Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

A two-week stalemate is nothing in the grand scheme of things, and any commander with common sense wouldn't be bothered by it. The loss of six thousand men is also not a major issue in a battle involving two hundred thousand men.

However, if six thousand infantrymen were killed and the enemy's core defenses were not even breached, this would be a critical matter that must be placed before the commander-in-chief and taken seriously.

Xiaoting, in the central command tent.

“Zhuge Liang has issued a challenge to me.” Cao Rui pointed to a letter on the table and sneered, “Zhuge Liang says he is leading 200,000 elite troops and wants to fight me at Xiling. He asks me to attack without hesitation and decide who is the stronger.”

"This man should be killed!" Liu Ye was the first to object.

Huan Fan was also very excited: "Your Majesty, Zhuge Liang has spoken rudely and acted as an accomplice to the tyrant, joining forces with the exiled Wu people to resist the Great Wei army. I am willing to be the vanguard to punish them and exterminate them all!"

"Your Majesty, I am also willing to be the vanguard and defeat the enemy for Your Majesty!"

"The Wu and Shu kingdoms are on the verge of destruction, yet they still dare to provoke us. They deserve to die! After we conquer Shu, their entire clans should be exterminated!"

"Your Majesty, please grant my troops permission to attack first!"

……

The civil and military officials in the tent were expressing their loyalty one after another, but Cao Rui simply shook his head and said in a deep voice:

"Gentlemen, whether Zhuge Kongming is dead or alive, even if the Wei court talks about it for three days and three nights in the tent, nothing will happen."

“Since he has built a long siege, I should attack it now that I am here.” Cao Rui suddenly stood up from his seat: “It is Zhuge Liang’s business to issue me a challenge. My attack is my own business and has nothing to do with his advice!”

"We obey the decree!" the crowd responded in unison.

On September 16th, Cao Zhen led 50,000 infantrymen northward in a single march. The further north they went, the narrower the terrain became.

Zhuge Liang's southernmost perimeter wall was about eight li long, connecting to a low mountain called Meishan on the northeast side and the Yangtze River on the southwest side. This perimeter wall was built on hills, behind which were numerous Wu and Shu military camps.

To be more objective, the area beyond the long siege was almost entirely filled with the armies of Wu and Shu, as well as civilian laborers. 100,000 soldiers and 100,000 civilians were gathered there, reaching a peak in troop density.

Under the strong attack, although the long siege set up by Zhuge Liang was occasionally breached, it was often too late to expand it even slightly before the Wu-Shu allied forces behind the long siege swarmed in like bees, and often managed to launch a counterattack when the breach was plugged.

For Zhuge Liang, Wei Yan, Fei Yi, and others, if they retreated from this battle, the Wu Kingdom would surely perish, and the Han Dynasty, which was trapped in Yizhou, would not survive alone. This was a crucial battle concerning the survival of the Shu Han Kingdom.

For Sun Deng, Bu Zhi, and nearly 60,000 Wu soldiers, they were either from Jiangdong or from Jingzhou, Jiaozhou, Yangzhou, and other places. They came here at the call of the two Wu emperors, Sun Quan and Sun Deng. Many of their comrades had died at the hands of the Wei army. The generals had long been grateful to the Sun family and had a deep-seated hatred for Wei. They were all determined to fight to the death.

For both Wu and Shu, this was the final battle. The two sides fought a protracted war for more than ten days, with more than 10,000 casualties on both sides. However, the eight-mile-long siege line remained intact in the hands of the Wu-Shu allied forces.

September 30th, in the central command tent.

Cao Rui held a silk scroll in his right hand, raised it slightly, and showed it to the generals and civil officials in the tent. He then calmly said:

"This is the challenge I received today, the second challenge from Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang still wants me to attack, as if he wants to wear me down to the end. Since the army left Jiangling, the infantry has suffered nearly 20,000 casualties. The Wu-Shu allied forces are determined to fight to the death here, but I do not want to continue to wear them down here."

"My lords, let's withdraw our troops."

"Whether from a logistical or manpower perspective, or from the perspective of the war itself, leaving the army here to fight with the remnants of Shu and Wu for Xiling is not beneficial to Wei. The best course of action would be for Wei to withdraw its forces slightly and entrust the defense of the area west of Jiangling to senior generals." "This campaign against Wu began with the first army, led by Man Zhengnan, which set out from Xiangyang in early December of last year. I personally accompanied the army from Shouchun in January of this year, and it has been almost a year since then."

"In this year, the army first secured Yangzhou, then Wuhan, and then Jiangling. In the two months that I and my ministers marched from Jiangling to Xiling, General Guanqiu Jian led 20,000 troops and captured all four prefectures of Wuling, Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang in Jingnan in no more than forty days. With Jingnan secured, Jiaozhou will soon be taken. Although this campaign against Wu did not achieve complete victory, leaving only Xiling unconquered, I am already satisfied."

“The various armies have arrived here from Shouchun, Xiangyang, Wancheng, Jiangxia and other places. They are all exhausted. We should take good care of the soldiers and prepare them for the next battle.”

"My mind is made up. Do any of you have any objections?"

After Cao Rui spoke, the tent fell silent.

Indeed, as the emperor said, it would be unwise to continue fighting the Wu-Shu allied forces here. Having lost 20,000 infantrymen in two months, the entire army was showing signs of exhaustion.

The generals have already received all the credit they deserved. As for the land they were entitled to, the Wu Kingdom has already perished, leaving only the Xiling Commandery, which is of no use whatsoever.

If the Wei army withdraws... how will the remnants of the Shu and Wu armies coordinate? What internal developments will occur within the Shu kingdom?

In short, the fighting, which lasted from the end of last year to the end of September this year, has been a tremendous test for generals, officials, and ordinary soldiers alike.

It's time to take a break.

Before announcing the matter publicly, Cao Rui, as was customary, consulted with key military officials such as Cao Zhen, Lu Xun, Man Chong, Liu Ye, and Pei Qian.

Cao Zhen immediately cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise and insightful, and your decisions are brilliant and powerful. Now that the Wu Kingdom has been destroyed, there is no need to fight to the death for the mere Xiling. We should reorganize our forces and fight again."

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

After Cao Zhen finished speaking, he took the lead in prostrating himself on the ground and kneeling in worship.

After Cao Zhen, Lu Xun, Man Chong, and more than twenty ministers and generals in the tent all bowed down and uttered the four words "Your Majesty is wise."

Cao Rui glanced around and nodded slightly: "Although we are withdrawing our troops, we must not let our guard down against the bandits of Xiling. I should leave some senior generals of the court here to defend against them."

"General Man Chong was appointed to oversee all military affairs in Jingnan, leading 30,000 troops to garrison Zhijiang, and to command the defense of Xiling and Shu."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Man Chong kowtowed deeply.

Cao Rui nodded slightly and continued, "I hereby appoint Lu Xun, the Grand Master of the Palace, the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, and the Prince of Chencang, to lead 30,000 naval troops to garrison Yidao, under the command of Man Chong."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Lu Xun kowtowed in return.

"Is General Huan Fan, the General Who Guards the North, ordered to lead 20,000 infantry and cavalry and 10,000 naval troops to garrison Jiangling, and to be placed under the command of Man Chong."

Before Huan Fan could respond, Cao Rui continued, "The rest of the armies will regroup here for five days, and then gradually retreat."

"Your Majesty is wise!" everyone responded in unison. (End of Chapter)