When Zhuge Liang, whose courtesy name was Kongming, heard that Lu Su had arrived, he and Liu Bei, whose courtesy name was Xuande, went out of the city to receive him. They brought him to the public office; after they had met and exchanged formal words, Lu Su spoke first.

“Your lord heard of the death of his nephew and, in mourning, made a modest offering, sending me to present it. Chief Commander Zhou, whose courtesy name was Gongjin, has conveyed repeated greetings to Imperial Uncle Liu and Master Zhuge.”

Liu Bei and Kongming rose and thanked him. They accepted the gifts, and he was invited to drink.

Lu Su said, “Formerly, the Imperial Uncle spoke this way: ‘If the master is absent, Jing Province should be returned at once.’ Now that the master has died, he will surely return. When, then, can we finalize the handover?”

Liu Bei replied, “Drink first, Master Lu. There is a matter I would discuss.”

Lu Su drank several cups at Kongming’s insistence, then resumed.

Before Liu Bei could answer, Kongming’s face changed.

“Zijing, it is no use to talk in circles; one should wait until one is asked to speak. Since my former High Emperor launched a rebellion by ‘slaying the snake,’ established a base and founding charge, and passed the mantle down to this day, evil tyrants have arisen together, each seized a region, and Heaven’s way has now turned the whole back toward the true succession. My lord is descended from King Jing of Zhongshan and is Emperor Xiaojing’s great-grandson by lineage. He is the Son of Heaven’s uncle now; how could not he be allowed to divide and reclaim by right? Liu Jingsheng was my lord’s elder brother. A younger brother follows the elder’s task; what rule of conduct is violated?

“Your lord, born a mere petty clerk of Qiantang, has done nothing of merit in court. Yet with coercive force he now holds six commanderies and eighty-one provinces, and still his greed is not sated, while he seeks to swallow Han territory. The realm belongs to the house of Liu, and if my lord bears that surname, he should not be denied a share; yet your lord, surnamed Sun, still dares to contend for it.

“At Red Cliffs, my lord bore heavy toil and risk, and all his commanders obeyed him. Surely our return was not only your Eastern Wu alone. If I had not borrowed the southeastern wind, could Brother Zhou have shown even half his stratagem?

“One victory in Jiangnan—leave aside the two Qiaos being in the Copper-Sparrow Palace—would still mean that even your house and children could not be saved.

“Yet now, when my lord did not at once answer, I thought Zijing to be a man of clear understanding, and I had thought no further explanation needed. Why do you still fail to see how grave this is?”

Lu Su closed his mouth with no reply. After a while, he said, “Master Kongming may indeed be right in reasoning. I suffer only this: how can I reply for myself in person?”

Kongming said, “What is so unbearable?”

Lu Su replied, “When Emperor-uncle was in peril at Dangyang, it was I who brought Master Kongming across the river and presented him to my lord. Later, when Chief Commander Zhou sought to raise troops to take Jing Province, it was again I who held him off. Since he first said, ‘After the lordship is gone, return Jing Province,’ it was again I who bore that burden. Now I cannot keep to my earlier words. How can I return with a proper answer? My lord and Chief Commander Zhou will surely be at fault. Lu Su does not resent dying, but only fears stirring up war against Eastern Wu and leaving Liu Bei unable to sit peacefully in Jing Province, a mere object of humiliation.”

Kongming said, “Cao Cao commands a million under the name of the Son of Heaven, but that does not move me. Why should one fear a mere child, a Lord Zhou?”

“If it worries Master Lu’s face in this audience, then I urge my lord to draft a paper document: let us temporarily borrow Jing Province as a base. When my lord finds other cities, he will hand it back to Eastern Wu. Is that not sound?”

Lu Su asked, “To what place will your lord return what you borrow?”

Kongming answered, “The Central Plains are not yet ready for us to seize. In the West of Sichuan, Liu Zhang is dim and weak. My lord intends to take it. If he takes West Sichuan, then he will return what is owed.”

Lu Su, helpless, consented.

Liu Bei wrote a document with his own hand and sealed it. Master Zhuge Liang also sealed it. Kongming said, “If the Imperial Uncle is a man of his own part, he cannot stand surety for himself alone. Please, Zijing, place your seal too, that it looks proper when you report it to the Wu lord.”

Lu Su bowed and did so.

After the banquet they took leave. Liu Bei and Kongming sent him to the riverside. Kongming instructed, “Zijing, when you return to Wu lord, speak to him in full and with good feeling. Do not let him forget this in the future. If he rejects our document, I will change my face and seize eighty-one provinces as well. All we need now is peace between the two houses. Do not give the Wei bandits anything to laugh at.”

Lu Su departed by boat and returned first to Chaisang Commandery to see Zhou Yu. The Chief Commander asked, “How did this negotiation for Jing Province proceed?”

Lu Su said, “I have the document here,” and presented it.

Zhou Yu kicked the ground hard. “You have been taken in by Master Zhuge’s plot! In name, this is a loan; in truth, a cunning cheat. He says he will return it only after he takes West Sichuan. Tell me: do you know when he can take it? If ten years pass and he has not taken West Sichuan, then ten years and no return? What use is this piece of writing, and yet you served as guarantor! If he does not return, you will be dragged in, too. How can my lord answer for this?”

On hearing these words, Lu Su stood silent a while and said, “I fear Liu Bei will not betray me.”

Zhou Yu said, “You are an honest man, Zijing. Liu Bei is a predator; Zhuge Liang is a slippery schemer. They may not be what your heart assumes.”

Lu Su asked, “If this is true, what then?”

Zhou Yu answered, “You are my benefactor—do you forget how you once showed me mutual kindness, sharing wine? How should I not return it to save you? Stay here for a few days and keep calm. When reports arrive from Jiangbei, I will make other arrangements.”

Lu Su remained restless and restless.

After several days, a spy reported: “Inside Jing Province, mourning banners are raised in the city; new mounds are being built outside the walls, and soldiers hang their mourning attire.”

Zhou Yu asked sharply, “Who has died?”

The spy answered, “Lord Liu Bei’s consort, Lady Gan, has died, and the funeral is being arranged at once.”

Zhou Yu said to Lu Su, “My plan is complete. If we get Liu Bei to submit and be confined, Jing Province can be taken in a moment.”

Lu Su asked, “Then how do we set it in motion?”

Zhou Yu replied, “Liu Bei has lost his wife and must soon remarry. I have a sister of unusual strength and courage; she commands hundreds of maidservants and keeps them ready with blades. Their armories fill her halls and yards. A woman, she is no weaker than a man.

“I will write to the lord at once and send a matchmaker to Jing Province saying that Liu Bei is to enter as a son-in-law by marriage transfer. Once he is brought south to Jiangxu, if we cannot tie him by a bride, he may be quietly confined in prison, and men can be dispatched to fetch Jing Province in exchange for Liu Bei. When the city walls are handed over, I will have another design. See that nothing stains your own person.”

Lu Su thanked him.

Zhou Yu wrote the letter and placed it before him. As soon as Lu Su was on his way south, he presented it to Chief Commander Sun Quan. The king read it and frowned.

“You have such poor judgment! A document like this—what use will it serve?”

Lu Su answered, “Chief Commander Zhou has enclosed a letter and a plan. It could win us Jing Province.”

Sun Quan read it and, though he nodded inwardly in approval, thought hard, “Who can go?” Then a sudden realization came: “Only Lu Fan can do it.” He summoned Lu Fan at once.

Sun Quan said, “I have just heard Liu Bei has lost his consort. I have a sister and wish to take him in marriage, binding our two houses forever so that together we can shatter Cao and uphold the Han court. No one but Ziheng can stand as matchmaker. Go at once to Jing Province and speak plainly.”

Lu Fan took command. That same day he prepared boats, took a few attendants, and headed for Jing Province.

In Jing Province, after Liu Bei had lost Lady Gan, grief sat with him by day and by night. One day, as he spoke quietly with Kongming, an attendant announced that a messenger from Eastern Wu had arrived: Lu Fan.

Kongming smiled. “This is Zhou Yu’s plan, clearly for Jing Province. I myself will remain behind a screen and listen in. Whatever he says, my lord should assent. Send him to the guesthouse first and give him rest; then we will discuss further in private.”

Liu Bei invited Lu Fan with formality. After courtesy was rendered, they sat.

After tea, Liu Bei asked, “If Ziheng has come, he surely bears some message?”

Lu Fan said, “I was told the Imperial Uncle lacked a husband and so there is a good match, and I came without hesitation to act as matchmaker, for fear this was no suitable chance to avoid. I do not know your will.”

Liu Bei answered, “In middle age a wife’s loss is bitter indeed. Her bones are still not cold; how can one speak of marriage now?”

Lu Fan said, “A man without a wife is like a house without a beam—how can he leave the order of humanity halfway and discard it? My lord Wu has a sister who is beautiful and virtuous and able to serve with tireless devotion. If these two houses conclude a bond as strong as old Qin and Jin did, the Wei rebels will not dare look south in confidence. This would profit both family and state. I beg your Lordship not to doubt it. Yet our Great Lady of Wu loves the child and refuses to send her far away; she insists only that Liu Bei come to Wu to wed.”

Liu Bei said, “Is the king aware?”

Lu Fan said, “How could I dare arrive before giving first report to my lord?”

Liu Bei said, “I am near fifty, and my hair is now graying. Your lord’s sister is of prime youth. I fear we are unmatched in age.”

Lu Fan said, “Though she is a woman, Lady Wu is bolder than men. She says, ‘Unless a man is a hero of the realm, I will not take him as husband.’ Your fame now spans the four seas; she is no different from saying this is precisely a lady for a worthy husband and a worthy husband for a lady. Why should age alone offend?”

Liu Bei said, “Go no farther tonight. I will send word in the morning.”

They entertained Lu Fan that day. At evening, Liu Bei and Kongming consulted.

Kongming said, “I already understand their purpose. I just checked the I Ching, and the omen is one of great favor.”

“The lord can agree. First send Sun Qian and Lu Fan back to Wu lord. Let him accept this as settled and choose a day to join them.”

Liu Bei said, “Chief Commander Zhou devised this scheme to harm Liu Bei. Is it safe for me to enter a place so dangerous on so light a wager?”

Kongming laughed aloud. “Though Zhou Yu can scheme, can he truly act beyond what Zhuge Liang can account for? A small ruse is enough. We can prevent Zhou Yu from opening his own stratagem fully. Besides, this is Wu lord’s sister, and the matter is now tied to my lord’s person. Jingzhou will not be lost.”

Liu Bei remained unconvinced.

Kongming then sent Sun Qian south with the marriage details. Sun Qian took the words and, with Lu Fan, arrived in Wu to report to Sun Quan.

Sun Quan said, “I, too, wish to take my younger sister as Liu Bei’s bride. I bear no other motive.”

Sun Qian bowed in thanks and returned to Jing Province, reporting the lord’s openness to the alliance.

Liu Bei still hesitated to go. Kongming said, “I have set three tactics in order, and only Zilong can carry them out.” He called Zhao Yun to him, whispered in his ear, and said, “Guard my lord when he goes to Wu. You are to carry these three silk pouches. Each contains a stratagem. Use them in order.”

He tucked the three pouches against Zhao Yun’s side and sent another emissary to secure the formal betrothal in Eastern Wu. All was arranged.

It was the tenth month of the fourteenth year of Jian’an. Liu Bei, Zhao Yun, and Sun Qian took ten fast boats with over five hundred men and departed Jing Province for Nanxu. All matters in Jing Province were left to Kongming’s judgment.

Liu Bei, though, was uneasy in his heart. When they came to Jiangnan, the boats lay at the bank. Zhao Yun said, “The Strategist entrusted me with three pouches of excellent counters. Since we have arrived, we should open the first now.”

They opened the first pouch and followed its instructions as given. The five hundred soldiers were each ordered to do as commanded. When their tasks were done, the troops moved out. He instructed Liu Bei to go first to visit Master Qiao.

The one called Qiao Gu-Lao, father of the two Qiaos, lived in Nanxu. Liu Bei led a mule carrying wine and went first to make his visit, explaining that Lu Fan was acting as matchmaker and that he had come to take a bride.

The five hundred following soldiers, dressed in red and with festive ribbons, went into the southern city to buy gifts and goods. In every street they announced that Liu Bei had entered Wu as a son-in-law. Sun Quan, hearing that Liu Bei had arrived, ordered Lu Fan to host him and give lodging in the guesthouses.

When Qiao Gu-Lao saw Liu Bei, he carried him to meet Lady Wu and offered congratulations. She asked, “What is this happy matter?”

“Lady, you had promised my daughter-in-law to Liu Bei,” Qiao said. “Liu Bei has now arrived. Why keep it hidden?”

Lady Wu gasped and said, “I know nothing of this, sir.” She sent someone to the lord for confirmation, and at once another to investigate in the city.

The reports all returned, “It is true. The son-in-law has already arrived and rests at the guesthouse. Five hundred men who came with him are shopping in the city for pork, sheep, fruit, and ceremonial supplies for the wedding. The matchmaker is Lu Fan, and Sun Qian acts for the groom’s side; both remain in the guesthouse.”

Lady Wu was startled.

After a short while, Sun Quan entered the rear hall to see his mother. She struck her chest and wept loudly.

“Mother, why are you troubled so deeply?” Sun Quan asked.

She replied, “Have you treated me as a mere stone? At the hour of peril, what instruction did my sister leave you?”

Sun Quan, startled, asked, “Mother, speak plainly. Why this sorrow?”

Mother said, “A man should marry when he is a man; a woman should marry when she is a woman. It is the way of all ages. I am your mother and may command the household. You bring Liu Bei as a son-in-law without telling me? My daughter is my daughter!”

Sun Quan asked in alarm, “How did this message reach you?”

She answered, “If you wished to hide it, perhaps only a fool could not know. In this city every commoner knows. You have concealed this from me.”

Qiao Gu-Lao said, “Elderly man here has known it many days and came only now to offer congratulations.”

Sun Quan said, “No, this is Zhou Yu’s plan. To take Jing Province he has used this as the pretext and lured Liu Bei into confinement, forcing him to exchange the city. If he refuses, he intends to execute him first. This is strategy, not sincere intent.”

Lady Wu shouted in anger at Zhou Yu.

“You, Gongjin, called general of six commanderies and eighty-one provinces, without one proper strategy for taking Jing Province, have made my daughter a lure of beautiful charm! If Liu Bei is killed, she becomes a widow before seeing the gate, and what then is left of this marriage for later? You have ruined one generation of my daughter’s life! You all are masters of display!”

Qiao Gu-Lao added, “If this plan succeeds, even if Jing Province is gained, the world will mock us. This cannot stand.”

His words left Sun Quan silent.

Lady Wu did not cease cursing Zhou Yu. Qiao Gu-Lao urged, “This has gone this far. Liu Imperial Uncle is kin to the Han house. Better to receive him as a true son-in-law and avoid open shame.”

Sun Quan said, “I fear the ages may not match.”

Qiao Gu-Lao replied, “Liu Imperial Uncle is one of this age’s great figures. If you make him your son-in-law, your sister will never be disgraced.”

Lady Wu said, “I have never met this Liu Imperial Uncle. At dawn I am to meet him at Ganlu Temple. If he is not to my liking, do as you wish; if he is, I will marry my daughter myself.”

Sun Quan was filial and, hearing such from his mother, immediately assented. He called Lu Fan outside.

“Tell Jia Hua’s detachment to bring three hundred halberd-men and hide beneath both colonnades. If Lady Wu refuses, one shout and one blast from all sides, and take him down.”

He told Lu Fan then to prepare accordingly and wait for the mother’s motion.

Later Qiao Gu-Lao took leave of Lady Wu and sent word to Liu Bei: “Tomorrow, at Ganlu Temple, my lord’s mother personally wishes to see him. Handle yourself carefully.”

Liu Bei and Sun Qian and Zhao Yun discussed. Zhao Yun said, “Tomorrow’s meeting has more peril than joy. I will bring the five hundred out as guard.”

The next day Lady Wu and Qiao Gu-Lao were seated first in the abbot’s hall of Ganlu Temple. Sun Quan arrived with a group of strategists and then ordered Lu Fan to summon Liu Bei from the guesthouse.

Liu Bei came wearing light armor under brocade robes, with attendants close at his side bearing his sword, and mounted. The men had all already arrived. He dismounted at the gate and entered.

Zhao Yun came fully armed with sidearm and all fittings, and a full band of five hundred marched behind him. At the temple gate they dismounted. Liu Bei first saw Sun Quan. The ruler’s eyes held concern as he took measure of Liu Bei’s bearing.

After both had exchanged formal courtesy, they entered the abbot’s hall and then went to present themselves to Lady Wu.

When Lady Wu saw Liu Bei she rejoiced and said to Qiao Gu-Lao, “He is truly a son-in-law fit for me.”

Qiao Gu-Lao said, “His posture is like a dragon and phoenix, handsome as Heaven’s sun and day itself. His virtue spreads across the world. Lady Wu, you are truly fortunate to gain such a groom.”

Liu Bei bowed and gave thanks. They dined together in the hall.

After a while, Zilong entered with sword drawn and took his place beside Liu Bei.

Lady Wu asked, “Who is this man?”

Liu Bei answered, “He is Zhao Zilong of Changshan.”

Lady Wu said, “Is he not the one who carried Ah Dou at the Long Slope at Dangyang?”

“Indeed,” Liu Bei said.

Lady Wu said, “A true general indeed.” She then offered him wine.

Zhao Yun whispered to Liu Bei, “I just inspected the corridor and saw halberd-men concealed there. There is no good intent. Tell Lady Wu of this.”

Liu Bei knelt before her seat and wept. “If one were to kill Liu Bei, I request that death be decreed at once.”

Lady Wu asked sharply, “Why say so?”

He answered, “From the corridor below I saw concealed halberd-men. If not to kill me, then for what purpose?”

Lady Wu grew furious and reproached Sun Quan, “Now that Liu Bei is already my son-in-law, he is my child by marriage as well. How dare you station halberd-men in this corridor?”

Sun Quan pretended ignorance and called Lu Fan for explanation. Lu Fan pointed at Jia Hua. Lady Wu called Jia Hua to account; he did not answer.

She ordered, “Cut him down!”

Liu Bei said, “If you execute a great general, it is not good for kinship. I am unlikely to remain seated at your hearth long.”

Qiao Gu-Lao also interceded. Lady Wu then shouted Jia Hua away. The halberd-men all withdrew in fear, heads lowered.

Liu Bei changed his robe and left the hall. In the yard he noticed a stone slab. He took the sword from his attendant, raised it to heaven, and swore: “If I can return to Jing Province and complete my kingly work, one stroke of this sword shall split this rock in two. If I die here, then though I hack at it this sword shall not open it.”

He raised his hand and struck. Sparks burst and the stone split in two.

From behind, Sun Quan had watched and asked, “Why does Liu Bei bear such resentment against the stone?”

Liu Bei said, “At fifty years I have not quelled bandits for the realm. I have long blamed myself. Yet this is my fortunate meeting—to be invited by Lady Wu as son-in-law. When I prayed at dawn for heaven, I asked for a sign: if I break Cao and revive Han, then this rock should be cleft. It has now happened.”

Sun Quan thought silently, “Could Liu Bei be speaking to mislead me?” and drew his own sword. He declared, “I too sought an omen from heaven. If I break the Wei traitors, I too shall split this stone.”

He drew and cut with full force. The rock, too, cracked.

To this day the split cross-grain mark is still seen.

Later generations wrote this verse:

The jeweled blade fell and split the mountain stone; where the golden ring rang, fire flared in the air. Fortune for both dynasties followed the decree of heaven; from this moment, heaven and earth stood on trifold balance.

The two men sheathed their swords and returned together to the hall. They drank several rounds. Sun Qian kept watch on Liu Bei.

Liu Bei then excused himself. “I do not bear the force of more wine,” he said. Sun Quan escorted him out to the temple gate. The two stood together and looked at the river and the hills.

Liu Bei said, “This is the finest terrain under heaven.”

It would later be written on the Ganlu Temple stele: “the first of all landscapes under heaven.”

Later generations composed:

Clear sky after rain, the riverland wraps the blue snails of green stone; Here is where once the heroes fixed their gaze, and the cliffs still resist storm and wave.

The two viewed these sights again and again. The wind grew fierce, stormy flood rose like whirling snow, and white waves reared upward. Suddenly a small boat, no larger than a leaf, moved across the river as though the surface were flat.

Liu Bei sighed, “‘Southern men steer ships; northern men ride horses’—so it is indeed true.”

Sun Quan inwardly thought, “Liu Bei says I have no habit of riding in the saddle, and this is not a sport I accept,” and ordered someone to bring a horse. He jumped on and drove down the mountain at a run, then up with lash and spur.

He laughed: “Can southern men not ride?”

Liu Bei pulled his robe and sprang to a horse with one leap, then shot down the slope and away and back up. The two men stopped at the hillside and, reins loose, laughed aloud.

To this day the place has been called “Zhuma Slope” (the Place of Stopped Horses).

Later generations composed:

Riding fast with charger’s heart and tiger-mare breath, the two men held their reins and watched the land and rivers; East Wu and West Shu alike become kings of the realm, and for ten thousand ages this slope remains.

The two returned side by side. The people of Nanxu rejoiced.

Liu Bei returned to the guesthouse and conferred with Sun Qian.

“Let us hasten to complete this marriage,” Sun Qian advised. “My lord should petition Qiao Gu-Lao soon and avoid further matters.”

The next day Liu Bei returned again and dismounted before Qiao Gu-Lao’s hall.

Qiao Gu-Lao received him and, after formalities and tea, Liu Bei said, “The men of Jiangzuo look for causes against me. I fear I cannot stay long.”

Qiao Gu-Lao replied, “Be of no fear. I have informed Lady Wu, and she has ordered protection.”

After a bow and blessing, Liu Bei returned. Qiao Gu-Lao entered to report that Liu Bei feared for his safety and wanted to return.

Lady Wu said in anger, “Who dares to harm my son-in-law?” She ordered him moved into the academy at once and said a date for marriage should be chosen.

Liu Bei spoke to her: “I fear Zilong’s distance outside with troops hard to keep in order.”

She ordered he be moved into her own residence instead of the guesthouse to prevent trouble. Liu Bei was quietly relieved.

Within a few days, a grand feast was arranged. Lady Sun married Liu Bei.

When the guests departed for the night, two rows of red torches guided Liu Bei into the bridal chamber. Beneath the lamp-light he saw spears and sabers packed all around; the maidservants all wore blades on their belts, stationed at both sides. His spirit seemed ready to leave his body.

Startled, he saw maidservants standing with crossed knives—he thought the men of Wu had set an ambush.

How this turned out will be told in the next chapter.