Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Faced with this uncertainty, Huan Fan instinctively retreated strategically, withdrawing from the area east of Pengze to Chaisang. He moved his fleet to Liling, south of Hukou, leaving only 4,000 cavalry and 6,000 infantry in Chaisang.

This division of troops was partly due to considerations of consolidating military strength. Whether retreating south by water from Hukou or by land from Chaisang to Liling, 20,000 troops would be too cumbersome. On the other hand, Huan Fan had a rough idea that the Wu army would likely send a fleet of ships to provide assistance from upstream.

Sure enough, at noon on the second day, January 27th, scouts from Huan Fan's unit sped down the river from upstream and reported that a large Wu army fleet was about to approach Chaisang.

Huan Fan had anticipated this, so he led his cavalry in a large-scale feint along the riverbank, with banners stretching for miles along the river north of Chaisang City, hoping to intimidate the Wu army. At the same time, he had also ordered 6,000 infantrymen to move south out of the city, so that he could withdraw his troops at any time.

Chaisang is a city of the Wu Kingdom. What does it have to do with me, the General Who Guards the North of Wei? If the Wu army comes to attack, we will simply abandon it!

Quan Cong did not fall for Huan Fan's trick. He boarded a fleet of 30,000 Wu troops and sailed south along the river to approach Chaisang, as ordered by Quan Cong. However, he did not stop at the dock, but only swayed briefly before continuing downstream, showing no intention of retaking Chaisang.

The Wei army under Huan Fan and the Wu army under Quan Cong seemed to have a tacit understanding, and they passed each other without any confrontation.

Huan Fan stood on the riverbank, watching the Wu army fleet sail down the river. His heart was even more conflicted than yesterday.

If I were to lead my own army eastward to participate in any potential battles, the journey by land would be too long, and we would likely meet our exhausted, veteran soldiers. If we were to travel by water, given the size and strength of my fleet, I fear that if the Wu army turned back, my entire fleet would be at risk of annihilation.

Despite having so many reinforcements, Wu still couldn't match the number of troops Wei had in Yangzhou. Since their presence or absence made no difference, the current priority was to claim credit!
Huan Fan only had a quarter of an hour before ordering the entire army to march south at top speed along Chaisang to Liling.

He wants to attack Poyang! Let the Wu people defend Poyang if they want. They only need to mobilize their troops slightly, and the Wu soldiers trapped in Poyang will fall into disarray and waver without even attacking.

Huan Fan faced no pressure whatsoever in dealing with these local militia-like armies.

However, from the perspective of the junior officers and soldiers in Huan Fan's army, their general's marching route was extremely confusing.

After leaving Wankou, they traveled west along the river to Chaisang, then sped south to seize cities such as Liling, Haihun, and Nanchang. They then attacked Qiyang by naval battle, then headed north to Chaisang, followed by an attack on Pengze, then back to Chaisang, and now they are going to continue to fight Poyang...

For an army primarily composed of infantry, this month-long campaign was far too exhausting. Fortunately, they won more battles than they lost. Huan Fan, who had been in the army for a long time, simply gave each soldier an extra two acres of land as a reward, which successfully suppressed the discontent among the troops.

Just as there are many places named Ma'anshan, there are also many lakes named Leize. According to the common name used by local residents during the Han Dynasty, the vast and complex lake area located at the southernmost tip of Lujiang County, bordering the Yangtze River to the south, and connecting with Pengli Lake through Hukou to the south, was usually called Leize.

In fact, these large marshes along the river, such as Yunmeng Marsh, Pengli Marsh, and Leize Marsh, almost all originated from the flooding caused by the summer rise of the Yangtze River.

Sun Quan waited by Lei Ze for two days before Quan Cong's fleet finally arrived.

Faced with this small, scattered fleet of only a dozen or so ships, Quan Cong's forces remained vigilant, despite the ships and flags being of the Wu Kingdom style. Only after Gan Tong sent someone to deliver his official seal to Quan Cong's flagship did Quan Cong allow Gan Tong to come and see him.

"Your Majesty?" Quan Cong had assumed it was Gan Tong who had come, but he never expected that Sun Quan would be standing next to Gan Tong. Although Sun Quan, who was dressed in plain robes, looked somewhat unnatural, Quan Cong still bowed and paid his respects the moment he saw him.

Quan Cong said, "Your Majesty, I, Quan Cong, pay my respects. I have led the army and the Crown Prince to defeat the Wei army in Jiangxia, killing and capturing tens of thousands. I have fortunately fulfilled my mission!"

Sun Quan stepped forward and helped Quan Cong up, laughing, "Zihuang, you have lived up to my expectations. I had anticipated this. Zihuang, since your troops left Jiangxia, how did you manage to clean up the mess there?"

Quan Cong stood up and answered without hesitation, "After the Crown Prince, the Right General, and I led the army to repel the Wei army to the walls of Anlu, we discussed the withdrawal. I originally suggested that Right General Sun Jiming lead an army to Jiangling to reinforce the Grand General's forces, but the Crown Prince rejected my suggestion. The Crown Prince wants to lead more than 10,000 troops to rescue Jiangling himself." Sun Quan was somewhat surprised: "Zigao wants to lead the army himself?"

"Yes." Quan Cong explained, "The Crown Prince told me that he is His Majesty's eldest son. If the Crown Prince is in Wuchang, he can stabilize the situation in Wuchang. If the Crown Prince is stationed in Lexiang or Gong'an, he can stabilize the morale and hearts of the people in Jiangling."

"Your Majesty is personally stationed in Poyang to defend against the enemy, and the Crown Prince wishes to be stationed in Jiangling. I believe this is also a timely measure, so I agree."

Sun Quan sighed, “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Zigao has reached the age where he should lead troops; he has the demeanor of mine.”

After saying that, Sun Quan turned to look at Gan Tong: "Gan Qing, you go to the next cabin and wait there. I have something to discuss with General Wei."

Gan Tong, unaware of the situation, bowed and agreed, then took a few steps back.

Sun Quan turned to look at Gan Tong's retreating figure, his eyes narrowed, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

Quan Cong noticed Sun Quan's unusual behavior and, feeling puzzled, asked, "Your Majesty, what's wrong with Gan Tong?"

Sun Quan took a deep breath, but didn't answer, instead continuing on his way. After a long while, he turned to look at Quan Cong, his expression extremely unfriendly:
"Zihuang, I have promoted you to General of the Eastern Garrison, granted you the title of Marquis of a Township, and your fiefdom is set at a thousand households."

General of the East? Or a commander of a thousand?

Quan Cong was greatly alarmed: "What has happened to Your Majesty? When did Gan Tong, who serves Your Majesty, achieve such merit?"

Sun Quan snorted coldly: "The other day, I was forced by Wei general Huan Fan to take refuge by boat in Pengze. My troops scattered, and even my ceremonial guards, carriages, and imperial robes were lost. Xu Ziming also died for me in battle. I had no choice but to travel lightly with the Gantong ship. The situation was dire, and I will not go into the details with Zihuang."

"I remember when I boarded the ship, Gan Tong's gaze was somewhat unfriendly, and the soldiers around me were also sizing me up. Gan Tong came before me feigning remorse to plead guilty, but in reality, he was trying to coerce me for merit! I still remember the looks in his eyes and those of his trusted soldiers!"

"Zihuang!"

"Your subject is here." Quan Cong swallowed.

Sun Quan said, "I have secretly executed Gan Tong. Several hundred men in the fleet were also executed for the crime of rebellion."

Quan Cong's forehead was already beaded with sweat: "Your Majesty, this, General Gan, your subject..."

Sun Quan sighed softly, "Zihuang, don't ask anymore, just do it quickly."

Quan Cong bowed in agreement, then, with his hand on his waist sword, went to the adjacent cabin. In just a few dozen breaths, Quan Cong brought Gan Tong's head before Sun Quan.

Sun Quan let out a long sigh. How could a subject possibly fathom the plight of an emperor? (End of Chapter)