Xiang Yu's eyes widened suddenly, his golden pupils magnified to their maximum, and he roared, "Old ghost Yu Ji, get out of here!!!"
In an instant, the room temperature returned to normal.
Yu Ji, that old devil, is gone!
Chapter 592 Death
According to historical records, Yu Ji, whether or not he was a true immortal, died unjustly, so it's not surprising that he turned into an evil ghost.
However, in such a magic-free plane, the power of demons is greatly weakened, to the point that they are almost unworthy of the name "demon".
Therefore, if Yu Ji wanted to take revenge, he could only wait until Sun Ce was at his weakest, and then indirectly harm him through methods such as frightening and luring.
Yu Ji successfully provoked Sun Ce, causing his wound to rupture and turning his serious injury into an incurable one.
Victory was in sight, but then they encountered Xiang Yu, who had interfered in their plans.
Not only did he revive Sun Ce with divine blood, but he also roared so loudly that Yu Ji's ghost was utterly annihilated.
Sun Ce was stunned. After a long while, he finally came to his senses and hurriedly knelt down before Xiang Yu, saying, "This disciple thanks Master for saving my life!"
"Now that you have become my disciple, I will naturally not stand by and watch you die. Now that you have survived your ordeal, what are your plans next?" Xiang Yu asked.
"Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are locked in a fierce battle, and now is the perfect opportunity to attack Xuchang and seize Emperor Xian of Han!" Sun Ce's fighting spirit was rekindled, however...
"Why welcome him? Do you want to be like Cao Cao, using the emperor to command the feudal lords? Or do you want to be a loyal subject of the Han dynasty?" Xiang Yu looked at Sun Ce with disdain, his eyes full of contempt.
"Uh, isn't it good?" Sun Ce could tell from Xiang Yu's expression that he didn't quite agree with either of these things. Sun Ce, a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, didn't think that way, but he really wanted to learn from Cao Cao and hold the emperor hostage.
“If you truly have the ambition to unify the world, you will have to deal with that emperor sooner or later if you don’t get rid of him now. You will never be a loyal minister in the end, so why bother with this pretense?”
Furthermore, can holding the emperor hostage really command the feudal lords? It's just a seemingly reasonable excuse to send troops. Who in the world doesn't know that the emperor has become a puppet?
Does having a legitimate pretext for military action guarantee victory? Does the absence of an emperor mean a legitimate pretext is impossible? Does the lack of a pretext preclude the dispatch of troops?
Ultimately, the struggle for supremacy depends on one's own strength. Regardless of the strategies, tactics, or schemes employed, the outcome ultimately comes down to the battlefield. The one with the strongest army and the most powerful forces prevails in sweeping away the chaos and establishing peace!
Sun Ce nodded repeatedly, "Master is absolutely right. What should I do next? Please enlighten me, Master."
Xiang Yu thought for a moment, "Let's take advantage of this opportunity to first solidify Jiangdong into a unified force, then send troops to destroy Liu Biao, then Shi Xie, and after securing the three kingdoms, we can then take over Ba and Shu. By then, the outcome in the north should have been decided, whether it's Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, or Yuan Tan, we can simply annihilate them all!"
Sun Ce's breathing became much heavier after hearing this; he was truly filled with passionate fervor.
Xiang Yu has shown him the right path!
Sun Ce had only recently unified Jiangdong, and the local gentry, commoners, and guests still harbored rebellious intentions. It was no exaggeration to say that the region was not a monolithic entity, but rather a place rife with undercurrents.
Sun Quan is still young and lacks prestige. Without Sun Ce to deter him, those with ulterior motives will surely rebel.
The fact that Sun Ce was attacked by assassins during the hunt suggests that someone was secretly helping the assassins; otherwise, how could they have so easily encountered the lone Sun Ce?
Han Dang has been investigating this matter, but there are still no leads. However, as soon as Sun Ce dies, those people will quickly come forward.
Now, all the ministers know that Sun Ce is seriously ill and will not live much longer. With a little disguise, we can deceive those people, lure them out, eliminate their poison, and solve the hidden danger in Jiangdong in one fell swoop.
Then, as Xiang Yu said, we can eliminate Liu Biao, Shi Xie, Liu Zhang and others one by one, and after possessing half of the country, we can then compete with the north for supremacy.
As for why he attacked the south first instead of the north, and why the world would eventually be divided between the east and the west, Sun Ce understood.
Southerners going to the north will definitely suffer from acclimatization problems, and the forces of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in the north are powerful and unlikely to be destroyed in a short time. The longer it goes on, the more problems will arise, and it may even drag down Jiangdong.
Moreover, if the unification of the south is swift enough, the north might still be undecided after the south is secured, and the unification of the world will be just around the corner.
“Master, I understand!” Sun Ce said, then lay back down on the couch. “I’ll trouble you to call my brother Sun Quan. If this matter is to succeed, we need his help to cover it up.”
“Alright.” Xiang Yu walked to the door. “Where is Sun Zhongmou? Bo Fu is looking for you.”
"I'm here." Accompanied by Han Dang, Sun Quan walked over quickly. Even though Xiang Yu didn't call him, he couldn't contain himself any longer.
Previously, Sun Ce wanted to speak with Xiang Yu alone. If even Sun Ce's own brother, Sun Quan, was not qualified to listen in, then who among the remaining people could?
Therefore, no one was eavesdropping near the door, and even the guards had left.
But then everyone heard Xiang Yu's angry roar, and they could no longer remain calm.
Although Sun Ce was a dying man and Xiang Yu had once saved his life, so he wouldn't harm Sun Ce, Sun Quan and others couldn't help but worry about this unexpected situation.
"My benefactor, what just happened?" Sun Quan asked.
“That evil spirit named Yu Ji came to bother Bo Fu again, but I shouted at him and drove him away. I suppose he won’t dare to come back.” Xiang Yu stopped Han Dang. “Bo Fu only saw Zhongmou.”
“Lord Yi is guarding this place.” Sun Quan said, then went into the room.
Shortly afterward, a heart-wrenching cry came from the room.
Everyone knew that Sun Ce had passed away in April of the fifth year of Jian'an, and the whole country mourned.
Zhou Yu, Taishi Ci, and other generals who were away arrived one after another. After attending Sun Ce's funeral, Xiang Yu bid farewell to Sun Quan and others and left Jiangdong. Everyone tried their best to persuade him to stay, but to no avail.
Those scheming people in Jiangdong are not fools; they wouldn't have started a rebellion without a certain degree of certainty.
At the very least, they would wait until Zhou Yu, Taishi Ci, and others returned to their own defense zones before taking action, and then swiftly crush Sun Quan and his men.
There is another variable involved, namely Xiang Yu, a formidable figure who could easily defeat Han Dang.
As long as Xiang Yu did not leave Sun Quan, those people would not dare to cause trouble easily.
Therefore, it was inevitable for Xiang Yu to leave Jiangdong, and it was impossible for him to go and assist Sun Quan.
As for the situation in Jiangdong, Xiang Yu wasn't too worried.
After Sun Ce died in history, those people bullied Sun Quan because he was young, and even some people within the Sun family wanted to take his place.
In the end, with the help of Zhang Zhao, Zhou Yu and others, Sun Quan stabilized the situation in Jiangdong and demonstrated the qualities of a great ruler.
Now that we have Sun Ce as a hidden strategist, dealing with those villains will only be faster and easier.
Of course, the world is different from what is recorded in history, and there may be other variables in Jiangdong.
Xiang Yu disregarded these matters for the time being. Now that he had identified Yuan Tan as the prime suspect, he decided to kill him as soon as possible, as the feeling of being unable to control magic was truly unpleasant.
However, before going to Qingzhou, Xiang Yu wanted to visit another place.
The strategic decisive battle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao has begun.
Target: White Horse!
Chapter 593 Yun Chang
Some people only see the glory of the strong in front of others, but they don't know how much hard work they put in behind the scenes.
As soon as the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, diligent individuals rose to practice martial arts.
This man was nine feet tall, with a magnificent beard that cascaded down his back.
Her face was like a red date, and her lips were like painted rouge.
Phoenix eyes and silkworm eyebrows.
He was indeed handsome and imposing.
This is Guan Yu, the Martial Saint revered by later generations, also known as Lord Guan, Guan Changsheng, and Guan Yunchang!
Waaaaah...
At this moment, Guan Yu wielded his Green Dragon Crescent Blade with incredible speed and precision, exuding unparalleled power.
Bang!
Whoosh!
The final strike, a powerful split that cleaved a mountain in two, created a crack over ten feet long in the ground.
Guan Yu remained in that position, turned to look at a general behind him, and asked in surprise, "Why is Wen Yuan here?"
During the Three Kingdoms period, the one whose courtesy name was Wenyuan was none other than Zhang Liao, a famous general of that time.
When Lü Bu was defeated and rescued by Yuan Tan, Yuan Tan extended an olive branch to Zhang Liao, and Cao Cao also expressed his intention to recruit him.
Zhang Liao ultimately chose Yuan Tan over Cao Cao, thus becoming colleagues with Lü Bu once again.
However, this time Zhang Liao and Lü Bu were not subordinate to each other; both were generals under Yuan Tan.
Later, the incident of the imperial edict in the belt came to light, and Cao Cao, in a fit of rage, personally led an eastern expedition against Liu Bei, defeating Liu Bei and capturing Guan Yu alive.
Historically, Liu Bei first went to Qingzhou to join Yuan Tan in gathering defeated troops, and then surrendered to Yuan Shao.
However, in this world, the relationship between Yuan Tan and Yuan Shao has soured, making it difficult to get to Yuan Shao through Yuan Tan.
Moreover, Liu Bei's former nemesis Lü Bu was also in Yuan Tan's army, so going to Yuan Tan's place would be somewhat unsafe, since Liu Bei's relationship with Yuan Tan was limited to recommending him as a talented scholar.
Therefore, Liu Bei wanted to detour to seek refuge with Yuan Shao, but he happened to encounter Yuan Tan's army that came to meet him.
Left with no other choice, Liu Bei led his remaining troops to follow Yuan Tan to Qingzhou.
Fortunately, Lü Bu did not do anything detrimental to Liu Bei, and his temperament also changed somewhat, becoming much more restrained.
After capturing Guan Yu, Cao Cao not only did not kill him, but also treated him with courtesy, hoping to win Guan Yu over and recruit him into his ranks.
But Guan Yu refused and made a deal with Cao Cao that he would repay the favor before leaving Cao Cao to find Liu Bei.
To be honest, Guan Yu was quite surprised when Zhang Liao came to Cao Cao's army to find him at this time.
Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were at war, and Yuan Tan was Yuan Shao's eldest son; they should have been enemies.
Putting all that aside, Guan Yu was naturally in a good mood to see an old friend. After calming himself down, he sheathed his sword and greeted his fellow townsman and close friend Zhang Liao with a smile.
Because Liu Bei was forced to constantly change allies in the early stages of the Three Kingdoms period, his network of relationships became quite complex, with many examples of allies turning into enemies and enemies turning into allies, making it very confusing.
Guan Yu and Zhang Liao were both enemies and comrades-in-arms. They were similar in temperament, appearance and ability, and they also happened to be from the same hometown, so their friendship was very deep.
Later, at Huarong Pass, Guan Yu spared Cao Cao's life, partly to repay Cao Cao's kindness, but also somewhat related to Zhang Liao.
"Haha, Brother Yun, your martial arts have improved a lot again. I admire you." Zhang Liao clapped his hands and laughed. "I came here on the orders of my lord to assist Cao Sikong. Now I can fight alongside you again."
Guan Yu looked at him strangely. "Aren't you under Yuan Tan's command? Does Yuan Tan really intend to help outsiders attack his father?"
Zhang Liao snorted coldly, "Yuan Shao has gone too far in bullying my lord. He and his son have long been a figurehead. Oh right, not even in name. Didn't Yuan Shao already give my lord away to someone else?"
Guan Yu shook his head and sighed, "Brothers turn against each other, fathers and sons kill each other, the Yuan family is truly... There are many heroes in the world, why does Wen Yuan insist on serving Yuan Tan as his master?"