Qiao Jingjing was tied up tightly, but her mouth was not gagged.
The cunning advisor Chen Tian urged Qiao Jingjing to quickly stop Sun Ce.
Qiao Jingjing stubbornly refused to shout.
This directly enraged Chen Tian, who lashed out with his whip, striking Qiao Jingjing, who screamed in pain.
Following the scream, Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, Sun Quan, and Sun Yi all saw a woman hanging from the city wall.
A bright red mark immediately appeared on the woman's face and body.
Sun Ce and Sun Quan were the first to recognize Qiao Jingjing.
Sun Quan reined in his horse.
"Brother, they've taken Miss Qiao hostage, probably to threaten you."
Sun Ce also stopped his horse, raising his Fire-Patterned Overlord Spear high as he looked down at Prefect Lu Kang from the city gate.
Respond with the sound of shaking the city gates.
"What, Prefect Lu's Lujiang City can't be defended anymore, so you're resorting to threatening me with a weak woman?"
Waves of sound came.
In the cold wind, blood dripped from the cuts on Qiao Jingjing's face, the blood congealing in the snow. She was tightly bound by ropes, half-hanging on the city gate tower. The rope swayed precariously in the wind, as if one wrong step would send her plummeting from the tower, which was over ten meters high, to her death.
“Sun Bofu is a man of unparalleled bravery. I underestimated you many years ago! Today, I must say I am ashamed.”
Lu Kang recounted the old story of refusing Sun Ce's visit.
Actually, it was Lu Kang who looked down on Sun Ce, a widow and orphan, because he had no power to rely on.
"Sun Ce, although you have breached the south gate of my Lujiang City, I would like to say that the outcome is still uncertain. Why don't we sit down and have a proper talk? I will return this girl to you, so that you and your lover can be together in the end. You should immediately take your tens of thousands of troops and withdraw from Lujiang City. I will send the 30,000 bushels of grain that Yuan Gonglu requested to him in the next few days. What do you say?"
It was only at this point that Lu Kang considered negotiating with Sun Ce to seek peace.
Is it a little late?
Sun Ce slung the Fire-Patterned Overlord Spear over his shoulder, and with a wave of his other hand, his brothers and soldiers lined up and began to prepare.
He only replied to Lu Kang on one matter.
“Lu Kang, today your Lujiang City was breached by my Sun-character Battalion and Zhou Family Army. It’s because you’re not capable enough.”
"You can forget about being a prefect! I'm telling you to step down from your high and mighty position immediately. And you better put this girl down properly."
"She once accidentally saved my life in your mansion, and today I repay her with my own life. I will use her life to pay for the life of your Lu family. If you release her, I promise to spare the life of one of your Lu family members!"
“If you continue to use this girl to threaten me, I assure you, I will kill every single male member of your Lu family, leaving no one alive.”
When Sun Ce said this, the men behind him roared in several waves, their shouts like a tsunami.
Chen Tian, the advisor beside Lu Kang, was so frightened that he trembled.
Lu Kang was already red with anger, and he was in a difficult situation.
The strategist Chen Tian couldn't think of any better ideas. He considered all thirty-six stratagems in his mind and decided that running away was the best option.
Taking advantage of Lu Kang's momentary daze, the clerk nimbly made his escape.
Lu Kang was now surrounded only by members of the Lu family.
The Lu and Zhou families were clans that had existed for generations. Although they were quite prestigious in Jiangdong, they were not like Sun Ce and his sons and brothers, who were born into the military and skilled in warfare.
Sun Ce has breached the city gates and is about to confront Lu Kang head-on.
Lu Kang believed that Sun Ce was capable of doing what he said he would do.
Since Lu Kang had already lost power, after thinking it over several times, he finally let Qiao Jingjing down from the city gate.
The advisor had already fled, so Lu Kang went to negotiate in person. He returned Qiao Jingjing to Sun Ce, exchanging Qiao Jingjing's life for the lives of his youngest son, Lu Ji, and his great-grandson, Lu Xun.
Lu Kang had Sun Ce personally issue an order allowing Lu Ji and Lu Xun to leave Lujiang City, with a guarantee that they would never be pursued.
Sun Ce readily agreed.
After Lu Ji and Lu Xun withdrew, Qiao Jingjing was thrown back into Sun Ce's hands like a dumpling.
The bloody battle between Lu Kang and Sun Ce had only just begun.
Qiao Jingjing was held in Sun Ce's arms, while he carried the Fire Pattern Overlord Spear in his other hand. He broke through the encirclement and attacked from all sides, killing anyone and anything in his path.
Qiao Jingjing's face was splattered with blood.
The flying fingers and severed heads were enough to show Qiao Jingjing the cruelty of war, leaving her terrified in Sun Ce's arms.
The key point is that Sun Ce didn't mind Qiao Jingjing's noise and insisted on fighting the whole battle with her by his side.
The entire Lu family was driven out of that imposing mansion, and when the headcount was taken, more than half of them were dead or injured.
Lu Kang was old, but Sun Ce did not kill him; he only made him hand over the seal of the governor.
This was also the result Qiao Jingjing had anticipated.
Although Lu Kang lost his position as the governor of Lujiang City, and the Lu clan suffered heavy casualties, there were still survivors. Lu Kang himself was able to survive and live on, which was already a blessing from Sun Ce.
This also reflects Sun Ce's wisdom.
A hunter will not kill all his prey.
Sun Ce wanted territory and the position of Prefect of Lujiang. His decision to spare Lu Ji and Lu Xun had nothing to do with Qiao Jingjing.
At this moment, that's at least what Qiao Jingjing thinks.
Next, the Sun brothers, along with Zhou Yu, Zhang Zhao, and others, pacified the people and continued to purge the remaining rebels in the city who were still stubbornly resisting and refusing to submit to Sun Ce.
Old Man Qiao finally brought Qiao Er and Qiao San to find Qiao Jingjing. After their ordeal, the father and daughter were reunited and wept bitterly in each other's arms.
Qiao Jingjing retrieved Qiao Manman from the hands of the soldiers of the Sunzi Battalion, and the family embraced and wept together once again.
After crying, Old Man Qiao was about to take his children back to their home in Peach Blossom Lane in the south of the city.
The family was told, "This matter must be reported to General Sun!"
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