Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The 21st, morning.

When Wu's General Sun Shao discovered the Wei army changing garrisons atop Dantu city walls, followed by 10,000 cavalry circling the city and then marching southeast, he was utterly devastated. Sun Shao had assumed the Wei army would launch a fierce attack on Dantu or advance westward to attack Jianye. Both options would have been preferable for Wu; drawing the Wei army into a siege would buy them time until the majority of Wu's forces arrived to reinforce the city.

But things didn't go as planned. Guanqiu Jian chose to strike directly at the undefended Wu Commandery, which was the true heartland of the Wu Kingdom.

At this moment, Sun Quan could no longer laugh.

Yesterday, Ding Feng, Gan Tong, Hu Zong and others led the navy to roam freely on Pengli Lake, forcing the Wei army ships into the floodwaters, and the Wei army dared not fight.

Sun Quan had intended to intensify his attack today, but he received a letter from Zhu Ran in Ruxu requesting reinforcements last night. With 50,000 Wei troops invading Ruxu, the original advance plan was suspended.

“Your Majesty,” Hu Zong, standing to Sun Quan’s right rear, advised, “Neither Poyang nor Yuzhang are the heartland of the nation. What is truly important are Wuchang and the vicinity of Jianye. Compared to Jianye and Ruxu, even if Huan Fan causes chaos in Poyang and Yuzhang, as long as Great Wu can secure Chaisang and Hukou, it will prevent Huan Fan from leading his army north.”

Sun Quan's somewhat weak voice came through: "Wei Ze says that I should abandon the Wei army led by Huan Fan and let them occupy and plunder the two commanderies of Poyang and Yuzhang?"

Hu Zong cupped his hands in greeting: "There are priorities. Poyang and Yuzhang are our hands and feet, while Ruxu is our neck. If we lose Poyang and Yuzhang, we can easily take them back in the future. But if we lose Ruxu, it will be a life-or-death situation for Great Wu."

Xu Xiang, on the other side, echoed at the same time: "Your Majesty, I also agree. However, according to the deadline mentioned by Quan Zihuang, he will completely defeat Xiahou Ru's Wei army at Xiakou. Why don't you send troops away from Poyang and Qiyang first, and go to Chaisang to wait for the 30,000 troops under Quan Zihuang's command?"

"If that's the case, the naval vessels can also pressure the Wei ships here at the same time. Besides, the journey from here to Hukou is extremely fast and won't take much time!"

Sun Quan sighed deeply, put his hands behind his back, and muttered to himself, "It's not that I'm afraid Ruxu will be captured. With Ruxu being such a fortified city, even if I led 80,000 or 100,000 troops, I wouldn't be able to take it. What's there to fear about 50,000 Wei troops? I'm just worried about the uncertain future, the complete chaos."

"If the Wei army hadn't advanced to Ruxu, Quan Zihuang could have continued westward to relieve Jiangling after repelling the Wei army at Jiangxia. Now that we've encountered the enemy at Ruxu, we're forced to relieve Ruxu instead. The soldiers are exhausted from running around everywhere, and the country is in danger. What kind of logic is this, rushing around putting out fires everywhere!"

"I am simply unwilling to accept this," Sun Quan sighed. "We just won a battle against the Wei army here, and we could have found a way to annex these 20,000-plus Wei soldiers, but the conditions do not allow it now. What can we do?"

Xu Xiang already knew that Sun Quan had agreed in his heart, but was only pretending to insist, so he advised him:

"Your Majesty need not worry about this place. Tens of thousands of able-bodied men have already been conscripted from the entire Poyang Prefecture. Zhou Fang and Zhou Ziyu are both wise and knowledgeable in military affairs. Your Majesty can leave him a thousand central troops and have him temporarily train the people. Even if we cannot launch an attack, it will be no problem to defend the two cities of Qiyang and Poyang!"

Hu Zong nodded: "When this prefecture is in trouble, it is Zhou Fang, the prefect, who should be the first to take on the heavy responsibility. I have known Zhou Fang for a long time and know that he is of good character and capable of handling affairs. He is capable of taking on this heavy responsibility."

Having found a way out, Sun Quan readily accepted it, nodding and saying, "Wei Ze, go and summon Zhou Fang for me."

"Yes."

About half an hour later, Zhou Fang, who was outside the city organizing laborers to build defensive fortifications, hurriedly entered and bowed: "What can Your Majesty do for me?"

"Ziyu," Sun Quan said gently to Zhou Fang, "Poyang is your own prefecture, and the two cities of Qiyang and Poyang are at the forefront of the enemy's defenses. Do you think there are any difficulties in defending these two cities?"

Zhou Fang thought for a moment and respectfully replied, "The imperial navy defeated the Wei bandits the day before yesterday. Now there is no place for the Wei bandits to hide on Pengli Lake. I have no difficulty defending the city."

Sun Quan nodded with a hint of approval: "I know that Ziyu is always reliable. Now that the situation has changed, I will use the navy to intimidate the Wei bandits for another day. After that, the task of defending the city will be handed over to the local people of Poyang."

Seeing Zhou Fang's terrified expression and his attempt to ask a question, Sun Quan raised his hand to stop him, saying, "I know what you want to ask. Wei has mobilized 50,000 troops to advance on Ruxu. I must transfer my forces to Chaisang and move the camp to await the return of General Wei's army."

"Compared to Poyang and Yuzhang, Ruxu is the key to the nation's security. You should understand why it is more important, so I will not say any more to you."

Zhou Fang stood there, head bowed, silent. Sun Quan didn't urge him, but instead calmly looked away. Hu Zong stepped forward and whispered a few words in Zhou Fang's ear, seemingly advising him to be objective and understand the difference between the overall national situation and the situation of a single prefecture or county.

Zhou Fang took a deep breath and knelt on the ground: "With the nation in peril, I dare not shirk my responsibility. Your Majesty should only worry about Ruxu. I will defend this place with all my might. Unless I die, the city will not fall!"

“Good! I didn’t misjudge you,” Sun Quan replied.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Chengdu, Yizhou, General Wei Yan of the Shu Han was arguing with Zhuge Liang in the main hall of the Imperial Secretariat, his face full of indignation.

"Prime Minister, I don't understand. What does the court want? Does it want me to defend Yong'an, or to attack Yiling and Jiangling?" Wei Yan said repeatedly, "If we defend Yong'an, there is no need to send any more troops. With my 10,000 troops in Yong'an, I can hold off 100,000 troops in Baidi City! If we attack Yiling and Jiangling, what can 30,000 troops do?"

"Not to mention that General Zhuge has 40,000 troops in Nan Commandery, and Wei has 50,000 or 60,000 there. This is common knowledge. With 100,000 troops fighting, how can I, with only 30,000 troops, expect to reap the benefits? Not to mention that these 30,000 troops are a mix of 5,000 Imperial Guards, 5,000 Central Army soldiers, 10,000 provincial soldiers, and 10,000 new recruits!"

"Then what do you mean?" Zhuge Liang's face gradually darkened after listening to Wei Yan's complaints for so long: "Wenchang, the court has ordered you to lead the troops, why are you complaining so much? Do you want to lead them or not?"

"Prime Minister, it's not that I don't want to, but that I cannot obey this order!" Wei Yan spread his hands: "Of the 30,000 men who are not under each other's command, there are 10,000 new recruits and 10,000 weak soldiers. How am I supposed to fight this battle? Please, Prime Minister, show me the way!"

General Yang Yi, the strategist, could no longer contain himself and retorted, "Wei Wenchang, how can you be so ignorant? Don't you always say that you can be invincible with 10,000 troops? Now that you have 30,000 men, why are you afraid? If you can take it, take it; if you can't, just sit back and watch Wei and Wu fight. Don't you even know that? Do you have to tell the Prime Minister to be so blunt with you?"

"That's Yiling, that's Jiangling!" Wei Yan was also burning with anger, his cheeks clenched tightly: "In the past, even the late emperor's 50,000 elite troops failed to take this place, and even Guan Yu died in Jingzhou. My military strategy is far inferior to that of the late emperor and Guan Yu. How can I not be extremely cautious? Besides, I only have 30,000 soldiers!"

After Wei Yan cited Liu Bei and Guan Yu as examples, Yang Yi finally couldn't refute him anymore, letting out a soft snort and turning his face away. Zhuge Liang also seemed dissatisfied, remaining silent. At this moment, the Protector-General Fei Yi stepped in to offer some words of comfort:

“What Wen Chang said is not without reason, but you have your considerations, and the court has its judgment,” Fei Yi said gently. “We all know that Yiling and Jiangling are difficult to attack, and the Prime Minister should not act rashly. Among those below the Prime Minister who can lead troops, only Wen Chang is outstanding. Yes, the Han Dynasty suffered a defeat at Yiling, but as the saying goes, we should learn from past mistakes. No one necessarily demands that Wen Chang take Jiangling or Yiling. Wouldn’t it be better to act according to the circumstances? If the timing is really not good, we can always retreat.”

"Sigh." Wei Yan and Fei Yi exchanged a glance, then Wei Yan sighed deeply. "It's not that I'm unwilling to lead the troops, it's just... it's just..."

Zhuge Liang looked up at Wei Yan: "But this matter is of great importance, involving Wu, which is allied with the Han Dynasty, and Wei, which is hostile. It is unclear when to send troops and what the outcome of the battle will be."

“Yes…” Wei Yan still showed a hint of difficulty on his face.

Zhuge Liang said, "Wenchang, let me put it this way. This time, Wu is in danger, and the Han should come to its aid, but Wu has not relented. Therefore, I have no choice but to let you adapt to the situation. Moreover, this is the first time His Majesty has personally selected troops and generals since ascending the throne, and he has chosen you, Wei Wenchang!"

"Wenwei," Zhuge Liang pointed at Fei Yi, "You will go with Wenchang this time. I will go to His Majesty again to ask for an official title for you. If there is any matter of advancement or retreat, you and Wenchang will decide together! However, if you achieve merit, you two will have to share it equally, understand?"

"Your subordinate is willing!" Wei Yan bowed respectfully.

Fei Yi was stuck in this situation. Whenever there was a troublesome problem related to Wei Yan, Zhuge Liang always made him step forward to solve it. He had no choice but to accept it.

In fact, since this military expedition was the first military action proposed by Liu Shan, it was not hindered by anyone from top to bottom. In fact, Zhuge Liang didn't even say a few words of advice to Liu Shan.

Taking advantage of the conflict between Wei and Wu to look eastward is a way to both uphold the alliance and secure real benefits for the Han Dynasty.

Raising 30,000 troops, with only 10,000 imperial guards and central troops deployed, will not affect the military strength of Shu Han in defending the north. Moreover, it will provide an opportunity to train new recruits. Even if these new recruits are disbanded after the war, they will greatly enhance the defensive capabilities of several counties east of Chengdu.

As for Wei Yan, he is a first-rate person in terms of strategic vision and tactics in battle, second only to Zhuge Liang in the current court. Liu Shan's choice is without any problems. Moreover, from the source, Wei Yan was Liu Bei's subordinate when he first joined the army. It is a natural thing for the son to appoint his father's subordinate as the commander-in-chief.

The following day, Wei Yan, along with Fei Yi and several others, and nearly a hundred accompanying cavalry, set off from Chengdu on light cavalry, heading east towards Guanghan County. The armies of Fuxian and Chengdu had already departed on orders, and judging by the time, they should be almost there by now. (End of Chapter)