Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The process of ascending the throne and becoming emperor should be extremely complicated.

Palaces, robes, ceremonial guards, utensils, officials in charge of rites, imperial seals, sacrificial tablets… all the things that should be there were absent from Jiangling City. All that existed were 50,000 Wu troops inside and outside the city, and military ministers such as Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi.

For Sun Deng, that was enough.

When Cao Pi, also known as Cao Zihuan, received the abdication from Emperor Liu Xie of Han, he said, "I know the affairs of Yao and Shun." Sun Quan has only been emperor for a few years, and all the so-called rituals, auspicious omens, and prophecies were fabricated and manipulated by his ministers. Even Sun Deng, the crown prince, understood this perfectly well. When one is rightfully emperor, why should one adhere to such elaborate formalities? As long as others accept it!

Anyone who has experienced these things will inevitably lose the emperor's divine status in their heart.

Sun Deng arrived in Jiangling City at 1:45 AM. Only half a morning and noon had passed when, just as 1:30 PM arrived, Bu Zhi Bu Zishan, the Wu general of the Flying Cavalry, went out of the city as a special envoy to the Shu army camp to request an audience with Prime Minister Zhuge.

"General Bu." Zhuge Liang greeted him at the entrance of the central command tent, his expression unfriendly. He cupped his hands and said, "Last night I heard from your general that your crown prince had returned. I sent people to inquire three times today, but have yet to receive a reply. General Bu, have you come to explain this to me?"

“It should be explained properly.” Bu Zhi replied calmly: “This is an invitation jointly signed by the Crown Prince, General Zhuge, and myself, inviting Prime Minister Zhuge and the generals of Han to accompany me to Jiangling City to attend the enthronement ceremony of the Crown Prince of Wu.”

Enthronement, enthronement, ceremony, ceremony?

……

Even someone as wise as Zhuge Liang was momentarily flustered by Bu Zhi's words, and frowned as he urgently asked:
"What kind of coronation?"

"Bu Zishan, what has happened in the Kingdom of Wu?"

Where is Sun Zhongmou?

"Where is Jiang Xia? What happened? Explain yourself!"

Bu Zhi took a deep breath and, right outside Zhuge Liang's central command tent, recounted everything he had learned. He detailed the defeat at Xiakou, the emperor's capture and subsequent death by the Wei army, the crown prince's defeat at Parrot Island and retreat to Baqiu, and the Wu court's decision to immediately enthrone Sun Deng…

Sun Quan is dead?
They were so easily killed by the Wei Kingdom as a sacrifice to the heavens?

Zhuge Liang tried to take a deep breath, attempting to calm his chaotic mind, but he couldn't quiet down. His mind was a jumbled mess, and after gritting his teeth and standing there for a while, he finally glared coldly at Bu Zhi:
"Bu Zishan! Have you all gone mad?!"

"The Wu Kingdom only has four commanderies left: Nan Commandery and Jingnan Commandery. How dare they declare themselves emperors?"

Bu Zhi calmly replied, "Besides Jingzhou, there is also Jiaozhou. If one cannot ascend the throne with these, then how was Liu Bei able to become emperor in the past?"

Normally, if Zhuge Liang addressed Sun Quan as Sun Zhongmou and Bu Zhi as Liu Xuande, the two would immediately turn on each other. But at this moment, Zhuge Liang clearly didn't care about such things.

Zhuge Liang gave Bu Zhi a deep look, as if he were looking at a corpse, then turned around and said to the soldiers on either side of the tent: "Quickly summon Wei, Yang, Fei, and Zong to see me! The rest are not to disturb me!"

"Yes, sir!" Someone went to fetch the four men, while the rest remained outside the tent, cautiously watching Bu Zhi. Bu Zhi lost interest in rushing into the tent or speaking with Zhuge Liang; instead, he stood there with his hands behind his back, pondering the future of the Wu Kingdom.

Yang Yi and Fei Yi arrived first, followed by Zong Yu, and Wei Yan arrived last. As the four passed by Bu Zhi, Bu Zhi showed no intention of speaking to them, simply standing there motionless.

"You've all arrived?" Zhuge Liang sat behind the table, his brows and eyes cold and stern. He lowered his voice and said, "I have something to discuss with you today. Do not ask any questions. Wait until I have finished speaking before you speak."

The four men found it strange, but they all accepted it. Zhuge Liang slowly recounted what he had heard from Bu Zhi. Because they had been promised not to interrupt, the four men had been holding back with great difficulty.

When Zhuge Liang nodded to signal that they could speak, Wei Yan was the first to lose his temper. He stood up with his hands on his hips and roared angrily:

"Wu dogs! Wu dogs! Sun Quan died on the 22nd, and they only told us about it on the afternoon of the 27th! I only regret that Wei didn't kill him quickly enough. Are these Wu dogs trying to kill us all in Jiangling?"

"Wu Gou deserves to die, he and everyone else should be killed!"

General Yang Yi, a strategist who had always been sharply opposed to Wei Yan, stopped arguing and, following Wei Yan's lead, bowed to Zhuge Liang and said:
“Wei Wenchang is absolutely right! Five days is enough time for the Wei navy to reach Jiangling from Xiakou. If the Wei army launches a rapid attack here and cuts off our westward waterway, and with Man Chong’s tens of thousands of troops stationed in Dangyang, it’s uncertain whether we can get back!”

"It's laughable that these Wu people still dare to dream of Sun Deng becoming emperor... They've truly lost their minds!"

"I also find this move utterly absurd," Zhuge Liang said in a low voice.

Objectively speaking, Wu's actions did indeed trap 50,000 Han troops here. Which of Wei Yan, Yang Yi, Fei Yi, and Zong Yu wasn't familiar with the waterways of Jingzhou? How could their marching time have been kept secret from Zhuge Liang? It's safe to say that from this moment forward, the Wei navy could appear on the river south of Jiangling at any time!
Moreover, with the Wu navy suffering a complete defeat, the waterways would inevitably fall entirely to Wei. Even if the land route were still possible, supplies and provisions were transported by water; where would they find so many livestock and carts to return by land?

Fei Yi, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Prime Minister, I have a question for you."

"Speak quickly." Zhuge Liang nodded.

Fei Yi asked, "Can the Prime Minister persuade Zhuge Ziyu to join forces with the Prime Minister?"

Zhuge Liang paused for a few moments before shaking his head and sighing, "I am powerless. My elder brother and I are very similar in character, each serving our own master, and we cannot persuade him to rebel and return to Han."

Fei Yi asked again, "If the Han army retreats, Jiangling will surely fall, and the Wu Kingdom will soon perish. Could I go and persuade Sun Deng to retain the title of emperor and hand over all the troops to the Prime Minister during the battle of Jiangling, and then return them after the battle? Is this possible?"

“It won’t work, Wenwei.” Zhuge Liang tilted his head slightly, his face bitter, and sighed, “An emperor’s heart is set on his own power and authority, so how can he entrust military power to others?”

Fei Yi bowed deeply: "If that's the case, I believe the Prime Minister should devise a plan to attack Jiangling City, kill Sun Deng, Bu Zhi, and others, seize General Zhuge's military power, and then have the Prime Minister lead these troops to retreat to Yong'an..."

"Excellent!" Wei Yan's eyes gleamed. "Prime Minister, we should quickly kill these Wu dogs, then seize their troops and take their territory! With the Prime Minister and his men, if we have seventy or eighty thousand troops, we can definitely defend Jiangling. If we cannot defend it, we can take the people back to Shu to strengthen the foundation of the state!"

The four men stared intently at Zhuge Liang's face, awaiting the Prime Minister's instructions. (End of Chapter)