The Battle of Red Cliffs (1)
"The southeast wind has begun to blow, so I must hurry back to my lord as well. Of course, we will harass Cao Cao's forces from the land. My lord should already be preparing to march."
"Military Advisor Zhuge. You have worked hard."
"It is a pity we must part like this, Master Zhuge. And Duwei Jin — return safely as well. We shall meet again, no doubt."
With the decisive battle imminent, Zhuge Liang and I were to return to Liu Bei, and Zhou Yu and Lu Su came to bid us farewell. Unlike what I remembered from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhou Yu seemed content to let Zhuge Liang go without resistance.
Looking back on the time we had spent together, there had been only a slight wariness — nothing like the open hostility I had seen in the old stories. What the future held was another matter entirely.
"Hey! It's a shame to part like this. Hope we get to fight side by side again someday. Stay healthy till then!"
"I am much indebted to you as well. Well then…"
Gan Ning waved cheerfully as ever, while Ling Tong offered a quiet, formal farewell.
"I too am deeply grateful to all of you. May fortune favor you in battle."
Zhuge Liang and I took our leave of the Eastern Wu generals and boarded a small, swift vessel waiting by the riverbank. Then we set out in haste toward Xiakou, where Liu Bei awaited us.
I must hurry. The day we cut off Cao Cao's breath is nearly upon us.
As if reading my thoughts, the southeast wind pushed our boat along at a swift pace. Against the black night sky, the moon — ringed by a soft halo — looked especially beautiful.
I looked up at the heavens and steeled my heart. Everything will be fine. Everything.
"Grand Commander. What are you thinking about?"
On the way back after seeing Zhuge Liang's party off, Lu Su asked.
"Hmm. Zhuge Liang. I was thinking of that man. What do you make of him, Lord Lu Su? Do you believe he will continue fighting on our side? We may be allies for now, but there is no law that says we cannot become enemies later."
"Yes. I understand your thoughts well enough. He is no ordinary man. And his lord, Liu Bei, is not the sort to remain under anyone else's command."
"And that Jin Cheong beneath him is no ordinary figure either. So young — and frankly, I have never in my life seen a woman warrior like her."
Perhaps she will become a formidable enemy someday. Zhou Yu swallowed the words before they left his lips. Then a voice cut across their conversation.
"Grand Commander! All preparations are complete. We need only set sail."
Huang Gai, who had been overseeing the vanguard's departure, called down from the deck of a warship.
"Grand Commander. Set other thoughts aside for now and devote everything to defeating Cao Cao."
"You are right. We must not let this chance slip away."
Zhou Yu swallowed once, then raised his voice.
"General Huang Gai — march out! Go and sweep them away!"
"Yes! All hands, advance!"
"Raise the sails!"
The order to sortie rang out. Against the pitch-black night sea, sails that had been crouched low everywhere unfurled and stretched themselves. The fierce wind filled them with a sharp, cracking sound, swelling them as if they might tear. Soon the ships carrying Huang Gai and his soldiers began to move, riding the southeast wind — bearing a scheme that would shatter the enemy to pieces.
"Lord Lu Su. I will soon lead the main force and follow General Huang Gai. I leave the main camp in your care."
"Yes, Grand Commander. I will defend it with my life. May fortune favor you."
Riding the strong wind, the fleet cut through the Yangtze's current with a rushing hiss, advancing toward the naval camp where Cao Cao's great army lay.
Leaving white foam trailing across the river's surface, Zhou Yu looked to the other generals waiting for him.
Gan Ning, Ling Tong, Pan Zhang, Xu Sheng, Ding Feng, Lü Meng, and more.
When the full-deployment order fell, they clasped their fists in salute and moved off to fulfill their assigned roles.
"Advance."
Nearly the entire naval force of Jiangdong left the camp. The hour of decision had come.
"In this battle, we must kill Cao Cao!"
"Haha. Duwei Jin is especially fierce today. What on earth happened among the Wu forces?"
"Indeed, my lord. Even I cannot say for certain, yet she already seems to treat victory as assured."
"We can win. We must strike Cao Cao as he flees."
Having returned to Liu Bei's camp, Zhuge Liang and I exchanged only the briefest of greetings before plunging straight into a war council. The purpose, of course, was the defeat of Cao Cao's army. Liu Bei had already finished his preparations to march before we arrived. He could have sortied at any moment; he had simply been waiting for the right hour.
Among those present, I raised my voice hardest, insisting we must take Cao Cao. I was not usually one for long speeches, so my impassioned outburst left a faint air of surprise around the table.
"Cheong, settle down a moment."
My father, Jin Do, spoke with concern in his voice.
"Of course, if we can capture Cao Cao, nothing could be better."
Neither Liu Bei nor the others disagreed with me in principle. But there were many practical considerations to weigh.
First, manpower. What little force we had was already partly diverted to support Zhou Yu's rear, and the main camps at Jiangxia and Xiakou still needed defending.
"Suppose we kill Cao Cao here. What if his enraged followers come raging for revenge?"
When Liu Bei raised the point, Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu offered their views in turn.
"If everything proceeds according to plan, the army Cao Cao leads will suffer catastrophic losses. And if harm comes to Cao Cao himself, they will lack the strength to mobilize a great host for some time. We can use that opening to expand our power."
"From what I have learned, Cao Cao's succession has not yet been properly settled. Without him, there is every chance his faction will fracture or fail to unite."
In the end, opinion tilted toward taking Cao Cao.
"I trust my lord has already prepared a plan for attacking Cao Cao's forces."
"Of course. Advisor Xu and I have arranged to strike the middle of their retreat route with fire."
My eyes lit up. Yes. Exactly that.
Cao Cao could not sleep, so he walked the camp as if for a stroll. The air was fine tonight, and his headache was entirely gone — a night that somehow felt as though good news might arrive.
My head doesn't ache at all tonight, and the sky is clear. If only every day were like this.
Then it came.
A soft rush of air passed once, and a moment later the wind strengthened into something fierce. His robes fluttered in time with the gusts.
"The wind has changed direction. To think such a wind would blow even in this season."
This was an element outside his calculations. What did it mean? Might it shift the course of the war? He was turning the question over when a figure came running toward him in a breathless rush.
"Chancellor! Chancellor!"
"Cheng Yu. What is it?"
"A message from Huang Gai has arrived. He says he will ride this very wind and surrender to you. He will come shortly with warships and supplies."
"Oh? Is that so? Go at once and prepare to receive him."
Cao Cao's face brightened more than it had in a long while. At last — the news he had been waiting for.
But Cheng Yu's expression was shadowed, the opposite of his lord's.
"Chancellor. Something feels wrong. The sudden change in the wind, and Huang Gai offering to surrender as if he had been waiting for this very moment — both trouble me."
"There is no need for such worry. For Huang Gai, this is the perfect chance to defect. Of course he would race here on this wind. Come — let us go and welcome him."
"Even so… then at least do not go yourself, Chancellor. Send one of the generals ahead."
"No. For a matter of this importance, I must appear in person. There is nothing to fear."
Despite Cheng Yu's misgivings, Cao Cao insisted on boarding a tower ship himself to watch Huang Gai's surrender.
Cao Cao climbed onto his personal vessel, with Cheng Yu and the bodyguard Xu Chu close behind. Other warships moved with him as escort.
"Ships in sight! It is the fleet led by Huang Gai!"
Someone called from the front. Narrowing his eyes, Cao Cao could indeed make out a considerable number of warships advancing straight toward them beneath the moonlight.
"Huang Gai is coming. Zhou Yu and Eastern Wu are finished."
Cao Cao folded his arms and added the words with easy confidence.
But Cheng Yu, who had not let his guard down, swept Huang Gai's ships with a sharp gaze. Something — something was wrong. Those ships must not be allowed any closer. What was this feeling…?
"Ah!"
A chilling sensation swept through Cheng Yu's entire body, as if he had been struck on the back of the head. He could not help crying out. If his premonition was right, this was—
"Chancellor! Something is suspicious. If those ships carried troops and supplies, they ought to sit lower in the water. Yet they ride light — as if they carry nothing heavy at all."
Cao Cao looked carefully where Cheng Yu pointed. Only then did he notice the strangeness himself.
"Yes. It is strange indeed."
His mind worked quickly, and he reached a decision at once.
"Wen Ping. General Wen Ping, hear me."
"Yes! Your subordinate Wen Ping is here."
"Go ahead and order Huang Gai to halt. If this is a ruse, stop him by any means necessary."
The command fell to Wen Ping without delay.
"Leave it to me. I will go first, and if there is danger, I will block it with my own body."
Declaring it boldly, Wen Ping led his own fleet forward. He too was a general from Jingzhou, well accustomed to fighting on the water.
But Wu's navy was already close. Riding the fierce southeast wind, they showed not the slightest sign of stopping.