Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

No one could answer Sun Quan's question.

Gu Yong was stunned and speechless for a moment. Xu Xiang's face turned pale and he seemed somewhat at a loss. Sun Shao could command troops, but he couldn't be relied on for such matters of overall command.

After Sun Ce's death in the early Jian'an period, Sun Quan ruled over Wu and Jingzhou for more than 30 years, and was an enemy of three generations of rulers: Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui. He had a wealth of experience in the struggle against Wei.

Logically speaking, one should meet force with force and defend against any attack. It was merely a matter of the Wei army attacking from multiple directions; a simple response would be to fight back. There was no need for such a disarray. At this moment, the Wu state possessed 180,000 armored soldiers and spanned thousands of miles east to west; it was a force capable of fighting any powerful nation.

But this incident is so illogical.

The three places—General Zhuge Jin in Jiangling, Crown Prince Sun Deng and Right General Sun Huan in Wuchang, and Deputy General Ding Feng in Shiyang—were thousands of miles apart on the Yangtze River. Yet, three groups of messengers arrived in Dantu at the same time, and each group of messengers insisted that they had not delayed on their journey and had come by boat at top speed.

Seeing that the three ministers could not say anything for a moment, Sun Quan took a deep breath, sat upright on the mat, and closed his eyes to think.

Sun Quan was not a fool; how could there be so many coincidences in this world?

The current situation only proves one thing: the State of Wei meticulously planned all of this, with the aim of making him receive the news in Yangzhou and Dantu on the same day, in order to make him panic.

The more this is the case, the less we should let the Wei army get cocky!
With the affairs of state in such turmoil, and Sun Shao, Gu Yong, and Xu Xiang unreliable, Sun Quan realized that his mind was in disarray. Staying in Dantu would be pointless; he should return to Jianye as soon as possible to discuss military matters with his trusted advisors, such as Shi Yi and Hu Zong.

Sun Quan slowly opened his eyes: "Issue the order that I will depart by boat to return to Jianye in half an hour. The General of the Vanguard will oversee the battle at Dantu and await further orders from me. The Prime Minister will return to Jianye with me."

"As Your Majesty commands, please rest assured," Sun Shao said, bowing respectfully.

Sun Quan did not hesitate and immediately stood up and walked outside. Gu Yong and Xu Xiang exchanged a glance, and then stood up and followed closely behind Sun Quan.

The journey from Dantu to Jianye is upstream, and the waterway is only about a hundred li long. Even though it is getting late and it is raining today, it is still safe to continue by boat if one wants to.

This is the heartland of the Wu Kingdom, and the naval vessels are so familiar with this route that they can sail successfully even at night.

The transport of wealth and provisions from the Jiangdong hinterland all began in the Wu and Kuaiji prefectures, passing through the dense network of waterways south of the Yangtze River to Dantu, and then upstream to Jianye. This route was the most prosperous shipping route in the Wu Kingdom.

Sun Quan set off immediately, leading his warships westward, disregarding the disturbances of the rainy night, and arrived outside Jianye City in the early morning of the next day, December 30th.

Jianye City is a strategically important and auspicious place.

Sun Quan spent the entire night without sleep, personally standing on the highest deck of the warship, gazing towards the city not far away. This was his capital, his foundation, his empire.

With such magnificent mountains and rivers, how can we not be moved and inspired?
Compared to Dantu and Wuxi, Jianye was Sun Quan's capital, so returning there naturally gave him a greater sense of security. This return to Jianye was hasty; Sun Quan hadn't informed anyone, so no officials were there to greet him at the dock.

But when the ship docked at the pier, Sun Quan on board saw a figure who seemed out of place.

Ge Xuan, also known as Ge Tianshi.

Dressed in a linen Taoist robe, with a wooden hairpin in his hair, and with a full head of white hair and a gaunt face, he truly exuded the air of a sage, a highly accomplished Taoist master.

After recognizing Ge Xuan's face, Xu Xiang, who was attending to him, asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Master Ge should be in the temple in Wuchang at this time. He came without an imperial edict. Should I drive him away?"

"No need," Sun Quan waved his hand. "Since he's been waiting here, he must have some real skill. I'll go see him."

As soon as the ship docked, soldiers poured out to guard the pier, and Sun Quan, accompanied by Xu Xiang and Gu Yong, slowly descended the steps.

Ge Xuan took small steps forward and bowed respectfully from a distance of three zhang: "This humble Taoist greets Your Majesty." "Celestial Master." Sun Quan walked slowly to Ge Xuan with his hands behind his back, carefully observing the old Taoist's face: "If I remember correctly, the Celestial Master once made a vow to pray for the Great Wu for eighteen years in the Wuchang Taoist Temple, so as not to fail the title of Celestial Master."

"Why has the Celestial Master emerged from seclusion so soon after only a few years? And when did he arrive in Jianye?"

“Your Majesty, I descended the mountain on December 10th and traveled by boat for five days to reach Jianye. I have been waiting for Your Majesty here for fifteen days.” Ge Xuan spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice loud and clear: “Back then, I said that I was cultivating Taoism in Wuchang for the sake of the fate of the Great Wu. Now, I have come to Jianye to pay my respects to Your Majesty, also for the sake of the fate of the Great Wu.”

Sun Quan squinted at Ge Xuan for a long time, his face calm but his heart churning.

In public, whether he arrived early or late could be easily determined by asking someone; there was no doubt about it. However, Ge Xuan mentioned that he left the Wuchang Palace on December 10th, but the Wei army arrived outside Jiangling City around December 20th. So, the time Ge Xuan set off coincided with the time the Wei army set off?

"What do you think? Celestial Master, please speak frankly," Sun Quan said, feigning composure.

Ge Xuan said, "This humble Taoist requests Your Majesty to dismiss all attendants and speak only to Your Majesty."

Sun Quan shook his head: "The emperor has nothing that he cannot reveal to others."

Ge Xuan still wore a faint smile on his face: "The affairs of the nation's destiny must not be passed on to others."

Sun Quan pondered for a few moments, but ultimately did not insist on his position and nodded: "Prime Minister, Ziming, you two should step aside for now."

"As you command." The two responded, and then slowly retreated to a distance of three zhang.

"Now, Celestial Master, you can speak, right?" Sun Quan stared intently at Ge Xuan.

“Yes,” Ge Xuan said. “I observed the qi on the western hills of Wuchang and saw that since the beginning of last year, the aura of the emperor in the north has become increasingly strong. And from the beginning of winter this year until now, the northern qi has become increasingly vigorous, with a sense of killing intent and the sound of metal weapons.”

"As for the imperial aura of Great Wu..." Ge Xuan stroked his beard and said, "Forgive my bluntness, but since October, the imperial aura of Great Wu in the directions of Wuchang and Jianye has been gradually diminishing under the pressure of the northern winds, and has disappeared into the mountains and rivers of Jing and Yang provinces and the Yangtze River."

"Although I am ignorant of state affairs, I do know that the Northern Wei Kingdom and the Great Wu Kingdom have always been at odds." Ge Xuan raised his head slightly, met Sun Quan's eyes, and said frankly, "If Your Majesty temporarily abdicates the throne and assumes the title of King, and restores the imperial aura of Wuchang and Jianye to the aura of King, then the mountains and rivers can gradually nourish them, and after several decades, they may be able to regain the imperial aura."

Surprisingly, Sun Quan did not get angry. Instead, he shook his head and chuckled, "Does the Celestial Master think I dare not kill anyone?"

Ge Xuan bowed slightly: "Your Majesty possesses both the sword to kill and the majesty of a monarch. Your subject dares not deceive you."

"Then why did you say that?" Sun Quan's expression gradually turned unfriendly.

Ge Xuan calmly replied, “Your Majesty has bestowed great favor upon me, allowing me to build temples and monasteries as my place of practice, and bestow upon me the title of Celestial Master to expand my disciples. For decades, Taoism has not flourished, and Your Majesty is the foremost ruler in the propagation of our Tao. Therefore, I dare not speak recklessly. I have already reported everything I have seen and known to Your Majesty, and I await Your Majesty's wise judgment.”

Sun Quan hadn't slept all night; his eyes were swollen and bloodshot. After giving Ge Xuan a deep look, Sun Quan walked straight past him, ignoring him completely. Once Gu Yong caught up with him from behind, Sun Quan ordered, "Capture this man and temporarily detain him in Jianye Palace. Do not let him escape."

His voice was full of exhaustion.

Gu Yong was slightly taken aback, then agreed, leading ten soldiers to guard the spot alone. Ge Xuan seemed to have also sensed something, and without any attempt to hide it, calmly met Gu Yong's gaze from afar.

After all the soldiers had left, Gu Yong calmly stepped forward and 'invited' Ge Xuan away. Ge Xuan seemed to have foreseen his fate, and without resistance, he gladly went.

Before Ge Xuan boarded the carriage, he paused for a few moments beside it, his left hand flashing rapidly dozens of times as he made some kind of hand seal. Then he gave Gu Yong a meaningful look before calmly getting into the carriage.

Gu Yong was startled, and almost instantly broke out in a sweat. (End of Chapter)