Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Although it is called a military tent, it is located within the ancient city of Guangling, and there are still foundations and old houses, so it is more like a mixed building of brick and wood and a military tent.

Guanqiu Jian pushed open the door and entered, bowed, and presented a document with both hands: "Your subject just obtained this letter from several Wu soldiers who crossed the river. According to their words, this is an imperial edict from the Emperor of Wu to the State of Wei."

Cao Rui glanced at the document in Guanqiu Jian's hand, who was still lying down, continuing to rest with his eyes closed: "Zhonggong, read it to me and see what tricks Sun Quan can come up with."

“Yes…” Guanqiu Jian hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded in agreement and slowly began to read.

Cao Rui judged that Sun Quan must have been provoked by the blank imperial edict he had previously given him, and was unwilling to lose face in front of his close advisors, so he was putting on a brave front. What he heard from Guanqiu Jian was indeed the case.

This document from Sun Quan, to be precise, was an imperial edict signed by Sun Quan and stamped with the "Imperial Seal." However, its contents were like those of a respected elder in a family caring for his son-in-law, without mentioning any state affairs. Instead, it advised Cao Rui to eat more, saying that the climate and soil of Yangzhou were not suitable for the north, and that it was normal for Cao Rui to have difficulty adapting after coming from Luoyang, so he should not force himself, and so on.

The key sentence is at the end.

Sun Quan's last words were that he was in Dantu, just across the Yangtze River, and that if Cao Rui wished to come, he could cross the river to see him.

As Guanqiu Jian read the letter, he kept observing Cao Rui's expression and found that Cao Rui did not show the slightest dissatisfaction, but instead continued to rest with his eyes closed.

"Finished?" Cao Rui yawned. "If you're done, then you can leave. By the way, how long until Wang Ling arrives?"

Guanqiu Jian said, "Your Majesty, General Wang's messenger arrived this morning, saying he will arrive tomorrow."

Cao Rui nodded: "Tell Wang Ling to prepare. After he arrives tomorrow, I will have him lead his two thousand troops and Hu Zhi's troops to attack Hailing the day after tomorrow."

"As you command, I will send a letter to General Wang immediately," Guanqiu Jian said.

For two consecutive days, Sun Quan's fleet sailed south from Dantu, passing through Qu'a and Piling, and arrived in Wuxi on the evening of the 16th.

In fact, starting from Dantu, one enters the territory of Wu Commandery. To the south, one can go through Yangxian and Wucheng to Yuhang, Qiantang, Fuchun and other counties, and to the east, one can go to Lou and Haiyan. In terms of later geography, it is equivalent to the three cities of Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou in Jiangsu, plus Huzhou, Hangzhou, Jiaxing in northern Zhejiang, and a small part of Shanghai, all of which are included in the territory of Wu Commandery.

Sun Quan himself was from Wu Commandery, but he was born in Fuchun, Wu Commandery, which was hundreds of miles away from Wu County. They were not from the same place at all.

Wuxi was a small city, and the local government offices were somewhat flustered when they saw the emperor's procession arriving without prior notice. They hurriedly prepared to welcome him. The county government and the two prominent local families, Hu and Liu, also temporarily offered their residences to Sun Quan and his entourage.

Sun Quan himself lived in the Hu family's mansion. This Hu family was the Hu Zong clan, which came from Runan County in Yuzhou.

However, during this inspection tour, Hu Zong and Shi Yi were handling political affairs in Jianye, accompanied only by Pan Jun and Xu Xiang. The two were staying in a side room next to Sun Quan's bedroom, and before they had gone to sleep, they heard a faint commotion and movement outside the courtyard wall.

Pan Jun listened intently for a few moments, then suddenly sat up from his bed: "Ziming, which unit is on duty tonight?" Xu Xiang looked at Pan Jun with some surprise: "His Majesty gave the General of the Vanguard eight thousand infantrymen in Dantu, and Yu Qin, the Right Commander of Wunan, commands his own thousand men, plus Sima Buchan, the Commander of the Encirclement, commands another thousand men, making a total of two thousand. Who else could it be but Yu Qin?"

Pan Jun's face showed a hint of anxiety: "I'm asking you who's on duty tonight! Bu Chan or that Sima named Zhu Zhi under Yu Qin?"

“It’s Zhu Zhi,” Xu Xiang said.

Hearing the commotion outside growing closer, Xu Xiang's expression turned grim. Pan Jun moved with lightning speed; without even putting on his shoes or robes, he grabbed his sword and ran barefoot out, pushing open the door and reaching the courtyard gate.

Outside the gate, two groups of soldiers were clearly negotiating something. Pan Jun pressed his ear to the door and overheard a few words. It seemed that a larger group of soldiers was asking the gatekeeper to open the gate. The gatekeeper replied that the emperor was inside and the gate could not be opened without the emperor's order.

Whether they were the "unfettered soldiers" or the "encircling soldiers," they were all part of Sun Quan's central army and imperial guards. Even a lowly centurion was familiar with the rules of defense.

There were thirty soldiers guarding the courtyard. They had been mobilized by Xu Xiang, who had arrived later, and were now lined up in three rows not far from the gate, in a defensive posture.

At that moment, outside the gate, General Feng Gao, a centurion, said to his colleague Tao Dan, also a centurion, who was guarding the gate that night: "Brother Tao, why won't you listen to my advice? The Emperor's insignia is here, and there are people causing trouble in the courtyard. He sent us here to arrest them. Why do you keep questioning me, Brother Tao?"

Tao Dan also frowned: "Feng Gao, do you think I'm blind? This courtyard only has one gate. I'm on night duty tonight. How could I not know whether His Majesty is inside or not? Besides, if we were to arrest someone, how could a mere hundred men like you and me be able to carry it out?"

"Where is Commander Zhu? Where is General Yu?"

"I'm here!" Zhu Zhi pushed through the crowd and strode in with a smile. When he got close to Tao Dan, he suddenly slapped her across the face. Tao Dan was caught off guard and fell backward, bracing herself with her hands. She looked at Zhu Zhi in great surprise: "What is Sima doing?"

"What are you doing?" Zhu Zhi sneered, "You, a mere centurion, really think you're some scholar? What are you talking about with me about laws and regulations? Get out of my way immediately, I, the commander, am acting according to your orders!"

Hearing this, Pan Jun could no longer contain himself inside the gate. The Hu family was not some grand mansion; if they really wanted to cause trouble, the gate would be nothing more than a decoration. Pan Jun forcefully pushed open the gate, and amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd outside, he pulled the gate open from the inside, standing barefoot and sword in hand before them.

"I am Pan Jun, the Junior Minister of the Imperial Household! Who dares to cause trouble here?" Pan Jun, dressed in plain clothes and with disheveled hair, shouted sternly.

Zhu Zhi feigned a bow: "Lord Pan, we are ordered by the Emperor to enter and arrest those who are disloyal. We hope that Lord Pan will make way for us."

"Are you all insane?" Pan Jun glared and shouted, "This is the Emperor's residence! Zhu Zhi, who gave you the audacity to disturb His Majesty? Where is Yu Qin?"

At this moment, Yu Qin had gathered the remaining hundreds of soldiers who were guarding Wuxi City tonight. He showed them the imperial edict he had obtained from Zhu Zhen, saying that His Majesty had ordered people to arrest people from the Hu family's residence and they were gathering here.

Facing Pan Jun's round, angry eyes, Zhu Zhi felt a chill run down his spine. Even a general and high-ranking official of many years, when angered, made him momentarily apprehensive. However, remembering his elder brother's repeated reminders, Zhu Zhi's face tightened, and he nonchalantly unfolded the silk scroll in his hand: (End of Chapter)