspired by the world to Zhou Yu's head.

After the Battle of Wulin, Cao Cao said that Zhou Yu was like a dragon and phoenix and could not be a bad person for a long time. Liu Bei also said that Zhou Gongjin was extremely arrogant and had a great heroic spirit. These words sounded to Sun Quan's ears, piercing his sensitive and tired heart like a needle.

I must think of a solution. Sun Quan secretly shouted at Nanjun, Jiangxia County on the map, and Lujiang County next to him.

Cao Chong looked at the spy sent back from Kuaiji and smiled. He raised his thumbs up at Zhang Song and said, "Yongnian, your move is high, and a few boys make Sun Quan feel restless. OK, although he couldn't get him to transfer Zhou Yu back to Chaisang, he finally asked Zhou Yu to be more careful. News from Jiangling came. Zhou Yu had not attacked the city these days and had been watching Jiangdong outside the city. Cao Zhengnan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Man Fenwei hid in the day and walked at night, caught Gan Ning off guard, and bought 500 people in the city to save money, which scared Gan Ning to flee back to Yiling. The situation in Jiangling has improved."

Pang Tong smiled and said, "Young Master, although the situation in Jiangling has improved a little, the crisis has not been resolved. Gan Ning fled back to Yiling, which is a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that Jiangling is safe behind it. The bad thing is that he has more than 2,000 guarded Yiling, and he has been rushing to the ground with his joy and 4,000 new recruits and manpower. It is not easy to seize Yiling. We dare not move lightly now. If the materials in Jiangling City are consumed, it is afraid it will still be very dangerous."

Cao Chong smiled with regret and said, "Yes, it would be great if the troops from Runan and Nanjun were still there."
Chapter completed!