At this time, Cao Cao wrote to Sun Quan: "Recently, on the orders of the Son of Heaven, I fought against the guilty rebellion, and the military flag pointed south, and Liu Chun surrendered. Now, I command a water army of 800,000 people, and I will hunt with the general in Wudi. ”
Sun Quan showed the letter to his subordinates, and they were all frightened.
Zhang Zhao and others said: "Cao Cao is a jackal, a tiger and a leopard, who holds the Son of Heaven hostage to conquer the four sides, and issues orders in the name of the imperial court at every turn. If we resist today, it will be even more unjustified. Moreover, what the general could resist Cao Cao was relying on the natural dangers of the Yangtze River. Now that Cao Cao had occupied Jingzhou, the sailors trained by Liu Biao, including thousands of Mengchong warships, had been taken over by Cao Cao, and all of Cao Cao's ships were descending along the Yangtze River, plus infantry, advancing on land and water. In this way, the natural danger of the Yangtze River has been owned by our army and has become a common share of Cao Cao and us, but the strength of the two sides cannot be compared. Therefore, according to our foolish opinion, it is best to greet Cao Cao and surrender to the imperial court. ”
Only Lu Su didn't say a word.
Sun Quan got up to go to the toilet, and Lu Su then chased him to the eaves.
Sun Quan knew what Lu Su meant, shook Lu Su's hand and said, "What do you want to say?" ”
Lu Su said, "Just now, I was observing the discussion of the people, but I just wanted to delay the general, not enough to discuss important matters with them. Now, someone like me Lu Su can meet Cao Cao, but the general can't. Why? Now that I greet Cao Cao, Cao Cao will definitely hand me over to the township fathers and elders to evaluate and determine the name, and will also be a lower Cao, who can ride an ox cart, have officials to follow, make friends with scholars, step by step, and maybe even become the governor of the prefecture and county. But when the general greeted Cao Cao, where did he plan to settle down? I hope that the general will make a big plan early and not listen to the opinions of those people. ”
Sun Quan sighed and said, "These people's statements have disappointed me too much. Today, the strategy you have articulated is exactly as I thought. ”
At this time, Zhou Yu was in Fanyang (present-day Poyang County, Jiangxi), and Lu Su persuaded Sun Quan to summon him back.
After Zhou Yu returned to Chaisang, he said to Sun Quan: "Although Cao Cao was nominally a chancellor of the Han Dynasty, he was actually a traitor of the Han Dynasty. With the talent of a hero of Shenwu and the inheritance of his father and brother, the general divided Jiangdong, ruled an area of thousands of miles, had a wide range of soldiers, and the hero was willing to serve, which was enough to run amok in the world and eliminate the evil thieves for the Han Dynasty. Besides, Cao Cao himself came to send him to death, how could he go to meet the surrender? ”
He further analyzed the situation and said, "Allow me to analyze the current situation in the world for the general. At present, the north has not yet been completely pacified, and Ma Chao and Han Sui are still stationed west of Hangu Pass, which is a consequence for Cao Cao. Cao Cao abandoned his elite cavalry and used ships instead to fight against the Jiangdong people who grew up in the water town. It was a harsh winter season and the horses lacked forage. Moreover, soldiers in the Central Plains trekked to the rivers and lakes and rivers, and they were bound to be unsatisfied with the water and soil, and diseases would occur. These aspects were a major problem for the use of soldiers, but Cao Cao acted rashly. The general seized Cao Cao's moment, and it was today. I requested that tens of thousands of elite troops be led into Xiakou to ensure that Cao Cao could be defeated for the general. ”
Sun Quan said: "Cao Cao's old thief long ago wanted to depose the Emperor of the Han Dynasty and usurped the throne himself, but he was only worried about Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Lü Bu, Liu Biao, and Sun Quan. Now, those heroes have been wiped out, and only I still exist. I am at odds with the old thief. Your advocacy of facing Cao Jun is exactly what I wanted, and it was Heaven who gave you to me! ”
Speaking of excitement, Sun Quan pulled out his saber and slashed at the case in front of him, saying: "Whether it is a general or an official, who dares to say that he should surrender to Cao Cao, just like this case." ”
That night, Zhou Yu went to see Sun Quan again and said: "When everyone saw that Cao Cao's letter said that there were 800,000 water and 800,000 troops, they immediately panicked, did not analyze the falsehoods in it, and put forward the idea of surrendering to Cao Cao. Now let's calculate according to the facts, the Central Plains troops led by Cao Cao are only 150,000 or 60,000 people, and they have long been tired from long-term conquests, and the newly received Liu Biao's troops are at most 70,000 or 80,000 people, and they are suspicious. With tired soldiers, he harnessed the suspicious people, and although the number was large, there was nothing to fear. As long as I have fifty thousand elite soldiers, it will be enough to subdue the enemy army, and I hope that the general will not worry. ”
Sun Quan patted Zhou Yu's back and said, "Zhou Gongjin (Zhou Yuzi), when you say this, it is very much in line with my heart. Zhang Zhao, Qin Song, and others, each taking care of his wife and children, harbored selfish intentions, which disappointed me very much. Only you and Lu Su and I have the same view, this is the heavens sent you two people to assist me. Fifty thousand elite troops are difficult to assemble for a while, but I have already selected thirty thousand people, warships, grain and grass, weapons and equipment are ready, you and Lu Su, Cheng Pu lead the troops first, I will continue to mobilize people and horses, more heavy, grain and grass, as your backup. If you can defeat the Cao Army, you will make a decision on the spot, and if you lose, you will retreat to me. I will definitely fight Cao Cao. ”
Therefore, Sun Quan appointed Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu as the left and right governors, led the army to join forces with Liu Bei to meet Cao Cao, and also appointed Lu Su as a lieutenant of the Zan Military Academy to assist in the planning of the strategy.
Cao Cao heard of Zhou Yu's good name and secretly sent Jiang Gan to lobby Zhou Yu to try to win Zhou Yu over.
Jiang Gan, ziyi, a native of Jiujiang (in present-day Shou County, Anhui), was a famous scholar and debater of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Jiang Gan was very handsome, personable, and known for his eloquence, and was outstanding in the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers, and no one could argue with him.
Jiang Gan changed into the cloth clothes worn by civilians, put on a turban made of ge cloth, and went to see Zhou Yu in a private name.
Zhou Yu greeted him at the gate of the camp, stood and said to him: "Jiang Ziyi, you are really very hard, wading all the way to the water, is it for Cao to operate the lobbyist?" ”
So he invited Jiang Gan into the camp and visited the barracks with him, inspecting the warehouses, military supplies, weapons and equipment, and so on.
After the inspection, Zhou Yu set up a banquet to entertain Jiang Gan.
During the banquet, Zhou Yu also asked Jiang Gan to look at his maid, admire the costumes, ornaments, and various precious treasures, and said to him: "The eldest husband lives in the world, meets a monarch who knows himself, has a monarch-subject relationship on the outside, but in his heart he is in love with flesh and blood, obedient to his words, blessed to share, and difficult to share, even if Su Qin and Zhang Yi are reborn, can they divert his mind?" ”
Jiang Gan understood Zhou Yu's intentions, just smiled, and never talked about words other than personal relationships.
After his return, Jiang Gan reported the situation to Cao Cao, praising Zhou Yu for his broad-mindedness and lofty ambitions, which could not be provoked by words.
Cao Cao thus dismissed the idea of surrendering Zhou Yu.