Chapter 114 – Sun Ce Retreat Alone To Avenge His Losses
Translated by Bloodfalcon, Edited by Krayto
Back to Sun Ce's POV
Meanwhile at Xiakou, Jing Province’s Army and Jiangdong’s Army had been skirmishing naval battles for almost 50 times. Because of those skirmishes, almost all of Yangtze River are filled with corpse and blood.
“DAMMIT!!!!” Cursed Sun Ce while looking at the Jing Province naval camp. Originally, after conquering Xiakou, Jiangxia should not have been able to fight back Jiangdong army, but who would have expected that Liu Biao was able to muster a naval force numbering 70,000 troops in just a short time. Moreover, the one that made Sun Ce very helpless is not Huang Zu or a senior general, but a new lieutenant general called Wen Ping.
Although Wen Ping did not fight Sun Ce, he had dueled with Sun Ce's senior general Taishi Ci and was able to fight with him for 300 bouts evenly. Along with that, this person also excelled at naval battles and was in sync with Huang Zu. Those pair let Jiangdong’s navy suffer a heavy loss. In several days, Jiangdong’s Army has suffered more than 7,000 troops, while the opposite Jing Province Army also lost more than 10,000 troops.
With Jiangxia now being in a very difficult situation and the loss of Lujiang, mad Sun Ce truly agitated.
“Milord, Strategist Zhou Yu seeks an audience with you!” The main camp guard inform Sun Ce.
“Audience denied!!!” Sun Ce replied it subconsciously due to his agitated state.
“Yes sir!!!” The bodyguard quickly retreated to inform Zhou Yu but suddenly stopped by Sun Ce's shout “Wait, let Gongjin come in!!!” Sun Ce knew that Zhou Yu must have some reason for coming to see him.
“Milord!!!!” Zhou Yu quickly entered the main camp while holding his fist toward Sun Ce. He knows that Sun Ce's mood is truly bad right now but these matters is too important to not inform him...
“Gongjin, why are you so hesitant? Quickly say the news! Speak frankly!!!” Sun Ce waved at Zhou Yu. He hated to be the person who hesitated to say one this piece of information.
Zhou Yu took a deep breath and organized his words. His opening he said “Milord, I have some bad news and good news!!!”
“A good news and bad news?!” Sun Ce stunned.
“First, I start with good news!!!” Zhou Yu decided it himself “The good news is Chen Duan's clansmen have been exterminated by Lu Bu!!!”
“The Chen clan was exterminated?!” Sun Ce stunned and quickly changed his expression into anger “Gongjin, why do you treat this genocide as good news, would you care to enlighten this brother of yours?! Oh, Uncle Zizheng, Sun Ce is truly sorry for harming you!!!” From Sun Jian's time, Chen Duan and his clansmen are one of the retainers of the Sun clan. Later, when Sun Jian died, all of the Sun clan's retainers were scattered everywhere, leaving only small amount of retainers. This Chen Duan, stayed at Sun Ce's side ever since then, helping him to get through tough times and assisted him to pacify Jiangdong.
Now, when he heard the news of Chen Duan's clansmen’s extermination, a wound appeared in Sun Ce's heart.
When Zhou Yu looked at Sun Ce's expression, he knew that Sun Ce has misunderstood him. He quickly said “Milord, the matter of Mr. Chen Duan's clansmen also saddened me a lot, but people will need to look at the future, if not those bones who died will be of no value if one kept brooding about the past. Milord, Mr. Chen Duan of Chen clan was Wancheng city’s top nobles. Because Milord had conquered Wancheng city and put Chen Duan as top official, the Chen clan has become the representative of Wancheng city nobles. But now Lu Bu has extinguished the Chen clan. He did not just offend us, but offended all of noble families in the entire Wancheng city, even more all of Jiangdong's nobles have been offended by his act!”
The more Zhou Yu said the advantage, the more Sun Ce's eyes got brighter. Sun Ce also had offended nobles a lot. In the past, when he was still 20 years old, he had destroyed Lu clan of Wancheng city. Although Sun Ce did not personally kill them, he made the Lu clan die of starvation. Only Lu Xun, Lu Ji and Lu Xun's sister were spared.
The more territory Sun Ce got, the more he regretted his decision for killing the Lu clan. Why is that? Because the Lu clan represented one of the noble clans, and they represented one portion of power in this Han Dynasty.
Those nobles who have big connections with the Lu clan quickly alienated Sun Ce. Once in a while, they sent small amounts of soldiers to settle the score with Sun Ce and all of scholars from those noble families did not allow their clansmen to become Jiangdong's official putting Sun Ce in a big dilemma.
A domain needs people to govern it, with nobody wanting to become an official, it was truly disastrous!!! What would you do, if suddenly the grain prices rose up until commoners were unable to eat they starve to death? That will only invite troubles and chaos.
And if you force people to become officials, with grudges like that become your official, is not that like putting up Damocles sword over your head? Those nobles have many private soldiers and you have offended them to the extreme, naturally they will wait to exact revenge on you. They will not attack you directly but they will concoct plans with other warlords to seize your city or secretly destroy your resources.
TL: Damoclès Swords http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+sword+of+Damocles+hangs+over+head
In the past, this is how Chen clan of Guangling colluded with Old Cao to expel Lu Bu from Xu Province. They really thought that Lu Bu was not good for long terms prospects, but due to Chen Gui dyeing Xiapi, the Chen clan of Guangling was extinguished by Old Cao and Chen Deng himself is a vagabond with Lu Bu.
Nobles who did not support a warlord is bound to die in a very short time. For example Gongsun Zan. When Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, he lost the entire You Province nobles support and in the end, he joined the rank of the dead.
Nevertheless, the death of the Chen clan of Wancheng city is a good news for Sun Ce.
Chen Duan is truly worthy of his status as Jiangdong's official. Even if he was dead, his death is also a worthy death, he contributed his final strength for his lord.
“Prepare a funeral for Chen Duan, an honorable funeral reserved as this Sun Ce's uncle!!!!” With this treatment, Sun Ce has recognized that this Chen Duan has been loyal and pure to him until the end even burying him with full honors as his uncle. With this, Sun Ce also needed to wear mourning clothes as a nephew. Chen Duan was truly an honored with the biggest courtesy.
“Is anyone still left from the Chen clan?!”
“Yes, there is one. Currently he is studying in Hueiji, therefore he can escape destruction!!!” Said Zhou Yu. The Chen clan has been destroyed completely, leaving one person, the last of his surname.
“After he completes his study, assign him to be at my side!!!” If one follows at Sun Ce’s side, that person can be said to have a great ability for example Lu Meng and Jiang Qin, who later become pillars of Wu.
“And the bad news?!” After saying the good news, naturally Zhou Yu needed to say the bad news.
“The bad news is.......” Zhou Yu hesitated, he contemplated whether or not this news needed to be said.
“C’mon, say it!!! When did you, Zhou Gongjin, learn to hesitate?!” Sun Ce said it casually. Bad news was probably just a little more than losing Wancheng city, probably an additional clan was destroyed. Currently he cannot conquer Xiakou, and that made Sun Ce really agitated, but the news of Chen Duan and his clansmen contribution made his mood better now.
Zhou Yu gritted his teeth and decide to say it. Such news it’s impossible to hide the truth from Sun Ce. Better hit him with pain earlier than later.
“Big bro!!!” Zhou Yu did not shout “Milord”, with Zhou Yu changing his addressing, it made Sun Ce’s heart feel bad.
“Big bro, please restrain your grief. Sister-in-law.... sister-in-law passed away!!!” Said Zhou Yu while half-knelt toward Sun Ce.
“WHAT? SAY IT AGAIN!!!!” Sun Ce suddenly grasped Zhou Yu’s shoulder. His strength comes out unconsciously. Sun Ce is the person who has broken through to super-class, although Zhou Yu’s power also has reached second-class general, but he cannot do anything when Sun Ce gripped his shoulder tightly.
Soon, there is a sound of his bone being dislocated. Zhou Yu endured the pain and repeat his sentence “Big bro, please restrain your grief!!! Sister-in-law, sister-in-law has already passed away!!!”
“YOU LIE, YOU LIED TO ME!!!!” Sun Ce start his denial “Did she not go to Jianye?! How can that be?!” The second day of Sun Ce and Da Qiao’s marriage, after Lu Bu went to Huangzhou city, Sun Ce was also ready to march in order to keep the pace with Lu Bu, so Sun Ce needed to leave Wancheng city. Before he left, he had ordered his servants to escort Da Qiao to Jianye. With Lu Bu having occupied Wancheng city, Da Qiao must have been in Jianye, not stay in Wancheng city.
“Sister-in-law has not left Wancheng city at that time!!!” Zhou Yu answered.
“How, how did she die?!” Sun Ce closed his eye and loosened both his hands. Sun Ce knows Zhou Yu would not hide the truth from him, would not deceive him
His gaze grew more profound toward Zhou Yu. He feared of Zhou Yu’s words and also feared that this shame will be spread throughout the nation, destroying his Sun clan and Qiao clan’s reputation.
“She was hanged to death!!!” This is the information that Zhou Yu got. After Lu Bu’s army broke Wancheng city, his sister-in-law was hung dead.
“Hang to death?!” Sun Ce lost his leg’s strength and just stared blankly toward Zhou Yu, as if Da Qiao’s figure materialized in front of him. Sun Ce is the Little Conqueror, a man of his stature must have had many women proposed to him. But at that time, he swallowed his pride and went toward the Qiao clan to propose marriage to Da Qiao. He said that he like the elder pretty ladies and so he married her and that girl is the only one that he has intercourse with.
“HAHAHAHAHA!!!! HANG TO DEATH!!!! DEATH BY HANGING!!!! DA QIAO, DA QIAO!!!!” Sun Ce’s words became incoherent and suddenly he started becoming crazy. His hair already untied and both of his eyes emitting killing intent.
“Big bro? Big bro!!!!” Zhou Yu wanted to go forward to comfort Sun Ce, but he really did not know what to say.
“ARMY FULL RETREAT!!!!” Sun Ce has spoken these words, his killing intent already maxed. “Lu Bu, Lu Fengxian, I want blood for blood with you!!!!”
“WHAT?!!! FULL RETREAT?!!!” Zhou Yu began losing his calm. If this time, they did a full retreat, it is their end!!!! At Xiakou there are 70,000 troops of Jing Province lying in wait, eyeing them at all times. Once they found out that Jiangdong’s army has internal problems, they will quickly attack them. At that time, maybe Jiangdongs army will be completely annihilated.
“Big bro, please prioritize your great cause!!!” Zhou Yu quickly knelt down again. He lamented in his heart, if he knew that Sun Ce would become this crazy after hearing the bad news, he should never have spoken the truth, even if it kills him.
“Great cause eh, HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!” Sun Ce laughed like a maniac while getting up “What good is a great cause if I cannot even protect my wife? What use is the great cause if I cannot share it with someone?!”
“But!!!’Zhou Yu wanted to say something, but his words were blocked because Sun Ce has pulled him to stand. “Gongjin, in this life I, Sun Ce, did not ever have a true friend. Only you are my friend, my best and true friend. You were there when I just lost my father, you were there when I was at the lowest point of my life to give me confidence, and you are also here to provide me with strategies to pacify this Jiangdong!!! Today, let me beg you, do not prevent me, let me be selfish only this time, I beg you, Gongjin!!!” Sun Ce knelt fiercely.
“Big bro, please, you cannot do this!!! Get up, please get up!!!” Zhou Yu also flustered. Sun Ce is the one who knelt down to him. They are close like brothers but Sun Ce is the lord and Zhou Yu is his general.
Sun Ce just stayed silent, Zhou Yu’s response did not satisfy Sun Ce. In the end, Zhou Yu gritted his teeth and said “Very well, big bro. I promise that I will not prevent you to go back. You can retreat to HQ, but you can only bring 30,000 troops with you!!!”
“Gongjin, what about you?!” Sun Ce was stunned. When attacking Jiangxia, Sun Ce originally had 60,000 troops, but within a few days, those numbers were subtracted by 10,000 troops. If Sun Ce brought 30,000 troops again, then only 20,000 troops remained. And the opponent, Jing Province’s army had more than 70,000 troops.
“Big bro, relax, in this Sanjiangkou there is me. I will not let Jing Province Army disturb your vengeance!” Zhou Yu truly has his confidence. “Even though Yu is unable to help big bro capture Jiangxia and Jing Province, Yu will still accompany big bro in the path of hegemony!!!”
"Gongjin, thank you!"
“Go, Big bro. Just remember to bring back that Lu Fengxian’s head so we can watch him together!!!”
“Okay!!! Gongjin, you wait here calmly for my good news!!!” Sun Ce nodded. After he nodded, the conversation between brothers ceased and Sun Ce turned around to leave when he was stopped again by Zhou Yu.
“Wait, Big bro. You can bring Lu Su of Linhuaiguan as your strategist, that person’s ability is truly big!!!”
