Chapter 435

Let Su Xuan sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, watching him and Cao Cao suffer mutual losses?

Even if Lord Yuan Shao felt it was impossible, that Cao Cao was definitely not his match, he did not want to see such a situation.

He did not want to see Su Xuan act as the fisherman and reap the benefits.

"That is truly difficult to handle!"

Xu You shook his head repeatedly: "We cannot win over Su Xuan! Yet he can contain Sun Ce;"

"We have no means to force Su Xuan to attack Cao Cao; that is not realistic!"

"Perhaps we can send envoys to Sun Ce, Liu Zhang, Liu Biao, and others!"

"Try to persuade them to attack Su Xuan while we are campaigning against Cao Cao;"

"To weaken Su Xuan!"

"But the difficulty of this task is very high, and the possibility of success is not great!"

Not to mention that Sun Ce and Liu Zhang were unlikely to defeat Su Xuan, Xu You even doubted whether they could cause enough damage to Su Xuan.

But doing something was better than doing nothing.

"That is all we can do!"

Lord Yuan Shao nodded affirmatively: "Then leave this matter to you to arrange, Xu You!"

"Understood!"

Xu You accepted the order.

Yuzhang Commandery,

Sun Ce also received the news of Su Xuan’s deployment to Jiangdong and was shocked: "So fast?"

"It is not surprising!"

Zhou Yu, who was by his side, analyzed the recent situation in the world and said with some realization: "Prince Zou Qian is likely intentionally helping Cao Cao, allowing him to focus all his efforts on dealing with Lord Yuan Shao’s attack;"

"In this way, he can reap the benefits! What a calculation!"

"Furthermore, taking Jiangdong is also a good thing for him;"

"This way, he can take the entire Jiangnan region and sit behind the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, placing himself in an invincible position!"

Zhou Yu felt there must be another deep meaning, but he had too little information to analyze it for the moment.

"Is that so?"

Sun Ce pondered for a moment and then slapped the table: "In that case, I will send someone to Xiangyang to convey my intention to challenge Prince Zou Qian to a three-battle duel to decide the winner! Zhou Gongjin, what do you think?"

If he dragged it out any longer, he would be flattened by Su Xuan.

By the time that happened, he would have no bargaining chips to obtain enough guarantees for his family’s interests from Su Xuan!

Since it was destined that he could not control the world, then taking a step back, honoring his ancestors, and ensuring the long-term survival of his family was his duty as the eldest son of the Sun family!

Likewise, he had to be responsible for the future of the soldiers and officials who were loyal to him.

He could not lead them into a pit.

This naturally included Zhou Yu.

"Hmm!"

Zhou Yu nodded affirmatively: "The time is right!"

"Good! Then I will send someone!"

Sun Ce immediately sent someone to Su Xuan, and the envoy successfully met Su Xuan before he launched his full-scale attack.

He stated his purpose.

"Oh?"

Su Xuan raised his brows slightly: "Since Bofu has such an intention, based on the principle of reducing war and minimizing bloodshed, I agree!"

"Then let us hold the competition in Chaisang, how about that?"

"No problem at all! Then we will await your arrival in Chaisang, Prince Zou Qian!"

The envoy accepted joyfully.

This was much better than he had expected!

Chaisang was his lord Sun Ce’s territory; holding the competition there made people feel a bit more at ease.

Of course, he already knew that his lord was essentially prepared to submit to Prince Zou Qian.

The so-called competition was just a way to give himself a graceful exit.

But the envoy himself was from a small Jiangdong aristocratic family, so he naturally had no objections to Sun Ce’s idea; in fact, he was happy about it.

Anyone with eyes could see that following Su Xuan was far more promising than following Sun Ce.

Of course, many of the local great aristocratic families under Sun Ce did not know this news yet.

Because Sun Ce was worried that these people would be concerned about their family interests and would sabotage the competition and the submission ceremony.

After all, Su Xuan’s new policies were famous for suppressing the aristocrats, especially the great ones.

If these people got wind of it early, Sun Ce could not guarantee they wouldn't cause trouble.

Although Sun Ce had done his best to purge the internal aristocratic powerhouses in Jiangdong in the past.

He couldn't just kill every aristocrat he saw!

He could only act against those who had committed crimes, had clear evidence against them, and were hostile to him.

Otherwise, his own side would have been in chaos long ago!

Killing is not something one does indiscriminately.

Three days later,

Outside Chaisang City,

Su Xuan’s massive army arrived.

After Su Xuan’s army had set up camp, Sun Ce personally left the city to invite Su Xuan for a talk.

Su Xuan naturally did not refuse, and he brought Xu Chu and a few others to a spot two miles outside the city to meet Sun Ce.

"Bofu! Long time no see! You have become even more valiant! Very good! I believe if Brother Wentai knew of your achievements today, he would be very comforted in the afterlife, right?"

"It is just a pity for Brother Wentai, a hero for a lifetime, only to be framed by a villain in the end! It is truly a pity!"

"When it comes down to it, it was all caused by that Imperial Jade Seal!"

"Back then, I even advised Brother Wentai that the Imperial Jade Seal was just a stone, and holding it was a curse, not a blessing; unfortunately, Brother Wentai did not listen;"

"Otherwise, he might not have met such an end! Sigh! What a pity!"

Of course, this was just polite talk.

If he really felt it was a pity, he wouldn't have created a fake Imperial Jade Seal in the first place.

In the end, in Su Xuan’s eyes, Sun Sun Jian was indeed a heroic figure, but his ambition was too great, and he was ultimately impossible to subdue and control.

Such a person had only utility value, not the value of being subdued.

"Your Majesty is too kind! My small achievements are not worth mentioning before you!"

Sun Ce cupped his hands politely.

As for his father?

That was a great pain in Sun Ce’s heart.

It was true! If his father hadn't been harmed by a villain back then, wouldn't they have moved beyond their current situation long ago?

Perhaps they would have already taken the entire Jiangdong, and even gone on to take Xuzhou and more territory.

Becoming a truly great warlord.

If that were the case, perhaps he wouldn't have needed to make this current choice.

Although he truly admired Su Xuan, if he had a choice, he would naturally hope to achieve a great hegemony.

"As for my father and the Imperial Jade Seal!"

Sun Ce continued: "I can only say that fate was unkind; of course, it is also the fault of those two thieves, Lord Yuan Shu and Lord Yuan Shao!"

"If it weren't for their secret instigation, my father might not have met such an end!"

"Also, speaking of the Imperial Jade Seal, Your Majesty, I must state in advance that that thing has long since not been in my hands!"

"I gave it to Lord Yuan Shu back then to exchange for his trust and support, and obtained many troops from him; that is how I came to be where I am today!"

"Understood!"

Su Xuan smiled: "I have long been aware of that!"

— Author's Notes —

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