Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Sima Shi did not stay in Luoyang for long. Three days later, he set off from Luoyang with Chen Qian, the Privy Councilor and messenger from Luoyang, to Haixi, downstream of the Huai River in Yangzhou.

This is the port where Chen Ben's fleet stopped.

In early September, a fleet of twenty-three multi-story ships set off from Haixi Port and sailed south along the coastline, resupplying at places such as Lou, Yin, Zhang'an, and Houguan. Finally, on December 8, they arrived outside Hepu County, and on December 10, they arrived outside Hepu City.

At this time, nearly half a year had passed since Sima Shi received the order to leave Hepu and go to Luoyang to deliver the message.

"Sima, you must be tired from your journey." Guanqiu Jian, having learned of the fleet's arrival, came to the dock ahead of time to greet them. He warmly welcomed them at the wooden stairs leading to the disembarkation point and said to Sima Shi with deep emotion, "Sima, your journey has covered more than ten thousand miles. When we defeat the enemy and attack the city, I will personally submit a memorial to commend you for your achievements!"

"Greetings, General. This is my duty, and I only wish to arrive in Hepu as soon as possible." Sima Shi bowed respectfully. Judging from his appearance, Sima Shi had become noticeably thinner than before he set off. His beard had not been groomed for a long time, and his face was tanned dark by the sun. Only his eyes remained bright.

"Good, good, good!" Guanqiu Jian nodded repeatedly: "I heard that the fleet has come here. Commandant Chen has made great contributions. Please, Sima, take me to see him."

Sima Shi said, "Commander Chen is in the boat behind. General, please come with me."

Guanqiu Jian calmly accepted the challenge.

Although the Wei fleet had accumulated a lot of experience on its journey to Japan, it still had to pay some tuition fees and spend more time studying after leaving the specific sea area.

The sea route from Haixi to Wu, Kuaiji, and Zhang'an counties is not difficult; guides are easy to find, and you can even find civilian ships to lead the way.

However, the sea route from Zhang'an County to Jian'an County, and from Jian'an County to Nanhai County, encountered many setbacks, mostly due to unpredictable sea conditions. Things only improved slightly when the fleet reached Jiaozhou territory.

Even with Chen Ben's utmost caution, the fleet still lost two ships and several hundred naval soldiers near Dong'an due to the rough seas. Nevertheless, the fleet eventually reached Hepu County, resolving Guanqiu Jian's urgent need for water transport. In the following six months, Guanqiu Jian also conscripted people from various counties in Jiaozhou to build numerous ships, accumulating over four hundred vessels outside Hepu City to transport grain and supplies.

Everything is ready; all that remains is to send out troops.

That evening, a military council was held in Hepu City. Guanqiu Jian sat in the center and slowly said, "Gentlemen, it has been almost a year since the rebel Sun Deng came from the south of Shu to Jiaozhi at the beginning of the year. Although Hepu County has been recovered, Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen and Rinan are still in the hands of the rebels, separated by mountains and seas. The people are eagerly awaiting the royal army. As the governor of Jiaozhou, I have an inescapable responsibility to suppress the rebels."

"Captain Chen," Guanqiu Jian solemnly looked at Chen Ben, "may I ask when the fleet can depart?"

Without much thought, Chen Ben immediately cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to the general, His Majesty had already given a clear decree before we set off. Once we arrive in Jiaozhou, my troops and I will be under your command, and the departure date will be entirely up to you. However, the navy has been sailing for three months and has endured a long and arduous journey. I humbly request that you allow my soldiers to rest for fifteen days."

"Ten days." Guanqiu Jian replied earnestly, "The fleet will depart in ten days."

"Yes, sir!" Chen Ben clasped his hands in response. Guanqiu Jian nodded in satisfaction, and then said, "Sima has been away from Jiaozhou for several months and is unaware of the details. I will briefly inform Sima and Colonel Chen of the situation."

“In August, Sun Deng sent an envoy to Hepu to seek peace, saying that if the Great Wei would grant him Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen and Rinan, he would then submit to the Great Wei as an emperor and become its vassal. The envoy was killed by me.”

"In November, Sun Deng's envoy arrived again, claiming that he had deployed 100,000 troops in Jiaozhi, holding the natural defenses and waiting for our attack. Through severe interrogation, we learned that Sun Deng had about 40,000 troops in Jiaozhi, only 10,000 of whom were his own troops. The remaining 30,000 were led by Chen Shi, Shi Song, Huang Gai, and Huang Fu. Moreover, these four men's troops and Sun Deng's army were stationed in different cities, so there must be internal conflicts among them."

"My intention is to abandon Jiaozhi County and lead the fleet south along the coast to attack Jiuzhen County. First, we will capture Xupu, the capital of Jiuzhen County, to divide the enemy army! Then we will advance north and conquer it at our leisure!"

After Guanqiu Jian finished speaking, Pu Zhong, Shi Bao, Zhu Yi, Sima Shi, Chen Ben, and others all said in unison that they would obey the order.

On December 20th, the fleet headed south. Due to the large number of small boats, it took eight days to reach the sea off Jiaozhi County. The fleet did not stop in Jiaozhi County. The local ships they encountered were also frightened by the huge size of Guanqiu Jian's fleet and fled one after another. They informed Chen Shi, the governor of Jiaozhi, of this news.

Guanqiu Jian knew this, but he didn't send ships to intercept them. What he wanted was for the news to reach Jiaozhi Commandery, causing the rebels to become disunited, so that he could then divide and conquer them.

Guanqiu Jian, along with Sima Shi, Zhu Yi, Shi Bao, and others, spent the New Year's holiday on a boat. The fleet sailed for another four days before finally reaching the outskirts of Xupu City by following the Laogan River that flows into the sea.

Jiuzhen County was originally a remote and desolate place with few Han Chinese and mostly local people. In the past, Lü Dai only ordered a subordinate general to lead three thousand infantrymen to easily quell the rebellion in Jiuzhen County and advance all the way to Rinan County.

Moreover, although Xupu was the seat of Jiuzhen County, its city walls were incomparable to those of the Central Plains. Even the rammed earth walls were inferior, as most of the materials were bamboo, wood, and mud, and the walls were only one and a half feet high.

The arrival of such a large fleet seemed like a divine intervention to the remaining officials and common people of Xupu City. They were utterly astonished and had no idea where it came from. They were so frightened that they didn't even dare to leave the city to ask.

Prefect Shi Bao of Cangwu once again served as the vanguard. Seeing that the city's defenses were crude and the people outside the city were fleeing, he led only five hundred soldiers who had disembarked first to launch a surprise attack and easily captured the east gate of Xupu City. With the assistance of Pu Zhong, who disembarked later, the small city was brought under control within half an hour.

As Guanqiu Jian captured the city and met with local officials and people, the situation in Jiuzhen County gradually became clear to him.

The city was about two li square, making it one of the top three largest cities among the three commanderies of Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan. The original Jiuzhen commandery had only about two thousand soldiers. Before the governor of Jiuzhen, Shi Song, declared his rebellion and went north to Jiaozhi, he gathered more than a thousand soldiers from several powerful local families and conscripted five hundred able-bodied men from each of the three counties of Dupang, Yifeng, and Wubian, thus making up the number of five thousand soldiers. He then went to Jiaozhi to answer the call.

Guanqiu Jian offered some words of encouragement and, as the governor, pardoned everyone's crimes, allowing them to return to their posts. He then sent everyone back to their respective homes.

Everyone was extremely grateful and took their leave carefully, but after they left, Guanqiu Jian let out a long sigh.

Although Sima Shi was puzzled, he didn't ask further. Instead, it was the chief clerk, Zhu Yi, who inquired. (End of Chapter)