Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Chapter 180 The Old Trick Repeated

News of the disastrous defeat at Shiling Pass, like a sudden chill in spring, swept across the Yangtze River faster than news of victory, engulfing the already precarious position of the Confederate States of America. But this news carried not only the chill of military defeat, but also suspicion, accusations, and resentment deliberately guided, amplified, and even distorted through certain channels.

Wancheng, Xingjun Southern Expeditionary Camp, Central Command Tent.

Chen Xing had just finished reviewing the detailed battle report of Shiling Pass sent by Chen Wei, as well as the preliminary statistics on enemy and friendly casualties and spoils. He didn't show much joy at the initial victory; instead, he was more concerned about the enemy's weakness and the few coordination problems exposed on his side. But when he saw the end of the report, where Chen Wei mentioned "seventeen enemy officers and junior officers were captured, including five officers from the Jiangdong Zhu clan's retinue, three officers from the Jiankang Imperial Guard, and several soldiers from Jingzhou and Yizhou, who have been detained and interrogated separately," a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Has Wenhe's letter arrived?" he asked the commander of the personal guards standing beside him.

"Your Majesty, Lord Jia's secret envoy arrived last night, and the letter is here." The guard presented a small, perfectly sealed copper tube with both hands.

Chen Xing took the scroll, crushed the wax seal, and pulled out a tightly rolled-up piece of plain silk. On it was Jia Wen's unique, thin, and slightly sharp handwriting. The content was short but went straight to the point: "The victory report from Shiling has been received. Zhu Huan has just suffered a defeat, and his morale must be low. He is also worried about being questioned by his comrades in Jiangdong, and especially fears Gu Yong's opportunistic attack. Among these prisoners, select one or two who are timid and easily controlled, or who harbor resentment, and promise them a way to live, allowing them to return south. Before their release, let them 'accidentally' hear or 'by chance' see any special tokens or arrows belonging to Liu Kun's troops in Jingzhou among our spoils of war." The fragments of the book seem to be related to Zhu Huan's defeat. Additionally, a secret letter could be drafted, mimicking Gu Yong's handwriting and tone, accusing Zhu Huan of reckless advance and underestimating the enemy, thus weakening Jiangdong's strength. This letter could then be used to ensure Zhu Huan's "loss" along the route his fleeing troops would inevitably take. Meanwhile, rumors have spread in Jiankang, Jiangnan, that Zhu Huan "desires to monopolize the credit for the Northern Expedition, thereby diminishing the morale of the imperial army; his intentions are treacherous." These three measures, even if they cannot immediately dismantle the alliance, will be sufficient to sow mutual suspicion and hinder the implementation of military orders. The specific details will be decided by Your Majesty on the spot.

Chen Xing put down the silk scroll, a cold smile playing on his lips. Jia Wen's plan was as ruthless and precise as ever, striking right at the weaknesses of human nature. The defeat at Shiling Pass was originally caused by Zhu Huan's greed for merit and recklessness; now, he could use this as an excuse to stir up trouble even more.

"Go and invite General Chen and General Dian over. Also, have the chief of the Censorate who interrogated the prisoners come to see me," Chen Xing instructed.

Soon, Chen Wei, Dian Xiong, and a capable official from the Censorate arrived in the tent. Chen Xing relayed Jia Wen's strategy and then asked, "How is the interrogation of the prisoners going? Are there any suitable replacements?"

The chief clerk of the Censorate bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, there are indeed a few who lack resolve. In particular, there is a distant relative of Zhu Huan's family in Jiangdong named Zhu Ming. He holds a low-ranking official position and was seriously injured when captured. During interrogation, he repeatedly begged for his life, expressing his dissatisfaction with Zhu Huan's stubbornness and his driving them to their deaths. There is also a captain of the Jiankang Imperial Guard named Li San, who seems to have bought his position. He is cowardly and only wants to save his life and return home."

"These are the two," Chen Xing declared decisively. "Take good care of Zhu Ming's wounds. Once he's recovered somewhat, you should personally 'talk to him.' Don't use torture; just explain the consequences: Zhu Huan has just been defeated and will surely look for a scapegoat. This distant branch of the army, captured and returned alive, is the perfect target. If he wants to live, or even... if he wants to find a new patron in Jiangdong in the future, he must do as we say. Tell him that when he returns, he only needs to 'truthfully' report the battle situation and 'casually' mention that when the Xing army was counting the spoils, they seemed to have seen arrows and damaged command flags bearing the special markings of Liu Kun's troops from Jingzhou, and that the Xing army soldiers were discussing whether a messenger from Jingzhou had appeared near Shiling Pass before the battle... The rest is unnecessary."

"As for Li San," Chen Xing continued, "it's even simpler. Intimidate him a bit, then let him go. Before letting him go, have him 'help' take a bag of 'miscellaneous items' back with him. Inside, mix in a few fragments of a 'secret letter' that imitates Gu Yong's handwriting and rebukes Zhu Huan, as well as... one or two small items picked up from the battlefield that genuinely belong to the Jingzhou soldiers. Make it look natural, as if he picked them up or hid them in a panic."

The chief clerk of the Censorate understood immediately: "Your subject understands, and will certainly do it without leaving a trace."

Chen Wei pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, this is a brilliant idea, but the enemy may not believe it entirely."

Chen Xing said, "We don't need them to believe us completely. As long as we sow the seeds of suspicion, coupled with rumors from Jiangnan, there will inevitably be discord between Zhu Huan and Liu Kun and Gu Yong. Moreover," a cold glint flashed in his eyes, "Zhu Huan has just been defeated and is eager to shirk responsibility, Liu Kun, as the leader of the alliance, also needs to maintain his prestige, and Gu Yong may even want to use this to weaken the Zhu family and annex their troops. They themselves will help us to amplify this suspicion infinitely."

Dian Xiong scratched his head: "All this convoluted stuff gives me a headache. Anyway, wherever the king tells me to attack, I'll attack!"

Everyone laughed.

A few days later, Zhu Ming, whose injuries had stabilized and who had been "enlightened" into believing he had found a way out, and Li San, who was terrified and only wanted to leave as quickly as possible, were deliberately let go by the "negligent" guards under the cover of night and fled south in a panic. They carried with them, or rather in their hearts, the "gifts" that Chen Xing and Jia Wen had carefully prepared.

Almost simultaneously, in Jiankang in Jiangnan and Xiangyang in Jingzhou, some "rumors" began to spread quietly among ordinary people, in restaurants, and even among low-ranking officials.

In Jiankang, rumors circulated that "Zhu Huan, relying on his own strength, disobeyed orders and recklessly advanced with his army in his quest for the first merit, causing the deaths of thousands of Jiangdong soldiers, making him a sinner of Jiangdong," and even more insidious rumors that "the Zhu family has long harbored ambitions of dominance, and this northern expedition is likely a ploy to use others to weaken the other powerful clans." The origins of these rumors were difficult to trace, but they always managed to reach the ears of the Gu, Lu, Zhang, and other powerful families at just the right time.

In Xiangyang, rumors circulated that "the Jiangdong army is arrogant and disobedient to the alliance leader's orders," "Zhu Huan's defeat was due to his jealousy of Liu Kun as the alliance leader, and he intentionally conserved his strength by fighting passively," and even more unsettling speculations such as "the Xing army seems to have been prepared in advance, and there may be spies in the army leaking military secrets." These rumors naturally reached the desk of King Liu Kun of Chu through various channels.

When Zhu Ming and Li San finally escaped back to their respective camps after overcoming numerous hardships, the "personal experiences" and "evidence" they brought back only added fuel to the fire.

When Zhu Ming lamented to his elders in the Zhu clan, he "unintentionally" mentioned his "observations" about the marked arrows and messengers from Jingzhou. The Zhu elders, already deeply dissatisfied with Zhu Huan's crushing defeat and the potential damage to the family's prestige, were even more suspicious upon hearing this: Could it be that Liu Kun, knowing the Star Army was prepared, deliberately sent his Zhu family to the front lines to wear them down? Or perhaps... he was secretly colluding with the Star Army?

The bag of "miscellaneous items" that Li San brought back was picked up by other defeated soldiers from Jiankang in the chaos. Among them, the severe rebukes and shirking of responsibility on the fragments of Gu Yong's "handwritten" letter quickly spread among the Jiankang imperial guards and other families in Jiangdong, confirming the rumors that Zhu Huan had "recklessly caused trouble" and that Gu Yong was "eager to clear his name." As for the few small items belonging to the Jingzhou soldiers, they were presented to the envoy of the Jiankang court by someone with ulterior motives, who then "naturally" used them to raise "questions" with Liu Kun's side.

When Liu Kun received inquiries from Jiankang and heard rumors circulating in the army about "Jiangdong's disobedience" and "poor performance in battle," he was still furious about the defeat at Shiling Pass—the initial loss had severely damaged the morale of the allied forces and his prestige as their leader. In his view, the defeat was clearly due to Zhu Huan's incompetence and underestimation of the enemy! Now, Jiangdong not only refused to admit their mistake but was also suspicious and even turning the tables? Was the Jiankang court also adding to the chaos?