Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 278 Zhao Yun heads west, Pan Zhang enters the mountains

The river flows eastward, its current still swift.

Zigui is only 120 li away from Yiling.

If it weren't for the Wu army's obstruction, the light boats and fast ships would have arrived in almost half a day.

The naval warships traveled downstream in just two days.

"Fu, look!" Fu Qian's personal guard suddenly pointed east.

Without needing his personal guards to remind him, Fu Qian had already spotted a speedboat struggling against the current, and the man standing at the bow was none other than Zheng Chuo, the captain of the tower ships who was leading his troops in pursuit of the Wu army's scattered vessels.

The small boat docked with the large ship.

Zheng Chuo climbed up, his expression both anxious and dejected.

"Wen Yue, how is the situation?" Generals Fu Qian and Chen Hu stepped forward and asked in unison.

Zheng Chuo first wiped the sweat from his face and said angrily:

"We can't catch up!"
"I pursued them for thirty miles downstream, and saw that Wu's outposts and beacon towers were standing in rows, and warships were gathered on the river. At a rough estimate, there were no less than a hundred ships, and the navy probably numbered several thousand."

"Those boats of Wu dogs fled quickly, darting into the Wu people's fleet."

"I dare not pursue any further, lest I fall into an ambush by the Wu people."

At this point, the captain of the warship stamped his foot angrily: "Alas, it's all because of my poor pursuit of the enemy, I have failed His Majesty's trust!"

Fu Qian frowned slightly, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and patted Zheng Chuo on the shoulder:

“Wen Yue has done his best; what crime has he committed?”

"To be able to ascertain the enemy's situation is a great achievement for our Han Dynasty."

Generals Fu Qian and Chen Hu had already anticipated this.

After all, it's only 120 li from Zigui to Yiling, and the Wu army that fled from Zigui was far more familiar with the water conditions of the Yiling Gorge between Zigui and Yiling than the Han army. In addition, their fast ships had few people, so it was perfectly normal for Zheng Chuo to be unable to catch up.

Fu Qian's disappointment was not because Zheng Zhuo failed to catch up with the Wu people's escape ship, but because he could deduce from the news Zheng Zhuo brought back that Zhu Ran, who was guarding Yiling, had already taken precautions.

Therefore, the idea of ​​striking Yiling with lightning speed, just like capturing Zigui, has undoubtedly become a pipe dream.

"Yiling... Yiling." Fu Qian gazed eastward across the Yangtze River, seemingly muttering to himself.

Back then, the late emperor led an army of 50,000 eastward from Baidi, advancing with unstoppable momentum, but ultimately stopped at Yiling.

Now, the Emperor of Han has once again led the Han army out of Baidi, and is advancing straight towards Yiling with unstoppable momentum.

It would be impossible for him to be completely uneasy.

“There’s no need for you to worry.” Chen Dao’s son, Chen Hu, clearly knew what Fu Qian was thinking and interrupted his thoughts.

Fu Qian nodded resolutely: "Yes, times have changed. This time, Sun Quan no longer has Cao Wei as an ally. The counties in Jingnan have long been unruly and he is already in trouble both internally and externally. Our Han Dynasty can rest easy."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and looked at the layered mountains to the north.

The mountain paths hidden among the towering mountains became clear in his mind.

“Since the Wu people are already prepared, a surprise attack on Yiling is no longer possible.” Fu Qian’s voice regained its composure. “First, report the situation here to His Majesty.”

He ordered his scribe to write a letter and also instructed his trusted subordinates to quickly send the message to Zigui.

As the fast ship sailed against the current, Fu Qian turned his gaze back to the north bank of the river and resolutely said:
"Yiling cannot be reached."

"However, the plan that Your Majesty, Zhao, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and the Grand Commander devised earlier is still feasible."

"We will travel five miles upstream, abandon our boat, go ashore, and take the mountain path north of the river!"

Upon hearing this suggestion, Chen Hu, Zheng Chuo, and all the other generals nodded in agreement, their expressions solemn.

Former Commander-in-Chief Fu Qian continued to issue orders:
"Pass down the order: the vanguard becomes the rearguard, and the rearguard becomes the vanguard. Fast boats will search for landing points along the north bank, and the infantry will prepare for landing!"

The sound of drums echoed for more than ten miles.

The Han fleet began to adjust its formation, slowly turning and moving towards the upper reaches of the river north of the river.

at the same time.

The walls of Yiling.

The person guarding this place was Zhu Ran, the Right Commander-in-Chief of Sun Wu.

At this moment, the Right Vice-General was walking on the city wall with his son Zhu Ji, as well as Zhongli Mu, Pan Ping, Luo Xiu and other generals and officers, inspecting the defenses.

The boat scrambled into the dock in a sorry state.

A military officer surnamed Sun fled into the city.

Upon reaching the top of the city wall, Zhu Ran and his generals were met with a shocking and chilling piece of bad news.

"Right Commander-in-Chief! Disaster has struck!"

"Zigui...Zigui is lost!"

"Wu County...Wu County has already fallen!"

"The Shu navy has already sailed eastward downstream!"

The Sun family member who managed to escape was completely naked, soaked to the bone, and his voice trembled violently from shock.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ran was speechless with astonishment.

The young officers and generals, including Zhu Ji, Pan Ping, Zhong Limu, and Luo Xiu, all wore expressions of fear, disbelief, and disbelief.

A moment later, shouts of questions erupted.

"What did you say?!"

"Zigui has fallen?!"

"Wuxian County was lost so early?! This...how is this possible?!"

"..."

The Wu people were terrified, and their voices were like a boiling cauldron.

Although they had received reminders from Sun Quan and Lu Xun, deep down they still believed that Wu County was protected by the iron cones that sank into the river and the iron chains that crossed the river, and was guarded by veteran generals such as Pan Jun and Sun Shao. Even if the Shu people had tricks up their sleeves, it would be difficult for them to break through the Wu County river pass in a short time.

And now, devastating news has arrived.

The people of Shu not only seized Wu County, but also Zigui?!
The Wu state had built up its formidable defenses of the two gorges over five or six years, believing them to be impregnable. How could the Shu people have breached them so easily with lightning speed?
Such devastating news was truly unbelievable and shocking, catching everyone completely off guard.

After an unknown amount of time, Right Vice-General Zhu Ran forced himself to remain calm, took a deep breath, and pressed on with the question:

Explain in detail!
"Where are Zhou Ziyu (Zhou Fang) and Sun Jiming (Sun Huan)? How could Zigui have fallen? How many troops did the Shu army send?!"

The woman from the Sun family, panting heavily, began to recount her story incoherently:

"Zhou Zhaoyi and Sun Yangwei... a few days ago, they led their troops out of the city to the west to consolidate the river defenses."

"Who would have thought, who would have thought that the Shu army would suddenly appear!"

"So many warships, too many to count..."

"The dock...the north gate was lost in an instant..."

"I was in Bowan downstream when I saw the situation was bad, so I risked my life to rush out!"
"Zhou and Sun, I'm afraid... I'm afraid they're in grave danger!"

Just as Zhu Ran's generals found it absurd, he seemed to suddenly remember something, his face filled with resentment:

"That's right, it's the Liao style!"
"It's Liao Shi, a subordinate of Pan Jun!"

"He led his men to trick the North Gate open!"
"It must be that old scoundrel Pan Jun... that old scoundrel Pan Jun has surrendered to Shu!"
"Otherwise, how could the Shu people have so easily conquered Wuxian and Zigui?!"

"Pan Jun surrendered to Shu?!" Zhu Ran blurted out, then shook his head repeatedly.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! Pan Chengming is related to His Majesty by marriage, sharing both honor and disgrace, and has a deep-seated grudge against the people of Shu. How could he..."

"How could it be impossible!" the captain interrupted excitedly. He came from a collateral branch of the Sun family and had always harbored resentment towards Pan Jun, a Jingzhou official who had betrayed Shu and joined Wu and was deeply trusted by Sun Quan.

"Has the Right Commander not heard of the story of Emperor Gaozu of Han releasing Yong Chi?!"

"Pan Jun is the most respected scholar in Jingzhou and has a great deal of influence there. If Liu Shan wants to appease the people of Jingzhou, he needs such a figure to enhance his image!"

"If it weren't for their inside and outside cooperation, how could the iron cones that plunged into the river and the iron chains that crossed the river have been rendered useless?!"

"If he hadn't betrayed his country and defected to the enemy, how could the people of Shu have crossed three hundred miles of sentry posts and silently reached the walls of Zigui City?!"

These well-reasoned and well-founded words immediately resonated with the many Wu generals present.

Pan Zhang's son, Pan Ping, immediately flew into a rage, pounding his fist on the wall and cursing loudly:

"Pan Jun, you old scoundrel! You're such an ungrateful, treacherous wretch!"

"His Majesty has treated him with such great kindness, yet he dares to betray Wu and surrender to Shu!"

"If he falls into my hands, I swear to kill this scoundrel for His Majesty!"

“Even tigers don’t eat their cubs. Pan Taichang is over fifty years old. Doesn’t he care about his children left in Wuchang and Moling?” Zhongli Mu, a subordinate general, asked the question with a slightly calm demeanor, but his tone clearly showed some uncertainty and wavering.

Zhu Ran was in turmoil.

Whether Pan Jun would surrender to the Han Dynasty had become a sword hanging over Yiling's head. If he did surrender, the blow to the morale and spirit of the people of Jingzhou would undoubtedly be devastating.

The generals on the city wall were still discussing amongst themselves, but their criticism was not directed at the Han army that was about to arrive, but rather at Pan Jun.

Amidst the fog of war, aside from the fact that Pan Jun had indeed surrendered to Shu, they couldn't think of any other way the Shu people could have broken through the two fortified cities of Wuxian and Zigui.

A moment later, Zhu Ran gritted his teeth, suppressed his chaotic thoughts, and shouted angrily at the generals:
"enough!
Whether Pan Jun surrendered to Shu is not something we can or should decide, nor is it something we need to decide, and it is not an urgent matter at present!
"Guards! Immediately dispatch fast horses and boats to report the military situation in Wuxian and Zigui to His Majesty and the Grand General! We beseech Your Majesty for a wise decision!"

Once the military order was issued, Zhu Ran temporarily suppressed the generals' denunciations of Pan Jun from the city walls, but a sense of panic had already spread.

Luo Xiu, son of Luo Tong, suddenly asked:

“Right Commander, now… what should we do with Xiling?” Zhu Ran was silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the anxious faces of the generals below the hall, finally settling on his young and impetuous son, Zhu Ji.

Zhu Ji, his face contorted with rage, stepped forward:
"Governor!"
"The Shu people have captured Wuxian and Zigui in succession. They have traveled more than 300 li in a long march. When they reach Yiling, they will be exhausted!"
"Our Xiling army has been resting and preparing for a long time. It is time to send out the entire navy to attack the exhausted enemy and give the Shu people a head-on blow!"

"If Liu Shan truly dares to march his army to Xiling, this humble general will ensure he never returns!"

Yiling, Yiling.

"The water becomes calm here, and the mountains become hills here."

After the Yangtze River exits the Yiling Gorge, the water surface suddenly widens and the current becomes calm, and the towering mountains on both the north and south banks are transformed into hills.

Naval warfare on such a wide river was precisely where the Wu's large warships excelled, greatly diminishing the Han army's advantage of sailing downstream.

Many young officers and generals echoed Zhu Ji's words.

Pan Ping, his face flushed with anger, spoke in a loud voice:

"Gongxu is right!"

"The people of Shu have won by sheer luck, and they will surely become arrogant and overconfident!"

"Our army in Xiling should let them come east, and then attack them while they are crossing the river!"

After these words were spoken, the young officers and soldiers once again volunteered for battle.

The city walls of Yiling were suddenly agitated.

On the contrary, the veteran generals who had been on the battlefield remained silent, still immersed in the shock of the successive falls of Wuxian and Zigui.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Ji once again volunteered for battle.

Zhu Ran grabbed him and shouted angrily, "Foolish!"

After cursing him, she threw him aside, then looked around at everyone and lowered her voice:
"What will our soldiers in Xiling think when they see the Shu people suddenly arrive? How can their morale not be thrown into chaos?!"

His son, Zhu Ji, struggled to his feet, leaning against the wall: "Governor..."

Zhu Ran immediately cursed again:
"Stop talking!"

"The enemy situation is unclear, and morale is low!"

"To launch an attack rashly is exactly what the Shu people want!"

"Pass on my orders!"
"Zhu Ji, immediately dispatch two thousand sailors and boatmen to sail all the warships outside Xiling City to Jiangling!"

"Xiling does not need a navy!"
"Right now, our only option is to defend Xiling to the death!"
"Luo Xiu, Zhongli Mu, Pan Ping... you all must quickly order all camps outside the city to retreat!"

"All the camps outside the city have been abandoned, and only the city of Xiling is being defended to the death!"

"Without my command, not a single soldier may leave the city!"

"Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"
"We'll discuss other matters once General Shang's reinforcements arrive!"

Zhongli Mu understood and quickly nodded to add:
“What the Right Commander-in-Chief said is absolutely right. The Grand General’s army has already reached Dongting Lake and will arrive within two weeks.”

"Back then, Sun Jianwu (Sun Huan) was besieged by Liu Bei at Yidao and wanted to implement a strategy of besieging the city and attacking reinforcements."

"The Grand General disregarded the requests of his generals and refused to rescue Sun Jianwu, waiting for an opportunity to act."

"In the end, as expected, a great fire burned down the Western Shu and depleted its strength. After Sun Jianwu relieved the siege, he almost captured Liu Bei alive, but Liu Bei barely escaped with his life."

"Now, it is our turn to defend Yiling."

Zhu Ran gave Zhongli Mu a deep look.

Zhongli Mu was farsighted; his words were clearly intended to stabilize the morale of the army.

Because... no one knows if, once the soldiers of Xiling retreat and are trapped in the isolated city of Xiling, and the Shu army comes to the gates of Xiling again, will General Lu Xun's reinforcements, just like they did not rescue Sun Huan back then, seize the opportunity to strike.

Zhongli Mu's words were meant to tell everyone that even if Lu Xun didn't come to their rescue, there was no need to worry.

Who knows, our Xiling army might be able to do what Sun Huan did, forcing the Shu ruler Liu Shan to barely escape with his life, or even capture the dragon.

Although Zhu Ji was unwilling, his father Zhu Ran had already given the order, so he could not argue any further. He immediately accepted the order and left the city, preparing to sail all the warships of Xiling City to Jiangling, three hundred miles away.

However, just as he ran down the city wall, he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly ran back up the city wall.

"What is it now?!" Zhu Ran was furious when he saw his son return.

Zhu Ji said urgently:

"Governor!"
"I've thought of something!"
"If we can't wait for the Grand General to arrive, I'm afraid the Shu people will be at the city gates in another two or three days!"
"If we follow the Right Commander's plan, fortify the walls and clear the fields, and defend the city, but the Shu people do not attack the city, but instead abandon Yiling and head north, joining forces with Zhao Yun of Fangling to besiege Pan Pingbei of Linju, what should we do?!"
"Should we rescue them or not?"

From Zigui in the east to Xiling in the west, there are numerous river valleys and mountain paths carved out by flowing water, which can lead north to Linju and Fangling.

Zhu Ji, Zhongli Mu, and Luo Xiu, three young officers, had all fought against the Han army in Xicheng under the command of Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin. They had all managed to escape through the mountain pass southeast of Xicheng and had some knowledge of the river valleys and mountain passes north of the Yangtze River.

Upon hearing Zhu Ji's words, his father Zhu Ran's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly looked north: "This is bad!"

He suddenly broke into a cold sweat.

Previously, Sun Quan and Lu Xun had written to Pan Zhang, instructing him to closely monitor Zhao Yun's movements.

If Zhao Yun were to march south along the mountain path to support Wu County, Pan Zhang was ordered to send troops to intercept him.

Now that Wu County has fallen, if the Shu army does indeed advance from the north...

Zhongli Mu also realized what was happening and exclaimed:

"If Zhao Yun personally raises the flag and draws Pan Pingbei towards Wuxian, while the Shu army in Zigui moves north to cut off Pan Pingbei's retreat...wouldn't Pan Pingbei be trapped in an encirclement, unable to advance or retreat?!"

Pan Ping, son of Pan Zhang, was so terrified upon hearing this that he turned deathly pale.

"People of Shu... How dare people of Shu act like this!"

Zhu Ran did not hesitate any longer and immediately gave the order:
"quick!

"Immediately dispatch scouts to set off overnight!"
"Be sure to go to Linju and inform Pan Pingbei before the Shu people can block the roads!"
"Tell him under no circumstances to advance westward. He must quickly retreat and defend the Dangyang and Maicheng line, forming a pincer movement with Jiangling, and await the reinforcements of the Grand General!"

Once the military order was given, several scouts fled north in panic.

……

……

Eighty li east of Shangyong.

Thirty li west of Fangling.

A spacious campsite.

General Deng Zhi, the commander of the Eastern Garrison, took up his banner and supervised the army.

Twenty thousand Han soldiers were eyeing Fangling covetously.

It is sixty li southwest of Fangling.

Between the mountains.

General Zhao Yun of the Han Dynasty raised his banner and headed towards Wu County, following the mountain path that had been cleared by his men the previous year.

At midday.

Suddenly, a dragon-riding man galloped up from the front of the mountain path.

Zhao Yun's personal guards brought the angel to Zhao Yun.

Upon seeing the angel, Zhao Yun's first words were of concern:

"Angel, may I ask if His Majesty is well?"

As the angel handed over a secret letter, he spoke excitedly to Zhao Yun in a Shangyong/Fangling accent: "General Zhao, His Majesty is well! His Majesty has won! Before I set out, the iron chains across the river at Wu County had been broken! Pan Jun was already besieged in Wu County by His Majesty and the Grand Marshal, and General Lou Chuan and Fu Tao Lu had led their troops straight to Zigui. Now... now I'm afraid even Zigui has been recaptured by His Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, General Zhao was overjoyed, his white beard trembling as he exclaimed, "Excellent! Excellent! This is truly gratifying!"

Then he took out a piece of dried meat from his waist and handed it to Long Xianglang: "Angel, please rest for a while."

Immediately, the drums for gathering generals were sounded, summoning all the officers and soldiers along the long mountain path.

Zhao Yun laughed heartily: "Gentlemen, if nothing unexpected happens, Wuxian and Zigui have been captured!"

General Cuan Xiong, the general who annihilated Wu, was panting heavily: "Good, good! Now that His Majesty has appointed me as General Annihilated Wu, it is only right that I kill the Wu dogs. I really don't want to stay in Fangling like a turtle and pretend to be a coward in front of those Wei dogs!"

Yang Qun, the Mighty General under Zhao Yun, was also cursing under his breath:

"This time, we will make sure that scoundrel Pan Zhang has nowhere to escape, and avenge Guan Yu and his son, and the soldiers who died in Jingzhou!"

Li Qiu, nephew of Li Hui, the governor of Yijiang, said with delight:

"General of Chariots and Cavalry, that scoundrel Pan Zhang is not far behind us."

"Should we hurry west and seduce him even more?"

A few days ago, Zhao Yun left Fangling, personally hoisted his general's banner, and ventured deep into the mountains.

Pan Zhang, who was monitoring the movements of Han and Wei not far from Fangling, was not afraid at all after he discovered that Zhao Yun had disappeared from carrying the banner. Instead, he led his men in directly, seemingly convinced that if he could kill Guan Yu, he could kill Zhao Yun as well.

Zhao Yun thought for a moment and finally said, "No need. Let's rest here today. If His Majesty has already captured Zigui, then Pan Zhang will have nowhere to escape."

...

One day later.

Fangling is due south.

Pan Zhang received news from the scouts at the front.

"General Pingbei, the Shu people arrived at Motianling at noon yesterday and then stopped moving!"

Upon hearing this, Pan Zhang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sneered, "I was worried that Zhao Yun might have some kind of scheme, and I was also concerned about the loss of Pan Jun and Sun Shaowu County. Now it seems that there is no need to worry. Quickly advance westward! We must capture and kill Zhao Yun here!"

(End of this chapter)