Chapter 75: One Arrow, Three Targets

Sun Ce clearly remembered the hints Liu Xie had previously given, as well as the things Zhang Hong had told him about Liu Xie’s actions. Putting them all together, it wasn’t difficult to guess who this person was.

“That’s right. I have Liu Bei’s two wives in my hands, and he will certainly come to Jiangdong to search for them. I’m quite confident about that,” Liu Xie said.

Zhou Yu listened to the conversation between Sun Ce and Liu Xie, thoroughly confused. Unable to bear it any longer, he quickly asked, “Your Majesty, are you speaking of the imperial uncle Liu Bei?”

“No. If he comes, I’ll cut off his head immediately. That man is like a cursed steed—always bringing misfortune to his masters. If you don’t believe me, count it up: hasn’t everyone who’s taken him in suffered a stroke of bad luck?”

Zhou Yu squinted and pondered for a moment, then nodded blankly and continued, “So who is it, then?”

“It’s Guan Yu, who recently slew the famous Hebei general Yan Liang under Cao Cao’s command. Back in Xiapi, he surrendered to Cao Cao only to protect Liu Bei’s two wives. In Xuchang, it was also because of these two women that His Majesty granted him the title of subordinate general, sending him to accompany Cao Cao on the campaign at Guandu.”

Sun Ce didn’t want Liu Xie to keep playing riddles with Zhou Yu, so he quickly explained the connection between Guan Yu and Liu Bei’s wives, as Zhang Hong had previously clarified to him.

“Oh? Does Guan Yu have some affair with those women?” Zhou Yu’s reasoning evidently differed from Sun Ce’s.

His guess, however, seemed to amuse Liu Xie, who chuckled unconsciously before realizing that as an emperor, such laughter might seem a touch indecent.

“Ahem, according to my observation, that’s unlikely. Guan Yu is stubborn and proud. Since he chose Liu Bei, as long as Liu Bei lives, he will remain loyal to him. Besides, he’s quite capable and has seized upon Cao Cao’s love of talent to ensure his own safety. If he learns that his two sisters-in-law have been brought to Jiangdong, he will surely come.”

Liu Xie patiently explained, but Zhou Yu still didn’t quite understand and waited, eyes fixed on Liu Xie for further explanation.

Liu Xie sighed. It wasn’t that Zhou Yu was dull, but he had never dealt much with Liu Bei or Guan Yu, nor had he, like Liu Xie, studied the histories of the Three Kingdoms in his previous life. It was normal that he couldn’t analyze their personalities.

“Once Guan Yu arrives in Jiangdong, his aim will be to rescue Liu Bei’s two wives. As for my opportunistic imperial uncle, after Yuan Shao’s defeat, he won’t linger long under Yuan Shao’s command. Because of the Edict in the Belt affair, once he falls into their hands, he’ll have no way out. I’ve heard that once he leaves Yuan Shao, he’ll go to seek refuge with Liu Biao!”

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Connection made!

When Zhou Yu heard the name Liu Biao, he suddenly understood how everything was linked.

“Your Majesty’s meaning is to use Guan Yu and Liu Bei’s two wives to threaten Liu Bei, so that he will cooperate with us from within, helping us to undermine Liu Biao?”

This strategy instantly took shape in Zhou Yu’s mind, and he found that, given the relationship between Liu Xie and Liu Bei, it shouldn’t be too difficult to execute.

“From within and without? It doesn’t matter with whom—never with my imperial uncle. Gongjin, you’re right that this is the surface of the plan, but the heart of it is different. I’ve had plenty of idle time and devised a scheme that kills three birds with one stone. Shall we discuss it?”

“What do you mean by killing three birds with one arrow?”

“With this plan, through a series of maneuvers, not only can Bo Fu seize Jingzhou with minimal cost, but we can also eliminate Liu Bei—the double-faced false imperial uncle—and, if luck holds, recruit Guan Yu, a formidable general, into our ranks. Isn’t that three birds with one arrow?”

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu counted on their fingers and realized it was indeed so.

Guan Yu wasn’t an old-school warrior, but his feat of slaying Yan Liang was proof enough that he was stronger than most generals in Jiangdong.

What attracted Sun Ce most was the prospect of taking Liu Biao’s territory. As for killing Liu Bei, he had little interest; perhaps Liu Bei had unknowingly offended Liu Xie at some point, prompting Liu Xie to include him in the plan for elimination.

“It seems Your Majesty has long had a plan. Why don’t the three of us discuss it in detail?” Sun Ce weighed the matter, quickly deciding to follow Liu Xie’s suggestion—to ignore Cao Cao for now, since he lacked the strength to confront him.

He would focus on expanding his territory rapidly, building up power to later defeat Cao Cao and the others in a direct confrontation—a strategy that offered both substance and prestige.

Seeing Sun Ce and Zhou Yu leaving the thinking to him, Liu Xie secretly raised his eyebrows, silently pleased that they were exactly as he wanted—complacent and unambitious.

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So Liu Xie invited Sun Ce and Zhou Yu to sit beside him. The three gathered, spending quite some time as Liu Xie laid out the plan he had schemed for more than a few months.

“Bo Fu, this matter is confidential. If you decide to proceed as I suggest, aside from Gongjin, no one else should know. The key to this plan is Guan Yu. If too many people know, news will leak, and not only will he not be used by us, he’ll ruin everything.”

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu understood the stakes and nodded in agreement.

Yet, both were so absorbed in Liu Xie’s scheme that they completely forgot the purpose of their visit—to ensure Liu Xie would be used by them, as both a puppet and a strategist.

Now, Liu Xie had indeed offered strategy, but he had also seized the initiative entirely.

“Your Majesty has truly grasped the characters of Guan Yu and Liu Bei!” Zhou Yu remarked, only after digesting the plan. He realized that without a profound understanding of Liu Bei and Guan Yu, one could never dare attempt such a scheme.

To lure Guan Yu with just Liu Bei’s two wives was unbelievable to most. And the idea that Liu Bei would soon seek refuge with Liu Biao also seemed far-fetched; at first, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce didn’t believe it, but after Liu Xie explained his reasoning in detail, they found no way to refute him.

The credibility of Liu Xie’s plan wasn’t merely because he had nearly escaped from Xuchang on his own, nor because he had helped Sun Ce escape death. It was because whenever Liu Xie laid out a plan, it sounded as if success was inevitable. Why that was, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu couldn’t quite say.