Knowing the Situation and Entering Negotiations
"General of the Side, a messenger has arrived."
"Send him in."
At Cao Hong’s summons the messenger rushed forward and made his report. He had ridden so hard that his clothes were ripped in several places, his body was caked with dirt, and he was panting like a bellows.
"Here, drink some water first and speak slowly."
I handed him a cup. He drained it in one desperate gulp, caught his breath, and began.
"Lujiang is currently split in two by Yuan Shu’s remaining forces. Yuan Shu claims to hold the Imperial Jade Seal. Together with his cousin Yuan Yun he is leading his troops toward Qingzhou. The army from Shuchun pursued them, but Yuan Shu’s subordinate general Zhang Xun drove the pursuers off. They are now marching on Xuzhou with their full strength."
Even ruined, he is still Yuan Shu. In the middle of that disaster he had scraped together every last dreg of his soul, beaten back the Shuchun army, and was now racing toward Xuzhou.
"Hmm. Zayul, what is your thought?"
"There will eventually be a violent collision with the Left General’s main army. Our priority must remain seizing Lujiang as originally planned."
At my words a voice spoke up quietly.
"General of the Side, this is my first campaign. May I offer a single opinion?"
"Are you not Zayul’s adjutant?"
"I am Yang Dezuo, son of Director of the Secretariat Yang Biao. My uncle recommended me for service."
"Then you must have read a fair number of military texts. Speak."
Yang Xiu’s face lit with satisfaction, as though the moment he had been waiting for had finally come. I wanted to hear him out; I was curious exactly what caliber of man he was.
"First, look at the map. Lujiang is the northernmost forward position north of the Yangtze. If we take it—including Huancheng—the powers south of the river will find it extremely difficult to advance."
"Is that not precisely why we are striking here?"
"Yet right beside it lies a place called Hefei, very close to Shuchun. We should pitch camp there and announce that the Chancellor’s army has arrived."
"And what situation does that create?"
"Governor of Lujiang Liu Xun will certainly weigh the southern powers against the Chancellor’s forces. Once we have demonstrated the difference in strength in his own front yard, send me to persuade him."
Yang Xiu declared with complete confidence that he could make Lujiang surrender.
"Pitch camp at Hefei, demonstrate our power, then go to Lujiang to negotiate? Hmm."
"Liu Xun will respond. Is he not one of the local magnates who has always respected the Chancellor and supported his faction?"
"True… Liu Xun does have ties to both me and Brother Mengde."
Cao Hong nodded, then turned to me.
"Zayul, what do you think?"
"In truth, I intended to go myself. I wanted to meet this Governor Liu Xun Uncle spoke of and persuade him in person."
"Then both of you go."
"Uncle, will the main army not lack staff officers if we both leave?"
"My own staff may not be famous, but they are all competent."
Cao Hong gave his easy permission for me and Yang Xiu to travel directly to Lujiang and settle the matter.
"I will detach a thousand elite troops. Take them together with your own five hundred. The escort should be more than sufficient."
"Thank you, Uncle."
We therefore accepted Yang Xiu’s proposal to camp at Hefei first and display our strength. Yet once the strategy meeting ended, Yang Xiu continued to trail after me.
"You still have something to say?"
"Yes, Gate Colonel."
Seeing his eyes sparkle again, it was clear he meant to empty every idea in his head before this campaign even began. I invited him into the tent. The moment the flap closed he spoke in a rapid torrent.
"The Colonel must have many thoughts at the moment. Suppressing the remnants of the Zhong Dynasty is a righteous act of destroying traitors, yet it must also be burdensome to exterminate the entire Yuan clan at once, is it not?"
"Why do you think so?"
"Both my mother and the Colonel’s wife bear the Yuan surname, do they not?"
Yang Xiu revealed that his own mother was from the Yuan clan and that he therefore shared my misgivings about the extermination.
"Then what do you propose?"
"When we contact Lujiang and negotiate with Governor Liu Xun, we send Yuan Shu’s remaining family members away to another province."
Strictly speaking Yuan Shu was Yang Xiu’s maternal uncle, yet because he had been branded a traitor we simply used his name.
"While Yuan Shu’s wife, concubines, and son Yuan Yao remain in Lujiang, send them south together with other local clans. If they head for Jingzhou, Governor Liu Biao will likely kill them. If they go to Yangzhou, the Sun clan that rules Jiangdong will shelter them."
"How can you be certain?"
"Lujiang is already too small to absorb every remnant of the Zhong Dynasty and every local clan. They will suffer severe financial strain. If even one or two begin to desert, suspicion will naturally fade and they will be treated well."
He stated with complete assurance that the one who would treat them well was the Sun clan of Jiangdong.
Indeed, Liu Biao of Jingzhou was nominally a member of the Han imperial house and had always hated Yuan Shu; he would slaughter them all. The Sun clan of Eastern Wu, however, would certainly take them in. Yet what Yang Xiu suggested now was rather original.
"Using the Yuan clan as bait for Yangzhou in order to save them?"
"It is the surest method."
"And if the Sun clan of Eastern Wu, unable to seize Lujiang, vents its anger by massacring the entire Yuan family?"
"They will not."
"How can you be so confident? The current ruler of Eastern Wu is Sun Ce. I am told his martial skill is compared to Xiang Yu and that he is called the Little Conqueror. I also hear he is cruel by nature and has slaughtered countless local clans to seize their land."
Yang Xiu laughed.
"Colonel, the people Sun Ce kills are only the indigenous clans of Jiangdong. He would never dare treat families who came down from the central plains carelessly."
"Oh?"
"Governor of Yangzhou Liu Yao, Prefect of Kuaiji Wang Lang, and the Guangling magnates Zhang Hong and Zhang Zhao—he does not dare touch them, only seizing their households or driving them out. On the other hand, he killed the native Jiangdong clans—Lu Kang, Prefect of Danyang Zhu Zhi, and Yan Baihu of Wu commandery—because their bases overlapped with his own in Jiangdong."
Yang Xiu truly was sharp. He had explained at once the difference between those Sun Ce killed and those he absorbed.
"If the surviving members of the Yuan clan arrive, Sun Ce will treat them with utmost courtesy, claiming that the powers around Lujiang will also surrender to him. Since Yuan Shu’s daughter is the Colonel’s wife, he will favor the remaining son and wife. He may even choose a pleasing concubine from among the dozens for himself or award them to his generals as prizes."
"And when we arrive afterward?"
"He will simply believe he lost a three-way power struggle. He will not imagine it was a behind-the-scenes maneuver. Even if he learns the truth later, attempting revenge would only make him realize that slaughtering too many central nobles would create a backlash against him."
I had planned to persuade Liu Xun to join our sphere and merely pretend to chase the Yuan clan away so the Sun clan could take them naturally. Yet Yang Xiu said there was no need for pretense: send the Yuan clan and those heading to Eastern Wu as bait from the very beginning. Then, while Sun Ce relaxed his guard, we would swiftly recruit Governor Liu Xun.
"He will probably welcome the Colonel with great warmth. After all, you are treated as the Chancellor’s own son, have won every battle since coming of age, fought Lu Bu to a draw in single combat, are the disciple of Imperial Uncle Liu, and the hero who rescued the Emperor from Chang’an."
Listening to him, I really have collected quite a few titles. It made sense that others treated a mere Gate Colonel like me with the respect due a Zhonglangjiang or higher. Worldly fame truly was important.
"The Lujiang clans will likely shower you with wine, food, treasure—everything. Some may even offer their daughters."
"That is… a bit much."
"I already have a son born not long ago and a wife with whom the relationship is still passionate. Haha. The Colonel has many wives and concubines but no children yet; the Jiangdong clans will burn with even greater eagerness."
This fellow Yang Xiu had a strange streak of madness. Younger than me, already married, with a newborn son, he was ready to set everything aside, sell his schemes directly to Cao Cao, join the army, and personally handle the critical recruitment of Lujiang. Seen this way, his desire to display his outstanding talent to the world was rather intense. If that impulse could be properly controlled, he would become an excellent strategist.
"Dezuo, this is your first battle and we have not even entered enemy territory. Tie up that bag of wisdom for now. The real question is whether Lujiang will truly respond to our army and whether a negotiation table will be set."
"You are correct. Yet in my view, contact will arrive from Lujiang within three days."
And on the third day, just as he predicted, an envoy arrived from Lujiang.
"I am Liu Ziyang, Commandant of Lujiang."
Liu Ye, courtesy name Ziyang—Liu Xun’s strategist and the man currently handling practical affairs in Lujiang.
"The General of the Side has brought a great army all the way here, so I have come to pay my respects."
"Hahaha, is that so? And how is Lord Liu Zida?"
"Even without this, the powers of Jingzhou and Yangzhou have been eyeing Lujiang with greed, leaving him uneasy. In this situation, with the Chancellor’s army at Hefei, he has sent me to convey his desire to maintain good relations."
"Interesting. Then would it be acceptable for us to bring only a small escort to Lujiang and speak with him directly?"
"Up to five hundred men is permitted."
I had expected fifteen hundred, yet he offered five hundred. Cao Hong glanced at me; I nodded. With five hundred we would not suffer any absurd massacre once inside the city walls.
"Zayul, Dezuo. Travel safely."
At that moment Liu Ye studied the two of us carefully. When I selected five hundred of my finest elites and we set out for Lujiang, Liu Ye spoke while riding beside me.
"You are Lord Cao Zayul? This person is also well aware of how widely your name has spread across the Central Plains."
"It is an honor to hear such words from Lord Liu Ziyang, descendant of the Han imperial house and of Emperor Guangwu."
Liu Ye narrowed his eyes and looked at me. What is this? I had addressed him that way because he was a descendant of the Han imperial line—did he dislike it?
"If you go to Lujiang, you must persuade my lord well. I have heard that a man is also coming from Xuzhou."
"Who is coming? If it is a famous talent of Yangzhou, I should know him."
"Not from Yangzhou. A wise man from Xuzhou, a distinguished noble from a prominent family—Lu Zijing."
Lu Su?!
"…Oh!"
What a welcome friend to meet again. If we encountered each other in Lujiang, how many years had it been? The time had come to repay the debt for borrowing those twenty warriors.
Hearing the news, I urged my horse faster toward Lujiang.