Chapter 943: The End of Fortune Approaches

Later, Sun Quan asked Zhou Yu why the Jiangdong aristocratic families had so easily submitted to them, to which Zhou Yu merely smiled.

The auxiliary troops led by Li Yan had already shown the aristocratic families Sun Ce's strength. While the Jiangdong families barely had the ability to force a mutual loss, the problem was that Sun Ce commanded over 100,000 troops. If they suffered mutual losses this time, what would they do when Sun Ce returned stronger next time?

Under such immense pressure, the Jiangdong aristocratic families had no choice but to seek peace. Moreover, when Li Yan took action earlier, it was made clear that with every three days of delay, the terms of the contract would become increasingly stringent.

Zhou Yu had calculated the endurance limit of the Jiangdong aristocratic families. Even if, by the time that limit was reached, they were still holding on, Zhou Yu would have the families he had already subdued step forward and accept the contract. Under such circumstances, the alliance of aristocratic families would inevitably collapse.

The integrity of the Jiangdong aristocratic families turned out to be even lower than Zhou Yu had estimated. Under the impressive command of Li Yan and the constantly tightening contract terms, most of the aristocratic families had given up resistance in less than a month, simply waiting for the verdict. After all, surrendering to Sun Ce didn’t necessarily mean death, but resisting certainly did.

When Sun Ce arrived in Jiangdong, the contracts the aristocratic families received were far more lenient than they had imagined.

Had Sun Ce offered these terms in the beginning, the aristocratic families might have haggled and negotiated. But now, with no room left for resistance, Sun Ce’s "lenient" conditions were received with immense relief. None of the aristocratic families dared to push their luck by negotiating with Sun Ce.

Zhou Yu referred to this in his remarks as "the mercy of the strong," which had been his plan all along. He kept the Jiangdong aristocratic families on edge, making them anxious, and then allowed Sun Ce to extend this so-called mercy to the sly families, ensuring they accepted it with immense gratitude.

"Zhongmou, remember this: every problem in this world has a solution, but the simplest way to resolve any issue is always to rise above it," Zhou Yu said with a smile, patting Sun Quan on the shoulder.

Zhou Yu was relatively satisfied with Sun Quan. Although he lacked Sun Ce's boldness, Sun Quan's intelligence and cunning far surpassed Sun Ce’s. Of course, surpassing Sun Ce wasn’t much of an achievement, but in Zhou Yu's view, Sun Quan had a remarkable mind for power and politics.

However, Zhou Yu couldn’t help but feel that Sun Quan's approach to politics and strategy leaned too much toward the dark and underhanded, lacking the grand, open approach that Sun Ce possessed. Simply put, while Sun Ce could handle things with great dignity, Sun Quan's methods felt somewhat devious and crooked.

Thus, Zhou Yu was now trying to guide Sun Quan onto the right path. Underhanded tactics and schemes might win temporary victories, but they would never earn lasting respect. Only by combining both orthodox and unconventional methods could one ensure a steady path forward.

Sun Quan frowned, not fully understanding why problems that could be solved at one level should be addressed from a higher level. He didn’t grasp the deeper meaning in Zhou Yu's words—that no amount of scheming at the same level could compare to elevating oneself and looking down on others from above.

It was like two local officials constantly battling for power using underhanded tricks. Even if one of them finally emerged victorious, how much progress could they truly make? Would defeating their rival really elevate them to the rank of governor?

Zhou Yu didn’t want to dwell on whether absolute strength truly existed, but one thing was clear to him: looking further ahead was essential. One should not be tempted by petty gains in the present; all the scheming at the same level couldn’t compare to rising to a higher plane.

In Zhou Yu's eyes, Sun Quan’s problem was that he was too used to petty squabbles at the same level. Sometimes, he even lowered himself to compete with people far beneath him, which was completely different from Sun Ce, who was above such trivial concerns, and focused on grander matters.

This frustrated Zhou Yu immensely. He hoped Sun Quan would grow and help Sun Ce, but with Sun Quan’s current mindset, even if he possessed great talent in the future, Zhou Yu feared he would be a problem. One’s vision determines one’s height.

No matter how reckless Sun Ce was, his broad-minded nature couldn’t be denied. Especially after avenging his father, Sun Ce found peace in his heart and saw things more clearly. On the other hand, Sun Quan had a noticeably darker and more sinister side, forcing Zhou Yu to consider how to guide and reshape Sun Quan’s way of thinking.

Sun Ce, however, didn’t care about these matters at all. Not making the Heroes List had left him stewing with frustration, and he was already planning to conquer Jiaozhou and wage war on Nanyue.

His aim wasn’t anything too grand—just to reclaim the lands of Nanyue that had once belonged to the Han dynasty. At least this way, he could say that he had expanded the Han’s territory when the time came to argue on the battlefield.

Sun Ce had discussed this with Zhou Yu. According to Zhou Yu, while conquering Jiaozhou would be difficult, the biggest challenge was the terrain. If they could overcome that, the rest would be a straightforward conquest. He even explained to Sun Ce how to tackle the rebellion in Jiaozhou.

Under these circumstances, subduing the Shanyue and Wuxi tribes became a priority. If they were to conquer Jiaozhou by force, it would be best to use the Shanyue and Wuxi tribes as their vanguard.

After all, the Shanyue and Wuxi tribes had long lived in hot, humid, and malarial regions. They had their own ways of dealing with the extreme heat and oppressive humidity. Once they were subdued, they could be trained into a specialized force for such environments, making the conquest of Jiaozhou far easier.

Thus, the next steps of subjugating the Shanyue and Wuxi tribes had to be carried out flawlessly. This was the first step in the campaign to expand their territory.

Meanwhile, up in the heavens, Yu Ji and his companions, who had been following Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, were growing frustrated. Even though they had already pushed Sun Ce’s fortune to its limit, it seemed boundless, lasting far longer than they had expected without showing signs of decline.

"How much longer are we going to wait?" Zuoci, a defector, angrily asked Yu Ji.

"I don’t know, but this streak of great fortune will end eventually. Sun Ce’s fate will run out; it’s only a matter of time," Yu Ji replied calmly.

Though it seemed like Sun Ce was being assisted by divine forces and the universe itself, this was merely the result of Yu Ji forcibly drawing on Sun Ce's future fortune and manifesting it now. Eventually, there would be an end, and the debt would have to be paid back.

"Eh?" At that moment, both Zhou Yu and Sun Ce turned to look at each other, sensing a strange, distant feeling between them. Both men felt a sudden shift in their emotions.

"His fortune is nearing its end..." Yu Ji smiled faintly. Sun Ce had held on this long, which was already a miracle, but even the favored child of destiny couldn’t endlessly deplete his future. Eventually, debts must be repaid.

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