Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

In the early hours of January 10th, as dawn broke and the east began to brighten.

Sun Quan was still draped in a thick cloak, with Hu Zong, Quan Cong, and several others accompanying him. From Chaisang City to Hukou, Wu troops were stationed everywhere. Sun Quan's army in this area numbered as many as 43,000.

But Sun Quan showed no sign of composure; his furrowed brows and slightly puffy eye bags clearly indicated his condition.

"Zihuang, I must part ways with you here." Sun Quan grasped Quan Cong's hands: "In military campaigns, I am no match for you. Of the 43,000 troops, I entrust 30,000 to your command. After we arrive in Wuchang, the Crown Prince will nominally be in charge of military affairs there, but I will send letters to both the Crown Prince and Sun Huan, instructing them to obey your orders."

"Add 20,000 to 30,000, and these 50,000 soldiers are the strongest and most capable troops of Great Wu. Zihuang, take these 50,000 soldiers to wipe out the Wei army in Jiangxia. After defeating them, lead your army up the river to find me!"

Sun Quan entrusted the military affairs of Wuchang to Quan Cong, which, from any perspective, demonstrated the utmost trust a ruler could place in his subject. There was no grand ceremony of appointing generals, nor a military departure witnessed by many officials. But at this moment, Quan Cong, his eyes brimming with tears, knelt and prostrated himself in reverence.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, your subject Quan Cong will not fail Your Majesty's trust. I will return with my troops to provide assistance within half a month at the shortest and a month at the most!"

Quan Cong kowtowed repeatedly, but Sun Quan himself was too weak to bend down and help him up, so he had to ask Hu Zong, who was standing nearby, to do it for him.

"Zihuang, go now. Order all the troops to board the ships. Do not delay," Sun Quan said slowly.

"I earnestly hope Your Majesty will take good care of your health!" Quan Cong was still reluctant to part.

"Go quickly, go quickly!" Sun Quan coughed a few times and waved his hand outwards as if shooing someone away: "With Wei Ze here to accompany me, I have no worries!"

From dawn to noon, the march of 30,000 troops was tedious and lengthy.

"Wei Ze, Zi Ming," Sun Quan said with a forced smile, "are you two here with me, filled with fear?"

“Not even a fraction,” Hu Zong replied, standing solemnly with his hands clasped in respect.

"Your Majesty's kindness is bestowed upon me even at the cost of my life." These were Xu Xiang's words.

"Very well." Sun Quan nodded slowly. "Wei general Huan Fan has gone to Liling, south of Chaisang, so I will not follow him. Since Zihuang has already left, Wei Ze, quickly order Gan Tong and Ding Feng's 13,000 troops to board the ships. Today, no matter what, I will lead the army south. I must reach Qiyang County by noon tomorrow, and Poyang the day after!"

"As you command," Hu Zong replied, bowing respectfully.

It must be said that when the country was in danger, Sun Quan was quite responsible.

After learning about the situation in Chaisang City yesterday, Quan Cong quickly informed Sun Quan. Sun Quan then discussed the matter with Quan Cong, Shi Yi, Hu Zong, Xu Xiang, and others for half a day before reaching a consensus.

That would be to entrust 30,000 troops to Quan Cong, ordering him to march at full speed to Wuchang, defeat the Wei army there, and then return to reinforce the city. Under these circumstances, Sun Quan's title as emperor could be put to good use.

Sun Quan's mission was to lead 13,000 men under Gan Tong and Ding Feng, bypassing Huan Fan's army's route through Ling and Haihun to Nanchang, abandoning the pursuit, and instead choosing to sail south along Pengli Lake to Poyang, the easternmost point of Pengli Lake, and to mobilize manpower, resources, and troops from surrounding counties, preparing to wear down Huan Fan across Poyang Lake.

On the one hand, Sun Quan planned to gather troops to block Huan Fan's northward advance; on the other hand, he effectively abandoned Nanchang, the capital of Yuzhang Commandery. This was a situation he had no choice but to accept.

Sun Quan's current predicament is not just a dilemma, but a quadruple, a quintuple, or even more difficult one. His best solution at this moment is to first defeat the Wei army in Jiangxia—of course, this is also Quan Cong's idea. Jiangxia has never had a strong army, and its general Xiahou Ru is not a particularly brave and skilled commander known for his ability to overcome difficult terrain.

Using Wu's strongest 50,000 troops to relieve the crisis in Wuchang, and then taking care of Man Chong's troops in Jiangling, or turning back to annihilate Huan Fan's troops who were advancing straight into the heart of Yuzhang County, would both be excellent choices.

From the perspective of the Wu Kingdom, at least, it was an excellent choice.

Huan Fan led 25,000 Wei troops, a force that Sun Quan could not easily defeat or assimilate in a short period, not to mention the 5,000 elite cavalry in the central army. Sun Quan and his men guessed that in two days, this cavalry might have already marched south from Chaisang, Liling, and Haihun, reaching the vicinity of Nanchang. That's only about 300 li away!

Huan Fan's military tactics, which disregarded the future, were almost suicidal. Sun Quan and others considered them unreasonable and extremely arrogant.

However, Huan Fan, the General Who Guards the North of the Great Wei, knew that the imperial army of 145,000 men in Yangzhou would be mobilized on January 10th. Due to his unwavering faith in the imperial military strength and his almost blind obedience to the emperor's military orders, Huan Fan never worried that he was walking into a trap and committing suicide.

Unbeknownst to Sun Quan, a grand military parade was being held in Shouchun, Wei, while he was welcoming and seeing off Quan Cong's troops.

Starting precisely at Chenshi (7-9 AM), Cao Rui, followed by a thousand elite cavalrymen under the command of Yueqi Colonel Zhen Xiang, slowly marched from north to south, and then from south to north, passing through the massive army formation that had formed its battle array.

Fifty-four thousand men lined up in orderly ranks along the official road leading to Hefei, their armor gleaming in the sun. The troops included the Wuwei Army, the Right Guard of the Imperial Guard, the Wuhuan Right Guard, the Xianbei Right Guard, the Goguryeo tribe, the Baekje tribe, the Buyeo tribe, and the Yingzhou cavalry and infantry…

This is the strongest force of the Wei army, and also the strongest and most reliable military guarantee for Cao Rui's campaign against Wu.

Cao Rui was clad in golden armor, and his magnificent white horse was also adorned with a ceremonial golden armor. Zhen Xiang's troops were all mounted on white horses, and as they galloped past the other armies, they captivated everyone's hearts.

Wherever they went, all the soldiers in the army formation raised their weapons and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" nine times.

Cao Rui rode all the way from south to north, listening to the thunderous shouts of the army, until he arrived in front of Dong Zhao, Sima Yi, Cao Zhen, Liu Ye and others.

Cao Rui gripped his whip, reined in his horse, and looked around before slowly saying, "Since the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, the world has suffered from endless battles, all because the two traitors of Wu and Shu used the natural defenses of mountains and rivers to divide and rule. Today, I am leading 250,000 infantry, cavalry, and naval troops of the Great Wei to offer sacrifices to Heaven and march south to comfort the people and punish the guilty. This is just the right thing to do."

"The false emperor Sun Quan has reigned for several years, which is an outrage to both gods and men and an injustice to Heaven. As the emperor of the Great Wei, I must present this traitor's head to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and worship Heaven and Earth to warn future generations."

"Lord Dong, Minister of Works, I am about to lead the army on a march," Cao Rui said with a smile. "You two take care of the rear for me, I will personally lead the troops south!"

"Long live Your Majesty!" All the ministers bowed. (End of Chapter)