novelSusiti Chapter 44 Yuan Yao: I lost out
Chapter 44 Yuan Yao: I lost out
Stirring up the fire.
That's absolutely fanning the flames.
Even a fool could understand the meaning behind Xu Du's actions.
Xu Du: The court is deeply concerned about the localized conflict that has occurred in Huainan. It calls on both sides to immediately escalate the conflict and encourages them to actively seek a military solution to avoid negotiations and reconciliation, and to prevent the situation from de-escalating.
For Cao Cao, the most important thing at the moment was naturally the decisive battle with Yuan Shao. To this end, he needed to eliminate all hidden dangers and prevent being attacked from both sides.
Previously, he had been flirting with the notorious traitor Zhong and secretly providing financial and grain support to Huainan for this reason. Now, he is promoting Sun Ce to the rank of General of the Rear for the same reason.
It should be noted that Yuan Shu was once the General of the Rear. Xu Du's move was clearly an indication to Sun Ce to intensify his efforts and continue to attack the Zhong clan's pseudo-regime established by Yuan Shu.
The reason it was hinted at rather than an explicit edict was that Xuchang needed to be on guard, in case Sun Ce regained the upper hand and they had to support Yuan Yao again.
Fortunately, both Sun Ce and Yuan Yao were sensible and would not be affected by Xu Du's petty tricks. On the contrary, this distraction made both sides realize that Cao Cao had ill intentions, which strengthened their resolve to negotiate peace.
With the foreplay done, it's time to get down to business.
Yang Hongxian set the tone for the negotiations: "The Yuan and Sun families have been on good terms for generations. This war is entirely due to a misunderstanding. Why not withdraw our troops, cease hostilities, and become brotherly nations forever?"
Yuan Yao and Sun Ce nodded in agreement: "What Lord Yang said is correct."
Whether things will improve or not is another matter, but at least for now, neither side wants to continue fighting and a ceasefire is necessary.
Sun Ce's 20,000 Jiangdong troops were trapped here, unable to advance and capture Wancheng, and were being pursued by enemy troops when they retreated. He had already suffered heavy losses in this battle and could not afford any more losses. He only wanted to bring these 20,000 men back intact.
Yuan Yao was in the same boat. Since he couldn't defeat the Jiangdong army, he could only drive them away as soon as possible so that he could seize the time to organize agricultural production and resume the spring plowing that had been delayed for half a month. Otherwise, if it dragged on, his own finances would definitely collapse.
Therefore, the withdrawal of troops was agreed upon by both sides.
Apart from that, there are only disagreements.
In Yuan Yao's view, the Zhong clan had decisively defeated the Jiangdong detachment, killing and capturing thousands, thus shattering the enemy's strategic intentions. Furthermore, they had held their ground in the subsequent cowardly game, successfully forcing Sun Ce to sue for peace first. Naturally, they should act as victors and reap huge profits.
Yuan Yao: "Jiangdong must unconditionally withdraw its troops within five days, release all prisoners of war, return all occupied land, compensate us for all casualties and economic losses caused to our side in this war, and publicly promise never to invade our territory again!"
In Sun Ce's eyes, Jiangdong was always the stronger side. The previous defeat was just a temporary shift from an advantage to a balance of power. It was true that he failed to intimidate Yuan Yao, but it did not change the fact that the two sides were clearly of different strengths. How could the strong be ridden on by the weak?
Sun Ce: "I can withdraw my troops, and return the lands of Lujiang and Jiujiang commanderies, retaining only Wankou and Ruxukou. However, regarding prisoners of war, Huainan must release all our Jiangdong soldiers in return, and also pay for the military expenses of this expedition."
There was no way to reach an agreement.
This is when we can see the disastrous consequences of Sun Ce's initiative to seek peace.
Seeing that both sides were sticking to their own stories and there was no hope of reaching an agreement, Yuan Yao sneered: "Since your army is so insincere, let's end today's negotiations here. I heard that Lord Huang will arrive in Lujiang in a few days. Let's have a three-way meeting then."
Sun Ce's expression instantly turned ugly, and he fell silent.
The name Huang Zu was indeed Sun Ce's fatal weakness.
Not only because Huang Zu was a notorious fool in the Jingyang region, and if he got involved, the situation would definitely get completely out of control and go to a point that no one could predict, but also because Huang Zu had a blood feud with Sun Ce for killing his father. Sun Ce could negotiate with Yuan Yao, but he could not compromise with Huang Zu under any circumstances.
What's worse, Yuan Yao already knows that Sun Ce urgently needs to reach an agreement before Huang Zu appears, but Sun Ce is unsure of Yuan Yao's bottom line and cannot easily overturn the table.
Seeing that Sun Ce remained silent, Zhou Yu took turns to fight.
Zhou Yu: "Young Master Yuan, I need to clarify a misunderstanding. Our army is not afraid of Huang Zu. In fact, our next goal is to attack Jiangxia County. However, the tenacious will shown by your army in this battle has indeed impressed us. We are willing to make peace with your army."
Thanks to Zhou Yu's mediation, the negotiations made slow but steady progress, and a consensus was finally reached on a few major issues.
The Jiangdong army withdrew within five days, and the Zhong clan's army guaranteed not to launch any attacks during the withdrawal period;
Regarding prisoners of war, both sides agreed to release their prisoners on a one-to-one basis, and the remaining prisoners would be put on hold for later discussion.
As for the land in Huainan, those vacant territories that could not be defended were given away for free, while the important Wankou and Ruxukou were returned to the Zhong family for a price of 500 prisoners.
At this point, most of the problems had been resolved. As for the rest, such as war reparations, everyone knew perfectly well that the other side would not pay a single penny, so they just shouted a few slogans and moved on.
So only one question remains.
Yuan Yao: "Zhang Duo and Xu Qian must die, and their followers are also from Huainan, so they must be returned."
Zhou Yu: "That's impossible!"
These two powerful figures from Chaohu had now sided with the wrong patron and completely offended Yuan Yao. Naturally, they couldn't return to Chaohu to await their deaths, so they prepared to go to Jiangdong with Sun Ce.
If Sun Ce kills them, will he still be able to live a decent life in the martial world?
Moreover, after the defeat at Hefei, the Jiangdong army was severely weakened and desperately needed the manpower provided by Zhang Duo and Xu Qian. How could they possibly release them?
But Yuan Yao insisted: "I have a total of four thousand Jiangdong army prisoners in my hands. After deducting the previous exchanges and the compensation paid at Wankou and Ruxukou, I still have three thousand left. I will return them all to you on the condition that Zhang Duo, Xu Qian, and their more than ten thousand troops are taken away!"
Zhou Yu hesitated.
To be fair, the price is actually quite reasonable. It seems like three thousand for ten thousand, but in reality, Zhang Duo and Xu Qian's ten thousand rabble might not be worth as much as three thousand Jiangdong soldiers.
only……
Sun Ce spoke again: "Zhang Duo and Xu Qian will not give them to you."
This is a matter of principle; otherwise, Sun Ce wouldn't even be able to protect those who sought refuge with him, and who would dare to trust him in the future?
Yuan Yao's face instantly darkened: "I'm taking Zhang Duoxuqian."
This is also a matter of principle for Yuan Yao. Traitors must die, otherwise how can he claim to be the ruler of Huainan?
Seeing that the negotiations had once again reached a stalemate, Yang Hong quickly tried to smooth things over, advising Sun Ce to consider the bigger picture and not waste the hard-won situation for the sake of a few idle people.
But Sun Ce wouldn't budge, even when Yuan Yao threatened that the negotiations would break down.
After several back-and-forth exchanges, Yuan Yao finally grew tired of the situation and was about to leave when he suddenly seemed to remember something: "How about this, among the prisoners of war our army captured in Hefei, there is one named Lü Meng. My wife says that he is from the same clan as her and has begged me several times to spare his life. In that case, I will exchange Zhang Duo and Xu Qian for Lü Meng. If you agree, then we will exchange; if you don't agree, then we'll stop here for today."
Yang Hong seized the opportunity to explain, "Your Highness is referring to Lady Lü, whom you dote on very much."
Sun Ce and Zhou Yu exchanged bewildered glances. Neither of them was familiar with the scholarly circles and knew anything about the background of Yuan Yao's Lady Lü.
As for Lü Meng, Sun Ce knew him. He was a separate commander under Sun Ce, and he had some talent, but he came from a humble background and had little education.
Now, influenced by his wife's words, Yuan Yao has proposed exchanging Lü Meng for Zhang Duo and Xu Qian...
Although the two men behind him were mediocre, they represented Sun Ce's reputation, while Lü Meng had already been captured by Zhong's army, and his life was entirely in the hands of the enemy.
From this perspective, this exchange doesn't seem so bad?
Sun Ce made his decision: "Alright, I agree."
Yuan Yao, however, still wore a sour face and looked very unhappy. He turned to Yang Hong and complained, "What kind of person is Lü Meng? There are more bastards in the Huai River than him. When you get back, remember to investigate who was gossiping in front of the Madam. This is the last time. The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics!"
Thus, Yuan Yao and Sun Ce's Feast at Hongmen was a complete success. They reached an agreement on several major issues, and the remaining task was simply to have their subordinates discuss a few details.
So, just three days later, the Battle of Huainan, which had once attracted the attention of almost half the world, finally came to an end, with both sides shaking hands and making peace.
On the day Sun Ce withdrew his troops, Yuan Yao personally came to see him off. In front of everyone, he put his arm around Sun Ce's shoulder and announced that the historical grudges between the Yuan and Sun families were wiped clean. From now on, the two of them would be as close as family, supporting each other and surviving together in the chaotic world.
Yuan Yao said, "You know, Sun Ce is my brother. I've known him for a long time. This guy is incredibly strong. I believe our alliance will be mutually beneficial. I can't wait to bring my talents to Jiangdong. As for Cao Sikong? I wish him all the best."