Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

When Cao Rui was in Jingzhou, he had already decided on the order of his troops. General Man Chong, who was stationed in Xiangfan, was the first to lead 60,000 troops to attack Jiangling and Xiling.

After Man Chong, Xiahou Ru, who was stationed in Jiangxia, led 20,000 troops down the Han River, threatening Xiakou and Wuchang.

Following Xiahou Ru was Huan Fan, the General Who Guards the North, stationed in Wancheng, who commanded 25,000 troops and marched directly towards Chaisang and Poyang.

Cao Rui returned to Shouchun, but Sun Quan was still unable to move from Dantu because he was attracted by Cao Rui's entourage and banner.

Zhong Yu had been by Cao Rui's side for a long time, and not only was his writing style similar, but he could also imitate the emperor's daily language and demeanor to a great extent.

A resemblance of seven or eight parts is enough to gain Sun Quan's trust.

From the end of November to mid-December, Sun Quan was in constant communication with Zhong Yu.

From Sun Quan's perspective, as he patiently guided his son-in-law through his letters, this man, who was related to him by marriage, seemed to have accepted his good intentions. He would not only frequently inquire about his health but also discuss poetry and literature with him, analyzing the profound meanings in the Five Classics.

Of course, it would be even better if there weren't so many troops stationed there from the north.

At this moment, Sun Quan was completely unaware that the threat he faced was not just the armies in the Guangling and Tangyi areas to the north, but a much greater crisis was waiting for him.

To the west, a thousand miles away.

December 10th, early morning, Xiangyang.

Sixty thousand troops were arrayed south of Xiangyang City. General Man Chong, who was in charge of the Southern Expedition, rode his horse to inspect the troops. The ranks were orderly and disciplined.

Under the unified command of the imperial court, General Wei Zhen of Chariots and Cavalry mobilized 20,000 strong troops from Guanzhong and placed them under the command of General Fei Yao of the Rear. They marched along Chencang, Chang'an, Wuguan and Xiangyang to Fancheng, north of Xiangyang, in late October.

Of the 60,000 troops under the command of General Man Chong, 20,000 were from Guanzhong and were under the command of Fei Yao. A 10,000-strong cavalry force consisting of 5,000 Imperial Guards and 5,000 Xiongnu cavalry was under the command of General Wen Qin. The remaining 20,000 troops from outside the capital and 10,000 troops from prefectures and counties were directly led by Man Chong.

The army was about to set off, and Man Chong and his companions were about to part ways with Xin Pi. Man Chong even joked with Xin Pi, which was quite rare for him:

“Zuozhi and I each govern a state. You are in Jiangbei, and I am in Jiangnan. The army’s food and clothing all depend on Zuozhi.” Man Chong cupped his hands and said, “I thank you in advance, Magistrate Xin.”

Xinpi also seemed equally relaxed, his expression equally at ease. All the necessary preparations had been made; what was there to worry about?

Xin Pi raised his hand in response, saying, "Lord Man, do not worry. You can rest assured that the army's logistics are in my hands. As long as the army needs anything, no matter how much, just come to me."

"Alright." Man Chong mounted his horse and nodded to Xin Pi: "Take care, Zuo Zhi."

Xin Pi's expression gradually became serious. He bowed to Man Chong and said, "General Man, take care." Fei Yao and Wen Qin also bowed to Xin Pi, then greeted Man Chong and returned to their respective armies, setting off in the order of light cavalry, prefectural troops, heavy cavalry, Guanzhong troops, and outer troops.

The journey from Xiangyang south to Jiangling is only 450 li. At the army's speed of more than 40 li per day, it would only take 10 or 11 days to arrive.

As per the unified assignment by the imperial court, the cavalry of General Wen Qin's Left Feathered Forest Guard did not stray too far from the main army, but instead played a full role as scouts, helping the army avoid risks on the march.

On December 20th, the vanguard of the Wei army approached the city of Jiangling.

At this time, the general guarding the city was Zhuge Jin, the Grand General of Wu and Governor of Jingzhou. After learning from afar that the Wei army was so powerful, he immediately ordered troops to be transferred north from Lexiang and Gong'an in Jiangnan, gathering more than 20,000 troops there into Jiangling City and Jinxiang across the river.

After issuing the order to mobilize troops, the second thing Zhuge Jin did was to quickly send ships westward and eastward along the Yangtze River to notify Bu Zhi in Xiling and Sun Quan in Yangzhou. At the same time, he also sent people to continue westward along Yizhou via Xiling to inform his younger brother, Zhuge Liang, the Chancellor of the Han State.

Perhaps it was because the Northern Expeditions had all ended in failure that Shu Han's policies at this time were far more conservative than originally planned, and the distances of each Northern Expedition were much shorter, far less than the logistical hell of crossing the Qinling Mountains that had occurred many times before. The things that Zhuge Liang was worried about had not reached the point of ruining his health.

Moreover, since Liu Shan showed a different attitude than before this spring, actively participating in military affairs, after Zhuge Liang returned to Chengdu, he gradually changed his previous decision to keep all power in the Prime Minister's office and began to slowly transfer the power of governance from the Prime Minister's office to the Ministry of Personnel.

However, Zhuge Liang himself still held the power and responsibility of the Chancellor and the Director of the Imperial Secretariat. But from the perspective of the Shu Han government, local officials from Yizhou were already satisfied with this level of political reform.

In their eyes, having the Prime Minister's office control both military and political affairs was akin to Cao Cao's tyrannical rule, the worst possible situation in the world. However, after Prime Minister Zhuge Liang changed this system, he became a pillar of the state, unanimously supported and praised by the officials in Chengdu.

The rumors that refuted Zhuge Liang's defeat have gradually disappeared.

However, when Zhuge Jin, the Grand General of Wu and Governor of Jingzhou, sent a letter from Jiangling requesting aid, he was just like his own emperor in Dantu, completely unaware of the perilous situation Wu was facing.

On December 22, General Xiahou Ru led his troops to Shiyang, commanding 20,000 infantrymen to cross the border controlled by Wei and Wu.

After Zhuge Jin, Sun Huan, the Right General of Wu who was in charge of assisting Crown Prince Sun Deng in Wuchang, quickly dispatched ships down the Yangtze River to seek help from Yangzhou after reaching an agreement with Sun Deng.

While Wu's crown prince Sun Deng was sending a letter to Sun Quan seeking help, he also received a letter from Zhuge Jin, who was upstream, requesting assistance.

On December 24th, the Wu garrison at Shicheng, opposite Wankou, witnessed the Wei army approaching the river and immediately dispatched ships down the river to report the scene to the capital Jianye and Emperor Sun Quan in Dantu.

Thus, on a rainy day at the end of December, Emperor Sun Quan, who was based in Dantu, received a series of requests for help from Zhuge Jin, the Grand General of Jingzhou, Sun Deng, the Crown Prince of Wuchang, Sun Huan, the Right General, and the garrison of Shicheng.

The news that followed, almost on this rainy day at the end of the year, made Sun Quan's nerves tense to the extreme once again.

"My lords," Sun Quan said, his face ashen, addressing Sun Shao, Xu Xiang, and Gu Yong, "what is the true meaning of Wei's actions? All three places are facing peril, and I am currently here facing the Wei army at Guangling in Jiangbei. What am I to do now? Can you tell me what I should do today? What should I do?" (End of Chapter)