Chapter Fifty-two: Hot Potato

  "Second Brother, can I take a look at that Imperial Seal of the Transmission of State?"

  As soon as he returned to the Guangling City, and also just back to the Xuzhou army's meeting hall in the Guangling Governor's Mansion, Tao Ji rushed to the front of Tao Ying, with a flattering face asking Tao Ying to show the Imperial Seal of Transmission. Zhang Yi, Xie Yan and Xu Sheng, as well as other major and minor generals of Xuzhou, surrounded Tao Ying, eager to see with their own eyes the Imperial Seal of Transmission that Tao Ying had deceitfully obtained, which was said to be carved from the He Shi Bi.

  "What's the point of crowding around? Can't you all just scatter a bit?" Tao Ying complained, pushing away the surrounding generals. He untied the bundle on his back and took out the Imperial Seal, casually tossing it to Tao Ji. "Here, take a good look, country bumpkin, making such a big fuss over nothing." After scolding him, Tao Ying didn't even bother to check where the Imperial Seal had landed, and instead headed straight to the rear hall to bathe and change his clothes.

  "Second brother, don't throw it away! This is the Imperial Seal of the State! The Imperial Seal of the State!"

  Taoyi was frightened by Taoying's rough movement, and he cried out in a panic. Fortunately, he managed to catch it with one hand, and held it carefully to examine it. The Xu Zhou generals also swarmed around Taoyi, gathering around to admire the legendary Imperial Seal of Transmission, which had countless stories attached to it. They argued over who got to look at it first and who got to touch it first, but only Ruzi, the military strategist of the Junzi Army, did not join in the commotion. Instead, he sat aside, going through the army's documents, calculating the consumption of weapons and supplies over the past few days, and preparing for the next phase of battle.

  Until Tao Ying finished bathing and changing into a new set of scholar's attire, returning to the main hall of the Governor's mansion, the Xu Zhou generals had barely passed around the Imperial Seal for viewing. Tao Ji had been diligently guarding the Imperial Seal, supervising as the last of the Xu Zhou generals finished admiring it. Just as he was about to return the seal to Tao Ying, he caught sight of Lu Su sitting off to the side examining a bamboo scroll and kindly presented the seal before him, smiling as he said: "Military Advisor, you haven't seen this Imperial Seal yet, have you? Take a good look while you can, then I'll return it to my brother."

  "Thank you for General Zhou's kindness, but I'm not interested and don't want to watch." Lu Su replied without even lifting his head.

  "What's wrong?" Taoyi was taken aback and hastily asked: "Military strategist, aren't you also like those pedantic bookworms who think that my second brother's method of obtaining the Imperial Seal is not glorious?"

  "What's glorious or not?" Lu Su finally stopped flipping through the bamboo slips, raised his head and said lightly: "Was it glorious for Sun Jian and his son to hide and embezzle this imperial jade seal during the chaos back then? Using someone else's method to govern that person's body, what's wrong with that?"

  "Why don't you take a look at this imperial jade seal?" Tao Ji was completely bewildered.

  "In Ruo Yu's eyes, this national treasure seal is no different from a venomous snake or a ferocious beast. If one is not careful, it may bring about a disaster that will burn oneself to death and invite catastrophe. Therefore, I don't even want to touch it." Lu Su calmly replied.

  "Zi Jing said it too right." Tao Ying held the tea cup and said: "In my eyes, this imperial jade seal is also as terrible as a flood beast. Holding it in your hand is like putting a poisonous snake in your arms, only you three brothers are stupid enough to think that this broken stone is a treasure, it's simply embarrassing, don't know how to write the word 'death'."

  When Tao Ying said this, Tao Ji and Zhang Yi were naturally confused, while Lu Su, who had been expressionless all along, let out a sigh of relief. He cupped his hands in respect and said: "It seems that I have indeed misunderstood you, sir. I was worried that you would be tempted by greed, but since you understand this principle, I can also rest assured. However, I must remind you that the imperial jade seal is an ominous object, and it's absolutely impossible to keep it. If you do, disaster will strike!"

  "That's for sure, I'd be stupid to leave this national jade seal behind. Such a dangerous thing, it would cause trouble if it stayed in my hands for even one day!" Tao Ying's answer completely put Lu Su at ease, but thoroughly confused Tao Ji and the others.

  "Second brother, military advisor, what are you talking about? I don't understand a word." Tao Ji couldn't help but ask tentatively: "From your tone, second brother and military advisor, you wouldn't be thinking of sending the national jade seal away again, would you?"

  "What's the point of keeping it here?" Tao Yi smiled and asked Tao Ji in return, "Third brother, if we keep this Imperial Seal, what do you think will happen? What about Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, and Lü Bu around Xuzhou, what will they do?"

  Apart from being too young and inexperienced, Tao Ji's mind was not stupid. Upon hearing Tao Ying's question, he quickly came to his senses and exclaimed: "Second brother is right! We can't keep this Imperial Seal of the State, once we do, our powerful enemies around us will never give up, they will definitely raise troops to ask for punishment and come to rob!"

  "Not bad, Third Brother has finally made some progress." Tao Ying smiled and said: "Our five counties in Xuzhou are relatively rich and prosperous, but our military strength is relatively weak. We have always been the target of neighboring lords, who have long coveted us. In this situation, if we still keep this Imperial Seal, it will immediately give these wolves and tigers an excuse to send troops to punish us, and also give them the opportunity to annex Xuzhou. Therefore, before our strength grows strong enough to dominate the world, this Imperial Seal is not worthy of being owned by us, and can only be quickly gotten rid of. If we delay a little, it may bring about a great disaster."

  When Tao Ying said this, the Xu Zhou generals looked at each other in dismay, feeling that what Tao Ying said was reasonable, yet also felt it was a pity. Tao Ji, who was rarely praised by Tao Ying, was both delighted and regretful, "Still, second brother is more clever than me, he had thought of these things early on, it's just such a pity, the Imperial Seal of the State, to hand it over to someone like this, really is too much of a waste."

  "I'm also heartbroken, but it's useless. We're still too weak now. It's already so difficult to deal with a newly risen Sun Ce, let alone the cunning and experienced Cao Cao, Lü Bu, and Yuan Shao." Tao Ying shrugged and spread his hands, then took back the Imperial Seal from Tao Ji, admiring it as he said: "Besides, I once vowed in front of everyone to return this Imperial Seal to the Emperor of Great Han. If I were to go back on my word and keep the seal for myself, wouldn't I end up like Sun Jian, dying by the sword?"

  "Gentlemen, what you said is extremely true. You have already sworn to return the Imperial Seal to the Emperor, and you cannot go back on your word." Xu Zhou's old general Zhang Yi was quite superstitious and echoed in agreement: "It is said that when Sun Jian first obtained this seal, Yuan Shao coerced him into handing it over, but he swore an oath denying it, saying that if he hid the seal, he would die by the sword. In the end, his oath was fulfilled. Just now, I heard that you, young master, also made a similar vow. If so, then I think you should keep your promise and not repeat Sun Jian's mistake."

  "We should take advantage of the fact that Yuan Shu's army has not yet besieged the city, and quickly send the Imperial Seal back to Xucheng City to give it to Uncle. Please ask Uncle to send someone to bring the seal to Chang'an and return it to the Emperor of Great Han." Tao Ji suggested: "In this way, the Emperor will be overjoyed and will definitely promote Uncle's official position and title. Second brother, you will also definitely get an official position and title in the imperial court."

  "You just praised me, how could you say something stupid again?" Tao Yingxiao scolded: "The national jade seal is so precious, Xuzhou and Chang'an are thousands of miles apart. No matter which road our envoy takes, they must pass through the territory of other vassals. Can these vassals not have greedy thoughts? Can they let our envoys bring the national jade seal through their territory to Chang'an to ask for credit and fame? Which of our neighboring vassals is such a fool?"

  "What if it can't be delivered to the Emperor's face?" Tao Ji's face showed a difficult expression.

  "It's simple." Tao Ying took a sip of tea and said lightly: "Since we can't deliver the Imperial Seal to the Emperor, we can shift the responsibility to someone else. Let's hand over the Imperial Seal to a powerful vassal and ask him to help us return it to the Emperor. This way, I'll fulfill my promise, the Imperial Seal will be safely returned to the Emperor, and the vassal who helps us will also gain some merit. Everyone will be happy."

  "Second brother, you're talking nonsense again." Tao Ji complained: "If you ask someone else to return the Imperial Seal to the Emperor, aren't you afraid that this vassal will seize the Imperial Seal?"

  "It is better for the world to owe me than for me to owe the world." Tao Ying said with a straight face, "I treat people with sincerity, and they must also treat me with sincerity. I believe that no matter which vassal I entrust to return the jade seal, he will certainly remember the kindness of his lord, keep his promise, and deliver the jade seal to the emperor on my behalf."

  Taoyi was about to refute Taoying's nonsense, but Taoying waved his hand to stop him and turned to ask Ruzi on the side: "Military strategist, in your opinion, which of the lords should I invite to return the jade seal?"

  "The young master has already made up his mind, why must he ask me?" Lu Su asked with a smile.

  "I indeed have a plan in mind, but as I said before, my strategic vision is not as good as that of the military advisor." Tao replied: "So please, Military Advisor, do not hesitate to enlighten me and correct my mistakes."

  "In that case, I'll be blunt. Lu Su also spoke without reserve, saying in a loud voice: 'In my opinion, among the heroes surrounding Xuzhou, Cao Cao should be eliminated first. Cao is notorious for his cunning and will not fail to see through your intentions, so giving him the imperial seal would be pointless. In the north, Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan are locked in a fierce battle and will not have the strength to turn their attention south until they emerge victorious or defeated. Once they do, you won't need to fear them either, so they can also be eliminated. Lü Bu is treacherous and greedy like a wolf, but his actual power is weak. Giving him the imperial seal would serve no purpose and might even lead him to think that you are weak and vulnerable to bullying, which would only increase his desire for Xuzhou. As for Liu Yao, Yan Baihu, and Wang Lang in the south, they are all mediocre and incompetent. If you don't take care of them, they will already be grateful, so there's no need to consider them either.'"

  "As for the last vassal." Lu Su paused, smiling and said: "Whether it's a strategic need or a tactical need, he is the most ideal person to entrust with the task, and by giving him the Imperial Seal, the prince still has a chance to retrieve the seal again."

  Tao Yingluo smiled and said: "Military strategist, it seems that we have thought of the same thing again. I wonder if the military strategist is willing to take the trouble to go as an envoy?"

  "The young master has ordered, how dare I not obey?" Lu Su answered with a smile, and Tao Ying looked at each other and burst out laughing. The nearby Tao Ji and Zhang Yi and other Xuzhou generals were all confused, not knowing who Tao Ying and Lu Su were talking about, and what strategic purpose they had.

  ……………

  At the same time that Tao Qian and Lu Su were laughing loudly, Sun Jian and Sun Ce's two old generals, Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, were shouting angrily because they had not been able to bring Sun Ce's body on board to cross the river before being blocked by Chen Fen, leading the naval forces of Yuan Shu. The soldiers on the ship quickly landed and surrounded several hundred of Sun Ce's remaining soldiers, forcing them to lay down their arms and surrender. A small number of Yuan Shu's soldiers in Sun Ce's army gladly laid down their arms, while Huang Gai and Cheng Pu, after careful consideration, also laid down their arms to temporarily preserve their lives. They strongly argued on behalf of Sun Ce before Chen Fen, stating that he had no intention of rebelling.

  What enraged Cheng Pu and Huang Gai was that Chen Feng did not listen to their explanations at all, and flatly refused their request to send Sun Ce's body to Qu'a to hand it over to Sun Jian's widow. Instead, he decided to send Sun Ce's body to Shouchun first, to be handled by Yuan Shu. At the same time, Chen Feng also disarmed all of Sun Jian's old generals and soldiers, scattered their elite troops, and put them on warships as oarsmen. Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were also disarmed and thrown into prison carts, along with Sun Ce's body, to be sent to Shouchun and handed over to Yuan Shu.

  Zhu Zhi was the unluckiest, he abandoned his family in Shouchun to report Ji Ling's mobilization to Sun Ce, but ended up being captured and beheaded by Chen Fen under Yuan Shu's order without even getting a chance to explain himself. His family in Shouchun had already been imprisoned, awaiting their fate of being enslaved.

  The more fortunate one was Zhou Yu, because Zhou Yu was not a former subordinate of Sun Jian, and he joined Yuan Shu's army as the leader of the militia from Chaohu Lake. Therefore, Chen Fen did not make things difficult for Zhou Yu and decided to recruit him into his troops, just like other soldiers from Sun Ce's remaining forces in Yuan Shu's army, to continue serving in Yuan Shu's army. However, Zhou Yu did not accept Chen Fen's kindness and instead said to Chen Fen: "General Chen, please put me in prison as well and send me to Shouchun to hand over to General Lu. Sun Ce was my sworn brother, I know everything about him, please send me to present myself to General Lu, he will surely reward you heavily."

  "What do you mean by that?" Chen Fen asked in surprise: "Could it be that you want to expose Sun Ce's crime to the lord?"

  "Not bad." Zhou Yu also ignored the furious roars of Cheng Pu and Huang Gai in the distance, calmly nodding his head: "Sun Ce indeed has a heart that is not loyal to his lord, and also has words that are disrespectful to General Lu. Sun Ce's other plans for this expedition to Guangling are also clear to me. I am willing to take the blame and make achievements, and personally expose Sun Ce's various crimes to Lord Yuan."

  At this, Zhou Yu paused for a moment and continued: "General Chen, I am also from a famous family. My grandfather, Zhou Jing Gong, and my uncle, Zhou Zhong, both served as Grand Commandant of the Han Dynasty. My father, Zhou Yi, was once the Governor of Luoyang. They all had dealings with General Liu Bei, so Lord Yuan will certainly grant me an audience and won't blame you for making a big deal out of this."

  Zhou Yu had said as much, so Chen Fen naturally could not refuse. Chen Fen no longer hesitated and immediately agreed to Zhou Yu's request, deciding to send Zhou Yu along with Sun Ce's body and Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, etc. to Shouchun to be dealt with by Yuan Shu. However, Shouchun was really too far from the Yangtze River, so it would have been more convenient and faster to take a land route instead of sending Zhou Yu et al. to Shouchun. Therefore, Chen Fen quickly arranged for a team of soldiers to escort Zhou Yu et al. westward. The naval forces led by Chen Fen temporarily stationed at Guangling Ferry, sealing off the connection between the Guangling-Xuzhou army and Yuan Shu's other enemy, Liu Chao, while waiting for Ji Ling's main force to arrive or waiting for the next order from Yuan Shu.

  As soon as Sun Ce died, Zhou Yu, who was as close to Sun Ce as his own hands and feet, turned against him so heartlessly. He even went to Yuan Shu's presence to expose Sun Ce's crimes and gain merit by doing so. Huang Gai and Cheng Pu, the two generals, were furious and scolded Zhou Yu for being ruthless and unrighteous, saying he was worse than a beast. Zhou Yu remained silent, ignoring their curses as if he had already forgotten his close relationship with Sun Ce. It wasn't until the quiet of night that Zhou Yu would retreat to a corner of his prison cell and weep silently, muttering to himself, "Bo Fu, don't worry, please wait patiently for a few more days, I will definitely send Tao Ying's son to keep you company..."

  Because there was no disturbance from the Junzi Army on this trip, Yuan Shu's army, which escorted Zhou Yu and others back to Shouchun, walked very quickly, and it only took more than four days to send Zhou Yu and others to Dongcheng. The main force of Yuan Shu's army led by Ji Ling had also arrived in Dongcheng and stationed outside the city of Dongcheng, which was taken down by Sun Ce for Yuan Shu. However, Ji Ling had already received the news that Sun Ce's whole army was destroyed, so he could not continue to execute the task of capturing Sun Ce and asking for his crime. Therefore, Ji Ling did not continue to advance eastward, but waited for Yuan Shu's order in the county seat of Dongcheng, whether to continue advancing eastward to take down Guangling or to withdraw troops back to Shouchun.

  Seeing Ji Ling not making a move, although Ji Ling did not say whether to see Zhou Yu and others, Zhou Yu still actively shouted loudly in the prisoner's cart, requesting Ji Ling to meet him, and said that there was a huge secret to report to Ji Ling in person, and also had a great merit to give to Ji Ling. The guard had no choice but to report this matter to Ji Ling, who was extremely curious, and ordered Zhou Yu to be taken to the East City, where he met with Zhou Yu once.

  Handcuffed and brought before Ji Ling, Zhou Yu, who had always considered himself to be of high moral character, rarely showed a flattering expression. He first knelt down on both knees to pay his respects in front of Ji Ling, then reported his family background and name, allowing Ji Ling to have a good impression of him. After that, with a flattering expression all over his face, Zhou Yu said: "Congratulations General Ji, felicitations General Ji, there is a great achievement waiting for you to take."

  "What great achievement?" Ji Ling asked curiously.

  "Has the general ever heard of the Imperial Seal of Transmission?" Zhou Yu said with a smile: "Rumors among the people before, during Dong Zhuo's chaos, that Imperial Seal of Transmission fell into Sun Jian's hands, has the general ever heard of it?"

  "What haven't I heard of?" Ji Ling said in a bad tone: "My master repeatedly questioned Sun Ce's child, asking Sun Ce's child to hand over the imperial jade seal, but that child denied it with an oath, insisting that this matter was just a rumor."

  "Sun Ce is just a child telling lies." Zhou Yu changed his expression to a serious one and said, "The imperial jade seal is not only in Sun Ce's hands, I have also seen it with my own eyes more than once. The five dragons intertwined, engraved with the eight characters 'Received from Heaven, Long Life and Prosperity'."

  "Is it really in Sun Ce's hands?" Ji Ling jumped up, furious: "Where is the Imperial Seal now? Why didn't Chen Fen send someone to deliver it?"

  "The general must not misunderstand, this matter is not General Chen Fen's corruption, but the transmission of the national jade seal has changed hands." Zhou Yu quickly defended Chen Fen and told Ji Ling in detail about Tao Ying cheating the national jade seal - actually, Chen Fen had also heard about it from Yuan Shu's old soldiers and reported it to Ji Ling in a letter, only our General Ji Ling was busy indulging in pleasure and hadn't had time to read the letter yet.

  After listening to Zhou Yu's introduction, he quickly took out Chen Fen's letter and confirmed that Zhou Yu was not lying. Ji Ling suddenly became furious, "Good boy Sun Ce, it turns out that the imperial jade seal is indeed in your hands! Good boy Tao Ying, the jade seal is a treasure of the emperor, you are just a minor son of a prefect with no official position, how dare you take it away!"

  "General Ji, this is a great opportunity for you to build merit and achievements for your lord, please don't miss it." Seeing that the timing was right, Zhou Yu immediately persuaded him: "The Jade Seal is the treasure of the Emperor, Lord Yuan will certainly not let this treasure fall into Tao Ying's hands. General, please quickly lead your troops eastward, directly to the city of Guangling, break through Guangling and retrieve the Jade Seal, present it to Lord Yuan, and he will be overjoyed and heavily reward you. Moreover, although Tao Ying defeated the rebel Sun Ce, his own losses were also great. Now that General is advancing eastward to attack the city, it's just right to take advantage of the situation and capture Guangling easily!"

  "Not bad!" Ji Ling slapped the table in front of him and gritted his teeth, saying: "The Imperial Seal of Transmission, such a national treasure, how can it be monopolized by that Tao Yingxiong? I should immediately lead the army to march east and retrieve this treasure for my lord!"

  "General, please go at ease." Zhou Yu took the opportunity to say: "Also, General, quickly send someone to take the person who is under arrest to Shouchun. After I arrive in front of Yuan Gong, I will certainly report this matter to Yuan Gong and ask him to quickly dispatch grain and troops to rescue you and retake Guangling."

  "You can also take advantage of this to escape punishment, right?" Ji Ling looked at Zhou Yu with a smile.

  "Let the general say it, I am indeed eager to redeem my merit." Zhou Yu lowered his head in shame, then quickly raised it and said: "Moreover, General Ji, I have fought against Tao Ying's little ones many times, deeply understanding their tactics. If the general is willing to accept me, I am willing to explain the tactics of Tao Ying's army and present a strategy for defeating the enemy."