Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

August 14th was the second day after Man Chong arrived outside Baidi City.

Lu Xun, who had been idly sitting on the warship, suddenly heard Wang Jun say that Man Chong had invited him over. Lu Xun accepted the invitation and went, but upon meeting Man Chong, he heard something that greatly surprised him:
“I think the strategy that King Lu mentioned the other day is excellent. I have decided to follow King Lu’s advice.”

Lu Xun asked, "Which sentence?"

Man Chong said, "Has Prince Lu forgotten today? You are willing to stay and guard Baidi, while I lead the army westward to break into Shu."

Lu Xun couldn't help but click his tongue: "I told Man Gong about this when I was in Wu County. Why did Man Gong have to wait until today? Could it be that he personally went to Baidi to inspect the terrain and battlefield before he was willing to make a decision?"

Man Chong gave a heavy hum with a nasal tone: "His Majesty has entrusted me with the weighty responsibility of an army of 100,000. How can I not be extremely cautious? Whether I listen to you or Huang Gongheng, I must personally go to Baidi City to see this place, understand its geography and advantages, and determine how to set up camp before I can feel at ease. If such a heavy responsibility is decided lightly, how can I, as the commander-in-chief, answer to His Majesty?"

Lu Xun sighed softly. Even if their military philosophies differed, Man Chong's ability to put his words into practice was worthy of respect. He then asked, "It's good that you've made your decision, Lord Man. How should this matter be carried out? Have you assigned any tasks?"

“Yes.” Man Chong said in a deep voice, “My intention is to besiege first without attacking. I will first order my troops to capture Yong’an City, which is seven miles west of Baidi City, and then order General Jiang Wei’s troops to head west first and strike Jiangzhou directly! The supply ships will follow immediately and head to Jiangzhou as well. Then I will order General Xiahou Xian’s troops to follow them.”

"During this period, seek opportunities to engage the Shu army in open battle. After fifteen days, leave as many troops as you need here, and I will lead the remaining troops westward!"

Lu Xun pondered for a moment, then nodded emphatically: "Excellent! Jiang Wei's troops are the elite cavalry of the central army; this matter should be handled by him. But how should we deploy our troops after we arrive in Jiangzhou?"

Man Chong raised an eyebrow: "There's no need for Prince Lu to worry about that."

Lu Xun laughed and said, "Since you have made your plans, I will not comment further. However, according to the captured Shu army officers, Wei Yan commanded a total of 30,000 troops in Yong'an and Xiling. Since last month, there must have been losses, and now there are only about 20,000 troops left."

"I don't want much. Besides the navy, another 30,000 troops from the Manchus will suffice!"

Man Chong stared intently at Lu Xun: "How will Your Highness fight in Baidi?"

Lu Xun chuckled lightly: "There's no need for you to worry, Lord Man. Since I'm staying behind, I'll definitely report to His Majesty if anything goes wrong."

“That’s true.” Man Chong nodded, then remained silent.

……

The more than 300,000 troops of Wei and Shu were constantly fighting on the north and east sides of Yizhou, which was an extremely mentally and physically exhausting task for both sides.

The North Road is much simpler.

Cao Rui led 50,000 men and remained stationary outside Baishui Pass, engaging in a protracted tug-of-war with Zhuge Liang's forces. Due to the heavy troop presence, Zhuge Liang dared not be negligent and gathered more than 20,000 troops at Baishui Pass, effectively trapping himself there.

While Deng Ai was still making a difficult march south from Yinping Bridge, Guo Huai led 8,000 troops south to Dianjiang, leaving Bei Yan in Dangqu to look after Wu Ban's troops and Yang Yi's troops who arrived later.

For Yang Yi, the decision of whether to assist Wu Ban in defeating Bei Yan at Dangqu or to pursue Guo Huai in the south became a difficult one. Yang Yi ultimately decided to divide his troops and go south to pursue Guo Huai, asking Zhuge Liang to send reinforcements to rescue Dangqu.

The eastern route was more complicated. Unlike the protracted battle at Baishui Pass on the northern route, Man Chong dispatched his 20,000-strong central army—comprising Jiang Wei's and Xiahou Xian's troops—to the west, constantly seeking to annihilate Wei Yan's forces within Baidi City, but without success. When the agreed-upon deadline of fifteen days passed, Man Chong departed with Cao Zhao's and Xiahou Ru's troops, leaving behind 30,000 infantrymen under Huan Fan and Zhang Hu's forces in Baidi City. Including Yue Lin's 10,000 naval troops, approximately 37,000 men were under Lu Xun's command in Baidi City.

Man Chong had his own considerations in making this plan.

Including the 10,000 naval troops, he brought a total of 80,000 soldiers to Baidi City. Jiang Wei's and Xiahou Xian's troops were the central army from Luoyang, and were the strongest in terms of combat power. They should have served as the vanguard and elite troops to ensure the victory of the campaign into Shu.

Besides, Cao Zhao and Xiahou Ru had been under his command in Zhijiang for several years, and were also relatives of the Cao and Xiahou clans. Zhang Hu was a general from another clan, and his abilities were not outstanding, so it was only natural for him to stay in the rear.

As for Huan Fan, he requested to remain as regent and did not compete with the other generals for credit.

Therefore, at the end of August, the situation in Shu was extremely critical.

The northern gateway, Baishui Pass, still served its purpose, but with 50,000 troops eyeing the area, Zhuge Liang dared not be complacent.

The Wei army swept through Xiling, which was guarded by Wei Yan in the east. From the capture of Xiling to the breaching of Yong'an, it only took a short month. Wei Yan's more than 20,000 soldiers were also trapped in Baidi City.

On the northeast side, Guo Huai's 8,000 infantry and cavalry broke through Dangqu and headed south to Dianjiang, like a sharp knife piercing into the heart of Sichuan.

On the northwest side, Deng Ai defeated two thousand defenders at Yinping Road and marched towards Jiangyou.

These are all known information. The Shu rulers and ministers are still able to cope. They can simply deal with whatever comes their way. As long as the main force of Wei cannot invade in large numbers, the few troops that have broken into Shu can be calmly quelled or driven away over time.

The most fatal flaw was that, due to the time difference, Zhuge Liang and the others were unaware that Man Chong had sent Jiang Wei's troops as the vanguard to bypass Baidi and head straight for Jiangzhou! They still thought they were all blocked outside Baidi City by Wei Yan!

On August 28th, Jiang Wei's Left Valiant Guard, with ten thousand cavalry, launched a ten-day raid, capturing eight small towns along the way, and arrived north of Jiangzhou City.

Jiangzhou City was located in what is now Chongqing. The city was situated on a narrow peninsula between the Yangtze River and the Jialing River, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Jiang Wei's troops were all cavalry, coming from the north of the river. Across the Jialing River, they looked at Jiangzhou City and sighed.

"Brother, how should we proceed with the army now?" Shangguan Qi reined in his horse and asked Jiang Wei beside him.

Jiang Wei frowned as he looked south, and calmly said, "In the previous document, Minister Huang mentioned that about twenty-five li west of Jiangzhou City, there is a ford where the army can cross the Jialing River, and thus we can bring our troops to the gates of Jiangzhou City."

Shangguan Qi shook his head: "Brother, that's not what I'm asking. Your troops are all cavalry. Once you enter Shu, won't you be like a dragon entering the sea, able to roam freely?"

“Wei Yan’s army is tied up outside Baidi City. It is estimated that it will take another twenty days for Man Gong to lead his army to arrive. Brother, are you just going to be trapped in Jiangzhou City?”

Jiang Wei frowned: "Zixiu, what do you mean?"

Shangguan Qi explained, "Brother, why would we need ten thousand cavalry to besiege Jiangzhou? The map already marks Dianjiang City to the northwest and Lecheng City to the southwest. Why not send two thousand troops to each to probe? Perhaps we can trick them into surrendering the cities!" (End of Chapter)