Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 234 Mafeisan, Ziwei Star

Hanjin.

Wu Camp.

The highest level of the Flying Cloud Tower Ship.

Sun Quan received a military report from the front lines, learning that Cao Xiu and Jia Kui had withdrawn their troops and returned north.

Lu Xun has successfully rescued Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, and escaped unscathed.

It took Sun Quan fifteen minutes to finally digest the two military reports.

A complex mix of emotions, including regret, melancholy, and relief, flashed across his eyes.

Looking out over the upper reaches of the Han River, Sun Quan saw the setting sun casting golden light on the water. He gripped the bow of his boat and sighed deeply.

In fact, after the victory at Canglang River, he was determined to expand the results of the battle and ordered Lu Xun to lead Xu Sheng, Ding Feng and other generals to pursue bravely, not wanting the old incident of "the bandit leader escaping" at Chibi and Yiling to happen again.

However, during this long pursuit of hundreds of miles, he did not engage in any of the usual "leading the charge" or "Wu King covering the rear" maneuvers. He did not act rashly, but instead proceeded with extreme caution, constantly guarding against the possibility of Cao Xiu and Jia Kui making a comeback.

He personally led three campaigns: the Battle of Xiaoyaojin, the Battle of Ruxukou, and the Battle of Xiakou. Each time, unexpected events, large or small, occurred.

Although he managed to escape danger each time, there was indeed a risk of him being captured alive by Cao Wei each time.

The lessons of history are still fresh in our minds; how could he possibly have no memory at all?

After scouts discovered that the Wei troops led by Xiahou Ba, Cao Shuang, and Qin Lang were taking a long detour to cut off Wu's rear, Sun Quan had already begun plotting with Lu Xun.

—Using a counter-strategy, they lured Cao Xiu and Jia Kui out from the rear, preventing them from escaping back to Xiangfan.

If the plan succeeds, Wu might be able to annihilate Cao Xiu and Jia Kui in one fell swoop. Even if they cannot eliminate Cao Xiu and Jia Kui, they can still take away at least 10,000 to 20,000 more troops.

Therefore, Xu Shengtong, Ding Feng, He Da and other generals and officers took the lead and followed closely behind.

Lu Xun then led his army behind Cao Cao's forces, setting up a trap for Cao Cao's "comeback." If Xu Sheng, Ding Feng, and other generals could successfully lure the enemy out of their hiding places, they could then engage in another major battle with the Wei army.

With the momentum of victory, and with the preparedness to strike the unprepared, both Lu Xun, who offered the strategy, and Sun Quan, who ultimately made the final decision, were confident of success, with at least a 70-80% chance of success.

When Sun Quan and Lu Xun received the front-line battle report and learned that the Wei army had raided the camp with a hundred cavalry, and that generals Xu Sheng and Ding Feng had decided to send the entire army deep into the enemy territory, Sun Quan immediately thought of the time when he had ordered Gan Ning to raid the Wei camp with a hundred cavalry to intimidate the Wei army. Putting himself in their shoes, he also thought that Cao Xiu and Jia Kui would probably flee.

However, Lu Xun keenly sensed something amiss and strongly urged Sun Quan to abandon the "luring the snake out of its hole" strategy and instead use his backup plan. He first defeated the thousands of Wei soldiers under the command of Xiahou Ba, Cao Shuang, and Qin Lang, and then scared off the northward march of Hu Zhi, the governor of Jiangxia under Cao Wei.

This will ensure the army has no worries about its rear, and then we will march north to meet up with Generals Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, just in case.

In this way, we might be able to press our advantage and continue our attack.

Although the results were not as good as before, it was the safest and best strategy.

However, this requires Xu Sheng, Ding Feng, He Da and other generals to maintain stability for a while.

Xu Sheng, Ding Feng, He Da, and the other generals all knew that they were bait, so when they pursued them, they were neither too aggressive nor overly cautious, maintaining a seemingly reasonable distance from the Wei army.

However, even Lu Xun did not expect that the Wei army would use a "scattering beans to form soldiers" strategy, which caused Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, who were in a relatively safe position in the central army, to directly throw their cavalry into chaos, resulting in the Wu army of more than 10,000 men losing their command center and their backbone.

If Xu Sheng hadn't acted decisively, cutting down the horse to stop the chaos, and hadn't personally led the charge in the bloody battle, it's truly uncertain whether Xu Sheng and Ding Feng could have held out until Lu Xun's reinforcements arrived.

Under those circumstances, the more than 10,000 troops under Xu Sheng, Ding Feng, and He were almost cut off by the Wei army's ambush and cut into several pieces.

If this happens, the more than 10,000 Wu soldiers who have lost their command center will almost certainly be at the mercy of the Wei army.

Only in the southernmost section, where the few thousand slowest pursuing infantrymen might have a chance to escape.

As for generals like Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, they might really be killed and their flags seized, which was extremely dangerous.

After an unknown amount of time, the stars and moon appeared in the mid-sky.

Sun Quan received news from the front that Lu Xun had led his army to retreat more than ten miles and set up camp on the banks of the Han River. The Wei army had also retreated more than ten miles.

The two armies are now thirty or forty li apart, which is a safe distance. Unless another hundred cavalrymen raid the camp and cause a commotion, there will be virtually no fighting tonight.

Sun Quan then ordered his men to raise the sails and row, and personally led more than two thousand soldiers, including the Jie Fan Bing, Wu You Bing, and Che Xia Hu Shi, to sail straight up the Han River.

They entered Lu Xun's camp.

The stench of blood, river mud, sweat, herbs, and human and animal excrement mingled together, assaulting Sun Quan's nostrils.

Many of the accompanying civil and military officials covered their noses and frowned, but the Great Wu Emperor seemed oblivious to their presence and strode quickly toward the central command tent.

Along the way, groans rose and fell.

After walking for more than half an hour in the camp, Sun Quan and his party finally arrived at the general's tent where Xu Sheng and Ding Feng were located.

Torches lit both inside and outside the tent, and the smell of blood mixed with medicine filled Sun Quan's nostrils.

Sun Quan glanced at the banner bearing the character "Xu" before strode in, pushing open the curtain.

The first thing that catches the eye is the devastation on the yellow earth, with tattered armor scattered everywhere.

Gauze, herbs, charcoal, and copper basins were all scattered on the ground.

Look up.

Xu Sheng was almost naked, lying on the couch.

His broad back was riddled with over a dozen holes from arrows, the skin and flesh torn open, the blood scabs congealed into a dark purple. It was clear that most of the wounds were superficial, but there were still three or four deep ones that exposed bone, which was quite horrifying.

In addition, there were seven or eight broken arrows that were difficult to remove, stuck in his legs, back, shoulders, and arms.

He remained motionless, like an iron statue pinned down by a hail of arrows, causing his entourage of civil and military officials to gasp in shock.

Some of the young, frivolous clerks even covered their eyes on the spot, unable to look directly at him.

Sun Quan merely twitched his brow, then strode forward, squatted down to examine it closely, and soon reached out his hand, wanting to touch it but then stopped.

"Wenxiang, the Supreme One has arrived!" Chen Xiu, the Supervisor of Relief from Troubles, whispered.

Xu Sheng, who had been lying motionless with his face covered by the bed, suddenly opened his eyes. He then turned his head and saw that it was indeed the Emperor himself. He hurriedly struggled to get up, using both his hands and feet.

“Supreme…Supreme!” Xu Sheng cried, tears welling in his eyes.

However, it doesn't matter if you don't move.

This movement aggravated the wound, causing blood to seep out again.

Xu Sheng grimaced in pain, his face turning deathly pale.

Sun Quan quickly raised his hand and pressed Xu Sheng's shoulder, first urging him back onto the couch, and then said:

"Wen Xiang, please stop. I'm too late."

After saying this, Sun Quan waved his hand behind him.

A person carrying a medicine box stepped forward, their steps light and hurried.

He was actually a disciple of the legendary physician Hua Tuo, and a student of Wu Pu, a direct disciple of Hua Tuo, named Guangling Zhuo'a.

The man first bowed to Sun Quan, then placed the medicine box on Xu Sheng's couch and said to Xu Sheng, "General Andong, I am here on His Majesty's orders to fetch arrows for you."

After saying this, he touched the arrow on Xu Sheng's back and began to examine Xu Sheng's injuries.

"The arrowheads penetrate deep into the bone."

"Fortunately, it did not penetrate the spleen; the most dangerous one passed by the lung."

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

A moment later, Zhuo A took out a small celadon cup, then took something out of the medicine box and mixed it with warm water.

A moment later, a bowl of medicinal paste was handed to Xu Sheng, and it was said:

"This medicine is called Mafeisan. It was given to me by my grandmaster, Master Hua Yuanhua, by Huang Shigong. I asked General Andong to drink it and take it."

Xu Sheng's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

He had never heard of Zhuo'a's name.

But he still knew of Hua Yuanhua's reputation.

He had even heard of the name "Mafeisan" (麻沸散).

It is said that Hua Tuo treated Cao Cao's headaches.

Hua Tuo first offered Cao Cao a dose of anesthetic, but Cao Cao was suspicious and asked Hua Tuo what he intended to do.

Hua Tuo said he was going to perform craniotomy on Cao Cao.

Then Cao Cao thought of Ji Ping, the imperial physician who had rebelled in Xuchang with Wei Huang, Geng Ji and others. He then assumed that Hua Tuo was plotting to kill him, so he ordered Hua Tuo to be imprisoned and tortured until he died.

"Your Majesty... I fear my days are numbered, there is no need to waste your excellent medicine."

Xu Sheng felt a chill run through his body, and his teeth chattered.

He had fought countless battles throughout his life, suffering numerous wounds, but none had been as severe as this one, so severe that he could clearly feel himself growing weaker with each breath, even struggling to breathe. Sun Quan, upon hearing this, shook his head.

Then, he took the bowl of anesthetic from the imperial physician Zhuo A, held the cup himself, and whispered to Xu Sheng, "Wenxiang, please bear with it for a moment."

After speaking, he fed Xu Sheng medicine with a silver spoon.

In the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford, Ling Tong led the rearguard, and none of the three hundred troops survived.

Ling Tong barely escaped death by holding his breath and diving underwater.

However, Ling Tong was severely injured, so Sun Quan kept him on his own boat, stripped him of all his clothes, and applied Zhuo's excellent wound medicine, which is why Ling Tong survived.

It is exactly the same as Mafeisan (麻沸散), both being priceless treasures and secrets passed down through the lineage of Hua Tuo.

No matter how much money Sun Quan offered to demand her return, Zhuo always evaded the question. In the end, Sun Quan could only treat Zhuo with courtesy and make her work for him, hoping for a change in the future.

The medicine went down his throat in no more than ten breaths.

Xu Sheng's tense shoulders and back slowly relaxed.

He soon fell into a deep sleep.

His breathing was deep and even, as if he were not in pain.

Zhuo A first washed his hands with water, and then used silver scissors to cut off the shafts of each arrow.

Then, with a red-hot willow-leaf-shaped thin knife, they cut open the flesh on Xu Sheng's back. When the wound had expanded to a certain extent, they finally used small pliers to probe into the flesh on Xu Sheng's back and clamp the arrowhead.

With a flick of the wrist, the arrowhead, along with bits of flesh, pierced through the body.

Fresh blood gushed out.

Zhuo A immediately packed the wound with gauze wrapped with hemostatic medicine, which she had prepared beforehand.

Then repeat this set of actions.

With each arrow pulled out, Xu Sheng's muscles trembled instinctively.

Xu Sheng, however, remained unconscious and did not utter a sound.

The civil and military officers, who had never seen the effects of Mafeisan before, were all astonished by this sight.

An hour passed.

The torches inside the tent crackled.

Xu Sheng finally woke up.

The Supreme One knelt on one knee beside the couch, pressing his right forearm with both hands.

Zhuo Axusheng woke up and removed the gauze that had been blocking the wound to stop the bleeding.

Then he took a piece of fine linen gauze from the side, sprinkled a thin layer of light gold powder on it, soaked it in ointment, and wrapped it around Xu Sheng's wound layer by layer.

Finally, he took a half step back: "These are all minor injuries. I request that General Andong rest for a hundred days. During this period, you must not get angry, eat spicy or fishy foods, and absolutely not return to the battlefield."

Xu Sheng felt that the pain in his body was much less than before, and the chill had also disappeared. He knew that he was alive again.

He immediately thanked Zhuo A, saying, "Thank you for the medicine, Physician Zhuo!"

Then realizing his mistake, he quickly said to Sun Quan, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness in saving my life! I can only repay you with my life!"

Sun Quan took the clean gauze from Zhuo A and personally wiped away the remaining blood from Xu Sheng's chest before standing up, his gaze piercing:

"Wenxiang, do you know your crime?"

Xu Sheng's face turned pale, and he said with shame:

"This humble general's reckless advance led to an ambush, causing the army's advance to be thwarted!"
"Your Majesty is exhausted and your ingenious plan is failing. We request that Your Majesty punish you according to military law!"

Sun Quan bent down and helped him lie back on the couch with both hands.

"My strategy is not ingenious, but rather risky."

"My original intention was to use Wen Xiang and Cheng Yuan as bait to lure Cao Cao out lightly."

"I never expected Cao Cao to be so cunning. I was caught off guard and now I deeply regret it."

"If we lose Wenxiang and Chengyuan, even if we achieve complete success, it will be like losing a lone arm."

"Fortunately, although Wen Xiang's arrow wound was terrible, it did not damage his heart, liver, lungs, or internal organs. This is because Heaven left Wen Xiang to assist me."

At this point, Sun Quan sighed with emotion:

"Although I lost Youping (Zhou Tai), I gained Wenxiang and Chengyuan. This shows that the world is not lacking in brave generals, and Heaven has helped me and has not abandoned my Jiangdong."

Xu Shenghu's eyes reddened, and he hesitated to speak.

Sun Quan gently patted his uninjured left shoulder:

"Follow Physician Zhuo's advice and rest for a hundred days to recover. Once you are fully healed, I will personally warm wine for you and watch you defeat Cao Cao and the Shu barbarians once again."

Xu Sheng felt a surge of warmth in his chest and resolutely nodded.

...

Tower ship.

The Milky Way is brilliant.

Sun Quan looked north.

The Purple Palace Enclosure is located in the center of the northern sky.

A river breeze blows.

Sun Quan's beard, which he was always proud of and which was said to symbolize the auspicious purple aura coming from the east from the Purple Palace, was ruffled by the wind.

Look carefully.

It has a few more streaks of mixed colors than before.

Zhao Da, the most skilled astrologer in Wu, learned that the emperor had summoned him again, so he left the banquet and went to the top floor of the Flying Cloud Tower.

Sun Quan didn't even turn his head for a moment, but leaned on the railing and looked up at the Purple Palace to ask:

"Grand Historian Zhao, I would like to ask, what celestial signs indicated this victory for Great Wu?"

Cao Xiu's side believed they had won.

Sun Quan also believed he had won.

Win-win.

Upon hearing this from Sun Quan, Zhao Da looked up at the sky and observed the Purple Palace Enclosure to the north for a long while before solemnly saying:
"Ziwei is the court of the emperor."

"The five stars gather in the constellations of Wing and Chariot."

It is said, "When the five planets align, a great ruler will change his ways; the virtuous will prosper; the stars point southeast; the emperor… the emperor will rise to power with a changed surname!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan looked up and searched the sky.

Finally, the image settled between the wings and the chariot.

The five planets—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—are faintly aligned in a line.

If you watch quietly, you can sense them slowly moving within the wings of the Vermilion Bird constellation.

Zhao Dasui continued:
Birds fly on their wings.

"When great joy arrives, the Winged Star will shine brightly."

"Today, the five planets of Wing and Chariot are aligned, and the comet points southeast."

"This is a sign from the heavens: the decline of Wei and the rise of Wu will be revealed in this very celestial phenomenon!"

"Looking again at the star of the Wei Kingdom, it once hung at the top of the Big Dipper, shining brightly."

"Now it suddenly dims, the crimson glow hangs down, and the color is like deathly ashes."

"The northern imperial star has dimmed, indicating impending chaos and turmoil in the palace. This is a sign that Cao Rui's fate is nearing its end!"
"As for the Western Shu Emperor Star, it originally resided in the position of Geng Metal in the west."

"Now it is dark and without light, and it is about to collapse."

"Liu Shan was nothing more than a ruler who maintained the status quo."

"How can the lucky victories of Guanzhong and Xicheng defy the will of Heaven and reverse the course of history?!"
"Only the supreme Eastern Wu, located in the southeast, corresponds to the constellations Wing and Chariot above; the Wing and Chariot divide the land, and a true Son of Heaven will emerge from there!"

(End of this chapter)