Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Seeing that Zhuge Jin was almost at the door, Sun Deng disregarded all decorum, quickly ran a few steps, grabbed Zhuge Jin's sleeve, and earnestly said:
"General, please don't be hasty! I haven't finished speaking yet. This time, it's not just you who's being honored..."

Sun Deng held onto Zhuge Jin's sleeve as he spoke, and as he spoke, Zhuge Jin, like Quan Cong, found tears welling in his eyes. He immediately bowed deeply to Sun Deng.
"Your Majesty's good intentions are understood! I am not accepting this position as the Prince of Qi for myself, but for the sake of the country! Once the Wei army retreats, I will resign from my post and relinquish my title and official position, and will not cause Your Majesty any trouble whatsoever!"

Sun Deng hurriedly took out a silk handkerchief from his bosom to wipe away Zhuge Jin's tears, but before he could touch Zhuge Jin's face, Zhuge Jin noticed and quickly took a half step back, saying:

"Your Highness, there is a distinction between ruler and subject. Please do not act in this manner!"

Sun Deng remained silent for a few moments, then placed the brocade pouch containing the official seal into Zhuge Jin's hand, and said:

"Now that the Grand General has been granted this title, this matter should be announced to the entire army to demonstrate His Majesty's benevolence! The Grand General should also propose a memorial to request rewards for all the generals of the rank of two thousand piculs in the army. In addition, this matter should be reported to the Wei army."

Zhuge Jin remained silent, nodded, bowed again, then clutched the imperial seal tightly in his hand and left without looking back. The Kingdom of Wu was not merely Sun Quan's private property; over the years, Zhuge Jin had poured countless efforts into it. How could he not be heartbroken by the state's decline?

Only half an hour later, the Wu envoy informed the Wei army of the news of Zhuge Jin's investiture, and also brought a silk letter bearing the seal of "King of Qi of Great Wu." Zhuge Jin had personally written this letter, urging Man Chong to surrender to Wu, saying that the Emperor of Great Wu could appoint General Man as Governor of Sili and King of Han…

"Zhuge Jin has been granted an official title, yet he has sent you here. I wonder what kind of reward he has promised you?" Man Chong put down the silk scroll, sighed softly, and asked the Wu army envoy who had come to him.

The envoy, who was in his thirties, was not intimidated and replied with his head held high, "To carry out orders is the duty of a loyal subject. Why should I ask for a reward?"

Man Chong chuckled lightly: "Traitorous scoundrel!"

"Guards, this scoundrel is spewing foul language in our camp! Drag him away, chop off his tongue, and send him back to Zhuge Jin!"

"Yes, sir!" The armored soldiers standing in the tent immediately answered the order. The men accompanying the envoy on both sides acted swiftly. One kicked the envoy in the back of the knee, while the other twisted the envoy's left hand and used his knee to press against the envoy's back. Judging from the posture, it seemed as if they were going to cut out the envoy's tongue right there.

"Does Your Majesty fear the words of a mere envoy?" The envoy turned to look at Man Chong, his words suddenly becoming sharp: "Could it be that Your Majesty is leading troops abroad, failing to achieve any success in attacking cities, and is worried about being punished by the Emperor, so you use a mere envoy like me to show your loyalty?"

Man Chong clicked his tongue: "I haven't seen such a bold person in a long time, daring to speak to me like that! Who are you?"

"I am Huan Rong from Changsha!" the envoy exclaimed angrily.

“I know about the Huan family of Changsha, but do you even deserve to be called Huan Rong?” Man Chong waved his hand: “Take him out, behead him, and send his head and the letter he brought to the imperial court!”

Huan Rong was dragged out by two armored soldiers, one on each shoulder. In a short while, his head was placed in a wooden box and presented to Man Chong. Man Chong nodded slightly to verify his identity, then lowered his head to write a report to the emperor, saying that it should be sent out along with the head.

Man Chong wasn't the only one in the military tent; General Wen Qin of the Left Feathered Forest Guard and General Zhuge Ke of Annan were also present. Although Wen Qin was a bold and forthright man, after spending so much time with Man Chong, he had learned to be cautious in his words and actions, kneeling silently in his place throughout the entire encounter. Zhuge Ke, on the other hand, witnessed the whole scene and was greatly alarmed, his face covered in sweat.

“Zhuge Yuanxun.” Man Chong glanced at Zhuge Ke’s face. “Your father became the King of Qi, so why wasn’t you named the heir apparent? Who was it that confidently told me that they could persuade him to surrender?”

Zhuge Ke was extremely terrified. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying in a trembling voice, "General, please forgive me. This humble general... Sun Quan's actions are unpredictable. This reward is certainly not his original intention, but rather a result of being disturbed by current events, which led him to this plan!"

"You mean this is because the court wanted to bestow a title upon your father?" Man Chong's voice was unfriendly: "I'll give you a chance. If you want to go to the Wu camp on the other side, I'll send you as an envoy to persuade them to surrender. You can simply not come back! That way, I can give the court an explanation, and you can go and pursue your wealth and honor. What do you say?"

Zhuge Ke kowtowed repeatedly: "It is my incompetence, it is my incompetence! Please give me a few more chances, General, so that I may try again!"

Wen Qin, who always prided himself on loyalty, righteousness, and martial prowess, and acted with great boldness, also spoke up when he saw Zhuge Ke in such a difficult position:

“General, Yuan Xun has already been appointed by His Majesty and is a subject of Wei. How could he possibly surrender to Wu? Although Yuan Xun is powerless to do anything about it, I beg the general to show some leniency.”

"Yes, this humble general can write more!"

Man Chong glanced at Zhuge Ke and said in a deep voice, "One letter a day! Each letter must be sincere and heartfelt, at least a thousand words long, and there must be no mistakes!"

"Yes, yes, this subordinate obeys!" Zhuge Ke replied repeatedly. When he was finally allowed to leave the tent, Zhuge Ke wiped the sweat from his brow and thanked Wen Qin, who had accompanied him, repeatedly. Wen Qin did not chat with Zhuge Ke for long, but simply bowed slightly before heading back to the main camp.

As Zhuge Ke walked, he lowered his head, on the verge of tears. Only now did he understand the same predicament Gu Yong had felt back in Jianye. Advancing was difficult, retreating was difficult, remaining still was difficult!
Surrender is not that simple!

After a fierce battle at Dantu, Sun Shao, the former general of Wu and governor of Youzhou who was defending the city, was killed in battle. His head and the battle report were sent to Ruxu by boat. Wang Ling, following the orders of the Privy Council and Guanqiu Jian, led his own 10,000 elite guards and Guanqiu Jian's own 5,000 cavalrymen back. They first traveled by land, passing through Jiangning to Caishiji. By the time they crossed the Hengjiang Ferry to the other side, it was already February 30th.

On that very day, Wu Gai, a military advisor from the Privy Council who was present at the scene, also met Wang Ling.

"Did General Wu carry Liu Shumi's order?" Wang Ling asked upon seeing Wu Gai.

Wu Gai bowed and replied, "General, you are absolutely right. I do indeed carry an order personally signed by Privy Councilor Liu. Please read the details."

Having said that, Wu Gai handed the Privy Council document to Wang Ling with both hands. Wang Ling first stroked his beard and looked at the cover, then opened it, glanced at it briefly, and then looked at Wu Gai in disbelief:
"This... Doctor Wu, what's going on? Why did His Majesty send me to garrison Xuchang? My troops are still strong; they should be fighting a bloody battle against Wu! Also, didn't you previously send me with these five thousand cavalry? Why is Zhen Xiang now leading them to Shouchun?" (End of Chapter)