Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 274 Changes in Jingnan
One hundred and fifty li west of Zigui.

Wu Jun's Wushui outpost, Bowan Wharf.

Yan Yu, the Prefect of Badong who had been appointed to the post, stood on a high place and looked down at the Yangtze River.

Nearly 20,000 Han soldiers, deployed by both land and water, established a camp stretching for more than 20 miles, relying on this captured Wu army's grain and fodder transshipment hub.

Hundreds of warships of various sizes under the command of General Chen Hu and Colonel Zheng Chuo were closely moored in the relatively calm river bend.

Along the river bend, the camps, distributed along the narrow mountain path, were so numerous that their beginning and end could not be seen.

If it were truly an army of 100,000 pressing in from all sides, the advancing force would likely be stretched for miles, making it difficult to manage both ends.

Yan Yu stepped off the sentry post and headed towards the dock.

Chen Hu, Zheng Chuo, and Zheng Pu, who had also been guarding Yong'an for many years, were gathered at this moment on a small open space that had been temporarily cleared at the dock. This place was originally the small training ground of Wu's outpost.

Upon seeing Yan Yu, everyone bowed to him.

Having worked together and cooperated for many years in Yong'an, everyone present naturally centered around Yan Yu, the most senior and composed person.

Even Zhao Guang, a close advisor to the emperor and the General of the Dragon Cavalry, was now under the emperor's command and obeyed the orders of Yan Yu, the mere Prefect of Badong.

Without a doubt, the emperor trusted Yan Yu, the prefect of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain measure), enough.

In the past few days, the generals first went downstream before the battle of Wuxian was over, and together with the Han army led by Liu Yin and Fa Miao downstream, dealt with the Wu people who wanted to escape back to Zigui to report the news.

After that, they set up camp in the relatively flat area of ​​Wushui Post, allowing tens of thousands of exhausted soldiers and civilians to rest temporarily.

Now that all the generals have finally finished their tasks and gathered together, the conversation inevitably turned to the recent Battle of Wuxian, and the various fates of Wu generals Pan Jun, Sun Shao, Sun Jun, and Sun Xiu.

"The old scoundrel Pan Jun has finally been beheaded!"

General Chen Hu of the warship spat on the ground, his face revealing undisguised pleasure.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Chuo, the captain of the warship, forcefully threw a thin stone into the river. The stone bounced several times before sinking into the river.

"Your Majesty, Holy Ming!
"Such a shameless traitor who betrays his master for personal gain and seeks credit with others should have been torn to pieces long ago! It's just a pity that he died too quickly!"

Those who have never lamented the loss of Jingzhou and are unaware of how many people were killed by that scoundrel Pan Jun may not understand such emotions.

But everyone present had experienced it, felt resentment, and gritted their teeth in hatred. Now that Pan Jun had fallen into the hands of the Han, the national and personal grievances had finally been avenged, but... to kill him with a single blow was far too lenient.

Zheng Chuo continued:
"According to the angel, His Majesty bestowed upon him a ring-pommel sword to fulfill his loyalty to Sun Quan as ruler and subject."

"But when that fellow took the ring-pommel sword, he trembled like a leaf!"
"Hmph, they keep saying 'all they have to do is die,' and 'I will die to repay Sun Quan's kindness,' but when a knife is actually held to their necks, they can't muster even the slightest strength!"
"If His Majesty hadn't ordered Anguo to take the knife from his hand, he probably would have held onto it until dawn!"

After he finished speaking, his fist clenched involuntarily.

Wang Lei's son, Wang Chong, scoffed:
"The late emperor was known for his ability to recognize talent."

"And this kind of cowardly and weak-willed villain was able to gain the trust of the late emperor and be entrusted with the important task of Jingzhou."

"After he defected to Sun Quan, he turned against his former comrades and killed them. All of this shows that he was a wolf in sheep's clothing and extremely good at deception!"

"They eat the food of the land but betray their master, they surrender the land but slaughter the people!"

"Commander Du, Sima Dou... how many loyal souls were buried in foreign lands, their families were not made into government slaves, and suffered endless humiliation in the hands of the Wu people!"

"I only regret that I was unable to personally cut off this scoundrel's head to pay tribute to the heroic spirit!"
"His Majesty buried half of his body at the county gate and erected a stele to record his life story. He really got off easy!"
"He deserves to be left to rot in the wilderness, his head displayed far and wide, so that the whole world can see what kind of end awaits someone like Poon Chun!"

Listening to the generals' insults, Yan Yu, despite having a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind, showed little emotion and simply spoke slowly:

"Pan Jun's execution greatly pleased the army and comforted the loyal souls of our great Han martyrs."

"With this scoundrel dead, those scholars in Jingzhou who had a past with him or were still observing should reconsider their actions."

He paused, then quickly steered the conversation away:

"Wu County was an important town on the western border of Wu's bandits. Pan Jun, Sun Shao, and Sun Jun were all generals entrusted with important responsibilities by Sun Quan. The iron cones that sank into the river and the iron chains that crossed the river were natural barriers that Wu County relied on as if they were the Great Wall."

"Now that we have won this battle, the Wu people have lost nearly 20% of their total military strength."

"In addition, in the previous battle of Xicheng, Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin were also captured by His Majesty."

“Sun Quan is now in dire straits, beset by internal and external troubles.”

The generals nodded excitedly.

Yan Yu looked towards Jiangnan, and after a moment handed the emperor's letter to the generals, revealing news that none of them knew:

"The Wu general Liao Shi who surrendered and returned to the righteous path was of the same clan as Liao Zhengbei (Liao Hua) of our Han Dynasty, and had a younger brother Liao Qian."

"At present, Liao Qian is the Commandant of Lingling, in charge of the military power of Lingling Prefecture."

"There is another person in Lingling, Fei Yang, a relative of Chief Clerk Fei. He is the Chief Clerk of Lingling, in charge of personnel appointments and dismissals in the prefecture, and is the chief recommender of many Lingling officials."

"Both of them were devoted to the Han Dynasty and secretly contacted Sha Lie, the Miao King of Wuxi, intending to join forces with the Miao King to bring the two prefectures of Wuling and Lingling to the Han Dynasty."

"Unfortunately, at that time the Wuxi Yi were beset by internal and external troubles and had severed their mission with our Han Dynasty, so we did not heed their request."

Apart from Zhao Guang, few people present had heard of this news. Upon hearing this, they looked at each other in surprise, but then their spirits lifted.

"Does Lord Yan mean that when our Han army approaches Yiling and Jiangling, the two prefectures of Wuling and Lingling in Jingnan will respond in full force?" Zheng Pu was a smart man and instantly understood why Yan Yu would reveal this matter at this time, and why he dared to tell everyone such a secret at this time.

This is clearly His Majesty's will!

Yan Yu nodded first, then shook his head:
"Yes and no."

"Many people in Jingnan are wholeheartedly loyal to the Han Dynasty, not just Liao Shi, Liao Qian, Fei Yang and a few others."

"There are more than ten people who have already signed their names to any of the parties, including Xi Wen, the son of Xi Chengye (Xi Zhen), who died for the late emperor, and Fan An, a nephew of Fan Zhou and a military officer in Guiyang, who also died for the emperor..."

"These righteous men, under the leadership of Liao Qian, Fei Yang, Xi Wen and others, secretly made contact and were ready to respond to the royal army at any time."

Zheng Chuo became even more excited and said:

"The Han Dynasty nurtured scholars for four hundred years, and even after decades of turmoil, the hearts of the people ultimately turned to the Han!"

Everyone echoed in agreement.

Zheng Pu, standing to the side, shook his head slightly and added resolutely:
“What Wenyue said is very true.”

However, it cannot be entirely attributed to the four hundred years of grace and support of the Han Dynasty.

"Since the Great Han Dynasty launched its northern expedition, Your Majesty has conquered Guanzhong, recovered the old capital, and in the first battle against Wu, you crushed the Wu bandits and captured Bu Zhi. Now, you have also won one victory after another on the Yangtze River, and your military strength is growing day by day."

"In contrast, Cao Wei and Sun Quan have both shown signs of decline in the eyes of the world."

"Therefore, the prospect of the Han Dynasty bringing peace to the world and unifying the East and West is the main reason why those who were originally wavering are now willing to submit and pledge allegiance."

"And... to be able to turn the tide and establish such a favorable situation in just one year, the achievements of His Majesty of the Great Han Dynasty are truly unparalleled."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The topic quickly veered off course.

While everyone was discussing.

A man dressed in the clothing of the Miao and Yi people of Wuxi, led by two Han scouts, quickly approached.

The man performed a unique bow to Zhao Guang, whom he had met before, and handed him a letter. Zhao Guang took it and examined the seal.

But what was on it was the seal of Ma Bing, the General Protector of Miao in the Han Dynasty.

Upon opening and reading the letter, Zhao Guang's face quickly lit up with joy.

After pondering for a moment, Yan Yu, the prefect of Badong, finally asked Zhao Guang what good news it was.

Zhao Guangju replied:

"It's a letter written by Ma Humiao himself!"
"Gentlemen, when Sun Quan usurped the title of emperor, he had already accepted the pacification of the Miao and Yi peoples of Wuling and Wuxi for more than three years under the pseudo-Wu regime, and had sent envoys to congratulate them on his efforts to protect the Miao people!"
"Sun Quan probably thought that the Miao and Yi people of the Five Streams had truly submitted, so he actually sent Generals Zhang Mi and Xu Yan with imperial credentials to Wulingyuan to appoint the Yi King Sha Lie as the Miao King of the pseudo-Wu and to bestow upon him the royal seal."

"I heard that this is the first seal of a vassal king bestowed after the founding of the Wu Kingdom!"

Upon hearing this, the Han generals were momentarily at a loss for words.

General Chen Hu of the warships scoffed disdainfully:
“Since turning against us, Pan Jun has repeatedly advised Sun Quan to forcefully suppress the Miao and Yi tribes of Wuling and Wuxi to eliminate future troubles.”

Sun Quan remained unmoved and instead used Lu Boyan's (Lu Xun's) appeasement strategy to win him over.

"Now look what's happened, they've even come up with the outlandish idea of ​​bestowing a title upon a king?!"

"How overestimating yourself!"
"How could the Miao people be so forgetful? How could they forget the blood feud between King Shamoke of Miao and his tribesmen, who died tragically at the hands of the Wu people?!"

Zhao Guang waved the letter in his hand and lowered his voice, saying:

"In his letter, Ma Hu Miao said that Miao King Sha Lie had secretly dispatched his capable troops to infiltrate various counties of Wuling, in accordance with the strategy previously set by His Majesty and the Grand Governor."

"We will launch our campaign on the second day of the second month, the day when the seven constellations of the Azure Dragon in the East appear!"

"At that time, we will let Wu Gou learn a good lesson from His Majesty and the Grand Commander's strategies of 'Peng Yue distracting Chu' and 'Three armies exhausting Chu,' and let him see the true essence of the sixteen-character mantra His Majesty has taught him!"

Zhao Guang laughed and said:

"If the Wu people send large armies from various places to the mountains to encircle and suppress them, the Miao people will break up into smaller groups, avoid their sharp edge, and hide in the deep mountains!"
"If the Wu people attempt to recruit soldiers in the counties of Wuling and defeat them one by one, then our great Han Ma An'nan (Ma Zhong) will send troops to suppress them with thunderous force!"

"If this is the case, it will surely make it difficult for the people of Wu in Jingnan to attend to both ends, and they will be exhausted from running around."

Yan Yu remained calm, and after a moment, began to analyze the broader situation for his generals:
"Wu County has fallen. Although Zigui and Yiling are still in the hands of the Wu people, the natural defenses have been breached, and our army's morale is high. Taking them will not be difficult."

"Jiangling City alone... was built by Guan Yu himself. It is surrounded by rivers on three sides, and there is almost no place to stand when attacking it. In addition, the city is high and the moat is deep, making it the most fortified city in the world."

"Even if our mighty Han army were to besiege the city with its superior strength, we would probably be helpless against Jiangling."

In fact, there was one more thing Yan Yu hadn't mentioned.

The Han Dynasty had accumulated five years' worth of grain and fodder, but after more than a year of hard fighting and depletion, it could not sustain them until this year's autumn harvest.

If the war drags on, and if they are unwilling to withdraw their troops, they will have no choice but to "live beyond their means," making the people suffer and collecting taxes for several years, gambling with the Wu people on who will run out of food first.

But... things are not without room for maneuver.

Yan Yu continued:
"However... back then, Guan Yu used a detachment to cut off the northern route, cut off Cao Ren's reinforcements and supplies, and forced him to eventually abandon Jiangling."

"Now, our great Han has spread its pieces widely in Jingnan and is implementing the 'Peng Yue harassing Chu' guerrilla strategy in Wuling, making it difficult for the Wu people to concentrate their full strength to defend the fortified city of Jiangling."

"As long as Jingnan remains in turmoil, Jiangling will have a sliver of hope for victory."

"If Sha Lie, Xi Wen, Liao Qian and others stir up trouble in Jingnan and cause great chaos in Jingnan, Sun Quan will definitely send Lu Dai's troops from Jiaozhou north to quell the rebellion."

"However, in Jiaozhou, Sun Quan's rule was based on shallow foundations and relied entirely on military force, and the people's hearts were not yet won over."

"If Wu troops from Jiaozhou were to be transferred north in large numbers, Ma An'nan and the Miao and Yi tribes of Wuxi would be outnumbered and outmatched, but they could move freely along the Yuan River."

"If the heroes of Jiaozhou rise up in response, we can even join forces to intercept their northward reinforcements, or even lead the troops of Jingnan to strike directly into the heart of Jiaozhou, making things even worse for Sun Quan."

Upon hearing this, everyone became even more excited.

Yan Yu added to the group at the end:

"In the current game, the most crucial element is to see how Cao Wei in the north will act."

"If the ministers and officials of Cao Wei could have seen the opportunity and taken advantage of the chaos to go south and divide up Sun Wu, then Sun Quan, the emperor who had just usurped the throne, would probably have become a laughing stock in the world. It would have been a great blessing if he could have been able to cower in Jiangdong and eke out a living."

"If so, then in the tripartite division of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Wu will inevitably become the weakest party, at the mercy of others."

He paused, then his tone suddenly became firm:

"However, no matter what choice Cao Wei makes, our great Han has decided to no longer engage in pretense with Sun Quan, that two-faced coward."

"The so-called alliance with Wu against Wei, and the alliance of the small to defeat the large, is ultimately too idealistic, simply because Sun Quan is neither trustworthy nor controllable."

Everyone nodded indignantly.

Joining forces with Cao Wei to attack Sun Quan may seem to contradict the old strategy, but times have changed, and this is actually the most realistic choice.

"In any case, the pseudo-Wei is still the strongest in terms of national strength. As long as the ruling monarch and his ministers are rational, they will not refuse this good opportunity to divide up Sun Wu and further weaken the two kingdoms of Han and Wu."

"Furthermore, the pseudo-Wei has not won a single victory against either Han or Wu in the past year. Its army is losing ground and its soldiers are demoralized. If it can swallow up even a small piece of Jiangdong, it will be enough to increase the morale of the pro-war faction within Cao Wei."

"If we were to join forces with the Han to destroy Wu, many within Cao Wei would probably think that once Sun Quan, the biggest uncontrollable factor, was eliminated, Cao Wei's sheer size advantage would be enough to crush and destroy the smaller Han."

Yan Yu's analysis of the situation was clear and to the point, and the core Han generals returned to their camps in high spirits.

As the sun begins to set behind the western mountains.

Downstream from the dock, a sudden, rapid sound of oars breaking the water could be heard.

A light boat steed red horse swiftly entered the bay, and a man on board jumped ashore with agility. He was none other than Liu Yin's confidant, the Commandant of the Expeditionary Army.

"Generals!"
"Zhou Fang and Sun Huan from Zigui downstream have sent men upstream to provide reinforcements or to gather information!"
"My lord Liu Taolu and Fa Fengche have already devised a plan to lure those several thousand Wu people into the downstream Bingshu Gorge and annihilate them!"
General Liao was worried that his soldiers might make a mistake that would arouse suspicion from the Wu people, so he did not dare to send another trusted confidant to Zigui to report the news.

Instead, they took the opportunity to let the Wu army captains who were coming against the current send someone to Zhou Fang and Sun Huan to deliver the so-called message of requesting reinforcements.

This news is neither good nor bad.

The best-case scenario, of course, is that Zhou Fang, Sun Huan, and other Wu people send only a small number of people to gather information immediately, and then they are all captured by the Han.

Finally, the Han navy wiped out all the Wu spies and marched to the walls of Zigui, giving the Wu people no chance to react.

This is similar to the story of Lü Meng crossing the river in disguise. Because Lü Meng's Wu men were disguised as merchants in white, they deceived the soldiers at the Han army outposts.

All Han army outposts were captured by the Wu people, and until the area south of Jiangling was completely lost, Guan Yu, who was fighting Cao Wei in Xiangfan, did not receive a single piece of news.

The worst-case scenario was that Zhou Fang, Sun Huan, and other generals defending Zigui, upon seeing the large number of Wu corpses and Wu boats floating on the Yangtze River, would immediately assume that Pan Jun had likely been defeated. Therefore, they would hold Zigui firmly, implement a scorched-earth policy, and attempt to stop the advance of the Han army at Zigui.

The current situation is neither the best nor the worst.

After hearing the report, Yan Yu pondered for a moment, his face revealing neither joy nor anger, and said in a deep voice:
"It's alright. Since Liu Taolu and Fa Fengche have already devised a plan, let's cleanly and efficiently wipe out these few thousand Wu people's advance troops!"
"Then they attacked Zigui directly, giving the Wu people no chance to react!"
"Pass down the order: each battalion shall immediately set up cooking pots and prepare meals, so that the soldiers can have a good meal, take the time to rest, and recharge their energy."

"All actions will await the signals from Liu Taolu and Fa Fengche!"

The order was passed down quickly.

Inside and outside the bay, along the mountain paths and between the camps, the Han soldiers began to eat in an orderly manner and inspect their swords, spears, bows, crossbows, armor, and helmets.

(End of this chapter)