At first, Lu Yu selected two admirals for the Long Xiao Camp navy.
The vice-admiral was Gan Ning!
As for the grand admiral, it was the undisputed and unassuming Wen Pin!
Zhao Yun was an undefeated general on land;
Wen Pin, however, had never lost a battle, whether on land or at sea.
Judging by his combat record, he was more than capable of the role.
Historically, Wen Pin had defended Jiangxia, governed the northern troops, and secured Jingjiang, earning him great renown…
Although his performance in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was not particularly outstanding, in reality, it was precisely due to his presence that Cao Cao's losses were not further exacerbated after the defeat at Chibi.
When Guan Yu led his army north, it was Wen Pin who repeatedly obstructed Guan Yu's forces.
He even achieved glorious victories such as capturing Guan Yu's supplies and burning Guan Yu's warships. Of course, he also repelled Sun Quan's attacks numerous times, which seemed unremarkable, as everyone knew Sun Quan's combat effectiveness was hardly worth mentioning.
"For decades in Jiangxia, he commanded respect and earned renown, his name feared by enemies."
This is the praise he received in historical records, and he was posthumously honored as "Zhuang"!
As the glorious achievements of this General Wen Pin flashed through his mind, Lu Yu's anticipation grew.
The journey was swift…
Upon entering Xiangyang City, Lu Yu did not immediately pay his respects to Cao Cao, but went directly to Wen Pin's residence.
"Neigh…"
As the warhorse neighed, Lu Yu dismounted. Several armored soldiers from the Long Xiao Camp were already waiting there.
"How is it?"
Lu Yu asked as he walked.
"After Lady Cai and Young Master Liu Cong surrendered the nine commanderies of Jingxiang, most of the civil and military officials in Jingzhou also surrendered. Only General Wen Pin, whom Commander Lu values, refused to yield and even starved himself to express his loyalty!"
The armored soldiers of the Long Xiao Camp reported truthfully.
Lu Yu's footsteps paused. "Did he say anything?"
The armored soldiers of the Long Xiao Camp replied truthfully, "He said he failed to protect his territory and felt ashamed to face anyone!"
This…
Lu Yu's brow furrowed slightly. He pondered that among the navy, Gan Ning's Flying Boat was at best for harassment, relying on surprise to win. To win through a proper engagement, one still needed the warships commanded by Wen Pin.
His refusal to surrender… this was a problem!
However…
Lu Yu fell into contemplation, recalling Wen Pin's character. Such a stubborn, single-minded person would not surrender even with a knife to his throat if you couldn't reason with him.
"Ahem…"
With a light cough, Lu Yu surveyed the imposing gate of the general's mansion before him and immediately instructed, "Present my calling card."
"It was presented earlier, but General Wen Pin said he would see no one!"
Heh heh…
Lu Yu chuckled. He had encountered someone utterly unreasonable.
"Then… break down the door!"
Resolutely, Lu Yu made up his mind and immediately ordered the door to be broken down.
"Boom, boom…"
The men of the Long Xiao Camp were all clad in fine steel armor. The force of men ramming the door was akin to a bull charging at full speed. Even so, the gate of the general's mansion remained as solid as a rock, much like Wen Pin's disposition – stubborn as a mule!
It was Dian Wei who took action, stepping aside with great force. The entire gate, along with the threshold… crashed down.
Lu Yu, with an unsurprised expression, immediately stepped inside.
Turning a corner, he saw Wen Pin sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard. Before him was food, but he seemed unwilling to eat.
The meal on the table had not been touched.
Lu Yu's words blurted out.
"As the saying goes, people are iron and rice is their steel; a day without eating leads to hunger." Lu Yu walked up to Wen Pin, with Dian Wei following closely, afraid that this eccentric general might harm Lu Yu.
"General Wen Pin? It shouldn't be like this, just because you lost a battle? Why are you starving yourself, like a three-year-old child?"
Heh…
Upon hearing this, Wen Pin let out a cold laugh.
"Who are you?"
"Lu Yu!"
"So it is Lord Bai Ma!"
"A pleasure to meet you." Lu Yu smiled slightly, appearing quite friendly.
Wen Pin also smiled, "Lord Bai Ma is so uncivilized, breaking down my door. Have you come to escort me to the execution ground?"
"Going to the execution ground would be too boring." Lu Yu waved his hand.
"Then is Lord Bai Ma here to persuade me to surrender?"
"Not exactly." Lu Yu waved his hand. "If it were that easy to persuade, I wouldn't need to come."
Wen Pin's eyes widened, and he looked up at Lu Yu with interest. "Then, Lord Bai Ma, why have you come here? What is your purpose?"
"To reason with you!" Lu Yu smiled faintly and sat on the stone bench next to Wen Pin. "Or, you could say, to scold you. To be honest, you truly deserve to be scolded!"
"You…" Instantly, Wen Pin clenched his fist, nearly making a move.
Dian Wei, however, stepped in front of Lu Yu.
"If General Wen Pin's fists are itching, I, Dian Wei, would be happy to oblige…"
"The ancient fierce general?" Wen Pin squinted his eyes. He hadn't expected this burly man to be the renowned ancient fierce general, Dian Wei!
"Hmph…"
Wen Pin stood up, hands behind his back. "How could I be a match for the ancient fierce general?"
"You know that well!" Dian Wei yielded no ground!
Seeing the atmosphere turn tense.
"This battlefield isn't just about fighting and killing…" Lu Yu gestured for Dian Wei to step back. "Today, I've come here specifically to discuss human relationships and etiquette."
"Human relationships and etiquette?" Wen Pin squinted, clearly looking down on Lu Yu with disdain. "Although you, Lu Ziyu, are famous throughout the land, if you've come here merely to humiliate me, then I will fight you to the death!"
Boom…
As he spoke, Wen Pin slammed his fist onto the stone table, causing the entire stone table to rumble. Lu Yu winced at the sight.
"Don't be impulsive… calm down, calm down."
Lu Yu attempted to pacify his emotions. "General Wen Pin… perhaps you could listen to me. If you find what I say unreasonable, I will leave immediately, and I guarantee that no one from our Great Wei will bother you again."
"Heh heh! I hope so!" Wen Pin replied coldly.
Lu Yu then began to reason with him.
"General Wen Pin, you claim to uphold integrity, a general and loyal minister under Liu Jingsheng, yet… you failed to protect the land of Jingzhou, which is dereliction of duty. Furthermore, you failed to remain loyal to your deceased lord, which is disloyalty. Therefore, you have no face to show the world, so you lock yourself away and seek death. Am I right?"
This…
Lu Yu's words struck a chord with Wen Pin. He thought exactly that in his heart.
"Yes…"
He answered, but still maintained his last shred of stubbornness, adding a "hmph" at the end of his word, signifying defiance!
Lu Yu's voice continued.
"But in reality, if you were to die, would that be fair to Jingzhou? To the people living in this land? To the deceased Liu Jingsheng? To Liu Jingsheng's descendants, your future young lord?"
Lu Yu also stood up, his tone stern.
"You…" Wen Pin retorted, "Do not slander me! A scholar dies for his confidant. I, Wen Pin, am loyal and righteous throughout my life. I was born a man of Jingzhou and will die as its soul. You can kill me, but if you slander my reputation, I will not forgive you!"
Crack crack…
Lu Yu could hear the collision of bones as Wen Pin clenched his fists, making a "bang bang" sound.
"Heh heh…"
Lu Yu smiled slightly, but before he could utter more confrontational words.
"Lord Liu Jingsheng is deceased, but did he not pass on his position to his second son, Liu Cong? Or does Jingzhou no longer have a new master? Or perhaps… the current Governor of Jingzhou is King Wei? Or is it me, Lu Ziyu? The constant attacks from Jiangdong against Jiangxia… is King Wei your true enemy? Clearly… it is Jiangdong. What are you still clinging to, General Wen Pin?"
This…
Wen Pin was stunned. This eccentric general was rendered speechless by a single sentence from Liu Cong.
Lu Yu hadn't expected Liu Cong's appearance to be so effective…
This was a divine assist!
"Ahem…"
He coughed lightly and quickly spoke, "What is a loyal minister? What defines a loyal minister?"
"Currently, Jingzhou is a land surrounded by enemies. To the south are the four commanderies of Jingnan, which have not yet submitted. To the west, the land of Bashu covets us. To the east, Liu Bei and the Sun family of Jiangdong are stirring."
"Yet, General Wen Pin, you claim to be a staunch supporter of Liu Jingsheng, but instead of devising ways to protect the territory and pacify the people, to defend against foreign enemies, and to make Jingzhou as solid as a rock, you resort to starving yourself in protest and preferring death to surrender? Heh heh… what a loyal minister indeed. If the Sun family of Jiangdong, who repeatedly invaded Jingzhou, were to achieve their goals, and Jingxiang's nine commanderies were lost, would General Wen Pin be satisfied, believing that you were honoring the spirit of Liu Jingsheng in heaven?"
Phew…
Phew…
Wen Pin was now completely silenced. Because of Liu Cong's preceding words, Lu Yu's words were no longer a scolding, but a dissection of his very being. Each sentence spoken was as if nailing Wen Pin to the pillar of shame forever.
But Lu Yu's words were far from over.
"General Wen Pin, open your eyes and see, Liu Bei brings civilians across the river, using them as shields?"
"But what about our Great Wei? With such a great opportunity, we did not pursue Liu Bei, choosing instead to let this grave threat escape rather than harm a single civilian, and we brought back every single civilian."
"Liu Bei conscripted houses from all the people of Xinye, giving them only a hundred coins, treating them like beggars. But Great Wei? Great Wei repaired the houses in Xinye City, allowing the people to return to their homes, and reduced the taxes in Jingzhou to help the people rebuild their homes."
"And what about Pang Degong? General Wen Pin, you are not unfamiliar with him, are you? A hermit of great virtue, yet even he, due to the benevolent deeds of our Great Wei, brought his entire clan to pledge allegiance to Great Wei and serve Great Wei. According to what General Wen Pin said, is he also a disloyal person?"
"Tell me, if General Wen Pin were an ordinary citizen of Jingzhou, at this moment, would you choose the hypocritical Liu Bei? Or would you choose Great Wei, choose King Wei, choose me Lu Ziyu? Or the second and eldest sons? Are they truly that important? Is your loyalty to a name? A title? Or to the common people of Jingzhou truly having a better life?"
Lu Yu's voice rose with each sentence, becoming sharper and more incisive.
Each word struck Wen Pin's heart.
But the impact of these words had not ended; they were still continuing, expanding, and spreading.
"What is loyalty? To ensure the safety of the lord's heir and the peace of Jingzhou, this is loyalty."
"What is loyalty? It is not just spoken words; starving oneself in protest is not loyalty. With the time spent starving, it would be better to preserve oneself and do something more meaningful."
"What is loyalty? You should do something that would allow Liu Jingsheng in the afterlife to rest in peace and be comforted, to provide better protection for the second young master! To give the people a more peaceful home!"
Phew…
At this point, Lu Yu paused. He no longer pressed aggressively but gave Wen Pin ample time to absorb his words.
"Alright, General Wen Pin, I can only say so much. The rest, you ponder it, you ponder it carefully!"
With that said…
Lu Yu turned around, about to leave.
Stomp…
Stomp!
Taking two steps, just as Lu Yu was about to exit the gate, "Wait…" a hoarse yet powerful voice called out. Wen Pin stopped Lu Yu.
His eyes constantly swept over Liu Cong, then over Lu Yu…
Finally, he seemed to have made his final decision.
"Pin, unable to protect his territory, is a dereliction of duty, and should be punished at home, with no face to face heaven and earth!"
"But as Lord Bai Ma said, if I remain holed up at home like this, how can I protect my former lord's son, how can I protect my former lord's people?"
"I, Wen Pin, also wish to defend Hanchuan and protect the land. Only then would I be worthy of Liu Jingsheng, worthy of Young Master Liu Cong, and die without shame!"
Speaking thus, Wen Pin strode forward to stand before Lu Yu.
With a "clack," he knelt on one knee.
"Lord Bai Ma, your subordinate Wen Pin, pledges his service!"
Phew…
With those words, Lu Yu let out a long sigh of relief. At last, reason had prevailed, and this was a joyous occasion.
With Wen Pin, the Long Xiao Camp's navy was significantly solidified.
Immediately, Lu Yu quickly helped Wen Pin to his feet.
"General Wen Pin, please rise quickly. The Long Xiao Camp navy is in great need of a grand commander. The position awaits – General Wen Pin!"
…
…
He had overexerted himself.
In Xiangyang City, within Lady Cai's chambers, Cao Cao had overexerted himself a bit too much…
He was nearly fifty years old now, no longer like a young man who could gallop freely. A slip of the kind could lead to overexertion, he needed to take it easy!
"Agh… Agh…"
At this moment, Cao Cao clutched his forehead…
The pain in his waist often radiated to his forehead, his headaches recurring.
"My King, My King…"
Lady Cai, with a seductive expression, gently massaged Cao Cao's head with her hands. "Who would have thought, My King also suffers from this headache? From now on, whenever your head hurts, come to this concubine. This concubine will properly massage it for My King."
Phew…
Indeed, after being massaged by Lady Cai's hands, Cao Cao's headache improved.
As Cao Cao enjoyed the massage from the slender jade hands, he asked, "Did Cong go to Wen Pin's place?"
"Yes!" Lady Cai nodded. "My King cares so much for Lu Ziyu, and this concubine is by My King's side because of Lord Bai Ma. Hearing that Lu Ziyu went to persuade that stubborn Wen Pin, naturally, I had to help him!"
"With the two of them going… I don't think there will be much of a problem." Cao Cao nodded slightly, intending to close his eyes and rest.
But suddenly…
Cao Cao thought of something.
He shouted, "Zhong Kang!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Xu Chu, not daring to enter the room, guarded outside the door.
"In Xinye City, what about Pang Shiyuan?" Cao Cao asked with great interest.
Xu Chu quickly replied, "Just now, the Tiger Guards sent news that the severed arm has actually been reattached… it is truly unfathomable!"
Lady Cai, for some reason, did not understand why Cao Cao asked this.
She softly asked, "My King, why do you ask this?"
Cao Cao gently raised his hand and placed it on Lady Cai's hand, saying with interest, "If opening the chest and exposing the entrails can lead to survival, and a severed arm can be reattached, Madame, tell me, how about using a sharp axe to open my skull to treat my headaches?"
Ah…
Opening the skull with a sharp axe?
Upon hearing this, Lady Cai's pupils widened immensely.
Opening the skull with a sharp axe? Would the person still be alive?
For a moment, she felt as if this were a joke!
…
…