The Aftermath of Lujiang
After wrapping up everything in Lujiang, I returned, shed my armor, washed my body, and collapsed into sleep while receiving treatment. When I opened my eyes, an entire night had passed. The lingering aches and pains all over my body forced me to summon every physician in Lujiang. They used every herb, poultice, and treatment imaginable.
“Husband~ Here’s your abalone porridge.”
“We boiled eggs for you too~”
While I stayed secluded at Qiao Gong’s residence, the two Qiao sisters from Jiangdong would come at the proper times to prepare meals, bring hot water to wash me, and even sleep beside me on either side, channeling their qi so I would recover faster. After about four days of this, I could finally move my body freely. Once I had ‘confirmed’ things with the Qiao sisters at night, I stepped out on the morning of the fifth day feeling refreshed.
I paid my respects to my father-in-law at the main hall, received generous greetings and praise from the local gentry who frequented the Qiao residence, and then headed to the government office. There, I found Cao Hong meticulously checking the ledgers that Liu Ye had compiled.
“Uncle, I’ve returned.”
“Aigoo, if it isn’t the son-in-law of Lujiang himself.”
“…It was a gentry alliance.”
“Are the three previous wives and concubines part of that alliance too?”
Cao Hong spoke in a teasing tone as he handed me a bamboo slip. It contained an extremely detailed record of the supplies I had used while defending Lujiang City, along with the funds collected from the local gentry.
“You’re not seriously billing me for this, are you? Why did I spend so much?”
“There’s no need to worry. None of this will come out of Uncle’s personal treasury.”
Probably.
“Damn it, that Zayul brat won’t even let me collect proper spoils from the occupied territories. There’s nothing left for me.”
Our greedy Zilian uncle, who became unusually sensitive about finances after every war, grumbled while inspecting each receipt one by one. He kept teasing me, saying I was the only one who truly profited from Lujiang. But the warm atmosphere was shattered by sudden news.
“The Lord has passed away.”
“What? Who? You mean Liu Zitai?”
“Those two young bastards from Jiangdong finally attacked the Governor.”
Just when it seemed like things would end on a peaceful note, Liu Ye dropped a bombshell that left my mouth hanging open. It was certain that Liu Xun had led forty thousand troops south of the Yangtze to conquer the region. Yet the defeated Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had immediately turned around, attacked Liu Xun’s army, and killed him.
“Urgent report! Urgent report!”
Right on cue, Yang Xiu came running in a panic.
“The Lujiang forces that had captured Shangliao have been routed by the Jiangdong army. Their entire force and strongholds have fallen into Sun Ce’s hands. Moreover, Governor Liu’s entire family…”
When Yang Xiu delivered the belated news, I clutched my head in disbelief.
“Governor Liu had gone south with his younger brother, Lord Liu Hai, and their households after capturing Shangliao. His plan was to establish a firm foothold south of the Yangtze. Originally, he intended to appoint Lord Liu Hai as the prefect of Shangliao, relocate the family, and secure territory on both sides of the river. But that Sun Ce scoundrel launched a surprise attack.”
“How could this happen…? Weren’t they the ones we had already defeated?”
“The Jiangdong forces heard the news, immediately regrouped their troops, and marched south again. They assassinated both Governor Liu and Lord Liu Hai in a surprise strike. Sun Ce has taken the governor’s daughter for himself.”
That madman Sun Ce had vented his rage by wiping out Liu Xun’s faction and even abducted his daughter. He truly was the kind of man who earned the hatred of the entire world with his temper.
“That Sun Ce bastard really won’t die of old age. He goes around making enemies everywhere he goes.”
“Indeed. I never imagined he would absorb Governor Liu’s army in the process. That is truly the worst possible move…”
Yang Xiu stared at the map of the region south of the Yangtze, clearly unable to comprehend it with his brilliant mind. At that moment, Liu Ye spoke quietly.
“The Jiangdong army realized that if they didn’t even resort to ‘that worst move,’ their own forces would wither and die. I will personally report this matter to Chancellor Cao.”
“Sigh, to think that Liu Zitai met such an end. What a shame. Brother Mengde had even prepared one of the Three Excellencies positions for him and was going to recommend him for a marquisate.”
From Liu Xun’s perspective, after capturing Shangliao, he had planned to sell his allegiance to whichever side between Sun Ce and us emerged victorious, then live out his days in peace and comfort. But that Sun Ce bastard had gone and ruined everything.
“It may be inappropriate to say this, but thanks to this, doesn’t it mean that the entire Lujiang region is now filled only with our people?”
“Um, Uncle…”
“Ziyang, what do you think?”
I was worried about how Liu Ye would react to such words, but Cao Hong charged straight in. However, Liu Ye simply let out a quiet sigh and answered.
“This was, after all, something Governor Liu had planned himself. In the end, it means the north and south of the Yangtze have been clearly divided.”
“Ziyang, are you thinking of avenging your former lord, Liu Zitai?”
“If possible, they must be struck down without fail.”
“Then our intentions align. We shall report this to Brother Mengde at court as you suggested, and strike Jiangdong when the time is right.”
With that, the situation in Lujiang was more or less settled. But Sun Ce pulling such a stunt was truly a painful blow.
“Lu Zijing and Zhou Gongjin, Sun Ce’s advisors, are quite capable men. I don’t understand how this happened. Surely one of them must have tried to stop him.”
“You are Dezuo, correct? Having observed you here, you seem to possess considerable strategic talent.”
Liu Ye showed interest in Yang Xiu, striking up a conversation as if they were already acquainted.
“I am actually friends with the Lu Zijing you mentioned. Therefore, I believe this was something Lu Zijing managed to salvage.”
“Could you… explain further?”
“Since they have already killed Governor Liu, the water has been spilled. The best possible move they can make now is this: they will likely present the governor’s corpse along with the tax revenue from Yangzhou to the court, accompanied by a memorial claiming they ‘absorbed the forces of the traitor Yuan Shu, who showed disloyal movements, and thus executed him preemptively.’”
This Liu Ye was truly cold-blooded. Even though the man had once been his lord, the moment he heard of his death, he immediately analyzed the situation and predicted exactly how both enemies and allies would move.
“Still, what I cannot understand is why they went so far as to kill Governor Liu… If they had simply absorbed his army and territory, then sent the governor’s family alive as tribute, they could have continued negotiating with the court.”
Just like Yuan Shao in Hebei or Liu Biao in Jingzhou. In the end, because Sun Ce couldn’t control his temper and killed Liu Xun, what could have ended smoothly had turned into an extremely awkward standoff along the Yangtze.
“Damn it. Even that so-called Grand General in Hebei only throws his weight around in his own territory, and now Jiangdong has turned out the same.”
Indeed, when I thought about it, Sun Ce’s behavior was exactly like Yuan Shao’s. Still, regardless of all that, the entire territory of Yangzhou north of the Yangtze had now fallen under our army’s control. Moreover, having absorbed the local gentry and secured the Yangtze as a solid defensive line, our rear was effectively stabilized unless they launched a proper naval offensive.
And though it was unfortunate to say, just as Liu Ye had pointed out, if they had ‘sent Liu Xun’s family alive to the court,’ things might have gone according to their plan. But their deaths also meant there was no one left to present us with a bill. We had seized the northern part of Yangzhou through sheer power rather than money or titles.
“Anyway, it’s done. With this, everything here is settled. The armies from Shuchun and Huiyin will be coming down, so we can rotate with them and return to Xudu.”
Cao Hong suggested we pack up and leave, saying we should keep things simple. Yes, it really was over now.
On the way back to Xudu after finishing all the arrangements, I learned many things through Uncle Cao Hong. Yuan Shu’s remnants were still being pursued. In three separate battles, they had been repelled each time and driven to the brink of death. If they captured Yuan Shu just before he crossed into Qingzhou, his faction would be completely annihilated, and the Central Plains would belong entirely to the Cao army.
In the meantime, Liu Bei was personally reporting to Cao Cao. Even then, Cao Cao had positioned Xiahou Yuan’s forces in Yanzhou, ready to deploy at any moment just in case. We returned safely to Xudu, but the fatigue was no joke.
“Wow, so this is Xudu!”
“Amazing, it’s completely different from Lujiang!”
Inside the palanquin, Daqiao and Xiaoqiao were wide-eyed with excitement as they gazed at Xudu, the third capital of the Han Dynasty.
“It must be twice the size of Lujiang!”
“No, it’s even bigger than that.”
“But, Husband. Where will we live from now on? Do we have rooms prepared?”
“Father gave me some funds when he left. If worst comes to worst, we can buy a small house.”
I answered each of the chattering questions from the Qiao sisters one by one. Before long, we arrived at the imperial palace. After assigning guards and telling them to wait, I dismounted from my horse to find the entire Cao family already waiting for us. My armor had been removed, and even the court robes I would change into for the audience were prepared in advance.
Together with Cao Hong, I had an audience with the Emperor, received his congratulations, reported everything that had happened, and that was it.
“Originally, I was going to check on Zilian’s condition and tease Zayul for taking yet another concubine, but it seems we must discuss the Lujiang matter first.”
With a relaxed expression, Cao Cao asked about the incident involving Liu Xun and Sun Ce.
“So, you’re saying Liu Xun was deceived by the Jiangdong forces, went to conquer the lands south of the Yangtze, and was immediately assassinated?”
“That is correct, Uncle. Dezuo predicted that since they failed to capture Lujiang, they would at least absorb those forces and offer Liu Xun’s head to the court.”
“Hmm, that young brat from Jiangdong is not only violent but also quite stupid.”
“Indeed. It would have been far better to absorb only the supplies and troops, then send Governor Liu’s family alive to Xudu.”
At that moment, Xun Yu stepped forward and shook his head.
“No. On the contrary, sending Governor Liu alive would have been the real disaster.”
“Master Wenruo, could you explain the reason?”
While Liu Ye and Yang Xiu had discussed the matter, and I had assumed that Sun Ce had killed Liu Xun in a fit of rage and that Zhou Yu and Lu Su had barely managed to clean up the mess, Xun Yu offered a completely different perspective.
“If they had sent Liu Xun’s family alive to the court, the burden of the interrogation would have fallen entirely on the Chancellor. Moreover, the moment the pre-departure negotiations came to light, the justification the Jiangdong army used—‘absorbing the forces of the traitor Yuan Shu’—would remain valid. This could have seriously damaged our lord’s authority.”
Ah, so that was it. Since Liu Xun had, after all, absorbed the forces of the traitor Yuan Shu, sending him alive would have made it impossible for Cao Cao to fully cover for him. Meanwhile, Sun Ce would have presented the picture of capturing Yuan Shu’s remnants in Jiangdong and offering them to the court. It truly would have been a disaster for us.
Xun Yu really was on another level. Was the difference between an A-rank strategist and an S-rank strategist truly this vast?
“Therefore, it is actually fortunate for us that Liu Xun is dead.”
“Hmm, Wenruo, that seems correct as well. Even though they lost the Lujiang campaign to our Zilian and Zayul, they managed to create a foothold for recovery. So in a way, they still took half the spoils?”
“My lord, however, killing Liu Xun was ultimately a ‘major blunder.’ The true superior strategy would have been for the Jiangdong army to recruit Liu Xun, keep him alive, and actively utilize his forces. Since we cannot immediately march south of the Yangtze, they should have waited patiently for the right opportunity.”
“Hoo~ That would have been truly terrifying. But that Sun Ce fellow has such a terrible temper. Would he have been capable of such patience?”
“That is precisely why his youthful hot-bloodedness clouded his judgment. He had already recruited all the major gentry clans of Jiangdong—the Lu, Zhang, and Zhou families—along with Yuan Shu’s own kin. Yet he killed Liu Xun, the man who knew the geography and strategy of the Lujiang region better than anyone, simply to seize his troops on the spot.”
Xun Yu evaluated Sun Ce with truly sharp insight. Even though Lu Su and Zhou Yu had used their heads, from Xun Yu’s perspective, they had only managed to resolve the situation with a ‘mediocre move at best.’ It was just like how he had coldly dismissed the power of Yuan Shao in Hebei.