The two exchanged a smile, seemingly confident of victory, as if everything was under their control.
When Lu Su arrived, Zhuge Liang's eyes were deep as he murmured to himself, "They've finally arrived!"
"Kongming! Kongming!"
Lu Su rushed in, looking very flustered, with cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Zijing, why are you in such a panic?" Zhuge Liang asked, knowing the answer already.
"Kongming! Gongjin... Gongjin has been captured by your men!" Lu Su stammered.
Zhuge Liang frowned, then laughed and said, "Zijing, are you joking with me? How could Grand Commander Zhou, who is stationed in Nanyang, have been captured by our men?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Su gritted his teeth, realizing that Zhuge Liang was feigning ignorance.
He then said, "Kongming, I, Lu Su, am an honest man. Do you really not know anything about this?"
Zhuge Liang chuckled and said, "Zijing, are you trying to say that your Grand Commander Zhou Yu sent a sneak attack on our army, and that he was captured alive by our army?"
Lu Su felt even more ashamed. It was hardly a glorious thing to begin with. If he had succeeded, it would have been fine, but now not only had he failed, he had also been captured alive.
"Kongming! I won't beat around the bush. We'll return the three counties of Jingzhou to you. Please release Gongjin back to Jiangdong!" After a long silence, Lu Su raised his head and said resolutely.
"Zijing, what did you say?"
Zhuge Liang stood up in surprise, his face full of astonishment.
"The three counties of Jingzhou have always been our territory. How can you, Zijing, talk about returning them?"
Lu Su gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "Kongming, stop pretending to be ignorant. I only ask that you release Gongjin back to Jiangdong."
"Hehe, Zijing, isn't what you're saying a bit unfair?"
Zhuge Liang said calmly, "The blood feud between Guan Yu and Zhou Yu has not yet been resolved. All the civil and military officials of Yizhou hate Zhou Yu to the bone, and wish they could burn him to ashes!"
“Guan Yu’s matter cannot be blamed on Gongjin!” Lu Su quickly said.
Zhuge Liang laughed and said, "Oh? Zijing, this blood feud can't be attributed to Zhou Yu, so why should it be attributed to us?"
Lu Su knew he was in the wrong, but he still held a sliver of hope that Zhuge Liang would change his mind.
"Kongming, now that you have taken back the three counties of Jingzhou, the Sun-Liu alliance cannot be broken. Cao Cao is still the most powerful warlord!"
"If our two families do not join forces, we will be destroyed by Cao Cao sooner or later. I urge you, Kongming, to consider the greater good and think it over carefully!"
After saying this, Lu Su stood up, cupped his hands in a deep bow, and gave Zhuge Liang ample face.
"This..." Just as Zhuge Liang hesitated, a voice came out.
"No! We absolutely cannot let Zhou Yu go!"
Lu Su suddenly looked up and saw Pang Tong walking over.
"Shiyuan?" Lu Su was somewhat surprised to see Pang Tong.
Pang Tong snorted coldly and said, "Lu Zijing, it's been a long time!"
Lu Su immediately gave a wry smile and said, "Shiyuan, it's been a long time!"
At the time, Pang Tong's first choice to serve was not Liu Bei, but Sun Quan.
So, through Lu Su's introduction, he met Sun Quan, but Sun Quan rejected him because of his ugly appearance.
Enraged, Pang Tong left Jiangdong. Later, he encountered Zhuge Liang, who forcibly kept him there.
Only after Liu Bei treated his subordinates with respect and kindness did Pang Tong truly submit to him!
"Kongming, the lord was furious about Yunchang's death and almost launched a military campaign against Jiangdong. Now that Zhou Yu has been captured, we must not let him return to Jiangdong!" Pang Tong said sternly to Zhuge Liang.
"But Jiangdong is, after all, our ally..." Zhuge Liang hesitated.
"Allies? Hmph! When they killed Yun Chang, did they ever consider that we were allies?"
"The marriage alliance was supposed to be arranged, but what about Zhou Yu? He sent troops to attack us! Is this what allies are supposed to do?" Pang Tong asked with a cold snort.
"this......"
Lu Su quickly cupped his hands and said, "Shiyuan, we were indeed wrong this time. My lord summoned me late at night precisely for this matter!"
“My lord means that our two families can still form a marriage alliance, as long as Gongjin is released back to Jiangdong, what do you think?” Lu Su said cautiously to Pang Tong.
"Hmph, don't even think about it! We swear to kill Zhou Yu!" Pang Tong said angrily.
Seeing Pang Tong's resolute attitude, Lu Su immediately said, "Kongming, we must consider the bigger picture!"
"Zijing, don't be angry, I understand perfectly," Zhuge Liang explained.
"How about this? The marriage alliance continues, but we must hand over Lü Meng! We'll release Gongjin, shall we?" Zhuge Liang suggested again.
Upon hearing this, Lu Su narrowed his eyes and stared at Zhuge Liang. Wasn't this just trading Lü Meng's life for Zhou Yu's?
"Kongming! Zhao Yun has killed two of our generals, and Guan Yu's revenge has been avenged. Can't you let Lü Meng go?" Lu Su pleaded.
"No way! Two nameless nobodyes have died. How can they be compared to Guan Yu?"
"It seems Zijing didn't come with sincerity! Let's see him out!"
Pang Tong directly ordered Lu Su to leave, showing no respect whatsoever, which made Lu Su feel embarrassed and humiliated.
However, Lu Su swallowed his anger and said, "In that case, I will go back and ask my lord!"
After saying this, Lu Su left in a hurry.
Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong stood at the door and watched his departing figure.
"Shiyuan, isn't this move a bit too radical? What if it provokes Sun Quan to throw caution to the wind..."
"Haha, Kongming, you're overthinking it. Right now, Sun Quan is even more afraid of starting a war than we are!"
"Zhou Yu has been captured, who can he rely on now?"
Zhuge Liang thought about it and agreed. Zhou Yu had been captured, and things must be in chaos in Jiangdong. At this point, Sun Quan had no choice but to compromise.
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