Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 159 Sheng must be defeated!
"Your Majesty, the Wei rebels' Yuzhou army has turned around and is heading towards Wuguan!"

A robust, square-faced general with a stern expression and a short beard dismounted on the banks of the Mian River and immediately roared at the emperor on the ship.

Shouting, he leaped onto the deck and rowed towards the ship.

The emperor on the ship paused upon hearing this, and in his surprise and doubt, he turned to look at Grand Commander Lu Xun, only to see that Lu Xun's face was also full of suspicion.

Before General Xu Sheng, the Marquis of Wuhu, could even reach the deck of the warship, the Emperor hurried downstairs and onto the deck. His face filled with urgency, he asked Xu Sheng, who was still rapidly ascending the steps:
"Has Wei Ni from Yuzhou gone to Wuguan? Is the news accurate?"

There is only one reason why Jia Kui's Yuzhou reinforcements could go to Wuguan: Liu Shan had successfully held back Sima Yi in Guanzhong.

The two sides were probably locked in a stalemate, which is why Jia Kui's Yuzhou army was needed to provide support to Guanzhong!

Xu Sheng nodded excitedly: "Your Majesty, the news is absolutely certain!"

"My son personally led several dozen elite cavalry to gather intelligence in Xinye!"

Xinye is located in the heart of Nanyang and is also a transportation hub for Nanyang.

Whether Jia Kui's Yuzhou army or Cao Xiu's Huainan army were heading west to support Wuguan or south to support Xiangfan, they all had to pass through Xinye.

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan's expression brightened slightly, and he looked at Lu Xun beside him:
"Boyan, Heaven is truly helping our Great Wu!"

"It seems that our Great Wu still has a chance to capture Xiangfan!"

"I only hope that Liu Shan and Zhuge Liang can be more capable and hold off Sima Yi and Jia Kui for a little longer, buying us more time!"

Lu Xun initially wanted to nod in agreement, but for some reason, a sense of unease crept into his heart. After a moment, he suppressed his anxiety and stammered:

"Your Majesty, do you think... it's possible that the Shu ruler and Prime Minister Zhuge Liang have already defeated Sima Yi and captured Chang'an, which is why Cao Rui urgently dispatched Jia Kui's Yuzhou army to garrison Wuguan?"

After Lu Xun finished speaking, Xu Sheng and the Supreme One, who had just been in high spirits, were both stunned.

The Supreme One remained silent for a long time, his mouth half-open.

"No... that's impossible, isn't it?" The Supreme One smiled with relief, though it seemed somewhat forced.

A moment later, even this forced smile faded, and he stroked his purple beard, shaking his head with a smile:
"Sima Yi was not an incompetent general who knew nothing about military affairs, and the Jing and Yu armies he commanded were not weak forces either."

"The fact that Meng Da was beheaded with lightning speed earlier is a glimpse into this."

"He entered Guanzhong in April, and it has been less than two months since then."

"The combined forces of Jing and Yu, along with the garrison in Guanzhong, still number seventy to eighty thousand. Even though Chang'an is a large city, it is easy to attack but difficult to defend."

"However, the Shu ruler and Zhuge Liang's siege troops numbered no more than forty or fifty thousand, while Sima Yi had an army of seventy or eighty thousand, plus laborers and slaves, which could be described as a force of one hundred thousand, enough to protect Chang'an from falling."

Sun Quan recognized Sima Yi's abilities to a certain extent.

Previously, when Cao Rui ascended the throne, Sun Quan launched an attack on Wei.

He ordered Zhuge Jin and Zhang Ba to attack Xiangyang in two separate routes, while he personally led his troops to attack Jiangxia County.

As a result, Sima Yi defeated Zhuge Jin, killed Zhang Ba, beheaded over a thousand people, and chased Sun Quan down the Han River. He was later promoted to General of the Cavalry.

In the battle to kill Meng Da, Sima Yi acted without Cao Rui's permission, besieging the city on the eighth day and capturing Xincheng on the sixteenth, killing Meng Da.

This decisiveness and brilliant record, which shocked and instilled fear in the world, naturally led Sun Quan to associate him with the late Grand Commander Zhou Yu.

He had previously spent a lot of money to investigate Sima Yi and knew that he was good at raising soldiers and that his military training and management were first-rate.

This is an even more troublesome enemy than Cao Xiu of Huainan.

Xu Sheng and Lu Xun were not arrogant people. After Sima Yi beheaded Meng Da, they also had some fear of Sima Yi, the General of the Great Wei.

Upon hearing the Supreme One's analysis, they all nodded in agreement, believing that Sima Yi was unlikely to be defeated so quickly.

Lu Xun sighed:
"Your Majesty's words are reasonable, but the fact that the Shu ruler and Prime Minister Zhuge Liang could force Cao Wei to this point is truly beyond my expectations."

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan frowned slightly, his previously improved mood turning somber once again.

Cao Zhen and Zhang He, two veteran generals of Wei, were both defeated and beheaded by Liu Shan (A Dou) who personally led the expedition. Now, Sima Yi also seems to be in trouble.

He personally led several campaigns, only to fail repeatedly, yet he fought on despite each defeat.

Now, we are once again stuck beneath the walls of Fancheng, unable to conquer it.

Once Cao Xiu and Jia Kui's Yuzhou army arrive, his northern expedition will essentially be declared a failure.

Once the Wu army lands, its combat effectiveness drops by 30%. On this vast plain with no natural defenses or ambushes, unless a miracle occurs or an incompetent fool is encountered, it is unlikely to be a match for the Wei army's field forces.

Now, Jia Kui's Yuzhou army has been forced to retreat to Wuguan by Liu Shan and Zhuge Liang.

Undoubtedly, this bought the Great Wu time to capture Xiangfan.

He should have been happy.

But upon closer inspection, the taste seemed a little off.

What did Cao Rui consider Sun Quan to be? How dare he look down on him like that?!

As the youngest and most powerful ruler in the tripartite balance of power, Sun Quan had defeated Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs and Liu Bei at the Battle of Yiling. He controlled one-third of the land and held Jiangnan. Sun Quan was somewhat proud of himself.

But now, both Liu Shan and Cao Rui are more than twenty years younger than him, making him an old man in the era of the Three Kingdoms.

Since Liu Shan (A Dou) personally led his troops into battle and won one victory after another, Cao Rui treated him as if he were nothing. This feeling was really unbearable for him.

Anger rising within him, Sun Quan said to Lu Xun:

"Boyan, if we launch a full-scale attack on Fancheng, is it possible to capture it before Cao Xiu's reinforcements arrive?"

Sun Quan also received news that Cao Xiu had led his army away from Huainan.

However, Huainan is too far from the Xiangfan front line, so a long detour is needed. Although there is no news, it is estimated that it is still within the Runan area.

When Guan Yu besieged Xiangfan, Zhang Liao also moved his troops from Hefei to support the Xiangfan front.

Before Guan Yu even arrived, Lü Meng had already seized Jingzhou, forcing Guan Yu to retreat.

Lu Xun glanced at Fancheng, three miles away, and felt a sense of helplessness.
"Your Majesty, without the help of favorable timing, Fancheng will likely remain difficult to capture."

Even with Guan Yu's elite troops and the advantage of the heavy rain and the low-lying terrain of Fancheng, they still failed to capture Fancheng. They only flooded Yu Jin's seven armies, which were located in a low-lying area. How could the Wu army possibly capture Fancheng?
Sun Quan grew increasingly displeased: "So, does this mean that once Cao Xiu's army from Huaiyang arrives, we'll have no choice but to retreat?"

Lu Xun shook his head: "Not necessarily. If Cao Xiu personally leads a large army here, we will retreat and quickly head down the Yangtze River to Hefei."

“If Cao Xiu sends a detachment with a small force, I believe we can continue to delay the inevitable.”

"The north suffered a severe drought, and the Shu ruler and Prime Minister Zhuge Liang also depleted much of Wei's grain and troops."

"If we can hold out until August or September, Fancheng's food supplies will run out."

Before his army reached Xiangfan, Lu Xun truly hadn't expected the drought during this year's Northern Expedition to be so severe.

However, such favorable weather not only made it difficult for the Wu navy to operate, but also hindered the Wei's grain transport, making it difficult to sustain food supplies everywhere. It was hard to say for sure who Heaven was helping.

Sun Quan first looked up at the sky, then looked around. All he saw was withered and barren land. He stroked his beard and nodded, saying:
"Back then, Guan Yu took advantage of the heavy rain to flood the seven armies, which made him a formidable figure throughout China."

"Now, taking advantage of the great drought, I am not unable to capture Xiangyang and Fancheng and secure the natural defenses of the Yangtze and Han rivers."

Although he had prepared for the possibility that if Xiangfan failed, he would sail down the river to attack Hefei, taking advantage of the time difference when Cao Xiu was supporting Xiangfan, Sun Quan still had some reservations about Hefei.

Moreover, Xiangfan was far more important to the Wu Kingdom than Hefei.

Xu Sheng glanced at Lu Xun, then turned his gaze to the Supreme Being, and after a moment spoke in a resounding voice:

"Your Majesty, even if Cao Xiu comes, I, Sheng, dare to defeat him for Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan was taken aback at first, then patted the fierce general on the shoulder, laughed heartily, and praised him:

"Wen Xiang is truly a tiger minister of the emperor!"
“In the past, Xuande had Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as his allies.”

"Cao Cao had Zhang He and Xu Huang as his henchmen."

"However, Xuande and Mengde have now passed away."

"Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Xu Chu, and Zhang Fei are all dead. I, however, still live on, ruling over Jiangnan. With Boyan, a man of both literary and martial talents, as my advisor, and Wenxiang, a generous and courageous general, as my loyal minister, I am more than capable of conquering the world and establishing immortal achievements!"

Xu Sheng immediately bowed his head.

It must be said that Sun Quan's words were somewhat exaggerated.

Of the twelve tiger generals that Sun Quan once called Jiangdong, only four remain today: Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, Zhou Tai, and Ding Feng.

However, Zhou Tai was old and ill, and Ding Feng was still a Sima under Pan Zhang at this time, not yet showing his talent.

Therefore, at this time, only Xu Sheng and Pan Zhang were truly loyal to and obeyed Sun Quan, the supreme general.

The others, such as Lu Xun, Zhu Ran, Zhu Huan, and Quan Cong, were all from prominent families in Jiangdong, although their interests were already deeply intertwined with Sun Quan's.

However, Sun Quan still wanted to cultivate forces like Grand Marshal Lü Fan and Grand Commander Lü Meng to counterbalance the powerful clans of Jiangdong.

Therefore, there was an urgent need for capable and fierce generals like Xu Sheng and Pan Zhang, who came from humble backgrounds, to lead troops in the field as henchmen.

Sun Quan ordered his men to prepare dishes on the warship, and disregarding the rule against drinking alcohol during wartime, he treated Xu Sheng, whom he hadn't seen for several days, to a feast of wine and meat.

After a hearty meal and drinks, they jumped onto the sampan together with Xu Sheng.

Xu Sheng personally rowed the boat for Sun Quan, and the two arrived in Mianbei together.

After dismissing everyone else, Sun Quan walked slowly with his hands behind his back and said to Xu Sheng:
"Does Wenxiang know about the time I passed through Xunyang and persuaded Lü Ziming to study?"

Xu Sheng was taken aback upon hearing this, and then nodded.

When Lu Su was serving as governor, he passed through Xunyang and discussed important national affairs with Lü Meng.

After that, the two popular sayings in Jiangdong became "He is no longer the ignorant fool from Wu" and "A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation".

"Wenxiang is my fierce tiger, and he should read more history and military books in the future."

"I possess over a hundred volumes of the Book of Han, and several dozen volumes of Sun Tzu's Art of War and the Six Secret Teachings and Three Strategies, all personally annotated. Upon returning to Wuchang, I will have them delivered to your residence."

Xu Sheng paused again, and after thinking for a moment, said:

"Your Majesty, I am busy with many duties in the army and I am afraid I have no time to read. Even if I were to read, I am afraid reading some military strategies would be enough. Why bother reading history?"

Sun Quan laughed heartily:

"Wenxiang and Ziming are exactly the same as they were back then!"
"When I advised Ziming to study, he replied in the same way."

"Don't worry, I don't need you to be a scholar of classics. Go back and study hard. Don't study military strategy yet, study the Book of Han first."

Xu Sheng suddenly felt a jolt.

When the emperor was in power, he encouraged Lü Meng to study under him, and after Lu Su's death, he appointed Lü Meng as his supervisor.

So now it's... an implication?
Upon realizing this, he immediately declared, "Yes!"

Sun Quan smiled and said, "Alright, Wenxiang, you should go back to your camp and rest for a few days. When Cao Xiu's Huaiyang army arrives, I will truly need you to defend against the enemy and defeat them for me."

Xu Sheng cupped his hands in greeting: "I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

After saying this, he mounted his horse and rode off to the northeast.

The Eastern Wu army has now surrounded Fancheng, cutting off its connection with the outside world.

Xu Sheng led 10,000 troops and moved his camp 20 li north from the Mian River. He built two fortified camps on the upper reaches of the Yu River, at the northeast corner of Fancheng, to block the enemy.

Pan Zhang then led another 10,000 troops to build two fortifications near Dengcheng in the northwest corner of Fancheng to block enemy reinforcements from the south.

This is almost a direct copy of the tactics used by Guan Yu when he flooded the seven armies and besieged Xiangfan.

The purple-bearded supreme, with his long upper body and short lower body, watched Xu Sheng leave until Xu Sheng and his party of dozens of riders completely disappeared from sight before he and Lu Xun turned back to the ship.

“Boyan, Sima Yi left in a hurry. Do you think the three counties of Shangyong, Xincheng, and Fangling are now undefended?” Sun Quan asked.

Lu Xun paused for a moment, then asked, "Does Your Majesty mean that we should take the three eastern commanderies from Cao Wei while the war in the three eastern commanderies has just ended and the people's hearts are not yet at ease?"

"Hmm." Sun Quan nodded slowly.

"The brothers Shen Dan and Shen Yi betrayed Wei and joined Shu after Liu Bei conquered Hanzhong."

"When Meng Da betrayed Shu, the two brothers also betrayed Shu and defected to Wei."

"This time, Meng Da betrayed Wei and defected to Shu, and Shen Yi followed Meng Da in his betrayal."

"After Sima Yi pacified Meng Da, Shen Yi surrendered the entire prefecture to Sima Yi and defended himself with troops in Xicheng. Sima Yi could do nothing to him."

"There is intelligence that Shen Yi, having been in Xicheng for a long time, has been a powerful figure in the region and often secretly grants official positions to Cao Rui without his knowledge."

"He is still guarding the western city, harboring inner fears. Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to lure him into surrendering?"

Lu Xun pondered for a moment upon hearing this, and then said:
"Your Majesty, Shen Yi may be able to entice us, but the two prefectures of Shangyong and Fangling will probably be difficult to conquer."

"The three eastern counties are located on the upper reaches of the Han River. Even if we can capture Xicheng, without taking Xiangfan, it will be difficult to transport grain and supplies in."

The three eastern counties are sparsely populated and have limited land, making it difficult to sustain themselves with food supplies, and they need to receive aid from other regions.

The western city where Shen Yi was located was the closest city to Hanzhong and the farthest city from Jiangling, making it impossible to transport grain in.

Sun Quan said, "We can borrow grain from the Shu ruler. They are on the upper reaches of the Han River, so it's very convenient for them to transport grain down."

Lu Xun paused for a moment: "But...would the Shu ruler agree to let us take the three eastern commanderies?"

Sun Quan frowned: "If I can conquer the three eastern commanderies on my own merits, do I need the Shu ruler's consent? If I can induce Shen Yi to surrender and seize Xicheng, I can completely sever the connection between Shu and Nanyang."

"Therefore, if Shu wants to attack Wei again, the only way is to take Guanzhong and send troops out from Tongguan."

"Unless he breaks the alliance, but... would he dare to break the alliance?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xun pondered for a while before nodding:
"What Your Majesty says is absolutely right; perhaps we should give it a try."

Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi's 20,000-strong army is currently in Linju, which is only about 200 li away from Shangyong and Fangling.

If they were truly determined to attack the three commanderies, the troops from Xiangfan could sail up the Han River and join forces with Zhuge Jin at the foot of Fangling City, thus encircling the city from the north and south.

It's definitely worth a try.

Before long, Sun Quan and Lu Xun jumped onto the sampan and headed towards the warship.

However, just as they stepped onto the deck of the ship, they suddenly saw dust rising in the direction Xu Sheng had left.

After standing there for a short while, upon closer inspection, they saw that more than a hundred riders were galloping from that direction.

When the hundred or so riders got closer, Sun Quan could see them clearly.

Not only did Xu Sheng, who had just left, return, but it seems that another of his fierce generals, Pan Zhang, is now running alongside Xu Sheng.

Sun Quan frowned.

Lu Xun, who had not left the ship, frowned slightly as he watched Xu Sheng return and Pan Zhang galloping towards them.

A moment later, Pan Zhang and Xu Sheng rode their horses to the foot of the ship, only to find that both men looked extremely surprised.

"Could it be that Cao Xiu has suddenly arrived?" Sun Quan had already rowed back to the north of Mian and, after stopping, asked the two generals in surprise and doubt.

"Your Majesty...no...it's terrible!" Pan Zhang gasped for breath, his chest trembling violently.

Sima Yi suffered a crushing defeat!

"Liu Shan...Liu Shan has captured Guanzhong!"

"What?!" Sun Quan suddenly felt dizzy and unsteady, but regained his balance after a moment, his face full of disbelief. "Liu Shan... Liu Shan has taken Guanzhong?!"

Pan Zhang nodded with difficulty: "Your Majesty... Sima Yi has... has already retreated to Tongguan! The entire Guanzhong region has been captured by Liu Shan!"

(End of this chapter)