Chapter 172: Begging for peace with Liu Bei? I would rather be a son! The revenge of killing my son, the humiliation of the dead, drag him down with me!
Sun Ce's eyes lit up.

He was just furious, annoyed by the unsolvable dilemma, and then two counselors rushed to offer suggestions. It was like someone handing him a pillow when he was sleepy.

"Zi Jing, Zi Bu, do you have any good ideas to break the impasse?"

Sun Ce was greatly encouraged and sat up straight suddenly.

Lu Su took a deep breath and clasped his hands, saying:

"Our army suffered heavy losses in the two battles of Eshan and Chaisang, and the Jiang army has no more troops to deploy."

"Liu Bei has 50,000 soldiers under his command, and Taishi Ci is supporting him. Given his current strength, we are no match for him whether we fight him head-on or defend ourselves without fighting."

"I think that only by asking for peace with Liu Bei can we prevent Liu Bei from continuing to attack Jiangdong, and my lord can preserve the foundation of Jiangdong!"

Please and!

As soon as these two words were uttered, the hall immediately exploded and all the generals were shocked.

Sun Ce's face also changed color, and the surprise and expectation on his face instantly turned into shock, anger and astonishment.

I originally thought that Lu Su would have some brilliant ideas, but it turns out that he wanted him to ask Liu Bei for peace!

"Snapped!"

Sun Ce slammed the table and said angrily:

"Lu Zijing, what kind of stupid idea is this? You actually want me to ask for peace with that big-eared thief and let me be humiliated by him?"

The other generals also expressed their dissatisfaction.

The son of Sun Jian, the little overlord of Jiangdong, is so powerful and arrogant.

Now Lu Su asked him to lower his proud head and shamelessly ask for surrender to Liu Bei as a defeated general?

It would be better to just kill him!

"He who can bend and stretch can be called a real man."

"If Gou Jian had not slept on firewood and tasted gall, how could he have restored his country and achieved hegemony later?"

"My lord is a great leader of the time. If you can endure the humiliation and preserve the foundation of Jiangdong, you may be able to regroup and regain your prestige in the future like Gou Jian did."

"I beg you to put Jiangdong and the Sun family's foundation first, and not be burdened by false reputation."

Lu Su cited the example of Gou Jian and gave Sun Ce some earnest advice.

However, Sun Ce did not hear a word he said. Instead, he became more and more angry the more he listened, and his face was full of anger.

"Enough, enough!"

"I, Sun Ce, am the Overlord. I don't even bother to be like Gou Jian!"

"The big-eared thief has humiliated me time and again, and even killed two of my Sun family's veteran generals. If I, Sun Ce, bow down to him and ask for peace, where will my dignity be?"

"All the soldiers in the army, who is willing to obey me?"

"It is absolutely impossible to beg Liu Bei for peace. It is impossible in this lifetime!"

Sun Ce clapped his hands repeatedly and rejected Lu Su's suggestion decisively.

After being retorted, Lu Su could only shake his head and sigh, not daring to say anything more.

"Zi Jing, this plan is really a stupid move!"

Sun Ce turned his gaze towards Zhang Zhao, hope reappearing in his eyes:

"Zi Jing's plan is not feasible. Zi Bu, do you have any good plan?"

At this time, Sun Ce placed his hopes on Zhang Zhao again.

Everyone's attention was focused on this highly respected and famous official who was regarded as the top civil official by Sun Ce.

Zhang Zhao coughed a few times, clasped his hands and said seriously:

"Liu Bei is just a weaver and shoe seller, and he has countless blood debts to pay to Jiangdong. My lord, naturally, you cannot ask for peace with him."

"Zhao's plan is, why don't you surrender to Yuan Shu again and lure Yuan's army south to deal with Liu Bei?"

There was another uproar in the mansion hall.

However, the uproar this time was obviously much weaker than before.

After all, it was only less than a year since Sun Ce announced his break with Yuan Shu.

Before this, Sun Ce was nominally a subject of Yuan Shu, and the generals who followed Sun Ce could also be considered as Yuan Shu's subordinates.

They followed Sun Ce to surrender to Yuan Shu, and in name they could be said to have returned to their former master, which was much more honorable than begging for surrender from Liu Bei.

Naturally, the resistance among the generals was not that strong.

Even Sun Ce showed disappointment at Zhang Zhao's plan, but his reaction was obviously not as strong as that to Lu Su just now.

"Zi Bu, your so-called clever plan is to make me admit my mistakes to Yuan Shu and submit to him again?"

Sun Ce looked at Zhang Zhao with disappointment.

However, he used the words "bow your head and admit your mistakes" in his words, which sounded like a child who had done something wrong and was submissive to an adult.

Zhang Zhao naturally understood the meaning behind this.

"Yuan Shu has always treated his lord like a son, and he has also been very kind to the Sun family. In the counties under his rule, there are many governors of the Sun family."

"The Lord had previously broken with Yuan Shu. First, Yuan Shu's usurpation of the throne was indeed unrighteous. Second, Cao Cao used the name of the court to instigate the Lord to rebel against Yuan."

"Now that Cao Cao has taken Xuzhou, he has turned around and surrounded Ye County, ignoring Yuan Shu's usurpation and the prestige of the Han court. My lord, why should you worry?"

"What's more, the lord only surrendered to Yuan Shu in name, but in reality he still holds Jiangdong. He is just trying to lure Yuan Shu to send his troops south so that we can attack from both north and south to fight against Liu Bei."

"After defeating Liu Bei, it won't be too late for you to make a long-term plan on how to deal with Yuan Shu!"

Zhang Zhao was both a subject and an elder, and he knew best that Sun Ce was a child who cared about his reputation. This piece of advice and analysis naturally gave Sun Ce enough room to step aside.

Sun Ce pondered for a while and sighed:

"Even if I use Zi Bu's plan, I'm afraid Yuan Shu will hate me for rebelling against him and won't help me."

This meant that Sun Ce had already relaxed and was willing to accept Zhang Zhao's advice.

Zhang Zhao was secretly delighted and said hurriedly:

"Yuan Shu lost a large area of ​​Yuzhou including Runan, Chen and Liang. After Lu Bu's defeat, he also lost Xuzhou. His strength has been greatly damaged."

"If you surrender, it will mean that Yuan Shu will regain Jiangdong and his power will increase greatly. How can Yuan Shu not be happy?"

Changing the subject, Zhang Zhao continued:

"Moreover, as far as I know, when Liu Bei was defeated and fled from Xuzhou to Runan, he passed through Xutai and killed Yuan Shu's son Yuan Yao."

"This hatred of killing my son is irreconcilable. How can Yuan Shu not take revenge?"

"Furthermore, if Liu Bei took over Jiangdong, Yuan Shu would be caught in a dilemma of being attacked from both sides. How could he not know the truth that the lips and teeth are cold when they are gone?"

After some analysis, Zhang Zhao said with certainty: "I believe that as long as the lord is willing to openly submit to Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu will definitely put aside past grudges and send troops to rescue us!"

Zhang Zhao's words dispelled all of Sun Ce's worries.

He jumped up, paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, and was caught in a dilemma.

After a long time.

Sun Ce took a deep breath and waved his hand reluctantly:
"Well, I will follow Zi Bu's advice. I will endure the humiliation and surrender to Yuan Shu again, and use his hand to help me deal with the big-eared thief!"

Zhang Zhao felt relieved.

...

Chaisang City, Qiao Mansion.

Accompanied by Xiao Fang, Liu Bei stepped into the mansion.

Qiao Xuan was once one of the Three Dukes of the Court, highly respected and virtuous. He also spoke up for justice in the court and was admired by people all over the world.

After arriving at Chaisang City, Liu Bei learned from Zhuge Liang that Qiao Xuan had been captured by Sun Ce and brought to Chaisang City, so he went to visit him in person.

"I greet Envoy Liu~~"

After entering the main hall, the one who greeted Liu Bei and his party was not Qiao Xuan but a gentle girl.

"This girl is..."

Liu Bei looked doubtful.

The girl bowed and replied:

"My name is Qiao Shuang. My father is ill and cannot come to greet you personally. Please forgive me, Lord Liu."

Only then did Liu Bei realize that the woman in front of him was Qiao Xuan's daughter.

But when he heard that Qiao Xuan was bedridden, he was shocked and asked what was going on.

When Xiao Qiao mentioned this, hatred suddenly appeared on his face.

"My father took me back to my hometown, but he didn't expect that after Sun Ce conquered Wan County, he wanted to give me to Zhou Yu."

"My father refused to obey and angrily rebuked Sun Ce for his tyranny. Sun Ce was furious and verbally abused my father on the spot. He even sent soldiers to forcibly send my father and me to Chaisang to be given to Zhou Yu."

"My father couldn't bear the humiliation and fell ill out of anger. Now he is dying. I'm afraid..."

When Xiao Qiao talked about her sad moments, tears welled up in her eyes and she felt full of grievance.

Liu Bei suddenly realized that the highly respected Mr. Qiao had been bullied by Sun Ce to the point of falling ill and dying.

"When Mr. Qiao was one of the Three Dukes, he always spoke out for justice in the court, and people all over the world admired his upright character."

"Sun Ce actually used force to humiliate Mr. Qiao. Really, really..."

Old Liu could no longer find the right words to describe what Sun Ce had done.

Xiao Fang was not surprised and sneered:
"The Sun family is of the same lineage, and they only believe in the fists in their hands. They will kill anyone who doesn't obey them."

"The way Sun Ce treated Mr. Qiao is not surprising."

Liu Bei seemed to understand something, and suddenly remembered something, and said hurriedly:

"Jinglue, you have the ability to bring people back to health. Since Mr. Qiao is seriously ill, why don't you help him?"

This statement came out.

Xiao Qiao was startled, and a hint of surprise suddenly welled up in her tearful eyes. She quickly looked at the young and handsome scholar beside Liu Bei.

"When my father was in Shouchun, he often mentioned that Liu Xuande had found a man with extraordinary foresight named Xiao Fang and Xiao Jinglue, who was said to have the ability to rule the world."

"This envoy Liu called him Jinglue. Could it be that the strange man father mentioned is this person?"

"But he is just a counselor, how could he have the magic to bring people back to health?"

Xiao Qiao looked Xiao Fang up and down, her mind full of thoughts, her surprise mixed with a bit of doubt.

Since Old Liu had spoken, Xiao Fang naturally couldn't just sit there and watch, so he looked at Xiao Qiao:

"I don't dare to use the miraculous healing technique, but I know a little bit about medicine, so I can try my best."

"Miss Qiao, if you trust me, please lead the way."

Xiao Qiao suddenly came back to her senses, hurriedly thanked him, put aside her guesses, and led Xiao Fang into the inner room.

In the inner room.

An old man with white hair and beard was sleeping on the couch. His face was pale and haggard, his breathing was as heavy as a mountain, and his body was as thin as a stick.

Looking at this state, even someone who doesn't know medicine would know that the patient is seriously ill and dying.

Xiao Fang took a deep breath and began to examine Qiao Xuan.

Xiao Qiao stood beside him, her face full of anxiety, waiting for Xiao Fang's diagnosis results.

I don't know how long it took.

Xiao Fang let out a long sigh, covered Qiao Xuan with the quilt again, and lowered the gauze curtain.

"Military Advisor Xiao, how is my father's condition? Can he be saved?"

Xiao Qiao asked impatiently as she served him a cup of tea.

Xiao Fang took a sip of tea to relieve his fatigue, but sighed:
"If it were a young person, this disease could be cured."

"It's just that your father is already old. Even if I use all my strength, I can only extend your life by a few years at most."

"At least half a year, at most one or two years. As for how long it can last, it depends on your father's luck."

After hearing this, Xiao Qiao's anxiety on her face instantly turned into joy.

The doctors previously said that Qiao Xuan was terminally ill and would not survive more than this month.

Now that Xiao Fang has taken action, he can at least allow Qiao Xuan to live another half a year, or even one or two years.

This is already a great blessing, how could Xiao Qiao not be extremely surprised.

"If Military Advisor Xiao can extend my father's life by a year or two, it will be a great blessing for my father!"

"Shuang'er has no way to repay such great kindness. Please accept my greetings~~"

Xiao Qiao was overjoyed and extremely grateful to Xiao Fang, and she bowed to him immediately.

"It's just a small favor. Miss Qiao, there's no need to do such a big favor."

Without waiting for her to kneel down, Xiao Fang stretched out his hand and gently supported her arm.

It was just a casual support for him, but Xiao Qiao's body trembled slightly and her face turned slightly red.

(End of this chapter)