The Three Kingdoms Volume 2 (21 page)

Having received their orders the officers left the camp to busy themselves with preparations, getting ready the boats and arms for the expedition. Cheng Pu’s son returned home and told his father about how well Zhou Yu had deployed the troops. Cheng Pu was greatly surprised. “I have always despised Zhou Yu as a mere weakling who would never become a true general,” he said, “but this shows that he has the talent of a fine commander. I must support him.” So he went over to the headquarters to apologize. For his part, Zhou Yu thanked him modestly for his assistance and the two made up.

The next day Zhou Yu sent for Zhuge Jin and said to him: “Your brother is a genius, a man born to be a king’s counselor. Why then does he waste his talent to serve Liu Bei? Luckily he is here at present and I hope you will use all your eloquence to persuade him to leave Liu Bei and stay with us. Thus our lord will gain wise counsel and you two brothers can be together. Wouldn’t that be excellent? I hope you will go at once.”

Zhuge Jin replied, “I am ashamed of the little service I have rendered since I came here. I will certainly obey your command to the best of my ability.”

So saying he went away to see his brother in the guesthouse. Zhuge Liang welcomed him in, and weeping, bowed to him respectfully. Then they told each other their experiences since they parted and Zhuge Jin asked in tears, “Brother, do you remember the story of Bo Yi and Shu Qi?”

“So Zhou Yu has sent him to talk me over,” thought Zhuge Liang. He replied, “Yes, they were two ancient saints.”

“Those two brothers would never part, even when perishing of hunger at the foot of the Shouyang Hills. You and I were born of the same mother and suckled at the same breast, yet we serve different masters and are thus separated from each other. Shouldn’t we feel ashamed when we think of Bo Yi and Shu Qi?”

Zhuge Liang replied, “You are speaking in terms of human love, but what I stand for is duty. We are both subjects of Han and my master Liu Bei is a descendant of the Han house. If you, brother, could leave Wu and join me in serving the rightful lord, then on the one hand we would prove ourselves to be true officials of Han and on the other we two of the same flesh and blood could be together. Thus love and duty will both be honored. What do you think of it, brother?”

“I came to persuade him,” thought Zhuge Jin, “and now I’m being persuaded.” As he had no fitting reply to make, he rose and took his leave. Returning to Zhou Yu he related to him what had happened.

“What do you think?” asked Zhou Yu.

“General Sun has treated me with great kindness and I will never turn my back on him,” replied Zhuge Jin.

“Since you decide to remain loyal, there is no need to say any more. I think I know how to deal with your brother.”

The wisest men see eye to eye, for each but sees the right;

But should their several interests clash, they all the fiercer fight.

How Zhou Yu deals with Zhuge Liang will be told in the next chapter.

*
An official in the service of the king of Yue at the end of the Spring and Autumn period. After Yue was destroyed by Wu, Fan Li allegedly had the beauty Xi Shi sent to the king of Wu in the hope that the latter would slacken his vigilance against possible revenge from Yue. Ten years later, Wu was overthrown by Yue.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Cao Cao Suffers Defeat at the Junction of Three Rivers

Jiang Gan Is Tricked at a Gathering of Heroes

Z
hou
Yu was very much annoyed after hearing Zhuge Jin’s words and a hatred for Zhuge Liang took root in his heart. He nourished a secret resolve to do away with him.

The following day when all his officers and men were mustered and ready, he went to bid farewell to his lord.

“You go first,” said Sun Quan. “I will soon follow with reinforcements.” Zhou Yu took his leave and then, with Cheng Pu and Lu Su, set out with the troops. Before he started, however, he invited Zhuge Liang to accompany them and as the latter cheerfully agreed, the four of them embarked on the same ship. They set sail and the fleet headed for Xiakou. About sixty
li
from the junction of the three rivers the fleet anchored and the men encamped on the bank beneath the Western Hills. Zhou Yu’s tent was set in the middle, surrounded by his troops, but Zhuge Liang took up his quarters in a small boat.

When all the camping arrangements were complete, Zhou Yu sent someone to invite Zhuge Liang to his tent for counsel. After an exchange of greetings Zhou Yu said, “Cao Cao had fewer troops than Yuan Shao. He nevertheless overcame him because he followed Xu You’s advice and destroyed Yuan Shao’s grain supplies first. Now Cao Cao has over 830,000 men, while we have but a little over 50,000. In order to defeat him his supplies must be destroyed first. I have found out that his main depot is at the Iron Hill. As you have lived here for a long time you must be familiar with the topography of this region. I would like to trouble you to go tonight with your officers, like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, and cut off his grain supplies. I will assist you with a thousand men. As we are both working for our masters, I hope you will not refuse.”

Zhuge Liang saw through this at once. He thought to himself, “He saw that I could not be persuaded so he wants to kill me. If I refuse he will laugh at me. Better agree now and then find some means to thwart him.” Therefore he quickly accepted the task, much to the joy of Zhou Yu.

After he had taken his leave, Lu Su asked Zhou Yu secretly, “Why have you set him this task?”

“Because I want to kill him,” replied Zhou Yu, “but I fear others may laugh at me. So I’m sending him to his death at the hands of Cao Cao to prevent him from doing any mischief in the future.”

Lu Su left and went to Zhuge Liang to ascertain whether he suspected anything. He found him busy preparing for the troops to set out, looking quite unconcerned. As he felt rather sorry for him, Lu Su tried to warn him with a meaningful question, “Do you think this expedition will succeed?”

Zhuge Liang replied with a smile, “I’m adept at all sorts of fighting, be it on water, on foot, on horseback, or in chariots. There is no doubt of my success. I’m not like you and Zhou Yu, only capable of one thing.”

“What do you mean?” asked Lu Su.

Zhuge Liang replied, “I have heard that the street boys in your country chant this: ‘To lay an ambush, hold a pass, Lu Su is the man to choose; but when fighting on water, Zhou Yu is the man to use.’ You are only fit for laying ambushes and guarding passes, while he is only skillful at fighting on water.”

Lu Su carried this story to Zhou Yu, who exclaimed angrily, “How dare he flout me and say that I can’t fight a land battle? I don’t want him to go. I will go myself with 10,000 men and cut off Cao Cao’s supplies.”

Lu Su went back and told this to Zhuge Liang, who smiled and said, “He sent me on this expedition because he wants Cao Cao to kill me. And so I teased him with that little chant, but it was already too much for him to bear. Now we are at a critical moment and we need every man we have. As long as our two sides act in unity we will succeed, whereas if each one tries to harm the other the whole scheme will fail. Cao Cao is no fool and is very good at cutting off an enemy’s supplies. Surely he has taken double precautions against any surprise attack on his own depot. If Zhou Yu goes, he will be taken prisoner. What he ought to do now is to bring about a decisive naval battle, so as to dishearten the northern men, and then find some other means to defeat them completely. I hope you can convince him about what his best course is.”

Without loss of time, Lu Su went to Zhou Yu to relate what Zhuge Liang had told him. As he listened to it, Zhou Yu shook his head and stamped his feet in dismay.

“This man is far too clever, ten times cleverer than me. He must die or we will suffer in the future.”

Lu Su said, “This is the moment when every man counts. You must place what is good for the country above all else. Once Cao Cao is defeated you can deal with him.”

Zhou Yu consented.

It is now time to return to Liu Bei. He had ordered his nephew Liu Qi to hold Jiangxia, while he and the bulk of the army returned to Xiakou. One day he saw the opposite bank thick with banners and glittering with spears and halberds. He knew then that the troops from Wu had arrived. So he moved all his force from Jiangxia to Fankou.

Then he assembled his men and said to them, “Kongming went to Wu some time ago but no word has come from him so far. I wonder how things stand now. Who will go and find out for me?”

“I will,” volunteered Mi Zhu. So presents were prepared and Mi Zhu set out for Wu to gather information, under the pretext of offering some reward to the army. He sailed downstream in a small boat and presently came to Zhou Yu’s tent. The soldiers reported his arrival to Zhou Yu, who ordered him to be brought in. Mi Zhu bowed low to the commander, conveyed his master’s respects, and presented the gifts. Zhou Yu accepted them and then gave a banquet in honor of his guest.

Mi Zhu said, “Zhuge Liang has been here a long time and I hope he can return with me.”

Zhou Yu replied, “He and I are making plans to worst Cao Cao. How can he go back now? I also would like to see your master so that we may discuss our plans together, but my duty as a commander does not allow me to get away, even for a moment. If your master would only come here I would be most gratified.”

Mi Zhu agreed to take the message to his master and took his leave.

After he had gone, Lu Su asked, “Why do you want to invite Liu Bei here?”

Zhou Yu said, “Liu Bei is a most ambitious and dangerous man and must be removed. I’m taking this opportunity to persuade him to come, and when he is slain a great danger will cease to threaten our country.”

Lu Su tried to dissuade him but Zhou Yu would not listen to what he said. He went on with his plot to kill Liu Bei. Fifty guards were ordered in secret to hide themselves behind the curtains of his tent. When Liu Bei arrived, they were to come out and slay him—the signal would be the dropping of a cup.

Meanwhile Mi Zhu had returned and told Liu Bei of Zhou Yu’s desire to see him. Suspecting nothing, Liu Bei at once ordered his men to prepare a fast vessel to take him there without loss of time.

However, Guan Yu was opposed to his going. He said, “Zhou Yu is artful and can’t be trusted. Besides, Zhuge Liang has sent no word about this meeting.”

Liu Bei replied, “I have joined my forces to theirs in this attack on our common enemy. Now Zhou Yu wishes to see me and it will not be the right response of an ally if I refuse to go. Nothing will succeed if both sides hold suspicions.”

“If you really want to go, then I’ll go with you,” said Guan Yu.

“And so will I,” cried Zhang Fei.

But Liu Bei said that Guan Yu alone was enough to accompany him, for he was only leaving for a short time. He ordered Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun to guard their camp and Jian Yong to hold the nearby town of Erxian.

So after issuing these orders, Liu Bei embarked with his brother on a small ship. They were escorted by just twenty soldiers. The light craft traveled very quickly down the river. Liu Bei rejoiced greatly at the sight of the vessels of Wu anchored neatly by the bank, the soldiers in armor and all the pomp and panoply of war. Everything was in excellent order.

His arrival was at once reported to Zhou Yu.

“How many ships has he brought with him?” asked Zhou Yu.

“Only one,” replied the guards, “and some twenty attendants.”