Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 230 Taking revenge for personal reasons?!

The Han River flows mightily, its clear waves stretching for thousands of miles.

Sun Quan's flagship, the Flying Cloud, broke through the river and rose straight up into the distance.

The ship was five stories high, over ten zhang tall, with red pillars and vermilion eaves, painted with lifelike blue birds and yellow dragons, its imposing presence impossible to look at.

The Supreme Emperor of Wu stood leaning against the railing.

The river breeze rustled, stirring his purple beard.

It is a picture of high spirits and dashing elegance.

Since the crushing defeat at Xiaoyao Ford thirteen years ago, this supreme ruler of Wu has repeatedly led campaigns in person, but has yet to achieve a single victory, resulting in a decline in military morale.

So much so that whenever the soldiers of Wu went on a campaign, upon hearing that Lu Xun was in charge, ten thousand men would cheer with joy, like parched seedlings receiving sweet rain.

Whenever people heard that he, the supreme ruler of Wu, was personally leading an expedition, rumors and gossip would spread, and morale would be dampened before the battle even began.

His military might as the supreme ruler of Wu was inferior to that of Lu Xun, a mere Confucian scholar and subordinate. How could he not feel a deep hatred and shame for him?
After the Great Han Northern Expedition, he mobilized the entire strength of the Wu Kingdom and embarked on his journey from Wuchang, where he fought fiercely against Cao Wei in Xiangfan for more than half a year.

However, they suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Han.

They almost thought they would achieve nothing for Wei again.

As it turned out, Heaven took pity on us, and the heavens did not fail us!
He finally made a comeback and won on the waters of Canglang!

"The waters of the Canglang River are clear; I can use them to temper my weapon!"

"The waters of the Canglang River are muddy, yet they can still bring me joy!"

Sun Quan was never particular about details and was known for his unrestrained and flamboyant behavior.

At this moment, I was overjoyed and couldn't help but burst into song.

Although Cao Xiu and Jia Kui were not captured alive in this battle, more than 10,000 people were beheaded or captured alive, tens of thousands of cattle, horses, mules and donkeys were captured, and thousands of carts, boats and ships were also captured. In addition, the military flags and drums were piled up like clouds, and the black armor and silver spears shone brightly in the sun.

Cao Xiu and his 40,000 to 50,000 troops fled north almost naked.

Of course, Lu Xun had previously feigned defeat at Qingni, and with the enemy's arrogance, he had also given Cao Xiu a considerable amount of carts, boats, cattle, horses, weapons, and armor.

Overall, however, Cao Xiu lost several times more military supplies and equipment this time.

Moreover, Cao Wei initially won but then lost, while Wu initially lost but then won, and the morale of the two sides was completely different.

Wu Shixin is swift and powerful, his sharpness unmatched.

The Wei soldiers suffered a major defeat, their spirits broken and their courage shattered.

Under his leadership, the Wu generals and soldiers pursued their victory with unstoppable momentum. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to capture Xiangfan in one fell swoop?
"Boyan, since Shu launched its campaign, Cao Wei's generals Cao Zhen and Zhang He have died, and Sima Yi has been defeated. Now, the so-called Grand Marshal Cao Xiu and the Governor of Yuzhou Jia Kui have also been defeated by our Great Wu."

"Is this not the will of Heaven to abandon Wei and return to the South?"

"Last night, the Grand Historian burst into my tent, breathless, and reported to me."

“A red star, as big as a dipper, with a tail of light dozens of feet long, streaked across the constellations of Horn and Neck, and finally fell directly south of the Wei army camp.”

"I put on my clothes, got up, and looked up."

"But then we saw that the sky still retained a crimson glow for dozens of feet, and the crimson clouds, like blood and rosy clouds, lingered for a long time."

"Zhao Da then spoke with Gu."

"When Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu was besieged in Kunyang, a red star also fell into the camp of Wang Xun and Wang Yi, generals of the Xin Dynasty."

"Thus, three thousand Han soldiers utterly routed the million-strong army of the Xin dynasty."

"Upon hearing his words, I looked up at the celestial phenomena and down at human affairs, and thus knew that victory in today's battle was certain."

"Today, we indeed defeated Wei in one battle, beheading and capturing tens of thousands."

“Boyan, this victory of Great Wu is not only due to the strategic planning of me and you, nor is it solely due to the bravery of the three armies, their strong armor and sharp spears. It is truly because Heaven has blessed Great Wu with the auspicious sign of the red star!”

"What Heaven reveals cannot be defied by man!"

Lu Xun could only nod upon hearing this.

Sun Quan was only telling him these things about destiny and prophecy because he didn't want him to comment on the decision to "pursue the victory."

After the Battle of Yiling, Liu Bei fled in disarray to Baidi, leaving only a few thousand survivors. The city was isolated and food was scarce, and the soldiers were demoralized.

Generals Pan Zhang, Xu Sheng, Lü Fan, and Bu Zhi all rushed to offer their suggestions:

"If the Great Wu were to seize Baidi and capture Liu Bei with overwhelming force, Western Shu would be shaken. With a swift and decisive advance, Chengdu would be within their grasp. To forgo such an opportunity would be to suffer the consequences. I urge Your Majesty to make a swift decision."

Lu Xun, along with Zhu Ran, Zhu Huan, Luo Tong, Wu Can, and others, strongly opposed it.

"If Cao Pi takes advantage of our weakness and attacks our rear, then Jiangdong will be in danger. In the past, King Fuchai of Wu attacked Qi, emptying his kingdom and marching north, only to have Yue invade Wu. Should we not learn from this?"

In short, it points out that Cao Pi is mobilizing troops on a large scale, ostensibly claiming to cooperate with Wu in attacking Shu, but in reality harboring ulterior motives. If they continue to penetrate deeper into Western Sichuan, they will be caught in a dangerous situation of being attacked from both sides by Wei and Shu. Therefore, it strongly advocates withdrawing the troops.

Although Lü Fan, Pan Zhang, and Xu Sheng were Sun Quan's confidants, they clearly had little say in front of generals like Lu and Zhu. As a result, Sun Quan could only withdraw his troops eastward in the end.

However, after Sun Quan returned east and Cao Pi withdrew his troops, whenever Sun Quan recalled the past, he would stroke his thigh and sigh, regretting that he had not pointed west.

Once, at a grand banquet for his officials in Wuchang Palace, Sun Quan got very drunk and said to his attendants, "If we had marched westward that day, the land of Shu would have long been under my control. How could I have shared the same sky with Liu Shan!"

After speaking, he looked at Lu Xun, Zhu Ran, and the other generals, his expression showing great displeasure.

Lu Xun could only step forward, bow his head, and admit his mistake, saying that he had been short-sighted that day. Zhu Ran was equally unwilling to argue further.

After his victory at Yiling, Lu Xun's prestige spread throughout the Jiangnan region, much like Zhou Yu's after the Battle of Red Cliffs. Sun Quan was also in Wuchang at that time, and his prestige also increased greatly because of the title "King of Wu guarding the gate of the country".

Concerned about the growing power of meritorious officials, they began to seek ways to check and balance them.

Finally, he followed Cao Cao's example and established the Office of Inspectors, secretly assassinating officials.

Every hair must be heard, so as to achieve the effect of the unique operation of the imperial system.

As more and more people died unjustly at the hands of Lu Yi, the school's administrator, Sun Quan's authority was finally consolidated.

Even important state officials such as Gu Yong, Zhang Zhao, Pan Jun, Lu Xun, and Zhu Ran were repeatedly reported and exposed by the Imperial Secretariat.

Just as military action requires a just cause, politics also emphasizes expanding power and eliminating dissidents within the bounds of the rules.

When someone has real evidence of a crime in the hands of those in power, then no matter how much power they wield, their elimination is already within the reach of those in power. This has been the case since ancient times, and this is the rule.

It's simply a matter of whether those in power can or are willing to bear the consequences. But as long as they have a sense of righteousness, there will always be comrades on their side, sharing the same hatred of the enemy and working together against external forces, preventing those in power from becoming "tyrants."

The saying "Some things don't weigh much until they're weighed, but once they're on the scale, they weigh a ton" perfectly describes this situation.

After Sun Quan's authority was consolidated by the great victory at Yiling and the establishment of the Imperial Secretariat.

Even the powerful families of Wu and Kuaiji, such as Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang, became somewhat cautious in front of Sun Quan.

After establishing the school, Sun Quan became ruthless. He would not kill the entire clan of anyone who committed a crime, but only the individual.

This meant that the Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang clans could not form a unified whole.

The so-called great clans of Wu and Hui are rooted in the local area, and their goal is to protect their homes and clans. Rebellion and turmoil would destroy the accumulation of generations and hundreds of years of family history, while choosing to endure or eliminate one person can preserve the clan.

With the three kingdoms in a state of tripartite division and neither Wei nor Han able to do anything to Sun Quan, the gentry of Wu had no choice but to endure.

Strategy and tactics.

The tally was used to dispatch troops, and the strategy was used to appoint officials.

Power is used to govern the world, and strategy is used to respond to opportunities.

The names of Sun Jian's two sons were truly classic, a perfect example of how names reflect the people.

midnight.

The Milky Way is brilliant.

Sun Quan allowed Lu Xun to spend the night on the warship.

Sun Quan awoke from a deep sleep in the middle of the night and went to the ship's bow to sober up.

A river breeze blows.

The banners on the Flying Cloud fluttered in the wind.

Lu Xun also came out of the cabin shortly afterward.

Sun Quan looked up at the sky and waved his hand to dismiss his attendants.

Only the Grand Historian Zhao Da and the Grand Commander Lu Xun remained.

Zhao Da looked up at the stars, and after a moment he whispered:
"Supreme."

"The red star falls to the north, pointing towards the constellations of Horn and Neck."

“Kang represents the emperor’s court, while Jiao represents weapons and warfare.”

"When a star falls and its tail points north, it signifies that the emperor is leading an expedition from the south to the north."

"However, the tail of the falling star is over ten zhang long, and its light does not dissipate. It signifies both a great victory and a great plague. I humbly request Your Majesty to be cautious." Upon hearing this, Sun Quan raised an eyebrow.

After a long pause, he finally said, "Is there going to be an epidemic?"

The Jian'an epidemic actually started along the Yangtze-Huaihe River basin.

In Cao Wei, nine out of ten houses were empty, and five of the Seven Scholars of Jian'an died of a great plague. The situation in Sun Wu was not much better.

Grand Commander Lu Su died of this epidemic.

Cheng Pu also contracted an epidemic while in the army, and eventually survived for more than a hundred days before passing away in the army.

Sun Quan was wary of epidemics.

Lu Xun didn't want to listen to Zhao Da's nonsense, but when he heard Zhao Da advising Sun Quan to be careful of the epidemic, his tense expression relaxed a little, and he also looked up at the sky.

Zhao Da glanced sideways at Lu Xun, then cupped his hands to Sun Quan and said:

"Your Majesty, our Great Wu and Cao Wei have been locked in a standoff at Xiangfan for several months. The two battles at Qingni and Canglang have left corpses strewn across the rivers and fields, and neither Wu nor Wei has been able to collect them. This is the time when the epidemic is most likely to spread."

Sun Quan then suddenly understood and nodded: "The historian's words are reasonable. The celestial phenomena are indeed not deceiving us. We should be cautious!"

Lu Xun then realized that it was a pretense by the Grand Historian Zhao Da to warn Sun Quan about the great plague. He was using the celestial phenomenon of the plague to prove that "the emperor is leading an expedition from the south to the north" and "he will win a great victory" were the real reasons.

No wonder Sun Quan wanted to keep him on the ship overnight.

He was still worried that his determination to pursue the north was wavering, and he was also implying to himself that the time for him to become emperor had come, and he needed a complete victory to support his ascension to the throne as the supreme ruler of Great Wu.

Upon realizing this, Lu Xun offered his advice:

"Your Majesty need not worry too much."

"Now that it is late autumn and the summer heat has dissipated, there have been few outbreaks of epidemics at this time of year over the past ten years."

"Even if there is a plague, Your Majesty should send troops as soon as possible to fight Cao Xiu quickly and decisively, which can also prevent the plague."

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan finally burst into laughter:
"What Boyan said is absolutely right!"

"I believe in Heaven, not in the plague!"

He then ordered the Grand Historian to record the celestial phenomena as an auspicious sign of a great victory to inform the three armies.

In those days, whenever an army went to war, it would often consult divination to predict good or bad fortune in order to boost morale. After all, the vast majority of soldiers believed in this, not only the lower-ranking soldiers but also the generals.

The next day.

Hanjin.

The setting sun is like blood.

Tens of thousands of defeated Cao Wei soldiers surged to the ferry crossing like a tidal wave, scrambling to board the boats and head towards the north bank.

Their flags were tattered, and their clothes and faces were charred black by the fire set by the Wu army. Most of them had lost their armor and weapons, and they looked no different from refugees and laborers.

After arranging all the night defense matters, the central command tent was hastily erected. As soon as the tent flap was lifted, a burnt smell rushed in with the river breeze.

But Cao Xiu was disheveled, barefoot, with blood-soaked strips of cloth wrapped around both arms, his eyes wide with anger.

Reaching the table in the tent, he kicked it over with all his might, causing the water pouch and rice bowl to fall to the ground and roll to Pei Qian's feet, who also looked somewhat disheveled.

"Jia Kui!" Cao Xiu roared hoarsely.

"He commands 20,000 troops from Yuzhou, and is only about forty li from the vanguard! If he had arrived upon hearing the news at noon, why would I be here!"

Cao Xiu had already dispatched fast horses and boats to order Jia Kui to come to the rescue the moment the "camp was disturbed," but Jia Kui's reinforcements took a long time to arrive.

Not only that, now that we've arrived at Hanjin, Jia Kui's men have vanished!
What else could this be but fleeing at the first sign of trouble?!

The people in the tent looked at each other in bewilderment.

Cao Shuang, his helmet askew and armor disheveled, hesitated, then finally advised, "Grand Marshal, please calm your anger. Governor Jia... Governor Jia may have other plans..."

"He has other plans?!" Cao Xiu was furious upon hearing this. He strode forward and grabbed his nephew by the collar.

"He clearly resents me for making him the rearguard!"

"On the day of the meeting, he first tried to stop my southern expedition, and then asked for a vanguard but could not get one!"
"Therefore, he harbored resentment and disobeyed my orders!"

"His desire is to use Wu's sword to eliminate me!"
"You fool, you actually spoke up for him?!"

Cao Shuang was so scolded by Cao Xiu that his face turned pale, and he couldn't even breathe, let alone speak.

Pei Qian, the governor of Jingzhou, bent down to straighten the table, then picked up the water bag and rice bowl, gently placing them back on the table. His voice was low but clear:
"Grand Marshal, you are wise. Jia Yuzhou is not the kind of person who would seek revenge for personal reasons."

"Jia Kui is not the kind of person who seeks revenge for personal reasons."
"Does Pei Jingzhou mean that the person who is seeking revenge out of personal grudges is none other than Cao Xiu himself?!"

Pei Qian took a deep breath, but he was not afraid:

"Grand Marshal, if Jia Yuzhou truly harbored rebellious intentions, he would not have followed the Grand Marshal and Military Advisor Huan's strategy to venture deep into enemy territory alone, thus trapping himself in Wu's encirclement."

Cao Xiu was taken aback.

Even Huan Fan, who was always quick-witted, couldn't say anything to refute it for a moment.

"Grand Marshal, yesterday Jia Yuzhou advised me to relay this message: If the vanguard becomes arrogant, be careful not to advance too far."

"He also told me that since the Grand Marshal had already defeated Lu Xun, the general of the false Wu, the prestige of the country had been restored and the power of the country had been expanded."

"It is only right to consider the greater national affairs and form an alliance with the Wu people to attack Shu."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiu's chest heaved violently, but in the end, he laughed in extreme anger:

"What a fine example of 'be cautious and not go too far'! What a fine example of 'considering the greater good of the country'! Jia Kui is truly selfless!"

Just as everyone was filled with awe, Cao Xiu's laughter suddenly stopped, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. "I will report to His Majesty in person and then discuss his merits and demerits!"

Pei Qian sighed and said:
"Grand Marshal, since Governor Jia Yuzhou already knew of the defeat of the vanguard and received the Grand Marshal's orders, yet he disobeyed the Grand Marshal's command and did not send troops south to provide reinforcements. In fact, none of his troops are here. It is likely that he has set up an ambush in the rear, and in such a hurry, he could not let the Grand Marshal know about it."

"Grand Marshal should make a decision as soon as possible. If you hesitate and delay any longer, it may ruin the affairs of the state."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiu looked at Huan Fan.

Huan Fan stroked his beard and nodded.

Shortly afterward, Xu Sheng and Ding Feng led Wu's army in pursuit.

Cao Xiu then donned armor and took up a spear, leading his remaining few thousand men who were still capable of fighting, and retreated while fighting.

Xu Sheng and Ding Feng were locked in fierce combat when they received another order from Sun Quan to relentlessly pursue and capture Cao Xiu and Jia Kui alive.

So they pursued the fleeing enemy and chased them northward, heading straight for Xiangfan.

Twenty miles north of Hanjin, dusk was falling.

Jia Kui had already ordered his army to cut down trees to block the road, string together broken branches to form a fence, and stretch across the mountain pass. He also planted hundreds of tattered Wei flags throughout the mountains and forests, which fluttered in the night wind as if there were thousands of troops.

However, in reality, the large army of Yuzhou under his command was not here.

Jia Kui hid in the dense forest on a high mountain with only a few personal guards.

Cao Xiu's defeated army continued to flee north.

About two hours later, they finally saw a Wei army of several thousand men that seemed to be capable of fighting.

Another hour passed, and after the rearguard Wei army, personally commanded by Cao Xiu, had completely disappeared, the thousands upon thousands of Wu soldiers pursuing them finally came into Jia Kui's sight.

Jia Kui then withdrew, leaving the battlefield far behind.

midnight.

The scout reported back.

Wu's pursuing troops had penetrated more than ten miles into the territory.

Upon hearing the news, Dianman exclaimed with excitement:
"My lord, the time has come!"

Jia Kui shook his head and said in a deep voice:
"The ones chasing us now are only about ten thousand Wu vanguard soldiers, which are not difficult to defeat."

"The real challenge is how to decisively defeat Wu."

Generals Dian Man and Man Wei looked at each other in bewilderment.

Jia Kui slowly spoke:

"In my opinion, Sun Quan will surely come with his troops this time, taking advantage of his victory."

"If you see their great banner, first observe their formation."

If they hesitate and do not advance, then I will retreat.

"If they rely on their numbers to launch a surprise attack, we will ambush them from all sides, cutting off their head and tail so that they cannot come to their aid!"
"If Sun Quan dares to come in person and sees our Wei army suddenly rise up in ambush, the Wu generals will surely be thrown into chaos in order to protect Sun Quan!"

Upon hearing this, Dian Man, Man Wei, Li Xu, and the other generals all looked at each other with great joy, and then all said in unison, "Yes, sir!"

(End of this chapter)