Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 275 Zigui
Bing Shu Gorge East Entrance.

Because the Bing Shu Gorge is full of turbulent undercurrents and reefs, and both banks are sheer cliffs, there is almost no place to stop and rest. Therefore, this transfer dock located outside the gorge mouth has become an essential resting place for those traveling westward against the current.

Dozens of warships and grain transport ships filled the already narrow harbor to the brim. The shore was teeming with people. Wu general Sun Kai's three thousand soldiers, along with the essential boatmen and auxiliary troops, totaling nearly six thousand people, were searching for a place to stay near this not-so-wide transshipment dock.

"General!" A trusted aide of Sun Kai rushed aboard the flagship, his face filled with panic. "A warship that was scouting ahead... has run aground and sunk! Less than half of the soldiers on board have been rescued!"

Wu Jun's Colonel Sun Kai stood on the bow of the large warship, his brows furrowed.

"That's enough. It's getting late, and the situation in the gorge is unclear. We can't risk sailing at night any longer. Send the order down to the entire army to set up camp and rest at this dock and along the mountain path. We'll continue our advance tomorrow."

The so-called "camping" was merely a matter of finding a place to lie down, given that it was within the territory of Wu and the troops were rushing westward to provide reinforcements.

There were no fortifications or camps to speak of.

The flat land near the dock was quickly occupied by officers and their personal guards.

More soldiers were forced to climb up the winding, rugged mountain paths in search of relatively gentle slopes.

Several thousand men were scattered sparsely along the mountain paths of the three hills surrounding the dock, rising and falling. By the time it got completely dark, the campfires would stretch for more than ten miles.

The dock, the central command tent.

Sun Kai, Liao Shi, and several military officers gathered around the campfire to discuss matters.

Sun Kai rubbed his forehead: "This Bing Shu Gorge is full of hidden currents and reefs, and we need to be extra careful when we advance tomorrow."

Liao Shi chimed in at the opportune moment: "Commander Sun, you may not know this, but the water conditions in Bing Shu Gorge are more complex than those in Wu Gorge. Without a guide familiar with the water conditions, there is a high chance of something going wrong."

As he spoke, he took out a map of the water conditions from his pocket and handed it over:

"Gentlemen, please take a look. This is a map of the water conditions in the gorge drawn by Pan Taichang. It roughly marks where there are undercurrents and where there are hidden reefs."

"Tomorrow, if you trust me, I can lead the way in a light boat. Once we safely cross this treacherous twenty-mile gorge, the waterway to Wu County will be much smoother. If all goes well, we should be able to reach the front line in Wu County in four or five days."

Sun Kai took the map and carefully examined it with the other Sima. They saw that it was marked with many dangerous places.

"Very well! Then tomorrow we will trouble General Liao to lead the way. The entire navy shall act in accordance with General Liao's orders!"

Liao bowed respectfully and said solemnly, "It's my duty."

The next morning.

It was not clear.

Thick water vapor filled the river surface.

Under Liao Shi's command, Wu Jun's navy began to set sail one by one, carefully navigating against the increasingly turbulent river into Bing Shu Gorge.

As Liao Shi said, the waterway in the gorge is narrow and the current is unpredictable. Reefs of varying sizes appear and disappear, and all ships must be on high alert and closely follow the path of the guide boat ahead.

No matter how slow the navy's marching speed was, it was still far superior to that of the foot soldiers and auxiliary troops on land who relied on their own two legs to traverse mountains and valleys.

In just one day, the fleet had already painstakingly traversed most of the treacherous sections of the canyon.

Meanwhile, the infantry on the shore, whose mountain path did not follow the cliffs along the riverbank but had to detour through the gentler inland areas, were now out of reach of the navy due to their slow pace, making communication difficult.

Sunset.

The western entrance of Bingshu Gorge.

A small transshipment bay.

The Wu army's naval vessels that arrived earlier all anchored and moored.

After a whole day of intense sailing, everyone was exhausted.

The soldiers dragged their exhausted bodies ashore, found a place to start a fire and cook a meal in preparation for the night.

at the same time.

Bing Shu Gorge East Entrance.

The dock where Wu Jun was stationed yesterday.

In the dense forest on the south bank of the Yangtze River, shadowy figures could be seen.

Han generals Liu Yin, Fa Miao, and Zheng Chuo gazed at the deserted docks and mountain paths on the opposite bank.

After confirming that the main force of Wu's army had entered the gorge and separated from the infantry on the shore, Zheng Chuo nodded to his confidants.

Soon, two Wu warships, which were being repaired in the dock on the north bank, slowly sailed toward the south bank under the control of Han soldiers.

More than 500 men under Liu Yin and Fa Miao, and more than 1,000 sailors under Zheng Chuo, the captain of the warships, began to board the ship in an orderly manner.

"Commander Zheng," Fa Miao said to Zheng Chuo in a deep voice, "Liu Taolu and I will lead the infantry westward immediately to pursue and attack the Wu bandits' infantry."

"You shall lead a thousand sailors to guard this dock and keep a close watch on the downstream direction."

"If any more Wu reinforcements arrive, send a fast boat immediately to report!"

“Good!” Zheng Chuo dared not neglect this close minister of the emperor and clasped his hands in agreement.

Fa Miao and Liu Yin's troops immediately headed west, following the mountain path into the mountains.

Zheng Chuo immediately dispatched several groups of scouts, who set off downstream in a few light boats mounted on horseback, keeping watch for any possible movements.

Early next morning.

It was not clear.

The fish in the east turn white.

North of Bing Shu Gorge, the Wu army infantry and auxiliary soldiers, scattered along the long mountain road, were mostly still asleep. Their camp stretched for more than ten miles, if these casually lying people could be called a camp.

Two consecutive days of arduous journeys, overcoming obstacles and traversing mountains, have exhausted the Wu people.

Apart from a few symbolic patrols carrying weapons and dozing against tree roots, the entire force was completely undefended.

Just then, many figures silently emerged from the dense forest on both sides of the mountain path.

Without the slightest hesitation, General Zhao Guang, the commander of the Longxiang Army, personally led two hundred elite Longxiang soldiers and more than nine hundred Yingyang soldiers, plunging into the undefended ranks of the Wu army like a sharp blade.

"Fight against overwhelming odds! Charge! Brothers of Eagle Banner, follow me and kill!" Wei Qi's voice boomed as he charged into a group of Wu soldiers who had just been awakened and were still bewildered.

The soldiers of Yingyang Prefecture shouted in unison.

A flash of light, and blood splattered.

The guards instantly cut down dozens of people.

After several battles, these soldiers had developed a very good working relationship.

At this moment, they were divided into groups of three and teams of five, charging eastward along the mountain path.

The Wu people offered no resistance whatsoever, only knowing how to flee in disarray.

Their armor was undoubtedly almost entirely mounted on warships on the Yangtze River, a common practice when marching rapidly within their own territory.

If it weren't for the fear of wild beasts lurking in the mountains and the need for weapons for self-defense and clearing paths, many soldiers would even have considered laying down their weapons.

Faced with these almost unarmed, sleepy enemies, the battle inevitably turned into a one-sided massacre.

Many of Wu's soldiers didn't even have time to get up before their lives were ended in their sleep.

Some tried to resist, but in their haste, they could not find any decent weapons and were quickly cut down.

Many more people scattered and fled like headless flies, trampling each other in the chaos.

Just as a Wu army strategist had organized several dozen men to try to resist, Long Xianglang rushed forward, shattering the man's ring-pommel sword with a single blow of his Su Tie Dao, and then killing him with another.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding Wu soldiers let out a shout and immediately scattered.

Zhao Guang observed the battle from a high vantage point, constantly adjusting his command flags and directing his troops to infiltrate, divide, and encircle the enemy, maximizing the annihilation of their manpower while preventing the routed soldiers from fleeing westward through the gorge and alerting the Wu navy that had already reached the western entrance.

The carnage continued on the mountain path as Han soldiers pursued the fleeing Wu troops eastward.

at the same time.

Bowan at the west entrance of Bingshu Gorge.

Wu Jun's naval camp remained silent.

Most people were still sleeping in the cabins or in makeshift shelters on the shore.

A few Wu soldiers responsible for night patrols, feeling safe since they were still within Wu territory, dozed off by the campfire.

Just then, Liao Shi, dressed in the armor of a Wu officer, arrived at the dock with more than ten fully armed personal guards.

They carried the patrol flags on their backs, their steps and expressions calm and unhurried.

"It's time for the shift change!" Liao said irritably to a team leader who was on duty at the dock but was clearly exhausted.

"What should be the punishment for dereliction of duty?!"

The Wu troop leader on duty rubbed his sleepy eyes. Seeing the officer's gleaming armor, he not only didn't suspect anything, but was actually terrified. He hurriedly pulled out a large coin from his pocket:
"We beg your understanding, General! Our brothers are truly at their breaking point!"

"Get out!" Liao Shi took the large coin from Daquan and cursed.

The team leader, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, led his men as they staggered away from their posts.

Liao watched them walk away, his eyes narrowed, and he quickly made a hand gesture to his personal guards.

The group understood and immediately dispersed, quietly beginning to untie the mooring lines of the warships from the dock piers.

Just then, a corpse suddenly floated downstream, bobbing up and down in the river.

Liao Shi caught a glimpse of this and his heart skipped a beat. Without a doubt, this was the advance messenger that Sun Kai had sent to Wu County upstream to contact Pan Jun, who had been spotted and killed by the Han army.

He quickly looked around.

Once they confirmed that no other Wu people had noticed the floating corpse or their movements, they growled, "Quick! Move faster!"

The Chinese military tent.

Sun Kai's subordinate Sima hurriedly entered the tent.

"Captain! Captain, something terrible has happened!"

Sun Kai woke up with a start, somewhat impatient:
"Why are you panicking?"

"That Liao Shi... it seems that Liao Shi and his men have taken over the river defense patrol! But now... it's not time for the rotation!"

"What?!" Upon hearing this, Sun Kai was instantly wide awake.

However, even at this moment, he had not yet considered that Liao Shi had rebelled against Wu and returned to Han; this unusual behavior just puzzled him.

After all, this place is already the heartland of Wu. Unless the Han army breaks through the iron chain river pass within a few days, even if Liao Shi rebels against Wu and returns to Han, he is unlikely to appear here to stir up trouble.

He couldn't understand it, so he just threw on his outer robe and went out.

When he rushed to the dock, he saw that the few empty boats at the very bottom had already been pushed away from the dock and were slowly drifting downstream with the river.

"Liao Shi! What are you doing?!" Sun Kai was both surprised and suspicious, and shouted sharply towards the direction of the Yangtze River.

Upon hearing the commotion and seeing him rushing towards them, Liao Shi and the others realized their whereabouts had been exposed and quickly led their men aboard a medium-sized warship.

"Set sail! Quickly!"

After saying this, he snatched the horn from the hand of his personal guard and blew a loud and urgent blast.

"——Woo!"

“——Woo woo!”

The sound of horns echoed through the silent Wuxia Gorge.

In an instant, Wu Jun's captain, Sun Kai, turned deathly pale.

Even though his mind still couldn't quite grasp what had happened, his instincts compelled him to shout:
"not good!"

"Quickly! Beat the drums!"

"Assemble the entire army!"

"Get on the ship! Get on the ship now! We're retreating to Zigui!"

Wu Jun's camp was suddenly thrown into chaos.

The hasty sounding of war drums startled the sleeping Wu soldiers, who rushed to the dock in a panic, scrambling to board the ship, and all order was lost.

And just then.

Several miles upstream from Bowan, the deafening sounds of war drums and battle cries approached from afar.

Commander Fu Qian personally led two thousand of his infantrymen out of the mountain path on the west bank. Although they were still some distance from the dock, the deafening battle cries and resounding war drums were enough to terrify the Wu army in chaos at the western entrance of Bing Shu Gorge.

Sun Kai climbed to a high place and looked westward, only to see an endless, dark mass of people to the west. He was instantly terrified and at a loss for what to do.

After an unknown amount of time, seeing that the vanguard of the Han army was probably less than two miles away, they realized that Liao Shi had betrayed Wu and that the Han army had come prepared. This place was no longer defensible, and staying here any longer would surely lead to certain doom.

"Forget about the shore! Those who can get on the boats, get on them immediately! Cut the mooring lines! Retreat downstream! Take the message back to Zigui!"

He gave the order in a hoarse voice, while his personal guards struggled to squeeze onto a larger warship.

Amidst the chaos, Wu's naval forces managed to maintain control of more than ten warships, hastily cutting their mooring lines and using the current to escape downstream to Bing Shu Gorge.

Many Wu soldiers who did not have time to board the ships either fled eastward up the mountain in panic, or knelt down and surrendered, or were overwhelmed by the charging Han infantry.

Fu Qian led his troops to quickly take control of the docks, wipe out the remaining enemy forces, and then immediately ordered his troops to pursue eastward along the mountain road without stopping.

Thus, in the dense forests of the mountains north of the Thirty Li Bing Shu Gorge, Fu Qian led his troops in the west, Zhao Guang led his troops in the middle, and Liu Yinfa Miao led his troops in the east, completely surrounding and cutting the Wu people within this thirty-li mountain road into several sections.

Almost at the same time.

Large numbers of sails appeared on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

Prefect Yan Yu of Badong and General Chen Hu of the Tower Ship led the main force of the Han navy, sailing downstream in a grand manner and quickly entering the bay.

"Pursue! Never let a single Wu soldier escape!" There was no time to take control of the remaining Wu ships, enemy remnants, and supplies at Bowan Wharf. Yan Yu decisively ordered his personal guard general to issue the order.

The Han navy raised its sails and rowed in unison, following the direction Sun Kai fled, and rushed into the downstream river channel of Bingshu Gorge.

The sky is bright.

Bing Shu Gorge is turbulent with hidden currents and scattered reefs.

Sun Kai led more than ten escaped warships. Because they had no guides familiar with the waters and were in a state of extreme panic, some of the ships were damaged by running aground due to their panicked behavior or improper operation.

One large ship even capsized, and the Wu soldiers on board fell into the icy river. They soon lost consciousness and sank to the bottom of the river.

The Wu fleet was terrified and its speed was greatly reduced.

Behind them, the Han navy, guided by Liao Shi's confidants and a local guide captured from Wu County who was familiar with the waters, avoided one dangerous shoal and reef after another without incident, moving at a speed significantly faster than the Wu army.

The pursuers are getting closer and closer.

Sun Kai looked back west and saw Han warships following closely behind, their banners waving. His spirits sank to the bottom.

"It must be Pan Jun...it must be Pan Jun! Previously, Wei Jing submitted a memorial to Your Majesty, saying that Pan Jun was colluding with Jiang Wan from Shu!"
"At the time, I didn't believe it. Now, the people of Shu have actually appeared here. What else could it be but Pan Jun colluding with the people of Shu from the inside and outside?!"

"Quickly, hurry back to Zigui!"

If Pan Jun hadn't defected, how could the Shu army have broken through the natural barrier so easily, and how could they have set up such a precise ambush here?!

"Faster! Faster! Just get out of Bing Shu Gorge!" Sun Kai roared at the oarsmen, his back drenched in cold sweat from shock, anger, and fear.

However, just as he was about to lead several warships out of the last narrow section of the river and his view began to clear up a little, three warships suddenly appeared on the river ahead, blocking his way.

The lead ship was the same one Liao Shi had previously sailed from the dock. However, this time, instead of Liao Shi's dozen or so trusted men, it was filled with Han soldiers in full armor, carrying swords and crossbows.

The other two were the same two warships that Sun Kai had seen undergoing repairs at the Bowan Shipyard yesterday, and they were also flying the Han army flag at this moment.

Liao stood at the bow of the ship and shouted forward:
"Pan Jun is dead!"
"If you know what's good for you, you should surrender and you might save your life!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Kai's pupils suddenly contracted.

Pan Jun...is dead? Not because he surrendered to Shu, but because he died in battle?!
This news shocked him even more than the news of Pan Jun and Liao Shi's betrayal of Wu and surrender to Han.

Upon hearing this, his soldiers were suddenly filled with terror, and murmurs of panic arose among them. Despair and fear quickly spread among the Wu army's warships.

Wu officer Sun Kai suddenly snapped out of his daze, pointing his sword at Liao Shi on the boat: "Pan Jun has indeed been defeated?! Wu County has been captured by the Shu people?!"

Liao Shi naturally answered yes.

Sun Kai was furious: "You must be a treacherous villain who betrayed your lord and turned against us in battle! You are a true scoundrel! I wish I had known your true colors sooner and torn you to pieces!"

Faced with Sun Kai's scathing rebuke, Liao Shi, who had recently surrendered to the righteous cause, showed no remorse. Instead, he gave a mocking look to the person upstream:
"You keep saying you've turned your back on the Lord and abandoned righteousness, but do you even know who the Lord is? And where righteousness lies?!"

Without waiting for Sun Kai's response, he paused, his tone turning somber:

"Pan Jun was once a minister under Emperor Zhaolie of Han, and received great favor from him! However, when Sun Quan broke the alliance and seized Jingzhou, he switched sides to Sun Quan, turning against his former comrade. Is this what you call loyalty and righteousness?!"

"As for me, Liao Shi, I was born in Xiangyang and was originally a clerk under Lord Guan! My roots are in the Han land, and I was born a subject of the Han Dynasty!"
"If Sun Quan had not broken his promise and seized Jingzhou from the Han Dynasty, leading to the defeat and death of Lord Guan, why would I, Liao Shi, have had to submit to Wu?!"
"What kindness or favor has Sun Quan shown me?!"
"My return to the Han Dynasty is merely a return to my former lord; how could I have betrayed him?! The one who truly betrayed him is Sun Wu, who attacked and killed allies and seized the territory of the Han Dynasty!"

Although Sun Kai was so angry that he trembled violently, he was speechless for a moment. Even in Wu, there was a lot of controversy about Lü Meng's surprise attack on Jingzhou by crossing the river in disguise. Liao Shi used this as a counter-argument, which he could not refute.

"You...you're just being unreasonable!" Sun Kai could only shout angrily in the end.

"All troops, listen to my command! Charge forward and ram the enemy ships!"

"Only by fighting to the death can we have a sliver of hope!"

However, with pursuers behind and blockades ahead, and with turbulent river waters and unpredictable reefs on their sides, the morale of the Wu army was already in chaos. They were like frightened birds. At this moment, upon hearing that Pan Jun was dead and Wu County had been lost, their remaining will to resist finally collapsed.

noon.

The battle is basically over.

Fu Qian, Zhao Guang, Yan Yu, Chen Hu, Zheng Chuo, Liu Yin, and Liao Shi, who had recently joined the cause and made great contributions, gathered at the East Wharf of Bingshu Gorge.

After a brief discussion with Zhao Guang and Yan Yu, Fu Qian decided that Zhao Guang's Longxianglang and Yingyangfu soldiers would advance eastward along the mountain road overnight to clear out any Wu soldiers who might be fleeing from the mountain road.

Yan Yu immediately led the Han navy, carrying Fu Qian and Liu Yin's troops, straight to Zigui.

The next day.

Downstream.

Thirty li west of Zigui.

Sun Huan, the Marquis of Shaxian, who was patrolling the outposts and fortifying the river defenses along with Zhou Fang upstream, looked down at the warship fragments, corpses, and oars that had reappeared on the river, his face showing deep thought.

General Zhaoyi, Zhou Fang, said slowly, "It seems that the situation in Wu County is dire."

Sun Huan shook his head: "Not necessarily. If the situation were truly dire, Pan Jun would have already sent someone to Zigui for help. There's no need to worry."

Zhou Fang thought for a moment, then nodded.

(End of this chapter)