– Fleeing Jiangdong.
– Pressure from the great families.
Caught off guard by Yang Xiu's probing, Zhou Yu’s hands trembled slightly as he said sternly, “Nonsense.”
“Haha…” Yang Xiu laughed, “Jiangdong is too complicated. There are the Sun family, the various great families, and your Huai-Si sect. And your Huai-Si sect itself is not united, split into two! Lu Su and Zhuge Jin, who reside in Huai-Si, form one faction, while you, Commander Zhou, who favors conquest, form another… In this complex situation, Commander Zhou, you’ve already realized the crisis, haven’t you?”
Zhou Yu’s eyes narrowed.
“What exactly do you want to say?”
“Cough, cough…” Yang Xiu coughed and continued, “Your Zhou family, your ancestors were all formidable individuals. Your great-great-grandfather, Zhou Rong, was he not? His brush was sharp, and he repeatedly impeached the powerful Dou family. The Dou family even threatened your great-grandfather, saying that assassins from the Dou family were everywhere in the capital. Yet your great-great-grandfather said, ‘I, a solitary man of Jianghuai, have received great kindness from the late Emperor and ruled two cities. This is my honor. Even if I am harmed now, for justice, I have no regrets!’”
“Cough, cough…” After finishing this, Yang Xiu coughed and continued, “Your great-grandfather was no simple man either. He was the younger brother of the Empress Dowager Liang. He made great contributions by supporting Emperor Ling. He was upright, and the first thing he did after gaining power was to impeach wicked officials. Throughout the Han dynasty, over fifty people from generals and governors downwards were either executed or dismissed from office.”
“And your cousin, Zhou Hui. After being dismissed as the magistrate of Luoyang, he returned to Jianghuai. With a group of guests, he could command the area of Jianghuai, traveling with over a hundred carriages. Later, when Dong Zhuo entered the capital, your cousin, with over a hundred carriages, rushed to the capital to pick up his father and return to Jianghuai. Dong Zhuo was furious, thinking it was a provocation, and sent a large army to intercept your cousin’s carriages! The first to resist Dong Zhuo was, in fact, your cousin!”
Three consecutive members of the Zhou family, three stories…
Yang Xiu recounted them smoothly, his words firm, making Zhou Yu’s expression increasingly incredulous.
This fellow knew him so well.
“Where did you learn all this?”
“Naturally, my mentor told me,” Yang Xiu smiled. “Commander Zhou wants to do something, can he hide it from the young men of Jiangdong, and can he hide it from my mentor?”
“The Zhou family’s tradition is like this, each person more resolute than the last. How can they be willing to live in this dangerous land of Jiangdong! Constantly worried about suffering the same fate as Sun Bofu, the little Hegemon of Jiangdong. You, Commander Zhou, know the influence of the Jiangdong families better than I do, don’t you?”
According to the “Records of the Three Kingdoms: Biography of Zhou Yu,” when Zhou Yu was fighting Cao Ren in Nan Commandery, he, as the commander, personally led the charge on horseback. This was extremely rare among aristocratic youths.
Aristocrats produced commanders, not fierce generals. Commanders rarely went to the front lines to kill the enemy!
But Zhou Yu was an exception…
And this was ordinary within the Zhou family. Such was the heritage of the Zhou family.
Zhou Yu’s personality, while not as described in the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” as “narrow-minded”… his fierce, decisive, and impetuous tendencies were all present.
“Gulp…”
Zhou Yu subconsciously swallowed. His entire demeanor grew solemn.
What a statement, “Naturally, my mentor told me!”
Yang Xiu’s words were Lu Yu’s words, conveyed across space to Zhou Yu!
Even though Lu Yu was not standing before him, Zhou Yu felt the pressure from Lu Ziyu for the first time so closely… such immense pressure.
Is this “psychological warfare”?
“Heh heh…”
Understanding this, Zhou Yu smiled. He sat on a stool, signaling Yang Xiu to sit as well…
Then he continued, “Your master is indeed formidable, but I, this Commander, have many ways to escape Jiangdong. Winning this battle of Red Cliffs is not impossible. To try and persuade me to surrender with this is to look down on me too much, isn’t it?”
“Where can Commander Zhou flee to?” Yang Xiu looked out the window. “Jingzhou? No, Jingzhou is too close to Jiangdong, and you cannot escape the Sun family’s control. Then… Xichuan? Xichuan is far enough. Rumor has it that Yizhou will produce an emperor, and it is also rumored that Wu Yi’s sister is to become an empress… Does Commander Zhou also wish to marry Wu Yi’s sister to become an empress?”
The implication…
Zhou Yu harbored ambitions of emperorship!
Hoo…
This time, Zhou Yu felt a new, immense wave of pressure.
“Did Lu Ziyu tell you this as well?”
“Commander Zhou, what you can think of, your mentor can also think of. Commander Zhou, do you truly believe your mentor would give you an opportunity and allow you to go to Yizhou?”
Yang Xiu’s words were like poison thorns, continuously piercing Zhou Yu’s heart.
Zhou Yu was furious… his deepest thoughts were repeatedly exposed, causing him to tremble all over.
“Hmph…” he snorted coldly. “Guards.”
Several Jiangdong guards entered the tent.
“Imprison this spy and keep a close watch…”
Zhou Yu commanded.
The scribe who was present earlier added, “Commander Zhou, should we interrogate him?”
“Hmph!” Zhou Yu snorted coldly again. “If you interrogate him further, you’ll kill him. What can you ask from a dead man’s mouth?”
The soldiers dragged Yang Xiu out.
Zhou Yu slowly sat down. With no one else around, he sighed, “Alas.” Then, squinting, he looked towards the sky through the tent flap, gazing at the heavens.
He murmured to himself.
“Attack the enemy by attacking the mind. Lu Ziyu… your method of attacking the mind is truly formidable!”
With this thought…
Zhou Yu waved his sleeve, “Guards.”
“Commander Zhou, what is it?”
“Has Kongming slept yet?”
“No, he is in his tent, reading.”
“Lead the way!”
…
…
Under a drizzling rain, Pang Tong slowly unfurled a scroll in Cao Cao’s study – a diagram he had drawn, depicting countless warships linked by iron chains.
Cao Cao said nothing, merely tapping lightly on these chains connecting the ships.
He murmured, “Iron chains linked together, it fears fire attacks. But now, the wind on the river is from the north. If the young men of Jiangdong use fire attacks, they will burn their own ships.”
Pang Tong nodded, “I thought the same. However… it is better to be safe than sorry.”
Cao Cao caressed the diagram of the “linked iron chains,” his eyes narrowing slightly. “Shiyuan, have you informed Nan Shou Hou after offering this plan of linked iron chains?”
At this question, Pang Tong lowered his voice.
In a very soft, thin voice, he said, “This plan of linked iron chains is exactly what Nan Shou Hou wanted me to offer to King Wei!”
Hmm…
Cao Cao’s eyes fixed. “Then it shall be so. Starting tomorrow, the Great Wei navy shall link their iron chains!”
…
…
Wulin Port, within a newly constructed workshop.
Now, the Great Wei’s military equipment, especially the Dragon Soaring Camp, must have a workshop built where they are stationed. This is for the flying ball soldiers and the artisans in the workshop to rest and work.
At this moment, a massive design drawing covered the entire desk.
Lu Yu, Zhuge Jun, and Liu Ye were all gathered around the desk.
“Can this new type of iron chain be produced?”
Lu Yu inquired…
Zhuge Jun looked at Liu Ye. Liu Ye hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Perhaps it can. It only requires adding some mechanisms within the iron chain. Once the mechanism is triggered, the connection points of the iron chain will immediately break, and the iron chain, originally forming a single entity, will scatter into countless segments. However…”
Liu Ye seemed to have something more to say.
Zhuge Jun added, “It’s just… the difficulty is significant, and it will take a long time.”
“How long?”
“At least three months!” Zhuge Jun gave a relatively conservative estimate.
Lu Yu, however, shook his head. “Three months is too long. At most one month!”
“This…”
“If there are not enough artisans, they can be transported from Jingzhou by land and water. If refined iron and steel are needed, let the forging workshops handle it… In short, it must be completed within one month. After one month, the Great Wei’s troops must set foot in Jiangdong!”
Liu Ye and Zhuge Jun still looked somewhat troubled…
But…
Since Lu Yu said so, they had to give their all.
If “linked iron chains” had only a three-star difficulty, then… iron chains that could be linked and disconnected at any time had a much higher difficulty.
After issuing these instructions…
Lu Yu, accompanied by Dian Wei, walked out of the workshop. Facing the oncoming river waves and feeling the river breeze at night, Lu Yu couldn’t help but murmur:
“If the east wind had not favored Zhou Lang, the Bronze Sparrow Terrace would deeply lock…”
Originally, this poem was meant to lock the two Qiao, but the current situation was that the two Qiao were not only locked but sealed.
This was quite awkward.
This poem needed to be…
“Commander Dian.”
“Your subordinate is here.”
“Spread this line out…”
“Which line?” Dian Wei scratched his head. He hadn’t paid close attention to the poem Lu Yu had recited.
Lu Yu pondered for a moment, then spoke, “Yao Ji was born a daughter, skilled in swordplay and archery with a man’s heart. At Red Cliffs, if the east wind had not favored Zhou Lang, the Bronze Sparrow Terrace would deeply lock the Sword Immortal!”
This…
Dian Wei didn’t understand a single word.
How could he know that the bowing sword maiden was Sun Shangxiang, known as Sister Sun… who learned swordplay from childhood and called herself a “Sword Immortal,” and that there was a saying, “Jin Mei Gu Hao.”
The Red Cliffs of Jiangdong remained still. Lu Yu had to force the Sun family’s hand.
Thus, he would force Zhou Yu’s hand as well.
…
Luoyang City, a long procession was heading towards Ye City.
It seemed that in about a month and a half, the Bronze Sparrow Terrace would be completed. All the civil and military officials, along with the Emperor, were invited to Ye City to witness the magnificence of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.
This was also one of the reasons Cao Cao wanted to conclude the Battle of Red Cliffs as soon as possible.
If possible, he truly wished to announce a major event on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace in a month and a half, informing the world about the secret of Nan Shou Hou and Yu’er’s background!
However…
Who knew how long the Battle of Red Cliffs would last?
Ma Teng, riding his horse, led a small detachment of Xiliang soldiers at the rear of the procession. Ma Yunlu also rode her horse.
However, her expression was not pleasant, and she pouted.
“Ice Well Terrace, Golden Tiger Terrace, Bronze Sparrow Terrace… just three tall platforms, what’s so great about them?”
“It would be better to let me go to Red Cliffs… I could help my future husband achieve merit by killing enemies!”
Ma Yunlu was simply unable to stay idle.
As soon as she couldn’t ride her warhorse across the battlefield, she felt restless and bored!
“Your husband is the esteemed Nan Shou Hou. Does he lack your merit?”
Ma Teng replied, “Besides, we people of Yongliang are skilled in horsemanship. We are unstoppable when galloping on open plains, but in naval warfare, that is not our strength. What help could you offer if you went there?”
“Adding a monkey adds three parts of strength,” Ma Yunlu retorted, pouting. “Anyway, going to Ye City is the most boring… it would be better to go to Red Cliffs.”
“Haha…” Ma Teng laughed. “In the past, when my father and King Wei were drunk, he told me personally that on the day the Bronze Sparrow Terrace was completed, he would personally announce a major event on the platform. This is a major event that the entire Great Wei, no… the entire world, eagerly awaits!”
“What major event could it be?” Ma Yunlu blinked her large eyes.
“Naturally, it is the major event of establishing the Crown Prince!” Ma Teng’s eyes narrowed slightly. “The Great Wei unifying the world is a matter of time. Whoever becomes the Crown Prince of Great Wei will undoubtedly be the future ruler of the world!”
Ma Teng paid some attention to this matter, but… Ma Yunlu didn’t care at all!
After all, the Crown Prince would not be her husband!
What was the point of witnessing this? It would be better… to gallop freely on the front lines!
“Alright, quicken your pace and catch up with the horse team ahead!”
Ma Teng shouted… the Xiliang cavalry accelerated their hooves and pace.
Ma Yunlu inwardly sighed, “Alas,” and reluctantly followed.
Over there…
Cai Zhaoji was also invited to witness the construction of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, but… she had no choice but to decline, citing the need to go to Xudu City for the repair of the “Continued Book of Han.”
However, Liu Xue specifically brought Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, Diao Chan, and Ling Ju along to join the fun.
Or perhaps, it was to proactively leave… clearing out the vast Nan Shou Hou’s residence to provide Zhaoji-jie with a good environment.
At this time, Xiahou Juan and Cai Zhaoji headed to Xudu City. This, in turn, made Cai Zhaoji’s affairs less likely to be exposed.
However…
A merchant caravan from Yongliang entered Xudu City at this time.
“Master, aren’t we supposed to act when the Bronze Sparrow Terrace is completed?”
The speaker was a peddler.
And the person in front of him, dressed as a merchant but with heroic brows, was Wang Yue.
“The Bronze Sparrow Terrace is to be acted upon, but… Zhongda’s plan is more comprehensive. The chaos at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace is merely a prelude. The real action will take place in Xudu City!”
“Xudu City?” The peddler still didn’t quite understand.
Wang Yue smiled lightly, “Once the Bronze Sparrow Terrace is completed, its security will be extremely tight. This was something we did not anticipate. On the contrary, Xudu City is currently exceptionally empty. It is better to act in Xudu City than at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace!”
“But Ma Teng has already gone to Ye City? How can we act in Xudu City?” the peddler repeatedly asked.
“This is the brilliance of Zhongda,” Wang Yue’s eyes narrowed. “Finding a way to trick Ma Teng back is much easier than sneaking into the Bronze Sparrow Terrace and killing him under strict guard!”
Speaking of which…
Wang Yue lightly touched the hilt of the sword inside the carriage.
Finally… this Zhongxing Sword, bestowed by the late emperor, was about to be unsheathed!
…
…
At dawn, the Red Cliffs camp.
Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu stood by the river.
“Kongming, now that Cao’s army’s plague problem has been resolved, the decisive battle should not be far off. In naval warfare, what weapons should be prioritized?”
Zhou Yu spoke first.
“On the great river, arrows are naturally the priority!” Zhuge Liang replied.
“Kongming and I thought the same. However… my Jiangdong camp is currently lacking arrows. I dare to trouble Kongming… to oversee the production of one hundred thousand arrows for the decisive battle. What does Kongming think?”
A peculiar emotion flashed in Zhou Yu’s eyes.
It seemed the words were pregnant with meaning and held hidden intentions.
Zhuge Liang did not reply immediately but raised his head towards the sky… as if observing the heavens and celestial phenomena!
“What is Kongming looking at?”
Zhou Yu asked curiously.
Zhuge Liang recited smoothly, “To obtain one hundred thousand arrows, one must ask the heavens and know the will of heaven!”
…
…