Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Cao Zhao and Xiahou Ru's troops were subordinates who had been stationed in Zhijiang with Man Chong for four years. Half of their infantrymen even came from Man Chong's army, which had been stationed in Xiangyang even earlier.

If he were an ordinary commander, he would cherish the army he had commanded for many years.

But Man Chong was different.

For Man Chong, there were only two objectives in this battle: to secure a draw and to win. As for matters like his own troops or guest forces, they were entirely outside his consideration. All his decisions were based solely on the development of the battle. Losses of his own troops were acceptable; his only concern was stability and victory.

Xiahou Xian is right! A strong army should be kept in the field, not sent to attrition-inducing siege warfare, which would be a waste of its talents.

On September 13th, after a day of offensive and fierce fighting, around late afternoon, Jiangzhou City was completely breached. The remaining 3,000 soldiers in the city surrendered, and the commander Zong Yu was captured by General Dian Man's troops.

Dian Man led his troops in the city to disarm and imprison the surrendered Shu soldiers, only to see Man Chong entering the city in a carriage.

"Greetings, Lord Man." Dian Man arrived ahead of time beside Man Chong's carriage and bowed in greeting.

The guard lifted the carriage curtain, and Man Chong slowly stepped down. He glanced at Dian Man out of the corner of his eye and said in a low voice, "Where is Zong Yu? Take me to see him."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Dian Man clasped his hands in a fist salute: "This man is being held to the east, about a hundred paces from here. Please come this way, Lord Man."

"Alright." Man Chong nodded. Cao Zhao, who was standing to the side, wanted to help Man Chong when he saw that Man Chong looked weak and powerless, but Man Chong waved him away and frowned at Cao Zhao, saying, "I'm not so sick that I can't walk. Go on your own!"

"Yes." Cao Zhao lowered his head reluctantly, but his eyes were full of worry.

Cao Zhao accompanied Man Chong all the way from Baidi City, witnessing Man Chong's gradual decline due to the complex military affairs and travel schedule, and his worries about Man Chong grew day by day. As Cao Xiu's son, he understood very well the impact of the commander-in-chief's sudden collapse on the entire army. Cao Xiu's sudden death had even affected the political situation of the court and the complete demise of the governorship system.

But what could he say? Could he tell His Majesty that our commander-in-chief was on the verge of collapse? Huang Quan and Lu Xun, who were acting as agents of the emperor, were still on standby in the army!
If Man Chong knew he had such thoughts, Man Chong could first strip him of his general title, then throw him into a prison cart and send him back to Luoyang!

Zong Yu was bound all over and lay on his side on the sandy ground, unable to move.

Man Chong approached, frowning as he asked, "Why is this person lying here?"

“Reporting to Lord Man,” Dian Man quickly said, “He was originally supposed to kneel here, but he refused, so we’ll leave him here for now.”

"Ah."

Man Chong nodded and stepped forward. Cao Zhao, with his keen eye, found a wooden box and brought it over, allowing Man Chong to sit down. Zong Yu's eyes were bloodshot as he glared resentfully at Man Chong's face.

"You are Zong Yu and Zong Deyan, the General of An Dong of Shu, right?" Man Chong stretched his legs and asked slowly, "You surrendered after the city fell, and should have been executed. But I am mindful of your long-standing betrayal in Shu and wish to give you a chance to redeem yourself through meritorious service."

Zong Yu said weakly, "If you want to kill, then kill quickly, there's no need for further words."

Man Chong shook his head: "The emperor has appointed me as the commander-in-chief of an army, granting me the authority to lead 100,000 troops. How can I prioritize killing in everything? The separatist regime in Shu will eventually be pacified, just like Emperor Guangwu pacified Gongsun Shu. It's just a matter of sooner or later, and it will be a matter of the end of this year or the beginning of next year."

“I know you are from Nanyang. Since Liu Bei came to Jingzhou in the early years of Jian’an, you have been away from your hometown for more than 30 years. Your valiant defense of the city this time is enough to repay the kindness of Liu Bei and his son. If you are willing to surrender, your official position will not be lower than your position in Shu, and you can return to your hometown in the future. Isn’t that good?”

Zong Yu stared at Man Chong, laughing instead of getting angry: "Heh, heh, heh heh heh, you Wei traitors still have the nerve to mention Emperor Guangwu? I am from Nanyang, the hometown of Emperor Guangwu. Since you know my birthplace, I only wish to follow Liu Bei, not Cao Cao!" "You want to persuade me to surrender first, and then make me persuade others to surrender? Bah! Kill me quickly!"

Man Chong shook his head slightly, stood up, turned around and walked away. After taking a few steps, he said calmly, "Behead them. Take their heads and bring them with the army as a warning to others!"

"As you command." Dian Man clasped his hands in response without the slightest hesitation. He personally arranged for two soldiers to behead Zong Yu immediately. Then, he placed Zong Yu's head on a wooden tray, carried it himself, and hurried to catch up with Man Chong before Man Chong boarded the carriage.

Upon returning to the camp, Man Chong ordered all his generals and military advisors to examine Zong Yu's head and instructed them to preserve it with lime before handing it over to the army for use in persuading cities to surrender.

Huang Quan sighed upon seeing Zong Yu's head.

Man Chong asked, "Why does Minister Huang sigh? Have you gained some insight?"

Everyone in the tent looked at Huang Quan. They all knew that Huang Quan had served as an official in the Shu Kingdom in the past, and they seemed to be waiting for Huang Quan to speak.

Huang Quan coughed lightly, his expression unchanged, and calmly said with his hands clasped, "To be honest, I have known Zong Yu for a long time. Although he is talented, he is not a top-tier talent. He is simple and honest, but not known for his virtue. Compared with Jiang Wan, Fei Yi, Yang Yi and others who are in power in Shu at this time, he is far inferior. But even such a person, when the time comes, is still blindly loyal to Shu, unaware of the important matters of the world and the principle of changing the imperial power..."

"Lord Man, it won't be easy to conquer cities and persuade them to surrender in the future."

Man Chong nodded nonchalantly: "Minister Huang overestimates them. Once Jiangzhou is captured, if we take a few more cities in Shu, the defending generals and officials will be terrified. How can they still be talking about blind loyalty and righteousness?"

"If His Majesty had not instructed me in his letter to cherish the people and strength of the Shu region as much as possible, I would have truly slaughtered this city as a warning to others."

Huang Quan didn't speak, but nodded with great poise, his hands behind his back.

As the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and one of the Ten Dukes, his position in the army was only slightly inferior to Man Chong's, almost equal to his.

Man Chong didn't care at all and immediately spoke as usual: "Jiangzhou City has been captured. After a day of rest, the army will continue to advance. The Shu army is still confronting Guo Huai's troops in Dianjiang. We should quickly defeat Yang Yi's troops in Dianjiang and Wu Ban's troops in Dangqu, and then advance towards Guanghan."

"Xiahou Ru".

"Your subordinate is here," Xiahou Ru replied, clasping his hands in greeting.

Man Chong said, "Since the Xiling War, your unit has suffered the most losses. Therefore, your unit will be stationed in Jiangzhou to strengthen the city's defenses and oversee the transport of grain."

"This subordinate obeys the order," Xiahou Ru replied readily.

Since the start of the campaign, Man Chong's prestige in the army has grown daily, and no one dares to disobey him. Moreover, Wei Yan's troops are still trapped in Baidi City, so leaving some troops behind is not excessive.

"The rest of the army will set off for Dianjiang tomorrow to aid Guo Huai!" Man Chong said, then turned to Huang Quan and added, "Minister Huang, tomorrow you should go to Dianjiang with the scouts to see Guo Huai. I will write to you to tell Guo Huai that I am in charge of the battle in Dianjiang, and I will temporarily command his troops!"

Huang Quan was somewhat hesitant, but he readily agreed.

Let's talk about it when we meet Guo Huai. (End of Chapter)