The Nameless of the Common Clans

Kuaiji, Shanyin.

With Yu Fan's surrender, Wang Lang was also sent to Juancheng by Sun Ce. Danyang and Kuaiji were all taken by Sun Ce. The number of soldiers under his command exceeded 30,000. Sun Ce also established a firm foothold in Jiangdong and was considered a local lord. Of course, with only two counties, he could not compare with Chen Mo and Yuan Shao who now had two states in the north, but Sun Ce had only crossed the river for two years, and he was the same age as Chen Mo, so he had plenty of time to develop.

"My lord, this is a letter from Gongjin." He Qi came in and handed a bamboo slip to Sun Ce.

Zhou Yu was left in Shouchun by Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu originally wanted to keep Zhou Yu by his side, but Zhou Yu obviously did not think much of Yuan Shu, and it was not easy to tear his face, so he only became the mayor of Juchao County and waited for the opportunity.

After all, Sun Ce is still under Yuan Shu's command. Although Danyang and Kuaiji were conquered by Sun Ce, they were nominally Yuan Shu's territories.

Even though Yuan Shu was rubbed by Cao Cao and Liu Bei lost face, the Yuan family has a huge foundation. Sun Ce is not qualified to turn against Yuan Shu now. Not only Zhou Yu, but also Sun Ce's uncle Wu Jing and cousin Sun Ben were detained in Shouchun by Yuan Shu, and they were much more strictly controlled than Zhou Yu.

"Oh?" Sun Ce took the bamboo slips and spread them out.

Zhou Yu's letter was not long, and there were only a few words about reminiscing about the past. More of it was about Sun Ce's future plans. But as he read, Sun Ce's face gradually became ugly.

"Lord?" He Qi saw that Sun Ce's face was not right, and he was a little puzzled: "What happened?"

"Nothing, you go down." Sun Ce suppressed his anger and said to He Qi.

"Yes!" He Qi has been with Sun Ce for a long time, and he is still clear about the character of his lord. He will definitely say what he can say, and he has nothing to say to his soldiers. If he doesn't say it at this time, it is obvious that the content of the letter cannot be known to them, and He Qi also knows the situation and doesn't ask.

After He Qi left, Sun Ce spread out the bamboo slips and read them for a long time, then threw them to the ground in annoyance.

Zhou Yu's strategies for Sun Ce were actually all right. One was to secretly unite with Liu Bei. Sun Ce estimated that after Cao Cao pacified Yuzhou, he would start to deal with Liu Bei. As for why he didn't deal with Yuan Shu first, it was naturally because Yuan Shu's brain was not as good as Liu Bei's, and his mind was not as broad as Liu Bei's. If Cao Cao dealt with Yuan Shu first, Liu Bei would definitely come to rescue him, but if he dealt with Liu Bei first, Yuan Shu would more likely sit back and do nothing.

So he united with Liu Bei and formed an alliance with Liu Bei. Of course, this alliance had to be formed secretly. After all, Yuan Shu and Liu Bei were fighting fiercely not long ago. If Yuan Shu knew that Liu Bei and Sun Ce had formed an alliance, it would probably not be good for Sun Ce. Now Sun Ce is not suitable to completely turn against Yuan Shu.

Another thing is to capture Wujun as soon as possible and take over the territory first. At that time, even if he fell out with Yuan Shu, it would not matter. Zhou Yu estimated that neither Liu Bei nor Yuan Shu could stop Cao Cao, but Sun Ce tried his best to help Liu Bei delay for some time, which also gave Sun Ce more time to develop, at least to take all the four counties of Jiangdong in his hands, and then move north.

Another point is also very critical. Although Sun Ce occupied Kuaiji and Danyang, he had no official title. In terms of identity, Sun Ce was still a junior general under Yuan Shu, not even a cavalry captain, and had no title to lead Jiangdong. Therefore, Zhou Yu suggested that Sun Ce ask the court for enough official titles.

As for where to ask, Zhou Yu suggested that Sun Ce ask for an official position in Chang'an. It's not that Cao Cao's advice is useless, but once Liu Bei and Yuan Shu are destroyed, it will be Cao Cao who occupies Xuzhou. In Zhou Yu's plan, Sun Ce is going to fight in Xuzhou. It's best to take advantage of Cao Cao's defeat of Liu Bei and occupy Guangling. In this way, Sun Ce will definitely fall out with Cao Cao. If he accepts Cao Cao's favor and the reward from Cao Cao at this time, then it will be like now with Yuan Shu, and Cao Cao's edict will have a certain influence on Sun Ce.

Unlike asking for an official position in the court of Chang'an, the two families are now separated by states and counties, and there will be no conflict in the short term. Chen Mo must also want to set a stumbling block behind Cao Cao, so as long as Chen Mo is willing to form an alliance with Sun Ce, it will be a powerful ally for Sun Ce for a long time in the future.

Of course, the most important thing is whether Sun Ce can accept joining forces with Chen Mo. After all, Zhou Yu can't persuade Sun Ce to join forces with Chen Mo. Even if Sun Ce is generous, Zhou Yu's understanding of Sun Ce makes it difficult for him to accept this. Therefore, he only suggests that it is best to choose to join forces with Chen Mo. Of course, if he really doesn't want to, he can join forces with Cao Cao, but once Liu Bei and Yuan Shu are finished, Cao Cao will hold the three states of Xuzhou, Yanzhou and Yuzhou. At that time, Sun Ce will not have Chen Mo as a strong supporter, and it will be impossible for him to get involved in the Central Plains. He can only go to Jingzhou.

"Why is my brother angry?" A young man came in, leaned over to pick up the bamboo slips on the ground, and asked in confusion.

"Nothing." Sun Ce shook his head and said, he didn't want his family to worry about these things.

The young man was Sun Ce's younger brother Sun Quan, who was fifteen years old this year. At this moment, he opened the bamboo slips and looked at them carefully. He hesitated for a moment, and saluted to Sun Ce and said, "Brother, are you unwilling to form an alliance with Chen Mo?"

"The hatred of killing my father is irreconcilable!" Sun Ce snorted coldly.

"Of course I know, but this doesn't stop you from using Chen Mo." Sun Quan nodded and smiled.

"Use?" Sun Ce frowned.

"Yes, according to Brother Gongjin's letter, as long as Brother asks, Chen Mo will definitely give Brother an official position. Moreover, even if we want to take revenge, there are Cao Cao, Liu Biao, and Lu Bu between us and Chen Mo. How can we take revenge in a hurry? In my opinion, it is better to use Chen Mo first to get the official position. Besides, this official position is conferred by the court, not by Chen Mo. When my Sun family becomes powerful in the future, if Brother can defeat Cao Cao and welcome back the emperor, then he will not need to take these into consideration when fighting with Chen Mo. On the contrary, if he is conferred by Cao Cao, he will still have to take some consideration in the future." Sun Quan smiled.

It is a waste not to take the enemy's things. When the time comes, you don't have to take any consideration. If you take Cao Cao's things, you will be soft-hearted. In Sun Quan's opinion, it is the stupidest not to choose to cooperate with Chen Mo at this time.

Some truth.

Sun Ce rubbed his chin and looked at his brother: "So, you want me to accept the good intentions of that villain?"

"It may not be good intentions, brother. With the current situation of our Sun family, Chen Mo may not be interested. Even if you don't accept it, Chen Mo will still give this so-called good intention to others." Sun Quan smiled bitterly.

With the current power and strength of the Sun family, let alone Chen Mo, who has already occupied Guanzhong and Bingzhou, even the newly rising Liu Bei is stronger than them.

At this time, the Sun family may not even be qualified to be an enemy in Chen Mo's eyes, so Sun Quan thinks that it is best for Sun Ce to lower his posture at this time and get the benefits first. As for being enemies... Since we have embarked on this road, unless one party falls in the middle of the road, they will meet sooner or later, so why rush for the moment.

"Let me think about it." Sun Ce frowned and nodded. This approach was not in line with his character, but as Sun Quan said, it was good for him to have the right to choose now. If he mixed personal hatred into it, it would be a bit too high for himself.

But in his heart, even if he was just groveling with Chen Mo in the letter, Sun Ce felt very uncomfortable.

"If my brother is unwilling, I am willing to write a letter to the court on his behalf." Sun Quan was very worried that his brother's words in the letter were too intense, so he thought it would be better for him to do it himself.

Sun Ce hesitated for a moment, then looked at the bamboo slips in Sun Quan's hand. The most important thing was that Zhou Yu also meant the same thing. After hesitating for a while, he nodded and said, "Don't be too humble. If he is willing to give it, give it. If not, ask Cao Cao for it."

This is also the advantage of two courts. Although the emperor is on Cao Cao's side, the Shangshu Ling who is in charge of the promotion and transfer of officials is in Chang'an, and he is also formal. Cao Cao cannot easily dismiss him. He can only curse him to die quickly. Chen Mo does not have the power to arrange another Shangshu Ling.

There are two courts. If this side does not agree, there is another side. It is convenient for local powerful figures, but at the same time, for the Han Dynasty, this is not a good thing. It will only make the remaining prestige of the Han Dynasty dissipate faster.

"Don't worry, brother, I also remember the revenge for killing my father." Sun Quan promised with a righteous face. He has prepared to write two bamboo slips, one for Sun Ce to see and the other to hand in to the court.

If it was written according to Sun Ce's intention, even if Chen Mo intended to give it, he would have directly given up the idea. After all, it was Sun Ce who asked for an official position, not someone begging you to be an official. But this must not be said directly to Sun Ce. His brother was very reasonable most of the time, but he was also very stubborn when he was really stubborn.

Sun Ce nodded and handed the matter to Sun Quan. He had to think about what to do next. The official position was one aspect, but the strength in his own hands was the foundation of his own foothold. The local separatist forces such as Yan Baihu, Wang Sheng, and Qian Tong in Wujun were not strong, but it was not that easy to clear them. It was the end of the year, and it would be too late to mobilize troops this year. Moreover, Sun Ce had fought continuously and needed to recuperate and prepare food and grass.

As for the canonization and promotion promised by Yuan Shu, Sun Ce had no hope. After all, Yuan Shu had promised Sun Ce the prefects of Jiujiang and Lujiang before, but he did not promise. Sun Ce endured it once or twice, but if it happened too many times, how could Sun Ce endure it again?

Danyang also sent Yuan Yin, a relative of Yuan Shu, to take over, but the military and financial power were in Sun Ce's hands, which was equivalent to being sidelined by Sun Ce. It was estimated that it would not be long before the governor of Kuaiji would send someone to take over. In Yuan Shu's eyes, Sun Ce was obviously a general who fought in battles, but he was not a confidant, and he would not trust him. Therefore, he had to fight the battles himself, and others had to make achievements and get benefits. Only then would he be willing to continue to assist him.

The Danyang incident was Sun Ce's test of Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu was unable to send troops across the river to seize it. Obviously, Yuan Shu's current state was not good, so Sun Ce was naturally more confident.