Zhou Yu was determined to take possession of Jingzhou. When he heard that Liu Bei's wife, Lady Gan, had passed away, he got the idea of sending someone to propose marriage. He then approached Sun Quan and suggested he pretend to marry his sister to Liu Bei. Sun Quan thought it was a good idea and agreed.
Sun Quan promptly sent someone to propose marriage to Liu Bei. Liu Bei immediately suspected that it was a ploy by Zhou Yu. Zhuge Liang told Liu Bei not to worry and assured him that he would send Zhao Yun to protect him. Zhuge Liang even gave Zhao Yun 3 clever schemes enclosed in 3 bags to ensure Liu Bei's safe return.
Zhao Yun first sent his 500 troops to the streets to buy all the things necessary for the wedding. They also spread the news that Liu Bei was marrying Sun Yuan's sister. When the news reached Sun Quan's mother, Dowager Marchioness, she was furious.
She confronted Sun Quan and he quickly assured her that the wedding was just a ruse to trick Liu Bei into coming to Dongwu and force him to return Jingzhou to them. His mother demanded to meet Liu Bei in person and would only agree to make him her son-in-law if she was satisfied with him.
The Dowager Marchioness was very satisfied with Liu Bei after meeting him, and consented to him marrying her daughter. A few days later, a wedding was conducted for Liu Bei and the princess.
The fictitious plot was made real. After the wedding, Zhou Yu set about making Liu Bei stay in Dongwu by indulging him in pleasure and fun. Liu Bei was so happy with his new married life that he gave no thought of returning to Jingzhou at the end of the year. It was then that Zhao Yun opened the second bag of plan. Upon reading it, he quickly informed Liu Bei that Cao Cao was leading his troops to attack Jingzhou.
Fearful that his in-laws wouldn't allow him to return to Jingzhou, he hatched a plan with his wife to give the excuse of an ancestral sacrifice on the river bank on New Year's Day and then secretly leave Dongwu.
Unfortunately, their plot was foiled when Zhou Yu gave chase as the couple secretly left the city. It was then that Liu Bei opened the third bag. After reading the message, Liu Bei convinced his wife that her brother and Zhou Yu wanted to harm him.
She immediately took charge and ordered the soldiers to back off, and the soldiers reluctantly let them pass. By the time the couple reached the river bank, Zhuge Liang already had boats prepared to receive Liu Bei. Unwilling to give up, Zhou Yu gave chase in his boat too.
Upon reaching the northern shore, they immediately abandoned the boat. Thankfully, Zhuge Liang has arranged for Guan Yu and Huang Zhong to set up an ambush, and Zhou Yu and his troops quickly fled back to their boat in panic. Liu Bei's soldiers taunted Zhou Yu from the shore, and Zhou Yu fainted in anger.
Refusing to give up, Zhou Yu once again mounted another attack on Jingzhou, and lost. Shortly after returning to Dongwu, Zhou Yu coughed blood and died of grief. Upon learning about his death, Zhuge Liang personally went to Dongwu to pay his respects, and wept openly at Zhou Yu's grave.
Just as Zhuge Liang was preparing to embark on his journey back to Jingzhou, a gentleman stopped him. It turned out to be Master Young Phoenix!
- Compiled from The Three Kingdoms
No comments:
Post a Comment