Chapter 15: Zhao Shaojie, You Have Insulted Me Again
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Several days later, Mi Fang and his party had left Nan Commandery and entered the territory of Changsha Commandery.
After spending day after day aboard ship, everyone was beginning to feel exhausted.
That evening, the army went ashore to rest.
They rose early the next morning, and Ma Su found Zhao Shaojie drinking boiled water.
For the sake of safety, Zhao Shaojie had ordered the entire army not to drink untreated water or eat raw food. If the weather had not been so bitterly cold, he would even have required everyone to bathe once a day.
After all, the southern regions were rife with miasma, and he had no desire to see their numbers diminished by illness.
Seeing Zhao Shaojie clutching a cup of hot water, Ma Su curled his lip and asked, “Shaojie, do you know what I have planned?”
Zhao Shaojie was just about to answer when Ma Su immediately declared, with evident pride, “I have already discussed everything with General Mi. Once we reach Jiaozhou, we shall first mediate the dispute between Lai Gong and Wu Ju. Then we shall display our military might and intimidate the barbarians. After securing our foundations, we will lead the army to summon Shi Xie. He is an old man; surely he will be terrified out of his wits and submit without resistance. Once that is done, Jiaozhou will be ours!”
Zhao Shaojie grimaced. The plan sounded flawless, but he knew that Ma Su was not the sort to devise a plan and then actually carry it out. Thus he casually replied, “You make it sound far too easy. What if Lai Gong and Wu Ju refuse to let us mediate? What if the barbarians are not intimidated? What if Shi Xie is not frightened into submission?”
“Of all the people in our party, apart from General Mi and Shi Ren, we are nothing but paper strategists like Zhao Kuo! If a real battle breaks out, do you even understand how to deploy troops in the midst of combat?”
Mi Fang and Shi Ren had joined Liu Bei at an early stage and possessed considerable experience in defeat. Yuan Lin had at least some experience on the battlefield, but the others—Wei Yan, Xu Shu, and Ma Su—were all novices.
Moreover, of their five thousand soldiers, only one-fifth were veterans. The rest had been newly recruited. They might manage a battle fought under favorable conditions, but if the fighting became deadlocked, disaster was certain.
Although Zhao Shaojie had spoken the truth, Ma Su flew into a rage the moment he heard himself compared to the paper strategist Zhao Kuo.
“Zhao Shaojie, you are insulting me again!”
“I said all of us. I was not singling you out. How is that an insult?” Zhao Shaojie replied helplessly.
Ma Su’s face paled. “Then what about saying that my plan is too idealistic? Is that not an insult?”
Zhao Shaojie was caught between laughter and tears. Ma Su could not tolerate even the slightest contradiction. He was about to respond when Mi Fang approached and said, “Youchang, Shaojie is not wrong. Wu Ju may have a good relationship with our lord, but if our lord intends to establish himself in Jiaozhou, Wu Ju may not be willing to accept it. Without fighting a battle, it will likely be very difficult.”
Ma Su’s face turned even darker.
Xu Shu followed close behind and added, “Our army truly lacks battlefield experience. We need the assistance of a veteran commander who has endured many campaigns.”
Ma Su shouted furiously, “I have studied military texts extensively! Why would I need some old general?”
Zhao Shaojie’s eyes lit up.
An old general? An old general?
They had arrived in Changsha, had they not?
He immediately said, “Enough. We have rested long enough. Let us board the ships and head straight for Linxiang, the seat of Changsha Commandery. There is an old general there named Huang Zhong, a rare and formidable warrior.”
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Everyone stared at him in astonishment.
How was it that every notable figure in the world seemed to exist inside Zhao Shaojie’s mind?
Ma Su, however, burst out laughing. “Zhao Shaojie, I know of Huang Hansheng of Nanyang. But he is not in Linxiang; he is in You County. He may be an old general, but he is hardly worth mentioning. He is advanced in years and serves under Liu Pan, the nephew of Liu the Governor of Jingzhou. What use could such a man possibly be?”
Not in Linxiang?
Zhao Shaojie was stunned. Had he remembered incorrectly?
Regardless of where Huang Zhong was, such a veteran would certainly prove useful. He said, “Very well. We shall go to Linxiang first. If he is not there, we will proceed to You County.”
Seeing that Zhao Shaojie was ignoring him, Ma Su grew even more furious. “Zhao Shaojie, why will you not answer me? I am a native of Jingzhou. Surely I know Huang Hansheng better than you do?”
...
“Zhao Shaojie, you are insulting me again!”
...
While Zhao Shaojie ignored Ma Su’s unreasonable outburst, thousands of miles away, in Jiangxia, at Xiakou—
aboard Sun Quan’s flagship—
Sun Quan watched the soldiers of Jiangdong surge toward Xiakou City wave after wave, like foam upon the sea.
Death and blood unfolded before his eyes in ceaseless succession.
Not the slightest ripple stirred Sun Quan’s gaze.
From the time of his elder brother Sun Ce until the present, the two generations of brothers had attacked Jiangxia countless times, all for the sake of killing Huang Zu and avenging their father.
He also knew that this was his final opportunity.
Cao Cao had now pacified the north. If Jingzhou surrendered to Cao Cao, Huang Zu would become one of Cao Cao’s subordinates, and defeating him would be even more difficult.
Furthermore, Sun Quan had inherited the foundation established by his elder brother Sun Ce, but he lacked both roots and popular support. He had to kill Huang Zu and show the world that it was Sun Quan who had avenged their father—not Sun Ce.
Sun Ce had failed to accomplish it.
He would succeed where his brother had not.
“Why has the city still not fallen?” Sun Quan suddenly frowned. Rising to his feet, he shouted, “Tell Lü Meng, Ling Tong, and Dong Xi that I intend to spend the night within Xiakou City!”
The messenger immediately ran from the command tent.
Within Xiakou City, Huang Zu had already lost his composure. He muttered repeatedly, “What is wrong with that whelp Sun Quan? He keeps attacking the city without giving us a moment to breathe. Has he gone mad?”
The situation was dire.
Eastern Wu truly seemed to have gone mad.
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They disregarded their casualties and fought to the death without retreating.
Suddenly, a man with blood covering his face came running in. Through sobs, he cried, “My lord, the city gates have been breached. Eastern Wu’s soldiers have entered the city!”
Huang Zu immediately rose to his feet and shouted, “Then why are you here reporting it? Go and stop them!”
He turned to those around him. “Xiakou can no longer be defended. Come with me—we are leaving the city at once.”
At dusk, within Jiangxia City, Sun Quan strode forward in a brocade robe, his bearing regal and imposing, a severed head hanging from his hand.
It was none other than Huang Zu’s.
Once Huang Zu saw that the city had fallen, he naturally abandoned all resistance. Taking a small number of trusted followers, he attempted to escape.
But Sun Quan was determined to kill him this time. Not only had he launched a ferocious assault without regard for the cost, he had also laid a vast net around the city.
Before Huang Zu and the others had gone far, they were spotted by patrolling cavalry under Sun Quan’s command, who immediately gave chase.
In the end, Huang Zu was captured, beheaded, and brought back.
There was still scattered resistance within the city, but the moment Sun Quan appeared carrying Huang Zu’s head, those remaining pockets of defiance vanished. One after another, the rebels surrendered.
Sun Quan proceeded all the way to the governor’s residence.
One of his personal guards respectfully asked, “Your Highness, do you intend to enter?”
Sun Quan glanced at the residence, impatience showing on his face. He loudly ordered those around him, “Enter? Why bother? Burn this filthy place where the traitor Huang lived!”
The guard froze. “But... there are still people inside the residence...”
“What people?” Sun Quan asked coldly. His gaze hardened as he continued, “In former times, Cao Cao avenged his father by slaughtering so many that the Si River was clogged with corpses. Today, as I avenge my own father, I will not be outdone. Pass on my order and tell Lü Meng and the other generals that they have labored hard today. Before sunset, all wealth and inhabitants within Xiakou City are theirs to take!”
The meaning was unmistakable: they were permitted to loot the city, seize its people, and slaughter its inhabitants.
The guard stared in shock, but quickly answered, “Yes, Your Highness!”
Sun Quan threw back his head and laughed. He tossed Huang Zu’s head to another guard and said, “Keep it safe. I will take the traitor’s head back with me and personally offer it in sacrifice to my father and brother.”
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