Begonia of the South (1)
Heaven is quite cruel at times. It takes the lives of children who have only recently entered this vast world. It shatters the dreams of countless scholars who fancy ideals which, if given the chance, could save our world. It ruins the lives of countless innocents for meaningless and sometimes pathetic reasons. Yet, even in our darkest hours, there are times when light can finally shine upon us, times when fate will give us the chance to rebuild our fallen lives, and it is during one of those moments when we can truly appreciate the precious things in our lives.
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Chapter 1: Forbidden
The hills north of Lu Jiang are calm and quiet, the perfect place for a burial site. A small black coffin was being carried on the backs of several coolies, and a few people were solemnly following the procession. One of these men had long hair, and was extremely distressed.
A monk was walking among the procession. When the casket was finally lowered, he spoke:
"Heaven was cruel to the lady Xiao Qiao. Her passing was much too swift for one so young. May fate be kind to Lord Zhou Yu, now that he is a lonely widow."
Those were words uttered only months ago, yet, even now, Gongjin could still hear them echoing in his mind. His wife and unborn child had been taken from him just before the Battle of Chi Bi. But even with his personal loss, the warrior succeeded in joining forces, albiet reluctantly, with the Sleeping Dragon, crushing the bulk of Cao Cao's 'navy.'
Now, he had to follow up his victory with the seize of Jiang Ling. Clearly, this was not an easy task. Jiang Ling was one of the most heavily fortified ports on the Chang Jiang. Once one accessed the city, they could easily move north into the central plains and strike Capital Luoyang, or they could move south and strike the resource rich cities of Changsha and Wuling, or, they could even move to the west, to the land of Shu, the land Zhuge Liang had convinced his lord to conquer.
Thankfully, the general had two friends on his side: Competent Comrades, and, a Reputation.
At Jiang Ling, the stationed Wei troops were wetting their pants. To speak of Zhou Yu was to invite the grim reaper into one's home. Not a good omen indeed.
Defending Jiang Ling was General Cao Ren. Now, Ren was competent enough, but his troops were busy wetting their pants to listen to his commands. Of course, as the great Sun Tzu put it: "No matter how talented the general is, if the soldiers are pathetic, the army is pathetic." Yes, the once feared Wei army was now a pathetic mass of cowards. Even Cao Cao was hiding under the bedsheets quivering in his boots. The Wei strategists were in a panic, running back and forth trying to find a way to combat Wu. Not surprisingly, with an enemy like this, Zhou Yu swiftly reached Jiang Ling's city limits.
Among the general's troops was a young woman. In those days, few women were given the chance to do men's work. As Confucius himself had put it: "Women and Men are equal. Women do their work, and man does his own. Both are vital for the survival of a family or nation, yet neither can be subsituted by the other."
But this girl was different. She was the younger sister of the current ruler of Wu: Marquis Sun Quan. Her name was Sun Shangxiang, and this would be her last battle with her fellow Wu people. She was betrothed to a fifty year old man, the aging Lord Liu Bei of Shu. This was all a ploy by Sun Quan to trick Shu into an alliance, but Zhuge Liang, the Chief Strategist of Shu, saw right through Sun Quan's scheme, and planned to use the girl once she arrived in his lord's borders.
Zhou Yu was fully aware that all was not well. Being the sworn brother of Sun Ce, Sun Quan's deceased elder brother, he knew that this marriage of his younger sister was a trap set by Quan to ensnare Liu Bei, and that Zhuge Liang knew all about it. Gongjin, however, could do nothing to protect her, he could not protect his little sister from her own family, or from the one she was marrying into.
But there was more to this...
Zhou Yu had always thought very highly of Sun Shangxiang. That day, when he sat beside his dying brother Sun Ce on his deathbed, Shangxiang peeked through the door. Zhou Yu thought his little sister looked adorable, then mentally smacked himself for having such a thought when his brother was dying.
Three years later, Zhou Yu was helping Sun Quan with his new rule. The nineteen year old ruler had several strategists, such as Zhang Zhao, help in domestic matters, but with Yuan Shu to the north and several rowdy tribes to the west and south, he needed a general, and Zhou Yu was the ideal general.
As Zhou Yu was thinking of a plan to counter their threats in those earlier days, Sun Shangxiang suddenly barged in. The General had long been married (he was married at the same time as Sun Ce), yet his little sister looked incredibly beautiful. She was just beginning to develop an adult-like posture, and, thus, many men were oogling her as she walked along. The fourteen year old, however, also showed a great competence in the military arts, so a good four fifths of these men did not dare to advance upon her further. She stood at the door, watching Zhou Yu muttering while looking at a map.
"General, if you need my assistance in battle, I will be much obliged to fight for you." She spoke.
"I do not doubt that you will do you best, but you are quite young, and inexperienced. And how will I fulfill my promise to your brother if I let you get hurt?"
"You've done everything you could for our family, more than what brother Ce asked for. It's imperative for me to make your life easier."
From that point forward, Zhou Yu began to take a liking to his little sister. This liking gradually increased to the point where he realized that he had to cease such emotions. He had a duty to his wife, Xiao Qiao, and he could not even think of betraying that duty.
But now, Xiao Qiao was dead, and he was too late. Sun Shangxiang was betrothed to Liu Bei, and there was nothing Zhou Yu could do about it. What angered the general was that Sun Shangxiang had no say in the matter. Though there were several familes who had such a situation, Sun Shangxiang was a princess, and was well respected. Couldn't she at least have one word? But Quan had abruptly made that decision, and now, Shangxiang was ensnared in her brother's grasp.
But Zhou Yu would not let himself accept this fate for her. He felt that he had to do something. At the very least, he had to make sure that she was happy with the idea.
And so, albeit a little awkwardly, Zhou Yu went to visit the Princess's quarters. They had constructed a fort in the outskirts of Jiang Ling. It wasn't that the Wei troops did not set up quarters for themselves in the city, it was that Zhou Yu felt that housing troops in a civilian living area was wrong, so he had to construct a fort to house his troops.
Unfortunately, in the old days, the members of royalty had a taboo that lower ranks could not simply walk into their quarters. In the past, Zhou Yu needed some kind of official verification from Sun Ce for him to have the privilege of entering Ce's quarters. However, this time Zhou Yu forgot to inform Shangxiang of his decision, so...
"You are not a member of the royal clan. You may not pass." A guard spoke. Shangxiang always had guards escorting her and defending the entrance to her quarters. After all, she was the Princess.
"But this matter is extremely urgent."
"None of nonroyal blood shall pass."
"Good sir, the fate of the Princess is at stake, you must let me through."
"That may be so, but you know your place, General. You may speak with her personally outside of her quarters, but not here."
Zhou Yu was beginning to turn furious: "I order you to let me in!"
"I must obey a higher authority, sir."
"I give him permission." A voice cried. Shangxiang descended the stairs from a higher floor to the front door. "Let him through."
"Yes, ma'am." The guard nodded, and stepped aside.
"Milady, I'd like to discuss with you regarding a certain matter."
"Come in, and why do you have to be so formal, Zhou Yu?"
"I... It simply seems strange for me to be giving you a nickname when firstly, you are a higher authority than me in civil matters and, secondly, well..."
"Well what?"
"I do not want to do things I may regret."
Shangxiang was taken aback. "What the heck are you talking about?"
Zhou Yu sighed: "I... I came here to ask you a question that's been eating away at me."
"Go on."
"Lord Sun Quan has intended for there to be an alliance between Shu and Wu, right?"
"Yes..." Shangxiang bowed her head.
Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow: "And to do this, he betrothed you to Liu Bei."
"Yes."
"However, forgive me for this assumption, but judging by your expression, you clearly do not agree with his decision."
"And I thought you were dense." Shangxiang smirked, but quickly returned to a depressed expression.
"As... Your brother, it is my duty to make sure you are safe, and that you are not being forced to do anything against your will. Quan is not your parent, and clearly, this is not for your own good. As his servant, I cannot explain my lamentations further, but let me assure you that I am completely against this betrothal. Milady, I'm sure that you agree that marriage is a partnership between two willing people. If either was forced into the marriage, it will not last, or will not be 'merry.' Sooner or later there will be terrible tensions between such a pair, and happiness is extremely difficult to find with such a decision."
"But, Gongjin, is there anything you can do?"
"I'm sorry, milady, but I am a useless dog merely whimpering to you. I cannot do a thing against Sun Quan's decision. To do so would be treason, and you know what consequences that brings."
"What a pity, right? Ce was never like that..."
"Yes..."
"But why do you merely stand here and whine? You are Ce's brother. No matter what Quan says, you're a member of the family, and, well, you're our master strategist. He can't afford not to listen to what you have to say."
"But what makes you so sure he will listen?"
"Why don't you even make the attempt? Why do you just talk? If you really care about my future, then you ought to talk to him, not just sit here and whine like some useless idiot!" Shangxiang turned and ascended the stairs.
"Wait!"
"Lord Zhou Yu, you must leave now." The guard narrowed his eyes.
Zhou Yu turned with bowed head and returned to the war room.
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The Wei army, stationed at Jiang Ling, was quite unwilling to engage Zhou Yu. One of these worthless cowards rode on horseback to meet the General in the war room.
"General Zhou Yu, we of Wei do not want to cause unnecessary bloodshed. Let me negotiate some terms."
"Go on."
"We will give you Jiang Ling, if you let us all evacuate safely and take half of the city's granary and treasury."
"And you would abuse the people? I would not let that happen. You can leave and such, but you are not going to make the people of Jiang Ling suffer any more."
"Very well, then what if we were to take only ten percent of the city's granary and treasury? We will leave immediately if you accept those terms."
Before Zhou Yu opened his mouth, the guard continued: "If you do not accept, then we will have to fight you."
"Very well, then go, and get out of my sight."
"Yes, sir."
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The army of Wu entered Jiang Ling, and Shangxiang felt horrible. Yes, Wu had won without shedding blood, but now, she was going to be married off even faster. Part of the reason why she joined this battle was to make an excuse to stall the wedding. But now, it was going to be in progress.
"I would like to speak to the princess." Zhou Yu spoke to her guard.
"She does not wish to meet any visitors, especially you."
Zhou Yu was taken aback: "Very well." He turned and left Jiang Ling for Jian Ye.
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"Ah, my finest General. Zhou Yu, your timeless victory has done wonders for Wu. We won Jiang Ling without a fight. At Sun Tzu himself put it: 'He who does not fight yet wins the battle is the ultimate general.' You are our ultimate General!" Sun Quan laughed as Zhou Yu entered the throne room.
"Your majesty, may I speak to you in private?"
"Of course! All of you, you are dismissed." Sun Quan shouted at his advisors scattered, eager to hang around and do what they normally did: eat, sleep, or drink alcohol.
"Lord Sun Quan."
"Why the formality? You always called my elder brother 'Ce.'"
"Very well, Quan, I think that you've made a mistake."
"What kind of mistake?" Sun Quan crossed his arms.
"My lord, have you asked Shangxiang if she is happy?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I? And why wouldn't she? She is marrying one of the greatest men of this era. Liu Bei is the hero of the age. The people all over China sing his praises. Even some of the folks here in Wu! She will be married to a position far greater than that she is in now."
"But, unlike you, my lord, she lacks ambition. She has no desire to be a glorious queen. Her only wish to to do what she wants, and what she wants is to be a respected warrior and a heroine for women everywhere. For her to consent to such a ridiculous marriage, she would have to betray that latter desire." Zhou Yu snapped.
"Say no more, general, for either of us may say things we will greatly regret." Sun Quan sneered.
"Forgive my rudeness, my lord." Zhou Yu bowed and walked out of the room.
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"Zhou Yu, I never thought you had it in you." A short man wearing a farmer's hat laughed.
"What, Kan Ze?" Zhou Yu glanced at his friend.
"You've always been so intensely loyal to the throne. It is good to see that your common sense has not been deluded." Kan Ze laughed again.
The two were sitting in a little hut by the banks of the Chang Jiang, slightly west of Jian Ye. Kan Ze was the strategist of Wu who succeeded in tricking Cao Cao to believe in Huang Gai's battered body ploy. Being a farmer and fisherman by trade, he prefered to hang out in his hut and fish in the river rather than join the other strategists in their high-class lifestyle and their arrogant attitudes.
Zhou Yu had been tellling Kan Ze that he was concocting a ploy to save the Princess from this marriage. Of course, Kan Ze was fully supportive of the plan. Kan Ze was also a close friend of Shangxiang, mostly because he was not stuck-up by any means, but was quite a wise person to confide in.
"Of course, you know what will happen when you do save Shangxiang, don't you?"
"Yes, our relations with Shu may lead to war."
"Exactly, however, Shu could not destroy us at this time. Zhuge Kongming still has to take on Liu Zhang. He has too few resources to make war against us now. We could prepare for an attack long before Shu is able to strike us. However, I doubt Shu will do so. Wei is their sworn opponent, and they will immediately attack them once Shu tries to make war with us. Zhuge Liang has been caught on a hook, and he won't be able to pursue Shangxiang. We have the upper hand now." Kan Ze spoke.
"Kan Ze, should I get Huang Gai, Gan Ning, and even Lu Xun to assist me in this endeavor?"
"What, you weren't planning to ask them to help the Princess?"
"No, but, I do not think that anyone else has to risk their lives, ranks, or reputations on my behalf."
"Zhou Yu, we practically owe you our lives. You are our greatest General and Admiral. You helped Ce make Wu what it is now, and you ensured that Cao Cao's massive navy was totally annihilated. Wei will not be able to strike us with such force again for at least fifty years. You have the right to ask us to do whatever you wish, and if we did not oblidge, we should be called shameless and impish."
"Very well, then I take it that you're in, aren't you?"
"I was in the moment you told me what you were thinking. But we'd better hurry. This wedding isn't going to slow down or stop on our behalfs."
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"So, when should we strike? Now, and get Shangxiang out, or later, when her carriage is enroute?" Lu Xun asked.
"We obviously wanna get her out now. If we wait too long, Bei will be banging her, and that Sleeping Dragon fella will get the better of all of us!" Gan Ning snarled.
"It would seem that we could lower Lord Sun Quan's ability to track us if we assault the carriage as it is carrying the lady. After all, we could easily make it look as if bandits had kidnapped her. However, that would also mean that she could not be seen anywhere in Wu from that point forward. On the contrary, saving her before the wedding might only delay the inevitable, if Sun Quan decides to punish us by executing us all. With all that said, I believe that assaulting the carriage is the best way to end this, even with all of its cons." Xu Sheng spoke.
"Gan Ning, you're young. Listen to Xu Sheng. That lad's knows what's happening. If we were to attack now, it would completely screw us all, and it would probably do us and her no good anyway if we all get killed (since it'll be incredibly easy for us to get caught.) So I say let's listen to Xu Sheng." Huang Gai lectured the former pirate.
"Meh, Sheng's got the idea, and whoever listens to Gan Ning is an idiot. Now, Zhou Yu, I hope you're not stupid enough to hear what that drunkard has to say." Zhu Ran yawned.
Kan Ze and Zhou Yu found it quite easy to recruit several of their collegues for this expedition. However, some of these members failed to come up with a useful plan. Ding Feng was only nodding at every word Xu Sheng would utter, and Ling Tong was too busy snoozing to hear what was going on. Zhuge Jin was not a military strategist by any means. His presence was only meant to boost morale.
So our merry band decided to strike when the carriage was heading out. This, however, would require that they disguise themselves as bandits. If any person of Wu saw through their disguise, it would be their doom.
So, against his moral code of honor, Sun Shangxiang's carriage was attacked by Zhou Yu and co. Dressed like bandits, they dragged her to a safe house. Of course, she originally did not like the situation.
"You cowards! If I had my chaukrums, you'd be the ones screaming!' She struggled and yelled.
"Keep it down." Zhou Yu whispered.
"... Is that you?... You took the initiative..." She began to quiet down.
"Say no more. We've got to get you out of here, secretly..." Gongjin hissed.
"It is shameful that we have to do this in secrecy... Shameful for Lord Sun Quan, that is..." Lu Xun muttered.
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"My little sister was kidnapped?!" Sun Quan screeched when he heard the news.
Sun Quan, Liu Bei, and several of the two men's top officers were at the wedding ceremony held in the Shu summer palace at Baidicheng. Strangely, however, Lu Xun, Kan Ze, Huang Gai, and Gan Ning were not present.
"Lord Sun Quan, it is imperative that we send troops to find her. We of Shu find this to be especially disturbing, especially my Lord Liu Bei." Zhuge Liang solemnly spoke.
Lord Liu Bei was beginning to wail: "My newest wife... May have been deflowered by those ruffians. Whoa is me!" He cried.
"My lord, we will do what we can." Zhao Yun spoke as he walked out the door. Zhou Tai volunteered to join the Shu officer, and the two men, with 5,000 troops, went to search for Sun Shangxiang.
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"Zhou Yu, you saved me..." Shangxiang smiled at him in the safehouse.
"But in the process, I have endangered the lives of so many compatriots..." Zhou Yu bowed his head.
"As long as you follow your plan, nothing wrong should happen, right?" She tried to reassure him.
"True, but even if everything goes as planned, you will not be able to see the people of Wu, at least not under disguise, again..." Zhou Yu muttered, too ashamed to look at her."
"Gongjin, look at me..."
Zhou Yu turned his head.
"Among all the men who have pursued me, I refused them all. Some were men of talent, like Gan Ning and Lu Xun, yet I did not give them a chance. I did not want to waste my life by their sides." Shangxiang told him.
"Why? A princess like you should have a wise or strong husband, not some incompetent weakling... But, of course, it is your right to choose..." Zhou Yu spoke.
"And do you know who I've always wanted to choose?"
"Who?"
Shangxiang smirked: "Guess..."
Zhou Yu closed his eyes. He wanted to banish that word from his memory. Ever since that day when she told him she was willing to fight for him... To die under his command, his feelings for her grew. He knew the ugly truth: he never truly loved Xiao Qiao, the girl loved him. Yet she was so kind and sweet, and he learned to have feelings for her, but in his heart, there always was another.
Now, since he was so recently a widow, it felt so wrong to pursue Shangxiang. Not only that, he was Sun Ce's sworn brother. Would such an act be incest? That would definitely be a terrible omen...
But before he could speak, he felt a warm sensation against his lips. He opened his eyes, and Shangxiang immediately pulled back. As her cheeks turned red, he could only stare at her.
"Shangxiang, our desires may be wrong, at this time... Love itself is not a sin, but love in the wrong context is, for both parties. Lord Sun Quan will be searching you out, and if I am found with you, then would our lives not be ruined? You will be accused as a whore, as an immoral woman. And I will be a criminal, and I will very likely be executed for being with you." Zhou Yu groaned.
"I don't care."
"What?"
"Don't get me wrong, my heart always aches when you are hurt, and will shatter if you leave this world because of this, but I don't give a damn whether Quan will hurt me for having been beside the one I love. Why should I care about the consequences? My brother is a tyrant, a monster, a man who would betray his own sister for his own greed. In the name of 'glory,' he would 'give' me to a powerful man and give himself the opportunity to conquer this land. Why should I care about him? Zhou Yu, don't let that sense of duty to my elder brother Ce force you to remain loyal to Quan. Sun Quan is unworthy to have a hero like you stand beside him. I know Ce made you swear to protect Quan, but since Sun Quan has betrayed the honor of his family and his people, I think that oath is void. Besides, Ce told you to protect the Sun clan, right? Won't you always be there for me?" Shangxiang cocked her head to one side.
"Yes, but..."
"Then make your choice." Her eyes narrowed.
Zhou Yu realized what was truly important to him: "Shangxiang, I will stand beside you to the bitter end. You are right, there is no need to fear that ruffian. Even when we are separated, we will always have each other."
Zhou Gongjin and Sun Shangxiang embraced, and the entire assembly applauded them, silently, of course.
But as the couple sat side by side, things were brewing to the west, and the force that was coming would be powerful enough to destroy their union and shatter their hearts...
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1. I suppose you are wondering, what's with this title? A Begonia is a species of flower native to Southern Asia, including the area that was once the Kingdom of Wu. It's also a tough flower, able to live through conditions that other flowers would die in. Thus, I felt it was the best representative for that precious flower of Wu: Sun Shangxiang.