Chapter 119: Incitement

In Baling, the floodwaters within the city had been completely drained. The streets were filled with dilapidated houses and scattered debris, and a group of soldiers was busy cleaning up one by one.

The 15,000 prisoners were held in the north of Baling, guarded by Gan Ning.

At the Jiang Wen estate, Jiang Wen sat in a wooden chair, studying a map with dried meat placed on the table before him.

"Reporting to the General, General Gan Ning has begun executing the prisoners again!" a soldier ran in from the courtyard, saluting Jiang Wen.

"Have Lu Meng replace Gan Ning, and summon him to see me. You may leave."

"Yes!"

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Wen put away the map and wrote a letter on bamboo slips. "Someone come here!"

"I am here, sir."

"Deliver this to Lu Meng and tell him to have someone spread the rumors mentioned in this letter throughout Changsha."

"Yes!"

"General Gan Ning reports for duty!" Gan Ning said, wiping blood from his hands with his sleeve.

"Why kill them?" Jiang Wen asked indifferently.

Gan Ning walked up to Jiang Wen and picked up a piece of dried meat from the table to eat. "A few restless brats tried to seize weapons and rebel. What, does the General think I was wrong to kill them?"

"Prepare to drill the troops; we must be ready to march at any time."

"Who does the General intend to release this time? That old man, or Han Xuan?" Gan Ning asked, holding the meat platter. "This is quite good. May I have some, General?"

"Take it."

Lu Meng walked in from outside and set his helmet aside. "Get me some water; I am dying of thirst."

The soldiers saluted Lu Meng. Jiang Wen looked at him and asked, "Are you still angry?"

Lu Meng took the bowl and finished the water. "I have thought it through. Your strategies are always foolproof. Releasing Huang Zhong was likely part of your plan, wasn't it?"

Jiang Wen smiled faintly but did not answer. Lu Meng chuckled, "Indeed, I was the one who thought too simply. Can you tell me what the strategy was?"

"It cannot be spoken of yet. I will tell you once it is accomplished." Jiang Wen stood up. "It is noon; let’s go eat."

"You really won't tell me?"

***

"My lord, the mansion ahead is that of our General. Please, this way."

Sun Fu, clutching bamboo slips, strode into Jiang Wen's mansion with an arrogant gait. He saw a group of generals in the courtyard sitting on chairs, eating food from a pot. Since trying hot pot once, the generals had been unable to forget it, and taking advantage of the current ceasefire, they had asked Jiang Wen to prepare it again. Naturally, Jiang Wen did not do the cooking himself, leaving it to the army cooks.

"You may leave!" Sun Fu had been traveling day and night to reach Baling quickly. Seeing Jiang Wen’s relaxed expression, and thinking of the contents of the bamboo slips, he felt a sense of perverse pleasure, imagining the blow Jiang Wen would receive after hearing them.

"The Prime Minister has issued an order! General of the South, Jiang Wen, come forward to receive it!"

"Isn't that the servant the General called for?"

"Didn't you hear him holding the Prime Minister's decree?"

"We pay our respects to the Prime Minister!" Jiang Wen and the other generals stood up to salute.

Sun Fu looked annoyed, then laughed. "Oh, Jiang Wen, look at you. Are you leading an army to war, or are you out on a leisure trip?"

Sun Fu sat down, grabbed someone’s chopsticks, picked up a piece of mutton, blew on it, and put it in his mouth. "Mmm, the taste is quite good."

Jiang Wen walked up to Sun Fu and bowed. "I do not know what the Prime Minister's orders are; I hope the envoy will inform me quickly."

"Flattery won't work on me. You are in deep trouble this time. You released prisoners without reporting to the Prime Minister or waiting for his orders. General of the South, you truly have a grand sense of authority. If you were given two years to campaign abroad, would you bring your troops to attack Xiangyang?"

"I had my own considerations. A general in the field is not bound by his sovereign's orders. I did not believe my actions required reporting to the Prime Minister, so I acted on my own judgment." Jiang Wen looked at the bamboo slips in Sun Fu's hand, surprised that Bo Fu (Sun Ce) had found out so soon. The old generals were likely making a big deal out of this, and this letter was probably meant to trip him up.

Seeing Jiang Wen’s expression, Sun Fu felt secretly delighted—that's for stealing my Diaochan! He wore a polite smile. "Alright, alright, your words are useless to me. Wait until you return to Xiangyang to explain yourself slowly to the Prime Minister."

Sun Fu took out the bamboo slips and read in a serious tone: "Your original intent was to assist me, yet now you act without reporting, making yourself the master and failing to reach the ears of Heaven. Are you ashamed? However, as you are abroad, I know that a general in the field is not bound by orders. Now that the grain and provisions are abundant, I ask you: do you have need of them?"

Jiang Wen raised an eyebrow, while the surrounding generals wore expressions of wanting to laugh but not wanting to lose face for him. Sun Fu shook the bamboo tube. "This... I didn't bring the wrong one!"

"Alas, the Prime Minister is truly understanding," Jiang Wen said, straightening up with a smile. "Not only does he not blame me, he even asks if I need supplies. Envoy, I have troubled you."

He reached out to take the decree, but Sun Fu stood frozen. Jiang Wen stepped forward and pinched the bamboo slips. Sun Fu glared at him, refusing to let go.

Jiang Wen applied a bit of force and snatched it away. "I thank the Prime Minister for his consideration."

"Envoy, would you like to join us for a meal?"

Sun Fu, face flushed with anger, stormed out. Jiang Wen called after him, "Envoy, there are many luxury mansions in the city; if you take a liking to one, feel free to stay!"

"Hahaha! He came all the way from Xiangyang just to bring shame upon himself. I thought there was something to it," Gan Ning laughed. He was more angered by these clan generals than by Jiang Wen releasing the prisoners. He had been conquered by Sun Ce’s strength; he might not look down on anyone, but he would never disrespect Sun Ce. These clan generals, however, not only failed to respect Sun Ce but also occupied farmland privately, which was a grave taboo in Gan Ning's eyes.

Jiang Wen looked at the letter in his hand, a look of calm satisfaction on his face. This letter showed that Sun Ce would not be pressured by the clan generals into punishing him; on the contrary, he would support him. Another point was that after Han Dang’s crushing defeat, the military command of Jiangling would likely have to be surrendered.

"General, come and eat! It’s all cooked through!"

Lu Meng looked at his chopsticks and threw them aside. "Hey, get me a new pair!"

"Yes!"

***

In Changsha, at Han Xuan's estate, Han Xuan stared at the military report.

Baling had fallen, and Huang Zhong and his troops were all captured. This meant his 20,000 men had been thrown away for nothing!

Han Xuan laughed in a fit of rage, unable to speak for a moment. Wei Yan, standing nearby, said, "My lord, although General Huang has been defeated and captured, please do not be too distressed. We must reinforce the city's defenses to repel Jiang Wen."

"Distressed?" Han Xuan roared. "I am furious! I sent him a full 10,000 reinforcements, and who knew he would be defeated so quickly? I only have 30,000 in total! Now that 20,000 are captured, and Jiang Wen has 40,000, with only you and me left in the city, how am I to resist him!"

"Useless old waste! You have ruined my grand plan!"

Wei Yan lowered his head, his face unchanging, but the fire in his eyes burned ever brighter. "My lord, I will certainly defend your life until the very end."

"Get out!" Han Xuan bellowed. Wei Yan saluted and withdrew. Han Xuan sighed. "Now, I have no choice but to seek help from Jin Wei."

After the defeat at the Red Cliffs, Jin Xuan had been captured by Zhou Yu. Now that the Prefect of Wuling was Jin Yi, Han Xuan had to appeal to him. However, since he had essentially betrayed Jin Yi's father, he feared the son would never let him off, but he had to try. After all, they were like lips and teeth—if the lips were gone, the teeth would be cold. If he fell, Wuling would certainly not be spared.

"It seems I must write to the others as well."

"Report, my lord! General Huang has arrived at the city gate with 5,000 troops!" Wei Yan ran in from the courtyard, overjoyed, and saluted Han Xuan.

"Bring him to see me!" Han Xuan said with a dark face.

"Yes!"

Huang Zhong walked in from outside and immediately knelt. "I, Huang Zhong, have failed you, my lord. The defeat at Baling has caused you heavy losses. If you wish to punish me, I have no complaints!"

Han Xuan stared blankly at Huang Zhong. "Baling surrendered; why were you able to escape?"

"Reporting to my lord, it was not that I escaped; Jiang Wen released me."

"Released you?" Han Xuan laughed, his laughter growing louder. "Truly interesting. Tell me, why would Jiang Wen release you?"

"Jiang Wen said he admired my skills and did not wish to take my life, so he let me go," Huang Zhong replied truthfully.

Han Xuan said, "Huang Hansheng, I know your abilities. You defended Baling for only a month, and as a fortified city, you were so soundly defeated by Jiang Wen, and now he kindly releases you..."

Huang Zhong looked at Han Xuan. "Does my lord not trust me?"

Wei Yan interjected, "My lord, General Hansheng has served you for many years with unwavering loyalty. Even if he suffered a defeat, he would never betray you!"

But no matter how much Wei Yan pleaded, the loss of 15,000 men was a fact. Han Xuan’s fury burned, and he said, "Although you have been loyal in the past, the loss of Baling is a fact. A death sentence may be spared, but a life sentence cannot! Someone, take him away and give him seventy lashes!"

"You must not, my lord! The old general is of advanced age and cannot withstand such torture!" Wei Yan’s face trembled, but Huang Zhong remained calm. "I accept!"

Two soldiers entered and dragged Huang Zhong away. He did not resist, but Wei Yan stepped in front of him.

Han Xuan glared. "Wei Yan, do you intend to rebel? If you block me again, I will punish you together with him!"

"The old general has worked hard, if not for his achievements. I dare not rebel, but I beg you, my lord, to allow me to take the lashes in his place!"

"Fine, such loyalty," Han Xuan smiled. "Then I will grant your wish. Wei Yan, 100 lashes; Huang Zhong, 50!"

Huang Zhong looked at Wei Yan with complex emotions. "Wenchang, why do this? I lost Baling; it was my fault. Why share the punishment?"

Wei Yan laughed. "It's a pity it was only reduced by twenty lashes. Don't worry, old general; my skin is thick, and I grew up getting beaten. These lashes are just an itch!"

***

In the Han Xuan mansion, Han Xuan looked at a bamboo slip. A soldier said, "Such talk has been circulating in the army, but we do not know who is spreading it."

Han Xuan closed his eyes and pondered. "You may leave."

The rumors were nothing more than claims that Huang Zhong had secretly colluded with Jiang Wen to harm him, but this was exactly what made Han Xuan suspicious. If Huang Zhong were truly colluding with Jiang Wen, why spread such rumors? Jiang Wen releasing Huang Zhong had already planted seeds of doubt, but spreading such rumors now felt like an intentional act.

He was forcing Han Xuan’s hand, forcing him to exile Huang Zhong!

Han Xuan smiled. "Jiang Wen, oh Jiang Wen, you have moments of oversight too. It seems I overestimated you. You want me to drive Huang Zhong away, but this only proves his loyalty. It seems I misunderstood."

In the Wei Yan estate, Wei Yan lay on his bed. A scholar walked in. "Greetings, General Wei Yan."

"Who are you?"

"I have come to pay respects to you on behalf of my General," the scholar said, bowing.

"You are bold, coming here all alone. Are you not afraid I will call someone to take your life right now?!" Wei Yan said with unforced authority.

The scholar bowed. "My life is worth little; if I die, there will be others to comfort my family. But you are different, General. What do you think of this affair?"

"Are you trying to turn me?" Wei Yan said with an angry laugh. "You look down on me too much!"

"I believe this is not about looking down on anyone, but about your own choice, General," the scholar spoke eloquently. "What you see with your eyes is the truth. Han Xuan is but a mediocre lord, while you and the old general are of exceptional talent. Why submit to such a man?"

"Today he can mistakenly punish the old general and even you; in the future, he will use this as a pretext to take your lives!" The scholar bowed. "Look at my General—because he respects the old General Huang, he disregarded the opposition of his officers and released him. Such magnanimity—is it not worth switching sides for?"

"Get out, while I still don't want to kill you. If it weren't for the fact that you released the old general, you wouldn't even have made it through the gate."

The scholar bowed. "Then I shall take my leave."

***

In Baling, Lu Meng threw the bamboo slips aside and sighed. "Five days ago, it was reported that we had tried everything to turn Wei Yan, but it was to no avail. Furthermore, because of the rumors you spread, Han Xuan’s doubts have actually been dispelled."

"It seems your strategy is useless."

"Why say it is useless? The relief he feels is merely a mask for his inner anxiety. When there is movement, his true nature will be revealed. This is true for both Wei Yan and Han Xuan; the time is simply not yet ripe. Tell him to keep inciting them," Jiang Wen said, blowing the ink dry. "Send another letter; this time, send someone to Wuling to see Gong Zhi, who serves under Jin Yi."

"And when do we march?"

"Wait a while longer."

"You don't really think we can take Jingzhou just by sitting here, do you?"

Jiang Wen smiled faintly. "Perhaps, just as you say."

In the Wei Yan estate, Wei Yan felt an itching sensation on his back. Although he couldn't move, he knew it was a sign that his wounds were healing.

"Reporting to the General, that scholar has come to request an audience again!"