Chapter 584
“Li Yan! Where is the Military Advisor?” A pale looking Huo Jun asked. He was managing the troops early that morning when he realized Zhuge Liang had gone missing.
“Do you still not know where the Military Advisor went?” Li Yan spread out his hands as he smiled bitterly at Huo Jun.
“Did he really go to Jiangdong’s naval camp?” Huo Jun’s eyes grew wide with disbelief.
“Yes.” Li Yan nodded and then sighed. Other strategists use others as chess pieces while their strategist uses himself as a chess piece.
“Why didn’t you stop him?” Huo Jun asked angrily.
“Stop him? How?” Li Yan asked back. “You know what the Military Advisor is like.” Li Yan and Huo Jun may be older than Zhuge Liang. However, the two of them were like obedient children in front of him. They would do whatever Zhuge Liang says.
Huo Jun sighed. “Military Advisor! Why are you so silly?” Jiangdong’s camp was an extremely dangerous place for Zhuge Liang since they wanted him dead. Yet, Zhuge Liang went there alone. “No! I must bring him back!” Huo Jun frowned. He was prepared to go charge into Jiangdong’s camp.
“Huo Jun! Come back here!” Li Yan quickly stopped Huo Jun.
“I, Huo Jun will go and save the Military Advisor even if you don’t want to! I have to repay the Military Advisor for showing me kindness!” Huo Jun coldly looked at Li Yan.
Li Yan became angry when he heard this. “You are not the only one the Military Advisor showed kindness to! Do you think I am such a cruel and heartless person?”
“I did not say that!”
“You did not say that but that is what you are implying! Let me tell you! If you try to save the Military Advisor, you will only get him killed!” Li Yan shouted as he pointed at Huo Jun’s nose.
“Hmph! Then what do you suggest?” Huo Jun stopped after hearing Li Yan’s words. However, he still showed his dissatisfaction.
“Do you not know the Military Advisor’s stratagem?” Li Yan asked.
“Hm?” To Huo Jun, Zhuge Liang was someone that is omniscient. Zhuge Liang was his idol.
Li Yan understood how Huo Jun thought of Zhuge Liang from his expression. “Since you believe in him so much, do you think he would make a mistake? He must have his own reasons.”
“But there are so many people at Jiangdong!” Huo Jun was still worried.
“So what if they have a lot of people there? Have they ever gotten the upper hand recently?” Li Yan said with disdain. If it was not because Zhuge Liang told them to, they would have already obtained back Sanjiangkou and Wuchang. Jiangdong had a better chance fighting against Wen Pin.
“But was it worth it to do all that for ‘him’?” Huo Jun was at a loss since no one knew if Liu Mang was still alive.
“It is not whether it is worth it or not. We die for those close to us.” Li Yan did not know the answer to that question but tried to placate Huo Jun anyway. “Alright. Do not think anymore and properly deal with the tasks the Military Advisor has left behind for us. That is the most important thing we can do right now.”
“I understand!” Huo Jun nodded. It did not matter who the Military Advisor decided to follow. Huo Jun decided to follow the Military Advisor.
Wen Pin also shouted when he received this news. “What? The Military Advisor has gone to Jiangdong’s camp?”
“Yes, General Wen. He said it was to have better cooperation with Jiangdong.” Li Yan explained.
Wen Pin became silent. He felt ashamed when he saw Zhuge Liang’s loyal devotion.
“This is…” Wen Pin’s subordinates were confused. Jiangdong may be allies now but they were still enemies. Initially, both Wen Pin and his subordinates thought badly of Zhuge Liang due to rumors saying that most of the soldiers lost due to Zhuge Liang’s actions were Wen Pin’s. Zhuge Liang said it was to preserve the troops but at the end of the day, the casualties were mostly just Wen Pin’s men. One example was when Zhuge Liang sounded the retreat when fighting against Yangzhou’s navy. It felt like sabotage. Wen Pin fully expected to be berated by Liu Biao and then later get replaced by Zhuge Liang. Wen Pin decided to blame Zhuge Liang for what happened when the time comes. Yet, Zhuge Liang now threw himself towards danger. Even Wen Pin had to admit that he was not so courageous.
“Did I misunderstand him?” Wen Pin felt guilty and ashamed.
“Report! General! A messenger has arrived from Xiangyang. He wants to meet you!” At this moment, one of Wen Pin’s guards arrived.
“Xiangyang? The Lord?” Wen Pin felt nervous. If it was a messenger from Xiangyang, it would mean that Liu Biao had already found out about his miserable defeat. He did not know if the messenger brought him good news or bad news.
“General. The messenger?” One officer asked when he noticed Wen Pin’s hesitation. Since the messenger came from Xiangyang, they could not send him away.
“Men. Let the messenger in.” Wen Pin thought for a while and then said to his guards.
“Yes.” The guard left and quickly returned with a scholarly person.
“Where is General Wen Pin?”
“Wen Pin present!” Wen Pin cupped his fist as he replied.
“General Wen Pin is polite. I came from Xiangyang to deliver two messages.” The messenger said to Wen Pin.
“Wouldn’t a letter be sufficient? Why did the Lord dispatch a messenger?”
“That is because the matter is urgent. That is why I was dispatched.” The messenger smiled as he replied as Wen Pin was of higher position than him.
“The first is that the Lord have already learned of your defeat at Huangzhou.”
Wen Pin’s heart sank. He knew that this matter could not be hidden as Liu Biao’s personal troops were here. However, he never expected the messenger to come so quickly.
“I, Wen Pin, recognizes that the battle is going unfavorably. Please tell the Lord to rest assured that I will defeat Yangzhou. I will not disgrace the Jingzhou Navy’s fame.” Wen Pin cupped his fist towards the envoy.
“General Wen Pin. What are you talking about?” The messenger shook his head.
Wen Pin’s heart sank even more thinking that the messenger wanted to condemn him. However, he thought it was also reasonable when he had such a disastrous defeat. Liu Biao must be really angry. Wen Pin was not afraid that Liu Biao would punish him. Instead, he was afraid that others would be implicated from this. Gritting his teeth, Wen Pin said, “This Wen Pin recognizes his mistakes. It is all my fault. My command is inadequate. If the Lord wants to punish someone, please punish me alone!”
“General! No!” Wen Pin’s other officers refused to let Wen Pin shoulder the blame. “The General is not at fault. It is our fault for not being able to carry out the General’s orders!” The other officers knelt down as well. The messenger was shocked at this.
“Don’t talk nonsense! You all still need to help the Military Advisor attack Yangzhou!” Wen Pin said to them.
“We will not listen to anyone other than the General!” The officers shouted defiantly.
“Hmph.” Li Yan, the only outsider there, sneered. It is no wonder Zhuge Liang wanted to sow discord amongst them. Since they wanted to follow Wen Pin, they could all follow Wen Pin to their deaths.
“Generals!” The messenger spoke up anxiously while smiling bitterly. “Generals. I didn’t come here to bring you back to Xiangyang.”
“You are not here to bring us back to Xiangyang? Then are you…” Their thoughts immediately headed to the wrong direction. Since they are not going to bring Wen Pin back to Xiangyang, it was likely that Wen Pin was going to be executed. As a result, they started to show their killing intent. The scholar did a great job by not running away immediately.
“It’s a misunderstanding! General Wen Pin! The Lord sent me here to reward you!”
“Reward?” Wen Pin frowned. Even lies needed to be reasonable. Why would he be rewarded for losing?
“It is true!” The messenger insisted. He then called in two servants that brought a chest filled with gold and silk.
“What is going on?” Wen Pin was confused. After hearing the messenger’s explanation, he finally understood. His own defeat was less disastrous in comparison to Jiang Qin of the Jiangdong Army. Liu Biao was pleased that the Jingzhou Navy showed themselves to be much stronger than the Jiangdong Navy which was why Wen Pin was rewarded.
Wen Pin felt thankful to Jiang Qin and Yi Ji. He had never heard of Yi Ji’s name before yet the person spoke up for him here. Wen Pin was determined to pay Yi Ji a visit after defeating Yangzhou.
“Messenger. What about the other matter?” Wen Pin asked. The first matter was being rewarded. Wen Pin was prepared to leave the gold behind for his dead soldiers.
“Oh right!” The messenger had almost forgotten after being threatened by the killing intent. “The second matter is the Lord ordering General Wen Pin to cooperate with Jiangdong without prejudice to defeat Yangzhou. The General is allowed to act as his own discretion.”
“I can act at my own discretion?” Wen Pin was confused. Regarding cooperating with Jiangdong, there would be not much problems as Zhuge Liang had already gone to the Jiangdong Army’s camp as a show of sincerity. However, he did not know what the messenger meant by being able to act at his discretion.
“Haha. General, come closer!” The messenger said and Wen Pin slowly approached. After hearing what the messenger said, Wen Pin understood what was going on.
“Are you saying that Jiangxia…”
“Yes. The Lord said that Jiangdong is more anxious than us regarding Yangzhou.” The messenger replied, knowing full well that Wen Pin understood his meaning.
After the messenger was sent off, the morale of Wen Pin’s troops started to rise again. This is because Wen Pin had given the gold he was rewarded with to his troops.
****
A few days later, Wen Pin had received news that the Jiangdong Navy had gathered at Huangzhou to prepare another attack against Yangzhou together.
As Jiangdong and Jingzhou were technically still enemies, they had to be on guard against each other. In the past few days, they had fought several rounds against Yangzhou, it was just light skirmishes to test out the capabilities of Yangzhou’s warships.
They found that their towered ships were slower than Yangzhou’s new warship and also found out that their range could not compare to Yangzhou’s new ballista.
Zhou Yu and Sun Ce wanted the new ballista and the new warship. With these two things, their navy would double in strength. They also believed that they would be able to display the true potential of the new warship.
In the past few days, Jiangdong lost three ships while Jingzhou lost two. On the other hand, two of Yangzhou’s ships were badly damaged. Although it did not sink like Jiangdong and Jingzhou’s ships, it was unlikely for these two ships to be fielded for a while.
“We cannot go on like this!” Sun Ce was racking his brain in his camp. He now wholeheartedly wanted Yangzhou’s new warship. That desire was clawing at his heart. After seeing the new warship’s might, he now looked at his own towered ships with disgust. Unfortunately, having the desire to own something does not necessarily mean he could obtain it.
That was why Sun Ce was so distressed. The Yangzhou Navy was too fast to catch and you would also lose to them in ranged combat. They could not do anything to Yangzhou even after joining forces with Jingzhou.
There were also other problems. Jiangdong was running out of provisions. Besides that, the Jiangxia troops still did not know that they were having a united front with the enemies that invaded their homeland. If these troops learned that Jiangxia was once on the offering table, they would definitely rebel.
“Milord. How about we ask our allies for provisions?” Zhou Yu suggested.
Sun Ce understood the moment he saw Zhou Yu’s meaningful glance. Jiangdong was running out of provisions but Jingzhou had a lot. “I believe they would not abandon their allies.”
“Does Master Zhuge have any opinions?” Sun Ce asked Zhuge Liang with a smile. Zhuge Liang had been at Jiangdong’s camp for a few days now. Yet, he never said anything other than when he was transmitting information.
Hearing Sun Ce ask him something, Zhuge Liang snapped out of his stupor. “Marquis Wu. What were you saying?”
“You…!” Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were both angry. The two of them had been discussing yet Zhuge Liang was daydreaming?
A frustrated Zhou Yu had to repeat what Sun Ce had said to Zhuge Liang.
“Provisions?” Zhuge Liang muttered to himself as he found out that Jiangdong would run out of provisions if they continued to move so many troops like the last few days.
“I believe Liu Biao would not be indifferent in this? I heard he gave the King of Shu several hundred thousand provisions!” Zhou Yu pressed the issue.
Zhuge Liang thought to himself with disdain. Yangzhou had to buy their provisions while Jiangdong was simply asking for freebies.
“We have provisions.” Zhuge Liang replied like an idiot divulging Jingzhou’s secrets. “Jingzhou may be lacking in everything but they would definitely not lack provisions. An additional fifty thousand provisions were just stocked up at Xiakou.”
Zhuge Liang meant that this provisions are not meant to be used immediately. These were surplus provisions and fifty thousand was a very large number considering the fact that Jiangxia was a province while Xiakou was only a city.
“How much provisions do you want?” Zhuge Liang asked.
“You are truly like Marquis Huaiyin.” Zhou Yu praised. Zhou Yu’s words were very refined in the face of provisions.
“Is fifty thousand enough?” Zhuge Liang asked again indifferently.
“Fifty thousand?” Zhou Yu’s eyes grew wide. He thought that Zhuge Liang would only offer ten thousand and then he himself would try and negotiate for twenty thousand. He never expected Zhuge Liang to offer fifty thousand right away.
“Is fifty thousand not enough? That would be a problem. If you need more we would need to send a letter to the Lord. This would take at least half a month but we would not have enough time.” Zhuge Liang showed an awkward expression.
“It is enough!” Zhou Yu quickly nodded. How could that amount not be enough? At the same time, he wondered if Zhuge Liang was an idiot to promise him that so quickly.
“If it is not enough, I can send a letter to the Lord.” Zhuge Liang repeated. He was such a good person to allocate provisions even to his future enemies.
Zhou Yu and Sun Ce started to wonder if Zhuge Liang was really the Jiangxia Navy’s Military Advisor. Was there some other reason Zhuge Liang was doing this or was someone else like Wen Pin actually in charge?
“No need to bother Lord Liu Biao.” Zhou Yu quickly stopped Zhuge Liang. It would be a problem if Liu Biao decided to say no and stop Jiangdong from obtaining anything. They might as well just take the fifty thousand provisions right now.
“Then I will write a letter to Xiakou.” Zhuge Liang replied and immediately took a paper and a pen to write the letter.
“Good!” Sun Ce and Zhou Yu felt like laughing. Zhuge Liang was their lucky star.
“Master Zhuge. Is Master Zhuge reluctant to leave Jiangdong?” Zhou Yu asked. If Zhuge Liang was willing to defect, Zhuge Liang can become a mole for Jiangdong.
“Jiangdong? I’ve never been there. However, Wuchang isn’t bad.” Zhuge Liang laughed. Wuchang was part of Jiangxia and was considered part of Jingzhou. Seeing that Zhuge Liang did not continue this topic, Zhou Yu stopped pursuing this issue.
“Marquis Wu, Youth Zhou. Here.” Zhuge Liang handed the letter over. Zhou Yu and Sun Ce smiled. Just as one of this subordinates was about to receive the letter, Zhuge Liang pulled his hand back.
“Hm? Master Zhuge. What is the meaning of this?”
“Oh, no…” Zhuge Liang shook his head. “This is fifty thousand provisions which is enough for fifty thousand troops to prepare themselves. However, Jiangdong only dispatched twenty thousand men. I think twenty thousand provisions is enough.”
Zhuge Liang wanted to tear the paper and start writing a new one.
“Hm?” Zhou Yu finally understood that Zhuge Liang was giving away provisions so easily because he wanted Jiangdong to send more troops.
“Master Zhuge. Didn’t Jingzhou only dispatch thirty thousand men? Isn’t it too much to ask us to send fifty thousand men?” Zhou Yu asked as he unhurriedly held onto the paper.
“Fifty thousand is a lot?” Zhuge Liang looked at the letter in his hand. “You know that our Jingzhou can only dispatch thirty thousand men. If we could have dispatched more troops, we would not be attacking Yanghzou.” Zhuge Liang was pointing out the fact that the Jiangxia Army would attack Jiangdong instead of Yangzhou since Jiangdong was occupying their land.
“On top of that, Jiangxia is still being given away.” Zhuge Liang reminded. Liu Biao had spent a lot of even offered Jiangxia away to destroy Yangzhou.
“How can we believe your Lord without any advance payment?” Zhou Yu was not so easily dealt with. Promises are not worth much. What if Liu Biao refuses to acknowledge the agreement?
“Oh, then that is good. Jingzhou can dispatch another twenty thousand men. Altogether, that would be fifty thousand men! So you should be able to do the same!” Zhuge Liang said.
“Fifty thousand?” Sun Ce and Zhou Yu hesitated. As they only had sixty thousand elites, dispatching fifty thousand meant that they would only have ten thousand men remaining.
“Are you two worried that Jingzhou would attack you?” Zhuge Liang shook his head. “Jingzhou would only have twenty thousand men remaining. Against ten thousand of Jiangdong’s troops, do you think we would win?”
Zhou Yu looked at Zhuge Liang as he thought to himself. Twenty thousand against ten thousand. Even if Jingzhou were to win, it would be a miserable victory especially since Jiangdong would be able to rely on their city defenses.
“How fast can the fifty thousand provisions arrive?” Sun Ce asked before Zhou Yu could give a reply. His question immediately meant that he agreed to dispatch the troops.
“The provisions will arrive at Wuchang within two days.” Zhuge Liang said.
“Alright. There will be fifty thousand of Jiangdong’s elites here after tomorrow!” Sun Ce replied.
“Marquis Wu, take this.” Zhuge Liang smiled as he handed the letter over to Sun Ce. “Let us wipe out Yangzhou’s navy before we continue the war between Jingzhou and Jiangdong. Once Yangzhou is defeated, Marquis Wu will be able to sleep and I, Zhuge Liang, would be able to report this to the Lord.”
With Lujiang so close and Yangzhou so powerful, it would definitely be hard for Sun Ce to sleep peacefully. Zhuge Liang would also be able to make Liu Biao feel at ease for destroying the navy of the criminal Liu Mang.
“So what if we have a hundred thousand men? The Yangtze River is huge and the Yangzhou Navy is slippery!” Zhou Yu said. Although a hundred thousand troops look like a lot, it was not much on the Yangtze River. Besides that, they have already witnessed the speed of Yangzhou’s new ship. It was much faster than their towered ships so chasing them was impossible.
All that numbers meant nothing if they could not catch their enemies.
“That’s right!” Sun Ce immediately looked miserable again after hearing Zhou Yu’s words.
“Why do you need to chase them?” Zhuge Liang asked.
“How are we going to fight against them if we do not chase after them?” Zhou Yu asked back. Are they supposed to use the ballista? If they were to do that, they would be the ones losing.
“The Yangzhou Army is like a large fish. Even if they can swim fast, it would be difficult for them to escape a fish net!” Zhuge Liang replied.
“Fish net?”
“Forget it. There is too much risk. Just forget what I said.” Zhuge Liang shook his head. “We might as well just throw our armies at Yangzhou.”
Jiangdong could not afford this. As though cursed with bad luck, Jiangdong had lost almost every battle after encountering the King of Shu. This caused them to lose both men and provisions.
Sun Ce had also already plundered Jiangdong’s nobles. There was not much left he could obtain from there. That was why it is understandable that Jiangdong wanted to use Jingzhou to enrich themselves.
“Master Zhuge. Speak up if you have any ideas. If it works then we will implement it. If it doesn’t work we would still have an additional plan!” Sun Ce said.
Zhuge Liang looked at Sun Ce and then at Zhou Yu. He then helplessly said. “In that case, I will speak bluntly.”
“Master Zhuge. Speak freely.”
“Marquis Wu, Governor. Let me ask this first. How are our ships compared to Yangzhou’s?” Zhuge Liang asked.
“Inferior.” Sun Ce replied straightforwardly. There is no point trying to sugarcoat it. If their ships were of any use, he wouldn’t have desired Yangzhou’s ship so much.
“What about our ballista?”
“Also inferior.” Sun Ce replied. Yangzhou’s ballista had an effective range of seven hundred paces while theirs only had an effective range of three hundred paces.
“Yes. Our ships are inferior and so are our ballista. Even though we upgraded our ballista, it is nowhere near enough.” Zhuge Liang lamented. After obtaining the ballista, Jiangdong and Jingzhou thought themselves unequalled on the Yangtze River. They have studied the ballista and improved it. Yet, the improvement is only in small amounts.
“Our only advantage are numbers.” Zhuge Liang said to the two. If they gathered a total of a hundred thousand men as planned, they would have at least four hundred warships. On the other hand, Yangzhou would only have twenty warships. Even if Yangzhou’s warships and ballista were more powerful, it is unlikely that they would be able to deal with so many enemies.
“If we stay separate, we are like grains on a river. That is why we should stick together tightly and become like a net to entrap Yangzhou’s ship.”
“You propose to link up our ships?” Sun Ce and Zhou Yu thought of the proposed stratagem. That is to use iron chain to link up the warships together. This way, the four hundred warships would be able to form a net.
“Yes, we can entrap the large fish. Whether we kill it or capture it depends on us. I am sure Marquis Wu wants Yangzhou’s ship for himself.” Zhuge Liang said to the two. In that era, salvaging sunk ships was not possible since there were no cranes. The only thing they could do was to capture the ship and bring it back to reverse engineer it.
“No! That is too dangerous!” Zhou Yu rejected this stratagem after thinking for a while. Linking up the warships to use as a net was possible but there was a fatal problem. The problem was that fire could easily spread from one ship to the other especially since the ships were all made of wood.
Sun Ce nodded at this. He was also a naval general himself so naturally, he would know the pros and cons of connecting the warships together.
“Governor. Are you afraid Yangzhou would use fire?” Zhuge Liang asked. “If that is the case, please rest assured. They would not have the time to use fire arrows with that ballista. Even if they could do it, they would not be able to prepare so many fire arrows. At most, they would be able to burn down fifteen ships.” Zhuge Liang said. Waiting for the enemy warship to approach before using normal fire arrows would also be impossible as the enemy would have four hundred warships. By the time Yangzhou took out the fire arrows, they would already be sunk by the ballista. Four hundred warships with five ballista each. Even if Yangzhou’s ships were superior, they would not be able to withstand so many shots.
“Or are you afraid that we from Jingzhou would start the fire?” Zhuge Liang laughed. “If that is the case, do not worry. Even if we have forty thousand troops on reserve, even we would not be able to escape our own fires.” Zhuge Liang said.
Sun Ce thought to himself and then nodded. They were all in this together. If something happens, they would both suffer together. Zhuge Liang was Jingzhou’s Military Advisor. He could command his army even though he was young. Losing that many of Jingzhou’s elites would cost Zhuge Liang his post or even his life.
“But…” Zhou Yu was still worried. He wanted to question this decision but could not find the words for it.
“Of course, this is just my suggestion. I believe we would be able to defeat Yangzhou’s navy regardless with these numbers. The only difference is that it would take longer and we would suffer more casualties.” Zhuge Liang said and then stepped back.
“No!” Sun Ce immediately became dissatisfied the moment Zhuge Liang said that. If they had to suffer major casualties just to defeat ten thousand of Yangzhou’s men, they would lose face.
“Master Zhuge. Leave the matters regarding the iron chain to us. We will be able to prepare it in two days. Keep it confidential that we will set out in three days!” Sun Ce replied having been convinced by Zhuge Liang’s words.
“On the third day? That is not good!” Zhuge Liang shook his head. “Even if the enemy would not be able to use fire, we must still be cautious. That is why we should act on the fifth day.” Zhuge Liang said.
“We act on the fifth day? Why?” Sun Ce asked. Was there a need to delay that long?
“Marquis Wu. There will be strong wind on the third day which will help the fire spread. On the fourth day, there will be rain which will make it hard to dispatch the troops.” Zhuge Liang said.
“Master Zhuge. What do you mean?” Sun Ce asked. How did Zhuge Liang know there would be strong wind on the third day and rain on the fourth? Would the weather be calm on the fifth day?
As though he knew what Sun Ce’s question was going to be, Zhuge Liang said, “There would be no wind on the fifth day. It would be best time for our army to attack.”
“Master Zhuge. How do you know this?” Zhou Yu asked as even the fishermen who lived at the Yangtze River could not predict the weather.
“I observed the stars last night.”1 Zhuge Liang replied.
“Observed the stars?” Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were shocked. Did Zhuge Liang really know astronomy? That was too amazing.
“If the two of you do not believe me, we can see on the fifth day. If it is windy, we do not attack. If there is no wind, then we will attack Yangzhou.” Zhuge Liang said to the two.
“Then let us do it that way!” Sun Ce nodded. Who wouldn’t want more insurance? Zhou Yu remained doubtful of Zhuge Liang. Although he was still anxious, he could not figure out anything wrong. In the end, he decided to wait and see what happens.
After the discussion was over, Zhuge Liang left to take a rest.
“Gongjin. What do you think of Zhuge Liang?” Sun Ce asked Zhou Yu.
“This person is extremely talented.” Zhou Yu watched Zhuge Liang leave while feeling a sense of dread. Zhuge Liang has to be talented otherwise he would not have been able to hold back Jiangdong for so long.
“What about his stratagem to use the iron chains?” Sun Ce asked.
Zhou Yu shook his head, also feeling puzzled.
“Is it out of the question?” Sun Ce trusted Zhou Yu more. If Zhou Yu objected to this, Sun Ce would not implement this stratagem.
“It is not that the stratagem is out of the question. It is just that I am unable to see through Zhuge Liang.” Zhou Yu shook his head.
“What do you mean?”
“I do not know what the man is thinking.” Zhou Yu was someone who could tell what the other part is thinking based on their facial expressions but he was still unable to read Zhuge Liang. It was as though everything goes as Zhuge Liang desired.
“Then should we implement that stratagem?”
Zhou Yu saw Sun Ce’s expression. He saw hope and greed. Sun Ce wanted Yangzhou’s ship so much that was why Sun Ce was pretty much already convinced by Zhuge Liang’s stratagem.
“Milord. Let us wait until the fourth day.” Zhou Yu replied. He was saying this so that they could confirm if Zhuge Liang really knew how to predict the weather. If there was no rain, it would mean that Zhuge Liang had other plans.
The reason why Zhou Yu did not oppose Zhuge Liang’s stratagem was not because he was convinced. However, it was because if something were to happen, Jingzhou would also lose their fifty thousand troops.
“Alright. Let us wait until the fourth day.” Sun Ce left the decision to the Heavens. He would follow Zhuge Liang’s stratagem if it rained on the fourth day.
“Milord. When we dispatch on the fifth day…” For some reason, Zhou Yu believed that Zhuge Liang’s weather predictions would come true.
“After we defeat the Yangzhou Navy, we also cannot spare Zhuge Liang.” Zhou Yu said seriously.
“I know!” Sun Ce nodded. Zhuge Liang was a problematic individual to Jiangdong. If he were to return to Jingzhou, that problem would continue to plague Jiangdong. This meant that Zhuge Liang had to die.
“If we can get him to defect, we will do it. If we can’t, we kill him.” Zhou Yu said with killing intent. If it was not someone they could use, better they stay dead. In this manner, Zhou Yu was similar to Liu Mang.
“I agree.”
***
The letter Zhuge Liang had written for Sun Ce was quickly sent to Xiakou. It only took half a day.
“Is it a letter from the Military Advisor?” Huo Jun looked at the letter and saw that it is indeed Zhuge Liang’s handwriting including his signature. Huo Jun then shouted at his men to continue the preparations.
“Yes!” Provisions were then sent to Wuchang via ship.
“Xia Wei. Are the troops ready?” Huo Jun asked.
“General. Everything is already prepared!” The officer named Xia Wei replied.
“Are they all reliable?” Huo Jun asked, feeling worried.
“General. None of them have any expectations to survive. All of them either had family who were killed by the Jiangdong Army or have a great hatred for the Jiangdong Army. So there is no need to worry about their reliability!” The five thousand men being sent here are all Jiangxia troops who harbor hatred for their invaders, Jiangdong.
These were Zhuge Liang’s ‘twenty thousand’ troops.
“Good. Have them get on the ship. Remember that there are a lot of scarecrows in the ship.”
“Yes!”
“Is the oil prepared?”
“Don’t worry General. All the oil have already been taken out of the storehouse.”
“Good. Remember to keep this matter a secret. If it works, you would definitely be promoted. If this matter leaks out, you can forget about your fortune and you might as well prepare your own coffin!” Huo Jun reminded his subordinates.
“Yes! This general will keep this matter a secret!”
“That’s good. Go.” Huo Jun waved his hand at his guards. Huo Jun then looked towards Wuchang and mumbled to himself. “Military Advisor. May you return safely.”
When the provisions arrive at Wuchang the next day, Sun Ce was feeling very happy. That is because they no longer lacked provisions. The reason why the Jiangdong Army was more powerful than the Jingzhou Army was because they were more motivated. The people of Jingzhou were living good lives. Why can’t we? Since we don’t have it, let’s steal it from those who do! It was from this bandit-like mindset that Jiangdong became powerful.
On the other hand, the people from the Jingzhou Navy lived prosperous lives so there was no need for the people to become soldiers. They cherished their own lives more as they had lived a more pampered lifestyle.
However, the Jiangxia Army was different. They may have lived prosperous lives as well but their livelihood was constantly destroyed by Jiangdong. Many of their families and homes were ruined. The cause of all this was Sun Ce. They were forced into destitution so they could only fight with their lives on the line.
“Take out ten thousand provisions to use as reserve. Send the rest to the camp! Today, we eat three meals!” With food available, Sun Ce became generous.
“Eat! Eat for the next few days!” Sun Ce sneered. Huo Jun who had followed the transportation group sneered. Initially, he had thought of going off to look for Zhuge Liang but decided against it in case he would alert the enemy of their stratagem.
On the third day, strong wind blew. On the same day, the iron chains were prepared and fixed onto the ships. The chain was as thick as the arms of a child.
The day the ‘twenty thousand’ additional troops arrived, they joined up with Wen Pin. Although Wen Pin wondered why the Jiangxia troops came to help, he felt relieved hearing that it was part of the Military Strategist’s stratagem. His doubt towards Zhuge Liang turned to shame and admiration when he understood that Zhuge Liang sounding the retreat spared him and many of his men from death.
Wen Pin was grateful towards Zhuge Liang’s quick thinking. Now, that Zhuge Liang was also with the ‘enemy’ to help defeat Yangzhou quickly. As a result, he did not get involved with anything such as the smell of sulphur or that the soldiers on the ship refusing to get off. Wen Pin would later regret this day.
________
- It’s actually slightly longer but I don’t know enough of astronomy to translate this reliably. On top of the fact that I doubt the author actually knows astrology enough to write anything that is actually meaningful.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺