Chapter 243: Jia Xu’s Poisonous Scheme
A carriage slowly stopped in front of the Chancellor’s Mansion. Jia Xu got out of the carriage and hurriedly walked into the Chancellor’s Mansion.
Shortly after, Cao Cao received Jia Xu in the Official Residence.
“This subordinate pays respects to the Chancellor!”
Cao Cao smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Strategist, please sit!”
Jia Xu had long been in Jianghuai and had almost faded out of Cao Cao’s decision-making circle. Moreover, he had followed Zhang Xiu in surrendering, and the time since his surrender was not long, so he was not highly valued by Cao Cao.
However, as Jianghuai’s weight in Cao Cao’s overall strategy increased, Jia Xu finally began to receive attention.
This time, Jia Xu had returned on Cao Cao’s orders to report for duty and to present his plan for capturing Jiangnan.
Jia Xu took a sip of tea and slowly said, “The Chancellor’s decision is very wise. Jiangdong’s strength is now far inferior to Gan Ning’s. Attacking the eastern front is indeed easier.”
“Gan Ning’s strength has surpassed Jiangdong’s?”
Cao Cao was somewhat disbelieving. Initially, Sun Ce had caused him great trouble, while Gan Ning was merely a folk warrior who came seeking employment with the Imperial Seal. He had never thought much of him.
Jia Xu gave a wry smile and said, “It surpassed several years ago. Gan Ning has at least 200,000 troops in hand, thousands of warships, and not long ago he captured Jiaozhou.”
“What?”
Cao Cao was greatly shocked. “Jiaozhou has been captured by Gan Ning?”
Jia Xu nodded. “This subordinate only received the news on the eve of departure. This news had been sealed off until their army triumphantly returned, when it finally spread.”
“Tch—”
Cao Cao drew in a sharp breath. Gan Ning’s capture of the vast lands of Jiaozhou meant he now had broad strategic depth and more resources. Annihilating him would become increasingly difficult.
“And then?” Cao Cao continued to ask. “What is Gan Ning doing now?”
“They have been massively evacuating citizens from north of the River these past few months, withdrawing them batch by batch to Jiangnan. Lujiang Commandery and Jiangxia Commandery already have few people left. Additionally, I received news that Gan Ning sent an envoy to Jiangdong, likely wanting to form an alliance with Jiangdong again.”
Cao Cao was still troubled by the matter of Jiaozhou, but now he temporarily could not concern himself with it and could only forcibly suppress his emotions, turning back to reality.
He pondered for a moment and said, “Gan Ning wants to form an alliance with Jiangdong again, surely to join hands against us. What about Jiangdong’s stance?”
“Jiangdong has too many internal factions, with each interest group having its own demands. Some support joining hands, others oppose allying with Gan Ning. This subordinate can only say the situation is unclear.”
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Presumably, Strategist, you have returned to report for duty with a countermeasure already!”
Jia Xu nodded, lightly stroking his goatee, and said, “This subordinate has a minor stratagem that can break the alliance between Gan Ning and Jiangdong.”
Cao Cao was overjoyed. “How does the stratagem proceed?”
“The key to this stratagem lies in Sun Quan. By exploiting his weakness, we can weaken the alliance faction and bolster the peace faction. Additionally, there is an irreconcilable contradiction between Sun Quan and Gan Ning that can be exploited.”
Cao Cao hesitated and said, “The irreconcilable contradiction you mention is Huang Zu?”
“No!”
Jia Xu gently shook his head. “Huang Zu is a matter of the past; its importance has greatly declined. The one truly affecting Gan Ning and Sun Quan’s relationship is Bu Zhi.”
“Bu Zhi!”
Cao Cao was slightly stunned, then immediately reacted. “You mean Bu Zhi’s defection has a great impact on Sun Quan?”
“Exactly right. To capture Bu Zhi, Sun Quan did not hesitate to cause the death of his favored consort Bu Lianshi, yet he failed at the last step. More critically, Bu Zhi was identified as the number one figure in Sun Ben’s faction, but he did not defect to Sun Ben—instead, he defected to Gan Ning. This slapped Sun Quan hard in the face. Many in Jiangdong believe Sun Quan committed a grave error and that Bu Zhi is innocent, which has affected Sun Quan’s position.
Sun Quan has repeatedly demanded that Gan Ning extradite Bu Zhi back to Jiangdong, but Gan Ning not only refused to hand him over but also appointed Bu Zhi as Sima, bringing him into the decision-making circle. One can imagine Sun Quan’s extreme dissatisfaction.”
Cao Cao nodded. “So, by suppressing the hardliners, amplifying the voices of the appeasement faction, and making an issue of Bu Zhi, we can affect the alliance between Gan Ning and Sun Quan?”
Jia Xu smiled faintly. “These two points alone are not enough. The Chancellor must also send an envoy to appease Jiangdong, stating that we only want to annihilate Gan Ning and Liu Bei and have no intention of moving against Jiangdong. Offer Sun Quan some benefits, such as transferring Jiaozhou to Jiangdong after destroying Gan Ning, which would relieve pressure on Jiangdong and make their will to ally less urgent.”
Cao Cao paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back. Jia Xu’s plan was highly feasible and struck at the vital point. Indeed, as long as the alliance between Jiangdong and Western Chu was broken, the chances of success in his southern campaign would greatly increase.
Thinking of this, Cao Cao decisively said to Jia Xu, “Tomorrow we will talk it over properly and discuss the details. Then you immediately return to Guangling County and fully implement your plan to break the alliance. We can handle the report for duty later!”
“This subordinate obeys the order!”
Two days later, Jia Xu left Yecheng again and returned to Guangling County.
In Dantu County of Jiangdong, Western Chu envoy Qiao An arrived in Dantu County once more. He had come on Gan Ning’s orders to negotiate with Jiangdong on joining hands to resist Cao Cao.
No one came to receive him. Although Gan Ning’s letter had long been delivered to Sun Quan, Sun Quan’s response was one of indifference.
“Lord Qiao!”
Suddenly someone shouted loudly. A carriage sped over and stopped at the dock. Someone waved to him from the carriage window.
It was Song Kuan, the Liaison Office Manager of Western Chu’s station in Dantu.
Qiao An felt a warmth in his heart and hurriedly went up to meet him. An attendant opened the door, Song Kuan got out of the carriage, bowed, and said, “Lord Qiao, you must have had a hard journey.”
“The dock seems a bit deserted!” Qiao An subtly teased.
Song Kuan gave a wry smile. “Lord Qiao, let’s talk in the carriage!”
He also arranged for his subordinates to bring Qiao An’s attendants along. The carriage sped toward inside the city.
“What’s going on?” Qiao An asked in a low voice inside the carriage. “Is Jiangdong unwilling to resist Cao Cao together with us?”
Song Kuan gave a wry smile and said, “The Marquis of Wu’s attitude is ambiguous, but the surrender faction in Jiangdong is too powerful. Almost all Jiangdong forces advocate compromise. The only anti-Cao faction consists of some members of the Huai Si Group, mainly Zhou Yu and Lv Fan.”
“What about Zhang Zhao?” Qiao An pressed.
“Zhang Zhao belongs to the middle faction, wavering back and forth. He wants to resist Cao Cao but lacks firm resolve. He more strongly advocates negotiating with Cao Cao to preserve the Jiangdong regime through compromise.”
Qiao An sneered. “Has he forgotten Sun Ben? With Sun Ben there, will they be allowed to compromise?”
Song Kuan hesitated for a moment and said, “There is a saying within Jiangdong—I’m not sure how credible it is—that many advocate using Sun Ben to replace Sun Quan as a condition for compromise.”
“Does Sun Quan know about this saying?”
“He probably doesn’t! If he knew someone wanted to sell him out, his attitude wouldn’t be so ambiguous.”
Qiao An nodded. “I’ll go rest first. Tomorrow, find a way to contact Lv Fan or Zhou Yu for me—either will do. I want to talk with them first!”
