sjar Chapter 1107 Sun Quan's Choice: Establishing Roots in Yizhou
Chapter 1107 Sun Quan's Choice: Establishing Roots in Yizhou
Yizhou had been captured for several days, and the island was gradually becoming more stable. However, Sun Quan was visiting the residence of the King of Yizhou more and more frequently, sometimes dismissing his attendants for private talks, and sometimes drinking with the king. His generals were puzzled by this close relationship.
On this day, a handwritten edict spread throughout the military camp: Sun Quan wished to marry the daughter of the King of Yizhou, and the wedding would be held on an auspicious day next month.
"My lord, what is this…" Lu Meng's hands trembled as he held the imperial edict. He turned to Lu Dai and asked, "He actually wants to marry a woman from that barbaric land? And he wants to keep that surrendered king around? Is he planning to put down roots on this island?"
When Lü Dai rushed into Sun Quan's temporary camp, he saw the King of Yizhou standing to one side with his daughter. The woman was wearing a linen skirt embroidered with seashell patterns and looked timid. Sun Quan, on the other hand, was chatting and laughing with the King of Yizhou, as if they were discussing some important matter.
"My lord!" Lü Dai could not contain his anger. "Yizhou is just a small place. Keeping the surrendered king is already lenient. Why must we form a marriage alliance with him? Jiangdong is the foundation. Do you intend to follow the example of the King of Nanyue and live a life of seclusion here?"
Lu Meng also said in a deep voice, "I second that. The soldiers have abandoned their families and homes to follow our lord in this war, all for the sake of recovering the lost lands of Jiangdong, not to settle down on this desolate island overseas. I fear that our lord's actions will discourage the soldiers!"
Sun Quan looked up at the two men, his smile fading slightly: "I left the King of Yizhou here to appease the tribes on the island; the marriage alliance is to ensure their true submission. You only know that Jiangdong is the foundation, but do you know that the sea is also a barrier?"
"A barrier?" Lü Dai sneered. "Does our lord intend to hide here forever?"
"Insolence!" Sun Quan slammed his hand on the table. "My mind is made up, no further words are needed!"
Lu Meng and Lu Dai exchanged a glance, both filled with resentment. They bowed respectfully, turned around, and left.
The tent fell silent for a moment; the King of Yizhou and his daughter were too frightened to utter a sound. Sun Quan took a deep breath, waved for them to leave, and sat alone at the table, staring blankly at the unfolded nautical chart.
Before long, the tent flap was gently lifted, and Han Dang entered. The old general with white hair and beard bowed to Sun Quan, his tone cautious: "My lord, although Lü Meng and Lü Dai spoke hastily, they were sincere. May I ask, since you value Yizhou so much, do you truly have long-term plans?"
Sun Quan looked up at Han Dang, the old general who had followed his father Sun Jian in armor since his time. Although his temples were now streaked with gray, his back remained straight. However, at this moment, his usually calm eyes were filled with an unyielding confusion. He remained silent for a moment, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade pendant at his waist, before finally getting up and walking out of the tent.
A salty sea breeze, carrying the dampness, rushed in, making his robes flutter loudly. In the distance, the waves were crashing against the rocks, breaking into white foam, only to be swept away by even larger waves, in an endless cycle, much like the rise and fall of this chaotic world.
“Uncle Han,” Sun Quan’s voice was carried by the wind, but it was more earnest than ever before, “When you followed my father in his campaigns, I was just a child following a horse’s tail. You have watched me grow up over the years. There are some things that I cannot tell others, but there is really no need to hide them from you.”
Han Dang was startled and instinctively straightened his back. He had followed three generations of the Sun family and had witnessed Sun Ce's youthful vigor and Sun Quan's forbearance after his brother Sun Ce's death, but he had never seen him reveal his true feelings like this.
Sun Quan gazed at the churning Black Sea, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Now Ma Chao holds Yong and Liang in his hands, dominates Chang'an, and controls the fertile Guanzhong Plain. A few days ago, news came that he personally led his iron cavalry to sweep across the grasslands, and the Xianbei and Xiongnu tribes were routed at his mere sight. He has killed no less than a million foreign tribes... Uncle Han, tell me, how can such a figure not terrify me?"
“But…” Han Dang couldn’t help but interject, his tone hesitant, “Ma Chao is, after all, General Bo Fu’s sworn brother. Back in Jiangdong, he and Bo Fu were like brothers. In terms of affection, he should be our friend, not our enemy.”
Sun Quan turned his head, his eyes reflecting the shimmering light of the waves, a complex emotion he couldn't quite describe: "Friend or foe?" He repeated softly, as if asking Han Dang, or perhaps himself, "Uncle Han, you've fought on the battlefield your whole life, you should understand one thing—in this game of vying for supremacy, personal relationships are the thinnest thing."
He raised his hand and pointed north, as if he could pierce through the vast ocean and see the banners atop Chang'an: "Ma Chao's sweeping of the grasslands was not merely for revenge. His expansion of territory was to stabilize his rear and win the hearts of the people of Yong and Liang. Every action he took was aimed at the goal of 'the world.' Right now, his foundation is not yet secure, and he has no time to look south. But once he has consolidated the north and integrated Guanzhong, where will he set his sights next?"
“In the chaos of the Central Plains, Cao Cao and Lü Bu fought to the death. His only enemy is Yuan Shao. If he wants to go south in the future, Jiangdong will be the only place he can pass through.” Sun Quan’s voice deepened, with an almost fatalistic certainty. “Ma Mengqi is a man of great talent and ambition, but what he wants is the whole world. He will reach out and take this piece of fat meat, Jiangdong, sooner or later.”
Looking at Sun Quan's tense profile, Han Dang still felt unwilling and advised, "My lord, since that's the case, why not send someone to see Gongjin and explain this worry to him? Gongjin is exceptionally intelligent and has elite troops under his command. If he can join forces with us, relying on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, Jiangdong will be as solid as a rock. Even if something unexpected happens later, we can withstand it."
"Zhou Lang?" Sun Quan scoffed, his laughter tinged with self-mockery and unspeakable resentment. "Reconcile with him? How I wish I could! But look at Zhou Lang, does he have even the slightest intention of reconciling with me?"
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the waves outside the tent, and his voice suddenly rose: "When the news of Ma Chao's faked death came, the world was shaken. My brother led a large army to avenge Ma Chao, but died on the way. Zhou Yu, however, used this as an excuse to hold on to my brother's death, insisting that I was the one who secretly caused the trouble, and he was determined to break with me! He already harbored ulterior motives at that time, and now he has carved out his own territory and is completely indifferent to the affairs of my Jiangdong."
"Moreover," Sun Quan's voice deepened, carrying a chilling clarity, "not only is Ma Chao not dead, but he has also built a vast empire in the north, even the grasslands are now his. Tell me, will Zhou Yu, seeing this, remember our past friendship and join forces with me to fight Ma Chao? Or will he wait until Ma Chao's army is at the gates, then simply hand over the Jiangdong territory to him in exchange for a peaceful future?"
Han Dang choked. He recalled Zhou Yu's resolute decision years ago, and the unyielding sharpness in the young general's eyes, and for a moment, he couldn't utter a rebuttal. Ma Chao, Zhou Yu, and Sun Ce were like brothers, and they already harbored some scrutiny towards Sun Quan as their successor, especially given the lingering mystery surrounding Sun Ce's death—now that Ma Chao was powerful, if Zhou Yu truly had to choose, perhaps…
Han Dang frowned even more deeply upon hearing Sun Quan's words, and finally couldn't help but ask, "My lord, forgive my bluntness, but even if... even if Jiangdong truly falls into dire straits and submits to Ma Chao, given his friendship with General Bo Fu, he surely won't treat you unfairly. This is far better than being trapped in this tiny place of Yizhou, marrying a woman from the southern wilderness, and struggling to survive here, isn't it?"
These words were like a needle, piercing through Sun Quan's feigned composure. A flash of malice suddenly appeared in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, his voice strained: "Uncle Han, you may not know this, but Zhou Yu has always blamed me for my brother's death. If he hadn't taken the opportunity to cause trouble back then, how could Jiangdong have been divided? Now that he sees me siding with Ma Chao, he will definitely stir up trouble in front of Ma Chao and bring up those old grudges."
He took a deep breath, his fingertips turning white from the effort: "Ma Chao, my brother, and Zhou Yu were sworn brothers; that bond is undeniable. If Zhou Yu insists to him that I harmed my brother, tell me, who will Ma Chao believe? Even if I had a hundred mouths, how could I possibly explain myself?"
“If it could be explained clearly, why wait until today?” Sun Quan’s voice lowered, carrying a kind of despairing weariness. “If it really comes to that, given the friendship between the three of them, I’m afraid I won’t be able to save my life. Staying here, although it’s a safe haven in a remote corner, at least I can keep my life and the safety of the people around me.”
Han Dang remained silent, the white hair at his temples trembling slightly in the sea breeze. He had just caught a glimpse of the fleeting ferocity in Sun Quan's eyes, and then recalled the fear that his lord could not hide in his words—a fear unlike the tension he felt when facing a thousand troops, but rather like an invisible net tightly binding his throat, making even his breathing difficult.
Could it be... just as Zhou Yu said back then?
Once the thought surfaced, it clung to his mind like a vine. General Bo Fu's death was sudden, and Zhou Lang was convinced there was something fishy about it. Although he had no concrete evidence, he still harbored resentment towards his lord. If he were truly innocent, why would his lord be so wary? Why would he hide on this island thousands of miles away, preferring to form a marriage alliance with the southern tribes rather than return to Jiangdong to confront Zhou Lang?
Han Dang sighed deeply, a trace of pain flashing in his cloudy old eyes. He had followed three generations of the Sun family, watching General Bofu grow from a young boy into the overlord of Jiangdong, and watching Sun Quan transform from an innocent child into a deep and unfathomable figure. Whatever the events of that year may have been, they were now irreversible.
“Since my lord has made up his mind,” Han Dang bowed, his voice tinged with a weary compromise, “this old minister will protect my lord and help him establish himself here. We will build camps, cultivate wasteland, and repair ships… we will ensure that our brothers have food to eat and a roof over their heads.”
Sun Quan suddenly looked up, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, as if there was gratitude, or something else. In the end, he simply nodded, turned around and looked at the surging sea, his back looking particularly lonely in the twilight.
Han Dang watched his retreating figure, then glanced at the soldiers in the distance who were felling trees and building camps, and silently gripped the sword at his waist. At this point, dwelling on the past was pointless. All he could do was hold onto this small piece of land, protect his lord, and desperately seek a way to survive in the cracks of this chaotic world.
The sea breeze, carrying the sound of waves, crashes against the rocks again and again, as if softly weeping for this inexplicable past.
The wedding bonfire flickered on the shore of Yizhou, illuminating the figures of Sun Quan and the Princess of Yizhou. His face showed little smile as he methodically carried out the ceremony. After the ceremony, Lü Meng and Lü Dai led most of the soldiers away quietly, the soft rustling of their armor particularly clear in the night.
“They’ve left like this,” Sun Quan said softly to Han Dang beside him, watching the fleet disappear on the horizon. “Very well, let them go.”
Han Dang asked in bewilderment, "Does our lord truly intend to establish himself here? The foundation of Jiangdong..."
“Jiangdong?” Sun Quan interrupted him, his fingertips tracing the jade pendant at his waist. “Rather than spending all day dealing with the Jiangdong clans along the Zhoulang River, it would be better to stay on this island and guard a clean place.” He looked at the tribal woman who had just become his wife, who was quietly adding firewood. “At least here, no one is scheming about whether I am ‘legitimate’ or not.”
The campfire crackled, and the distant sound of waves echoed. Sun Quan suddenly smiled, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice: "The throne of Jiangdong, how tempting it is, haha, now that I'm not vying for it, I feel at ease."
Han remained silent. Perhaps this remote island could truly allow him to escape those invisible shackles.
“Then… this old minister will stay and keep my lord company,” Han Dang said, bowing.
Sun Quan nodded and looked up at the starry sky: "Guarding the sea, guarding the ships, guarding my own life, is not bad either."