The Bidding War for Lujiang
Leading five hundred soldiers, I arrived at Lujiang. Though the city was not particularly large, the presence of so many competing factions made it feel crowded beyond measure. It was not merely bustling—it was overflowing, the streets packed so densely that the city resembled a steaming tray of bean sprouts.
“So this is the price of rapid expansion,” I muttered.
“We’ve driven out the vagrants and set able-bodied men to work the fields outside the walls, yet the shortage remains,” Liu Ye said, shaking his head as though he had seen this many times before. “Your lord’s throat is practically sprouting hands, all reaching for coin and grain. If you wish to negotiate, you had best speak of those things.”
“In the territory of the lord you serve?”
“If things continue as they are, collapse is inevitable. Seeking the best among all options is the duty of any strategist.”
Yang Xiu, standing beside me, nodded at Liu Ye’s words and leaned close to whisper, “Colonel, in the end we must offer more than the forces of Jiangdong.”
“That much is obvious.”
We entered the government office amid the throng. Governor Liu Xun welcomed us with lavish courtesy.
“Ah, come in, come in! You must be weary after such a long journey.”
Liu Xun was a portly man draped in expensive silk and weighed down with glittering ornaments. Greed radiated from him like heat from a furnace; he was the sort who would sell his own allegiance for the right price.
“Cao Zilie, Colonel of the City Gates and nephew of the Chancellor, greets Governor Liu.”
“Yes, yes. So Mengde has sent his cherished kinsman on my behalf?”
He grasped my hand, beaming. Just as we were about to begin negotiations, his attendants announced another visitor.
“My lord, Lu Zijing of Jiangdong requests an audience, bearing two hundred bolts of silk and a chest of gold.”
“Oh? Ohoho! Is that so?”
The moment he heard the numbers, Liu Xun’s eyes lit up and he hurried out without a second glance. Yang Xiu chuckled softly.
“A man of remarkable honesty, wouldn’t you say?”
“If Uncle Zilian were here, he could easily double that offer.”
“Still, Jiangdong has sent an envoy. We should follow. There will surely be a banquet.”
That evening, a grand feast was indeed held. There I was reunited with Lu Su after five years.
“Zijing. It has been too long.”
“Wenlie—no, Zilie, was it? I always knew you were no ordinary man, but to become Colonel of the City Gates at your age is truly impressive.”
Our conversation remained cordial. Both of us sought to absorb Lujiang’s power, yet neither wished to come to open blows.
“I once refused the Chancellor’s offer out of loyalty to a friend. Now I come for that same friend?”
“Indeed. I regret that I could not stand with you then because of my oath to Lord Zhou Gongjin.”
Lu Su had always claimed his true allegiance lay elsewhere, and that elsewhere was Zhou Yu. While I fought under Cao Cao across Xuzhou, Beiyangzhou, Jingzhou, and Yongzhou, Lu Su had steadily built his reputation under Sun Ce, seizing Kuaiji, Moling, and Wu commandery.
“Since you are my friend, Zijing, I will speak plainly. We have made extensive preparations to bring Lujiang into our fold. Twenty thousand elite troops stand ready at Hefei.”
“Though our numbers in Jiangdong are fewer, Sun Bofu—son of the peerless warrior Sun Wentai—carries his father’s fame. Moreover, we are far closer.”
Yang Xiu stepped in smoothly. “It would be best if we could settle this through politics and negotiation rather than bloodshed. Must the Cao clan of the Central Plains and the Sun clan of Jiangdong truly come to blows?”
“And you are?”
“Yang Dezuo of the Hongnong Yang clan.”
“Ah, the eldest son of the former Director of the Secretariat?”
“I am honored that you recognize this obscure scholar from a famous house.”
With Yang Xiu’s graceful intervention, the discussion continued. Liu Xun, thoroughly drunk, reveled in wine and women while Liu Ye watched with the air of a man content to let the two great powers clash. We lowered our voices so that only we three could hear one another amid the noise.
“I noticed you brought considerable wealth. Did you dip into your own coffers?”
“Haha, hardly. Most of my fortune was lost after the invasion of Xuzhou—first to the depredations of Tao Qian’s son, then to Lu Bu. What remained I gave to a close friend to raise troops when I fled south.”
His words rang false; the man was clearly wealthier than he pretended. The funds were almost certainly his personal fortune, offered as bribes.
“To be honest, this wealth was seized from Poyang Commandery south of the Yangtze. Numerous petty warlords there have grown fat by exploiting the people.”
“Oh?” I gestured for him to continue.
“Shangliao City in Poyang still holds out. I proposed to Governor Liu that we attack it together and divide the spoils.”
If Liu Xun’s forces moved, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu would immediately strike the now-undefended Lujiang. Lu Su was offering bait.
“Zilie, I speak honestly because you are my friend. I suggest we three divide the spoils of Poyang first, then renegotiate Lujiang afterward.”
“Secure the wealth now and discuss Lujiang later?”
“Precisely. I have no desire to see the armies of Jiangdong and the Chancellor clash head-on.”
Typical of Lu Su—avoid war, pursue profit, and settle everything through transaction and negotiation. Had I not known the future, I might have found the proposal reasonable and contacted Cao Hong at once. But I knew this was a trap; once Lujiang’s troops crossed the Yangtze, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu would seize the empty city.
So I feigned ignorance—until Yang Xiu spoke.
“Lord Zijing.”
“What is it, Dezuo?”
“Forgive my presumption, but does this not mean that the moment Lujiang’s army crosses the Yangtze, the city becomes defenseless and open to attack by Jiangdong forces?”
Lu Su’s eyes widened. I groaned inwardly. Yang Xiu had blurted out the very suspicion I had planned to keep hidden. He even shrugged at me, looking rather pleased with himself.
“Hahaha! You take me for some scheming, unprincipled officer. I have always said I dislike bloodshed.”
“Yet attacking south of the Yangtze would still require bloodshed, would it not?”
Before Yang Xiu could press further, I quickly changed the subject.
“Since Zijing has spoken so frankly, I will do the same. I happened to capture Yuan Shu’s daughter while suppressing the traitor and took her as my wife.”
“Oh! My congratulations on your marriage.”
“Our interest in Lujiang is personal as well as political. We intend to absorb the Yuan clan—my mother-in-law and brother-in-law among them—along with the other great local families, securing their support so that Governor Liu may receive a central post and a marquisate in a natural transition of power.”
Lu Su’s eyes gleamed. This was both Yang Xiu’s suggestion and a deliberate statement on my part. Mentioning Yuan Shu’s family first implied that other powerful clans would follow, forcing Lu Su to consider his own countermeasures.
“Even if Yuan Shu was a traitor, the Yuan clan still commands the might of the great general in the north. We cannot ignore them. Therefore, we must establish priorities in our negotiations.”
“I understand your meaning all too well.”
I had been outmaneuvered. Lu Su had turned the tables.
“I will remain in Lujiang for five days. How long do you intend to stay, Zijing?”
“Haha. It seems I, too, must stay five days.”
A race against time. Five days to win over the local elites with gifts and promises. With that breathing room secured, I would send word to Uncle Cao Hong and bring our troops closer.
“Ah, have we spoken only of business? I grow weary. It is time I took my leave.”
As I rose, a thoroughly intoxicated Liu Xun rushed over.
“Zilie, leaving so soon? The feast has only just begun!”
“I must decline. I wish to see a little of Lujiang and clear my head. I find myself weaker to drink than I thought.”
“Nonsense! I shall introduce you to fine lodgings—or perhaps you would like to meet some of the local gentry? If the Chancellor’s kinsman has come, they will lay out feasts fit to break their tables.”
So the local elites were wealthier than the governor claimed. I decided to pay them a visit. Yang Xiu, quick to read the situation, abandoned the banquet and followed me at once.
“Colonel, where shall we go first?”
“The Yuan household.”
“Naturally, you would visit your mother-in-law first. I, too, must explain matters to my aunt.”
Five days. In that short span, a great deal would unfold in Lujiang.