Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The court's arrangements are orders. It is common for two people who are at odds or even enemies to work together. Public affairs are not neglected because of personal relationships. This is the basic principle for court officials.

Guanqiu Jian naturally disliked Sima Yi, and after the extravagance scandal, he also harbored resentment towards Sima Shi for many years. Moreover, due to Guanqiu Jian's noble status and trusted position, he was known to serve his lord with sincerity, and he often did not hide his personal likes and dislikes from Cao Rui. Cao Rui was certainly aware of his attitude towards the Sima family.

However... there's no need to constantly put on airs or create conflict with subordinates appointed by the emperor; doing so would only make the commander appear to lack magnanimity.

Guanqiu Jian remained serious, looking at Sima Shi with no expression: "Sima wants to use a persuader?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Sima Shi replied, bowing.

Guanqiu Jian then asked, "Who should be chosen to go to Panyu? Sima, please speak frankly."

Sima Shi took a step forward and walked to the center of the military tent, bowing respectfully: "If the general does not mind, I am willing to go to Panyu myself, hoping to persuade Lü Dai to succeed!"

As soon as Sima Shi finished speaking, a low murmur arose in the military tent.

Having served His Majesty closely for a long time, Guanqiu Jian had absorbed some of His Majesty's habits, focusing on practical duties rather than formalities. Furthermore, being young, he never put on airs of strict discipline or the airs of a renowned general. His subordinates, such as Cao Zhao, Zhang Hu, and Pu Zhong, were all capable, and even the only Xianbei, Xie Gui Ni, consistently obeyed orders. Therefore, the formalities between superiors and subordinates were not overly complicated.

Cao Zhao was the son of the late Grand Marshal Cao Xiu. His family was prominent, and he was known for his refined tastes. He was on friendly terms with Guanqiu Jian. Upon hearing Sima Shi's words, he immediately offered a well-intentioned reminder:
"General, the people of Wu are known for their fickle nature. Although Lü Dai is respectful, he can still suddenly attack and injure people. Just send a lowly official who is willing to die to deliver the message. Do not let anything go wrong."

This clearly means that if Sima Shi were to perish in Panyu, Guanqiu Jian would lose face and would certainly be in trouble. How could Guanqiu Jian not understand this?
Just as Guanqiu Jian slowly nodded, about to speak to stop him, Sima Shi spoke in a firm tone:
"General, since I was ordered to serve under your command, I have been marching south with the army for two months. I have not been able to achieve any merit in pacifying the four prefectures of Xiangzhou, which is truly a regret in my heart. I am not talented, but I am a graduate of the Imperial Academy in the first year of Taihe. How dare I not serve the Great Wei to the death?"

"My life is of no concern to me; I only wish to pacify Jiaozhou as soon as possible. I hope the general will allow me to give it a try!"

After saying this, Sima Shi bowed deeply, maintained the bowing posture while standing, and then remained still.

Guanqiu Jian and Cao Zhao exchanged a glance; Cao Zhao's expression was full of helplessness. The other generals and officials in the tent also turned to look at Sima Shi, who was bowing. To insist on going even when offered a way out—that truly showed courage…

"Very well!" Guanqiu Jian no longer hesitated and said, "Sima, I grant you permission to go, but Jiaozhou is a land of miasma and plague. You must be extremely cautious in everything you do, do not take any risks, and take good care of yourself. Do you understand?"

Sima Shi raised his head: "Your subordinate understands. Before I depart, I would like to ask what conditions you intend to offer Lü Dai? What will happen if he surrenders, and what will happen if he does not surrender?"

Guanqiu Jian had long considered this issue. He stroked his beard and said, “Lü Dai has served as governor in Wu for a long time. If he wishes to surrender, I will petition His Majesty to grant him the title of county marquis. Given his advanced age, he can return to his hometown to live out his days, or he can be appointed to one of the Nine Ministers in Luoyang. One of his sons can be appointed as a prefect. That’s all.”

"If he insists on not surrendering, I will treat him as a traitor! As for the situation in Jiaozhou and how much military strength he still has, Lü Dai knows what he is doing, so I don't need to say more."

Sima Shi cupped his hands in response, "Your subordinate understands. Your subordinate requests permission to depart early tomorrow morning."

"Alright," Guanqiu Jian nodded in reply.

……

Outside Xiling City, in Zhuge Liang's main camp.

The archer entered the tent and bowed, saying, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, Emperor Sun has sent Attendant-in-Ordinary Meng from Guchengzhou as an envoy. He has something to discuss with the Prime Minister and General Zhuge."

"Please come in quickly," Zhuge Jin replied immediately.

"Yes," She Yuan replied, but his feet did not move at all, and his eyes looked in the direction of Zhuge Liang with a questioning look.

"Go and invite Attendant-in-Ordinary Meng here." Zhuge Liang rubbed his temples wearily.

She Yuan bowed again, then turned and strode out.

Zhuge Jin noticed his younger brother's exhaustion and, feeling a pang of pity, gently advised him:

"Kongming, don't worry so much. I see that you are tired during the day and can't sleep well at night. Thinking too much is very harmful to your health and is not a sustainable way. You should take good care of yourself and try to comfort yourself."

Zhuge Liang looked helplessly at Zhuge Jin, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion, his eye bags deep, and he sighed deeply.
"How can I not be worried? Given the current situation, does my brother have a solution that satisfies both sides?"

Zhuge Jin shook his head for a moment: "Why don't we listen to what Meng Zong has to say?"

"Given this situation, do he and Emperor Sun have any better solution?" Zhuge Liang raised his voice several decibels: "Brother, just wait and see. Emperor Sun will definitely urge us to send troops to pursue them. There is no other possibility!"

"Let's see," Zhuge Jin said, his temperament more gentle, unwilling to argue loudly with his younger brother.

Not long after, Meng Zong, led by She Yuan, slowly entered.

"Greetings, Prime Minister Zhuge, General Zhuge." Meng Zong bowed respectfully. "Please take a seat, Attendant-in-Ordinary Meng." Zhuge Liang said calmly, "Have you come here on important business?"

Meng Zong slowly sat down and then spoke: "Prime Minister Zhuge, I have come here on the orders of my Emperor."

"Now that the Wei army has retreated in fear of battle, our army is well-rested and ready to fight. This is the time for the battle to turn around, for us to pursue them and reverse the tide of the war. Your Majesty wishes to invite Chancellor Zhuge Liang and General Zhuge Liang to jointly lead troops to pursue them and take advantage of the situation to recover Yidao, Xiaoting, Zhijiang, Jiangling and other places."

"We urge Prime Minister Zhuge and General Zhuge to send troops immediately!"

Zhuge Liang did not reply to Meng Zong immediately, but looked at Zhuge Jin with a somewhat pitying gaze, as if asking, 'Is this the lord you are willing to serve to the death?'

Pursue while the momentum is there? What momentum are you taking? And how are you going to pursue? Even Zhuge Jin can see that we can't fight anymore. The Wei army is exhausted, but does that mean the Wu army has higher morale?

Zhuge Jin avoided the gazes of Zhuge Liang and Meng Zong, looking down at the table in silence. Zhuge Liang sighed inwardly, then said to Meng Zong:

"Minister Meng, the war between Wei and Wu has raged from the beginning of the year to the end. The Wei army is exhausted, and the Wu army should also be at its limit. Now that the Wei army has retreated slightly, the Han and Wu armies should rest and prepare for battle. They should carefully defend their cities and not let the Wei army take advantage of them again. As for the remaining lost territories, they should be dealt with slowly and not rashly..."

"The Wei army has already retreated. If we don't send troops now, when will we?" Meng Zong was anxious. Although he was known for his filial piety and righteousness and blindly followed Sun Deng to the extreme, he had little talent in national affairs and military matters. He was only thinking about completing the task Sun Deng had given him: "If we wait for the Wei army to stay in Jiangling for a while, won't it be even more difficult to recapture Jiangling? I hope Prime Minister Zhuge will consider this!"

Jiangling City...

Zhuge Liang did not want to have any conflict with Meng Zong and Sun Deng at this time, so he patiently explained: "Minister Meng, most of the Wei army is still intact, and the navy has not even fought in the past two months. Cao Rui has always been cautious in his military tactics and must have a backup plan. It is better to be cautious."

Meng Zong's expression gradually darkened: "If we don't attack now, who knows when we'll be able to attack the Wei army again! We currently have 80,000 troops in Xiling. If we take advantage of the situation and advance eastward by land and water, wouldn't it be as easy as turning our hands?"

What does the Han army have to do with you?

Zhuge Liang shook his head slightly, remaining silent and offering no reply to Meng Zong's naive remarks.

Seeing the awkward silence between the two, Zhuge Jin looked around, then stood up helplessly and said earnestly:

"Please return first, Minister Meng. As for whether the army should remain still or move, I will discuss it properly with Prime Minister Zhuge. Afterwards, I will go to see His Majesty to report everything."

Meng Zong gritted his teeth, glanced at Zhuge Liang's indifferent expression, and felt even more resentful. He couldn't help but retort:

"The proper relationship between ruler and subject is something I hope the General will consider carefully! I take my leave now!"

After saying this, Meng Zong cupped his hands in greeting, got up and left without lingering.

Zhuge Jin was so angry that he couldn't speak for a moment. Watching Meng Zong's departing figure, his face gradually turned red. His finger trembled as he pointed outside the tent. After a few moments, he sighed heavily, then sat cross-legged on the mat and shook his head without saying a word.

Seeing this, Zhuge Liang also felt it was absurd. He got up, walked to sit beside his elder brother, gently patted Zhuge Jin's back, and whispered:
"Brother, don't get angry, don't get angry, it's not worth it..."

Zhuge Jin's expression grew increasingly weary and dejected. After a soft sigh, he looked at his younger brother and said, "He is the emperor, and his surname is Sun. What can I, a mere subject, do? However, Xiling County simply cannot afford to support so many soldiers and troops."

"Kongming, I have a request of you. Could you allow Wu's laborers to enter Ba Commandery to cultivate the land? They can support themselves, and if there is any output in the future, it can slightly subsidize the Xiling army. From this winter to next year, could the Han state provide some assistance to prevent the army from collapsing?"

"If we don't do this, this place will truly be difficult to sustain!"

Seeing Zhuge Jin's appearance, Zhuge Liang couldn't bear it any longer: "Brother, how many soldiers do you think the local produce from Wu County to Xiling can support?"

Zhuge Jin shook his head: "What's the point of three thousand or five thousand?"

Zhuge Liang said, "Even if Yizhou can support the Wu army here, it can only support a maximum of 20,000 soldiers to garrison long-term, and there is no spare capacity. We can accept all the laborers, but Emperor Sun will definitely not agree... As things stand now, he has already accepted the title of emperor, so whether he goes or not, it has no impact on the overall situation..."

"Brother."

"You speak," Zhuge Jin said, his face full of worry.

Zhuge Liang said, "If Emperor Sun wants to fight, let him fight. He probably won't understand my and my good intentions unless he suffers a loss. He won't listen to me talking to my brother, but he'll understand if the Wei people use swords and spears to talk to him."

"Even if we lose some more troops, it's not a bad thing, brother, what do you say?"

Zhuge Jin nodded painfully. (End of Chapter)