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He did not realize that the strategy he had devised was theoretically sound and perfectly aligned with history. However, due to the unexpected emergence of that lad Li Miao, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce were nearly driven to madness.

"Then... how shall we take Lujiang?" Sun Ce asked, unable to contain his impatience. Young and vigorous, he seemed to already envision himself galloping across the vast plains, unifying the Central Plains under his banner.

Zhou Yu drained the last cup of wine. Clad in his silk headscarf and waving his feather fan, the handsome young strategist spoke with a smile, as if he could already see the dawn of Jiangdong breaking upon the horizon.

"Liu Xun is a man driven by greed and suspicion. Wealth, profit, and provisions—these are the things that move his heart. We shall strike his main force in Lujiang with a single blow!" Zhou Yu snapped his fingers.

"Send an envoy!"

"An envoy?" Sun Ce’s mind struggled to keep up. He looked at Zhou Yu and asked, "Are you suggesting we send an envoy to offer Liu Xun wealth so he simply hands over Lujiang? He would never agree; he’s not a fool."

"My lord, that is where you are mistaken. Liu Xun is a fool, and he will certainly comply," Zhou Yu laughed. Seeing Sun Ce’s confusion, he continued to explain. "While we cannot overtly ask him to surrender Lujiang, we can launch a surprise attack!" Zhou Yu smiled, his expression enigmatic.

"Gongjin, stop playing games! If you don’t explain yourself, I’m going to go mad!"

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were childhood companions, close as brothers since they were young. Despite the formal relationship between lord and strategist, they were remarkably relaxed in private, often exchanging lighthearted jests. Moreover, Zhou Yu recognized Sun Ce’s immense talent and was willingly committed to helping him carve out a foundation. Seeing Sun Ce so agitated, Zhou Yu ceased his teasing.

"Two points! First, the Imperial Seal was originally seized by your father. Although Li Shu is dead, it is a fact that he once aided you. Even if he did not remain entirely loyal to you in the end, now that we have secured Jiangdong, you cannot move against Li Miao. However, the Seal must be obtained. It may prove useful!"

Sun Ce understood the significance of the Seal. It was clear: with the Seal in hand, claiming the title of Emperor would be much simpler. The two young foxes exchanged a knowing smile. The Han Dynasty was in decline; this was obvious to all. As the tide of the world ebbed and flowed, someone would eventually unify the court and restore the Han. Was Cao Cao not treating the Han Emperor like a puppet?

Zhou Yu watched Sun Ce smile and said no more. After all, the Han Dynasty still held the mandate, and they had built their own power under the banner of restoring the Han and purging treacherous officials. It was best to be cautious and avoid giving others cause for gossip. Thus, Zhou Yu continued:

"In that case, we shall send an envoy to tempt Liu Xun with wealth, inducing him to attack Li Miao and seize the Seal. Whether driven by the desire for the Seal or the lure of our riches, Liu Xun will likely act."

Sun Ce nodded, and Zhou Yu raised a second finger.

"Second, Liu Xun is greedy and suspicious. Though Li Shu appointed him Governor of Lujiang, he sought to declare independence the moment Li Shu’s forces wavered. Now that he firmly occupies Lujiang, he is clearly a man who exploits others' misfortunes."

"Since he is an opportunist, he will naturally want to plunder more. You can contact him, encouraging him to raid Haihun and Shangliao. Given his suspicious nature, he may be hesitant. That is when you state your terms: request his help in securing the Seal. You can lower your posture, offering to act as his external support for Lujiang, and promise that we will claim not a single inch of territory—only the Seal."

"Shangliao is extremely wealthy. If Liu Xun is enticed to attack Jiangting to retrieve the Seal in exchange for our help in seizing those two regions, he would have to be an idiot to refuse!" Zhou Yu spoke with eloquence. "By the time he commits his troops to Shangliao, the Seal will already be in our hands. We can contact the garrisons at Haihun and elsewhere, notifying them of Liu Xun’s impending arrival so they may evacuate. When Liu Xun secretly leads his army through Pengze to Haihun, he will find only empty cities and gain nothing!"

"At that point, we shall feign a westward expedition against Huang Zu. Once we hear that Liu Xun has reached Haihun, we can immediately dispatch our generals to station troops at Pengze to intercept him."

"Meanwhile, you and I will lead twenty thousand men to launch a surprise raid on his headquarters at Wancheng. With his main army gone, the city will fall in one stroke. You will secure the Seal and gain Haihun and Shangliao—three victories in one!"

Zhou Yu laughed. "At that point, we will be able to overlook Jiangxia. Yuzhang will fall into the embrace of Jiangdong. With a little more effort to conquer Jiangxia, will Liu Biao ever have a peaceful night again?"

"Gongjin, you are truly formidable!" Sun Ce realized this was not just a triple victory, but a five-fold strategy. Jiangdong would become a major power, and the Yangtze River would serve as its most formidable bulwark!

How could Sun Ce not be overjoyed? Zhou Yu’s plan was nothing short of divine.

"Among all the strategists in this world, who can compare to Gongjin?" Sun Ce laughed heartily, heaping praise upon his friend.

"My lord is too generous!" Zhou Yu was not the petty or arrogant man portrayed in legends; he was a man of great magnanimity. He accepted the praise with a modest smile and continued, "Guo Jia, Liu Ye, Xun Yu, Jia Xu, and Cheng Xun—these are the true talents of our age." Zhou Yu looked at Sun Ce and said earnestly, "My lord, now that Jiangdong is stable and we intend to expand, you must recruit more talent!"

Sun Ce was a man who readily accepted good advice. Understanding Zhou Yu’s intention, he smiled and said, "That goes without saying. But Gongjin, how about I entrust the mission of the envoy to you?"

"I shall not fail your expectations, my lord!"

Zhou Yu lightly swayed his fan and bowed slightly. Sun Ce reached out to steady him. They looked at each other and laughed, their voices echoing bright and clear.

"Come, Gongjin! Let us drink until we fall tonight!" Sun Ce grabbed Zhou Yu’s hand, his manner bold and unrestrained.

Cup after cup, they drank in the government office of Wu Commandery. The two friends were in high spirits, drinking until dawn found them in their cups.

The next day, Zhou Yu selected an envoy, provided him with three thousand gold coins and a letter from Sun Ce, and sent him straight toward Wancheng in Lujiang.

...

"What?" Upon hearing the scout’s report, Chen Lan felt a wave of dizziness.

"What did you say? A cavalry raid ahead?"

That was impossible. His second brother was still at Jiangting fighting that brat Li Miao. Where would Li Miao get cavalry? And why would he take the initiative to attack? The horses they had were borrowed from his own Tianzhu Mountain. Could his brother be in danger?

Chen Lan felt a tremor of anxiety. He pointed at a scout and ordered, "Go and find out who they are and how many men they have!"

He could not afford to be careless against cavalry; in the midst of infantry, they were like wolves among sheep. The thought of a one-sided slaughter made him panic. Still, Chen Lan possessed the bearing of a great general. He immediately ordered the army to halt and issued his commands.

"All generals, take heed! Prepare yourselves! No matter how many come, show them no mercy!"

Chen Lan had no time to ponder further. He quickly made preparations, setting up ambushes on the flanks, and took command of the main line himself, ready to annihilate the incoming enemy.

Just as the dust rising into the sky became visible in the distance, another scout came running toward him. "Great Leader! It’s not the enemy! It’s the Second Leader!"

"What?" Chen Lan was nearly driven mad. His own brother was raiding him? That made no sense. Hearing it was Lei Bu, he calmed down. The scout had reported cavalry approaching, and Chen Lan had assumed the worst, but now that he knew it was his brother, his panic subsided.

Yet, a bad premonition gnawed at him. The vanguard had only reached Jiangting yesterday afternoon; why were they rushing back now? Had the entire force been wiped out? Chen Lan pondered, but seeing the ground tremble from the thundering hooves, it didn't seem like a total rout.

Regardless, he decided to camp there. It was too late to reach Jiangting today anyway. He would wait for his brother and hear his explanation.

An hour later, Lei Bu spotted the camp. When he saw the banner bearing the character "Chen," his eyes reddened with excitement. With Chen Lan’s seven or eight thousand men, he would finally have the capital to take Jiangting. Meanwhile, Chen Lan, seeing the state of the men Lei Bu led, felt his own eyes redden—with rage.

He had given Lei Bu three thousand men as a vanguard. Though not a massive force, it was surely enough to hold their own against the elite few and the thousand newly surrendered troops inside Jiangting. He had severely underestimated his brother’s talent for disaster.

"Lei Bu! Look at what you’ve done!" Chen Lan could no longer suppress his fury. He had given him three thousand men, and he returned with only seven or eight hundred remnants, having abandoned all the grain and equipment. Even if Chen Lan wanted to defend him, he was speechless.

"Big Brother, I was wrong! That scoundrel Zhang Xun used a fatigue strategy to paralyze us. I had no choice—we were harassed all night and couldn't sleep. The soldiers were at half strength, and when they were startled awake by war cries at dawn, that dog Zhang Xun sent men to burn the tents. Everything fell into chaos; no one could see my banners, and we had no idea how many enemies there were." Lei Bu gritted his teeth.

"You... you useless fool!" Chen Lan was deeply disappointed, but he could not punish him too harshly. Tianzhu Mountain did not belong to him alone. If he alienated Lei Bu, things would become complicated.

"Men! Drag Lei Bu out and behead him!" Chen Lan roared, his eyes flicking toward a nearby general.

The general was a shrewd man. He immediately understood and knelt. "General, you cannot! Lei Bu is a skilled warrior. To execute your own general before the battle will ruin morale. Let him make amends by taking Jiangting, then discuss rewards and punishments."

Chen Lan’s expression softened. "Lei Bu, you have suffered a great defeat. I will give you one more chance. Attack the city tomorrow morning. If you fail to take Jiangting, I will hold you accountable!"

"Yes, Big Brother!"

"The army will camp here. Tomorrow, cook at the third watch, break camp at the fifth! We will raze Jiangting to the ground!" Chen Lan shouted.

Just then, a messenger rushed in. "Great Leader, an envoy from Jiangting is here!"

Chen Lan’s brows knit together, his eyes flashing with lethal intent. "Who?"

The messenger trembled. "It is... Jiangting!"

Chen Lan slammed the table. "That brat Li Miao! Does he think he can humiliate me?"

In Jiangting, when Li Miao saw his envoy return—especially when he saw that the man’s ear had been severed—he let out a roar of rage!

"Chen Lan!" Li Miao’s eyes narrowed, burning with fury. As a hot-blooded young man, he could not hide his indignation. The severed ear and the message delivered by the envoy were a blatant declaration of Chen Lan’s arrogance—a total disregard and contempt for him!

"I will kill that scoundrel!" Li Yin and Yang Hong were also livid. To them, this was a slap in the face of the entire state of Zhong!

A group of bandits attacking a state—and doing so openly, refusing all calls for peace, determined to fight to the death!