Pan Jun left Linhe, and his first stop was Fuchuan County Literature Museum.
After Lu Xun was unexpectedly defeated, he did not withdraw far. He stationed in Fuchuan City, assumed a posture of holding on to the city, raised a big flag, and gathered the remaining soldiers. In just three to five days, he gathered three to four thousand people. Some of them escaped before Wei Ba cut off their retreat, and some escaped from the battlefield by crossing mountains and ridges. Then they heard that Lu Xun was here, so they gathered in groups of twos and threes.
When he saw Pan Jun, Lu Xun's first reaction was that Pan Jun had escaped, but when he saw Pan Jun's horse and neat clothes, the joy on his face slowly disappeared.
"Chengming, I'm sorry for you."
Pan Jun did not answer his words. He looked around, especially at the soldiers on the city wall. "Bo Yan, are you ready to defend Fuchuan?"
Lu Xun raised his head and said with a wry smile: "It's just a punishment. It doesn't matter whether you defend Fuchuan or not."
"You hope to stop Wei Ba in Linhe." Pan Jun looked at Lu Xun quietly and said unhurriedly: "You also hope that Zhou Yin can surprise Cangwu and then attack Wei Ba with you, right?"
Lu Xun blinked, looked at Pan Jun for a moment, and suddenly laughed: "Chengming, are you here to be a lobbyist?"
"You are going to be punished in Fuchuan, but I am going back to Wuchang to plead guilty. What kind of lobbyist do you think I am?"
Lu Xun was startled, then put away his smile, and bowed solemnly: "Chengming, I was the one who was abrupt. What, you want to disarm and return home?"
Pan Jun nodded and pointed to his heart. "My ambition has been lost and my days are numbered. I don't want to be used as a stepping stone by these young heroes anymore, so I have no choice but to retire and return to my field."
Lu Xun hesitated for a moment, his expression a little sad. "Then...what can Cheng Ming teach me?"
"Bo Yan, a gentleman acts when he sees an opportunity. If you don't have an opportunity, you can't force it. You and I were defeated at the hands of Wei Ba. The name of the divine general will inevitably spread in the wild, and the barbarians will take action after hearing the wind. Do you think Zhou Yin can successfully attack Cangwu? What I'm worried about is The worry of Wu is not in Jiaozhou, but in Jingzhou."
Lu Xun's brows wrinkled. He and Pan Jun belong to two factions, but they can get along harmoniously because they have many identical or similar ideas. For example, benevolence is the most important thing in governance, and a monarch should not compete with the people for profit. For example, Jiaozhou is nothing but scabies. Ringworm disease. And Jingzhou is the real problem. Pan Jun now reminded him that he should not dwell on Linhe, but should focus on the hinterland of Jingzhou, which suddenly touched his inner uneasiness.
The richest part of Jingzhou is in the plain area between the Yangtze River and the Han River. The richest area in the south of the Yangtze River is around Dongting Lake. South of Changsha is a barbaric land. In fact, there are many mountains in Jingzhou, and there are countless barbarian tribes in the mountains. There are many Jiangxia barbarians in Baiji, even in Jiangxia, Lingling, Changsha, and Guiyang, not to mention barbarians everywhere.
He fell into Wei Ba's scheme and once again achieved Wei Ba's reputation. How can these barbarians remain unmoved? It is conceivable that within a foreseeable period of time, Wei Ba's strength will enter a period of rapid growth. Except for In addition, the barbarians will probably take this opportunity to capture the counties, drive away or kill the officials appointed by the state of Wu, and raise the banner of war as a god general - even if they have no connection with Wei Ba at all.
In other words, Jiangnan is going to die. No one can stop Wei Ba from occupying Jiangnan - not even him. No one can stop Wei Ba from occupying Jiaozhou - not even Zhou Yin. The top priority is to protect the territory north of Changsha. Rich areas, and can no longer be entangled with Wei Ba in Linhe. From a strategic point of view, when defending, of course, we must shrink our own front line and let the enemy's front line become longer and longer.
You can say that Pan Jun is lobbying for Wei Ba, but you have to admit that what Pan Jun says makes sense.
Although Lu Xun was in pain, he still accepted Pan Jun's suggestion.
"Chengming, I understand." Lu Xun sighed softly: "If you continue to cut off the situation, you will suffer the chaos. I will retreat to Changsha. After you return to Wuchang, try your best to find an opportunity to explain the situation in Jingzhou clearly to the king." He paused. After a pause, he added: "I'm worried that Linyuan will be in danger. It may be another mistake for Zhou Yin to leave Yiyang."
"Bo Yan, let Zhou Li guard Changsha while you return to Yiyang."
Lu Xun smiled bitterly: "Do I still have the honor to go back to Yiyang? I stay in Changsha. If Wei Ba wants to take Changsha, I will fight him again and die on the battlefield. Maybe it is the only thing I can do. "
Pan Jun did not try to persuade him again. He knew Lu Xun's character and the importance of Changsha even more. He would not retreat any further. In fact, it was already enough for Lu Xun to retreat thousands of miles away and give up Guiyang and Lingling. It was a forced and helpless move. As long as he had some strength, he would never take a step back.
Pan Jun left, wearing a green dress and a thin horse, describing himself as lonely, but with an indescribable sense of relaxation.
Lu Xun also left. He took more than 5,000 remaining soldiers with him. Although their morale was not high, they were still in good order and inviolable, but they were a little less energetic. Lu Xun sat on the chariot, with his eyelids lowered, like an old monk in meditation. .In just a few days, he had a lot of gray hair on his temples.
…
In Chenyang, Lu Lan led 3,000 men and horses and slowly left the city. Chenyang City was peaceful and tidy, with not even a trace of debris on the streets. The people of Chenyang stood on the roadside and calmly watched Wu Jun leave. , just like watching Wu Jun enter the city calmly. There was neither cheering nor sadness.
Lu Lan felt very uncomfortable. When the news of Lu Xun's defeat in Linhe came, he did not want to believe it for a long time. Will Lu Xun be defeated at the hands of Wei Ba? The last time in Chenyang could not be considered Lu Xun's defeat, but Even though Lu Lan was defeated, he always felt that if Lu Xun and Wei Ba faced each other face to face, Lu Xun would definitely break Wei Ba's myth and clear away the slander that was not true. He had been waiting for this day, but when the truth appeared When it was in front of him, he couldn't accept it at all.
Lu Xun was fully prepared this time, but still lost.
Lu Xun wanted to retreat to Changsha. In order to prevent Chenyang's troops from being blocked by Wei Ba, Lu Xun immediately asked Lu Lan to withdraw from Chenyang and Xupu. The withdrawal process did not encounter any trouble. Dozens of people who had stayed in the city had The old soldier naturally took over the city defense, ending Wu Jun's three-month recapture of Chenyang.
When they were in Xupu, Lu Lan encountered some trouble. The Tuntian Captain named Cheng Yi brought over a bill and calculated it for Lu Lan. How many people do you have? Pu, how long Chen Yang stayed, including how much food and ordnance the general of the country took with him when he left, are listed one by one.
Lu Lan asked him angrily: "What do you want to do? Have a fight with me, or do you want me to compensate?"
Cheng Yi shook his head: "I don't have the strength to fight you, and I guess you won't be able to pay for it. I just want to trouble you to sign. When the time comes, I will hand over these accounts to Wei Fujun. Wei Fujun knows that I am not corrupt. That's fine. As for whether you want to pay compensation, it's up to Lord Wei to decide. Lieutenant Lu, please don't make things difficult for me, right? Let's get together and part ways so that we can meet again in the future."
Lu Lan was so angry that he wanted to kick Cheng Yi in the face. But he still signed his name. He was not afraid that Cheng Yi would stop him and not let him go. He was afraid that if there was no account, Wei Ba would arrive. Sometimes I will blackmail them. If there is an account, maybe the situation will be better.
Cheng Yi put away the account books and waved goodbye warmly: "Welcome to come again next time."
Lu Lan felt a pain in her chest and a sweet smell in her throat.
…
At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, Pan Jun returned to Wuchang and rushed to the palace to apologize. Not long after, Gu Li came out and saluted Pan Jun: "General, the king invites you to enter the palace."
Pan Jun followed Gu Li into the main tent and entered the door. The hall was very dark, with only one lamp swaying like a will-o'-the-wisp. It took Pan Jun a while to adapt to the light in the hall. He saw Sun Quan sitting in the shadows. Inside, his face was haggard, his eye sockets were sunken, and his two green eyes were shining with anxiety like a wolf.
Pan Jun fell to the ground and said, "Pan Jun, the guilty minister, pays homage to the king and asks the king to punish you."
Sun Quan moved a little, then slowly raised his hand and waved: "Chengming, come closer."
"Here." Pan Jun took a few steps on his knees and approached Sun Quan. He suddenly noticed that Sun Quan's sleeves were trembling. He was stunned for a moment, raised his head, and looked at Sun Quan. Sun Quan grinned and raised his trembling hand: " It’s nothing, I’m much better now. When I first received the battle report, I was shaking even more violently and couldn’t even hold my chopsticks steady.”
Pan Jun felt a pain in his heart and tears fell involuntarily. He cried bitterly: "I am incompetent and have delayed the affairs of the country. I deserve death."
Sun Quan shook his head, a few stray hairs gently flicking. "Chengming, victory or defeat is a common thing for military officers. This is not your fault. I know, you get up. I feel very unhappy that you have been humiliated like this." I feel good. I didn’t expect you would come back, I’m really happy.”
"Your Majesty..." Pan Jun burst into tears: "I am so favored by Your Majesty that even if I die, I will die in front of Your Majesty. However, Your Majesty, before I die, I have two things to say, which I hope Your Majesty will adopt."
"Are you worried about Boyan?" Sun Quan chuckled: "If so, then there is no need to say anything. There have been enough people defending him in the past two days. Don't worry, I don't blame him. I know all the hard work. It’s just that God doesn’t bless me, so what?” He helped Pan Jun up: “Chengming, is there anything else you can teach me?”
Pan Jun's heart trembled. He could hear the deep hatred in Sun Quan's words. Part of it was towards Lu Xun, but more towards those who interceded for Lu Xun. Obviously, too many people interceded for Lu Xun. Sun Quan felt great pressure, which turned into anger that could not be released.
Pan Jun pondered for a long time, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I am the general of the defeated army, how can I have any great opinions? I just want to advise your Majesty, the country is in dire straits, don't fight for the moment, be the king and ministers of one mind, bear the humiliation and bear the burden, look to the future, and overcome the difficulties together. That’s all.”
Sun Quan nodded: "Cheng Ming, are you still concerned about Jiangnan affairs?"
Pan Jun nodded seriously.
"Then what do I do?"
"Avoid the sharp edges, endure humiliation, recharge your batteries, and rest with the people."
The corners of Sun Quan's mouth trembled, and his thin cheeks twitched involuntarily.
ps: More updates are coming, please give me your monthly vote! I was kicked out again before I could sit in the fourth position, please fight back!