Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator.

Afterward, Zhou Xin spared no effort, exhausting all his connections and favors, even going through Dong Zhuo's notoriously corrupt channels, to secure positions as the Prefects of Danyang and Jiujiang for himself and his younger brother, Zhou Ang.

His sole aim was revenge!

Danyang bordered Wu Commandery completely, and Jiujiang faced Danyang across the Yangtze River. Together, they could effectively blockade the upper reaches of the Yangtze, cutting off Wu Commandery and forming an encirclement.

Originally, Zhou Xin intended to slowly accumulate strength and wait for an opportunity, but he didn't expect it to arrive so quickly.

Liu Bei had led his elite forces north to participate in the anti-Dong Zhuo alliance, leaving Wu and Kuaiji Commanderies vulnerable. How could Zhou Xin possibly restrain himself?

Therefore, while the Prefects of Lujiang, Jiujiang, Yuzhang, and Danyang Commanderies might all be eyeing Wu Commandery covetously, Zhou Xin was by far the most proactive, relentlessly pushing for the formation of an anti-Wu alliance.

When Zuo Rong, the Prefect of Lujiang Commandery, Xu Gong, the Prefect of Yuzhang Commandery, and many heads of influential families from Yangzhou Province arrived at the main tent of the allied forces' camp, they were all taken aback to see Zhou Xin and Zhou Ang wearing white headbands and mourning clothes.

Zuo Rong, the Prefect of Lujiang Commandery, wearing a monk's robe and a string of prayer beads, looking like a virtuous monk except for his unshaven head, put his hands together and proclaimed a Buddhist invocation.

"Amitabha, have the two of you lost a close relative? If so, this old monk is willing to chant sutras to help them ascend to the Pure Land and be reincarnated."

Although Buddhism had begun to spread to the Central Plains during the reign of Emperor Ming of Han, and the White Horse Temple had even been built in Luoyang,

the Huang-Lao school of thought was prevalent during the Han Dynasty, and Daoism was the mainstream. Moreover, after Zhang Jiao led the Taiping Dao rebellion, many people held religious figures at arm's length.

Therefore, facing Zuo Rong's zealous promotion of Buddhism, Zhou Xin sneered and replied.

"Prefect Zuo, I'm afraid you cannot absolve the blood feud involving the one hundred and twenty-three members of my Zhou family."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Rong's serene expression faltered, and his eyes flashed slightly.

A big deal!

Immediately, Zuo Rong proclaimed another Buddhist invocation and said.

"The Buddha's power is boundless. Even if this old monk cannot absolve them all, if the two benefactors are willing to devote themselves to Buddhism and pray for the deceased day and night, not to mention one hundred and twenty-three, even one thousand two hundred and thirty can be absolved."

As soon as these words came out, the entire main tent fell into silence, and everyone looked at Zuo Rong with strange expressions.

The gazes of the Zhou Xin and Zhou Ang brothers towards Zuo Rong were filled with undisguised murderous intent.

What kind of gallows humor is this…

Zhou Xin had explicitly stated that this was a blood feud involving one hundred and twenty-three people and was wearing mourning clothes, indicating that his family had suffered a calamity.

As a result, Zuo Rong responded by saying that even one thousand two hundred and thirty people could be absolved, which was tantamount to implying that the Zhou family hadn't died enough?

"You scoundrel, what are you saying? I'll kill you…"

Zhou Ang instinctively wanted to draw his sword at Zuo Rong, but Zhou Xin, who still had some sense of reason, stopped him.

Zuo Rong!

Zhou Xin had naturally investigated Zuo Rong's background.

He was originally just a minor local tyrant from Danyang Commandery. Because he was from the same hometown as Tao Qian, he gathered several hundred people to join Tao Qian after Tao Qian became the Governor of Xu Province.

Coincidentally, Tao Qian was a lone wolf in the early stages of his rule in Xu Province, so he greatly valued Zuo Rong, who had come to join him from his hometown. Subsequently, he even made Zuo Rong the superintendent of the grain transport in Guangling, Xiapi, and Pengcheng Commanderies, giving Zuo Rong the opportunity to amass wealth like a madman.

After Dong Zhuo took control of the imperial court, Zuo Rong took the opportunity to offer wealth to Dong Zhuo to curry favor and was subsequently promoted to the Prefect of Lujiang Commandery.

Moreover, after Zuo Rong took office in Lujiang Commandery, he frantically promoted Buddhism, built Buddhist temples on a large scale, and then used the name of Buddhism to plunder wealth in Lujiang Commandery.

In less than half a year since Zuo Rong took office, he had accumulated wealth worth hundreds of millions.

Zhou Xin knew that he and Zuo Rong were not on the same path. Zuo Rong's purpose in participating in the "Anti-Wu Alliance" was simply to covet the wealth and prosperity of Wu Commandery and intended to bite off a large piece of meat from Wu Commandery.

However, Zhou Xin was well aware that now was not the time for infighting, otherwise, this alliance might fail on the spot.

Compared to seeking revenge on Liu Bei, other minor matters could be tolerated.

At this moment, Xu Gong, the Prefect of Yuzhang Commandery, raised his chin slightly, stroked his short beard, and spoke with an arrogant expression.

"Since you are all from Yangzhou Province, why are you so tense? Prefect Zuo comes from a wealthy family but lacks scholarly knowledge. There's no need to quibble over a temporary slip of the tongue, is there?"

These words seemed to be mediating the conflict between Zhou Xin, Zhou Ang, and Zuo Rong, but the arrogance in his words was almost impossible to conceal, implicitly revealing his contempt for the Jiangdong aristocratic families.

However, as a member of the Ru'nan Xu clan, Xu Gong did indeed have the capital to be arrogant.

In the eyes of the great clans of the Central Plains, the so-called Jiangdong aristocratic families were nothing more than remote minor clans. The Xu clan might not be comparable to the top aristocratic families such as the Ru'nan Yuan clan, the Yingchuan Chen clan, and the Yingchuan Xun clan, but it was also one of the leading aristocratic families of the time.

In addition to Xu Shao, a renowned scholar of the Qingliu faction, the Ru'nan Xu clan had produced three generations of high officials, Xu Jing, Xu Xun, and Xu Xiang, who held the position of Grand Minister, which could be regarded as "four generations and three Grand Ministers," but its influence and disciples were far inferior to those of the Yuan clan.

More importantly, Xu Xiang was able to hold the position of Grand Minister because he was attached to the Ten Attendants. With the Ten Attendants losing power and being executed, Xu Xiang had been purged and killed last year by the old subordinates of He Jin in conjunction with the Yuan clan.

This also led to the Xu clan, which had originally been able to barely compete with the Yuan clan in Ru'nan, suddenly losing power completely. While trying to attach itself to Dong Zhuo, the elders of the Xu clan also realized that the chaotic world was coming.

The Xu clan knew that the Yuan clan was powerful in the Central Plains and difficult to contend with, so they obtained the position of Prefect of Yuzhang Commandery through Dong Zhuo, and Xu Gong went to Jiangdong to find a foothold for the Xu clan.

It was precisely for this reason that Xu Gong looked at these remote aristocratic families in Jiangdong with a natural sense of contempt and arrogance.

If it weren't for the orders of the elders in his family, Xu Gong, who considered himself to have been exiled to Jiangdong, believed that these remote aristocratic families would almost never have the opportunity to sit at the same table as him in their entire lives.

'Inferior people who will never eat a Ding meal in their lives…'

Xu Gong secretly rolled his eyes and subconsciously raised his sleeve to cover his nose, so as to avoid the unbearable stench carried by these Jiangdong aristocratic families from assailing his nostrils.

Seeing this, Zuo Rong also wore a serene expression of a virtuous monk and said.

"Benefactor Xu is absolutely right. 'Greed, anger, and delusion' are the three poisons. Don't be angry. Even if you can't understand the subtleties of my Buddha for a while, this monk believes that the two benefactors will eventually become Buddhas on the spot and comprehend the wonderful Dharma of the Pure Land."

Zhou Xin's expression twitched slightly, and he squeezed out a smile, then made an inviting gesture and said.

"Thank you for your kindness. The alliance to punish Wu is the most important thing at the moment. It's not too late to discuss other matters later."

Zuo Rong nodded, agreeing and saying.

"What the benefactor said is very reasonable. The people of Wu Commandery have suffered a lot. They should be rescued with Buddhism."

Xu Gong didn't respond, just nodded slightly to express his agreement, and followed Zhou Xin, Zhou Ang, Zuo Rong, and others to take their seats in the main tent.

Following the four Prefects, the representatives sent by many aristocratic families in Yangzhou Province also followed closely and took their seats at the alliance meeting.

Whether it was Zhou Xin, Zhou Ang, or Xu Gong and Zuo Rong, they had all just taken office not long ago. Some of them hadn't even fully controlled their territories. The armories might have a lot of armor and weapons, but the granaries were almost empty.

Therefore, without the strong support of the aristocratic families in Yangzhou Province, providing a large amount of money and food, this alliance would not have been possible at all.

The money and food consumed by the army alone would be enough to make the four Prefects helpless.

After everyone was seated, Xu Gong signaled to the aristocratic families within Yuzhang Commandery who had already attached themselves to him. The representative of that aristocratic family immediately stood up and said.

"Since it is an alliance, we should uphold righteousness and establish a leader so that we can restrain the generals, unite the people, and share the same mind. What do you think?"

Immediately, another representative of the Yuzhang aristocratic family stood up and continued.

"Prefect Xu is from four generations and three Grand Ministers, famous throughout the country, and a descendant of virtuous officials. If he can be the leader, he can convince the people of the world. Wherever he leads the army, Wu Commandery will surely surrender upon seeing him."

Xu Gong couldn't help but reveal a smile on his face, but he still pretended to be modest and said.

"You are all too kind. This old man's virtue is shallow. How can I lead the virtuous men of Yangzhou? Please recommend someone else with high moral character and prestige to be the leader."

Immediately, except for the Yuzhang aristocratic families who had already attached themselves to Xu Gong and were constantly flattering him, the expressions of the others were somewhat unsightly.

Xu Gong's intentions were almost instantly revealed.

Xu Gong was determined to win the position of leader. What he was plotting was nothing more than to lead the allied forces to conquer Wu Commandery and then naturally become the master of Jiangdong.

As for recommending someone else with high moral character and prestige to be the leader…

In terms of reputation, status, and background, Xu Gong was undoubtedly the best among those present. Where else could there be someone with a higher reputation than Xu Gong?

However, this alliance was secretly promoted by multiple forces, and different Prefects and different aristocratic families had their own purposes and demands.

For the Jiangdong aristocratic families, the Ru'nan Xu clan undoubtedly belonged to a dragon crossing the river.

For most of the Jiangdong aristocratic families who only wanted to divide and rule in Yangzhou and live in peace, in addition to being unable to tolerate the existence of Liu Bei, they also did not want Xu Gong to become the master of Jiangdong.

Once the Ru'nan Xu clan completely took root in Jiangdong, it undoubtedly meant that the cake that the Jiangdong aristocratic families could share would be greatly reduced…

For a time, while the minds of the representatives of the aristocratic families present were fluctuating, they constantly exchanged glances with each other, and then a representative of the Danyang aristocratic family spoke up.

"Prefect Xu is certainly qualified to become the leader, but Zhu of Yuzhang stole the Wu Commandery's defense map, and Prefect Zhou of Danyang also sent a large number of confidants to Wu Commandery to verify the authenticity of the defense map. Compared to this, Prefect Xu ultimately lacks some merit."

"Indeed, the defense map is of great importance. With the defense map in hand, it is as easy as turning one's hand to attack Wu Commandery. Therefore, Prefect Zhou should be the leader."

"Moreover, Lord Zhou has an irreconcilable blood feud with Liu Bei. If we were to recommend Lord Zhou as the alliance leader, using the justification of avenging this blood feud, we would hold righteousness in our hands and be more likely to gain the trust of the people under heaven."

......

With the other aristocratic families speaking up one after another, Xu Gong's face visibly darkened. (End of Chapter)