When Liu Bei entered Lady Sun’s chamber, he was startled to see spears and halberds arrayed on both sides and every attendant maid wearing a sword at her waist. His face paled. The housekeeper hurried forward and said, “Please do not be frightened, Your Highness. Madam has loved the martial arts since childhood and keeps her ladies practicing fencing for amusement. That is why.” Liu Bei replied, “This is no mere pastime—it chills my heart. Please have them removed.” The housekeeper reported to Lady Sun, “My lady, the distinguished guest is alarmed by the weapons. Shall I have them cleared away?” Lady Sun laughed, “I’ve wielded arms half my life—why fear a few blades?” She ordered the weapons taken down and the maids to stow their swords. That night, Liu Bei and Lady Sun were married in deep affection. To win the maids’ goodwill, he distributed gold and silks among them, then sent Sun Qian back to Jingzhou with the happy news. For days they feasted and drank, and Lady Sun’s mother doted on Liu Bei as her own son-in-law.
Not long after, Sun Quan sent a messenger to Chaisang to consult Zhou Yu: “My mother insisted my sister marry Liu Bei. I never dreamed the ruse would become reality. What shall we do now?” Zhou Yu’s heart leapt—his plot seemed to have escaped his control. After pacing anxiously, he composed a secret dispatch back to Sun Quan. It read in part:
My original scheme has gone awry: since the sham marriage has become true, we must now employ another plan. Liu Bei, a consummate hero with generals Guan, Zhang, and Zhao Yun at his side and Zhuge Liang’s counsel, will not long remain subdued. I propose we entangle him in Eastern Wu’s comforts—build grand palaces to distract him, send beauties and entertainments to tire his mind, and split him from his sworn brothers and from Zhuge Liang, placing each faction in isolation. Then, when he is weak in spirit, strike—and Jingzhou will be ours. If we let him linger, the dragon will soar from the pond. Pray consider this carefully.
Sun Quan showed the letter to Zhang Zhao, who said, “Zhou Gongjin’s counsel exactly matches my thoughts. Liu Bei has never tasted true luxury. If we pamper him with splendid halls, precious gifts, and entertainments, he will grow distant from Zhuge, Guan, and Zhang, and harbor resentments. Only then will Jingzhou be ripe for the taking. We should act at once.” Elated, Sun Quan ordered the refurbishment of the Eastern Palace—planting exotic flowers, furnishing new chambers, and summoning Liu Bei and his sister to reside there. He even increased his troupe of female musicians and lavished gold, jade, and silks throughout. Lady Sun, believing her brother’s kindness genuine, rejoiced, while Liu Bei, seduced by pleasures, soon forgot all thoughts of returning to Jingzhou.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yun and his five hundred troops camped before the Eastern Palace with little to do, practicing archery and riding outside the city gates. As the year’s end approached, Zhao Yun reflected on Zhuge Liang’s instructions about the three brocade pouches: open the first upon arrival in Nanxu, the second at year’s end, and the third only in dire emergency, for they contained hidden stratagems to ensure the lord’s safe return. Now that the year indeed drew to a close and Liu Bei lingered in comfort, Zhao Yun resolved to open the second pouch. Inside he discovered a brilliant plan. Without delay, he rode straight to Liu Bei’s hall.
The housemaids announced, “General Zhao Zilong has urgent news for Your Highness.” Summoned, Zhao Yun feigned alarm. “My lord has taken to sumptuous halls, but what of Jingzhou?” Liu Bei asked, startled. “This morning,” Zhao Yun said, “Master Kongming sent word that Cao Cao, bent on avenging Red Cliffs, has raised five hundred thousand crack troops to march on Jingzhou. The situation is perilous—my lord must depart at once.” Liu Bei replied, “I must consult my wife.” Zhao Yun urged, “If you defer to her, she will forbid your departure. Better to leave at nightfall, before all is lost!” Liu Bei demurred, “Go and rest; I shall consider it.”
That evening, Liu Bei entered Lady Sun’s chamber with tears in his eyes. “Why so troubled, my husband?” she asked. He said, “A man without home drifts like a leaf on the wind. I cannot serve my parents, cannot offer sacrifices at our ancestral tombs—this weighs upon me at my very core. With the New Year so near, I am consumed by longing.” Lady Sun replied, “Do not conceal it—I know. Zhao Yun came with word of Jingzhou’s peril and your desire to return.” Liu Bei knelt: “How could I hide it? If I stay, Jingzhou will fall and bring shame. If I go, I leave my wife behind—and that tears me apart.” Lady Sun said, “I have vowed to serve my lord; I will go with you.” Liu Bei shook his head: “My mother and Sun Quan will never permit you to depart. Yet if you pity me, grant me this single request—let me leave alone.” He wept. Lady Sun pondered long, then said, “On New Year’s Day, when we go to the riverbank to honor our ancestors, we can slip away unnoticed. What say you?” Liu Bei clasped her hands and vowed, “If you choose this, I shall never forget your courage.” Secretly, he instructed Zhao Yun: “On New Year’s morning, lead our troops out along the official road and await us. I and Lady Sun will depart under cover of ritual.”
On the first day of the first lunar month, Sun Quan summoned civil and military officials to the eastern hall. Liu Bei and Lady Sun entered to pay respects to Lady Wu. Lady Sun spoke, “My husband’s parents and ancestors lie in Zhuo Commandery. He mourns them day and night. Today he wishes to go to the riverbank and offer filial tribute, and I must first inform my mother.” Lady Wu said warmly, “This is the essence of filial piety. Though you may not know your in-laws well, you may go with your husband—such is a wife’s duty.” With bows of thanks, Liu Bei and Lady Sun departed. They did not reveal their true intentions to Sun Quan.
Lady Sun took only her personal belongings; Liu Bei mounted his horse and, accompanied by a small escort, rode out to meet Zhao Yun. Five hundred soldiers formed the vanguard and rearguard, and at dawn they left Nanxu behind.
That same day, Sun Quan, deep in drink, was led to his private chamber by his attendants. Only later did his officers realize the gates were empty—Liu Bei and Lady Sun had vanished. They roused their lord, but still he slept through first watch. By dawn, when the news reached him, Sun Quan summoned his generals. Zhang Zhao warned, “Letting him go will bring disaster. We must give chase at once.” Sun Quan ordered Chen Wu and Pan Zhang to take five hundred elite troops and pursue relentlessly, day and night.
In a fury, Sun Quan cast his jade inkstone across the table, shattering it. Cheng Pu cautioned, “My lord’s wrath is fierce, but I doubt Chen Wu and Pan Zhang will succeed. Lady Sun, raised on arms and valor, will not permit harm to her husband. These generals dare not face her.” Sun Quan, his temper rising, drew his sword and summoned Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai. “Take this sword,” he thundered, “and bring me back my sister and Liu Bei’s head—or die!” The two officers seized a thousand troops and set out in hot pursuit.
Meanwhile, Liu Bei urged his steed onward through the night, briefly resting for two watches before pressing on. As they neared the border of Chaisang, dust clouds rose behind: their pursuers were close. Alarmed, Liu Bei asked Zhao Yun, “They are upon us—what do we do?” Zhao Yun said, “My lord, go ahead swiftly; I will guard the rear.” They turned onto a mountain path only to find a force blocking the way. Two officers shouted, “Liu Bei, dismount and surrender at once! We have awaited you here!” Unknown to Liu Bei, Zhou Yu had predicted the flight and stationed Xu Sheng and Ding Feng with three thousand troops at this choke point. Xu Sheng and Ding Feng barred the route.
Cornered, Liu Bei asked Zhao Yun, “Blocked in front and pursued from behind—how can we escape?” Zhao Yun replied, “Fear not. The third brocade pouch contains our final stratagem. We must open it now.” They tore it open, and Liu Bei hurried back to Lady Sun’s carriage.
He said, “My lady, I must speak plainly: Sun Quan and Zhou Yu never intended to honor your marriage. Their true design was to entrap me, seize Jingzhou, and then eliminate me. You were the bait. Only your loyalty has brought me this far. Now they beset us on all sides—only you can deliver us. If you refuse, I will die here in the name of your virtue.” Lady Sun, trembling with righteous fury, declared, “My brother treats me as a pawn—why should I honor him further?” She sprang from the carriage, flung aside the curtain, and confronted Xu Sheng and Ding Feng. “Are you rebels?” she cried. “You serve Zhou Yu, camped here to ambush my husband and rob us of our goods!” The two officers, abashed, dismounted and begged her pardon, saying they acted on orders from their commander. Lady Sun retorted, “You fear Zhou Yu but not me? If he kills you, I can kill him!” She denounced Zhou Yu and ordered the carriage forward. Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, shamed, allowed them to pass.
Having ridden but a few miles, another force overtook them—Chen Wu and Pan Zhang, who had caught up with orders to bring them back. Joining with Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, the four marshaled their troops and charged. Hearing the clamor behind, Liu Bei again rode back to Lady Sun. “They have returned,” he lamented. “What shall we do?” Lady Sun said calmly, “My lord go first; Zhao Yun and I will hold them off.” Liu Bei led three hundred men toward the riverbank. Zhao Yun formed a guard around the carriage. The four officers raced up. Lady Sun confronted them: “Chen Wu, Pan Zhang—you claim orders to seize us? This carriage bears the wife of a Han prince. My brother’s command does not override our mother’s decree that we return to Jingzhou. If my brother comes himself, he must follow ceremony. You bar my way and seek to rob me—how dare you?” Their swords lowered, the four exchanged uneasy glances. They remembered their station and Lady Sun’s backing—they dared not disobey again. Sheepishly, they let the carriage pass and hastened back to report to Zhou Yu.
Yet not long after, Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai thundered down upon them with fresh orders: “Sun Quan fears this flight so much that he left behind a sword with orders: first kill his sister, then behead Liu Bei—any who disobey die!” The four lamented their helplessness at such dreadful commands. Jiang Qin said, “We must press on! Xu Sheng and Ding Feng will rush back for river vessels; we chase here on land. No matter the route, catch and kill them without question.” Thus all six generals pressed in relentless pursuit along the river.
Meanwhile, Liu Bei’s party, exhausted, reached Liulang Ford, comforted that it lay within friendly territory. They scoured the bank for boats but found none. Liu Bei bowed his head in despair, recalling the opulence of Eastern Wu and shedding bitter tears. A poet later wrote:
At Xishui’s ford their union was made, Bright pearls and golden tiles arrayed. Who knew one woman could shift the realm, And sway Liu’s heart from dynasty’s helm?
Then a scout reported renewed dust storms behind. Looking back, Liu Bei saw wave upon wave of troops riding down the bank. Dismayed, he sighed, “Our strength is spent, and they come to cut off our path.” Yet along the shore he spied over twenty barges fitted with canopies. Zhao Yun shouted, “Fortune smiles—those boats are ours!” Liu Bei and Lady Sun leapt aboard, as did Zhao Yun’s five hundred men. From the largest barge strode a man in scholar’s robes—Zhuge Liang—smiling. “My lord,” he said, “rejoice! I have awaited you.” The other vessels streamed with Jingzhou’s river forces. Liu Bei’s heart soared.
Barely had the fleeing flotilla put distance between them and the shore when the six pursuing generals arrived too late. Zhuge Liang waved to them and called out, “Return and tell Zhou Lang to devise no more beauty traps!” Shore archers loosed volleys of arrows, but the barges glided away.
Suddenly the river behind them thundered with the advance of a great war fleet under Zhou Yu’s banner—Huang Gai to his left, Han Dang to his right—swift as meteors. Zhuge Liang steered the barges toward the northern shore, and all disembarked, abandoning the boats for speed. Zhou Yu’s troops raced to the bank, mounting pursuit on foot, while his commanders alone charged on horseback. Zhou Yu led the chase, supported by Huang Gai, Han Dang, Xu Sheng, and Ding Feng. “Where are we?” he panted. “Beyond here lies Huangzhou.” Catching sight of Liu Bei’s carriage ahead, he pressed on—only to be met at a mountain pass by a company of cavalry led by none other than Guan Yunchang. Zhou Yu’s face blanched; he spurred his horse to flee. Even as he fled, Huang Zhong and Wei Yan surged in on both flanks, routing the Wu troops utterly.
Zhou Yu struggled back to his boat in panic. From the shore came voices: “Zhou Lang’s cunning has been matched and found wanting—he lost his sister and his army!” Enraged, Zhou Yu bellowed, “We must disembark and fight to the death!” But Huang Gai and Han Dang seized his bridle, pleading with him not to. Yielding, Zhou Yu slumped, a mortal wound opening in his side. His officers rushed to his aid, but he had already lost consciousness. A poet later captured the moment:
Twice did cunning turn to shame, Today his wrath gives way to blame.
What became of Zhou Gongjin’s fate? We shall see in the next chapter.
