Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The Yangtze River flows eastward, while the warships sail westward, moving in opposite directions.

Knowing they were outmatched, the four warships carrying Sun Quan rowed with all their might and threw out ballast and other items from the ship, which made the ships even faster.

Behind Sun Quan, among the Wei navy, Lu Xun frowned as he looked through his binoculars at the four ships that were gradually shrinking in the distance. He then ordered General Huan Jia to suppress the situation there, while he led the fleets of Yue Lin's and his own Gong Zun's fleets in pursuit. The warships were in front, followed by tower ships and fighting ships, gradually creating a distance of several miles between them on the river.

The Wu people were eager to escape, while the Wei generals were anxious to gain merit; neither side gave up. Ultimately, due to their superior ships and larger numbers, the Wu forces were gradually overtaken by the Wei ships as evening approached.

After half a day of fighting and two hours of escape, even though Sun Quan himself had not wielded his sword during the battle, he was exhausted from all the thoughts and struggles.

After rounding a bend in the river, the four warships continued southwest, entering a wide stretch of water.

A crimson sun in the western sky was reflected in the water, and the ripples in the river suddenly appeared as red as blood, while the stone walls on the east side of the river also appeared crimson and blurred.

Standing at the bow of the boat, Sun Quan, who had been fleeing all afternoon, was suddenly struck by the sight of the river. He looked towards the open area to the west and became somewhat mesmerized.

Although Sun Quan understood this to be a natural phenomenon—a torrential downpour in the morning, half a day of overcast skies, and such a long westward journey—a sunset was to be expected. Yet, the power of nature still stirred him. His pupils reflected the crimson clouds, and Sun Quan stood there for a long time before turning to look at the hundred-man general commanding the ship.

Where is this place?

The Emperor of Wu was on his ship, and for a mere centurion, this naturally filled him with fear and unease. Since boarding, Sun Quan had only given the order to flee upstream with all their might, uttering nothing more. Upon hearing Sun Quan's words, the centurion cautiously replied:
"Is Your Majesty asking about this humble general?"

“Yes,” Sun Quan replied.

During the escape, while hierarchy was observed, formalities could not be strictly observed. The centurion looked at Sun Quan's face in surprise; had the emperor even forgotten this place? He then cautiously replied:

"Your Majesty, this is the Red Cliff."

Is this the Battle of Red Cliffs? Sun Quan was momentarily stunned.

Some time ago, Sun Quan bestowed titles upon all the good generals since the founding of the Sun family in Xiakou. And those familiar or vague figures once again appeared in Sun Quan's mind with the words "Red Cliff", as if they were right in front of him.

The person in the middle of the crowd, with his refined demeanor and outstanding bearing, looked up with a proud and heroic air. Who else could it be but Zhou Yu?

Red Cliffs... Zhou Yu...

Sun Quan's emotions, which he had suppressed all day, were finally about to burst forth. The feeling of stagnation in his chest made him almost frantic. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a word. He could only keep patting his chest in silence.

The centurion, having finally managed to speak with the emperor and finding him seemingly approachable, but still harboring many doubts, continued by asking:

"Your Majesty, we have been on the run for so long today. Will General Quan, General Sun, and General Zhang survive?"

Sun Quan's cheeks tightened, and he shook his head slightly.

As a junior officer, it is reasonable for him to care about the life or death of his commander. Even if Sun Quan was in a difficult situation, he could not blame his subordinates for this while he was on the boat.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, rumors are circulating in the army that Yangzhou has already been captured by the Wei people, but General Zhang has consistently denied this to us. Today, the ships have left Xiakou again, and my brothers and I are all wondering if Yangzhou has indeed been captured by the Wei people?"

Sun Quan's gaze was somewhat unfocused, still fixed on the red waves in the river and the crimson cliffs on the riverbank, only nodding slightly in response.

At this point, even Sun Quan's personal guards gathered around to listen. When they saw His Majesty the Emperor of Wu personally acknowledge that the entire army might perish at Xiakou and that Yangzhou was lost, a wave of grief washed over them. Some stood motionless, others leaned wearily against the railings, and even several rather young soldiers, their faces around twenty years old, wiped away tears. One of them, disregarding any distinction of rank, asked in a sobbing voice:
"Your Majesty, my parents and bride are in Wuhu. There are rumors in the army that Wuhu has been massacred by the Wei people. Is this true?"

Everyone looked towards Sun Quan, relying on the emperor beside them. But the emperor of Wu, looking at the scenery of Chibi, was completely disheartened and even afraid to meet the eyes of his soldiers. He pretended not to hear them and continued to gaze into the distance, remaining silent.

This was the central army of Wu. Apart from a few young men in their twenties, the rest were mostly veterans who had served for many years, the kind who had fought in both victories and defeats, some even having served for twenty years. Seeing Sun Quan in such a state, how could they not know that the emperor had lost all his spirit and was showing signs of utter dejection?
On the other side, the Wei army fleet.

"Pass on my order, signal with flags, and command the left and right warships to launch a surprise attack and surround the enemy ships." Le Lin frowned and pointed to the Wu army ships on the river not far away: "After chasing for half a day, I want to see what kind of people are on these Wu ships that have gone so far."

"Yes, sir!" The guard nodded in response, then went to the top of the ship and waved the flag. More than ten warships on the left and right followed the flag signals and surrounded the Wu ship from both sides. The Wu ship continued to work hard, but its speed gradually slowed down.

After a day of fighting, the soldiers were exhausted, and the Wu army, with fewer men on their ships, finally lost their advantage in maneuverability.

"Your Majesty, the Wei ships have come to surround us. What should we do now?" The centurion from earlier hurriedly asked again.

Sun Quan finally turned his gaze away from the waning red sun in the distance. There were cavalrymen who had appeared on the western riverbank at some unknown time, leaving only outlines in the setting sun.

Sun Quan turned his head to look at the man and calmly asked, "I do not know your name."

"This humble general will do his duty." The centurion responded anxiously, then asked, "Your Majesty, the Wei ships have already surrounded us. There is no wind here, and the men can't row anymore. What should we do now?"

"Is there no escaping it after all?" Sun Quan muttered to himself, sitting cross-legged at the bow of the ship, pointing to the setting sun in the west: "Chengyi, tell me, is this sun setting for me?"

What does this mean?!

What time is it? Why are you still thinking about these trivial things!

Cheng Yi was merely a commander of a hundred men. After asking Sun Quan several times without receiving a response, he finally grew impatient and leaned close to Sun Quan, asking, "Your Majesty, do you wish for me to fight, or what?"

Sun Quan's expression turned serene at this moment: "This is Chibi. In the past, Gongjin succeeded here, and Mengde suffered defeat here. The world was established here. With rocks as pillows and streams as pillows, and clouds and rosy hues filling the sky, the scenery is absolutely beautiful. It should be the place where emperors are buried."

"Leave this ship to me. You may take those three ships and surrender to the Wei army. Tell the Wei general that I have asked Cao Yuanzhong to release you all so you may return to your hometowns. Do not imprison or torture you. Go, go!"

"Who...who is Cao Yuanzhong?" Cheng Yi was overwhelmed with grief, but still asked the question that had been on his mind.

“It’s better if you don’t know. Just tell the Wei generals this, and they will give me face.” Sun Quan took off the jade pendant from his waist: “Tell the Wei generals that this jade is also a gift for you, enough for you to build your own fortune. Go, go and surrender. It’s rare that you have accompanied me all the way.”

Although Cheng Yi had heard of those ancient tales of self-sacrifice and felt a simple desire to do something at this moment, he had elderly parents and a wife and children at home, and besides, Sun Quan, the emperor, had always been merely a symbolic figurehead...

With tears in his eyes, Cheng Yi accepted the jade pendant and, together with the soldiers nearby, knelt and kowtowed three times to Sun Quan. Then, he jumped onto a nearby boat and, without hesitation, threw his weapons into the river with the soldiers on board. He knelt down in front of the Wei boat and lowered the flag to show his surrender.

Sun Quan was finally the only one left on this warship.

The Wei ships were getting closer and closer, less than ten steps away. Sun Quan took a deep breath, straightened his back, and adjusted his helmet. However, he felt something unusual in his hand. After thinking for a moment, Sun Quan remembered that the helmet was not his own, but something he had exchanged with Zhang Liang at noon.

In the end, he failed the expectations of these generals...

Without giving it any further thought, Sun Quan calmly took a step forward and plunged straight into the river from the bow of the boat.

When General Yue Lin, the commander of the warship, saw this scene from his ship, he found it extremely unusual!
There were four Wu ships in total. Why did the Wu soldiers all escape from this ship to the others? Why was there only one person on this ship, and why did he so resolutely jump into the river?
Le Lin hurriedly ordered someone to sound the horn, summoning a nearby ship that had accepted Wu prisoners. Upon questioning, he learned that the man was Sun Quan!
Le Chen's eyes widened. After a moment's urgent thought, he immediately addressed those around him, "Gentlemen, the man who just fell into the river was Sun Quan, the emperor of Wu! Whoever can retrieve him for the Great Wei will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces by the court! It's absolutely no exaggeration! Do it immediately!"

"Yes, sir!" As soon as Le Chen finished speaking, dozens of men around him disarmed themselves and jumped off the boat, swimming towards the direction where Sun Quan had fallen into the river. Le Chen was so nervous that he held his breath.

The reward of a thousand gold pieces... Le Lin's promise of such a reward was not made lightly. If the court did not recognize it, he could make up for it himself!

Sun Quan certainly deserved to die, but not by drowning! If he was to die, it should have been by order of the Emperor of Wei to execute him according to the law, and only then should he die!

Now that they've reached the Wei navy, how can their lives be left to his discretion?

Moreover, His Majesty had decreed before the war that whoever captured Sun Quan would be rewarded with ten thousand households. Le Lin was determined to receive this reward, so what was a thousand pieces of gold?
A generous reward will surely attract brave men; with a reward of a thousand gold pieces, anything can be accomplished except reaching for the moon.

About a hundred people jumped into the river. Le Lin, who was on the bank, saw clearly that one of his personal guards, a squad leader, dived into the water and pulled Sun Quan out. He and two soldiers from his squad were dragging Sun Quan's body, while their seven companions formed a circle around him, trying to prevent more people from crowding into the middle.
Seeing this, Yue Chen became anxious and personally seized the bugle to sound a retreat. However, the crowd in the river seemed not to hear it and continued to swim and push towards the middle. Yue Chen became increasingly impatient and blew the retreat bugle three times in a row, which finally calmed the boiling crowd in the river, and then allowed everyone to board their boats.

The time since they entered the water was still short, and Sun Quan was not yet completely dead. While Le Chen's personal guards were trying their best to save Sun Quan, Lu Xun's fleet finally caught up from behind and got closer and closer.

"General!" Wang Jun bowed to Lu Xun and reported, "General Yue has sent a ship to report that he has captured the enemy chieftain Sun Quan. Please verify his identity, General."

"Oh?" Lu Xun's heart pounded violently, as if it would leap out of his chest, and he hesitated involuntarily for a moment: "Shi...Shi Zhi, Yue Lin captured Sun Quan?" "Yes." Wang Jun cupped his hands: "General Yue requests permission to send him to your ship?"

Lu Xun struggled to suppress the agitation in his heart: "Alright, let the fleet move forward, and then have Yue Lin bring Sun Quan here. Also, quickly send someone to inquire whose troops that cavalry on the shore are."

"As you command." Wang Jun accepted the order and left.

After being rescued by Yue Chen's troops, Sun Quan was soaked to the bone. His lungs had filled with water, causing him to cough incessantly. He collapsed onto the deck, utterly despondent, silent, his hands and feet bound, and a handkerchief stuffed in his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue. Lu Xun's warship approached Yue Chen's flagship, and with just a glance through his binoculars, he recognized Sun Quan's face.

How could Lu Xun forget such a face, even though he hadn't seen it for nearly ten years?

"Shizhi." Lu Xun waved to the person beside him.

"Your subordinate is here," Wang Jun replied, bowing slightly.

Lu Xun said in a deep voice, "I have verified his identity. Just tell Le Lin to leave Sun Quan on his ship. There is no need to bring him to my ship."

“This…” Wang Jun was taken aback.

Lu Xun did not respond, but continued to ask, "Have you found out which cavalry unit on the shore it belongs to?"

Wang Jun replied, "General, these cavalrymen are from the unit of Li Tong, the Left Commandant of the Imperial Guards."

Li Tong's troops...Left Army of the Imperial Guards...

Lu Xun thought for a few moments, then spoke to Wang Jun, saying, "Shizhi, write a military report for me, stating that the naval forces of General Yue Lin and Li Tong, the Left Commandant of the Imperial Guards, pursued the Wu ships on the river, forcing Sun Quan to commit suicide by jumping into the river at Chibi, and he was captured alive by Yue Lin's troops. Shizhi, when reporting the victory, write that Yue Lin and Li Tong's achievements are equal, and the Privy Council should reward them both."

Although Wang Jun was sensible, he still spoke with some difficulty: "General, the first merit is worthy of a fief of ten thousand households! The cavalry on the shore have been of no use whatsoever, so why should half of the credit be taken away?"

Lu Xun sighed softly, appearing utterly exhausted. He waved his hand and said, "Shizhi, those are the Emperor's personal troops. You don't understand... Go, write a military report for me, ordering the entire army to return. Also, tell Li Tong about this! Return to the capital tonight!"

Wang Jun suddenly realized that the general was originally from Wu. If the victory of capturing Sun Quan fell into the hands of the navy, he would probably become the target of everyone's criticism in the court after things calmed down. With admiration in his heart, he accepted the order and left.

"No one is to be allowed to disturb me. If anything happens, you will issue the order on my behalf: the entire army should return to Xiakou," Lu Xun said softly, looking at Wang Jun who had just turned away.

"Your subordinate obeys." Wang Jun cupped his hands in greeting.

The fleet moved swiftly, and several warships were taken away by the Wei army. In less than a quarter of an hour, the river surface at Chibi returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

The Battle of Red Cliffs, which took place here nearly thirty years ago, has vanished without a trace.

Beauty fades and youth passes quickly. In the end, perhaps only the surging river and the cliffs on the shore remember the many things that have happened in this world.

The Wei fleet passed the bend in the river and continued eastward towards Xiakou. About fifteen minutes later, another fleet arrived from upstream, passing by Chibi, also intending to travel by night. Meanwhile, Sun Deng, the crown prince of Wu, was completely unaware of what was happening on the seemingly calm river...

The next day, as dawn broke, in Queyue City on the left bank of the Miankou River.

Cao Rui, who had just woken up from his bed, stepped out of his military tent and found Pei Qian, Wang Su, the two Grand Secretaries, General Cao Zhen, Deputy Privy Councilor Liu Ye, Left Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Huang Quan, and General Lu Xun standing outside the tent, as if they were waiting for him to wake up.

Cao Rui had a vague idea of ​​what was going on. He looked around at everyone and slowly asked, "Why have you all come to see me?"

General Cao Zhen bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the enemy chieftain Sun Quan has been captured by our soldiers and is now imprisoned in the camp. An hour ago, more than a hundred Wu ships came from upstream, but they were repelled by Xiahou Wei's naval forces. Yesterday, Your Majesty decreed that a remote sacrifice be offered to Emperor Wu at Miankou this morning. The altar and flags are ready..."

"Your Majesty, I, Cao Zhen, congratulate you on this great victory! The restoration of the empire is just around the corner!"

After saying this, Cao Zhen, who was standing in the middle of the six people, immediately bowed down as if to pay his respects.

"Your Majesty, we congratulate you on this great victory!" The five men beside him shouted in unison, and then bowed.

Cao Rui nodded, saying nothing more. He flicked his sleeves and walked out of the courtyard without stopping. He went out of the courtyard gate, then out of the city gate, and walked all the way to the banks of the Han River. He looked at the Miankou, where the Han River flows into the Yangtze River, and remained silent.

Cao Zhen, Liu Ye, Huang Quan, Lu Xun, Pei Qian, and Wang Su had been silently following behind. When the emperor stopped, the six of them also stood quietly with their hands clasped. Even though each of them was a close advisor to the emperor, a trusted confidant, none of them could guess the emperor's true thoughts at this moment.

On the banks of the Luo River, Your Majesty and your ministers made a ten-year pact. Now, nine years have passed, and Sun Quan is bound in the military camp near Queyue City, unable to decide his own fate. Now... things have come to this point, it seems that the world will be settled soon, right?
Cao Rui gazed at the river for about fifteen minutes before turning to look at the crowd.

"Minister Huang." Cao Rui called out Huang Quan's name first: "Minister Huang once told me that when Emperor Wu was fighting Liu Bei in Hanzhong in the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, Liu Bei said something. I wonder if Minister Huang still remembers it?"

"Of course I remember." Huang Quan stepped forward under the watchful eyes of his colleagues and bowed to Cao Rui, saying, "In March of the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, Emperor Wu's army came from Guanzhong and reached Yangping. At that time, Liu Bei said at Dingjun Mountain, 'Although Cao Cao has come, he is powerless. I will surely have Hanchuan.'"

Cao Rui nodded and slowly said, "The Han Dynasty has lasted for four hundred years and can be called glorious. The Han Dynasty is named after Emperor Gaozu of Han, who was once the King of Han. The King of Han was named after Hanzhong and the Han River. I and my ministers led 100,000 elite troops to recapture the mouth of the Han River. The Han River flows into the Yangtze River from there. Until today, the Great Wei has completely occupied the Han River, and has finally lived up to Emperor Wu's expectations."

"In the end, this matter was not accomplished by the states of Shu and Wu, but by the hard work of the rulers and ministers of the Great Wei over nine years."

"Minister Huang," Cao Rui said, "You are in charge of the Imperial Secretariat and will obey my decree. Sun Quan once called Echeng Wuchang, meaning that his military achievements would flourish, but this is not the case. Order the Imperial Secretariat to change Wuchang to its old name, Echeng."

"Your subject obeys the decree," Huang Quan replied immediately.

Cao Rui continued, "And the place where I and my ministers are here, the three cities of Queyue City to the north of Miankou, Lushan City to the west, and Xiakou City to the east, will be renamed Wuhan, in order to commemorate Emperor Wu's earnest hopes for Hanzhong and the Han River in the past."

"Your subject obeys the decree," Huang Quan replied.

Just then, a group of armored soldiers came from the direction of Queyue City. General Dian Man, who was guarding the outer perimeter, saw that the leader was Cao Zhi, the Prince of Yongqiu, so he did not stop him and let Cao Zhi pass alone.

Cao Rui saw Cao Zhi approaching from afar and waved. Seeing all the important officials present, Cao Zhi was momentarily puzzled, but immediately explained the reason for his visit:
"Your Majesty, yesterday Privy Councilor Liu told me about today's remote memorial service for Emperor Wu at Miankou, and ordered me to write the memorial text. I have finished writing it, but it is still incomplete..."

"Where?" Cao Rui, who was also well-versed in etiquette, asked.

Cao Zhi cupped his hands and said, “According to common sense, sacrificial rites require sacrificial animals, and sacrificial rites for Emperor Wu require the use of the Tai Lao sacrificial animal. However, this is a battlefield, and the three sacrificial animals are not available. I do not know what sacrificial animal should be used, so I have left a blank.”

“There will be sacrifices.” Wang Su immediately took half a step forward, then cupped his hands and solemnly replied: “Before Your Majesty sent troops, you made it clear to us that the world has been in chaos for decades because people like Sun Quan have uncontrollable ambitions and have caused separatist rebellions. Your Majesty once said that if Sun Quan is captured, he should be executed in a public ceremony and his head should be offered to Emperor Wu at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.”

“After Lu Zhengdong led his troops back last night, he brought Sun Quan with him. Because Your Majesty was asleep, he was not disturbed. As a cabinet minister and attendant, I was on duty last night. I went to see Sun Quan and verified his identity.”

"In my opinion, Sun Quan has usurped the imperial authority, carved up a territory, and wreaked havoc for over thirty years. He is the most notorious villain in the world today. Your Majesty is offering sacrifices to Emperor Wu here today, but there is a lack of offerings. Sun Quan should be executed in a public ceremony, and his head should be used as a sacrifice to Emperor Wu!"

"There is no other suitable sacrifice!"

Wang Su stood before Cao Rui, bowing respectfully, as if awaiting Cao Rui's words.

"Your Majesty, I second that proposal." Pei Qian and Liu Ye reacted as quickly as ever, responding almost simultaneously.

"We second that opinion." The remaining three, Cao Zhen, Lu Xun, and Huang Quan, expressed their agreement at the same time, seeing that things had come to this.

However, Lu Xun's expression showed some hesitation: "Now that Sun Quan has been captured, and this man has been opposing the Great Wei for many years, I wonder if Your Majesty would like to meet him?"

"Your Majesty!" Cao Zhen immediately interjected, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, the ruler of all people. How can you meet a culprit! Attendant Wang is right. It would be perfect to offer Sun Quan's head as a sacrifice to Emperor Wu. I believe Your Majesty should not meet him!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I also agree. Your Majesty is of inestimable worth and need not come to see this person." Cao Zhi rarely expressed his opinion in front of the emperor.

The others all echoed this sentiment, and Pei Qian added, "Your Majesty, as a member of the Imperial Secretariat, I must say this: even from the perspective of Your Majesty's inner palace, seeing Sun Quan is of no benefit to Your Majesty. Since he is the enemy leader, we should punish him according to the law; there is no need for further discussion!"

"Good." Cao Rui nodded slowly: "Set up the sacrificial ceremony here one hour from now!"

"As you command!" everyone responded in unison. (End of Chapter)