Undercover - In China - Book 7

Part 75 - We have succeeded

Lu Su was disconcerted by Xuande's argument and conceded, 'I could accept this if Lui Biao's son were here, but he is in Xiacou.' 

 Kongming motioned to his servants who carried Lui Qi in a chair from behind a screen. He looked very ill and had to be supported. Lui Qi apologized. 'My ill health prevents me from performing the proper courtesies. Please forgive my offense.'

Lu Su was silent for some time as he thought about the problem and then he said, 'Lui Qi does not look well. Should he die, Jingzhou becomes the property of the Southland.'

'I think your position is correct,' Kongming agreed blandly. 'If he dies there will be something to negotiate.'

Xuande ordered a banquet to be prepared in Lu Su's honour but Lu Su apologized. He had promised to return immediately to Zhou Yu. 

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 Dr Zhang was chatting with Kongming and Xuande over breakfast when a messenger arrived with an encoded message from Yin Jia. Kongming read them quietly before uttering a triumphant oath. 'We have succeeded! Cho Cho has ordered Xiahou Dun and Cho Ren to move their armies to Hefei in the north east. And, Sun Quan has ordered Zhou Yu to reinforce his defensive positions at Hefei. Lu Su has accepted responsibility for ensuring that Jingzhou Province will be restored to the Southland as soon as Lui Qi dies.' 

Kongming laughed exultantly. 'Lu Su will have to wait a long time for Lui Qi to die. He was only pretending to be ill.'

Xuande smiled wistfully. 'I am delighted that the war has ended. I will be even happier to get back to peace and order. I just wish there was some way to stop this endless fighting. The people have suffered enough.'

Licia asked, 'Why did Cho Cho attack Jingzhou Province in the first place?'

'Cho Cho wishes to rule All Under Heaven, Li-Xia,' Kongming explained. 

 'He is a thief without compassion who would rather steal than work. This world is filled with thieves who call themselves lords and heroic warriors, but they are leeches on a peaceful population. But it is we who give them credibility by calling them Emperors, Kings and Prime Ministers instead of warlords, bandits and criminals.'

'I have a question, too,' Miguel said. 'We saw many battles, but few men died or were even wounded.'

 'You are observant, Mi-Guo,' Xuande chuckled. 'The bandits prefer to run rather than risk their necks. However, there are many who suffer and die, who are not soldiers. They are the common people. The farmers are robbed of their seed grain and left to starve, and the soldiers kill far more people with the diseases they bring with them than with axes, arrows and spears.'

 'The cost of war is always too great,' Kongming added gloomily. 'Many will die because of Cho Cho's greed and the rewards are far less than he imagines. Cho Cho's sons may, one day, claim to be emperors of China but they will be replaced by others.'

'And, I can see in the stars, China will pay dearly for this struggle. When all this is done, when China has been weakened by internal strife, the northern horse barbarians will ride over our long dead bones, and they will rule China.'

I asked Kongming. 'Why did Lord Guan go to the trouble of setting up that ambush if you planned to let Cho Cho escape?'

Kongming picked up a morsel of sweet tofu with a porcelain spoon and popped it into his mouth. He smiled enigmatically. 'You are observant, Xia-Dian, and you ask blunt questions. Indeed, Cho Cho is more useful to us alive than dead. If we had killed or captured him, Zhou Yu would have attacked us without fear of the Northern army. By releasing him, Lord Guan has now made him think twice before attacking us again.'

'Now,' said Kongming smiling. 'In return for all my secrets, I have a request for Master Zhang Lee. Please, predict our future. What wonders are yet to come?'

Dr Zhang laughed in turn. 'How can I tell you about the future when we know so little about the past?' 

 Kongming laughed again and clapped his hands, 'Kongzi was talking about life after death.' 

 'Perhaps there is little difference,' Dr Zhang laughed, 'between life in the future and the in the past. People do not change very quickly.'

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