Chapter 299: Occupy Jiangdong, the Tiger Girl of the Sun Family On April 25th of the fourth year of Jian'an, Liu Bei led his army to Wu County, Sun Ce's old nest. At this point, the Battle of Jiangdong was declared over. With the collective surrender of the Sun family, on April 29th, Liu Ye personally went to Shangyu to persuade Xu Kun to surrender. After hearing the news that Sun Ce was dead, Xu Kun burst into tears and was heartbroken. But no matter how sad he was, he was only Sun Ce's cousin and had no right to make decisions. So the next day he led his troops to surrender to Liu Ye, and the entire Jiangdong was officially brought into Liu Bei's hands. Until this moment, Liu Bei finally ushered in a new stage in his life. He had a population of over six million and a total military force of over 300,000. The Han Dynasty had a total of thirteen states and one hundred and five counties, and Liu Bei alone occupied thirteen counties. Together with Runan, Chen State and other places that were not completely occupied, there were a total of fifteen counties. This kind of strength naturally transcends the ranks of ordinary princes and reaches the level where he can compete with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

Therefore, after obtaining Wu County, Liu Bei was overjoyed and personally came to the mansion to summon all the ministers under Sun Ce. Among them were Zhang Zhao, Sun Jing, Wu Jing, Zhu Zhi, Yu Fan and other old ministers. Among these people, one is an old acquaintance of Qin Zhen, that is his senior brother Gu Yong! Although the two were brothers in the same school, when Gu Yong saw Qin Zhen, he still bowed respectfully and called him "Your Majesty". Qin Zhen saw this and quickly waved his hand, pulled Gu Yong up affectionately and said with a smile: "It has been nearly ten years since we parted in Wudi!" "Though the youth has grown old, the love of the past remains unchanged!" "Now that we meet again, how can we discuss this based on official positions and titles? Please don't be so distant." In fact, Qin Zhen's relationship with Gu Yong is not as good as that with the others, because Gu Yong is a man of very few words. Qin Zhen was a person who liked to make friends by nature, so the two of them rarely communicated while they were studying. But after all, they were taught by the same master, and they hadn't seen each other for ten years, so Qin Zhen was still very happy. Seeing how friendly he was, Gu Yong smiled, which was rare for him, and said: "I haven't seen Lord Zixuan for many years, and you are still so open-minded!" "No wonder Cai praised Zixuan so much in the past." He was no longer tense and started a detailed conversation with Qin Zhen. The socializing of middle-aged men is nothing more than talking about small family problems. As they were talking to each other, they pulled Wang Can over, and the three brothers started chatting. Although Zhuge Liang was the one who passed it on, he found it difficult to participate and just stayed aside. Liu Bei was most interested in Zhang Zhao. When he saw Zhang Zhao, he smiled and said:

"When I was in Xuzhou, I didn't get to see Mr. Zhang." "Today I have met Mr. Zhang, and my lifelong wish has come true!" Zhang Zhao was only five years older than Liu Bei, but he looked much older than Liu Bei. Seeing Liu Bei addressing him as Zhang Gong, Zhang Zhao quickly shook his head and said: "You are a respected person, how dare I address you as such? I feel ashamed of you!" "I heard that you were promised the position of conqueror by the imperial court, and I wanted to dissuade Bofu from resisting." "But none of my subordinates, civil or military officials, agreed, and this is how it has come to this!" "Now that you have entered Wu County, I wonder how you plan to stabilize the situation in Jiangdong?" He was not bragging. In fact, Zhang Zhao had always been against Sun Ce's resistance to Liu Bei. Because Liu Bei was different from Yuan Shu, he was recognized by the imperial court. Although you, Sun Ce, have been conferred a title by the imperial court, your righteousness has been suppressed by Liu Bei, and you will surely be defeated sooner or later. He tried to persuade Sun Ce in this way, but Sun Ce did not respond and instead left him behind to handle various affairs. So when Zhang Zhao asked this question now, he was naturally full of confidence. When Liu Bei saw this, he immediately shook his head and stroked Zhang Zhao's hand, saying: "I have just arrived here and am not familiar with the affairs of Jiangdong. I have no idea how to govern. I wonder if Mr. Zhang has any advice for me?" Zhang Zhao heard this, stroked his beard for a moment, and then suggested to Lao Liu: "If we talk about the strategy for governing Jiangdong, it is nothing more than to keep the people safe and govern the country, and to defend the Shanyue in the south!" "I know that you have been entrusted with an important task by the Emperor, and you will not stay here for long." "There are many wars in the Central Plains right now, and many refugees are migrating south, and many of them have been annexed by the nobles." "I have spoken to Bo Fu many times before, but the war is still unresolved and cannot be stopped." "Now that there is no more foreign interference, we should quickly register the people here and resume production!" "So we must leave a person who is good at politics and military affairs here to take charge, so that we can achieve great stability." "Besides that, although the Sun family was at fault, the culprit has been removed." "In the past, Bofu killed too many people here. Now he has lost his power and it is difficult for him to stay here." "When you leave, take them to Shouchun and settle down there. Once the situation in Jiangdong stabilizes, you won't have to worry anymore!" After hearing what Zhang Zhao said, Liu Bei couldn't help but nodded secretly, thinking that although Zhang Zhao was an important minister of Sun Ce, his words were still very pertinent! The Eastern Wu nobles were seriously involved in land annexation, and there were also Shanyue people here, so they really needed a capable person to guard the area. Besides, the Sun family has its roots here, so he naturally cannot continue to keep the Sun family here. Although Zhang Zhao's words were a plea for Sun, they were not too excessive. After thinking for a moment, Liu Bei smiled at Zhang Zhao and said: "Zi Bu is indeed a wise man for the country. I will take this into consideration." "I heard that Sun Lang has several sisters. I wonder who is in charge now. Can you invite them to meet?" Seeing that Liu Bei agreed, Zhang Zhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said hurriedly: "The eldest son is General Xian, and the second son Quan is eighteen years old this year and is quite smart."

"If the general wishes to see him, I will have someone invite him here!" As he said this, he hurriedly asked someone to bring Sun Quan to Liu Bei. As soon as Sun Quan arrived in the hall, he bowed respectfully to Liu Bei and said: "Young man Sun Quan, I am here to meet the General Zhengdong!" Liu Bei looked at Sun Quan's purple hair and blue eyes, and wondered: "Are you also good at riding, shooting, and bows?" Sun Quan felt his heart tremble when facing Lao Liu's question. It was true that he liked hunting, but his martial arts were not very good. When Old Liu asked this question, did he think that he was just like his brother and was afraid of him? After hesitating for a moment, he quickly shook his head and said: "Although I have studied for a few years, I am not as good as my brother." "I have been learning how to govern the people since I was fifteen, so I am quite capable in military affairs!" Liu Bei just asked casually, and was stunned when he heard his words. When it comes to Liu Bei's way of judging people, he observes their words and actions. Simply put, if your words and actions are more reasonable, Lao Liu won't think too much about it. But if your reaction is beyond common sense, Liu Bei will observe further. And Sun Quan's answer now can be said to be a bit of a one-shot deal. Liu Bei thought to himself, I just saw that you have long hands and a good figure, so I asked you if you are a good archer. Do you need to emphasize that you are not good at military affairs or martial arts? This person has a complicated mind and is cautious and careful, making it difficult for him to be a subordinate to him! After only the first meeting, Liu Bei made a judgment about Sun Quan. But he understood in his heart, but still said kindly: "Riding and archery are the six arts of a gentleman. They are only for strengthening the body. You should practice them often and never let them become unfamiliar." "To be honest, I think Sun Lang is my nephew, and I don't want Sun Lang to die!" "To see Zhongmou like this is like seeing Sun Lang reborn. My heart is very happy." "Just now, Zibu said that it is difficult for the Sun family to live here. I want to move the Sun family north to Shouchun. I wonder what Zhongmou thinks?" When Sun Quan heard that Liu Bei was going to take them to Shouchun, his expression darkened. If possible, who would be willing to leave their homeland and hometown? But since Lao Liu had said so, he couldn't refute it, so he could only force a smile and say: "My brother made a serious mistake. General, you can forgive me. I am very grateful." "As for the matter of relocation, it is up to the general to arrange it. The Sun family will have no objection!" Seeing that he was so sensible, Liu Bei nodded again. But at this moment, he suddenly heard a commotion in the back hall, and a rather childish voice rang out: "Don't try to stop me. I want to meet old Liu Bei and ask him to return my brother's life!"

When this voice was heard, everyone who was talking in the hall was startled. Sun Quan's face darkened, and Zhang Fei suddenly stood up and shouted: "Whoever is in the back hall now, if you want revenge, let her come!" As soon as he stood up, everyone's faces changed, except Liu Bei, who frowned and shouted at Zhang Fei: "Third brother, please don't be rude. I heard that this voice is not very old, maybe it is Sun Lang's sister." "You are already thirty years old, why would you be upset with a child?" Upon hearing this, Sun Quan knelt down on the ground with a thud and said in a trembling voice: "General, this sound is most likely from my younger sister." "Because my father died early, there was no one to discipline me, and my brother indulged me. Now that I am only thirteen, I have become quite spoiled!" "Wait for the boy to go and rebuke this girl and persuade her to go back." "I hope you won't be offended by my rude behavior!" When Liu Bei heard this, he laughed and looked around at everyone and said: "To be honest, I have never met Sun Polu, but I know that General Polu has a strong character." "When I met Sun Lang later, I said, 'A tiger father will have a dog son.'" "I didn't expect there would be a tiger girl here. It's really rare!" As he spoke, he stood up, helped Sun Quan up, and said soothingly: "The Sun family has such a tiger girl, it is a blessing for Sun Polu!" "But when children are young, they should be well educated and not allowed to go astray." "Although this woman's words are reckless, I don't blame her!" "Now that Sun Lang is gone, Zhongmou should be the elder brother. This girl doesn't know the details, so Zhongmou should explain it well and don't be too harsh!" "Go and comfort my little sister. There's no need to say more here!" Seeing Liu Bei like this, Sun Quan suddenly felt that this man was as cunning as the sea, but he acted kindly, which was truly unprecedented in his life. When people saw how magnanimous Liu Bei was, most of them secretly praised his virtue. After all, Sun Ren was Liu Bei's son. If he were any other prince, it would not be excessive to chop Sun Ren off on the spot. But Liu Bei not only did not blame him, he also advised Sun Quan not to blame him too much. This style of behavior is completely different from Sun Ce's. Now that they have the assistance of such a lord, isn't it a blessing for them? Suddenly, everyone became more convinced and no longer felt nervous. However, after Sun Ren made such a fuss, Liu Bei no longer had the heart to meet with everyone. He thought that this county government was the residence of Sun Ce's family, and it was inappropriate for him to be here. So he simply advised everyone to change the place and meet again in the government office. That night, Liu Bei held another grand banquet and drank in person with Wu Jing, Sun Jing and others.

He also invited Sun Ben, Sun Fu, Sun Hao and others to gather together. The generals originally had some reservations about joining Liu Bei, but seeing how friendly Liu Bei was, they all put aside their reservations. This went on until the end of the banquet, when Liu Bei, as usual, pulled Qin Zhen aside for a night talk. The two talked about today's events, and Liu Bei sighed to Qin Zhen: "Before entering Wu County, I felt that the Sun family was lucky to have Sun Bofu." "Now that I have met Sun Zhongmou, I know how lucky Sun Wentai is!" "The eldest son is both wise and brave, he can be a general, and the second son is also a great man." "If the Sun family had not lost power, even with the death of Sun Bofu alone, it would have been difficult to conquer Jiangdong!" Liu Bei certainly won over a group of people during this meeting today, but after meeting Sun Quan, he felt lonely again. After all, it is commendable enough that Sun Jian has a good son like Sun Ce. Unexpectedly, the second son, Sun Quan, is also a smart person. But after struggling for more than ten years, Old Liu still has no qualified successor. If Sun Ce died, Sun Quan would succeed him. If he died, who would succeed him? Seeing Lao Liu's envious expression, Qin Zhen smiled and said: "This is destined, so don't force it. Both of Sun Jian's sons are good, but neither of them can accomplish anything great!" "Although you only have one son, Baitu, his future is uncertain!" "As long as you seek a good teacher and train yourself well, you may become a great person in the future." Liu Bei felt a little relieved when he heard this, and when he heard about the apprenticeship, he couldn't help but say to Qin Zhen: "In this case, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Zixuan to teach my son!" But as soon as he said this, Qin Zhen shook his head and said: "When the time comes for you to learn, I will be too old to teach you." "I think your teacher is someone that Kong Ming can become in the future!" Seeing Qin Zhen decline, Old Liu said no more. After all, with the people under his command, it would not be difficult to find a competent teacher for his son. As Qin Zhen recommended, Zhuge Liang is a good candidate. But when Qin Zhen mentioned this, Liu Bei seemed to remember something and said hurriedly: "Oh, there is one more thing. Zhang Zibu told me today that Jiangdong needs a great military and political talent to take charge." "I have seen that among all the people under my command, only Zixuan can take on this task. What do you think?" (End of this chapter)