Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Yang Yi hurriedly entered the central command tent, cupped his hands and said, "Prime Minister, scouts have reported that Man Chong's Wei army has occupied Zhijiang and is sitting still, seemingly waiting for the main Wei army to come to their aid."

The central command tent of the Han-Wu allied forces was located behind a mountain pass southeast of Xiling City. The brothers Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jin were together day and night, sleeping in the same bed at night and commanding troops together in the same tent during the day. It would be more accurate to call them the Zhuge allied forces than the Han-Wu allied forces.

Zhuge Liang nodded: "Good, Duke Wei, order the scouts to investigate again. Order the generals of each camp to hurry up and build the fortifications, do not be stingy with food and the strength of the soldiers, and make sure to complete the fortifications before the Wei army arrives."

"Your subordinate obeys." Yang Yi accepted the order and left without the slightest delay.

Zhuge Jin watched Yang Yi leave the military tent and sighed, "Kongming, you intend to build a fortified camp nearly sixty li away from Xiling, with three layers. Isn't that too much of a drain on military resources? I heard from my subordinates that Yang Yi is pushing us very hard, working day and night like cattle and horses, and there seem to be complaints in the army."

Zhuge Liang slowly said, "The Wei army has come from afar, and their numbers are numerous and their strength is great. We must launch a swift attack. If we cannot take them down quickly, then we can engage them in a stalemate and find an opportunity to win. Ten more miles of fortifications can be equivalent to the strength of ten thousand men. Now, it will only make our soldiers a little tired. How could our troops not be willing to do that?"

“Even if you were to ask Emperor Sun, he would naturally be willing. Isn’t he himself building fortifications day and night on Gucheng Island?”

Zhuge Jin shook his head slightly and stopped trying to persuade him.

Despite the stated arrangement of joint decisions, Zhuge Jin had not made a single decision in the past few days. Even when he expressed his objections, he could not persuade his younger brother in the slightest.

As for Sun Deng… Sun Deng was indeed a man of few words and quick thinking. Whether he was avoiding the important military situation that was about to unfold, or whether he was overwhelmed by a sense of crisis, he was single-mindedly leading his ten thousand men to build fortifications on Gucheng Island, working day and night without rest. As for the affairs of the two Zhuge Liangs' camps, once he relinquished control, he truly relinquished control, not even bothering to inquire about them.

The Yangtze River is dotted with sandbars and islands, and Guchengzhou, where Sun Deng currently garrisoned his troops, will later be known by a famous name: Gezhouba or Xiba. Xiling is the later Yichang, where the renowned Three Gorges are located. Two dams on either side of Xiba block the Yangtze River, creating a high gorge and a placid lake—this is the location of Guchengzhou.

Not far upstream from here lies the famous Xiling Gorge, a narrow gorge. During the months Zhuge Liang was stationed at Xiling, he not only carried out large-scale repairs to Xiling City, built a city on Gucheng Island, and repaired the naval docks outside Xiling, but also constructed iron chains at both ends of the gorge upstream to block the river. These chains were lowered in peacetime and could be raised in wartime to prevent the Wei navy from breaking through upstream.

As I said before, military strategies are basically the same regardless of the specific circumstances; the key is how well the generals apply them.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister," Yang Yi hurriedly came from outside again, "General Bu of Wu has led his troops to the west of Xiling City. Please inform the Prime Minister."

Bu Zhi has arrived?

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly, then stood up and looked at Zhuge Jin beside him: "Brother, why don't you join me in welcoming Bu Zishan?"

The implication in his words was that he considered Bu Zhi as one of his direct subordinates.

Zhuge Jin hadn't uttered a single word of objection to his younger brother in a long time, so he nodded in agreement: "Alright, Kongming, you will come with me."

……

With the emperor in the army, the 40,000 naval troops on the river and the 60,000 infantry and cavalry on the shore seemed to be overly cautious. No matter how far they traveled on the shore each day, the navy only maintained a lead of several dozen miles, neither in a hurry to launch a surprise attack nor worried about any changes in the Wu army's upstream.

Being cautious is a valid point, no matter how you look at it. A battle group of 100,000 troops can be described as a magnificent force, moving slowly like a forest and advancing like a mountain, inspiring awe.

Xiahou Xian, the vanguard cavalryman, advanced fifty li and hurriedly sent scouts back to the rear to report that Jiangling City was willing to surrender. Liu Ye, the Deputy Privy Councilor, received the report and quickly rode to the emperor's presence, bowing and reporting:
"Your Majesty, Xiahou Xian's troops have arrived at the walls of Jiangling. The garrison is willing to surrender." Cao Rui keenly discerned the key point in the words, looked at Liu Ye, and asked in a deep voice, "Willing to surrender? Does that mean the garrison still won't surrender when Xiahou Xian arrives?"

Liu Ye nodded somewhat helplessly: "That's exactly right."

Cao Rui scoffed, "The Wu people are really... I don't even know what to say. They won't shed tears until they see the coffin? If you're going to surrender, at least do it properly. What difference would it make if you waited until I arrived before surrendering?"

"Minister Liu, does the city's garrison commander know who it is?"

Liu Ye cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, Xiahou Xian reported that the general guarding the city is named Bu Chan, who is the General Yangwu of Wu and the Prefect of Nan Commandery. But I have also heard of this person’s name before. In the letter of persuasion to Bu Zhi that Lady Bu had mentioned him, Bu Chan is Bu Zhi’s second son and should be only in his twenties.”

"It is indeed rather strange that the Wu Kingdom used this Bu Chan to defend Jiangling."

Cao Rui shook his head: "What's so strange about it? How many capable people does Wu have left? Bu Chan is Bu Zhi's son, and he surrendered so quickly, which means Wu never intended to defend Jiangling! In that case, they must all be waiting for my army in the Xiling and Zhijiang area."

"Very well, I will not care what Bu Chan says. I will have Xiahou Xian tell Bu Chan that if he does not surrender immediately, then he need not surrender."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Liu Ye accepted the order and hurriedly left.

Around noon the next day, when Cao Rui's central army was still more than ten li away from arriving outside Jiangling City, Xiahou Xian personally led the garrison commander Bu Chan to the emperor's side and reported that his cavalry had all entered the city and were already guarding various key locations.

"Bring that Bu Chan to me." Cao Rui reined in his horse and stopped.

"Yes," replied Pei Qian, the Chamberlain, and immediately dispatched the Tiger Guards to bring the man over.

The army stopped there, and about half an incense stick's time later, Bu Chan was escorted over by the Tiger Guards. He knelt on the ground several feet away and kept kowtowing to Cao Rui, who was riding on horseback.

"This humble subject, Bu Chan, pays his respects to Your Majesty the Emperor!"

"Bu Chan." Cao Rui lightly nudged his horse's flank, took two more steps forward, raised his whip, pointed at the man, and asked, "How dare you present me with an empty city?"

Bu Chan was terrified and kowtowed repeatedly, replying, "How dare I! My father only left me five hundred soldiers, saying that I should defend the city, but how can this city be defended? When Your Majesty's heavenly army arrives before the city, I will naturally surrender it. It is not my own insistence, but I hope Your Majesty will have some mercy!"

"Rise," Cao Rui said calmly.

The tiger guards on either side pulled Bu Chan up with force. Cao Rui only looked at the man for a few seconds before asking, "Who is Lady Bu of the former Wu Kingdom to you?"

"Your Majesty, Lady Bu is my father's cousin, and her grandfather is the same person as my father's grandfather." (End of Chapter)