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

Chapter 349 The Second Battle of Weishi

The army was defeated like a mountain.

Zhuge Ke looked at his father, Zhuge Jin, who had arrived looking disheveled.

This sentence instantly popped into my mind.

With his father's defeat, Jianye was now wide open to the Wei army on the north bank, with no defenses left.

Could it be that Eastern Wu is truly doomed to perish?
Before he could think further...

Lu Xun had already taken the initiative to go forward.

He first comforted the defeated Zhuge Jin before carefully investigating the military situation.

After Zang Ba achieved a breakthrough at Niuzhuji, he only sent a small force to besiege Zhang Zhao at Shicheng, and then led the majority of his troops northward to Jianye downstream.

Once Niuzhuji is lost, Ruxukou, located further upstream, loses its defensive value.

Zhuge Jin made a decisive move and led his troops downstream to pursue Zang Ba.

Little did they expect that Zang Ba would not underestimate the enemy behind him and secretly set up an ambush at the foot of Baidu Mountain, north of Shicheng.

Zhuge Jin hastily pursued them, but they were caught off guard and suffered a crushing defeat in a single battle.

He was only able to escape thanks to the desperate cover provided by his subordinates.

At this point, the entire defensive system of Eastern Wu along the Yangtze River in Yangzhou, except for Wancheng, which was isolated on the north bank of the river, was breached by the Wei army.

Wu Jun could no longer stop the two Wei armies from launching a combined attack on the capital, Jianye.

"Boyan! General Who Conquers the North!"

Zhuge Jin wiped away his tears.

"Right now, you're the only one left who can save Jianye."

"Please remember the late king's kindness and generosity, and preserve his ancestral lineage!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xun gestured for the other party to calm down, and then gave Zhuge Ke a look to step forward and explain.

The latter hesitated slightly, but still subtly revealed Lu Xun's earlier plan.

I thought my father would make a huge fuss about it.

However, Zhuge Jin, who had always been loyal to the Sun family, was only momentarily stunned upon hearing this before quickly regaining his composure.

Turning his head to stare at Lu Xun, he said:

"If something were to happen, who could be the successor?"

Lu Xun replied without hesitation:
"If Your Majesty has any last wishes, we will obey them."

"If not, the king's younger brother, Marquis Jianchang, Sun Lü, is seventeen years old. He is the second oldest among the late king's sons and may be entrusted with great responsibilities."

Marquis of Jianchang...

Zhuge Jin narrowed his eyes slightly.

After Sun Deng succeeded to the throne, he enfeoffed his brothers as marquises. Among them, Sun Lü was the eldest, so he was enfeoffed in Jianchang, Yuzhang Commandery this year.

Although Yuzhang Commandery also belongs to Yangzhou, it is adjacent to Changsha Commandery of Jingzhou.

In other words, Sun Lü is the only lucky one who is currently far from the battlefield.

Considering his age and status as well.

It seems there really isn't a more suitable candidate than him.

So he bowed to Lu Xun and said:
"General's decision is wise. My son and I will follow your lead and overcome these difficult times together!"

Lu Xun then offered another round of encouragement.

After Lu Xun left, Zhuge Ke stepped forward and whispered:

"Although it was due to the circumstances of the time, who can say for sure whether His Majesty left any last instructions during the chaotic war?"

"If we establish the Marquis of Jianchang as king tomorrow, and the prince arrives from the west with a mission the day after, how will we conduct ourselves?"

"I think Lu Zhengbei's considerations are not very sound."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Jin gave his eldest son a rare look of approval.

But then he sighed deeply and said:
"Lu Boyan's talent lies seven parts in his knowledge of military affairs and four parts in his understanding of the situation."

"His calculations in the imperial court are somewhat lacking, so one point should be deducted."

Upon hearing the mention of "reverse deduction," Zhuge Ke couldn't help but recall a letter from his uncle in Shu years ago, in which he recounted an interesting anecdote about General Wei's early years at the Ministry of Personnel in Chengdu. He smiled slightly.

"If that's the case, then Your Excellency should fill in the gaps and make up for his shortcomings. In this way, when Jingzhou is set up again, Your Excellency may be able to explore the position of assistant governor."

Zhuge Ke's original intention was to comfort his father.

Unexpectedly, Zhuge Jin's face darkened upon hearing this, and he said:
"When a country is about to perish and its ruler is about to die, and its ministers do not think of dying for their principles, but instead rejoice at the power that is about to come, is this the integrity that a gentleman should have?"

He then pointed at Zhuge Ke's nose and said:
“Over the years I have neglected to discipline you, resulting in your moral failings and your ambition exceeding your abilities.” “Once this matter is settled, regardless of whether Jingzhou changes or not, you must not stay in Jiangnan.”

"Go to Chang'an, find your uncle, find your cousin, and learn how to be a virtuous and upright gentleman!"

Without waiting for his son's rebuttal, he turned and left.

Zhuge Ke remained where he was, feeling ashamed and speechless for a long time.

A thought suddenly popped into my head.

My father insists on sending me away. Could it be that he intends to stay in Jiangnan and remain loyal to the Wu Kingdom to the end?
……

In the second Battle of Weishi, the Wei army once again launched the first offensive.

Cao Hong's general Niu Jin and Yuzhou Governor Wang Ling each led 1,500 cavalrymen, attacking from the left and right, charging straight at the Han army's advancing infantry formation.

Unlike the previous battle, the Han infantry all hid behind the tunnels and used underhanded tactics.

This time, a considerable number of Han infantrymen advanced to the flat land south of the passageway to form ranks and meet the enemy.

The reasoning is obvious at a glance.

To facilitate the attack of the cavalry from the rear, the Han army filled in some of the tunnels and ditches in advance.

These areas, lacking any walls or fortifications, could only be filled with dense infantry formations.

In other words, the Han army is also pinning its hopes on cavalry warfare today.

Cao Hong did not know where Mi Wei's confidence came from.

But this did not prevent him from seizing the opponent's weak points and launching a fierce attack immediately.

Today, the Han army infantry still demonstrates extremely high tactical proficiency.

Despite the enemy cavalry charging at high speed, the formation remained tight and well-organized.

Shields, spears, crossbows, and even drum carts and flag bearers—everyone performed their duties in an orderly manner.

It wasn't until the Wei army ripped open his ribs that he began to lose his composure.

However, under the command of the surviving officers and soldiers, they regrouped and formed ranks once again.

The Wei army often had to charge back and forth two or three times before they could break through a single enemy's defenses.

It falls far short of achieving the goal of overwhelming victory.

Seeing this, Cao Hong ordered the cavalry to scatter to the left and right, and the infantry to advance instead.

The cavalry waited for an opportunity to launch another attack.

"Cao Hong was stingy with the spear in his hand."

On the Han army's platform, Mi Wei pointed to the ever-flowing torrent of cavalry on both the left and right flanks.

"In his eyes, infantry is a shield, and cavalry is a spear. Use the shield to wear down the enemy, and use the spear to kill the enemy."

"Since victory is not yet in sight, we should retreat as soon as we make contact, lest we break our spears prematurely and ruin our plans."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Qiao, who was in charge of the flags, spoke up:

"In the general's eyes, what is the difference between infantry and cavalry?"

Miwei stroked his beard and reminisced slightly:

“Years ago, on the city wall of Jiangling, Master Pan taught me the art of defeating ten thousand men and discussed with me the difference between infantry and cavalry.”

“Master Pan was well-versed in military strategy and was also good at inspiring his disciples. I benefited greatly from him at that time.”

"In the past ten years, I have experienced countless battles, both large and small."

"Looking back on what I learned during my military training, some things have long since become instinctive, and there's no need to say more."

"There is only one sentence that, even now, still offers new insights when I think about it."

"Which sentence?" Zhuge Qiao couldn't help but ask.

Last year, he served as a court official in Chang'an alongside Pan Mi, so he naturally knew that Pan Jun, the Imperial Guard Commandant who had been retired for many years, was no ordinary person.

How could an ordinary person train a famous general like General Wei?
Then he saw Mi Wei standing with his hands behind his back, looking westward and saying:
Pan Shisheng praised Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as rare cavalry generals of their time, invincible against ten thousand men.

But then he changed the subject, saying that even if one couldn't be a cavalry general like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, couldn't one be a match for ten thousand men?

After a slight pause, Mi Wei turned around and said:
As the saying goes, "There are no fixed formations in warfare, just as water has no fixed shape."

"Mounted warfare and infantry warfare each have their advantages and disadvantages."

"There is no fixed method for how to use it; it all depends on one's own mind."

Having said that, Mi Wei loudly gave the order:
"Let Xiang Chong lead his two thousand cavalry to break through the Wei army's infantry formation!"

(End of this chapter)