Chapter 177: Jia Xu Applies Pressure
Jia Xu returned to Shouchun. He immediately summoned Great General Le Jin and said to him, “Today, we must arrest all of General Sun Ben’s brother’s family members, and the army must also be completely captured.”
Le Jin was greatly shocked and hurriedly said, “We are allies with Sun Ben. Why do this?”
Le Jin was no ordinary person; he was a Great General directly in command of the army, so Jia Xu still had to explain clearly to him.
“This is the only way to force Sun Ben to withdraw his troops. If he still refuses to withdraw, we will hand over Jiujiang Commandery and his family entirely to Gan Ning.”
“But—”
Jia Xu waved his hand and said, “I know what General Le wants to say. We have no choice now. If we do not force Sun Ben to withdraw, Gan Ning will declare war on us. Our Lord is at a critical moment in the northern expedition, and if war breaks out in the south, it will ruin our Lord’s great affairs.”
Le Jin lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, “This subordinate believes we can defeat Gan Ning!”
Jia Xu shook his head. “We are no match for him. He has an army of over 100,000. Once war breaks out, his reinforcements will surely arrive. What then will happen to Guangling Commandery?”
Le Jin’s face reddened; he had forgotten about Guangling Commandery.
“This subordinate understands. We will take action tonight!”
That very night, Le Jin launched a coup. He captured Sun Fu and Sun Ben’s family members. The 20,000-strong army was also captured by 50,000 Cao Army troops, and Shouchun City was completely controlled by the Cao Army.
Jia Xu then had Sun Fu write a letter to Sun Ben. He himself also personally wrote a letter to Sun Ben and sent his trusted subordinate to rush to Danyang Commandery to deliver the letters to Sun Ben, while also having Sun Ben’s Personal Guard Leader go along.
At this time, Sun Ben was at Niuzhu. He was also very worried that the Jiangdong Navy would cut off contact between him and Jiujiang Commandery. Sun Ben knew full well that although he had defeated Sun Quan’s army on land, he was bound to lose on the Yangtze River.
Now Sun Ben needed to strengthen the defenses at Niuzhu to prevent Jiangdong Army warships from charging into the water bay and destroying his own warships.
At this moment, a Personal Guard came to report, “Report to the Lord, Ying Er has arrived, and the Strategist’s man from Jia has come along!”
Ying Er was Sun Ben’s deputy Personal Guard Leader, who had led 500 Personal Guards in Shouchun to protect his family.
Sun Ben was stunned for a moment, a sense of unease rising in his heart. He hurriedly asked, “Where is he?”
Soon, Ying Er was brought in. Upon seeing Sun Ben, he knelt and wept loudly. Sun Ben urgently said, “Stop crying! What happened?”
“My Lord, disaster has struck! The Cao Army suddenly turned hostile and captured our army. The Lady and the two young masters have been seized, and Young Master Fu’s entire family has also been captured.”
It was like a blow to the head for Sun Ben; he was dazed. After a moment, he anxiously asked, “When did the Cao Army arrive?”
“Just a few days ago. Gan Ning’s army of 100,000 captured Hefei, and then the Cao Army arrived.”
“What?” Sun Ben suddenly widened his eyes. “An army of 100,000? You just said an army of 100,000 occupied Hefei?”
“Yes! Gan Ning personally led an army of 100,000 into Jiujiang Commandery and occupied Hefei.”
Sun Ben was speechless for a long time. Although he knew this was possible, he had not expected it to happen so quickly, and with an army of 100,000.
Sun Ben suddenly thought of something and hurriedly said, “Jia Xu’s subordinate—where is he? Bring him to see me at once!”
Soon, Jia Xu’s trusted subordinate was brought in. His name was Luo Sheng, and he held the post of Military Advisor Official.
“So it is Military Advisor Official Luo. Surely Strategist Jia has a message for me!”
Luo Sheng said nothing and handed two letters to Sun Ben.
Sun Ben took the letters. One was written by his brother Sun Fu, and the other by Jia Xu.
Sun Ben first read his brother Sun Fu’s letter, which matched what Ying Er had said, merely confirming that Ying Er’s words were not false.
Sun Ben then opened Jia Xu’s letter. Jia Xu’s tone in the letter was extremely stern; it could be called a warning. He demanded that Sun Ben must withdraw his army to Jiujiang Commandery. If he did not withdraw, he would hand over Sun Ben’s family and Jiujiang Commandery to Gan Ning as the condition for Gan Ning not to declare war on the Cao Army.
Sun Ben widened his eyes; he almost suspected he had misread it. Handing over his family and Jiujiang Commandery to Gan Ning as the condition for Gan Ning not to declare war on the Cao Army.
“Military Advisor Official Luo, what does this mean? You arrested my family to curry favor with Gan Ning?”
Luo Sheng nodded. “Though it is hard to accept, that is the fact. We cannot go to war with Gan Ning; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. Now Gan Ning is using war against us as leverage. We have no choice but to yield to his demands.”
“Why? Go back immediately and tell Strategist Jia that I am willing to send troops. Our two houses together attack Gan Ning, and we will surely defeat him.”
Luo Sheng sneered and said, “General Sun has not understood my family’s Strategist’s meaning. Now Minister of Works Cao is leading the army in fierce battle in Youzhou, at the most critical moment. If war breaks out in the south, it will force Minister of Works Cao to withdraw from Youzhou. Do you understand this consequence? The northern unification campaign will likely fall short of success. How will we explain this to Minister of Works Cao?”
“Moreover, Gan Ning has an army of 150,000. Once he commits fully to war, even our two houses allied may not be his match. Not to mention that the Jiangdong Army will not stand idly by; they will launch a major offensive on Danyang Commandery or Guangling Commandery. Consider the consequences, General Sun!”
Sun Ben sighed and said, “Let me think it over. I will give you an answer tomorrow morning!”
In the tent, Sun Ben barely slept all night, pacing back and forth inside. He was unwilling in his heart. He had finally gained a foothold, only to withdraw like this—how could he be content?
But that was his wife and children, and his brother! And his old subordinates who had followed him for many years—how could he abandon them for a mere Danyang Commandery?
At this time, a Personal Guard reported, “General He urgently requests an audience!”
Sun Ben nodded. “Let him in!”
Great General He Qi and Han Dang were Sun Ben’s left and right arms, the people he relied on most—surpassing even Han Dang.
“My Lord, this is dire!” He Qi said urgently as soon as he entered the tent.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know who spread the news that Jiujiang Commandery has been occupied by Gan Ning’s army. The soldiers’ families are all in Jiujiang Commandery. Everyone is anxious, my Lord. Military morale is starting to waver.”
Sun Ben was speechless for a long time. Jia Xu was too ruthless.
He Qi of course had his own selfish motives; his family was also in Shouchun. He thus advised, “My Lord, family is irreplaceable, but Danyang Commandery can be retaken!”
Sun Ben nodded slightly; he could only console himself this way.
The next morning, Luo Sheng came to see Sun Ben. Sun Ben stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from him. After a long moment, he said, “Go back and tell Strategist Jia that I agree to withdraw, but with three conditions. First, after I withdraw to Jiujiang Commandery, Gan Ning’s army must completely withdraw from Jiujiang Commandery. Second, Strategist Jia must completely release everyone, including my family and army, and the Cao Army must simultaneously withdraw from Jiujiang Commandery. Third, my army’s safe withdrawal across the Yangtze River must be guaranteed—not by Strategist Jia, but by Gan Ning. In simple terms, I need Gan Ning’s navy to escort me across the Yangtze River.”
