Chapter 286: Scapegoat
Lu Su said indifferently: “We are indeed waiting for the Jiangdong battle to become a foregone conclusion, but Gongjin, you don’t think the fall of the Jiangdong Regime is our responsibility, do you!”
Zhou Yu fell silent. Indeed! What does the collapse of Jiangdong have to do with Gan Ning? The fall of the Jiangdong Regime was already doomed from the moment Sun Quan ascended to the throne and chose the Jiangnan noble families.
Since Jiangdong chose to become prey itself, why couldn’t Gan Ning become the hunter? Why hand the prey over to Cao Cao?
Having figured this out, a wry smile slowly appeared on Zhou Yu’s face. He shook his head. “I underestimated the Marquis of Chu. I underestimated all of you.”
Lu Su looked at Zhou Yu, his gaze filled with expectation. “Gongjin, we await your choice!”
Zhou Yu’s gaze became resolute. He slowly nodded in agreement. “To serve the Marquis of Chu is my honor!”
The attacking allied warships had already disappeared. The raging fires in the water fortress had lit up the entire sky red, making the whole lake surface seem ablaze. Thick smoke blotted out the sky, and deep red flames kept spewing tongues of fire amid the smoke.
At this time, Cao Cao arrived at the navy barracks under the protection of several thousand cavalry. The sky-high flames on the lake filled him with despair. His face was pale, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word.
Yu Jin had the soldiers bind him, trussed up tightly. He walked forward, knelt down, and pleaded guilty.
“This subordinate is guilty. Please, Chancellor, behead me and display my head to the troops!”
Cao Cao looked at the barracks, then at Yu Jin kneeling on the ground, and asked in a trembling voice: “How many soldiers died in battle?”
Yu Jin lowered his head and said: “Five hundred and twenty soldiers died in battle.”
Cao Cao was stunned. Why so few?
He wanted to ask Yu Jin, but felt utterly exhausted. He closed his eyes and after a long pause said: “Come see me tomorrow morning!”
He turned and walked toward the main army tent in the barracks.
Soon after, Cheng Yu, Xun Yu, Jia Xu, Chen Qun, and a group of strategists hurried over. The towering flames from the water fortress left everyone dumbfounded.
After a good while, Cheng Yu suddenly asked: “Where is the Chancellor?”
A soldier pointed at the main army tent. The crowd hurried over. Xu Chu, guarding the tent entrance, bowed and said: “Gentlemen strategists, the Chancellor is very tired. He wants to rest and see no one. Whatever you have to say, do it tomorrow morning.”
The crowd exchanged glances. Everyone’s mood became very heavy. This fire attack had struck the Chancellor too deeply.
The next morning, the fires in the water fortress had mostly died out. A few large ships were still burning. The other nearly two thousand warships and water fence had been burned to pitch black charcoal, most sunk. The water surface was a mess of wreckage. Countless soldiers stood on the shore gazing at the warship remnants, somewhat at a loss.
In the main tent, the generals were assembled. Yu Jin was still bound and kneeling on the ground. Cao Cao waved his hand, signaling soldiers to untie the ropes for him.
The ropes were cut with a dagger. Once freed, Yu Jin’s arms were numb and without sensation.
Cao Cao slowly asked: “Tell me now, why only five hundred and twenty casualties?”
Yu Jin lowered his head and said softly: “This subordinate ordered the soldiers prohibited from boarding ships.”
“Why? Because there wasn’t time?” Cao Cao’s gaze sharply fixed on him.
“No. Our scout ships spotted the attacking enemy army fleet three li away and timely rang the alarm bells. The navy soldiers all rushed out of the main tent, but since we had no training for navy night battles, this subordinate… this subordinate believed that fighting at night would lead to total annihilation. Not only would the warships be lost, but the thirty thousand officers and soldiers would perish in the lake too, so…”
“So you chose to abandon them and watched two thousand warships burn?”
“This subordinate is guilty and willing to be beheaded and displayed to the troops!”
Cao Cao did not answer. He muttered to himself, “No training for night battles?”
He suddenly raised his eyelids and stared intently at Yu Jin, his gaze instantly hardening like a knife.
“General Yu, tell me the truth. Do you actually know anything about the navy?”
Yu Jin’s lips quivered. After a long while, he said softly: “This subordinate actually doesn’t know. This subordinate thought naval battles were just soldiers boarding ships to fiercely battle the enemy army, thought their goal was to eliminate soldiers, but never dreamed that they didn’t care about soldiers at all—their target was the warships!”
“Did Cai Mao and Zhang Yun remind you?”
Yu Jin shook his head. “No reminder. Now this subordinate thinks they actually don’t understand naval battles either.”
Cao Cao glanced at Cai Mao and Zhang Yun standing behind, and asked coldly: “Why?”
“If they understood naval battles, they never should have built the water fortress in the lake bay. It’s no different from stripping off armor and standing before the enemy army. The Western Chu Army could destroy our warships at any time.
Only last night did this subordinate realize the stupidity of our garrison site selection, but Generals Cai and Zhang never mentioned this issue. They should have known that garrisoning in Pengli Marsh is no different from garrisoning in the Yangtze River.”
Cai Mao and Zhang Yun stood right behind Yu Jin. The two grew more frightened the more they heard, trembling all over. Their legs gave out with a ‘thud!’ and they knelt. Of course they understood—this was Yu Jin preparing to shift the blame to them.
“Chancellor, this isn’t our responsibility!” Zhang Yun’s voice carried a sobbing tone.
Cai Mao calmed slightly and shouted urgently: “Warships coming to Pengli Marsh—wherever they garrison, it’s the same. This has nothing to do with us!”
Cao Cao indeed planned to make an example of the two. With such a serious incident—two thousand warships destroyed—someone had to take responsibility. Yu Jin was one of his Five Elite Generals whom he had followed for years; Cao Cao couldn’t bear to kill him. Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, the two navy deputy generals, became the perfect scapegoats.
Cao Cao stared at the two and said coldly: “Ordering the warships to shift west was my decision. According to you two, is the responsibility mine?”
Their faces changed drastically. They waved their hands desperately. “No! That’s not what we meant!”
Cao Cao snorted heavily. “If the warships had been moored on Xunyang Water, our army could have garrisoned on both sides of Xunyang Water. The enemy army couldn’t have raided so easily. This is clearly a site selection issue. Isn’t this your responsibility? And you’re pushing it onto others?”
The two were instantly speechless. Cao Cao was right, but in fact no one would moor ships on Xunyang Water. The navy training hurdle alone couldn’t pass, and Cao Cao certainly wouldn’t agree. But now to convict them, even impossible things became crimes.
Murderous intent flashed in Cao Cao’s eyes. He raised his voice: “This is a site selection responsibility. You two cannot shirk your crimes. Come!”
Over a dozen axe-hand executioners appeared. Cao Cao pointed at the two and said coldly: “Drag them out and behead them. Display their heads to the troops!”
The soldiers dragged the two away like hungry wolves. Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were scared out of their wits, pleading desperately: “Chancellor, spare us! Chancellor, spare us!”
Their cries faded into the distance. Soon, soldiers brought in trays with their bloody heads. Cao Cao waved his hand. “Display them to the troops!”
Cao Cao slowly said to Yu Jin: “By rights, as commander, you should be executed. But you forbade soldiers from boarding ships, avoiding greater casualties. This seemingly absurd decision was actually the most correct last night and extremely difficult—it showed the responsibility of a famous general. So your merits and faults cancel out. This time, I won’t hold you accountable!”
Yu Jin was moved to tears, kowtowing and choking: “Thank you for the Chancellor’s grace!”
