Chapter 269: Pie In The Sky
“What?”
Cao Cao’s face immediately darkened, and he asked displeasedly, “What’s going on?”
Jia Xu gave a bitter smile and had no choice but to tell Cao Cao the whole story from beginning to end.
Cao Cao’s expression softened slightly. “So, the Marquis of Wu’s younger sister fled to avoid Liu Bei’s marriage alliance?”
“Exactly! It’s been over two months already. The Marquis of Wu has been searching for her all along, but he still doesn’t know her whereabouts.”
Cao Cao was a bit annoyed. If the Marquis of Wu’s younger sister had met with an accident, her whereabouts unknown and life or death uncertain, and if something happened to her and her chastity was defiled, wouldn’t that damage his own reputation?
“Then, for now, don’t explicitly agree to the marriage alliance with my son. Go and talk about how to fulfill the agreement. Sun Quan’s two brothers must be sent to Yecheng immediately.”
“This subordinate obeys the order!”
Jia Xu took the gold tablet from Cao Cao, bowed, and took his leave.
With this gold tablet, he could officially represent Cao Cao in making decisions. Cao Cao had given him decision-making authority, which was a sign of trust in him.
Jia Xu took a deep breath, and his mind began to work rapidly.
For over a month, Sun Quan had been waiting for Cao Cao’s envoy, but from beginning to end, Cao Cao’s envoy had not arrived, nor had anyone mentioned the marriage alliance with him. This made Sun Quan feel very uncomfortable, as if he had been fooled.
However, his wife Xu Fen was not making a fuss. Perhaps even she knew that no daughter of the Cao family would come to replace her, so she felt at ease.
That morning, Zhang Zhao hurried to the official residence to report, “Jia Xu has arrived and requests to see the Marquis of Wu!”
Sun Quan nodded. “Fine, invite him to see me.”
Half a shichen later, Jia Xu was already seated in Sun Quan’s official residence. Jia Xu smiled and said, “Chancellor Cao has already arrived in Hefei. Does the Marquis of Wu know?”
Sun Quan nodded. Of course he knew—Cao Cao had personally led an army of 200,000 to Hefei. But what was his target? Sun Quan felt a bit uneasy. Although he had signed a seven-year peace agreement with Cao Cao, would Cao Cao honor it?
After a moment of silence, Sun Quan asked directly, “This army of 200,000—is Chancellor Cao planning to deploy it directly to Liyang County?”
Jia Xu chuckled. “The Marquis of Wu misunderstands. We’ve already signed the agreement—how could we possibly deploy to Liyang County?”
“Then where will it be deployed?” Sun Quan did not believe Jia Xu’s words.
Jia Xu pondered for a moment and said, “Does the Marquis of Wu know about the battle of Queyue City?”
Sun Quan nodded. “I’ve heard of it!”
“That’s Gan Ning’s stronghold north of the River, a major threat to us. The Chancellor has decided to eliminate it at all costs, so you’ll soon see our army moving west.”
Sun Quan was stunned. “Is Chancellor Cao going to personally attack Queyue City?”
Jia Xu said calmly, “The Marquis of Wu shouldn’t think it’s just a military city. Behind it is actually Gan Ning’s full national strength. Gan Ning continuously reinforces Queyue City by water route, so the battle of Queyue City is our first battlefield against Gan Ning. Once we take Queyue City and deal a heavy blow to Gan Ning, our army will head directly south to Yuzhang Commandery.”
Sun Quan thought for a moment and asked, “Then what is the purpose of Jia Xu’s visit this time?”
Jia Xu took out the gold tablet. “This is the Chancellor’s gold tablet. As envoy to Jiangdong, I have full authority to represent the Chancellor. My purpose in coming to Jiangdong is to specifically implement the agreement we both signed.”
Sun Quan perked up. “How to implement it?”
Jia Xu took out a copy of the agreement and placed it on the desk, smiling. “There are many clauses to implement. I hope most can be negotiated between me and Strategist Zhang. I’m here to see the Marquis of Wu mainly about the marriage alliance.”
Sun Quan’s heart skipped a beat. He had thought Cao Cao lacked sincerity!
“What does Chancellor Cao say?”
“Chancellor Cao has decided to marry his seventh daughter, Cao Ya, to the Marquis of Wu. She is just fifteen, a beauty of the nation, a perfect match for the Marquis of Wu. But according to the Chancellor’s family rules, daughters can only marry at sixteen, so the young miss will be formally sent to Jiangdong next January.”
Of course, marrying at sixteen was something Jia Xu made up—it was just an excuse to delay for a year.
But Sun Quan was straightforward and nodded. “The wedding date can be discussed, but how will the six rites proceed?”
“After this war ends and the Chancellor returns to Yecheng, the Marquis of Wu can send someone to propose marriage, and we will formally begin the six rites. Next January, we complete the final step.”
Sun Quan nodded. It made sense not to discuss marriage during wartime.
Jia Xu continued, “Besides the Marquis of Wu’s marriage, my family’s Chancellor also wishes to propose marriage to the Marquis of Wu’s younger sister on behalf of Young Master Zhi. I wonder if we can form this additional family tie?”
The matter of his younger sister was brought up again. Sun Quan felt a headache. Just a few days ago, he had written to Liu Bei apologizing and canceling the marriage alliance, and now Cao Cao had come—how was he supposed to respond?
Sun Quan smiled bitterly. “Didn’t Wang Xiu tell Jia Xu about my younger sister?”
“I heard your younger sister went missing. Has she still not been found?”
Sun Quan shook his head helplessly. “No whereabouts yet. There are rumors that my younger sister may have gone to a temple or Taoist abbey to take the vows. I’m searching all the temples and abbeys in Jiangdong.”
“Taken the vows?” Jia Xu frowned.
Sun Quan quickly explained, “It’s just a rumor—its truth remains to be verified!”
Jia Xu nodded. “Alright! I’m just conveying the Chancellor’s wishes. If your younger sister returns safely and unharmed, we can discuss the marriage alliance then.”
Jia Xu emphasized “unharmed,” implying that the Marquis of Wu’s younger sister must have an unsullied reputation and remain chaste.
Sun Quan understood perfectly and nodded silently. “I will find my younger sister as soon as possible!”
Sun Ben finally received Cao Cao’s secret order, permitting him to attack Jiangdong again.
Ever since the last attack on Danyang Commandery, when Cao Cao had ordered a forced withdrawal, Sun Ben had been brooding over it. He had clearly captured Danyang Commandery, only to be forced to abandon it in the end.
He was naturally very dissatisfied with Cao Cao, but though dissatisfied, he didn’t dare show it. For over a year, he had been desperately training the army and strengthening equipment. He sold large quantities of salt, reaping substantial profits, all of which he invested in army equipment.
The one who delivered the letter to Sun Ben was Strategist Xun You. While Jia Xu was envoy to Jiangdong, Xun You was envoy to Sun Ben.
Actually, Shouchun County, where Sun Ben was, was very close to Hefei County—Xun You arrived in a day.
In the guest hall, Xun You took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, “Chancellor Cao plans to send 30,000 troops and five hundred warships to aid you.”
Sun Ben was overjoyed and quickly asked, “Will these 30,000 troops be directly under my command, or?”
Xun You shook his head. “The 30,000 troops will fly your banner, but actual command will still be under General Le Jin. We have an agreement with Jiangdong, so we can’t support you openly—only covertly. Does General Sun understand?”
Sun Ben of course knew about the seven-year non-aggression agreement between Cao Cao and Sun Quan. He supported this agreement because it meant he alone would lead the attack on Jiangdong—Jiangdong would be his.
Sun Ben nodded and asked again, “When does Chancellor Cao hope I begin the attack?”
“Wait until Chancellor Cao’s army has a firm foothold in Lujiang Commandery. Then you can start. We’ll tie down Gan Ning to prevent him from aiding Jiangdong, so you must wait for our notice and not attack on your own.”
Sun Ben let out a long breath. “I understand!”
