flstandardbreds Chapter 142 Zhang Liao Arrives
Chapter 142 Zhang Liao Arrives
The person shouting hoarsely from the rear of the military camp was none other than Zhu Huan himself.
At noon, Zhu Huan was forced to leave the camp under the supervision of Zhou Tai and Sun Shao, but he did not want to leave. So he lingered until dark to find a place to set up camp and left his personal guards at the camp to attract the attention of the scouts sent by Zhou Tai. He then secretly sneaked back to the camp with Zhu Yong.
In fact, he didn't need to come back. Everything in the camp had been arranged. It didn't matter whether he was there or not. Moreover, the Wei army was powerful. As long as there was a little chaos in the Wu army camp, the Wei army could seize the opportunity to cross the river.
From this perspective, Zhu Huan's trip was indeed unnecessary.
But Zhu Huan didn't think so. He wanted to appear in front of Zhang Liao as soon as Zhang Liao crossed the river and tell him about his achievements.
Zhu Huan was the one who made the greatest contribution to the Wei army's capture of Ruxukou. Moreover, he obtained this great contribution by selling his own reputation and his lord Sun Quan. If he did not receive the reward he deserved, wouldn't he be at a huge loss?
Therefore, he had to return to ensure that the Wei army could cross the river smoothly, while also ensuring that he could successfully obtain the credit.
Zhu Huan returned to the camp half an hour ago and, with the help of his confidants, went into hiding. He only charged out after hearing the sounds of the Wei army's attack.
At this moment, Zhu Huan had already changed into his armor and led his personal guards in a charge, shouting fiercely, "Brothers of the Wu army, Grand Commander Lü Meng has already withdrawn from Jiangdong and abandoned us. We don't need to fight for him anymore. Come with me and surrender to the King of Wei!"
The Wu army was already in a panic when they were attacked in the middle of the night, and they became even more confused and at a loss when they heard Zhu Huan's shouts.
Zhou Tai was so enraged by Zhu Huan's shout that he almost vomited blood. He cursed, "Damn Zhu Xiumu, how dare you betray our lord! I swear to kill you!"
After saying this, he raised his precious sword and was about to kill Zhu Huan when Sun Shao arrived in time, grabbed his arm and advised, "Commander, the camp is in chaos, and the Wei army is at our doorstep. There are traitors inside and powerful enemies outside. We cannot hold out. Let's retreat quickly."
Zhou Tai said angrily, "Are we just going to let this traitor go like this?"
Sun Shao continued, "There will be plenty of opportunities to deal with Zhu Huan. The most important thing right now is to preserve our strength, not to help Guan Yu block a powerful enemy here. Give the order quickly."
Zhou Tai had already received the order to retreat, so his will to resist the Wei army was not strong. Upon hearing this, he stamped his foot angrily and said, "It's a pity that the camp's food supplies are gone. Tell the brothers to retreat."
At Zhou Tai's command, the Wu army quickly turned and retreated towards Jingzhou.
Wu Jun retreated in a very hasty manner, and there was no formation to speak of during his advance. If Zhu Huan could seize the opportunity to lead his army in pursuit, even if he could not kill Zhou Tai and Sun Shao, he could still leave behind most of his troops.
But Zhu Huan did not do that. Instead, after Zhou Tai left, he quickly seized the ferry and shouted to the Wei army warships still in the middle of the river: "This humble general Zhu Huan welcomes the Wei army. May I ask which general under the command of the King of Wei is on board?"
Zang Ba witnessed the chaos in the Wu army camp. Seeing that Zhu Huan did not pursue Zhou Tai but instead went to the ferry to claim credit, he was furious. However, the Wei army had not yet set foot on the south bank, so he dared not lose his temper with Zhu Huan. He could only loudly reply, "Zang Ba of Mount Tai greets General Zhu. Tonight, General Zhu will be the one to make the greatest contribution in capturing Ruxukou. I will definitely petition the King of Wei to reward the General."
Zhu Huan wanted to hear this, and upon hearing it, he smiled even more enthusiastically and said, "General Zang, please slow down, the river is deep."
Without Wu Jun's obstruction, Zang Ba led his navy to the shore quickly. With Zhu Huan's help, they landed smoothly. Then, instead of pursuing Zhou Tai, they patiently waited for Zhang Liao to arrive.
The reason for doing this is simple. First, he had to guard the ferry crossing to ensure the army could cross the river smoothly. Second, the biggest enemy of the Wei army at present was Guan Yu, not Sun Quan, so he could not offend Sun Quan too much.
Therefore, he did not pursue Zhu Huan's responsibility, but instead stood by the river and chatted with Zhu Huan to buy time.
The Wei army was too large; only 30,000 troops arrived by dawn, and three-quarters of them were still north of the river.
But 30,000 troops were enough to occupy Wu's camp, and Zhang Liao had also come with Jia Kui.
As soon as Zhang Liao reached the shore, he grabbed Zhu Huan's hand and said enthusiastically, "General Zhu, we are so grateful to have you here this time. If His Highness the King of Wei knew that you had abandoned the darkness and embraced the light, he would be very happy."
Zhu Huan said excitedly, "General, you've finally arrived! General, you don't know this, but the people of Jiangdong have suffered under Guan Yu for so long. Our longing for the court's rescue is like a parched land yearning for rain. We've waited day and night for so many years, and finally, the imperial army has come! Waaah..."
"This humble general is not capable and has only gathered more than 5,000 men. The rest of the troops have been taken away by Zhou Tai and Sun Shao. However, the food and provisions in the camp are still there, as are the naval warships such as tower ships, fighting ships, and warships in the dock. General, you can send people to take them over as soon as possible."
Zhang Liao was overjoyed upon hearing this. The Wu army's warships were far superior to those of the Wei army. With these warships in hand, he could roam freely across the Yangtze River. At the very least, he could blockade this section of the river and protect the army's supply line to the north of the river.
Zhang Liao, having received such a generous gift from Zhu Huan, naturally wanted to reciprocate. He turned and instructed, "Doctor Jia, immediately submit a memorial to the King of Wei to request that General Zhu Huan be rewarded and appointed as the Prefect of Danyang and General Who Pacifies the South."
Zhu Huan's eyes widened suddenly, and he bowed excitedly, saying, "Thank you, General Zhang, thank you, Your Highness Prince Wei. This humble general is willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness Prince Wei, even unto death."
The title of General Pingnan was just a miscellaneous general, not a very high one, but Zhu Huan was only a minor subordinate general before, so his promotion to a miscellaneous general was a three-level jump.
His official rank was so low not because Sun Quan was stingy, but because his official rank was too low. Before the Battle of Xiangfan, the official rank recognized by the court for Sun Quan was only General Who Subdues Barbarians and Governor of Kuaiji.
As for the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry that Liu Bei recommended to Sun Quan, Cao Cao did not recognize it at all. It was not until the Battle of Xiangfan that Cao Cao was forced by Liu Bei to appoint Sun Quan as General of the Flying Cavalry and Governor of Jingzhou.
In other words, Sun Quan held a low position but wielded great power for a long time, which resulted in the general low rank of officials in Jiangdong. Most of them were minor officials such as Lieutenant General, Assistant General, and Colonel of the Expeditionary Army.
Now that he has been promoted from a subordinate general to a general with a miscellaneous title, how could Zhu Huan not be excited?
Zhang Liao flattered him a few more times, then grabbed his hand and said, "Let's go, let's go to the camp to rest first, and tell me about the battle situation in Jianye. The roads have been blocked recently, so intelligence from Jianye can't get through, and I'm not really clear about the situation there."
Zhu Huan smiled bitterly and said, "This humble general doesn't know either. That damned Lü Meng is wary of me like a thief, and he won't tell me anything. But there should be letters between Zhou Tai and Lü Meng in Zhou Tai's tent, and Zhou Tai left in a hurry, so he certainly didn't have time to destroy them."
Zhang Liao said excitedly, "Then what are we talking about? Let's go!"
Zhu Huan's rebellion left Zhou Tai with nothing, not even tents, which the Wei army could move into immediately.
Zhu Huan led Zhang Liao, Jia Kui, and others into Zhou Tai's command tent. Without waiting for Zhang Liao's orders, he began rummaging through the boxes and cabinets. He quickly found the letter he wanted, unfolded it, and immediately flew into a rage, cursing, "Damn Lü Ziming, you actually plotted against me from the very beginning?"
Zhang Liao leaned closer and couldn't help but chuckle. It was a letter from half a month ago, and it was a handwritten letter from Lü Meng to Zhou Tai. In the letter, Zhou Tai was clearly reminded to be careful of Zhu Huan, and if necessary...
Zhang Liao and Jia Kui exchanged a glance, both seeing the speechlessness in each other's eyes.
As the Grand Commander, how can it not be disheartening that Lü Meng, instead of focusing on unity at a critical moment, desperately guards against his own people?
And then there's Zhou Tai. Why didn't he destroy this potentially fatal letter beforehand? Instead, he kept it. What was he planning to do? Was he going to use it as leverage to blackmail Lü Meng?
Why are all the generals of Eastern Wu like this? How can they possibly contend for the world?
Zhang Liao searched through the letters with Zhu Huan and quickly learned about the current situation in Jianye. He couldn't help but sigh, "I didn't expect that the Guan family would have amassed an army of 100,000 in just a few months. It seems that this battle will not be easy. Everyone, please share your thoughts."