Chapter 109: A Grand Game of Chess
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After arriving at Cai Mao’s residence, the two men were far more relaxed than they had been in Liu Biao’s presence.
“This matter must be handled personally by the two of us. We cannot entrust it to anyone else. I will be responsible for intelligence from Xinye. You already have informants in Jiangdong, do you not? You will handle the intelligence from there. Our lord said the deadline is three months, but three months is too long—too much can change in that time. Within one month, Liu Bei and the men under his command must all die!”
Although Cai Mao’s position appeared to be slightly higher, when it came to plotting something of such importance, he still had to defer to Kuai Yue.
When the two of them had first formed their alliance, Cai Mao had promised Kuai Yue that, should Liu Cong succeed to Liu Biao’s position after his death, then although Cai Mao was Liu Cong’s maternal uncle and clearly shared a closer relationship with him, he would still govern Jingzhou alongside Kuai Yue.
“Then we’ll do as you suggest. You need not worry about intelligence from Jiangdong. If Sun Ce truly intends to scheme against Jingzhou, all I need do is prepare our navy for battle. Their navy is still inferior to ours. The real concern is the situation in Xinye. Liu Bei already established a reputation during the Yellow Turban rebellion. Though he is somewhat down on his luck now, he still enjoys a measure of prestige among the common people. We must not lower our guard.”
After reminding each other of the dangers, the two men went their separate ways.
The situation in Jingzhou was clearly more complicated than Liu Bei had anticipated. Of course, Sun Ce had not imagined that he had already become Liu Biao’s foremost imagined enemy.
He had cooperated with Liu Xie in carrying out that entire series of performances for only one purpose: to see whether Guan Yu could truly be brought into his service.
As for Jingzhou, it was not that Sun Ce had no designs upon it. Liu Xie had once proposed the idea that, if they wished to contend for supremacy in the Central Plains, they would first have to seize Jingzhou.
But Sun Ce understood his own limitations. At least for now, he lacked the ability to defeat Liu Biao and still retain enough strength to contend for the Central Plains.
He watched Guan Yu depart for Xiangyang, and within a few days news came back that, after Guan Yu’s arrival, Liu Bei had hosted a banquet in his honor. Afterward, Guan Yu had followed Liu Bei back to Xinye, the fief Liu Biao had granted him.
As the reports came in one after another, Sun Ce grew rather disappointed.
Whenever Sun Ce was disappointed, he would summon his sworn younger brother, Zhou Yu, before him. Partly, it was to vent his displeasure, and partly, of course, to send Zhou Yu running errands for him.
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“Gongjin, now that Guan Yu has arrived in Xiangyang, Liu Bei probably did not pay the slightest attention to a woman’s life or death. What use is there in leaving Lady Mi behind, as His Majesty suggested? Sigh! His Majesty is still too young. Could it be that he has taken a fancy to Lady Mi and wants to make her his through such methods?”
The image of Liu Xie, which had gradually grown taller in Sun Ce’s estimation, immediately shrank into something small and pitiful under this line of thought.
Sun Ce felt that his worries were becoming clearer and clearer. Liu Xie was indeed exceedingly clever, but the moment he had arrived in Jiangdong, he had used his intelligence and talent to demand the Qiao sisters.
And now he had left Lady Mi behind as well. What exactly was he trying to do? Was his ultimate goal nothing more than women?
Zhou Yu’s expression turned somewhat grim as he listened to Sun Ce.
Previously, every piece of intelligence had been relayed by him from Liu Xie. Yet no one had expected Guan Yu’s trip to Xiangyang to vanish like a stone dropped into the sea, stirring not the slightest ripple because of Lady Mi’s disappearance.
Still, Zhou Yu was considerably more capable than Sun Ce when it came to strategy. His expression might have been unpleasant, but he nevertheless went over, in his mind, everything Liu Xie had previously told him, word for word.
“His Majesty should have no improper intentions toward Lady Mi. Though she possesses some beauty, she is nowhere near the equal of the Qiao sisters. His Majesty said at the time that this was not intended to incite anger between Liu Bei and Guan Yu, but to draw Liu Biao into the matter…”
“Draw Liu Biao in? What connection could Liu Biao possibly have with Lady Mi? Is it not Cai Madam, Cai Mao’s sister, whom Liu Biao favors?”
“Cai Madam… Bofu, immediately have our spies in Xiangyang investigate whether Cai Mao has displayed any unusual behavior recently. During this period, following His Majesty’s instructions, all the messages that were supposed to reach Xiangyang should already have arrived. Not only will Liu Bei know what happened between Guan Yu and Lady Mi in His Majesty’s palace, Liu Biao and Cai Mao must know as well!”
Sun Ce’s head began to ache as he listened. He simply could not understand why Liu Biao had to be dragged into his perfectly straightforward attempt to recruit Guan Yu.
At least for now, his relationship with Liu Biao remained quite good. If this matter destroyed that relationship, Sun Ce felt that he would be the unlucky one, forced to recuperate for several years, while Liu Biao—who had already been recuperating all these years—would suffer no such inconvenience.
“Cai Mao is indeed one of Liu Biao’s most important ministers. As the elder brother of Cai Madam, he controls the small but elite Jingzhou navy. However, all his attention is focused on competing with Young Master Liu Qi for the right to inherit Jingzhou. A mere Liu Bei, bringing only a few thousand men, is beneath his notice!”
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After a moment’s thought, Sun Ce had already determined the role Cai Mao had played in this matter.
“Liu Bei, Cai Mao, Guan Yu… Bofu! I understand His Majesty’s meaning now. Wait here for me. I am going to His Majesty’s palace. Some matters must be decided as soon as possible. You need only understand one thing: if, in a year or half a year, we go to war with Jingzhou, how great are our chances of victory?”
After throwing out those words, Zhou Yu vanished from Sun Ce’s study with the look of a man who had no time to explain and had to hurry off at once.
“A year or half a year? Damn it, how old is Liu Biao, anyway? As for the likes of Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, I have nothing to fear from them!”
While Sun Ce was working himself into a fury, Zhou Yu had already hurried to Liu Xie’s palace. His heart was pounding, for he had conceived a truly grandiose strategy.
Recruiting Guan Yu was merely incidental.
The true purpose of this scheme was clearly to make Jiangdong and Jingzhou fight a real war.
Only after that battle would Jiangdong truly begin to display the qualities of a hegemonic power.
Otherwise, once another year or two had passed and Yuan Shao had completely vanished into the dust of history, there would be very few people left in the world capable of standing against Cao Cao—regardless of whether Cao Cao still had the emperor in his hands.
Yet just as Zhou Yu knocked upon the gates of Liu Xie’s palace, a thought he had never entertained before suddenly arose in his mind:
His Majesty was so intelligent—what exactly was his purpose in helping Sun Ce? He had remained in Xuchang for so many years before this. Why had he never gone to help Cao Cao?
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