The strange situation in Jiangdong greatly piqued Cao Cao's interest.
His advisors, too, fell into thoughtful silence.
Based on everything they knew so far, the relationship between Sun Quan and Liu Bei had been exceptionally close. Cities had been gifted. A sister had been married off. Such gestures were not things one did lightly.
But now…
Something felt off.
"Perhaps," Dong Zhao said carefully, breaking the silence, "we could send a secret envoy to meet Sun Quan in person."
Discussion immediately erupted within the Chancellor's residence at Xuchang.
Some were tempted by the idea.
Others opposed it outright.
After all, how many years had it been since Red Cliffs and the battles for Nan Commandery?
Liu Ye stepped forward and offered his view.
"Zhou Yu is dead," he said calmly. "Times are no longer the same."
Cao Cao exchanged glances with the Xun You. All three nodded subtly.
The decision was made.
Since Sun Quan's precise attitude remained unclear, after further discussion a covert mission was organized. A team of envoys departed Xuchang carrying a personal letter written in Cao Cao's own hand.
They would ride hard to Wancheng, follow the Yu River south, then turn along the eastern bank of the Han River toward Jiangdong. Dong Zhao judged it the shortest—and comparatively safest—route.
With one matter settled, Cao Cao raised another.
"I intend to move south to Wancheng and oversee the campaign personally. Thoughts?"
This was hardly Cao Cao's first time commanding from the field. Wancheng lay three hundred li from Fan City—not dangerously close.
The proposal passed unanimously.
Conveniently, the Chancellor's entourage would travel alongside the second wave of troops departing Xuchang.
Thus, Cao Cao—who had barely arrived and hadn't even enjoyed a proper night's rest—was already packing to head south again.
Amid the bustle, Xun You voiced a rare concern.
"Chancellor," he said, "you could remain safely in Wancheng and let the generals win the battle."
Cao Cao burst into laughter.
"Gongda, are you worried that if I see Yun Chang again on the battlefield, I'll grow soft-hearted and spare him—wasting lives for sentiment?"
Xun You shook his head with disarming honesty.
"I'm worried that if Guan Yun Chang sees you, he'll reenact the slaying of Yan Liang."
The men present—all veterans of Baimacheng and Guandu—understood exactly how terrifying that comparison was.
Cao Cao's laughter cut off as if someone had grabbed his throat.
---
Yu Jin knew nothing of these deliberations.
When he heard that Guan Yu was leading a naval force south, his first thought was that Le Jin—his junior—was in serious trouble.
Cavalry valor meant little against ships.
So when orders arrived from Ye City to reinforce Fan City, Yu Jin was unsurprised.
What did surprise him was what happened shortly after passing Wancheng.
He encountered a stream of routed soldiers.
After capturing a few and interrogating them, he learned the truth.
Fan City had fallen.
Even accounting for Le Jin's decision to draw elite troops back to Xiangyang, the speed of the city's collapse was shocking.
Yu Jin immediately ordered a temporary encampment, gathered the stragglers, and reconstructed the battle as carefully as possible—while urgently sending a report to Cao Cao.
Based on survivor accounts and ship counts, he estimated Guan Yu's force:
Roughly twenty thousand naval troops.
Dozens of warships.
And one massive vessel equipped with giant ballistae.
And Fan City—already taken.
Yu Jin himself had arrived with only three armies—fifteen thousand men.
Enough to reinforce a city.
Utterly insufficient to retake one.
So he camped sixty li north of Fan City and chose to wait.
---
Xu Shu's scouts noticed Yu Jin's camp almost immediately.
The defensive posture was unmistakable.
Xu Shu laughed aloud in Fan City.
"The Cao army never imagined Fan City would fall so quickly," he said. "They're digging in, waiting for reinforcements."
He continued calmly.
"And the only general who could arrive so fast from Xuchang… is Yu Jin."
Though his career in Xuchang had stalled, Xu Shu knew the basics well—and combined with what he'd seen through the Light Screen, the picture was clear.
"Nine parts out of ten," he concluded.
He turned to Guan Yu.
"In that case, General, please test their strength."
Guan Yu accepted gladly.
Watching him depart, Xu Shu stroked his chin.
"Yong and Liang are difficult to seize," he mused. "But perhaps we could purchase some quality horses from Ma Chao first?"
Jingzhou lacked proper pastures. Liu Bei's cavalry was scarce.
Their few fine horses came either from Jiangdong—or had been brought south before Red Cliffs.
Thus, as Guan Yu rode out, Xu Shu couldn't help noticing the uneven quality of the mounts. Neither aesthetically pleasing nor ideal for battle.
Fortunately, Jingxiang was crisscrossed with waterways. Cavalry was not meant to be decisive in this campaign.
Half a day later, Guan Yu returned—somewhat disappointed.
"Yu Jin lives up to his reputation," he said. "His camp is orderly and disciplined. Light cavalry can't touch it."
With no easy gains to be had, they turned back to fortifying the city.
Fan City fell quiet again.
But both sides knew—
This city would decide everything.
Xu Shu pressed the repairs.
Yu Jin sent scouts constantly, refining maps, studying terrain, searching for opportunity.
Before the main armies ever clashed, their scouts and patrols were already fighting.
Yu Jin's forces had superior horses.
Guan Yu's scouts countered with compact repeating hand crossbows—improved by Lady Huang and Zhuge Liang.
Neither side gained an advantage.
And in this tense stillness, Fan City seemed to return to its former identity—
An unyielding fortress.
At last, Yu Jin's reinforcements arrived.
Yu Jin commanded three armies.
Xu Huang brought three more from Guanzhong.
The Xuchang forces—also three armies—were led by Cao Ren, who arrived in haste.
As General Who Conquers the South, Cao Ren naturally assumed overall command.
Yu Jin and Xu Huang fell under his authority.
Additionally, Cai Mao, Wen Ping, and other Jingzhou generals arrived from Wancheng with eight thousand troops.
Total force:
Fifty-five thousand men.
Declared as—
"An army of a hundred thousand."
Their goal was clear.
Retake Fan City.
On the walls, Xu Shu gazed at the black tide of troops and finally smiled.
"General Yun Chang," he said, "to turn the fate of the Han—
to avert the chaos of a century hence—
all begins with victory here."
Guan Yu stood, blade planted before him.
Only two words left his lips.
"Victory."
---
While Fan City was encircled, in Jiangxia—
Lu Su listened absentmindedly to Lü Meng's endless chatter.
Lü Meng had arrived five days earlier and had been unusually active—entering and leaving the city constantly.
His troop movements did not escape Lu Su's notice.
Elite soldiers disguised as merchants.
Probing Gong'an.
Probing Jiangling.
It made Lu Su bristle.
What are you trying to do?
"Jiangling is the throat of Jiangdong," Lü Meng argued. "Now that Guan Yu has committed his entire navy—if something goes wrong and he sails downstream, he could reach our heartland in a single day. How can you sleep at night?"
Lu Su replied simply.
"General Guan is fighting Cao Cao in Jingxiang—not fighting us in Jiangxia. What danger is there?"
Every debate ended the same way.
Lü Meng's face gradually filled with contempt.
Lu Su wanted to speak—again and again—but each time ended with a sigh.
Since assuming command of Jiangxia, Lu Su had developed a habit.
Jingzhou intelligence on the left.
Jiangdong intelligence on the right.
Now—
The left side overflowed.
Fan City taken.
Giant warships.
Eight thousand captives.
Hope—and worry.
The right side?
Empty.
His repeated letters urging Sun Quan to act vanished without reply.
No troop movements.
No reprimand.
No response at all.
Unease gnawed at him.
Then Lü Meng's booming voice snapped him back.
"General! Envoys from Lord Cao!"
Lu Su blinked.
"Which Lord Cao?"
"Chancellor Cao, of course!" Lü Meng said cheerfully. "Envoys from the north. They seek audience with our lord."
"This matter is grave," Lü Meng continued. "General, you must hold Jiangxia. I will escort them to Jiangdong immediately."
And with that, he left.
Lu Su stood frozen.
Bu Zhi entered at the noise—only to be immediately ordered:
"General Guan fights in the north. Jiangxia is secure. I will return to Jiangdong with General Lü. Zishan, you will temporarily govern Jiangxia."
No room for refusal.
Lu Su hurried to the docks and intercepted Lü Meng.
"This matter concerns the realm," he said firmly. "I know Jingzhou better than any. I must speak to our lord myself."
Alone, resolute—
Lu Su convinced Lü Meng.
They boarded at once and sailed downstream.
---
Jiangdong prospered through trade.
Even a stone city raised from bare ground flourished within a year.
In Jianye, Sun Quan hosted another wine banquet.
Slightly drunk, he watched the sons of great clans mingle with the heirs of Huaisi generals—cups clinking, laughter rising.
Satisfaction filled his chest.
Then—
A sudden cry.
A red object rolled across the floor and stopped at his feet.
Sun Quan focused.
A severed head.
He sobered instantly.
"Who dares—!"
He looked up.
Lü Meng—resentful.
And Lu Su—
Unrecognizable.
Blood stained his clothes. Flecks marked his face. His bearing was fierce.
Without concern for the blood, Lu Su dropped his sword and knelt.
"Rumors spread in Jiangxia," he declared. "Claiming Jiangdong would betray allies. Some dared impersonate Cao's envoys to shake morale. I beheaded them—and present this to my lord."
Lü Meng muttered bitterly beside Sun Quan.
"He killed the envoy at the dock… I failed to stop him."
Sun Quan understood.
He looked at the head twice.
Then calmly said—
"Those who spread treacherous lies deserve death. Reward him."
Lu Su stepped forward again.
"My lord—have you forgotten the realm?"
Sun Quan flinched—stepping back unconsciously—before quickly supporting Lu Su.
"Never," he said.
Lu Su continued.
"Cao Cao has mobilized fifty thousand to crush Guan Yu. This is the moment for Jiangdong to seize destiny!"
Sun Quan hesitated, glancing toward an inconspicuous advisor behind him.
"This matter…"
Lu Su grasped his arms.
"If Guan Yu falls, Cao Cao will devour Jingzhou—and then Jiangdong. Cornered, how can we speak of the realm?"
Perhaps it was Lu Su's transformation.
Perhaps Sun Quan had already wavered.
Perhaps that severed head decided it.
At last, Sun Quan nodded.
"Zijing arrived at the right time. We were already discussing an expedition against Hefei."
Lu Su bowed deeply.
"Punish me for my offense."
In his heart, he sighed.
General Guan… I have not betrayed our single-blade pact.