Zhang Liang, though a minor general, carries little weight in his words. However, his theory of 'sending envoys against the current to gain advantage over the enemy' truly surprises many of the Wusun scholars and warriors present.
Zhang Liang's statement drew a chorus of astonishment from the crowd below who had previously agreed that wooden barricades or iron locks should be installed to block the Mian River mouth. From the vantage point of Sun Quan on the stage, questions and opposition were heard non-stop.
Zhang Liang stood with his back to the crowd. After all, Zhang Liang was merely a tooth general, and upon hearing the questioning voices behind him, he lowered his head slightly, no longer daring to look up towards Sun Quan, the King of Wu on the stage.
At this moment, another official, He Cheng, stepped forward from the crowd and addressed Sun Quan with a bow: "Your Majesty, I believe that General Zhang Liang's statement is merely due to the fact that he is stationed near the Mian River!"
"Upstream the Mian River along the Han River, to control such a long area from the Mian River mouth to Xiangyang, how much military expenditure will be wasted and how many manpower resources will be consumed?"
"I believe General Zhang Liang's words are most unwise!"
Upon hearing these words, Zhang Liang was so nervous that he even dared not look back, and his face began to redden slightly.
Sun Quan did not respond to He Cheng's words but instead turned his attention directly to the young officer Zhang Liang: "Zhang Liang, He Cheng has opposed your strategy. What do you have to say?"
Zhang Liang gritted his teeth slightly, mustered his courage, looked up at Sun Quan, and after bowing, loudly expressed his own views.
Zhang Liang shouted loudly, "Your Majesty, I believe that the best asset our Great Wu can rely on is the vast river navy that spans thousands of miles in both east and west."
"Compared to the vastness of the Han River and the Yangtze River, what good are wooden barricades or iron locks in blocking the enemy for how long?"
"I believe that holding the Han River and securing victory over the enemy, preventing them from entering the water from land, although it consumes military resources, is still better than having to fight at Xiazhou after the enemy fleet has assembled in Xiangfan. By then, even more military resources and manpower will be wasted!"
Upon hearing Zhang Liang's words, Sun Quan on the stage burst into laughter and addressed Sun Huàn, a prince and a high-ranking general of the family: "Ziming, why didn't you tell me earlier that your subordinate general has such courage?"
Sun Huàn smiled and bowed, "Only in times of confusion do true colors show. If the king intends to use him, it's never too late to appoint him now."
Sun Quan nodded and said from the stage, "All of you are my trusted ministers. Today, I asked for advice among you, and some spoke of defense while others mentioned the waste of military resources. I know you all are concerned for the state, but I'm not very satisfied with any of your proposals."
"Only Zhang Liang's words are most in line with my thoughts."
"I often have the ambition to conquer the world. Our Great Wu has numerous military achievements, driving Cao Cao's troops in disarray at Red Cliff, making Liu Bei narrowly escape death at Fuchun, forcing Wei troops to hesitate to advance at Ruoxu, Yingling, Guangling and other places!"
"I want to tell you all that at present, both Wei and Shu are ruled by young rulers who are not to be feared. Under my command, we have such formidable troops. In the past, our Great Wu had more defenders than attackers, but now the situation has reversed, with the offensive and defensive roles being easily changed. This is the time for our Great Wu to make advances!"
"Zhang Liang, come to me here, come up to the stage."
Zhang Liang hesitated and was too afraid to move, continuously looking towards his governor Sun Huàn on the side. Sun Huàn gave Zhang Liang a fierce look and continuously encouraged him to go up.
Seeing Zhang Liang standing beside him, Sun Quan continued to address the ministers below: "Although Zhang Liang is merely a tooth general, he dares to sweep the Han River clear for me and has bold words to keep the Wei troops from entering the Han River. Today, I will reward him for that."
Sun Quan looked at the minister Gu Yong standing below: "Minister Gu, I wish to promote Zhang Liang to a major general and grant him the title of Baron of the Inner Revenue. Let him embark on military operations along the Han River."
Gu Yong naturally agreed repeatedly, but Zhang Liang next to him knelt down excitedly: "Your Majesty's generous reward, I dare not accept."
Sun Quan patted Zhang Liang on the shoulder: "With General Sun Huàn, the Yangwei Commander and the Governor of Jiangxia, as your guarantor, how can you dare not accept? Remember, your service is for me alone!"
Zhang Liang quickly thanked him. Sun Quan looked at the other ministers below: "I hope that all of you can follow Zhang Liang's courage and contribute to our Great Wu's achievements. I will share the wealth with all of you!"
The officials below bowed in agreement and cheered in unison.
Although Sun Quan smiled as he looked down at the assembly, his heart was somewhat conflicted at this moment. Even the national elder Lu Xun was conservative in military matters, and yet he was here, encouraging some minor generals, lieutenants, and tooth generals based on Zhang Liang's words.
While it may certainly inspire people, how much actual impact could it have?
How many more troops will Cao Xu bring south? And what would happen if a land battle took place in Wuan City with Wei troops?
Sun Quan's mind was brimming with uncertainties, but decades of governing the Eastern Jiangsu region had honed Sun Quan's decision-making abilities. Since there were so many unknowns, the best course of action was to prepare for war to the fullest!
In fact, during the Battle of Eastern Wu and Wei, when attacking, they lost more often than they won, while defending, they won fewer but were victorious more often. A part of this reason comes from the complexity of the composition of the Wu army.
As soon as Sun Ce had just stabilized the Jiangdong region, he faced an internal crisis while ruling Jiangdong.
Sun Ce himself was no more than a Zhechong Xiaoyu (a military officer with a salary of two thousand stones), and though he controlled a territory surrounding Jianye, how could he reward the officers under him who had earned military merit?
As a Zhechong Xiaoyu with a salary of two thousand stones, Sun Ce could only reward the officers under him with minor titles like Bubei Shuai (a military rank) and Daoyang (a general rank). Therefore, Sun Ce gave the generals like Cheng Pu and Lv Fan two thousand troops as their personal troops.
After Sun Ce's death, Sun Quan took over the Jiangdong region. However, in the face of the already established practice of awarding officers with personal troops and people, Sun Quan could only grit his teeth and continue to reward the generals with personal troops and populations.
While the Eastern Wu's position along the river made it convenient for defense, and an offensive to the north would encounter resistance from the Wei, it was naturally easier to defend than to attack. However, it was inevitable that the generals had thoughts of preserving their strength during battles.
In the twenty years of the Jian'an era, when Sun Quan led his army of ten thousand to attack Hefei, Zhang Liao led his eight hundred brave soldiers to suddenly charge into the Wu camp, and directly attacked the general's standard under Sun Quan's command. The Wu army thus lost its morale, and Zhang Liao thereby gained a great reputation for his daring assault.
Just as Sun Quan retreated, he led over a thousand men himself, and together with Lü Meng, Jiang Zhen, Ling Tong, Gan Ning, and others, he broke ranks to the north of Xiaoyao Spring.
When Zhang Liao led his troops to attack, the morale of the Eastern Wu army was shattered, and many were eager to flee. Fortunately, Ling Tong fought with all his strength with his three hundred elite troops, which protected Sun Quan and allowed him to safely retreat to the south of Xiaoyao Spring.
According to principle, saving Sun Quan should be a great achievement, but Ling Tong cried uncontrollably because his personal troops were almost entirely destroyed. The loss was not only the troops but also his own relatives. Therefore, Ling Tong was very emotional.
And Sun Quan, facing his own strategic blunder, could only dry Ling Tong's tears himself and grant him several times more personal troops as a commendation. Sun Quan could only grant personal troops as rewards.
Given that most officers in Eastern Wu had their own private troops and retainers, a conservative approach to offensive operations was inevitable. This was a systemic issue, not something that could be changed immediately by Sun Quan alone.
...
That night, in Wu-chiang, inside Lu Xun's mansion.
Xiazhou is not far from Wu-chiang. After the meeting in Xiazhou Passage, Sun Quan led the officials back to the city of Wu-chiang.
Tonight is Lu Xun's last night in Wu-chiang. Tomorrow, he will return to Xiling and go back to the defensive zone he is responsible for.
