9.
Zhou Que walked with Zhou Yu through the hallway. He wondered why emperor Sun Quan had gathered everyone. When they arrived, Zhou Que saw every villager on the plaza, whispering about what would be next. When Zhou Que took a seat, he saw that Sun Quan stood up from his chair. "People of Jiangdong!" He said. "I've gathered you all here to make an announcement! You are here and now witness of the establishment of an entire new empire. Not only will we live in the city of Jiangdong, we will live in a entire new land! My brother laid the foundations, and now I will build upon them. I hereby establish the kingdom of Wu!"
It remained quiet. Everyone in the city of Jiangdong, now the capital of the new empire of Wu, was speechless. Zhou Que sat in his chair, with almost an open mouth. This was amazing. He indeed witnessed the beginning of a new age. This would cause a lot of things. It would cause a lot of work, a lot of foreign competition. It would also cause a lot of war, but then again, it might also bring peace. Zhou Que thought it over, and it seemed like the right thing to do. He stood up. He unsheathed his sword and raised it in the air. "Then I will fight by your side your highness, I will support the kingdom of Wu!" It remained quiet. Then suddenly, to Zhou Que's relief, Zhou Tai also stood up from his chair. "And so will I. I will fight to bring a better future." And then there was a chain reaction. First every general stood up and swore to fight by Wu's side. Then the lieutenants, then the soldiers and then the villagers. Everything turned out in a loud cheering. Everyone was shouting. Zhou Que noticed the relief on Sun Quan's face, it must have been a huge step to make this decision. But he did it, and the people agreed with him. The kingdom of Wu was born.
There had to be all kinds of arrangements to be made. Too many to be mentioned, and Zhou Que's weeks were as busy as a week can be. Then there finally was some action. Sun Quan started a military campaign against Huang Zu, the murderer of his father, Sun Jian. Zhou Tai told him that Sun Quan's and Sun Ce's father was killed in an ambush, casted upon him by Huang Zu. After the death of their father, Sun Ce, the oldest, took over their homeland, Jiangdong. After that Zhou Que came and he knew the rest. Zhou Que offered to participate himself, despite the fact that he never knew lord Sun Jian, he knew how it felt to lose someone close to him. And with lord Sun Ce gone almost at the same time, Sun Quan must have all kinds of feelings of revenge barreled up inside him. And Zhou Que agreed to assist him in his conquest for vengeance. And two weeks after the kingdom of Wu was born, they marched.
"What's the situation, my lord?"Zhou Que asked. Lord Sun Quan pointed at a map. "This is where Huang Zu is currently residing. He knows we're coming, so he will be prepared. But we're also prepared. I will split the army in two groups, I will lead the first group, and Zhou Yu will lead the other one. Zhou Que and Zhou Tai, you're in my group. You will join me in a frontal assault on the enemy's main camp." Zhou Que thought the idea through. "My lord, if I may." Lord Sun Quan nodded. "Isn't a frontal assault exactly what the enemy expects us to do?" Sun Quan grinned. "Exactly, Zhou Que. You have a good eye for tactics, but we've already got that covered. While they concentrate on our frontal assault, Zhou Yu will launch a fire attack from behind. The enemy will panic and that will bring complete disorder to their ranks. Then the battle is as good as won." Zhou Que smiled, the new emperor had at least a good eye for strategies, but did he also have a sense of leadership as good as his brother? Sun Quan had high expectations to live up to, and would stand under enormous pressure, but so far, he seemed the right one to lead them into battle.