Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

This matter is indeed difficult to resolve...

Zhuge Liang pondered for a long time. As the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, he knew that Wei had already annexed most of Wu's territory. Jiangling, bordering the river, was flat and expansive; without the advantage of a navy, it would be extremely difficult to defend. If Wei truly wanted to engage in a war of attrition, what good would 80,000 or 100,000 troops do? They could use the entire power of the world to fight him! What if this plan failed, and his own 50,000 troops were lost?
Ultimately, we couldn't afford to waste any more time...

A quarter of an hour passed, and no one dared to disturb Zhuge Liang's thoughts.

Finally, a long sigh rang out: "Order all armies to make preparations and be on guard. We will withdraw our troops and return to Yiling tomorrow morning!"

"Prime Minister, Bu Zhi is still waiting outside. What should we do?" Yang Yi asked in surprise.

Zhuge Liang calmly said, "Send Bu Zhi back and tell him that I am unwell and that all the generals in the camp have also contracted the plague, so I cannot see anyone."

Yang Yi then asked, "So, we won't congratulate the people of Wu?"

Fei Yi understood perfectly, and sighed softly, "What's the point of congratulating the dead?"

Yang Yi nodded emphatically and said nothing more.

Bu Zhi waited anxiously for the arrival of the Shu people, but they did not come. Just as he was about to urge them on, Yang Yi led the armored soldiers to send him back.

The level of humiliation Bu Zhi felt was only comparable to being coerced by Wei Yan. However, Bu Zhi was unwilling to dwell on these matters at the moment and quickly returned to the city to report the incident to Sun Deng.

When Sun Deng heard that the Shu Kingdom was ignoring the matter, he simply nodded in agreement and said nothing more.

At the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), Sun Deng, the crown prince of Wu, ascended the throne in Jiangling City, receiving the kneeling homage of his generals and becoming the second emperor of Wu.

A series of things that had been prepared in advance were announced by Sun Deng:

Sun Quan was posthumously honored as Emperor Gao of Great Wu, and the era name was changed to "Fenghuang" because a phoenix had appeared in Jiangling. This was the first year of Fenghuang.

Zhuge Jin, who was originally the King of Qi, General-in-Chief, and Governor of Jingzhou, was promoted to Grand Commandant.

Lu Dai, the governor of Jiaozhou, was posthumously granted the titles of Governor of Jiaozhou, King of Chu, and Minister of Works.
Bu Zhi, the General of the Cavalry, was further promoted to Commandant of the Capital Region, Prince of Huai, and Minister of Works.
Generals with a salary of 2,000 shi or above in the army were each granted the title of Marquis of a Township, and all soldiers' families were exempted from taxes for a year. All the money and silk in the treasury of Jiangling City were also distributed to the army. For a time, shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" echoed throughout the city.

Both Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi accepted the reward. They knew that Wu was at a critical juncture and all rewards were meaningless, but to show their loyalty, they still gratefully accepted the reward.

Such was his loyalty.

Even though Zhuge Liang and his 50,000 Shu troops were right next to him and seemed oblivious to Sun Deng's ascension to the throne, by evening, these matters were still brought to Zhuge Liang's desk.

Yang Yi sighed heavily, "If I were General Zhuge Liang, with my younger brother, the Prime Minister, by my side, wouldn't it be enough to simply surrender the entire country to the Han Dynasty? After Hu Hai's death, Ziying became the King of Qin instead of the Emperor of Qin, and now Sun Deng should also be demoted to the King of Wu. General Zhuge Liang is the King of Qi, and Sun Deng is the King of Wu, so why are they unwilling to return to the Han Dynasty?"

Fei Yi shook his head and bluntly said, "We consider ourselves Han, but they only see us as Shu. It's a difficult situation."

“Such blind loyalty, how can even divine intervention resolve it?” Yang Yi said, “In my opinion, General Zhuge and Bu Zhi are simply inflexible! When Sun Deng first returned to Jiangling, he used the matter of declaring himself emperor to pressure General Zhuge and Bu Zhi. The two were put on a pedestal by Sun Deng. Sun Quan had shown them great kindness over the years, which is why they wanted to ascend the throne in a single day!”

"These two didn't even have time to speak with the Prime Minister!"

"Stop saying anything more." Zhuge Liang's expression darkened. "What's the use of saying these things now?"

"Go back and prepare yourselves. We will leave at dawn tomorrow. Do not stay even a day longer!"

"Yes," the men replied. The next morning, upon learning that the Shu army in the west of the city had fully mobilized and was returning, the newly appointed Wu emperor Sun Deng inside the city was thrown into a panic.

If the Shu army were not present, how could he possibly defend Jiangling with only 50,000 troops?

Sun Deng quickly summoned Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi and told them about the matter, but the two seemed to have little reaction.

Zhuge Jin cupped his hands and said, "The Han army has left, so be it. The only thing to do in Jiangling is to defend the city. If Your Majesty leads us to hold this position for a long time, the Wei army will not be able to hold out for long and will definitely withdraw."

Bu Zhi echoed, "I second that. General's words are excellent. The foundation of Great Wu lies in its own army. I believe Your Majesty should immediately issue an edict to mobilize the soldiers and civilians of the four prefectures of Jingnan to Jiangling for defense, and then have Lord Lü mobilize all the troops from Jiaozhou to the north to assist in the battle!"

Looking at the two of them looking relaxed and carefree, Sun Deng felt that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

If he hadn't urged them so hard yesterday, forcing Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi to agree to ascend the throne that day with the army, how could they not have had a proper discussion with the Shu Kingdom?
Even if Sun Deng learned of Sun Quan's death a little late, surely he knew about the defeat outside Parrot Island on the 22nd? If the message had been sent quickly, Jiangling should have known by the 24th.

But wasn't it Sun Deng himself who wanted to cut off the news and prevent any changes from happening in the rear, so he suppressed the news for several days?
Isn't this because Sun Deng himself wanted to quickly declare himself emperor, which led to a loss of communication with his allies?

Wasn't it because Sun Deng was busy yesterday with the ancestral worship ceremony for his father and grandfather after his ascension to the throne that he didn't have time to deal with the friendly forces west of Jiangling City?

Now that our allies have left, are we panicking?
There are many paths in the world, each different, and they are all choices made by individuals.

Frankly speaking, even if Sun Deng had taken back his military power yesterday and agreed to serve as a vassal state of Shu, commanding 50,000 troops and guarding the border, Zhuge Liang wouldn't have led his troops away so quickly.

But isn't this just Sun Deng being impatient? Does he want to inherit his father's and grandfather's legacy and become emperor?
Then there would be no way to turn things around; Zhuge Liang would not stay in Jiangling with Sun Deng to wait for death.

Sun Deng sighed deeply: "Prime Minister Zhuge is determined to leave with his troops, and I cannot stop him. Could you please ask the General to meet with Prime Minister Zhuge? Let's ask him everything that needs to be said and everything that needs to be asked."

Zhuge Jin felt extremely bitter.

He and Bu Zhi had already made up their minds. To repay Sun Quan's years of kindness, they would lead their 50,000 troops to die alongside Sun Deng in Jiangling. What could they do if Sun Quan's crown prince wanted to become emperor? Were they to become 'traitors' again when the country was on the verge of collapse?
This is when one is so mentally exhausted that they have no will to cheer up.

Zhuge Jin cupped his hands in agreement: "What does Your Majesty require of me?"

Sun Deng replied, "First, we need to find out what Prime Minister Zhuge means. Second, since yesterday, the Han state has not said a word about my claim to the throne; they must respond. Third, please ask Prime Minister Zhuge again if we can stay."

Not leaving? Zhuge Jin found it absurd, but still agreed.

Zhuge Jin led more than twenty riders out of the west gate of Jiangling City and walked more than ten miles before catching up with Zhuge Liang's troops.

Zhuge Liang reined in his horse and turned to Zhuge Jin, asking, "What is your intention, brother?"

"The Emperor of Wu has sent me to ask Kongming if he can return," Zhuge Jin answered loudly.

Zhuge Liang then asked, "Brother, are you willing to die for your principles?"

Zhuge Jin nodded without saying a word.

Zhuge Liang glanced at Wei Yan beside him, gave him a look, and whispered, "Tie him up! Take him away!" (End of Chapter)