Kan Ze, courtesy name Derun, was a native of Shanyin in Kuaiji. Born to a poor family but eager to learn, he once worked for others and borrowed books to read; having read them only once, he never forgot their contents. He spoke with eloquence, had remarkable boldness for his youth, and was summoned by Sun Quan to serve as a military advisor. There he formed a particularly close friendship with Huang Gai. Aware of Kan Ze’s gift for speech and his courage, Huang Gai resolved to have him present a false surrender letter to Cao Cao. Kan Ze eagerly agreed: “A true man who cannot win achievements or found a legacy is no better than withering away like grass and trees. Since you would sacrifice your life to serve the lord, what does a mere scrap of life matter to me?” Huang Gai sprang from his bed, knelt, and thanked him. Kan Ze said, “The matter brooks no delay; we must set out this very night.” Huang Gai replied, “The letter has already been penned.” Kan Ze took the letter, dressed as a fisherman, boarded a small boat, and headed toward the northern shore.
That night, the sky was carpeted with cold stars. By the third watch, Kan Ze arrived unobserved at Cao Cao’s naval encampment. The river patrol seized him and, under cover of darkness, reported to Cao Cao. Cao Cao asked, “Could this be a spy?” The soldier said, “He is only a single fisherman who claims to be Kan Ze, a strategist from Eastern Wu, bearing confidential information.” Cao Cao immediately ordered that he be brought before him. Under guard, Kan Ze was led in. In the tent’s brilliant lamplight, Cao Cao sat perched at his desk. “You claim to be a strategist from Eastern Wu—why do you come here?” he asked. Kan Ze said, “People say Chancellor Cao seeks talent as though he were parched for water. Yet in this matter, I see nothing of that. The wrong lies with Huang Gai, who has misjudged the situation!” Cao Cao asked, “How dare you speak so? We are at war with Eastern Wu from day to day—why did you come without permission?” Kan Ze replied, “Huang Gai, an elder of Eastern Wu for three generations, was unjustly beaten by Zhou Yu in front of all the other commanders, leaving him unable to bear such indignity. Surely, he planned to defect to you as a means of vengeance. He entrusted this scheme to me. He and I share a bond as close as blood; I have come to deliver this secret letter. I do not know if Your Excellency will accept it.” Cao Cao said, “Where is this letter?” Kan Ze presented the letter at once.
Cao Cao broke the seal and read by lantern-light. The letter stated:
“Huang Gai has long enjoyed the favor of the Sun family and has no cause to harbor a second heart. But by all measures of the present situation: Eastern Wu’s forces drawn from six commanderies face China’s million-strong army; the disparity in numbers is unrivaled, apparent to all under Heaven. Eastern Wu’s officers and generals, whether wise or foolish, know this is true. Young Zhou Yu, in his shallow arrogance, boasts of his own abilities, seeking to pit an egg against a rock; further, he ruled by force, meting out punishment without guilt and granting no reward for merit. As a veteran minister, I have been slain and humiliated without reason; my heart seethes with hatred. I have heard that Chancellor Cao generously receives those who come, welcoming worthy men. Hence I wish to lead my troops to surrender, to achieve merit and avenge my shame. I will deliver all our grain, provisions, and arms along with my boat. I bow in tears; pray do not doubt my sincerity.”
Cao Cao passed the letter back and forth on his desk more than ten times. Suddenly, he slammed his fist on the table, eyes wide with rage: “Huang Gai’s bitter-meat ruse: he has sent you to deliver a feigned surrender letter, all to ensnare me. How dare you come here to mock me?” He ordered the guards to seize Kan Ze and execute him immediately. The guards brought Kan Ze down. His face remained calm as he laughed uproariously at the sky. Cao Cao had him dragged back and bellowed, “I have unmasked your scheme—why do you still laugh?” Kan Ze replied, “I am not laughing at you. I laugh at Huang Gai, for not recognizing a man’s true nature.” Cao Cao asked, “How have I failed to see?” Kan Ze said, “If you wished to kill me, you need not ask so many questions—just carry out the sentence!” Cao Cao said, “From my youth I have studied military texts thoroughly, acutely aware of the methods of deception. Your sorry trick might fool others, but how could it deceive me?” Kan Ze answered, “Then tell me: which part of the letter was false?” Cao Cao said, “I found your flaw: if you truly meant to surrender, how did you not know precisely when? What rationale do you offer now?” Kan Ze laughed and said, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself! You boast of being well-read yet mix up your timing. Hurry and send your troops home, for in battle you would surely be captured by Zhou Yu. Fool without learning! It is a pity that I must die by your hand!”
Cao Cao said, “How do you dare call me a fool?” Kan Ze said, “You do not understand cunning strategies nor comprehend reason—surely you are unlearned.” Cao Cao said, “Then tell me precisely—what faults do I have?” Kan Ze said, “You show no courtesy in receiving the worthy; how could I be expected to speak further? May I die at once.” Cao Cao said, “If you offer reasoned points, I will certainly hold them in respect.” Kan Ze said, “Have you not heard that one who betrays his lord and steals away may not agree to any fixed date? If you set a date in advance but then cannot act urgently, your plans will leak. You could have gone immediately—but you waited to be received first. Do you not see the fallacy of that? You wish to ambush a man of merit, but you do not know how to proceed intelligently. That is truly unlearned!”
Hearing these words, Cao Cao’s countenance softened. He stepped down from his seat and said, “I was hasty and did not understand the matter. I encroached on your dignity—please forgive me.” Kan Ze replied, “Huang Gai and I sincerely sought your service, yearning like infants for foster parents. How could there have been any deceit?” Cao Cao was greatly pleased: “If the two of you can contribute greatly, I shall grant you titles even above my other subordinates.” Kan Ze said, “We did not come for rank or remuneration, but purely to follow Heaven’s will and meet the people’s needs.” Cao Cao took wine and offered it to him.
After a while, someone entered the tent and whispered into Cao Cao’s ear. Cao Cao said, “Bring the letter.” The messenger presented a second secret document. As Cao Cao read it, his face brightened. Kan Ze thought to himself, “This must be from Cai Mao and Cai He reporting news of Huang Gai’s punishment—Cao Cao believes my surrender to be genuine.” Cao Cao said, “Sir, please return to Eastern Wu and meet with Huang Gai at a predetermined signal. Let me know when to bring my troops across in response.” Kan Ze said, “I have already left Eastern Wu and cannot return. Your Excellency must send another trusted messenger.” Cao Cao said, “If someone else goes, the plot will surely be revealed.” Kan Ze repeatedly demurred; after a long moment, he said, “If I must go, then I will not linger. I shall go at once.” Cao Cao gifted him gold and silk, but Kan Ze refused them. He took his leave, boarded his small boat, and returned across the river to Eastern Wu, where he met with Huang Gai and recounted the entire affair. Huang Gai said, “If your talent for persuasion were not great, then I would have suffered in vain.” Kan Ze said, “I shall now go to Gan Ning’s camp and learn what news Cai Mao and Cai He have reported.” Huang Gai replied, “Very well.” Kan Ze went to Gan Ning’s camp, where Gan Ning welcomed him. Kan Ze said, “General, yesterday you were humiliated trying to save Huang Gai—my indignation knows no bounds!” Gan Ning smiled but said nothing. While they spoke, Cai He and Cai Mao arrived. Kan Ze watched Gan Ning through narrowed eyes, and Gan Ning understood. He said, “Zhou Yu relies solely on his own abilities and never considers our plight. Having been humiliated, I cannot face the people of Jiangdong!” Having spoken, he ground his teeth and slammed the table, letting out a fierce cry. Kan Ze then whispered in Gan Ning’s ear. Gan Ning lower his head in silence, letting out several long sighs. Cai He and Cai Mao saw this glimmer of disloyalty in both Gan Ning and Kan Ze, so they interrogated them: “General, why are you so troubled? Sir, what injustice has been done?” Kan Ze said, “Would you know the bitterness in our hearts?” Cai He asked, “Could it be that you wish to abandon Wu and defect to Cao Cao?” Kan Ze’s face paled. Gan Ning drew his sword and rose, furious: “This matter has already been exposed. We must kill them both to silence their tongues!” Cai He and Cai Mao cried out, “Do not worry, generals! We, too, will reveal everything!” Gan Ning said, “Then speak quickly!” Cai He said, “We are Cao Cao’s envoys, sent to feign surrender. If you truly wish to join him, we will lead you to him.” Gan Ning said, “Is this truly true?” Both Cai Mao and Cai He answered in unison, “Why would we lie?” Gan Ning feigned joy: “If that is so, Heaven has granted us our opportunity!” Cai He and Cai Mao said, “We have already informed Chancellor Cao of your being humiliated.” Kan Ze said, “I have already given Huang Gai’s letter to the Chancellor. I have come to you now to arrange our surrender, side by side.” Gan Ning said, “A true man, once he meets a worthy ruler, must devote himself fully.” With that, the four men drank together and conferred. Promptly, the Cai brothers wrote letters to Cao Cao, secretly revealing that Gan Ning and they were all internal collaborators. Kan Ze himself penned another letter for Cao Cao, stating: “When Huang Gai arrives, look for the boat flying the blue-and-white flag at its prow; that will be the signal.”
Meanwhile, Cao Cao received these two letters in quick succession and felt deeply uncertain. He summoned his strategists: “Gan Ning in Eastern Wu was humiliated by Zhou Yu and now wishes to serve as a traitor from within. Meanwhile, Huang Gai, punished by Zhou Yu, sent Kan Ze to surrender. Neither story can be trusted. Who among you will go directly into Zhou Yu’s camp and find out the truth?” Jiang Gan stepped forward: “I was ashamed of my failure on my previous mission to Eastern Wu. Now I volunteer to go again, at the risk of my life, but to obtain true information and report back.” Cao Cao rejoiced and immediately ordered Jiang Gan onto a small boat. Jiang Gan sped directly to the southern shore of the river where Eastern Wu’s fleet lay, and had a message sent to Zhou Yu. When Zhou Yu heard that Jiang Gan had arrived, he exulted, “My victory hinges on this man alone!” He then instructed Lu Su: “Send for Pang Tong and have him do as follows…”
Pang Tong of Xiangyang, courtesy name Shiyuan, had taken refuge in Eastern Wu to escape the turmoil. Lu Su had once recommended him to Zhou Yu, but Pang Tong had not yet come to pay his respects when Lu Su summoned him and asked, “Which strategy should we use to destroy Cao Cao?” Pang Tong quietly told Lu Su, “To defeat Cao Cao’s forces, we must employ fire attack; but on the broad river, one burning ship only causes the rest to scatter—unless we use the linked-chain stratagem to bind them together, then our plan will succeed.” Lu Su relayed this to Zhou Yu, who was deeply impressed and said, “To carry out this stratagem, no one but Pang Shiyuan is suitable.” Lu Su said, “I fear Cao Cao’s cunning—who would dare go?” Zhou Yu fell into thought. No sooner had he pondered, than word came that Jiang Gan had arrived. Overjoyed, he immediately commissioned Pang Tong to devise the plan and bade his attendants summon Jiang Gan.
Jiang Gan, wondering why no one came to receive him, tied his boat at a secluded riverside and entered the camp on foot to see Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu, feigning anger, said, “Gan Ziyi, how dare you insult me so!” Jiang Gan laughed: “I came thinking we were old classmates, wishing to share my innermost thoughts—how could it be deceit?” Zhou Yu said, “You would say I surrendered to Cao Cao? Only when the seas run dry and stones turn to dust! Before, out of loyalty to old times, I hosted you and let you sleep under my roof. Yet you stole my private letter, fled without warning, reported to Cao Cao, and caused the deaths of Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, foiling my plans. Now you return without cause; surely you bear no goodwill! There is no place for sentiment—I must cut ties with you forever! I had intended to send you away, but within a day or two I shall defeat Cao Cao, so I cannot have you here to leak secrets.” He ordered his attendants, “Escort Jiang Gan to a small temple behind the western hills to rest. After I have destroyed Cao Cao, I shall send him back across the river.” Jiang Gan opened his mouth to speak, but Zhou Yu turned and walked away into his tent without listening further.
The attendants saddled a horse for Jiang Gan and, under guard, led him to a small hermitage behind the western hills, leaving two soldiers to watch over him. Inside the hermitage, Jiang Gan fretted, unable to eat or sleep. That night, beneath a sky full of stars, he stepped out behind the cottage and heard someone reciting from a military text. Intrigued, he followed the sound to a small thatched hut built into the rocky hillside, its door framed by bamboo. A dim lamp glowed inside, and Jiang Gan peered in to see a figure in a simple robe, lantern in hand, studying the military treatises of Sun Quan and Sun Wu. Jiang Gan thought, “This must be an extraordinary person indeed.” He knocked and requested to see him. The man opened the door and greeted him: his demeanor was noble and unworldly. Jiang Gan asked his name. The man replied, “My surname is Pang, my given name Tong, courtesy name Shiyuan.” Jiang Gan said, “Could you be Master Fengchu?” Pang Tong replied, “Indeed.” Jiang Gan said, “I have long heard of your great reputation—why do you dwell here in seclusion?” Pang Tong said, “Zhou Yu, in the pride of his talent, cannot tolerate others; thus I remain hidden here. And you—who are you?” Jiang Gan said, “I am Jiang Gan.” Pang Tong then invited him inside the humble cottage, and they sat down to converse heart to heart. Jiang Gan said, “With your talent, any path you choose must succeed. If you would come to serve Cao Cao, I will take you there.” Pang Tong said, “I also wish to leave Eastern Wu. If you genuinely mean to escort me, let us go at once. If we delay, Zhou Yu will learn of it and have me killed.” Thus, late at night, the two departed the hillside. Reaching the riverbank, they found Jiang Gan’s boat and rowed swiftly back across the river.
They reached Cao Cao’s camp. Jiang Gan first reported to Cao Cao, recounting every detail. When Cao Cao learned that Pang Tong, “Master Fengchu,” had come, he personally rose from his command platform to welcome him. They sat as host and guest, and Cao Cao said, “Zhou Yu, young in years, prides himself on his abilities, bullying the multitudes and rejecting good counsel. I have long heard of your illustrious name; now that you have honored us with your presence, I beg you not to withhold your advice.” Pang Tong replied, “I have long admired the Chancellor’s methods of warfare; now I wish to see the disposition of your forces in person.” Cao Cao ordered his horse readied and summoned Pang Tong to accompany him in inspecting the land encampment. Pang Tong and Cao Cao rode together, ascending a hill to look down. Pang Tong said, “Sheltered by hills and nestled among trees, its front and rear well defended, with secure gates and winding entrances—no matter how brilliant Eastern Wu’s Zhou Yu is, or even if Master Rangju himself returned, they would not surpass this.” Cao Cao said, “Do not flatter me too highly—please continue your counsel.” They then examined the naval encampment. South of them lay twenty-four river gates, each guarded by a formidable war junk, forming a floating barrier; between them lay small boats that could pass through the channels, each arranged in orderly rows. Pang Tong laughed and said, “Your Excellency’s manner of war is truly not in vain!” He pointed toward the southern forces and proclaimed, “Young Zhou Lang (Zhou Yu)—Zhou Lang—soon you shall perish!” Cao Cao was greatly pleased. They returned to the camp, where Cao Cao invited Pang Tong into his tent and served him wine as they discussed military strategy. Pang Tong spoke boldly and persuasively; Cao Cao was deeply impressed and treated him with the utmost courtesy. Pang Tong feigned drunkenness and asked, “May I inquire if there is a good physician among your troops?” Cao Cao, surprised, asked why. Pang Tong said, “Because the naval forces are frequently plagued by illness; we require skilled doctors to treat them.” At that time, Cao Cao’s troops, unaccustomed to water, regularly suffered vomiting and other maladies, with many dying. Cao Cao was greatly distressed by this. Upon hearing Pang Tong’s words, he said, “How could I not inquire further?” Pang Tong said, “Your Excellency’s method of training naval troops is sound; it is only lacking in one respect.” Cao Cao prodded him to elaborate. Pang Tong said, “To use fire attack, you would moor large and small boats together—perhaps grouping thirty vessels in a row, or fifty—interlinking them with iron hooks and placing broad planks atop. Then, when the wind and waves rise and fall, the entire fleet remains steady, impervious to the chaos of water. Under such conditions, you would fear nothing.”
Cao Cao rose from his seat in admiration: “If not for Master’s ingenious plan, how could we ever hope to defeat Eastern Wu?” Pang Tong said, “My views are but shallow insights; Your Excellency must decide for yourself.” Cao Cao immediately sent orders for his blacksmiths to forge great iron hooks overnight, binding the ships together. When the troops heard this, they greatly rejoiced. Later generations would compose these lines:
“At Red Cliffs, fire attacks were used; all shared the strategy’s success. But without Pang Tong’s linked-chain plan, how could Zhou Yu have secured such great victory?”
Pang Tong likewise told Cao Cao, “I have observed many heroes in Jiangdong who harbor resentment toward Zhou Yu. I will use my tongue and rhetoric to persuade them all to surrender. Once Zhou Yu stands alone, he will surely fall to Your Excellency. Once he is defeated, Liu Bei will be powerless.” Cao Cao said, “If you truly can accomplish this great feat, I shall petition the Son of Heaven to elevate you to the rank of a Three Dukes.” Pang Tong said, “I do not desire wealth or rank; I only wish to save the masses.” Cao Cao bowed and solemnly requested a written proclamation to reassure Pang Tong’s family. “Where do your relatives reside?” Cao Cao asked. Pang Tong said, “They live here by the river. If I receive that proclamation, my household will be safe.” Cao Cao ordered the proclamation drawn up without delay and entrusted it to Pang Tong. Pang Tong bowed in thanks: “As soon as the troops move, let them strike quickly before Zhou Yu catches wind of this.” Cao Cao agreed.
Pang Tong took his leave and walked to the riverbank. As he prepared to board his boat, he suddenly saw a figure on the shore—dressed in a Taoist robe and bamboo-and-cloth cap—who seized Pang Tong’s arm and said, “How dare you! Huang Gai used his bitter-meat ruse; Kan Ze brought a feigned surrender letter, and now you have come with a linked-chain scheme! If these plots fail to exhaust them, then nothing will! You may have deceived Cao Cao, but you cannot deceive me!” Pang Tong almost fainted in shock at this stranger’s words. Indeed:
Do not say that the southeast always yields victory—who says the northwest is without heroes?
Who exactly was this person on the shore? The answer will be revealed in the next chapter.
