Zhou Yu released the cotton string of the kite and ran into the prefect’s manor. The fires burned merrily away, and everyone had already fled. Just as he was about to leave the manor to meet Sun Ce, a sash of white silk flew at him, coiling around his ankle.
It snatched him off his feet, and Zhou Yu slammed into the roof tiles.
“Who’s there?!” a woman’s voice shouted sharply.
A handful of metal caltrops shot toward him. Zhou Yu didn’t dare make a sound as he flipped to dodge, batting the projectiles away, even as the white silk about his ankle tugged him forward again. Though Zhou Yu was tall and large, this woman had managed to drag him several feet. She was well-versed in martial arts, and he could not afford to let his guard down.
With a leap that displaced the air around him, Zhou Yu spun in the opposite direction than the white silk wrapped around him. She yanked at it, once, twice, three times but could not catch him. Zhou Yu broke free from its grasp.
His assailant whipped out a dagger, stabbing at him with it before he could land. To evade, Zhou Yu twisted his body in midair, the dagger slicing him as he passed, his outer robe tearing. His skin ripped open, and fresh blood seeped from the wound.
Ducking, a hand pressed against the ground to steady himself, he avoided her next dagger strike. Following through with the movement, his body flicked fully horizontal, the cloth covering his face falling loose. He drew the Chijun Sword belted at his waist, and when their weapons clashed, the woman’s dagger broke with a gentle clink.
With two twitches of his sword, Zhou Yu forced her to step back.
“Zhou Gongjin?” she asked oddly.
Zhou Yu’s heart jumped. He didn’t know how this woman knew him, and his lips tightened as he pulled away and retreated.
“Wait!”
“We will meet again someday,” Zhou Yu said solemnly, before vaulting over the garden wall and vanishing.
✦ ✦ ✦
Sun Ce led his troops into the city, with stern orders that they were not to disturb the citizens. In name, they were protecting the governor, but in reality, as soon as they saw him, they tied Xu Gong up and handed him over to Zhu Zhi. Seeing Xu Gong in bondage, his subordinates fled, not daring to approach.
Sun Ce ordered Zhu Zhi to guard Xu Gong, and because no one dared to cause more trouble than it was worth, not a single person stepped forward.
When the sky started growing bright, over ten thousand men entered the city, felling almost all of Yan Baihu’s subordinates and Xu Gong’s personal guards with arrow bolts tipped with anesthesia. In less than four hours, Wu County was completely pacified. All that remained was to suppress the fire, though it was a pity that the blood and sweat of Xu Gong’s extorted citizens went up in flames.
Zhou Yu used the fire as an excuse to move Xu Gong’s belongings outside, laying them all out along the main street. That day the residents of Wu County picked his hoard clean while Sun Ce turned a blind eye.
It wasn’t until after noon that the fires were finally put out and Xu Gong was released and allowed back. Sun Ce sent troops to heavily guard the governor’s manor. Almost all the people in the manor already fled, leaving behind only the governor—his face the color of pig intestines—and his madame.
✦ ✦ ✦
Zhou Yu was awake the entire night. First he swam in bone-piercingly cold water for almost two hours. After that, he intercepted someone, forged a letter, started a fire, and sprang an ambush. After all that, he felt weak and light, as if he were walking on cotton.
Sun Ce, on the other hand, was energetic, and without asking anyone, he strolled into the manor and took up the responsibility of arranging defenses for the entire city. Zhu Zhi stood aside while soldiers scurried to review the account books. There were twelve officials under the jurisdiction of Wu County who found out what happened when they woke up that morning, and they all came in to receive their orders.
Now Sun Ce held the majority of the troops under his command, and no one dared speak on behalf of Xu Gong. All listened obediently.
“Xu Gong,” Sun Ce said. “You hid the mountain bandit Yan Baihu in your den and almost cost the lives of everyone in the city in the process. Today, I ask you: Are you satisfied with this outcome?”
Xu Gong’s face was ashen, and he was forced to kneel at the front of the hall. He nodded incessantly even as hatred tainted his gaze. If he had known beforehand that Sun Jian and his group were cruel by nature, he would have expected to be ejected when his son gained Wu Commandery.
Zhou Yu said, “The lord governor was also deceived. Since Yan Baihu has submitted, why not allow the governor to atone for his crimes by serving?”
Sun Ce had not expected Zhou Yu to ask for mercy on Xu Gong’s behalf, and he froze for a moment.
He looked toward Zhou Yu, who indicated with his eyes that he should spare Xu Gong’s life.
“Ah well,” Sun Ce said. “Loosen his ropes.”
Since they were going to release him, it would look better if he proved his goodwill through actions rather than speech. After the ropes were untied, he rose and chuckled.
“Lord General Sun, you are very generous,” he hurried to say. “It was this humble one’s oversight, but thankfully you came in time, General.”
Sun Ce thought for a moment. Xu Gong had changed his tune so fast, it was comical. Zhou Yu could sense Sun Ce wanted to make fun of him, but Xu Gong was an official appointed by the imperial court and could not be humiliated.
And so, Zhou Yu interrupted. “Lord Xu, please rest well. As for everything else, plans can be made after my family’s zhugong reports back to Chang’an.”
Xu Gong escaped with his life intact; Sun Ce could have used any old excuse to kill him. Sun Ce was being magnanimous, so Xu Gong hurriedly bowed and thanked him before taking his leave.
The subordinates brought Yan Baihu in next.
“Kneel!”
Yan Baihu sank, shouting angrily, “I refuse to accept this! Treacherous plans made by treacherous bastards! What dirty tricks! Sun Ce! You bastard! Even your dad didn’t dare stand up straight when speaking in my presence, you little brute!”
Sun Ce’s temper flared in response.
“Whip him!” he roared.
His subordinate raised the whip and cracked it toward Yan Baihu’s face, and his skin split open. Zhou Yu watched, panicked, but the more harshly Yan Baihu was whipped, the more he cursed them out. He started with Sun Jian, moving to the Sun family ancestors. It attracted a crowd of citizens outside the governor’s manor, all of whom watched Sun Ce determine Yan Baihu’s crimes.
“Zhugong,” Zhou Yu said quietly.
Overwhelmed with rage, Sun Ce was about to order Yan Baihu pushed outside and beheaded when Zhou Yu’s gaze stopped him.
“You want me to spare his life?” Sun Ce asked.
“You must,” Zhou Yu replied. “Though this is a bandit, the worst crimes he committed were robbing households and gathering strong young men to rebel against the imperial court.”
Sun Ce protested. “I am the Polu General—”
“I know,” Zhou Yu said, frowning. “Spare his life first—”
“No way!” Sun Ce said with a jerk of his hand. “Absolutely out of the question! I went along with your wishes, even when it came to Xu Gong’s life…”
Zhou Yu’s face darkened. “Then, Zhugong, do as you see fit.”
Yan Baihu was still on his knees in the hall, mouth spewing filthy words. Sun Ce looked at him, then at Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu’s face was flushed, and even his breath was hot. His forehead was boiling.
“Forget it, forget it,” Sun Ce said, suddenly bored. “I salute you for being a true man. Rise. Loosen his ropes.”
Taken aback, Yan Baihu asked, “You’re not killing me?”
“If it were my father here today,” Sun Ce said, “he would not leave your head on your shoulders.
“But I am not my father.”
Sun Ce rose and left.