Three Reconstructions of the Han Dynasty: I Helped Zhuge Liang Perfect the Longzhong Plan

Gu Sulin's words left the officials of Jiangdong speechless.

Upon seeing this, Sun Quan's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He immediately clapped his hands and laughed, praising Gu Sulin: "Excellent! What a eloquent and insightful person!"

"Zimao is so young, yet he possesses such insight and eloquence! His words are measured, his actions measured and appropriate—truly remarkable! With your assistance, the Imperial Uncle is truly blessed!"

Gu Sulin bowed slightly and said calmly and humbly, "Lord Wu, you flatter me. I was merely speaking a few words of justice for the alliance between Sun Quan and Liu Bei and for the greater good of the Han Dynasty. I dare not accept such high praise."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei smiled gently and said, "Lord Wu has a discerning eye. Zi Mao's loyalty is commendable. Although his words are sharp, they are entirely in the public interest. This is not only a blessing for Liu Bei, but also a blessing for the Sun-Liu alliance."

Sun Quan laughed heartily, raised his cup, and addressed the crowd, saying loudly, "Gentlemen, I invited my Imperial Uncle here today to discuss the marriage, but you've all been relentlessly interrogating me! Come, come, let's stop this war of words and focus on our friendship! Drink, drink!"

Now that Sun Quan had spoken, the officials of Jiangdong, though unwilling, could no longer find any way to make things difficult for him.

Under the influence of alcohol, Sun Quan publicly set the wedding date, which would be three days later.

The marriage between Liu Bei and Lady Sun was thus settled, and there were no further changes.

After the banquet, everyone returned to the Nanxu Inn.

After everyone else had left, only Liu Bei, Gu Sulin, and Zhao Yun remained in the room, and the tense atmosphere from the daytime eased slightly.

Liu Bei sat down, looking at Gu Sulin with admiration in his eyes: "Zimao, today's events were entirely due to your efforts. Zhang Zhao and the others are all important officials of Jiangdong, as well as outstanding debaters. Their words were sharp and their attacks relentless. Anyone else would have been overwhelmed long ago. But you remained calm and composed throughout, facing multiple opponents single-handedly, neither arrogant nor humble, upholding righteousness, protecting the alliance, and leaving no room for error. Without you, we would have been in a passive position in Nanxu in the future."

Zhao Yun stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "I sincerely admire your composure today, sir. I am fearless in battle, but I am completely ignorant of the art of debate in the hall, where words can be sharp and witty. Few can match your calm and collected demeanor and your logical reasoning."

Gu Sulin bowed humbly and said slowly, "My lord and general are too kind. Today's success was not due to my efforts alone. Firstly, my lord's benevolence is widespread, and our righteous resistance against Cao Cao is inherently invincible; secondly, Master Kongming foresaw this before his departure and secretly instructed me in strategy, giving me confidence and allowing me to remain calm in the face of adversity. My words today were merely a response. Once Zhou Yu is dead, Eastern Wu will be unable to advance westward. When we return to Jingzhou, taking Shu will be a piece of cake."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was even more delighted: "What a talented and virtuous man, so humble and unassuming! Kongming is good at understanding people's hearts and making important decisions, and you are also able to adapt to changing circumstances and remain righteous and prudent. In addition, with Zilong's loyal and brave protection, it is truly a blessing from heaven! In this way, even though we are in the heart of Jiangdong, we can sleep soundly without worry."

Zhao Yun said in a deep voice, "My lord, rest assured, I will protect you with my life and will never dare to be negligent in the slightest."

Gu Sulin nodded solemnly, then his expression turned serious, and he said softly, "My lord, General Zilong, it is late at night and there is nothing to do. I have something to discuss with you."

Seeing his solemn expression, Liu Bei immediately stopped smiling and said, "Zimao, please speak freely."

Gu Sulin got up, confirmed that no one was outside, then closed the doors and windows and took out the second brocade pouch from his bosom.

"Before he left, Master Kongming instructed me to open this brocade pouch on the eve of the wedding. Now that the wedding date has been set, the grand ceremony will take place in three days, which is the perfect time to open the pouch."

After saying that, he slowly opened the brocade pouch and carefully examined it by candlelight.

Just as he thought.

After a moment, Gu Sulin put away the brocade pouch, his expression calm, and whispered to the two of them, "What you see in the brocade pouch is about Madam Sun."

Lady Sun was strong-willed and resolute from a young age, with her heart set on Jiangdong. She could not be regarded as an ordinary woman, nor could she be easily trusted.

The master instructed us that after the marriage, our lord should treat her with sincerity and respect, without harboring any deceit or ulterior motives. She must know that our lord genuinely intends to support the Han dynasty, not to exploit the Sun family's power. Only by winning her heart can our journey home be safe; if she does not win his heart, we must never force it.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei nodded slightly, deeply agreeing: "Kongming is absolutely right. This marriage is for the sake of the alliance, and I should treat him with sincerity. How could I dare to show the slightest disrespect or scheming?"

Gu Sulin nodded: "My lord is wise and righteous, and I admire him. After the grand ceremony, we will also be careful to behave ourselves outside, neither offending Sun Quan nor diminishing the dignity of Jingzhou. General Zilong, when you are guarding, you must pay close attention to the surroundings to prevent any unforeseen events."

Zhao Yun said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, sir, I understand. Whether in the open or in secret, I will protect our lord."

Looking at the two men, Liu Bei felt reassured: "With you two of you working together and with Kongming's advance planning, I have no more worries. After the wedding, we only need to wait for the right opportunity to return safely to Jingzhou."

While Liu Bei, Gu Sulin, and Zhao Yun were having a secret meeting at the post station, Sun Quan saw everyone off and retreated to the inner hall, his smile vanishing instantly.

The hall was dimly lit, and only Lu Su followed in and stood by his side.

Sun Quan dismissed his attendants, placed his hand on the table, gazed at the night outside the window, and said in a low voice, "Zijing, you've seen everything that happened at today's banquet."

Lu Su sighed softly, "Gu Sulin, though young, possesses extraordinary insight, demeanor, and eloquence. He upholds righteousness without being aggressive, and argues with reason without losing his composure. He is truly a rare talent."

Sun Quan snorted coldly, his brows furrowed with resentment: "I originally intended to use the criticism from my ministers to dampen Liu Bei's arrogance and suppress Gu Sulin's prominence, so that they would know that if they were in Jiangdong, they would have to abide by the rules of Jiangdong."

But what was the result? A group of important officials from Jiangdong took turns trying to reason with him, but they were all rendered speechless and utterly humiliated by him alone!

Lu Su remained silent. He knew in his heart that in today's situation, Eastern Wu had indeed lost the battle of wills.

Sun Quan turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Liu Bei now occupies Jingzhou, and the people's hearts are gradually winning him over. It's one thing to have Zhuge Liang, but now he has also gained such a capable person! If we let him return safely, he will surely become a great threat to Jiangdong in the future."

"Zijing, Gongjin's previous strategy was to use a marriage alliance to control Liu Bei, which I had already agreed to. Originally, it was intended to be a long-term restraint, but now, seeing this, I realize that this plan should not only be used, but used as soon as possible and to the fullest extent. That's why I'm in a hurry to set the wedding date for three days from now."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further: "Go and instruct my sister that after the wedding, she should use tenderness to bind his heart and kinship to restrain his actions. Once he becomes complacent and reluctant to return to Jingzhou, he will stay in Nanxu for a long time. In this way, without losing a single soldier, Jingzhou will be under my control."

Lu Su bowed: "My lord, rest assured, Gongjin's plan is brilliant. As long as the princess keeps Liu Bei in check, it will be difficult for him to escape easily."

Sun Quan looked toward the post station and said coldly, "No matter how sharp Gu Sulin's tongue is, he may not be able to break through the gentle embrace and the entanglement scheme."

I'd like to see how long he can protect Liu Bei.