Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 61 60. Enabling Lu Xun

The Han army challenged the Wu army for several days in a row. The Wu army tried to fight back at first, but each time they lost their soldiers and armor, were killed and returned in defeat.

The Wu army camp also retreated from Yichang again and again, and finally gained a foothold in the Yiling area. Reports of the defeat were sent one after another to Chaisang, Sun Quan's palace.

"Please circulate this battle report and read it. What should we do?"

Sun Quan had a worried look on his face. He had been so worried about the recent war reports that he had lost his appetite and had no desire to eat or drink tea. He was afraid that one day when he woke up, the whole Jingzhou would be ruled by the Liu family again.

All the civil and military officials have read the battle report, which was also written by the old general Han Dang himself. The content on it is so breathtaking that one can't help but hold one's breath.

The Wu army had only been fighting with the Han army for a few days, but they had already lost generals such as Xie Jing, Cui Yu, Pan Zhang, and Zhu Ran. Even a trusted veteran like Jiang Qin was killed by the Han army, which was a huge blow to morale. The casualties were nearly 10,000 people. Han Dang also attributed all the blame to himself in the battle report, hoping that the King of Wu would punish him and send other capable people to support him.

"King Wu, although General Han is a veteran, he is good at commanding troops but not at seeing the overall situation. We should replace him with a talented general. Let General Han be the deputy general and the general be the commander-in-chief."

Kan Ze, a clerk from the Western Cao, stepped out and made his report.

Kan Ze was no ordinary man. In the Battle of Red Cliff, Zhou Yu used the "trick of self-torture" and it was Kan Ze who went to Cao's camp as a lobbyist and used his eloquence to dispel Cao Cao's doubts and make Huang Gai successfully gain Cao Cao's trust. Only then could he allow fireboats loaded with kerosene and hay to approach Cao's fleet and ignite the first fire at Red Cliff.

At this time, Sun Quan was very happy to see Kan Ze come out again to share his worries, but he didn't quite understand what he had just said.

"Just now Derun mentioned that he wanted to replace the old general Yigong with a general, but I don't know who can take on this task?"

In Sun Quan's opinion, almost all the main generals of Jiangdong, except Xu Sheng who was guarding against Cao Wei in the north and Lu Dai who was suppressing Shanyue in the south, were in Yiling. Where were the talented generals left?
Kan Ze smiled mysteriously and said:
"Now there is a talent that can hold up the sky, why not use it?"

"Who is it? Derun, please don't tease me."

Sun Quan was so confused by Kan Ze's mysterious tricks that he scratched his head and asked questions repeatedly.

"In the past, our Jiangdong military relied on Gongjin; after Gongjin died, Zijing took his place; after Zijing's death, the decision was made by Ziming; now, although Ziming is dead, Lu Boyan is still in Jingzhou.

Although this man is a Confucian scholar, he has great talent and strategy. The previous plan to defeat Guan Gong was all from Lu Boyan. In my opinion, Lu Boyan's talent is not inferior to Gongjin. "

Kan Ze bowed deeply and recommended Lu Xun and Lu Boyan to Sun Quan.

"King Wu, you can't do that. Lu Boyan is just a pale-faced scholar. How can he defeat Liu Bei's veteran soldiers on the battlefield?"

Zhang Zhao was the first to jump out and dissuade them.

"Lu Xun is young, and the other generals are all veterans. I am afraid that he will not be able to convince the people. If he cannot convince the people, there will be chaos."

Gu Yong also followed Zhang Zhao's footsteps and disagreed with the use of Lu Xun.

"I guarantee with my family's lives that if Lu Boyan is not used, then Dongwu will be doomed! If Lu Boyan makes a mistake, I am willing to share the same guilt with him."

Seeing that Kan Ze was so confident in Lu Xun, Sun Quan, who knew that Han Dang would not be able to hold off the Han army for a few days without Lu Xun, simply gritted his teeth and agreed with Kan Ze's words.

"I also know that Lu Boyan is a genius! I have made up my mind, so please don't say anything more!"

Sun Quan immediately sent people to recruit Lu Xun. Although Lu Xun was officially the General Zhenxi, he was actually arranged by Han Dang to guard Jingzhou.

Hearing that the King of Wu had summoned him, Lu Xun rushed to Chaisang to meet the King of Wu. After paying his respects, Lu Xun was also curious about why the King of Wu had suddenly summoned him.

"The Shu army is now strong, and General Han may not be able to resist it. I am recruiting you to lead the troops to fight against Liu Bei."

Sun Quan did not keep the secret and directly told Lu Xun his purpose.

Lu Xun was suddenly dizzy. He had been suspected by the people of Jiangdong since his grandfather Lu Kang helped the Han Dynasty resist the attack of Sun Ce, a general under Yuan Shu. He thought he would get by like this for the rest of his life, but he didn't expect that today he was summoned by the King of Wu to be appointed as the Grand Commander of the Army.

"I am a humble official, not a senior official of Your Majesty. How can I be the commander-in-chief of the army?"

Lu Xun decided to decline the offer first and see what the King of Wu was up to.

"Kan Derun has pledged his entire family to protect you, and I also know your talent. I will now appoint you as the Grand Commander, so please do not refuse."

Seeing Lu Xun's frightened look, Sun Quan told him directly that he only dared to employ him because Kan Ze had guaranteed his entire family's lives.

"Since this is the case, I am afraid that I cannot convince the people. I beg Your Majesty to follow Liu Bei's example and give me a sword to convince the generals."

Lu Xun thought about it and realized that his situation was very similar to that of Zhuge Liang when he first came out of retirement. A group of veteran generals under his command were not convinced, so he could also follow Zhuge Liang's example and borrow the King of Wu's sword.

"In ancient times, when appointing a general, one had to wait for an altar. It would be better to build an altar and gather the people. Then, bestow upon him the white flag, yellow axe, seal, military token, and sword in person to show his majesty."

Kan Ze suggested. After all, granting a title privately is completely different from granting it during the canonization.

Sun Quan agreed with this and ordered the laborers to build an altar overnight. On the next day, he immediately ascended the altar and appointed Lu Boyan as the Grand Commander. He gave him a sword and a seal and ordered him to be in charge of six counties, eighty-one states, and the military forces in Jingchu.

After the ceremony, he immediately ordered the young general Ding Feng from Jiangdong to lead his troops to escort Lu Xun to the Wu army camp in Yiling, ready to take over the troops and resist the Han army.

Lu Xun rode at full speed all the way and finally arrived at Yiling within two days. At this time, the Wu army was killed by the Han army again, and the generals in the tent were also somewhat helpless.

"Report! General Han, the king has ordered the Grand Commander of the Army, Lu Xun, and General Ding Feng to come!"

Soldiers outside had already reported the situation, which shocked Han Dang and other generals in the tent.

In their opinion, Han Dang, the "temporary" Grand Commander, would soon be able to get rid of the word "temporary", but they didn't expect that Lu Boyan would suddenly appear out of nowhere.

This situation is very much like the deputy director who has worked in the office for 30 years thinks that the director is gone and it is his turn to take over, but instead a young director is parachuted in.

"Humph, why did the king let a pale-faced scholar lead the troops?"

Han Dang snorted coldly. If we talk about being unhappy, he should be the most unhappy. Naturally, he would not give Lu Xun any good face.

When Lu Xun came to the tent, he saw that all the generals looked extremely unhappy. He knew that his presence might have angered everyone. However, since he had received great favor from the King of Wu and was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the army, he naturally should live up to the King of Wu.

"I would like to hear about the current battle situation."

Lu Xun sat on the upper seat and also asked.

Han Dang turned his head away, closed his eyes and said nothing, clearly showing his disdain for Lu Xun. Zhou Tai, wrapped in bandages, spoke in a naive manner and explained the current situation to Lu Xun, including that Sun Huan's vanguard had been annihilated, that several generals had been lost in the battle of Yichang, and that the Wu army had lost several battles in a row.

Lu Xun shook his head upon hearing this and said:

"The Shu army is at its peak right now, so we shouldn't fight them head-on. We should continue to retreat and defend the dangerous passes."

　"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" Chapter 83: "At the Battle of Yiling, the First Lord captured his enemy and the scholar guarded the river mouth and became a general"

　　Quan said, "If it weren't for Derun's advice, I would have made a big mistake." Zhang Zhao said, "Lu Xun is just a scholar, no match for Liu Bei; I'm afraid he can't be used." Gu Yong also said, "Lu Xun is young and has little reputation. I'm afraid you will not accept him. If you don't accept him, there will be chaos and big mistakes." Lai Zhi also said, "Xun is only capable of governing a county; it's not appropriate to entrust him with big things." Kan Ze shouted, "If Lu Boyan is not used, then Dongwu will be doomed! I am willing to protect him with my whole family!" Quan said, "I also know that Lu Boyan is a genius! I have made up my mind, so don't say anything."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)