Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

A river breeze from the east caused the flags flying around General Lu Xun's flagship to flutter loudly, as if announcing that a great battle was about to begin.

On the deck, Man Chong took a slight breath upon seeing Lu Xun's smiling face, suppressing the tightness in his chest and abdomen, and slowly nodded:
"Now that the east wind has arrived, let's begin the war today. King Lu, how do you plan to attack?"

Lu Xun replied, "Does Lord Man have any advice?"

"No." Man Chong remained indifferent: "You will lead the navy directly, and I will only observe your success."

Lu Xun nodded: "In that case, we still need Lord Man to send infantry to cooperate. In an hour, could Lord Man send 5,000 troops to attack the Shu army's forward camp on the east side of the river?"

Man Chong stroked his beard: "Alright, I will use Dian Man's 5,000 troops to launch a strong attack, as they are the most elite of his forces."

Lu Xun continued, "The Shu army has many defenses on the river, including ships, arrow towers, bastions, and iron chains. We don't know how long the east wind will last. If you can get your infantry to cut off the connection between the river defenses and the shore before noon, the defenders on the river will have no way to continue, and the Shu army's river defenses will surely be breached today."

Man Chong paused for a moment, then gritted his teeth slightly: "I can promise you 70% of this. The terrain is narrow, and the armies will attack in batches. Today, we can only mobilize a maximum of 30,000 troops, and I cannot fully guarantee it."

“With Lord Man’s strategic planning, there is nothing to worry about.” Lu Xun stared into Man Chong’s eyes and continued, “If the Shu army is defeated, I ask Lord Man to allow me to deploy the entire navy up the river to block the Shu army’s retreat.”

Man Chong's eyes also met Lu Xun's, and he fell silent for a moment.

If that's the full extent of the online army, then that's 40,000 online trolls.

Go straight up the river, but where do we go? To Baidi City, or further upstream to Jiangzhou?

The three families of Cao, Sun, and Liu had stood in a tripartite balance for so many years that they were very familiar with each other's politics, geography, and personnel.

When Lu Xun served in the Wu Kingdom, he presided over the western front and defeated Liu Bei at Xiling. He understood that if Baidi City were captured, Shu's eastern garrison would have to be located in the Jiangzhou area, which is near Chongqing in later times. Jiangzhou was never an important military location. To suggest that Shu should use Jiangzhou as a key military stronghold to defend against the enemy would be as ridiculous as Wei defending Chenliu or Wu defending Wu Commandery.

The geography of Baidi City was also transparent to the Wei Kingdom. With Huang Quan in front and Li Yan behind, not to mention Huang Quan was currently with Man Chong's army. After capturing Xiling, they would simply advance along the Yangtze River by both land and water, with Baidi City blocking their path.

If Lu Xun really manages to reach Baidi City from the river in one fell swoop, with Man Chong's army behind him and the absolute advantage of the Wei army's strength, then Lu Xun can indeed travel south of Baidi City on the river, abandoning Baidi City and leading his navy straight to Jiangzhou!

Anyway, Man Chong's 70,000 infantry and cavalry will be there to cover the rear!

Lu Xun was asking about the merits of conquering Shu.

Man Chong had always wanted the credit for conquering Shu, so that he could win the throne that the emperor had long promised him.

What are the 30,000 Jiaozhou soldiers led by Guanqiu Jian? They're just a wild and malarial land in the south.

The emperor had said long ago that he could be granted the title of king in the war against Shu, but he never made such a clear promise of several positions as he had before the war against Wu.

The emperor himself commanded the northern army, while Man Chong led the eastern army. If Man Chong didn't fight for this opportunity to be granted a title of king, who would?
Lu Xun was not without ambition for merit. Taking over the two empty cities of Xiling and breaking through the Shu army's river defenses were nothing to him; he disdained to take them. Only the great achievement of conquering Shu was worth fighting for.

The two stared at each other for a moment, which felt like half an hour.

Man Chong finally made up his mind and slowly said, "Prince Lu, when the court was discussing military strategies, it was said that since Shu had few naval forces, if we were to sail upstream from Xiling, Prince Lu would only need to lead 10,000 naval troops. There was no need to use a large number."

Lu Xun's expression immediately turned cold, and he replied, "If that's the case, the 80,000 troops of the Eastern Route Army—infantry, cavalry, and naval forces—would be more than enough to conquer Shu."

"Yes." Man Chong narrowed his eyes slightly.

Lu Xun pointed to the riverbank with his right hand and said in a deep voice, "The military situation is critical. I request that you, Lord Man, send troops on land. Once you send troops, my troops will immediately advance along the river."

"Alright." Man Chong said only one word before turning around to disembark. Cao Zhao and Zhang Hu, who were with him, were very respectful, bowing to Lu Xun before following Man Chong away.

Wang Jun looked at Lu Xun's profile and slowly said, "Lord Man does not want Your Highness to command a large army, as he wants to claim all the credit for himself."

Lu Xun, however, seemed much more relaxed than before, and smiled as he looked at Wang Jun, saying, "Shizhi, you've seen it too. For me, it's either about making a great contribution or avoiding any mishaps. Other than that, minor achievements are of no benefit to me whatsoever. Since he doesn't want me to make a great contribution, then let him do the hard work himself."

"Looking at him today, he has become so haggard in just one month. Commanding an army of 100,000 is truly heartbreaking."

Wang Jun seemed somewhat regretful: "Then how does Your Highness plan to deploy your troops?"

Lu Xun said, "I have received great favors from His Majesty, which has nothing to do with his favoritism. Naturally, I must do my best to break through the Shu army's river defenses."

"But the Shu army's strategy of crossing the river is a trivial matter. I have a way to defeat them in one hour, half a day, or even a full day. The only difference is the casualties and the cost. Since they want to do it this way, let them hold them back on land for a while. I can then attack more calmly and avoid causing more casualties to my troops."

"As for after we break through Xiling, we won't need the navy anymore. Baidi City is difficult to attack, and since Lord Man is in such a hurry, he will definitely leave troops to besiege the city while ordering the main army to continue advancing. At that time, I will volunteer to stay behind and help him watch over Baidi City, so that Lord Man won't get annoyed and worry that I will steal his credit."

"Understood, Your Majesty." Wang Jun sighed softly. "So, the strategy remains the same: only General Yue's troops will be deployed?"

“Alright, ten thousand troops and a few dozen ships are enough. Why send the entire navy?” Lu Xun said, “General Yue is prudent and resolute, a true general. I will give him this credit. Order all ships to send flammable materials to General Yue’s ships. We will attack with fire today!”

"As you command." Wang Jun clasped his hands in a fist salute and left.

The Shu army lacked imagination in naval warfare, naively believing that simply blocking the river would be enough to withstand the Wei navy. The fortified structures such as the pillars and arrow towers were all defensive measures designed to counter the approaching Wei navy.

In other words, the closer the distance, the greater the damage, and the faster the outcome is decided.

The Shu army relied on nothing more than eight large ships anchored in the river, each with an arrow tower.

In Lu Xun's original plan, the fastest way was to have multiple large ships approach, chain them together with iron chains, and use their weight and the current to break apart the Shu army's anchored vessels. A slightly less ideal method was to have warships approach and fire upon the enemy, followed by close combat to capture the arrow towers. The slowest method was to use wind power for a fire attack, which would require launching flammable materials, the right wind force, and a small advance fleet.

Le Lin's 10,000-strong navy is sufficient.

Man Chong arrived at Lu Xun's ship after dawn. He was in such a hurry that he didn't even have time for breakfast. After returning quickly, he immediately went to arrange the infantry offensive.

At 7:45 AM, the first group tasked with attacking the Shu army camp was the 5,000 infantrymen under the command of Lieutenant General Dian Man.

After being transferred from the Central Army, Dian Man remained a Lieutenant General, but the army he directly commanded increased from two thousand men in the Central Army to five thousand men. He was placed under the command of General Cao Zhao, and was considered the heaviest and most elite of the thirty thousand infantrymen that Man Chong originally had in Zhijiang.

Heavy armored soldiers, wielding large shields, charged towards the Shu army's camp in a dense, forest-like formation, spreading like black waves across the undulating low hills before the walls. Interspersed behind them were numerous lightly armored infantrymen with swords at their sides, some carrying planks, others with hooked axes, ready to confront the Shu army's fortifications.

In the Shu army camp, the crossbowmen, who were already on guard, followed their captain's orders, prepared arrows, nocked them, and fired. Arrows rained down, crossing the walls and shallow trenches, and mercilessly struck the attacking Wei army formation.

Wei Yan stood atop a watchtower on a low hill within the camp, his brow furrowed as he gazed towards the opposing army formation:
"The wind is in our favor today. The Wei rebels have finally attacked, without any prior warning. The infantry should attack first, and the navy should follow immediately. The Wei rebel ships have been moored near Xiling for too long."

"Pass on my orders!" Wei Yan, his voice booming, stood with his hands on his hips and shouted, "Order Generals Jiang, Chen, and Guo to prepare themselves. Today, the Wei bandits are launching a major attack. Also, order General Zhou's entire force to enter the river to defend against the Wei bandits' advance. Remember to remind General Zhou about the wind direction!"

"As you command." Sima Zhao Xi bowed and gave the order, then sent people to inform the generals.

The duty of the Norimanbu was to clear obstacles for the army's advance. (End of Chapter)