Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

As the sun rose over the East China Sea, a fleet of a hundred ships, consisting of large warships, large battleships, fighting ships, and support vessels, arrived at the dock south of Hailing City.

Not only were General Lu Xun, who was conquering the east, and General Cao Zhi, who was leading the fleet, deeply moved, General Hu Zhi, who was having breakfast in Hailing City, learned of the fleet's arrival and, without even finishing his meal, hurriedly snatched the reins from his assistant and galloped south out of the city.

Hu Zhi first built the docks, then the city walls, and waited here for nearly three months, all for this moment.

This was also a moment of celebration for all the sailors and soldiers in the fleet, with cheers resounding everywhere, and the commanders on each ship did not stop them.

When it was Lu Xun and Cao Zhi's turn to disembark, Hu Zhi had already led more than a thousand soldiers to line up and welcome them.

"Greetings, General Lu and General Cao." Hu Zhi greeted them at the top of the ladder. "The General in charge of the army gave me the order to prepare to welcome General Lu's fleet here on January 20th. I never expected that General Lu would arrive three days ahead of schedule. It is truly a miracle."

"General Hu," Lu Xun replied politely without the slightest arrogance, "The fleet's successful voyage here is entirely due to the Emperor's great fortune and the diligent efforts of everyone present. General Hu's hard work here is truly commendable."

Hu Zhi's expression was relaxed: "It's my duty."

“Doing your duty well is enough.” Lu Xun nodded, looked around, and then asked, “Is Commander Guanqiu currently in Guangling? Is the port of Jiangdu under Commander Guanqiu’s control?”

Hu Zhi replied, “Naturally, it is in Guangling. The port of Jiangdu has also been repaired. Ten thousand elite soldiers of the Xiaowei Army, five thousand infantrymen of Cao Ping’s eastern army, five thousand cavalrymen of Xiahou Huya’s army, and six thousand infantrymen of General Pu’s army are all in Guangling, totaling thirty-one thousand men, without any omissions. There is a daily report between Guangling and Hailing, so there will be no errors.”

"That's good." Lu Xun turned to Cao Zhi and instructed, "General Cao will oversee this area. I will go into the city with General Hu first."

"Yes, sir." Cao Zhi bowed calmly and left.

Cao Zhi's turbulent emotions cooled considerably upon seeing Hu Zhi. Hu Zhi, who had just greeted Lu Xun with earnest courtesy, became somewhat perfunctory in his bowing to Cao Zhi, and even turned slightly away to speak only to Lu Xun.

For Cao Zhi, despite years of hardship in the army, he was still treated as the "King of Yongqiu" by Hu Zhi, not the "General of the Warships" of the Great Wei. Within the navy, everyone treated him with utmost respect. Why did things change once he left the navy?

Just as Cao Zhi was feeling indignant, Hu Zhi and Lu Xun were walking into the city, chatting and laughing. Both men were from Yangzhou, the same hometown.

Hu Zhi was not a general in his early years, but a purely civil official. Before the first year of Taihe, he served as the governor of Dongguan, leading troops from neighboring prefectures and counties south to fight for the country, where he made some contributions. After that, he continued to lead troops in the army.

Ultimately, Hu Zhi was a typical local scholar from Yangzhou, born into a prominent family. Hu Zhi was from Shouchun, and he and Jiang Ji, who was from Ping'a, were both well-known in the Jianghuai region.

Hu Zhi's father, Hu Min, served as an official in Luoyang in his early years, working for General He Jin. He became acquainted with Cao Cao, who was then under He Jin's command, and formed a friendship with him. Later, he returned to his home in Shouchun to observe mourning, thus escaping the subsequent chaos in Luoyang.

Because of this relationship, Hu Zhi was promoted from a commoner to the position of magistrate of Dunqiu by Cao Cao. This was not merely an ordinary act of favor, but rather a declaration to all his subordinates of the close relationship between Hu Zhi and himself. Cao Cao's first official position was that of a court official with a salary of 300 shi (a unit of grain), his second was the Northern Commandant of Luoyang, and his third was the magistrate of Dunqiu. The implications of this are self-evident.

Despite the privileges afforded by his father, Hu Zhi's abilities were not outstanding, and he faded into obscurity after Cao Cao's death. Thus, while his close friend Jiang Ji served as the governor of Yangzhou for many years, Hu Zhi remained a lowly general with only five thousand weak soldiers. He was a rather unconventional scholar-official in his career.

After Lu Xun and Hu Zhi arrived at Hu Zhi's residence in the city, Lu Xun cupped his hands and said, "General Hu, please lend me this hall for the time being."

"General Lu, please go ahead." Hu Zhi naturally wouldn't refuse.

Lu Xun acted decisively. He immediately led more than ten military advisors to use this place as their office. They sorted out and compiled statistics on the problems encountered by each ship during its voyage, the consumption and replenishment of supplies on board, and received the commanders of each ship here. No matter how large or small the ship was, they received them one by one without exception.

By the time we finished all that, it was already getting dark.

Hu Zhi personally led people to deliver the food, showing great care. He even brought hot soup to each of the officers in the hall, while Lu Xun's meals were prepared by a special kitchen.

"It was the same at noon, how could I trouble General Hu to come and deliver it personally?" Lu Xun stood up and cupped his hands, his words carrying a hint of embarrassment. Hu Zhi smiled and said, "His Majesty and Commander Guanqiu gave me military orders to protect the naval fleet under General Lu's command. As the commander of an army, General Lu is naturally included in the military orders I have received."

"Thank you for your trouble." Lu Xun nodded. He was also hungry, so he opened the food box. But when he saw the dishes inside, he was stunned. When he looked up at Hu Zhi, his eyes were already filled with tears.

The food box contained only a few dishes: a plate of Songjiang perch, a plate of bamboo shoots, and a bowl of wild rice.

"General Hu, Brother Hu, this is really..." Lu Xun lost his composure for a moment, shook his head and sniffed, then sighed, "I've been away from home for so long, I've lost my composure."

Hu Zhi cupped his hands and said, "If it weren't for the wrong season, we should have had a bowl of water shield soup. A few vegetables are nothing to worry about. I only hope that General Lu will defeat the enemy and pacify Wu, thus fulfilling your wish!"

"Yes, we will." Lu Xun and Hu Zhi exchanged a glance and nodded slowly. Ignoring the various looks from the other military officers in the hall, they immediately sat down and began to eat heartily without stopping for a moment.

The Wu region has always been known for three distinctive local delicacies: first, sashimi of perch; second, water shield, which grows in lakes and marshes and is available in late spring and early summer; and third, wild rice, also known as water bamboo, which is still not in season.

Of these three Wu specialties, Hu Zhi prepared sashimi of perch for Lu Xun, specifically Songjiang perch caught fresh in the river that very day, making it exceptionally precious and incredibly delicious. Since water shield was unavailable, local winter bamboo shoots were used as a substitute. Wild rice was also out of season, so wild rice grains were used instead.

Lu Xun was known for his frugality in the army. What use was a surrendered general to show off? He ate with his own aides every day, sharing the communal meals without complaint. Lu Xun had never eaten such food in Shouchun, yet today he was enjoying it in Hailing, where the Yangtze River meets the sea.

The moment the sea bass entered my mouth, the bittersweet taste of being away from home for eight years surged up.

The chill and sandstorms on the shores of Liangzhou's West Sea, the desolate land reclamation and garrisoning in Tazhong, the hatred and anger at learning that his younger brother had been killed by Sun Quan, and the hardship and forbearance of working tirelessly day and night on military affairs in Shouchun—all of these were finally released when he tasted this slice of perch made from Songjiang perch.

Lu Xun ate his dinner heartily, finishing all the meat, vegetables, and rice before swallowing hard. He then placed the dishes and bowls in the food box, closed the lid, and stood up to look at Hu Zhi.

"General Hu, now that the navy has arrived at Hailing, it is unnecessary for your 5,000 troops to be stationed here. 2,000 men will suffice. I will write a letter tomorrow morning and ask you to deliver it to General Guanqiu immediately."

"The letter indicated that our troops would rest for two days in Hailing, and after all the follow-up ships arrived, we would board them at 1-3 AM on January 19th, and launch a strong attack on Dantu in Jiangnan in the afternoon."

"Secondly..." Lu Xun looked at Hu Zhi: "My troops are in dire need of fighting strength. I request General Hu to lead three thousand men to join me in this campaign and attack Dantu first!"

Hu Zhi hesitated slightly: "General Lu, my troops are under the command of Commander Guanqiu, not under your command. If Commander Guanqiu is unwilling, or if the court blames us..."

Lu Xun's tone also hardened: "He will be willing. If he is not, I will speak to His Majesty myself!"

Hu Zhi no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "For the sake of the country, Hu Zhi would gladly die for it! Since the general has given his order, Hu Zhi will obey."

"Okay." Lu Xun nodded, then strode out.

Hu Zhi remained bowed until he could no longer hear Lu Xun's footsteps before standing up. He gradually straightened up, flicked his sleeves, and personally carried the food box that Lu Xun had used to the outside.

Although the soldiers in the hall remained silent, they looked at each other and understood what had just happened.

How could a navy of 50,000 be insufficient in combat power?
The first army to invade Jiangnan during the war against Wu, regardless of its merits, deserves to be recorded in history.

How could this man be so skilled at gift-giving! He's truly won over my general's heart, giving him such a great merit for nothing! (End of Chapter)