Chapter 510: Exactly the Same as This Meaning, One and the Same Path

"Which poem does Zijing prefer?" Liu Bei set down his cup after asking and waited quietly for a reply.

Yet Lu Zijing remained lost in thought for a long while without arriving at an answer. In the end, he simply countered directly: "And which poem does my lord prefer?"

"I like them both." Liu Bei's expression did not change as he answered calmly. "The former keeps ambition from falling; the latter surges with heroic spirit. And in any case, either is better than Zijing's current downcast dejection, is it not?"

Lu Su was embarrassed for a moment, then rose from his seat and bowed in apology: "Your servant is ashamed!"

"I am not harshly rebuking you." Liu Bei helped the other man up, and as both resumed their seats, he sighed, a rare thing. "Gongjin, Dinggong, Youping, Shuzhi, Wenxiang, Zilie, Xingba — one after another, none found the road back. And over a hundred thousand troops marched out, yet only thirty or forty thousand laborers returned... Though it is said that blades and arrows are blind and life and death are fated, still, the human heart is made of flesh — who could not grieve for them? But Zijing, after grieving, one should not remain so long wounded and unable to bear it. At this day and hour, whether we lie low and endure, or whether we die and have done with it, we should face it with some composure. Otherwise, we fail both the living and the dead!"

Lu Su grew ever more ashamed, yet he forced himself to rally, pouring and drinking several cups in succession. Liu Bei, unhurried, simply kept him company in drinking.

Only after a long interval did Lu Zijing slowly speak: "My lord's meaning — your servant has in fact understood it... My lord wishes to ask whether, as things stand now, a great enterprise can still be achieved?"

"Indeed." Liu Bei faced him squarely. "And if it can be achieved, how should we proceed? And if it cannot — I will not hide it from Zijing — so many have died, all because of my private ambition. I naturally owe an accounting! When the time comes, I must ask you to handle my final affairs."

It must be said that Liu Bei spoke of life and death without the slightest hesitation, as though he had long pondered these matters in recent days and had already reached a resolution in his heart.

As for Lu Su, although he had vaguely awakened to this, hearing it spoken to his face now, the words almost burst from him: "My lord, do not be troubled — the situation can still be worked with!"

Liu Bei poured himself more wine, merely casting a glance at the other man.

Lu Su exhaled deeply, knowing that today he needed to produce a definite argument, yet he was no longer anxious... The reason was simple: how could Lu Zijing not have pondered such a great matter before the war?

"Your servant believes that, as things stand, the lands north of the Great River certainly cannot be held. But if we can turn back to Jiangdong, conserve our strength and build it up, then annex the lands along the Great River, and hold the river line against them — then when the realm changes, if my lord can dispatch a senior general to march out from Nanyang to control Wan and Luo, while personally leading troops out from Huainan, we can still restore Shouchun, and even return to this place... At that time, the great enterprise may not be beyond hope." Lu Su spoke earnestly and somewhat hastily, so much so that he actually picked up the chopsticks from the table and laid them out on the tabletop to demonstrate.

Liu Bei's expression did not change; he neither agreed nor disagreed.

Without waiting for Liu Bei to actively criticize or question him, Lu Zijing pointed at the chopsticks on the table and explained himself: "This strategy rests first on unifying Jiangnan! It must be understood that after this war, the elite of the Central Plains have a considerable tendency to cross south, and ever since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, population has always flowed largely from north to south... The lands south of the Yangtze, though they cannot compare to Hebei or the Central Plains, are by no means a barbaric wilderness. If my lord can control them, it would indeed count as a foundation."

These words were reasonable enough, and Liu Bei could only nod.

"Second, unifying Jiangnan means holding Jing and Xiang, and holding Jing and Xiang means holding a three-tenths share of the initiative."

"What does that mean?" Liu Bei finally showed a trace of interest.

"My lord must understand: north of Xiangyang lies Nanyang. Nanyang is the vital gate at the very heart of the realm. Northward, one can advance on the old capital Luoyang; westward, one can reach Hanzhong; to the northwest are the Three Adjuncts; to the northeast is the Central Plains; and to the east is Huaibei... As long as someone dispatches troops from this place, no matter how powerful Yan is, it must treat this place as its priority." Lu Su pointed at the wine cup behind the chopsticks, speaking more and more fluently, until finally there was a touch of fervor in his manner. "In other words, so long as Jing and Xiang are in hand for a single day, the north will not know peace for a single day. Whether my lord dispatches a trusted general or holds this place himself, striking northward repeatedly — then not only Shouchun, but I fear opportunities for battle will appear of their own accord elsewhere! And yet this vital place now rests only in the hands of Liu Biao, that house-guarding dog, unable to be put to use. Does my lord truly have no interest?"

Liu Bei nodded slightly. He knew that what Lu Zijing said was correct. That stretch of land north of Jingzhou — specifically the area around Xiangyang — was truly the pivot of the realm's strategic situation. Once in hand, one could genuinely regain a measure of initiative. And initiative...

"Third, unifying Jiangnan is also a necessity for self-preservation, because the entire Great River is the final line of defense against the north. Only by gaining it can one speak of anything else." At this point, Lu Su could not help but recover himself somewhat, and he gazed at the bamboo chopstick on the table with a soft sigh. "My lord, since ancient times, those who would achieve great things must possess a land of strategic advantage, also called the foundation of kingship and hegemony... Just as Lord Yan once contended with Dong Zhuo for the Three Adjuncts — what he sought was the land of the Three Adjuncts. And when he fought his decisive battle with Yuan Shao, what he sought was the entirety of Hebei. Places like the Three Adjuncts and Hebei have been, since antiquity, the most traditional and most effective foundation lands — gain them, and one can easily strike out to seize the realm, yet retreat and defend without immediate worry."

"And the lands south of the Great River are the same?"

"Correct." Lu Su raised his head and answered gravely. "It is precisely the Great River! Forgive your servant's bluntness: although the lands south of the Great River are vast in territory, in terms of population and wealth, they are no longer sufficient to serve as a foundation. The line of the Yangtze is the very last line! Since the Two Huai can no longer be held, then from Jiangdong to Jing and Xiang — this is the final foundation of kingship and hegemony that can face the north!"

"Zijing speaks well." Liu Bei sighed. "Extremely well... To find me a path even in such a situation — what more could one ask? Only, Zijing, unifying Jiangnan — how easily said? Will that elder brother of mine in the north truly give me this opportunity?"

"This is what your servant will speak of next." Lu Zijing retrieved the wine goblet from the table, drank a full mouthful, then set it down and pointed at the empty goblet, continuing gravely. "My lord, we have fought this great defeat, and the lands north of the River will be difficult to hold. But what is more critical is not the territory, not where the chopsticks are placed, but that after this war, no one left in the realm can actively challenge Lord Yan! The affairs of the realm, the advance — all can only follow the north's lead now... Our goblet is indeed empty of wine!"

"Zijing means to say that which poem I prefer is not for me to decide, but for that elder brother of mine to decide?" Liu Bei grasped the other's meaning almost instantly. "Who told us to lose the war?"

"That is precisely the meaning!" Lu Su answered despondently, yet his mind was clear, without any further hesitation. "At this moment, Lord Yan has taken the Central Plains and is about to swallow the Two Huai. In all the realm, there are only five lords who still have the strength to remain independent: first, my lord; second, Liu Biao; third, Liu Yan; fourth, Shi Xie; fifth, Zhao Bao! Among them, Zhao Bao will, nine times out of ten, submit — indeed, he has long been one body with Lord Yan, merely hindered by the title of Han subject and needing to make a show of it. And Shi Xie is separated by several thousand li, too far to participate in the situation. Thus, what lies before Lord Yan are merely the three Liu-named lords along the Great River, my lord included. And of these three lords, whichever one Lord Yan decides to take first — that one will almost certainly not escape!"

Liu Bei finally laughed in spite of himself: "I understand... If my elder brother comes straight for me, then I shall simply 'refuse to cross to Jiangdong.' If my elder brother first takes Jiangxia or even Xiangyang, then I shall simply join forces with Liu Biao and fight one more time — succeed or fail, there is nothing more to say. But if my elder brother intends to temporarily pacify the ravaged Central Plains and instead turn first to take Yizhou, then I can attempt to unify the Left of the River and Jing-Xiang, sever the Great River, and try the strategy Zijing just laid out with chopsticks."

Lu Su shook his head slightly.

"What does Zijing mean?" Liu Bei was momentarily puzzled.

"It also depends on how quickly Yizhou is taken." Lu Su answered despondently. "If Yan needs three years to take Yizhou, then my lord might still carry out this strategy — so-called three years to annex Jing and Yang, five years to march out again on Wan and Luo. But if Yan takes Yizhou in a year or two, can my lord annex Liu Biao in a year or two? When the Yan armies cross the River then, who can withstand them?"

Liu Bei was briefly stunned, then laughed again: "In a year or two, I fear even the hearts of the people in Wu Commandery would be hard to win over. But still, it counts as a path, does it not? Having one is better than having none. Zijing need not be despondent — in any case, it is not for us to decide... Let us drink a full cup to ward off this biting winter cold, and then spill a full cup to feast the drifting spirits!"

Amid the swirling snowflakes, Lu Su's expression immediately turned solemn.

Perhaps because nearly a full year of great war had drained people of too much energy, at the end of the sixth year of Jian'an, as winter arrived and the fighting paused, every power in the realm was using this time to adjust its strategy.

For a time, envoys and spies became the only active groups that winter.

The Son of Heaven arrived at Jiangxia and proclaimed the Grand Commandant's death to the four directions, yet no one paid it any mind. Everyone was discussing the bizarre situation: the Son of Heaven occupying Xiling downstream, the pregnant Empress occupying Shaxian upstream, and the newly appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry, Jing Ze, handling the defense north of Yunmeng Marsh at Anlu... A mere Jiangxia Commandery had been passively split into three?!

Only, thinking of the strange relationship between the Son of Heaven and the Empress, and the Empress's belly — which had grown after she dreamed of the setting sun entering her bosom — apart from pitying the hardship of the court's sole pillar, Jing Ze, no one had anything left to say.

There was also the Sun clan, which held Wu Commandery and Kuaiji Commandery. With Sun Ce also dead, Sun Jian's second son, Sun Quan, only fourteen years old, had to bind up his hair ahead of time. With the help of a group of old ministers who had fled back to Jiangdong and those who had stayed behind, he steeled himself to emulate his elder brother's conduct in those years, inheriting his father's and brother's title of Marquis of Wucheng, and marrying the daughter of his own first cousin Xu Kun — that is, his own cousin's daughter, Lady Xu — as his wife.

When news of this came, everyone merely pitied Sun Quan... A mere fourteen-year-old youth, simply because he was born into chaotic times as a descendant of the Sun clan, had become the puppet of a gang of military strongmen. To think that back then, though Sun Ce was young, he was already eighteen — on the battlefield he could slay enemies and seize territory, raising a cup he could laugh and order a man killed; his standing within the group was beyond question. How could it be like Sun Quan, who actually needed to use such a half-incestuous method to maintain the group's stability?

And besides, who knew whether Sun Quan was forced into it? He was only fourteen — still a child, all right?!

As for the other great lords after these two houses — whether Liu Bei, Liu Biao, Liu Yan, or even Shi Xie — perhaps because their governance was still stable and their situations were all similar, they had very early on, as if by unspoken agreement, made the same diplomatic move: with great fanfare, sending envoys of the highest protocol, bearing treasures, gold, and pearls, to Ye to offer New Year's congratulations!

However, one of these four lords had already become panicked and at a loss halfway along the road.

It was quite obvious: Liu Yan's third son, Liu Mao, who had arrived at the old capital's former lands as his father's envoy, would have to be a fool not to understand what it meant that Tian Feng had been appointed Governor of Yizhou, that Gongsun Yue had become Grand Regional Commander overseeing the four western provinces, and that Lord Yan's eldest son had gone to Wudu to open military farms in the capacity of General of the Household of All Purposes.

Lord Yan had not even savored the taste of victory before already setting the next strategic objective in the unification war... And there was no need to guess blindly — it was Yizhou!

But knowing this full well, Liu Mao could do nothing about it. He could only send men hurrying back to pass the message while steeling himself to continue on through the snow toward Ye with the gifts, seeking to use the utmost diplomatic effort in exchange for that faintest sliver of possibility.

Yet just as he crossed the River, he suddenly received a summons from Lord Yan himself — he would not need to wait for the New Year or for Ye; he met Lord Yan in person at Shangdang.

When the two met, Liu Mao observed the rites of a junior, and Lord Yan did not put on airs. Whatever else, their exchange was exceptionally open and frank... As soon as Gongsun Xun opened his mouth, in the presence of the Grand Administrator of Shangdang, Ju Zong, and many others, he directly told the other man that the trend toward unification of the realm could not be blocked, that he would not change his mind regarding Yizhou, and that military operations would likely commence as soon as the Central Plains region was stabilized the following year. He urged Liu Yan and his sons to surrender as early as possible!

Liu Mao stammered in assent and was then kept by Gongsun Xun's side as they toured Shangdang for some ten days to observe local customs — mainly to inspect whether the military dependents in the Shangdang region lacked any necessities for winter. After the inspection was complete, perhaps because things were in adequate order, Gongsun Xun directly transferred Ju Zong to be Grand Administrator of Henei, and only then did he take Liu Mao with him out of Huguan and eastward, hurrying back to Ye just in time on the thirtieth day of the twelfth month. There, at Bronze Sparrow Terrace, he held a banquet to entertain the envoys from the various sides.

Only upon arriving here did the long-troubled Liu Mao discover that, apart from Jiangxia, virtually every surviving power in the realm had sent envoys.

For instance, Liu Biao, though clearly named Minister Over the Masses by the little Son of Heaven, had, after handing over Nanyang, sent only his Registrar, Kuai Liang, Kuai Zirou, here under the title of General Who Pacifies the South that Gongsun Xun had once conferred. The attitude of hedging bets and clinging to self-preservation was self-evident.

For instance, Liu Bei, though his elite forces had been virtually wiped out in the previous battle at Lord Yan's hands and his trusted generals had fallen one after another, had nonetheless sent Zhang Hong, Zhang Zigang, to Ye, observing the rites as before... It was said that he had also specially dispatched an envoy to Lu Fan at the front lines, with an equally humble posture, seeking only to avoid battle and to hand over the lands of Huaibei and Huainan in stages, with the spring plowing as the deadline.

His sole condition was merely the return of the captured Liu Ye and the others.

This appeared all the more wretched!

Even from Sun Quan's side, where the farce of inheriting the title had just concluded, they had belatedly sent envoys headed by Qin Song, who had hurried here with no preparations whatsoever — it was said that even their gifts had been purchased from the Anlihao establishment in Ye!

However, at this New Year's audience, the one who stole the limelight was actually the envoy from Jiaozhou!

For this "King of the Soil" of Jiaozhou, separated by ten thousand li, had clearly spared no expense. According to the envoy — Shi Xie's youngest brother, Shi Wu — as soon as his elder brother heard that the battle at Guandu had begun, he knew that Lord Yan would inevitably sweep away the rabble, and so he had long prepared a great quantity of goods and local specialties. There was a full dan of pepper alone! Two elephants as well! Also, sugarcane and sweet bananas, sought out at the prior request of the Empress Dowager of Yan! There was even a chef specially skilled in Lingnan cuisine!

All of this was merely to express a bit of personal regard for his old friend Lord Yan, with no other request.

But what was utterly unimaginable was that it was precisely this chef who publicly exposed Shi Xie's true colors!

Using an unbearably bitter dish of sugarcane stir-fried with sweet bananas — so bitter it brought tears to the Empress Dowager's eyes — as his opportunity, this man successfully ascended Bronze Sparrow Terrace and, before the assembled crowd, poured out his grievances.

As it turned out, this man was originally a proper scholar from a humble family in Jiaozhou, renowned for his study of the Spring and Autumn Annals. He had entered Shi Xie's service originally intending to be an official, but because he was even more skilled at cooking, Shi Weiyan had forcibly bound him and sent him here! He had become a chef!

That was not all. According to this humble scion from Jiaozhou, they had not, as the envoy Shi Wu had claimed, been utterly unwavering before the Battle of Guandu, nor had they toiled through wind and waves all the way here. Instead, they had prepared around the Mid-Autumn Festival, set out early on seagoing vessels, but stopped midway at a sand island outside the mouth of the Yangtze. There they tarried long, watching the situation, and only after Guan Yunchang had just succeeded in his surprise raid on Xiapi did they come here with great fanfare aboard their ships!

As for the elephants, they had originally prepared six... Four simply starved to death on that sand island from lack of supplies! He made all four elephant trunks with his own hands!

This farce confirmed that Shi Weiyan was indeed the most shameless of the four great lords, which at least allowed the other three Liu-surnamed envoys, who had been under immense pressure, to breathe a little easier.

Yet in the end, it was merely a farce, of no real consequence. That humble scion from Jiaozhou was granted permission by the Empress Dowager's personal decree to study at the Ye Capital Academy. Lord Yan himself showed no intention of rebuking Shi Wu; on the contrary, he continued to treat Shi Wu with generous hospitality.

For a time, in this New Year of the seventh year of Jian'an, no other ripples stirred in Ye, just as there was no disturbance whatsoever in Jiangxia.

However, after this incident, everyone sensed it... With Cao Cao dead and the Central Plains coalition utterly defeated, no lord under Heaven still possessed the strength to proactively challenge Lord Yan. Thus, the State of Yan, as a political entity that already effectively ruled more than half of the realm, had thoroughly become the dominant theme of this era.

The House of Han had not yet fallen, but the power of Yan had already risen. In a sense, the transition of eras seemed already a foregone conclusion.

—————I am the foregone conclusion dividing line—————

"When the Great Ancestor won a great victory at Guandu, he pressed his advantage to annex the Central Plains. The southern army suffered defeat, and Vice Commander Liu Ye, being near Guandu at the time, could not return, and so led the troops under his command to surrender to the Great Ancestor. Earlier, Chen Qun and Mi Fang had surrendered at Xiapi. Later, Cao Cao died, and Liu Bei retreated to the Sui River. The officials in Huainan enforced the law, and in plain terms, they seized Liu Ye's wife and children, and sentenced Chen Qun's father Chen Ji and Mi Fang's elder brother Mi Zhu. Liu Bei replied: 'I have failed you all; you have not failed me.' He treated them as before, and Chen Ji and Mi Zhu grew even more devoted." — *New Book of Yan*, Volume 28, Hereditary Houses, Part Three

Small PS: Apologies to everyone... Last night I planned to get up at midnight to write, but I probably overdid it earlier in the evening, and when I got up I was too sleepy. I turned on the computer and fell right asleep. I squeezed this chapter out while slacking off, please forgive me.

(End of Chapter)