Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

It's understandable that Sun Deng was so conflicted in Jiangling City.

Sun Quan had known Zhuge Jin for over thirty years, which is why he could maintain absolute trust in him. Although Sun Deng tried to emulate Sun Quan in everything, he still fell short, at least in trusting his ministers.

However, Sun Deng still agreed to let Zhuge Jin go out of the city to see Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Jin had already patted his chest and guaranteed that he would take responsibility for everything. Since he had said that, it wouldn't make sense for Sun Deng to stop him anymore. In the end, they would have to face each other, and avoiding the meeting would only break the alliance.

West of Jiangling City, in the Shu army camp.

“Kongming.” Zhuge Jin nodded with a smile.

"Greetings, elder brother." Zhuge Liang had not seen his elder brother for many years. Although they often corresponded by letter, nothing felt as warm as seeing him in person. "Elder brother, how have you been?"

"Alas." Zhuge Jin sighed softly, his face revealing his exhaustion: "The affairs of the state make people worry, so how can I be at peace? My hair is gray and my teeth are loose. Kongming, I am already sixty years old this year, and I am exhausted."

Zhuge Liang stared at Zhuge Jin's face for a long time, and then sighed, "Youth flies by. My brother and I have been working hard for decades. Not to mention my brother, don't I have enough white hair?"

Having said that, Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jin walked side by side into the camp, the Shu soldiers lining both sides of the road saluting. Zhuge Jin looked around for a moment, then said in a deep voice:

"Having suffered such devastation, I can only say that I have a clear conscience and have done right by my country!"

Zhuge Liang said, "It is true that we are worthy of our country, but I am the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty and my brother is the General of Wu. We brothers are worthy of our country, but we are not worthy of the same country!"

"You mentioned in your previous letter that your elder brother had just been enfeoffed as the Prince of Qi?"

"Hmm." Zhuge Jin seemed somewhat ashamed: "Given the state of the court, His Majesty used this to appease the people. Even if I didn't want to, I couldn't very well refute this title."

"This is not the right path," Zhuge Liang commented. "Li Zhengfang once wrote to me in Yizhou, urging me to declare myself king and receive the Nine Bestowments, but I brushed him off with words. How can a subject be granted the title of king? This is the way to the downfall of a country!"

Zhuge Jin sighed again: "How could it not be? First we lost Wu Commandery, then Ruxu, then Jianye, and now everything east of Chaisang has fallen to Wei!"

"I was just about to ask Sun Quan how he lost so much territory!" Zhuge Liang's eyes gradually became serious. The two entered the tent, and Zhuge Liang waved to dismiss those around him. Then he and Zhuge Jin sat down side by side at the table.

"In short, it's all because of the naval forces. Yuan Xun and I have explained it all in our letters..." Zhuge Jin slowly recounted everything he knew. Zhuge Liang was initially astonished, but after listening to every word, he sighed deeply.

How could he have imagined that his own nephew, the exceptionally talented Zhuge Ke, would open the gates of Jianye and surrender to the Wei Kingdom?

Zhuge Liang was moved by Zhuge Ke's surrender for a few moments, but then quickly abandoned the idea. Zhuge Liang had devoted himself to the country for many years, and his style of doing things was extremely pragmatic, based on Legalist and military principles.

In his view, Zhuge Ke's surrender to Wei was no big deal; it would even ensure the continuation of the clan. He had become indifferent to such matters in times of chaos. As the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang, from the Han court's perspective, considered both Cao Cao and Sun Quan traitors. What difference did it make whether Zhuge Ke submitted to Cao or Zhuge Jin submitted to Sun? He and Zhuge Jin had always maintained an excellent balance, discussing personal matters when personal relationships were important and state affairs when necessary.

When Zhuge Jin solemnly uttered one familiar name after another, even Zhuge Liang, with a heart as firm as steel, could not help but feel a pang of sadness.

Zhu Ran died in battle, Pan Jun died in battle, Hu Zong died in battle, Xu Xiang died in battle, Zhang Cheng died in battle... Gu Yong surrendered, Zhuge Ke surrendered, Kan Ze surrendered, Xue Zong surrendered, Teng Yin surrendered... The tide of events swept down like a torrent, which was beyond human power to resist.

The two discussed the situation for a long time, and finally, when Zhuge Jin asked about the Shu army's intentions in sending troops, Zhuge Liang slowly said:

"The situation in Wu is so precarious; with the loss of Yangzhou east of Chaisang, this military expedition is naturally to relieve the siege of Jiangling. Han and Wu are allies, and their alliance clearly states that in the event of war, they should unite against Wei..."

"What about Xiling?" Zhuge Jin suddenly asked, "Kongming, didn't you drive out the Bu Zhi tribe from Xiling? What did Xiling say?"

Zhuge Liang said solemnly, "If the Han Dynasty had not sent 50,000 troops, the siege of Jiangling would not have been lifted. Now that Wu is in dire straits and Wuchang is in danger, it is not the best arrangement for Wu to gather a large army in Jiangling again, brother."

“Brother, regardless of whether you listen or not, handing Jiangling over to the Han Dynasty for defense is the best option for Wu right now.”

Zhuge Jin, however, did not show much emotion. Instead, he slowly shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "If Wei comes to fight for Wu's lands, will Han also come to fight for them? If everything east of Chaisang is lost, and even Jiangling falls to Han, what will Great Wu have left? Jiangxia, Jingnan, and Jiaozhou, which is far away?"

“We don’t want Jiangling! We only need to assist in its defense!” Zhuge Liang corrected.

"What's the difference between defending and occupying?" Zhuge Jin hesitated again. "Kongming, I believe you won't take Jiangling's advice, but even though you are the prime minister, state affairs cannot be decided by your own words alone. What if you are willing to hand over the position, but Wei Yan and Fei Yi refuse? What will you do then?"

"I cannot agree to your words, nor can I report them to His Majesty in Wuchang."

Zhuge Liang gazed intently at Zhuge Jin's face, listened for a long time, and then said softly, "I understand what you say, brother. I understand why Wu is so wary of the Han Dynasty, and why there have been countless grievances and twists over the decades. But have you considered what can be done in Wuchang if the 50,000 Wu troops here do not leave Jiangling?"

"Brother, do you really think that Sun Quan and Quan Cong can withstand Wei's more than 100,000 troops? Wu's naval advantage has been completely lost, how can they possibly resist?"

"That's not something a subject like myself can know," Zhuge Jin said slowly. "Wei's attack on Wuchang may not be urgent in just a few days. From here to Wuchang, a fast boat down the river can take just over a day. Let's wait for His Majesty's reply in Wuchang before I tell you."

Zhuge Liang snorted lightly: "Brother, I already have a plan in mind."

"How is it?" Zhuge Jin frowned.

Zhuge Liang said, "Sun Quan's vigilance against the Han is the same as his vigilance against the Wei. It is still unknown when the Wei will attack, but Jiangling is absolutely not to be abandoned. Abandoning Jiangling is equivalent to abandoning Jingzhou and Jiaozhou. Jiangling is even more important than Wuchang."

"Whether you believe it or not, Sun Quan will definitely not allow you to set off. Then, once the Wei army arrives in Wuchang, Sun Quan will either suffer a defeat, be captured by Wei, or lead his army to flee to Jiangling... It will be over in an instant."

“Brother, please allow me to speak frankly. Sun Quan is on the verge of destruction. Why don’t you join forces with me? We can maintain the status quo. If Sun Quan is safe and can defeat the Wei army at Wuchang, I will then withdraw my troops and return without taking any territory from Wu. If Sun Quan loses his foothold, the Han Dynasty can accept him into Shu! I can also petition His Majesty to grant you a legitimate royal title in the Han Dynasty!”

Zhuge Jin was momentarily stunned and remained silent. (End of Chapter)