The Three Kingdoms Volume 2 by Luo Guanzhong

Author:Luo Guanzhong
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8048-4394-2
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Published: 2014-05-19T16:00:00+00:00

Lu Su hastened back to Zhou Yu to tell him that all was going as he desired and Liu Bei would come out to welcome the army. Zhou Yu laughed gleefully, saying, “At last! This time they will fall into my trap!”

He asked Lu Su to submit a report to their master and ordered Cheng Pu to bring up reinforcements. By then, he had nearly recovered from the arrow wound and felt quite himself again. The army, totaling 50,000 men, was divided into three sections and Zhou Yu was with the second division. While voyaging in his ship he could not contain himself with joy to think how he was to trap Zhuge Liang at last.

At Xiakou he inquired if there was anyone to welcome him. His men told him that Liu Bei had sent Mi Zhu to meet him.

“What about the rewards for the army?” asked Zhou Yu as soon as Mi Zhu came.

“My master has seen to that—all is prepared,” said Mi Zhu.

“Where is Liu Bei?” asked Zhou Yu.

“He is at Jingzhou, waiting outside the city walls to offer you some wine before you set off.”

“This long expedition is for your benefit,” said Zhou Yu. “The rewards for our army must be very substantial.”

Having listened to what Zhou Yu had to say, Mi Zhu returned to his own city, while the battleships of Wu sailed in close order up the river and took their places along the bank. As they approached the town of Gongan, quietness seemed to reign on all sides. Not a ship was visible anywhere, nor was anyone waiting to greet them. Zhou Yu pressed forward till he came quite near Jingzhou, and still the wide river lay calm. Scouts came back to report that two white flags were flying on the city walls, but there was no one in sight.

Zhou Yu began to feel suspicious. He ordered his fleet to anchor along the bank and he went ashore, from where he rode toward Jingzhou, together with his officers and 3,000 veteran soldiers.

Presently he came to the city wall. There was no sign of life. Reining in his steed, he bade his soldiers call at the gate. Then a guard posted on the wall asked who they were. The men of Wu replied that it was their commander in person. Immediately, the clang of a clapper was heard and the wall became alive with armed men. And from the tower came out Zhao Yun who demanded, “Why are you here, General?”

“I am going to take the west for you,” replied Zhou Yu. “Have you not been told?”

“Our advisor knows that you want to try the ruse of ‘borrowing a passageway to destroy the kingdom of Guo’ and so he stationed me here. And my master said that as he and the ruler of the west country are both members of the reigning family, he could not think of such baseness as attacking West Chuan. If you people of Wu do so, he would be forced to go away into the mountains and become a recluse.

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