Chapter Nine: Setting the Stage for an Epic Battle
As the days trickle by, both sides struggle with last-minute command decisions in their amibitious quests to conquer Tian Xia(1)
Hearing of Sun Jian's decision to join forces with Liu Bei and thus present a united Wu-Shu front against Wei's million-men army, Cao Cao swiftly set up camp on the northern shores of the Chang Jiang. From there, both sides could almost see across the massive river to the enemy's formation, as all three of Wei, Wu, and Shu readied their forces for a large-scale battle.
A couple of weeks after his arrival at the combat site, Cao Cao and some of his top generals could be seen riding around the Wei base camp and surveying their army. As Cao Cao took in the sights with a sweeping glance, he noted with unconcealed satisfaction how grand his troops looked, armors gleaming and weapons reflecting the glint of the sun.
Proud and war-hungry, the infantrymen marched in perfect formation while chanting in unison, "First we'll defeat the South! Then we'll conquer the world! First we'll defeat the South! Then we'll conquer the world!" over and over to the accompaniment of rolling drums and blaring trumpets.
Across the river, Sun Jian and his two sons listened in disgust to the great noise and din raised by the Wei soldiers, as in the background, their own troops trained and marched.
"Hah! We'll prove to them that the largest army doesn't always win the war!" a spirited, feminine voice suddenly spoke up from behind.
Three male Suns turned around as one, six dark eyes zoomed in on the solitary figure of a slender, medium-height girl with short russet hair and peaches-and-cream skin. Dressed in maroon and gold, and holding one finely polished Sol Chakram in each hand, she cut a picture of a seasoned fighter despite her apparent youth, which placed her at no older than two and nine.
"We?" Sun Jian echoed questioningly, lifting one eyebrow in his daughter's direction. "Shang Xiang, I was under the impression that you would stay behind the battle lines this time."
Hearing those words, eighteen-year-old Sun Shang Xiang almost heaved her chakrams onto the ground in frustration (dangerously close to Sun Ce's left foot, unfortunately!)
"Stay behind!" she demanded in a voice that would have been called a screech in anyone less attractive. "What am I supposed to do, prance about the palace gardens and look at all the pretty flowers while the fate of the whole South is depending on this one battle?"
A pained expression flickered across her father's face, so that he extended both arms in the universal gesture of helplessness.
"I'm sorry, Shang Xiang, but I have to be firm this time," he replied, at once gentle and stern. "The odds are too heavily in Wei's favor; it's simply far too dangerous for me to let my only daughter—my little girl—run out and fight against a million-men army."
Dark thunderclouds gathered in Sun Shang Xiang's eyes upon hearing her father's words. At first she appeared ready to scream and rage, then for a while she looked like she was going to debate with him, before seeming to consider whether cajoles and pleas might do the trick.
In the end, however, she chose none of those three reactions, only giving an irate huff of, "When will I ever stop being too little?"
Having thus spoken, the princess of Wu then spun on her heels and stormed off.
A brief silence settled amongst her kinsmen, until Sun Quan broke it by remarking dryly, "That went better than I'd expected."
His older brother nodded.
"Yeah, I thought for sure she was going to chuck one of those chakrams at us," Sun Ce wisecracked.
Across the river, Cao Cao and his little entourage had almost concluded their tour of the army. The final stop happened to be at the docks, where the Wei Armada was stationed.
Here, the sight that met their eyes was far less pleasing.
The land troops of the North, unaccustomed to fighting on water but forced into naval drilling out of necessity, made a pitiful picture. They staggered and tottered dizzily about in time with the ships' swaying, and some even lost their balance in mid-training, plopping into the lurching waters and landing with loud splashes. Others were leaning over the railings and retching miserably into the foamy green Chang Jiang.
The Wei generals stopped at this pathetic scene, and Cao Cao himself clicked his tongue in disgust as he watched.
Suddenly, a voice from far below spoke up, almost cheerfully, "My, my, the all-powerful kingdom of Wei is going to unite Tian Xia with these gallant soldiers?"
Cao Cao and his generals simultaneously glanced down, only to see an absurd-looking little man wrapped in colorful tatters and a gigantic hat, reclining lazily against a moss-covered rock.
Xiahou Dun glared down menacingly with his one remaining eye at the ugly little stranger. Pulling out his Kirin Fang, which was strapped by his waist, he began to growl out a threat: "If you want to lose your head for your audacity, then by all means, keep talking—!"
However, Cao Cao, who seemed to have an uncanny sixth sense for spotting talent in others, held up one hand to quiet his cousin down.
"If you have any ideas on how to solve my little problem, sir, then I beg of you to reveal them," he entreated in a tone that was respectful to the point of almost being humble. "After Wei conquers China, it will certainly never forget your help during this crucial battle."
The odd little man stepped forward, and up close he turned out to be uglier than ever, invoking from Zhang He what could only be described as a sophisticated form of the shudder. This reaction from the exceptionally beautiful—and equally vain—Wei general only seemed to amuse the eccentric hatted strategist.
"Isn't it obvious?" he asked with lazy self-assurance. "The soldiers of the North aren't used to naval warfare; hence they spend most of their time getting seasick rather than training!"
At these unflatteringly truthful words, several Wei generals erupted in anger, but their charismatic leader swiftly held out one arm in front of them, thus preventing the bold speaker from getting impaled, skewered, or clawed to death.
"Gentlemen, I will not stand for any bloodshed today," Cao Cao announced meaningfully.
Ten minutes later, the zany strategist was sitting in the Wei king's own tent, unrolling several diagrams of warships across a low mahogany desk.
"What I'm proposing is that you forge strong iron chains with which to bind all your ships together," he was saying. "This way, your entire fleet will be transformed into a floating fortress, and will be as steady as if it were on land. Your troops will no longer get seasick from the churning waves, and your generals could even ride horses from one ship to the next as they give out orders."
Cao Cao considered this proposal in deep silence.
"Brilliant idea!" he finally decided.
Turning to its creator, he asked earnestly, "Please, I must know your name."
The prompt reply came back in a merry chirp: "It's Pang Tong. Don't you forget it, Lord Cao Cao; Pang Tong's a name you will remember for the rest of your life." And having said this, the absurd little man bowed and backed out of the tent, presumably to go back to his rock and resume his nap.
Even Cao Cao, who was usually so indiscriminating toward men of talent—no matter how eccentric or unattractive these might happen to be—couldn't help but dart a strange look at the spot which Pang Tong had once occupied. After a few moments, he tried to shake off this first impression and began poring over the diagrams which Pang Tong had drawn, when the entrance to his tent was suddenly thrown wide open. A young man in a long, finely-embroidered violet robe burst inside.
"My lord, you mustn't chain the fleet together!"
Cao Cao glanced up in annoyance, and saw Sima Yi standing before him, his eyes widened with obvious horror.
"Why shouldn't I do that?" the Wei king demanded rather dismissively, eager to return to Pang Tong's sketches.
Sima Yi didn't let his leader's unconcealed skepticism deter him, as he argued breathlessly, "If the enemy decides to use a fire attack, not a single ship will escape the flames! My lord, to chain the fleet together is to condemn the entire Wei Armada to defeat here at Chi Bi!"
Cao Cao, unexpectedly, only threw back his head and laughed at this good advice. Standing up, he exited his tent and signaled for Sima Yi to follow.
Once outside, he beckoned a footsoldier over, ordering briskly of the youth, "Hoist your flag up."
The soldier obediently did as he was told, and the blue phoenix banner he was carrying promptly began to flutter briskly in the wind...towards the direction of Wu.
"You see?" Cao Cao declared confidently. "If those insignificant Southern fools try to use a fire attack, they'll only be burning their own fleets!"
He laughed again and returned to his tent, leaving Sima Yi to linger behind, still as worried and unconvinced as ever.
1. Literally translates to "Beneath the heavens." Commonly means China the country (and for those of you who've watched Jet Li's Hero, the phrase 'Tian Xia' is a reference to that movie)