Kuaiji Commandery.
Zhou Yu stared at the letter Cao Cao had sent him, his brows tightly furrowed as he sank into thought.
Beside him, Sun Quan could not help asking, "Grand Commander, what scheme is Cao Cao cooking up this time? Is he trying to lure me over so he can ambush and kill me?"
He had read the letter too. Its contents were simple.
It was an invitation to meet and negotiate peace.
But Cao Cao's offensive had been ferocious, and now, just after taking Shouchun, he was suddenly proposing peace talks. No matter how Sun Quan looked at it, it seemed like a plot.
He felt Cao Cao wanted to ambush and kill him under the guise of peace talks.
"There is something you do not know, my lord."
Hearing this, Zhou Yu set down the letter and said gravely, "Not long ago, the Son of Heaven of Ye City defeated Yuan Shao in Hejian Commandery and captured him alive."
The news stunned Sun Quan. Disbelief filled his face as he said, "H-how is that possible?"
He had long heard of Yuan Shao's fame.
He was the greatest warlord in the realm!
The overlord of Hebei!
Yet such a man had actually lost to the Son of Heaven of Ye City, and had even been taken alive?
Zhou Yu nodded slowly. "The news has only just reached Jiangdong. Cao Cao's proposal for peace is directly related to this."
"Since the Son of Heaven of Ye City has defeated Yuan Shao, he will inevitably unify Hebei. After that, his next targets will surely be Yan Province and Yu Province. That is why Cao Cao has proposed peace talks, but his ultimate aim should be an alliance with you, my lord."
He had seen through Cao Cao's purpose at a