Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 1535 - 1478: Give It Your All, Gongjin

Sun Ce calmly accepted this group of roughly six or seven hundred cavalrymen, equipped with their own weapons and food supplies, appearing fairly formidable, much like when he took in river bandits at the Yangtze River; Sun Ce was used to having troops come to pledge allegiance.

Ma Chao looked at this scene expressionlessly; to be honest, all these years, he hadn’t encountered anyone bringing troops to join him. Though six or seven hundred cavalrymen are not much in the North, the feeling of having troops pledged to you is truly exhilarating.

[Why are the people of my generation all such monstrous characters?] In Ma Chao’s mind, images of Fa Zheng, Zhou Yu, and Sun Ce appeared, and upon reflecting on himself, he had always thought himself dashing and fierce. Now thinking about it, indeed, sometimes you just lack the comparison.

Just as Sun Ce was considering Zhou Yu, Zhou Yu finally had matters under Sun Ce’s command sorted out to a decent extent, leaving basically only his own affairs to handle.

[Sigh, next is to meet Yuan Gong.] Zhou Yu thought silently, then headed out towards Yuan Shu’s new residence.

"Gongjin, can’t believe you’d come; the Lord is resting in the inner hall," Jii Ling said with a smile after seeing Zhou Yu, having acknowledged only one Lord over the years, which is Yuan Shu.

"My apologies," Zhou Yu bowed slightly, straightened his attire, and then stepped towards the main hall.

"Well, Gongjin, here to be my son?" Yuan Shu lay sideways on a bamboo bed, not getting up upon seeing Zhou Yu enter, quipping jokingly. The death of Yuan Yao was a great shock to Yuan Shu, yet with the dawn of a new era, Yuan Shu’s spirit had improved considerably.

"Yuan Gong, don’t joke. Yu is here just to inquire about one matter," Zhou Yu was accustomed to Yuan Shu’s teasing words, maintaining a solemn demeanor.

Yuan Shu sat up, "What would you like to ask, about the affair in the North or what Liu Xuande is up to?"

"Both, but comparatively, I’m more interested in what Liu Xuande is doing," Zhou Yu said looking at Yuan Shu. Although Yuan Shu often acted foolishly, his beliefs were seldom swayed, yet Yuan Shu was convinced by Liu Bei.

"Liu Xuande has long stated what he intends to do, but no one believed him, whereas I did," Yuan Shu said with a smile, "You and Bofu give it all you’ve got; you are essentially like I was back then, unable to let go without taking a gamble. Follow your true intentions."

Zhou Yu seemed to grasp the key point, yet perhaps unsure, glanced at Yuan Shu and nodded, "Then I’ll head North; the aristocratic family in Jingchu is indeed somewhat lacking, Yuan Gong just needs to keep an eye on things."

"As long as the Yuan Family stands, the aristocratic rich families won’t turn the world upside down," Yuan Shu laughed heartily, confident in this aspect, "The aristocratic family in Jingchu is only fit to enjoy a partial peace; they will always be like this if no one can teach them the Yangtze can’t block imperial endeavors."

"Gongjin, interact more with the legitimate sons of the Northern aristocratic family; though they may not match your intelligence, their demeanor and courage are far scarier than those here in Jingchu. Take advantage of this time, Liu Bei can’t strike against you, get acquainted with them," Yuan Shu advised Zhou Yu.

Speaking of which, Yuan Shu wasn’t worried about Sun Ce’s beliefs faltering; instead, he held doubts about the more intelligent Zhou Yu, in a region like Jingchu, living here for long enough drains your ambition, this area inherently tends to nurture people ineffectively during this era.

Zhou Yu nodded, and now he had a fairly deep understanding of Jingchu. This place with the Yangtze natural barrier was just too comfortable; the major aristocratic families defending the Yangtze had practically no desire for advancement.

"How do you plan to go North?" Yuan Shu inquired; given Sun Ce had already ventured there, Zhou Yu naturally had no choice but to follow.

"By ship, via the sea route," Zhou Yu said with a slight headache; their ships were truly unsuitable for sea voyages, but there weren’t many choices left, and with Zhou Yu’s understanding of Sun Ce, he knew the latter would definitely not take the conventional path.

"Send someone to negotiate with Liu Xuande," Yuan Shu said to Zhou Yu after a moment of silence, "He will provide you with warships."

Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow; in his view, Liu Bei’s superiority in navy was entirely due to the sea ships. If the technology of sea ships were to be shared with them, Liu Bei would truly stand no chance against their Jingchu forces; even Guo Jia, with his brilliant strategies, would rack his brains crossing the Huai River.

"Some things you don’t understand," Yuan Shu suddenly grinned and said.

"Alright, I had the intention to inquire," Zhou Yu nodded, stating that he had been coveting Liu Bei’s sea ships for a long time; having such an opportunity would indeed be advantageous.

"Gongjin, do you have any ideals?" Yuan Shu asked, leading the conversation a bit.

"Probably to fulfill Bofu’s wishes," Zhou Yu thought for a moment, "My own wishes hold no significance to me."

Zhou Yu himself was too outstanding; his former wishes were fulfilled quite naturally, and being someone content with simple pleasures, he didn’t harbor many wishes of his own, but fulfilling Sun Ce’s desires provided him with greater motivation.

"What is Bofu’s wish?" Yuan Shu curiously pondered.

"Initially, it was revenge; I helped him achieve that. Later, it was to ensure his family lived well; I achieved that too. Previously, he wished to become the most celebrated general in history; I’m striving towards it but haven’t accomplished it yet. Then his ideals changed, and lately, he seems to entertain the ambition to unify the world," Zhou Yu said with a bitter smile.

"Do you think you can achieve it?" Yuan Shu asked with a smile.

"Without trying, how would one know?" Zhou Yu answered truthfully.

"Gongjin, aren’t you curious about places outside the Central Plains?" Yuan Shu hinted, but alas, Zhou Yu, limited by the scope of his surroundings, couldn’t grasp Yuan Shu’s implication. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

[Sigh, seems there’s no avoiding a confrontation; neither Bofu nor Meng De will likely relent easily, even if they’re aware of the vastness of the world, some matters may still need a clash to open their minds.]

Now, Yuan Shu was contemplating as an outsider, allowing him to understand many issues quite thoroughly. Both Cao Cao and Sun Ce are ambitious and heroic by nature, destined not to yield merely because of some words from Liu Bei.

This was precisely what troubled Chen Xi; the world map was in his possession, and even if it were spread before Cao Cao and Sun Ce, it posed no difficulty. However, it wouldn’t be of any use.

On one hand, Cao Cao and Sun Ce weren’t likely to relinquish the territories they currently held; on the other hand, why should Cao Cao and Sun Ce follow Liu Bei’s commands? Without a battle, making them grasp the absolute strength disparity and then offering them a step down, based on Cao Cao and Sun Ce’s character, what choice would they make?