Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 186 Daring to Threaten the Great Han?
Liu Shan spread out the bamboo slips, and the vigorous and powerful handwriting of General Zhao came into view.

The gist of the story is that the old general, leading an army of 20,000, had just arrived in Nanzheng and made a brief stop. Before he could proceed eastward, Sun Quan's envoy, Zhuge Ke, appeared outside the gate with an imperial edict and requested an audience.

Although the old general knew that Sun Quan's intention was to seize the three commanderies, since Zhuge Ke was the prime minister's nephew, he received him amicably along with Deng Zhi, the General Who Guards the East who had served as an envoy to Eastern Wu and the two states of Hehe.

Zhuge Ke treated him with the respect due to a junior, but his intentions were not very friendly.

The man consulted with the old general based on Sun Quan's words.

The reason why the Han Dynasty was able to take Guanzhong and return the capital to Chang'an in this northern expedition was due to the great achievements of the emperor and the prime minister. However, the Wu Kingdom also contributed by holding back more than 100,000 Wei troops on the eastern front.

Now, the Supreme Ruler of Wu has dispatched Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi as commanders, leading 50,000 troops to besiege Xicheng, determined to take it at all costs.

The Han army had just captured Guanzhong, and its troops were exhausted. It needed to guard against a counterattack from the Wei army in the east and also against the Wei army causing trouble in the rear in the Liangzhou region.

Given this situation, the Han Dynasty should first consolidate the counties and prefectures in Guanzhong, or take advantage of this opportunity to seize Liangzhou, so that the Han Dynasty will have no worries about its rear.

In this way, the border of the Great Wu Kingdom is adjacent to Hanzhong of the Great Han Kingdom, allowing them to exchange goods and help each other.

It also helped the Han Dynasty defend against Cao Cao's traitors, allowing the Han Dynasty to focus its efforts on dealing with the enemy at Tongguan and Liangzhou in the north and recover the northern territory without having to deploy heavy troops in the central Hanzhong area.

The three eastern commanderies were harmful to the Han Dynasty and brought no benefit.

If the Han dynasty were to covet Longxi and then try to annex the three commanderies, its army would be exhausted and weary, and it would not only fail to capture the three commanderies but also waste its national strength and military resources.

Even if they were to capture the three commanderies by chance, it would inevitably plunge the Han Dynasty into a situation where it would be surrounded by enemies on all sides, which would be extremely disadvantageous for the Han Dynasty.

Upon seeing this, Liu Shan frowned slightly.

Zhuge Ke, or rather Sun Quan, made some valid points in his statement.

Once the Han Dynasty conquered the three eastern commanderies.

West of Chang'an, in Liangzhou there were Xu Miao and Guo Huai;
East of Chang'an, along the Linjin and Tongguan line, were Sima Yi, Tian Yu, Qian Zhao, and Du Shu;
Southeast of Chang'an, at Yaoguan Pass, lived Wang Ling and Jia Kui;
The central line connects the three eastern commanderies directly with Cao Wei's Xiangyang and Nanyang.

North of Anding and Beidi, the Xianbei people coveted the land.
In the south, there are still barbarians who refuse to be assimilated and cause trouble from time to time.

This is not just being attacked from all sides, it's being attacked from all six sides.

Before the Han Dynasty's Northern Expedition, it only needed to establish defenses in three locations: Baidi, Nanzhong, and Hanzhong. Now, the pressure on national defense has directly doubled.

However, Sun Quan's so-called "being surrounded by enemies on all sides" was probably more than that.

Although the person did not say it explicitly, there was a clear sense of probing and threat in his words.

—If the Han Dynasty disregards the advice of the Eastern Wu and insists on raising troops to fight with the Eastern Wu for the three eastern commanderies, then the Eastern Wu may very well become one of the "enemies on all sides".

Although Liu Shan was determined to obtain the three eastern commanderies, and although he despised Sun Quan, a coward, and was determined to avenge the late emperor and his civil and military officials such as Guan Yu, Feng Xi, Fu Tong, and Ma Liang.

However, at present, the Han Dynasty lacks sufficient ships, its navy is not skilled, and its national resources are insufficient. It is not the time to break ties with Sun Quan, and he cannot act rashly.

The Prime Minister and General Zhao could not possibly agree with his impulsive actions, just as when Zhaolie launched his eastern expedition, the Prime Minister and the General did their best to dissuade him.

At the end of the letter, Sun Quan made a promise to the Han Dynasty:
"If Han relinquishes three commanderies and does not invade, then Wu is willing to stand with Han at the Han River and swear an oath by cutting down a white horse."

Let us unite as one and fight against the traitor Wei.

"Treat both likes and dislikes equally, without any wavering."

"If they harm the Han, then Wu will attack them."

"If there is any harm to Wu, then Han will attack them."

Each shall guard their assigned territory and not encroach upon the other's.

"To pass this down to future generations, to uphold the same principles from beginning to end."

"Anyone who breaks this alliance, who disobeys and disagrees, will be punished and reprimanded by the bright gods and the Supreme Deity, and the gods of mountains and rivers will condemn and punish them. Their army will surely fall, and the fate of the nation will be sealed."

People in the Han Dynasty were already wary of oaths and took them very seriously.

The retribution for breaking an oath is a stark reminder of the consequences that should not be ignored.

—When the warlords of Guandong were campaigning against Dong Zhuo, they set up an altar and swore an oath, saying, "Whoever breaks this oath, may his life be cut short and his descendants be wiped out."

As a result, all the disloyal lords who had failed to defeat Dong Zhuo all obeyed his oath, not only dying but also ensuring that their descendants were all wiped out.

For two mature political systems, oaths are a form of national credibility.

If anyone breaks their oath, verbal condemnation is secondary; what's more important is that those lower-ranking soldiers who truly believe in destiny and oaths, and even some pure Confucian scholars, may not dare to trust you in the future.

The Han people truly began to disregard oaths after Sima Yi swore an oath by pointing to the Luo River, and it wasn't until the Sima family was almost completely wiped out that the Han people began to take oaths seriously again.

Sun Quan is now making such a promise to the Han Dynasty through Zhuge Ke: he will swear an oath to the Han Dynasty as long as it spares the three commanderies and does not invade. It must be said that he is indeed showing his sincerity.

But Liu Shan could only scoff at this so-called sincerity.

Oaths can only bind the Han Dynasty, which has a strong sense of morality and credibility, but they are difficult to bind Sun Quan, since he has already tasted the benefits of breaking alliances.

If I remember correctly, after the Prime Minister's death, Sun Quan immediately increased the garrison at Baqiu by more than 10,000 men. He claimed to be worried that Cao Wei would take the opportunity to invade the south and that he was coming to the rescue, but in reality, he harbored the intention to invade the west and did not care about any oaths.

However, setting aside Liu Shan's prejudices against Sun Quan, his suggestion that the Han Dynasty prioritize resolving the Liangzhou issue and guarding against the Guandong region was indeed a sound and prudent strategy for the Han Dynasty.

With limited national strength and military resources, once the three eastern commanderies were captured, the Han Dynasty would be threatened by Cao Wei on three sides, and would become even more stretched thin in terms of both food and military strength.

But... as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Once the Han Dynasty can withstand the increased pressure after taking over the three eastern commanderies, then that pressure will eventually fall on Cao Wei and Sun Quan.

Since Liu Shan and the Prime Minister decided to send Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi to lead troops to recover the three eastern commanderies, they were prepared to withstand this pressure.

The only variable was that Sun Quan, having failed to conquer Xiangyang, directly sent Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi to take the three eastern commanderies.

It should be noted that the entrances and exits of the three eastern prefectures are located north of Xiangyang and in Dangyang.

Once Sun Wu's army could not withstand the pressure from Cao Cao's army at the Xiangyang front and fled south, they would be pursued by Cao Wei all the way to south of Dangyang.

Then the tens of thousands of troops commanded by Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi were completely trapped in the three eastern commanderies and could not return.

Liu Shan handed the urgent report in his hand to Fu Qian, Guan Xing, Jiang Wei and other generals for them to see.

"The Han Dynasty has captured Guanzhong and returned to its old capital. Sun Quan, as an ally of the Han Dynasty, did not even send a congratulatory envoy. Instead, he directly sent the Prime Minister's nephew to discuss the matter of the three eastern commanderies with Zhao, the General of Chariots and Cavalry. This is truly a bit too impolite." Mi Wei chuckled, his expression a mixture of anger and disdain.

Liu Shan chuckled softly.

As Mi Wei said, since he personally led the expedition, he has reported every piece of good news to Sun Quan.

Sun Quan, however, never sent an envoy to congratulate him.

Now, his face is flushed with anger, and he is urging the Han Dynasty not to covet the three commanderies.

That's certainly not very respectable.

Liu Shan could even imagine Sun Quan's furious reaction.

Although he had never met Sun Quan, he could always picture him as the purple-bearded figure from the TV series.

However... it may be undignified, but Sun Quan is now too lazy to even pretend anymore, and his intention to control the Han Dynasty is obvious.

To put it simply... he still didn't understand his place, thinking he could talk to the big man based on his strength.

This is not surprising. Since the victory at Yiling and the death of Liu Bei, Sun Quan has always looked down on the Han Dynasty, just as Cao Wei did not think that the Han Dynasty could pose any threat to them.

The Prime Minister, along with Fei Yi, Dong Yun, and others, quickly received the news and gathered around Liu Shan. They took the urgent report from Jiang Wei and began to read it. Upon seeing that his elder brother, Zhuge Jin, had been assigned to attack Xicheng County, the Prime Minister frowned slightly, instantly understanding Sun Quan's true intentions.

Fei Yi was somewhat uneasy: "Xicheng is the westernmost of the three eastern counties, adjacent to Hanzhong. Could it be that Shangyong and Fangling counties have already been captured by Sun Quan?"

Fei Yi couldn't help but feel uneasy. If Fangling and Shangyong had already been captured by Sun Quan, then Shen Yi, the governor of Xicheng, who had been a fence-sitter between the Han and Wei dynasties, would most likely surrender to Wu at the first sign of trouble.

In this way, the Western City, which the Han Dynasty had originally considered a sure thing, would be lost.

Dong Yun was also somewhat taken aback, and said:
"If so, the Han Dynasty will not only lose a route to attack Cao Wei, but will also have to station heavy troops in Hanzhong to defend against Sun Quan."

After Dong Yun finished speaking, all the generals nodded solemnly.

The Han dynasty's foundation was in Yizhou, while its front line was in Guanzhong.

Hanzhong is located between Yizhou and Guanzhong. If the war between the Han Dynasty and the Wei Dynasty reaches a critical moment and Hanzhong is attacked, its supply lines will be blocked, and its return route will be cut off, then the story of Guan Yu losing Jingzhou may be repeated.

To prevent this from happening, Hanzhong had to deploy several times the current number of troops, a price that the Han Dynasty was unwilling to pay but had to pay.

Sun Quan had a criminal record.

However, once the three eastern counties were in hand, the situation changed drastically.

Xicheng is more than a thousand li away from Jiangling, and can serve as a strategic buffer zone between Han and Wu.

Even though Sun Quan broke the alliance and breached the treaty, he had no way to send his army more than a thousand miles deep into Hanzhong and directly threaten the heartland of Hanzhong.

The Prime Minister suddenly shook his head:

"I suspect that my elder brother and Bu Zishan led tens of thousands of Wu troops all the way to Xicheng, which was a strategy by the Marquis of Wu to deceive the enemy."

"Wu Jun should not have been able to capture the two prefectures of Fangling and Shangyong yet."

After the Prime Minister finished speaking, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, and the generals, though puzzled as to why the Prime Minister had such a conjecture, all breathed a sigh of relief.

While feeling relieved, I couldn't help but feel a little surprised and astonished.

Fei Yi looked slightly puzzled and said:
"But Prime Minister, Xicheng is located in the westernmost of the three eastern prefectures. How dare the Marquis of Wu bypass Shangyong and Fangling and march directly into Xicheng?"

Dong Yun nodded and followed up:
"If the Marquis of Wu really bypasses the two prefectures of Shangyong and Fangling, then the routes for supplies, weapons, advance, and return will all be along the Han River."

"If Cao Wei defeats Wu's army at Xiangyang, wouldn't Ziyu Gong (Zhuge Jin) and Bu Zishan be trapped and die at the foot of Xicheng?"

However, as soon as Dong Yunfu finished speaking, the man immediately realized what was going on. He turned to look at Fei Yi and saw that Fei Yi also had a look of realization on his face.

The Prime Minister looked at the Emperor, his expression solemn and serious, and said:

"Your Majesty, Lord Wu's plan is truly ingenious."

"Shangyong and Fangling are six or seven hundred li away from Hanzhong, and are also blocked by Wu troops. It is difficult for the Han to know the strength and weakness of the two counties, and whether they have surrendered to Wu."

"As soon as Zhao Chariot and Deng Zhendong arrived in Nanzheng, my nephew arrived with imperial credentials."

"This matter concerns the alliance between the two countries. Whether it is General Zhao or General Deng, they must consult His Majesty's decree before deciding whether to advance eastward."

"The round trip took more than ten days."

"Once Zhao Cheqi and Deng Zhendong receive His Majesty's decree, they will continue their march to Xicheng, which will take another twenty days."

"Within thirty or forty days, Wu's army may have already captured Xicheng."

"Once Xicheng is captured, Shangyong and Fangling counties may be secured without a fight."

"Even if it cannot, with Xicheng in the west and Jiangling in the east, the two prefectures sandwiched in between will eventually be devoured and fall into the clutches of the Lord of Wu."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan nodded slowly.

If General Zhao and Deng Zhendong had marched eastward without waiting for the emperor's order, the Wu army would likely have blocked the Han army's advance through the narrow passage of the Han River.

In this way, the two sides have essentially broken off all relations.

The alliance between Han and Wu was a matter of paramount importance to the nation.

Even the prime minister would consult with Liu Shan and his ministers before making a decision.

If what the Prime Minister said is true, and Sun Quan has not yet conquered the two counties of Shangyong and Fangling in the east, but instead marches directly into Xicheng, then Sun Quan's plan is truly brilliant.

Why?

Sun Quan is clearly trying to trick Xicheng into his hands!
He was not only deceiving the Han, but also deceiving Shen Yi, the governor of Xicheng.

Furthermore, what made Fei Yi and Dong Yun suddenly realize the truth, and what amazed Liu Shan, was:

The reason Sun Quan dared to do this was because he was taking advantage of the Han Dynasty's sense of morality and credibility, and was certain that the Han Dynasty would never break its alliance or take advantage of others' misfortune!

Once the Wu army is defeated by Cao Wei in Xiangfan and forced to retreat south, Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi's tens of thousands of troops, although cut off from their return route and supply lines, can still directly retreat through Hanzhong.

Does Liu Shan intend to take advantage of Wu's predicament and, like Cao Wei took over Huang Quan, detain all of Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi's troops in Hanzhong?
How can it be!

Zhuge Ke said that Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi had brought 50,000 troops, but whether the number of these 50,000 troops was real or not was another matter. Even if it was real, most of them were old, weak, sick, disabled, laborers, and servants, used to intimidate Shen Yi.

Detaining these tens of thousands of useless people, bearing the infamy of betraying the alliance, aroused the anger of the Wu people and prompted Cao and Wu to join forces again.

If Liu Shan had any sense at all, he would never have done such a thing.

Furthermore, Zhuge Jin was the Prime Minister's elder brother and Zhuge Qiao's biological father. He was also a virtuous and upright man, and the Sun family was fiercely loyal. If they were truly detained in the Han Dynasty, they might very well die to repay the emperor's kindness.

How will we face the Prime Minister? How will we face Zhuge Qiao?
Whether in public or private matters, Liu Shan was powerless against Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, and their tens of thousands of men.

There was silence.

The Prime Minister, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, and even a group of young generals such as Guan Xing and Jiang Wei were all deep in thought, unable to come up with a solution to the matter.

The Prime Minister looked at the Emperor and said:

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, many of Shen Yi's relatives are being held hostage in Luoyang."

"According to the laws of the pseudo-Wei dynasty, those who defend a city for 100 days without reinforcements arriving will not be punished as a result of collective punishment."

“Shen Yi has been in Xicheng for a long time and has won the hearts of the people. He will not easily surrender to Wu.”

"I believe that we should first send Zhao, the cavalry commander, to secretly go to Xicheng County and offer Shen Yi great benefits and high rank, disregarding his previous crimes."

"If so, once the Wu army is defeated in Xiangyang, the army under my brother's command will surely run out of food and supplies."

"At that time, we will order Zhao Chariot and Deng Zhen to lead the army eastward to besiege the city. Lord Wu will then have nothing to say and no way to deal with it."

Liu Shan pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Then we will follow the Prime Minister's advice."

"First, send a messenger to inform General Zhao, so that he can send another messenger to keep Shen Yi in check and prevent him from surrendering to Wu."

"As for whether we should wait until Sun Quan is defeated and the Wu army runs out of supplies before advancing into the three eastern commanderies... I think it may not be necessary."

"The alliance between Han and Wu should not be broken lightly. This is true for the great Han, and it is also true for the small Eastern Wu."

"Zhao Cheqi and Deng Zhendong were worried that the alliance between the two countries might break down, so they traveled a thousand miles to ask for instructions. Could it be that Lord Ziyu and Bu Zishan really dare to break the alliance without asking?"

(End of this chapter)