Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Chapter 844: Deep Love between Father and Son
After hearing Zhuge Liang's rebuttal, Sun Deng was no longer angry. He stood still with his hands clasped, his eyes glancing slightly upwards, seemingly lost in thought.

Zhuge Liang also stood still, his gaze still fixed on Sun Deng's face with a hint of scrutiny and questioning. But Sun Deng seemed oblivious to this.

Although Sun Deng was far inferior to his father Sun Quan, he had served as the crown prince for many years and had to learn from Sun Quan's style in every aspect. Sun Deng had already mastered the means of suppressing emotions for the sake of the greater good and changing his attitude rapidly. As for his questioning of Zhuge Liang just now, it was merely a means of expressing his stance in the conversation and had nothing to do with his personal emotions.

At least that's what Sun Deng himself thinks.

After a long while, Sun Deng finally turned his gaze back to Zhuge Liang, met his eyes again, and raised his hand in a slight bow.

"Prime Minister Zhuge, I have a few words to say."

Zhuge Liang nodded: "Your Majesty, please speak. Your humble servant is listening attentively."

Sun Deng said, "Yidao City should not be defended by Buzishan, but by Han soldiers. I myself can defend Guchengzhou west of Xiling City, but Xiling City should be defended by General Zhuge, otherwise I will not feel at ease."

“Your Majesty is mistaken,” Zhuge Liang immediately retorted. “The Han army is a guest army coming from the west. If Xiling City cannot be defended by Han soldiers, then our 40,000 Han soldiers here will not be able to live in peace. How can we talk about helping our allies and fighting a bitter battle?”

Sun Deng followed up on Zhuge Liang's words, saying, "If that's the case, the west of Xiling City will be guarded by Han troops, and the east of the city will be guarded by Wu troops led by General Zhuge. Is that alright?"

Zhuge Liang's gaze sharpened, but he still shook his head.

Sun Deng pursed his lips: "Why is Prime Minister Zhuge so harsh? Why can't we make a slight concession on Xiling City?"

Zhuge Liang calmly replied, "The Han and Wu made an alliance to watch over and help each other, but they never agreed to fight to the death and exhaust each other's resources."

"Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness, but Xiling is the territory of Wu. The Han army came from the west to fulfill the alliance, and Xiling City cannot be ceded under any circumstances. The people of Wu are defending their homeland and fighting to the death for their country. What is wrong with that? My meaning has been made very clear. I hope Your Majesty will make the decision and not make a mistake."

Sun Deng's face turned ugly after Zhuge Liang's words. He looked at Zhuge Jin, who had already stood up, as if asking for help. However, Zhuge Jin only shook his head slightly in response to Sun Deng, and did nothing else.

The meaning is already quite clear. Now that Han has come to help Wu, he has no choice but to stop being picky.

Sun Deng sighed and bowed slightly to Zhuge Liang, who accepted the bow without flinching.

This was not a negotiation between evenly matched parties.

From Dantu in the east to Jiangxia in the west, Wu had conquered thousands of miles of land along the Yangtze River, bringing it to the brink of collapse. Although Wu now had 60,000 soldiers and over 100,000 laborers on paper, if Zhuge Liang were to abandon the Wu army and flee west, the Wei army would likely be unable to maintain morale and would probably scatter as soon as it reached Xiling.

The importance of the Han army to the Wu Kingdom cannot be overstated. Sun Deng was aware of the long-standing discord and grievances between the Han and Wu Kingdoms, as well as the negative attitudes of Han officials such as Yang Yi and Wei Yan towards the Sun family.

If Wei Yan or some other general were to use the pretext of paying tribute to Liu Bei and seeking revenge to make things difficult for the Wu Kingdom, and this were to provoke opposition from the Han army... Sun Deng would truly be doomed.

He can't afford to gamble even a penny.

“Prime Minister Zhuge, I know that the Han army has come for the alliance, and Prime Minister Zhuge is also a man of integrity.” Sun Deng’s expression gradually became sincere: “Now Wu is suffering from disaster and its territory is scattered. If Wu cannot survive, then Han will also be in danger.”

"At present, the only people available to me and the Wu Kingdom are these 60,000 soldiers and over 100,000 laborers. I request Prime Minister Zhuge to allow me to defend Guchengzhou with 10,000 men, and to allow Bu Zishan to lead another 10,000 men to garrison under Xiling City. As for the remaining 40,000 troops, I will entrust them all to the command of General Zhuge. I request that you two brothers join me in the same camp and work together to command the armies of Han and Wu. In this way, I can be at ease, and the hearts of the more than 100,000 people of Wu can be at ease!"

No matter how Sun Deng's expression changed, Zhuge Liang's insightful eyes took in the entire process.

However, Zhuge Liang did not respond immediately. Instead, he asked, "Since Your Majesty is unwilling to defend Yidao City, then the Han army in Yidao should also abandon it. It is nearly a hundred miles away from Xiling, isolated in the south of the Yangtze River. Abandoning it is no big deal."

Sun Deng looked at Zhuge Jin again, and seeing Zhuge Jin nod, Sun Deng immediately replied, "I agree with Prime Minister Zhuge's words." Zhuge Liang stroked his beard and nodded, "Very well, then let's do as Your Majesty says. There's no time to lose. Please summon all the Wu generals with a salary of two thousand shi or above here, and I will also summon the Han generals here."

"I beseech Your Majesty to join me in offering sacrifices to Heaven and swearing oaths. I also request that the generals of Han and Wu agree to stand guard and assist each other, so as to fulfill the righteousness of holding firm in this battle."

"Good!" Sun Deng breathed a sigh of relief.

Only now did Sun Deng finally feel a little relieved after more than ten days of anxiety.

For Sun Deng, he could personally maintain 20,000 of his 60,000 troops near Xiling City. Although it was said that Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang would jointly command them, anyone with a little common sense would know that Zhuge Ziyu's military talent was not on the same level as his brother's. In reality, it was just Zhuge Liang who was in command.

But this was the best result Sun Deng could achieve.

Meanwhile, in Gangneung.

At Hanjin, ten miles southeast of Jiangling City, a fleet of ships has already assembled.

The commander of this fleet was Bu Zhi Bu Zishan, the Minister of Works of the Wu Kingdom.

Sun Deng had been gone for ten days, and Bu Zhi believed he had completed the mission Sun Deng had entrusted to him to guard Jiangling. Since the Wei army hadn't attacked Jiangling in those ten days, it was time for him to withdraw.

However, even though Bu Zhi left, Jiangling was not left as a ghost town. Bu Zhi, in his capacity as Minister of Works, temporarily appointed his second son, Bu Chan, as the Prefect of Nan Commandery and General Yangwu, and even personally carved an official seal for him.

At a time like this, such a degree of overstepping of authority is nothing. Even if Bu Zhi were to carve the seal of the Governor of Jingzhou onto Bu Chan, who was left behind, Sun Deng wouldn't have any objections.

The Wu Kingdom needed someone to guard Jiangling. Sun Deng assigned Bu Zhi to guard it, and Bu Zhi placed his own son there, which was a way of putting it right.

Of the original 5,000 troops and 10,000 laborers remaining in Jiangling, Bu Zhi took 4,500 soldiers and 9,000 laborers with him. In the vast city of Jiangling, Bu Zhi left only 500 soldiers and 1,000 laborers for Bu Chan to guard the city.

At the Hanjin Wharf, Bu Chan, who had come to see him off, wept uncontrollably, kneeling on the ground and clutching his father's sleeve. Ignoring his newly appointed position as prefect, he sobbed:

"Father ordered me to defend Jiangling to the death, but I only have five hundred soldiers. How can I defend it? Father, please take me with you! I beg you, Father!"

Bu Zhi's eyes sharpened. He waved his hand to dismiss those around him, then lowered his voice and gritted his teeth as he said to Bu Chan, "Bu Chan, don't you understand that I told you to hold the line?"

Bu Chan looked up at his father, his voice hoarse: "Father, are you telling your son to die? Your son truly does not wish to die!"

"Are you dead?" Bu Zhi grabbed Bu Chan's ear and roared, "Since you don't want to die, do you think I'd force you to die five hundred miles away when I'm in Xiling? Bu Chan, where's your brain?"

Bu Chan suddenly realized, "Father...Is this really okay?"

Bu Zhi shook his head and sighed, "I have read the letter from Lady Bu that persuaded you to surrender. I have long been grateful to the Sun family and should repay them with my life. But you are different. Jiangling City, which was about to be abandoned anyway, is enough to keep you safe. Going to Xiling is almost certain to lead to death. Your brother Bu Xie is guarding Wuchang as a Sima, and his fate is unknown. How can I, your father, lead you into the fire pit?"

"Farewell, and take care of yourself!"

After speaking, Bu Zhi turned and left. Bu Chan knelt down behind him, kowtowing repeatedly without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)