Crouching Dragon: The Journey of Zhuge Liang sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne

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“…Please,” Liu Bei sobbed: the tears in his eyes seemed to be genuine.
“A warlord cries thus…?” Kongming whispered. “My lord… do not do this to yourself. I… I, Liang, am only twenty-six… I do not know what I can do to help you, having never fought a battle, but only seen and read of them… I do not know how the age can be so desperate that a man of your stature should weep at my feet… but… please, Lord Liu, I have a gift for you.”
“But…!” Liu Bei bleated: Kongming walked to his collection of materials and picked up a long, rolled piece of cloth.
“…This,” Kongming said, “is what I think must be done.”
Kongming walked to a mounting easel, and unfurled the map of the land that he had painstakingly prepared.
“…What is this…?” Liu Bei asked weakly as he walked to the map.
“My lord,” Kongming began, “your current position is precarious, but recoverable. But you lack a plan for the future. There are several theories about how the land will be separated in times to come… this, I think, is a good estimation.
 “Currently, Sun Quan holds all of the districts southeast of the Great River, and is formidable, if only the tiger bares its claws. His advisers, such as Zhang Zhao, are cowardly, and will suggest capitulation to Cao Cao… that is a problem we can work around with some diplomacy, and talking to the right people.
 “Cao Cao now holds everything else except Yi and Jing. Both are critical… Yi, with its natural mountain defences and supplies abounding, would provide its ruler with wealth and resource enough to match Cao, and the barriers to keep him away at the same time. Jing is even more critical: from there, attacks can be launched against Cao in the north, and Sun in the south and east.
 “Like it or not, the land will continue to be shared amongst fewer and fewer warlords… already, dozens has been whittled to only a handful, and that will continue to shrink. Cao Cao will soon commit himself to pressing southward… and his arrogance will compel him to seize first Jing, and then Sun’s land beyond the Great River…

I suspect that both Liu Biao and Sun Quan would rather surrender than face Cao’s unbridled wrath, but we must change their minds… together, Liu and Sun can defeat Cao, and divide the land between them, until such time that one - Liu - can successfully force the subjugation of the other.
 “Your first move should be to consolidate your foothold in Jing, gain greater influence. Next, you must seek either an alliance with, or the annexation of, the lands of Yi currently governed by Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu. With Jing and Yi as your domain to launch attacks on Cao Cao, and an alliance with Sun Quan to provide a decoy second pincer along the Great River front, the capital will be in your sights, and victory will be only footsteps away. But for the plan to succeed there can be no bisected land… only three partitions will work.”
Liu Bei ran his finger along the impression of the Yangtze River, and lowered his gaze thoughtfully.
“…Jing Province will need to be secured,” Kongming reiterated.
“It is said in warfare that two are easier to defeat than one, because they can be divided,” Liu Bei suggested. “Is this plan not risky…?”
“In most cases, yes, but not this one,” Kongming insisted. “The two difficult points are the governance of Jing, and maintaining peace with Sun Quan, whose power is too great for him to just disappear. The two interlock: Sun Quan covets Jing, and if you possessed it, it would become a bargaining tool in exchange for assistance. …I reiterate that you will need to hold on to Jing while you endeavour to take Yi.”

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