Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Sun Deng cried for about an hour before finally stopping a little. Seeing that Sun Deng had stopped crying, Meng Zong immediately cupped his hands in greeting:

"Your Highness, I have something to say."

“What… words…” Sun Deng choked up and could not speak.

Meng Zong replied sternly, "Please, Crown Prince, immediately ascend the throne and become emperor in the army, and then return to Jiangling to reclaim military power!"

Although Sun Deng was completely broken down from crying, he still managed to rebuke, "How inhuman! My father has met with disaster, and I, as his son, do not think of fighting to the death to avenge him, but instead ascend the throne in the army. How can a person do such a thing?"

Meng Zong gritted his teeth: "I have a question: Is the Crown Prince a filial son?"

“How could it not be?” Sun Deng’s voice was hoarse.

Meng Zong said, “There are minor and major forms of filial piety. If the Crown Prince were to immediately lead the army to fight the Wei army to the death, even if it meant his own death, it would be a violation of His Majesty’s more than thirty years of hard work in establishing the dynasty!”

"The foundation of the Wu Kingdom is already in dire straits. Has the Crown Prince forgotten that the Wei Kingdom intended to bestow the title of Prince of Langya upon the Grand General? Not to mention that Zhuge Liang's 50,000 troops are still stationed in Jiangling. With no monarch, powerful ministers within, and the loyalty of allies unclear, I fear that the slightest mistake could lead to the immediate demise of the Great Wu!"

"The only course of action at present is to ascend the throne as soon as possible! Only in this way can we live up to the legacy of the Sun family for three generations!"

"I..." Upon hearing Meng Zong's words, Sun Deng then prostrated himself on the ground and began to cry again.

Meng Zong and Pan Zhu exchanged a glance, and immediately one of them, on the left and the other on the right, helped Sun Deng up.

Pan Zhu also spoke up, advising, "Crown Prince, Crown Prince! You are not only His Majesty's Crown Prince, but also His Majesty's only heir. If you do not become emperor, the Great Wu will truly perish!"

"The Great Wu cannot perish!" Pan Zhu roared.

Meng Zong urged from the side, "Crown Prince, do not hesitate! Great Wu cannot perish!"

Sun Deng composed himself, stood there for a while, and then shook his head, saying, "I shall become emperor, but I cannot ascend the throne here; I must go to Jiangling!"

Meng Zong asked anxiously, "What if something unexpected happens to the General and Zhuge Liang?"

Pan Zhu also advised, "Why not ascend the throne here? Once the Crown Prince returns to Jiangling, we can simply summon the Grand General and seize his military power! Why wait until he returns?"

Sun Deng glanced around, then wiped away his tears and said, "If even the Grand General's heart is not with me, then the Wu Kingdom is truly hopeless. What difference will it make whether I ascend the throne or not?"

……

Sun Deng arrived at Hanjin on the evening of the 27th. He not only brought his own army back, but also brought back the second batch of 20,000 troops. Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi, who were guarding Jiangling, learned that Sun Deng's army had suddenly returned and sent someone to inquire. However, Sun Deng simply replied that they would discuss it tomorrow.

The following day, at dawn on the 28th, Sun Deng summoned his troops and ordered them to march toward Jiangling. An hour later, they arrived outside the city of Jiangling.

For both Zhuge Liang, who was stationed west of Jiangling City, and Zhuge Jin, who was inside the city, this behavior was extremely unusual. When Sun Deng personally came to the city walls of Jiangling and asked Zhuge Jin to open the gate, Zhuge Jin, despite having many doubts, opened the east gate without hesitation. He watched as Sun Deng led his men into the city and stopped inside the east gate of Jiangling City without going any further. Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi had no choice but to rush over to see him in person.

"Your Highness was supposed to be aiding Xiakou, so why have you turned back so soon?" Zhuge Jin asked in astonishment. Bu Zhi, standing beside him, also asked the same question.

Sun Deng looked at the two calmly at first, then his expression changed almost instantly, and he suddenly burst into tears, which startled Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi.

"The army at Xiakou has been completely defeated, and His Majesty has been killed by the Wei people!"

"When did this happen?" Zhuge Jin's lips trembled. "When did this happen? Crown Prince?"

“The 22nd.” Sun Deng burst into tears and handed Cao Zhen’s letter of persuasion to the two men: “The situation is hopeless. I don’t know what to do in this situation. General, General Bu… you have been his subjects and friends for many years. I will call you uncles today. The letter from Wei is here. Please lead your troops out of the city and surrender to Wei. You can still preserve your family’s wealth, official positions and titles.”

"What are you saying, Your Highness!" Bu Zhi's eyes widened. "How can Your Highness expect us to surrender? What about Your Highness yourself?"

While wiping away his tears, Sun Deng said, "No matter how vast the world is, there is no place for me to hide. Wei will not accept me, only Han will. The Sun family and Liu family have been allies for many years. I will now give Jiangling to Han, hoping for Prime Minister Zhuge's protection. Is that alright?"

Meng Zong, fully armored with his hand only an inch from the hilt of his sword, mingled among the crowd, flanked by armored soldiers from Wuchang loyal to the Crown Prince. According to the joint decision of him, Pan Zhu, and the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince would summon Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi to the army camp for questioning. If the two showed any dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince, Meng Zong would immediately order their execution, then seize all military power into the Crown Prince's hands before ascending the throne as Emperor.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Even if we do nothing, we should be prepared for extraordinary measures.

Sun Deng, Meng Zong, and Pan Zhu's plan was not driven by petty motives, but by genuine objective necessity... Before the great battle, who could have imagined that Gu Yong, a trusted confidant, would open the gates of Jianye and surrender? Who could have imagined that Zhuge Ke, whom Sun Quan had valued as a nephew, would voluntarily sell out Jianye? Who could have imagined that Sun Quan's son-in-law, Teng Yin, would surrender so readily in Wu Commandery?
Zhuge Ke was also a longtime friend of Sun Deng! Zhuge Jin was his father and a friend of Sun Quan, so how trustworthy could he be?

Not to mention how the Shu Kingdom sent troops to break through Xiling and arrive at Jiangling... Sun Deng didn't believe a word of Bu Zhi's account of being captured by Wei Yan, but simply stopped asking due to the situation.

But Meng Zong would be of no use now.

Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi exchanged a hurried glance, and then both knelt down in front of Sun Deng.

Zhuge Jin bowed deeply and said in a trembling voice, "With the country lost, how can a subject surrender to the enemy? My loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as day and night. Please, Your Highness, do not speak of this again!"

"Your Highness, regardless of whether the story of His Majesty's misfortune is true or false, now that Xiakou has been defeated and the situation is as it is, Your Highness should immediately ascend the throne and become Emperor. Only in this way can the people's hearts be stabilized!"

Bu Zhi, weeping beside him, said, "Your Majesty, I implore you to ascend the throne as Emperor as soon as possible, for only in this way can the country be preserved!"

Only at this moment did Sun Deng's heart, which had been hanging in suspense for many days, finally ease slightly, but his weeping continued: "General, General Bu, are you two truly willing to help me? With such a nation and its people, I am truly unable to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. It would be better if we all went our separate ways to avoid further death and injury..."

"Is the Crown Prince His Majesty's eldest son?" Zhuge Jin raised his head and angrily rebuked, "The Sun family has produced three generations of heroes. The Crown Prince is the grandson of Emperor Wu Lie, His Majesty's eldest son, and has been the Crown Prince for many years. How could he utter such weak and cowardly words? These are not the words of a son, nor the words of a Crown Prince. They are utterly wrong!"

"Your Highness, please summon all the generals into the city. Your ascension to the throne is today; do not delay!"

"I second that opinion," Bu Zhi echoed.

Sun Deng felt much better after being scolded by Zhuge Jin. He said a few words of comfort and then admitted defeat. (End of this chapter)