On the same afternoon that Cao Rui arrived in the city of Shouchun, Lu Sun's fleet set sail from Xiling and, after a journey of ten days, arrived in grandeur at the dock outside of Wu Chang City.
Dong Wu's complete control of the Yangtze River depends entirely on the power of its navy in the river. By occupying the strategically important cities of Jingzhou and Yangzhou along the river, and relying on the navy to provide support for its military operations, Dong Wu's army has gained an unparalleled advantage that even infantry and cavalry cannot replace.
Dong Wu's fleet was also diverse. Besides the high-rise ship carried by Lu Sun himself, used for command, there were also main force warships such as Mongchong and Doubiao, as well as swift-attack cutters named Zhouge and oil ships used for carrying troops.
As Lu Sun's fleet sailed downstream, a swift messenger ship had already set out from the fleet, arriving at Wuchang ahead of time to report that Lu Sun was on his way.
Wu King Sun Quan also dispatched his trusted messenger Hu Zong, who went out of the city to welcome Lu Sun at the pier in the north of Wu Chang City.
The winter river wind was fierce. Hu Zong, dressed in a large coat, stood alone on the dock. The fleet sailed slowly from afar and Lu Sun's high-rise ship docked at the pier. Seeing Hu Zong waiting, Lu Sun stepped down from his ship and approached.
Hu Zong saw Lu Sun approaching along the steps and immediately bowed in greeting. Among all the literary officials and military officers in the current Wu, Lu Sun's reputation is unparalleled under King Sun Quan. Besides his achievements of conquering Guan Yu in Jingzhou and defeating Liu Bei at Yiling, he is also the current governor of Jingzhou.
You see, currently under the rule of Wu, there are only three provinces: Jingzhou, Jiaozhou, and Youzhou. The governorship of Yangzhou is held by an elderly statesman named Lv Fan, while the governorship of Youzhou is only administered by a military governor named Lv Dai. And it is Lu Xun who stands in front of Hu Zong right now that serves as the military governor of Jingzhou.
And the previous governor of Jingzhou before Lu Xun was Sun Quan himself, the king of Wu, several years earlier.
Before Lu Xun had reached him, Hu Zong bowed and said, "General, you have come a long way from Xiling, and the journey has been weary. The King of Wu has sent me to greet you into the city, and he will be hosting a banquet to receive you this evening."
Lu Xun walked up to Hu Zong and placed his hand lightly on Hu Zong's arm, saying, "Wei Zhang, we have known each other for many years. Why are you being so formal?"
"Has the king said when the army will depart?"
Hu Zong replied, "After the evening banquet today, the army will set out early in the morning to head for Wankou. General, please allow yourself a moment of rest in the city."
Lu Xun shook his head gently and said, "Tomorrow is the day of departure, and everyone in the city is busy. I won't trouble the King now. Wei Zhang, let's go for a walk along the river."
Hu Zong nodded and followed Lu Xun half a step to the side, walking leisurely along the riverside next to the pier.
Lu Xun asked, "Wei Zhang, are you back from Poyang? What are the movements of Zhou Fang's troops?"
Hu Zong replied, "I arrived in Poyang only a few days ago. My division of ten thousand men has already headed for Wankou. According to the calculation of the days, Zhou Fang's troops should have reached Li Kou across from Wankou by now."
The Wu River runs through the city of Wankou, joining the Yangtze River at its mouth. Wankou is located on the north bank of the river, while Li Kou is situated across from Wankou on the south bank of the river.
Lu Xun continued to ask, "I've been sailing on the river for ten days and was not aware of the situation in Wuchang. What about the movements on the other side, in the territory of Wei?"
Hu Zong hesitated for a moment and said, "In the beginning of the month, scouts from Huizhou reported that Governor Jia Kui of Huizhou had begun to move his troops towards Yangzhou, numbering about ten thousand."
"However, it may be due to obstacles on the road or the fact that the Wei people have tightened their guards, as there have been no reports from Yangzhou. Cao Xiu merely replied to Zhou Fang around the middle of this month, with a letter stating that he would lead his troops south on the tenth day of the next month, asking Zhou Fang to meet them along the river."
Lu Xun heard these words and furrowed his brow. "What is the number of Cao Xiu's army this time? And is Cao Xiu referring to ten days from the departure of Shouchun, or ten days to the date when his army will reach the riverbank at Wankou?"
Hu Zong shook his head and said, "Cao Xiu's reply to Zhou Fang was vague, only stating that he would move south as requested by Zhou Fang and let Zhou Fang meet him. Other matters were not mentioned."
Lu Xun remained silent for a moment before asking, "Wei Zhang, are there really as many as a hundred thousand troops in this campaign?"
Dong Wu's highest-ranking officials are few in number, excluding King Sun Quan of course. Among them, Lu Xun is the most prominent. Lu Xun's attitude towards fighting against Wei has become an open secret almost, known to all the other important officials and generals of Dong Wu.
Hu Zong, walking beside Lu Xun, bowed and suggested, "General, the number of troops for this campaign is indeed one hundred thousand. You don't need to have any doubts."
Lu Xun sighed, "I have also advised the king not to use so many troops. If we were to send out around fifty thousand, there wouldn't be a need to mobilize such a large number from other places, which would leave the defenses weak elsewhere."
"Besides, according to the king's intentions, I presume that Zhu Ran is already pretending to attack towards Xiangyang and Lv Fan is pretending to attack towards Guangling. If these two places were to clash with Wei forces, I really don't know what to do."
Hu Zong remained silent. He knew this too. Compared to the vast northern Wei, Wu's military force was already quite sparse. The mountain yue in various prefectures were constantly in revolt, and mobilizing troops might cause further issues.
Since the years of Jian'an, Dong Wu has been engaged in continuous warfare year after year. It began with resisting Cao Cao and Liu Bei, followed by campaigns against the mountain yue tribes. Even in years without war, they were spent in preparing for battles and training troops.
At this time, Dong Wu is also quite exhausted.
Hu Zong has been Sun Quan's close confidant for many years, and he would unquestioningly obey the king's orders. However, this does not prevent Hu Zong from understanding that Lu Xun also has a valid point.
One seeks to attack, and the other seeks stability, both for the benefit of the nation. Which path is the correct one? Hu Zong doesn't know, and most people in Dong Wu don't know either.
Since the Wu King and Lu Xun, who are capable of forging paths, have already chosen a path for us, let us follow it.
The two walked along the riverside, chatting as they went. The sun gradually lowered in the sky, and a group of birds chattered across the river and flew northward.
Hu Zong reminded, "General, if you meet the King of Wu today, you should address him as 'Supreme Sovereign' and not as 'King' anymore."
The meaning of 'Supreme Sovereign' is quite different from 'King'. It is a title exclusively for the emperor!
Lu Xun stopped and turned to look into Hu Zong's eyes: "Supreme Sovereign? Who first began to call him that?"
Hu Zong paused for a moment and then said, "It was Zhu Huan and Quan Zong who started calling him that a few days ago."
Yes, Zhu Huan and Quan Zong.
Lu Xun nodded and said, "I see. Wei Zhang, as the sky is getting late, we should enter the city now. Please take me to see the Supreme Sovereign."
Hu Zong bowed and made a gesture of respect: "As it should be. Please, General, go ahead."
Although the sun had already set, the surroundings of Wuchang City were bustling with activity.
North of the river, the endless fleet extended from Xiaquan to Wuchang. The several docks outside Wuchang City were constantly loading and unloading supplies and people.
Wuchang was not large to begin with, and after entering the city gate, Lu Xun and Hu Zong slowly walked to the front of the King of Wu's palace. As soon as they entered the palace gate, Lu Xun encountered King Sun Quan himself.
With a smile, Sun Quan looked at Lu Xun and said, "I have been in Wuchang since today, just waiting for your arrival, Lu Xun."
Lu Xun saw King Sun Quan standing a few steps ahead, and immediately bowed and made a gesture of respect: "Subject bows to the Supreme Sovereign. It is my fault for arriving late."
King Sun Quan clearly noticed the change in Lu Xun's words, indicating that he had already communicated with Hu Zong this afternoon.
King Sun Quan stepped forward and supported Lu Xun: "Where did you arrive late, Lu Xun? You have been traveling along the river from Xiling, and have been working hard. I will specially set a banquet for you tonight."
King Sun Quan patted the arm of this important official in front of him: "Without Lu Xun, how could I become the Supreme Sovereign? Please take your seat first, and I will join you shortly."
After bowing, Lu Xun, along with Hu Zong, walked into the hall. Sun Quan returned to the back courtyard, presumably to attend to some matter.
The hall was empty, with only the prepared tables and utensils placed on the tables. Lu Xun and Hu Zong were the first to sit down. As the sky grew darker, many officials and generals from Dong Wu who had gathered in Wuchang for the banquet started to arrive and take their seats.
Lu Xun took a glance around and noticed that among the guests invited to the banquet, there were more military leaders than civilian officials. From the composition of the attendees, one could roughly deduce the King of Wu's arrangement for this campaign.
Several key generals in the Wu army who were stationed around Wuchang, including Generals Sun Han, He Qi, PAN Chang, PAN Quan, AN Zhuo, and HU Zong, were all present.
General Bu YI, stationed in Changsha; General Zhu Gongzhao, stationed in Gong'an; and General Zhu Huan, stationed in Ruxu. These three generals were all present in Wuchang today.
As the military officials entered one by one, they greeted Lu Xun. Many of them were old acquaintances of Lu Xun's, and even some like PAN Zhang and CHENG Biao had served under his command in the Battle of Yiling. Their attitude was even more respectful.
In that case, all five thousand troops of the central military in Wuchang seem to be mobilized? The ten thousand troops of General Bu YI in Changsha and the five thousand troops of General Zhu Gongzhao in Gong'an have been transferred over? At present, only Zhu Ran's forces are guarding Jingling in Jingzhou.
Zhu Huan was originally downstream, but now he is also in Wuchang City upstream? How many people from the Ruxu area are preparing to be transferred to Wankou?
Lu Xun recorded one question after another in his mind, but he did not ask any of them. His many years of experience on the battlefield had cultivated his keen intuition, which made Lu Xun feel that King Sun was behaving differently from before.
Perhaps, it is up to me, Lu Xun, to take on the responsibilities of state affairs again.
There were not many civilian officials attending the banquet, only the elderly ministers Zhang Zhao, Prime Minister Gu Yong, the great scholar Cheng Bing, and Yu Fan.
Everyone was greeting each other and chatting as they sat down. As time went on, they had been sitting in the hall for over half an hour, and only then did King Sun Quan slowly emerge from the back courtyard.
Upon Sun Quan's arrival, everyone stood up and bowed to him, and called out 'Supreme Sovereign'.
Sun Quan also smiled warmly and gestured for everyone to sit down, "All of you, please take your seats. I am hosting this banquet at my mansion today. One reason is to welcome Lu Boran, and the other is to celebrate the New Year and Lantern Festival a few days early with you all."
(This chapter is completed)
