Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The battlefield was not quiet at this time. After listening to Qian Zhao's words, Xu Shu felt a trace of sympathy or sadness in his heart, and said:
"So, Brother Qian is going to retire at this time?"

Qian Zhao finally revealed a relieved smile: "Isn't it best to retire now?"

"In public, I led the Wuwei Battalion to rescue Fancheng and repel the enemy. I can be said to have lived up to the court and His Majesty. In private, as a general, I can retire from the court after a victory. Can I ask for more? Yuanzhi, I don't want to die in office like Zhang Wenyuan, Xu Gongming, Wen Zhongye and others. I have served Han and Wei enough in my life. It is difficult to cope with it without enough energy. It is time to go back to my home in Yecheng to rest."

Seeing Xu Shu's helpless and reluctant expression, Qian Zhao said calmly: "Yuan Zhi is still young, and it is a good time for him to make achievements. I will report the matter to His Majesty and let Yuan Zhi lead the Wuwei Camp."

Xu Shu was not surprised by Qian Zhao's words. He was the military commander appointed by His Majesty, and the Wuwei Camp was under his jurisdiction. Qian Zhao mentioned it again at this time, perhaps he had something to say.

Xu Shu bowed and said, "Brother Qian, don't worry. Brother Qian, do you have anything else to tell me about the matters in the Wuwei camp?"

"Yes." Qian Zhao said calmly, "General Wang Qi fought for our army in this battle and made many suggestions on military strategy. His contribution in this battle is second only to Dian Man who broke through the enemy lines. He is second in merit in the Wuwei Battalion."

"Wang Qi." Xu Shu repeated the name in a low voice: "Wang Qi has indeed made contributions. I will report it to His Majesty. But Brother Qian, you won't leave now, will you? After all the Wu soldiers have retreated, follow the army into the city and have a feast in the city, and then we'll talk about it!"

"Okay!" Qian Zhao nodded in agreement.

As for who the court would let take charge of the Wuwei Camp after Qian Zhao left, Qian Zhao did not say, and Xu Shu did not ask. The emperor had always made his own decisions on such matters, and it was useless for others to say anything.

At this moment, at the north side of Fancheng, Li Ji was transferred to the west to help Shen Dan and Wei Sheng's troops to force Bu Zhi to retreat. Meanwhile, Dian Man's troops, who had the heaviest task and the most outstanding results, entered the Wu army camp through the gaps, and drove out all the Wu soldiers who had just fled into the camp, desperate and at a loss.

Lu Shi, who had just killed Quan Xu, also led his guards to the vicinity of Dian Man's army. He rode forward alone and shouted loudly from a distance of several feet:
"I am Lieutenant General Lu Shi! I wonder which general is on the other side?"

Upon hearing this, Dian Man also walked out of the formation, clasped his fists, and said in a deep and rough voice: "Dian Man, the deputy general of the Wuwei Camp."

Lu Shi immediately dismounted and bowed: "I have heard of General Dian's name for a long time. Thank you for rescuing Fancheng! General Dian's troops fought bravely and made great contributions today. I am deeply grateful and will report General Dian's achievements to Lord Zhao and the court!"

Dian Man just smiled and said, "Your Majesty appointed us, the court assigned us, Lords Xu and Qian commanded well, how dare I, a mere general, claim credit? General Lu defended Fancheng for so many days, he is the one who truly deserves credit."

Lu Shi waved his hand and said, "Defending a city is not like fighting in the field. It's just hard work. Just now, General Dian mentioned Lord Xu and Lord Qian? I know Lord Qian of Xuchang, but who is this Lord Xu?"

Dian Man said, "It is the Minister Xu Yuanzhi. Your Majesty appointed Minister Xu as General Ningyuan a month ago to lead the war north of the Han River. He also supervised the Zhenxi. General Lu's troops are north of the Han River and should also obey Lord Xu's orders."

"Thank you General Dian for the reminder. I wonder where Mr. Xu is now? Please tell me something, I will go to meet him in person." Lu Shi replied.

"General Lu, go to the northwest to look for him." Dian Man pointed casually, "Mr. Xu should be there."

"Thank you, General Dian, for the reminder." Lu Shi replied with a bow.

……

The Wu army on the east and west sides of the battlefield gradually retreated to the vicinity of the docks on both sides of Fancheng. Xu Shu returned to the west side, and he and Qian Zhao each commanded their own troops to confront the Wu army about 300 steps away.

On the Han River, almost all the ships of the Wu army were mobilized, some patrolling on the side of the Han River close to Xiangyang, while others gathered near the dock, ready to carry the retreating Wu soldiers.

Xu Shu and Qian Zhao had just reached a consensus that forcing the Wu army to retreat would be a great achievement. At this moment on the battlefield, the Wei army did not have an advantage in terms of manpower. Most of the Wu army was fighting and retreating, and was not completely defeated.

If the Wu army was forced to fight a desperate battle, the already small number of Wei troops would inevitably be reduced again. From both a tactical and strategic point of view, this was not the best outcome.

On the east side of Fancheng, Sun Huan's 6,000 elite Wu troops lined up in front, and under the cover of Sun Huan, Quan Cong's and Pan Jun's troops boarded the ship in an orderly manner at the dock. The sun gradually slid westward from its highest point. Pan Jun's troops had all withdrawn, and Quan Cong's troops had also boarded the ship for the most part. However, Quan Cong waited here for a long time, waiting for many defeated soldiers, but never waiting for the figure of his son.

"General..." Qin Huang, a military officer, stood in front of Quan Cong's horse and whispered, "General, General Sun is urging us to get on board as soon as possible."

"Where is Quan Xu? I haven't waited for him to arrive yet." Quan Cong looked towards the direction of the camp with a grim face, but he still didn't see Quan Xu.

"Ah." Qin Huang shook his head, lowered his head and sighed, and then stopped talking. Originally, Quanxu's position was at the back, which was the safest place on the battlefield. However, under the pressure of the elite Wei army, it became the only organized Wu army to flee on the battlefield.

Quan Cong could no longer bear it, so he took out a jade pendant from his bosom, held it between his hands, and prayed in a low voice: "May God bless me, if I can get the front side, my Zixu will be safe!" Quan Cong squatted down, and there was a clump of grass next to him. Quan Cong threw it gently, and the jade pendant spun up and then down, landing in the grass. Quan Cong stepped forward to push the grass aside, but he could only see the back of the jade pendant. The jade pendant should have been intact when it landed on the soft grass, but at this moment, for some reason, it broke in two from the middle.

A stream of blood spurted out of his mouth, staining the jade pendant and the weeds beside him with blood spots. Quan Cong immediately fell on his back, his nose twitching, his eyes staring at the sky, tears streaming down his face. The tears just flowed to the side of his ears, and he blinked a few times before fainting.

"General!" Qin Huang shouted and knelt beside Quan Cong.

"General, General!" The personal guards gathered around, either anxious or frightened, not knowing what to do.

Pan Jun had already led his troops away, Sun Huan was still in the northern formation guarding against the Wei army, and Quan Cong was the highest-ranking official at the moment. When Quan Cong fainted, the army was suddenly leaderless.

"Is it Zihuang? What happened?"

Not long after, a loud questioning voice was heard. Everyone turned around and saw that it was King Wu Sun Quan himself who came to the dock.

"Greetings to the Supreme!" Everyone bowed.

"Qin Huang! I want to ask you what happened to Zihuang!" Sun Quan strode forward, grabbed the collar of Qin Huang's armor and asked loudly.

"Your Majesty," Qin Huang said in a low voice, "Lieutenant Quanxu had not yet returned, and the general was anxious and prayed, but the jade pendant he used for prayer broke, and then he fainted."

Sun Quan leaned over and sniffed Quan Cong's breath, then shook his head and glanced at Qin Huang from the side: "This is a case of impatience. Put Zihuang on my back, and I will carry Zihuang back to the camp myself!"

"Yes." Qin Huang did not dare to delay, and together with the guards beside him, he carefully placed Quan Cong on Sun Quan's back.

Quan Cong was tall and strong, and the armor he wore was extremely heavy. Sun Quan slowly stood up, lowered his head to the ground, and walked towards the ship next to the dock. Everyone could see the effort in his steps. Some people tried to help Sun Quan, but were glared back by Sun Quan.

There are some things that other people cannot do.

The strangeness on the Han River could also be seen in Xiangyang City. With so many tower ships, oil tankers, and boats coming and going, Zhao Yan and others on the top of the city wall also started discussing:
Zhao Yan put his hands behind his back and looked towards the north: "Judging from the situation today, I am afraid there is a big movement in the north of Fancheng. Xuchang is 600 miles away from Xiangyang. According to the date, reinforcements from Xuchang should have arrived. The Wu army ships swarmed in, and then withdrew one by one. It should be that the army retreated from the north bank of the Han River."

Niu Jin laughed a few times: "The ones stationed in Xuchang are the Wuwei Battalion of Qianzhenxi. In all these years, when has Wei ever lost to Wu Gou in land battles? Let alone the Wuwei Battalion, even if I were leading the army in the north, I would not lose this battle!"

Zhao Yan smiled calmly and did not comment on Niu Jin's speech. However, Yin Fan, who was standing upright at the side, spoke at this moment:
"I have seen that the Wu army has retreated in moderation. Even though they were defeated in the north, they have not been completely routed. The Wu army and navy are still there. Once Fancheng is relieved, all the troops will go to Xiangyang. The Han River blocks the way, so I am afraid that Xiangyang will be relieved indefinitely."

Zhao Yan didn't care: "Is Shuping afraid of death?"

Yin Fan laughed and said, "If I were afraid of death, I wouldn't have traveled all the way from Luoyang to Wuchang to investigate. Lord Zhao, haven't you heard that the more afraid of death a person is, the faster he will die?"

Zhao Yan said, "Since Shuping is not afraid of death, I am not afraid of death either. Then we can just fight the Wu army in Xiangyang City. If we can hold out for a month, we will hold out for a month. If we can hold out for a year, we will hold out for a year."

"Uncle, you're not afraid of death, right?" Zhao Yan teased Niu Jin with a smile.

Niu Jin grinned and replied, "If Lord Zhao is not afraid, then I am not afraid either."

"Although I said just now that I can also repel the Wu army, judging from the timing of the Wu army's actions, Qian Zhenxi led the Wuwei Battalion to fight really well."

"Where is good?" Zhao Yan asked with a smile.

"The Wu army retreated in moderation, which is enough to explain it. The Wu army's retreat proves that the Wei army's pressure forced them to retreat. The retreat in moderation means that the Wei army used its troops calmly, preserved its strength and did not take the opportunity to invade. If I were there, I might not be so restrained in using troops."

Zhao Yan said: "That's why Qian Zijing became the General of Zhenxi. Shucai also needs to work hard!"

Niu Jin smiled and said, "I am under Lord Zhao's command. How to use my combat power is entirely up to Lord Zhao."

Zhao Yan smiled but said nothing for a moment. (End of this chapter)