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.”
Zhou Yu laughed, “His fate is sealed.” He sent for the executioners at once and ordered them to conceal themselves inside his tent, and when all was arranged for the assassination he contemplated, he went out to welcome his visitor. Liu Bei came with Guan Yu and his attendants to Zhou Yu’s tent. After the greetings Zhou Yu asked his guest to take the seat of honor, but Liu Bei declined, saying, “General, you are famous throughout the country while I am a man of no talent. I cannot accept such great honor.”
So they took their seats as host and guest and a banquet was given to entertain Liu Bei.
Now it so happened that Zhuge Liang came on shore by chance and heard that his master had arrived to meet Zhou Yu. The news gave him a great shock and he hastened to Zhou Yu’s tent to steal a look inside. He saw murder written on Zhou Yu’s face and noted the many assassins hidden behind the curtains. “What’s to be done now?”
he said to himself in distress. He turned to look at Liu Bei, and much to his surprise, he found him laughing and talking quite unconcernedly. Then he noticed the figure of Guan Yu standing behind Liu Bei, with his hand on his sword.
He was greatly relieved. “There will be no danger for my master,” he said joyfully. He decided not to go in, but returned to the riverbank to wait for his master there.
Meanwhile, the banquet proceeded. After the wine had gone around several times Zhou Yu got up to pour wine for his guest when he suddenly saw a powerful warrior behind Liu Bei, sword in hand. He hastily asked who he was.
“That is my brother, Guan Yu,” replied Liu Bei.
Greatly startled, Zhou Yu asked, “Is he the one who killed Yan Liang and Wen Chou?”
“Exactly,” replied Liu Bei.
Fear gripped Zhou Yu and he broke into a cold sweat, which trickled down his back. Then he poured out a cup of wine and presented it to Guan Yu.
Soon Lu Su came in and Liu Bei said to him, “Where is Zhuge Liang? Could I trouble you to ask him to come?”
“Wait till we have defeated Cao Cao,” said Zhou Yu. Liu Bei dared not repeat his request. Guan Yu gave him a meaningful look and Liu Bei, taking the hint, rose and said, “I must leave now but I will come again to congratulate you when our enemy is defeated and our success is complete.”
Zhou Yu did not press him to remain. He escorted his guest to the gate of his camp, where Liu Bei took leave of his host and headed toward the shore. When he and his group reached there they found Zhuge Liang waiting in their ship. Liu Bei was exceedingly pleased.
Zhuge Liang said, “Do you know you were in great danger today?”
“Why, no,” answered Liu Bei in amazement.
“If Yun-chang had not been there you would have been killed,” said Zhuge Liang.
Liu Bei, after a moment’s reflection, saw that it was true. He begged Zhuge Liang to return with him to Fankou, but the advisor refused.
“I am quite safe,” he said. “Although I am living in the tiger’s mouth, I am as steady as Mount Tai. Now, my lord, return and prepare your ships and men. On the twentieth day of the eleventh month send Zi-long with a small boat to the south bank to wait for me. Be sure there is no mistake.”
When Liu Bei asked him what he meant by this, he only replied, “When the southeasterly wind begins to blow I will return.”
Liu Bei would have questioned him further, but Zhuge Liang exhorted him to leave at once. After Zhuge Liang went off Liu Bei and the others started the boat up the river toward home. They had not proceeded far when there appeared a small fleet of some fifty boats sweeping down with the current, and in the prow of the leading vessel stood a tall figure armed with a spear. It was Zhang Fei, who had come to assist them for fear that something might happen to Liu Bei and Guan Yu alone might not be able to rescue him. The three brothers then returned together.
After seeing off Liu Bei, Zhou Yu returned to his camp. Lu Su soon came in and asked, “Since you had cajoled Liu Bei into coming, why didn’t you kill him?”
“Because of that Guan Yu. He is a very tiger and he never left his brother for a moment. If I had attempted to kill his brother he would certainly have taken my life.”
Just then it was announced that Cao Cao had sent a messenger to deliver a letter. Zhou Yu ordered the guards to bring him in and took the letter. But when he saw the signature, “From the Prime Minister of Han to Commander Zhou,” he fell into a frenzy of rage. Without so much as opening it, he tore the letter to shreds and threw them on the ground. Then he ordered the messenger to be killed at once.
Lu Su tried to reason with him: “When two countries are at war their emissaries are not to be slain.”
“I slay the messenger to show our strength,” replied Zhou Yu.
So the bearer of the letter was decapitated and his head sent back to Cao Cao by the victim’s attendants. Zhou Yu then decided to move into action. Gan Ning was appointed leader of the van, supported by two wings under Han Dang and Jiang Qin, while Zhou Yu himself was to follow with the main force. The next morning they had an early meal at the fourth watch and by the fifth watch the ships hoisted sail and set out amid loud shouting and the beating of drums.
Cao Cao was furious when he heard that his letter had been torn up and his envoy slain. He, too, resolved to attack his opponent. His advance was led by Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, and the other Jingzhou officers who had recently joined his army, whereas he himself followed in the rear. They sailed as fast as possible to the meeting place of the rivers, where they soon saw the ships of Wu sailing toward them. In the prow of the foremost ship stood a fierce warrior who cried, “I am Gan Ning. Who dares to fight with me?”
Cai Mao sent his younger brother to accept the challenge, but as his ship approached Gan Ning shot an arrow and the man was killed instantly. With this victory, Gan Ning’s fleet pressed forward while his archers kept up a heavy discharge of arrows that forced their enemy to retreat. The two wings also joined in and the three forces charged into Cao Cao’s fleet. Being mostly from the dry plains of the north, Cao Cao’s men did not know how to fight effectively on water, and they could hardly keep their footing once the ships moved. The three southern officers, reinforced soon by their commander, Zhou Yu, had the battle all their own way. It lasted till the afternoon and a countless number of Cao Cao’s men were killed by arrows or cannon. Although he had won, Zhou Yu thought it more prudent to call off the fight, in view of the superior numbers of his enemy. So he ordered his men to beat the gongs as a signal to cease battle and recall the ships.
The defeated men also returned. Cao Cao went to his camp on the bank and redeployed his force. Then he sent for Cai Mao and Zhang Yun and reproached them: “How could you be worsted by the inferior force of Wu? You did not do your best.”
Cai Mao tried to defend himself. “The Jingzhou marines have not been drilled for a long time,” he said, “while the northern men have never been trained for naval warfare at all. That was why we were defeated. Now we must set up a naval camp, placing the northern men in the center and the Jingzhou men on the flanks. Drill them every day until they are familiar with fighting on water. Then they will win victories.”
“If you know what should be done, why have you not done it?” said Cao Cao. “What is the use of telling me this? Get to work.”
So Cai Mao and Zhang Yun went off to train their naval force. They established twenty-four “water gates” along the riverbank, with the large ships outside as a sort of rampart, and under their protection the smaller ships could move about freely inside. At night when the lanterns and torches were lit the very sky was illuminated and the water shone red with the glare. On land the smoke of the camp fires could be traced for 300 li without a break.
Zhou Yu returned triumphantly to camp. He feasted his victorious fighting men and sent a messenger to take the joyful tidings of victory to his master. When night fell Zhou Yu went up to the top of a hill to survey the enemy camp. He saw to his fear a long line of bright lights stretching to the west, showing the extent of the enemy’s camp. The next day, Zhou Yu decided that he would go in person to find out the strength of his enemy’s naval force. So he prepared a double-decker vessel and sailed upstream, accompanied by musicians and drummers, as well as several of his brave officers armed with powerful bows and crossbows. When they got opposite Cao Cao’s camp the heavy stones that served as anchors were lowered and the drums and trumpets began to play while Zhou Yu scanned the enemy’s naval camp. What he saw gave him a big fright, for his enemy seemed to know everything about training a navy. He asked his men who the commanders of Cao Cao’s navy were and was told that they were Cai Mao and Zhang Yun.
“They have lived in these parts for a long time,” he said, “and are thoroughly experienced in naval warfare. I must find some means to remove them first.”
Meanwhile, his movement was discovered and reported to Cao Cao, who immediately ordered out some ships to capture him. When he saw the commotion in the cen
ter of the naval force Zhou Yu hastily gave the order to put to sea. Oarsmen on all sides rowed as fast as they could and the vessel shot speedily downstream. Before Cao Cao’s ships had got underway, Zhou Yu was already far away. The chase was futile.
Cao Cao summoned his officers and asked, “The other day we lost a battle and the soldiers were greatly dispirited. Now the enemy has spied on our camp. What can be done?”
Before he had finished a man stepped forth and said, “When I was young Zhou Yu and I were fellow students and close friends. I would like to use all my eloquence to persuade him to submit.”
Cao Cao was delighted to hear this. He looked at the speaker and recognized him to be Jiang Gan of Jiujiang, one of his secretaries.
“Are you a good friend of Zhou Yu’s?” asked Cao Cao.
“Rest assured, sir,” replied Jiang Gan. “I will not fail.”
“What do you need to take with you?” asked Cao Cao.
“Just a serving lad and a couple of people to row the boat. Nothing else.”
Cao Cao, greatly pleased, offered him wine and sent him on his mission.
Clad in a simple cloth headpiece and a robe, the messenger sailed in a small boat to Zhou Yu’s camp where he asked the guards to report to their commander that his old friend Jiang Gan wished to see him.
Zhou Yu was in his tent at a council when the message of his arrival came, and he laughed as he said to those about him, “They have sent someone to persuade me.” Then he whispered certain instructions in the ear of each one of them and they took the orders and left.
Zhou Yu went to receive his friend in full ceremonial garb, escorted by a crowd of followers in rich silken robes. The guest appeared, his sole attendant being a lad dressed in a plain blue gown. He bore himself proudly as he advanced and Zhou Yu bowed his welcome.