The last three kingdoms

Chapter 181 Wuchang
"Oh." Sun Xiu groaned, turned his head, and shifted his gaze from the north bank to the south bank. The Feiyunlou boat was approaching Wuchang Wharf.On the entire river, there are warships like clouds, and there are many warships. Some of these ships are escorting the emperor's flagship, and some are specially rushed by the Jingzhou Navy to greet them. On the Wuchang Wharf, there are even more soldiers and heavy guards.

Sun Xiu was greeted by Jingzhou Governor Shi Ji, Zhenjun General Lu Kang, Fujun General Buxie, Zhengxi General Liuping, Jianping Prefect Shengman and many other Jingzhou politicians. He rushed from Xiling to Wuchang to pick him up.

Lu Kang is the second son of Lu Xun, the governor, general, and prime minister. Lu Yan, the eldest son of Lu Xun, died young. When Lu Kang was 20 years old, he inherited the title of his father, Marquis of Jiangling, as a captain of Jianwu, and later moved to Lijiezhong. General Lang and General Fenwei. In the second year of Taiping, Wei General Zhuge Shui rebelled against Wei and surrendered to Wu. Lu Kang went north to Shouchun to receive reinforcements. General of the North, later worshiped the general of the town army as the governor of Xiling, a holiday.

Xiling is an important town in the west of Jingzhou. It has the same concept as the governor of Shu Kingdom in Yong'an. Xiling is the western barrier of Wu Kingdom. The governor of Xiling has always been the important general of Eastern Wu.Although Wu and Shu are allies, the two sides have fought wars because of Jingzhou after all, and the mutual vigilance of the two sides has never been lowered.When Zong Yu, the envoy of the Shu Kingdom, was sent to Wu, Sun Quan asked him why the Shu Kingdom increased the defense of Baidi City. Zong Yu replied that Han increased the defense of Baidi and Wu increased the defense of Baqiu. What is the proper course of action to suit the situation is not worth asking.Sun Quan just laughed it off in the end.

Lu Kang is 38 years old this year, and he is in the prime of his life. Since the governor of Xiling, he has purged the army, mobilized horses and redoubled his efforts, and the entire military look of Xiling has taken on a new look.This time when Sun Xiu came to Wuchang, Lu Kang and others were all ordered to come to welcome Shengjia.

Compared with the energetic Lu Kang, the 30-year-old Wu Emperor Sun Xiu looked much older. Accompanied by his servant Zhang Bu, Sun Xiu staggered off the boat and accepted the Jingzhou princes on the pier. Minister's visit.

What does it mean to have more than enough heart but not enough strength? Sun Xiu has a real understanding at this moment. Although he has lofty ambitions, the serious illness has ruthlessly destroyed his body. Since his illness last autumn, Sun Xiu's health has not been good , although he was treated by the imperial physician, his condition was always good and sometimes bad. This time, taking advantage of the opportunity of his illness to improve, Sun Xiu came to Wuchang, the accompanying capital, but the bumps along the way made him extremely pale and looked sick. .

Shi Ji, the governor of Jingzhou, thought that the Holy Majesty was seasick, and said: "Your Majesty is exhausted from traveling and boating, please go to the palace to rest."

When Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor, he built a large-scale construction project in Wuchang and built a palace. After the capital was moved to Jianye, the palace in Wuchang was used as a temporary palace for the convenience of the emperor to visit.However, Sun Xiu came to Wuchang for the first time in six years since he came to the throne.

Although the emperor hadn't visited the palace for a long time, there were quite a few court ladies and eunuchs, and the whole palace was cleaned spotlessly.

Sun Xiu took a short rest, and after having dinner, he immediately summoned the officials of Jingzhou. Although he was unwell, Sun Xiu obviously did not forget what he was here for.

Shi Ji, Lu Kang, Bu Xie, Liu Ping, the ministers of civil and military affairs of Jingzhou who had just been picked up at the pier during the day, rushed to the palace overnight to pay homage.

No one complained a word, they were all aware of His Majesty's physical condition, and the emperor could discuss matters even when he was sick. With such dedication, it was nothing for them to work the night shift.

Sun Xiu's complexion didn't seem to be improving, he coughed twice, and said: "Dear dears, I came to Wuchang in person this time to see how Jingzhou's war preparations are, and how confident are we in capturing Xiangyang?"

Now Soochow can only be regarded as occupying more than half of Jingzhou. Xiangyang County and Nanyang County among the nine counties in Han Dynasty are still in the hands of Cao Wei. Down to the whole of Jingzhou.

Hearing Sun Xiu's question, Shi Ji, Lu Kang and the others looked ashamed, and Shi Ji said: "Your Majesty, the Jingzhou army is fully equipped, and the food and grass are abundant, but the Wei State's Xiangyang cities are heavily guarded and impeccable. It may be difficult to conquer in a short time."

Sun Xiulue frowned and said: "Wei and Shu fought in Hanzhong, and it has been a stalemate for several months. Wei Guo can't advance an inch. Sima Zhao has mobilized more than [-] troops to enter Shu. The Central Plains are empty. This is a golden opportunity for me in Jiangdong. If this It is impossible to take advantage of the situation and take Xiangyang. When Wei and Shu stop fighting, the good opportunity will be lost, and the northern map will be in vain. Zhuqing has been in Jingzhou for a long time. Is it true that there is no good strategy?"

After the war between Wei and Shu, Sun Xiu has been paying attention to the development of the war situation. The battle between Wei and Shu in the Longxi area has almost never stopped for many years, but this time the battle is obviously different from usual. , are all occupying a favorable position to strike first, but this time it was Wei who took the lead in attacking, and gathered a large number of troops, and successively invested 23 troops in Shu. The strength of its use of troops is definitely beyond the past.

Sun Xiu believed that this time Sima Zhao was going to do something for real. With so many troops dispatched, it was definitely not a small fight, but Sima Zhaozhi was trying to destroy Shu.Sun Xiu also has a general understanding of the situation in the Kingdom of Shu. Not only does the Kingdom of Wu have good-natured envoys in Chengdu, and they have access to open intelligence channels, but secretly, the secret agents of the Kingdom of Wu are also active in the Kingdom of Shu, and they will dig deeper into the secrets that cannot be obtained through diplomatic channels. information obtained.The state of Shu is currently in chaos. Liu Chan, the lord of Shu, favors Huang Hao, and Jiang Wei, the great general, is ostracized. Sima Zhao took this opportunity to attack Shu on a large scale.

However, Sima Zhao seemed to be a little more optimistic. He underestimated the military strength of Shu. Deng Ai, a famous general of Wei, was ambushed by the Shu army when he attacked a small road, and his entire army was wiped out. The war that was originally thought to be one-sided fell into a stalemate. , it is estimated that it will not end in a short time.

"Your Majesty, Yang Hu, the defender of Xiangyang, is superior in both culture and military strategy. The ministers and others led the army to attack the city of Xiangyang. After repeated attacks, they could only retreat for the time being. Obviously, the side has made careful preparations, and it will not be easy to win." Lu Kang was the general who commanded the northern attack on Xiangyang, and truthfully stated to Sun Xiu.

Sun Xiu felt a little dejected. As expected, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. He originally expected to finally have the opportunity to expand the territory this time, but he never thought it would end like this. Obviously, his visit to Wuchang this time is also meaningless.

At this moment, the servant of the Huangmen reported: "Your Majesty, the envoys sent by the Kingdom of Shu have arrived in Wuchang, and they are now resting in the post."

(End of this chapter)