"In that case, I shall send people to find your wife and Qi'er at once." With that, Diao Chan hurried out of the side chamber.
Kuaiji Commandery, Prefect's Residence.
After Yuan Shu's defeat, Sun Ce had followed Zhou Yu's advice and withdrawn his army to Jiangdong, avoiding a direct clash with Lü Bu's forces.
As the saying went, bite off too much and you could not chew it; half of Yang Province was already enough to keep him occupied digesting it for a long time.
Facing Lü Bu, whose star was now riding high, was not a wise move.
According to Zhou Yu's plan, once Lü Bu and Cao Cao had fought until both were badly wounded, he would dispatch his troops and seize all of Yang Province in one stroke.
Thus, after returning to Kuaiji, Sun Ce had rested and built up his strength while keeping an eye on the situation in Yang Province.
In the garden of the Prefect's Residence, beneath the blazing sun, Sun Ce held a long spear as he sparred with a youth who also wielded one.
The youth looked about fifteen or sixteen and bore some resemblance to him, with bright, piercing eyes and a strikingly martial appearance.
After only ten exchanges or so, Sun Ce knocked the weapon from the youth's hands, defeating him.
"Well, Zhongmou? Do you concede?" Sun Ce stood with his spear in hand and asked with a chuckle.
The youth before him was his younger brother, Sun Quan.
"I refuse!"
His face full of indignation, Sun Quan climbed to his feet and glared at Sun Ce. "Elder brother, you're already more skilled than I am, yet you still resorted to tricks? How could you be so devious?"
"If you hadn't deliberately moved into the path of my spearhead