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

Everyone in the tent held their breath in anticipation.

Gu Sulin spread out the silk scroll, his gaze calm and his wrist steady as a mountain. Like Zhuge Liang before, he first wrote down the titles of both parties, then the reasons for establishing the document, each word neat and clear.

When Gu Sulin reached the crucial point—the ownership of Jingzhou—his pen paused, and a barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes.

Instead of directly writing "Return Jingzhou to Eastern Wu," he changed the subject and wrote:

"Return the borrowed land to Eastern Wu."

This is Gu Sulin's work.

The written agreement only acknowledged the "borrowed land," not the "entire Jingzhou." This laid a solid foundation for Liu Bei to later renege on the debt.

After Gu Sulin finished writing the document, he held it with both hands and handed it to Lu Su: "Mr. Zijing, please take a look. If there are no objections, you may sign and affix your seal."

Lu Su stared intently at the paper, and seeing that it was written clearly and reasonably, he was overjoyed: "Mr. Gu's written agreement is very reasonable. It shows the sincerity of the Imperial Uncle and leaves room for Jiangdong. I have no objection."

Liu Bei nodded, "That's excellent."

Zhuge Liang glanced at Gu Sulin, then at the document, his smile deepening, but he said nothing more.

Lu Su was completely unaware of what was happening. After the agreement was written, he was satisfied and exchanged it with Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, who then put it away.

The wind from the river made the curtains flutter, but he didn't realize that this seemingly fair document had already been planted by Gu Sulin as a prelude to a future reversal of the case.

After Lu Su left, Liu Bei gazed at the departing boats on the river and sighed deeply, "Zimao, I owe you a great debt today. Without this written agreement, I'm afraid I wouldn't have even been able to get past Zijing."

Gu Sulin bowed and said, "My lord, Jiangdong's desire for Jingzhou has a long history. This written agreement is merely a temporary measure. Once Xichuan is pacified, the danger to the alliance will become apparent again."

Zhuge Liang lightly waved his feather fan and laughed, "My lord only knows one side of the story. Zi Mao's plan is extremely ingenious. The document only contains the four words 'the borrowed land,' but where exactly that 'borrowed land' is is entirely up to my lord to interpret. If Jiangdong comes to contest it, my lord can say: I only borrowed a corner of Gong'an, not the entire Jingzhou. I suppose this is a backup plan that Zi Mao has left for dealing with Eastern Wu in the future?"

Liang had originally intended to appease Zijing with a written agreement, planning to deal with the matter after conquering Xichuan, but he hadn't anticipated this. Zimao's move was actually more skillful than Liang's.

Liu Bei was pleasantly surprised: "Zimao actually has such a meticulous mind?"

Gu Sulin smiled without saying a word, which was taken as tacit agreement.

The police lights flickered in the river breeze, illuminating the figures of the crowd.

A written agreement, seemingly sealing the future of the Sun-Liu alliance, had in fact been quietly altered by Gu Sulin.

Lu Su returned from Gong'an with the written agreement, but did not dare to go back to Wu County to report first. Instead, he turned his boat around and sailed up the river to Jiangling.

He knew in his heart that although Zhou Yu was still seriously injured and had not yet recovered, he was still the core of the army in Jiangdong. If he did not discuss the matter of Jingzhou with Zhou Yu first, even if he reported back to Sun Quan, it would be difficult to determine the final strategy.

Moreover, although the written agreement seemed fair, he always felt that there was something subtle hidden in it and wanted to ask Zhou Yu to evaluate it so that he could be completely at ease.

At that time, Jiangling City, though ravaged by war, remained heavily fortified and its military ranks impeccable. Inside Zhou Yu's governor's mansion, the warmth was palpable, yet it could not conceal the somber atmosphere emanating from the military tents.

Zhou Yu, dressed in a plain brocade robe, lay half-reclined on a couch, his face pale and his lips bloodless, clearly still recovering from his old wounds. Yet his eyes remained sharp as an eagle's, as if they could see through people's hearts, showing no sign of weakness—this was Zhou Yu of Jiangdong, who, even with a serious illness, could not let go of the chess game in Jingzhou.

Upon hearing of Lu Su's arrival, Zhou Yu forced himself to sit up and leaned against the table. His voice, though hoarse from illness, remained calm: "Zijing, did your trip to Gong'an yield any results? Is Liu Bei willing to cede Jingzhou?"

Lu Su stepped forward quickly, bowed, and then took out the document from his robes, presenting it to Zhou Yu with both hands: "General, Liu Bei is unwilling to cede Jingzhou, but he also does not want to break off relations. At the suggestion of his subordinate Gu Sulin, this document was drawn up to solidify the alliance. I find the wording of this document to be fair, and I have come to ask the General to review it and decide on the next course of action."

Zhou Yu took the document, his fingertips applying slight pressure as he carefully read each word. The tent was silent, save for the flickering candlelight that cast shadows on his pale face.

Lu Su stood aside, holding his breath, secretly hoping that Zhou Yu would approve the written agreement, so that the trip would not have been in vain.

A moment later, Zhou Yu suddenly chuckled, his laughter carrying a hint of disdain and understanding. He then raised his hand, his fingertip pointing to the six characters "Return the borrowed land," and said in an icy tone, "Zijing, you are still too honest and have been tricked by this man."

Lu Su was taken aback and quickly stepped forward: "What do you mean by this, Commander? I think this document is well-organized and fairly worded, and there is nothing wrong with it."

"Fair?" Zhou Yu chuckled, casually tossing the document onto the table. "He deliberately omitted 'return of Jingzhou,' only writing 'borrowed territory,' seemingly leaving room for maneuver, but actually giving Liu Bei a way out to renege on the debt. If Liu Bei later changes his mind, he can argue that the 'borrowed territory' is only a small part of Gong'an, not the entire Jingzhou. At that point, this document will be nothing but a piece of waste paper!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Su was struck dumb. He quickly picked up the document and examined it carefully again. The more he read, the more alarmed he became, and a look of regret appeared on his face: "How could this be! I hadn't even noticed the trickery involved. I've been outmaneuvered by Gu Sulin! Commander, what should we do? Perhaps I should return to Gong'an immediately and rewrite the document, clearly stating 'Return of Jingzhou'!"

Zhou Yu waved his hand, his tone indifferent, but a glint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes: "No need. It's just a small literary trick, nothing to fear. He wants to leave Liu Bei a way out, but I'm determined to turn this piece of waste paper into a bargaining chip to keep Liu Bei in check."

Lu Su looked puzzled: "What does the Commander mean?"

Zhou Yu slowly rose, his movements slightly unsteady, yet he possessed an air of dominance over the world. He gazed out the window, his eyes piercing through the layers of curtains, as if he could see the Shu region a thousand miles away. His tone was firm: "Liu Bei has taken the position of Governor of Jingzhou and is playing these word games, simply to buy time and accumulate strength. But he is ultimately too inexperienced, unaware that I have already devised another plan."

"What are your plans, Commander?" Lu Su asked anxiously.

"Conquer Shu."

Zhou Yu spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone firm and resolute: "Liu Zhang of Yizhou is weak and incompetent, lacks popular support, and is at odds with Zhang Lu, with numerous internal conflicts. I have decided that once my old wounds have healed somewhat, I will personally lead a large army to conquer Shu in the west. Once we take Yizhou and control the lands of Ba and Shu, we can return to Jingzhou and Xiangyang. Liu Bei's small force will be nothing more than an ant trying to shake a tree."

At that time, let alone a written agreement, we could easily reclaim the entire Jingzhou. Why would we worry about him defaulting on his debt?