Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 229 In times without heroes, even a scoundrel can rise to fame!

Zheng Guo Canal.

The clear canal water flows eastward, gurgling gently.

"Although the Zheng Guo Canal cannot compare with the 'Shaopi' in Huainan, it is still a large-scale water conservancy project that made Guanzhong a land of plenty." Bu Zhi knew the story of the Zheng Guo Canal very well.

"Although the population of Guanzhong is small, with this excellent canal, if Shu Kingdom were given another ten years, it would probably be able to accumulate tens of millions of bushels of grain."

Zhuge Jin nodded slowly.

Zhuge Qiao then spoke up from behind: "That's not true."

Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin glanced at them sideways.

“No need for ten years, five years will suffice,” Zhuge Qiao said without hesitation.

As the head of the accounting department, he had a clear understanding and calculation of the current population and land situation in Guanzhong.

"Five years?" Bu Zhi frowned, clearly thinking that Zhuge Qiao was exaggerating.

Zhuge Qiao nodded and said:
"Uncle, Mr. Bu."

"The Zheng Guo Canal is no longer a good canal."

"Since the opening of the Zheng Guo Canal, more than 600 years have passed. The riverbed of the Jing River has been continuously subsiding, and the head of the Zheng Guo Canal is now nearly ten feet higher than the original riverbed."

"Water can only be transported downstream by a few tributaries that flow into the Beishan River downstream."

"During droughts, the water level is very low, and the water in the canal is intercepted layer by layer by powerful clans along the way. By the time it reaches Linjin, the downstream area, the water has almost dried up, making it difficult for the people to irrigate their fields."

"When the rainy season comes, the flash floods will overflow the canals and flood the entire Nanfengyi area. The people whose fields are mostly south of the canals will suffer from natural disasters again."

"The Zheng Guo Canal has long lost its function of regulating drought and flood, and Guanzhong is no longer the land of abundance. This is what is meant by the transformation of the sea into mulberry fields."

"After the Prime Minister pacified Guanzhong, the first thing he did was to find a new canal head. Now that the dry season has begun, the canal can still transport water from the head downstream."

"Give the Han Dynasty another year, and the people of Guanzhong will be able to be self-sufficient; give the Han Dynasty two years, and the people of Guanzhong will be able to store up surplus grain."

"Sooner or later, Guanzhong will once again become the Land of Abundance."

Upon hearing this, Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin looked towards the upstream of the Zheng Guo Canal, and after a moment they both looked eastward towards the downstream of the Zheng Guo Canal.

Just then, the Prime Minister's carriage appeared on the horizon of the distant official road.

Before long, the Prime Minister, who was inspecting the Zheng Guo Canal, arrived in front of Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin under the protection of a group of elite guards. He got out of his carriage and bowed to the two of them.

"Elder brother, Bu Jun, I have been busy with official duties and have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

Zhuge Qiao instinctively wanted to help the Prime Minister up, but found that the Prime Minister was upright and energetic, and no longer needed his help.

...

...

Ever since Sun Quan led the Wu army away from the Xiangfan front, abandoning their supplies, Cao Wei advanced by land and water, relentlessly pursuing the Wu army.

From September to October, the states of Wei and Wu engaged in more than ten small-scale skirmishes and blocking battles.

Both sides advanced and retreated at times, with victories and defeats occurring on both sides, and neither could truly defeat the other.

But battle reports may lie, but the front lines do not.

Wu's army failed to achieve its strategic objectives and was helpless against Xiangfan. The cities and passes that Wu had finally managed to capture from Wei were slowly taken back by Wei during the retreat.

Wu Jun launched a fierce attack.

The Wei army broke through layer by layer.

The two sides advanced and retreated, eventually arriving at Qingni Pass.

After Wu's army captured the pass from Wei's army, they sent people to build a pass and set up checkpoints there. During the retreat, Grand Commander Lu Xun was in charge of command, leading Xu Sheng and other generals to cover the rear of Sun Quan's vanguard.

Cao Xiu and Jia Kui, two generals of Wei, led Huan Fan, Qin Lang, Cao Shuang, Xiahou Ba, Dian Man, Man Wei and others to pursue them to this place.

After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Ren was trapped in Jiangling.

Guan Yu once blocked the northern road at Qingni, preventing the Wei Kingdom from rescuing Cao Ren, who was besieged in an isolated city. At the same time, he staged a classic siege and attack on reinforcements, defeating Wei generals Xu Huang, Yue Jin, Man Chong, Li Tong, and Lü Chang one by one, which led to Cao Ren's eventual abandonment of Jiangling.

The Cao Wei court and the public have embellished the story of this battle, saying that Xu Huang, Yue Jin, Man Chong, Wen Pin, Li Tong and other generals beat Guan Yu badly at Qingni and successfully rescued Cao Ren from Jiangling.

However, after these people brutally beat Guan Yu, they either lost their troops, their official positions, or even their lives.

On the contrary, Guan Yu, who was severely attacked by these people, not only remained unharmed, but also successfully captured Jiangling.

As a general from the imperial clan, Cao Xiu certainly knew the truth.

It is naturally known that the reason why Guan Yu was able to defeat these Cao Wei generals was not because Guan Yu himself was so powerful, but because Qingni Pass was surrounded by mountains and rivers, with many swamps and forests, which was very suitable for combined land and water attacks and ambushes.

So when he led his army to Qingni, he did not attack the pass immediately, but sent out soldiers with good stamina to search the mountains and marshes, determined to find out every possible place where an ambush might be hidden.

Finally, the scouts sent out indeed discovered several thousand Wu soldiers lying in ambush in a secluded valley and dense forest.

The strategist Huan Fan then offered advice to Cao Xiu.

On the one hand, Cao Xiu led the main force in a feigned attack on the pass.

On the other hand, he dispatched Jia Kui, the governor of Yuzhou, to leave the Han River and continue pursuing another of Sun Quan's defeated troops in the southeast via the Suizao Pass, pretending not to have discovered Lu Xun's ambush.

Cao Xiu agreed.

After all, Jia Kui's army was venturing deep into enemy territory through the Suizao Pass to pursue the Wu army, which was a risky move.

How could Cao Xiu not want such a good thing that harms others to benefit himself and the country at the same time?

He and Jia Kui had always disliked each other. Years ago, Jia Kui almost became the commander-in-chief of the armies in Huainan, but fortunately, he was persuaded to stop.

Jia Kui was a famously fierce man, and those who knew him well knew that his lifelong ambition was to become a great general like Han Xin and Bai Qi.

He was destined to be the military commander of a region, but in the end, he failed to achieve his goal due to Cao Xiu's interference. How could he just laugh it off?
The feud between the two sides had already been brewing for some time.

Upon hearing Huan Fan's plan, Jia Kui immediately understood that Cao Xiu and Huan Fan harbored ill intentions, wanting to use the greater good of the nation to get him to lead the army into danger.

However, compared to his personal grudge against Cao Xiu, Jia Kui, who came from a humble background and had gained such a high position and power through the great favors of the Wei state, ultimately decided to put the country first.

Therefore, Jia Kui did not raise any objection to Huan Fan's risky strategy of sending his troops deep into enemy territory alone.

On the day Sun Quan abandoned Xiangfan, he had already guessed that Lu Xun, known as a "wise general," would not admit defeat so easily.

Lu Xun is now ostensibly covering Sun Quan's retreat, but in reality he is hiding his troops in deep valleys and dense forests. Isn't this exactly what is meant by "returning the spear" or "dragging the sword"?
The Great Wei has turned the tables on us; isn't that wonderful?
If Sun Quan could capture and kill Lu Xun in one fell swoop, it would not be as simple as losing an arm, but rather losing his heart and vital organs.

Finally, Cao Xiu, the Grand Marshal of Cao Wei, and Jia Kui, the Governor of Yu Province, split their forces into two groups and acted separately.

Cao Xiu led Cao Shuang, Qin Lang, Xiahou Ba and other members of the imperial clan, commanding more than 60,000 infantry and naval troops, to fight against the Wu army led by Lu Xun at Qingni Pass.

Jia Kui then led Man Chong's son Man Wei, Li Tong's son Li Xu, and General Dian Man, along with more than 20,000 troops, southeast to pursue a detachment of Sun Quan's forces that had fled from the Sui-Zao Pass.

A few days later.

Cao Xiu's Wei army began to attack Qingni head-on.

For five consecutive days and nights, they fought with a casualty ratio of almost one to five, with nearly two thousand dead each day. They spared no effort, yet they still could not capture the pass. As a result, the morale of the Wei army was greatly dampened.

The sixth day, early morning.

Lu Xun seemed to have finally discovered the weakness of the Wei army, so he ordered the ambush troops hidden in the valley and dense forest to come out in full force, catching Cao Xiu, whose army was exhausted and tired, off guard.

Cao Xiu was defeated and forced to retreat.

Lu Xun led his army out of the pass.

The balance of power shifted dramatically between the two sides.

The Wei army, which was originally pursuing the Wu army, suddenly began to retreat.

Meanwhile, the Wu army, which had been in a complete rout, advanced on Xiangfan once again.

At the same time, Lu Xun sent Ding Feng to lead another Wu army to pursue Jia Kui.

Originally pursuing Wu's army in the Sui-Zao Corridor, Jia Kui and his 20,000 troops were suddenly caught in a dangerous situation, attacked from both sides: Xu Sheng in front and Ding Feng behind.

However, Jia Kui was very cautious throughout the journey. While pursuing the enemy, he built defensive fortifications and advanced slowly, searching for suitable places every day and even spending two or three hours setting up camp.

So when Xu Sheng and Ding Feng attacked him from both the north and south with more than 10,000 troops, his 20,000 troops had already successfully defended the mountain.

Although morale was in chaos, the Wu army could not advance an inch. Upon learning of this, Lu Xun, who was fighting Cao Xiu at the front, sent an envoy to persuade them.

The emperor instructed Jia Kui to surrender to Wu, arguing that military success or failure was a matter of fate.

As a result, Jia Kui didn't buy into this at all. He even ignored the rule that "in battle, one should not kill the messenger," and directly beheaded Lu Xun's messenger, hanging his head outside the gate to show the soldiers that they must fight.

Afterwards, Jia Kui personally toured the three armies, reassuring the soldiers and saying that reinforcements would arrive within three days. He also distributed all the grain, silk, and treasures captured recently to the soldiers, thus igniting their fighting spirit.

However, three days later, Cao Xiu's reinforcements still hadn't arrived.

Lu Xun and Sun Quan then sent more than 10,000 troops to assist Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, completely surrounding Jia Kui's Yuzhou army, which was trapped in the middle of the Suizao Pass.

The morale of the army, which Jia Kui had finally managed to stabilize, was thrown into chaos once again.

Even Jia Kui's generals, such as Dian Man, Man Wei, and Li Xu, began to feel uneasy.

One concern was that Cao Xiu might not be able to defeat Lu Xun.

Secondly, he worried that Cao Xiu might deliberately delay because of a grudge against Jia Kui.

He wanted Jia Kui to suffer a major defeat first, and then bring a large army to his rescue. He wanted to use Jia Kui's defeat to highlight his own merits and his magnanimity in saving Jia Kui from danger without holding grudges.

However, both of these concerns subsided in less than a day.

Ding Feng, who was blocking the north entrance of the Suizao Pass, suddenly came to a stop for some unknown reason.

Upon seeing this situation, Jia Kui made a decisive move, ordering all his soldiers to be fully armored and armed, abandon all provisions, supplies, and valuables, and pursue the suddenly retreating Wu army to the north.

Dian Man, Man Wei, Li Xu and other generals all opposed it at first.

They believed that this was because the Wu army could not capture the strong camps and high walls of the Wei, and because the military strategy of "do not press a desperate enemy" and "leave an opening when besieging an army" led to their voluntary withdrawal from the siege.

This is a tactic of luring the enemy away from their base to make them retreat lightly.

However, Jia Kui insisted on his own opinion.

If Cao Xiu has already been defeated, we will be surrounded here, unable to advance or retreat, with our supplies and return routes cut off, and our morale already in disarray.

If Wu's army defeats Cao Xiu and sees this situation, they can easily fortify their camps and build high walls to confront us, exhausting our army here. Our army will surely collapse without a fight. This is the best strategy to subdue the enemy without fighting.

Now the Wu people have the best strategy of subduing the enemy without fighting, but instead they want to lure us away from the mountains and make us retreat lightly. Isn't that absurd?
When his generals Dian Man and Man Wei heard Jia Kui's words, they finally understood and explained the analysis to the soldiers of the three armies. As a result, the more than 20,000 soldiers of Yuzhou were all inspired and pursued the enemy to the north.

A few days later.

When Jia Kui's army chased out of the Suizao Corridor and arrived at Qingni Pass, they found that Lu Xun's Wu army had been routed and had abandoned the pass. Cao Xiu's army of tens of thousands was fighting fiercely.

In the end, Wu's army kept fleeing, while Wei's army kept pursuing.

They caught up with the Canglang River.

"Where is this place?" Cao Xiu asked, beckoning a guide from Xiangyang.

The guide replied:

"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, this place is the Canglang River."

"Now it is also called Xia River. The mouth of Xia River where it flows into the Yangtze River is now called Xiakou. It is the most important pass to the west of Wuchang, the new capital of Wu Kingdom."

"Moreover, this river not only connects to Wuchang in the east, but also to Jiangling in the west. It is a vital passage to Jingzhou. It is likely that Wu troops control the upper reaches of the Xia River. I hope the Grand Marshal will act with caution."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiu seemed to be deep in thought.

But at that moment, someone spoke up.

"Grand Marshal, the roads around Xia Shui are narrow, and the Yunmeng Marsh is on both sides. It is suitable for naval ambushes, but not for infantry and cavalry warfare."

"In my opinion, our Great Wei has already defeated the false Wu general Lu Xun."

"The nation was able to hold its head high."

"The Grand Marshal's martial arts skills are also unparalleled."

"It would be better to stop here and not proceed rashly."

Pei Qian, the governor of Jingzhou, offered his advice.

Cao Xiu's ability to decisively defeat Lu Xun was largely due to the thousands of Jingzhou soldiers liberated from Xiangyang after the siege of Xiangyang and Fancheng was lifted.

Upon hearing Pei Qian's words, Cao Xiu not only disagreed but also burst into laughter:
"When there are no heroes, even a mere upstart can become famous. That brat Lu Xun ambushed us at Qingni Pass, didn't you see that, Lord Pei?!"
"Now that Lu Xun has suffered this defeat, our Great Wei is poised for a decisive victory. We should press our advantage and take Jiangling directly!"

"Even if there is an ambush, how can Lu Xun possibly stop my 100,000 troops?!"

Cao Xiu then led his troops forward in haste to continue the pursuit.

Over several days, Wu's army feigned defeat and retreated dozens of miles each day.

Each time they retreated, they deliberately abandoned their armor, weapons, and provisions.

The Wei soldiers scrambled for the loot, and the ranks grew increasingly chaotic.

At night, Cao Xiu set up camp in the middle of the Canglang River.

Reeds grew all around, and the croaking of frogs was like a tidal wave.

Cao Xiu ordered Qin Lang, Cao Shuang, Xiahou Ba, and his generals to occupy strategic locations and set up camps, while he himself took command of the central army.

He set out wine in the tent and, full of pride, addressed his generals:
"Our Great Wei is less than two days away from Jiangling. The Wu army is powerless to fight. We will surely take Jiangling within a month!"

In the middle of the night, a bright red meteor fell south of the camp.

Pei Qian was filled with fear and went inside again to persuade him:
"Grand Marshal, the celestial signs are a warning. Our Great Wei should know when to stop and withdraw our troops immediately. We must not advance any further."

"At this time, withdrawing the troops will not diminish the Grand Marshal's merit, which is unparalleled in the world."

"If we fail to capture Jiangling at this time, Grand Marshal's efforts will have been in vain!"

Cao Xiu slammed his fist on the table and angrily rebuked, "Do you want to demoralize the army?"

Pei Qian could only sigh and leave.

The next day, at dawn.

The Wei army was still asleep.

Wu Jun suddenly beat the drums and launched a counterattack.

Before the Wei army could form ranks, the Wu army was already upon them.

Arrows rained down, reeds were set ablaze, and smoke and flames blotted out the sky.

Lu Xun, holding a feather fan, led Xu Sheng, Ding Feng, and other generals to charge swiftly from the left and right flanks.

Cao Xiu was startled awake from his sleep. When he left the camp, he saw that the Wu army had already attacked the central camp. In great alarm, he personally put on his armor and supervised the battle. He swung his broadsword and cut down several people. When he turned around and saw Wu army flags on all sides, he believed Pei Qian's advice and hurriedly ordered a breakout.

Wu's army completely surrounded Wei's camp.

Lu Xun commanded the crossbows to fire in a crossfire, and the Wei soldiers trampled each other, their corpses filling the ditches.

Upstream, Hanjin.

Jia Kui, who was assigned to cover the rear, heard that Cao Xiu had been defeated.

The army was in complete chaos, and everyone was saying they wanted to retreat to Xiangyang.

However, Jia Kui said:
"Cao Xiu, relying on his momentary bravado and arrogance, was indeed defeated!"
"However, if the Wu people press their advantage and pursue, they will surely cross the Han River!"

"If we hold the strategic points and wait for him, we can annihilate Wu's two armies in one fell swoop."

So they held their troops still, instead planting flags and cutting down trees to block the road in the mountain passes on both sides of Hanjin, thus creating a diversionary tactic.

Lu Xun pursued them to Hanjinkou.

Upon seeing flags faintly visible in the mountains, suspecting an ambush, they ordered a halt to the pursuit.

However, less than an hour later, Sun Quan's warships suddenly arrived against the current on the Han River.

"Cao Xiu has already been defeated, what doubts do you have, Boyan?!"
"This is a golden opportunity! The entire army must pursue with all our might! Anyone who dares to retreat will be executed!"

Lu Xun had no choice but to order Xu Sheng and Ding Feng to be the vanguard, while he and Sun Quan followed behind.

(End of this chapter)