Full Zhong has always been cautious.
Qiu Chen just stood on the staircase and asked Chu Huan in an arrogant manner. This was half due to his sudden awakening by the noise at midnight, and the other half was an emotional response caused by Chu Huan's impolite reply to his kind words.
But Chu Huan's words made Quan Zhong feel quite surprised.
He himself had set out from Ji'an to return to Wu Chang in obedience to the edict of King Wu. Chu Huan and Quan Zhong's defense areas were very far apart, and they were people who seldom saw each other even over the span of several years. How was it so coincidental that they would both return on the same day, and even stay at the same inn?
Such a coincidence may indicate that something important is happening. However, at this time, Chu Huan was drunk and angry, making it difficult to explain to him.
Quan Zhong quickly descended the stairs, bowed to Chu Huan after a nod, and then looked at Zhu Yi standing to the side in front of Chu Huan.
Quan Zhong said, "You must be Zhu Jiwen? I met you in Jianye eight or nine years ago; you've grown so much."
Zhu Huan was still standing by, still angry. Zhu Yi was also very helpless. From Zhu Yi's point of view, it was indeed his father who insisted on taking Quan Zhong's room without considering the order, despite being a son. However, Zhu Yi had to awkwardly respond to this situation.
Zhu Yi, with a respectful expression, said after bowing: "Zhu Yi greets his Uncle."
Quan Zhong patted Zhu Yi on the arm, "You've come from a distant place at Ruyu, and I'm aware that the river is cold these past few days."
"Jiwen, there are two upper rooms in the inn. I'll let my brother Xiumu stay in mine, and I'll take the other one with my adjutant."
Zhu Yi showed a puzzled expression. Indeed, it was his father who had grabbed the room first. Just now, this Quan Shishu still had some unpleasant feelings, but why is he now willing to give up the room?
Quan Zhong shook his head: "King Wu has summoned both me and Brother Xiumu to Wuchang at the same time; there must be something important happening. It's late at night now, go and rest quickly, as we have to go to the King's mansion early tomorrow."
Zhu Huan was only impulsive from drinking, and upon hearing Quan Zhong's words, he felt that something was amiss. How did he end up running into Quan Zhong on his way to Wu Chang?
Originally wanting to take Quan Zhong's room, now Quan Zhong had suddenly given it up without a fight. It was like punching cotton - there was a lot of force but no place to land.
"Zi Guang, what are you..." Zhu Huan reached out to pull Quan Zhong, but Quan Zhong stepped back half a step and dodged.
Quan Zhong looked at Zhu Huan's eyes and said, "Brother Xiumu, it's late. Go and rest quickly. We will see King Wu tomorrow."
Just as the words were spoken, Quan Zhong turned around to go upstairs by himself. Zhu Huan opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't know what to say.
...
The next morning, as soon as Quan Zhong woke up, he set off immediately to the King's mansion of Sun Quan in the city.
Zhu Huan arrived late as well, and considering that he had also drunk the day before, he naturally woke up a bit later.
While eating, Zhu Huan asked his son Zhu Yi, "Where is Quan Zhihuang? Why did he leave so early?"
Yesterday they were still quarreling with Quan Zhong, but this morning it seems like nothing happened, and he's starting to ask questions again?
Zhu Yi said, "Father, General Quan left early this morning and went into the city. Before he left, he said goodbye to me and mentioned that he was going straight to King Wu's mansion."
Zhu Huan frowned and said, "So it seems that something important is indeed happening."
Zhu Yi asked curiously at this point: "The king summoned father back to Wu Chang, does that mean he's going to raise an army?"
"Hard to say." Zhu Huan pondered for a moment, then threw the chopsticks directly onto the table and stood up to walk out.
Zhu Yi was puzzled and quickly followed outside: "Father hasn't finished eating, why are you leaving so urgently?"
Zhu Huan snorted, "Quan Zhihuang has gone ahead of me, probably to secure a position at King Wu's side! How can I care about eating now?"
After saying that, Zhu Huan went to the doorway, took a horse from the hands of a minor official, and mounted it directly, riding off.
Half an hour later, inside King Wu's mansion.
The inn was only a mile outside the city of Wu Chang, and Zhu Huan rode into the city without any obstacles. In fact, he even waited outside the King Wu's mansion for someone to inform him of the summon, which took some time.
Zhu Huan sat outside the door for half an hour, and when he heard that he had received King Wu's summons, he hurriedly followed the guide into the mansion. Before entering the main hall, Zhu Huan could hear Sun Quan and Quan Zhong discussing from a distance, and their tone seemed quite amicable.
The officials stopped at the hall's entrance, leaving Zhu Huan alone to enter.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. I have come from Ruyu late, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Seeing Zhu Huan's arrival, Sun Quan stood up from his seat with a smile: "I woke up this morning and felt very energetic. First, Zhihuang arrived, and now you have also arrived. How many days did it take you to get here from Ruyu?"
Quan Zhong also stood up upon seeing this, smiling as he looked at Zhu Huan.
While speaking, Sun Quan walked up to Zhu Huan and helped him up in a kneeling bow: "Please take a seat, I have been waiting for you for a long time."
While taking his seat, Zhu Huan said, "As soon as I received the king's edict, I set out immediately on an oil ship from Ruyu. It took less than four days and nights."
Sun Quan said, "Your journey from Ruyu in four days and nights was swift, and the travel by boat and carriage must have been tiring. How is the newly appointed commander Lu Tong at Ruyu?"
As Sun Quan was still walking towards his seat, seeing that Sun Quan had not sat down yet, Zhu Huan did not dare to sit first. Feeling the gaze of Quan Zhong opposite, Zhu Huan raised his head and slightly embarrassedly nodded.
Lu Tong is a model of the civil service officer commanding troops in Eastern Wu.
When Lu Tong was in his twenties, he was summoned by Sun Quan to serve as an aide-de-camp, where he handled various important matters by the king's side.
Ling Shun passed away at the age of twenty-nine, and his two sons, Ling Lie and Ling Feng, were only a few years old. As a result, Sun Quan took over Ling Shun's troops and assigned them to Lu Tong to command.
Lu Tong did not fail Sun Quan's expectations; he was not only insightful in military matters but also had the talent for leading troops.
During the Battle of Yiling, Lu Tong led his troops along with Lu Su to defeat Liu Bei, and after the victory, generals Xu Sheng, Pan Jiang, and Song Qian all suggested pursuing further into Shu. Lu Tong was among the few who could see clearly the situation and advised Lu Su to withdraw in time to prevent potential threats from Wei.
Later, during the campaign where Cao Ren attacked Ruyu, it was Lu Tong who was sent by Zhu Huan to rescue the central island of Ruyu. A few years after this battle, Lu Tong succeeded Jiang Qin, Lü Meng, Zhou Tai, and Zhu Huan to become the fifth commander of Ruyu for Eastern Wu.
Seeing that the king had a question, Zhu Huan answered, "Your Majesty, Lu Tong has served as the commander of Ruyu for half a year already. He has fulfilled his duties diligently, and I believe he is a talent that can be developed."
Sun Quan nodded after taking his seat: "Have you entrusted all military affairs to Lu Tong since you arrived in Ruyu?"
Zhu Huan thought for a moment and said, "I have entrusted all matters in the north to Lu Tong. As for the garrison at Wuhe in the south, I have assigned the Deputy General Yan Gui to lead."
Sun Quan nodded: "Yan Gui is quite capable."
But before Sun Quan finished speaking, Zhu Huan's body that had just sat down rose again.
Zhu Huan lowered his head and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, there is another matter I must discuss with you."
Sun Quan held back a smile, but pretended to furrow his brow, "What have you done wrong again?"
Zhu Huan took a deep breath and said, "Last night when I arrived at the city gate, it was already midnight. When I went to the inn to stay, there were no rooms available. So I…… So I had to take the room from Quan Zhihuang."
"I had drunk some wine last night, and as a result, I was quite undisciplined. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Sun Quan shook his head: "I was not present, so how can I be held accountable? Quan Zhihuang is right in front of you, why don't you address him directly?"
Zhu Huan was usually arrogant and, apart from King Sun Quan, he would not respect anyone else. For instance, the incident he caused last night at the inn - Wu Chang is the capital city, where camp officials are everywhere. It is possible that the king already knew about last night's events by this morning.
However, it might be time to mobilize the troops and start a war. Why should I let some trivial matter cause King Sun Quan to dislike me?
Zhu Huan cleared his throat and immediately bent forward with both hands: "Zhihuang, I spoke rudely last night after drinking. Please forgive me."
Quan Zhong wasn't particularly concerned about the incident but felt that Zhu Huan was overacting at this moment. Nevertheless, he responded with a smile and a bow: "Brother Xiumu is a national hero, so there's no need to worry about such minor matters."
Sun Quan watched as Zhu Huan apologized to Quan Zhong and found it somewhat comical. Zhu Huan, who had always been proud and disrespectful to everyone except Sun Quan, was acting differently today.
Sun Quan said, "Since you two have come to Wu Chang today, I'll ask you to report on how your troops and military equipment are being organized and maintained. How have you been doing so far?"
As soon as Sun Quan finished speaking, Zhu Huan quickly said, "I am stationed in the northern troops. Ruyu directly faces the enemy's Mercheng in Wei. The troops under my command have been trained and their equipment maintained diligently for years, never slacking off, and are ready to go to war at any time."
Although Zhu Huan is of such a character, he has always been someone who can be trusted in military matters.
Sun Quan nodded after hearing Zhu Huan's words and looked at Quan Zhong.
Quan Zhong organized his thoughts and said, "Last year when I moved troops from Jianye to Jiujiang, the two thousand troops that followed me were half equipped with armor and half equipped with mail. However, among the four thousand troops I recruited in Jiujiang later, only one thousand are now equipped with mail."
According to the conventions of the time, leather was called armor, and iron was called armor. If Quan Zhong's words were true, among the six thousand troops under his command in Jiujiang, one thousand were equipped with armor, two thousand with mail, leaving the remaining three thousand soldiers as the most ordinary troops, equipped with neither armor nor mail.
In fact, the economy of Wu has been quite weakened due to continuous wars. Quan Zhong's army having one thousand mail-clad soldiers is already commendable.
Zhu Huan couldn't help but ask at this moment, "Your Majesty, are we going to launch an attack?"
Upon hearing Zhu Huan's question, Quan Zhong also turned his gaze towards Sun Quan.
Sun Quan nodded and answered, "Exactly so. I plan to launch an attack on Lujiang next month, and I am calling you both back to Wu Chang for this purpose."
Zhu Huan, however, was quite confused: "Lujiang? I remember that a few months ago, Cao Xu marched south and seized Wucheng, and the defender Yin De also perished. But there are no people in Lujiang now, and capturing it won't be much use."
Seeing that both Zhu Huan and Quan Zhong were puzzled, Sun Quan explained, "Several months ago, I used Lu Boqing's plan to have the Prefect of Poyang, Zhou Fang, feign surrender to Cao Xu. Cao Xu believed him and had made an agreement with Zhou Fang to move south in January. Zhou Fang is waiting to support Cao Xu at Liku on the southern shore of Wan River."
Zhu Huan was quite surprised upon hearing this. Zhou Fang had always been an obscure figure, and today he had done something so significant that it truly amazed everyone.
Zhu Huan frowned slightly: "I understand Your Majesty's intentions. You intend to use my and Quan Zhihuang's troops to block Cao Xu's army in Lujiang?"
"It's not just you two." Sun Quan slightly shook his head: "I summoned you both here because I want to use you as the vanguards for battle, but it's not just the two of you."
Zhu Huan and Quan Zhong exchanged a glance. Zhu Huan's army plus Quan Zhong's army, together with the troops from the neighboring prefectures, add up to nearly 20,000. How could that be not enough now?
Quan Zhong asked with a bow, "May I ask, Your Majesty, how many troops are you planning to send?"
Sun Quan spoke in a firm tone, "I will send out 100,000 troops!"
"Not only your troops, but all five million of my central troops will be deployed. Additionally, troops from Lu Yu and Zhuge Jing in Jingzhou, Tu Zhi and Danyang's He Qi, as well as Sun Shao in Jianye, will gather at Wan River."
Quan Zhong widened his eyes. According to Sun Quan's words, this time the troops would indeed be a solid 100,000, which was a significant difference from previous attacks on Hefei, where there were only a few tens of thousands despite claims of 100,000.
A few years ago, when Cao Pi invaded from three directions, the ten thousand troops of the Eastern Wu were stationed at Guangling, Runxu, and Jiangling to defend. Now, tens of thousands of troops will gather at Wan Pass.
It can be said to be a national battle.
Zhu Huan and Quan Zhong's expressions became serious. After a moment of silence, Zhu Huan broke the silence and said, "Your Majesty, when should I arrive at Wan Pass for the assembly?"
Sun Quan slowly said, "You two must have your troops arrive at Wan Pass before the first day of the second lunar month."
Zhu Huan, after calculating for a moment, stood up abruptly: "Your Majesty, my troops travel from Ruyu and Wuhe to Wan Pass, which will take at least six days."
"Now there are only ten days left until the first day of the second lunar month. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to return immediately, as it might still be in time."
Compared to Zhu Huan, Quan Zhong's army, traveling from Jiujiang to Wan Pass, is just a downstream journey of three days, so Quan Zhong is not in a hurry.
Sun Quan looked at Zhu Huan and shook his head: "Xiumu has already arrived in Wu Chang, how can I let you leave so urgently? Before the imperial edict summoning you to Wu Chang reached Ruyu, I had already dispatched someone with a symbol to Ruyu to mobilize troops and send them to Wan Pass."
"In a few days, you will go with me and the central troops to Wan Pass."
"As for Quan Zhihuang, you can leave tomorrow to return to Jiujiang. It is acceptable if you arrive a few days early before the first day of the second lunar month."
Quan Zhong responded in agreement.
Both Sun Quan and Quan Zhong were seated, but Zhu Huan was standing alone. He glanced at Quan Zhong, then at Sun Quan, bit his teeth in determination, and walked to the middle of the hall to bow to Sun Quan.
Zhu Huan loudly said, "Since Your Majesty appointed me as the Prefect of Yuyao, twenty-five years have passed. For the past twenty years, I have never been lazy in my efforts to fight against rebels, subdue the Mountain Barbarians, and defend against the Wei forces."
"I am willing to lead a single army and fulfill the task of eliminating the Wei enemies for Your Majesty. If I cannot achieve victory, I wish to use my own head as atonement."
For more than twenty years of fighting, Zhu Huan had always harbored a long-standing wish to lead his own army in a national war, to fight and win honors. During the last attack by Cao Ren on Ruyu, Zhu Huan only had ten thousand soldiers at his disposal. Although he won the battle, he also felt a sense of regret.
It is natural for Zhu Huan, who has been fighting for more than twenty years and always desired to lead his own army in a national war, to be excited and seize the opportunity when the army has reached ten thousand people.
(End of this chapter)
