Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 194 When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor's orders!

West bank of the Han River.

The vanguard of the Han army, consisting of over three thousand armored soldiers, fully armed and ready for battle, had formed a battle array.

More than a thousand armored soldiers of Wu army lined up with their backs to the Han River, facing the Han army.

Marquis Xuanting and General Gao Xiang, who was leading the East, were currently negotiating with General Sun Gong of Wu in the empty space between the Han and Wu armies.

The Han soldiers, who had a deep-seated grudge against the Wu army, were now filled with murderous intent, as if they could crush the Wu army here at the command of the General Who Conquers the East.

The Wu army here numbered just over two thousand, and they were listless and lacked any fighting spirit. When they saw that the Han soldiers were fully armored and ready for battle, their morale weakened even more.

Sun Gong was initially responsible for guarding the north entrance of the western city to defend against the Wei army. Upon receiving news that the Han army had abandoned their ships and landed, he immediately organized two thousand men to rush southwest.

However, that place was sixteen or seventeen miles away from the place where Han and Wu were confronting each other. By the time he led his army to arrive, three thousand Han soldiers had already occupied a high slope and were arrayed in battle formation from above.

Behind these three thousand armored soldiers, Han soldiers formed a camp around the chariot, nestled against the northern foothills of the mountain range.

Tens of thousands of laborers, armed with knives and axes, went to the northern mountains to cut down trees.

Sun Gong didn't know whether the Han army was planning to set up camp on the spot or to gather materials needed to build a pontoon bridge.

Gao Xiang had a very unpleasant conversation with him.

Since the Northern Expedition, Gao Xiang had been in charge of defense affairs. At first, he controlled Lie Liu City on the ancient Chencang Road, and later he returned to Hanzhong to defend against the Wei army in the three eastern counties.

After the news of the complete victory in Guanzhong and the return of the capital to Chang'an reached the garrison in Hanzhong, he and his soldiers were overjoyed and celebrated, but at the same time, they were also filled with envy and jealousy.

Now, having finally left their garrison, and under the leadership of Zhao, the cavalry commander, they were embarking on an eastern expedition to three commanderies. Everyone was bursting with energy and eager to unleash it.

The Emperor has given his orders; Xicheng is determined to be captured.

If Wu Jun dares to obstruct us, then we will avenge ourselves today.

From Gao Xiang's tone and words, Wu general Sun Gong sensed Gao Xiang's disdain for him, or rather, his gnashing of teeth.

As night fell, the thousands of armored soldiers behind Gao Xiang, standing ready for battle, remained silent, yet their fighting spirit and killing intent seemed to solidify and surge forth.

After Gao Xiang spoke rudely to him again, he stood up angrily and shouted:

"Gao Boyi, what exactly do you intend to do?!"
"The alliance between Han and Wu is unbreakable, don't you know that?!"
"Could it be that the Han ruler has decided to break the alliance and wage war against our Great Wu?!"

Standing at seven feet eight inches tall, Gao Xiang snorted angrily, stood up, and glared at Sun Gong, who had inherited the Sun family's Corgi genes, saying:
"You have the nerve to mention breaking an agreement and breaching a contract?!"
"Back then, you cowardly Jiangdong traitors broke our alliance, seized Jingzhou, and destroyed our hopes for the restoration of the Han Dynasty. We haven't settled that old score yet!"

When they sat down to discuss matters just now, Sun Gong didn't feel any pressure from the old general in his fifties.

But now that both sides have stood up, they realize that although the other is old, he is still imposing and has a powerful presence.

The man's final words, "This old score hasn't been settled yet," silenced him completely.

Just as he was stunned and apprehensive, he saw the old general with graying hair and beard snort again, and then shout:

"Just because you just said that my Han emperor broke the alliance and breached the treaty."

"Even if I kill you right now, and then lead my troops to wipe out all the scoundrels you brought with you, the thousands of brave warriors behind me will not hesitate to do so!"

As he spoke, Gao Xiang drew his sword from its sheath:

"Get out of here! If you don't leave, I, Gao Xiang, swear I will make you, you worthless slave, bleed five steps away!"
"I'll give you two quarters of an hour. Get out of my way with all of you rats and don't obstruct my Han army from fetching water!"

"Otherwise, don't blame swords for being merciless!"

After saying this, Gao Xiang ignored Sun Gong and turned to walk towards the army formation.

Sun Gong, whose imposing manner had diminished considerably, was enraged when Gao Xiang abandoned him after uttering his harsh words. He angrily cursed at Gao Xiang's imposing back:

"How dare you come here without the Han emperor's permission!"
"Do you dare to betray your lord and break the alliance between Wu and Shu?!"

He understood from Gao Xiang's words that the Shu ruler did not intend to break the alliance at this time.

Sending Zhao Yun, Gao Xiang, and other generals was probably to wait for Deng Zhi to report back before making any further plans.

"Back then, did Pan Zhang and Ma Zhong kill my generals with Sun Quan's permission?!" Gao Xiang stopped and turned around again, his face flushed and filled with rage.

"Let me tell you!"

"If I were to disregard the bigger picture and break the alliance between Han and Wu, you and the people behind you would have no chance of returning alive!"
"You, take your men and get out of here!"

"Otherwise... Hmph!"

"When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor's orders."

"After I kill you, kill all of you, and avenge my old friends Guan, Feng, Fu, and Cheng, I will die to atone to His Majesty and to appease the world!"

After Gao Xiang finished speaking, a gust of wind from the Han River swept through the sparse battle formation of the Wu army, carrying moisture and brushing against Sun Gong's back, making Sun Gong feel a chill.

Gao Xiang finally left without looking back.

Sun Gong looked at the Han army behind Gao Xiang and was momentarily frightened.

It's impossible for all the elite Han troops to be here, but those who are here must be the elite of the Han army.

Although the Shu ruler may not have intended to break the alliance with Wu, Gao Xianggang also said that a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders.

If he were to truly break ties with the Han army here, he and his two thousand soldiers would likely perish here.

Moreover... Sun Quan and Lu Xun are currently confronting Cao Cao's army in Xiangfan, and it is Wu, not Shu, that needs to maintain the Wu-Shu alliance.

He broke the Wu-Shu alliance without Sun Quan's orders, and if the Xiangfan campaign fails, his lineage will likely face Sun Quan's purge.

His grandfather, Sun Jing, was Sun Jian's younger brother.

His father, Sun Gao, was a cousin of Sun Ce and Sun Quan.

When Sun Ce died, his father Sun Gao immediately reorganized the officials and soldiers and marched into Kuaiji, intending to take over the Jiangdong region that Sun Ce had conquered.

As a result, Yu Fan of Kuaiji defended the city and sent envoys to persuade him.

Seeing that the people's hearts were still not with him, Sun Gao ended the rebellion and supported Sun Quan's ascension to the throne.

After Sun Quan ascended the throne, in order to maintain stability within the Sun family, he did not punish Sun Gao's lineage for their disloyalty.

In fact, after Sun Jian's death, both his elder brother Sun Qiang and his younger brother Sun Jing had the idea of ​​usurping Sun Jian's legacy and exploiting his extinct lineage.

Even up to the time of Sun Jing's great-grandsons, Sun Jun and Sun Chen, the ambition of Sun Jing's lineage to usurp power never ceased.

Sun Jun and Zhuge Ke were entrusted by Sun Quan to assist in governing. After Zhuge Ke's defeat, Sun Jun killed Zhuge Ke and began to seize power.

After Sun Jun died of illness, his younger brother Sun Chen seized power, deposed Emperor Wu Sun Liang and made him the King of Kuaiji, and welcomed Sun Xiu as emperor. Later, he wanted to depose Sun Xiu and install another emperor.

His intention to usurp power is obvious.

Sun Gong was afraid that Gao Xiang would actually take action, and he also knew the true nature of his own lineage.

After returning to the army camp, he pretended nothing had happened and ordered the more than two thousand men he had brought to move north, clearing the way for the Han army to fetch water.

However, just to be on the safe side, he sailed eastward and greeted the navy floating on the Han River, ordering them to use hundreds of boats to block the Han River and prevent the Han army from building a pontoon bridge to cross eastward.

When Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin finished their discussion, more than ten junior and middle-ranking officers who had come to report on military affairs had gathered outside the central command tent.

Sun Gong was among them.

Upon seeing Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin emerge together, Sun Gong immediately stepped forward and relayed to them the harsh words Gao Xiang had just spoken to him.

Bu Zhi, Zhuge Jin, and the surrounding generals and officers all looked at each other in bewilderment.

“When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor’s orders…” Bu Zhi frowned.

Zhuge Jin seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "It may not be that he disobeys the emperor's orders. In my opinion, the Han emperor may already be considering breaking the alliance."

Sun Gong paused upon hearing this: "But... if the Han emperor truly intends to break the alliance, why doesn't the Shu general Gao Xiang take direct action, instead of telling me that a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders?"

If this were acting, the acting skills would be too good.

Moreover, what was his purpose in acting like this?
Bu Zhi glanced at Sun Gong and shook his head, saying:
He said that the Han emperor had not given any instructions, which probably had two purposes.

"One purpose is to lull us into a false sense of security, making us believe that the alliance between Han and Wu would not be easily broken without the Han emperor's consent."

"Finally, when the defenses of our Great Wu are relaxed, we will take advantage of the situation to break through the Han River defense line."

"Secondly, it leaves some room for the alliance between Wu and Shu."

"If Zhao Yun and Gao Xiang really clash with my Great Wu, they will end up gaining nothing."

"Then, under pressure from the situation, the Han emperor will most likely choose to maintain the alliance between Han and Wu and punish Zhao Gao and his two generals."

"The Emperor will probably let this matter drop. After all, no matter what, Cao Wei is the greatest enemy of both Wu and Shu."

"In the Battle of Yiling, although Wu gained Jingzhou, its several northward expeditions to Xiangfan ultimately failed to shake Cao Wei in the slightest. Instead, Cao Wei was able to focus all its efforts on targeting Wu."

"Unless... unless we can capture Xiangyang this time, His Majesty will continue to ally with Han."

As Gao Xiang said, there was a deep-seated hatred between the Wu and Shu kingdoms that had not yet been avenged. The reason why the two kingdoms were able to form an alliance was simply because Cao Wei was powerful.

The alliance was ultimately broken for the sake of a single city in the west, and only Cao Wei was pleased with itself.

Therefore, even if a war between Wu and Shu is inevitable, it is not impossible for them to re-ally in the future.

If the Battle of Yiling was like this, how much more so now?

Zhuge Jin gave Bu Zhi a deep look, but remained silent.

He knew what Bu Zhi was thinking.

It is also understood that Han and Wu might maintain their alliance.

However, the initiative had shifted from being in Wu's hands, not Han's, position in the Battle of Yiling, to being in Han's hands, not Wu's.

With this thought in mind, Zhuge Jin no longer concealed his feelings and said with deep concern:

"If war breaks out between Han and Wu, will it really stop at Xicheng?"
"If the Han emperor intends to break the alliance, then Li Yan of Jiangzhou and Chen Dao of Baidi City are probably already preparing for war."

"Even... if the Han emperor intends to break the alliance, then the Wei army in Tongguan, Wuguan, and Hedong has probably already received the news and sent it to Cao Xiu in the direction of Fancheng."

"Once the Han and Wu kingdoms start fighting in Xicheng, Cao Xiu will inevitably take this opportunity to fight the emperor in Xiangfan."

"Half a month ago, there was heavy rain in Guandong, and the rivers in Guandong swelled. Cao Wei's Nanyang navy was able to enter the Han River by going down the Yu River."

"The situation in Xiangfan is very different from what it was a month ago."

Upon hearing this, Bu Zhi finally paused.

Sima Yi was appointed Governor of Yuzhou and stationed in Wancheng.

Afterwards, timber from Funiu Mountain was felled and transported to the Yu River outside Wancheng to build large ships.

This process took two years, and Da Wu was completely unaware of it.

If it weren't for the fact that the army had approached Fancheng and Sima Yi hadn't led the Jing and Yu armies to Guanzhong, allowing the spies sent out by the Great Wu to spy on the shipyard.

It is likely that the Wu Kingdom is still unaware that the Cao Wei Kingdom already possesses hundreds of warships of various sizes, ready to sail down the Han River at any time, all the way to Jiangling.

Previously, there was a severe drought in the Kanto region, and all the waters dried up, making it impossible for boats on the Yu River to move.

Now, heavy rains in the Kanto region have caused floods, allowing these hundreds of boats to sail downstream.

The reason why Cao Xiu remained inactive for more than a month after arriving in Fancheng was because he was unable to cross the river due to the lack of boats.

This is one of the reasons why Wu Jun dared to recklessly seize Xicheng.

Unexpectedly, the Guandong region, which had been suffering from a severe drought for half a year, suddenly experienced rain at this time.

Thinking of this, Bu Zhi's face showed disgust.

The severe drought in Northeast China has greatly helped Sichuan.

The heavy rains in Guandong were particularly beneficial to Shu.

Could it really be fate?

"Does Ziyu mean that now is not the time to fight against Shu Han?" Bu Zhi looked at Zhuge Jin.

Just now in the military tent, he discussed with Zhuge Jin for a long time and repeatedly stated that if Shu Han crossed the Yangtze River to the east, he would not hesitate to fight against Shu Han.

Zhuge Jin did not express any objection, but now he has suddenly changed his tune.

Zhuge Jin remained silent for a moment, then said:
"I think we should not act rashly as long as the Han army does not make the first move."

"Deng Bomiao once secretly went to Xicheng to discuss something with Shen Yi."

What was said is unknown.

"If he has persuaded Shen Yi to surrender to Han instead of Wu."

"Even worse, he ordered Shen Yi to interfere during the conflict between Wu and Han."

"How can we be opponents of both?"

Bu Zhi's expression was stern.

Sun Gong and the others were also terrified.

For more than a month, Shen Yi had been showing deference to Da Wu, and would occasionally send people to deliver some grain and money outside the city.

But on the day Deng Zhi sneaked into the western city, Shen Yi actually risked leaving the city to stay with him.

Such an attitude is far more humble than sending grain and money to the Great Wu.

Wu's elite troops are all stationed in Xiangfan.

Pan Zhang's 5,000-strong navy is still en route and it is unknown how many days it will take to arrive.

Meanwhile, veteran generals Zhao Yun and Gao Xiang from the Shu Kingdom personally arrived.

Although it is unknown how many tens of thousands of troops and elite soldiers the two generals brought, Gao Xiang's attitude and harsh words when he met Sun Gong earlier showed that he was ready to kill at the slightest disagreement, which was enough to show that the Shu army had confidence.

Bu Zhi glanced at Zhuge Jin again.

Deng Zhi escaped from Zhuge Jin's military camp.

What exactly was Zhuge Jin thinking?
Zhuge Jin did not avoid Bu Zhi's gaze, but sighed inwardly.

His original intention was to maintain the alliance between Han and Wu and unite against Cao.

Before Deng Zhi could return from Xiangyang, Zhao Yun had already led the Han army to this place and, through Gao Xiang, expressed his intention to break the alliance with Wu at any time.

Only now, with Shen Yi suddenly becoming the biggest destabilizing factor, has he realized that perhaps Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi knew from the beginning that he intended to maintain the Han-Wu alliance, and were therefore using him to gain the opportunity to communicate with Shen Yi.

Regardless of what agreement Deng Zhi and Shen Yi reached, or whether no agreement was reached at all, as long as the Han army forcibly crossed the Yangtze River to the east, the Wu army would have to divide its forces to guard against Shen Yi.

Their force of tens of thousands was already a weak one; their elite troops numbered only three or four thousand...

Thinking of this, Zhuge Jin also got a headache.

Bu Zhi frowned slightly and said:

"The Shu army abandoning their ships and going ashore may have been a smokescreen."

"Perhaps there are still warships sailing down the Han River."

"We should send three hundred warships and fighting vessels to block the southern entrance."

...

late at night.

West bank of the Han River.

Zhao Yun and Gao Xiang climbed to a high place to look around.

Although the Han River channel in front of us is the narrowest point in the twenty-mile stretch, it is still more than a mile wide.

Relying on a pontoon bridge to cross the river is somewhat impractical.

The bamboo bridge that had previously shone brightly on the Ba River could not be crossed in less than two or three hours. The Wu army's naval warships floated on the Han River. Even if they dared not attack the Han army, they would certainly dare to destroy the pontoon bridge.

"Bo Yi, let's go," Zhao Yun ordered Gao Xiang.

A moment later, the drums of the Han army began to beat.

Having gone to bed early yesterday, the Han army, now refreshed and energized, followed the sound of drums and headed towards the northern mouth of the lower reaches of the Han River.

That place was the camp of Wu general Sun Gong.

More than a hundred miles away, on the upper reaches of the Han River.

Hundreds of warships appeared in the night.

Further ahead, General Fu Qian, leading dozens of light boats, laden with flammable materials and a burning rage for revenge, sailed downstream.

(End of this chapter)