My Father in Law is Lu Bu

Urged by his father, Lu Su remained at home for a few days. Lu Su himself was also not in the mood to go out due to his guilt towards his father. Liu Mang allowed Lu Su to become an envoy partly for Lu Su to return home. However, Lu Su was not idle as he read the letters given to him.

When Lu Su saw the name of one of the senders, he could not help but read the letter quickly.

The one who wrote this letter was Dai Yun. He was one of Hao Shao’s subordinates and his performance at the Yangtze River was good. As a result, Liu Mang promoted him from a 1000-man general to a 10,000-man general. He now commanded the New Army that were being stationed at Jiangdong territory.

Sun Ce wanted to surrender so he had to allow these troops to station there to show his sincerity. This way, both Jiangdong and Yangzhou can be at ease.

Now this Dai Yun was telling Lu Su about something.

“Sir, what did Dai Yun say?” Yang Chen who was nearby, asked.

“Dai Yun said that Marquis Wu have begun to send provisions and livestock. He asked us about what he should do next.” Lu Su replied.

“Why is this Marquis Wu being so nice?” Yang Chen frowned. Sun Ce was being too cordial.

“He is probably trying to find a way to survive after entering Yangzhou.” Normally, there were no good end to those that surrender. Even Tao Qian’s son disappeared from history after surrendering to Liu Bei.

Lu Su was very confident in Jiangdong’s surrender after Sun Ce’s drunken rant. The resentment Sun Ce showed towards Liu Mang that day was not an act. His frustration could easily be seen.

Jiangdong’s surrender was forced by circumstances. Lu Su knew that Sun Ce would not give up if Jiangdong had even 1 percent chance of winning. But at that moment, Jiangdong had no way out. Yangzhou has the military strength and a righteous cause to crush Jiangdong.

“Sir. I think we should still be careful.” Yang Chen was still skeptical.

Lu Su thought for a moment and replied. “No. This is Sun Ce’s good intentions. If we refuse then they might overthink things. Right now, the matter is almost settled. All that is left is for me to return to Jianye and negotiate a surrender with Marquis Wu. We shouldn’t cause trouble right now.” Lu Su decided to accept some of what Sun Ce had sent over. Not much, just some livestock, hot food, and wine.

“What about the things the common people sent over?” Yang Chen continued to ask. From the letter Dai Yun had written, the common people had also donated the army some things.

“Return those things to the common people. We do not need their things.” Lu Su replied. They could take Sun Ce’s things because they had to show the people that Sun Ce was relying on Yangzhou. As for the common people, their intentions alone was enough as it showed that they want peace. They already live tough lives so Lu Su could not take from them.

“In that case, I will send someone to inform Dai Yun to accept only Sun Ce’s gifts and return the common people’s things.”

“That would be good. Go quickly.” Lu Su replied. Yang Chen cupped his fist before leaving. After that, an old man with two servants entered the room.

“Father? Why are you here?” Lu Su greeted his father.

“Isn’t it time to eat? I was wondering why you weren’t out yet and came to find you!” Lu Taigong said to his son.

“This son is unfillial for making Father worried.” Lu Su lowered his head and replied.

“What do you mean unfillial? If you think you are unfillial, then quickly get married and let me carry my grandchild!” Lu Taigong also wanted a grandchild. Most people his age were already grandfathers with several grandchildren.

“Father!” Lu Su’s face turned a little red. This Lu Su had been thinking about grand plans for many years but did not even think about his own personal life.

“Is that news from the King of Shu?” Lu Taigong smiled as he asked Lu Su.

Lu Su hesitated a little and did not reply.

“It is fine if you cannot speak.” Lu Taigong had good intentions. He wanted to see if he could give advice to his son.

“Father. It is not that I cannot say, it is just that it is not a big deal. Our Yangzhou Army is stationed at the Yangtze River. Marquis Wu Sun Ce gave meat as courtesy. The general at the frontlines did not dare to accept without permission so he sent a letter.” Lu Su replied to his father.

“Marquis Wu gave Yangzhou’s soldiers meat?” Lu Taigong frowned at this. Sun Ce was someone who has motives in his every action unless it was related to his own relatives. What did he want to gain from this?

“Yes. It is probably so that the Lord would think well of him after Jiangdong surrenders and make us speak on his behalf later.” Lu Su explained.

“Really?” Lu Taigong’s many years of experience told him that things were not so simple. Sun Ce wants to protect himself after surrendering but curries favor with the troops instead of Lu Su? Lu Taigong wanted to think deeper but was interrupted by his son.

“Let’s go, Father. I forgot the time and now I am also hungry.” Lu Su said and waved his hand to the servants. He then showed his back towards his father and squatted down.

Lu Taigong also did not refuse to be carried by his son. “Let’s go before the food gets cold.”

***

A young man rushed into the Information Department of the Ministry of Justice. This is the place where letters were sent when something big happens and the Ministry of Justice is required to preside over the case.

Similarly, the relatives of the Ministry of Justice’s personnel could also send letters here where it would be sorted out and given to their respective recipients.

“Are there any letters from Jiangdong today?” The man asked while gasping for air.

“Not yet. Brother Wu, don’t worry. If a letter comes we would immediately give to Master Zhuge.” The official in charge of the information was actually in quite a high position. He was at least a province-level official. However, he had to be polite towards this young man since the young man’s direct superior was Zhuge Kongming.

The man named Wu Hui was Zhuge Kongming’s book assistant. Normally, with Wu Hui’s ability, it would be enough to at least make him a magistrate of a small county.

It is a pity that Wu Hui refused to become a county magistrate and instead wanted to remain with his master. First of all, he would be able to learn more things. Second, he was lazy. Zhuge Liang can do all the planning while he can just be the legs. Lastly, his master was the high official of the Ministry of Justice so people would give him face.

Wu Hui was here on behalf of Zhuge Liang to see if a letter had arrived from Jiangdong. This is because Zhuge Liang had already sent a letter to his brother Zhuge Jin and was waiting for a reply.

Hearing that there was no reply yet, Wu Hui returned to Zhuge Liang to make his report.

“Not yet?” Zhuge Liang frowned. It had been several days since he sent the letter. Normally, there would have already been a reply but there was no news. This letter was not just a family letter.

“No. I cannot wait anymore!” Zhuge Liang stamped his feet. “Wu Hui. Make the preparations. I am going to the Lord’s residence.”

“Master. Weren’t you chased out the last time? Why are you going again?” Wu Hui hesitated. Before this, Liu Mang mocked Zhuge Liang after receiving Lu Su’s letter. Zhuge Liang returned home angrily and wrecked his study.

“I am going either way! Sun Ce and Zhou Yu won’t give up so easily! We must not let down our guards until it is truly over!” Zhuge Liang shook his head. Both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang were intelligent so they both rejected each other. Zhuge Liang would admit that he hated Zhou Yu. Another reason was because of what happened at the Yangtze River.

Zhuge Liang was monitored by Huang Gai and was persuaded to surrender by Zhou Yu. Lu Xun was also obstructed. Sun Ce believed that victory was already his but then he suddenly realized that he was wrong. Zhuge Liang burned all of it down. If Zhuge Liang could do this, so could Zhou Yu.

Wu Hui was not as stubborn as Zhuge Liang so he could only do as asked. It was at this moment that an official came over. “Lord High Official. Master Wu. A letter from Jiangdong has arrived!” The man spoke and handed a letter over.

Wu Hui felt a little scared. He had the people at the Ministry of Justice call him that because he also wanted to be respected. However, in actual fact, he was not that important a person. Wu Hui felt afraid that he would be scolded by Zhuge Liang for this but it was obvious that Zhuge Liang had no time to lecture him.

Zhuge Liang quickly took the letter from the official and opened it.

He quickly read it and immediately felt gratified. One of the reason for this is because of the concern his brother Zhuge Jin had for him. The feelings between brothers was naturally gratifying. Zhuge Liang also felt happy to hear that Zhuge Jin had become Jiangdong’s Ambassador. At the same time, he realized that Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had bad intentions. They had no intentions of surrendering at all.

After that, he immediately felt anxious. “Quickly! Bring me to the Lord’s residence!”

“Ah! Master! You already got the letter! Are you still going?” Wu Hui asked.

“Of course! Or rather, it is because I got the letter that I must go! Quickly! Go and prepare a horse!” Zhuge Liang felt that it was already too late.

A horse was quickly prepared and Zhuge Liang quickly rode towards the King of Shu’s residence alone.

***

The riverbank at Jianye was originally a good harbor filled with ships. However, thanks to Jiangdong’s recent defeats, they have lost their position as the overlord of the Yangtze River. As a result, the harbor was vacant.

Now the ones stationed there no longer raised Jiangdong’s banner. Instead, the banner was the black banner of the Yangzhou Army. Yes, it was the Yangzhou Army stationed at Jiangdong’s naval base.

Dai Yun was busy dealing with the guests within the barracks while carriages full of food like grain and meat. The Yangzhou soldiers salivate at the sight of it. Even though Yangzhou treated their soldiers better, they still only see meat and fish once a month. How could they not salivate at the sight of so many carriages full of meat?

These carriages full of food were being blocked by Dai Yun as they were sent by Sun Ce. Dai Yun did not dare to accept the gift so he sent a letter to Lu Xun. Lu Xun also did not know whether to accept so Lu Xun sent the letter to Lu Su as Lu Su was the one in charge.

Dai Yun did not dare to do anything without Lu Su’s orders.

“General Dai Yun. These are just meat and is nothing really great. Marquis Wu offered it as good intentions seeing that your soldiers are working so hard! Just accept it!” Huang Gai persuaded.

“Old General Huang. It is not that I don’t want to accept it. The both of us are soldiers. I am sure you also know that soldiers place importance on orders. If you had sent it to the Dai Family then I can accept but if you send it to the army, then I do not dare to accept until I receive the order.” Dai Yun rejected.

“Haha! There will be a chance for it! Once we start working together, I will have to inconvenience the General Dai’s residence! At that time, I hope General Dai will give me a lot of advice!”

“No, no! The two of us will be encouraging each other!” Dai Yun smiled bitterly. If he knew it would be this tiring, he would have refused to become a general of 10,000 men. It was not that the fighting was tiring but it was tiring to deal with people. Originally, he was Hao Shao’s subordinate. He only needed to listen to orders. He did not need to think so hard.

“Report! General! A letter has come from Lu Su.” A letter came just as Dai Yun refused the gifts.

Dai Yun opened up the letter to read Lu Su’s instructions. Dai Yun can accept the meat sent by Marquis Wu but the things sent by the common people had to be returned.

“General Dai. What did High Official Lu say?” Huang Gai asked.

“Haha, General Huang. I really feel apologetic. I do not know what to say but to let General Huang bring in these meat.” Dai Yun laughed in reply.

“Are you saying High Official Lu agree to accept it?” Huang Gai also smiled after hearing those words.

“Yes.” Dai Yun nodded. “Old General Huang. How about you sleep in the barracks today? The two of us can share a drink.”

“That’s good!” Huang Gai also nodded in reply.

“Good! Men!” Dai Yun shouted to his soldiers outside.

“General!” A few of Yangzhou’s New Army entered the barracks and knelt down. “Each of you, take a thousand men to bring the meat into the barracks. Tonight, we shall feast!”

“Hm?” Hearing Dai Yun’s words, the soldiers were overjoyed. They would be able to eat meat that night. How could they not feel happy? So they immediately begun to move but then they were stopped by Dai Yun.

“Where are you going? I’m not finished!” Dai Yun said unhappily but the soldiers simply laughed shamelessly as they knew that a newly arrived general would not be too angry at them.

“You all will need to check the things properly. All of the meat that Marquis Wu has sent can be taken. However, the things that were given by the common people needed to be returned to their respective homes. If they are not there then give it to the others. We do not want any of their things. Understand?”

“We understand!” There weren’t many things given by the common people to begin with so returning those things weren’t a problem.

“The way the General handles things is rare. To refuse the gifts of the common people. It is no wonder your Lord keeps winning battles.” Huang Gai said to Dai Yun.

Dai Yun replied modestly. “No, it is His Highness that knows the right way of doing things. We the subjects, only do as ordered. Come! General Huang! Let us go in and wait for them to finish the job!”

“N!” Huang Gai nodded in reply and followed Dai Yun in. Dai Yun did not notice Huang Gai signal to two of his men. These two would later feign a stomachache and withdraw. One of them would leave the barracks. The other would go deeper into the barracks and change into one of the Yangzhou Army’s clothing.

The soldier that left the barracks ran into the woods and shouted. “General! General!” After shouting for half a day, a group of soldiers appeared. Leading this person was Lu Meng. However, he was wearing the clothing of the Yangzhou Army.

“How is it? Is the old general doing well?” Lu Meng asked the soldier.

“Yes, General Lu. Our general is now inside Dai Yun’s camp. Dai Yun’s subordinates have also accepted the Lord’s gifts. Now we are just waiting for you!” The soldier replied.

“Good, I understand. You can go back and receive your reward.” Lu Meng said to Huang Gai’s soldier.

“Yes, General!” The soldier replied happily. His mission was over. Once he return to Jianye, the Lord will reward him and his life will be easier for the next few days.

Just as the soldier turned around to leave, his eyes grew wide. He then looked down to see that he had been stabbed. With great difficulty he turned around and glared at the culprit, Lu Meng. His eyes asking, why.

“I am sorry. This matter is too sensitive, we cannot allow others to find out about it. So we can only wrong you. Do not worry, the Lord will take care of your family!” Lu Meng said and then pulled out his sword from the soldier’s body. Blood spilled out as the soldier fell to the ground.

“Alright. Let’s go.” Lu Meng said and his soldiers followed him. These soldiers all did not react at all to what happened. If one were to look closer, they would find that they all don’t have tongues.

These soldiers were all death soldiers. From young, they were trained to sacrifice themselves for their Lords. And so, they were all expendable.

Lu Meng led his group to a small village outside Jianye. The people of the village were cooking and farming. Peace was coming and Jiangdong would soon become part of Yangzhou. Unlike the nobles, these people would soon have thirty percent tax. This would allow them to eat their fill.

Lu Meng was familiar with the sight as he grew up as a poor boy from a small village like this. He only obtained his accomplishments after getting recognized by Sun Ce.

Lu Meng closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he basked in nostalgia. When he reopened his eyes, it was filled with cruelty. “Get to work.”

Lu Meng and his black clothed troops immediately advanced towards the village.

“Xiao Yi! Come and chase me!” A few children were laughing happily as they played with a ball.

“Return me my ball!” Xiao Yi chased after the ball with the intention of taking it back. But the other children were bigger than him and they kept passing the ball to each other.

“Hey! Watch me!” One of them kicked the ball so high it flew up and got stuck on a tree.

The other children quickly dispersed leaving behind Xiao Yi. This child looked up at the tree with tears in his eyes.

Just as he was about to cry, a tall figure appeared in front of him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Little boy. Why are you crying? Do not cry, we must be strong. Come. Uncle will help you take it.” The man picked up the ball from the tree and then gave it back to Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi looked at the ball then he looked at the tall figure in black armor feeling amazed.

“Xiao Yi! Xiao Yi!” A middle aged man shouted from a distance as he ran towards Xiao Yi. He was Xiao Yi’s father. The moment he heard from one of the naughty boys that they kicked the ball up the tree, he quickly rushed to Xiao Yi fearing that the boy would hurt himself.

“Xiao Yi. Are you alright? Where is the ball?” Xiao Yi’s father asked.

“I am alright. Uncle took the ball for me.” Xiao Yi’s father then looked at the soldier.

“Thank you general.” Xiao Yi’s father said. The soldier nodded back as a response.

“General. Are you the His Highness the King of Shu’s generals?” Xiao Yi’s father asked after realizing that this soldier was not wearing Jiangdong’s outfit.

“How do you know that?” The soldier asked.

“Haha. I have been to the naval barracks and have seen your General Dai Yun.” Xiao Yi’s father said proudly. Since Dai Yun was a Commander of 10,000-men, he was an important figure. To meet such a person was an honor.

“Your General Dai is so cordial even to us common people. If I wasn’t so old, I would have wanted to become a soldier as well. But it’s alright. I may be old but I still have Xiao Yi. In the future, I will let Xiao Yi become His Highness’ soldier. He can go and study and if that does not work, he can still become a general!” It was necessary to know how to read if they wanted to join the Yangzhou Army. On top of that, they allowed children to learn how to read.

To the common people of that era, learning how to read was impossible. Books were so expensive only the rich could afford it. Yangzhou implemented a policy where children must learn to read. They could not learn in Jiangdong but since Jiangdong was becoming part of Yangzhou, Xiao Yi would finally obtain the opportunity to become literate and become an official. Xiao Yi would be able to get helpers and not tire himself.

“Haha. You want to become a general?” Lu Meng looked at the father and son. “Maybe you can but that depends if you can survive first!”

Just when the father and son were in shock, Lu Meng took out his sword and cut down the father.

Blood splashed out. “You! You!”

“Hmph! You are just common rabble and you dare take back what you are given? Where do you think this is? If we eat your food, that is the respect we show to you!” Xiao Yi’s father then fainted. Lu Meng then looked at Xiao Yi and sighed. He wanted to kill the boy but the boy’s eyes made him stop.

“It is fortunate you know the Yangzhou Army. Otherwise, I would not be able to spare you. Whether you survive or not depends on you!” Lu Meng said and then hit the boy with the back of his hand.

“Milord. Grand Governor. I hope we are doing the right thing.” Lu Meng mumbled to himself before showing his killing intent. “Kill them. Spare no one. How dare they complain to our general? I eat your food to give you face but now I have to be punished by the general! These people are courting death!” Lu Meng cursed as he killed the people. Though the common people of Jiangdong were strong, they were still no match for soldiers. A hellish scene replaced the once peaceful village.

The soldiers signaled that they were done. Lu Meng nodded and signaled back. They were to go and attack the next village. The villages outside Jianye were all attacked. Blood covered the earth while the smoke from the fire covered the sky.

“Ah!” After Lu Meng had left, Xiao Yi’s father woke up. He looked around and his eyes turned red. His village was destroyed. His relatives and his wife was also dead. Even his parent’s body had already turned cold.

“Xiao Yi! That’s right, I still have Xiao Yi!” The man recollected himself and tried to wake up his son.

“N!” Xiao Yi slowly woke up and asked. “Where is that uncle?”

“That person is not an uncle! He is a demon!”

These scenario was repeated in all the villages that Lu Meng visited. All of them had a few survivors. Some remained crying in fear. Others had eyes full of hatred.

Most of the common people begun to act. Jiangdong was originally a place with strong people. They originally fought for territory in Shanyue. The Shanyue people were originally fighters that settled down. Danyang’s elite troops and Xiang Yu’s elite army all came from here.

Besides that, the Jiangdong people were closely knitted. It was not surprising for one village to have women married in from another village. Now that their village is gone, they would naturally look for their relatives. After finding out that all the villages were destroyed, they would try and find out the culprit. Every single one of them would blame the Yangzhou Army.

The whole of Jiangdong was enraged. When the Yangzhou Army stationed there, the common people gave fish and meat to welcome them. This is because peace was coming. If they want to return the food, then just return it. Why would they kill everyone? What was the point of returning the food just to rob it again? Were the Yangzhou Army bandits?

The common people wanted to seek justice. Unfortunately, the Yangzhou Navy were elites. At other places, the people would back down. But not the people of Jiangdong. They had the reputation of people that could fight against the world. One such example was Xiang Yu.

The people of Jiangdong were famous for their might. They would get into fights in a disagreement. They would even go against authority, much less a foreign enemy.

With this, the rumors spread and the common people gathered their remaining friends and family. This added up to at least ten thousand people. The ones that could grabbed swords. The ones that couldn’t grabbed their hoes and pitchforks. The ones that don’t even have that used pikes that they made out of the bamboos from the nearby forest. The army of common people then headed towards the naval barracks.

“This… What should we do?” The defenders at Jianye were troubled. They only had two thousand men while there were over ten thousand people in front of them. On top of that, many of the soldiers here had some kind of relation with one of the attackers. How could you ask them to fight?

The officer in charge was already thinking that he would die. “Who is that below? Are you all trying to rebel?” The officer asked. He hoped he could dissuade them by saying that they were rebels.

However, he miscalculated. “Sir! We do not want to rebel! We want to seek justice! Our villages were attacked and our people were slaughtered. Sir, we are here to seek justice!” One of the mild mannered ones replied.

Some of them exploded in anger. “Why are you even bothering to talk with these people? Maybe he is one of Yangzhou’s people! So what if I am a rebel? They don’t let me live anyway!”

“That’s right! We are rebelling! If you open the gate we will spare you! If you do not, we will fight our way in and kill you!”

“What should we do?” The gatekeeper was troubled. If he were to open the gates, he would be executed for neglecting his duty. If he doesn’t open the gate, this mob will kill him.

Fortunately, someone helped him reach an answer. “General! Open the gates!” One messenger shouted.

“Open the gates? If I do, won’t Marquis Wu come and kill me?”

“It is Marquis Wu that ordered you to open the gates!” The messenger replied.

“Huh?” The gatekeeper was confused. The messenger then added. “Grievances must be repaid. Since Yangzhou caused a mess, they would have to take responsibility.”

With the messenger’s words, the gatekeeper ordered for the gates to open, allowing the common people to enter the city. Most of them headed towards the naval barracks. Unfortunately some strayed from the path and broke into shops. They were quickly executed by a group of black clothed soldiers. But it was also because of this that the common people quickly learned to stick together.

***

At the naval barracks in Jianye, the meat was cooked and served. Dai Yun raised a cup towards Huang Gai.

“To General Huang’s health, to be able to stay as a role model for the rest of us! Come, General! Allow me to salute you!” Dai Yun said.

“Take is slowly.” Huang Gai said as he slowly drank from his cup. He then laughed and said to Dai Yun. “General Dai. I’m afraid what you are drinking isn’t wine.”

“Haha. You must have noticed!” Dai Yun said bashfully. “General, please forgive me for this. Those leading the troops are not allowed to drink in the Yangzhou Army.”

“Not even a cup?” Huang Gai urged. But after one cup they would drink a second and a third. So this would end up breaking their rules.

“Yes. I am sorry. If an officer drinks a single cup of wine while on duty, they would be hit by the rod twenty times. If he drinks two cups, he would lose his job. If he drinks three cups, he would be executed.” Dai Yun explained. This was not a joke. Liu Mang really did set this punishment because he was afraid that his men become drunk and mess things up. If they wanted to drink, they had to be off duty first. In the original history, Yuan Shao was about to defeat Cao Cao at Guandu. However, Chunyu Qiong drank wine and lost Wuchao. This was the main reason Yuan Shao lost in the end. Liu Mang learned from this and banned drinking in the army.

“In that case, I won’t make things hard for General Dai.” Huang Gai sighed while acknowledging to himself Liu Mang’s strictness on the matter. It was clear to Huang Gai that the Yangzhou Army was able to distinguish themselves because of ability. They did not rely on luck.

Just as Dai Yun and Huang Gai were to continue drinking, the camp grew noisy and loud as though something serious happened.

Dai Yun furrowed his brows but Huang Gai eyes had a glint of happiness.

“General! Not good!” One of Dai Yun’s subordinate ran in and knelt down in front of Dai Yun.

“Can being flustered help you? What’s the matter?” Dai Yun admonished.

“We… We are surrounded!” The messenger said to Dai Yun.

“Surrounded? General Huang. What is the meaning of this?” Dai Yun immediately turned to Huang Gai, thinking that Huang Gai had the Jiangdong Army surround the Yangzhou Army.

“General Dai, I am innocent. It is not like you don’t know my Jiangdong Navy’s current strength. How could we surround you?” Huang Gai acted well despite the fact that he was smiling in his heart.

“General! It is not the Jiangdong Army! It is the common people of Jiangdong!”