The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 346 Temporary Retreat
In the following days, Cao Hong only sent infantry forward to test the enemy's formation.

I thought the Han army wouldn't last long in a war, and that after a few days of attrition, they would surely find a weakness.

However, he soon realized that he was wrong again.

Earlier, during their northward march, the Han soldiers who were easily routed were now displaying an extremely tenacious fighting spirit.

Especially that young Han general named Ju Fu.

When they attacked Changshe earlier, they didn't dare to defend it to the death.

They survived only because Xiang Chong came out of Changshe in time to help them.

However, at present, Ju Fu not only comes out to fight every day.

In every battle, he always took the lead, and several times he led his troops to charge to the vicinity of Cao Hong's command platform before retreating due to exhaustion.

Such fierce generals who charge into battle are not uncommon in the Han army.

As a result, the Wei army was never able to push its front line forward to the vicinity of the passageway and subsequently cause widespread destruction.

Occasionally, a lucky person would manage to get there, cause a little damage, and the next day the Han army would have restored it to its original state.

As time went on, the morale of the Wei army, which was on the offensive, inevitably declined.

Cao Hong knew he couldn't continue fighting so recklessly.

Even if it's to create an opportunity for Guanqiu Jian to launch a surprise attack, one cannot put one's own men in danger.

"Let's retreat to Yanling first," Cao Hong decisively adjusted the tactics.

"Weishi was a trap deliberately set for me by Miwei."

"At first glance, it seems ordinary, but it actually hides a sharp edge."

"If I think I have the upper hand and recklessly go all in, I will fall into their trap."

Sinpi thought for a moment and asked:

"Does the general intend to draw Miwei's pursuit instead?"

"They won't come after us," Cao Hong shook his head.

"Since he has chosen to fight the decisive battle at Weishi, he must have placed all his bets on that place. Why would he give up so easily?"

"They will most likely try to force me to attack Weishi."

“But the more he does this, the less I can act rashly.”

"Retreating to Yanling is not only a way to regroup our troops, but also a chance for both of us to calm down."

At this point, Cao Hong grinned and sneered:
"I'd like to see what other underhanded tricks he has up his sleeve!"

……

For the Jiangdong regime, the capital city was always a dynamic and ever-changing concept.

In his early years, Sun Quan inherited the legacy of his father and brother, and his capital was located in Wu Commandery.

Later, seeing that the world was in chaos, he developed the ambition to establish his own independent regime and moved his capital north to Dantu by the river, calling himself "the capital".

Several years later, they moved west to Moling, which is closer to Ruxukou.

The following year, a defensive stone city was built on the banks of the river, and Moling was renamed Jianye.

If history had remained unchanged, nine years later, Sun Quan seized Jingzhou and moved west to E County in Jiangxia, renaming it Wuchang.

Eight years later, Sun Quan declared himself emperor and moved the capital back to Jianye, where he remained until his death.

However, Wuchang never lost its status as a secondary capital, and later had the opportunity to regain its position as the capital of the Wu Kingdom.

The fact that this thing fluctuated back and forth over two days represented two different governance approaches of the Jiangdong regime.

With Yangzhou as the center, or with Jingzhou as the center.

At present, Wu only possesses a small part of Jingzhou in Jiangnan, which is mostly barren. Sun Deng has no choice but to defend Jianye to the death.

Sun Deng personally went to the city wall every day to encourage the troops and boost their morale.

He also ordered his concubines and palace servants to cook and wash clothes for the soldiers, showing them great care and concern.

He continued until he had imitated all the famous generals' deeds recorded in ancient books.

This could not change the cruel reality that the city walls were gradually falling apart and the soldiers were dying day after day.

On this day, Left Chancellor Lü Fan brought another piece of bad news:
"Your Majesty, Zang Ba has breached the Niuzhuji camp. Ministers Sun and Gu were unable to retreat in time and were killed by the chaotic soldiers. Minister Zhang retreated to Shicheng but was trapped by the Wei army crossing the river. He can no longer stop Zang Ba from heading north to Jianye!"

Sun Deng was both shocked and furious.

"Zhang Zibu was incompetent and ruined the country, why didn't he die for his country along with him?!"

Lu Fan's face flushed red, and he dared not respond.

Sun Deng felt guilty because Lü Fan had cooperated with Zhang Zhao to deceive him.

But unlike Zhang Zhao, Lü Fan truly possessed the ability to govern a country.

He had no choice but to stop talking about Zhang Zhao and sneered:

"Where is Yu Fan? Didn't he volunteer to stay and guard Niuzhu? Could it be that he saw the situation was not good and turned around to become the 'prime minister' of Wei?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Fan's face showed even greater shame:
"Yu Zhongxiang had already died for his country during the naval battle on the river..."

Sun Deng was speechless for a moment.

Whether he was a traitor to the country or a valiant minister.

At this point, it seems there's no need to pursue it any further. The key point is...

What should Jianye do?
Should Wu handle it themselves?
What should I do?
It is foreseeable that once Generals Zang and Zhu successfully join forces at the city walls, the morale and momentum of the Wei army will grow even stronger.

"Ziheng".

"The minister is here."

"Zhang Mi has returned from sea?"

"Yes, we arrived in Hailing at the beginning of the month. However, we were blocked by the Wei army and had to detour through Wu County. We should now be hiding near Zhenze (Taihu Lake) to observe the situation."

"Has anyone said they've made contact with the Gongsun family?"

"They say they've made contact with Gongsun Yuan, the son of Gongsun Kang. Gongsun Gong, the current governor of Liaodong, is very loyal to Wei and is unlikely to form a faction. But Gongsun Yuan is secretly plotting to seize the throne, so he might be able to help them."

Sun Deng remained silent, seemingly processing this intelligence from overseas.

He spoke again after a moment:
Is there any way to contact Zhang Mi?

Upon hearing this, Lü Fan knelt down with a thud and said:
"Fan is incompetent and has ruined the country. He is also unable to die for his country sooner. He is truly ashamed before the king."

"I am now willing to defend Jianye to the death for Your Majesty, in order to make up for the previous losses."

"May Your Majesty live a long and healthy life, spread your might across foreign lands, and one day rebuild your empire!"

After speaking, he repeatedly kowtowed until blood flowed from his forehead.

Sun Deng did not stop it.

Only after Lü Fan looked up again did he step forward, grasp the other's hand, and say:
"Ziheng".

"The minister is here."

“I know you are not an incompetent person. On the contrary, you have extraordinary talent that surpasses that of Zhang and Yu.”

"I am ashamed..."

"Let me finish speaking first."

"Here."

"I know your talent and I believe in your loyalty. But you don't understand me."

"Although I do not have the heroic spirit of my father and grandfather, I am not one to live a life of cowardice."

"Our ancestral home is in Jiangdong, not Liaodong."

"Going to Liaodong would mean being without any support or backing. It would be uncertain whether we could even save our lives, let alone achieve glory or rebuild our nation."

"Will Gongsun Yuan really be able to seize the throne?"

"Even if he succeeds, who knows if he doesn't harbor some ulterior motive and turn around and betray me to the Wei people? Wouldn't that mean losing both substance and face?"

"So I'm not leaving."

"I will remain in Jianye, in the place where my father and grandfather are buried, and live and die with this land."

"And Ziheng, you..."

Sun Deng glanced at Lü Fan, whose face was covered in snot, tears, and blood, gritted his teeth, and continued...

"If you truly wish to make amends for your past mistakes, then protect my offspring and go to Liaodong."

"After this, whether you choose to live a quiet life in anonymity, or turn your back on your path to Chang'an or Luoyang, or even stay in Liaodong to assist the Gongsun family, I will not care."

"With this entrustment of his orphan, all past grievances can be wiped clean."

"Go."

At this point, Sun Deng seemed to have exhausted all his strength and slumped down.

Lu Fan, standing nearby, was already sobbing uncontrollably.

……

As it turned out, Cao Hong's deduction was entirely correct.

During Cao Cao's retreat from Weishi back to Yanling, the Han army showed no intention of pursuing them.

They only sent a small group of scout knights to track and monitor them.

After confirming that Cao Hong himself had entered Yanling City, they didn't even bother with surveillance and withdrew all their personnel.

Thus, another strange scene unfolded on the battlefield of Yanzhou and Yuzhou:
Both sides' main forces have clearly entered the decisive battle stage and have actually been fighting for several days.

But then one day it suddenly came to a halt.

With one side retreating and the other not pursuing, the pause button was pressed.

Those unaware of the situation might think the two sides were engaged in some tacit agreement, each harboring an enemy to enhance their own power.

Only Cao Hong knew that the other side was definitely still secretly plotting something wicked.

On this day, the military advisor Xin Pi was conducting a routine inspection of the army's rations.

A grain official suddenly rushed in with a panic.

They said the grain stored in the mansion did not match the accounts.

Many of the old grains stored at the bottom of warehouses were deliberately mixed with large amounts of sand to pass them off as genuine.

(End of this chapter)