Qu County is very remote, but remoteness also has the benefit of remoteness, quiet and peaceful.

Sun Ce galloped all the way, thinking that he would be greeted by a bloody battle, but he didn't expect that Qu County was as calm as a paradise. A group of half-sized men with snots were playing on the side of the road, and when they saw a group of cavalry coming, they screamed and stepped aside, and hid behind a tree, showing half their heads, and looked curiously at the hurried cavalry. Some people heard the sound and came out of the house and pulled their children back.

Elfang was at the forefront and was quickly recognized. These people did not know the words on the battle flag, but they knew Elfang's face.

"Elk Erlang, that's Elk Jiro."

Several children gathered around, jumping and jumping. Elfang was a little embarrassed, glanced back, and turned his horse to Sun Ce. Sun Ce had already noticed it, and thoughtfully ordered to stop advancing.

"It's very popular with the township party." Sun Ce joked: "It seems that your family is not rich or benevolent. ”

"How dare you, how dare you." Elfang said a few words modestly, with a smug look on her face. "If the opinions of these people can be reached, my elk family will already be a famous family in Xuzhou."

Sun Ce laughed, and felt a little sad. The elk family is also aggrieved, if it weren't for the fact that there was no way to get out of the way, it is estimated that they would not have come out to support Liu Bei. It's a pity that Liu Bei is a white-eyed wolf, and the Elk family is very desolate in the end, and Elfang surrendered to Sun Wu, but he lived in peace than Elk Zhu's father and son in Shu Han.

Elfang talked to the elders for a while, and then gave some dry food to the children who gathered around. Although the dry food for the march was not delicious, these children were still very happy, talking and laughing around Elfang, and boldly asked about Ellan. Sun Ce listened on the side, and then he knew that the elk family used to scatter porridge for relief during the New Year's holidays, and poor households could also get some wine and meat to beat their teeth, which were generally handled by Elfang and Ellan, especially Ellan, who liked to do these things since she was a child, and almost every year. Now that their three siblings are not at home, this year's relief efforts are insufficient, and Ellan has not shown up, which makes these people miss them very much.

After resting for a while, Sun Ce and the others got back on their horses and rushed to the Elk Family Manor.

The elk family is the richest man in Qu County, with more than 10,000 servants, closed doors, anti-theft has naturally become a top priority, the manor is built according to Qu Mountain, and the village has built a dock fort, which is not a problem to resist thieves of general size. It's just that most of the most elite cavalry was taken away by Elfang, and some of the troops with strong combat effectiveness were left with Elk, and the armed forces of the Elk family were weakened, and they could still deal with ordinary thieves, but they were unable to deal with the regular troops led by Liu He.

With Liu He's influence, if he came to attack the Elk's house, he would never only bring cavalry, in addition to the captured Zhenrong believers, there would also be powerful troops from nearby counties. The elk family is a piece of fat, as long as Liu He is willing to share the fat, there will never be fewer people who want to take advantage of the fire to rob.

Sun Ce settled in Elk's house, quickly deployed defense, and seized the time to restore horsepower. These are very simple, the elk family has enough manpower, the battle is not very high, and there is no problem in working. The elk family also has strong financial and material resources, and it is not a problem to raise 2,000 horses at all, whether it is salt or concentrate, what you want, how much you want, with the guidance of experts like Yan Xing and Ma Chao, the horsepower decay caused by continuous rapid marching can be recovered soon.

Sun Ce made proper arrangements and did not sit idle in the village. He promoted Yan to be the Cavalry Commander and was responsible for the training of the Guards. Xu Chu and Dian Wei selected 2,000 young men from the Elk family to serve as foot soldiers and conduct basic tactics training. These people have some foundation, and if they are strengthened, it shouldn't be a problem to draw with the county soldiers.

Sun Ce took Guo Wu, Chen Wu and Bai Yushi around the neighborhood by himself, and Elfang accompanied him throughout the whole process.

Sun Ce rushed to Qu County, not just to save the elk family. He had come here for a more important purpose: to find a suitable port for the sailors. Qu County is Lianyungang in later generations, the reason why it is called this name is because Qu County has been an important seaport since the Qin and Han dynasties, and its reputation is not as great as that of Donglai's Huang and Zhugang, but its role is not small at all. The Elk family was able to accumulate a huge fortune in this remote place, which is inseparable from this harbor.

Most of their family's business is related to shipping.

After Sun Ce looked at the relevant terrain, he was very satisfied. Compared with Lianyungang in later generations, the terrain is still very different now, the main body of Yuntai Mountain is still in the sea, and there is a shallow strait in the middle. The Elk family has been operating here for many years, and the infrastructure is relatively complete, and large warships can be docked with only a little modification.

Of course, there are drawbacks. Compared with later generations, the sea flooding near Qu County is frequent, the land is seriously salinized, and it is not suitable for cultivation, and the grain output is limited. To supply the army, it had to be transported from elsewhere. However, Sun Ce is not worried, there is enough fertile land in the west of Xuzhou, and if it is not successful, it can also be transported from Yuzhou. The waterways here are crisscrossed, and shipping is very convenient. The tributary of the Huaishui River enters the sea from here, traces the swimming water into the Huaishui, and can reach Runan and Nanyang directly.

Sun Ce put forward the idea of cooperation. Elk Fang does everything. Not to mention that the Elk family needs Sun Ce's protection now, even if there is no such thing, just because Sun Ce is willing to do business with them on an equal footing, they will be grateful. No matter how rich a merchant is, he is still a vulnerable group in the face of the government, especially a prince like Sun Ce who has mastered strong force. If you can't become an official, no matter how much money you make, you will be slaughtered fat.

When the preparations were almost complete, the news also came. First of all, Liu He succeeded in attacking Zhenrong in Huaiyin, not only capturing tens of thousands of people, but also seizing a large amount of booty, including more than 3,000 horses.

The reason why he did not go north immediately was because Liu Hezheng sent people to contact the surrounding counties, and Chen Yu was his messenger. Because of Liu He's family background and the strength he has, Chen Yu's lobbying task was completed very smoothly, and almost no one should do it. Each family either sent people to meet Liu He, or waited for Liu He to go north, and roughly estimated that Liu He could have about 30,000 people, including a large number of cavalry.

Hearing this news, Sun Ce was very emotional. Compared with Wu Hui, it is easier to get horses in Xuzhou, and almost every family in Xuzhou has horses. The Elk family was able to pick out more than 300 riders at the beginning, which can be seen from this. Although not all horses are war horses, having horses does not mean that they are cavalry, which is still a strength that cannot be ignored. With a horse, even if you can't be a charging cavalryman, it's better to carry a message than a two-legged man.

It's really more people than people have to die, and goods have to be thrown away. Compared with Liu He, who responded to every call, Tao Qian sat in Xuzhou, but he did not get the support of the Xuzhou family, and only the Elk family, who was looked down upon by the family, responded to him, he could only reuse Danyang people, and he was simply begging for food with a golden rice bowl. Of course, such a beggar is not only Tao Qian, but Sun Ce himself is no better. He and Tao Qian are considered to be in the same disease.

At the same time, he felt even more pressure. With three or four times the number of troops, it is not easy to win this battle.

At this time, the potter rushed to Qu County and conveyed Tao Qian's negotiation conditions.

Sun Ce watched the potter mark the territory on the map that he was willing to cede and shook his head with a wry smile. "Brother Bo Yun, I am willing to accept this condition and help Ling Zun. But unfortunately, I have more than enough heart. Not to mention the East China Sea, I am not even sure about holding Qu County, I just want to keep the Elk family. ”