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Shangxiang bowed slightly and retreated.
“…Aiee… Thank you, Mother,”
Bofu sighed.
“You’re all a handful, each and every one of you,” Lady Wu replied. “But
you and Yi are right: we have little time, and we must consider everything
carefully. Shangxiang will only prolong the conversation with her antics. Now,
please continue: we were querying Cao Zhang’s character.”
“Cao Cao’s a very private man, but rumours get out from time to time,”
Wu Jing said. “Cao Cao’s eldest surviving son, Cao Pi, is said to be a fairly
scholarly type, but also adept at poetry, martial arts and so-forth, like his
father. Zhang is the second son, but is said to be ‘unenthusiastic about the
pen’, believing that ‘real men’ prove their worth on the battlefield.”
“…I can’t say anything, can I…?” Bofu chuckled. “Yi and I are much the
same.” Sun Quan scowled at the implied suggestion that he was not a ‘real man’;
Bofu noticed Quan’s expression and Kuang’s sadness in turn, forcing him to add,
“Not that I mean that I don’t respect scholars and officials, I just meant the
‘not having an interest in it myself’ part, okay…?”
Sun Yi nudged Sun Quan playfully and said, “You’re our brother. Kuang
too. We’re the ones at fault for not being smart enough to do what you do.”
“…I know that you meant no offence,” Sun Quan replied. “I am at fault in
this matter, just as I am very often the one at fault.”
“Let’s not revisit ‘that’ now,” Lady Wu pleaded. “If Cao Zhang is
militarily minded, so be it: as Ce has noted, he and Yi are not fond of
scholarly things but they are both good men nonetheless. If you need more time
to ponder, Ben, then take that time.”
Sun Ben nodded silently.
“…I need to organise the defences so that they’re up to the job while
we’re away,” Bofu realised. “Yi’s coming with me this time, and Ziheng and
Gongjin say that I need to fortify our positions in case of Huang Zu trying to
go around us.”
“Then we should say no more for now,” Sun Ben suggested. “Cao Cao can
wait a little bit longer for an answer, I think: we need to do all that we can
to fortify Jiangdong and deal with Huang Zu and his master once and for all.
Who’s going to guard Chaisang?”
“Leave that Xu Sheng fellow there,” Wu Jing suggested. “If reports of
his victory against Huang Shè’s surprise attack are correct - and I have no
reason to doubt Qin Song’s eyes and words - then Xu’s just the man we need
there.”
“…He’s obnoxious, but alright,” Bofu agreed. “Gongjin did say the man
would ‘surprise me’, and he has.”
“This is a discussion that you should be having with your advisers and
generals,” Lady Wu said. “But before you do so, visit your wife and children.”
“I will,” Bofu replied. “We’ll all meet again here in the hall in an
hour, okay…? And somebody tell Old Cheng and the rest that I’d like them there
as well.”
“Should I wait here…?” Sun Hè asked.
“The likelihood of assassins in my bedchambers is low, Bohai, so yes!”
Bofu chuckled as he left the meeting. “Enjoy a night away from guarding me from
myself, Cousin, and spend some time with your
family!”
Sun Hè laughed and said, “I shall.”
Xu Kun, Wu Jing and the other men that intended to be at the military
meeting bowed respectfully and left within minutes of Bofu’s departure; Sun
Kuang, Sun Quan, Lady Wu and Lady Chen were the only ones that remained.