The Intertwined Trees Separate

Turning the clock back to the early summer of the 20th year of Jian’an (215 AD), around the time Zhang Ran was setting out to defeat the Ba tribe, Liu Bei was also embroiled in another military situation. It was in Jing Province.

Last year, when Liu Bei gained Yi Province, Sun Quan demanded the return of Jing Province. However, Liu Bei refused, saying he would return it after obtaining Xiliang. Angered by this, Sun Quan sent governors to Changsha, Guiyang, and Lingling, but Guan Yu, who was managing Jing Province, stepped up and drove them away.

At this point, Sun Quan’s anger crossed a threshold. He mobilized an army with Lu Meng as the commander and many other generals to occupy Changsha and Guiyang, and then tried to occupy Lingling where Hao Pu was stationed, but this was quickly prevented by Pan Jun who sent reinforcements.

Liu Bei didn’t sit idle either. He led a large army of 50,000 with Zhao Yun and Pang Tong and stationed at Gong’an, while Guan Yu also launched a counterattack. Immediately after receiving Liu Bei’s reinforcements, he headed towards Yiyang in Changsha Commandery.

What erupted from this was the Yiyang Standoff.

The commanders facing each other across the river were Lu Su and Guan Yu. They built fortifications called Lu Su City and Guan Yu’s Rampart respectively and faced off.

The arguments of both sides were as follows:

Liu Bei’s side claimed that they had occupied the Four Commanderies of Jingnan on their own, and only Nanzhong was borrowed from Sun Quan. On the other hand, Sun Quan argued that Liu Bei had ruled Jingnan under his tacit approval and share from the Battle of Red Cliffs, so it was essentially lent by him.

Even Lu Su, who was good-natured and valued the Sun-Liu alliance, was at odds with Guan Yu, so the situation could only worsen.

In the original history, Liu Bei stepped back and reached an agreement upon hearing of Cao Cao’s invasion of Hanzhong, but this time the situation was different.

As Liu Bei occupied Yi Province nearly half a year earlier, the Yiyang Standoff broke out earlier, and Zhang Lu, frightened, surrendered to Cao Cao even faster.

If Sun Quan hadn’t insisted on Jing Province, it would have been difficult for Cao Cao to take Hanzhong so smoothly.

Cao Cao, who would have originally occupied Hanzhong following the story of “climbing a tree to catch a fish,” immediately sent Zhang He, so by the time Liu Bei heard the news, Zhang He had already set out.

Upon hearing that Commander Zhang He was leading tens of thousands of troops into Ba Commandery, Liu Bei turned pale and let out a scream.

Although he had stationed Zhang Fei, who could be fielded after Guan Yu, as a precaution, the opponent was Cao Cao. Wasn’t it always Liu Bei’s fate to lose except for the Battle of Red Cliffs?

Liu Bei fell into a dilemma. Should he choose Yi Province, hand over Jing Province to Sun Quan and return, or maintain the Yiyang Standoff hoping that Zhang Fei left in Yi Province would somehow block Zhang He’s attack?

If Cao Cao had mobilized a large army and launched a full-scale offensive, he would have boldly given up Jing Province to protect Yi Province, and had Sun Quan strike at Cao Cao’s weakness.

The forces Cao Cao sent were so exquisite that it was suspicious whether this was his aim. It was undoubtedly a crisis, but it made one think that maybe it could be blocked if handled well.

While Liu Bei was fretting over this, Pang Tong advised him:

“My lord, do you remember Kongming’s Three Kingdoms strategy?”

“Of course I remember.”

“Then why are you worried? The worms are clinging to the roots of the peach tree, so let the plum tree die in its place.”

The peach tree. It was also a metaphor for Liu Bei’s forces, alluding to the Peach Garden Oath sworn by the three brothers, but it also literally meant a peach tree.

The 11th strategy of the 36 Stratagems, “The Plum Tree Dies in Place of the Peach Tree.”

The plum tree falls instead of the peach tree.

While the content of the poem that originated this praises the beautiful sacrifice, in military strategy, it meant sacrificing the plum tree to the worms to save the peach tree.

The worms were Cao Cao, and the plum tree represented Sun Quan’s forces. In other words, Pang Tong was suggesting to empower Sun Quan, maintain friendly relations, and push him to contend with Cao Cao.

“The occupation of Hanzhong is a crisis for us, but an opportunity for Sun Quan. If we withdraw to defend Hanzhong, Sun Quan will surely aim for Hefei taking advantage of Cao Cao’s absence, and then Cao Cao will find it difficult to focus on Hanzhong.”

“Then how much should we concede to Sun Quan?”

“Give him the Jiangxia estuary that you currently occupy and completely hand over control of Nanzhong. And if you say you’ll hand over the areas Sun Quan has occupied, Sun Quan won’t refuse.”

It wasn’t only Liu Bei’s side that recognized the interdependence. Sun Quan also understood that he couldn’t oppose Cao Cao alone.

Especially now, Lu Su, who highly valued the importance of the Sun-Liu alliance, was in charge of military affairs. Even if Sun Quan was inwardly displeased, he would likely give in to Lu Su’s persuasion.

Liu Bei nodded but couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“That would be the best option, but it’s still regrettable. If it weren’t for Sun Quan, we could have even aimed for Hanzhong…”

Structurally, it was territory that couldn’t be defended. Sun Quan wanted to get his hands on Jing Province, and although Liu Bei had occupied Yi Province, Sun Quan’s forces were still stronger.

Moreover, an alliance was essential to face the strong enemy Cao Cao, so Jing Province was destined to be divided.

However, while he understood this rationally, there was no way to fill the emptiness in his heart.

“My lord, land is secondary. Even if we lose it now, we can regain it someday. So, my lord, take what’s more important.”

“What’s more important?”

Pang Tong smiled gently and said:

“It’s the hearts of the people.”

§

The Yiyang Standoff ended.

When Sun Quan saw the agreement proposal first offered by Liu Bei’s side, he showed some discomfort, but thanks to the active promotion of Lu Su, who had become the top military figure after Zhou Yu’s death, both sides held a meeting.

The agreement was made almost exactly as Pang Tong had said.

Nanzhong and Jiangxia were completely exchanged, and Liu Bei recognized Sun Quan’s ownership of the occupied areas in Jing Province. Secondarily, they exchanged a few counties, but this was to make their borders more efficient, so it wasn’t very important content.

Although he didn’t gain as much as he hoped because Jing Province’s response was faster than expected, Sun Quan withdrew with some harvest, looking forward to the next opportunity. Liu Bei also knew that now was not the time to fight with Sun Quan but to focus on Hanzhong, so the transfer proceeded quickly.

Thus, Changsha Commandery and Guiyang Commandery came into Sun Quan’s possession.

Sun Quan’s officials, who had been driven out by Guan Yu and then returned, occupied the commandery offices with their heads held high, but soon after, their expressions had changed 180 degrees.

“Hey, have you heard about that?”

“About what?”

“Didn’t the Little Martial Goddess stop Lady Sun’s misbehavior this time? They say this invasion from the Sun family was all revenge for that.”

“Ah, I heard that too. They say they invaded taking advantage of the Little Martial Goddess fighting Cao Cao?”

“Tsk… Hero of Red Cliffs or whatever, in the end, isn’t it just the Sun family? I heard that Sun Ce guy was also violent like that in the past?”

In fact, Sun Quan had already claimed ownership of Jing Province before Zhang Ran went to Baxi Commandery, but the common people had neither way nor interest in knowing such detailed inside stories.

That’s how propaganda usually works. It’s easy to spread lies, but very difficult to correct them.

Moreover, Liu Bei was quite a good ruler for the people of Jing Province. As a ruler who valued public sentiment greatly, he bestowed good governance, and the administrative system was well established.

Apart from these practical aspects, Liu Bei was a very familiar figure to the people. That’s how image works. Once accepted that way, it doesn’t change easily. And not just Liu Bei, but Zhang Ran was also famous in Jing Province.

The anecdotes of the Little Martial Goddess had spread throughout Jing Province like oral folk tales, and the story of a pretty young girl admonishing bad villains who oppressed them was more than just a simple story for the people.

Liu Bei and Zhang Ran were perceived by the people as weak and kind, while Sun Quan and Lady Sun were seen as strong and bad. How could the underdog effect only exist in the 21st century?

Of course, the main class in this era is not simple commoners but the powerful local clans. However, the common people also pay taxes, become soldiers, and form public sentiment. Even if the powerful clans cooperate, there will inevitably be differences in efficiency where public sentiment has turned its back.

Hearing this, Lu Su muttered dejectedly:

“In the end, this too is merely a stopgap measure.”

Whether Sun Quan or Liu Bei, they would eventually contend again for control of this Jing Province. The rumors Liu Bei spread as he left were groundwork prepared for the future.

It was a twisted relationship from the start. They had tied the once-broken string with a clumsy knot, but that bond was only loose. The next time the string unravels, they will discard it entirely and connect with a new string.

Thus, the alliance between Liu Bei and Sun Quan began to crumble steadily and quickly from within while maintaining only an outer shell.