Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

On November 15th, Liu Shan, the emperor of Shu Han, led an army of 50,000 to the gates of Xiling City.

According to Zhuge Liang's previous strategy of dividing his troops, troops were stationed along the coast for hundreds of miles from Yong'an to Zigui and then to Xiling, with a total strength of up to 10,000 men. Zhuge Liang himself led 40,000 men in Xiling.

After the battle at Xiling to resist the Wei army's invasion, even though most of the losses were borne by the Wu army, the Shu Han army still suffered losses of about 5,000 men.

Liu Shan did not come to Yong'an empty-handed from Baishui. Among the 10,000 people he brought were 5,000 imperial guards and 5,000 soldiers drawn from the generals Wu Yi and Wang Ping, including more than 1,000 elite troops selected by the two generals.

This clearly demonstrates Wu Yi and Wang Ping's unconditional support for Liu Shan.

Of course, from the perspective of Yang Yi, Wei Yan, Fei Yi and other close confidants of the prime minister, this matter was somewhat strange.

The emperor, who was originally virtually invisible, was able to independently lead troops to move towns and draw elite personnel from the armies of important border generals after only seven or eight months in the army.

Ironically, this was perfectly normal. It was only natural for a general to obey the emperor's orders and follow the imperial edict to mobilize troops. Not to mention that Wu Yi was a relative of the Liu family and Wang Ping was a former general promoted by Liu Bei.

It's just that people aren't used to the prime minister's marginalization and the emperor's lack of presence.

Zhuge Liang was clearly not comfortable with it either, but he was actually happy about it from the bottom of his heart. His Majesty is the bloodline of the late Emperor, and he has his own grand strategy and policies. It is only natural that he wants to make decisions and take charge of the government. As a subject, Zhuge Liang should support him.

Moreover, this campaign against Wu is not as tense as the previous campaign against Wu and the battle against Lu Boyan.

Zhuge Liang himself was in the army, so if any unexpected situation occurred, he could respond immediately.

There was always a reason why the Han emperors would punish those who were disloyal.

After Liu Shan discussed and confirmed the strategy of recovering Xiling and annexing the Wu army with Zhuge Liang and others, nearly twenty days passed before the troops were officially moved eastward from Zigui.

Within those twenty days, the 60,000 laborers that Wu had promised to transfer to Shu Han had all traveled west through Yong'an and entered Badong Commandery, where they were taken over by local officials. Of the remaining 30,000-plus laborers from Wu, 10,000 were left in Xiling, while the rest were dispersed to various parts of Jianping and Xiling Commanderies.

Of course, it wasn't that Sun Deng insisted on moving the laborers so quickly, but rather that there was a severe shortage of food and supplies in Xiling.

Previously, since Zhuge Liang had explicitly returned Xiling to Wu, the Shu Han army was undoubtedly a guest army. Since they came to assist in the battle, they naturally had to eat Wu's military rations. After Zhuge Liang withdrew his troops, he also took his own military rations with him by boat, leaving only a portion for Sun Deng according to the agreed amount, which was enough for 20,000 men to eat for two months.

Sending the people away quickly became Sun Deng's only option, as he had no choice but to ask Wei for grain.

Therefore, by the time the Shu Han army approached Xiling, the three thousand Wu soldiers under Zhuge Jin and more than 20,000 civilians stationed west of the Xiling Gorge were all under the control of the Shu Han army.

Sun Deng's base was reduced to only 20,000 troops and 10,000 laborers. However, the defense plan for Xiling was designed by Zhuge Liang before his departure. Under Zhuge Liang's command, the Shu army easily separated the naval camp at the gorge, Guchengzhou, Xiling City, the two fortified villages on the south side of Changwei, and the fortress at Huya Mountain further south, cutting off their communication.

Like a skilled butcher carving up an ox.

The Shu army returned after leaving, and Sun Deng in Xiling City felt extremely uneasy in the face of this situation. Before the Shu army even reached the naval camp at the mouth of the Xiling Gorge, he sent messengers to inquire, but they were unable to meet Zhuge Liang. As the Shu army surrounded various Wu army strongholds over the next half day, Sun Deng sent two more groups of messengers out of the city to inquire, but the Shu army still did not appear.

Only after the military deployment near Xiling City was basically completed did Zhuge Liang allow Pan Zhu, the Wu envoy and Chamberlain, to come and pay homage to Liu Shan.

Pan Zhu was so terrified that he didn't know what to do.

Whether it was him, or Sun Deng, Meng Zong, and others, they all regarded Zhuge Liang as the de facto ruler of Shu Han, while Liu Shan was merely a puppet emperor residing in the deep palace, wielding no real power. But now, Zhuge Liang had summoned him to see Liu Shan…

"Your Majesty, I, Pan Zhu, pay my respects." Pan Zhu bowed respectfully. Liu Shan, dressed in imperial robes, stood dignifiedly, exuding an air of refined gentleness. He nodded in response to Pan Zhu's bow, his manners impeccable: "Minister Pan, I heard of you back in Chengdu. Your father, Pan Chengming, served the Sun family loyally, and you too are a descendant of a loyal minister. I have always respected loyal ministers. Bring a seat."

Pan Zhu replied solemnly, “Thank you for offering me a seat, Your Majesty, but I dare not sit. My Majesty sent me to see you to inquire why the Han troops returned after leaving. Why did you besiege the city without consulting Wu? How could you disregard the long-standing alliance between Wu and Han?”

Liu Shan slowly said, "What Minister Pan said is correct. The two kingdoms of Han and Wu have indeed been allies for many years. Previously, I was not in the east, but in places like Baishui. Due to the long distance, I could not know the full situation of Wu. Therefore, I have moved here."

"My late emperor and the late emperor of Wu were related by marriage, and I and the emperor of Wu should be treated as equals, as brothers. I am two years older than my grandson Gao, so I should be the elder brother and take better care of him." Liu Shan smiled and said, "I have come here to discuss the future of Wu and its survival with my grandson Gao."

Pan Zhu did not believe Liu Shan's words and immediately retorted, "Your Majesty is mistaken! Xiling is the territory of Wu, as promised by your Prime Minister Zhuge. Since it is not Han territory, why did Your Majesty lead your army here without informing us? This is not the way to benefit allies!"

Upon hearing Pan Zhu's words, Liu Shan's lips curled up, and he slowly said, "I will not argue with Minister Pan over words. Minister Pan is, after all, a subject, and there are some things that Minister Pan cannot be held responsible for. How about this, I will send Minister Chen Fengzong back to the city with you, and Minister Chen will speak with the Emperor of Wu."

Pan Zhu had no choice but to agree.

Chen Zhi was one of the few trusted confidants around Liu Shan, and a direct confidant of Liu Shan. Compared with Chen Zhi, Fei Yi and Dong Yun, who had served as attendants, were considered confidants but had differences in age, status, and experience with Liu Shan. Ultimately, they could not be fully trusted, and it was more prudent to rely on people of the same age.

Chen Zhi was precisely such a perfect confidant for Liu Shan: Chen Zhi came from a distinguished family, his maternal grandfather being the Minister of Works, Xu Jing. Chen Zhi was eight feet tall, with a dignified appearance, a clear voice, and exceptional wisdom—a natural-born model of a capable minister. Chen Zhi also possessed many skills, excelling in swordsmanship, archery, horsemanship, divination, seal carving, and musical instruments.

Sending Chen Zhi as an envoy to Xiling, instead of Fei Yi who was usually in charge of foreign affairs, clearly showed Liu Shan's attitude of cultivating his own loyalists.

No one said anything, no one dared to say anything. Even the Prime Minister was happy to see it happen; who did the others think they were?

Chen Zhi followed Pan Zhu into the city. As soon as they entered the city gate, they saw Sun Deng, who was anxiously waiting there.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Sun Deng asked directly, "What is the purpose of your visit to Xiling City, esteemed envoy? Please speak frankly."

Chen Zhi cupped his hands and replied in a deep voice: "My emperor believes that it will be difficult for Your Majesty and the State of Wu to resist the invasion of the State of Wei in Jianping County and Xiling County. Given the current situation, if Your Majesty were to send troops to attack Wei from this place, in reality, it would be almost impossible to achieve anything."

"The Wei state has a strong defense over the Jingnan region, so attacking Wei here is not the best strategy. The Wu state has a vast territory, and the Jingnan region is Wu territory, as are Jiaozhou and other places. Compared with the Nanjun, Changshajun, Linglingjun, Wulingjun, Guiyangjun and other counties, the Wei army consists of northerners, and their control over Jiaozhou and other places must be weak. If Your Majesty wants to recover the lost territories, you might as well start with Jiaozhou."

"To express the sentiment of the long-standing alliance between Han and Wu, my emperor wishes to exchange the two commanderies of Zangke and Xinggu for the commanderies of Jianning and Xiling of Wu."

Sun Deng's face turned ashen, his lips trembling, whether from fear or anger, he pointed at Chen Zhi and said, "What kind of logic is there in forcibly changing territory? Wu only has these two counties left, are you going to take them too? How is this any different from the brutality of Wei?"

"Your Majesty is utterly mistaken!" Chen Zhi stood tall and straight, chest puffed out, even taking a half-step forward in a defiant posture, completely ignoring the angry glares of the Wu soldiers around him, their hands gripping the hilts of their swords: "Wei has deployed heavy troops in Jiangling, Yidao, and other places. Previously, your Minister of Works, Bu Zishan, led 20,000 troops to attack, and almost all of them were wiped out. Now Your Majesty's army numbers only 20,000. Forgive my words, but there is absolutely no possibility of attacking Wei!"

"On the contrary, Zangke and Xinggu prefectures are adjacent to Jiaozhou and not far from Yulin and Jiaozhi prefectures of Jiaozhou. The Wei army in the north will find it difficult to reach here. Your Majesty can use Zangke and Xinggu prefectures as a base and make plans slowly!"

"Not to mention that Jianning and Xiling were originally one prefecture, governing only nine counties. The area is mostly mountainous and narrow, with little farmland and a small population. How can Your Majesty talk about revival if you hold such a place? Zangke and Xinggu prefectures together have sixteen counties, covering a thousand miles. Although they are mostly mountainous, they have abundant farmland and are easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even if the entire Wei Kingdom came, it would not be able to reach this place!"

"The vast territory of these counties and prefectures, and the narrowness of Jianning and Xiling, I believe Your Majesty should understand."

"My Emperor promises that after Your Majesty obtains the two commanderies of Zangke and Xinggu, you may still build your capital there and become the Emperor of Wu. The land of Xiling will only be temporarily held by the Han Dynasty. If the Wu Kingdom is successfully restored in the future, the Han Dynasty may transfer this land to Your Majesty."

Having said that, Chen Zhi bowed deeply and said, "I hope Your Majesty knows that my Emperor has led an army of 50,000 here with the sincere intention of restoring the Wu Kingdom in the future. Han and Wu have been allies for many years, and my Emperor regards Your Majesty as his own brother. I hope Your Majesty will consider this carefully!"

"This humble subject takes his leave!" With that, Chen Zhi turned and left, leaving the Wu soldiers around him completely stunned, none of them stopping him. (End of Chapter)