Yushugou Hefei Battle -2
“Urgent report! Cao Cao has mobilized his army! 800,000 strong!”
Sun Quan hurriedly convened an emergency war council, and Kongming Uncle and I were also in attendance.
Sun Quan was tearing his hair out over the sharp divide between the hawks, led by Zhou Yu, Huang Gai, and Lu Meng, and the doves, headed by Zhang Zhao.
Zhang Zhao cleared his throat and remonstrated in a wheezy voice.
“My lord, you must surrender. Cao Cao protects the Emperor—opposing him is tantamount to raising a blade against the Han imperial house. No matter how strong Wu's navy may be, we cannot possibly stand against such a disparity in forces.”
Bu Zhi chimed in agreement.
“Would you smash eggs against a rock? Cao Cao is merciful to those who yield. Preserve your fiefdom as a vassal and spare Wu's people the horrors of war.”
Sun Quan clenched his fist hard. When he slammed it down, the table creaked and warped with a groan.
His face was a mask of humiliation and fear.
Bam!
At the same instant, Zhou Yu smashed his own desk, sparks flying from his eyes. Gone was the coughing invalid; in his place stood a man glaring at Sun Quan with blazing intensity.
“You senile old dogs! How dare you tell my lord to kneel and become curs like yourselves?”
Zhou Yu drew his sword and leveled the tip coolly at the doves' faces.
“Cao Cao protecting the Emperor? That traitor's spawn isn't the Han prime minister—he's a rebel pup. Do you truly believe he'll spare Wu if we bend the knee? I stake my head on it. If you want to keep your necks, we fight.”
Zhang Zhao shot back.
“That hot blood of yours will doom Wu—what tragedy could be greater? Eighty thousand troops—no, even half that is several times our strength! How in heaven's name do we stop them?”
“Have the shame to eat your fear first!”
“Bragging about your foolish blindness to the situation is shame enough!!!”
The council chamber devolved into a marketplace brawl in seconds.
The surrender faction and the war faction shouted each other down.
Sun Quan rubbed his forehead, shaking his head at the hopeless mess.
In the midst of the chaos, I sipped my tea and stayed silent until the racket died down.
Once the factions' squabbling quieted a bit, I spoke softly.
“Isn't this just posturing? The messenger said 800,000, but that's almost certainly an exaggeration.”
Zhang Zhao coughed and glared.
“Hmph, what nonsense! The messenger just reported 800,000!”
“Cao Cao hasn't finished pacifying the north, so he must leave troops garrisoned there. By my estimate, it's roughly half that—about 400,000.”
No one contradicted me, so I pressed on.
“Even that number wouldn't all be deployable. Logistics, defenses, reserves—the actual field force would be far smaller.”
If it were 400,000, he'd need 100,000 just for supply lines. The front was short, but still a massive army.
“And even if he musters 400,000, he might just conscript untrained peasants and throw them into the meat grinder. How can we talk surrender over that?”
Forgotten amid the chaos, but this was late Han—conscripting soldiers on whims was commonplace across the land.
I glanced at Gan Ning standing behind me and said,
“Cao Cao's navy is full of weaklings. Men who've never sailed will be puking their guts out, and in a real naval battle? You think they can fight worth a damn?”
Then I turned to Sun Quan.
“You asked for my counsel. If a force that size really comes, I'm prepared to bury them all.”
Sun Quan's eyes widened.
“Then speak.”
In the hush, I politely pointed at Zhou Yu with both hands.
“I know Zhou Yu plans to unleash fire attack. Our forces can't join Wu's fight directly, but we have a trump card to turn the tide.”
Zhou Yu brightened.
“That's why you wrote the water radical?”
“Wu with fire. Shu with water. Together, we'll seize victory in this war.”
We'd already discussed the fire-and-water pincer with Zhou Yu and Lu Meng.
Kongming Uncle wasn't there then, so he had no idea what we were talking about.
He just watched from afar, like someone observing a forest from the treeline.
I looked at Zhou Yu again.
“If Wu unites against Cao Cao, we'll ensure you take Hefei. But in return, can we reclaim full control over Jiangxia and all of southern Jingzhou?”
Zhang Zhao's face flushed crimson.
“Talking land before the battle's even decided? Liu Bei wants Wu's blood in place of his own—just to steal the prize!”
The civil officials murmured at Zhang Zhao's words.
“My lord, that's mistaken. If Wu surrenders, all of Jiangdong falls to Cao Cao. And how is it 'in place of our blood'? We're ready to commit 30,000 troops to support Wu.”
The hawks' faces lit up.
It was a deal we could afford now that we'd secured all of Jingzhou.
Of course, Liu Bei didn't know yet, but it was necessary to bolster the hawks.
Recalling how Kongming Uncle had swayed Sun Quan before, I prodded him.
“General Sun Quan, you can surrender anytime. But you're hesitating, aren't you? This is your chance. Seize Hefei—something no ruler of Wu has ever done—and secure a foothold into Cao Cao's territory.”
As the mood shifted ominously, Zhang Zhao stood and bowed to Sun Quan.
“Take my head if you must, but as our late king ruled Wu with benevolence, so must you. Do not cast the lives of hundreds of thousands of Wu's people beneath Cao Cao's hooves. Deliberate wisely and choose the path of reason.”
Sun Quan's face reddened.
“Silence!”
His eyes flashed as he drew his sword.
Crack!
“From this moment, anyone who speaks of surrender will end up like this chair—severed!”
The turtle shed its shell.
Its massive jaws now faced Cao Cao.
*
If we could secure all of Jingzhou's counties and commanderies intact, we'd gain immense influence—inevitable, and a tremendous advantage in diplomacy to claim Yizhou.
After Sun Quan smashed his chair, the doves fell silent, mouths shut.
The atmosphere turned to resolute defiance, and with Sun Quan's decision made, no one dared oppose.
Kongming Master excused himself to consult with our lord and headed back to Yangyang alone.
Huang Yueying, who'd been touring ships with Lu Su, finished up, bid me farewell, and returned home to manage the household.
Handling the minutiae fell entirely to me, but it was heavily political.
The doves didn't trust us and politely demanded hostages in the end. I wondered if I'd stayed as one.
They clearly saw great value in me as a hostage.
With Lu Su's help, I enjoyed a touch of luxury for a spell, but it was brief—soon I was dragged into endless military duties.
Cough—cough—
Zhou Yu vomited blood.
The backlash from raising his voice against Zhang Zhao in council left him bedridden for days.
“Kuh, I'm fine, Lu Meng. No need for such fuss. A supreme commander can't afford to act lightly.”
“Stop talking! You're spewing blood that won't stop even with white cloth! Fetch a physician now!”
That's how I heard it.
Zhou Yu's condition had worsened gravely over the past few years; he lacked the stamina for grand admiral duties.
He'd handed them to Lu Meng as successor.
Lu Meng was loyal to Sun Quan, and as he gained experience, his talents blossomed visibly—no better right-hand man for a lord ready to command the realm.
When Zhou Yu's time came, he'd have Pang Tong step in to support Lu Meng and Lu Su in his stead.
“I... I'm not done yet. Don't worry.”
Lu Meng relented at Zhou Yu's steadfast reply.
“Why push yourself so? You knew my lord had already steeled his heart—even without you!”
Zhou Yu wiped the blood and smiled.
“Resolve was needed. Pure, reckless conviction forges noble purpose, doesn't it? I thought staking my life on remonstration would move my lord... so I did.”
“……”
Lu Meng tsked, but his eyes held reverence for Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu straightened and clapped Lu Meng's shoulder.
“If burning my body can seize momentum for Wu, what better stratagem?”
“How do I break that stubbornness?”
As Zhou Yu's breathing steadied, his gaze turned to me, watching silently.
“Forgive the unseemly sight.”
The metallic tang of blood hung in the air. Hard to believe this was the man who'd just retched blood—he wore a serene expression now.
“Wu with fire. Shu with water. I understand—we cannot lose this war.”
Zhou Yu's resolve stirred my heart.
It felt like my own heart was urging me.
“We'll win, no doubt. Setting future matters aside. I've never wanted victory in war so badly, so sincerely.”