Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 191 Not for Han, but for Wu
Previously, while floating on the Han River, his field of vision was limited, and Deng Zhi was essentially unaware of the specific situation of the defense lines in Xiangyang and Fancheng.

As far as the eye could see, only the upper parts of the two rammed earth cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng, and the vast Wei and Wu military camps outside the two cities.

After he and Sun Quan boarded the enormous five-story ship, the defensive lines of Xiangyang and Fancheng, as well as the surrounding fortresses, military camps, trenches, and palisades, were finally laid bare.

North of the Han River, in the direction of Fancheng, the Wu army had set up six military camps on the banks of the Han River, which could be estimated to hold more than 30,000 troops.

The outer perimeter of the camp was also fortified with walls, trenches, and stag antlers. Judging from the completeness of the fortifications, they had been built for at least two months and could be considered a strong fortress.

Hundreds of warships of various kinds filled the Han River, forming a vast and countless array, providing considerable protection for the tens of thousands of Wu troops stationed on the north bank of the Han River.

If the battle at Fancheng goes poorly, the tens of thousands of Wu troops north of the Han River will most likely have a chance to retreat.

If the soldiers are willing to fight bravely, taking advantage of the natural barriers of the waterways and the high ground of the warships, it is also a feasible tactic to use bows and crossbows on the ships for defense and counterattack.

Previously, when the Han Dynasty used the Crescent Moon Formation against Sima Yi, they deployed a large number of archers on their warships, which successfully protected the left and right flanks of the Crescent Moon Formation.

However… given the elite status of Wu's army, especially the tens of thousands of Wu soldiers who have already landed, it is a different story.

Once Cao Xiu suddenly rises up and launches a fierce attack, will these tens of thousands of Wu people really have the organization to fight a defensive counterattack?

Fighting with one's back to the river is a severe test of morale and fighting spirit.

Wu's army had reached the foot of Xiangfan before May, and now nearly three months have passed, and the soldiers' morale has long been worn down.

Deng Zhi looked northwest into the distance, towards Fancheng, the newly built city of Cao Wei.

After being flooded, Fancheng was in ruins, both inside and out, and was no longer usable.

Having learned from past mistakes of being flooded due to its low-lying location, Cao Wei built a new city on higher ground, about four or five miles northwest of the old Fancheng, and dug a canal to connect with the Han River.

Originally, the two cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng were located to the south and north, facing each other across the Han River. They were connected by a pontoon bridge and iron chains, forming a solid defensive line that allowed them to watch over and help each other.

Now, Fancheng has been moved several miles to the northwest, and the Xiangfan defense line is connected by several fortified villages and ramparts between the two cities.

However, those fortified walls and strongholds now appear to have been captured by the Wu army, as they are now covered with yellow Wu army flags.

Turning south, Deng Zhi looked towards Xiangyang.

The city of Xiangyang has not changed much since he left for Jingzhou more than 20 years ago.

The moat, over a hundred paces wide, was like an insurmountable barrier. The open space between the city and the moat was so narrow that it was impossible for a large army to be stationed there.

The garrison in Xiangyang set up camp outside the city, giving the Wu army no chance to land and fight.

Therefore, Wu Jun's main camp was set up on the east side of the moat.

It was a semi-circular peninsula with a diameter of more than ten miles, surrounded by the Han River, with Wu's ships linked around the perimeter of the peninsula.

The peak of Xianshan Mountain is further south.

At the beginning of the great chaos, Sun Quan's father, Sun Jian, besieged Liu Biao in Xiangyang. Later, he rode alone deep into the mountains and pursued Huang Zu into Xian Mountain, where he was ambushed and killed by Huang Zu.

Therefore, this place is not a blessed land for the Sun family.

Holding onto some traditional superstitious beliefs, Deng Zhi had already made some judgments about the future situation of Han, Wei, and Wu.

Then he began to think about how, if the Wu army was defeated by the Wei army and retreated, the Han Dynasty would rely on only 20,000 troops to both block the Wei army's reinforcements to Xicheng and take Xicheng from Shen Yi.

Shen Yi said that they should hold out for 100 days before surrendering.

Can the Han Dynasty hold out for another hundred days?

What price will we have to pay for these 100 days?
"Bo Miao, are there any towering warships like 'Flying Clouds' in Shu?" Sun Quan asked, pulling Deng Zhi back to reality as he gazed at the cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng in deep thought.

This giant warship, named "Flying Cloud," was built by the Wu Kingdom at the beginning of this year and is now Sun Quan's flagship.

When Deng Zhi came to his senses, he realized that the ship he was standing on, named "Flying Cloud," was indeed much larger than the three-story ship he had seen when he went to Wuchang to see Sun Quan last time.

It is estimated that the part visible on the water surface alone is nearly ten zhang high.

"The shipbuilding skills of Jiangdong are unparalleled in the world; the Han Dynasty has no such warships." Deng Zhi reassured Sun Quan.

Sun Quan was quite pleased with himself upon hearing this and laughed heartily.

Yangzhou is famous for its giant camphor trees, which are so large that it takes three to five people to encircle them. These giant trees are not only large enough, but also have straight trunks. After being dried in the shade, they are resistant to insects and pests. They are also lightweight, hard, and rot-resistant, making them an indispensable material for building large ships.

The first problem the Shu Kingdom faced when it wanted to build such a large ship was the shortage of raw timber. Secondly, the Shu region lacked a sufficient number of skilled shipbuilders.

In fact, in the past two years, waste timber from shipbuilding has been drifting down from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River from time to time, which shows that the Shu Kingdom has been building ships in preparation for war for the past two years.

It wasn't just two years.

Because the timber used for shipbuilding needs to be air-dried, which often takes three to five years, it means that the Shu Kingdom has never relaxed its efforts since the Battle of Yiling.

The reason for building ships in the last two years and letting a large amount of waste wood chips float downstream is simply to give a reminder to Da Wu downstream.

—When the Shu Kingdom launches its northern expedition, do not harbor any wicked thoughts.

However, shipbuilding was a secret of the Shu Kingdom.

The Wu Kingdom had no idea how many ships the Shu Kingdom had, nor whether they were enough to support a navy of over 30,000 men sailing downstream.

After Zhuge Liang's successful campaign in the south, the Wu Kingdom was unable to acquire any information about the Shu Kingdom's navy.

They didn't even know where the Shu Kingdom built its ships.

But... it doesn't matter.

Sun Quan was quite confident in the strength and prowess of the Wu navy.

Back in the cabin.

Sun Quan had already ordered a banquet to be prepared.

A group of civil and military officials who had no military duties had been waiting in the ship's cabin for a long time.

After some drinking and chatting about rather trivial matters, Sun Quan noticed that Deng Zhi was already quite drunk and asked:
According to Yuan Xun (Zhuge Ke), Bo Miao stayed overnight at the military camp in Xicheng. At midnight, he bypassed the guards of Wu and went alone to Weixing to meet Shen Yi.

"I wonder what Bo Miao and Shen Yi talked about?"
"Shen Yi...are you willing to surrender to the Han?"

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, all the Wu officials and civil servants who were unaware of the situation changed their expressions and looked at Deng Zhi with hostility.

Then he looked at Zhuge Ke, who was sitting at the end of the table and had brought Deng Zhi there.

How could a military camp, a place with such tight security, be so careless as to allow Deng Zhi to leave the surveillance and go to the west city to meet Shen Yi?
It's hard not to suspect whether it was the negligence of the garrison responsible for monitoring Deng Zhi, who saw that Deng Zhi was alone, or whether it was intentional on the part of Zhuge Ke's father.

Deng Zhi put down the wine bottle and said:

"Lord Wu, please forgive me."

"As Yuan Xun said, Zhi did indeed want to go to the west city to meet with Shen Yi and explain the advantages and disadvantages to him."

"However, once they reached the foot of the western city, they felt there was nothing to say to Shen Yi."

Therefore, he turned back before even entering the city.

"only…

"Whether Shen Yi was using this as a delaying tactic, wavering between Han and Wu, or eager to return to Han, in any case, he personally opened the city gates to pursue Zhi."

"Yu Zhi said that if Han could besiege the city for a hundred days, he would rather surrender to Han than Wu."

Sun Quan frowned slightly. He had received reports from Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi that Shen Yi intended to surrender to Wu and had sent more than 4,000 shi of grain out of the city to reward the troops.

He told Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi that if the Great Wu besieged the city for a hundred days without implicating the soldiers and their families, Shen Yi would surely surrender the city.

Sun Quan knew about Wei's laws and knew that Shen Yi's actions were both a delaying tactic and a way to leave himself an escape route, but he really didn't expect that Shen Yi would personally come out of the city to keep Deng Zhi there.

If the Han and Wu kingdoms had cooperated seamlessly, the western city would probably have been captured by the Wu and Shu kingdoms the moment Shen Yi left the city, so there would have been no need for further fighting.

As for Shen Yi daring to leave the city, he must have anticipated that the Wu and Shu kingdoms would not cooperate seamlessly in the face of this western city, which was crucial to the gains and losses of Hanzhong and the lifeline of Shu Han.

In response to Deng Zhi's earlier remarks, all the Wu people at the banquet turned their heads in surprise.

"Our Wu army of 50,000 has already besieged the city. I wonder how Shu Han will besiege it for 100 days?!" Chen Xiu, Sun Quan's commander of the Jie Fan, was the first to rebuke.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Ke's cousin, Zhuge Zhi, also gave a cold snort to Deng Zhi:
"Does Deng Zhendong mean that Shen Yi of Xicheng has the intention to surrender to Shu but not to Wu, and therefore hopes that our Great Wu will hand over Xicheng to us?"

Deng Zhi first glanced at Chen Xiu, then at Zhuge Zhi, whom he had met a few times before, before narrowing his eyes and speaking in a stern tone:

"Xicheng is adjacent to Hanzhong, and the gain or loss of this prefecture is related to the safety of Hanzhong."

"Hanzhong connects Sichuan, Guanzhong, and Longyou, and is the heart and throat of our great Han Dynasty!"
"If so, then the safety of Hanzhong is the safety of our Great Han, and the fate of Hanzhong is the fate of our Great Han Kingdom!"
"Wu's acquisition of Xicheng did not contribute to the alliance between Han and Wu."

"If the Han dynasty loses Xicheng, the alliance between Han and Wu may not be able to continue."

"Zhi wanted to see Shen Yi not only for the sake of the Han Dynasty, but also for the sake of the Marquis of Wu."

"However... I think that Ziyu Gong's military camp is not very strict, and the soldiers under Ziyu Gong's command are also somewhat lax."

"Lord Wu has come here with the intention of seizing Xicheng and controlling the vital passage to Hanzhong. We must replace him with a great general and send tens of thousands of elite troops there."

As soon as Deng Zhi finished speaking, all the civil and military officials of Wu Kingdom present changed color.

Deng Zhi's words just now laid bare the thoughts of both Wu and Han, even raising the issue of the continuation of the alliance between Wu and Shu as a national policy.

As for the last one or two sentences, they seem to be pointing out that Zhuge Jin and his troops are lazy and incompetent, and therefore incapable of conquering Xicheng.

But in reality, it seems to be saying that Shu Han must seize Xicheng this time, and if it fails to do so, it might as well break the alliance with Wu and fight.

Not only that... Was it Zhuge Jin's intention to allow Deng Zhi to leave the military camp to see Shen Yi?

If so, what are Zhuge Jin's thoughts on the gains and losses of Xicheng?

If it wasn't Zhuge Jin's intentional act.

Was Deng Zhi's words just now meant to sow discord, hoping to make the Supreme Emperor of Wu and the civil and military officials of Wu suspicious of Zhuge Jin and transfer him away from the front line of Xicheng?

It is disrespectful for a son to scold his father. Although Deng Zhi's words were not specifically directed at Zhuge Ke, who was sitting at the end of the table, Zhuge Ke's face turned slightly pale, and he dared not sweat or utter a word.

Because he didn't know what his father was thinking, or how Deng Zhi left the army camp for Xicheng.

Zhuge Jin's cousin, Zhuge Zhi, glanced at Zhuge Ke, whose face was ashen, and immediately stood up again, shouting at Deng Zhi:

"Deng Bomiao, Xicheng is Wei territory, not your Shu Kingdom!"
"My great Wu is now raising an army to attack them. Does your Shu Kingdom intend to interfere?"
"What right does your Shu Kingdom have to interfere?!"

"This is simply unreasonable!"

Wei Wen also snorted coldly and spoke angrily:

"Deng Bomiao, if it weren't for our Great Wu tying down 100,000 Wei troops on the eastern front for your Shu Kingdom, how could your Shu Kingdom have captured Guanzhong so easily?!"

"Now, my Great Wu only wants to take a small county in Xicheng, but your Shu Kingdom is using the existence of the Wu-Shu alliance as a threat!"

"Isn't this going a bit too far?! And isn't this a bit too arrogant?!"

Upon hearing Wei Wen's words, all the civil and military officials of Wu at the banquet were aroused and became indignant and dissatisfied. One after another, they stood up to debate with Deng Zhi.

The gist is nothing more than this.

Why is it that everyone else is launching northern expeditions, while your tiny Shu Kingdom has seized the entire Guanzhong Plain in one fell swoop, isolating it from the east and west, and bringing the Longxi and Liangzhou regions under its control?

My great Wu has wasted its resources and gained nothing. Now, all we want is to take a small county like Xicheng, and your Shu Kingdom dares to stop us?!

Seeing that Deng Zhi remained silent in the face of the reprimands from the civil and military officials present, Zhuge Zhi then said:
"Deng Bomiao, my Great Wu has a treaty with your Shu Kingdom, and we will work together to fight against the traitor Cao Cao."

"Once our Great Wu takes Xicheng, the heartland and throat of Shu that you speak of will no longer be threatened by Wei, and we will have no more worries about the east!"

"Your Shu Kingdom can take this opportunity to concentrate your troops and supplies to occupy Liangzhou and establish communication with the Western Regions!"
"Secondly, we can fully prepare for Cao Wei's counterattack from Tongguan and Hedong."

"If the world changes, we can borrow the route through Xicheng and send troops out of Nanyang!"
"Wouldn't that be detrimental to both countries?!"

Deng Zhi remained silent, not uttering a word, not even bothering to give a glance, simply drinking her wine in silence.

After most of the Wu people present had vented their anger and quieted down a bit, Sun Quan finally composed himself and asked Deng Zhi:

"Bo Miao, did you come east on the orders of the Han emperor?"

This Han Zhendong, whom he praised as "the only one who can unite the two kingdoms," risked being harmed by Shen Yi by going to Xicheng alone. His words just now were so intense, directly stating that the alliance between Wu and Shu might not exist. This shows how much Shu values ​​the gain or loss of Xicheng.

If it weren't for A Dou's instructions, he really couldn't understand why Deng Zhi would do this.

But... Liu Shan had just conquered Guanzhong and hadn't even had time to digest it, so how could he have the audacity to break ties with the Great Wu at this time?
Deng Zhi finally shook her head and spoke:
"No, Guanzhong has just been annexed. The emperor and the prime minister are both stationed in Chang'an to pacify the barbarian people and cannot travel far."

"But Zhao, the cavalry commander, knew the heart of the Emperor and the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, without waiting for the Emperor's order, Zhi went east downstream to meet Shen Yi and Wu Hou."

"Lord Wu, I will speak frankly today."

"Zhi has come eastward not for the Han Dynasty, but for Wu."

"Back then, Guan Yu was in Xiangfan when he flooded Cao Wei's seven armies, which made him a force to be reckoned with throughout China."

"The Han Dynasty is poised for a revival, while the Cao Wei regime is already showing signs of decline."

"When the Marquis of Wu seized Jingzhou, all the achievements made by the alliance between the two states of Han and Wu were lost."

"Today, our great Han Dynasty has successfully launched a northern expedition, recovered Guanzhong, returned to the old capital, and its might has shaken the world. The momentum of Guan Yu flooding the seven armies has reappeared, and the decline of Cao Wei has been shown again."

"What I am worried about is not Wei, but Wu!"
"Hanzhong is the throat of our great Han Dynasty, and Xicheng controls Hanzhong."

"Once Lord Wu captures Xicheng, it will directly threaten Hanzhong, the heartland of our great Han Dynasty."

"There is no longer any strategic buffer zone between our great Han and the Wu Kingdom."

"His Majesty will absolutely not agree."

"Therefore, Zhao, the cavalry commander, told Zhi that our great Han Dynasty is determined to take Xicheng and is bound to do so."

"If the Marquis of Wu captures Xicheng, then the alliance between Han and Wu will have broken down."

Upon hearing Deng Zhi's completely open and uncompromising words, Sun Quan and the Wu people were speechless and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Then the man from Hanzhen East continued:
"Lord Wu, gentlemen, Cao Wei has suffered repeated defeats, lost Guanzhong, and its army's morale has plummeted. Within a year or two, it will be no match for the Han Dynasty. Even if the alliance between Han and Wu breaks down now, the Han Dynasty will no longer be the same as before."

"At least for now, the Wu rulers are locked in a stalemate with the Cao Wei forces on the Han River near Xiangfan."

"Just as I said five years ago when I was ordered to go to Wuchang to conclude the alliance between Han and Wu, once Cao Wei defeats Wu and his army approaches Jingzhou, our great Han will surely follow the tide and surrender."

"If that is the case, then the land south of the Yangtze River may not belong to Lord Wu. I hope Lord Wu will think this through carefully."

(End of this chapter)