Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

More than ten days after the Wei army set out, just as they were about to arrive at Jiangling, Bian Lan, the infantry captain guarding the vicinity of Echeng, heard a strange report from his subordinates.

"Captain, another man has come to the camp to offer his services, claiming he can persuade the Wu army in Echeng to surrender. This man's attire is quite strange..."

Bian Lan knelt in the tent, rubbing her forehead helplessly: "How many is this? More than twenty people have come so far, I've almost lost count."

"Fine, let's just say that we've forgotten about the previous decision to take back the order."

The so-called Echeng was Wuchang, the former capital of the Wu Kingdom. When the emperor previously captured Xiakou, he renamed the three cities of Xiakou as Wuhan and demoted Wuchang to its original name, Echeng. In early March, Bian Lan was ordered to lead 5,000 troops to garrison outside Echeng for defense. The garrison commander in the city pretended to be dead and did not respond to any of Bian Lan's orders.

For the imperial court, Echeng was now a truly precarious position. In addition, the number of Wu troops defending Echeng was not large, and the Wu troops could not fight outwards. The terrain was too dangerous for a small number of Wei troops to break in. It was not worthwhile to mobilize tens of thousands of troops for this purpose, so Bian Lan had been besieging the city.

This siege lasted for more than five months.

At the beginning of the month, Bian Lan announced that he was seeking eloquent people to persuade Echeng to surrender. More than 20 people came, but they were either foolish farmers or swindlers from the mountains, which further damaged Bian Lan's remaining confidence.

While others were being granted titles and honors and were going to Jiangling to earn military merits, he, though not particularly ambitious for fame or fortune, had become a laughing stock in the Wei army in Echeng.

Upon hearing the commander's words, the Sima who came to report said with his hands clasped, "Colonel, perhaps we should meet this man. He calls himself Ge Xuan, and his clothes are strange. He says that the general should have heard of his name."

"Ge Xuan?" Bian Lan frowned, and after thinking for a long time, she suddenly slapped her thigh: "Quickly, invite this person here!"

"Yes."

Sima Gang had just responded when Bian Lan stood up and pulled him back, saying as she put on her shoes, "You don't need to go, I'll go and invite them myself."

At the camp gate, Bian Lan led her personal guards out hurriedly, but when she saw Ge Xuan, she was stunned for a moment.

This isn't just strangely dressed; it's excessively glamorous!

Ge Xuan wore a black Daoist robe, the Shu brocade material of which looked quite extraordinary in the sunlight. Underneath, however, he wore a long linen garment. He had a long wooden hairpin on his head, but his hair ornament was made of gold. His long white beard moved without wind, giving him an air of otherworldly elegance.

Bian Lan was skeptical, but he had heard of Ge Xuan's reputation as the "Celestial Master" of the Wu Kingdom, and he also knew that there was a Taoist temple built by Sun Quan in the southwest of Echeng. Bian Lan had sent people to that temple, but he had never heard of Ge Xuan living there.

Ge Xuan bowed and said, "This humble Taoist greets Commandant Bian."

Bian Lan coughed lightly, walked a step away from Ge Xuan, and cupped his hands: "Are you the Daoist Ge? I have heard that Sun Quan once bestowed upon you the title of Celestial Master. May I ask what brings you to my army?"

Ge Xuan smiled and said, "I have heard that General Bian has been besieging Wuchang for nearly half a year without success. Now that the virtue of the Great Wei has spread to all corners of the land, I have heard of it even in the deep mountains. Therefore, I have come out of the mountains and forests to persuade General Bian to surrender Wuchang, so as to preserve the integrity of the country."

Bian Lan was the nephew of Empress Wu Xuan, and had spent his youth at Emperor Wu's side, accustomed to wealth and power. Ge Xuan's words did not make Bian Lan too anxious; instead, he asked:
"Ge Daoren's selfless recommendation is certainly a good thing for the Great Wei. However, if you can persuade Echeng to surrender, what need would it be for me or the Great Wei?"

Ge Xuan stroked his beard and slowly said, "As early as last year, I told the King of Wu about the fortunes and misfortunes, saying that the Great Wei would inevitably unify the world. The King of Wu did not listen to my words and insisted on his own way, and finally died and his clan was wiped out. The Wu Kingdom will also be completely pacified by the Great Wei. Gu Yuantan, the former Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of Wu, can testify to this."

“Now that the Mandate of Heaven is in Wei, although I am but a humble man from the mountains, I still wish to see the Emperor's face and pay homage before him. If I succeed, I only ask General Bian to introduce me.” Bian Lan looked Ge Xuan up and down and sneered, “I am but a captain; how could I possibly reach the ears of the Emperor?”

Ge Xuan replied, "This humble Taoist can observe auras. General Bian is no ordinary general; he carries five parts of the noble aura of the imperial family, so he can naturally convey this to this humble Taoist."

"Good, good." Bian Lan clapped his hands. "It seems that Daoist Ge is quite capable and has his own sources of information. Very well, since you know that Sun Quan is dead and his clan has been exterminated, then please go and persuade them to surrender. Please tell them that the Great Wei has already dispatched an army of 170,000 to attack Jiangling, and the Wu Kingdom will not survive until next year. The two of them can give up and should not pretend to be stupid in the city. As for Sun Lin and Wei Jing, the Great Wei will not make any promises of official positions, but can only guarantee that they will not be killed, that's all."

“Very well.” Ge Xuan nodded. “Please wait a moment, General Bian.”

Ge Xuan, accompanied by two young disciples, strolled leisurely towards Echeng. Upon arriving at the city walls and identifying himself, he was immediately carried up in a large basket that was lowered from the city walls.

"How did Master Ge come here?" Wei Jing repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting, but his face showed an indescribable sense of vicissitude and haggardness. This man, who was once as famous as Bu Zhi, had been tormented beyond recognition by the long siege and confinement.

As the governor of Wuchang, he was aware of Ge Xuan's important role when Sun Quan became emperor, and of course he recognized Ge Xuan's appearance.

Ge Xuan sighed, "Why has Lord Wei become so haggard? Disasters strike from heaven, which are beyond human control. Lord Wei has already done his best."

Upon hearing Ge Xuan's words, Wei Jing's pent-up emotions and hardships from months of siege erupted at that moment. Normally, being older than General Sun Lin, he had always maintained a composed demeanor. But today, encountering Ge Xuan, whose status was even higher than his own, he felt as if he had found a reliance, and could no longer suppress the bitterness in his heart, almost instantly choking up.
“Master Ge, the Wei army has shot letters into the city several times, claiming that His Majesty has passed away, the Crown Prince has ascended the throne, and the Sun family has been exterminated. Is this true or false?”

Sun Lin rushed over, only to hear Wei Jing's last question, and then stopped behind Wei Jing.

Ge Xuan sighed, "This is true."

“Lord Wei…” Ge Xuan’s gaze then turned to Sun Lin, and he raised his hand to greet him: “General Sun.”

"What the Wei army said is true. At the end of March, the late emperor was killed by the Wei army at Xiakou. The crown prince has already ascended the throne in Jiangling, and now the Wei army has sent a large force of 170,000 to attack Jiangling..."

"Lord Wei, General Sun, the Kingdom of Wu no longer exists..."

Humans are extremely adept at deceiving themselves. In an isolated environment, the lies they tell themselves will never be exposed. Ge Xuan's words, as a sufficiently authoritative third party, shattered the self-deception of Wei Jing and Sun Lin...

After Ge Xuan explained the situation again, he sighed and said, "Given the state of affairs, if you two continue to defend, you will be dragging the entire city down with you. Wu is no more. I hope you two will make a decision. The Wei army has spoken to me, and they can spare your lives."

Wei Jing gave a bitter laugh, turned around and stared blankly at Sun Lin, then staggered forward a few steps, grabbed the battlements on the city wall, and with a desperate effort, fell off the city wall.

Sun Lin glanced at Wei Jing's resolute figure, gave a bitter smile, drew his long sword from his waist, and said to Ge Xuan, "Since the Sun family has been destroyed, how can I live alone? Since the Celestial Master is here, then please protect the lives of the entire city."

Having said that, he immediately slit his own throat.

Ge Xuan sighed deeply and told the dumbfounded Wu soldiers about opening the city gates and sparing their lives. A burst of weeping first rose from the city walls, and after a short while, the weeping turned into cheers… (End of Chapter)