noffsinger Chapter 382 Infiltrating the ranks? Sun Quan: Mr. Guo is a genius!
Chapter 382 Infiltrating the ranks? Sun Quan: Mr. Guo is a genius!
"I, Guo Tu, never want to be with you, Xu Sheng, again!"
With his last bit of strength, Guo Tu raised his finger and pointed at Xu Sheng.
Xu Sheng scratched his head, looking puzzled.
"Mr. Guo, shall I leave now?"
After saying this, without waiting for Guo Tu's response, Xu Sheng walked ashore and threw Guo Tu onto the boat.
"groove!"
"Come back quickly! Help me, damn it!"
Guo Tu watched helplessly as the small boat leaked and was about to capsize, and he shouted repeatedly.
A quarter of an hour later.
Guo Tu gasped for breath, looking at Xu Sheng beside him with tears in his eyes.
Good news, they've arrived in Chaisang.
Bad news: they have been surrounded by Sun Quan's river patrol guards!
The River Patrol Guard was a special force under Sun Quan's command.
As the name suggests, they are specifically responsible for patrolling the banks of the Yangtze River to inspect ships coming from the north.
If it is a small caravan or ordinary people, they will be allowed to pass after paying a small fee.
However, if it is a large-scale caravan or armed force, then it is necessary to go with the river patrol guard.
after all.
With Yuan Shao's death, all the warlords knew that it was only a matter of time before Cao Cao unified the north.
Sun Quan didn't say it, but he was in a panic!
Logically speaking, Cao Cao would have prioritized dealing with Liu Biao in Jingzhou before considering attacking Jiangdong.
But it's better to be safe than sorry!
Cao Cao was no longer the minor warlord of Dongjun he was back then; he was now the overlord of the north!
If Cao Cao were to act recklessly and get angry at Sun Quan, insisting on destroying Jiangdong before attacking Jingzhou, no one could stop him!
What? You expect Su Yu to stop him?
Su Yu will most likely say to Cao Cao, "Wu Guotai is yours, and Sun Shangxiang is mine!"
Then he further urged Cao Cao to destroy Jiangdong first!
Therefore, the river patrol guards would investigate anyone coming from the north.
After the investigation is completed, a decision will be made on whether to bring the information to Sun Quan, Zhang Hong, or Zhou Yu, depending on the specific circumstances.
It should be noted that since Sun Quan implemented a series of checks and balances and centralized power, the power structure in Jiangdong has now entered a new era.
Alternative name: the tripartite balance of power.
Sun Quan, as the lord, naturally held a certain degree of power;
He had the support of senior figures such as Zhu Zhi, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang, as well as confidants such as Lu Su, Zhuge Jin, and Lü Fan.
As the head of the civil officials in Sun Ce's army, Zhang Hong represented the interests of many civil officials who had joined the army during Sun Ce's time.
For example, Bu Zhi, Yu Fan, Cheng Bing, Yan Jun, and others all followed Zhang Hong's lead.
At the same time, although Zhang Hong was born in Xuzhou, his ancestors were from Jiangdong.
The powerful families of Jiangdong also had a close personal relationship with Zhang Hong, and they were willing to flatter him and ask him to secure certain benefits for them.
The last power belonged to Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu held the most military power, had a close relationship with Sun Ce, and had made contributions in supporting Sun Quan's ascension to the throne, so he naturally became another powerful figure.
However, compared to Sun Quan and Zhang Hong, who had many followers, Zhou Yu didn't have many of his own people around him.
Those who could barely be considered as one of our own were perhaps only a handful of people like Jiang Qin and Lü Meng.
In general, when it comes to warfare, you have to look to Zhou Yu.
Zhang Hong was in charge of all domestic affairs.
Sun Quan seemed like a decision-maker sitting calmly on the sidelines.
Don't underestimate the importance of this tripartite balance of power.
On the surface, the power seems to be distributed very evenly.
But Sun Quan knew that Zhou Yu was a man of deep feelings.
As long as he holds Zhou Yu's arm and reminisces about Sun Ce, Zhou Yu will naturally soften his heart.
As for Zhang Hong, Sun Quan also needed him to counterbalance Zhou Yu.
But in any major event, the real mastermind was actually Sun Quan himself!
While seemingly a separation of powers, it was in reality a system of checks and balances, a testament to Sun Quan's masterful control.
In this regard, Sun Quan was arguably the best in the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, unmatched by anyone!
Of course, Sun Quan was also an outstanding military strategist.
It is also a unique feature of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period.
Right now, Guo Tu and Xu Sheng have encountered the river patrol team.
One of the young men, who looked very young but was actually the team leader, spoke up:
"Who are you two from? Why have you come to my Jiangdong?"
Just as Xu Sheng was about to speak, Guo Tu covered his mouth and answered first:
"Reporting to the general, I am from Yuzhou, and he is from Xuzhou."
"Yuzhou? Xuzhou?"
The young player's brows furrowed quickly.
These two places were the core strongholds of Cao Cao's camp, second only to Yanzhou in terms of seniority.
These two are highly suspicious!
Just as the young general was planning to take Guo Tu and Xu Sheng on a trip.
Guo Tu suddenly knelt down with a thud, wiping away tears and wailing:
"Although I am from Yuzhou, my family was wiped out by Cao Cao because my elder brother served Yuan Shao!"
"I was left alone, and together with this Brother Xu, we fled to Jiangdong."
"I have heard that General Sun is a wise ruler, and I hope to join his ranks and serve him."
"If one day we can conquer Xuchang and avenge our clansmen, that would be even better!"
Guo Tu's acting skills are absolutely top-notch!
It's all about emotion, no technique involved!
How could these young actors have ever seen such veteran actors?
Within minutes, they were moved by Guo Tu's words, their faces showing regret and pity.
"What grudge does this brave warrior have against Cao Cao's camp?"
The young man pointed at Xu Sheng.
Fearing that Xu Sheng would answer incorrectly, Guo Tu answered again, saying:
"That Cao Cao is a philanthropist; he even established a kind of base in various places called Xu Family Village!"
"This Brother Xu was a victim of Cao Cao's cruelty, and he hated Cao Cao to the core!"
"You bastard!"
The young player took a deep breath.
Terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!
I had long heard that Xujia Village was an extremely mysterious place.
I never expected to meet the victims of Xujia Village today!
The young general immediately decided to take Guo Tu and Xu Sheng to see their lord, Sun Quan.
Both of these men had connections with Cao Cao himself, and they could likely bring some useful intelligence to Jiangdong.
On the way, Guo Tu continued to chat with the young players about everyday things.
In no time, Guo Tu had found out everything about the young general: his name, household registration, his parents' names, and how many brothers he had!
In this area, Guo Tu is comparable to the village auntie, his main strength is his awesomeness!
The young general was none other than Ling Tong, the son of Ling Cao.
He was only eleven years old at the time.
However, he looks more mature than his age, appearing to be fourteen or fifteen years old.
Three and a half years ago, when Sun Ce attacked Guangling, he fell into a trap set by Cao Ren and Chen Deng, which led to the death of Ling Cao in battle. (See Chapter 231 for details)
Ling Tong was taken in by Sun Ce from then on, and later he was assigned to be Sun Quan's page.
Seeing that Ling Tong had great talent in martial arts, Sun Quan promoted him to be the captain of the river patrol guard.
Upon hearing that Ling Tong had a grudge against Cao Cao's camp, Guo Tu grabbed his arm, comforting Ling Tong while saying that he and Cao Cao's camp were mortal enemies!
Ling Tong was moved to tears by Guo Tu's words.
If it weren't for the significant age difference between the two, Ling Tong would have loved to become sworn brothers with Guo Tu on the spot.
Having connections in the court makes things easier. Guo Tu and Ling Tong developed a relationship, and Guo Tu was soon brought into Chaisang City.
Xu Sheng followed behind Guo Tu and Ling Tong like a robot.
Before long, Ling Tong led the two to Sun Quan's residence.
The guards in the mansion all recognized Ling Tong.
Unimpeded, Guo Tu and Xu Sheng arrived before Sun Quan.
Xu Sheng secretly sized up Sun Quan, seemingly considering whether to kill him with a single blow.
But at that moment, Guo Tu kicked Xu Sheng, thinking to himself:
"Silly Dachun! Don't cause trouble!"
If you make a move now, we don't know if Sun Quan will live or die, but we two will definitely lose our lives here!
……