Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

On the morning of the 28th, on the river near Wankou, two fleets of ships, slightly different in shape and with different colored flags, met from the east and west. To ordinary people, these large ships, each capable of carrying hundreds of people, looked much the same, but to the seasoned naval soldiers, the ships of Wei and Wu were quite different.

Wei ships were generally unpainted, with black flags displayed on the bow, stern, and port and starboard sides. Tower ships and fighting ships were often larger and more stable. In addition to the warships, fighting ships also had wooden rams inlaid with iron at the bow, while tower ships were equipped with huge, towering rams.

The Wu ships were more traditional in design, but their decorations were often more elaborate. Their flags were multicolored, and the sails of each fleet's commander's ship were also different colors, which was used to distinguish them in naval battles. The commander's ship was even more flamboyant, with five-colored cloth covering its exterior.

In fact, the exaggerated style of Wu ships originated with He Qi. This method of displaying military and financial power, which was also very easy to distinguish, gradually became popular among the central army of Wu.

In comparison, the Wei ships, each equipped with a monocular telescope, were much more discreet, distinguished only by their flags and the general's ceremonial banner.

Naval operations are similar to land-based operations, both involving vanguards who lead the way to scout ahead and explore the terrain.

The Wei and Wu fleets came from the west and east respectively. At first, neither side knew the situation of the opposing fleet. However, the Wei fleet had the advantage of vision and spotted the Wu fleet heading east from afar. They then sounded horns and waved flags to notify each ship in the fleet to spread out along the river. The tower ships were at the rear to bring up the rear, the fighting ships were separated at the front, and the smaller warships were scattered between the fighting ships.

The Type D warships, equipped with giant battering rams, could carry 900 people each. The Type B warships could carry 500 people. The Type B fighting ships could carry 300 people each, and the Type C warships could carry 100 people each.

General Yue Lin, leading the vanguard of the fleet, commanded a force of ten thousand men, consisting of only six tower ships, sixteen fighting ships, and twenty-four warships, totaling a scale of just over forty ships. From a distance, they undulated on the river surface, resembling distant mountain peaks.

This is the standard stance for facing the enemy.

The Wu fleet dared not be negligent for a moment, slowing down and maintaining a distance from the Wei fleet, facing each other from a distance of about half a mile.

In the context of naval warfare, this is already quite close to the point of imminent battle.

From the moment the target was spotted, both the Wu and Wei fleets dispatched fast ships to their respective rear bases to inform them of the matter.

General Yue Chen, who served as the vanguard in the Wei fleet, was mentally prepared for an encounter with the enemy. Although he had not received a clear order to attack from Lu Xun, he had anticipated it. General Zhou Zuan, the vanguard general of Wu, however, was different from Yue Chen. He was filled with anxiety and fear.

The commanders of the two fleets reacted differently upon receiving the urgent report.

General Lu Xun, who was in charge of the Eastern Expedition, naturally wanted to fight.

From a public perspective, defeating the Wu navy was the most crucial element of the entire campaign to destroy Wu. If this main force of the Wu army could be defeated on the river, the entire Yangtze River would become an unimpeded logistics and troop transport route for Wei.

Privately, Lu Xun guessed that Sun Quan was right across from him. Naturally, Lu Xun wanted to kill his former master, his brother's killer, and the sworn enemy of his own Wu County Lu clan as soon as possible.

Despite his desire to fight, Lu Xun adopted a cautious and prudent approach. Since the two armies had just clashed and the true strength of the Wu army was still unknown, it was best to wait until the situation was clear before engaging in battle.

Therefore, Lu Xun hurriedly ordered Yue Lin to temporarily avoid battle and wait for his rear guard to arrive before making further decisions.

Sun Quan's instructions to Zhou Zuan were clear: retreat and rejoin the main army. Near Wankou, the river's current was calm and gentle, leading to a strange sight. For over twenty years, the Wu fleet, which had roamed the river with impunity, treating it as its backyard, was retreating for the first time!
Sun Quan paced back and forth in the cabin with a gloomy face, his expression full of anxiety. Quan Cong stood beside Sun Quan with his face lowered, not daring to say anything.

Anyone with a sound mind would understand the significance of the Wei fleet appearing near Wankou. The answer is obvious: the Wei army must have launched an attack from Yangzhou, and the Wei troops in Yangzhou must have crossed the river to the south. Wu's meticulously planned defense line at Ruxu has become useless. Zhu Ran and Hu Zong at Ruxu, Gu Yong at Jianye, Sun Shao at Dantu, as well as Danyang, Wu, and Kuaiji—Sun Quan's core territories—are all under the Wei army's attack and have no hope of survival.

Sun Quan's order for Zhou Zuan to retreat and for the entire fleet to head west back to the anchorage of the previous night also represents Sun Quan's cowardice and fear at this moment.

The wind knows the strong grass, and the sturdy knows the Chengchen.

Although Sun Quan couldn't utter such elegant and philosophical words, Quan Cong, standing beside him, was indeed a loyal minister of Wu. And at this moment, Sun Quan could only rely on Quan Cong.

Quan Cong frequently glanced up to observe Sun Quan's expression, pondering for a long time before finally clarifying all the events and logic, and then spoke:
"Your Majesty, while avoiding battle today may damage morale, it is also a prudent move for the sake of the overall situation. I believe there are three unresolved issues in the current situation."

Sun Quan took a deep breath and turned to look at Quan Cong: "Which three points did Zihuang mention?"

"Firstly, Zhou Zuan reported from the front that the Wei army's ships are very large in size, no less than those of the Wu navy. If they can build such ships, Wei must have put a lot of effort into the training of its naval soldiers in order to be able to enter the river to fight. Now we should not discuss which waterway the Wei navy came from, but rather how many Wei navy there are."

"Your Majesty has 30,000 troops here. Just now we only saw the vanguard of the Wei army. If the Wei army is smaller than the Wu army, we might be able to win a decisive battle on the river."

Sun Quan interjected, "If the Wei army has more troops than my navy, should I continue to avoid their advance?"

Quan Cong pursed his lips, did not answer, but continued:

"Secondly, the cities of Ruxu, Jianye, and Dantu are all defended by tens of thousands of troops. The Wei army has been across the river for less than ten days, and these cities should still be in the hands of the Great Wu. The Wei army has not yet captured them."

"If we win the naval battle, we can follow the momentum down the river and encircle the Wei army, thus achieving victory."

Sun Quan sighed softly: "What about the third one?"

"The third point." Quan Cong paused. "I must first ask Your Majesty: does Your Majesty wish to wage war?"

After saying this, Quan Cong and Sun Quan looked at each other for a moment, and then Quan Cong bowed deeply.

Sun Quan did not respond, but continued pacing and pondering.

At this moment, Sun Quan received limited military intelligence: the Wei army had a total strength of over 100,000 in Yangzhou; Dantu was besieged, Jianye was possibly besieged, and Ruxu was facing an enemy attack. Besides these, there was only the painful escape Sun Quan himself had suffered at Pengze. (End of Chapter)