The Plan to Divide the Realm in Two
The next day, just as dawn broke over Suchun's guesthouse, Zhou Yu sat lost in deep thought, a cold, untouched teacup before him. He hadn't slept a wink all night, tossing and turning without a moment's rest, leaving his face haggard beyond measure. The smooth, jade-like refinement he always carried was gone; even his neatly combed hair was disheveled. The easy smile that usually graced his lips had been replaced by deep furrows of anguish.
What haunted his mind was Yuan Shu's dagger-sharp words from the night before. "Rotten flesh must be cut away. Do you think slapping on some makeup will make new flesh grow?"
Who was Zhou Yu? Raised from childhood on the teachings of the sages, with loyalty to the Han dynasty carved into his very bones. Yet Yuan Shu's brutally cynical remark felt like a massive iron mace shattering the worldview he had built over a lifetime. He tried to deny it, but even his brilliant mind couldn't summon a rebuttal. Before the crumbling altars of the Han, what was truly the righteous path? The unsolvable dilemma crushed the genius's chest.
Knock, knock. A polite yet firm knock echoed through the room.
"Gongjin, it's Seowon. May I come in for a moment?"
Zhou Yu hastily straightened his clothes and opened the door.
"Ah... General Seowon. What brings you here?"
"I saw your room light burning all night. I was worried and came to check."
I stepped inside and glanced at the dried-up teacup on the table. Zhou Yu's torment was palpable. I sat down casually, feigning nonchalance.
"Our lord's words must weigh on you like a stone in your chest."
Zhou Yu fiddled with his teacup but couldn't bring it to his lips. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"General Seowon."
"Speak."
"What... do you think of the Han?"
Zhou Yu's eyes wavered. This wasn't a casual question. In the midst of his crumbling convictions, it was his final test of Seowon the man's ideology.
"The Rear General called the Han a sinking ship. Do you see it that way too? Do you truly view the 400-year-old dynasty as an irredeemable corpse?"
I took a sip of tea and set it down slowly.
"Gongjin. I'm no physician. But I can tell a dying patient from one with a temporary illness."
"..."
"The Han is a great tree. It looks majestic on the outside. But its roots have long been gnawed to rot by vermin like the Ten Eunuchs and corrupt officials. The branches may seem leafy, but it's just the last desperate squeeze of nutrients from those decayed roots."
"Then... are you saying we must cut it down?"
"No need for an axe. It's hollow inside already—it'll collapse on its own with the slightest breeze."
Zhou Yu sighed and closed his eyes.
"And after it falls?"
"When a rotten tree topples, new sprouts grow from its fertilizer. That's the way of nature and the flow of history."
I met Zhou Yu's gaze squarely.
"Prime Minister Wang is trying to paint over the rot to pretend it's alive. But Gongjin, you know as well as I—once the paint peels, the ugliness beneath is even worse."
"New sprouts... Do you see the Rear General as one of those?"
"That depends on us. Whether it grows into a mighty tree or gets weeded out as grass."
I stood up.
"Enough brooding, Gongjin. Thinking alone won't yield answers. When your head's tangled, move your body—or tangle it further until you forget."
"Pardon?"
"Come with me. I'll show you how to nurture those new sprouts."
I led Zhou Yu to the annex behind the main hall. There, covered in cloth, stood a massive creation I'd had craftsmen labor over for months.
"This is...?"
Whoosh. I pulled off the cloth, revealing a huge table dominating the room.
"Heavens...!"
Zhou Yu's eyes widened. A grand sand table model of the Central Plains sprawled before us, crafted from sand and clay. The winding Yellow River and Yangtze flowed with blue-tinted water; rugged mountains rose from piled stones; key fortresses and cities stood as intricate wooden miniatures. Hundreds of red and blue flags bristled across it like a forest.
"My simulated battlefield. Talking of the realm in words is empty—better to maneuver troops here and test strategies firsthand."
Sun Ce, Lu Su, Qi Ling, and others arrived in a rush, having heard the news.
"Whoa! Brother, what's all this? It looks like real mountains! Is our house here too?"
Sun Ce poked a model mountain in awe. Lu Su slapped his palm with his fan, impressed.
"Ho, General Seowon's genius astounds me anew. Maps are flat; this view is worlds apart. No better place to discuss tactics."
I handed Zhou Yu a command baton.
"Gongjin, you take the red flags. You're Cao Mengde from now on."
"Me... as Cao Cao's army?"
"Yes. I'll command the blue flags, Yuan Shu's forces. Now, you're invading Suchun with 100,000 men. Come take my head."
Zhou Yu's eyes sharpened. His earlier anguish vanished, replaced by a gambler's fire.
"Very well, General Seowon. On the battlefield, no mercy—I'll go all out."
Zhou Yu wielded his baton, shifting clusters of red flags.
"War's basics: encirclement. But Suchun's walls are sturdy, supplies plentiful—no rash assault."
Tap, tap. His movements were swift. Red flags seized key points around Suchun in moments.
"Xiahou Yuan's vanguard, 30,000, cuts all water routes into Suchun. Main force of 70,000 digs moats and earthworks for a siege. Not a rat escapes. A starved city falls on its own."
Qi Ling swallowed dryly.
"Choking us from the start... Cut supplies, and we're rats in a trap!"
Zhou Yu's textbook tactic was flawless. Leveraging Cao Cao's might, it forced starvation—the surest, cruelest play.
I folded my arms, eyeing the table.
"Perfect encirclement. Our 50,000 inside starve. Surrender?"
"No."
I smirked, pointing not at blue but red flags.
"Gongjin, you think you've besieged the city, but to me, you've locked yourself in prison."
"What do you mean?"
I tapped the Huai River behind Suchun.
"You blocked land routes, but not the river. We have ships captured from Huang Zu. I'll send dozens of swift rafts with 3,000 elites upriver at night."
My baton slid north, stabbing near Xuchang's granaries—Cao Cao's supply hub.
"Cao's 100,000 need mountains of grain. Too far by land, so water transport to Xuchang outskirts. While you stare at our walls, I'll bypass by river and gut your belly."
Thud! A blue flag plunged into the red rear, atop the granary model.
"Strike what the enemy must save. Burning supplies turns 100,000 into rabble overnight. Cao's paranoid—he'll turn tail even with Suchun in sight."
Zhou Yu's eyes shook.
"River supply raid... I fixated on land, blind to water. Besiege Wei to relieve Zhao—the Weiruozhao stratagem."
He withdrew red flags, conceding defeat. He marveled that I'd factored in Huang Zu's spoils.
"I lose. My vision was narrow."
"Not over. Round two."
I reset the flags, doubling red ones.
"Worst case: Yuan Shao's 200,000 from north, Liu Biao's 100,000 navy from south. We have but 30,000. Encirclement perfect, rivers blocked. How do you escape, Governor Zhou?"
Zhou Yu's face grew grave. No tactic could bridge that gap. After deep thought:
"Impossible by force. Diplomacy: bribe Gongsun Zan, incite mountain tribes against Liu Biao's rear..."
"Good, but no time. Envoys arrive after walls fall. And those profit-hungry won't aid a sinking ship."
"Then..."
Sweat beaded Zhou Yu's brow. Lu Su stopped fanning, gulping.
No solution against 300,000. Walls everywhere.
"Tough... Could you break this, General?"
"Of course. Blade meets blade; desire, greater desire."
I tossed a prepared item onto the table center.
Clang. A bronze tiger tally rolled across the sand.
"Th-this... a tiger tally?!"
Lu Su cried out in shock. The absolute command to move troops.
"Yes. I'll send it with Suchun's map. Secret letters to Yuan Shao and Liu Biao simultaneously."
I shoved two red clusters toward Suchun.
"To Yuan Shao: 'Brother, for Yuan glory, I offer all troops and lands—accept me.' Ambitious noble will rush eagerly."
Zhou Yu's eyes narrowed.
"And Liu Biao?"
"To Liu Biao: 'Yuan Shao oppresses me—I'd rather serve fellow imperial kin, upholding Han.' To Jing-chained Liu Biao, Suchun and our elites are irresistible bait."
"Ah...!"
Zhou Yu gasped. The picture formed: Yuan Shao and Liu Biao, each thinking they'd absorbed Yuan Shu, racing in—meeting at Suchun's gates.
"Yuan Shao rages Liu Biao steals his brother's land; Liu Biao counters Yuan Shao attacks a willing defector. With Yuan Shu's army as prize before them, will they yield?"
"Never. Like tossing meat between two beasts."
"Exactly. Use barbarians against barbarians—Yiyi Zhiyi. Duke Yan of Qi slew three warriors with two peaches."
I crossed my arms.
"While they clash over greed, I sip honey water from the walls. When bloodied and weary, open gates and sweep them. That's my Yiyi Zhiyi."
Zhou Yu shuddered. Using his own command and lands as bait transcended mortal thinking.
"Final round, Gongjin."
I cleared all flags save one blue at center, surrounding it with black stones.
"Supplies cut, rivers blocked. No time for intrigue. Enemies swarm like ants. Troops too exhausted to lift spears. In this absolute dead end, what do you do?"
Zhou Yu fell silent. Beyond tactics—apocalypse. No ploy worked.
"Surrender... or jade-shatter. As a general, I'd meet death cleanly."
The expected answer. Anyone would think so. But I shook my head.
"Wrong."
I slammed the blue flag into the center.
"No retreat. Break the cauldrons, sink the boats—Pafuchen Zhou."
"Pardon...?"
"I'd tell the men: No ships home. Cauldrons smashed. Back means starve; forward, survival. I lead the vanguard. Follow, live; flee, die!"
My voice rang through the annex. Sun Ce clenched his fist, trembling.
"Grr... Yes! Smash everything, fight to the death! Man's true battle!"
I locked eyes with Zhou Yu.
"Gongjin. When stratagems fail, only madness opens paths. Spears of death-defying men pierce steel. You're brilliant, but lack that mad spirit. Calculations too swift—abandon at 'impossible,' seek fallback."
"..."
"But chaos defies math. Sometimes, shatter mountains, flip the board—that grit wins the realm."
Zhou Yu stared blankly, as if clubbed. He'd read tomes, debated strategies—but never war like this. Beyond tactics, a force to move men and eras swirled within.
One who sees trees can't best one who sees the forest... No, this man doesn't see the forest—he'd burn it whole.
Zhou Yu slowly, very slowly, set down his baton. He straightened his robes and bowed deeply before me.
"I lose... total defeat."
His voice trembled.
"General Seowon. Your battlefield vision dwarfs my common sense—vast and savage. A realm I can't mimic."
Arrogance fled his eyes, replaced by awe and a scholar's thirst for new worlds.
"General... one question?"
His address had shifted. Staring intently, he voiced his deepest doubt.
"Your caliber dwarfs a mere colonel. With will, the realm's yours—why serve Yuan Shu... no, the Rear General?"
Pity tinged his gaze. Why does this realm-designing monster serve a flawed lord? Pure curiosity, a genius's sigh.
I chuckled, eyes leaving the map, drifting beyond the ceiling to distant skies.
"Gongjin, behold the realm. Wise lords abound. Cao Mengde's genius pierces heavens, called chaos's hero. Yuan Benchu holds vast Hebei, tiger generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Talents flock like clouds."
I paused, coldly assessing reality.
"Join them, and my skills shine, safety assured. Wise survival in chaos."
But a faint smile touched my lips. Last night's image: Yuan Shu clumsily mixing honey water.
"Yet... a lord who mixes honey for me, trusts my bean-jelly farts without doubt—this vast realm has but one: Lord Yuan."
Zhou Yu's eyes widened. A sovereign mixing honey, blind trust—unthinkable.
I continued low, voice steel-hard.
"Wise lords wield retainers as limbs. Flawed ones entrust fate to them."
My fist clenched.
"I'd prop that flawed back, gift him the realm. Better than basking in a finished king's shadow—this stirs a man's romance more."
Silence. Zhou Yu stared, stunned as by a blow. The passion I'd pegged as ambition was fierce loyalty, colossal will to rule the realm.
"Hahaha...!"
He burst into hearty laughter.
"Gift the realm... Thought you a monster—turns out, unparalleled romantic."
Zhou Yu straightened his robes, bowed deeply with clasped hands.
"Very well. Add my brush to your grand canvas. Together, etch our names highest in the realm."
I smiled, raising his shoulder.
"Welcome, Gongjin."
"Woooah!"
Sun Ce, eavesdropping, roared and bear-hugged Zhou Yu.
"Gongjin! Smart choice! Now we three conquer all!"
"Suffocating, Bofu! Let go!"
Zhou Yu shoved him off in disgust, but a grin betrayed him.
I watched warmly, then turned to the map. Romance to heart; time for cold strategy.
"Plan set—now real war."
I cleared stones, unfurling the vast Central Plains map.
"See: the realm burns. Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, Liu Biao—starved wolves tear throats, spilling blood. Rush into that mire, gain only wounded glory."
My baton slid south, tapping the massive lands below the Yangtze.
"Jiangdong."
Zhou Yu and Sun Ce's eyes lit.
"Let northern wolves fight. We use Yangtze's natural fortress as shield, seize fertile, vast Jiangdong."
I planted a red flag in Jiangdong.
"I call this the Plan to Divide the Realm in Two. While Central Plains wastes in war, we build south. When north's victor bleeds exhausted... north conquest, unify realm."
Lu Su murmured in awe.
"Realm-Dividing Plan... grand yet practical."
I pointed to Yangzhou gateway.
"First, clear river rats blocking Jiangdong: Yangzhou Governor Liu Yao. And shadows Yan Baekho, Wang Lang."
Zhou Yu snapped his fan open, eyes keen.
"Liu Yao's no issue—empty fame, no substance. Give me 5,000; I'll fetch his head for the Rear General."
"Oho, brimming confidence."
"Pales beside your board-flipping play."
We laughed facing each other.
Thereafter, Seowon, Zhou Yu, Lu Su shifted flags, delving into advance routes, logistics, diplomacy. Talk deepened: stratagems, complex maneuvers flew.
Sun Ce, eyes aglow then heavy-lidded:
"Ugh... Brother. Gongjin, Lord Lu Su. Wasn't this done earlier?"
He yawned hugely. Qi Ling dozed, startling awake with a cough.
"Ahem! General Seowon, us tacticians' profound maneuvers overwhelm this brute Qi Ling's head."
Sun Ce sprang up.
"Right! Brains to you three; we brawlers drill troops. Brother Qi Ling, let's go!"
"Yes! Patrol, stretch legs."
The warriors fled like schoolboys from study, not returning till deep night—likely arm-wrestling at the drill ground.
"Heh... Bofu's unchanged."
"That's his charm."
Forgetting meals, we burned lamps till dawn, heads together. Sketching realm's blueprint with geniuses was timeless joy.
By first light, outline complete. Room steamy with men's fervor.
Then—Bang! Annex door flew open.
Silence like cold water.
"Hey! What're you lot doing?!"
Yuan Shu stood in nightclothes, scratching belly. Hollow-eyed, he scowled at us.
"Three men, lamps all night... sticky business. Makes my face burn."
"L-Lord?"
"Rear General?"
We three jumped up flustered. Yuan Shu yawned hugely, sauntering to the table.
"Noise kept me up. Thought conspiracy... Huh? What's this? Playing in sand?"
He flicked a flag.
"Seowon. Said you'd woo Zhou Gongjin—brought him for sandcastles? You do everything."
Zhou Yu flushed. Our sublime realm council became 'kids' sand play' via Yuan Shu.
I swallowed a laugh.
"Lord. Plotting Jiangdong conquest."
"Jiangdong? That fishy spot?"
His eyes sparkled. Licking lips, serious:
"Yes! Go quick! Honey water's bland sans appetite—fetch fresh ones!"
He slapped Zhou Yu's shoulder.
"Hey, Migong. Family now? Casual talk. Tailored finest silk for you. Strut in, sweep 'em!"
"Silk... too generous. I'll earn my keep as commanded."
Zhou Yu fiddled robes, dazed. Mastered war arts, not handling untamable lords.
Yuan Shu nodded satisfied, eyeing fanning Lu Su.
"Zijing, listen well."
"Yes? Command."
Lu Su folded fan, bowed hastily.
"Manage honey stores tight. Fish dip needs sweetest, thickest—fill 'em. Key supply. Got it?"
"...Pardon? Honey as military supply?"
"Duh. Good food wins wars."
Lu Su gaped. Realm plot ends in honey, fish.
Yuan Shu, done, whispered to me:
"Seowon. Heard something."
"Salty-sweet harmony?"
"Yes?"
He licked lips, ranting earnestly.
"Grill fish crisp, salt sprinkle, flake flesh, dunk thick honey... heavenly delicacy."
He mimed spooning air.
"Sea salt slaps tongue; honey's rich sweet cradles soft—yin-yang harmony! Craving keeps me sleepless."
"..."
We three speechless. Fish in honey—unthinkable combo then. But his eyes burned resolute.
"Anyway, fetch 'em. Honey-dip ones. Got it?"
"Sure, sure. Back to bed. Close door soft."
He waved out. Storm in, left bizarre ahead-of-time gourmet philosophy, gone.
We exchanged glances. Dazed Zhou Yu chuckled first.
"Puhaha!"
"Truly... untethered. Fish in honey..."
"That's why fun, no?"
No need over-serious. Make this jolly, willful lord emperor.
I gripped red flag.
"Lord craves salt-sweet harmony—what choice? Off to catch Jiangdong fish."
Thus began Yuan Shu's army's grand, joyous advance.