Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 276 Lu Xun is at a loss, Sun Quan is filled with anxiety
Baqiu.

Dongting Lake.

The place where Zhou Yu and Lu Su, two commanders of Eastern Wu, died.

It was also the intermediate point where the Han and Wu states demarcated their borders along the Xiang River.

The area west of Dongting Lake was Han territory, while the area east of Dongting Lake was Wu territory.

Dongting Lake is more than 500 li away from Wuchang in the northeast and more than 300 li away from Jiangling in the northwest.

The three cities of Jiangling, Dongting, and Wuchang form a V-shape.

As for Xiling, or Yiling, it is another 300 li away from Jiangling.

Tens of thousands of Wu troops advanced by land and water, heading against the current towards Jiangling and Xiling, but they did not know when they would arrive, or if it would be too late.

The warship "Chang'an" cuts through the waves.

At the bow of the ship, General Lu Xun gazed intently at the horizon where the water met the sky in the northwest, his eyes filled with worry.

Since this place is still a thousand miles away from Wu County, only occasionally broken planks and oars, as well as a few scattered corpses that have been soaked in the river and turned white, drift into the eyes of Wu's army along the calm river.

However, Zhou Fang of Zigui and Zhu Ran of Xiling had already sent red-horse light boats to Lu Xun in the form of urgent dispatches to report the various situations they had seen on the Yangtze River, which were then forwarded to Wuchang by Lu Xun.

Ding Feng, Liu Zan, He Da, and other generals, although they also saw the scattered oars and floating corpses drifting down the river, knew that the Han and Wu must have already fought a battle in Wu County.

However, most of these officers believed that Wuxian had three advantages: first, it had the iron cones that could sink into the river; second, it had the iron chains that could cross the river; and third, it had tens of thousands of troops. Even if war broke out, Pan Jun and Sun Shao would not collapse in an instant.

They could hardly have guessed that the Han army had already captured Wu County.

Therefore, the generals were not as heavy-hearted as Lu Xun.

There was only solemnity and caution regarding the impending war between Han and Wu.

However, in the mind of General Lu Xun, there was already a very bad suspicion.

In particular, he learned from the scouts sent out by Generals Zhou Fang and Zhu Ran that the two garrison commanders had not yet received the message that he and Sun Quan had sent last time, telling them to be careful of Wu County and to be cautious of Zhao Yun, by the time the scouts set off.

As a result, his worries deepened.

But no matter what, he could not show his anxiety and fear on his face, much less discuss it with generals like Liu Zan and Ding Feng.

To disrupt the morale of an army before the battle even begins is a major taboo in military strategy.

Before long, Ding Feng, Liu Zan, He Da and other generals arrived at the "Chang'an" warship in a light boat to report on the recent military situation and affairs.

Half an hour passed.

The generals emerged from the flying pavilion in Chang'an.

Lu Xun then stepped forward, his expression calm and composed.

Just then, he saw dust rising from the official road on the shore, and dozens of riders were galloping along the river. Lu Xun's gaze swept over them, but he did not linger for long, his mind still on the distant western front.

But it didn't take long.

A red-horse-drawn boat cut through the waves from the side and rear, skillfully avoiding the massive vessel, and sailed straight toward the "Chang'an".

Lu Xun, who was deep in thought, was pulled back to reality by the exclamation of his personal guard.

Lu Xun lowered his head and looked at the light boat on the river; his pupils suddenly contracted.

But then they saw the Emperor of Great Wu standing at the bow of the boat, protected by more than ten soldiers.

Lu Xun immediately ordered the rope ladder to be lowered.

Sun Quan quickly boarded the deck of the "Chang'an".

Generals Liu Zan and Ding Feng, who were still at the time, rushed to see the emperor upon hearing the news.

"His Majesty!"

The generals bowed and saluted, their faces showing surprise.

Sun Quan's gaze swept over the generals, and after a moment he waved his hand, forcing a calm expression on his face, and deliberately raised his voice slightly: "I have made up my mind to personally go to Jiangling to oversee the army!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zan and Ding Feng immediately clasped their hands in greeting and loudly replied, "His Majesty's personal command has greatly inspired the entire army! Our Great Wu will surely be able to defeat the enemy!"

The generals and officers were all impressive in appearance and demeanor, at least on the surface.

As for what they were thinking, that remains unknown.

Sun Quan nodded, then offered words of encouragement to Liu Zan, Ding Feng, and the other generals, before finally issuing his order:
"All of you, return to your respective camps and hasten the march. Do not let my presence cause any delays!"

"Yes, sir!" The generals accepted the order and departed.

After all the generals had boarded the boats and left, Sun Quan said to Lu Xun, "Boyan, come inside with me. I have important matters to discuss."

Lu Xun stiffened.

Inside the cabin.

Doors and windows are closed.

Only Sun Quan and Lu Xun remained.

Under the flickering lamplight, Sun Quan's face revealed his exhaustion and anxiety, which he could no longer conceal.

"Why did His Majesty suddenly leave the capital?" Lu Xun asked again, his tone equally worried. If even Sun Quan's personal campaign could not salvage the situation, it would be a severe blow to the morale and spirit of the Wu Kingdom.

Sun Quan slumped down and after a moment exhaled a heavy breath: "Grand Master of the Palace Zhao Zi returned from Luoyang a few days ago."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xun's heart sank: "I wonder what Cao Wei's intentions are?"

"Cao Rui is short-sighted!" Sun Quan's voice was suppressed, clearly containing anger and disappointment.

"They only think that our Great Wu and Western Shu are fighting like the snipe and the clam, and they can reap the benefits! No matter how many times Zhao Zi explained the advantages and disadvantages, Cao Rui and his ministers ultimately did not agree to join forces with our Great Wu to destroy Shu!"

Sun Quan could not help but be furious.

Previously, Cao Rui had repeatedly sent envoys south, wanting to join him in destroying Shu and Liu.

After he became emperor, he took the initiative to send envoys to persuade Cao Rui to join forces to destroy Shu, but Cao Wei had no intention of doing so.

Not only that.

This time, Cao Rui wasn't even willing to pretend, not even to deceive him. What utter contempt this showed him!
Upon hearing this, Lu Xun sighed inwardly.

In fact, Zhao Zi had already anticipated this outcome before he set off.

However, at that time, Liu Shan had already left Baidi and spread rumors that he would return to Chengdu to celebrate his victory and change the era name, putting on an act of recuperation and rest.

Even he believed that the Shu Kingdom would not launch a large-scale military campaign eastward in the short term, at least not during the period of changing the era name.

Therefore, even though Cao Wei refused to join forces with Wu to attack Shu, it did not have a significant impact on the overall situation of the Three Kingdoms.

After all these years, we've come this far.

But now... the situation has changed dramatically.

"I am truly uneasy, so I have ordered the Crown Prince to remain in Wuchang," Sun Quan continued, his tone becoming somewhat agitated.

"If Cao Xiu, Jia Kui, Man Chong and others take advantage of the situation and lead their troops straight to Jiangling and Ruxu, Ruxu may be safe, but the pressure on the western front will increase sharply."

"Since last year, the Western Shu has been invading from the north and attacking from the east. Liu Shan, that immature child, has personally led the troops into battle every time, acting as if he were a wise ruler!"

"I have received the mandate of Heaven, how can I remain in Wuchang and sit idly by while the border is in turmoil?!"
"In this battle, I trouble you to hold the fort in Wu County, while I will hold the fort in Jiangling as your successor, to reassure the army and intimidate the enemy!"

Lu Xun's heart was filled with turmoil.

Sun Quan's personal campaign was less a strategic necessity and more a political gesture. It was a response to Liu Shan's personal campaign and a way to maintain his image as the one destined to rule after his ascension to the throne.

However… the situation on the western front is currently unpredictable.

The risk was far too great for Sun Quan, the "Son of Heaven," to rashly travel west.

Once we lose, morale will crumble.

After Sun Quan calmed down a bit, he slowly began to speak:
"Your Majesty, have you carefully read the messages sent by Zhou Ziyu (Zhou Fang) and Zhu Yifeng (Zhu Ran)?"

Sun Quan nodded, but his tone still carried a hint of relief: "I saw it."

After much hesitation, Lu Xun finally voiced his concerns:
"Your Majesty, I have a vague sense of foreboding."

"Wu County... Wu County is probably doomed."

Sun Quan's expression first hardened, then he frowned and spoke in a serious voice:

"Boyan is overthinking it!"
"According to the urgent dispatches of Zhou and Zhu, there was indeed a great battle in Wu County, and the corpses of our Wu soldiers on the river are probably quite shocking."

“But Boyan, Wuxian has Chengming, Gongli (Sun Shao), Shuying (Sun Jun), 20,000 generals and soldiers, 30,000 civilians, and even a cone that can sink into the river and a giant rope that can cross the river!”
"I do not believe that the people of Shu can surrender overnight!"

“Unless…” He paused, his voice lowering.

"Unless Chengming is really as Wei Jing said, secretly communicating with Jiang Wan, harboring ulterior motives, and betraying Wu to surrender to Shu, but is that possible?"

"impossible!

"Chengming has shared my glory and disgrace; I absolutely do not believe that Chengming would betray me and defect to Shu!"

Lu Xun and Pan Jun had long been in Jingzhou. One was the leading scholar in Jiangdong, and the other was the leading scholar in Jingzhou. They worked together very well.

In fact, in the past two years, due to the school incident where Lü Yi framed a minister, the two even shared a common hatred and both wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Therefore, even if Sun Quan had doubts about Pan Jun, he could not tell Lu Xun that he did not trust Pan Jun.

More importantly, Pan Jun's daughter married Sun Quan's second son, Sun Lü.

Pan Jun's second son married Sun Quan's niece.

Pan Jun's family was deeply intertwined with the Sun family, sharing weal and woe, and enjoyed unparalleled favor among the scholars of Jingzhou. If Sun Quan didn't even trust Pan Jun, then all the scholars under Sun Quan's command in Jingzhou would probably be filled with anxiety.

Not long ago, Wei Jing, the second-in-command of Bu Zhi's faction, accused Pan Jun of having private dealings with Jiang Wan. In order to stabilize public sentiment, Sun Quan directly demoted Wei Jing to Wuling.

“Your Majesty,” Lu Xun said in a low voice after much deliberation.

"I do not doubt Chengming's loyalty."

"What worries me is that the plans of the people of Shu this time may far exceed our expectations."

"In the previous letter from Chengming, he said that his personal guards had escaped and returned. They saw the Shu people using large ships to pull up the river upstream. In reality, they were pretending to repair the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass. They came prepared."

"But Chengming fell for the Shu people's strategy, thinking that he could rely on the sinking cone and the iron chain across the river. In doing so, he was bound to be careless."

"Ziyu and Yifeng both said that the floating corpses on the river were mostly soldiers of our Great Wu."

"Most of the damaged warships on the Yangtze River also came from the navy of my Great Wu."

"I fear... that the people of Shu will attack the unprepared with their preparedness, and that Chengming and Wuxian will be in danger."

Sun Quan was momentarily taken aback, but after a moment he stiffened his neck and said:
"No...it's impossible, it can't be!"

“If Wuxian has already fallen, surely Zhou Ziyu and Sun Jiming (Sun Huan) in Zigui must have received news of it?!” Lu Xun immediately shook his head:
"Your Majesty, since the people of Shu have come from the east, they must have come with full preparations!"

"With such thorough preparations, the ambition of the Shu people is not limited to just Wuxian, but to seize Wuxian and Zigui with lightning speed!"
"Before our Great Wu reinforcements could arrive, we marched straight towards Xiling!"
"Just like Liu Bei did back then, when he seized Wu County and Zigui, it only took him less than a month to reach the gates of Xiling City!"

Sun Quan was already somewhat angry when he heard that Lu Xun had repeatedly boosted the morale of the enemy while diminishing his own.

"Boyan, the current situation is very different from when Liu Bei invaded the east!"

"The three cities of Wuxian, Zigui, and Yiling, with an army of 100,000, are as solid as a rock. Even if Liu Shan were to seize Wuxian from Chengming and Gongli by chance, he would certainly not be able to take Zigui in succession and advance on Xiling!"

Lu Xun shook his head directly and said forcefully, "Does Your Majesty remember when Ziyi crossed the river in disguise and seized Jingzhou?!"

Sun Quan was taken aback upon hearing this, and cold sweat broke out on his brow.

Lu Xun walked to the map of Jingzhou hanging on the cabin wall and pointed to the location of Wu County.

"Since I received the urgent message from Ziyu and Yifeng, I have been thinking about it day and night, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. I keep asking myself, 'The messengers are Liu Shan's subjects, and they intend to invade the east. What plan should I devise?'"

"What plan do you have?" At this point, Sun Quan was already asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Lu Xun's finger moved slowly eastward along the mountains south of the Yangtze River:
"If the Shu army is determined to take the three cities, its strategy will not be entirely based on brute force."

"Does Your Majesty still remember that Chengming mentioned in his previous letter that he discovered a Shu army force of about two thousand men in the mountains of Jiangnan?"

Sun Quan was startled again, and instantly remembered:

"This is indeed true. Cheng Ming said that we have been closely monitoring him, and even planned to ambush and kill him with Gong Li."

Lu Xun emphasized the area east of Wuxian and west of Zigui:

"This is a feint by the Shu people!"

"A feint?" Cold sweat broke out on Sun Quan's back.

Lu Xun nodded emphatically:
"Since the envoy is from Shu, we should use this as an ambush to attract the attention of Chengming and Gongli."

"After that, another force of about a thousand men will be dispatched, carrying our Great Wu light boats, to penetrate deep into the mountains of Jiangnan and continue eastward, carrying our Great Wu armor, and then to launch a surprise attack on all the sentry posts along the river, just as Ziming did when he crossed the river in white at Jingzhou!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan was terrified, his face turning deathly pale.

Before him appeared a Shu army, moving like ghosts through the towering mountains, heading straight for the passes and outposts east of Wuxian and west of Zigui.

Lu Xun's voice grew increasingly heavy:

"His Majesty.

"The messenger sent by Ziyu said that after Ziyu and Jiming (Sun Huan) noticed the strange situation on the river, in order to be on the safe side, they had led a part of their troops out of Zigui to the west to strengthen the river defense, and sent Sun Kai with three thousand soldiers to Wuxian to provide support."

"Wh...what?" Sun Quan was struck dumb again, jumping up from his seat, his body swaying uncontrollably. "Ziyu...he's left Zigui?"

"Yes." Lu Xun closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"If my prediction comes true, the Shu people have indeed captured Wu County and used their surprise attack to control the outposts along the Wu Gorge, thus opening up the waterway."

"Then Zigui..."

"It may no longer belong to our Great Wu."

"Ziyu and Jiming are both outside at this time, and I fear... I fear they may be cut off by the Shu army outside Zigui City, leaving them with no way to advance or retreat."

The cabin was deathly silent, with only the sound of the river water lapping against the hull, making Sun Quan's heart tremble.

He finally realized that the seriousness of the problem was far greater than he had imagined.

In fact, ever since Lu Xun analyzed for him that Pan Jun had fallen for the Shu people's secret crossing of Chencang, he had considered the possibility that Wuxian would be defeated.

But I never imagined that we would lose so quickly and so completely.

Even more unexpectedly, the Shu army was able to penetrate directly into Zigui in this way.

Crossing the river in white clothes?

If Wuxian and Zigui are lost at once, the gateway to Xiling will be completely wide open.

Is Liu Bei's eastern expedition about to repeat itself?!
No.

It will not only repeat itself.

This time, Liu Shan, the ruler of Shu, was even more aggressive than Liu Bei had been when he personally led the campaign.

"Boyan... what plan do you have?" Sun Quan's voice was dry, and there was even a slight tremor that was seriously inconsistent with his status as the Emperor of Eastern Wu.

Lu Xun remained silent.

Sun Quan was momentarily panicked.

After a long while, Lu Xun remained silent.

"Boyan?" After an unknown amount of time, Sun Quan finally couldn't help but ask again.

Lu Xun lowered his head and brows:
"Your Majesty, communication has been cut off, and the enemy's situation is unclear."

"Our main force is still en route. Even if we travel day and night, it will still take ten days to reach Xiling."

"At this moment... I have no foolproof plan."

"We urge the army to advance and reach Xiling as soon as possible."

"We will act according to the available information."

"I hope... I hope my concerns are just excessive worries."

Sun Quan's heart sank as he looked at the undisguised weariness and worry in Lu Xun's eyes.

Even Lu Boyan, who is usually calm and resourceful, said that "there is no foolproof plan," which shows just how dangerous the situation had become.

He slumped back onto his seat, opened the window, and gazed at the vast expanse of Dongting Lake outside the cabin window. Once again, he felt immense doubt and bewilderment about his decision to personally lead this expedition.

The images of Zhou Yu, Lu Su, and Lü Meng then appeared before my eyes.

……

……

dusk.

Thirty li west of Zigui.

Far from the main river waterway, on the rugged mountain road leading to Wuxian County.

A strategic pass guards a vital point.

Inside the pass were over a thousand Wu soldiers who had been settled there.

Outside the gate, General Zhaoyi Zhou Fang and General Yangwei Sun Huan had made arrangements and were leading several dozen of their personal guards eastward back to Zigui.

Just then, a scout, covered in dust, came running up the mountain path and presented a messenger's urgent report from Wuchang.

"General Zhaoyi! His Majesty and the Grand General have sent an urgent message from afar!"

Zhou Fang was taken aback upon hearing this, and with a sense of foreboding, he accepted the urgent dispatch.

He quickly unfolded it, and as his gaze swept over the familiar handwriting, his face instantly turned deathly pale, and the hand holding the proclamation trembled slightly.

Sun Huan, who was standing nearby, noticed something was wrong and asked urgently:

"Ziyu, what's the matter?"

Zhou Fang took a deep breath of cold air:
"His Majesty and the Grand General said in their letter... that Pan Taichang has probably fallen into the trap set by the Shu people, and Wuxian... is in imminent danger!"
"The letter strictly orders that you and I must defend Zigui to the death, and we must not send troops out of the city to build passes or set up checkpoints. The entire army must retreat and hold out for reinforcements!"

Their eyes met abruptly, and they both saw disbelief and horror in each other's eyes. If Wu County had fallen... wouldn't they be doomed now?!
"Quickly! Pass on the order!" Zhou Fang hurriedly gave the order.

"Everyone here, pack up immediately, travel light, and return to Zigui as soon as possible!"

The order was like a mountain, and the pass was immediately thrown into chaos. Although the Wu soldiers did not understand why, they were under pressure and hurriedly packed their belongings.

The group had just hastily assembled and had traveled only a few miles when another person came galloping from the direction of the river ahead. The newcomer was a naval commander, whose face was even more grim than Zhou Fang's earlier.

"General! Disaster has struck!" The Sima tumbled off his horse, his voice trembling with sobs.

"We pulled several bodies from the river downstream! Someone identified them as... as the brothers that Commandant Sun had brought to Wu County!"

"What?!" Zhou Fang and Sun Huan were struck dumb, their bodies stiff and cold.

Zhou Fang felt a sharp pain in his chest:
"Faster! Faster! Abandon all supplies and retreat to Zigui at full speed!!!"

At this moment, the Wu army was like a frightened bird, only wanting to retreat to the fortified city of Zigui as soon as possible.

However, when they fled ten miles of mountain road in a disheveled state and arrived at a small outpost by the river, attempting to return via a shortcut along the riverbank, the scene before them terrified them.

On the mighty Yangtze River, battle flags blotted out the sky!
The Han army's fleet of ships is sailing down the eastward-flowing river!

Yan Yu and Chen Hu stood side by side on the bow of a large warship, looking towards a Wu outpost on the north bank of the river, but did not stop for a moment, heading straight for Zigui.

"Shu army... Shu navy?!" Sun Huan exclaimed in a terrified voice.

"They...they..."

"Pan Chengming... he couldn't even hold out for a few days?!"

"Why were there absolutely no warnings from the upstream beacon towers and outposts?!"

The immense fear was like ice water poured over their heads, leaving all the Wu soldiers present horrified, frozen in place, at a loss for what to do.

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Zhou Fang shouted sternly to the sentry post commander:

"What are you waiting for! Gather everyone, travel light and quickly, and get back to Zigui before the Han army! Run as fast as you can!"

Upon receiving the order, the Wu soldiers seemed to awaken from a dream, abandoning their armor and weapons, and ran wildly along the riverbank, hoping to return to Zigui before the Han fleet.

into the night.

A light boat sailed out from the Wu people's outpost.

South bank of the Yangtze River.

Zhou Fang and Sun Huan, with only a few dozen trusted men, abandoned their army and crossed the river.

Sun Huan questioned Zhou Fang:

"Zhou Ziyu, why don't you return to Zigui to reinforce it? Instead, you're forcing me to abandon my army and flee!"

The Zhou family of Yixing was one of the most powerful and influential families in Jiangdong, with tens of thousands of members. Zhou Fang, as the current head of the Zhou family, was not afraid of Sun Huan at all, and gave him a disdainful look in the night:
"Zigui is no longer an option!"
"Now that the Shu people have captured Wu County, their momentum is unstoppable! Going back would only be suicide!"

"If you think Zigui can be defended, it's not too late to go back now! I won't stop you!"

After saying this, he led a few trusted men into the mountains.

Sun Huan glanced at Zhou Fang's retreating figure, then gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, spat at the empty river surface, and led his entourage into the mountains.

(End of this chapter)