Now as Zhou Yu was preparing for the attack, the arrival of some northern ships was announced. They bore the two younger brothers of Cai Mao, who had come as deserters.
They were led in and, bowing before the general, said, weeping, “Our innocent brother has been put to death, and we desire vengeance. So we have come to offer allegiance to you. We pray you appoint us to the vanguard.” Zhou Yu appeared very pleased and made them presents. Then he ordered them to join Gan Ning in leading the van. They thanked him and regarded their scheme as already a success.
But Zhou Yu gave Gan Ning secret orders, saying, “They have come without their families, and so I know their desertion is only pretense. They have been sent as spies, and I am going to meet their ruse with one of my own. They shall have some information to send. You will treat them well, but keep a careful guard over them. On the day our soldiers start the offense, they shall be sacrificed to the flag. But be very careful that nothing goes wrong.”
Gan Ning went away; and Lu Su came to tell Zhou Yu, saying, “Every one agrees in thinking the surrender of Cai Zhong and Cai He feigned and they should be rejected.”
“But they wish to revenge the death of their brother,” said the General. “Where is the pretense? If you are so suspicious, you will receive nobody at all.”
Lu Su left much piqued and went to see Zhuge Liang to whom he told the story. Zhuge Liang only smiled.
“Why do you smile?” said Lu Su.
“I smile at your simplicity. The General is playing a game. Spies cannot easily come and go, so these two have been sent to feign desertion that they may act as spies. The General is meeting one ruse with another. He wants them to give false information. Deceit is not to be despised in war, and his scheme is the correct one to employ.”
Then Lu Su understood. That night as Zhou Yu was sitting in his tent, Huang Gai came to see him privately.
Zhou Yu said, “You have surely some wise plan to propose that you come at night like this.”
Huang Gai replied, “The enemy are more numerous than we, and it is wrong to delay. Why not burn them out?”
“Who suggested that to you?”
“I thought of it myself, nobody suggested it,” replied Huang Gai.
“I just wanted something like this, and that is why I kept those two pretended deserters. I want them to give some false news. The pity is that I have no one to feign desertion to the other side and work my plan.”
“But I will carry out your plan,” said Huang Gai.
“But if you cannot show some injury, you will not be believed,” said Zhou Yu.
“The Sun family have been very generous to me, and I would not resent being crushed to death to repay them,” said Huang Gai.
The General thanked him saying, “If you would not object to some bodily suffering, then our country would indeed be happy.”
“Kill me; I do not mind,” repeated Huang Gai as he took his leave. Next day the drums called all the officers together to the General's tent, and Zhuge Liang came with the others.
Zhou Yu said, “The enemy's camps extend about one hundred miles so that the campaign will be a long one. Each leader is to prepare supplies for three months.”
Scarcely had he spoken when Huang Gai started up, crying, “Say not three months; be ready for thirty months, and even then it will not be ended. If you can destroy them this month then all is well. If you cannot, then it were better to take Zhang Zhao's advice, throw down your weapons, turn to the north and surrender.”
Zhou Yu's anger flared up and he flushed, crying, “Our lord's orders were to destroy Cao Cao, and whoever mentioned the word surrender should be put to death. Now, the very moment when the two armies are to engage, you dare talk of surrender and damp the ardor of my army! If I do not slay you, how can I support the others?”
He ordered the lictors to remove Huang Gai and execute him without delay.
Huang Gai then flamed up in turn, saying, “This is the third generation since I went with General Sun Jian, and we overran the southeast; whence have you sprung up?”
This made Zhou Yu perfectly furious, and Huang Gai was ordered to instant death. But Gan Ning interfered.
Said he, “He is a veteran officer of the South Land; pray pardon him!”
“What are you prating about?” cried Zhou Yu. “Dare you come between me and my duty?”
Turning to the lictors, Zhou Yu ordered them to drive Gan Ning forth with blows.
The other officials fell on their knees entreating pity for Huang Gai.
“He is indeed most worthy of death, but it would be a loss to the army; we pray you forgive him. Record his fault for the moment, and after the enemy shall have been defeated then put him to death.”
But Zhou Yu was implacable. The officers pleaded with tears. At length he seemed moved, saying, “Had you not interceded, he should certainly have suffered death. But now I will mitigate the punishment to a beating. He shall not die.”
Zhou Yu turned to the lictors and bade them deal the culprit one hundred blows. Again his colleagues prayed for remission, but Zhou Yu angrily pushed over the table in front of him and roared to the officers to get out of the way and let the sentence be executed.
So Huang Gai was stripped, thrown to the ground, and fifty blows were given. At this point the officers again prayed that he be let off.
Zhou Yu sprang from his chair and pointing his finger at Huang Gai said, “If you dare flout me again, you shall have the other fifty. If you are guilty of any disrespect, you shall be punished for both faults!”
With this he turned into the inner part of the tent, growling as he went, while the officers helped their beaten colleague to his feet. He was in a pitiable state. His back was cut in many places, and the blood was flowing in streams. They led him to his own quarters and on the way he swooned several times. His case seemed most pitiable.
Lu Su went to see the suffering officer and then called on Zhuge Liang in his boat. Lu Su related the story of the beating and said, “Though the other officers have been cowed into silence, I think thought you, Sir, might have interceded. You are a guest and not under Zhou Yu's orders. Why did you stand by with your hands up your sleeves and say never a word?”
“You insult me,” said Zhuge Liang smiling.
“Why do you say that? I have never insulted you; never since the day we came here together.”
“Do you not know that terrible beating was but a ruse? How could I try to dissuade Zhou Yu?”
Then Lu Su began to perceive, and Zhuge Liang continued, saying, “Cao Cao would not be taken in unless there was some real bodily suffering. Zhou Yu is going to send Huang Gai over as a deserter, and Zhou Yu will see to it that the two Cao Cao's spies duly tell the tale. But when you see the General, you must not tell him that I saw through the ruse. You say that I am very angry like the others.”
Lu Su went to see Zhou Yu and asked, “Why have you so cruelly beaten a proved and trusty officer?”
“Do the officers resent it?” asked Zhou Yu.
“They are all upset about it.”
“And what does your friend think?”
“Zhuge Liang also resents it in his heart, and thinks you have made a mistake.”
“Then I have deceived him for once,” said Zhou Yu gleefully.
“What mean you?” cried Lu Su.
“That beating that Huang Gai got is part of my ruse. I am sending him to Cao Cao as a deserter, and so I have supplied a reason for desertion. Then I am going to use fire against the enemy.”
Lu Su kept silence, but he recognized that Zhuge Liang was again right. Meanwhile Huang Gai lay in his tent, whither all his colleague officers went to condole with him and inquire after his health. But Huang Gai would say never a word; he only lay sighing deeply from time to time.