Sun Quan was feeling desperate when he suddenly heard someone shouting, "Jump off the horse!" He immediately rolled off the horse and fell to the ground with a thud. He felt dizzy, and felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. His mount wailed in his ears.
Jia Hua quickly ran forward and carried Sun Quan back to the front of the battle. The Wu army attacking the city was in chaos and they all retreated. The Cao army on the city took the opportunity to counterattack and shot and killed the Wu army who were climbing up the city wall with arrows.
Han Dang ordered his men to guard the central army, and the generals surrounded them. The doctor checked his injuries. Sun Quan woke up with pain and stars in his eyes. He didn't expect to be in such a miserable state on his first military command.
Although he had an arrow in his shoulder and his back was in pain, he pushed Jia Hua away, gritted his teeth and stood up, staring at the city wall and said, "Cao Ren, you bastard, I swear to kill you!"
Han Dang advised: "The lord is injured, and the army is unstable. It is better to retreat temporarily."
Sun Quan was furious and said, "After days of siege, the defenders are already exhausted. How can they let me alone save them? Attack again in half an hour."
The generals obeyed the order, and the doctor whispered beside them: "The arrows used by Cao's army are poisonous. Please return to the camp and treat them as soon as possible."
Sun Quan's heart sank and he turned his head to look, only to see that his horse's back was full of arrow feathers and it fell to the ground like a hedgehog, foaming at the mouth, and had been dead for a long time.
"You despicable dog, how dare you poison me?" Sun Quan's face changed slightly, he gritted his teeth and cursed, not daring to show off his strength anymore, and went back to the camp obediently.
Lu Su and Lu Fan were in the rear camp comforting the new recruits. When they heard that Sun Quan had been shot and fell off his horse, they hurried to check on him. They saw that the area on his shoulder where the arrow had hit him was blue, and they were all worried.
The doctor cleaned the wound several times, a soldier took the arrow to examine it, and several people gathered together to discuss it, but they still could not find a way to detoxify.
Lu Su looked solemn: "Cao Ren has hidden an ambush and deliberately targeted our lord. He must have used a strange poison that cannot be cured by ordinary medical skills."
Sun Quan sat aside with a gloomy face. It was hard to tell whether he was in pain or regret. He actually felt that he had lost all hope. He did not expect that he had failed to achieve anything and was also attacked by a hidden arrow like his brother. Is this the fate of the Sun family
Lu Fanyan said: "In the past, Zhou Tai risked his life to save the lord in Danyang. He was seriously wounded in more than ten places and was on the verge of death. Fortunately, he was treated by the genius doctor Hua Tuo and recovered in a month. Only this man can save the lord."
Lu Su's eyes lit up, and he stood up quickly and said, "When Guan Yu conquered the Central Plains, he was also attacked by a poisonous arrow. It was Hua Tuo who scraped his bones to treat the poison. He is now in Xiangyang, so you can quickly send someone to invite him to Jianye."
"Scrape the bones?" Sun Quan's eyelids twitched suddenly, and his teeth started to ache just thinking about it. How could he endure this
Lu Fan clasped his fists and said, "Poisoning requires emergency treatment. If it takes too long, the poison will penetrate into the bones and blood, and even the gods in the world will be unable to save the patient. My lord, you should send someone you can trust to Xiangyang."
Lu Su said, "In this emergency, I think Zhuge Ziyu needs to go there in person to offer condolences to Liu Biao and invite people."
Sun Quan thought about it and could not come up with a safe plan, so he nodded and agreed. However, he was wondering in his heart whether he should send someone to inform Wu Guotai, as she was quite experienced in detoxification and perhaps the operation would not be necessary.
While he was hesitating, Lu Fan advised: "It has been raining for several days recently. The lord is injured and poisoned. You can't stay in the camp any longer. You should go back to Jianye to rest."
Sun Quan shook his head and said, "How can I return to Jianye without taking Shouchun? The two armies have been at a stalemate for a long time. If I leave the camp, it will affect the morale of the soldiers. Wouldn't it be a waste of all the previous efforts? Minor injuries are not a big deal. The casualties among the soldiers are numerous. I should share the joys and sorrows with them."
Lu Fan knew Sun Quan well. He knew that Sun Quan was unwilling to return to Jianye first because he must be embarrassed because of his previous oath. So he said, "Since my lord has such a wish, why should we worry about failure? The soldiers saw that Sun Quan was injured in the battle today. We cannot hide it. But the fact that he was poisoned must not be disclosed."
Sun Quan nodded and said, "I have my reasons. During dinner today, I will inspect the troops with my wounds to boost the morale of the three armies. We must unite to attack Shouchun."
Lu Fan took the order and left, first telling the three armies not to be nervous, saying that the Marquis of Wu was only shot in the shoulder and was not seriously injured. He was unwilling to return to Jiangdong first, and wanted to share the hardships with the soldiers.
In the evening, Sun Quan rode his horse to inspect the camp. Although he had a bandage on his shoulder and his left arm was hanging, he still held the front line. The Wu army was all moved and their morale was greatly boosted again.
…
In Shouchun City, Cao Ren also had a worried look on his face. The Wu army's attack was fierce and the defenders were under great pressure. Most of the arrows and weapons that they had stored for half a year had been consumed. If this continued, the Wu army would break into the city in another half month.
Sima Yi said, "General, don't worry. It usually takes ten times as many troops to break a city, not to mention Shouchun is so strong. Our army is exhausted now, and the Wu army must be in a mess. Once they lose their momentum, they will collapse like a landslide, just like the time when we crossed Guandu. Sun Quan has been injured and poisoned. In my opinion, the Wu army is already at the end of its strength. If we hold on for a while, the enemy will collapse!"
Cao Ren pondered and said, "Sun Quan is injured, and the Wu army must be in chaos. I want to raid the camp tonight and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop. What do you think, Zhongda?"
"No!" Sima Yi advised: "Although Sun Quan is not good at commanding troops, Jiangdong also has many capable people. Lu Zijing and Lu Boyan are both wise men. Huang Gai and Han Dang are veterans of the battlefield. They must be on guard at this time. If the commander-in-chief goes there rashly, he may be controlled by them."
Cao Ren walked around twice with his hands behind his back, and said in a deep voice: "Although the Wu army is in a state of collapse, if we don't use manpower, we may have to regroup. If we miss the opportunity, wouldn't it be a pity? I will lead the elite troops out of the city and act according to the situation. Zhongda will support us in the city. What do you think of this plan?"
Sima Yi still shook his head and said, "The governor is the pillar of the Central Plains. We must not send him out lightly. If there is a mistake, then Qing and Xu states will be lost. If Sun Quan gains power, the whole thing will be over! If you really want to give it a try, you can send another general."
Cao Ren sighed, "Zi Lian is guarding the Huai River, Zang Ba is guarding Xia Pi, and the other generals in the army are not strong enough to fight against the Wu army. If I don't go there myself, I'm afraid it will be difficult to defeat the enemy."
Sima Yi thought for a moment and said, "The one that everyone in Jiangdong fears is Zhang Wenyuan! The battle at Xiaoyaojin stopped the children in Jiangdong from crying. Why not select someone who looks like Zhang Liao from the army and charge into the enemy camp overnight? The Wu army will not know the real situation and will panic when they hear the name of Zhang Liao. It won't be too late to act when the situation changes."
"This is a brilliant plan!" Cao Ren laughed and clapped his hands. "A few days ago, I was thinking that if Zhang Liao defended Shouchun, Sun Quan might not dare to force him like this. I will kill him tonight."
He then ordered his men to call Generals Niu Jin and Chang Diao, and ordered them to select one man from the army to impersonate Zhang Liao, and to select five thousand elite soldiers to hide at the south gate at three o'clock in the morning, and when the drums sounded at the east and west gates, they would quietly attack Sun Quan's central army.
Cao Ren led the army to wait in the city, ready to respond to various troops at any time. Sima Yi observed the enemy situation on the city wall. If the Wu army was in chaos, he would take advantage of the situation to attack Shouchun and defeat it in one fell swoop.
At three o'clock in the morning, Cao's army quietly went out from the east and west gates, holding torches and rushing towards the enemy camp. When they reached the gate, they were shot with arrows. The Wu army beat drums and shouted, showing that they were well prepared. Cao's army had no choice but to retreat back into the city.
Sima Yi stood alone in the corner tower on the south wall. He did not order the soldiers to light the lights, as if he had merged into the darkness. He waited until it was completely quiet outside before he gave a calm order: "Open the city!"