Tiger Owl

Chapter 246 Two Messengers (Part 1)
That morning, Lu Su hurriedly arrived at Gan Ning's official post. "Lord Chu, news has come from Pengze that Lü Fan arrived early this morning, replenished his supplies of fresh water, and set off. He should arrive in Chaisang around this afternoon."

Lu Fan's resupply of fresh water in Pengze was actually a way of letting Gan Ning know that he was coming soon and giving Gan Ning some time to prepare.

Gan Ning nodded, "Then I'll trouble the strategist to speak with him this time!"

Lu Su hesitated for a moment, "Won't the Marquis of Chu see him?"

"A polite meeting after the talks is fine, but..."

Gan Ning shook his head slightly, "They're not being sincere this time!"

Gan Ning received news that Qiao An's mission to Jiangdong had been met with a cold reception; no one greeted him or received him, and even Sun Quan refused to see him. In the end, he had to use his connections to meet Lü Fan privately.

This attitude says it all; Jiangdong has no sincerity in cooperating with the other party.

Although the other party lacked sincerity, Gan Ning still wanted to do his best to promote cooperation. Therefore, he entrusted his strategist Lu Su to represent him and take full responsibility for contacting Lü Fan, rather than giving him a cold shoulder in return.

"I understand!"

Lu Su bowed and walked away quickly.

Gan Ning stood with his hands behind his back by the window, silently gazing at the northern sky. Historically, the surrender faction had the upper hand in Jiangdong. It was only after Lu Su persuaded Sun Quan that Sun Quan finally decided to resist Cao Cao. But now Sun Quan no longer had Lu Su by his side, and Zhou Yu no longer held such a high position. The surrender faction was even stronger. Could Sun Quan still withstand it?
Gan Ning was genuinely worried. What if the script didn't follow the historical trajectory? He had to prepare for the worst.

Around noon, Lü Fan's boat arrived in Chaisang, where Lu Su personally greeted him at the dock.

"Zijing, it's been so long!" Lü Fan laughed as he stepped off the boat.

"Brother, it's been a long time."

Back when Lu Su was in Jiangdong, he had a good personal relationship with Lü Fan. Although they served different masters, their friendship was not affected at this moment as they were not involved in official business.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two boarded the carriage, which headed into the city, with Lü Fan's men following behind in their own carriages.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the esteemed guesthouse. Lu Su smiled and said, "Brother, please rest today! We can discuss official business tomorrow."

Lu Fan pondered for a moment and said, "If possible, I would like to have a brief talk with Military Advisor Lu today, so that we can both be frank with each other."

Lü Fan has changed his address and now directly refers to Lu Su as Military Advisor Lu, indicating that they have entered into a formal business relationship.

“Okay!” Lu Su readily agreed.

The two sat down in the main hall, and their attendants served them tea.

Lü Fan said directly, "There aren't many people in Jiangdong who support resisting Cao Cao. It wasn't easy for me to come all this way. I hope we can be frank with each other and avoid any misunderstandings."

Lu Su nodded silently.

Lü Fan took out the documents Qiao An had previously sent and spread them on the table, saying, "You have proposed two plans, and I will address them one by one. First is the alliance plan. Frankly speaking, for both sides to re-establish an alliance, the issue of Bu Zhi must be resolved. In other words, you must send Bu Zhi back to Jiangdong before an alliance can even be formed. Can you do that?"

Lu Su shook his head decisively, "Impossible. Bu Sima has just led his army to capture Jiaozhou and has a high reputation. He is currently the third most important person in Western Chu. There is no possibility of sending him back to Jiangdong. Jiangdong must give up on this idea."

Lü Fan sighed, "Then the alliance plan is impossible. Let's not talk about the impossible."

"Then let's talk about a cooperation plan!" Lu Su didn't mince words and skipped over the alliance plan.

"The cooperation plan is for both sides to set up camps and send out warships, with each side thirty miles apart. There are two issues here. First, who will be the main force and who will be the secondary force?"

"There is no primary or secondary issue, only consultation!" Lu Su said without hesitation: "Both sides shall establish a liaison group, with each side sending three high-ranking officials to participate, to consult on various military affairs and operational plans."

Lü Fan nodded. "This plan is acceptable and shouldn't be a big problem, but the second issue is a bit troublesome."

"Chief Clerk Lü, please speak frankly!"

Lu Fan said slowly, "Lord Wu does not wish for you to station troops in Danyang County."

"How can this be done!"

Lu Su said seriously, "Cao Cao's army must have crossed the river from Liyang County to Niuzhu. If we don't station our troops at Niuzhu, how can we jointly resist Cao Cao's army?"

Lu Fan remained silent for a moment, and Lu Su continued, "Although Yuzhang County is close to Danyang County, we are located in the western part of Danyang County, while Niuzhu is in the easternmost part of Danyang County, more than a thousand miles away from Yuzhang County. Even at the fastest speed, it would take three or four days. Chief Secretary Lu wouldn't want us to be stationed in Yuzhang County, would he?"

Lü Fan sighed, "Of course I know the journey is long and it's not realistic to station troops in Yuzhang County, but I'm wondering if we can come up with a solution that both sides can accept?"

"Chief Secretary Lü, you must have considered this matter on your way here, right? Why don't you tell me a solution?"

Lu Fan hesitated for a moment before saying, "I do have a plan. I'm wondering if the Western Chu army could capture Ruxukou. Ruxukou is a good route to Hefei in the north, and it's also very close to Niuzhu. Would you consider this plan?"

"You want us to set up camp north of the river?" Lu Su's eyes widened suddenly.

Lu Fan blushed. "I know this request is a bit excessive and risky, but if we take proper precautions, it's not impossible."

Lu Su slowly shook his head. "It's not just possible, it's absolutely impossible. Cao Cao isn't a three-year-old child. He will never cross the river before completely eliminating our Jiangbei base, leaving our rear base to us. Moreover, he will be wary of our navy attacking Hefei from the Ruxu River. They will definitely station heavy troops at the Ruxu Port."

"Or what if the online army doesn't come ashore?"

Lu Su's face darkened, and he said unhappily, "Chief Secretary Lü, our army is not going to Danyang County for sightseeing, but to protect you and to counter Cao Cao's army crossing the river at Niuzhu. Logically, you should be begging us to come and support you, but now it's the other way around. You're making excuses and refusing to let us station our troops. Chief Secretary Lü, please forgive my bluntness, but I have not seen a trace of sincerity from Jiangdong."

Lü Fan sighed inwardly. The Marquis of Wu was indeed not sincere!
.........

Lu Su only talked for half an hour before taking his leave. He hurriedly went to the general's mansion and met Gan Ning.

Gan Ning invited him to sit down and asked with a smile, "How did your talk with Lü Fan go, strategist?"

Lu Su sighed and said, "Just as the Marquis of Chu expected, Jiangdong indeed has no sincerity!"

"How should we perform?"

Lu Su gave a wry smile. "Lü Fan was very frank. He said that Sun Quan was willing to accept the cooperation plan, but he wouldn't allow us to station troops in Danyang County."

Gan Ning was taken aback. "How can we cooperate without stationing troops?"

"Lu Fan proposed two plans. The first was to ask us to seize Ruxukou on the north bank of the Yangtze River and station troops there. The second was to allow the troops to stay on the shore, but not the soldiers."

Gan Ning said coldly, "Only a three-year-old would think of the first option. Don't mention it again. The second option is not a matter of whether we can get ashore or not, but an insult to us. We are going to help them, not to beg them!"

"That's what I said too!"

Lu Su sighed and said, "I have a feeling that Sun Quan has never made up his mind to resist. Sending Lü Fan to negotiate is futile and meaningless!"

Gan Ning stood with his hands behind his back for a long while and said, "I'm afraid things are not that simple. I just received news that Jia Xu has arrived in Jiangdong. At this critical moment, Sun Quan has sent Lü Fan to Chaisang. In Jiangdong, only Zhou Yu is left as the anti-Cao faction. He can't hold the line alone!"

Lu Su was immediately taken aback. Jia Xu had arrived in Jiangdong. What did that mean?
(End of this chapter)