Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Even the extermination of a clan requires a method. Either exterminate them all or don't. Sun Quan thought he was benevolent and spared the Zhu clan, leaving Zhu Yi's branch alive. Far from making Zhu Yi grateful, this only filled him with hatred towards Sun Quan and the entire Wu kingdom.

Sima Liang shouted repeatedly, but Zhu Yi ignored him and dragged him away. The Wu County gentry who had spoken up to help him earlier were now all silent, afraid to utter a word, lest they suffer the same fate.

"Wait a minute."

As Guanqiu Jian uttered two words softly, Zhu Yi stopped at the tent entrance.

Zhong Yu stood to Guanqiu Jian's left, cupped his hands and asked, "General, representatives of various gentry families in Wu County have gathered here today. If we execute them without warning, it will be difficult to win over the people."

None of the people present recognized Zhong Yu, but judging from his position, he was likely a confidant of Guanqiu Jian. Therefore, the eyes of the assembled gentry members now held a hint of anticipation.

Guanqiu Jian then spoke up, saying, "I am the governor of Jiaozhou appointed by the emperor. Wu County belongs to Yangzhou and is not under my jurisdiction."

"This matter should be asked of Prefect Lou." Guanqiu Jian turned to look at Lou Xuan standing on his right: "I have already submitted a memorial to the Emperor, therefore Wu Wuxi appointed Lou Chengxian as the acting Prefect of Wu Commandery. Prefect Lou, what crime has Sima Liang committed?"

Lou Xuan was once again bewildered by Guanqiu Jian.

No, why wasn't this mentioned to me beforehand? General, your question makes it sound like I was acting on your orders! If I don't reveal some of the crimes of the Sima family of Jiaxing now, won't I be the one implicated? In that case, I might as well go all the way!

"General," Lou Xuan said calmly, cupping his hands in greeting, "When Wu County opened its gates, all the gentry families respectfully welcomed your army into the city. However, the Sima family of Jiaxing attempted to sabotage us. Sima Liang and his clansmen within the city deliberately rebelled and plotted to harm the army! Now is wartime, and punishment and accountability should be swift. The county recommends that the Sima family members in the city be executed and all their assets confiscated."

Lou Xuan said this, but Guanqiu Jian and Zhong Yu, who had been in Luoyang for a long time, still found it a bit strange, and they thought of the Sima family, another family in the court whose ancestral home was in Henan.

Sima Liang shouted, "General, General! No need for the Lady's trouble, we are willing to offer all the wealth of our clan to support your army! General, I accept the punishment, I accept the punishment!"

Zhu Yi, who was holding onto Sima Liang's shoulders, hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Guanqiu Jian and Lou Xuan with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Guanqiu Jian ignored him completely, and nodded with a smile to Lou Xuan: "Since Prefect Lou has already convicted me, I have no objection."

"Gentlemen, including the Lu family who haven't come here yet, the gentry of Wu County here now consist of four surnames and seven clans..."

Guanqiu Jian seemed completely unconcerned, which chilled the hearts of the Wu County scholars. Zhu Yi no longer hesitated, then dragged Sima Liang out and handed him over to the soldiers outside the tent. After straightening his slightly dirty clothes, he bowed and sat back down.

Only then did these people from Wu Commandery realize the immense power of a general commanding tens of thousands of troops fighting against an enemy state, and how powerless they, a large clan from the small Wu Commandery, were in the face of the mighty Wei.

The atmosphere in the tent became increasingly harmonious. Almost everyone agreed to whatever Guanqiu Jian gave them, as if they were born to be obedient subjects of the Great Wei.

As per Guanqiu Jian's request, Xiahou Xian would send 500 cavalrymen to each household to oversee their recruitment of servants and transport of provisions. After several rounds of coordination, including the contributions of the Gu and Zhang families, the private army numbered 6,000, regardless of provisions. Of course, their combat effectiveness was highly questionable, but Guanqiu Jian didn't care, because he would leave Xiahou Xian's troops in Wu County to assist Lou Xuan in requisitioning provisions and mobilizing laborers. After Teng Yin had sorted out the situation north of Yanguan for the main army in a few days, Guanqiu Jian would personally lead his 5,000 cavalry, 5,000 infantrymen, and these 6,000 private soldiers to Qiantang.

The route from Wu County to Qiantang, according to later administrative planning, was almost like traveling from Suzhou in Jiangsu to Hangzhou in Zhejiang. After capturing Qiantang, the next step would be to occupy Yuhang and Fuchun counties to the west of Qiantang, followed by crossing the river south to attack Kuaiji. The counties west of Fuchun, such as Tonglu, Jiande, and Xinchang, which Sun Quan had established a few years earlier, had no strategic value whatsoever; whether they were captured or not would have little impact on the overall situation.

As neighboring commanderies, Wu Commandery and Kuaiji Commandery had been at odds for decades. They were at odds with each other both in the court and among the common people. When the Sun family first rose to power, they carried out even more massacres in Kuaiji Commandery. As a result, Sun Quan, who held the position of Governor of Kuaiji in his early years, never went to Kuaiji himself. Instead, he appointed Gu Yong as the Acting Governor of Kuaiji Commandery, and Kuaiji Commandery was managed by people from Wu Commandery.

Using people from Wu Commandery to attack Kuaiji would likely be twice as effective, and might even lead to a faster surrender of the people of Kuaiji. This wasn't just Guanqiu Jian's idea; it was a strategy jointly endorsed by Lou Xuan, Teng Yin, Gu Tan, Zhu Yi, and others.

It can be said to be adapted to local conditions.

Yesterday, Cao Zhen's more than 20,000 troops had all crossed the river, while Cao Rui himself led 12,000 cavalry to camp at Jingnanwu. The cabinet ministers, secretaries, privy councilors, and various officials of all ranks from Yangzhou who had accompanied the emperor south from Shouchun were also stationed at Jingnanwu.

It's right to keep them here. It would be inconvenient for such a large group of officials to fight in the field. Staying here allows them to focus more on the war effort.

But the arrival of a messenger caught Pei Qian somewhat off guard.

“Lord Pei,” Wang Hun said, slightly out of breath, bowing to Pei Qian, who was on duty before the emperor, “I have come from Shouchun on the orders of the Grand Commandant and the Minister of Works, and I have an extremely urgent matter to report to Your Majesty.”

"Extremely urgent?" Pei Qian glanced at Wang Hun: "Is there any letter? What happened?"

"There is indeed a letter." Wang Hun cupped his hands in greeting. "However, Lord Dong and Lord Sima told me that the letter can only be given to His Majesty. I hope Lord Pei will understand."

Wang Hun was the son of Wang Xiong, the governor of Liangzhou who had made a great splash last year, and served as a court official in the Ministry of Personnel.

Pei Qian remained expressionless, but a slight dissatisfaction lingered in his heart. He let out a soft snort: "What is it that you can't even tell me?"

"This..." Wang Hun was at a loss for words. After thinking for a few moments, he finally spoke: "How about I accompany Lord Pei to the Emperor for an audience?"

Pei Qian nodded: "Alright, come with me."

Wang Hun pursed his lips, looking extremely nervous.

Cao Rui was not as serious as Pei Qian when he met Wang Hun. He smiled and took the letter from Pei Qian's hand, put it in his hand, and looked at him nervously, saying, "What's wrong, Changyuan? Have Lord Dong and the Minister of Works sealed your mouth? There's nothing you can't say in front of Pei Wenxing."

Wang Hun bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, Lord Xin has passed away." (End of Chapter)