News of Sun Ce's great victory and capture of Lujiang City reached Liu Xun's ears.
At that time, Liu Xun had just led his troops to Shangrao.
Unexpectedly, Shangrao was prepared, and Liu Xun gained nothing.
Some of Liu Xun's subordinates advised him to return to Lujiang and confront Sun Ce head-on, while others suggested he flee immediately. Still others recommended that he capture Shangrao and occupy it for a future counterattack.
After thinking it over, Liu Xun decided on the simplest path.
He quickly led his men away from Shangrao and headed straight for Cao Cao.
From then on, Liu Xun joined Cao Cao's forces.
He was embraced by Mengde, who was inspired by the Duke of Zhou's generosity and whose heart was drawn to him by the people.
Liu Xun abandoned his wives, concubines, children, and the soldiers who had defended the city for him.
That is why those who are still holding on in the entire city of Lujiang are ultimately holding on in vain.
They all surrendered.
Sun Ce won a great victory in this battle.
He captured Liu Xun's troops, as well as Yuan Shu's troops that Liu Xun had previously intercepted, and the wives, concubines, and children of high-ranking officials and clans in the city.
Sun Ce issued an order that those who were willing to leave should pack their belongings and follow Sun Ce's lead, leaving Lujiang and relocating to Wu County.
Those who were unwilling to leave would be put in prison carts and taken back to Wu County.
They were actually prisoners of war.
To show special treatment, Sun Ce paid special attention to the large families of Liu Xun and Yuan Shu, assigning special personnel to guard and detain them.
In this situation, Qiao Jingjing no longer had time to reassess the situation.
The Qiao family had already made all the necessary preparations and had their carriages ready.
Qiao Jingjing was still standing in the mulberry garden, under that huge mulberry tree.
On that day, Sun Quan and Jiang Qin were lying on this tree, eating mulberries.
Qiao Jingjing walked past the fishpond and looked at her farmland.
Once she left and entered Sun Ce's territory, she would no longer have to deal with simple things like farming, planting rice seedlings, and raising fish.
Behind Sun Ce was a huge family.
Uncles, sisters-in-law, a wicked mother-in-law, a sister-in-law, and most importantly, Sun Ce married his principal wife. She, following Sun Ce, was merely a lowly concubine.
In contrast, Qiao Manman's ecstatic joy was undisguised.
Qiao Jingjing looked worried.
She doesn't blame anyone.
Her family, the Qiao family, was not well-off; her father was old, and her brothers were not capable enough. She could not rely on her father and brothers. Within her capabilities, she had been self-reliant and strong enough to carve out a place for herself in Lujiang City through her own abilities.
But Lujiang City.
This once idyllic city of Lujiang has, after all, fallen.
"Sister, I've been looking everywhere for you, why are you still here?"
Qiao Manman came to find Qiao Jingjing.
Qiao Jingjing said she wanted to look around and see Lujiang City again.
Qiao Manman didn't understand.
But he didn't say anything.
Qiao Manman said she needed to continue tidying up the house and told Qiao Jingjing to hurry up and go see whatever she wanted.
After all, Wu Hou's men had already given the order to leave by tomorrow at the latest, and anyone who delayed would be beheaded.
Qiao Jingjing looked at the people Sun Ce had sent at her doorstep.
Today is neither Lü Meng nor Jiang Qin.
These people are all Sun Ce's most capable men, and they probably can't afford to worry about this place right now.
It was autumn, and yellow leaves were falling everywhere.
Add to that the bleak wind and bitter rain.
Qiao Jingjing held up an oil-paper umbrella, followed by the little maid Yu Mei.
The master and servant walked one after the other in Lujiang City.
Several of Sun Ce's men followed behind.
Did they ask Qiao Jingjing where she wanted to go?
When Qiao Jingjing said she wanted to see Lujiang City again, fearing she might not be able to see it again, she was overjoyed.
These people were very polite and well-mannered towards her.
The streets and alleys were noisy and chaotic, filled with panic and fear.
Everyone was afraid and was forced to pack their things and gather their valuables.
The more this is the case, the more...
Qiao Jingjing felt a deep attachment to this city.
She recalled when she first arrived here. The moment she opened her eyes, she, her father, her two younger brothers, and her younger sister Manman were running along the dusty official road with other refugees.
They were hiding from government soldiers and bandits who could appear out of nowhere.
Bandits can kill people, and government soldiers can kill people just as easily; there's no reason why they wouldn't distinguish right from wrong.
In that kind of environment, she experienced many ups and downs, and went through countless life-and-death struggles.
Then they came to Lujiang City, where they cultivated a piece of land and supported their large family.
Qiao Jingjing walked out of the south of the city.
Look at the paddy fields outside the city, the withered road poles, and the clear water.
A white egret suddenly flew out from among the clumps of withered grass.
This lone egret searches for small fish and shrimp in the water.
Following the egrets' tracks, one might not be able to spot the small fish and shrimp.
What a wonderful place!
Qiao Jingjing turned to look at Yu Mei.
Yu Mei looked at her young mistress blankly.
As far as she knew, although her young mistress appeared gentle and composed, in reality, all the young masters and mistresses in the family were afraid of her. The only person her young mistress feared was the old lady of the house.
Everyone in the Qiao family knows this.
But now the rumor is that Lord Wu has taken a fancy to his young lady.
The power and influence of Lord Wu now.
It seems that from now on, the entire Qiao family will depend on their young lady's favor for a living.
As Yu Mei thought this, a smile appeared on her face.
“Young Miss, we’ve been out for quite a while now, and the wind and rain have soaked your clothes. Let’s go back now, have something to eat, get some rest, and prepare to set off tomorrow.”
Qiao Jingjing said she wanted to take a walk.
As we walked...
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
