Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

After more than twenty days of pursuit, Wei Yan retreated all the way to the vicinity of Baidi City.

Baidi City was built on a teardrop-shaped peninsula along the Yangtze River. It is bordered by the Caoshui River to the east, the river to the south and west, and a narrow road to the north leading to the mainland.

Moreover, the three sides of Baidi City facing the water are not entirely the same. The east and south sides are both stone walls, while the west side has a foreshore formed by the accumulation of river mud and sand, but it is also mostly jagged rocks. In autumn and winter, when the water is shallow, there is a large rock called Yanyu Dui lying across the river on the west side, obstructing the navigation.

Baidi City in this era was extremely treacherous, making it incredibly easy to defend and difficult to attack. This was the source of Wei Yan's confidence in leading his troops to retreat and defend Baidi City.

Wei Yan knew the geography, and Huang Quan was also fully aware of it; there was no information gap between Wei and Shu in this regard.

The straight-line distance from Wuxian to Baidi City is only about eighty li. The vanguard Huan Fan's 20,000 soldiers have already reached Chijia Mountain on the opposite bank of the Caoshui River east of Baidi City, where they are facing off against Wei Yan's troops. Man Chong is still in Wuxian.

The mountainous terrain along the river created a serpentine marching pattern, with no way to avoid it.

Of course, this excluded the use of the navy, but Man Chong insisted on allowing only 10,000 naval troops to accompany the main army, which Lu Xun could not refuse. After all, differing opinions on the details of the battle were one thing, but forcibly leading troops out of battle against the command of their general was quite another. Given Lu Xun's political acumen, he would never do such a thing.

On the evening of August 10th, in Wuxian County.

Man Chong's voice was full of exhaustion: "Once we reach Wu County, Yong'an and Baidi will not be far away. Huan Fan's troops have already reached Chijia Mountain, and Baidi City is just across the river."

"I have summoned you all here today to discuss how to attack this place. Please take a look at the map..."

There are no standard answers when it comes to military operations. As the commander-in-chief, Man Chong conducted the entire military council according to his prudent military thinking.

In short, Baidi City must be captured, or its military strength must be severely depleted, before the army can proceed westward.

Lu Xun not only didn't offer any advice, but remained completely silent throughout, only echoing and applauding when others agreed with Man Chong. Huang Quan, nominally in charge of logistics, wouldn't interfere in the slightest, even though he had some reservations. As for the remaining Cao Zhao, Xiahou Xian, Xiahou Ru, and others, what could they say? Naturally, they would fill in a few words within the framework set by Man Chong, offering some innocuous suggestions.

After the meeting concluded, Lu Xun returned to his fleet along the coast of Wu County. Wang Jun inquired about the upcoming battle, and Lu Xun recounted everything he had heard in the army.

Wang Jun was silent for a few moments: "Your Highness, Lord Man is being a bit too cautious. The war should not be fought like this. The army's logistics are all transported by water, and there are no Shu naval forces on the river. It is not like encountering a pass on land, where you have to conquer it."

Lu Xun sneered, "Your forces outnumber the Shu army several times over, yet you want to take Baidi City here? Baidi City controls a vital transportation route, but can't you just bypass it by naval ships?"

"If we can capture Baidi, then everything will be settled. But what if we can't? What should we do then? Spend three or six months here? Even if he doesn't completely bypass us, can't we send ten or twenty thousand troops into Shu first?"

Wang Jun asked, "Is it because you are reluctant to travel by water that you were concerned about saving face when you refuted His Highness's navy earlier?"

Lu Xun sighed softly: "Although he wants to claim all the credit, he hasn't yet reached the point where he would ruin the entire army because of one person's prejudice. Man Gong is over seventy years old, but he has never actually led an army on his own. Military affairs are important, but the commander's mindset is even more important. I have learned this lesson the hard way."

"In my opinion, he is being too cautious, to the point that he wants to keep the army close to him and control it. Given the scale of the war, he will not send me to Shu, nor will he believe that people like Cao Zhao, Xiahou Ru, or Xiahou Xian can do this well."

"These people are also of no use to me. Not a single person dared to offer any advice at today's military council!"

Wang Jun shook his head repeatedly: "Then what should we do?"

Lu Xun sighed, "Forget it, I'll go and speak to him. This is for His Majesty's sake, not because I want to help him, but to prevent him from ruining national affairs!" "Whether he listens or not is his own business. If I've given him my advice, then I can have a clear conscience."

"Lord Man, Prince Lu has come to visit," a guard announced in a low voice outside the tent.

Man Chong was still awake, and the light from eight oil lamps illuminated the tent as much as possible. Upon hearing the guard's words, Man Chong silently put down his pen, took a deep breath, and then replied, "Alright, I will go to greet him myself."

Man Chong stood up, supporting himself on the low table. He felt a wave of dizziness and darkness before his eyes. After a few moments, his vision cleared, and he walked forward to greet Lu Xun outside the tent.

The proper etiquette should still be observed.

“Prince Lu.” Man Chong bowed slightly.

Lu Xun returned the greeting: "Lord Man, you haven't rested yet? I'm sorry to have disturbed you with my arrival."

"It's alright." Man Chong's voice was much weaker than during the day. He pointed into the tent and said, "Come in and talk about whatever it is."

"Okay." Lu Xun nodded.

After the two entered and sat down, Lu Xun finally spoke: "Lord Man, in fact, I wanted to speak during the military council today, but none of the generals said anything, so I didn't feel comfortable expressing my opinion. After returning to the ship, I thought about it again and again, and for the sake of the country's military, I still have something to say to you, Lord Man."

Man Chong looked at Lu Xun in silence, without saying a word.

Lu Xun said, "Baidi City is easy to defend and difficult to attack; that's the established fact. Attacking Baidi City is the right thing to do, but it's not necessary to put all our forces there. What difference is there between attacking with 80,000 troops and attacking with 70,000 or 60,000 troops? But if we could send 10,000 or 20,000 troops into Jiangzhou, the situation in Shu would be very different!"

"If all else fails, after we've exhausted the Shu army's strength a few times, I'll stay behind to guard Baidi City for you, and you can lead your main force to attack Shu! I can entrust the command of Yue Lin's troops to you; I'll stay behind for you!"

Man Chong was silent for a few moments: "And what about logistics?"

Lu Xun said, "It's just a matter of sailing to Jiangzhou, what's so difficult about that? As for what happens after Jiangzhou, Shu has been prosperous since ancient times, so it won't be difficult to get some grain and fodder locally!"

A wave of exhaustion washed over Man Chong. After pondering for a long time, Man Chong finally replied, "Prince Lu, in your opinion, how should the White Emperor be attacked?"

Lu Xun said, "Wei has more troops, so a desperate attack here is pointless. I think that no matter how many Shu troops we leave at Baidi, Wei only needs 10,000 more! If they want to win, they should attack from the outside. If they are stubborn, let them be stubborn!"

Man Chong pursed his lips, sat down and looked at Lu Xun: "Your Highness, please go back and rest. I already know about this matter."

"Alright." Lu Xun felt helpless, nodded and left without saying anything more.

Man Chong was already ninety percent in agreement with Lu Xun's words. But as the commander-in-chief, the specifics of how to proceed were ultimately up to him to decide!
After Lu Xun returned, he told Wang Jun about Man Chong's evasive behavior. The two men were helpless and had no choice but to accept their fate; it was nothing more than a protracted war, and that couldn't be worse. If he wanted to play it safe, then so be it!

The eastern army continued its advance according to plan. Huan Fan's troops built fortifications on Chijia Mountain, while the rest of his forces established camps near the hills around the Caoshui River Valley. They continued to advance towards the mountains north and east of Baidi City, clashing repeatedly with Wei Yan's forces, with victories and defeats on both sides. (End of Chapter)