Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The tents were quickly set up, and Zhuge Liang, Sun Deng, and Zhuge Jin took their seats according to their status as hosts and guests.

Of course, Yang Yi, who was in charge of this matter, was meticulous and changed the arrangement of the host and guest positions in the tent to a triangle shape, so that it was no longer clear who was the host and who was the guest.

Sun Deng suppressed his dissatisfaction; this was not the time or place to lash out. He absolutely could not afford to offend his only ally right now.

"Your Majesty," Zhuge Liang began, immediately addressing the most fundamental question: "The Han army under my command totals 50,000. There are 10,000 troops stationed along the route from Wuxian to Xiling, and another 40,000 near Xiling."

"I wonder how many soldiers and laborers His Majesty has brought here?"

Sun Deng's throat moved slightly, and then he replied solemnly, "So that Prime Minister Zhuge may know that I led an army of 40,000 and a laborer of 100,000 from Jiangling to this place in ten days, totaling 140,000 people and more than a thousand ships of various sizes."

"Forty thousand troops, one hundred thousand laborers..." Zhuge Liang repeated softly, then asked, "I heard from General Zhuge that Your Majesty currently has sixty thousand troops in Jiangling and about one hundred and thirty to fourteen thousand laborers. Where are the remaining twenty thousand troops and thirty to forty thousand laborers?"

Sun Deng replied directly, "Five thousand naval troops were left in Lexiang, and ten thousand soldiers were left to garrison Zhijiang..."

"What about Jiangling?" Zhuge Liang pressed.

Sun Deng was slightly displeased, but he still patiently replied, "Minister Bu is in Jiangling overseeing the aftermath."

"I wonder if Your Majesty would like Bu Zishan to arrive a little later, or to remain in Jiangling and adapt to the situation?" Zhuge Liang asked again.

Sun Deng bit his lip and replied with difficulty, "I order Bu Sikong to act according to the circumstances."

"Your subject understands." Zhuge Liang nodded a few times, then stroked his beard without saying a word.

Communicating with a young man like Sun Deng was far simpler than when he met Sun Quan years ago. With just a few words, Zhuge Liang had already confirmed many of his previous conjectures and gained a clear understanding of Sun Deng's current actions.

It was clear that the internal situation in Wu was extremely dire, even on the verge of collapse. Otherwise, Sun Deng wouldn't have insisted on extending the journey, which should have taken only five days, to more than ten days, and bringing along 100,000 laborers. The cargo on those thousand-plus ships must have been all the grain, fodder, and military supplies stored in Jiangling—Wu's last remaining reserves.

The most subtle part is the arrangement of Bu Zhi.

Sun Deng ordered Bu Zhi to lead 5,000 men to Jiangling, but didn't explicitly tell Bu Zhi to hold the position, instead instructing him to act according to circumstances… This is easy to understand; Bu Zhi clearly didn't want Sun Deng to bear the blame for abandoning Jiangling, so he took the responsibility for Sun Deng's actions. "Acting according to circumstances" meant Bu Zhi could make his own decisions, making the abandonment of Jiangling Bu Zhi's responsibility.

This incident also reveals the will of the young emperor Sun Deng. He wanted to do things, but was unwilling to take responsibility, harboring fear and making excessive demands. This perfectly aligns with Sun Deng's previous actions of disregarding the overall situation and only seeking to become emperor for himself.

Zhuge Jin smoothed things over, saying, "Prime Minister Zhuge, please discuss the military arrangements with His Majesty."

Sun Deng chimed in, "I would like to trouble Prime Minister Zhuge to explain the military arrangements and how the troops should be deployed."

Zhuge Liang, however, appeared somewhat calm: "Your Majesty, General Zhuge, we call this place Yiling, while the Wu people call it Xiling. As for the mountains, terrain, strategic locations, and climate here, Your Majesty and General Zhuge should both understand them without me having to explain."

Sun Deng and Zhuge Jin both nodded.

How could I not understand?

In the past, Liu Bei led more than 50,000 Shu troops from Yizhou to this place. Lu Xun led 50,000 Wu troops to fight against Liu Bei. In the end, the Shu army suffered a great defeat, which almost depleted the resources of Shu Han. Many key generals and veterans died at the hands of Lu Xun.

This was no ordinary recruited army; it was the army that Liu Bei had built up over decades, a veritable force that had fought countless battles across the north and south, an army that had defeated Xiahou Yuan in Hanzhong and forced Cao Cao to retreat!
But then again...

Now that Liu Bei is long gone, these 50,000 Han soldiers are an army retrained by Zhuge Liang. Lu Xun has also switched allegiance from Wu to Wei, completely breaking with the Sun family. This is the most profound change and upheaval in the world.

Zhuge Liang slowly said, "The four places are the most crucial."

"One of them is Xiling City."

"Xiling City is of utmost importance. I hereby order General Fei Yi to lead 10,000 troops to garrison it and protect the rear of the Han army. Does Your Majesty have any objections?"

After saying this, Zhuge Liang looked at Sun Deng.

Sun Deng shook his head: "Please finish speaking, Prime Minister Zhuge. After you finish, I will discuss other matters with you."

“Very well.” Zhuge Liang nodded and continued, “The second is Yidao City. Yidao City was once guarded by Sun Huan, and it is far from Xiling. I think we should have Bu Zishan of Wu lead 10,000 men to guard Yidao. It cannot be moved unless the sky collapses and the earth caves in.”

Zhuge Jin's throat bobbed slightly: "Prime Minister Zhuge, please continue."

"Thirdly, there is Gucheng Island," Zhuge Liang continued. "Gucheng Island is a large sandbar west of Xiling City. Every summer in August, the river overflows, separating Gucheng Island from Xiling. After August, Gucheng Island will be connected to Xiling again."

"To prevent the Wei navy from capturing Gucheng Island, I intend to defend it with 10,000 infantrymen. For several months, I have already built camps and set up defenses on Gucheng Island, which can withstand an attack from 20,000 naval troops."

"I believe that Your Majesty should personally lead 10,000 troops to garrison Guchengzhou. Just as Buzishan was stationed in Yidao, Your Majesty must hold Guchengzhou to prevent the situation from collapsing!"

Sun Deng's face was extremely pale, but he still managed to say, "Please continue, Prime Minister Zhuge."

Zhuge Liang, without mincing words, continued, "The fourth area is the nearly one hundred li stretch from Yidao and Xiaoting to Xiling. We must use the terrain here to hinder the Wei army's attack. The area is vast, and only a large army can traverse it!"

"I request Your Majesty to lead my 40,000 troops, plus the remaining 30,000 troops of my Han army, totaling 70,000 troops, under my command and unified coordination, so as to repel the Wei army's invasion!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Deng could no longer contain himself. He abruptly stood up, his brows furrowed, and questioned:

"Prime Minister Zhuge, Wu and Han are allies, but it seems that Prime Minister Zhuge does not regard me as an ally. Xiling County was originally the territory of Wu, yet Your Majesty entrusted Fei Yi with the defense of Xiling City, Bu Zishan with the defense of Yidao, which is far from Xiling, and even asked me to defend some ancient city island!"

"Are these friendly forces? They've completely swallowed up my army!"

Zhuge Jin was caught in a dilemma, so he kept his head down and remained silent.

Zhuge Liang straightened his collar solemnly, stood up as well, and asked sternly, "Does Your Majesty know the features of Xiling Mountain, its geography, where troops can be hidden, where can be held firmly, where is suitable for setting fires, where is suitable for open battle, where is suitable for building fortifications, and where is suitable for advancing and retreating?"

"Does His Majesty know how to lead troops? Can he defeat Cao Zhen?"

Sun Deng was speechless.

"I can," Zhuge Liang said proudly, continuing, "Since the Battle of Yiling, I have studied the battle more than a hundred times over the past ten years! Since Your Majesty does not wish to suffer another defeat at Yiling, there is no other way but to place the army under my command!"

"If Your Majesty is unwilling, I will immediately withdraw the troops!" (End of Chapter)