Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 273 Devotion to Service, Even unto Death, Clouds Rise over Zigui

Pan Jun is dead.

Logically speaking, as the leading scholar in Jingzhou, he was both powerful and virtuous. Saving his life would be beneficial for pacifying Jingzhou in the future.

But... if we spare him, how can the Han Dynasty repay those heroes who still died for the Han after he surrendered the map and turned against the enemy?
Therefore, Poon Chun died.

Chen Dao, Guan Xing, Zhao Guang... all the officers and soldiers who hated Pan Jun were overjoyed to see him dead, and they celebrated and spread the news.

This emperor may not have been a top-tier political figure like Emperor Gaozu, and could not have done what Emperor Gaozu did: pardon Yong Chi and make him the first person to be granted the title of Marquis.

But for the officers and soldiers who hated Pan Jun with a passion, this emperor, who was politically incompetent, was a flesh-and-blood man, which made them love and respect him even more.

Meng Guang, the Imperial Censor who came downstream from Baidi, saw the mutilated corpse of Pan Jun, which was displayed outside the city gate to appease the army, and the notices posted inside and outside the city gate to the people of Wuxian. He admired the emperor's skill even more.

Now, the emperor killing Pan Jun is just like Emperor Gaozu pardoning Yong Chi and granting him a marquisate.
Why?

At that time, more than twenty civil and military officials who had made great contributions to the founding of the country had already been granted the titles of kings and marquises, while the rest were still vying for merit day and night and had not yet been granted titles.

Emperor Gaozu, while walking on the covered walkway of the Southern Palace in Luoyang, noticed his generals often gathering on the sand and arguing incessantly. He then asked Liu Hou, "What are they arguing about?"

Zhang Liang replied:

"Does Your Majesty not know? This is treason."

Emperor Gaozu asked:
"When the world is at peace, why rebel?"

Marquis Liu replied:
"Your Majesty rose from humble beginnings to conquer the world."

"Now that I am the emperor, all those I have enfeoffed are my old friends and relatives of Xiao He and Cao Shen."

"Those who were executed were all people with whom he had a lifelong grudge."

“Now, the military officers are calculating their merits, and they believe that there is not enough land in the world to grant them fiefdoms, and they fear that Your Majesty will not be able to grant them all.”

"Fearing suspicion of their past transgressions and potential execution, they gathered together to plot a rebellion."

Emperor Gaozu asked with concern, "What should we do?"

Marquis Liu replied, "Your Majesty's lifelong hatred is known to all your ministers. Who is the most hated?"

Emperor Gaozu said, “Yong Chi is an old friend of mine and has repeatedly humiliated and harmed me. I wanted to kill him, but because of his many merits, I could not bear to kill him.”

Marquis Liu then replied, “Now we must first enfeoff Yong Chi to show the ministers. When the ministers see that Yong Chi has been enfeoffed, they will all be convinced.”

Emperor Gaozu then held a grand banquet and enfeoffed Yong Chi as the Marquis of Shifang.

The officials finished their drinking and all said with delight:

"Yong Chi is still a marquis, so we have nothing to worry about."

Emperor Gaozu's pardon of Yong Chi was precisely because he knew where his core supporters were. By setting aside past grievances and enfeoffing Yong Chi as a marquis, he aimed to stabilize and win over his core supporters.

Now that the Han emperor has executed Pan Jun, isn't it because he clearly understands the source of his power, his core support, lies in the army, the generals, and the soldiers, not in the people of Jingzhou?

Furthermore, since the emperor personally led his troops into battle, he often mingled among the soldiers and bestowed favors upon them. While this behavior won the hearts of the army, it also diminished the "mystery" that the emperor should possess, causing some ignorant people to lose their fear and reverence for the "Son of Heaven."

Now, the first battle against Wu has finally come to an end.

The emperor not only executed Pan Jun, a coward who betrayed the enemy, but also personally dealt with a group of people who had been cowardly, afraid of battle, and disruptive to the morale of the army since the eastern expedition.

This two-pronged approach can effectively deter those who are ungrateful and make them realize that this Han emperor is not only good at bestowing favors, but also at establishing authority.

...

Wuxian County.

The official temple, which had been occupied by the Wu people for six years, was finally exchanged for the red flag of the Han Dynasty.

The rammed earth walls and stone floor tiles of the official temple are covered with large patches of dark brown stains that have been dried for countless years.

The blood was so thick it couldn't be washed away; it was clearly not spilled during this battle.

Governor Chen Dao strode heavily into the main hall. Today, he was dressed in coarse clothes, and his eagle eyes had lost their wartime sharpness.

Upon seeing that it was Governor Chen Dao, Long Xianglang, who was guarding the main hall of the official temple, skipped the step of checking whether there were hidden soldiers and let him pass directly, as instructed by the emperor.

Liu Shan was at this moment examining the map of Zigui's terrain and military defenses drawn by a surrendered general of Sun Wu. When he looked up, he saw Chen Dao bowing and clasping his hands in greeting.

"Your Majesty, I have been following Your Majesty's orders and have carefully searched the city."

"When the Wu bandits breached the city, the Commandant Du Yu, who swore to fight to the death and died for his country, and Sima Dou Dayan, along with their relatives and former subordinates who were enslaved by the government, have now been found to be only about twenty people."

"I have ordered my White Feather Soldiers to properly settle them in the city, and have given them clean clothes and good food. Doctors have also examined them one by one."

Liu Shan put down the vermilion brush in his hand.

“More than twenty people…” he repeated the number in a low voice, his tone somewhat stiff, and his eyes visibly rippled.

He immediately stood up: "Let them come..."

He paused, then changed his mind:
"I will go see them."

Having said that, without waiting for Chen Dao's response, he strode out of the temple.

Ji Bazhi and the other Long Xianglang immediately followed silently, like a moving barrier, their large, copper-bell-like eyes constantly alert to any unusual movements around them.

Chen Dao followed closely behind the emperor.

Not far from the official temple, there was a decadent courtyard.

The dim sunlight filtered through the messy branches, casting dappled shadows.

Opposite to the Emperor's Dragon Banner.

More than twenty people stood there shivering, or sat slumped on the ground.

Men, women, young and old.

Although he had changed into clean clothes provided by Chen Dao, it still couldn't hide his hunched figure and withered face from long-term hard labor.

His eyes were empty and blank.

This is the numbness and timidity unique to long-term enslavement and abuse.

Liu Shan had naturally seen it.

Upon seeing Liu Shan appear, dressed in black casual clothes and surrounded by numerous armored soldiers, most of these people, like frightened lambs, instinctively knelt down, their movements stiff and flustered.

Liu Shan hurriedly raised his hand, trying to stop their uneven bowing, or something else... let's just call it bowing for now.

But they still knelt down, looking bewildered and disoriented.

Liu Shan gestured for Long Xianglang to help them all up. His gaze slowly swept over each face, finally settling on the head of the group of old women with disheveled, almost entirely white hair.

The old woman's face was lined with deep wrinkles, and her withered old hands had large, deformed joints. Her entire hand, including the crevices under her fingernails, was covered in black grime.

"Madam Du, His Majesty has come to see you," Chen Dao said gently, then looked at the emperor behind him.

"Your Majesty, this is the widow of Commandant Du, who fought bravely and died for his country when Wu County fell."

Liu Shan nodded.

"Madam Du," he tried his best to make his voice sound approachable and friendly, "you...only have these twenty-odd people left?"

"Mrs. Du...?"

Before Liu Shan, the government slave, who was even worse off than an old farmer in the fields, looked up at the sound, his cloudy, whitish eyes unfocused.

This title is completely foreign to her now.

He mustered his courage and glanced at the young Han emperor before him, but then lowered his head again, no longer daring to look directly at the man.

"This lowly servant...this lowly servant greets Your Majesty."

She hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to say something grand and dignified, like what she might have said when she was an officer's wife.

But she had long forgotten those words.

"Replying to Your Majesty's words."

"Originally, the Du family, the Dou family, and the families of the officers who refused to surrender to Wu, together there were more than two hundred people..."

Her voice and demeanor were timid, as if she were afraid of disturbing the emperor.

"But...but on the day the city fell, after the heads of various families died in battle, some of the more hot-tempered ones...followed them on the spot."

"The rest were all captured by the Wu people and forced into servitude as government slaves..."

She paused at this point, her breathing suddenly becoming rapid, perhaps because the act of recalling was itself a form of torture.

"Within a few days, some people, unable to bear the humiliation, committed suicide one after another."

"Later, many people died from exhaustion while building the city, transporting grain, and chopping firewood."

"And then there are... those who froze to death in winter, died of illness in summer, starved to death in autumn, and drowned in spring, quite a few of them..."

"..."

She spoke haltingly, sometimes her words lacked logic, but she did not wail or sob uncontrollably.

However, her wretched appearance, tormented by suffering, coupled with the despair and grief hidden beneath her calm narration, moved many of the Han soldiers standing around the emperor, and many unconsciously clenched their fists.

Old Madam Du finally let out a long sigh:
"That's...that's all that's left..."

Liu Shan listened in silence.

After a long while, he slowly opened his mouth:
"Madam Du, Emperor Dahan, I am sorry, I am sorry, I have made you suffer."

Madam Du was taken aback.

Several middle-aged women, who also looked emaciated, subconsciously looked up at the Han emperor beneath the dragon banner upon hearing this.

A faint glimmer of tears seemed to appear in Madam Du's cloudy eyes. After a moment of silence, she struggled to gather her thoughts, attempting to utter some polite words:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty is too kind..."

"Back then, Du Yu, an old woman, was nothing more than a penniless soldier. If it weren't for... if it weren't for the late emperor's repeated promotions, allowing him to rise step by step to the rank of captain, we..."

She intended to emphasize the Emperor's boundless grace to lighten the somber atmosphere, but she choked up halfway through her sentence.

Liu Shan didn't let her continue, turning to his secretary Lang Xizheng who was standing beside him, his tone returning to its usual decisive and unquestionable manner:
"Drafted decree. "The former Commandant Du Yu is posthumously awarded the title of General of Loyalty and Integrity."

"The pension was issued in accordance with the high standards for military personnel and delivered to Madam Du."

"Choose a house in Baidi and properly settle Madam Du to live out her remaining years."

"Once Jingzhou is recovered, we will immediately send people to Du Xiaojie's hometown to find his relatives and ensure that Du Xiaojie adopts a son so that his family line can continue and the blood of the loyal martyr can be offered without end."

Xi Zheng bowed and accepted the order, then quickly took notes.

Liu Shan suddenly remembered something and said to Madam Du, "Madam Du, Pan Jun, who led the Wu people to besiege Wu County, was beheaded by the Han last night. I have ordered people to set up an altar by the river, and in a few days we will offer Pan Jun's head as a sacrifice to his spirit."

Upon hearing of Pan Jun's execution, many military dependents who still vaguely remembered the name were initially taken aback, but then finally recalled something.

Then, someone finally started wailing.

Liu Shan ordered his men to appease him, and then, guided by Chen Dao, he approached the Dou family member of the Sima clan who had also died unyielding in Wu County.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that Sima Dou Da Yan had a son who had survived.

When Liu Shan walked up to the young man huddled in the corner, trembling, his heart sank.

The young man was in his early twenties, a time when he should be full of energy, but at this moment his eyes were unfocused and empty, his face had an abnormal, silly smile, and there was drool at the corner of his mouth. He was completely unresponsive to everything around him.

Upon seeing someone approach, the person muttered something, but no one could understand what he was saying.

Liu Shan squatted down and asked him gently.

Ask him if he remembers his father, and ask him about his experiences over the years.

But the young man just smiled blankly, occasionally gesturing wildly, his words fragmented and consisting of incomprehensible babbling.

The old servant holding him wept bitterly, but dared not utter a sound of crying before the Han emperor.

Seeing that the descendants of these heroes had been tortured to such an extent by the Wu people, the faces of all the civil and military officials behind Liu Shan, including Chen Dao, Guan Xing, Xi Zheng, and Meng Guang, who were shrouded in the shadow of the dragon banner, turned ashen.

The courtyard was deathly silent, making the young man's occasional strange laughter all the more jarring.

Liu Shan silently rose.

After a long silence, he finally gave the order, suppressing his anger:
"Therefore, Sima Dou Dayan was promoted to Colonel and received pensions in accordance with the regulations for Colonels."

"All the martyrs who were punished by the Wu barbarians and made government slaves were supported by the imperial court, ensuring that they had no worries about food and clothing and that no one dared to humiliate them."

“Yes!” Xi Zheng replied immediately.

Behind the emperor and a host of high-ranking officials and generals, Du Qian, who had just been promoted to the position of Xuanyi Zhonglang, wielded his brush with incredible speed.

This person not only recorded the emperor's words and deeds and posthumously conferred titles and honors, but also devoted himself to depicting the torment and suffering of the martyrs' families, such as Lady Du and the son of Dou Sima, at the hands of the Wu people.

As I scribbled down notes, my mind raced with thoughts.

How can we transform what we see and hear today into materials that will inspire morale and demonstrate loyalty and righteousness in the future?

And how to fulfill the mission newly assigned by His Majesty, so that more Xuan Yi Lang can understand how to truly achieve "Xuan Yi" (proclaiming righteousness).

The saying goes, "National and personal grudges are irreconcilable, and the fight will not end until death."

The saying goes, "The loser becomes dust, the winner becomes king."

The saying goes, "We would rather capture the Wu barbarians and make them Han slaves than let traitors seize an inch of our land."

...

West of Zigui.

One hundred and fifty li.

On the north bank of the Yangtze River lies Bingshu Gorge.

The cliffs on both sides are so steeply carved that they almost meet, leaving only a narrow sliver of sky.

The term "military treatise" does not refer to any actual military texts hidden there, but rather to describe the treacherous and perilous nature of the terrain, which is as difficult to decipher as a celestial book, where one wrong step could lead to utter ruin.

On the high slope of the north bank of this extremely dangerous place, there was a sentry post established by the Wu army, but unfortunately it has now changed hands.

Inside the makeshift camp.

Commandant Liu Yin was carefully polishing the tip of his spear on a whetstone.

After nearly half a month of stealth, raids, and bloody battles, his face had become noticeably thinner.

Fengche Duwei Fa Miao sat on a blue stone, tracing lines on the spread-out map with his fingertips, his brows slightly furrowed.

The map was a map of Wu's river defenses brought by Liao Shi, Pan Jun's "confidant".

Although the locations of the hidden sentry posts that Pan Jun subsequently adjusted were not marked, the general terrain and distribution of the visible sentry posts are already clear.

He raised his head: "Xiuran, the last two hidden sentries downstream have been eliminated four days ago. Judging by the time, His Majesty's follow-up naval force should arrive by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

Liu Yin did not stop wiping the tip of the spear, only letting out a deep "hmm" in response.

“Zhou Fang and Sun Huan are no ordinary men,” Fa Miao continued in a low voice, his tone somewhat solemn, as this was his first time joining the army.

"Although we intercepted and killed the Wu people, removed the outposts, and cut off the transportation, the battle of Wuxian was so massive, and there were so many floating corpses and broken planks floating downstream on the Yangtze River. Generals Zhou Fang and Sun Huan must have already become wary."

Just then, from the top of the almost vertical cliff above, came several urgent and lifelike bird calls.

Liu Yin and Fa Miao stood up abruptly almost simultaneously.

Inside the camp, the Han soldiers who were resting and organizing their weapons tensed up instantly and instinctively gripped their swords, spears, bows, and crossbows.

After a while.

Two lean scouts, disguised with vines and leaves, slid down the steep cliff like monkeys using ropes, staggering as they rushed toward Liu Yin.

"General! Commandant Fa!" The leading scout reported urgently, not even bothering to catch his breath.

"A boat is coming from downstream!"

"A large warship of the Wu people!"

"They have both warships and fighting ships, roughly twenty or thirty in total! They are estimated to carry no less than two or three thousand troops and are moving upstream, searching the riverbank as they go. They are less than ten miles from here!"

What was supposed to come finally came.

Liu Yin's eyes sharpened.

Fa Miao took a deep breath and turned his gaze to Liao Shi, Pan Jun's "confidant," who was standing to the side.

This man was the one who presented the map to Liu Shan, and he was also the backup plan for the Han Dynasty to seize Wu County. His younger brother, Liao Qian, is currently in Jingnan contacting people who are loyal to the Han Dynasty. If the Wu people in Wu County had not "revolted" yesterday, then Liao Shi would have opened the city gates for the Han Dynasty.

“General Liao,” Fa Miao walked to Liao Shi’s side, “Sun Huan is known for his wisdom, resourcefulness, and bravery in battle, and enjoys a high reputation among both the military and the people. In your opinion, was he on a routine patrol, or has he already become aware of the changes upstream?”

Liao pondered for a moment, then spoke:

“Fa Fengche, Zhou Ziyu, Sun Jiming, and (Sun Huan) are indeed not easy to deal with.”

"The battle in Wuxian County was too big a commotion."

"It would be strange if he had no awareness of the many remains and weapons floating on the river."

"I speculate that he may have been prepared to receive the defeated troops from Wuxian or to block the Han navy from sailing eastward downstream."

Fa Miao nodded and continued to ask:

"If we ask the general to lure the enemy out, what are the chances of success?"

Liao Shi replied without hesitation: "Don't worry, Fa Fengche, I know what I'm doing. I will definitely lure his troops to the pre-arranged battlefield upstream!"

Fa Miao stared into Liao Shi's eyes for several breaths, and finally nodded heavily:
"Excellent! General Liao, if this battle is won, I will certainly petition His Majesty for your reward in person!"

After speaking, he turned to Liu Yin:
"Rest assured, I will immediately send someone by fast boat to inform the generals and captains of the naval fleet upstream, as well as Yan Badong, of the enemy situation."

"Let them proceed according to the original plan, taking advantage of favorable terrain to hide and await orders, preparing to ambush and kill the Wu people."

Liu Yin had no objections and acted swiftly, immediately summoning two personal guards to give them a few instructions.

Two guards received the order and quickly ran to the riverbank, untied a red horse boat, and rowed upstream against the swift current.

At the same time, Liao Shi also put on a set of Wu-style official armor.

He selected more than ten of his personal guards who had originally belonged to his unit and had voluntarily surrendered, and boarded a red horse boat.

The red-horse boat nimbly cut into the middle of the river, speeding downstream with the rushing water, and soon disappeared behind the bend in the river.

About half an hour later.

About ten miles downstream, in a relatively open section of the river, Liao's red horse boat encountered Wu's fleet of ships sailing upstream.

Wu Jun's fleet was quite large, and on the lead ship, the banner bearing the character "Sun" fluttered in the wind.

"Halt! State your identities!" On the Wu army's warship, a Wu man who looked like an officer shouted sternly.

Liao Shi gestured to the boatman to steady the boat, stood at the bow, cupped his hands, and answered loudly: "I am Liao Shi, a military advisor under Pan Taichang of Wu County! Whose troops are you from?"

The Wu army captain carefully examined Liao Shi and the soldiers' uniforms and banners, confirming they were his own men, and his expression relaxed slightly.

"I am Sun Kai, a colonel under Sun Yangwei, the Marquis of Shaxian!"
What exactly is going on upstream?!

"The iron cone-shaped ramp leading to the river failed to stop the Shu navy?!"

"Why have so many corpses and remains of my soldiers been floating down the river for days?!"

Upon hearing this, Liao Shi immediately conjured up a perfectly timed expression of anxiety and exhaustion, and punched the side of the ship as he replied:
"Commander Sun, you are unaware of this!"

"The people of Shu are cunning. Although they have not been able to completely break through the sinking cone and iron chain for the time being, they have taken advantage of the flexibility of small and medium-sized warships and spared no expense to have many streams seep into the downstream!

"Pan Taichang and Sun Zhenxi occupied the north and south banks respectively, fighting desperately. When I set off, they had already repelled the Shu people!"

"But the Shu people are powerful and cunning. Pan Taichang was afraid that Wuxian would be lost, so he sent me to ask Zhou Zhaoyi and Sun Yangwei for help!"

As Captain Sun Kai listened to Liao Shi's account, his brows furrowed, and his gaze swept over the scattered broken planks floating on the river. He clearly believed most of it.

He pondered for a moment and said, "I see... My troops are indeed under the orders of Sun Yangwei to go up the river to investigate the military situation and provide reinforcements as needed. General Liao, please follow me westward at once!"

(End of this chapter)