Shuhan

Late at night, the surface of the river was shrouded in mist, like a layer of gauze gently covering the waves.

The moonlight penetrates the clouds and sprinkling on the sparkling river surface, adding a touch of mystery and depth to the quiet night.

In the middle of the river, a row of dilapidated boats, pierced with arrows, were slowly moving along the river, heading straight for Niuzhu.

On the boat, General Pan Zhang of Pingbei was covered in blood, his cloak was torn by swords and fluttered in the wind, as if telling of the fierce battle he had just experienced.

His eyes were firm and deep, revealing an indomitable fighting spirit.

The five hundred Wu soldiers following behind him deliberately pretended to throw away their weapons and armor, like deserters, but in fact, they were all thinking about what they would do after they had made merit.

This was a carefully planned false surrender, and every detail was carefully considered to ensure the success of the plan.

The boat gradually approached Niuzhuji.

The patrolling ships in Niuzhuji soon discovered Pan Zhang's troops and approached them cautiously to observe them.

"Who are you?"

"Don't shoot, we are one of our own. I am General Pan Zhang of Pingbei. Quickly inform the commander-in-chief of my coming!" Pan Zhang showed up immediately.

"It turned out to be General Pingbei!"

After confirming that it was indeed Pan Zhang and his men on board, the defenders of Niuzhuji immediately informed the Grand Commander Zhuge Jin and General Lu Xun.

Zhuge Jin and Lu Xun rushed over upon hearing the news, and a look of astonishment flashed across their faces as they looked at the dilapidated team in front of them.

But there are more worries and doubts. Why would Pan Zhang appear at this moment, and in such an embarrassing state?

Pan Zhang was welcomed into Niuzhuji. His face was tired and sad, as if he had just experienced a huge blow.

Zhuge Jin asked anxiously: "General Pan, why are you not in Liyang, but come here instead?"

The location of Liyang is extremely important to the State of Wu.

He can throw it, but he can't throw it so cleanly.

It had been less than a day and the Han army had just arrived in Liyang and it was already fallen?
In this situation, how can he defend Niuzhuji?

Pan Zhang took a deep breath and replied in a heavy tone, very helplessly: "Reporting to the Grand Commander, Liyang has been captured by the Han army from inside and outside. We have no choice but to retreat to Niuzhuji."

His voice was full of helplessness and unwillingness, as if he had really experienced a tragic failure.

Zhuge Jin was worried when he heard this.

He did not doubt what Pan Zhang said.

After all, Pan Zhang had very few troops in Liyang, and most of the defenders were just civilians. If the Han army insisted on attacking the city, coupled with the Han military commander's ability to deceive the people, it was not impossible for Liyang to be captured by the Han one day.

But
Liyang cannot be lost so easily!
If Liyang was really lost, then Wu's defense line would be torn into a big hole, and there would be almost no fortress cities in Jiangbei to defend against the Han army. The Han army would march straight in, Wu's main force would be lost, and the capital would be in danger.

He was silent for a moment, calming down his shock and anxiety.

"You have worked hard to come back after Liyang was captured. We still need your help in defending Dawu. Please go and rest first, General Pingbei."

Zhuge Jin comforted Pan Zhang and asked him to return to the camp to rest.

After Pan Zhang left, Zhuge Jin immediately discussed with Lu Xun how to defend against the Han army.

"The Han army will arrive at Niuzhuji soon, and there are only 3,000 soldiers in Niuzhuji. We must start preparing the city defense today and transfer troops from other places to buy time for the Great Wu!"

Niuzhuji was the last barrier of the Wu capital. Once it was lost, the consequences would be disastrous.

If the battle could be delayed for a month, the State of Wu would have the time and space to dispatch troops from Wujun, Kuaijijun and Danyangjun to guard Jianye.

Zhuge Jin was still defending against the impending attack by the Han army.

However, they did not know that Pan Zhang's arrival was just a false surrender carefully planned by the Han State.

In the dark of night, Pan Zhang returned to the camp with a cunning gleam in his eyes.

He took off his tattered cloak, washed the blood off his face, and regained his former elegance.

His power and wealth started from Niuzhuji.

Zhuge Jin and Lu Xun were busy setting up defenses in Niuzhuji, preparing to meet the approaching Han army.

They checked weapons and equipment, deployed troops, and ensured that every detail was foolproof.

However, they did not know that the real enemy was not the Han army far away in Liyang, but the pretenders to surrender hiding in the dark.

This late-night feigned surrender was like a hidden chess piece, quietly playing a role in the game between Wu and Han.

Pan Zhang is the controller of this chess piece, and his actions will directly affect the direction of the entire battle.

The night was as dark as ink, and the wind from the river was howling, bringing a bone-chilling chill.

The river was shrouded in mist, and the surface seemed covered by a mysterious veil, making the already turbulent river surface even more mysterious.

In the hazy night, the Han army's warships emerged from the fog silently like ghosts.

These warships were newly built large ships by the Han army. Each one was majestic and imposing.

Most of them are three stories high and can accommodate thousands of people. They are truly huge ships.

The soldiers on the ship were on high alert, ready for the coming battle.

When the Han army's warships were 500 meters close to the Wu army camp at Niuzhuji, the patrolling Wu army boats suddenly woke up and discovered the traces of the Han army.

Suddenly, alarms sounded everywhere, and the humming of bells broke the silence of the night and the tranquility of the Wu army camp.

Zhuge Jin and Lu Xun in Niuzhuji were shocked when they heard the news.

The arrival of the Han army meant that a great war was about to break out.

This battle concerns the survival of the Wu State!

Without any hesitation, they immediately ordered all soldiers to defend according to the terrain.

At the same time, Zhuge Jin and Lu Xun also led the way and quickly arrived at the front line, ready to personally command the battle.

In the darkness of night, the Han army's boats approached Niuzhu Cape like huge waves.

Whoosh whoosh~
The Wu army's arrows flew out like raindrops, dense and powerful.

Rolling stones were also waiting on the side, ready to deal a fatal blow to the Han army.

However, the Han army did not just passively take the beating.

There were catapults placed on their boats, and huge rocks flew everywhere, hitting the Wu army like meteorites falling from the sky.

For a moment, arrows and boulders on the river surface intertwined into a web of death, and both sides were fighting with all their might.

The battle was extremely intense, with both sides fighting desperately for victory.

The Han army wanted to capture Niuzhuji in one fell swoop, but the Wu army fought desperately to defend it and prevent the Han army from succeeding.

Flames shot up into the sky on the river and the shouts of killing were deafening.

The soldiers' blood dyed the river water red, making the already cold river surface even more eerie and terrifying.

At this moment, something unexpected happened to Wu Jun.

Pan Zhang, a general known for his bravery in the Wu army, actually led 500 elite soldiers to go against the trend.

Instead of defending against the Han army, he massacred the Wu army guarding Niuzhuji from within.

His move undoubtedly rubbed salt into the wounds of the Wu army, making the already tense battle situation even more chaotic.

Lu Xun looked at Pan Zhang's betrayal with bloodshot eyes. He shouted angrily: "Pan Zhang, traitor! How dare you betray the Great Wu! Have you forgotten the kindness the king has shown you?"

However, the scolding was of no avail at this moment.

Pan Zhang has gone completely crazy.

What favor?
He will never be able to repay the kindness of His Majesty the Great Han Dynasty.

As for King Sun Quan of Wu?

I'm so unfamiliar!
Pan Zhang led 500 elite soldiers to slaughter the Wu army indiscriminately, causing the Wu army's defense line to collapse instantly.

Zhuge Jin was also shocked when he saw this scene.

It turns out that Liyang was captured in one day because Pan Zhang surrendered! Damn it, you can come and persuade him to surrender?
Is it appropriate to pretend to surrender instead of using force first?

If the conditions offered by the Emperor of the Han Dynasty are good enough, I, Zhuge Jin, may surrender.

Speaking of which, I, Zhuge Jin, and the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang, are brothers!

Not good!

It's getting bad!

Zhuge Jin knew that the situation was not good and wanted to escape from this dangerous place.

However, he found that he could no longer escape.

The Han army's warships had approached Niuzhuji, and the soldiers on the ships surged up like a tide.

Soon he was attacked from both sides by the Han army and Pan Zhang's troops.

"Capture Zhuge Jin alive!"

During the fierce battle, Zhuge Jin's personal guards fell one by one. Without any surprise, Zhuge Jin was captured alive by Pan Zhang.

As for Lu Xun, he actually jumped into the water and disappeared without a trace.

Niuzhuji was captured overnight.

The victory of the Han army was like a raging fire in the winter wind, burning the entire river surface and also burning the hearts of the Wu army.

They knew what failure in this battle would mean - the morale of the Wu army would be severely hit and the Han army would take advantage of the victory to expand its results.

The night gradually faded away, and the fog on the river surface gradually dissipated.

However, the tragic scene on the battlefield took a long time to dissipate.

The bodies of the soldiers were scattered all over the river, and their blood dyed the water red.

The wreckage of warships and broken arrows intertwined into a ruin, telling of the cruelty and ruthlessness of the battle.

the other side.

It took Sun Deng a whole night to eliminate Sun Quan's forces in Jianye.

That night, the lights in Jianye City were almost never extinguished, and the city was brightly lit and full of people.

From time to time, shouts and screams could be heard.

Sun Deng, wearing armor and holding a sword, personally led his guards through the city, searching every place carefully to ensure that nothing was missed.

He would kill anyone who was unwilling to obey him and respect him as the King of Wu!
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.

Sun Deng didn't want a fire in the rear while he was confronting the Han army.

Besides
He came to power illegitimately and Sun Quan died at his hands.

Even though I didn't kill him personally, what would outsiders think?

snort!
Sun Deng's eyes were firm and cold; he wanted to erase all traces of Sun Quan.

However, even after such a busy night, Sun Quan's influence was still like a leech attached to the bones, difficult to completely remove.

Sun Deng stood on the high platform of the King of Wu's Palace, looking at the busy soldiers below, and couldn't help feeling powerless in his heart.

Sun Quan has been at the helm of the Wu Kingdom for many years, and his influence has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it cannot be eliminated in a day.

Sun Deng, who had initially gained control of the Wu Kingdom, had already begun to think about how to deal with the current situation.

The threat from the Han State was imminent, and the Wu State was already severely damaged, so a decision had to be made as soon as possible.

Several solutions came to his mind, but each one was full of helplessness and compromise.

The first solution is to surrender to the Han Dynasty.

But the submission that Sun Deng wanted was not complete surrender, but to retain a certain degree of autonomy and exist as a vassal state of the Han Dynasty.

This would not only avoid direct conflict with the Han State, but also retain some of the Wu State's strength.

However, this decision was undoubtedly painful for Sun Deng. As the master of Wu, he had to entrust the fate of the country to others with his own hands.

The second solution is to cede territory in exchange for peace.

Sun Deng planned to cede all the land north of the Yangtze River to the Han Kingdom in exchange for Wu's self-protection and to assist the Han Kingdom in its northern expedition against Wei.

This decision was also difficult because it meant he had to give up a large area of ​​territory and reduce the territory of Wu.

Without the territory north of the Yangtze River, the State of Wu would lose its strategic buffer and the possibility of holding its ground.

The Han Emperor was ambitious, so he let him go temporarily because he was going to attack Wei. After the attack on Wei, his Wu Kingdom would still not survive.

However, Sun Deng also knew that this was the only way to preserve the foundation of the Wu Kingdom.

If the Emperor of Han was determined to destroy Wu, could he stop him?

However, just as Sun Deng was thinking about these methods, the news of the fall of Liyang and Niuzhuji came like a bolt from the blue to Jianye and the Palace of the King of Wu.

Sun Deng's expression changed drastically in an instant, and his originally determined eyes became flustered.

He realized that his support had disappeared and the situation in Wu was more serious than he had imagined.

Originally, Sun Deng thought that Liyang and Niuzhuji could stop the Han army's advance, giving him the capital to negotiate terms with the Han Kingdom.

But the Han State was fierce, while the Wu State was like a rotten wood and not worth mentioning.

So now, isn't he a fish on the chopping board?
He hurried down from the platform and summoned his trusted associates to discuss countermeasures.

Inside the King Wu’s palace.

The atmosphere was tense and depressing, and everyone knew that the fate of the Wu State was hanging by a thread at this moment.

Sun Deng looked at the silent ministers below and felt a sense of powerlessness in his heart.

He must make a decision, otherwise the Wu Kingdom will be doomed.

"Now the Great Wu is in imminent danger. What can you do?"

Sun Deng's voice echoed in the empty hall, sounding unusually heavy.

He looked around, hoping someone could give him a clear answer.

Show him the way.

However, all the ministers looked at each other, and no one dared to speak easily.

At this point, who can do anything?
Gu Tan and Zhang Xiu looked at each other.

Just when Sun Deng received the news that Niuzhuji and Liyang were captured by the Han army, they also received news that their father had surrendered to the Han Kingdom.

seem
Sun Deng is no longer their lord.

Their lord has now become the Emperor of the Han Dynasty.

How come my future suddenly became bright?
"Your Highness!"

Zhang Xiu looked at Sun Deng with burning eyes and said, "Now that things have come to this, the only way out is surrender. I heard that the emperor of the Han Dynasty has no intention of destroying the Wu Kingdom. Your Highness is the brother-in-law of the emperor of the Han Dynasty, so you are related by blood. If your Highness submits, you can become a vassal king of the Han Dynasty, isn't that possible?"

Gu Tan responded, "Where can we escape to now? Once the Han army arrives, how can we survive?"

Sun Deng also felt a sense of despair as if the sky was darkening and the earth was falling.

Wu Guo
You're going to die in my hands!
"Is there no other way?" Sun Deng still refused to give up.

The two shook their heads and said, "A desperate fight would indeed cause considerable trouble to the Han State, but it would only be trouble. Your Highness, please think twice before acting!"

That's it.

That's it!

Sun Deng had a bitter look on his face.

After Liyang and Niuzhuji were captured, he had no room for negotiation.

Surrender!
Now, staying alive is the most important thing. (End of this chapter)