Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Three consecutive letters completely shattered Sun Quan's composure at this critical juncture when Wu's 30,000 troops were heading west against the current.

One letter would be one thing. But three in a row, with only fifteen minutes between them, are less like letters and more like provocation and mockery!

Sun Quan was furious, his voice almost a growl: "Zihuang, muster the troops! I order the entire army to turn back immediately and attack the Wei army!"

Having said that, Sun Quan, seemingly exhausted, clutched his throbbing temples and lay down on the mat. Quan Cong immediately summoned the ship's physician, who diagnosed him and confirmed that Sun Quan's dizziness was due to anger and that he needed to rest in bed. Quan Cong was relieved and arranged for trusted soldiers to take care of Sun Quan. Then, Quan Cong straightened his clothes and strode out of the cabin.

"The entire army moves westward to Chaisang!" Quan Cong's face was tense: "Order all ships to move westward at full speed, day and night, without the slightest delay!"

“But, General, His Majesty just now…” The military advisor glanced into the cabin.

Everyone heard Sun Quan's low growl.

Quan Cong glared at the military advisor: "If you say another word, I'll check if your head is still on your neck!"

……

Sun Quan was not the only one to receive the letter. Gu Yong, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of Wu, who was located in Jianye City, also received a letter from his eldest grandson, Gu Tan, delivered by an envoy sent by Cao Zhi from outside the city.

When the clerks of the Ministry of Personnel arrived at Gu Yong's gate, they bowed and paid their respects.

"Lord Gu, the messenger from outside the city has arrived. He has also brought a letter."

Gu Yong nodded: "After you bring the letter, the messenger will disappear."

"Yes, sir." The clerk turned and went out. After a short while, he returned with the messenger's letter, bowed again, closed the door, and slowly withdrew.

The reason why Gu Yong refused to see the envoy was quite simple.

If a letter arrives, Gu Yong can receive it alone first and then relay it to other officials in the city. However, if he were to meet with the Wei envoy privately by himself, it would likely not sound good if word got out.

Upon opening the letter, Gu Yong immediately recognized the handwriting of his eldest grandson, Gu Tan.

As for the contents of the letter, since it had reached Gu Yong, Lou Xuan, Guanqiu Jian, and Cao Zhi had all reviewed it. The contents were nothing more than stating that the Emperor of Great Wei was the true Son of Heaven, that Wu had already surrendered, and urging the grandfather to consider the fate of the nation, the people, and the continuation of the family, and to quickly open the city and submit to Great Wei.

Gu Yong's eldest son, Gu Shao, died of illness at the age of thirty-one, so his eldest grandson, Gu Tan, grew up alongside Gu Yong. In addition, Gu Tan was quick-witted and insightful from a young age, so Gu Yong valued him and groomed him to be the future heir to the family business.

Gu Yong was already wavering on the matter between Wei and Wu. Now, after learning from the Wei envoy and Gu Tan's letter that Wu County had fallen to Guanqiu Jian, he not only failed to make up his mind to open the city gates, but became even more conflicted.

As people get older, the things on their minds become more and more complicated. If Gu Yong were forty years old now, he would definitely open the city gates and welcome the Wei army in without hesitation. Then, he could serve as an official in Wei under the guise of a loyal minister. Wouldn't that be wonderful? There are precedents for this. During the transition from the Han to the Later Han, so many ministers who surrendered to Emperor Guangwu from opposing forces lived well, didn't they?

But Gu Yong was different.

Gu Yong was already sixty-six years old, an age when most of his body was buried in the ground.

While family lineage and the future of his descendants were important, Gu Yong's primary concern was the reputation he had built up over decades of service in the Wu Kingdom. This was Jianye, the capital of Wu. How could he face his past thirty years of service if he were to open the city gates now?

After much deliberation, and even appearing somewhat hesitant, Gu Yong ordered his assistant to summon the person currently in charge of the city. In less than a quarter of an hour, six officials, some older and some younger, entered one after another, bowed, and sat down, waiting for Gu Yong, who was resting with his eyes closed, to speak.

With Sun Quan having taken almost the entire central army with him, the people in charge of Jianye were mainly from the Secretariat. Kan Ze, Xue Zong, Ji Liang, and Qu Huang, the four Secretariat officials, were in the lead, along with Zhuge Ke, the Prefect of Danyang and concurrently the Commander of the Capital, and Gu Ji, the Cavalry Commandant. These six were the true power holders in Jianye at that time.

Last spring, Zhuge Ke was promoted by Sun Quan to be the Prefect of Danyang. It was an important appointment, but Zhuge Ke's father, Zhuge Jin, was in charge of Jingzhou as a Grand General and Governor of Jingzhou, bearing the weight of half the country. It was hard to say whether this arrangement was an important appointment or a surveillance.

Gu Ji was Gu Yong's youngest son, and he was in charge of guarding Jianye Palace with the official rank of Cavalry Commandant of 2,000 shi.

Currently, the military forces surrounding Jianye consist of 4,000 soldiers in Stone City, garrisoned by a member of the Sun clan. Of the remaining 6,000 soldiers, Zhuge Ke commands 4,000 and Gu Ji commands 2,000.

After waiting for a long time, Gu Yong finally sighed, opened his eyes, looked around, and calmly said:

"Gentlemen, there is no need to elaborate on the current situation. Cao Zijian, a general of the Wei royal family, sent news from outside the city that Ruxu City has fallen and Zhu Yifeng and Hu Weize are trapped in Wuhu. I, Changsun Gu Tan, sent a message from Wu County, saying that Wei general Guanqiu Zhonggong has captured Wu County and forced Wu County to surrender with force and official positions. The various tribes of Wu County are helping the Wei army to conscript laborers and provisions to besiege Dantu."

"Just now, another envoy from Wei came to deliver a letter to persuade me to surrender." Gu Yong looked out of the hall and sighed again: "I would like to ask you all, do you want to be like Zhang Zibu or Zhou Yu?"

As the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of Wu, former Prime Minister of Wu, and leader of the Jiangdong gentry, Gu Yong's reputation and status were beyond question. When Sun Quan was absent, Gu Yong's words were perhaps no less effective than Sun Quan's own.

Gu Yong had already figured out the political leanings of the six people in the hall.

Kan Ze, Xue Zong, Ji Liang, and Qu Huang were all among those who witnessed Lu Mao being dragged away from the Imperial Secretariat, and they had long harbored resentment. If Sun Quan had remained emperor, they wouldn't have minded serving as loyal ministers for life. But the Wei army had already crossed the river, and the Wu kingdom was in such dire straits; who would truly die for Sun Quan? They had already witnessed his cruel and ungrateful nature; they were all people who had lived through the chaos of the late Han dynasty, and they knew each other all too well!
Gu Ji was Gu Yong's son, and Gu Yong had no doubts about him. As for Zhuge Ke... after Jianye was besieged, Gu Yong had several in-depth talks with Zhuge Ke.

Zhuge Ke was in his thirties, the age when he was most ambitious and energetic.

Zhuge Ke clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with Sun Quan's ability to respond to situations, saying that if he were in charge of making decisions on the allocation of military intelligence for the court, he would definitely make military arrangements with ease, so why did he end up in this embarrassing situation?
On the other hand, Zhuge Ke also expressed deep concern for his father's predicament in Jiangling, saying that his family was small and that if something happened to his father, the clan would have no way to continue. In short, he did not say much about being loyal to the emperor and defending the city to the death.

Gu Yong's years of experience in judging people allowed him to see the burning passion hidden in Zhuge Ke's eyes, and his pride and arrogance based on his talent.

To be honest, with the state of affairs and military matters in such a state, the ministers' dissatisfaction with Emperor Sun Quan is practically open! Especially since Sun Quan took almost the entire central army with him. If something were to happen, Sun Quan could simply pack up and run to Wuchang to continue being emperor, but what about them?
After Gu Yong spoke, all six people in the hall, including the ministers, Zhuge Ke, and Gu Ji, fell silent.

Gu Yong wasn't referring to ancient times; Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao were both figures they had met or were even familiar with.

In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208 AD), before the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhang Zhao advocated surrender, while Zhou Yu advocated war.

After Zhou Yu died for the country, his eldest son Zhou Xun married Sun Luban, who later died of illness. Sun Quan immediately summoned the princess back to his side and then abandoned Zhou Yu's daughter-in-law on the battlefield. His second son, Zhou Yin, was demoted by Sun Quan on some pretext, which could be considered a minor or major offense. Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, and others repeatedly petitioned for Zhou Yin's pardon, reiterating Zhou Yu's past merits, but Sun Quan did not grant their requests.

This is the fate of the descendants of Zhou Yu, the advocate of war.

And Zhang Zhao? He ended up dying of anger.

In other words, Zhou Yu, who advocated war, met a bad end, as did Zhang Zhao, who advocated surrender.

Minister Xue Zong looked around and sighed softly, "Lord Gu, we are all aware of the current situation. Although we are unwilling to rebel, the lives of more than 60,000 civilians and soldiers in the city are at stake... What is your opinion, Lord Gu?"

At this moment, Kan Ze spoke up and replied, "Lord Gu, we do not wish to be Zhang Zibu! Nor can we be Zhou Gongjin!"

"Yes, Lord Gu."

"Please, Lord Gu, tell us what you have to say."

Ji Liang and Qu Huang also tried to persuade him.

Gu Yong hesitated, and after talking with the four ministers for a long time, Kan Ze finally summarized:
"In that case, why don't I act as your messenger and go to the Wei camp to ask about Cao Zijian!"

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble Derun." Gu Yong nodded.

As Gu Yong waved his hand from his seat, his face desolate, everyone in the hall followed suit and left. Since the ministers were all serving in the central government offices, only Zhuge Ke and Gu Ji actually went out.

They hadn't gone far when Zhuge Ke stopped Gu Ji.

"Brother Xiaoxian."

"What is it, Yuan Xun?" Gu Ji asked in surprise.

“This is not the place to talk.” Zhuge Ke looked around and said, “Brother Xiaoxian, come with me to the county government office. I have something important to say.”

Gu Ji thought for a moment, then glanced in the direction of the Imperial Secretariat and nodded with a slightly conflicted expression.

Not long after, inside the Danyang County government office, Zhuge Ke and Gu Ji sat in a closed room. Zhuge Ke spoke frankly:

"The actions of Lord Gu and the other ministers today have truly disappointed me!"

Gu Ji was a typical scholar, and this was not what he expected. He frowned and asked, "Yuan Xun, what do you mean by this? If you have any objections, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"If you don't speak, how can I speak?" Zhuge Ke snorted coldly: "Just now, Lord Gu and the ministers made it clear. Since you intend to surrender to Wei, the general outside the city is just a naval commander of Wei, not enough. You want to surrender directly to the emperor of Wei, and you even want to discuss terms."

"Xiaoxian, let me ask you this: if you were Cao Zhi outside the city, and you saw Minister Kan questioning you repeatedly, yet you still didn't want to open the city gates and surrender immediately, what would you do?"

“I…” Gu Ji was stunned for a moment, thought for a while, and then shook his head: “I will only think that Minister Kan is too hesitant.”

"Is this hesitation? This is delaying military operations!" Zhuge Ke said bluntly, with a look of disappointment on his face, "Even if Wei has made any promises, it's just a matter of a word if they take them back later. How can you consider such empty promises?"

"Besides, since there is a willingness to surrender, it would be better to surrender immediately. This would be beneficial to the situation!" Zhuge Ke stood up, walked to Gu Ji, and raised his voice: "Brother Xiaoxian, Lord Gu is old, and the ministers are all old. How can we hesitate about such a matter? Every day we delay, the merit we can make will become smaller and smaller!"

“I am the Commander-in-Chief, and you are Lord Gu’s son, also in charge of the palace. We should be of one mind right now and simply open the city gates! It will do no harm to you, to me, to Lord Gu, or to the ministers!” (End of Chapter)