Chapter 942: Sun Ce Enters Jiangdong

【Gongtai, I understand your disposition, but do not blame me for being ruthless under the Yellow Springs!】Cheng Yu made up his mind and resolved to solve all of Cao Cao's problems directly. If things continued this way, the gap between Cao and Liu's strengths would only widen. Since Cao Cao could not obtain it, then Liu Bei shouldn't either!

"Notify Wen Ruo to send the supplies and letters to Wuyuan, and to hand them over to Lu Bu and the Yuan family!" Cheng Yu, having made his decision, stood up and ordered the steward beside him. For Cao Cao’s future, this was something only he could handle.

Xun You, having heard some recent news about Cheng Yu from Shu Zuo, quietly stood up and sighed. He understood what Cheng Yu was thinking.

【Sigh, I must never be careless again in this lifetime. With the methods that Chen Zichuan employs to make the impossible possible and Jia Wen’s meticulous planning, it is more realistic to infer from impossibilities.】

Xun You thought to himself. So far, the battle that had caused the most damage to Cao Cao was undoubtedly the Battle of Xuzhou. It was a conflict that was both unnecessary and wrong, and more importantly, it left them impoverished.

"It seems we need Yuan Chang to provide some guidance to the Ma family. Sometimes, what explosive methods cannot achieve might be tried with a softer approach. We do not currently have absolute strength," Xun You said to himself as he looked northwest. "Compared to Ma Teng and Han Sui, Ma Chao, Yan Xing, and Han Sui are more important. What will their demands be?"

While Xun You was preparing to solve the Ma family problem in a different way, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, along with Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, Sun Quan, and a group of personal guards, headed to Jiangdong. Of course, for Sun Quan, Sun Ce's purpose was to broaden his horizons. After all, Sun Quan was fourteen now, and Sun Ce had been on the battlefield at his age.

From Sun Ce's perspective, with his protection and current strength, roaming freely in Jiangdong was not a problem, so he was not worried about any accidents.

Unlike in historical records, Sun Ce’s foundation was not in Jiangdong at this time. Both Huainan and Jingbei were more important than Jiangdong.

Under such circumstances, Sun Ce, who was already very strong-willed, naturally would not consider compromising with the aristocratic families. On the contrary, his fourteen-year-old younger brother had some different ideas. However, Sun Ce did not say anything and only planned to take Sun Quan to Jiangdong to let him witness the so-called Jiangdong aristocratic families with his own eyes.

With Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong, Zhou Yu was finally freed from paperwork. Therefore, he had time to accompany Sun Ce to Jiangdong. This time, Zhou Yu’s purpose for the trip was essentially a honeymoon. Now that Zhou Yu had some free time, he did not mind any resistance from the Jiangdong aristocratic families.

"Brother Gongjin, is there really no problem with going to Jiangdong this time?" Sun Quan asked Zhou Yu, seeing Sun Ce take Da Qiao to the stern of the ship to enjoy the scenery.

Zhou Yu looked at Sun Quan with some hesitation and then glanced at Sun Ce at the stern of the ship. That guy had callously handed this "light bulb" to him while everyone was out for a honeymoon. Why should he be the one to babysit?

"Any issues are not problems under the guarantee of strength. We have absolute initiative," Zhou Yu, holding the somewhat lazy Xiao Qiao, smiled and reassured Sun Quan. This answer was unproblematic.

"But there are many aristocratic families in Jiangdong. What if they resist?" Sun Quan continued to ask, completely oblivious to Zhou Yu’s growing helplessness.

"There are many Jiangdong aristocratic families, but precisely because there are many, they become a loose sand. The so-called Four Great Families—oh, now it’s Three Great Families—also have their own conflicts," Zhou Yu said as he held the half-sleeping Xiao Qiao. He never concealed such matters in front of Xiao Qiao.

"Then what if the Three Great Families lead the resistance?" Sun Quan persisted with his hypothetical scenario, not noticing Zhou Yu’s already resigned expression.

"How many questions do you have in total?" Zhou Yu felt it was better to ask about the situation before answering.

"This is my first time out with my elder brother," Sun Quan said quietly, glancing back at Sun Ce at the stern of the ship. "I have prepared many questions."

Sun Quan had immense respect for Sun Ce. When he was ten, his father died, and his elder brother led their family through hardships, eventually carving out a quarter of the world. Of course, Zhou Yu’s contributions could not be ignored, so Sun Quan also held great respect for Zhou Yu.

"……" Zhou Yu felt somewhat overwhelmed. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let me explain the previous question to you first, then go back and read some books." Zhou Yu’s eyes flashed with a hint of brilliance as he started lowering Sun Quan’s intelligence without hesitation. Soon, Sun Quan’s intelligence fell below the average level.

"Here’s the thing: if the Three Great Families lead the resistance, we’ll draw lots. We will destroy whichever one is drawn, annihilating it within a day, and then distribute everything from that family to the other two families," Zhou Yu said indifferently. The gap between Jiangdong’s aristocratic families and their current strength was too large.

After hearing Zhou Yu’s words, Sun Quan was a bit confused, but after his intelligence was lowered, Zhou Yu quickly sent him away.

"Xiao Qiao, let me play the zither for you~" After sending Sun Quan away, Zhou Yu, in a good mood, smiled and said to Xiao Qiao.

"Okay." Xiao Qiao supported her head with her hands, smiling and looking at Zhou Yu with her eyes sparkling with joy. Perhaps for her, Zhou Yu was everything.

The music of the zither flowed slowly over the Yangtze River until Zhou Yu and Sun Ce set foot on the land of Jiangdong.

"It has been a long time since we last came. This time, we’ll resolve all the problems. If my opponents are always at this level, it’s really boring!" Sun Ce said, spreading his arms and laughing heartily.

"First, we need to solve the Jiangdong aristocratic families," Zhou Yu glanced at Sun Ce. The carriages had already been prepared by the riverbank. Under the escort of the soldiers, the group boarded the carriages and safely arrived at Wu County.

After that, everything was very smooth. No matter the Jiangdong aristocratic families’ dissatisfaction, they had no choice but to submit after Sun Ce appeared in person. Whether it was Sun Ce’s youthful face or his unmatched dominance, to the Jiangdong aristocratic families, he was a top-notch potential stock.

Naturally, the resistance that Sun Quan had read about in books did not appear in reality. He only saw his elder brother receive a prepared document from his sworn brother, then ordered it to be delivered to the current head of the Wei family. Afterward, the leaders of the Jiangdong aristocratic families read the document and silently signed it.

Subsequently, the reception of guests proceeded smoothly. Even without witnessing it firsthand, Sun Quan understood that his elder brother had resolved the Jiangdong aristocratic families directly upon taking the stage. Thus, Sun Quan looked at Sun Ce with eyes full of awe, acknowledging that this invincible and domineering man was indeed his elder brother.

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