Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 210 Wu Zhijia Rui
"Seek peace with Shu?!" Sun Quan's furious voice came from inside the flying cabin of the warship, startling the guards outside the cabin door.

"Shu has broken its promise, violated the alliance, captured my trusted confidant, and killed my beloved general. You...you actually advised me to seek peace with Shu?!"
Before he finished speaking, the sound of cups and plates being smashed violently came from inside the cabin.

Then silence fell again, and the guards outside the cabin could even hear the Supreme's panting breaths.

As for important officials such as Lu Xun, Zhu Ran, Gu Tan, and Shi Yi, they seemed to be not even in the cabin.

Once the emperor's breathing had calmed down, Grand Commander Lu Xun's voice finally came from inside the cabin:
"Your Majesty... Now is not the time to act rashly. Since the Shu army has broken the alliance and started the war, the naval forces led by Li Yan of Jiangzhou and Chen Dao of Yong'an must be ready for battle and eager to make their move!"
"Once Cao Wei... once our Great Wu suffers a setback in the battle of Xiangfan, Cao Wei will pursue us all the way to Jiangling."

"The people of Shu will inevitably go downstream, just as Deng Bomiao said!"

"If this is the case, then war will break out at the same time in the three key places in Jiangnan: Xiling, Jiangling, and Wuchang. How can our Great Wu resist them?"
"Your Majesty! Our Wu's elite troops have been locked in a stalemate with Cao Wei in Xiangfan for several months, and the army is exhausted!"
"Now that the nation has lost a great general, the soldiers have lost their will to fight... If we do not ally with Shu to resist Wei, I fear that, as Deng Bomiao warned before, Jiangnan may no longer belong to Great Wu!"

"Lu Boyan!" Sun Quan suddenly drew his sword from behind the screen and, catching everyone off guard, swung it down, slicing off a corner of the table.

Then, drawing his sword, he looked around at the assembled civil and military officials and angrily declared, "Any general or officer who dares to speak of seeking peace with Shu again will be treated the same as this one!"

Lu Xun, Zhu Ran, Zhang Cheng, Shi Yi, and the others were all stunned into silence.

At this moment, just as at that moment.

Even though Gu Tan, Zhu Yi, Ling Lie, and other juniors who did not witness the execution of the Supreme Being before the Battle of Red Cliffs understood the Supreme Being's determination upon seeing this scene.

Grand Commander Lu Xun and Right Commander Zhu Ran looked at each other in bewilderment.

Sun Quan sheathed his sword, glanced around at his assembled officials, and after a moment spoke with a resounding voice:
"How can the Jiangnan region of today be compared to that of five years ago?!"
"After five years of development, our Great Wu has established a deep foundation in Jingzhou and won the hearts of the people. The Wei bandits have tried to seize it many times, but we have been unable to do anything about it. Now, even if Wei and Shu come together, our Great Wu will surely repel them!"

This statement seemed to make some sense, and Zhu Ran, Shi Yi, and the others were at a loss for how to refute it.

Jiangling, a strategically important town, was already impregnable under Guan Yu's leadership.

After ten years of construction and consolidation, Da Wu can truly be described as indestructible.

As the new capital, Wuchang was surrounded by mountains and rivers, with dozens of fortresses, just like Cao Wei's Xiangfan defense line. It was also something that Cao Wei could not do anything about.

However, Lu Xun spoke again:

"Your Majesty, if we do not ally with Shu, the important towns of Jiangling and Wuchang may be impossible to capture."

"But what about Wuxian, Zigui, and Xiling? Once Cao Wei besieges Jiangling and the western front loses its support, the one who gains the upper hand will not be Wei or Wu, but Shu!"

Sun Quan angrily retorted, "Do you think Shu would agree to a peace treaty?!"

Lu Xun was momentarily speechless, at a loss for words.

Zhu Ran, Shi Yi, Zhang Cheng, and others also looked unwell.

As His Majesty said, things have come to this point, and even if Wu shamelessly sues for peace with Shu, Shu will most likely not agree directly.

Before Cao Wei withdrew its troops and returned north, the Shu army would certainly try to take advantage of the situation to recapture Wuxian, Zigui, and Xiling, three key fortresses controlling the exit of the Yangtze River.

"Your Majesty, if we do not ally with Shu, what will become of Zishan, Ziyu, and the others?"

Lu Xun persisted, but tried to persuade Sun Quan from a different angle.

"Should we just let them be captured by Shu?"
"How will the people of Wu be at peace at that time?"
“Your Majesty, you are a man of great ambition. Regardless of whether Your Majesty wishes to ally with Shu or not, you should send an envoy to persuade them, otherwise, I fear there will be criticism.”

"Lu Boyan, do you wish to test the sharpness of my precious sword?!" Sun Quan once again drew his sword from its sheath and took a step forward.

Everyone was immediately astonished.

Is the Supreme One possessed by Dong Zhuo?
The previous supreme beings were not like this.

At least he would listen to advice that was truly beneficial to the country.

Otherwise, these people wouldn't have gathered here together today.

Sun Quan ignored the astonishment of his officials and sternly glared at Lu Xun, still gripping his sword.

“Lu Boyan, it was your idea to seize Xiangfan while Wei and Shu were at war that came to me.”

"After Shu annexed Guanzhong and recovered Chang'an, I sent troops to seize Xicheng, and you had no objection."

"Now that you have suffered a defeat in Xicheng, you know that Shu will never agree to an alliance with Wu, yet you have repeatedly tried to persuade me to surrender and sent envoys to do so. What is your intention?!"
"Since sending an envoy will inevitably be fruitless, what is the point of sending one at all?!"

Since the victory at the Battle of Yiling, Sun Quan and his ministers had not had such a dispute for many years.

Zhu Ran, who had repeatedly advised Sun Quan against going to Xicheng, finally stepped forward and shielded Lu Xun from the attack, saying:
"Your Majesty, Boyan's words are reasonable. Regardless of whether Wu and Shu can re-ally against Wei, we should send envoys to persuade them, lest we discourage the soldiers of Wu!"

Sun Quan's face grew increasingly grim:

"Stop talking!"

"When Liu Bei was defeated and fled to Baidi, did he ever send an envoy to ask me for Pan Chengming, Hao Zitai, Liao Hua, and others?!"

Seeing the strange expressions on everyone's faces, Sun Quan seemed to realize that he had spoken without thinking, and then softened his tone slightly:

"I do not mean to abandon Zishan, Ziyu and other generals."

"But the three kingdoms are in the midst of chaos and war, and it is not the time to send envoys to demand their return."

My mind is made up!
"First, defeat Cao Wei so that Wei will not dare to covet the land south of our great Wu, then we will ally with Wei to force Shu to surrender!"

"The main army of Shu is now in Guanzhong."

"Generals Zhao Yun and Chen Dao are merely two detachments!"

"With two separate armies, they not only want to seize all three eastern prefectures, but also want to conquer all the key passes west of Xiling. Their greed and despicable nature will surely not be satisfied!"

"Cao Xiu is an incompetent general and will certainly be unable to conquer Jingzhou."

"If we cannot conquer it, we will have to contend with Shu for the two prefectures of Shangyong and Fangling."

"Winter has arrived, and the hidden reefs are all exposed. It is the right time to cross the river. I will lead my army westward to Baidi again, and Shu will surely flee at the mere sight of me!"

"Since Cao Wei has allied with Wu to pressure Shu, there will definitely be actions in the Guanzhong direction, and Kongming and Shu's elite troops will not be able to look south!"

"Fighting on three fronts, how much military strength and food can Shu have? How can it last? How can it not send envoys to make peace with Wu?!"

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials finally calmed down a bit.

The Chamberlain, Shi Yi, reassured him, saying, "His Majesty's words are correct."

Seeing this, Gu Tan and the other young men immediately echoed his sentiments.

Lu Xun and Zhu Ran looked at each other.

They came here today without inviting Pan Zhang, Xu Sheng, Liu Zan, or other generals, precisely to leave the Emperor isolated and helpless.

Now that some people are starting to agree with Sun Quan, they don't know what else to say.

Moreover, since Sun Quan has already explained the advantages and disadvantages to this extent, if they insist that Sun Quan send envoys to negotiate peace with Shu, it would be suspected that they are trying to take advantage of Sun Quan's defeat to force him to abdicate.

Seeing this, Sun Quan calmed down and finally gave the order: "Yi Feng (Zhu Ran), you shall immediately lead your troops to Xiling."

Zhu Ran pondered for a moment, then bowed and accepted the order.

East of Baidi, there are successively Wuxian, Zigui, and Xiling counties.

Sun Quan did not send him to guard Wu County, which is only fifty li east of Baidi, but instead sent him to guard Xiling. This was probably because Wu County and Zigui were guarded by Zhou Fang, Wei Jing, Pan Jun and others, so there was no immediate problem. Or perhaps it was because if he, as the Right Commander, were also besieged by the Shu army, it would be very bad for the morale of the army.

But no matter what, as long as Xiling is not lost, Jiangnan will be safe.

Sun Quan continued making arrangements.

Not long after, Pan Zhang and Xu Sheng arrived on the ship aboard a red horse boat.

"Wen Gui, you have been in Zigui for a long time and know the geography of the three eastern prefectures best."

According to the deserters, Zhu Gongxu (Zhu Ji) and Zhong Lizigan (Zhong Limu) led several thousand people to escape from the southeast of the west city.

"You set off swiftly in a light boat, leading the troops of Zigui to cut through the mountains and clear a path to meet them."

Without saying a word, Pan Zhang accepted the order and went straight out the door.

Zhu Ran had not heard any news of his son Zhu Ji until he heard that his son seemed to be safe and sound, and when he saw that Sun Quan had sent Pan Zhang to rescue him, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, as soon as Pan Zhang left, Lü Yi, the secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, strode into the cabin from outside.

Upon seeing Lü Yi, Lu Xun, Zhu Ran, Yi, Gu Tan, and the others all changed color and their expressions turned cold.

Lü Yi was in charge of inspecting and verifying documents from various government offices and prefectures, and he also held the office of inspectors, overseeing all officials. He was ruthless and cunning, and often used pretexts to frame officials.

Even powerful figures like Lu Xun, Zhu Ran, and Bu Zhi were frequently accused and slandered by him on trumped-up charges.

At this moment, Lü Yi stepped past the crowd and arrived at Sun Quan's desk. After glancing briefly at the chipped table, he exclaimed with delight:
"Your Majesty, three days ago, dozens of red crows gathered in the main hall of Wuchang, which was witnessed by all the officials and soldiers. This is an auspicious omen for the Great Wu!"

Everyone was surprised by what they heard and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lu Yi glanced at Sun Quan's expression and then said:

"Supreme!"
"In May, a yellow dragon was seen in Haiyan."

"In June, it was reported that a yellow dragon appeared in Poyang. "In July, it was reported that a yellow dragon and a phoenix appeared in Xiakou and Wuchang, and they left after nine days."

"In August of this year, auspicious signs of a red crow appeared in Wuchang. All officials and bureaucrats believed that a great joy was about to befall the Great Wu!"

An eerie silence fell over everyone.

Since the Emperor personally led the expedition, auspicious omens have surged like the tides of the Yangtze River throughout the Great Wu territory, ceaselessly day and night.

First, a purple aura rose into the sky from Fuchun in Wu County, winding for thousands of miles until it reached Wuchang.

Then, sweet dew fell upon the Jianye Palace, its color like amber and its taste like honey.

In particular, the yellow dragon, which signifies that the Earth element will replace the Fire element of the Han Dynasty, has appeared several times.

According to the messenger, its scales and mane shone like molten gold, so bright that one could not look directly at it, and each time it broke through the clouds, it was accompanied by thunderous roars.

However, since those yellow dragons and phoenixes often disappear into the sky in an instant, like lightning, few people witness them. Therefore, although there is a lot of noise in the streets, there is still a lack of convincing evidence to convince everyone.

Today, the red crow was seen in Wuchang, and was personally witnessed by the officials and soldiers who remained in Wuchang.

The most famous geomancer in the Wu region once said that Wuchang has the aura of an emperor.

Ge Xuan, a disciple of Zuo Ci and a high-ranking Taoist who lived in seclusion on Mount Tianmu, also said that a purple aura came from the east, starting in Yingzhou and ending in Wuchang.

All of these things.

If the Han army had not captured Guanzhong, if the Great Wu had not been defeated at Xicheng, if the Great Wu had once again defeated Cao Xiu at Xiangfan...

Then all the scholars in Jiangnan would probably be saying: the Mandate of Heaven is in Wu, not in Han and Wei.

Sun Quan pondered for a moment, then said passionately:

"My lords, Heaven has frequently bestowed auspicious omens upon the territory of Great Wu, which must signify great joy!"
"This defeat in the western city may turn out to be a blessing in disguise."

Upon hearing this, the generals were at a loss for words.

Lu Yi suddenly said:
"Supreme!"
The Classic of Filial Piety quotes the Divine Covenant: “When virtue reaches the deepest spring, the yellow dragon appears.”

More than a hundred officials in Wuchang submitted memorials praising the auspicious omen.

"The dragon is the symbol of the ruler."

"The ninth line of the Qian hexagram in the I Ching reads: 'The flying dragon is in the sky.'"

"The supreme ruler shall ascend to the throne!"

After these words were spoken, Lu Xun, Zhu Ran, Shi Yi, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

The reason everyone came to persuade him was that they knew the Supreme King of Wu intended to become emperor and might take advantage of the Wu-Shu alliance breaking to establish his own title and refuse to negotiate peace with Shu.

They just couldn't bring themselves to say it.

To my utter surprise, Lü Yi actually came right up to my face?

And who doesn't know that Lü Yi's meaning is the same as the Supreme's meaning?
Did they really think Lü Yi was just flattering them?

...

Luoyang.

royal palace.

Cao Rui's expression was solemn, and he remained silent.

Inside the hall, ministers Chen Qun, Xin Pi, Liu Ye, Jiang Ji, Yang Ji, and Gao Tanglong sat or stood, arranged on the left and right.

Shortly after, the highly respected Grand Tutor Zhong Yao ascended his palanquin and entered the palace.

Tiger-like guards carried the sedan chair to the upper left of the main hall.

After Zhong Yao alighted from his carriage, he bowed to the emperor and sat down at the emperor's signal.

Cao Rui then ordered the eunuchs to retrieve Cao Xiu's battle report and show it to the assembled officials.

Grand Tutor Zhong Yao, seated at the upper left of the main hall, was the first to receive the battle report of Xiangfan from the emperor's close attendant and began to read it.

In an instant, his expression changed drastically.

Chen Qun, Xin Pi, and the others were already uneasy because the emperor looked unwell and remained silent. Now, seeing Zhong Yao's solemn and serious expression, they became even more anxious and looked at each other in bewilderment.

At that moment, the emperor, who had been silent, suddenly spoke:

According to the Grand Marshal and Jia Yuzhou, Wu general Bu Zhi besieged Weixing for two months without success, so the Shu invaders launched a full-scale attack.

"Wu and Shu have already broken their alliance in the battle at Weixing. Weixing may have already fallen into the hands of the Shu bandits. Not only that, even Shangyong is in grave danger."

"What?!" The moment the emperor finished speaking, Xin Pi, the Commandant of the Guards, was the first to exclaim in shock.

Chen Qun, Liu Ye, Jiang Ji, Yang Ji, and others were all astonished.

"The battle that broke the alliance between Wu and Shu?"

"Has Wei Xing already fallen into the hands of the Shu bandits?"

"Does the Grand Marshal mean that the Shu bandits defeated Wu before Weixing, and then immediately attacked and captured Weixing? Is the main force of the Shu bandits no longer in Guanzhong?"

There was a great deal of discussion.

Some were pleased that the alliance between Wu and Shu had broken down.

Some were also worried that the three eastern prefectures might fall into the hands of the Shu bandits.

"What?! Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin have been captured by the Shu bandits?!" Xin Pi finally saw the most unbelievable news.

"Bu Zhi?!"

"Zhuge Jin?!"

Everyone was shocked again.

Bu Zhi's influence in the Wu military was almost comparable to that of Yu Jin in the Wei Kingdom.

His surrender to Shu is as shocking as Yu Jin's surrender to Guan Yu.
When Emperor Taizu heard that Yu Jin had surrendered to Shu, he was heartbroken.

Wouldn't Sun Quan be filled with regret and resentment now?!
After reading the joint battle report submitted by Cao Xiu and Jia Kui, Liu Ye said with deep concern:
"If what the Grand Marshal said is true, Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin have been captured by Shu, and Shen Yi of Xicheng has also surrendered the city to Shu."

"Then Shangyong may truly fall into the hands of the Shu bandits again."

Cao Rui neither confirmed nor denied, but simply asked:

"If I remember correctly, Shen Yi's son, Shen Bao, is currently being held hostage in Luoyang?"
"If Shen Yi truly surrendered to Shu after Wei's rebellion, how should he be punished according to the law?"

Without hesitation, Gao Tanglong cupped his hands and said:
"According to the law, those who surrender to the enemy shall have their entire family exterminated, all within five degrees of kinship shall be executed, and the rest shall be enslaved by the government."

Cao Rui nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials:
What do you all think?

The hall fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked at each other without saying a word.

Only Zhong Yao gently stroked his white beard and spoke slowly:

"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that executing him is not the right course of action."

"The Shen family has been based in Weixing for generations, with deep roots and abundant branches."

"The seven or eight thousand households of the troops all obeyed his commands."

"Killing Shen Bao now will only cause the Shen family to despair and return to Shu with their entire force, thus turning them into enemies."

“If we treat him well and show that we have no doubts, then even though Shen Yi has rebelled, his son will still be alive.”

"The Shen family's followers, with their more than seven thousand households, are also a potential source of future plans for us."

“Killing them would cut off their escape route and force them to rebel.”

Chen Qun and Xin Pi also echoed this opinion.

Cao Rui remained noncommittal, but his expression was clearly unpleasant. After a short while, he said, "The General of Chariots and Cavalry has sent a message from Tongguan."

After speaking, he showed Sima Yi's letter to the assembled officials.

"According to the General of the Cavalry's wishes."

"Wei should not compete with Wu for Jiangling, but should temporarily ally with Wu and work together to attack Shu. We must not allow Shu to gain control of the three eastern commanderies."

"The General of the Flying Cavalry also said that not only will Great Wei fail to capture Jiangling, but it will also help Shu gain power. What do you all think?"

After Cao Rui finished speaking, his expression grew even more unpleasant.

(End of this chapter)