It was spring in Jiangdong, and the blossoms were in bloom. The fields surrounding Wu Commandery were brimming with wildflowers when Sun Ce led his army to set up camp outside the city. The warm wind settled a laziness over them.
“Is anyone home? Tell Xu Gong to come out and speak!” Sun Ce shouted from a distance, reining his horse to a stop in the middle of the field.
There were over ten thousand citizens in Wu County, and the people in the city were restless and uneasy.
Sun Ce shouted again, “Is Prefect Xu there? This general has something to ask of him!”
Over the city walls, a person appeared, evidently there to shout Xu Gong’s reply.
The entire city prepared to face a great enemy, and the archers all nocked arrows to their bows. Sun Ce, however, did not show a hint of fear as he swaggered back and forth in front of the city gates, a staff of divine metal slung on his back.
“I heard Yan Baihu is hiding in your city,” Sun Ce said. “I was sent by the imperial court to arrest him and settle the case.”
Sun Ce shook open the letter in his hand, stamped with General Polu Sun’s seal. A subordinate took the message to the city gates, but Xu Gong refused to open them, instead replying politely from up top, “General Sun must be joking. No such thing happened, and Yan Baihu was chased out of Wu Commandery long ago.”
Sun Ce replied, “Is that right? Why did I hear he’s been here recently?”
Xu Gong didn’t speak. A moment later, he exchanged a few words of discussion with his subordinates.
“General Sun, please return to where you came from.”
Sun Ce said, “Ah well. If my lord prefect does not believe me, my troops will make camp outside the city. If any changes happen within, we can respond in a timely fashion.”
Xu Gong’s face twitched.
“We won’t disturb any of the people or livestock living here,” Sun Ce continued, “so Prefect Xu is welcome to do as you please.”
Zhou Yu had long since planned for all of this. Sun Ce made camp outside the capital city, while Zhou Yu led some hundreds of men to the Wu River. They each sucked in a deep breath and sank into the water.
The western edge of the city bordered Lake Tai, and waterways crisscrossed the city. Since it was early spring, an iciness lingered within the water. When Sun Ce’s large force arrived, all four of the city’s gates were tightly shut. The only route in was through the water, and like a school of fish a few hundred strong, they swam through the waterways to sneak into the city. As night fell, Zhou Yu climbed onto the banks of the river with a splash, his clothes soaking wet.
The night air was crisp, and Zhou Yu was so cold that his lips were purply green. His heart had twisted itself up in knots, and he could barely catch his breath. He thought, I’ve been neglecting practicing my martial arts for these past few years. If it wasn’t for the soldiers, I would have come close to drowning.
That night the city was dead silent. Zhou Yu shivered as he issued his orders.
“Everyone, do as we discussed beforehand.”
The soldiers nodded, dispersing through the main streets and small alleyways.
Zhou Yu’s clothes were on the verge of freezing, and his long robes hung stiffly off his body. He sucked in a deep breath, stumbling his way through the main street enveloped in the dark of night, using all his might to leap onto a roof. He ran all the way to the northern side of the city, accompanied by the sound of ice shards clinking together.
The governor’s manor was still lit with lamps. Zhou Yu perched up against the eaves, listening to the chatter from inside. He quietly picked up a roof tile upon seeing Xu Gong standing in the study, along with Zhu Zhi and a burly man with a curly beard whom Zhou Yu hadn’t seen before.
“Sun Ce is similar to his father,” Zhu Zhi said. “He is headstrong and willful, he acts before he thinks, and he does not consider his words before speaking. He’s too young.”
Xu Gong replied, “If the governor were to present yourself outside the city, what are our chances of victory?”
Zhu Zhi let out a breath. “It’s hard to say. If he believes firmly in one thing, even if Sun Ce were to smash his head open against it, he would still guard it with his life. I am unable to persuade him to stop.”
The curly-bearded fellow and Xu Gong exchanged a glance.
He added, “How about we write a missive and deliver it to the General of the Rear, Yuan Shu-daren?”
The bushy-bearded fellow came forward and knelt.
“Xu-daren!”
Xu Gong and Zhu Zhi hurried forward. “Quick, please rise.”
“Yan-xiong, please rise,” Zhu Zhi added.
“Eleven years have passed since I established a stronghold and gathered troops,” the curly-bearded man said. “Back then, the Yellow Turbans were wreaking havoc, leaving the citizens with no way to survive. I expelled the Yellow Turbans, and the lords of Wu Commandery saw that with their own eyes.”
“Of course, of course,” Xu Gong said, wiping away some sweat. “As long as Xu-mou guards Wu Commandery, nothing will happen to Yan-xiong. Please, relax.”
Zhou Yu watched this exchange in silence.
The third person had to be Yan Baihu. The capital of Wu County was shut away from outsiders because Xu Gong knew if Sun Ce wanted to force his way into the city, Xu Gong’s men would not be enough to oppose them. Today he had taken advantage of Sun Ce sending his troops out without a suitable reason, and as soon as night fell, he had hurried over to find Zhu Zhi for a discussion.
Xu Gong was almost fifty, and his figure was growing stout. He grew anxious after standing for so long, and though the air was brisk, he was covered in sweat. After a long discussion, they couldn’t come up with a strategy, so he and Yan Baihu took their leave.
Zhu Zhi paced within the study, but upon hearing three quiet knocks against the window, he moved to latch the main door without even turning his head. When he did glance around, Zhou Yu, covered in ice, was sitting in front of the table, his breath white from the cold.
“General Zhu.” Zhou Yu greeted Zhu Zhi with a bow.
Zhu Zhi hurried to lift him up. “I guessed a messenger would come tonight, but I did not expect it would be you.”
Zhu Zhi, Huang Gai, and the other generals had sworn allegiance to Sun Jian long ago. They were all Sun Ce’s seniors, so Zhou Yu didn’t dare offend him.
“I could not rest easily if anyone else came, so I could only make the trip myself.” He changed topic. “General Zhu, do you think now is the time?”
Zhou Yu didn’t probe Zhu Zhi, nor did he say anything like “If Sun Ce was just outside the city, would you follow him now or not?” For one, if Zhu Zhi already intended to leave and Zhou Yu rashly asked for his assistance, it would be easy for him to impede their progress if Zhu Zhi was hesitant about what to do next. Secondly, if Zhu Zhi remained steadfast, loyally waiting all this time for Sun Ce to send a message, it would be rude to confront him with a test.
Zhu Zhi began to chuckle in response to his question.
“After I bade farewell to the young general on Mount Gu near Lake Chao,” Zhu Zhi said, “Yuan Shu sent me to Wu County. Everyone generally agrees. I knew you were on the roof looking in, so some words I spoke were to continue deceiving Xu Gong. Do not take them to heart.”
A great burden fell from Zhou Yu’s shoulders.
“Since that’s the case, then may I trouble General Zhu to lend me a set of night-travel clothes,” Zhou Yu said, wrinkling his brows. A layer of frost crowned his hair. “There are a few trivial matters which need to be urgently dealt with.”
Zhu Zhi personally retrieved a set of night-travel clothes for Zhou Yu, while Zhou Yu inspected the map of Wu County pasted on the wall. After Zhu Zhi returned, Zhou Yu didn’t hide, changing right in the study into a set of black soldier’s robes, a blow dart gun in his hand.
“Were you the only person to come into the city?” Zhu Zhi asked him.
“Four hundred and twenty-one people accompanied me,” Zhou Yu said. “They’ve hidden themselves throughout the city, and I’ll trouble you, General, to arrange lodgings for them.”
“Settling them among my own men will do,” Zhi Zhu replied. “When you return, I’ll procure waist tallies for you to distribute.”
Zhou Yu nodded and vaulted from the same window he’d entered, blending into the dark night. A light rain started to fall, and though the city’s defenses were up, Zhou Yu could not be stopped. Fei Yu flapped arduously down from the sky, landing on his arm.
“Shh.” Zhou Yu stroked Fei Yu gently, clambering up onto the top of the roof with it clutching his fist. He found the prefect’s manor based on memory alone.
As expected, the eastern side of the western wing was alight with lamps. That would be the study, and Xu Gong was most likely there, penning a letter.
Zhou Yu was just about to take a step when a wariness struck him. He sensed everything around him rustling slightly in the light rain. There were a number of hidden sentries stationed outside the prefect’s manor, experts in complete silence. Zhou Yu hesitated for a while before deciding he didn’t dare act rashly.
He waited, very patiently, for a whole hour. Finally, one person left the backyard and galloped away on a horse, and Zhou Yu leaped across the rooftops to tail him. This was Xu Gong’s messenger, who headed along the western main road out of the city.
Zhou Yu untied the strip of cloth and let Fei Yu go. The white falcon sliced through the pitch-black night, shooting toward the west, into the forest outside the city.