Chapter 11: The House of Cao
Zhuge Liang received a curious letter shortly after Cao Cao's death was confirmed.
The letter was written by one "Shan Fu," but there was no return address.
As he opened the letter, his eyes widened with shock.
Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang gathered around Shan Fu's letter.
They all smiled eagerly at the words therein.
"It has been a long time, hasn't it, old friends? When I fled back north to attend to my mother I should have known that Cao Cao would station me as far away from you as possible. I have heard that you turned to the Suns for help, that Zhou Yu used your attacks on Hanzhong to attempt to retake Xiangyang. He technically failed, yet later he helped free Kongming from Sima Yi's trap. I honestly don't know whether you are safe or not in keeping an alliance with him.
"But I do know that this is an ideal time. Cao Mengde, the man who kidnapped my mother, is dead. I placed myself in Cao Zhang's retinue under Cao Cao's watchful eyes. The man seemed pleased that I was so willing to serve his son, but he does not know what my actual plans are! Cao Zhang trusts me, and so this letter can come to you without fear or worry. Cao Zhang's troops have been neglected by Cao Pi's men thus far, and for good reason I might add: they are loyal to Cao Zhang, and hold no love for Cao Cao's home guard. Cao Pi may have his father's old loyalists, but Cao Zhang has won the hearts and minds of many of the North's finest talents.
"To the south lies Cao Zhi and Yang Xiu. The latter has kept a correspondence with me, and let it slip that his pay is far too low for his liking. I suppose he knows of my hatred for Cao Cao, and, motivated by money, he wants this plan as much as I do. Well, by the time you get this letter our ploys should have come to fruition: Cao Zhang will be embolded against his elder brother, and Yang Xiu will goad Cao Zhi into revolting as well. With Cao Zhi as his sovereign Yang Xiu's pay is sure to rise, and with Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi turning on Cao Pi you will have your ideal moment to strike! Because both brothers have rebelled at the same time, Cao Pi will be too weak to crush either of us before the other can attack, and he will certainly be too weak to resist a strike from your end. Yang Xiu seems to be betting that terrain will save him from Zhou Yu, but I can rest assured that Wu is too far to catch me in time.
"I do not know when I can be reunited with you once more, but should this plan succeed I am sure that I will see you soon. We can laugh and rejoice once more when Cao Pi's head is placed on Luoyang's gate, but until then I expect you to muster your forces and march upon your greatest enemy one last time. As you do so, I will rally Cao Zhang's men to aid you all the way!"
Chang'an, AD 216, Three weeks after Cao Pi's ascension.
In a cell overlooking the Wei river, Sun Qian considered his options. Zhuge Liang had failed to take Luoyang, and the prison warden came to his cell to gleefully tell him the news:
Cao Pi had taken the throne.
It was over, now. All they had fought for had come to naught. Sure, Cao Cao was dead, his guards did not see the point of hiding that fact from him, so there was one consolation, but Cao Pi was Emperor of China now, and Wei had finally taken the light of Han. Liu Bei had Shu, and could probably consolidate his position for a while longer, but morally Han's forces were defeated. Wei had the scepter, and now Wei had the actual throne. What did Shu have? Nothing more than land taken from another Liu.
"Perhaps Xu Shu was right." Sun Qian muttered to himself as the warden walked away laughing. "Perhaps I should swallow my pride and surrender to Cao Pi. The likelihood of my release grows slimmer and slimmer, and Wei grows ever stronger."
He closed his eyes, and tried to sleep. He tried to think of the days when Liu Bei held such hope and promise, where even after terrible defeats they could all raise their heads high and proclaim that Han would prevail.
But sleep would not come easy.
Boulders crashed into Chang'an's north gate.
The Wei guards screamed as swarms of arrows followed the boulders, striking the tower guards and terrifying the troops within the city.
"Call for reinforcements, quickly! There should be no army that could possibly attack us now!"
Jia Xu was horrified.
Sima Yi was very annoyed.
And Emperor Cao Pi's face grew pale as he read the latest report.
Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi had rebelled, taking many soldiers and several officers with them. The list of defectors were subtle, surprisingly so, and Jia Xu had to admit that he did not see them coming. Cao Hong, for one, had gone over to Cao Zhi. Wei's court wondered whether his request for a transfer to Xuzhou had anything to do with it. After all, he reported delays in transit shortly before Cao Zhi rebelled for good.
Man Chong, too, had abandoned Wei, and Yu Jin, of all people, refused to leave his post after Cao Zhi's defection, claiming service under him instead! Sima Yi had to admit that it was shocking for 'The Coward' to bravely take a stance for once, even if that stance was idiotic.
Han Hao, who had earned Jia Xu and Sima Yi's trust in the defense of Luoyang, had also slipped over to Cao Zhi's lines. There were reports that various scholars of lesser note had filled Cao Zhi's ranks as well, yet Cao Zhi was the lesser problem in this disaster.
Cao Zhang had several key officers in his command. Xiahou Yuan, for one, was reported to have joined his ranks. The general had been wounded at Xiangyang, and had requested rest closer to his hometown. Having spent a few months in recovery, the commander had arranged for some 'recuperation' in Bingzhou. It just so happened that Bingzhou was adjacent to the lands under Cao Zhang's administration.
But the one name that burned into all three men's minds was Zhang He.
Of all the people who could stab them in the back, Zhang He had turned against them to serve Cao Zhang. In Xiahou Yuan's case, his injuries may have affected his judgment, but Zhang He had always been a loyal servant of theirs, or so they thought.
Names like Li Dian and Yue Jin appeared on the list of Cao Zhang's officers, but Sima Yi believed them to be minor nuisances at best. With Zhang He's defection, though, it showed that men of renown were flocking to Cao Zhang's banner.
And that was unacceptable!
As Wei's court rattled on about what to do during this rebellion, the terrified cries of Chang'an began to reach their ears.
And Jia Xu volunteered to go save Chang'an from their newest invaders.
Cao Pi hoped that Wenhe could finally bring him some good news.
"Wei is broken. They lost the battles of Hanzhong, Shou Chun, and Xiang Yang. Cao Cao died in Youzhou, and Cao Pi seized the throne only to watch his brothers rebel. Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi hold parts of the realm for themselves, and Cao Pi's loyalists are not strong enough to eliminate them both. Now is the time for you to strike, brother. We have sat in our lands for so long, waiting for the right time to fight for Han's glory. Now we stand at the perfect position to avenge Han. If we take Chang'an, Cao Pi will watch as everything crumbles around him, and Heaven will cheer for us as we liberate the Eastern Capital."
Ma Teng smiled as he thought of Han Sui's words. Chang'an was under siege, and his armies gradually advanced towards the north gate. He could hear the panicked cries of his enemies, and Wei would no doubt submit once Chang'an fell.
Han Sui was gathering their reserves, waiting in case something did not go according to plan. With Ma Teng were his three sons: Ma Tie, Ma Xiu, and the mighty Ma Chao. Ma Dai, Ma Teng's thoughtful nephew, offered to serve as their tactician in this battle, since even in her weak state Wei still had enough clever minds and soldiers to potentially hold the city.
But none of these men considered the fact that Jia Xu would not let them take Chang'an.
Jia Xu reached the east gate, with Xu Huang and the young Cao Zhen by his side. Zhong Yao, who helped coordinate the city's battered defense, rushed to greet him.
"My lord, the enemy has established a foothold in front of the north gate. Their assault has terrorized many of our soldiers, and the guards have withdrawn deeper into the city. If the gate falls..."
"You are thinking in the short term, Yuanchang, but that is fine. You are known for your administrative talents, not for military tactics after all. Head for the barracks and wait there, for there is no need to put your life in danger. I will coordinate the city's defenses from here. Watch and learn." Jia Xu smirked.
Zhong Yao simply nodded and scampered away.
"So, my young commander..." Jia Xu turned to Cao Zhen. "If the enemy is so eager to break through a certain position, what is the best way to react to them?"
"Well... We do not want the gate to fall, do we? I say we attack them as they slam into the gate. When we flank their positions, they will be startled and we will gain the upper hand."
"But what if the gate falls regardless?"
"Then we can pursue them... Into the city... Very well. Instead of the first plan, we can also let them enter the gate, and then surprise them with crossbows and archers. But during their assault on the gate, we can position some of our troops like the first plan, so as they burst through the gate and try to hack through our positions, the troops we sent to flank them can fall upon them from behind, and they will be crushed between two fronts."
"Better." Jia Xu nodded. "We need to note that the enemy consists of very skilled cavalry from the northwest. Our troops have fewer halberds since those weapons are little more than a nuisance against other infantry, and so far we have used archers to handle enemy cavalry. We should gather our small number of halberdiers and use them as a buffer for our archers. Our crossbowmen can hide from various storehouses and buildings in the city, cutting down enemies as they attempt to outflank the spearmen or otherwise cut through them. Archers, due to their ability to hit targets at an arc, can simply sit behind the spearmen and pelt the enemy with arrows. As this occurs, the enemy will be caught in the bottleneck of the gate, and the soldiers we send to flank the enemy can arrive and strike. These should consist of our heavy infantry, supported by our mounted units. Our cavalry can strike their cavalry head on, while our mounted archers can assist our archers and crossbowmen in tormenting our foes. I do not think Ma Teng will be ready for such a strike."
As Jia Xu barked orders to his men, Ma Teng continued his assault on the north gate. "Wei troops have not reacted to our attacks. There are a few crossbowmen in the guard house, sending a few bolts at our troops now and then, but our own archers have been a successful deterrent, and the enemy has shown no other sign of resistance. The gate seems destined to fall." Ma Dai spoke.
"That's excellent! If we charge now they will fall before us! Onwar-" Ma Chao rose his spear only to have Ma Dai block him with an arm.
"No. This is not excellent. Wei would hardly be cowardly when defending such an important city. This is not some minor fort in a backwater district, or some town or village in the middle of nowhere. This is Chang'an, eastern capital of the Empire. If Wei chooses to let us smash through that gate, then something must be afoot. I suspect the enemy plans to surround us, using the gate as bait. Naturally, there must be archers behind that gate, even if there would be several of them regardless. We must rethink our assault. Secure our catapults and continue to shell them while our main force regroups and repositions itself at the west ga-..."
"You speak like a coward, and you call yourself a member of the Ma clan?!" Ma Chao growled. "Even if it is a trap, that only shows how horrified they are. I agree that our catapults should continue firing, but the rest of us should smash through that gate and liberate the city. We are so close to that goal: we would be idiots if we were to stop now. Father, we must attack!"
"Indeed." Ma Teng nodded while Ma Dai's jaw fell to the ground. "We cannot lose our momentum, not when Chang'an's liberation is so close. Onward!"
"... Perhaps I should contact uncle Han Sui for reinforcements... If he came personally we might be able to salvage this situation. As it stands those two might lead us straight into a trap..." Ma Dai muttered to himself.
Jia Xu smiled when Chang'an's north gate collapsed.
"All units, move into position and fire at will!"
For the next few moments, Ma Dai felt that the world around him had begun to slow.
His uncle's troops rode forward bravely and confidently, only to get shot in the face by arrows. As riders fell from their steeds their comrades behind them surged forward. Enemy spearmen thrust their blades upwards, stabbing into the vulnerable regions of the Ma Cavalry's armor. As their famous cavalry units fell before the enemy assault, Ma Teng and Ma Chao rallied their remaining forces and jumped over their comrades, hacking through the enemy pikemen and shrugging off enemy arrows.
Ma Dai called for order as his troops began to panic. From the east and west came Wei's heavy infantry and the rest of her cavalry. Jia Xu had prepared himself for this moment, and as he rode alongside his mounted archers he commanded them to eliminate their targets. Ma Dai's men engaged their Wei counterparts as riders clashed swords. Ma Dai himself felt the wind knocked out of him as Xu Huang swung his spear, and the younger warrior was knocked off his horse. Now that he was forcefully dismounted, Ma Dai engaged Xu Huang in hand to hand combat while the Ma army resisted the Wei assault.
Ma Teng just had enough time to turn towards the screams of his men behind him when a crossbow bolt struck through the rear of his helmet. The bolt struck his brain and he fell.
Ma Chao hacked away at the enemy archers, when a particularly desperate Wei halberdier threw his spear and struck Ma Chao's horse. The brave hero of Xi Liang fell from his horse as the remaining Wei halberdiers fell upon the young commander and skewered him alive.
Ma Dai watched his family die all around him. Ma Tie and Ma Xiu cried for their men to regroup when Wei mounted archers shot them down. As Ma Dai froze for a moment in shock, Xu Huang simply grabbed his opponent and threw him aside. Instead of being knocked out cold from the impact, however, Ma Dai felt his body's adrenaline coursing through his veins. He fled through the chaotic battlefield, eventually finding a fallen comrade's horse that had escaped from the frontlines. He mounted the horse, and rode off, with several Wei troops in hot pursuit.
Soon Ma Dai came across a small band of riders heading from the north. "General!" They called. "Why are you withdrawing from the field?"
"My uncle is dead!" Ma Dai replied. "They fell for an enemy ploy. Tell Uncle Han to retreat back to Xi Liang, we must withdraw and prepare for their attack!"
One of the riders trotted forward and bowed. "Very well. I will cover your retreat, commander."
"Pang De!" Ma Dai gasped. "If you are here, then what has become of my uncle?!"
"It is better that you do not know." Pang De replied. "Commander, I'd advise you to flee towards the south. You may come across several of our reserve forces headed there as well."
"What is going on?"
"... Perhaps you should ask Zhuge Liang when you see him." Pang De replied grimly.
Confused, and well aware that any further questions might allow his Wei pursuers to arrive, Ma Dai fled towards Shu.
Had Pang De paid better attention, he may have spotted another person sneaking through the forest, someone with very dirty, brown rags and very long hair. But Pang De did not see Sun Qian slip through the trees, following Ma Dai towards Shu.
When Jia Xu, Xu Huang, and the rest of Wei's victorious forces arrived, Pang De was waiting for them.
"General Han received your letter, Jia Xu. He was surprised that you identified our troops so quickly."
"Yes." Jia Xu smiled. "Then he knows that his brother fell at Chang'an."
"We guessed as much."
"You know I do not give pardons lightly. Surrender, and you will be spared. Han Sui thought he could send the riders of Xi Liang to crush me, but he has no idea who he's dealing with. If you need a demonstration of what I am capable of..." Jia Xu simply raised a hand, and a few soldiers towards the rear of his party revealed the heads of Ma Teng and Ma Chao, still dripping with fresh blood.
Pang De gasped, and dropped his spear. "... I submit. I will inform the General of your generosity."
"Great thanks, General Pang! Welcome to Wei!"
When he sent his brother to crush Wei at Chang'an, Han Sui was certain that victory could be achieved.
Yet after a few days, he received a strange letter.
"Han Wenyue of Xi Liang, I find it quite endearing that you would even consider rising against Wei. My lord and I have been busy as of late, and Sima Zhongda has also been mopping up bandits in the south. We did not think we needed to deal with you and your brother, but you have proved us wrong.
"You honestly believe you can take Chang'an! You truly believe that you can 'avenge the Han' and resist Wei's glory. And here I was, thinking that we could make you and your brother a generous offer! You could have surrendered peacefully, you could enjoy the idea of fighting alongside your brother for a greater cause than some weak-willed boy who held the scepter of heroes. Liu Bei may be stupid enough to fight for Han, but I thought you had much more wisdom.
"Oh how wrong I was!
"By the time you receive this letter, news of the battle should be reaching you. More specifically, I suspect your nephew Ma Dai, who seems to have taken most of his family's wisdom with him, will be calling for assistance when his cousin and your brother foolishly assault my position. After you finish this letter, and prepare yourself to come to your brother's aid, you should receive news that he fell in combat. Send whoever you like, you probably were far-sighted enough to keep that General Pang with you. He will come running back with news of a generous offer of surrender, and he probably will prove his wisdom by surrendering first.
"With great respect and admiration, Jia Wenhe of Wuwei."
All Han Sui said to Pang De when he summoned him was this: "I have ordered several of our warriors to aid Han forces in Shu. I fear the worst may have happened in Chang'an. Take our reserves and find out what has happened on the field, and I will join you as soon as I am able."
Sure enough, Jia Xu's taunt proved true, and Han Sui surrendered with shame.
With Xi Liang thus pacified, Jia Xu returned to Xu Chang in triumph.
But Cao Pi was not happy to see him.
Sima Yi got to him first, however, and yelled to his face.
"Guo Huai has defected because of you! He wrote that he was appalled at your treatment of the Ma clan."
"How would he be aware of such a thing?" Jia Xu's eyes widened.
"Well..." And it was Sima Yi's turn to look embarrassed. "Our lord felt that Prince Xiong was rebelling, for he failed to provide soldiers and officers."
"Wait." Jia Xu groaned. "You mean to tell me that Cao Xiong has also defected?"
"Yes. Dong Zhao helped advise him. Guo Huai followed them shortly after you sent your report."
"What report? I planned to inform you just now."
"You mean you did not send a report regarding your victory at Chang'an?"
"... Who could have possibly penned such a document?"
And in the distance, Yang Xiu could only laugh as Guo Huai showed up on his doorstep. Cao Xiong's defection brought little to their cause, but they still had the moral victory of having two sons of Cao Cao in the same faction. But with Guo Huai the Cao Zhi army now had another fine commander, one who could help Yang Xiu achieve his great plan.
Jia Xu cursed when he took in the news. "So if Guo Huai has left us, how many officers do we have left?"
"Zhang Liao still holds Xuzhou, but I doubt we will control that city for long. Wenyuan is brave, but he will be vastly outnumbered and we lack the resources to adequately reinforce his position. Cao Ren, Xu Huang, and Xiahou Dun remain on our side, and the latter has cursed his brother for his betrayal."
"Begin a nation-wide draft. Include any brave souls from the traitor regions if possible. We are in for a long fight."
Dark clouds loomed over Xuzhou as Zhang Liao stood on the battlements.
There! He saw the wave of rebel troops running towards his position.
Cheng Yu shivered beside the General. "Commander, what shall we do? We lack the manpower to resist their assault, for many of the troops stationed here left with Li Dian. If only I had seen through his plot... If only we could have foreseen General Li's betrayal..."
"Those who follow Cao Zhi have their own reasons. It pains me that we have to fight them, but they leave us with no choice. We can attempt to withdraw, and spare our troops for the fight ahead, but then we will lose Xuzhou!"
"Commander, would losing Xuzhou be such a loss? The city is in the position of having Wu to the south and rebel forces to the north. If the rebels do not take the city, Wu will certainly march right in. It may be wiser for you to withdraw our troops before we lose them."
"No. I will not make our lord's name a joke for his brother to enjoy. I will parley with the enemy force."
And so Zhang Liao found himself face to face with none other than Yu Jin.
"General Zhang!" Yu Jin's eyes widened. "You are placing yourself in great risk by arranging yourself for battle. Generals Guo Huai and Han Hao are with me, and even though you are one of Wei's best generals the three of us can defeat you!"
Zhang Liao smiled, and Yu Jin flinched.
"Coward. Instead of supporting Lord Cao Pi in this dark hour, you simply surrendered to Cao Zhi when he gave you the chance. You are nothing more than a spineless rebel, and you want to claim that you can defeat me?"
Yu Jin shivered, but Guo Huai stepped forward.
"Wenyuan, this battle is lost. You are greatly outnumbered. You should lay down your arms and spare the lives of your soldiers. Lord Cao Pi has done the unthinkable, he allowed Jia Xu to massacre an entire clan. We cannot let our talents be wasted for such men. Cao Pi is nothing like Lord Cao Cao. Lord Cao Zhi is far more wise, farseeing, and benevolent. You ought to submit to a better cause."
"Boji, I am glad to see that unlike the coward you have a reason for your rebellion. But I must ask you: is it our Lord Cao Pi who is at fault, or is Wenhe the one who is guilty for such a deed? I heard that he murdered the Ma clan save for Ma Dai who fled to Shu. He forced Han Sui to surrender, but that helped spare may lives. You condemn Wenhe for his crime, and rightfully so, but you also condemn Lord Cao Pi, the man who you were meant to serve faithfully, in the same breath. Rest assured that I will speak with Jia Wenhe when this is over, but I must eliminate rebels first. Unfortunately, that includes you... I never thought we would have to fight one day."
Han Hao raised his spear. "Zhang Wenyuan, you are a great general. Today you are badly outnumbered, and you are unlikely to survive this battle. Guo Huai and I admire your talents, and both of us would be honored to fight by your side once again. Instead you choose to foolishly throw your men's lives away, and even if you do win this battle, what then? Wu will simply move in from the south and you will be finished regardless. Submit now, Lord Cao Zhi is benevolent and kind, he will pardon you."
"If I submit, I will be no better than the coward who is your superior. No, Han Yuansi, I cannot surrender. Now we must fi-..."
And at that moment, Yang Xiu appeared.
"General Zhang Liao, you have always served my lord's father faithfully. Since the day the Prince of Wei freed you from Lu Bu's service, you have fought like a true warrior until the day he died. Lord Cao Mengde died, and Lord Cao Pi took his place, but the boy has ruled like a fool. Firstly he disregards the brave northerners who fought and died in his wars, and thus Lord Cao Zhang has found his reason to secede. He disregarded his younger sibling, Lord Cao Zhi, and thus my lord seceded. He even attempted to kill young Lord Cao Xiong, who has fled into the eager, tender arms of Lord Cao Zhi. Cao Pi dethroned the Han Emperor and seized power greedily, disregarding the needs of the people. Why, then, do you insist on serving such a man? General Guo Huai is right: your talents are wasted on that tyrant. Join my lord and you will find another banner you can proudly serve. Lord Cao Zhi is truly Lord Cao Cao's successor, and he will guide our people to peace and prosperity!"
Zhang Liao stopped for a moment. "Perhaps you men believe that you are in the right. Perhaps you men truly believe that Prince Cao Zhi is a better leader than Emperor Cao Pi. I agree that our Emperor should not have attempted to harm young Prince Cao Xiong. The young prince is young and foolish, and should not be blamed for any negligence on his part... How would any of you react when your elder brothers have chosen to kill one another? I'm glad to see that Prince Cao Zhi is eager to protect his younger brother. That shows that he has some character.
"But there is no denying that he and Prince Cao Zhang have betrayed their elder brother. They have seized large portions of Wei's realm for themselves. You claim that Emperor Cao Pi is greedy for taking the Han throne, but the Han throne was meaningless ever since Dong Zhuo remained in power. He Jin was their last hope, and Liu Bei is nothing more than a cockroach that refuses to die. Han was already finished, our Emperor just finalized the situation.
"On behalf of the Wei court, and in the memory of the late Lord Cao Cao, I cannot watch as you disgrace his memory by wasting our soldiers on destroying one another and seizing another city for yourselves. I swear that I will hold this position as long as it takes, even if I must lose my men doing so!"
But as Zhang Liao said his words, his soldiers suddenly dropped their weapons. They were unwilling to die here, not when Cao Zhi was giving them such a generous offer: submit and live. They were heavily outnumbered and it was impossible for them not to take massive casualties as a result.
And although he held words of bravado, Zhang Liao panicked when he saw that none of his soldiers were willing to follow him. Obviously, a lone spear against the hordes of Cao Zhi's men would do little, and Zhang Liao started to shift back into the crowd. Yang Xiu, Guo Huai, and Han Hao ordered their men not to pursue, and Zhang Liao mounted a horse and rode off to the west.
Cheng Yu watched as his guards suddenly turned their coats, and he too realized the uselessness of resisting Cao Zhi's armies. He opened the gates and welcomed them, and Yang Xiu agreed to pardon him personally. Why would he or Cao Zhi need to kill Cheng Yu?
As the news from Wei came rolling in, Zhou Yu looked surprisingly happy. Although he seemed less so when Shu, through the eyes of Sun Qian and Ma Dai, brought tales of Ma Teng's defeat, the fall of Xuzhou proved that Wei still lacked the power to be a significant threat, and with Wei in three pieces it was only a matter of time before Shu and Wu could take advantage of the situation and strike the central plains.
But with Wei in shambles, there was little reason to act just yet. Zhuge Liang could be trusted to maintain the alliance, for even though Wei was badly wrecked at this point Wu was powerful enough to overrun Xiangyang and lay siege to Baidicheng at her choosing. Shu had lost much at Luoyang, Chang'an, and Xiangyang, whereas Wu had earned Shou Chun even though she too lost many soldiers at Xiangyang. Shu's armies were underpopulated while Wu's reserves could be mobilized quickly. Shu's leaders had to be suicidal if they planned to attack Wu.
And Zhou Yu saw no reason to strike Shu now. Shu would be happy to aid in the attacks on Wei, including the rebel factions, and a second betrayal would ruin any credibility Wu had left. Gongjin would not let himself succumb to madness yet again.
So he decided to rest, but on a particularly cold winter's day...
His employer had offered him a hefty sum.
His mission: to kill that famed admiral of Wu.
It was not an easy mission. As a citizen of Wei he had to sneak past the Wu border and pretend to have a southern accent. When his hometown rebelled and joined Cao Zhi's faction the job became even less easy to do, but he swore he'd complete it. As a mercenary his employer deserved nothing less.
Zhou Gongjin was holding a banquet, one where many Wusian officers were invited. This included legends like Zhou Tai, Cheng Pu, and Gan Ning, men who could take on dozens of strong warriors and win. The assassin disguised himself as a serving lad, hoping to suddenly fall upon Gongjin when they least expected it. Though Zhou Tai or Gan Ning would probably gut him afterwards, the assassin would have completed his contract. He was sure that even if his employer could not pay the family directly, Yang Xiu or someone would probably reimburse them for such a deed. The death of Zhou Yu would serve Wei or any of her rebel factions well.
The "serving lad" slowly stepped up to Zhou Yu, and bowed low.
Sun Shangxiang froze for a second. Instead of drinking her tea like a proper lady she stared at this particular server. He seemed somewhat abnormal.
The 'serving lad' fiddled with his clothes for a moment, and Zhou Yu looked somewhat confused.
Then he drew a knife, but before he could thrust downwards Shangxiang leapt from her seat and tackled him to the ground.
In a few moments, Gan Ning joined the fray, and Sun Quan nodded to Zhou Tai, who immediately ran to help, but the job was done.
The assassin was gutted like a pig, just as he predicted, and Gan Ning growled as he slit the bandit's throat.
Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang stared at each other for several moments, while Cheng Pu called for everyone to get rid of the corpse. The banquet had been ruined, yet Gongjin didn't seem to mind.
Sima Yi was furious when he learned that the assassin he paid long ago to eliminate Zhou Yu had failed.
Yet due to Wu's insistence on burying this issue, he could not learn anything more.
Jia Xu's call for a draft buzzed in his ears, and Sima Zhongda decided that once he succeeded in killing Cao Zhi and Yang Xiu, he would proceed to punish that clan of 'skillful assassins' for their incompetence.
Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang met in private as memories of the banquet slowly shifted away. Wu was on high alert, since if Wei could send an assassin to kill Zhou Yu she could certainly send more to kill any one of Wu's finest. Even Sun Quan had to admit that losing Zhou Yu now would cripple their plans for the future.
"Your reflexes have improved, Shangxiang. Neither Lord Cheng nor myself noticed the assassin's intent before you successfully intercepted him. The look on Madame Sun's face was priceless as well."
Shangxiang blushed. "The man seemed rather suspicious to me, so of course I had to be alert. I doubt a mere knife could have killed you so easily."
"Even so, everyone knows that you saved me back then."
"Well, you rescued me from Xiahou Yuan as well, so consider it payback."
It was Zhou Yu's turn to look bashful. "I swore that I would protect your clan. That of course includes the tigress of Jiangdong."
For a moment Shangxiang's voice grew dark. "At the time... At that time we all believed that you had betrayed your vows, that you had become someone else. I do not consider that moment to be one fulfilled by the Gongjin of old."
Zhou Yu sighed. "Yes, I will not deny that. The blood of Xiangyang has stained my hands. I only hope that one day I can free China from the Caos, and prevent even more blood from being shed."
And Shangxiang beamed at that. "As long as you remember the vows you made long ago, perhaps China will see brighter days."
Sun Jian's daughter approached the admiral slowly, carefully, like a fisherman who needed to spear a particularly large fish. She saw them all the time, the ones who didn't bother with nets when the fish they hunted were huge. Like many of her Wusian countrymen she lived near rivers and watched men move out into the sea, and thus fishing was all natural to her.
Including fishing for people.
But surprisingly enough, Zhou Gongjin was quite an easy catch.
The next morning, Sun Shangxiang rose from her side of the bed.
And Gongjin rose from beside her.
"My brother will kill us both." She muttered as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Yet who seduced whom here?" Zhou Yu grinned.
And she smiled too.
Although Sun Quan was furious, it was clear that Liu Bei would not have taken her anyway. The man was old and the rift between Shu and Wu was strong enough that even giving him Shangxiang would not make Liu Xuande change his mind.
But even if he could not use his sister to cement someone's loyalty, perhaps a daughter would do just fine. If Shangxiang could keep Zhou Yu in line, perhaps that would be victory enough.
And with that said, the Sun and Zhou lines became intertwined.
Author's Note: I do not think that Zhou Yu would call Sun Jian's wife "the Lady Wu" now would he?
Here is a general list of Wei officers, specifically the ones who defected to Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi's camps, and some notes for those who are interested:
Cao Pi's Faction:
Jia Xu
Sima Yi
Cao Zhen
Zhang Liao (although he does admit sympathy for Cao Zhang's faction after Jia Xu annihilates Ma Teng and nearly exterminates the Ma clan. To his surprise, Jia Xu does not punish him for it, and also admits that the other Cao factions aren't evil, just misled. Sima Yi doesn't agree, but Cao Pi doesn't want to screw things over by punishing some of his top officers.)
Cao Ren
Xiahou Dun
Xu Huang
Zhong Yao (One of Jia Xu's main supporters. Helps Jia Xu's decisive victory against Ma Teng and Han Sui at Chang'an.)
Liu Ye
Jiang Wei (was in Cao Zhang's territory when he rebelled, mostly due to training with Zhang He. Pretends to defect to Cao Zhang but in reality tries to gain intel on both Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi's factions. He manages to gain a list of officers in both camps (mostly because of shared intel due to Xu Shu / Yang Xiu alliance), but Xu Shu sees through him and chases him out. Plays important role in later events.)
Cao Zhang's Faction:
Xu Shu
Xiahou Yuan
Zhang He
Li Dian
Yue Jin
Zhu Ling
Hao Zhao (Recruited by Xu Shu during Cao Zhang's northern campaigns. Becomes a severe threat to Jia Xu and Sima Yi. Plays important role in later events.)
Wang Lang (Was in Cao Zhi's territory when the rebellion broke out. Decides to join Cao Zhang. Becomes main opposition to Xu Shu in Cao Zhang's camp.)
Cao Xiu
Jia Kui
Sima Wang (Unlike his father, he joined Cao Zhang out of sympathy for their faction. Plays important role in later events.)
Cao Zhi's Faction:
Yang Xiu
Cao Hong
Cao Xiong
Yu Jin
Guo Huai (Defects after Jia Xu kills off most of the Ma clan in protest.)
Man Chong
Dong Zhao
Han Hao
Chen Qun
Both Ding Yi's
Cheng Yu
... And yes, I do indeed miss my old copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX very much. Why do you ask?
