Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1135 Aristocratic Families' Conspiracy Causes Unrest in Jiangdong

Ma Chao stood with his sword drawn, drops of blood slowly dripping from the tip, spreading a small, dark red stain on the blue bricks. He looked down at Quan Cong, who lay slumped on the ground, his voice as cold as ice: "Now, what do you have to say?"

Although Quan Cong was not bound, he was already terrified. He scrambled to his feet and kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead hitting the ground with a loud thud. His voice trembled uncontrollably: "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! I... I really didn't know the inside story! I only received orders to hold back while pursuing Huang Zu, and I didn't participate in anything else!"

A flash of undisguised disgust crossed Ma Chao's eyes. He snorted coldly, "Bo Fu was a hero of his time, so upright and honorable, yet he was defeated by a bunch of rats who only know how to play tricks and schemes. How humiliating!"

He looked up at Pang De and said, "Lingming, take five thousand soldiers, escort this spineless coward, and bring Xue Zong's head. Go and join Zhou Lang immediately."

“Yes!” Pound replied, his voice as firm as metal.

"Pass down the order," Ma Chao's voice suddenly rose, carrying a resolute tone, "Within Wu Commandery, all those who stubbornly resist shall be killed without exception! But if any soldiers remember the past kindness of Bo Fu and are willing to surrender, they shall all be incorporated into his ranks and their past transgressions shall be forgiven!"

Quan Cong was still crying and begging for mercy on the ground when Pang De stepped forward and kicked him to the ground. He then ordered his personal guards to tie him up with ropes and drag him out like a dead dog. Xue Zong's head was impaled on the tip of a spear, its pale white color gleaming in the sunlight. From afar, it looked like a flag proclaiming punishment.

Ma Chao watched their departing figures and slowly sheathed his sword. In the soft clinking of the scabbards, one could almost hear Sun Ce's roaring laughter from years ago—"Bo Fu, just wait, I will collect everything I owe you, penny by penny, with interest."

Inside Zhang Zhao's residence in Moling, the flickering candlelight reflected the sorrowful faces of those seated there. Zhang Zhao slammed the secret letter in his hand onto the table, his brows furrowed in a deep knot: "You've all heard it, Ma Chao of Xiliang has entered Wu County! He's a bloodthirsty bastard; he's slaughtered millions on the grasslands in the past two years. His arrival in Jiangdong is no casual stroll!"

An uproar erupted in the room as the heads of various powerful families whispered among themselves, their voices laced with panic: "Why is the God of Slaughter targeting Jiangdong?" "Could it be because of the old grudges against Sun Ce? If that matter is brought up again, countless families will lose their heads!"

Zhang Hong stroked his beard, his face grave. "Brother Zibu is right. Ma Chao is known for protecting his own, and Zhou Yu is close to Sun Ce. If the two of them join forces, I'm afraid they'll reopen old cases." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Those who were involved back then, aren't they all getting restless now?"

Upon hearing this, several people clenched their sleeves tightly, sweat beading on their foreheads. One clan head asked in a trembling voice, "Then...what do we do now? Mobilize troops? But Ma Chao's iron cavalry..."

Zhang Zhao slammed his fist on the table, his voice filled with resentment: "It's all because of that brat Sun Quan! He abandoned the position of ruler of Jiangdong to hide away and enjoy himself in Yizhou! When he was around, at least we had the right to act, and we had the moral high ground. Even if Ma Chao was fierce, he still had to be careful!" He took a breath, his eyes blazing with anger, "Now look what's happened, we've given Zhou Yu and Ma Chao an opportunity. That brat, I'm afraid he did it on purpose!"

Lü Dai said in a deep voice, "Complaining is useless. We need to find a way to stabilize the situation. How about... we send someone to Yizhou to urge Sun Quan to return?"

"Warn him?" Zhang Zhao sneered. "If he wanted to come back, he would have been back long ago!"

Zhang Zhao's eyes were like torches as he stared intently at Lü Meng and Lü Dai, his knuckles turning white from the force: "Over the years, the aristocratic families have poured all their resources into supporting you. There has never been a shortage of food and armor, all so that you could hold real power and step up in critical moments! Now, let's take stock. How many of your men are truly loyal and willing to risk their lives for you?"

Lu Meng frowned, his voice strained: "If I, Lu Dai, and a few trusted generals were to join forces, the number of elite soldiers and personal guards we could mobilize would be at most thirty to forty thousand."

"Thirty or forty thousand?" Zhang Zhao slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups to jump and spill tea. "How come it's only this much! What have you been doing all these years? Are all those soldiers just for show?"

Lu Meng's face flushed red, but he couldn't suppress the grievance and indignation in his voice: "How could you forget, Master Zibu? Back then, when we broke with Gongjin and led our troops to pursue him—in that battle, those who charged to the front were all soldiers loyal to the noble families! Zhou Yu was cunning and treacherous, and we suffered heavy losses. Those who died were brothers who crawled out of piles of corpses with us! And the remaining soldiers were mostly old men from Sun Ce's time, and with those four old guys, Cheng, Huang, Han, and Zu, holding us back, we had no way to infiltrate! When it really came down to life and death, who would be willing to risk their lives?"

Lu Dai nodded in agreement, his voice deep and hoarse: "What Lu Meng said is true. Over the years, we have expanded our army and recruited people. We have trained them carefully, so of course they will obey our orders. However, the troops brought out by Sun Ce in the past are indeed difficult to win over. Even if we want to cultivate trusted confidants, we are limited in many ways."

Zhang Zhao paused upon hearing this, his chest heaving, but he could no longer utter a word of rebuke. However, when the time came, these thirty to forty thousand troops were simply a drop in the ocean against Zhou Yu's navy and Ma Chao's iron cavalry.

A deathly silence fell over the room, broken only by the crackling of the candlelight, which illuminated the grim faces of the assembled members. One of the clan heads couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice, "Then...then can these thirty or forty thousand men hold Moling?"

Zhang Hong stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "Although not all 30,000 to 40,000 troops are in Moling, it is not impossible to gather them. Quickly send a message to Chen Wu and Dong Xi, instructing them to lead their troops back to reinforce the city under cover of night. As long as these 30,000 to 40,000 brave warriors gather under the city walls, the rest of the troops will not collapse at the first contact, knowing they have a leader. If it really comes down to a fight, they may not be without the strength to fight."

A glint flashed in Zhang Zhao's eyes, but then his gaze darkened again: "That may be true, but it's still a risky move. In my opinion, we should still invite Old Madam Sun out. Ma Chao and Zhou Yu were like brothers with Bo Fu back then, so they can't exactly turn against Bo Fu's mother, can they? With the old lady in charge of the city, even if they're in a hurry, they'll have to consider the reputation of 'forcing the emperor to abdicate'."

After saying that, he turned to look at the head of the Lu family, his tone urging, "Hasn't your Lu family been trying to persuade Sun Xu to inherit the throne lately? What's the boy's attitude?"

The head of the Lu family shrank his neck, his face full of helplessness: "That Sun Xu... sigh, he's just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, very timid. We talked until our lips were sore, but he only said 'I dare not overstep my bounds,' and didn't even dare to look us in the eye. He's really... useless."

“It’s alright.” Zhang Zhao waved his hand, a calculating glint in his eyes. “I will personally go to see the old lady tomorrow. She has protected the Sun family’s legacy all her life. As long as we can persuade her to agree to let Sun Xu temporarily take the helm to stabilize the people’s hearts, the status of Jiangdong will still be in our hands, and there will be no chaos.”

He then turned to Zhang Hong, his tone resolute: "Zigang, you immediately draft an order for Chen Wu and Dong Xi to mobilize the entire army and return to deploy defenses. Tell them that delay could lead to unforeseen circumstances, and they must arrive within five days!"

Zhang Hong cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "I'll make the arrangements right away!"

The candlelight cast dappled shadows on everyone's faces. Each person knew in their heart that this was a do-or-die situation. Old Madam Sun, Sun Xu, the returning reinforcements… they had to hold onto these straws tightly, otherwise, once Ma Chao's iron cavalry reached the walls of Moling, they might not even have a chance to beg for mercy.

The wind outside grew stronger, carrying the distant sound of the night watchman's clapper, each strike striking their hearts and causing them a sudden, inexplicable panic.

The night was as dark as ink, and the river breeze, carrying moisture, dampened the stone steps of the ferry. As soon as Cheng Pu and Huang Gai escorted Sun Shangxiang's boat to the shore, a burly figure came to greet them; it was Han Dang, who had been waiting there.

"Gongfu, Demou!" Han Dang's voice boomed as he strode over to her side. His gaze first fell on Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, then turned to Sun Shangxiang, who was disembarking from the boat. Seeing her return safely, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Was your journey safe?"

Huang Gai patted his arm, his voice tinged with the weariness of the journey: "Thanks to you, I arrived safely."

"You saw the King of Liang?" Han Dang asked, his eyes questioning. "He really came for Bo Fu?"

“Exactly.” Cheng Pu nodded, his brows furrowed with excitement. “He said that he came back this time to investigate the cause of Bo Fu’s death, get rid of those corrupt officials, and return the family business to Young Master Sun Shao.”

Han Dang spat on the ground, his eyes blazing with anger: "It should have been done long ago! Bo Fu died under mysterious circumstances, and all these years we've been holding our breath, unable to even stand up straight! Ma Chao's arrival was just in time!"

Han Dang suddenly frowned again: "That's true, but Zhongmou is the old lady's man after all... If we really touch him, the old lady will probably turn on us."

Sun Shangxiang raised her hand to press the pearl flower at her temple, her voice unusually steady: "Uncle Han, don't worry, my brother expected this. I came back this time to reassure Mother."

Han Dang finally breathed a sigh of relief, his rough hands rubbing against the scabbard at his waist: "It's good that there's a plan, it's good that there's a plan. So, what should we old bones do?"

Cheng Pu stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the Moling city walls shrouded in the deep night, and said in a deep voice, "Han Dang, you must immediately gather Bo Fu's old troops in the army and secure the river crossing. Whether Gong Jin's navy can land smoothly depends entirely on your efforts."

"Don't worry!" Han Dang thumped his chest loudly, "Half of the brothers who fought alongside Bo Fu back then are in my camp, eager to prove themselves! We'll definitely hold the ferry crossing firmly!"

Huang Gai interjected, "De Mou and I will take Shang Xiang into the city to see the old lady first. As long as we stabilize the inner quarters, we can then take control of Moling City." He paused, then looked at Cheng Pu, "The rest... depends on the Prince of Liang and Gong Jin."

Cheng Pu nodded and patted Han Dang on the shoulder: "Go ahead, don't mess things up."

Han Dang replied with an "okay," turned, and disappeared into the night, the sound of his boots clattering on the stone path quickly fading into the distance. Cheng Pu and Huang Gai exchanged a glance, then escorted Sun Shangxiang toward the side gate of Moling City.

In the dead of night, a solitary lamp still burned in the inner courtyard of the Wu Marquis's residence. Old Madam Sun leaned against a soft couch, the silver strands at her temples gleaming with frost in the candlelight. Sun Quan had personally led his troops to conquer Jiaozhou, but now, more than half a year had passed, and two reports of victory from Nanhai County had already arrived. Lu Meng, Han Dang, and others who had accompanied him on the expedition had returned to camp one after another, but there was still no news of her own son.

The wind outside the window swirled fallen leaves against the windowpane, like whispers in the shadows. The old lady sighed. Over the years, she had always felt that the mansion was empty. Bo Fu had left suddenly, leaving behind a mess; Zhong Mou had taken over the power, but there was always something between him and her, and she had seen it all.

"Jiangdong cannot be without a leader for even a day..." she murmured to herself, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepening. The air outside the manor had grown increasingly tense these past few days; the servants walked on tiptoe, and Zhang Zhao and the others came to pay their respects every few days, always mentioning "Sun Xu's intelligence" in their conversation. How could she not see through their intentions? But what about Zhongmou? What exactly happened?