Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 188 When the Han army arrives, you will all perish.

West City.

On the banks of the Han River.

Wu Jun's Southern Camp.

When Zhuge Jin, the Left General who commanded the Southern Army, heard that Deng Zhi, the Han general in charge of the Eastern Garrison, had arrived outside the gate, he put aside his military duties and went out to greet him personally.

Deng Zhi was not a famous scholar. When he was in his twenties, he went to Shu to seek refuge and worked quietly under a prefect under Liu Zhang for more than ten years.

When Zhaolie pacified Yizhou, his official position was only Pixian Dige Du, which was the granary official in charge of the grain and fodder of Pixian County.

When Emperor Zhaolie toured Pixian, he spoke with him and was greatly impressed. He was then quickly promoted to magistrate of Pixian and later transferred to prefect of Guanghan.

He was known for his strict and effective governance and was appointed Minister.

Because he was a minister who was quickly promoted from a minor official in the granary, and because he was neither from a prestigious family nor a famous scholar, most of the so-called famous scholars and great Confucianists in the court looked down on him.

In addition, he was upright and proud, similar to Guan Yu. He treated his soldiers and lower-ranking officials well, but did not flatter the literati, or rather, he disliked the literati. Therefore, he had a worse reputation among scholars and Confucianists and was known as a cruel official.

Generally speaking, cruel officials have three characteristics:
First, he must be honest and capable.

Secondly, they were fond of using harsh punishments and were unafraid of powerful figures. They dared to take ruthless action against those who disobeyed the law, especially the wealthy and noble. In reality, they were the henchmen used by the ruler to eliminate dissidents.

Third, almost none of them met a good end.

This cruel official, who showed no respect for the virtuous and learned, spread to Jiangdong as envoys from Eastern Wu frequently traveled to Han. The scholars and officials of Eastern Wu were not particularly fond of this envoy from Han.

However, General Zhuge Jin of the Left disagreed with this.

Whenever Deng Zhi was sent as an envoy to Eastern Wu, Sun Quan would host a banquet for him. Deng Zhi would take the initiative to sit down next to him and chat with him about current affairs in Shu, the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister's wife, and the recent situation of their son, Zhuge Qiao.

At this moment, seeing his son Zhuge Ke and Deng Zhi walking one after the other to the gate, he immediately went up to Deng Zhi, shook hands and chatted, and invited him inside.

Zhuge Jin was fifty-five years old, and his hair and beard were already white.

Deng Zhi is fifty-one years old and still in good spirits.

Deng Zhi, who had never respected scholars, couldn't muster any ill feelings towards General Wu, who bore a striking resemblance to the Prime Minister and was also eight feet tall and handsome.

Moreover, although this General Wu's talent and strategy were not as good as the Prime Minister's, his virtue was even purer, and the people of Han and Wu all admired his kindness, benevolence, and elegance.

It must be said that the Zhuge family produced a prime minister in the Han Dynasty, Zhuge Jin, a confidant of Sun Quan in Eastern Wu, and the young Zhuge Dan, who was famous in his time in Wei. The family was renowned in three different places, and people all over the world often admired and praised them.

Deng Zhi soon followed Zhuge Jin to the central command tent.

For someone who had spent so long in the military, even just walking from the gate to the central camp was enough to easily see that Zhuge Jin's military skills were far inferior to those of the Prime Minister.

He can only be described as having average looks.

Or perhaps the tens of thousands of Wu troops under Zhuge Jin's command were not Wu's elite forces to begin with.

In short, Wu's troops in the southern camp were somewhat lazy, both in terms of the soldiers' morale and the rules and discipline required for setting up camp, and they did not meet Deng Zhi's approval.

"Bo Miao should have realized as well that my Wu army's elite troops are not here."

"In fact, the troops here do not number as many as Yuan Xun claimed, which is 50,000."

After Zhuge Jin invited Deng Zhi to take his seat, he did not return to the head of the table, but instead sat down next to Deng Zhi as he had in Wuzhong.

Deng Zhi was taken aback when Zhuge Jin exposed his shortcomings, but she couldn't figure out what Zhuge Jin's purpose was in saying that.

He could only nod slightly.

"Lord Ziyu, the Marquis of Wu could not capture Xiangfan, nor could he take Fangling and Shangyong."

"Yet you come straight to seize Xicheng, and even want to keep the Han army outside the three commanderies, so as not to let the Han army interfere. I wonder what your thoughts are, Lord Ziyu?"

The western city threatened the heartland of the Han Dynasty, and Sun Quan's attempt to seize it at this time undoubtedly brought the Han-Wu alliance to the brink of collapse.

Those with a broad perspective understand that the alliance between Han and Wu is unbreakable.

Zhuge Jin remained silent for a moment, then spoke frankly:
"It seems that Bo Miao also expected this."

"In the Wu Kingdom court, not everyone agreed that the Supreme One should seize Xicheng."

"But... the Supreme One's mind is made up."

"Since we, as subjects, have been entrusted with this responsibility, we should be ready to risk our lives for it."

After speaking, Zhuge Jin sighed helplessly.

Ever since Lü Meng crossed the Yangtze River in disguise and seized Jingzhou, even the people of Eastern Wu themselves secretly felt ashamed of Sun Quan's breach of alliance and had many complaints.

But that was the situation at the time.

Liu Bei had just killed Xiahou Yuan at Dingjun Mountain, thus securing his control of Hanzhong, and then seized the three eastern commanderies in one fell swoop.

Immediately afterwards, Guan Yu flooded the seven armies in Xiangfan, forcing all of Cao Wei's famous generals and elite troops to rush to Xiangfan.

If Guan Yu had won that battle again, it wouldn't just have been Guan Yu who would have been awe-inspiring throughout China, but the entire Shu Han regime.

The world will no longer belong to Wu and Wei.

Therefore, that supreme being was willing to bear the name of a coward who betrayed the alliance and broke the agreement in order to stop Guan Yu from continuing to win.

That breach of alliance and defeat of the treaty did indeed greatly weaken the strength of Shu Han, causing it to lose the opportunity to contend for the Central Plains, and also extending the life of Wu.

But Shu and Wu no longer believed it.

Even after the Battle of Yiling, when they re-allyed, the two sides remained wary of each other.

Now that Cao Wei has been greatly weakened, Wu has gained nothing, but the pressure of facing a Wei that is far weaker than before has been much less.

Even if we gain nothing this time, when Shu Han launches its next eastern expedition and Wu follows suit with its northern expedition, the chances of capturing Xiangfan and Hefei will be much greater than before.

However, the supreme ruler reverted to his old ways, and when Shu Han was just beginning to show signs of rising, he wanted to strike directly at Shu Han's heart and the very heart of the state.

Although he did not directly break with the Han Dynasty, he bypassed Fangling and Shangyong and went straight to Xicheng. He also sent envoys to stop the Han army from advancing eastward. His intentions were obvious and he had definitely touched the sore spot of Shu Han.

He said that after taking the three eastern counties, Han and Wu could help each other, but who would believe someone who had already tasted the sweetness of breaking alliances and breaching agreements?

Deng Zhi was genuinely surprised by Zhuge Jin's frankness, and so he also spoke frankly:

"In my humble opinion, if Han were to gain Xicheng, Wu would gain Shangyong and Fangling."

"As Yuan Xun said, the two kingdoms of Han and Wu will surely be able to join forces to attack Cao."

"If the Han dynasty does not obtain Xicheng, then the alliance between the Han and Wu will have no chance of continuing."

"There may not be a war in the short term, but the mission will be cut off."

"If we were to fight Cao Cao again in the future, or if Cao Wei were to launch a western invasion or southern campaign, we would only be able to fight our own battles."

"In your opinion, what place should be the boundary between Han and Wu?"

Faced with Deng Zhi's frankness, Zhuge Jin sighed again and could only shake his head:

"His Majesty has made up his mind to take the three prefectures."

"Where the Han and Wu kingdoms will be divided is not something I can say lightly."

"However... although the Han Dynasty achieved a great victory in Guanzhong, which shocked the world, the power of Cao Wei is still strong, and the alliance between Han and Wu should not be broken lightly."

"I am well aware of His Majesty's stubbornness, and I have also heard of the outstanding and heroic appearance of the Han Emperor. I am deeply afraid that the unspeakable events of Jiangling and Yiling will recur, causing Han and Wu to fight each other, which will benefit the traitor Cao."

"Bo Miao is here on a mission to Your Majesty. I hope you can explain the reasons and consequences to him. As for returning to Han to report back, you should also inform the Emperor. I hope you will think it over carefully."

After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhou Yu once suggested to the emperor that when Liu Bei went to Wu for a marriage alliance, he should detain Liu Bei as a hostage in order to control Liu's elite troops and obtain Guan Yu's navy, Zhang Fei's infantry, and Zhao Yun's cavalry as his henchmen.

However, Lu Su firmly opposed this, always advocating the strategy of "allying with Liu Bei against Cao Cao". He believed that Jiangdong did not yet have the strength to confront Cao Cao alone, and strongly advocated lending Nanjun to Liu Bei to make it Wu's western vassal state. This way, Cao Cao would have one more enemy and Eastern Wu would have one less worry.

That emperor adopted Lu Su's strategy, which ultimately enabled both Sun and Liu to establish a firm foothold in Jiangnan.

But yesterday's honey is today's poison.

After establishing a firm foothold and gaining sufficient power to control Jingzhou, the supreme ruler forgot his origins and began to harbor resentment towards Lu Su for lending Nan Commandery to Liu Bei.

Thus, during Lü Meng's time, he returned to Zhou Yu's path, seizing Jingzhou by crossing the river in disguise. This caused the once-growing Sun-Liu alliance to decline, and Cao Wei, which had been declining, to rise again.

Even after Han and Wu reunited, they no longer possessed the advantage that Guan Yu had when he dominated China; instead, they were firmly at a disadvantage against Cao Wei. Cao Wei did nothing but rely on its national strength, supplies, manpower, and military equipment to steadily suppress Han and Wu.

Wu's several northern expeditions all ended in failure, barely making a ripple, leading to a sense of powerlessness among the Wu people when facing the Wei army.

Under these circumstances, both Han and Wu were essentially facing a slow death.

Now, a miracle has finally occurred. Five years after Liu Bei's death, the Shu Han state, which had been lying low for five years, has suddenly soared to new heights, winning battle after battle. They have successively beheaded Cao Zhen and Zhang He, defeated Sima Yi, and seized Guanzhong in one fell swoop.
The Lianglong region, which has not yet been conquered, is like a turtle in a jar.

This situation is almost a replay of the time when Liu Bei seized Hanzhong and the three eastern commanderies, and Guan Yu's power shook the entire land.

With the lessons of history still fresh in our minds, at this time, the vast majority of insightful people within Wu believed that neither Han nor Wu should repeat the same mistakes.

We should unite to attack Cao Wei, and only when Cao Wei becomes the weakest of the Three Kingdoms should we consider allying with Cao Wei against Liu Bei in order to strengthen Wu.

However, the emperor still insisted on his own opinion and wanted to seize Xicheng at this time to test where Shu Han's bottom line was.

Some radicals, such as Bu Zhi, Pan Zhang, Pan Jun, and Xu Sheng, also firmly stood on the Emperor's side and rallied support for him.

Therefore, the peace faction fell silent.

By this time, Deng Zhi understood Zhuge Jin's meaning and said:
“Lord Ziyu, although Zhi does not receive the Emperor’s words, he knows the Emperor’s heart well and is not afraid to speak frankly.”

"If Shen Yi surrenders to Wu, and Wu gains Xicheng, the emperor will be enraged, and the alliance between Han and Wu will have no chance of continuing and will undoubtedly break down."

Zhuge Jin nodded upon hearing this: "Things have come to this point, we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate."

...

...

Deng Zhi left.

The next day.

early morning.

Outside the west city.

In the hazy mountain mist, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the sight of the soldiers guarding the city wall.

A figure pierced through the thin mist, getting closer and closer, until finally arriving outside the city gate.

"Who goes there?!" the city gate supervisor shouted.

Under the torchlight, the figures of people below the city could be seen flickering in and out of sight.

"General Deng Zhi, the General Who Guards the East of the Han Dynasty!"

"Han Town East?" The city gate supervisor was taken aback.

Then he asked, "What are you doing here?!"

"The Han army is approaching! Open the city gates and give you a way out!"

On the city wall, the soldiers guarding the city looked at each other in bewilderment.

Arriving alone, how dare you spout such nonsense?
However, regardless of the circumstances, if the other party is indeed the General of the Eastern Garrison of Han, even if he comes alone, he is not someone they can afford to offend.

Furthermore, Prefect Shen Yi had already given instructions that if anyone claiming to be an envoy of the Han Dynasty came, they should immediately enter the city to report to the authorities and should not act on their own initiative.

The city gate supervisor sent someone into the city to report.

He then ordered someone to throw a bamboo basket down from the city wall.

However, the man below the city remained unmoved, head held high, chest puffed out, and said disdainfully:

"The Han dynasty is stationed in the east; how can one be lowered up the city wall?!"
"If I count to three and they still don't open the door, I will leave!"

"When the Han army arrives, you will all perish!"

The city gate supervisor was stunned upon hearing this.

He wasn't stupid; the governor had long anticipated that a Han envoy would come.

As for why they came here, it's quite simple.

What else could it be but a struggle with Sun Wu for control of Xicheng?

Therefore, it was clearly Wu and Han who needed the help of their prefect Shen Yi.

Why are they all so arrogant and domineering now, whether they're from Wu or Han, as if they've got Xicheng figured out?!

Do they really think the governor of Weixing and the garrison there are pushovers to be bullied?!

"one!"

Just as the city gate supervisor was feeling angry, a shout suddenly came from below the city.

"You?!" The city gate supervisor was momentarily stunned, never expecting that the so-called Han general from the east would actually be there.

The guards on the city wall looked at each other and whispered among themselves.

"Shut up, all of you!" the city gate commander angrily shouted at the soldiers around him, but no sooner had he finished speaking than another voice came from below the city.

"two!"

The city gate supervisor immediately became anxious: "Wait here, I'll go and inform the prefect right away!"

Having said that, the city gate supervisor, without giving any instructions to his subordinates, turned and ran towards the southwest corner tower.

But after running a few steps, another loud shout came from below the city.

"three!"

The city gate supervisor suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Just as he nervously turned his head, he saw that the Han envoy who called himself the General Who Guards the East of the Great Han Dynasty had already left without looking back.

He stood there, frozen in place.

The soldiers guarding the city walls were engaged in much discussion.

After walking more than a hundred paces, the Han envoy completely disappeared into the morning mountain mist.

He quickly started running.

Before long, Prefect Shen Yi, who was sleeping in the southwest corner tower, learned of the sudden arrival of the Han envoy. He leisurely went to the south gate where the Han envoy was, but did not see the envoy.

"Where is he?" Shen Yi looked at the city gate supervisor with some doubt and asked in a deep voice.

He had long served in Weixing, where he held absolute power on the battlefield.

Most of the civil and military officials in Weixing County were appointed by him through the engraving of seals.

The term "承制" means to carve a fake seal without consulting the court.

Therefore, everyone in Weixing County, from top to bottom, was one of his own people, promoted by this Prefect of Weixing and General Jianwei. They both respected and feared him.

The city gate supervisor, recalling Deng Zhi's words, said somewhat tremblingly:
"Reporting to the general, we just threw a basket down from the city wall in an attempt to pull him up!"

"Then what did that man who called himself the Han Zhen Dong say? How could the Han Zhen Dong be lowered up the city wall?"

"Then he said that if we counted to three and did not open the door, he would leave, and when the Han army arrived, we would all perish."

"This is outrageous! Do you really think that you, the Prefect of Weixing, and the garrison of Weixing are all pushovers to be bullied?!"

"They're the ones who need something from..."

"—Slap!" A loud slap landed on the city gate supervisor's face.

The city gatekeeper was completely bewildered.

But the prefect angrily shouted, "Why aren't you opening the gate and bringing him back to me right now!"

The city gate supervisor, whose head was spinning from the beating, hurriedly turned to the direction where Han Zhendong had disappeared, searching through the fog but unable to find the man's figure.

A moment later, it ran off the city like a rabbit.

(End of this chapter)