Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

More than ten eunuchs and palace maids surrounded the three people at the palace gate with their torches and palace lanterns.

Bu Lianshi and her daughter Sun Luyu stood inside the gate. Bu Lianshi covered her face and sobbed, while Sun Luyu stood by helplessly. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gu Yong stood outside the threshold not far away.

The boundaries between the palace and the outside world remain clear.

Gu Yong did not try to stop Bu Lianshi from crying. Instead, he waited until she had been crying for a while before speaking in a low voice:
"Madam, His Majesty has entrusted the defense of Jianye entirely to me. How could I not do my utmost in this matter? At present, I have a few unresolved matters that I would like to discuss with you."

"Please speak quickly, Lord Gu." Bu Lianshi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, and a hint of determination appeared on her dignified and noble face: "I already know everything. As long as it is beneficial to the country and His Majesty, Lord Gu may do as he pleases!"

Gu Yong said, "The Wei army has already crossed the river in Dantu and will cross the river on the 19th. If the Wei army is determined to harass Jianye with cavalry, the distance is nearly 200 li, and they can arrive in as little as one day and one night. If the Wei army attacks with infantry, they will arrive in three or four days. In other words, the Wei army will be at the gates of Jianye as early as tomorrow night and as late as the 24th."

Bu Lianshi interjected, "Wouldn't the Wei army attack other places first? For example, take Dantu first, or advance towards Wu Commandery before attacking Jianye? Will they definitely come directly here?"

“The Wei Kingdom’s invasion this time is very ambitious, and they are definitely trying to bring about the downfall of the Wu Kingdom. Now that they have crossed the river, it would be unusual for them not to send troops directly to Jianye.” Gu Yong patiently explained, “Madam, the Wei army will definitely attack Jianye directly, there will be no exceptions.”

Bu Lianshi gripped her sleeves tightly and sighed deeply: "Lord Gu, please continue."

Gu Yong said, "Now that I am in Jianye, and all the court officials are in Jianye, I only have three matters to resolve."

"Firstly, if the Wei army attacks Jianye, it will be impossible to defend along the way, and the Great Wu has few troops in Jianye. Therefore, we should fortify the city and clear the fields, and quickly order the cities of Hushu, Moling, Jurong, and Jiangcheng to transport troops and provisions to Jianye. We should also conscript people from these places to help defend the city. I cannot make a decision at this time."

"What kind of time is this, for Lord Gu to still say such things?" Bu Lianshi said, "If Lord Gu thinks it's good, then do it according to Lord Gu's idea. If the skin is gone, what will the hair cling to? We should levy the people and grain as we should!"

Gu Yong took a light breath: "Your Majesty, I understand. Please have Madam and I sign this together later, so that we can serve as witnesses for Your Majesty in the future."

Bu Lianshi was well aware of Gu Yong's sensitive position. From her perspective, the more perilous the situation, the more responsible the court officials should be. Why couldn't the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat handle these matters? Why did she have to be brought in to witness it? It seemed Gu Yong was far too afraid of Sun Quan, and Bu Lianshi couldn't help but feel a growing resentment towards him. Little did she know, Gu Yong's willingness to act at this moment was already a repayment for the Sun family's thirty years of kindness.

If Gu Yong were to open the city gates and sell Jianye at this time, he could get the highest price!

Bu Lianshi said, "When the country is in trouble, although I have no authority or responsibility whatsoever, I can still sign my name. Lord Gu, what about the other two matters?"

Gu Yong continued: "The second thing is that General Sun Shao has 10,000 men in Dantu, which is definitely not going to hold. Even if the Wei army cannot capture the city, with its large number of troops, it can still surround Dantu and conquer other places. Right now, Dantu is surrounded and it is impossible to send letters into the city."

"I believe that instead of mobilizing the forces of Wu Commandery to save Dantu, which is like adding fuel to the fire, it would be better to have the people of Qu'a, Piling, Yangxian, Wuxi and other places organize themselves and conscript the servants of wealthy families to gather in Wu County to defend it."

Bu Lianshi asked, "Has everything north of Wu County been abandoned?"

“That’s right.” Gu Yong said with a serious expression: “We can’t hold out. As long as we hold the area near Wu County in Wu Commandery and prevent the Wei army from reaching Qiantang, Yuhang, Fuchun and other places along the Qiantang River, we can delay them for about half a month or a month. After His Majesty’s army wins a victory outside, it will return to Yangzhou and then we can recover all the lost territory.”

Bu Lianshi said tremblingly, "Sun Gongli is a renowned general and member of the imperial family, how could he..."

“We have no soldiers left, Madam.” Gu Yong retorted, “If I could be worth ten thousand soldiers, I would gladly die for Great Wu in Dantu. But there are no spare troops in Yangzhou. Wei has used a feint to the east and a diversion to the west, and has already lured away most of Great Wu’s forces!”

"We will do as Lord Gu says." Bu Lianshi's expression somber.

Gu Yong continued, "As for the third matter, I urge you, Madam, to treat it with caution. Currently, apart from the Crown Prince, His Majesty's harem, princesses, and princes are all in Jianye. I urge you, Madam, to take the lead in moving to Wuchang before the Wei army besieges the city, to alleviate His Majesty's worries about the rear." "After all this talk, Lord Gu, you still lack confidence in defending Jianye?" Sun Luyu, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "Is Jianye such a fortified city truly indefensible? Has it really come to that, Lord Gu?"

“Princess, this is just in case,” Gu Yong explained. “If His Majesty is distracted while leading troops in the field because of this matter, it would be unwise.”

Sun Luyu's eyes remained expressionless, but a mocking smile played on his lips: "I'm not going anywhere! This is Jianye, this is my home. I've already lost my home, do you think I'm going to run away from it too?"

"Lord Gu, I will not be a homeless dog."

Bu Lianshi also realized what was happening at this moment. She took a step to the left and took her daughter's arm. She looked at Gu Yong and her tone became more firm: "Lord Gu, Xiao Hu is right. We will not be stray dogs! With such a strong city, how can we be scared away by a mere tens of thousands of Wei soldiers who have crossed the river? If we leave, who will stay here to defend the city for His Majesty?"

"We're not going anywhere."

A mere tens of thousands? Scared away?
Gu Yong's expression remained unchanged, but a mocking laugh began to emanate from within. Who gave you the audacity to look down on tens of thousands of Wei soldiers?

Moreover, how could it be tens of thousands? The combined Wei army in Ruxu and Dantu numbered about 100,000! Furthermore, Gu Yong still doesn't understand how the tens of thousands of Wei naval troops and hundreds of ships reached Dantu, or how they defeated He Qi's naval forces.

Since Lady Bu is ignorant of military affairs and insists on doing so, Gu Yong, as her subject, has no choice but to obey. Fate is a matter of personal choice; if something goes wrong, one cannot blame others.

At this moment, Gu Yong was in a state of flux, a mixture of resignation and hard work. He didn't even know the fate of Jianye City, nor his own future; how could he possibly persuade Bu Lianshi?

"Your Majesty, I humbly obey your command. Please have your attendant bring the silk and seal, so that Your Majesty may sign your name here!"

“Alright.” Bu Lianshi nodded and gave a few instructions to the eunuch beside her. The three of them stood there in the darkness and moonlight, without speaking or moving, until Bu Lianshi finished writing the words Gu Yong had requested by the light of the torch. Only then did Gu Yong take his leave.

Bu Lianshi gazed in the direction Gu Yong had left, remaining silent for a long time. A female official stepped forward and asked, "Madam, the night is cold and frosty. Please return to the palace by carriage."

“Okay.” After Bu Lianshi pulled Sun Luyu into the carriage, the mother and daughter remained silent until the carriage arrived at the palace gate. Sun Luyu was about to return to her residence when she turned to look at her mother.

"Mother."

"What's wrong, Little Tiger?"

"How long has it been since Mother last saw my sister?"

Bu Lianshi stood there stunned for a moment, and after thinking for a long time, she finally sighed: "Eight years and one month. The last time I saw Da Hu was in the Wuchang Palace."

Sun Luyu then asked, "Mother said, is my sister doing well up north? Is she as comfortable and at ease as I am here in Jianye?"

Bu Lianshi was completely speechless. She covered her face and walked away, and as she walked, a suppressed sob could be heard.

At this moment, Sun Quan showed none of the tension and dejection that Gu Yong and Bu Lianshi had shown. On the contrary, he was in high spirits and even seemed to be in much better health.

For a political strategist like Sun Quan, nothing is more effective than victory. Today, on the shores of Poyang Lake, Sun Quan secured his first victory since the Wei army's southern offensive. (End of Chapter)