Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

Chen Zhi and Zong Yu both believed that Lu Xun's situation was no longer a matter of shirking his duties...

Even if Lu Xun had led his infantry to Xiangyang for a short while, he would have been fine. Instead, Lu Xun simply stationed his troops in Jiangxia, waiting for news of Sun Quan's withdrawal before sending Zhuge Jin's navy to Xiangyang in a seemingly respectable manner, while he himself only attacked nearby areas.

Troop strength is also a problem.

Sun Shao and Zhang Cheng, who led the eastern campaign against Guangling, deployed more than 10,000 troops because Wu had always deployed 10,000 troops near Guangling. The area was almost uninhabited and had no major towns, so 10,000 troops were considered a lot.

And yet, the combined forces of General Lu Xun, Governor of Jingzhou, and General Zhuge Jin, Governor of Yuzhou, who were to attack Xiangyang, amounted to just over ten thousand? Lu Xun himself had five thousand troops, and his and Zhuge Jin's combined forces were close to ten thousand! Moreover, according to Zhuge Jin, Lu Xun only deployed troops under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Jingzhou; his own troops remained unmoved…

Sun Quan certainly wanted to fight.

Last year, Sun Quan personally led an army to attack Hefei, specifically the new city of Hefei where Man Chong was stationed. He also ordered Quan Cong to lead 50,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Liuan, but both efforts failed. This year, Sun Quan personally led an army of 100,000 to attack Hefei from the north. The two large-scale military campaigns were only four months apart, demonstrating Sun Quan's strong desire for battle.

Lu Xun's open defiance of Sun Quan can only mean that the military conflict between them had become quite significant.

Moreover, when Chen Zhi delivered the Shu brocade to Zhuge Jin, he also heard another piece of news.

Zong Yu and Chen Zhi originally planned to send brocade to Lu Xun and Sun Deng in Wuchang. However, Sun Deng, the crown prince of Wu, was not in Wuchang at the time. He had returned to Jianye two years earlier under the pretext of a funeral and had never returned to Wuchang since, saying that with Lu Xun in Wuchang, the country was safe and he himself did not need to go.

Sun Quan originally intended for Sun Deng to remain in Wuchang, with Lu Xun assisting and supervising him, creating a dual structure with Jingzhou upstream and Yangzhou downstream. What led Sun Deng to leave Wuchang under the pretext of attending a funeral, and then to praise Lu Xun in Jianye, suggesting that if Lu Xun was in Wuchang, he no longer needed to be there?

It can only be said that beneath the seemingly calm surface of the Wu Kingdom, many undercurrents were hidden.

Chen Zhi and Zong Yu could not see clearly, so they could only sit on the shore and watch.

Of course, this mission was not only to inform Sun Quan of the death, but also to try to maintain the alliance with Sun Quan and reaffirm the intention of both sides to jointly wage war against Wei.

Let's observe as we go.

The responsibility is immense.

The ships anchored at the riverside dock north of Wuchang. After Zong Yu and Chen Zhi announced their arrival, they waited on the dock for the arrival of the Wu officials.

"Greetings, General Zong and Colonel Chen." A young official in his early twenties approached, surrounded by his entourage, and bowed to Zong Yu and Chen Zhi. Judging from his official robes and sash, he was likely an official of the rank of two thousand shi (a unit of grain measurement), but he was rather too young.

"May I ask who you are?" Zong Yu asked.

The young official bowed and said, "Sun Cheng, the Prefect of Jiangxia and General of the Imperial Guards."

Zong Yu frowned slightly. He remembered that the Prefect of Jiangxia was Sun Huan, a member of the Wu royal family, so he asked, "Isn't the Prefect of Jiangxia in Wu Sun Yangwei?"

Sun Cheng sighed, "General Yangwei was my late father. My father passed away at the beginning of the year. As his eldest son, I was appointed by the court to inherit his troops and serve in the prefecture."

"No offense intended, please accept my condolences." Zong Yu said, bowing slightly to Chen Zhi and the other person.

Sun Cheng nodded: "The Grand General ordered me to invite General Zong and Colonel Chen into the city. The Grand General will meet with you two later. There is no need to worry about the ships and the delegation; I will have them taken care of."

Zong Yu nodded, and Chen Zhi added, "Lord Sun, there are also gifts from our dynasty and the Grand General on the ship. Please have someone take them with you as well."

"Okay," Sun Cheng replied.

Wuchang City is nestled against the mountains and beside the river, with mountains behind it and the Yangtze River in front, making it a strategically important location like Jianye.

The group entered the city from the north and went to the Grand General's Mansion in the southeast of the city, which was Lu Xun's residence and official office. To the west of Wuchang was the Wu Kingdom's imperial palace, which occupied a large part of the city. Although Sun Quan was not in Wuchang, this palace was not abandoned.

"Prime Minister Zhuge has passed away?" Lu Xun sighed deeply, "Alas, this is truly a great misfortune for the Han Kingdom. General Zong, please convey my condolences when you return to Chengdu."

"Thank you, General." Zong Yu bowed in thanks.

While Lu Xun and the chief envoy Zong Yu were talking back and forth, Chen Zhi, who was standing next to Zong Yu, was also observing Lu Xun.

Lu Xun was fifty years old, seven feet tall, with a fair complexion and a short beard, and rarely smiled. Just now, when the matter of Prime Minister Zhuge's death was mentioned, Lu Xun's face remained calm, without any change in expression, clearly he had only spoken those words out of courtesy.

But that's normal.

With the Battle of Yiling as a precedent, the officials of Shu Han viewed Lu Xun as an enemy, but were only restrained by the alliance between the two countries to maintain decorum. It is likely that Lu Xun held a similar attitude towards the officials of Shu Han.

Maintaining a facade is enough.

Zong Yu continued his duties, informing Lu Xun of Jiang Wan's appointment as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Liu Shan's impending move to Hanzhong. He also briefly explained the matters concerning Wei Yan and Yang Yi.

Clearly, Lu Xun was more interested in these matters, constantly asking about various details, while Zong Yu kept smoothing things over, giving vague answers to some of the details.

As the two were talking, Chen Zhi heard some noise outside the hall. Chen Zhi had sharp ears and could hear that people were arguing, but he couldn't hear it very clearly.

Soon, the sounds of the argument grew closer and closer, so much so that Lu Xun and Zong Yu, who were speaking, both stopped. The argument then ceased, and two more people entered from outside, bowing to Lu Xun from a distance of about ten feet from Chen Zhi.

Chen Zhi keenly noticed that Lu Xun's face, which had just shown a hint of interest, instantly turned cold.

"I pay my respects to the Supreme General," a man dressed as a high-ranking official bowed to Lu Xun and said loudly.

Lu Xun made no attempt to hide his dislike for this man in front of the two envoys, Zong Yu and Chen Zhi. He glanced at the man a few times and then looked directly at Sun Cheng, who had come with him.

They clearly want an explanation.

Faced with Lu Xun's questioning gaze, Sun Cheng immediately prostrated himself on the ground: "Your Excellency, General, I was waiting outside when Commander Lü claimed to have important matters to discuss with you and that I should not delay. I was unable to stop him, and I beg Your Excellency to punish me!"

"Lü Yi." Lu Xun's voice was devoid of emotion as he coldly inquired, "What is it that you are so eager to ask me?"

Zong Yu and Chen Zhi exchanged a glance, clearly unaware of the nature of this unexpected event. According to their previous plan, they should remain silent and observe the situation.

The official named Lü Yi, a thousand-stone official, spoke with a smile, seemingly unaffected by Lu Xun's imposing aura and cold demeanor: "General, I am returning to the capital tomorrow, and I must bring back the general's report as well. However, I have some questions about the report, so I came to inquire about them. I was ordered by the Emperor to supervise all officials and wish to inquire about official business, but I did not expect that Lord Sun would obstruct me from the outside!"

Lü Yi turned to look at Sun Cheng, who was lying on the ground, then smiled at Zong Yu and Chen Zhi, before meeting Lu Xun's gaze directly: "Could it be that the Grand General and the Han envoy have some private conversation that even I cannot overhear?"