Chapter 99 The Road to Supreme Zhu Huan stood in the hall and bowed to Sun Quan to ask for permission to lead an army alone. What does it mean to lead an army alone? According to the practice of sending troops at that time, if the number of troops reached tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, they would often be divided into three groups to fight, subject to the level and efficiency of the command. If a force of 100,000 were divided into three groups, what Zhu Huan requested should be that he be responsible for one group of troops alone, with at least 30,000 men. Apparently Sun Quan heard what Zhu Huan said, but he remained silent for a moment and did not respond. Zhu Huan did not hear Sun Quan's answer, and he remained bent over without getting up. After a moment, Sun Quan sighed softly. Sun Quan walked up to Zhu Huan, took his arm and said, "I asked you, Zhu Xiumu, to come here because I wanted you to lead the army. Now that you and Quan Zihuang are here, how can I entrust the affairs of state to other people?" Quan Cong was originally sitting at the table looking at Sun Quan and Zhu Huan. Now that his name was mentioned by the King of Wu, Quan Cong had no choice but to walk into the hall and stand beside Zhu Huan and bow. Sun Quan did not respond, but instead took Zhu Huan's arm with his left hand and Quan Cong with his right hand, and walked straight out. The two did not dare to neglect and followed Sun Quan's footsteps. At this time, the sky of Wuchang City was covered by clouds. Sun Quan looked at the sky, and then looked at the two generals on his left and right: "Xiu Mu, Zi Huang, you two follow me to the city." Zhu Huan and Quan Cong looked at each other. They couldn't figure out what the King of Wu was thinking, so they just obeyed his orders.
Wuchang City was originally E County, and its circumference was several miles. After Sun Quan established it as the capital, the original city wall was reinforced and raised again, but its area did not increase or decrease. The three of them set out from the Wuwang Mansion and walked for less than a quarter of an hour before they reached the tower of the north gate of Wuchang City. Looking north from the top of Wuchang City, the great river meanders and flows majestically eastward. Thick clouds blur the mountains on the other side of the river as far as the eye can see. On the grayish-yellowish river water, the ships traveling east and west seem even smaller under the mighty power of nature. The few of them were looking at the distant mountains and nearby waters. Sun Quan said, "Xiu Mu, what official position do you think you would like to hold in your lifetime?" Zhu Huan responded: "What official position I can hold depends on what the king can grant me." Sun Quan said without hesitation: "I think you, Zhu Xiumu, can be appointed as a governor! And you, Quan Zihuang, can also be a governor!" Standing on the city wall of Wuchang, facing the surging river, Sun Quan's words were almost a promise. Quan Cong, who was listening on the side, became thoughtful. How smart was Quan Cong? With Sun Quan and Zhu Huan's words before him, Quan Cong did not hesitate any longer, stepped back and bowed: "I am willing to help the king become the supreme ruler, and from now on I will serve you until my death!" Zhu Huan was just a straightforward person. Quan Cong had set an example for him, so he quickly bowed down and said, "Your Majesty! I am willing to die for you!" Sun Quan looked at the two people bowing, then turned his head to look at the river not far away. At this moment, the top of the city seemed to stand taller. Among the military officials of Jiangdong, there were loyal and devoted ones like Zhu Ran and Zhuge Jin, those who were enthusiastic about their careers like Zhu Huan and Quan Cong, and those who were unwilling to fight and only wanted to defend the status quo like Lu Xun. Zhu Huan was a brave general, while Quan Cong was a steady and mature general, but neither of them had the ability to command a hundred thousand troops in a complex battle situation. They were talented generals, not commanders. Sun Quan himself was no match for him, and he knew it very well. In the entire Eastern Wu, the only ones who could command 100,000 troops with ease and seize the opportunity to win were Lu Xun and Lu Boyan. But Lu Xun preferred to live in peace and was unwilling to make progress. This is also the reason why Sun Quan summoned Zhu Huan and Quan Cong to Wuchang before Lu Xun arrived. With Lu Xun as the commander, commanding an army of 100,000, Zhu Huan and Quan Cong as the left and right wings, Sun Quan would be in charge of Lu Xun's central army. This was the strategy Sun Quan had already decided on. However, the name Quan Cong made Sun Quan distracted for a moment. The Supreme... It has been twenty-six years since my father and brother's foundation was passed down to me. When will I be able to become the Supreme?
…… Although the war between the two countries should be viewed from a high level, it is still necessary to start from the details on the specific battlefield. At this time, Zhou Cang of the Wu State had already gathered troops in Poyang, preparing to march north to Likou opposite Wancheng. The Wei army was stationed near Shouchun, and along the docks on both sides of the Huai River, the temporary camps were densely packed and stretched for fifty miles. Not to mention the foreign troops stationed in fixed barracks near Shouchun. Among all the troops near Shouchun, the only one that received a combat mission at this time was the one led by Yuzhou Governor Jia Kui. The army set out, cutting through mountains and building bridges across rivers. Who says that constructing fortifications and setting up camps are not combat tasks? Jia Kui, who was sent out by Cao Xiu, had nothing to say. Jia Kui led 10,000 people from Shouchun southward, and divided his troops after passing Shu County along Tiaobei. Four thousand of them went directly south to Wancheng, increasing the garrison of Wancheng from only one thousand to five thousand. They also repaired the city defenses and stored military supplies such as timber in Wancheng. Jia Kui himself led 6,000 men, 2,000 of whom built camps at the north and south entrances of Jiashi, while Jia Kui himself led 4,000 men to build a camp at Wuqiangkou. They are all must-pass places for the army to march south. In short, when heading south from Shouchun to Wancheng, one must pass through two important places, Jiashi and Wuqiangkou, south of Shucheng. Jiashi is in the west. As the name suggests, it is a valley sandwiched between two mountains. It runs from north to south and the terrain is very critical. Wuqiangkou is in the east. Like Wankou and Ruxukou, Wuqiangkou is also related to water. Wuqiangkou is sandwiched between the mountains in the west and the lakes and swamps in the east. With mountains on one side and water on the other, the terrain is equally dangerous. The order for Cao Xiu to send people to build fortifications and camps in Jiashi and Wuqiangkou was given by the emperor, who sent people to Shouchun just before he set out from Luoyang. It just so happened that Jia Kui arrived in Shouchun from Yuzhou, so let Jia Kui do this kind of hard work. Jia Kui actually felt somewhat puzzled by the order to build fortifications ahead of time. But when Jia Kui personally led 10,000 troops here, he instantly understood the correctness of the emperor's will. Stone clamps and no strong edges, these two points are really important! As long as the Wei State blocked Jiashi and Wuqiangkou, no matter how many Wu soldiers there were, they would not be able to pass through here and head north to Hefei and Chaohu area. On the other hand, if these two important places were occupied by Wu soldiers, even if there were more than 100,000 troops in the south, they would probably be blocked between the Wan River and this place. Although Jia Kui knew that Cao Xiu was trying to make things difficult for him, after seeing the terrain with his own eyes, he calmed down and worked hard to build a camp. According to the emperor's order, eight large camps with a scale of 10,000 people were to be built near Wuqiangkou. It was winter and there was little water, so Jia Kui ordered people to build more earth forts at Wuqiangkou, dig trenches behind the forts, and add wooden fences and deer horns outside. Eight large camps stretched for dozens of miles, and the people and horses under Jia Kui were naturally not enough, so he could only build one first and then another. When Jia Kui was sitting comfortably in the tent, his personal soldiers entered the tent with a message, saying that the army in Jiashichu had captured a man while patrolling, and the man claimed to be Zhou Qian's messenger. Jia Kui stroked his long beard and thought for a moment before saying, "Did this man bring any documents?" The guard replied, "My Lord, this man did bring the documents. Can I bring him here?" Jia Kui nodded, then lowered his head to read. A moment later, two personal soldiers, one on the left and one on the right, escorted the "Messenger Zhou Qian" to Jia Kui's tent. Jia Kui didn't believe Zhou Cang's false surrender. According to Jia Kui's original thinking, the emperor and Cao Xiu were deceived by Zhou Cang. The emperor had just ascended the throne and needed prestige, and Cao Xiu had just taken office as the Grand Marshal and needed merit. After the two hit it off, they believed Zhou Cang's lies. Jia Kui is now over 50 years old and has never met the current emperor Cao Rui. In his heart, Jia Kui has some contempt for him. Emperor Wu Cao Cao and Emperor Wen Cao Pi attacked Wu many times but failed. How can an emperor in his twenties, who has been on the throne for less than half a year, use his troops to attack Wu? And he believed Zhou Cang's false surrender? Jia Kui raised his head from behind the desk and looked at the messenger coldly.
Jia Kui asked, "You are Zhou Cang's family, right? How did you have the guts to deceive the Grand Marshal?" The man sandwiched between the two warriors was Shao Nan. Previously, he and Dong Cen had secretly gone to Wancheng, but were found by the garrison commander and sent to Shouchun. At that time, he was frightened by Cao Xiu in the Grand Marshal's Mansion. Dong Cen was detained in Shouchun, and Shao Nan was sent back to reply to Zhou Cang's letter. The stone-passing was unobstructed twice before, who would have thought that now there are fortifications built and Wei soldiers patrolling here? Shao Nan was secretly groaning in his heart at this time, but on the way to being captured, Shao Nan already knew that this man was Jia Kui, the governor of Yuzhou. Facing a governor of a state, Shao Nan's panic was not much less than when he faced Cao Xiu. Shao Nan knelt on the ground, took out the letter from his arms and held it up: "Your Excellency, this is a letter from my governor to the Grand Marshal. It is absolutely true that my governor has surrendered to the Wei Dynasty. Please read the letter, Your Excellency." The personal soldier picked up the letter from Shao Nan's hand, walked a few steps and handed it to Jia Kui. Jia Kui glanced at the sealing wax and the five words "Personally from the Grand Marshal" on it, and then threw the letter back into the hands of his personal soldier. The personal guards were suddenly at a loss. They looked at their own Fang Bo, then at Shao Nan who was kneeling on the ground, and for a moment they didn't know what to do. Seeing this, Jia Kui coughed lightly and said, "Give the letter back to him. I won't read it. Take him to wait outside the tent." The guards dragged Shao Nan, who was kneeling on the ground, out without giving him any chance to speak or even stand up. Jia Kui himself picked up his pen and began to write a letter to the emperor. Jia Kui wrote very quickly, and finished the memorial to the emperor in less than a quarter of an hour. He ordered ten cavalrymen to escort Shaonan to Shouchun and hand over his memorial to the emperor. After finishing these tasks, Jia Kui walked out of the tent with his hands behind his back. The surrounding area had become a large construction site, with 4,000 people working in different fields, cutting wood, digging, building fortifications, and transporting goods. It felt quite busy. Of course, it was impossible for all 4,000 men to be working. Jia Kui left 500 men wearing armor and holding weapons, sitting in formation on the north and south sides, one side for guarding and the other for rest during the rotation. Jia Kui led a few personal soldiers and walked around the camp with his hands behind his back to inspect the construction progress, while thinking about the impending war. The content of Jia Kui's letter to the emperor just now, excluding the greetings to the emperor and the unnecessary words praising and blessing the emperor, can be roughly summarized into the following three points. First, Zhou Qiang is not necessarily trustworthy, and most of his surrender is false. Your Majesty, please be cautious when using troops. Secondly, Jia Kui described the terrain of Jiashi and Wuqiangkou, saying that the emperor and the court's decision to order the construction of fortifications here was very wise. Third, the terrain from Jiashi and Wuqiangkou to the south is described. According to Jia Kui, there are mountains on the right side of this road and lakes and swamps on the left side. It is easy to advance but difficult to retreat. I hope Your Majesty will send people to increase efforts and send more people to build camps with me. It would be best to build more camps along the way to support logistics and the army. Jia Kui did not say anything to spoil the mood, saying that the battle should not be fought. The emperor had already gone on a southern tour, and more than 100,000 people were near Shouchun. This trend could not be reversed by Jia Kui alone. Since there is nothing you can do, just do your part. Just as Jia Kui was pacing and thinking, the sound of hurried horse hooves seemed to be heard from the east of the camp. Jia Kui had a total of 4,000 soldiers here, 3,500 of whom were building fortifications, 200 infantrymen were lined up in the northeast, 200 infantrymen were lined up in the southwest, and a hundred archers were hidden on a low hill no more than 20 feet high, one mile to the east. Jia Kui turned around and saw a knight galloping into the camp. He dismounted and knelt on one knee to report to Jia Kui: "Report to the Lord Fang, the archers on the mountain discovered that there is a group of Wu soldiers in the east, about a hundred of them, advancing westward." Jia Kui narrowed his eyes slightly, and then said to the personal soldiers beside him: "Go and tell Chen Hu about this, and ask him to hold his troops. I will go to the archers on the hill, and tell him if we need to mobilize the troops." Chen Hu was a capable lieutenant under Jia Kui. At this time, most of Jia Kui's troops were building camps and fortifications, and Chen Hu was currently in charge of guarding the 200 people in the north. The personal soldiers received the order and rode away. Jia Kui also rode with the scout who had just reported the news to the east. The east side of the low mountain was steep and the west side was flat, so Jia Kui could ride directly up the mountain, or on top of the hill. A quarter of an hour later, Jia Kui was standing on the mountain, looking at the Wu soldiers in the east.
This group of Wu soldiers seemed a little strange. They were about several miles away from the low mountain where Jia Kui was. They did not go straight west, but instead seemed to be looking for a path. The general in charge of the army asked Jia Kui, "Fang Bo, do you need to prepare?" Jia Kui shook his head: "It's several miles away, can you shoot them? The enemy army is only about a hundred people, they should not have discovered us yet. Let's wait and see." The hundred generals would naturally obey his orders. If he hadn't been stationed here, he wouldn't even have seen Fang Bo's face. Today, he was able to talk to Fang Bo for official business, which was worth bragging to others. From Jia Kui's perspective, not only was the appearance of this team of Wu soldiers somewhat inexplicable, but even the entire war that was about to begin was somewhat inexplicable. Zhou Cang found a reason to surrender, and the imperial court and Grand Marshal Cao Xiu believed it immediately. They then assembled an army of hundreds of thousands and marched south. Jia Kui was a little confused at this time. Even among the hundreds of thousands of people stationed in Shouchun, only a handful of them were aware of the purpose of this battle. But there is no need to worry, the emperor will arrive in Shouchun in a few days. (End of this chapter)