The Heavens
Sun Quan was not particularly glad to see Lu Xun and the officers under him return from the campaign. How much support had he poured into their bid to seize Jingzhou?
They had waged a long, grinding siege, bleeding away men and matériel without end — and what had they gained for it? Not a single patch of ground.
Even Gong'an, which they had briefly taken, had been handed back in exchange for the return of Gan Ning and Ling Tong…
"Your Majesty. Your servant Lu Xun has returned…"
Grand Commander Lu Xun and the generals who had gone with him all knelt before Sun Quan.
With Lu Meng still trapped in a grave illness from which he could not recover, it fell to Lu Xun to weather the full force of Sun Quan's wrath.
"Lu Xun, it is not that I am unaware of your hardships. But my disappointment is very great. Until we took Gong'an, I still believed there was hope. And yet even Gong'an, which we had barely won, had to be given back!"
"I have nothing to say in my defense. However, to secure the return of Generals Gan Ning and Ling Tong, there was no other choice. Are they not both loyal subjects who fought for the realm…?"
For Lu Xun, the two generals who had fought so hard for Wu mattered more than any military achievement — he could not simply turn his back on them.
"Gan Ning. Ling Tong."
At Sun Quan's cold address, Gan Ning and Ling Tong answered in turn.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty. Ling Tong is present. I am deeply ashamed."
One unresolved question still lingered in Sun Quan's mind — the capture of Gan Ning and Ling Tong during the assault on Jiangling.
Mi Fang's betrayal and collusion had been thoroughly reviewed by Sun Quan and his advisors, and they had concluded it was credible. Even Wu Fan's divination, cast as a precaution, had said the same.
So when Sun Quan received the report of the defeat at Jiangling, he could scarcely believe it.
It had not even been a case of pressing forward according to plan only to be counterattacked and fail. The enemy had surrounded Gan Ning and Ling Tong's forces from all sides as if they had known everything in advance, and the two had been captured without so much as a proper fight.
It was here that Sun Quan began to harbor doubts.
Could Gan Ning have colluded with the enemy?
Ling Tong was the son of Ling Cao, a man who had served the Sun family for generations — so he was largely free of suspicion.
But Gan Ning was different.
Originally from Yizhou, he had served as an official in Ba Commandery before resigning and turning to piracy. After that he had submitted to Liu Biao of Jingzhou, and only later surrendered to Sun Quan — that was his history.
I heard Lu Meng originally intended to lead the vanguard, but Gan Ning insisted on taking the front. Was he planning to switch sides to Liu Bei this time?
Sun Quan drew a breath, then spoke.
"Gan Ning. Speak honestly. If you tell me the truth, I will forgive you."
Not understanding what he meant, Gan Ning asked back.
"Pardon? Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
"You don't know what I mean? I heard you volunteered to lead the vanguard in the assault on Jiangling."
"Yes. That is correct. Grand Commander Lu Meng's condition was grave, so…"
The veins stood out on Sun Quan's neck.
"Still going to play dumb? The real reason you took the vanguard was that you had other intentions, was it not?!"
"…"
Gan Ning was speechless. It was true that Jin Cheong had once tried to persuade him to defect, but when he assaulted Jiangling he had not harbored even a speck of other intent. And yet to face such suspicion…
Lu Xun stepped in for the speechless Gan Ning.
"Your Majesty. That is a grave misunderstanding. General Gan Ning stepped forward as vanguard out of loyalty — never out of any other design. Moreover, Jiangling was at that time defended by an exceptional man named Xu Shu. He may well have detected Mi Fang's betrayal in advance. If Your Majesty would consider this…"
"A misunderstanding? Lu Xun, I entrusted you with full authority, and you returned having failed completely. And you still have more to say?"
"…"
When Lu Xun too was struck silent, Ling Tong stepped forward.
"Your Majesty. I beg you to set aside this misunderstanding. I stood as vanguard alongside him. When we were surrounded by the enemy at Jiangling, Gan Ning remained at the rear to protect his men. And if he had harbored other intentions, how would he have returned like this?"
Sun Quan snorted.
"Ling Tong, how unexpected — you defending Gan Ning. Before, you were making such a fuss about killing him."
"…Your Majesty. It is true that he killed my father, but that was unavoidable given that we served different masters at the time. And Gan Ning is also the benefactor who saved my life at Hefei."
"Is that so? So you defend your enemy? And while we're on the subject — you said you stood as vanguard with Gan Ning as well, did you not?"
"Y-Your Majesty…"
Unable to watch any longer, Lu Xun stepped in again.
"Your Majesty, both generals are loyal subjects of Wu. I earnestly beg you to set aside your suspicions."
"Lu Xun. I told you to be silent! Count yourself fortunate that I am not pressing the responsibility for this defeat any further!"
"…"
"Your Majesty! What on earth are you doing?!"
This time Zhang Zhao stepped forward. As a man old enough to be Sun Quan's father and a senior among the founding meritorious officials, his raised voice made even Sun Quan flinch.
"Victory and defeat are the ordinary lot of the soldier! I understand that this defeat has wounded Your Majesty's heart, but can you treat generals who risked their lives in battle this way? If you must hold them accountable for failure, then do so — but why cast such suspicions?!"
"Lord Zhang Zhao. I know how long you have labored for the realm. But do not treat me like a child any longer."
"Who treated you like a child?!"
Zhang Zhao was frantic. How had the brilliant, spirited sovereign of only a few years ago become like this?
"Enough. I will hear no more opinions from others — I will ask the man himself."
So saying, Sun Quan turned to Gan Ning.
"Gan Ning. It seems you have rather good fortune in your comrades. I have no wish to hear any more of their defenses, so you speak for yourself. Did you not volunteer for the vanguard in order to lead our forces into a trap? And have you not returned now to commit some other treacherous act?"
Gan Ning forced his mouth open with difficulty.
"Your Majesty, I will gladly accept punishment for the defeat. But I went forth for the sake of the realm — I never harbored even the slightest thought of betraying Your Majesty."
"Is that so? Whether your words are true or not, time will tell. Since you say you will gladly accept punishment for the defeat, I will first strip you of your military authority and office."
"Your Majesty— kh, cough…!"
Gan Ning tried to say more, but collapsed with a fit of coughing.
"What…?"
"Cough, kh!"
As Gan Ning spat blood and crumpled to the floor, Ling Tong rushed over in alarm to support him.
"Gan Ning, are you all right? This…"
While they had been at Jiangling, Jin Cheong had assigned a physician and tended to him in various ways, so there had been some improvement. But he had never dreamed he would face such absurd censure the moment he returned to his own country.
"Your Majesty! This is too much. Gan Ning fought while leading a sick body. And yet to treat him like this…!"
Sun Quan twitched an eyebrow, waved a hand dismissively, and tossed out that that was enough for today — take him away.
Zhang Zhao looked at Sun Quan with a heavy heart, then gazed up at the sky and let out a long sigh.
Even after leaving the official residence, Sun Quan's twisted emotions would not settle. It was not only the bitter failure — his trust in his subordinates had also grown thin.
As he scowled and turned the defeat over in his mind, one person suddenly came to him.
Wu Fan. Yes. Before the war, I had him cast a divination.
Wu Fan had said they would be able to win this war. Sun Quan had believed him, but the result…
Sun Quan met with Wu Fan. He too could not escape Sun Quan's reprimand.
"Wu Fan. You clearly said it, did you not? That according to the divination, this campaign would allow us to take all of Jingzhou."
"Th-that is so. I am deeply ashamed, Your Majesty."
"With things turned out this way, how am I to trust you and entrust you with anything? Has your divination's spiritual power run dry as well?"
Wu Fan spoke, cold sweat running down him.
"I too am deeply grieved by this war. I have nothing to say. I will redouble my efforts going forward, so I beg Your Majesty to set aside your anger."
Once again, Wu Fan managed to soothe Sun Quan and send him on his way.
But he too was deeply troubled.
The divination at that time was not wrong…
While he was at it, he quietly cast another reading. The result was strange.
The divination still pointed to Sun Quan obtaining Jingzhou.
This time he cast regarding Guan Yu's fate. The divination now spoke of Guan Yu's death.
How can such a reading come out? Guan Yu is still very much alive, is he not?
Wu Fan cast several more times after that, but only contradictory results emerged.
Could it be that His Majesty was right — that my spiritual power has truly run dry? Can I no longer read the will of Heaven?
As he sank into despair, one name floated into his mind.
Jin Cheong. The name of Liu Bei's female general was Jin Cheong, was it not?
Her name had become known in Wu around the time of the Battle of Red Cliffs. After that she had made her name in Yizhou and Hanzhong, he had heard.
But until the Jingzhou campaign began, Wu Fan had not paid her much mind. He had heard rumors that she was in Hanzhong.
The news that came later was this: Jin Cheong had come down to Xiangyong just before the Jingzhou campaign began, then proceeded to Xiangyang and on to Jiangling.
And she had cut down Wu generals such as Li Yi and Xie Jing, defended Jiangling, and performed brilliantly, he was told.
I thought it mere coincidence, but looking back now, she came south at precisely the right moment and played exactly the role the enemy needed, exactly when they needed it.
Wu Fan cast a divination regarding the person called Jin Cheong. And when he saw the result that appeared, his eyes went wide. Or rather — more accurately, he could see nothing at all.
His readings always showed him something. From faint hints to fairly concrete facts.
But the answer that came now showed him nothing whatsoever.
The result before him was no different from a pure white sheet of paper with nothing written on it.
Wu Fan felt as though he were walking through a cave where not a single ray of light entered, his eyes covered.
What is this, what is this person… Is this one who defies even the Heavens themselves…?