Responding to the Call (3)
After the meal, I decided to seek Xun You's wisdom.
"Teacher, will you help us?"
I met Xun You alone and relayed Huang Zu's story.
"So, am I to go to General Huang Zu and serve as his strategist?"
"No. That could put you in danger. Teacher Xun You, you'll just provide the strategies, and we'll relay them by express messenger. Here—the rough troop numbers General Huang Zu sent over."
Huang Zu had handed us what amounted to military secrets before leaving. Even if we leaked them, it wouldn't matter much to him.
— Already, Sun Jian and his four generals alone command the might of two thousand men. Sun Jian can hold off a thousand by himself. The generals under him can each take on three hundred. Sun Jian, Huang Gai, Cheng Pu, and Han Dang—the four of them wield the power of two thousand.
'Exaggeration, probably.' It just meant they were exceptionally skilled warriors. A battlefield wasn't won by a single general alone; true strength came from the soldiers fighting alongside them. Bluntly put, if two thousand archers rained arrows on those four, who could survive?
"I see. In that case, from here..."
As I pondered the dynamics between generals and soldiers, Xun You seemed to have already reached a conclusion. She pointed to the map and Go stones spread before her and looked up.
"Teacher Gold. May I speak?"
"Teacher Xun You, have you thought of a plan?"
"I have."
Xun You calmly pointed to the center of the map.
"Five come to mind, but each strategy serves a different purpose."
"Purpose?"
"It all depends on which plan General Huang Zu accepts in the end."
Xun You outlined the five strategies for me. One was to surrender to Sun Jian and strike at Liu Biao; another to face Sun Jian and defend Liu Biao; yet another to deceive our own side and crush Sun Jian. Excluding surrender, each branched into two paths based on troop movements, yielding five strategies from a single point.
"...You're truly remarkable, Teacher. I could barely think of two."
"You're too modest."
"No, really. There's a world of difference between a seasoned court official and a bookish farmer like me."
"Teacher Gold could do it too."
"Coming up with strategies overnight, wielding military authority with soldiers' lives on the line? That's beyond me. Only someone on Zhuge Liang's level could manage it."
Realistically, it was beyond me. Xun You, though, had a staggering talent for this—she'd mapped out Liu Biao's and Sun Jian's deployments in a flash and devised five strategies tailored to whatever choice Huang Zu made.
"If you wish, Teacher, why not take this chance to officially enter service in Jingzhou? Learning the specifics of their forces would be invaluable."
With more detailed troop counts, maps, and movements, she could've churned out a hundred strategies, no doubt.
"I'm fine. For now, I want to rest here and recover. This is just to protect Suyeon Academy, after all."
"You don't like Liu Biao?"
"Teacher Gold, you see right through people. How embarrassing."
Xun You adjusted her collar with a sly smile.
"So, what do you want to do with me?"
"Teacher?"
"Just kidding. If I did, Xun Yu would give me an earful. Hehe."
"That's the scarier option."
"Hehe, karma. So please don't suggest serving Liu Biao. I was quite disappointed by what I saw in the Anti-Dong Zhuo coalition."
Xun You sipped her tea and shook her head.
"With Dong Zhuo rampaging like that, sending only the bare minimum for appearances' sake? Even if he'd just taken up his Jingzhou post, anyone truly loyal to the Han court would've sent more troops—or come himself. But he hoarded strength in Jingzhou."
"As a Jingzhou native, I was relieved not to be conscripted, but as a subject of the realm... it left something to be desired."
"Exactly. That's why I wondered: Is Governor Liu actually harboring ambitions centered on Jingzhou? He's a 'Liu' after all."
"......I won't comment on that."
"Because you're from Jingzhou?"
"For now, I plan to lie low here another fifteen years or so."
No need to spout dangerous words and risk a beating. Xun You nodded, as if acknowledging she'd said too much herself. Understanding passed between us—that was enough.
"...Anyway, I don't think much of Governor Liu. I do have someone in mind, but I'm not ready yet."
"Cao Cao?"
"...My, have you been peeking into my heart? Hehe."
Xun You nodded gravely.
"Yes. Cao Mengde. Xun Yu's probably seeking office under him right now. She said she'd scout ahead, and I should come once I'm ready."
"Cao Cao it is."
"Yes. The only one in the Anti-Dong Zhuo coalition who pushed to chase Dong Zhuo all the way to Chang'an—even plotted to assassinate him. We crossed paths a few times working in Luoyang..."
Xun You forced a tense smile.
"It's a tightrope walk for now, but though he's under Yuan Shao at present, once he grows... he'll vie with Yuan Shao for dominion over the Central Plains."
"You think highly of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao? Yuan Shao has Gongsun Zan in Beiping, and Cao Cao's still a vagabond without a solid base."
"See for yourself—it'll change your mind. They're the type to succeed. If they fail... well, they fail."
Spot on. No matter how promising they seemed, that was just the future speaking.
Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. I hoped they'd thrive, but rumors alone couldn't reveal their true mettle. What we'd seen in the coalition wasn't their all—they'd surely achieve greater things. Personally, I favored Cao Cao. Land near the Yuan clan's turf was all snapped up, but Cao Cao's hometown area had bargains; I'd bought a decent plot.
"Teacher Gold. Chatting like this is nice, but shall we get back to this?"
Xun You pointed to the map before her.
"What do you think General Huang Zu truly wants?"
"Pardon?"
"My, you stripped me bare the moment we met."
"Anyone overhearing might misunderstand. You're the one who said to return to business."
"Hehe."
Xun You just smiled meaningfully.
"Now I see what Xun Yu meant when she said talking with you gets fun."
"Mun-yak said that?"
"Yes. She knows everything inside out, tailoring her words perfectly—makes conversations effortless and comfortable."
"...Glad you're comfortable."
It made me a bit uneasy, but Xun You seemed far more lively than when she'd first arrived—small mercies.
"Then let me ask in reverse. What do you think General Huang Zu wants?"
"To rise in fame and position."
"As an officer in Liu Biao's army?"
"Yes. He won't want to squander his current post as Magistrate of Jiangxia."
Magistrate of Jiangxia wasn't some run-of-the-mill job. If Huang Zu won here as its magistrate, he'd gain an unassailable foothold in Liu Biao's forces.
"That's why I most recommend this strategy."
Xun You slid the Go stone at Jiangxia toward Yangyang. With one hand on a black stone, the other on a white, she mirrored the move.
"Block at Jiangxia, and it's certain defeat. Block at Yangyang, and it's fifty-fifty."
"I agree. Hehe, reminds me of a ploy from Master Sun."
Toppling Sun Jian—possible heir to the Sun clan—with a scheme from Sun Bin, disciple of Sun Tzu. Perfect.
"It'd benefit General Huang Zu most too. Then we'll go with—"
"Oh, no. Not perfect yet?"
Xun You reset the stones on the map.
"Night's still young. Let's war-game every scenario."
"...No sleep?"
"How could I sleep through fun like this?"
Xun You grinned, patting the bed behind her.
"Tire out, and crash here. Hehe."
"......."
I quietly swept the Go stones aside.
Bamboo Slip IV
"If the General wishes to defeat Sun Jian and become a hero of Jingzhou, produce this and Slip V. This is the path to becoming Jingzhou's famed general."
* * *
Two weeks later.
"Goddamn it."
Huang Zu's head throbbed at the express messenger's report.
"Sun Jian's army approaching Jiangxia by boat?"
"Yes. Seems they've split forces across swift warships."
"Damn, no plans to end it at Jiangxia."
Jiangxia lay on the road to Yangyang. But reaching Jiangxia from Yangyang required crossing the Yangtze. Coming by boat from the start meant bypassing Jiangxia for Yangyang.
"Hmph, Sun Jian, you bastard. You'll die in Jingzhou."
Huang Zu pulled a bamboo slip from his bosom, marked with "Four" on the outside.
He read it aloud alone to steel himself.
"General, feign retreat to lure the enemy to Yangyang. Lord Liu Biao will send reinforcements at once. If you defeat Sun Jian with Slip V's plan, Lord Liu Biao will trust you to handle any foe and withhold further aid... True enough. No need to reinforce a winner."
Huang Zu nodded heavily.
"Head to Yangyang. Push the battle until Sun Jian besieges the city. Then strike camp here and..."
Boom, boom, boom.
Heavy drums echoed. Huang Zu pocketed the slip and climbed the walls.
"Right. Sun Jian'll die like Yuan Shao's general."
Beyond the walls, Sun banners advanced on Jiangxia.
"Lads!"
Huang Zu bellowed to his men.
"Smash those Yuan Shu bastard dogs once, then full retreat to Yangyang! Got it!!"
""""Yesssss---!!"""
This was no cowardly flight. Just a tactical withdrawal.