"I humbly request that you two messengers convey the following message to me: My father is old, and my younger sister and brother are still young. I bear a heavy responsibility. Furthermore, I have signed a grain agreement with Lord Liu Xun for this year, and as agreed, I will not travel to any other place."
Two days later, Cao Cao's men arrived and received the same reply.
Two kilograms of gold, plus a truckload of fine leather and jade, were all returned.
Qiao Jingjing also gave them a manuscript on planting.
When this news reached Sun Ce, it was revealed that...
Sun Ce was busy at the time. He led his brothers and retreated from Lujiang City in a sorry state. He had nowhere to go but to return to Shouchun to report to Yuan Shu.
Zhou Yu returned to Danyang halfway and went to his father Zhou Shang's side.
Sun Ce's forces were dwindling. They had enthusiastically fought alongside him, and just as they were about to seize Lujiang, it was snatched away and fell into Liu Xun's hands. This made it clear that while Sun Ce was brave and a skilled commander, he lacked powerful backing; Yuan Shu didn't trust him.
Those with experience understand that continuing to follow Sun Ce, who has no powerful backing, means endless battles and relentless hard work, only to have the benefits go to others in the end—it's all just doing the work for someone else.
Perhaps we should look for another way out.
In the end, Sun Ce was left with only his confidants and brothers.
Some leave without a second thought, while others commit a crime, kill someone, and then leave.
This time, Sun Ce was displeased. Everyone wanted to leave; there was no other way. They were all comrades who had fought side-by-side and risked their lives together, so he wouldn't stop them. But the one who had committed a crime, in order to escape punishment, actually fled into Yuan Shu's camp.
Did he think Sun Ce was afraid of Yuan Shu?
Sun Ce immediately led Lü Meng, Zhou Tai, and others to pursue them.
They stormed into Yuan Shu's camp, found the man who had committed a crime and tried to escape, and beheaded him on the spot.
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