Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The last batch of over a hundred ships arrived in Shouchun from Chaohu, where they met Liu Xia, the naval privy councilor who was waiting there. With the escort of Xu Shu, a cabinet minister, they set off eastward along the Huai River to their predetermined destination, Haixi.

General Lu Xun, who was in charge of the expedition to the east, bid farewell to the emperor and set sail with the fleet. Coincidentally, the person in charge of the fleet was General Cao Zhi, who commanded the tower ships.

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that, after serving as a general in the navy for the past two years, Cao Zhi's long-standing melancholy had completely faded, and he had gradually become more spirited and energetic. His scholarly air had even diminished somewhat, as if he were intentionally trying to prevent others from remembering his past. Cao Zhi hadn't written a single poem or essay in these two years, devoting himself entirely to the navy.

Cao Zhi was already quite satisfied with his current state. Moreover, Cao Zhi gradually realized that with his military talents, he had already reached his limit by commanding dozens or hundreds of ships and serving as a naval commander with tens of thousands of troops. Therefore, he devoted himself even more to his duties.

Being in your forties is the perfect age to strive and work hard.

Although the emperor didn't mind and always addressed Cao Zhi as "Imperial Uncle" whenever they met, his colleagues at court knew better and didn't associate with Cao Zhi much, which Cao Zhi didn't find offensive.

However, for Lu Xun, the commander of the Wei navy and the General Who Conquers the East, such exchanges were inevitable when he was on the same warship as Cao Zhi.

"Greetings, Uncle." Lu Xun naturally cupped his hands in greeting.

Cao Zhi smiled and declined repeatedly: "Haven't I told you many times? In ordinary times I call you Boyan, and you can call me Uncle, but we are in the army now. You are the commander of an army, and I am your general. You can call me by my title, General!"

"Very well, greetings, General Cao." Lu Xun's attitude remained respectful.

Cao Zhi shook his head with a hint of helplessness.

As everyone knows, His Majesty married his younger sister, Princess Dongxiang, to Lu Xun, making Lu Xun His Majesty's brother-in-law and the most favored among all the generals. Objectively speaking, Lu Xun's kinship with His Majesty seems to be even closer than that of General Cao Zhen.

The late Emperor Cao Pi and Cao Zhi were born of the same mother. Cao Zhi was Your Majesty's uncle and also the uncle of Princess Dongxiang. Although Lu Xun was older than Cao Zhi, their seniority was undeniable, and there was no way to avoid it.

Cao Zhi slowly said, "After we arrive at Haixi, we will travel south along the coast and reach Hailing in five or six days. From Hailing to Guangling, it is less than a day's journey by boat."

"The port of Hailing is now safe." Lu Xun nodded. "The Privy Council has assigned tasks, saying that the dock at Hailing has been repaired by General Hu. His Majesty has given us a deadline of twenty days to arrive."

“It should arrive in less than twenty days, at most January 17th.” Cao Zhi said confidently, “I previously led a fleet to transport supplies southward along the coast, passing through Hailing once.”

“However, General Lu, how should we fight when we arrive at Hailing?” Cao Zhi looked at Lu Xun and asked tentatively, “The Privy Council has given you five options to choose from, and His Majesty has also granted you the authority to make decisions on the spot. What should you do?”

Yangzhou was Lu Xun's hometown, and he knew the waterways there by heart. Without much thought, he spoke:
“I am well aware of the state of the Wu navy. Their victories in the wars against Wei over the years were not due to any brilliant strategies, but simply to two factors: large ships and better swimming skills among the soldiers. After Lu Ya and Gu Tang came to join us, I also learned from them that Wu's ships have not changed in recent years, and in fact, because they have enough ships, few new ships have been built.”

"The size of Wu's ships is relative to the oil tankers that Great Wei used to have," Lu Xun laughed. "However, the Privy Council has improved the tower ships, warships, and fighting ships. In terms of design, Great Wei's new ships are more exquisitely crafted, larger, more stable, and come in more models. They've also added rams, battering rams, ballistae, etc. Just in terms of ships and equipment, Wu's ships have no chance against Great Wei's fleet. Moreover, Great Wei has 50,000 naval troops and even more ships. Even if Wu were to sell its territory, it wouldn't be able to support 50,000 naval troops." Cao Zhi also laughed.

“The only possible variable is that the Wei navy has not had much actual combat experience,” Lu Xun added. “However, there is no need to worry too much. Naval warfare is actually ship warfare, and ultimately it still depends on ships.”

Cao Zhi laughed and said, "In the past, the Great Wei admired the Wu Kingdom's ships for their strength and size; today, Sun Quan is admiring us."

“That’s right.” Lu Xun nodded. “After heading west from Hailing, the first thing to do is to control Guangling and Dantu. I don’t know what the situation is like in Guangling, but even if we control both places at the same time, the navy will still have some spare capacity.”

Cao Zhi thought for a moment and said, "If we fight in one place, we'll cross the river there!"

Lu Xun said, "That's right. I remember the court allocated more than 30,000 troops to the General Commander. According to the time, it will take no more than three days after arriving in Guangling to transport all of the General Commander's troops to Dantu in Jiangnan."

"What if Guanqiu Zhonggong arrives in Dantu?" Cao Zhi asked again.

“Once we reach Dantu, things will be simple.” Lu Xun’s expression became even more composed. “Dantu is not a large city. After besieging Dantu, we can send men up the Yangtze River to conquer Jiangcheng, Jurong, Hushu and other places, while leading our army along the Dantu waterway into the heart of Wu County. As long as we can take Qu’a, Wuxi and Wu County, the canal transport in Jiangdong will be completely cut off. The counties of Lou, Youquan, Yangxian, Wucheng, Haiyan, Qiantang and Fuchun in the south of Wu County will be rendered useless, and Kuaiji County and the prefectures further south will also be isolated from Jianye.”

Cao Zhi thought for a moment: "In that case, Wu is not difficult to conquer?"

Lu Xun smiled and shook his head: "It's not difficult to attack. It's just a pity that I have a naval mission. After leading the General's troops across the river, I will have to occupy and destroy the various docks of the Wu army along the river. Then I will have to rush to the Liyang area to assist the General's troops in crossing the river and besieging Ruxu. If the court can use me to conquer Wu, the cities will probably surrender without a fight."

“That is indeed the case.” Cao Zhi did not refute it. Lu Xun’s family was of high status and he had great prestige in Wu. This matter was really not an exaggeration.

Unfortunately, the more this was the case, the less likely the court was to send Lu Xun to conquer the city. Lu Xun's sole mission was to sail up the river, destroy the Wu army's docks and ships one by one, assist Guanqiu Jian and Cao Zhen's troops in crossing the river, help Cao Zhen capture Ruxu, and also block upstream ships from reinforcing the city.

It can be said that Lu Xun's role in this battle was already fixed, leaving him little room to maneuver.

Cao Zhi said with a touch of regret, "I have also heard about what happened to General Lu's family, and I feel very sorry for him. Sun Quan is a tyrant who controls the southeast. When the Great Wei captures him, he will be severely punished."

"But we don't know how to punish them in a way that would better win over the hearts of the Wu people?"

Lu Xun looked at Cao Zhi: "If I don't kill him, there's no way to appease the world." (End of Chapter)