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

Upon hearing this, Lu Su was greatly alarmed and hurriedly stepped forward to advise, "General, you must not! The campaign against Shu is far too dangerous!"

"Yizhou is a long and arduous journey, with treacherous mountains and rivers. Moreover, Cao Cao is in the north. If our army marches west, Cao Cao will surely take the opportunity to move south. Furthermore, although Liu Bei is temporarily residing in Jingzhou, he still harbors ambitions to conquer Shu. If our army attacks Shu, Liu Bei will certainly not stand idly by. At that time, with Liu Zhang resisting from within and Liu Bei and Cao Cao restraining us from without, our army will be attacked from both sides, and I fear we will find it difficult to win!"

"Zijing is overthinking it."

Zhou Yu waved his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Cao Cao has just suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs, and his strength is greatly diminished. He is unable to advance south in the short term, which is the best time for our army to attack Shu. Liu Zhang is weak and incompetent, and he has no capable generals under his command. Once our army arrives, we will surely sweep through Shu like a whirlwind. As for Liu Bei, his foundation is not yet stable, and his forces are insufficient. Even if we wanted to restrain him, we would be powerless to do so. Moreover, that written agreement can keep him calm and make him think that we are satisfied with the 'borrowed land,' thus lowering his guard. When our army returns from attacking Shu, he will be like a turtle in a jar."

Lu Su wanted to persuade him further, but seeing Zhou Yu's firm gaze and resolute expression, he knew that Zhou Yu's mind was made up and that further persuasion would be futile. He could only sigh and say with a solemn expression, "The commander-in-chief has made up his mind, and it is not appropriate for me to say anything more. I only wish that the commander-in-chief takes care of his health, and that the matter of attacking Shu must not be rushed."

Zhou Yu nodded slightly, his face showing some fatigue, but still with a hint of pride: "Zijing, rest assured, I know what I'm doing. However, to be on the safe side, we need to devise another plan to completely stabilize Liu Bei, so that he has no time to attend to our army's campaign against Shu."

"Does the Commander-in-Chief have another brilliant plan?" Lu Su asked.

Zhou Yu's lips curled into a cold smile, a calculating glint in his eyes: "Liu Bei lost his wife in middle age and is now all alone, without a legal wife. Your sister, my lord, is exceptionally beautiful, intelligent, courageous, and skilled in martial arts. I propose that you marry her to Liu Bei, using the marriage as a pretext to lure him to Nanxu. Once he enters our Jiangdong heartland, he will be at our mercy—we can use her beauty to restrain his will, and we can also keep him under house arrest, preventing him from interfering in Jingxiang affairs or hindering our army's conquest of Shu. After our return from the conquest of Shu, dealing with him will be a piece of cake."

Upon hearing this, Lu Su's heart stirred, and he immediately nodded: "General, your plan is brilliant! A marriage alliance can both maintain the superficial peace of the Sun-Liu alliance and keep Liu Bei under house arrest, killing two birds with one stone. However... Miss is strong-willed and there is too much of an age gap between her and Liu Bei. I'm afraid she will not be willing to listen to this marriage plan; furthermore, Liu Bei may not be willing to enter Wu easily."

"This is not difficult."

Zhou Yu said, "Our lord values ​​alliances and is eager to reclaim Jingzhou, so he will surely agree to this marriage. Although the young lady is strong-willed, she is also very righteous. As long as we explain the advantages and disadvantages, she will also agree. As for Liu Bei, he is eager to gain Jiangdong's recognition and stabilize the situation in Jingzhou. As long as we send someone to persuade him with the marriage proposal, he will certainly not refuse. If he dares to refuse, it will break the alliance, and our army can then legitimately send troops to Jingzhou. Why not do it?"

Lu Su admired him greatly and bowed, saying, "Commander, your wisdom and foresight are beyond my reach. I will return to Wu Commandery immediately to inform the lord of your plan and help bring this matter to fruition."

Zhou Yu waved his hand: "Go. Remember, this matter must be kept secret. Do not let Liu Bei discover our army's true intention to attack Shu. Just say it is a marriage alliance to consolidate the alliance. Also, present that written agreement to the lord and tell him that it is a bargaining chip to keep Liu Bei in check, and that there is no need to pay attention to the wording tricks in it."

"Yes." Lu Su bowed and accepted the order, picked up the document, and turned to leave.

After Lu Su left, Zhou Yu slowly sat back on the couch, coughed a few times, his face growing paler, but his gaze remained sharp as he looked toward the direction of Gong'an, muttering to himself, "Gu Sulin...it seems Liu Bei has acquired another capable person. What a pity."

Meanwhile, inside Gong'an City, Gu Sulin stood under the eaves of his residence, watching the boats coming and going on the river. His expression was calm, but his heart was already churning with turmoil. Since Lu Su's departure, he had been secretly keeping an eye on the movements in Jiangdong. Although he didn't know the specifics of Zhou Yu and Lu Su's discussions in Jiangling, he could guess some of the clues.

He understood perfectly well that the previous mutual recommendation was merely a stopgap measure and could never fundamentally resolve the conflict over the ownership of Jingzhou. Sun Quan's temporary acceptance of the nominal title of Governor of Xuzhou and his restraint were not out of genuine recognition of Liu Bei's position, but rather due to pressure from Cao Cao, and his unwillingness to break ties with Liu Bei.

Zhou Yu is still recovering from his serious injuries. Although there are internal divisions within Jiangdong, they will never sit idly by and watch Liu Bei gain a foothold in Jingzhou.

Gu Sulin gently raised her hand, her fingertips brushing against the frost and snow under the corridor, thinking to herself: Zhou Yu is a man of great talent and ambition, and is by no means someone who is content to endure in silence. He must be plotting something in secret.

Although I left room for reneging on that agreement, it might not be able to fool someone as shrewd as Zhou Yu. If he sees through it, he won't be angry; instead, he might use it to his advantage, keeping our lord calm and buying time for Jiangdong.

It's time to use a honey trap.

He was certain that Jiangdong would set another trap next—a marriage alliance—sending envoys to invite Liu Bei to Wu, with the aim of keeping him tied down in Jiangdong and leaving Jingzhou leaderless.

Zhou Yu, on the other hand, was most likely secretly preparing a longer-term plan, perhaps to attack Shu, or perhaps to reorganize his army for war. Once the time was right, he would take action against Jingzhou.

"Zimao, what are you thinking about?" Zhuge Liang's voice came from behind him, as he gently waved his feather fan with a calm expression.

Gu Sulin turned around and bowed: "Strategist, I think Jiangdong will probably not let this go so easily. After Lu Su returns, he will definitely discuss it with Zhou Yu. That written agreement may not be able to hide it from Zhou Yu."

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "What you've thought of, I've also thought of. Zhou Yu is exceptionally intelligent and meticulous; your little literary tricks may not fool him. However, even if he sees through it, he may not point it out—Jiangdong is currently facing the threat of Cao Cao and is temporarily unable to wage war against our army. That written document is, for them, a bargaining chip to keep our army in check."

Gu Sulin nodded: "The strategist is quite right. I am worried that Zhou Yu is secretly plotting something big, perhaps an attack on Shu, or perhaps setting a trap to lure our lord into it. Such a trap is probably unavoidable."

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan, his gaze fixed on the direction of Jiangdong, his tone calm: "When soldiers come, we will block them; when water comes, we will dam it. No matter what trap Jiangdong sets, as long as we deal with it calmly, we have nothing to fear. Your written agreement, though it cannot solve everything once and for all, can buy us time. Next, we only need to reorganize our military affairs, appease the people, and wait for Jiangdong to make its move."

"Furthermore, if what you say is true, and Zhou Yu is nearing the end, then he won't live to see the conquest of Shu. Your written agreement will only prove truly useful then."

Gu Sulin bowed and replied, "Sulin understands."

Gu Sulin silently said to himself: You bet on conquering Shu and pacifying the world, I bet on your destiny being unavoidable.

Zhou Yu calculated every mountain and river, every strategic position between Sun Quan and Liu Bei, every weakness of Liu Zhang, every predicament of Liu Bei, and the distance of Cao Cao; he calculated everything that could be calculated in the world.

The one thing he hadn't anticipated was that the young strategist silently standing beside Zhuge Liang in Gong'an City wasn't betting on strategy, terrain, or popular support, but rather on Zhou Yu's own...

destiny.