Chapter 117 - Each Sides Reaction to the Big Event in Lujiang (1) (1/2)
Chapter 117 – Each Sides Reaction to the Big Event in Lujiang (1)
Translated by Bloodfalcon, Edited by Krayto
4 major cities in Jiangdong started their movement. Jianye, Hukou, Chaohu and Wuhu, all are noisy these days, they are busy loading grain and provisions, and weapons into the wars.h.i.+p. Soldiers one by one boarding into the s.h.i.+p and quickly raising the war banner as if showing their superiority in the water.
The big wars.h.i.+p can be considered a carrier cla.s.s in modern times. Its body was several stories high. There are also smaller boats which can only hold several people called Meng Chong boats. That kind of boat is cla.s.sified as a destroyer cla.s.s in that age. This boat is small but it is the overlord in river battles.
Its speed is unmatched in naval battle. Once a large s.h.i.+p was rammed by this Meng Chong boats, it will tumble to one side. This type of boat was usually used by pirate, and was used to rob merchant s.h.i.+ps by ramming into them and boarding that merchant s.h.i.+p. A common s.h.i.+p is not a match for Meng Chong boat’s speed.
Moreover, it is small in size. Once the government troops attacked, they can just hide in marshes and disappear quickly.
Now, the entire Jiangdong made their move because Sun Ce is retreating its main force in preparation a for revenge battle.
How can Sun Ce let Lu Bu sleep soundly for offending him, not to mention that his own wife was murdered in Jiangdong by Lu Bu’s army? What Sun Ce had right now is 30,000 elite naval troops.
However, out of nowhere, Sun Ce ama.s.sed 100,000 troops to do battle with Lu Bu’s army. Those 30,000 naval units were his elites and the other 70,000 troops were drafted from all of Jiangdong. A Majority of them were the n.o.bles’ private soldiers. The death of the Chen clan in Wancheng city touched the nerve of some n.o.ble clans. 50,000 troops was collected by Jiangdong n.o.bles and the remaining 20,000 were Sun clan’s personal soldiers. Thus one can see, the terror of n.o.bles.
Offending n.o.bles never had any good results. Historically, when Cao Pi made Cao Wei Kingdom and had the entire nation on its heels, they were only able to suppress the n.o.bles to the point of opening the imperial examination system and Nine Grades Official Selection to the common people.
Cao Wei wanted to eliminate these n.o.bles but they couldn’t. Cao Wei’s kingdom was also afraid of offending these n.o.bles completely due to n.o.bles also possessing the ability to create a separate power. And in the end, Cao Wei kingdom was seized by another n.o.ble, that person is Sima Zhao of the Sima clan who subsequently made the Jin Dynasty.
With Jiangdong making such big movements, naturally they cannot hide anything from the nation's warlords.
Now, we go to Xiaopei city in Xu Province. Cao Cao is the final victor of his battle against Liu Bei but unfortunately he is unable to capture Guan Yu in this timeline. In Cao Cao's hand there is an Intel from Jiangdong. Cao Cao's face is very complex when reading the Intel, sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling.
The intel reported that Sun Ce of Jiangdong who initially marched toward Jiangxia to capture entire it and swallow Jing Province, unexpectedly retreated to his main HQ to battle in Jiangdong. Unexpectedly, his opponent is Cao Cao's old acquaintance, Lu Bu.
A few weeks ago, when he got the rumor that Lu Bu and Sun Ce had made an alliance, Cao Cao was truly frightened. Lu Bu is a very formidable foe, Cao Cao himself only with great difficulty managed to expel Lu Bu and he needed more than 100,000 troops to do that.
This Sun Ce is also more frightening than Sun Jian. Sun Ce is known as Jiangdong's Little Conqueror, and that t.i.tle is not only for show. Sun Ce is currently still in his twenties, but he can pacify Jiangdong with only 3,000 borrowed troops from Yuan Shu and a little amount of veteran generals, that is his true accomplishment.
In this nation, there are only two people that Cao Cao most feared, that is Lu Bu and Sun Ce.
Once they formed an alliance, the Jing Province that Liu Biao held will be impossible to defend and he will lose his inheritance. Liu Zhang of Yi Province is also the same as Liu Biao, only having interest in defending their own inheritance, so more or less, they will be defeated by Sun and Lu alliance in the same way.
If that happens, half of this nation will be in Sun Ce's hands. With Sichuan under his control, he will have unlimited supply of grain and provisions due to Sichuan being a very fertile land. And on his hand there is an elite squad called Danyang soldiers of Western Chu.
At that time, Cao Cao will just go personally to Sun Ce and Lu Bu throwing a towel in front of them and maybe ally with them in order to destroy Yuan Benchu who is currently eyeing him covetously.
But now, this news brought relief to Cao Cao. Sun Ce of Jiangdong not only he did not make an alliance with Lu Bu, but now they became enemies. Lu Bu is an old tiger, but he b.u.mped into Sun Ce this new tiger, naturally it will be a fun entertainment.
“Fengxiao, Gongda, both of you, say your views!” These days Cao Cao truly happy, because he had two of his most reliable advisors around which are Guo Jia and Xun You. Every time he went to battle, he always brought Guo Jia and Xun You. He actually had another advisor who is extremely clever named Xun Yu, but Cao Cao did not brought this Xun Yu with him, because his ability is s.h.i.+ne by managing army's rear.
“How can this change get so big? A few weeks ago, Lu Bu and Sun Ce were in amiable terms, they were so friendly that they formed an alliance and even broke through Jiangxia. This matter really confusing!” Xun You's brow wrinkled. Xun You truly did not understand what happened in Jiangdong. From Liu Mang's victory over the war of words to Sun Ce's marriage. That news was spread throughout the nation like wildfire. If Lu Bu and Sun Ce did not have a good relations.h.i.+p with each other, it is impossible for Sun Ce to invite Lu Bu to his wedding and forgive Lu Bu’s army after offending its two top advisors.
Moreover, Sun Ce’s army had overcome half of Jiangxia with Lu Bu’s army's help. This news made Liu Biao of Jing Province sleepless at nights, and not just Liu Biao, this news also made this whole nations warlords shaken to the core. The presence of these two warlords joining up terrified everyone else to that point that all of the other warlords would possibly join up to repel these two.
Now the news has become, Sun Ce leaving Zhou Yu to return to Jiangdong's HQ to build up 100,000 troops to prepare its attack on Wancheng city in order to eliminate Lu Bu.
“What is strange about this? A mountain can only have one male tiger. If it is have two, it can only one male and one female!” Guo Jia's conclusion is much simpler. He already looked at the changing situation in Jiangdong.
Lu Bu is the G.o.d of war in this era, he is the mighty tiger who managed to pin down all the warlords in Hulao Gate, with that as his accomplishments, is this tiger satisfied working under other people?