"Godfather, thanks to your good fortune, we'll have fresh fish for dinner tonight." Sima Shi dropped the fish into the bucket and cheerfully congratulated Sun Quan.
Sun Quan nodded in gratification. "Civil Marquis is a filial child. It's getting dark now—wrap things up early and rest."
"That was exactly my thought." After saying so, Sima Shi went to put away the fishing rods.
Sun Quan turned and returned to the cabin, thinking that he ought to pull himself together. Sima Shi had lost his home and family yet had not given up; he himself had not been completely defeated yet.
The Sun Family had built its foundations in Jiangdong for more than twenty years. It could not possibly be overturned by Lan Tian so quickly. I should steady my heart as this child has. With that, Sun Quan climbed the steps with measured strides.
After waiting in Jiangcheng for two days, the first news Sun Quan received came from Sun Shao, the commander defending Dantu. He said that he would gather his personal troops and come join them as soon as possible. There was still no word from Wu Commandery, Kuaiji, and the other regions.
After Sun Quan established his capital at Jianye, most of Jiangdong's great clans and nobles had relocated there. Many members of the imperial clan were scattered throughout Wu Commandery and Kuaiji, chiefly those from his uncle Sun Jing's branch. There were also descendants of Sun Fu, who had betrayed his own household and secretly colluded with Cao. As for Sun Ce's descendants, they had been settled right under Jianye's watchful eye.
At dusk on the third day, hundreds of warships came sailing in from west of Jiangcheng. Hu Zong told Sun Quan that Lu Xun had arrived with his men.
Ruxu Dock was farther from