Chapter 655
“Is the Lord here?” Zhou Yu struggled to get from his bed and coughed.
“Gongjin! Don’t move! Be careful of your wound!” Sun Ce hurried to Zhou Yu’s side. Zhou Yu’s wound was starting to form a scar. The danger had pa.s.sed and now he only needed to wait for his wounds to heal but the situation could deteriorate if his wounds reopened.
“In that case, I won’t get up.” Zhou Yu smiled back at Sun Ce.
“Gongjin. We have news of Xiang’er.” Sun Ce said to Zhou Yu. His relationship with Zhou Yu was so good that there were many things he did not keep secret. One of which was his worries when his treasured little sister went missing.
“There is news of Xiang’er? That’s good! Quickly have her return!” Zhou Yu saw Sun Shangxiang as a sister. Since Zhou Yu knew Sun Ce for a long time, he had also watched Sun Shangxiang grow up.
“She might not come back.” Sun Ce replied gloomily.
“Did something happen to Xiang’er?” Zhou Yu was shocked. Was Sun Shangxiang murdered?
“No. In fact, she is living very well.” Sun Ce shook his head as he smiled bitterly.
“Hm?” If she was living well, then why was Sun Ce acting like this?
“Xiang’er got married.” Sun Ce said to Zhou Yu.
“Married? Who did she marry?” Zhou Yu was shocked. In that era, marriage is decided by the parents. Yet, Sun Ce was the last to find out.
“She married Yangzhou’s King of Shu, Liu Mang.” Sun Ce replied.
“What!” Zhou Yu’s eyes widened.
“Gongjin, do you remember I once ‘respected’ Yuan Shu as an adoptive father in order to obtain his support and my father’s old subordinates.” In other words, Liu Mang could use the Yuan Family’s name for approval. Yuan Fang could call Sun Shangxiang sister and ‘act’ as matchmaker for the Yuan Family.
“She married Liu Mang?” Zhou Yu started to feel dizzy.
“Liu Mang wants to obtain my Jiangdong.” Sun Ce was not a fool. It is just that sometimes, he did not want to think too hard. The things he is puzzled by could easily be solved by Zhou Yu.
He clearly knew the reason Liu Mang married Sun Shangxiang. Otherwise, it was unlikely for Liu Mang to accept her as a wife since it might cause disorder at the rear court.
“Liu Mang wants to gain righteousness.” Zhou Yu understood. Now Liu Mang had the right to send troops to Jiangdong. Cao Cao’s decree caused Liu Mang of Yangzhou and the Sun Family of Jiangdong to be related by marriage. Now Liu Mang could send troops to Jiangdong as the brother-in-law of Sun Ce.
“If it was not because of Zhongmou…! Sigh!” Sun Ce sighed regretfully. If it was not because of Sun Quan causing trouble, Liu Mang would not have the right to get involved with Jiangdong even if he married Sun Shangxiang.
“Did the messenger from Yangzhou asks you to surrender?” Zhou Yu’s question was if Yangzhou had threatened Sun Ce to surrender or they would attack.
“No. All they sent was a letter from Xiang’er.” Sun Ce shook his head. Liu Mang was being very polite.
“d.a.m.n it!” Zhou Yu was not gratified and instead became worried.
“Milord! Quickly send someone to chase down Yangzhou’s envoy!” Zhou Yu said worriedly.
“Hm?” Sun Ce did not know why he should chase down the envoy.
“Quickly chase him down and ask him what treatment we will receive if we surrender to Yangzhou!” Zhou Yu said to Sun Ce.
“Surrender? No! I will not surrender!” Sun Ce shook his head. It had already been said before that Sun Ce was someone who values his own reputation a lot. After losing to Liu Mang, he would be thinking of how to win instead of surrender.
“Milord. We will just be pretending. We must do this if you still want to pursue Jiangdong’s ambition!” Zhou Yu said to Sun Ce. Another way of saying it is that if Liu Mang was not ready to attack, then he would be threatening Sun Ce. On the other hand, there was no threat which meant that Liu Mang had already prepared to dispatch troops. It might be possible that this envoy would return saying that there was nothing to discuss, resulting in an immediate invasion.
“Grand Governor! Where are you?” A voice anxiously called while Zhou Yu and Sun Ce were talking.
“The Lord and the Grand Governor are in this room. What’s wrong?” Lu Meng who was outside stopped this person.
“Quick! Tell the Grand Governor that Yangzhou’s army at Jiangxia has moved!” The man fainted right after speaking. He was someone dispatched by Zhou Yu to watch Yangzhou’s movements after Zhuge Liang sent their army sinking in the river.
“Quick! Help him in!” Lu Meng ordered for the person to be let in. Sun Ce and the others wanted to question him but the man was unconscious.
“Use cold water!” Zhou Yu said from his bed. “Military situations are urgent so we can only do this!”
Cold water was quickly brought over and splashed onto the soldier. The soldier got up in a daze.
“Where am I?”
“This is the Grand Governor’s room. Quickly speak. What happened at Jiangxia? What about Yangzhou’s army?” Lu Meng asked anxiously.
“Milord. Grand Governor. Lujiang and Jiangxia are allocating provisions. The Jiangxia Navy has begun to move down South.” The soldier replied.
“South?” Sun Ce and Zhou Yu started to feel nervous. If Yangzhou was heading South, then the only possible reason was to attack Jiangdong.
“How many men are there?” Zhou Yu and Sun Ce asked.
“I… I do not know. But there are a lot of provisions and ships. There were three camps at Lujiang moving.
“Three camps?” Normally, each camp would have about five thousand men stationed there. Three camps meant at least fifteen thousand men. Jiangxia’s Navy should also be sending this amount of troops. So the total should be about thirty thousand to fifty thousand men. Yangzhou’s King of Shu really thought too highly of them to be sending so many elites without making a sound. If it was not because Sun Ce was present here on this day, they would have only found out by the time Yangzhou was at their doorstep. At that time, there would be no other options besides surrender.
“Fifty thousand men!” Sun Ce furrowed his brows. Before this, he would not be too concerned about numbers since Jiangdong could still take out a hundred thousand men even if it was not as prosperous as Jingzhou. It was one of the reasons why Jiangdong’s Navy was famous. But now, Jiangdong was exhausted and could only spare twenty thousand men at most. How were they supposed to fight?
“If they attack, I will defend Jiangdong myself!” Sun Ce gritted his teeth. One of the ways he could do that was to rely on Jiangdong’s walls.
“Milord! No!” Zhou Yu immediately objected. “Milord, are our walls as firm as those from the Central Plains?”
Sun Ce shook his head. Since they relied on the Yangtze River as a moat, their walls were low. On top of that, the ground was muddy so the foundation wasn’t deep and strong. Their walls really could not compare walls from the cities on the Central Plains.
“Milord. That Liu Bei was using his fortified city of Yuzhou but what happened in the end?” Zhou Yu said. At the end of the day, Liu Bei was only left with Runan.
Sun Ce became discouraged. It was true that Jiangdong’s walls was weaker than Yuzhou so he could not hope for it to help.
“Must I really surrender to Liu Mang?” Sun Ce still wanted to salvage his face.
“Milord. We don’t actually need to surrender.” Zhou Yu smiled and replied.
“Hm?” Sun Ce did not understand what Zhou Yu meant.
“Milord. What we need to do is stall them.” Zhou Yu replied. What Jiangdong lacked was time and money. If they had those, Jiangdong could recover.
“Milord, which is more important. Your face or Jiangdong’s foundation?” Zhou Yu asked seriously.
Sun Ce stayed silent.
“If Milord’s face is important, then get ready to surrender to the King of Shu, Liu Mang. If the King of Shu is kind, then Milord can live as a rich family in Yangzhou. Otherwise, the Sun Family would be without a son.” Zhou Yu said to Sun Ce.
Zhou Yu was not threatening Sun Ce. In that era, the losers were all miserable. Look at Yuan Shu who could not even be buried and his only son died as well.
Gongsun Zan was even more tragic. He and his whole family was burned to death.
Even the ones that surrendered were tragic. Tao Qian had died of illness and his two sons immediately went missing. This is because it would be problems caused by officials loyal to the old rule. As a result, it would be better to just cut off any potential threats.
“If Milord can let go of your face, then Jiangdong still has a way to survive!” Zhou Yu persuaded while Sun Ce was still at a loss.
“Dispatch two men. One is a letter to Xiang’er as a brother. Speak of the sufferings in Jiangdong and ask if His Highness the King of Shu can provide provisions. Then say that you long for Shouchun. This must be using the tone of a subject.” Zhou Yu suggested.
“What is the purpose of this?” Sun Ce asked.
“Let Liu Mang feel relieved. Make him think that Jiangdong is willing to surrender if Liu Mang is offering good conditions. This is to stall for time.” Zhou Yu said to Sun Ce. When it comes to surrender, there must always be a condition. No one would be so good to surrender without conditions. They just need to make Liu Mang think he could take Jiangdong without bloodshed.
“Then we send another letter to Jingzhou! Use your position as East Expedition General to greet Liu Biao and exchange our troops for provisions! With both provisions and time, Jiangdong will remain yours!” Zhou Yu said to Sun Ce.
“What if Liu Mang refuses and still think of attacking Jiangdong?” Sun Ce asked.
“If that happens, I am willing to follow you to battle and fight to the death.” Zhou Yu said to Sun Ce.
Sun Ce thought silently for a while before saying. “Alright. We will make this gamble.”
“Men! Chase down Yangzhou’s envoy and tell him that we got a letter we need to send.” Sun Ce adopted Zhou Yu’s plan to cheat time from Yangzhou and wealth from Jingzhou. If both were successful, Jiangdong would be able to fight again.
***
“Sun Ce is actually returning a letter?” Liu Mang thought this was weird. Sun Ce was a plainspoken person. Liu Mang believed that Sun Ce would not leave Jiangdong even if he were to die. That was why Liu Mang did not think Sun Ce would write a letter. He even expected that Sun Ce might kill the envoy. At that time, Liu Mang could simply attack.
He never expected Sun Ce to actually give a reply.
“Let me see!” Liu Mang said to the envoy.
Very quickly the letter was handed to Liu Mang. Written in it was Sun Ce’s concern and love for his sister. Liu Mang could not help but nod. Sun Ce’s relationship with his sister was good. He then kept reading and frowned when he saw that Sun Ce also wrote down Jiangdong’s predicament. Sun Ce hoped that Yangzhou could provide a.s.sistance to Jiangdong.
The interesting thing is that Sun Ce later used honorifics when addressing his sister. He even stated that he wants Liu Mang to send someone to Jiangdong to negotiate. Did the Little Conqueror want to surrender? Liu Mang could not help but smile.
“Milord. What did Sun Ce say?” Xu Shu asked skeptically.
“Read it for yourself.” Liu Mang handed over the letter to Xu Shu. He quickly finished reading the letter and said. “Milord. The Little Conqueror wants to surrender?”
If Sun Ce wants to surrender, then Yangzhou had to change the way they deal with Jiangdong. They would not need to attack Jiangdong and the provisions can be used to placate Jiangdong’s citizens. It would be the effortless victory that Liu Mang wanted.
“Impossible!” Zhuge Liang shook his head. “Milord. This is Sun Ce’s stratagem to stall for time!” Zhuge Liang said after reading the letter.
“Stall for time?” Liu Mang frowned.
“Milord. Sun Ce… or rather, Zhou Yu Zhou Gongjin has a good stratagem! He wants to stall for time to ensure that we will not capture Jiangdong. That way, he can obtain provisions from Jingzhou. At that time, Jiangdong would be able to recover and we would need to expand more resources to capture Jiangdong. Zhou Yu is probably the one who wrote this letter to mislead us.” Zhuge Liang said.
“Zhou Yu’s stratagem?” Liu Mang hesitated. Normally, Liu Mang would approve of Zhuge Liang’s words since it did not make much of a difference as to whether Jiangdong surrendered or not. He had both the manpower and a righteous cause.
However, Liu Mang had a headache when dealing with Jiangdong because he came from the modern era. He had an indescribable impression of Zhou Yu and Sun Ce.
Zhou Yu was so talented that Liu Mang wanted to recruit Zhou Yu as well like he did with Zhuge Liang. He wanted Zhou Yu to act as a supporting role for Zhuge Liang. The same applies for Sun Ce since Sun Ce was a formidable warrior.
Another reason was Sun Shangxiang. Sun Ce was Sun Shangxiang’s brother so he did not want to go too far. If he were to kill Sun Ce, Sun Shangxiang will hate him for life.
“Zijing. Come and see if it is Sun Ce’s handwriting.” Liu Mang turned to Lu Su.
“Ah… Yes.” Lu Su replied blankly as he reacted to Liu Mang’s interruption. He then nodded and took the letter.
“Zijing. Why are you so absentminded recently?” Liu Mang frowned. In the past few days, Lu Su had been extremely absentminded and could not even give any proposals.
“Milord, please forgive me. If Milord wants to attack Jingzhou or the North, I would be able to do my utmost. But if it is to attack Jiangdong… This subject deserves to die!” Lu Su spoke his mind. If Liu Mang were to attack Jingzhou or Cao Cao, Lu Su would be able to give advice. He could not bring himself to attack Jiangdong. Though Lu Su felt that Sun Ce was not a worthy lord, Sun Ce had treated him well and Zhou Yu was also his good friend. He did not have the heart to fight against them.
“Zijing is such a loyal person. I am sure you would also be loyal to me!” Liu Mang smiled.
“Thank you Milord!” Lu Su replied gratefully. Normally, a ruler would not be comfortable around someone who changed the Lord they serve under. How could the new boss trust someone who thinks of the old boss? That was why Lu Su believed he would be reprimanded. However, Liu Mang praised Lu Su instead.
While feeling grateful to Liu Mang, Lu Su read the letter and then cupped his fist. “Milord. This is indeed the handwriting of Marquis Wu.” Since he was once one of Sun Ce’s advisors, he knew what Sun Ce’s handwriting was like.
“This is Sun Ce’s handwriting?” Zhuge Liang’s eyes grew wide. “Zijing! Look at it again carefully!”
Lu Su’s reply was still the same. “Kongming. This is really Marquis Wu’s handwriting. Even the tone of speaking at the start of the letter is like Marquis Wu.” The start of the letter was Sun Ce scolding Sun Shangxiang for running away from home. The way it is written is also the way Sun Ce would have spoken to Sun Shangxiang when she was in Jiangdong.
“Impossible! Jiangdong’s Little Conqueror will definitely not surrender! If he wanted to do that, he would have already written a letter to Yangzhou right after I burned down his entire navy! He would not have waited until now!” Zhuge Liang could not believe it because Sun Ce was a stubborn person.
“Marquis Wu said he is tired.” Lu Su said, as though explaining the strange turns of events.
Liu Mang nodded. “Kongming. The Little Conqueror is also human. Even if he is stubborn, he would adapt to the circ.u.mstances. How could he fight against us with Jiangdong’s current situation? Surrender is not too strange especially after that incident.” Liu Mang said, referring to Sun Quan’s betrayal. “Zijing. How does Sun Bofu treat Sun Zhongmou?”
“Not parent and child, yet surpa.s.sing parent and child. A deep bond between brothers.” Lu Su replied. Remember that Zhou Yu was always with Sun Ce. Zhou Yu was paranoid and sensitive to ambition. He is someone that immediately decides that Zhuge Liang needed to either serve them or die because he was a threat. His stance towards Sun Quan was the same, warning Sun Ce to be vigilant towards his brother. Yet, Sun Ce continued to give opportunities to his brother, such as allowing Sun Quan to march to Linhuai with military authority. Even when Sun Quan revolted, Sun Ce could not bring himself to kill Sun Quan.
“No wonder he feels tired.” Liu Mang said as he thought of another person like Sun Ce. This person was Lu Bu. The two of them were like peas in a pod. Lu Bu also started to feel tired after getting betrayed by Hao Meng and Hou Cheng.
As for Sun Ce, he was betrayed by his own brother. Compared to Lu Bu, the shock would have been bigger. It would not be surprising if Sun Ce ends up feeling discouraged from this.
“But Milord!” Zhou Yu was vigilant towards Zhuge Liang. Likewise, Zhuge Liang was also vigilant towards Zhou Yu. They knew what kind of person the other was. They also knew the strengths of the other.
“Kongming, there is no but about this! It would be easy to attack Jiangdong but what about the people? Do you want me to kill them all?” Liu Mang said back to Zhuge Liang. Taking down Jiangdong would be easy but making it prosperous again would be difficult. Yangzhou was already lacking officials. If they killed everyone in Jiangdong, there would no one to manage it. However, he would only need to spend half the effort if Sun Ce were to surrender.
“Making him surrender would also show our Yangzhou’s ability!” If Liu Mang could make a feudal lord to surrender, then it would be easier to make others surrender in the future.
Zhuge Liang could only sigh bitterly and withdraw when he realized that he could not persuade Liu Mang.
“In that case, we should dispatch someone to Jiangdong to negotiate with Marquis Wu.” Liu Mang smiled as he said to the others. “Who is willing to go?”
“Milord. I am willing to go!” Zhuge Liang quickly took the lead and recommended himself.
Liu Mang frowned. Though it was good that Zhuge Liang was proactive, he had just tried to stop Jiangdong from surrendering. For some reason, Zhuge Liang was also extremely hostile to Zhou Yu. Liu Mang was afraid that Zhuge Liang would ruin things. So Liu Mang shook his head. “Kongming. It is not that I don’t want you to go. However, you had sent sixty thousand men into the Yangtze River. If you were to go to Jiangdong, I would not be able to guarantee your safety!”
Zhuge Liang’s actions had already vilified him to the populace. After all, each of the soldier that died was someone’s father, brother or son. If Zhuge Liang were to go, Liu Mang would also need to dispatch people to protect him.
“Milord. Is there anyone more familiar with Jiangdong compared to me?” Zhuge Liang frowned as he replied. “Milord just needs to dispatch a troop of guards. Even if I don’t have guards, they would not dare to harm me!” Zhuge Liang said with a little bit of disdain. He had learned much when fighting against Jiangdong with Jingzhou’s navy. Besides that, as Liu Mang and Yangzhou’s representative, harming him would immediately start a war. As a result, Sun Ce would even need to dispatch people to protect Zhuge Liang.
Zhuge Liang’s words were correct but Liu Mang simply did not want Zhuge Liang to go in fear of him messing things up. Besides, there actually is someone who is more familiar with Jiangdong. Liu Mang turned to look at Lu Su.
Lu Su Lu Zijing may be an honest person but that does not mean that he is without worldly wisdom. As Zhuge Liang had already recommended himself, Lu Su did not speak up as it would mean trying to fight for the position with Zhuge Liang.
Not wanting to offend anyone, Lu Su was ready to close his eyes and ignore everything. But then he could only smile bitterly when he noticed Liu Mang staring at him with a glint in his eyes. It would seem that offending someone could not be avoided. Lu Su helplessly agreed while cupping his fist. “Milord. I am willing to go.”
“Zijing! You!” Zhuge Liang’s eyes grew wide as he stared at Lu Su. Even he had to admit that Lu Su knew Jiangdong more than him but he did not expect that the honest Lu Su dared to offend him.
Lu Su looked back at Zhuge Liang helplessly. It is not like he could say that the Lord was threatening him. He could only say to Zhuge Liang. “Kongming. It is not my intention to oppose you but Jiangdong is my home. If a discussion is possible then discussion would be better.” Lu Su was saying that as a Jiangdong person, he wanted Jiangdong to surrender peacefully so that the people will not suffer. Zhuge Liang could not even say anything back because Lu Su was not wrong. He could not obstruct Lu Su through words.
“Milord. Zijing is honest in nature. He is not suitable for diplomacy!” Zhuge Liang tried to persuade Liu Mang. If he was even more blunt, he would have said that Lu Su was so unsuited for diplomacy that he could have sold houses and still lose money.
Liu Mang frowned. If he were to send Zhuge Liang, there was a high chance it would turn into a battle. Everyone knows that Zhuge Liang was pro-war. However, if he were to send Lu Su instead, he would first of all, offend Zhuge Liang. Second, Lu Su was an honest person so there was a high chance that Lu Su would end up causing them to lose profit.
“Milord, High Official Zhuge. Do not worry. I will dispatch someone to accompany High Official Lu.” Yang Hong stood forward and said.
“Foreign Minister Yang!” Zhuge Liang could not oppose any more since Yang Hong was the one in charge of foreign affairs. In comparison to Yang Hong, Zhuge Liang and Lu Su are both amateurs. Yang Hong was the real expert. Even Zhang Zhao of Jiangdong who wanted to benefit from Yang Hong ended up getting the tables turned on him.
If the real expert have already spoken, what else could Zhuge Liang say?
“Good. If Uncle Hong says this, I am sure Kongming can be rea.s.sured.” Liu Mang smiled.
“Lu Su, receive the order!” Liu Mang turned to Lu Su.
“Lu Su is present!” Lu Su stepped forward and knelt down.
“Lu Su. I order you to go to Jiangdong to serve as an amba.s.sador. You can decide on all matters and if you need anything, you can take it from Yangzhou. Bring me Jiangdong. Whether it is through peace or force, you can decide for yourself.” Liu Mang said, giving Lu Su a lot of authority. If Lu Su doesn’t want to negotiate anymore, he can order the fifty thousand troops that is already on standby to attack.
“Lu Su accepts the order and will live up to Milord’s expectations.” Lu Su nodded and was very grateful to how Liu Mang treasures him.
The meeting was quickly wrapped up. Liu Mang appointed Lu Su while Yang Hong will dispatch someone to a.s.sist him in making Jiangdong surrender.
Zhuge Liang left with a poor expression. Lu Su saw Zhuge Liang and shook his head before chasing after him.
“Kongming! Wait for me!” Lu Su chased Zhuge Liang with large strides.
Zhuge Liang could not help but snort coldly when he saw Lu Su. “Is something the matter?”
“Kongming. You know that I really did not want to compete against you!” Lu Su smiled bitterly as he replied to Zhuge Liang.
“Is there any meaning to saying such things?” Zhuge Liang said back.
“Kongming. You are right that I am too honest. I also did not expect the Lord to dispatch me. But I have no alternative. Jiangdong is my home. My family still lives there. So please forgive me for this but I really do not want Jiangdong and Yangzhou to go to war.” Lu Su explained.
Zhuge Liang sighed at Lu Su’s sincere appearance while shaking his head. “Zijing. Normally, you are intelligent but why are you so pure this time? Don’t you know what kind of people Jiangdong’s Sun Ce and Zhou Yu are? Milord wants Jiangdong to surrender but can’t you see that these two will not surrender?” Zhuge Liang said.
Sun Ce was an ambitious warrior and also a feudal lord. As a warrior, surrendering to Liu Mang would not be a problem. But in that era, feudal lords that surrendered are kept in captivity. How could an ambitious person like Sun Ce be willing to be held captive? Then there was Zhou Yu who is extremely loyal to Sun Ce. If Sun Ce refuses to surrender, Zhou Yu would not either.
“Kongming. I…!” Lu Su did not know what to say.
“Zijing. If you treat me as a friend then listen to me. Didn’t the Lord give you the authority to decide matters? Have General Lu Xun march towards Jiangdong. Have the soldiers split up to attack Jianye in the North and Kuaiji in the South. That way we can capture Jiangdong.” Zhuge Liang already had plans for attacking Jiangdong. If Liu Mang had given the authority to Zhuge Liang, he would have attacked immediately.
“Kongming. I cannot promise you this.” Lu Su shook his head.
“Why?” Zhuge Liang asked as he stared back unwaveringly.
“Milord ordered me to go to Jiangdong to make a decision. We should use tricks before attacking.” Lu Su tried to persuade Zhuge Liang.
“Don’t talk to me about the Art of War. I have read more than you about such matters! Let me tell you. Zijing, you know the Art of War but you do not know how to read people. Let us wait and see who is right. I will tell you that you are wrong. I will also tell the Lord that Jiangdong will not surrender!” Zhuge Liang replied and then left, ignoring Lu Su’s calls.
“Kongming!” Lu Su gritted his teeth. He wanted to listen to Zhuge Liang’s advice as Zhuge Liang was his friend. However, Zhou Yu was also his friend.
“Kongming, do not worry. I will look at things in JIangdong carefully. If they act suspiciously, I will immediately send the troops.” Lu Su mumbled to himself as he looked at Zhuge Liang’s back.
Instead of returning to his residence immediately, Zhuge Liang went to his office at the Ministry of Justice. He then quickly wrote a letter.
“Men! Quickly send this letter to Jiangdong!” Zhuge Liang ordered.
“Hm? What is this?” One subordinate asked skeptically. Many people already knew that Zhuge Liang’s proposal was rejected by Liu Mang. So he thought that Zhuge Liang was still unwilling to give up.
“No need to waste words. This is just a family letter. You just need to quickly send it to Jiangdong.” Zhuge Liang replied in a bad mood.
“Understood!” The subordinate did not dare to talk back so he took the letter and saw that it was addressed to one ‘Dear Brother, Zhuge Jin’. He was certain that it was indeed a family letter.
“Kongming sent a letter to Jiangdong?” Liu Mang was in his study with Xu Shu and a group of people. Xu Shu was reporting about other things as well and mentioned this matter in pa.s.sing.
“Zhuge Liang is sending letters behind my back? Could it be…?” Liu Mang furrowed his brows.
Seeing Liu Mang frown, Xu Shu quickly explained. “Milord. It is just a family letter. Kongming definitely has no intentions of betraying Milord!” Xu Shu had a good relationship with Zhuge Liang. It can even be said that Xu Shu went to Yangzhou to see how things were like before becoming Liu Mang’s subordinate because of Zhuge Liang.
Liu Mang shook his head at Xu Shu. “Yuanzhi, you are thinking too much. Am I someone who suspects my subordinates? There is no way he is Jiangdong’s spy. Even if he is, I will happily accept him.” Liu Mang replied. Zhuge Liang wiped out sixty thousand of Jiangdong’s elites. If Sun Ce did this just to insert a spy, then Liu Mang would happily ask for people to send more spies.
“I am just angry that he is stubborn and even send letters behind my back!” Liu Mang replied unhappily. How could an evildoer like Zhuge Liang send a normal letter. There is definitely a purpose. Yes, Zhuge Liang has a brother working in Jiangdong but why send a letter now?
“Should I send someone to stop the letter from being sent to Jiangdong?” Xu Shu asked.
“No need. He won’t give up if we stop the letter. Might as well let him send the letter and give up.” Liu Mang no longer tried to stop Zhuge Liang.