Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 243 The Cone That Sinks into the River, A Victory Through Strategic Planning

On the great river.

The dragon boat, bearing the golden banner, slowly set off.

About twenty miles east of Baidi City lies the end of Qutang Gorge.

After leaving Qutang Gorge and before entering Wu Gorge, the north and south banks are no longer sheer cliffs that are vertical to the river and impossible to climb, but rather a terrain of mountains and hills flanking the river.

Because the former commander-in-chief Fu Qian had advanced the land battle line more than ten miles in the mountains north of the river, and sent people to open up a simple wharf on the riverbank at the front line.

Chen Dao then issued a military order, commanding the Han navy to carry strategic supplies such as baggage, provisions, herbs, and alcohol downstream.

As they advanced eastward to the border of Wu County, the main task of the Han navy was to transport supplies and cover the ground forces to prevent the Wu navy from suddenly advancing westward upstream and cutting off the Han infantry's retreat.

After communicating with Gong Shun, E He, and other leaders of the Cong people, the former commander Fu Qian briefly left Shenjian Pass and came to the riverside dock via the newly opened mountain road for transporting supplies.

Board the Emperor's flagship, Yanwu.

Apart from Fu Qian, there were only the Emperor, Grand Commander Chen Dao, and Tiger General Guan Xing in the ship's cabin.

Fu Qian then recounted the difficulties he encountered at Shenjian Pass, as well as the strategy he, Zhao Guang, and the leaders of the Cong people devised to break through the pass, to the emperor, Chen Dao, and Guan Xing.

In addition, Fu Qian also learned an important piece of information from prisoners who were forced to surrender to the Han Dynasty at Shenjian Pass because the Wu army cut down the bridge. This information was something that the Han Dynasty had not previously discovered.

—After the Han-Wu alliance broke down, Pan Jun was sent by Sun Quan to Wu County as a supervisor. In addition to reinforcing the defenses of Tiesuo Pass, he also ordered blacksmiths to cast and polish hundreds of large iron spikes on the huge rocks and sink them into the Yangtze River.

These large iron cones are essentially artificial reefs.

Since the hidden reefs in the Yangtze River only come to the surface when the water is shallow in winter and spring, Pan Jun had long anticipated that if the Han Dynasty were to attack Wu, it would undoubtedly launch its campaign between winter and spring.

Therefore, the length of these iron cones and the depth they reached after being submerged in the river were calculated with considerable care.

Due to the varying draft, small boats leading the way can pass without obstruction.

However, large ships, multi-story ships, and linked ships with a slightly deeper draft will almost certainly have their hull pierced if they collide with an iron spike.

In the Three Kingdoms period, before watertight compartments were invented, a large hole in the bottom of a ship could directly sink a large warship that cost a fortune.

This is also the main reason why the mongoose with its "ram" was the main warship of the Han Dynasty.

If there is a leak in one place, the river water will fill the entire hull of the ship. As far as Liu Shan knew, the invention of watertight compartments would not appear until the Southern Dynasties for several hundred years.

A watertight compartment is a section of the hull that is divided into several parts by a few wooden planks.

When a ship encounters an accident and a part of the hull is damaged and flooded, the other watertight compartments that have not yet been affected can provide buoyancy to the ship, reduce the risk of immediate sinking, and at the same time, make it possible to repair the flooded hull.

How long does it take for a ship without watertight compartments to sink?
If it's quick, it'll take less than two minutes.

The slower ones take about half an hour.

The ships of the Han Dynasty had already been built long ago. Even if Liu Shan knew this, it would be impossible for him to convert all the ships into watertight compartments in a short period of time.

Moreover... it was only when Liu Shan finally thought of this matter due to a certain opportunity.

Everything was ready, and it was time to launch an attack on Wu.

Therefore, only Liu Shan's flagship, two other tower ships, and seven or eight medium and large warships were modified with watertight compartments.

As for why the campaign against Wu was postponed?

How can it be!

The water is shallow in winter and spring; if you miss this opportunity, you'll miss out!
"If the world is in turmoil, then appoint a top general to lead the Jingzhou army towards Wan and Luo, while you, General, personally lead the troops of Yizhou out of Qin Chuan. What commoner would dare not welcome you with food and drink?"

Now is the time for change!
Although the three kingdoms of Han, Wei, and Wu have been engaged in constant major and minor battles for the past year, even the strongest kingdom, Wei, has reached a point where it must stop and recuperate due to severe defeats, droughts, and both man-made and natural disasters.

But war is all about "momentum"!

Tongguan is a true natural barrier, just like Baidi.

Unless an unexpected event like Sima Yi surrendering Tongguan to the Han Dynasty occurs, the Han Dynasty has absolutely no chance of conquering Tongguan.

Sun Quan's desire to capture Xicheng and threaten Hanzhong meant that the Han Dynasty was directly confronting Wu, forcing the Han Dynasty to break its alliance with Wu and fight a war.

Unfortunately, in this battle, Bu Zhi's army, which Sun Quan had been stationed in Jingzhou for several years, was defeated and captured.

Not to mention that after this battle, Sun Quan fought a major battle with Cao Xiu in Jingzhou. After the battle, he once again launched a direct attack on the Han Dynasty, denying the Mandate of Heaven and falsely claiming imperial authority.

However, there were two more important factors that solidified Liu Shan's determination to attack Wu.

One group, including Ma Bing, Sha Lie, Liao Qian (Commander of Lingling), Fei Yang (Clerk of Lingling), and Xi Wen (Clerk of Wuling), had secretly contacted the four commanderies of Jingnan and the two commanderies of Linhe and Cangwu in northern Jiaozhou.

Once Han and Wu go to war, and Jingnan and Jiaobei respond, Sun Quan will be severely injured, if not completely destroyed.

But if we wait a few more years, it will be uncertain whether Liao Qian, Fei Yang, Xi Wen, and many others like them will still be in Jingzhou and Jiaozhou, and whether their hearts will still be with the Han Dynasty.

Another factor.

Zhao Yun is old, Chen Dao is old, Liu Shan can wait, the Han Dynasty can wait, but the generals that Liu Shan and the Han Dynasty can rely on to protect the country may not be able to wait.

What God does not take, is to be blamed.

Not to be missed.

As for the continuous wars, the country was depleted and the people were impoverished.

When Liu Bei took Hanzhong, he insisted on taking it even if it meant that "men should fight and women should transport supplies."

Many people said back then that we shouldn't support the country of Asahi Shining Japan, but the people of the world were determined to fight even if they had to tighten their belts.

Opportunities often don't come when you're fully prepared. Some say this opportunity to attack Wu was a gift from heaven, but Liu Shan believed that it was created by the Han Dynasty itself, and it was impossible to give up without even trying.

"The sinking of the cone was carried out in secret, and only a very few key figures knew about it."

"The reason why Wu's military commander learned of this matter was because Fu Shiren's son, Fu Yi, accidentally let it slip in his sleep after getting drunk one time, and the surrendered commander overheard it."

Liu Shan raised an eyebrow: "Fu Shiren's son is here too?"

Fu Qian nodded: "According to the prisoner, Fu Shiren was sent to Tiesuo Pass in Jiangnan by Pan Jun."

Liu Shan couldn't help but chuckle: "Sun Quan actually trusts these surrendered officials from Jingzhou, such as Pan Jun, Pei Xuan, Fu Shiren, and Deng Xuanzhi."

This is the art of controlling people.

There's not much to say about Liu Shan.

Wang Ping was also a defector from the State of Wei, and Liu Shan dared to entrust important matters to him.

This also shows just how loyal Pan Jun, Fu Shiren, Pei Xuan, and others were to Wu after surrendering to Wu, since trust is mutual.

If Wang Ping had not performed brilliantly in the Battle of Jieting, even the Prime Minister would not have dared to give him an important position so easily.

"Gongquan, the General and I already know about the Jiangzhui incident."

After Liu Shan finished speaking, he walked a few steps to the screen, turned it around, and saw a huge map of the river defense hanging on it.

Fu Qian was initially thrilled, thinking he had stumbled upon some incredible military intelligence.

Upon hearing the emperor's words and seeing the river defense map the emperor showed him, he was momentarily stunned.

When Chen Dao and Guan Xing saw the expression on Fu Qian's face, they exchanged a smile with the emperor.

Fu Qian walked to the river defense map.

After watching for a while, I was trembling with fear.

Back then, Zhang Song presented the "Topographical Map of Western Sichuan" to the late emperor. The late emperor used this topographical map to guide his troops, which enabled him to avoid the enemy's strength and attack their weakness, thus pacifying Yizhou.

When Pan Jun surrendered to Wu, he presented Sun Quan with a map of Jingzhou's military defenses, detailing the mountains, rivers, ferry crossings, military farms, and provisions of Jingzhou. As a result, Sun Quan gained control of all of Jingzhou.

The river defense map before him now also details the ferries, passes, water fortresses, iron chains, iron spikes, and hydrological features of Wuxian, Zigui, and Yiling.

It's clear that the person who presented the map was not a high-ranking general like Pan Jun.

Its level of detail certainly cannot compare to the Jingzhou military defense map that Pan Jun presented to Sun Quan, but it is probably comparable to the Xichuan topographic map that Zhang Song presented to the late emperor.

The red wavy line represents rapids.

The blue wavy line represents a slow flow.

The sandy area is a dangerous shoal. The triangular area is a reef.

The thick blue straight line represents a deep-water channel, which can accommodate large multi-story ships.

The black whirlpool is a surging undercurrent, and there are annotations next to it indicating the direction of the whirlpool's rotation so that boatmen can avoid it.

The twenty-mile stretch of the river between ten miles downstream and Wuxian County is covered with dense black dots, numbering more than one or two hundred at first glance.

There are also text labels next to it. The person who provided the map did not know the exact location of the sinking iron cone, only that it was roughly in this section of the waterway.

According to the person who provided the map, these river cones were likely placed in deep-water channels that were navigable by large ships, as well as in places that ships had to pass through to avoid visible and hidden reefs.

"It's truly astonishing that someone could know so much about the situation in Jingzhou; their status must be quite high."

"But since no mention was made of defenses such as granaries or garrisons, he probably wasn't one of the most important figures in Wu's army."

"But no matter what, this map shows that even in territories lost to the enemy, there has never been a shortage of people who cared about the Han dynasty."

Liu Shan composed himself and nodded.

Fu Qian continued to look at the picture, and finally frowned and spoke:

"His Majesty.

“These river cones are like hidden reefs. If boats want to cross them, they must sway left and right, otherwise they will run aground and sink to the bottom.”

"But even with a map of the river cones, it is still difficult to control a boat to nimbly avoid them in the middle of a great river."

The river's currents are sometimes rapid, sometimes gentle, with turbulent undercurrents, making it inherently difficult to control the boat.

Hidden reefs that are a few dozen or a few hundred steps apart can be avoided, but if there are seven or eight hidden reefs within a few dozen steps, it is not something that can be guaranteed to be avoided by human power.

Liu Shan returned to his seat and sat upright.

"At present, Gongquan's vanguard has captured two passes of the Wu bandits and is now at the foot of Shenjian Pass."

"Our great Han navy has never participated in the battle, but has only provided cover on the left and right."

"Why not mobilize our forces, send our great Han ships to the east of Shenjian Pass, seize the beach, and then circle westward to the back of Shenjian Pass?"

Fu Qian's face immediately showed a look of astonishment:

“But Your Majesty… iron spikes have been laid downstream, and the water situation is currently unclear. If we rashly go downstream, I fear it will not be of any benefit to the war, but will instead destroy our Han ships.”

Liu Shan first looked at Chen Dao and Guan Xing, and then at Fu Qian, saying, "If losing a few ships can help us capture Shenjian Pass, and if sinking a few ships can confuse the Wu bandits and make them less vigilant, why not do it?"

Fu Qian was taken aback.

A moment later, he suddenly realized.

"Does Your Majesty mean to concentrate all forces to launch a strong attack on Shenjian Pass, thereby diverting the Wu people's attention from Shenjian Pass?"

If the Han navy were to advance directly eastward and circle around to the downstream of Shenjian Pass to make a beach landing, the Wu army at Shenjian Pass would inevitably think that the Han wanted to launch an attack from the riverbank to the northwest, forming a pincer movement with its infantry.

In this way, Wu Jun would overlook the Yingchou Gorge, which he had prepared with the Ba people for a forced crossing. Even if he did not overlook Yingchou Gorge, Wu Jun would still have to send more men to intercept the Han navy that might land on the riverbank.

But once the Han ships sank into the river...

Fu Qian frowned again, looking at Chen Dao and the Emperor, and asked, "Does Your Majesty and the Grand Commander already have a way to break this Jiang Cone?"

Chen Dao smiled brightly: "Indeed."

Fu Qian was overjoyed: "In that case, wouldn't Wu County fall in no time?! Wouldn't Pan Jun be captured in a day?!"

Once the Han ship sinks, it will either stop and not move forward, or drive the ship westward.

Wu Jun believed that the Han army had run out of options and that the defenses on the river would inevitably be relaxed.

Now, the weather is still unpredictable, with frequent cold spells and dense fog. The Emperor and the Grand Commander will choose a foggy day to unleash this method of breaking the river cone, heading straight for the Iron Chain Pass. They will then melt it with hot oil, directly severing the Wu army's connection between the north and south banks.

Having captured two passes in two days, the Wu army probably thought that the main force of the Han army was on the north bank. They thought that they would first destroy the Wu army on the south bank, and then move their army north. Why should they worry about not being able to capture Wuxian?
With Wuxian captured, wouldn't Zigui and Yiling lose their courage and spirit?
The saying goes that those who have many strategic plans will win, while those who have few will lose. In fact, the Han Dynasty has won at least 70% of its strategic plans.

...

Jiangnan.

A thin mist shrouded the mountain ridge.

Fu Kuang divided his more than 3,000 men into three teams.

The vanguard cleared the way by cutting down trees.

The rear guard carried armor, weapons, provisions, and water.

The eight hundred elite soldiers led by Liu Yin were secretly withdrawn and carried away by boat.

Follow a dry ditch southwards, and then southwards again.

The bottom of the ravine was covered with gravel and thorns, and the Han soldiers wrapped their legs with hemp cloth, but they were still chafed and stained with blood.

A dozen or so people shared a boat, taking turns to move forward.

The boats they carried were only three zhang long and one zhang wide.

It was made by hollowing out a whole section of dried wood, and the empty boat weighed only a little over 600 jin (approximately 300 catties).

This is precisely the Wu army's standard-issue red horse boat, specifically designed for rapidly transmitting military intelligence on the river.

Where the mountain road was steep, the bottom of the boat scraped against the rocky surface, creaking and groaning.

When they were resting, Liu Yin ordered his soldiers to dig a stove.

It was not an ordinary fire pit, but a "L-shaped stove" that was dug about a foot deep after the grass on the ground was removed.

The opening is small, the interior is large, and a hole is left at the end of the stove.

A section of hollow bamboo is inserted horizontally outside the hole, and the smoke is drawn out from the bamboo and disperses down the slope.

Firewood is made from dry branches.

In this way, although there was smoke from the cooking fires, it remained on the ground and was quite dispersed. It only rose a few feet into the air before being completely dispersed by a forest breeze and merging into the thin mountain mist.

In early spring, the mornings and nights are cold.

The Han soldiers then gathered around the smokeless stove to warm themselves.

When there is a spring nearby, they will boil the spring water and drink it; if there is no spring water, they will drink the cooled boiled water stored in their water bag.

The meal consisted of brown rice mixed with wild vegetables, which was swallowed half-cooked.

Everyone had mud on their lips, yet not a single person complained.

On the evening of the third day, Liu Yin led his men around to the back of an unnamed mountain ridge.

Several miles north of the ridge is a Wu outpost, with only a dozen or so people in it.

Lingnan is a steep cliff, and Wu Jun was certain that no one could cross it, so he even skipped patrols.

Liu Yin ordered 600 men to camp on the spot, still using the smokeless L-shaped stove.

At midnight, a light rain began to fall, extinguishing the fire, and the people huddled at the bottom of the boat.

My clothes were wet and I felt cold. All I could hear was the mountain wind whistling through the forest, like the howling of ghosts.

The next morning, the main team led by Lingbei Fukuang deliberately lit several open fires to warm themselves and cook.

The fire was small, and the smoke was not thick.

But it was enough for the Wu people's scouts to spot.

Liu Yin braved the thorns and brambles, patrolling and scouting the way under the cover of fog. His fingers were frozen stiff, and leeches would often attach themselves to his body to suck his blood. If it weren't for his comrades by his side, it would have taken him a long time to notice their presence.

They still had to cross two more mountain ridges to reach that unknown tributary.

Eight hundred pairs of feet, eight hundred shoulders, eight hundred knives, silently walking in the mud after the mountain rain, burrowing deeper into the mountains.

(End of this chapter)