Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 207 How could I be as harsh and ungrateful as Cao Pi?!

"Failed?"

"How could we lose?"

"How could Kongming break the alliance?!"

"It must be Liu Shan...it must be Liu Shan!"

Sun Quan was filled with shock and rage, and was furious.

Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he paused:
Where is Zishan?

Where is Ziyu?

"Why didn't I come back with you?!"

Upon hearing the Emperor's question, both Generals Pan Zhang and Liu Zan stammered, unable to find the words.

Without the two generals needing to speak, Sun Quan had already guessed much from their hesitant and helpless expressions.

But... war is war, defeat is defeat.

Why haven't Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin returned?!
Upon realizing this, Sun Quan was momentarily lost in thought and his mind was in complete disarray.

"Your Majesty... this humble general is utterly incompetent!" Liu Zan knelt down, tears streaming down his face.

Upon seeing this, Pan Zhang also knelt down and prostrated himself on the deck along with Liu Zan.

Upon hearing the noise and seeing the scene, Sun Quan finally came to his senses. He then staggered and swayed, almost falling onto the deck.

Chen Xiu, the supervisor of the Ministry of Justice, quickly helped the emperor up, his expression equally bitter.

It was just a small western city, yet the Great Wu lost two great generals and ministers, Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin. Isn't this a case of losing a big thing for a small thing?

For a moment, the supervisor thought of his father, Chen Wu, who had unfortunately passed away at Xiaoyaojin.

The Wu Kingdom suffered a great loss in this defeat... it can be said to be no less than the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford back then.

Pan Zhang and Liu Zan remained prostrate on the deck, weeping uncontrollably. With Chen Xiu's help, Sun Quan finally managed to stand up.

He stepped forward again, bowing slightly, and helped Liu Zan and Pan Zhang up.

Pan Zhang lowered his head, seemingly wanting to speak but hesitating.

Liu Zan, pale as a ghost and weeping uncontrollably, recounted the details of the battle that had taken place in Xicheng to Sun Quan.

As Liu Zan described more and more details of the battlefield, Lu Xun, Xu Sheng, Zhu Ran and others became increasingly suspicious, with one question after another popping into their minds.

The forests on the mountain had clearly been cleared to prevent fires, so how could the fire have started so quickly?
What kind of oil could burn so rapidly on the surface of water?
Why is the fire so persistent, like a maggot clinging to a bone, that even covering it with sand or blankets cannot extinguish it, and that pouring water on it only makes the fire burn even more fiercely?
Generals like Lu Xun and Xu Sheng were all watching closely to see why the Wu army had suffered a defeat.

However, the Supreme King of Wu was still distraught and lost, unable to recover from the fact that Generals Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin had not returned.

"You say that Tang Zi captured Cheng Zi and surrendered to Shu, is that true?" Sun Quan's eyes were bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth. At the same time, he seemed to have thought of something, but he deliberately avoided it.

Liu Zan nodded, his face showing struggle.

Tang Zi's surrender to Shu was unbearable even to the emperor.

If it is learned that the Left and Right Generals have both surrendered to Shu…

He dared not think about it anymore, nor dared he speak it anymore.

Sun Quan looked at Liu Zan in silence for a moment, as if he had guessed something.

After much struggle, he finally gritted his teeth and asked the question he had been trying to avoid:

"Zishan, Ziyu... Does anyone know anything about them?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zan and Pan Zhang exchanged glances, hesitated several times before finally stammering out:

"Your Majesty... according to the soldiers who escaped."

"The Left General and the Right General have both been forced to surrender to Shu!"

After speaking, Liu Zan immediately bowed his head, not daring to look at the emperor's expression again.

However, upon hearing this, the supreme being neither flew into a rage nor became enraged. He merely lost his composure for a couple of breaths before regaining his composure, seemingly accepting the fact.

On the contrary, Zhu Ran, Xu Sheng and others could not believe it, but Lu Xun seemed to have known this all along, and his gloomy expression did not increase or decrease in the slightest.

After a short while, the Supreme Emperor of Wu, perhaps wanting to appease the generals, spoke in a low voice:

"Kongming is the Chancellor of Shu. He wields power arbitrarily and his influence is overwhelming. Ziyu is Kongming's brother. The Shu army will certainly not kill him."

"I have known Ziyu for over twenty years, and we have been completely open with each other. I believe Ziyu will never betray me."

"As for Zishan, he was by nature generous, elegant and profound, and able to humble himself and disgrace himself."

"He was also my maternal relative, who helped me pacify Jiaozhou, stabilize southern Jing, and guard the western lands."

"Deeply concerned about the heavy responsibilities, I am determined to seek an audience with the emperor. I am diligent day and night, and cannot eat or sleep peacefully."

"He always kept in mind the need to secure the country and benefit the people, and to devise long-term plans. He can be considered a trusted advisor and a pillar of the state."

"The surrender of these two men to Shu is merely a temporary measure, a plan for the future."

"Just like Guan Yu when he surrendered to Cao Cao, he was in Cao Cao's camp but his heart was with Liu Bei."

"For example, Liao Hua surrendered to Wu, but he faked his death and returned to Shu with his mother."

Only then did the generals realize that the Emperor was not as calm as he appeared.

Otherwise, why would we use the loyal acts of two Shu surrenderers as examples?
But the Supreme One continued:
“In the past, Meng Mingshi lost his army at Yao, and Xun Linfu suffered a defeat at Bi.”

"The states of Qin and Jin reinstated the two generals to their positions."

"Afterwards, Jin conquered the Di lands, and Qin dominated the Western Rong."

"The defeat at Xicheng today is not due to the fault of the battle."

"If one insists on dying for one's principles, one's body will perish and one's bones will be destroyed."

"Even if one's name is recorded in history, what benefit does it bring to the affairs of the nation?"
"The Great Wu is in dire need of capable people. Zishan and Ziyu do not seek empty fame but remain in service. This is for my sake and for the greater good of the country."

"How can I emulate Cao Pi's harshness and lack of compassion, causing Yu Jin to fall ill and die from shame and anger?"

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials dared not utter a word.

Nobody said that Your Majesty was as cruel and ungrateful as Cao Pi!
After Sun Quan became the King of Wu of Wei, he sent Yu Jin and other Wei generals back to Cao Pi. Cao Pi appointed Yu Jin as General Anyuan and sent him as an envoy to Wu.

Before Yu Jin was sent to Wu, Cao Pi first ordered him to go north to Ye City and pay homage to Emperor Taizu at Gaoling.

When Yu Jin arrived at Gaoling, he saw a large painting hanging in the mausoleum. It depicted Guan Yu's victory, Pang De's anger, and Yu Jin kneeling in surrender. Upon seeing this, Yu Jin felt ashamed and resentful, fell ill, and died.

Sun Quan finally looked at Pan Zhang and said, "Deng Bomiao is the guardian of the east of Shu. Kongming and Adou value him highly. If we exchange Deng Bomiao for Kongming and Adou, Zishan and Ziyu will surely be able to agree."

Liu Zan's face turned ashen, and he immediately lowered his head.

“Your Majesty…” Pan Zhang dared not utter a sound.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Ran, Xu Sheng, Chen Xiu, and other generals all turned pale.

Even Lu Xun, who seemed to have a clear understanding of everything, lost his previous composure and stared in astonishment.

Pan Zhang, who was usually violent and reckless, was unusually dejected and recounted in detail how Deng Zhi escaped from his grasp and how Ma Zhong was killed while pursuing him.

Zhu Ran, Xu Sheng, and the others were increasingly shocked as they listened.

Xu Sheng exclaimed in astonishment:

"Judging from this, Ma Deyan's death must have been the work of Guan's son."

"Wow...wow...the Shu Kingdom had actually laid an ambush all along."

"In that case, it seems that when Deng Bomiao arrived, the Shu ruler and the Shu prime minister had already made all the preparations for a war against our Great Wu that would break the alliance."

"Aren't they afraid that our Great Wu will join forces with Cao Wei, causing their northern expedition to fail at the last moment?!"

Just as the generals were each lost in their own thoughts, the Emperor suddenly spoke:

"Alright, everyone, return to your camps and guard against Cao Xiu's attack."

"As for Cao Cao's navy, I am somewhat tired. We will discuss this matter again tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, none of the generals dared to say anything more, and all turned their gazes toward Grand Commander Lu Xun.

"Your Majesty, please rest well. We will take our leave." Lu Xun bowed to Sun Quan first to say goodbye, and then turned and left.

Generals Liu Zan, Pan Zhang, and Xu Sheng also bowed respectfully to say goodbye.

Sun Quan nodded calmly, and only after all the generals had left the ship did he finally turn back and head towards his cabin.

Not long after, a series of furious roars and the sound of things being smashed came from inside the cabin.

About a hundred paces away, Lu Xun faintly heard a voice coming from behind him. He sighed inwardly and quickened his pace.

Zhu Ran, Xu Sheng, Liu Zan, and the other generals pretended not to hear anything and hurried away.

Upon arriving at the dock, Lu Xun instructed everyone to return to their garrison as soon as possible and not to linger there, lest Cao Xiu have an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. He then took the lead in boarding a boat and sailing towards Yukou, where Cao's navy was located.

Seeing Lu Xun leave, Right Commander Zhu Ran turned to Liu Zan and said, "Zhengming, could you tell me about the battle on the Han River again?"

Liu Zan was slightly taken aback.

Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, and other generals also stayed behind.

Zhu Ran was not on good terms with Grand Commander Lu Xun and Left Commander Bu Zhi.

Zhu Ran strongly opposed Sun Quan's plan to divide his forces to take Xicheng before he could even capture Xiangfan.

Even from the very beginning, he foresaw that the Shu Kingdom might break its alliance with the Great Wu and fought a war because of this, and he tried his best to dissuade the emperor from taking a dead end.

However, Bu Zhi supported Sun Quan and insisted on going, believing that Shu did not have enough national strength and military power to compete with Wu for Xicheng.

He also said that if the western city were abandoned and the three eastern counties were allowed to fall into the hands of Shu, then Jingzhou would be in danger, and the Great Wu would never have a peaceful day again.

Lu Xun did not comment on this.

But his silence is a form of support for Sun Quan.

It just means he doesn't have to take any responsibility.

Liu Zan recounted the Battle of Hanshui to Zhu Ran, Xu Sheng, and others in detail once again.

Finally, he said to Zhu Ran:
"Right Commander-in-Chief, Jianzhong Commandant, was ordered by the Left General to monitor Shen Yi in the western city."

"This humble general believes that with General Zuo present, Commandant Jianzhong will surely be safe."

After leaving his praises, he glanced at Zhu Ran's expression.

Jianzhong Duwei was Zhu Ran's son, Zhu Ji.

After the death of Zhu Ran's younger brother Zhu Cai, Zhu Ji took command of Zhu Cai's troops and followed Pan Jun, a surrendered official from Shu, to conquer the Wuxi barbarians in Jingzhou. He was known for his courage and bravery in Jiangnan.

Before Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin marched into Xicheng, the Supreme Emperor of Wu, seeing that the Right Commander was determined to oppose them, sent his son to join the Left General Zhuge Jin's command, and together with the Left and Right Generals, they attacked Xicheng.

Now that the alliance between Wu and Shu has broken down, Wu has suffered a crushing defeat.

His son has not returned, and his fate is unknown.

It's impossible for someone not to harbor resentment towards the Supreme Being.

However, to Liu Zan's surprise, Zhu Ran seemed unconcerned about his son Zhu Ji's affairs, and instead focused on the black oil, asking Liu Zan about its details.

"This item must have come from Guanzhong. Otherwise, why didn't Liu Bei use it in the Battle of Yiling?"

"But... if it came from Guanzhong, why did Cao Wei never use it?"

"I've heard that Kongming and his wife were skilled in craftsmanship, could it be Kongming...?"

After Xu Sheng, Zhu Yi, Lü Ju, and other generals finished recounting the battle of Xicheng in detail by Liu Zan, they began to discuss the black oil.

Opinions varied, and Zhu Ran frowned deeply:
"If this thing is truly as powerful as Zhengming says, how should our Great Wu Navy subdue it?"

All the generals remained silent.

Sesame oil, tung oil, and fish paste are common oils that can indeed be used for fire attacks.

But the fact that pouring them onto the water could instantly ignite a large area of ​​them was something they had never seen or heard of before; they simply couldn't even imagine it.

The flames soared into the sky.

The river was engulfed in flames.

No matter how hard you try, you can't put it out.

If that's the case, how should we deal with it?

So-called naval warfare is nothing more than ramming boats together, attacking each other with fire, smashing each other with poles, and finally boarding each other for close combat.

The Shu army, situated upstream on the Yangtze River, naturally had an advantage in naval warfare.

Now, with the help of this powerful black oil, wouldn't the Wu navy, which is unparalleled in the world, also fall into a disadvantage?

"Since this thing has such power, why didn't the Shu army use it on the Yangtze River, but instead used it in Xicheng?" Zhu Yi, son of Zhu Huan, the governor of Ruxu, thought of something.

Xu Sheng pondered for a moment and said:

"In my opinion... this thing is unheard of and unseen, so its production must be very limited."

"The Han River is narrow and crowded with boats, hence this great fire."

"If used on a major river, it may not produce the same effect as the Han River."

The Han River is at most one or two miles wide.

The Yangtze River is different. After passing through the Yiling Pass, it widens to seven or eight miles in some places, so wide that one cannot see north from the south or south from the north. It is almost boundless.

Therefore, Lü Ju, son of Grand Marshal Lü Fan, said:

"What if the Shu bandits deliberately made us think this way?"
"Once this substance appears in large quantities on the Yangtze River, the Shu army can set fires downstream and defeat Wu again. How can Wu possibly recover?"

No one could answer.

Before the defeat of Xicheng, who could have imagined that such a bizarre thing existed in the world?

Since the Northern Expeditions, Shu Han seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, winning battle after battle and defeating larger forces with smaller ones. The enemy, far away in Jiangnan, had no idea how Shu Han had accomplished all of this.

"Cao Zhen fought against Wu, Zhang He fought against Wu, and Sima Yi fought against Wu, but none of them won."

"But now, these Wei generals are either dead or defeated. The Wei generals who once defeated Wu have no victories against Shu."

"Could it be that this black oil, or some other strange substance similar to it, is helping Shu Han?" Lü Ju asked again.

No one could answer.

Warfare is all about momentum.

Since its Northern Expeditions, the Shu Kingdom has been advancing with unstoppable momentum.

Now... even the Great Wu has lost its army and generals.

When will this unstoppable momentum finally end?

……

Fancheng.

Above the city.

Cao Xiu suddenly received intelligence.

Two hundred miles upstream, at the foot of Wudang Mountain, a Wu naval force appeared.

There were more than 70 boats of various sizes, and the crew, including laborers and servants, numbered an estimated 20,000 people, sailing downstream.

Cao Xiu inquired repeatedly and confirmed that the information was correct. After clarifying the details, he suddenly showed an expression of disbelief.

"Could it be... that the Wu traitor has been defeated?!"

If what he predicted is true, Wu's navy went upstream half a month ago. Judging by the time, they probably hadn't even reached Xicheng before fleeing eastward with the current.

what does this mean?
Beside him, Cao Shuang, who had been completely bewildered, was suddenly horrified:

"Grand Marshal... how is this possible?"

"The Shu bandits have no advantage in boats and ships, so they certainly cannot defeat the Wu army on the Han River, can they?"

Cao Xiu shook his head and glared at Cao Shuang: "If Shu had not already defeated Wu, why would Sun Quan's navy turn back halfway down the river?"

After speaking, he looked at Huan Fan and said, "Xicheng...Xicheng, should the military advisor send reinforcements to Xicheng?"

Jia Kui immediately shook his head: "I won't save him."

Cao Xiu's expression darkened:
"The Wu people are incompetent, so the western city is safe. The Shu bandits are different. If we don't come to their aid, Shen Yi will be forced to surrender to Shu. Wouldn't that allow Shu to gain power?!"

Beside Cao Xiu and Huan Fan, Jia Kui, the governor of Yu Province, rolled his eyes at Cao Xiu:
"If the alliance between Shu and Wu has been broken, and Shu has defeated Wu in one battle, then the best course of action now is to join forces with the Shu rebels to attack Sun Quan and capture Jiangling."

Just as Cao Xiu was about to erupt in anger, Huan Fan suddenly remembered something and interrupted Cao Xiu:

"Grand Marshal, the western city has likely fallen."

"This is bad... this is bad! If Xicheng has already fallen to Shu... we must send men to Shangyong immediately!"

Cao Xiu, Cao Shuang, Qin Lang, and the others were completely baffled.

"What do you mean by that, strategist?" Cao Xiu asked, puzzled.

"If we don't send someone there immediately, Shangyong will be in danger of falling!"

"How is that possible?" Cao Xiu frowned.

(End of this chapter)