Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The first day of the tenth lunar month marks the beginning of winter, a time of bleakness and desolation, suitable for military campaign

Thirty-five thousand troops marched simultaneously from Shouchun by land and water. Their destination was Guangling City, the capital of Guangling Commandery, which was still occupied by the Wu Kingdom.

The first route was led by General Yue Lin, who commanded over a hundred warships and a total force of ten thousand men, and advanced along the waterway.

The second route was led by General Wang Ling, who commanded 10,000 infantrymen of the Central Army, 5,000 infantrymen of General Hu Zhi of Yangzhou Outer Army, and 5,000 cavalrymen of General Xiahou Xian, totaling 20,000 troops.

The 30,000 troops under the command of Yue Lin and Wang Ling marched eastward along the Huai River, one by water and the other by land. They needed to cross the Huai River to reach Huaiyin, and then head south to the Zhongdu River, all the way to the outskirts of Guangling City, a journey of about 900 li.

Large-scale military expeditions relied on water transport, which effectively reduced the expenses associated with transporting provisions. Therefore, although this route was 300 li (approximately 150 kilometers) longer than a direct march, it was more cost-effective.

Cao Rui himself was in the third route, which consisted of 5,000 elite cavalrymen under the command of Guanqiu Jian, the Commander of the Central Army.

The ministers had tried to dissuade Cao Rui, but he insisted on accompanying the army on this inspection tour so that he could personally see the battlefield in Guangling and the hundreds of miles of desolate land in Huainan.

Since Cao Rui had said so, his ministers had no choice. Moreover, after so many years of Cao Rui's personal military campaigns and numerous imperial tours, the cabinet ministers and senior officials of the Privy Council and the Secretariat all acknowledged the emperor's good physical condition.

Furthermore, Cao Rui had full confidence in his elite central cavalry and his own ability to command them. In Cao Rui's own words, he and Guanqiu Jian, leading five thousand elite central cavalry, would be untouchable by anyone in this era.

That said, Guangling City is located at the southern end of the Zhongdu River. Later generations called it Yangzhou City. After crossing Guangling City, one can directly face the Yangtze River.

This area has historically belonged to the Wu Kingdom and was a semi-uninhabited area between Wei and Wu. The root cause of this was Cao Cao's relocation of people during the Jian'an period. The people here either migrated north or fled south across the river to Jiangdong, thus Guangling City became a dilapidated city.

Only a small number of Wu troops were stationed in the dilapidated city of Guangling as an outpost, rather than a large force like at Ruxu. Wu had no interest in rebuilding the city. The Yangtze River flowed south of Guangling, making it a better defensive position than any other city. If the Wei army were to actually reach this place, the flat terrain offered no natural defenses, and it would likely be unable to hold out.

This place is not a major transportation hub like Ruxu. There is no record of the Wei army using the Zhongdu River to sail into the Yangtze River in large numbers, so no one would bother to make a fuss about it.

Sun Shao, the governor of Youzhou and former general of Wu who was in charge of guarding Guangling, also stationed a large number of troops in Dantu, which is south of Guangling and across the river.

When Cao Pi led a large army to Guangling to inspect the troops along the river during the Huangchu era, Wu responded very directly: they abandoned Guangling and placed all their forces on the south bank to confront the Wei army across the river.

Cao Rui had just returned from an inspection tour of Donghai County in Xuzhou. Together with the cabinet and the Privy Council, he further confirmed the details of the plan to attack Wu. The most crucial location was Guangling.

The Zhongdu River is shallow and not large enough to carry large ships. The imperial court ordered Le Lin to lead 10,000 naval troops in smaller warships, each capable of carrying about 100 people, rather than larger warships or towering ships. Under these circumstances, the only feasible route for the navy was to enter the sea and then follow the estuary of the Yangtze River into the sea.

To ensure the feasibility of this route, building ports and supply depots along the way became a top priority.

Huaiyin, located in the lower reaches of the Huai River, had long been the base for the departure of the Great Wei fleet. The cities and ports for supplying the fleet had also been built at Haixi, where the river flows into the sea downstream, and Yandu, on the coast south of Haixi.

Further south lies the area nominally under Wu's control.

For the Great Wei, occupying Guangling City and the coastal areas such as Hailing to its east, and stationing troops and building docks along the coast of Guangling County to ensure the normal passage of the naval fleet in the future, has become the top priority.

Military progress has always been closely related to transportation.

When Cao Cao campaigned against the Wuhuan, he constructed several canals over a hundred miles long to connect the waterways of Hebei. Cao Pi's three campaigns against Wu also involved armies operating along the Yellow River, the Huai River, and the canal system in between. Cao Rui's conquest of Liaodong also relied on the waterways of Hebei to transport provisions, using Quanzhou as a base and shipping grain to Liaodong by sea.

This is an essential part of military operations, just as two armies facing each other need to build fortifications and camps.

After Wang Ling and Yue Lin set off, Cao Rui and Guanqiu Jian marched for five days, first arriving at Hefei, then heading east along the Tu River, and finally reaching the outskirts of Quanjiao City on the afternoon of October 6th.

Quanjiao is located on the banks of the Tu River, not far from Fuling City. When Cao Rui and Guanqiu Jian arrived here, what came into view was a ruined city. The city walls and gates showed signs of being burned, and weeds had overwhelmed all the roads around the city.

As a large number of cavalry besieged the city, the commander at the front reported to Guanqiu Jian that the howling of wolves could be heard from inside the city, and judging from the sound, there were more than just a few; scouts who entered the city found at least a hundred. Upon hearing this, Cao Rui, sitting on his horse, shook his head slightly and sighed softly.

Guanqiu Jian, standing nearby, asked, "Is Your Majesty worried that there is no one here?"

Cao Rui nodded: "Decades have passed, and Huainan is so desolate, it is truly lamentable. Zhonggong, do you remember when I went with you to Wancheng to return with the army and passed through Shuxian last year?"

"I remember," Guanqiu Jian replied.

Cao Rui said, "During the Later Han Dynasty, Shu County was a large county with tens of thousands of people, abundant land, and a prominent family like the Zhou family of Lujiang, which is the family of Zhou Yu. But last year, I personally saw that there were only five hundred garrison soldiers stationed in the entire Shu County."

"Today, I have brought you to Quanjiao, a place that has been deserted for over twenty years. Such a beautiful place, yet there is not a single person in sight. Zhonggong, the ravages of war are unbearable to me!"

Guanqiu Jian nodded slowly: "It is clear that eliminating the traitor Sun Quan is the most important matter for the entire Wei Dynasty. The separatist regime is the worst thing in the world, and the Wei Dynasty must not tolerate it. We must act swiftly to eliminate him!"

"Moreover... Moreover, His Majesty, as the Son of Heaven, personally came to the front lines to lead troops to scout. The number of people in Great Wei who have been worrying and working hard for the campaign against Wu is more than a million. All the hard work of so many people over the years should finally be rewarded!"

"Hmm." Cao Rui nodded slightly: "The straight-line distance from here to Jianye is only a hundred li or so. It's just a pity that the Yangtze River is blocking the way. Otherwise, I could lead the cavalry to the city of Jianye tomorrow and give my father-in-law a surprise. Tonight, I will send the soldiers to camp against the city wall and the whole army will stay outside Quanjiao City. Tomorrow, we will continue to follow the Tu River to Tangyi."

"The minister obeys the order."

The cavalry continued at their usual marching pace, and by the time they reached the vicinity of Tangyi, it was already the afternoon of October 8th.

Guanqiu Jian rode back from the vanguard to the rear, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, scouts have reported that Wu rebels have been spotted near Tangyi City, but their numbers are unknown. Our army is now twenty li from Tangyi City. Should we attack the city today or bypass this area?"

Cao Rui thought for a moment: "I do not wish to attack the city with cavalry. Approximately how many troops are stationed near the old city of Guangling?"

Guanqiu Jian recalled for a moment and said, "I remember that the Yangzhou branch of the Privy Council reported on this matter, saying that their spies heard that there were about a thousand troops guarding the old city of Guangling, which is the same as Lu Boyan's report many years ago and Lu Ya and Gu Tang's report last year. It is reasonable that the situation there has remained unchanged for so many years since there has been no war."

Cao Rui said, "In that case, let's bypass Tangyi City from the north today and camp east of Tangyi City tonight. Tomorrow we'll continue to Guangling Ancient City."

"As you command," Guanqiu Jian replied, bowing respectfully.

Until Cao Rui led his entire army past a spot ten miles north of the city, the Wu garrison in Tangyi City noticed nothing amiss. After all, Huainan had been deserted for twenty years, and the Wei army hadn't been here for almost ten years; the garrison in the city was merely going through the motions. This was already the northernmost border of Yangzhou in Wu; who would bother to leave the city and take a look?

Two days later, on the afternoon of October 10th, Cao Rui finally arrived outside the ancient city of Guangling.

Based on the timeline, Wang Ling's troops should have only just reached the Huailing area, and it would be another eight or nine days before they arrived in Huaiyin. Yue Lin's troops, on the other hand, would arrive much faster.

Similar to Tangyi City, the garrison of the old city of Guangling also remained entrenched within the city walls. Following the scouts' directions, Cao Rui and Guanqiu Jian arrived at a low hill about a mile west of the city.

Cao Rui took out a monocular telescope from the side pouch of his saddle, glanced at the direction of the ancient city of Guangling for a few moments, then pointed in that direction and said to Guanqiu Jian:
"I have spent many days in the wilderness. Although the walls of the ancient city of Guangling are in ruins, it is still a place to stay. Zhonggong has captured this city for me, and I will stay here today."

"As you command." Guanqiu Jian did not hesitate at all. He left a thousand-man squad to protect the emperor, and another thousand-man squad to surround the city from the south. Then he personally led three thousand cavalry to surround the dilapidated city of Guangling like a net.

The surprise attack, coupled with the overwhelming disparity in combat strength, resulted in a complete end to the battle in just over half an hour. A post-battle count revealed that only five hundred soldiers remained in the city, with just over ten managing to escape to the docks east of the city and flee south into the Yangtze River.

Cao Rui ordered Zhong Yu, a court attendant accompanying him, to take a blank imperial edict, affix his own jade seal bearing the inscription "Imperial Seal" to the center of it, and then hand it to Guanqiu Jian:

"Zhonggong, send a few prisoners to deliver this edict to Sun Quan. Consider it a gift from me to him."

"Your subject obeys the decree," Guanqiu Jian replied, bowing respectfully. (End of Chapter)