Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Lu Xun crossed the river at night in his own boat, and after arriving at Caishiji on the opposite side, he and Xiahou Wei took two horses from Cao Shuang's cavalry stationed at Caishiji. They also called on twenty riders as guards, and headed towards Shicheng under the cover of night.

Lu Xun's urgent arrival surprised both Jiang Wei and Cao Shuang, who were already asleep. The two were quickly awakened by their servants. Upon seeing Lu Xun and Xiahou Wei, Lu Xun merely nodded in greeting and then said:

"Boyue, Zhaobo, our troops have discovered crucial military intelligence by ships! The situation may have changed!"

Jiang Wei frowned: "General, what has happened?"

Lu Xun recounted what Cheng Po and Zhang Bu, commanders of Xiahou Wei's forces, had witnessed on their two ships, and then said:

“Zhaobo, Boyue, you two were originally supposed to lead troops to attack Jianye. But Jianye is now a sham city. Cao Zijian is guarding the waterways at the dock, Guanqiu Zhonggong is controlling Sun Shao in Dantu, and they are attacking Wu County. Jianye is already a dead end! Taking it a few days earlier or later will not have much impact on the overall situation!”

"Uh, General, what is this..." Cao Shuang pursed his lips, still digesting Lu Xun's words, when Jiang Wei beside him spoke up.

Jiang Wei nodded in agreement: "General, you are right! The Wei army far outnumbers the rebels. The key to conquering Wu is not to rush into attacking cities and seizing territory, but to annihilate the Wu army and win in open field and naval battles! If we fight well and kill more Wu soldiers, Jianye may even surrender without a fight!"

“That’s exactly what I meant.” Lu Xun’s eyes showed a hint of approval as he continued, “Cao Zijian is currently in Jianye, so there’s no need to worry about Jianye for the time being. Today is the 24th, and Liu Shumi said that the city can only be captured on the 27th or 28th, so it’s unlikely that we can capture Ruxu today. But our army did see Wu troops rushing from upstream to Wuhu, so there are only two possibilities: either it’s Sun Quan’s reinforcements coming from upstream, or it’s the army from Ruxu.”

"If Sun Quan sends reinforcements, the Wei's attack on Ruxu will inevitably be hindered. If the General's troops do not cross the river, the Ruxu waterway will be blocked, and the entire situation will be difficult to change. My troops have lost 10,000 of Cao Zijian's troops, leaving 40,000. The 40,000 naval troops are enough to cross the river. Your 20,000 troops can completely trap the Wu army at Wuhu with my help, and may even annihilate them!"

"If the Wu army withdraws its troops from Ruxu and abandons Ruxu Dock, it means that the Wu army is worried about cutting off transportation along the river. Only Sun Quan himself could have made such a decision! Jianye is already in the hands of the Wei. Wu can only go down the river to Chaisang and reach Wuhu. There will definitely be a big battle between the Wu army and the Wei army there. Wouldn't it be a waste if your more than 20,000 troops did not participate in the battle? Jianye may not be captured in a few days!"

"Regardless of the possibility, a swift attack on Wuhu is the most advantageous option for Great Wei right now!"

Jiang Wei and Lu Xun had been exchanging glances for some time, and Cao Shuang only realized what was going on after Lu Xun had finished speaking. Although he didn't have Jiang Wei's quick wit, after hearing the military strategies explained to him, he understood the deeper meaning behind Lu Xun's visit.

Cao Shuang said in a deep voice, "Shicheng is 120 li to the north to Jianye and 100 li to the south to Wuhu. It's actually faster to go to Wuhu. Compared with 10,000 or 20,000 Wu troops, it won't matter if we attack Jianye a few days later!"

Lu Xun swallowed hard: "Zhao Bo, Boyue, I have said so much to you two, can you make a decision?"

Jiang Wei then said, “General, although it is only a hundred li, Wuhu is different from Jianye. Jianye has been guarded by the general’s ships, and I can reach it in a day. But if we go to Ruxu, we should save the soldiers’ strength and horses’ strength, and it will take two days. General, you also know that my troops are all barbarian cavalry. If we force ourselves to travel a hundred li in a day, it will be difficult to fight if we encounter an emergency. We are not as good as the central army.”

Cao Shuang added, "General, my troops will also need two days."

No matter how urgent Lu Xun's words were, and no matter how much the situation required them, Jiang Wei and Cao Shuang were both serving as commanders of an army for the first time, and since they were marching in Jiangnan, their first priority was to protect their troops!
Lu Xun nodded: "Two days it is! You two can arrive north of Wuhu on the afternoon of the 26th. Do you two have a topographical map of Wuhu?"

Jiang Wei sighed softly: "General, Zhao Bo and I originally planned to attack Jianye. We know nothing about Wuhu."

"This is easy. Go and find paper and pen, and I will draw the diagrams for you two!" Lu Xun said confidently.

The tent contained paper and pen. Lu Xun dipped his brush in ink and marked the mountain ranges and rivers to be wary of from Shicheng to Ruxu. He also marked where to collect grain from the local people, where to camp the next night, and where to set up camp and garrison troops the day after. Jiang Wei and Cao Shuang were both stunned. Cao Shuang's eyes widened as if he were looking at a celestial being, while Jiang Wei squinted, wondering why he didn't have such abilities.

Lu Xun put down his brush and sighed softly: "Nearly twenty years ago, I led troops from the three prefectures of Danyang, Poyang, and Kuaiji to conquer the Shanyue for several years. It can be said that there are few routes and terrains in these three prefectures that I do not know. You two should not be surprised."

“Yes.” Jiang Wei sighed, “A general who does not know the geography of mountains and rivers is a mediocre person. I admit that I am not as good as him.”

Lu Xun replied, "Knowing only the mountains and rivers but not how to adapt is of no use. Boyue, Zhaobo, it's getting late, I should return to Hengjiang Ferry. I will lead my troops ahead early tomorrow morning."

"General, you've had a long journey." Cao Shuang and Jiang Wei bowed simultaneously. "Take care on your journey."

"Okay." Lu Xun nodded to the two of them, then turned and left.

The next day, before dawn.

Just as Lu Xun's ships were making preparations for departure, at the mouth of the lake where Pengli Lake flows into the Yangtze River, General Huan Fan, the General Who Guards the North, led four thousand elite cavalrymen of the Left Army of the Imperial Guard. The men were all gagged, and the horses were all bound. Every hundred men carried only two torches at the front and rear of the column, and they headed east under the cover of night.

After learning from Qiyang that the Wu army had already left to the north, Huan Fan led his fleet and cavalry to Hukou to catch up. Apart from leaving Sun Li with 1,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry to suppress the situation in Yuzhang County, Huan Fan could only take 6,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry, since the number of ships was limited, and he had to carry supplies and military provisions while also considering the speed of marching.

When Huan Fan arrived near Hukou, Sun Quan, who only had two thousand soldiers, was forced to retreat eastward from Hukou and move his troops to the vicinity of the dock north of Pengze, about a mile away. Scouts had already sneaked over to find out about this the day before.

Moreover, Huan Fan learned from the local people at Hukou that Emperor Sun Quan's entourage was in this small army, and that even more ships had already sailed down the river!
Huan Fan's nighttime attack was an attempt to launch a surprise attack on Sun Quan.

The brilliance of cavalry often lies in these sudden tactical maneuvers.

General Huan Fan, the General Who Guards the North, was in the cavalry at the very front. When his army marched up the river from Wancheng at the beginning of the month, they also passed through Pengze. Huan Fan's army had made a complete record of the landmark mountains and terrain in the vicinity.

"Once we cross this mountain, we'll be only two li from Pengze Wharf." Huan Fan said to a cavalry commander beside him, "Commander Li, you stay here and organize your troops. I will go to the rear to discuss the military situation with Colonel Hu. After I send a message to you later, your troops must charge at full speed towards the Wu army's wharf and cut off the connection between the Wu camp outside the wharf and the wharf itself!"

"You are the most capable person in General Sun's army, and you also hold the title of Marquis of Guannei. It is best for you to do this. I don't need to say more about the merit if we succeed this time; you know it yourself. Do you understand?"

"This subordinate understands." Sima Litong's face was resolute as he nodded and said, "This subordinate will lead, and the general will follow in this footsteps!"

Li Tong is 33 years old and comes from Longxi. He is known for his bravery in the Left Army of the Imperial Guards and also has good luck that is hard to match.

Huan Fan lightly flicked Li Tong's armor with his riding whip, chuckled, and then turned his horse and rode away. (End of Chapter)