Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

War is the embodiment of the conflict between two forces.

When the Wei army's naval forces approached Jianye, sailing upstream along the Yangtze River, passing Lulong Mountain, Ma'an Mountain, and Shitou Mountain, with their bows able to glimpse the Stone City, they were filled with a thousand emotions of pride. For the Wu army, however, all that remained was fear, dread, and uncertainty about the future.

General Lu Xun, who was in charge of the Eastern Expedition, left 5,000 naval troops behind in Guangling and Dantu, and led 45,000 naval troops up the river. On the afternoon of the 21st, he captured Jiangcheng, a small city northeast of Jianye. After resting for a night, he continued westward on the 22nd, easily defeating Wu general Sun Kai, who was stationed on a sandbar in the river outside Lulong Mountain, and sailed towards Jianye in a grand procession.

The vanguard fleet was a naval force of 10,000 men led by Cao Zhi, the general of the tower ships.

After the fleet arrived at Jiangcheng yesterday, Cao Zhi found Lu Xun at night and pleaded with him for more than half an hour before Lu Xun finally agreed to let him serve as the vanguard the next day.

In truth, while Lu Xun's mindset was somewhat detached, it was similar to that of other scholars and court officials. If employing Cao Zhi was the Emperor's will, then Cao Zhi should simply be with the army; there was no need for him to stand out or gain prominence. However, when Cao Zhi repeatedly invoked his status as the emperor's uncle, Lu Xun was at a loss.

Surely he couldn't simply refuse outright? That would truly lead to a complete breakdown in relations. Lu Xun didn't want to do that. Strictly speaking, he was a court official of the Taihe era and had no connection whatsoever with the affairs of the Huangchu era. The concerns of the high-ranking officials in the court were none of his concern. Moreover, Lu Xun had been entrusted with many important responsibilities over the years, which, logically speaking, complemented his becoming the Emperor's brother-in-law.

Cao Zhi was naturally delighted to receive the order.

Today's victory over Wu general Sun Kai's naval forces on the river adds another chapter to my military career.

However, given the overwhelming size and superior ships of the Wei navy, victory would have been assured regardless of which general led the attack. The credit would go to whoever was closer to the commander-in-chief and could secure the vanguard position; this was often the case in court.

Cao Zhi's 10,000-strong navy consisted mainly of ten Type D warships equipped with flanks, manufactured by the Privy Council, supplemented by ten Type B fighting ships and twenty Type C warships. They formed a battle formation and came from the northeast to the southwest, which terrified the Wu people watching from the shore.

The Yangtze River has always been the exclusive domain of the Wu navy. How could the Wei people move freely today? They still can't grasp this logic; their ingrained mindset won't change so quickly.

But reality will teach them.

As the Wei warships approached, the officials and hundreds of weak soldiers at the Longzangpu wharf had all fled, and the people living in the nearby houses had also disappeared, leaving the shore in a state of panic.

Cao Zhi's troops easily landed and occupied the Longzangpu Wharf. He led 5,000 naval soldiers ashore and organized defensive fortifications based on the terrain of the wharf. He also sent someone to inform Lu Xun, who was in the fleet behind him, of the news of the wharf's capture.

This wharf is located next to the mouth of the Longzangpu River, and Longzangpu will be known as the Qinhuai River hundreds of years later.

After disembarking, Cao Zhi, dressed in light armor, paced around the dock, waiting for Lu Xun's reply. His military advisor, Handan Jia, accompanied him as they observed the layout of the dock.

After Jianye became the capital of Wu, political factors led to the gathering of scholars, commoners, and military troops. Furthermore, the Wu kingdom spanned the provinces of Jing and Yang along the Yangtze River, and goods from Danyang, Wu, and Kuaiji counties, as well as Wuchang and Nanjun counties in Yangzhou, all passed through Jianye, making its commerce extremely prosperous. The Longzangpu wharf was half military and half civilian, with houses and granaries stretching for miles alongside it, a testament to the area's former glory.

There was no one there at this time.

Handan Jia stood beside Cao Zhi, pointing northeast towards Jianye City: "General, please look, Jianye City is in that direction, and further north is Zhongshan. There is a story about this, which says that more than twenty years ago, Liu Bei sent Zhuge Liang to Jianye to see Sun Quan. Zhuge Liang observed the terrain and said, 'Zhongshan is like a dragon coiled, and Shitou is like a tiger crouching; this is the abode of an emperor.' He advised Sun Quan to make this place his capital, and Sun Quan indeed followed Zhuge Liang's advice and made it his capital."

"And Stone City," Handan Jia pointed north again, "is just a few miles away. It's nothing more than a fortress in a dangerous place, nothing special."

Cao Zhi shook his head and laughed, "Ever since Liu Bei and Sun Quan formed an alliance, there have always been such flattering words in the world, nothing more than attempts to gain fame. 'Tiger crouching and dragon coiling,' and Kongming is also known as the Crouching Dragon, where do so many dragons come from in this world? If this place is truly a tiger crouching, am I, the general who has reached the foot of Stone City, considered to be subduing a tiger here?"

Handan Jia also clapped his hands with a smile: "The people of Wu are so terrified that they even abandoned such a wharf. They are extremely cowardly. It is really good that the court uses this place as the capital of the new Yangzhou. Shouchun is still too far north. It is right next to Yuzhou."

Cao Zhi nodded: "Yes, Sun Quan established his capital here, and today I am the vanguard, becoming the first general of Wei to send troops here. I have already asked General Lu for permission to launch a feigned attack on Jianye, to test the strength of the Wu army's defenses, and then we will discuss the matter further." Handan Jianian was nearly fifty years old and was the eldest grandson of Handan Chun.

More than a decade ago, Handan Chun was one of Cao Zhi's supporters. After Cao Pi became emperor, the Ding brothers and others who had originally supported Cao Zhi were all killed. Only Handan Chun survived because of his advanced age, high moral character, and relatively good relationship with Cao Pi.

Meanwhile, Handan Jia, whose official career had previously been fraught with difficulties, somehow managed to become Cao Zhi's military advisor. Cao Zhi could decide on such a minor official position himself; Lu Xun had once reported this to Cao Rui, but Cao Rui waved him off. What could a military advisor possibly do? The Holy Dynasty had its own methods of governance; there was no need for such worry.

About half an hour later, the messenger sent to Lu Xun finally returned, bringing Lu Xun's military orders.

Cao Zhi opened it and his expression immediately froze. Handan Jia, who had been observing for a while, suggested, "General, may I take a look?"

Cao Zhi did not respond, but handed the document to Handan Jia with a grim face. After reading the document, Handan Jia's expression was equally unpleasant. He slammed the document shut and said to Cao Zhi in a protest-like tone, "What kind of logic is this? We're already at the foot of Jianye City, and you're not attacking? Are you waiting for the General to come and attack? What kind of logic is this?"

Cao Zhi's throat bobbed slightly, and he looked at the busy soldiers around him, remaining silent.

From Lu Xun to Cao Zhi, and then to every Sima and Quzhang in the navy, they all understood that their first task was to ensure that the river belonged to the Wei state, and their second task was to lead the army north of the river south across the river.

Therefore, when Cao Zhi received the vanguard duty from Lu Xun yesterday, Lu Xun made it clear to Cao Zhi that he should be the vanguard tomorrow, sweeping across the river, capturing the Longzangpu Wharf, and stationing himself there. Nothing else needed to be done.

Cao Zhi was eager to be the first to act, so he didn't care about anything else. He agreed to whatever Lu Xun said.

Today, Cao Zhi led his fleet all the way here, and Wu's navy under Sun Kai was easily defeated. There were no Wu troops guarding the Longzangpu Wharf, and the area around Jianye was in chaos. They couldn't even organize an effective defense at the wharf.

At this critical juncture, the most important thing to do is to immediately advance on Jianye and force the Wu people inside the city to surrender! This was Cao Zhi's thought, and he also expressed this idea to Lu Xun in his official documents.

Lu Xun's reply was also quite stern. He directly issued a military order to Cao Zhi, commanding his troops to hold the Longzangpu wharf and not to attack or retreat even slightly!

This contradicted Cao Zhi's ideas.

After thinking for a long time, Handan Jia said, "Why don't you go and meet General Lu in person and discuss military strategy with him? It would be a real pity not to take advantage of such a favorable situation and press forward."

Cao Zhi listened without speaking. After a long while, he finally sighed and asked, "Shall I discuss military strategy with General Lu?"

"Never mind." Cao Zhi muttered to himself, "I want to achieve great things, but these are not things I can achieve. I have my own helplessness, and General Lu has his own helplessness. Let's leave it at that and not talk to him anymore."

“Defending the dock is easy. If we hold out for another day, the rest of the imperial army will cross the river to the south. Judging by the location, there should be an army in Liyang by now.”

“Yes, it should be Liyang,” Handan Jiaying said. “There’s a ferry crossing near Liyang, from which we can cross the river to Caishiji. Caishiji is only about a hundred li from Jianye, a day’s journey for cavalry. If General Lu sets off tomorrow morning, the cavalry from Liyang will reach Jianye on the 24th, and then we can attack the city…”

At this point, Handan Jia shook his head with a wry smile: "I forgot, if anyone else arrives here, General, you must withdraw..."

Cao Zhi's chest heaved several times as he forced himself to calm down: "Each army has its own mission, and I can't change that. Let it be." (End of Chapter)