Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Before dawn, darkness loomed over the great river.

The naval vessels were anchored on both banks of the Shekou River, their lights blazing. The infantry and cavalry camps on the left bank of the Sheshui River, which stretched for about ten miles, were also almost as bright as day. The soldiers were either wiping their weapons or eating in shifts, all preparing for the great battle that was about to begin.

On Lu Xun's command ship, five generals stood solemnly before him.

"Today's main attack directions are Parrot Island and Miankou," Lu Xun said calmly. "Parrot Island spans the Yangtze River, which is wide. Miankou is narrow and the current is swift. I predict that Wu will deploy one force within Miankou and another on Parrot Island. Once our army advances towards Parrot Island, the Wu army within Miankou will be able to intercept us from the middle. Given this terrain, Wu has no other tactics to employ."

Lu Xun looked around and asked, "Gentlemen, who is willing to lead our troops to attack Miankou and prevent the enemy from the Han River from entering the Yangtze River?"

Although it was called an inquiry, only Cao Zhi, the general in charge of the naval fleet, and Huan Jia, the newly appointed general in charge of the naval operations, were actually qualified to take charge.

Huan Jia, in his early forties, was the eldest son of Huan Jie, the first Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of the Great Wei Dynasty. For many years, he served in the three provinces of Qing, Xu, and Yang. He was known for his steady and reliable manner, much like his father. When he served as the Prefect of Huainan, he assisted in the establishment of the navy and later became a general leading troops. His father, Huan Jie, supported Cao Pi wholeheartedly, and Huan Jia was also a border official whom Cao Rui relied on for many years.

It should be noted that, just as cavalry can be divided into light cavalry, heavy cavalry, and armored cavalry, and can be further subdivided into scouts, archers, and archers, the ships of the five generals Yue Lin, Cao Zhi, Xiahou Wei, Gong Zun, and Huan Jia in the Wei navy also had differences.

Le Lin's forces consisted mainly of large warships capable of carrying around a hundred men, boasting exceptional speed and moving like a pack of wolves, thus often serving as the vanguard. Xiahou Wei's forces primarily used fighting ships capable of carrying two to three hundred men, combining speed and combat power while maintaining a stable hull. Gong Zun was the only lieutenant general among these five, and his fleet was directly commanded by Lu Xun himself.

Cao Zhi and Huan Jia commanded the largest number of tower ships. These tower ships were much larger and heavier than warships and fighting vessels, making them ideal for the task of blocking enemy attacks.

"Since the task is to stop the enemy from entering the river, none of my troops are more capable than this one." Cao Zhi raised his head slightly and replied proudly, "Among all the armies, my unit is the best. Please, General, order my unit to undertake this task!"

Since joining the navy, Cao Zhi has spent several years in the military. He is no longer the dejected man he was in his fiefdom or the weak scholar he was in Luoyang. He practices martial arts and trains soldiers every day. His long-untrimmed beard spreads across his face and between his helmet. His eyes are resolute, bold and heroic. He is nothing like he was back then.
Sima Xiangru was indeed Cao Cao's son.

"My troops are also welcome; we will follow your orders, General," Huan Jia quickly replied, bowing in greeting.

Lu Xun glanced at the two men and calmly said, "The Wu army is to be divided into two groups. Whichever group goes, even if it means wiping out all its troops, we must keep the Wu army firmly trapped inside the Miankou Pass. Since this is a military order, we must abide by military law. If the Wu army is allowed to escape... it will affect the victory or defeat of the army. Don't blame the military law for being merciless!"

"I'd rather die than risk my life?" Cao Zhi laughed at this moment: "General Lu, I'll take the blame. If I'm still alive and the Wu army breaks through my lines, then cut off my head!"

"General Cao, what a spirit!" Lu Xun nodded calmly, saying nothing more, and then addressed the remaining men: "The Wu army will be divided into two parts. General Cao will hold the enemy at Miankou. General Yue will advance first, General Gong will follow me, and General Huan will advance later, all simultaneously heading towards Parrot Island. General Xiahou will be positioned opposite Miankou, guarding the cities of Lushan and Xiakou, and will move out upon my command. Is that clear?"

"We will obey the general's orders!" The five generals clasped their hands in unison.

Meanwhile, at the west gate of Lushan City on the west side of Miankou, Sun Quan and Quan Cong said goodbye, and it was Quan Cong who was encouraging Sun Quan.

“Yesterday, three envoys were sent to the Wei fleet, but half a day and a night have passed and none have returned. I foresee that there will be battle today…” Quan Cong’s eyes reflected the torchlight, his voice steady and resolute: “Your Majesty, do not worry. Generals Xianyu Dan and Zhang Liang are the most valiant, and Sun Jiming is also capable of ensuring Your Majesty’s safety. If the Wei army attacks, Your Majesty only needs to hold out until my troops break through the Miankou Pass, at which point we can encircle Your Majesty from both sides!”

Sun Quan gripped Quan Cong's hand tightly and sighed slowly, "If we were to start the war tomorrow, some reinforcements from Jiangling might arrive. But today... today is simply too late. Our forces are outnumbered by the Wei army, so we had no choice but to resort to this strategy. It has been hard for Zihuang to pull this off."

"Zihuang, please take good care of yourself!"

"Take care of what?" Quan Cong shook his head slightly and grinned, "At a time like this, if we can't win, I'll just die on the battlefield. I've already been granted the title of king and posthumously honored three generations of my family. Why would I fear death? It is Your Majesty who should take care of yourself!"

Quan Cong withdrew his hand, smiled and nodded at Sun Quan, then turned and waved goodbye, leading his men away in a long stride. Sun Quan stared blankly at Quan Cong's retreating figure, his eyes almost filled with tears. He wanted to watch a little longer, but General Zhang Liang, who was serving beside him, grabbed Sun Quan's arm and urged him to hurry up.

Sun Quan had no choice but to advance with Zhang Liang. Their force of one hundred men was to quickly march three miles southeast, cross the pontoon bridge, and reach Parrot Island, where twenty thousand naval troops were stationed. The Wu army's forty thousand naval troops had been divided into two yesterday, with half going to Quan Cong and stationed inside the Miankou Pass, and the other half staying here.

Only when he saw the fully prepared naval vessels by the dock did Sun Quan finally exhale a sigh of relief, as if these soldiers had given him some courage. These soldiers, unaware of the true strength of the Wei army, were emboldened by the emperor, Sun Quan.

At this moment, it wasn't just Lu Xun and Sun Quan who were busy.

General Cao Zhen led 10,000 troops from the Wuwei Battalion and Huan Fan's forces southwards under cover of night, fully armored, preparing to march towards Queyue City to carry out a siege mission. The Right and Left Armies of the Imperial Guards, totaling 13,000 soldiers, also fed their horses and gave them water. At dawn, the emperor himself would accompany them on their expedition.

The night along the river grew increasingly dark, the pitch blackness like an iron curtain pressing down on people, making it hard to breathe.

As dawn approached, the eastern sky was still dark, and lightning struck one after another from the dark clouds that stretched for miles, followed by a downpour of raindrops.

Sima Wangjun, who was in charge of Lu Xun's ship, stood in the rain with a worried expression, streams of water dripping from his helmet. He hesitated for a while before entering the cabin. Upon seeing Lu Xun resting with his eyes closed, he cupped his hands and said:
"General, the time has come. The rain outside is so heavy that it's difficult to march. What should we do?"

Lu Xun opened his eyes and stared at Wang Jun, calmly saying, "An army of 100,000 cannot be stopped unless mountains collapse and floods overflow. What is a little rain?"

"Shizhi, blow the horn for me!"

Wang Jun nodded emphatically, stepped out of the cabin, and the commander of the main ship, Sima, personally blew the horn. The sound was deep and resonant, and could still be heard quite far even in the rain.

The navy is the main force in this battle, and His Majesty has decreed that the horn of Lu Xun's flagship symbolizes the start of today's battle.

The first to respond were General Cao Zhi's naval fleet, which immediately set sail westward from Shekou without lingering. General Yue Lin's warship fleet followed, then Lu Xun's main force, and then Huan Jia and Xiahou Wei…

Meanwhile, the horns sounded in response at the Shekou camp, and a hundred elite cavalrymen carrying black flags marched in the direction from which Cao Zhen's 20,000 troops had set out. Cheng Xi's troops, Li Tong's troops, and Emperor Cao Rui himself also crossed the Sheshui River on a pontoon bridge in order, intending to march about sixty li in the rain to reach the upper reaches of Miankou, where the riverbanks were wide and shallow, and there were often pontoon bridges. If there were no pontoon bridges, men and horses could swim across.

Faced with such torrential rain and such celestial phenomena, Lu Xun did not hesitate, Cao Zhi did not hesitate, and Cao Rui did not hesitate either, demonstrating their mutual understanding.

What does a little rain matter?
The enemy chieftain is only forty miles away!

The heavy rain took an hour to stop. In the naval camp, seven miles from Miankou and not far from Lushan City, Quan Cong stood on the top deck of the warship, frowning as he gazed towards Miankou.

Although he had broken ties with Sun Quan, saying that the Wei army would come today, whether the Wei army came or not was not up to him; he could only adopt a desperate stance to deal with it. When Quan Cong saw several riders carrying red corner flags galloping from Lushan City, he immediately knew that the Wei army was coming, and his eyes became resolute.

"Send word to let Tang Zi go first! I will stay behind him!" Quan Cong ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes!" the guard replied.

Wu's 20,000-strong navy only set out after Cao Zhi's entire force had entered Miankou and Lushan City, and after another messenger was sent.

General Tang Zi of Wu, clad in armor on his upper body and a short tunic on his lower body, with two ring-pommel swords hanging from his waist and two more on his back, and holding a short spear in each hand, stood barefoot on the foredeck of a warship like an experienced fisherman, licking his lips and gazing ahead. To Tang Zi's left, right, and behind, thirty or forty warships were leading the charge towards Cao Zhi's forces.

Tang Zi's role today is that of a typical fighting general in the Wu army, just like Pan Zhang, Dong Xi, Ling Tong, Xu Sheng, and others in the past.

Fast boats, armored, barefoot, and armed with multiple weapons; boarding the boats and attacking with brute force – this is a classic tactic of the Wu army.

As Tang Zi's fleet drew closer to Cao Zhi's forces, the usually fierce Wu general swallowed hard, instinctively feeling a sense of fear. It wasn't the size of the Wei fleet that overwhelmed him, but rather the sight of the tall banner bearing the inscription "Wei Tower Ship General Cao" atop the central tower ship.

Tang Zi was originally from Wei. During Cao Pi's southern campaign in the Huangchu era, he rebelled in Xuzhou and fled to the sea. After joining the Wu Kingdom, he repeatedly led fleets to harass the seas. The most recent instance was when Tang Zi led troops to massacre the people of Licheng along the coast, and Cao Zhi personally led troops to pursue him but failed!
Of the three generals who led the invasion at that time—Tang Zi, He Da, and Wei Wen—He Da had long been killed by the Wei navy, and Wei Wen had been secretly executed while in Jiangning. Only Tang Zi remained!
"Order all ships not to use batons, but only bows, crossbows, swords, and spears," Cao Zhi ordered with a frown.

"As you command!" The general's order was relayed by bugle call, and by the time the ships responded by waving their flags, Tang Zi's fleet had already approached Cao Zhi's fleet.

The warships were narrow and long, and the sailors rowed swiftly from side to side, charging forward despite the rain of arrows fired by the soldiers on the tower ships. Like a pack of wolves, they viciously attacked the four tower ships at the front. The Wei warships were all equipped with rams at the bow, which were larger and heavier than those of the Wu warships. As soon as the battle began, two Wu warships were rammed sideways and almost capsized.

Tang Zi, observing from the rear, noticed that the Wei fleet's formation, which had been sailing side-by-side, was slightly disordered, as if it had split in the middle. He then ordered his troops to advance through the gaps between the fleets and directly attack Cao Zhi's flagship, which was positioned in the third row at the rear. Tang Zi led the charge, with Quan Cong's main army closely following behind, observing the situation from a distance of about half a mile.

In terms of the sturdiness and size of the ships, the Wei army was of course superior, but in terms of fighting spirit and experience in naval warfare, the Wu navy was better!
"Those Wei dogs." Tang Zi spat into the river and muttered to himself, "They built these big ships to show off, but I still managed to shoot through their bow."

"Sound the horn! Let the warships behind follow! Charge at the enemy's head with me!" Tang Zi shouted, and half of the warships that were fighting with the Wei army were freed up. The remaining twenty or so ships also poured in through the gap where Tang Zi was.

In Tang Zi's eyes, the enemy general's ship was not far away! Previously, when Sun Quan bestowed great rewards, Tang Zi had also seized the opportunity to obtain the title of Marquis of a Township. Of course, he knew Cao Zhi; he was Cao Cao's son and the King of Yongqiu of Wei! If he could behead this man, even if he wasn't made a king, surely being made a duke wouldn't be a problem, right?
Tang Zi kept moving forward, but unexpectedly, the four ships in the second row separated from the first row and blocked the gaps between them. They then joined the original four ships in the first row, and the eight ships were quickly connected by pre-prepared iron chains, almost covering the entire Han River channel without leaving any gaps, to the point that the ships on the outermost edge were at risk of running aground.

The small warships that were originally besieging the tower ships were squeezed out of space by the Wei army's tower ships, and either retreated backward or were tilted and disheveled by the ramming of the tower ships.

From Quan Cong's perspective, the scene looked as if the Wei army's fleet had opened its jaws wide and swallowed up Tang Zi's entire force! Quan Cong couldn't see what was happening behind him at all.

It's absolutely terrifying!

Tang Zi was terrified at the sight, but he still gritted his teeth and urged his soldiers to speed up their boats and rush toward the Wei general's flagship.

"Fire the crossbows," Cao Zhi calmly ordered.

The third row of ships is noticeably larger than the first two rows. The first two rows are Type B ships that can carry 500 people, while the third row is a Type D ship with an additional boom pole.

With arrows raining down, Tang Zi had no way to retreat and was surrounded by arrows. He had no choice but to continue risking his life to move forward. When five or six warships broke through the arrow rain and arrived in front of Cao Zhi's ship, Cao Zhi pointed forward and his personal guards beat the drum. Sima immediately ordered the soldiers to loosen the ropes attached to the drumsticks.

The baton was made of stone and wood, roughly equivalent to a large hammer with a wooden axle attached to the bow and stern of a boat. When enemy ships attacked, the soldiers would loosen the ropes, and the stone at the top would strike down with the force of gravity, easily destroying the ordinary wooden hull.

With just one strike, three warships were damaged and capsized by the battering rams of the tower ship.

Without further hesitation, Tang Zi faced a relentless barrage of arrows from the surrounding area, and the fighting force of the enemy ships around him was dwindling. The enemy ships were too large and difficult to maneuver, so Tang Zi decided to board them.

Ropes with hooks were swung from all directions to the edge of the warship, and Wu soldiers took the opportunity to climb up and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Wei navy guarding the ship's side. The shouts of battle were deafening, and the large-scale crossbow fire from the ships on both sides stopped for a moment as they were engaged in battle.

Although the baton is not a disposable tool, it still takes time to rise up, making its attack frequency much slower than that of a crossbow.

Cao Zhi, with his personal guards on the top deck of the warship, looked down at the soldiers fighting on the deck and pointed in the direction where Tang Zi and dozens of men had climbed up: "Fire all over them here."

"As you command." The guards nodded, and in a single volley of nearly a hundred crossbow bolts, Tang Zi, who had just boarded the deck and was about to embark on a great undertaking, fell to the powerful crossbow bolts before he could even draw one of his four swords. He was pierced through the chest by several arrows and died instantly. After the first volley, to ensure that the Wu soldiers were not completely dead, Tang Zi was struck by dozens more arrows from front to back.

They once relied on the power of Wu to slaughter the people of Wei, but today they easily perish under arrows.

As Tang Zi's forces became entangled with the Wei army, messengers from Lushan City on the shore kept arriving at Quan Cong's fleet. Judging from the different flags, Quan Cong roughly knew that the main Wei army was advancing towards Parrot Island, and his troops had to quickly defeat this Wei fleet!
Wu's army also had warships, but this was not the time for warships to fight each other. More warships, fighting ships, and small boats poured out of Wu's fleet, holding shields and braving the rain of arrows from Wei's army to approach and then board the ships to fight with the Wei soldiers.

Wu's army was numerous, and the third and fourth of the eight warships were the first to be occupied by Wu soldiers. Wu soldiers unlocked the iron locks that Wei ships had just hastily hung up, and with the flow of the Han River, the tightly packed warships finally opened a breach.

"All troops, advance!" Quan Cong waved his hand sharply: "Order all ships to enter through the breach and head straight for the enemy! Do not prioritize casualties, quickly break through the enemy lines, and intercept the Wei ships on the river at the mouth of the Mian River!"

"Follow the order!"

The Wu army, disregarding all restraint, charged forward at high speed through the gap that had appeared in the middle of the Han River.

Cao Zhi saw this scene through his telescope, and his main boat retreated slightly, ordering the warships behind him to advance and meet the attack. His force of ten thousand men consisted of only eighteen warships, with the eight in front already engaged in battle, and the rear still two miles away from the mouth of the Mian River. At this moment, they should fight to the death and not retreat.

Cao Zhi engaged in a fierce battle with Quan Cong's Wu army at the confluence of the Han River and the Mian River. Meanwhile, on the river surface near Parrot Island, Yue Lin, Gong Zun, and Huan Jia's 30,000-strong navy formed a battle formation and immediately engaged in a melee with Sun Huan's 20,000-strong navy, the right general of Wu.

Although the army was said to number 20,000, only a little over 15,000 were actually engaged in battle. Sun Quan himself led the remaining 20-odd ships as a general reserve force, ready to provide support to Sun Huan from the rear at any time.

The river surface near Wuchang is wide and broad, unlike the narrow Han River. Quan Cong could use the speed advantage of his warship to approach Cao Zhi's warships and then board them to engage in battle, but such tactics are not feasible on the Yangtze River.

Wu ships rarely used ramming prows, while Wei warships, fighting ships, and tower ships all did. From a distance, they used trebuchets fixed to the top of the tower ships to launch stones; up close, they used powerful crossbows; and if they boarded, they would unleash a thunderous ramming attack from above…

To reiterate, the open waters of the Yangtze River are different from those of the Han River. The outcome of naval battles is highly dependent on factors such as ships and technology, and is a concrete manifestation of national strength and the power of the people.

The Great Wei has more ships, bigger ships, more soldiers, and its armored warriors are no weaker than yours. It also has catapults and battering rams for both close and long-range combat. General Lu Xun, the General Who Conquers the East, personally commands the fleet and confronts Sun Huan of Wu. How can the Great Wei possibly lose?
With 30,000 against 15,000, the battle had barely begun for a little over 15 minutes, and it had already become a one-sided affair.

Lu Xun had Xiahou Wei's 10,000 men as support, while Sun Quan himself had only 20 ships and nearly 5,000 men, which was all the forces he could use at his disposal.

Lieutenant General Zhang Liang stood beside Sun Quan, cupping his hands in urging, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you must send troops immediately! General Sun on the left wing and General Xianyu on the right wing are both in a losing position, and they have already raised their banners to request reinforcements!"

"I beg Your Majesty to order me to rescue General Sun and General Xianyu!"

Sun Quan swallowed hard, gazing towards the direction of Lushan City. A massive banner, several tens of feet long, still hung atop the watchtower of the city wall. This banner indicated that Quan Cong's navy had not yet defeated the navy that had entered the Miankou area.

Why hasn't Zihuang arrived yet!
"Wait a little longer," Sun Quan said through gritted teeth.

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Liang's eyes widened as he knelt beside Sun Quan and kowtowed repeatedly. "Your Majesty, we cannot wait any longer! General Sun and General Xianyu are both showing signs of weakness. If we wait any longer, the outcome for these two armies will be irreversible!"

"I told you to wait a little longer!" Sun Quan couldn't help but roar, "Zhang Liang, have you forgotten how I promoted you back in Xiakouwu?! I told you to wait a little longer, how can you not understand my words?!"

Zhang Liang was extremely anxious, but he dared not disobey the emperor's order. He could only prostrate himself on the ground and kowtow, unable to utter a single word.

On the left bank of the Han River, north of the Miankou, Cao Zhen's Wuwei Army and the outer army of Wancheng, totaling 20,000 men, had completely surrounded Queyue City. The Wuwei Army under Wang Qi and Li Ji, like sharp blades piercing the chest, easily tore through several lines of defense of the Wu Kingdom north of the Miankou, pushing the battle line to the banks of the Miankou.

The five hundred crossbowmen stationed here, who had been hurling powerful crossbows at Cao Zhi's naval forces entering the Miankou Pass, were also killed by the armored soldiers of the Wuwei Army in a very short time.

Miankou is the estuary where the Han River flows into the Yangtze River. The waterway here is very narrow, less than a hundred paces wide, near Mount Lu. Wu army crossbowmen were stationed on both the north and south banks of Miankou, and their arrows could cover the entire estuary.

In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208 AD), when Sun Quan was campaigning against Huang Zu, Huang Zu used only two large ships to completely cover the mouth of the Han River. Arrows rained down from the ships and banks, preventing Sun Quan's navy from advancing an inch. In the end, it was only through the actions of Generals Dong Xi and Ling Tong, each wearing double layers of armor and leading a suicide squad in small boats to board the ships, that the passage to the Han River was finally opened. Dong Xi personally cut the ropes connecting the warships.

At this time, the battle between Sun Huan's 15,000 naval troops and Lu Xun's 30,000 naval troops had begun to tilt, but the final outcome was still uncertain. However, the battle inside Miankou was equally fierce.

Quan Cong's 20,000-strong navy attacked Cao Zhi's 10,000-strong navy. The Wu ships would surround one of the warships at a time, then abandon that ship and surge forward, attacking towards the Miankou. Cao Zhi's own flagship retreated further and further, leaving only three warships that had not yet joined the battle.

To the north, thousands of armored soldiers of the Wuwei Army stood on the bank, helplessly watching Cao Zhi's defeat in the river.

But Cao Zhi did not think so.

He didn't believe he had lost. (End of Chapter)