“Well, Zhou Yu has come to surrender, and I have one more general. Gongren, you have done a great job. Invite Zhou Yu to see me immediately.”

In the hall, Liu Wu told Dong Zhao that Zhou Yu was willing to serve him. He was overjoyed and praised Dong Zhao generously.

“It’s Zhao’s duty to work for the king. So I’ll go and invite Zhou Yu over!” Dong Zhao saw that Liu Wu agreed to Zhou Yu’s somewhat harsh request without hesitation, as if it was not worth mentioning at all, and looked very happy and excited that Zhou Yu had joined him. He felt that his understanding of Liu Wu had deepened.

Although Liu Wu liked “mature” and beautiful women, he did not reach the point of being licentious and immoral.

Talent is the most important thing, and the world is the most important thing.

Overall, Dong Zhao even felt that Liu Wu was stronger than Cao Cao.

After all, Cao Cao’s romantic affairs in Wancheng made his bad reputation spread throughout the world.

At the beginning, Cao Cao led his troops to attack Zhang Xiu, who was in control of Wancheng, and Zhang Xiu surrendered.

Cao Cao was full of pride and ambition. After the banquet, he developed improper thoughts about Zhang Xiu’s aunt Zou. He took her as his concubine despite all the advice.

Zhang Xiu felt angry and insulted by this, so he turned against Cao Cao and attacked his camp at night.

This incident caused Cao Cao to suffer heavy losses. In the Battle of Wancheng, Cao Cao’s eldest son Cao Ang, nephew Cao Anmin and general Dian Wei were all killed in the battle.

However, although Liu Wu had the same hobbies as Cao Cao, he was more restrained.

“Well, I heard that Zhou Yu’s son is two or three years old. Let’s invite Zhou Yu and his son to come as well.”

Liu Wu seemed to have thought of something and added.

“promise!”

Dong Zhao agreed, and suddenly felt a little envious of Zhou Yu. Obviously, letting Zhou Yu bring his son along would not be a bad thing. Instead, it might be a sign of favor to Zhou Yu.

Dong Zhao left the Chu Palace and went all the way to the Firewood and Carbon Department, where he met Zhou Yu.

Dong Zhao immediately stepped forward with a smile.

……

Prince Chu’s Mansion.

In the main hall.

Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Cai Mao, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others all arrived. They had already received the news that Zhou Yu had surrendered, so Liu Wu called them all over.

This made Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both feel disdainful.

Of course, this disdain was not directed at Liu Wu, but at Zhou Yu.

Just a mere Zhou Yu came to serve, but he wanted them all to accompany him. Does he, Zhou Yu, have the qualifications?

Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have been active on battlefields all over the world and have accumulated great reputations.

In comparison, although Zhou Yu was the Grand Commander of Jiangdong and Xuzhou, his power was limited to the Jianghuai region.

At this stage, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei don’t really think highly of Zhou Yu.

I just feel that Liu Wu is making a big deal out of nothing.

However, although Guan Yu and Zhang Fei disagreed in their hearts, they did not dare to express their dissatisfaction in front of Liu Wu.

They were still afraid, so Liu Wu suddenly took them to the training ground for some training.

In the main hall.

No matter what people think.

Zhou Yu, holding his son Zhou Xun’s hand, bowed to Liu Wu and said:

“I, the guilty general Zhou Yu, would like to greet the king and thank the king for his forgiveness. Zhou Yu is willing to serve under the king and fight for the king.”

“Haha, Gongjin, please take a seat. I admire your loyalty to the Sun family, so how could I blame you? Today, you, Zhou Yu, will be my general.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

When Zhou Yu heard Liu Wu’s words of letting bygones be bygones, he immediately expressed his gratitude to Liu Wu and sat down.

“Gongjin, I believe in your ability, but after all, you have just arrived in Xiangyang, so I can’t give you a high position. I want to appoint you as the General of the Western Expedition and the deputy general of General Yunchang, responsible for attacking the Cao and Zhang forces in the direction of Hanzhong. What do you think?”

“Hanzhong is a strategic location west of Xiangyang. It has fertile land and is a good granary. It can enter Guanzhong in the north and Xichuan in the west. It can be said to be a place of four wars. Yunchang still needs to stay in the army in Xiangyang. The affairs of Hanzhong need to be handed over to a capable and battle-hardened general. After much thought, I think you, Zhou Yu, are the most suitable.”

Sitting in the main seat, Liu Wu smiled and spoke to Zhou Yu, pointing out the importance of the Hanzhong strategy.

Hearing Liu Wu’s words, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Cai Mao, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others all looked at Liu Wu sideways.

They didn’t expect that Liu Wu would entrust such an important task to Zhou Yu, who had just joined the army.

However, although surprised, no one spoke.

The strategic location of Hanzhong is indeed very important, but Hanzhong is not an easy bone to chew now. Cao Cao’s troops plus Zhang Lu’s troops are probably no less than 150,000 troops. If the other side holds on, and the Qinling Mountains are a barrier, even Guan Yu will have a headache. Hanzhong is not in their hands now.

Therefore, Liu Wu handed this important and difficult task to Zhou Yu, and no one objected.

If Zhou Yu could really take over Hanzhong, he would be no ordinary general.

Zhou Yu was also surprised by Liu Wu’s arrangement. Although the General of the Western Expedition was not a senior general, that was because Liu Wu was not the emperor and could not grant senior generals official titles at will. As Guan Yu’s deputy general, he was fully responsible for the expedition to the strategically important Hanzhong. In fact, it was already a very rare and important position.

After all, where Xiangyang is located now, Hanzhong poses the greatest threat to its surrounding areas. Now, Liu Wu has handed this matter over to him, and it is obvious that he has expectations of him.

Of course, Zhou Yu was even more delighted that Liu Wu asked him to be responsible for Hanzhong in the west. Then, Jiangdong and Xuzhou occupied by the Sun family in the east of Xiangyang would have nothing to do with him.

Obviously, this was Liu Wu’s response to his previous request.

Zhou Yu immediately stood up, saluted solemnly to Liu Wu, and said:

“Zhou Yu will definitely not let the king down!”

“Okay, no need to be so serious. Sit down. You are all gathered here today so you can bond with each other.”

Liu Wu said to Zhou Yu with a smile.

Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong were surprised to hear Liu Wu personally supporting Zhou Yu, but they became more curious about Zhou Yu’s abilities.

You know, they, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Cai Mao are all considered the top dignitaries of Liu Wu’s forces.

Now, Liu Wu also asked him to get closer to Zhou Yu, obviously intending to bring Zhou Yu to the same level of status as them.

This was too much for Zhou Yu, who had just joined the army.

“Haha, Zhou Gongjin, Tong has been to Jiangdong before, but you guys don’t know what’s good for you and don’t know the value of things. Do you regret it now? Come on, let’s drink one first!” Pang Tong slammed the table, a sneer appeared on his ugly face, and he said in a heroic manner, as if he wanted to avenge the past.

Hearing this, Guan Yu stroked his beautiful beard and smiled.

“It’s true that Yu doesn’t know jade. Pang Shiyuan’s name has long been famous in the Han Dynasty. Everyone knows him. Yu will drink three cups as an apology.”

Zhou Yu naturally understood that Pang Tong was not really angry. After drinking the remaining wine, the matter was over. He raised the wine jar and drank three cups as punishment.

“Hahaha, good!” Pang Tong laughed.

“Zhou Yu, I actually admired you in the past. After all, you dared to stand up and take the blame for Xuzhou. You are a real man. Come, have a drink!” Zhang Fei also held a wine jar and smiled at Zhou Yu.

He finally got the chance to drink today, so he naturally wouldn’t miss this good opportunity.

Not to mention anything else, just to give Liu Wu face, everyone in the hall also mingled with Zhou Yu, and after three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became lively.

Liu Wu waved his hand, and everyone fell silent. Liu Wu looked at the little Zhou Xun who was staring at him beside Zhou Yu, and said with a smile:
“Gongjin, this is your son with Xiaoqiao, right?”

Zhou Yu listened to Liu Wu’s question and said hurriedly:

“Your Majesty, this is my son Zhou Xun. Xun’er, call your Majesty!”

Zhou Yu said to his son.

Little Zhou Xunsheng is very cute, a very likable little boy.

After hearing Zhou Yu’s words, little Zhou Xun said crisply:
“Father, Aunt Da Qiao said this is my uncle.”

“Haha, good, Xun’er, you still recognize your uncle?” Liu Wu looked at little Zhou Xun and smiled.

“Yes, you are Brother Liu Wei’s father, and Sister Li Zhi’s father.”

Little Zhou Xun hurriedly said to Liu Wu.

Liu Wu was quite fond of little Zhou Xun, perhaps because little Zhou Xun inherited the good genes of Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao, and was very cute and smart.

Of course, Liu Wu understood even more clearly that if little Zhou Xun grew up, he would not be any bad at all.

Historically, Zhou Yu’s eldest son Zhou Xun was evaluated as follows:
Inheriting his father’s legacy.

According to historical records such as “Records of the Three Kingdoms”, Zhou Xun had the style of Zhou Yu, which obviously may mean that he inherited Zhou Yu’s talents and style in some aspects.

He was also highly regarded by Sun Quan.

Historically, Sun Quan betrothed his eldest daughter Sun Luban to Zhou Xun and appointed him as the Cavalry Commander. This shows that Sun Quan had a certain degree of recognition and respect for Zhou Xun, and also indirectly demonstrates Zhou Xun’s ability.

Unfortunately, Zhou Xun died young before he could truly display his talents.

Liu Wu looked at Zhou Yu and said with a smile:
“Gongjin, since Xun’er calls me uncle, he is one of my family members. He also likes to play with Wei’er, Lizhi and the others. I like him very much. How about taking him as my adopted son?”

“The king wants to adopt Zhou Xun as his adopted son!”

When Liu Wu finished speaking, everyone was shocked, and Zhou Yu was also shocked.

You know, Liu Wu is now in a high position of power and has a bright future. It would be a great fortune if he were to adopt someone as his son.

Of course, this also means that Liu Wu is further trying to win over Zhou Yu.

After all, Liu Wu adopted Zhou Yu’s son as his adopted son, so the relationship between Zhou Yu and Liu Wu was undoubtedly closer.

Thinking of this, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Cai Mao, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others all looked at Zhou Yu with strange eyes.

Is it true that Zhou Yu’s ability was valued and won over by Liu Wu so much?
At this time, Zhou Yu was surprised and happy, and was quite moved by Liu Wu’s attitude.

“This… I am honored that the king has adopted me as his adopted son. Xun’er, why don’t you call me your adopted father?”

Zhou Yu did not hesitate and taught his son, Xiao Zhou Xun, who was standing beside him.

Little Zhou Xun blinked his eyes, and immediately said to Liu Wu in a very obedient manner, “Adoptive father!”

“Hahaha, okay. I’m so happy to have an adopted son today. I won’t go home until I’m drunk.” Liu Wu said with a smile. Adopting Zhou Xun as his adopted son would naturally be a further way to win over Zhou Yu.

Although his sons are all talented people, they also need to grow up. During this period, a true god of war is still needed to carry the banner.

In Liu Wu’s opinion, although Guan Yu was able to rule a region and command great power throughout the world, he was still not qualified to be the general of the world’s military. In comparison, Zhou Yu had the qualifications and ability.

With such great talent as a general, he would naturally be in charge of more things.

On that day, what happened in the Chu Palace spread throughout Xiangyang City. Liu Wu promoted Zhou Yu to a general and adopted Zhou Yu’s son Zhou Xun as his adopted son.

When the news spread, the people of Xiangyang City were shocked.

Zhou Yu’s status in Xiangyang City immediately soared.

After Zhou Yu was accepted under his command, Liu Wu resolved the matter and shifted his attention back to his beautiful wives and concubines in his backyard. He began to work hard again. He already had eight children, and with the third extraction of abilities, he was only one child away from nine. Liu Wu was still looking forward to the third ability.

Except for this.

What was weighing on Liu Wu’s mind at this time was: speed up the construction of naval warships, then train sailors, and make full preparations for going to sea to the American continent and bringing back high-yield crops.

The various states in the late Han Dynasty were frequently hit by natural disasters. Although Liu Wu was a time traveler, he could do nothing in the face of such a situation.

I want to recuperate, but it will be very slow if I continue like this.

In Liu Wu’s opinion, the key to breaking the deadlock is to bring back high-yield crops from the Americas.

Liu Wu has ordered Gan Ning and Huang Zu to use the Xiangyang as the main warship to attack the Yangtze River, ensuring that the Chu navy and navy have unimpeded access to the sea at any time.

……

Time flies, and half a year has passed. During this half year, the world is still developing smoothly, and good news is coming frequently from the backyard of the Prince of Chu’s Mansion.

Da Qiao, Lady Gan, Sun Shangxiang and Cai Xun were all found to be pregnant one after another.

Liu Wu’s high productivity made his civil and military subordinates envious.

The most important event in the world happened on the Yangtze River.

On the Yangtze River, as a large number of water and navy forces were formed in Xiangyang, according to Liu Wu’s wishes, they headed eastward into the sea. When they passed through Jiangdong, they were immediately blocked by the navy under Sun Quan.

The two sides engaged in a large-scale naval battle on the Yangtze River.

With the support of the Xiangyang and the large catapult improved by Huang Yueying equipped on the giant sea ship, the navy under Sun Quan’s command, although quite tenacious under the command of Lu Meng, still suffered defeat and heavy casualties.

In response to this, Liu Wu, as the King of Chu, ordered Sun Quan to restrain his subordinates and not to prevent the Chu navy and naval forces from sailing.

On the other hand, orders were sent to Gan Ning and Huang Zu that any Jiangdong navy encountered or discovered on the Yangtze River should be attacked and destroyed directly.

Liu Wu’s attitude was that on the Yangtze River, the navy and naval forces of Chu must be the core force to severely strike the naval forces of Jiangdong and open up a smooth way to the sea.

Because a large number of new warships had not yet been equipped, although Xiangyang’s navy and navy had the upper hand, they did not form an overwhelming advantage.

The fighting on the Yangtze River lasted for half a year and almost reached a white-hot state.

……

Hefei.

Wu Hou Mansion.

“Damn Liu Wu, what’s the matter with that? Is he really going to fight to the death with Jiangdong?”

In the hall, Sun Quan looked at the news sent by Lu Meng. In just ten days, another five or six thousand navy soldiers were killed or wounded, and twenty or thirty warships were destroyed. He was so angry that he flipped the table. It was no wonder that Sun Quan was so angry. He did not understand why Liu Wu launched a large-scale naval attack on the Jiangdong navy. However, Sun Quan did not dare to take it lightly, because the greatest strength of Jiangdong was the navy.

If Jiangdong did not have a navy, it would have almost no power to resist.

Therefore, we must resist!

“My Lord, you are angry again!”

A pleasant voice sounded, and a beautiful, charming, voluptuous and attractive woman walked into the hall accompanied by her maid, carrying food.

This absolutely beautiful, charming, voluptuous and attractive woman is none other than Sun Quan’s wife, Lady Bu Lianshi.

When Sun Quan saw his favorite wife coming in, he suppressed some of his inner anger.

(End of this chapter)