Chapter 96: Warfare is a deceptive path!

A burst of laughter escaped Chu Feng. He had been turning the matter over in his mind—whether to withdraw or press on. Retreat now would feel humiliating, and it was Liu Ye who had reminded him of that.

“My lord, do you have a way to rout the enemy?” Liu Ye asked at once.

“It is worth a try. If it fails, we withdraw,” Chu Feng replied, stroking his chin. He was not certain the plan would succeed, only that he would give it everything he had.

“Lord, what is the exact scheme?”

Every general in the hall fixed their gaze on him.

“Zhou Yu is coming, is he not? Once he arrives, he will link with Sun Quan and strike us from front and back. Why not speed his arrival? Let his army reach us sooner.”

Chu Feng’s eyes narrowed with cunning.

“My lord, what do you mean?” Zhao Fan frowned. He had not grasped the meaning. How would Zhou Yu’s swift arrival help them?

Liu Ye, however, fell into thought.

“Ha! This is Zhou Yu, and it is not Zhou Yu!” Chu Feng laughed. “Ziyang, do you recall Zhou Gongjin’s handwriting?”

Liu Ye’s eyes flashed. He cupped his fists. “I know the style.”

“Write it upon silk. Claim that he has already lurked just outside the city, that he invites Sun Quan to strike at midnight tomorrow so that he may lead the assault upon our northern and southern camps.”

Chu Feng spoke softly.

“My lord, you mean to forge Zhou Yu’s letter and lure Sun Quan forth?” Liu Ye exclaimed. The plan was bold, yet its chances of success were high.

Zhou Yu was a master of strategy. Once he reached them, Sun Quan would certainly join in a pincer movement—that was the way of war.

“Correct,” Chu Feng nodded. “Victory or defeat hinges on this single stroke. Should the plan be discovered or Sun Quan prove too timid to move, we withdraw at once.”

If Chu Feng’s memory served him rightly, Yuan Shao had once used an identical stratagem against Gongsun Zan. The circumstances, if anything, favored them now. Zhou Yu’s reinforcements were only a day away. Provided Sun Quan was not a fool, he would certainly join them in striking at Chu Feng from both directions.

“My lord, though the plan is clever, we have no seal of Zhou Yu’s. How can Sun Quan believe it?” Liu Ye asked after a moment.

“Seal?” Chu Feng waved a hand. “Stamp any one at random. We shall send it with death soldiers at the cost of their lives, smeared in blood. Who will see through it?”

Liu Ye shook his head in admiration. Even as a seasoned strategist he sometimes felt inferior before Chu Feng’s swift grasp of battle.

“Chen Ji, Liang Gang,” Chu Feng turned to the two generals, “at the third watch tomorrow your camps must blaze with fire and ring with the clash of arms. How you stage the scene is your affair.”

The two men nodded dumbly.

*Our own men attacking our own camp… this is the first time any of us have ever staged such a deception.* They thought the idea rather clever.

“Zhao Fan, select a death soldier from Danyang. Send him with the letter at dusk. Arrange for our men to surround and cut him off. Wound him gravely, enough to send him into a coma. Even if he must feign death, let him fall unconscious. This serves him best. Sun Quan will never question a man who has lost too much blood and passed out.”

“Rest assured, my lord,” Zhao Fan replied.

“Victory or defeat rests upon this one move,” Chu Feng murmured, his eyes deep.

The sun was sinking, and the air turned cool.

On the battlements of Piling City the defenders had long grown accustomed to the Chu army encamping beyond the walls. Although siege engines stood ready, no one dared assault the city. Yet Sun Shangxiang had grown strangely fond of this life in the field. She patrolled the walls daily, bow in hand, half expecting an enemy attack, half hoping for one.

Just then, beyond the walls, a lone rider was being savagely pursued by several dozen horsemen. The rider wore Eastern Wu armor and cried out in a thick Danyang accent.

In the space of a single breath the fugitive reached the city’s arrow-range. Then—

A shaft struck him in the ribs. He toppled from the saddle, rolled in the dust, and cried out in agony as his bowels churned.

Sun Shangxiang snatched up her bow, nocked an arrow, and loosed. The pursuing riders reined in at once.

They were unwilling, furious, but the hundred bows leveled at them from the parapet left them no choice. They turned and rode away in silence.

Sun Shangxiang ordered her men to ride out.

“Who goes there?”

“All—emergency from the commander!”

The dying messenger thrust a piece of silk into Sun Shangxiang’s hands and fainted before she could take it.

“Miss, he still breathes. Blood loss, I think.” The maidservant examined him, then unfolded the silk and read aloud.

Sun Shangxiang scanned the message. Her eyes brightened. Although blood stained the writing, she could still make out the words.

Zhou Yu had arrived and invited them to strike Chu Feng together.

“You tend to him. I will go see my second brother.” Sun Shangxiang rose, heart singing. She hurried to the general’s quarters.

“Second brother! Second brother! The moment we have waited for has come!”

Sun Shangxiang strode in, eyes shining as she beheld Sun Quan absorbed in his ancient text.

“Oh?” Sun Quan did not look up. “What battle opportunity has made my little sister so glad?”

“Second brother, Gongjin has sent word. He is almost here and wishes to join us in crushing Chu Feng once and for all, so that we may reclaim Qu’a and the three counties.”

Sun Shangxiang smiled.

“Gongjin has come so soon?” Sun Quan started, then sighed with feeling. “No wonder Big Brother says Gongjin governs his army like a hawk, a true hero of the age.”

He took the silk from her. His keen eyes moved swiftly across the page. When he finished, joy lit his face—until he noticed the blood that had smeared the final seal.

“This is indeed Gongjin’s hand. Why is there blood upon the seal?” he asked warily.

“Second brother, the blood belongs to the messenger. Chu scouts were chasing him. I barely pulled him clear. Without my timely aid we would never have seen this letter.”

Sun Shangxiang spoke lightly, convinced of its truth.

“The messenger? Where is he?”

“He has passed out from blood loss, still unconscious.”

“Too convenient, little sister. Is there no deception?” Sun Quan frowned, uneasy. The blood had rendered the seal illegible.

“Second brother, as supreme commander you cannot shrink from every risk. This is our chance to annihilate Chu Feng. Gongjin’s strength is limited. If we do not strike with him, what then?”

Sun Shangxiang’s voice rose.

“Second Young Master, General Gongjin moves like lightning. A pincer attack upon Chu must fail. I believe the letter is genuine. Our army should answer it at once.

Moreover, if we let this rare opportunity slip, the commander may find himself forced onto the defensive. Then…” He Qi added his voice.

He spoke no further. If Zhou Yu failed, the blame would fall upon Sun Quan.

“Very well,” Sun Quan said after a moment’s reflection. “Before the third watch tomorrow gather the three armies and stand ready. If Zhou Yu truly breaks the enemy camp, then he is no mere decoy. Send forth at that hour.”

The generals exchanged glances. The decision had been made. They would march.