Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 293 Wuling Rebels, Adding Insult to Injury

Zhu Ran fled back.

The entire city of Jiangling was in shock.

This Right Commander-in-Chief and General of Chariots and Cavalry once accompanied Pan Zhang on a campaign to capture Guan Yu in Jingzhou.

He once again fought against Cao Zhen, Zhang He, and Xiahou Shang's army, which was ten times larger, with only 5,000 infantrymen in Jiangling. He remained unmoved for more than half a year, which shocked the Wei clan. Sun Quan praised him as the "Iron Wall of Jiangdong".

And now, this important town of Xiling, guarded by the "Iron Wall of Jiangdong," has fallen after being besieged by the Shu people for less than two weeks!

Wuxian, Zigui, and Xiling—three important border towns that had been fortified for five or six years—were all lost in less than two months?!

Sun Quan's so-called generals who could protect the country were first Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin, then Pan Jun and Sun Shao, then Pan Zhang, Zhou Fang and Sun Huan, and now Zhu Ran has been added, yet they all suffered a complete defeat in Shu?!
Aside from Sun Quan, the Emperor of Wu, not "barely escaping with his life," how is the current battle situation any different from Liu Bei's disastrous defeat at Yiling?

This caused a great uproar in the city, and people were filled with unease.

There is an old saying that goes well.

Victory can solve ideological problems.

Conversely, failure can lead to ideological problems.

Many officials and soldiers from Jingzhou were in a hurry, their eyes darting around, and their occasional conversations were full of caution and probing.

Jiangling was the capital of Jingzhou, the heart of the province, home to countless powerful clans. Upon hearing the news, they were all terrified and hastily gathered their clansmen to discuss the matter in secret. Some accelerated the stockpiling of rice and grain for unforeseen circumstances, while others secretly organized their valuables and valuables, and still others sought out people to write secret letters to leave their families a few escape routes.

When the nest is overturned, how can there be any eggs?
They had all heard about Zhu Ran's scorched-earth policy in Xiling. They had also personally witnessed Cao Zhen, Zhang He, and Xiahou Shang besieging Jiangling. Once a city is besieged, if it drags on for a long time, people will become unrecognizable, and any tragedy could happen.

Gangneung New City, also known as Gangneung Ya-seong.

The city was built by Guan Yu, and on the basis of the old Jiangling city, it was expanded and reinforced on a large scale to the south. The old and new cities were separated by a central partition, forming a brand-new pattern of two cities, one in the north and one in the south.

This seemingly simple change was, in fact, an advanced innovation in the city defense system during the era of cold weapons.

After all, the model of building a large city within a smaller city, that is, building barbicans and moon cities outside the city, is still in the exploratory stage. No one dares to draw a conclusion lightly as to whether it is good or bad.

This system of barbicans and outer walls, much like the adage "it's better to have more city gates than fewer," needs to be repeatedly proven through numerous battles before it gradually matures and becomes institutionalized.

Those with true military insight can understand and admire this new city defense system, but they may not be able to convince their superiors to spend manpower and resources to build such a new type of city.

Guan Yu completed the construction and exclaimed, "This city, which I built, is invincible."

Meanwhile, Cao Zhen and Hao Zhao from another timeline, based on their painful experiences, replicated the city defense system of Jiangling City in Chencang, making the Prime Minister suffer another defeat.

Compared to the Wu people in the city, the Wei people, who repeatedly failed to capture Jiangling City, could indeed better understand how difficult it was to conquer Jiangling City and how much the Jiangdong cowards had taken advantage of Guan Yu.

If Mi Fang hadn't surrendered the entire city, would Guan Yu have lost Jingzhou? Would Cao Pi have dared to accept the abdication? Would Liu Bei have suffered the defeat at Yiling? And why would that prime minister have had to devote himself to the cause until his death?
As for Zhu Ran, who was kneeling and weeping incessantly at the official temple in Jiangling Yacheng and was hailed by Sun Quan as the "Iron Wall of Jiangdong," it is quite debatable whether he was truly the Iron Wall of Jiangdong or benefited from the impregnable Jiangling City built by Guan Yu.

At least for now, neither Sun Quan nor Zhu Ran has figured out why Jiangling could be held for half a year, while Xiling couldn't even be held for two weeks.

However, if we were to discuss it in detail, it cannot even be described as two decades.

Because the Han army had been besieging Yiling for just over ten days without attacking, and when Zhu Ran was defeated and fled, the Han army only launched a probing attack for one day.

Sun Quan slumped into the main seat, unaware of how much time had passed. Only when Zhu Ran, Zhu Ji, Luo Xiu, and other generals knelt down again, weeping incessantly, did he finally manage to calm himself down.

Scholars such as Lu Xun, Shi Yi, and Hu Zong, and generals such as Xu Sheng, Ding Feng, Liu Zan, He Da, and Song Qian, stood on both sides, heads bowed in solemn silence.

"Your Majesty's wrath has been borne by this subject, Zhu Ran, who has lost his army and territory, and has failed in his duty to Your Majesty!"

"Instead of dying for one's country to preserve one's integrity as a subject, one abandons the city and flees back home, which is shameful!"

"I humbly beg Your Majesty to punish me for my mistakes and to uphold the laws of the state and the military!"

Zhu Ran sobbed uncontrollably and kowtowed heavily once more, causing the bluestone floor to bleed from his impact.

Half a lifetime of achievements and a lifetime of fame, now all of Xiling has been destroyed, and even the family troops and retainers that he had raised for decades have been almost completely wiped out in this battle.

Regardless of his thoughts on the way back from abandoning the city, his emotions have finally run their course. This iron-willed man of Jiangdong speaks and acts with utmost sincerity, without the slightest pretense. If Sun Quan were to execute him to uphold military law, he would have no regrets.

Upon witnessing this scene, the officers and soldiers in the room were filled with grief and indignation, and suddenly felt a sense of kinship. If it were not Zhu Ran guarding Xiling but themselves, could they have been willing to die for their country?

Upon hearing the sound and seeing the situation, Zhu Ji hurriedly crawled forward two steps on his knees, crying out urgently:

"His Majesty!
"It's not that the commander-in-chief is unwilling to fight to the death!"
"At that time, Yiling was in great chaos, and the north gate was wide open! The Shu army swarmed in, and the city walls on all four sides were in danger. In addition, thousands of rioters in the city were also causing trouble, and they were working together with the Shu people from the inside and outside!"
"When the commander-in-chief saw that the situation was hopeless, he originally intended to die for the city. But I... I acted on my own initiative, disobeyed the general's orders, and bound the commander-in-chief, abandoning the city and fleeing!"

"Your Majesty, please punish me for coercing the commander and deserting in the face of battle! I am willing to die!" With that, Zhu Ji kowtowed heavily.

Luo Xiu, who lost her father last winter but was unable to attend the funeral due to her father's dying wish, now prostrated herself on the ground, begging for forgiveness.
"This humble general failed to defend Dongcheng for Your Majesty, allowing the Shu army to succeed. I am also guilty and beg Your Majesty to punish me accordingly!"

Sun Quan looked at the generals kneeling below, and then at Zhu Ran's withered face that looked more than ten years older. Recalling the old friendship and past achievements, Sun Quan felt a mix of emotions.

Zhu Ran was the same age as him. When Zhu Zhi was forty-four years old and still had no children, he asked his elder brother to let his sister's son, Shi Ran, be adopted as his heir. His elder brother then invited Shi Ran with mutton and wine. Shi Ran went to Wu and studied with him. They became very close and affectionate...

Suppressing his grief and indignation, Sun Quan finally left his seat, stepped forward, helped Zhu Ran up, and, holding Zhu Ran's forearms tightly, spoke in a resounding voice:

"A righteous decree!"
"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war!"

"Since the defeat at Xiling is irreversible and the war is beyond saving, abandoning the city and fleeing to preserve my life and plan for the future is a helpless but wise move!"

"You don't know yet, I just had a discussion with Boyan Jun."

"The decision is to follow the example of the victory at Xiaoting. When the time is right, we will have Yifeng abandon Xiling and break through to the east. I will personally lead an army to Xiling to meet you."

Zhu Ran, who was still sobbing, was taken aback.

Behind him, Zhu Ji, Luo Tong, and other generals, who were still kneeling on the ground and dared not raise their heads easily, were all surprised. Finally, they instinctively raised their heads slightly, and after glancing at the emperor and his ministers holding hands in front of them, they lowered their heads again.

When everyone was silent, Sun Quan spoke solemnly:
"Thirty years ago, King Huan was assassinated and died. The people of Jiangdong were not loyal to him, but our Great Wu survived."

"Twenty years ago, during the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao seemed poised to conquer the world, but our Great Wu survived."

"Thirteen years ago, in the Battle of Hefei, we suffered the humiliation of Xiaoyaojin, but our Great Wu survived."

"Eight years ago, in the Battle of Xiaoting, Liu Bei and Cao Pi joined forces to conquer Wu, but our great Wu survived."

"Of all these difficulties, which one has not caused great turmoil in people's hearts?!"

"And when has my Great Wu ever failed to pull through?!"

"Our great Wu Fei Dan has survived, and each time he has become stronger than the last!"
Why?

When Sun Quan mentioned this point, he paused for a moment.

Then, with glaring eyes and raised eyebrows, he spoke with a resounding voice:
"Have you not heard that after adversity comes prosperity, and that hardship builds a nation?"
"As long as Jiangling is still here, as long as Jiangdong is still here, as long as Boyan, Yifeng... and all of you here are still here, everything will be alright."

Sun Quan spoke with great emotion.

Zhu Ran was overwhelmed with shame, tears streaming down his face, choked with sobs and unable to speak. Zhu Ji, Luo Xiu, and the other officers all knelt down to express their gratitude.

The slightly somber expressions of Xu Sheng, Ding Feng, Liu Zan, and other generals eased somewhat. Just as the emperor had said, the Great Wu had suffered many disasters since it became the hegemon of Jiangdong, but adversity strengthens a nation. When has the Great Wu failed to survive? And when has it not become stronger than before?
Dressed in Confucian robes and looking like a scholar, Lu Xun lowered his eyes, his mind no longer on the present, but only rapidly planning how to defend Jiangling next.

Sun Quan then pulled Zhu Ran to his seat, first forcefully pressing him down to sit, then filling him with a cup of cold wine, and asked:
"Yi Feng, tell me in detail how Xiling fell."

Zhu Ran held the wine in his cup, neither drinking nor putting it down, and reviewed the reasons for the defeat for everyone in the room, making everyone in the room frown.

"Fireball?" Sun Quan was slightly taken aback. Catapults were not unusual, nor were fire attacks, but a fireball launched by a catapult that would not be extinguished by the wind was truly unheard of.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Zhu Ji replied somberly.

"The cowhides, fishing nets, and even the watchtowers and logs that our army had set up were ignited in an instant. The city was engulfed in flames, and black smoke blocked out the sun. The soldiers and civilians in the city were thrown into chaos in an instant."

Sun Quan pondered for a long time, but could not come up with a way to counter this fireball attack. Finally, he looked at Lu Xun:
"Does Boyan have a way to deal with this?"

Lu Xun immediately shook his head: "Your Majesty, the cowhide and fishing nets are meant to prevent stones from being thrown. If the stones are all ignited by the black oil, it will be difficult to deal with them, and we can only let the Shu people do as they please."

Sun Quan's face was filled with anger: "Black oil! Where did the Shu people get so much black oil?!" Lu Xun, who was only one year younger than Sun Quan, seemed unconcerned about the black oil fireballs and calmly reassured him:

"Your Majesty, I believe that the failure of Xiling lies not in the black oil, nor in the fireballs, but in the hearts of the people."

"When the catapult first came out, the soldiers and civilians of our Wu were terrified, but eventually they got used to it. Cao Wei, on the other hand, found the catapult cumbersome and ineffective, and eventually abandoned it."

"The reason why the soldiers and civilians of Xiling are so afraid of this black oil fireball and are in chaos on the battlefield is simply because they have never seen this thing before."

"Before the Shu people arrive, Your Majesty should quickly order craftsmen to build catapults day and night and launch them to attack Jiangling City with fireballs. The scale of the attack should be as large as possible. In this way, when the soldiers and civilians of Jiangling see the Shu people attacking the city with fireballs, they will be fearless. Without fear, there will be no chaos, and without chaos, the city can be defended."

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan's expression softened slightly, and he nodded gently.

Zhu Ran, Zhu Ji, Luo Tong and other generals had never thought of this since the defeat. Now, hearing Lu Xun's quick wit, they admired this scholar-general with the talent to bring peace to the world even more.

Ignoring everyone's thoughts, Lu Xun continued:

"All things under heaven are born and grow by nature. If you use strength, your numbers will be few; if you use few, your numbers will be strong."

"Since the Shu people's black oil has such power and has been used on the battlefield time and time again, I absolutely do not believe that it is inexhaustible."

"Therefore, the worries of our Great Wu do not lie in the so-called black oil fireballs and elite weapons of the Shu people, but in the hearts of the people."

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan nodded again.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ran's anger suddenly surged like a mountain:
"good!
"If the Shu people had only used fire, I might have been able to hold on with all my might! But the real cause of this defeat, as the general said, lies in the hearts of the people!"
"The scorched earth policy has already caused the ignorant people of Xiling to resent me!"
"Pan Wengui's head was thrown onto the city wall by the Shu people, which further disrupted the morale of the Xiling army!"
"After Zhao Yun suddenly came south from Linju, the Shu army sent proclamations and reward notices into the city for days on end, trying to bewitch the ignorant people of Jingzhou!"

"And so, after the fire started..."

Zhu Ran grew angrier the more he spoke.

"Your Majesty, the people of Jingzhou can no longer be trusted!"

"The reason why Xiling is in such dire straits is that after the civil unrest in the city, a large number of surrendered people from Jingzhou suddenly appeared in the north of the city, dressed in the armor of our Great Wu, but with red turbans!"

"Wearing Wu armor and with a red turban tied around his arm?" Sun Quan's pupils shrank suddenly.

"Yes!" Zhu Ran roared in anger.

"These very people who surrendered from Jingzhou have become accomplices of the people of Shu!"
"They helped the Shu people climb the city walls, and the soldiers from Jingzhou saw that their clothes and accents were no different from theirs. The so-called 'surrounded by enemies' situation arose from there!"
"Some people are hesitant and unwilling to fight!"

"If I cannot distinguish between friend and foe, chaos will not be quelled!"

"His Majesty!
"The people of Jingzhou cannot be trusted!"

"The people of Jingzhou are unusable!"

"The defeat at Xiling was my fault! It was also because the people of Jingzhou could not be used by Wu!"

Upon hearing this, the official residence fell silent.

No one dares to deny anything easily.

But everyone knows that at this time, Zhu Ran's words must be carefully considered.

The methods used by the Wu Kingdom to take Jingzhou were not honorable.

The Wu state had no concept of "Mandate of Heaven" or "Legal Principles," which led to strong resistance among the people of Jingzhou against submitting to Sun Quan's rule, making the cost of ruling the Wu state extremely high.

This is why Sun Quan insisted on making good use of Pan Jun, who had once managed the affairs of Jingzhou for Liu Bei. Without Pan Jun's leadership, Sun Quan would have had to spend many times more time and effort to stabilize Jingzhou than he has now.

Even now, the vast majority of Jingzhou people still view the so-called Great Wu and the Great Wu Emperor as merely seeking to save their lives and temporarily remain under his rule for personal and family interests.

The two are absolutely bound by mutual interests.

There is no such thing as gratitude or righteousness to speak of.

How can we underestimate kindness and righteousness?
If the people of the world do not believe in gratitude and righteousness, then using the emperor to command the feudal lords is utter nonsense.

Relationships bound together by self-interest will eventually fall apart because of those interests, while relationships bound by gratitude and righteousness will make people willing to sacrifice their lives without regret.

What legal principles and righteous causes did Sun Yat-sen possess?
What favors or kindnesses did the Sun family have towards Jingzhou?

Let alone Jingzhou, what favors or kindnesses has the Sun family shown to the Wu region?

Lu Xun's father and grandfather died at the hands of the Sun family, yet Lu Xun repeatedly made outstanding contributions to Sun Quan by devising strategies for him. It is unclear whether he did this to repay a debt of gratitude or for the sake of his family and fame.

What were the Six Dynasties all about? They were nothing but private schemes and factions. In fact, it all started with the Sun family's division of Jiangnan. When the Sima family usurped the Wei throne, it set the tone for the next few centuries of chaos, moral decay, and the dehumanization of people.

Now, with Liu Shan leading his army to the west, holding a large banner with the character "Han" on it, and having broken through the important towns of Wuxian, Zigui, and Xiling in less than two months, and now with his troops at the gates of Jiangling, it is self-evident what the people of Jingzhou will choose.

If Jiangling shows signs of weakness in front of Liu Shan, then not only Jiangling, but the entire Jingzhou region may rise up in rebellion.

“The people of Jingzhou cannot be trusted…the people of Jingzhou cannot be used.” Sun Quan muttered to himself, pondering repeatedly, before finally looking at Lu Xun.

"Boyan, what should we do?"

"Your Majesty, the people of Jingzhou may be untrustworthy or unusable, but if we use this matter to cause suspicion and suppression of all the soldiers and officials of Jingzhou, it may lead to further turmoil, which would play right into the hands of the Shu people." Lu Xun spoke frankly without hesitation.

Although Sun Quan nodded, he was in a state of unease.

People from Jingzhou are indeed untrustworthy, and people from Jingzhou are indeed unusable.

But the people of Jingzhou are indispensable; they cannot disbelieve them, nor can they refuse to use them.

However… Zhu Ran’s resentment towards the untrustworthy and unusable people of Jingzhou has clearly represented a strong sentiment within the army. How should this sentiment be properly dealt with?
At this point, Sun Quan fell into even deeper helplessness and greater panic.

With the defeat and capture of Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin, the successive breaches of three key towns on the western front by the Shu army, and the defection of Jingzhou people serving the Shu people, his rule over Jingzhou has been severely shaken.

If he were to flee from Jingzhou, would Fu Tong be willing to die for him? Would Liao Hua be willing to fake his death and flee west with his mother? Would loyal ministers and generals like Xi Zhen, Fan Zhou, Du Yu, and Dou Daye fight to the death for him after he lost Jingzhou? And would Xi Hong remain silent, though in Wu's camp, his heart still with Han?

When everyone was silent, Lu Xun suddenly spoke:
"Your Majesty, the hearts of the people in Jingzhou are no longer reliable!"

“Especially the counties in Jingnan, and especially Wuling, must be extremely careful to guard against the rebellion of the Wuxi barbarians!”

"Immediately order Jiang Boshen, the military governor of Jingnan, to lead all the troops of Jingnan to Linyuan. Then order Lü Daigongshan, the governor of Jiaozhou, to lead the troops of Jiaozhou north to Lingling and Guiyang!"

Sun Quan nodded upon hearing this, offering no objection whatsoever.

Lu Xun then said, "Your Majesty should return to Wuchang in the east!"

“Return to Wuchang?!” Sun Quan immediately frowned.

Lu Xun said, "Your Majesty, Xiling has fallen, and Jiangling is now the front line! If Your Majesty suffers any mishap, what will become of the Great Wu?!"

Sun Quan was furious: "I will not leave!!! That brat Liu Shan is personally leading an expedition in Xiling. Am I, the Emperor of Great Wu, going to be afraid of him?!"

"And if I were to leave, what would become of the morale and the people of Jiangling?!"

Sun Quan was right.

Everyone knows that he has personally led the expedition.

But what will happen to the morale of the people of Jiangling once he leaves?
Why does the emperor's personal command during a military campaign boost morale?
Because you, as the emperor, dare to stay on the front lines with us common folk, it shows that you are not afraid of death, or at least not afraid of losing.

We don't know why you're not afraid of losing, but we guess that as the emperor, you must have the means and confidence to not lose, which is why you dare to do this. Since war is inevitable, who wouldn't want to fight alongside you to win?
Conversely, if your Great Wu Emperor has already left, why should we risk our lives for you?
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps and the clanging of metal suddenly came from outside.

"Your Majesty!" Chen Xiu's anxious voice came from outside into the room.

"Enter!" Sun Quan panicked upon hearing this, guessing that someone in Jiangling City must have seen Zhu Ran and started stirring up public opinion, creating chaos and anxiety.

Chen Xiu rushed in, pushing open the door. Before he could even bow, he hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Wuling... the entire Wuling prefecture has rebelled! Prefect Wei Jing has been captured alive by the Wuxi barbarians!"

(End of this chapter)