The scene between Sun Ce and Qiao Jingjing at that time.
This brought tears to Sun Quan's eyes as well.
Although Sun Quan had already been exposed to many important matters in Wu Commandery and Kuaiji under the deliberate guidance of his elder brother Sun Ce, the severity of his brother's injury this time truly left Sun Quan at a loss.
Following the instructions of his elder brother and sister-in-law, Sun Quan first ordered that the news of his elder brother's serious injury be kept secret from the outside world.
They also needed to quickly summon back important figures such as Zhou Yu, Sun Ben, Wu Jing, and Xu Kun.
Sun Quan had a premonition that his elder brother's days were numbered.
Deep brotherly love.
Sun Quan was in great pain, but he dared not show it in front of others.
Even in their own mansions, they had to be careful because walls have ears, lest they let Cao Cao or Liu Biao know.
Although the outside world was kept under tight control, everyone in the upper echelons of Jiangdong Group sensed the shift in the wind.
Everyone whispered among themselves, wondering if Sun Ce had been seriously injured and was about to die.
Sun Ce concurrently held the positions of Governor of Kuaiji, General Who Annihilates Bandits, and Marquis of Wu.
In the end, to whom will Sun Ce pass his position?
This is a problem!
Who will ultimately be in charge of the six counties of Jiangdong? This will determine everyone's future for the next one or two decades.
Zhuge Jin, Yu Fan, Gu Shao, Lu Xun, and others privately speculated:
Sun Ce had a very good relationship with his brothers, and his son Sun Shao was only five or six years old, not yet capable of shouldering such a great responsibility.
It is estimated that the Marquis of Wu will choose one of his many brothers to succeed him.
Of Sun Ce's two biological brothers, only Sun Quan and Sun Yi have achieved success. Of Sun Ce's two illegitimate brothers, Sun Kuang and Sun Lang were both imprisoned for making mistakes a few years ago.
Then there are Sun Ce's cousins, Sun Ben and Sun Fu, who are quite good; one is the Prefect of Yuzhang, and the other is the Prefect of Luling...
Just as everyone was speculating...
Zhang Zhao has already straightforwardly recommended the candidate directly to Sun Ce.
Zhang Zhao believed that Sun Ce's third brother, Sun Yi, was brave and fierce, very much like Sun Ce, and was most adept at conquering cities and seizing territories.
He can inherit Sun Ce's position.
Sun Ce did not give a direct reply to Zhang Zhao's suggestion.
Instead, they waited until Zhou Yu had already rushed back from Baqiu.
Zhou Yu went directly into Sun Ce's study and met Sun Ce.
Zhou Yu was shocked to find that they hadn't seen each other for two years.
He hurriedly asked Sun Ce how he got so badly injured and if he was alright.
Sun Ce simply smiled faintly and brushed it off:
“I was quite badly injured, so I used the excuse of discussing Ah Xiang’s marriage with you to invite you back from Baqiu.”
Everyone was already there by then.
There are special figures like cousin Sun Ben, uncle Wu Jing, and cousin Xu Kun, who hold significant military power, are both relatives and fierce generals. There is also Zhou Yu, a Confucian representative with good character, excellent military skills, and great wisdom. There are also Zhang Zhao, Zhuge Jin, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and so on.
Another thing is that Qiao Jingjing was also by his side.
Sun Ce took the imperial seal from Qiao Jingjing.
Sun Ce handed this heavy imperial seal to his second brother, Sun Quan:
“Zhongmou, your elder brother has fought so many battles and suffered many injuries. This time, his body is really not up to par! Although you are young, you are fortunate to be resourceful and able to make balanced decisions.”
If you were to lead the entire Jiangdong army to contend with Cao Cao and Liu Biao, or to fight for supremacy against the world, you would be no match for me.
However, in appointing the virtuous and capable, and letting everyone do their best to protect our Jiangdong and our entire Sun family, I am not as good as you.
Zhongmou, I'm entrusting everything to you!
From now on, you must take good care of the Sun family, take good care of Mother, and take good care of your sister-in-law, niece, and nephew.
By this point, Sun Ce was already panting heavily.
Sun Quan knelt before his elder brother, tightly grasping his brother's hand, wanting to assure him that he could do well.
but!
Sun Quan would prefer to keep his elder brother alive.
Sun Ce then called over Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao, and then said to Sun Quan:
"The world is vast, chaotic, complex, and ever-changing. In the future, if you encounter difficulties in foreign affairs, consult Zhou Yu; if you encounter difficulties in domestic affairs, consult Zhang Zhao."
Sun Quan finally nodded through his tears.
Sun Ce then called Qiao Jingjing over: "Remember what I told you before! Although Zhongmou is young, he is quite capable, but he loves to drink! You are his sister-in-law, so please give him more guidance and education."
Until I saw Qiao Jingjing nod.
Sun Ce then summoned his brothers and relatives from the Sun family to speak with Zhang Zhao and Zhou Yu:
"The Central Plains are in great chaos. With our troops in Jiangdong and the natural defenses of the three rivers, we can witness the outcome of the battle between the two tigers! You must all assist Zhongmou well."
That night, Sun Ce passed away at the age of 26.
He left behind his widow, Da Qiao, in the prime of her youth, and the great enterprise of Jiangdong flourishing.
It makes one sigh with regret.
At that time, Sun Quan was wearing mourning clothes and kneeling in front of his elder brother Sun Ce's tomb, weeping bitterly.
Madam Wu was so heartbroken that she almost fainted several times from crying.
Lady Da Qiao personally presided over Sun Ce's funeral, while also taking care of her mother-in-law, Lady Wu, and managing the affairs of the inner quarters.
It was Zhang Zhao who stepped forward and immediately called out to Sun Quan, saying, "As the successor appointed by the General Who Annihilates the Bandits, you are to inherit the legacy of your predecessors, make it prosperous and flourish, and establish even greater achievements! Now the world is in turmoil and chaos is rampant. How can you continue to grieve alone and indulge your personal feelings like ordinary people?"
Zhang Zhao personally helped Sun Quan up and mounted his horse.
Together with Zhou Yu, they organized and arranged the formations.
Let Sun Quan leave the gate of the Sun residence to inspect the entire Wu Commandery.
This marked Sun Quan's first authoritative appearance.
At the same time, Zhang Zhao had already submitted a memorial to the imperial court and issued official documents to the various counties under the jurisdiction of the six prefectures of Jiangdong, strictly ordering the local officials of Jiangdong to perform their duties and not to go out without permission.
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