Sun Ce wanted to attack the city, but he lacked the troops and feared Yuan Xi's pursuing forces.
Zhou Tai said, "There's a large island to the south called Pearl Cliff Prefecture, with several commanderies of its own. My lord, why not ask for a large ship and sail there? Shi Xie is a timid man. He fears we'll attack his city, so he'll surely agree."
Sun Ce frowned. "The Sun Clan has lived in China for generations. How can we flee to a land of barbarians?"
"My lord would only stay in Pearl Cliff Prefecture temporarily," Zhou Tai said. "It's a stopgap measure."
Sun Ce had no choice but to agree.
As Zhou Tai predicted, Shi Xie wanted no trouble with Sun Ce. He provided a ship and provisions, then escorted Sun Ce out of his territory as though seeing off a plague.
While Sun Ce fled to Luling, passed through Jiaozhou, and set sail, Bai Xiaowen led his army south in three columns to sweep through Jiangnan.
Unification was now a certainty. Bai Xiaowen kept creating opportunities for his teammates to lead troops, capture territory, and earn Grand Unification contribution.
That was the advantage of being a faction leader. With Bai Xiaowen's current prestige, no native officer would object if he showed his teammates a little favoritism and gave them chances to win military merit. Even if they had complaints, they would keep them to themselves.
Without control of a faction, the Awakeners would have had to find their own way to gain authority to command troops and attack cities. That could hardly compare to the convenience of a single order.
In truth, his teammates had all performed well during the unification. By Bai Xiaowen's estimate, even Han Xu could earn a Hero Class Evolver tome.
That