After Sun Quan led his troops to conquer Jingzhou, although he was unable to expand his territory to the west, he at least suppressed Liu Biao's arrogance.
Liu Biao and his sons certainly didn't expect this. They always thought that with Sun Ce dead, Jiangdong would be in chaos, and he could take the opportunity to divide up the territory.
Unfortunately, the young Sun Quan was also quite fierce and brave. He led his troops, along with the veteran generals of Jiangdong, such as Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Wu Jing, and Xu Kun, and they fought very fiercely.
And then there was Gan Ning, the one Sun Ce had recruited from the Jingzhou navy years ago; he was also a fierce warrior. Liu Biao, having gained no advantage this time, cowered like a turtle, refusing to fight Sun Quan again.
Sun Quan did not linger in battle. He exchanged blows with Liu Biao, then immediately reorganized his troops and returned to Wu Commandery.
Sun Quan feared instability in the rear.
He already knew of at least two disturbances. The rebellion of Sun Hao from his third uncle's family had been decisively quelled by Zhang Zhao and his sister-in-law.
There was also his cousin, Sun Fu, who was watching from the shadows, ready to rebel at any moment.
Sun Quan returned to Wu Commandery after three to five months of Sun Gao's rebellion.
Wu County has recovered somewhat.
Qiao Jingjing then began to guide everyone in agricultural work, including repairing irrigation canals, brewing wine, and raising silkworms.
Zhang Zhao and some scholars were researching shipbuilding.
Zhu Zhi is leading his men to reinforce the defenses of Wu County.
Overall, Sun Quan was quite satisfied with the state of Wu Commandery.
Upon returning home, in addition to convening Zhang Zhao, Lu Xun, Zhu Zhi, and others for a meeting, he also listened to his sister-in-law talk about farming and family matters.
When Sun Quan was discussing important matters, he solemnly invited his sister-in-law and Zhang Zhao, among others, to join him.
“Sister-in-law, there’s no need to leave. We’d like to hear your opinion on the matter we’re discussing.”
Qiao Jingjing didn't pretend to refuse.
After all, she had a very clear stance on the matter of killing Sun Hao. If Qiao Jingjing had the opportunity to make a decision or offer her opinion on such an important matter, and she chose to back down, then she might be pushed out by those with ulterior motives to take the blame later.
It would be better to solidify one of the decision-makers' roles.
During the meeting, Sun Quan first affirmed Zhang Zhao, Zhu Zhi, and his sister-in-law for their clear-headedness and decisiveness in handling the matter of Sun Hao, and thanked them for protecting Wu Commandery.
"Thank you, sister-in-law. If it weren't for your calm handling of the rebellion, even if Zhongmou had returned alive, he would have had nowhere to stay. His mother, wife, children, and sister would have been prisoners. Thank you, sister-in-law. I humbly request that you accept my deepest thanks!"
Sun Quan came out of genuine gratitude to Qiao Jingjing, and he also intended to elevate her to a very high level.
Because this is Lady Da Qiao, the widow of the late Marquis of Wu.
She is decisive, resilient, and brave.
By establishing a positive image for her, Sun Quan could maintain his hold on Jiangdong under the protection and support of this image, which would only bring him benefits and no harm.
Qiao Jingjing quickly helped Sun Quan up.
"Get up quickly! You are the lord, how can you bow down to me? At that time, the incident happened suddenly, and the defense forces of Wu County were put to a great test."
His mother was elderly, and he had elderly, weak, and women and children at home. Sun Hao knew this was why he made his move. Fortunately, the matter is over, and Sun Hao did not suffer any major losses.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Sun Jing pleaded that all three branches of the family be demoted to commoners and begged you to spare his life!
Sun Quan wanted to discuss with everyone the fate of his third uncle's branch of the family.
"My third uncle demoted the entire family to commoners. I privately thought it was too much. But my third uncle preemptively struck; he wanted to protect the lives of all the children in his third branch, to prevent me from causing trouble first. Zibu and my sister-in-law think that I should agree to my third uncle's petition, or..."
Sun Quan didn't finish his sentence.
Zhang Zhao was also considering the implications of the matter.
Making an example of someone to warn others, or killing a chicken to scare a monkey—these are all strategies.
But if you really encounter one that's not afraid of being killed, you can't just kill its entire flock of chickens.
Qiao Jingjing said, "Whether you're a commoner or a nobleman, you still have to live a good life. A person's mindset determines whether they're happy or not."
If they keep dwelling on the past, whether they are rich or noble, living in hatred, they will never see the light.
If this family repents and turns over a new leaf, and becomes more positive, there is still a way forward for them.
After discussing Sun Hao and Sun Jing, everyone took a sip of tea.
Zhang Zhao had already produced Sun Fu's thick stack of evidence, handing over all of Sun Fu's correspondence with Cao Cao to Sun Quan.
Sun Quan read through the entire stack of letters.
Sun Quan felt a chill run down his spine.
Sun Quan was not angry; instead, he laughed.
He looked at his sister-in-law, a look that is most instinctive and will be revealed in front of someone he trusts deeply.
"Sister-in-law, is Zhongmou really so incapable of shouldering such a great responsibility?"
Qiao Jingjing looked at Sun Quan's expression.
If Sun Hao's direct rebellion after Sun Ce's death was like stabbing Sun Quan in the back, then his cousin Sun Fu's collusion with Cao Cao was like stabbing Sun Quan in the chest.
“Back then, my eldest brother always told my third brother and me, ‘Brothers fight side by side!’ Sister-in-law, you may not know what happened back then, but Zibu knows best. Whether it was Sun Hao, Sun Ben, or Sun Fu, our branch of the family never mistreated them.”
After winning the battle, the eldest brother rewarded them with spoils of war and gave them the opportunity to be promoted and ennobled. The eldest brother, my third brother, and I received the least.
But that's not enough.
"The moment their elder brother died, all they wanted was to divide up everything he left behind?"
Sun Quan spread his hands, pointing to the current chaotic situation in Jiangdong.
Sun Quan was almost driven to tears.
"Sister-in-law, Zibu, if there is only one Sun Hao, then kill him."
Even my own cousin Sun Fu, who has connections and high prestige in Jiangdong, serves as the Prefect of Luling and has troops stationed in Jiaozhou, is willing to rebel against me despite his great power.
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