Sun Jian's envoy?
Zhang Liao was overjoyed at the news.
"Quick! Have him come in! "
They all knew how good the relationship between Sun Jian and Zhang Xin was.
He was both a former subordinate and patron, as well as a comrade-in-arms who had fought alongside him and helped defeat Dong Zhuo.
If there was anyone among the warlords in the world who could help Zhang Xin in his time of trouble, it was probably only him.
Zhang Liao had previously discussed with Xun You whether to send someone to ask Sun Jian for reinforcements.
However, Zhang Xin had not issued any related instructions before he left, and with Yu Province under attack, Sun Jian's situation wasn't much better, so it was unlikely he could spare any help.
Thus, the two could only give up on the idea.
Now that Sun Jian had proactively sent an envoy, a glimmer of hope ignited in their hearts.
A moment later, a young man walked in.
Zhang Liao looked closely.
The person who arrived was Xu Kun, Sun Jian's nephew.
Xu Kun looked around and bowed to Zhang Liao and Military Advisor Xun.
"General Zhang, Military Advisor Xun, where is Lord? "
Xu Kun stood up, a hint of surprise on his face, "When I came in, I didn't see his grand banner either. Could it be true, as the rumors say…? "
"Military Officer Xu, do not worry."
Zhang Liao returned the bow and said with a smile, "Lord is well, the rumors are not to be believed."
Xun You also returned the bow.
"I knew it,"
Xu Kun breathed a sigh of relief, "Lord has defeated Dong Thief multiple times; he is an invincible hero. With his strategies, how could he be careless at the last moment and die at the hands of Dong Thief? "
Xun You smiled slightly, "Please report back to Inspector Sun of Yu Province, Military Officer Xu, and tell him there is no need to worry."
"Alright."
Xu Kun nodded and asked again, "Where is Lord? "
"Lord is temporarily absent. Currently, the army is led by Military Advisor and me."
Zhang Liao said, "If Military Officer Xu has anything, you can tell us. We can make all decisions."
"It's nothing important."
Xu Kun took out a letter from his In arms and handed it to Zhang Liao, "My uncle heard that Lord had died, so he sent me to check. If everything is fine, he wants to ask if Lord needs any assistance here."
"Is Yu Province alright? " Zhang Liao was stunned.
That fast?
"It's alright."
Xu Kun nodded, a grin on his face.
Zhang Liao quickly took the letter and opened it.
This letter was written by Sun Jian to Zhang Xin, briefly explaining the current situation in Yu Province.
The Zhou Clan brothers' attack on Yu Province angered not Sun Jian the most, but Yuan Shu.
From Yuan Shu's perspective, he was the Alliance Leader, and Sun Jian was his great general.
Sun Jian's Yu Province was his Yu Province.
How dare Yuan Shao, that son of a servant, extend his hand into his territory?
He must be fought!
So Yuan Shu, who had not sent troops for over a year during the campaign against Dong Zhuo, now raised an army of thirty thousand and marched toward the Zhou Clan brothers.
Since Zhou Yu had accepted the appointment of Governor of Yu Province from Yuan Shao, he naturally wanted to bring Yu Province into his control.
To control Yu Province, he had to cut off Sun Jian's return path.
Therefore, after Zhou Yu raised his army, he marched from Danyang thru Jiujiang, crossed the entire Runan Commandery, and headed toward Yingchuan, intending to occupy Hanyuan Pass and other strategic points to trap Sun Jian in Sili Province.
Sun Jing naturally refused, leading his army to defend half of Yingchuan Commandery, ensuring the roads remained open for Sun Jian's return.
The two sides engaged in a constant tug-of-war within Yingchuan.
Yuan Shu's base in Ruyang was located at the border of Yingchuan Commandery and Nanyang Commandery, only about a hundred li from where the two armies were fighting.
The army marched quickly, arriving in two days.
Zhou Yu had not expected Yuan Shu to send troops and was caught off guard, suffering a major defeat.
By the time Sun Jian's army arrived in Yingchuan, Zhou Yu had already been driven into Runan by Yuan Shu and Sun Jing.
Sun Jian naturally would not miss this opportunity to beat a fallen dog.
He had been seething with anger on his way back.
He and Zhang Xin had already reached the Imperial Palace!
If Yuan Shao and Zhou Yu hadn't caused trouble, they could have slowly achieved complete success.
Zhou Yu's arrival forced him to withdraw his troops from Chang'an.
This was like watching a national pig play football, having a clear shot at the goal, bypassing the goalkeeper, facing an empty net.
Then he kicked it into the stands.
His blood pressure immediately shot up.
How could Sun Jian accept this?
His background was already not good.
Although the Sun Clan of Wu Commandery had been prominent in the past, by his generation, they had long since fallen into poverty.
When Sun Jian began his career at seventeen, he joined the Zhou soldier ind wrote a letter to Zhang Xin. Then he ordered his troops to withdraw and wait in Yingchuan.