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Sun Quan said to him, “As to the appointment at Lukou, you know Zhou Yu recommended Lu Su, who at his last moment proposed you. Now you ought to be able to mention some other talented and well-known officer to succeed you.”

“If you choose a well-known man, Guan Yu will certainly be on his guard against him. Now Lu Xun is deep and farseeing, but he has no widespread fame. Hence no particular notice would be taken of his appointment and no countermeasures taken. So he is the most suitable person to send.”

Sun Quan agreed and thereupon promoted Lu Xun to the rank of General of the Right Army and Admiral of the Right Fleet, and sent him to defend the port.

“I am very young,” said Lu Xun, “and feel unequal to such a post.”

“Lu Meng has proposed you, and you will not make any mistakes. Pray do not decline,” said Sun Quan.

So the appointment was made, and Lu Xun set out at once. When he had assumed charge of the cavalry, the infantry, and the marines, he set about drawing up a letter to Guan Yu, and he selected fine horses and beautiful silks and good wines and delicacies suitable for gifts to go with the letter. He sent all by the hand of a trusty messenger to Fankou.

The news of the change of command reached Guan Yu when he lay ill from the effects of his wound and unable to conduct any military operations. Close upon the news came the letter and the gifts from Lu Xun, and the bearer was called in to see the warrior.

“Friend Sun Quan was not very prudent when he made a general out of a mere scholar,” said Guan Yu, pointing to the messenger.

The messenger said, “General Lu Xun sends this letter and some presents, which he hopes you will accept. He also sends his felicitations, and would rejoice if the two houses could become friends.”

Guan Yu read the letter, which was couched in most modest language, and then threw back his head and laughed loud. He bade the attendants receive the various gifts, and sent the bearer away.

The messenger forthwith returned to Lukou and said the old warrior had seemed very gratified and would henceforward feel no anxiety that danger might threaten from their direction. Spies were sent out to report on proceedings, and they returned to say that half the troops of Jingzhou had been sent to assist in the siege of Fankou. That city was to be seriously assaulted as soon as Guan Yu had recovered.

This news was promptly sent on to Sun Quan, who at once called in Lu Meng to decide upon the next move.

“Now is the favorable moment to get possession of Jingzhou,” said Sun Quan. “I propose to send you and my brother, Sun Jiao, to lead the army.”

This Sun Jiao was really only a cousin, as he was the second son of Sun Quan's uncle, Sun Jing. But Lu Meng objected. “My lord, if you think to employ me, then employ me only; if Sun Jiao, then Sun Jiao only. You cannot have forgotten that Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu were associate commanders, and although the final decision lay with Zhou Yu, yet the other presumed upon his seniority and there was some unfriendliness between the two. All ended well because Cheng Pu recognized the ability of his colleague and so supported him. I know I am not so clever as Zhou Yu, but Sun Jiao's consanguinity will be a greater obstacle than mere length of service, and I fear he may not be wholly with me.”

Sun Quan saw the force of the contention, and appointed Lu Meng to sole command with Sun Jiao to help him in the commissariat. Lu Meng thanked his lord for his commission, soon got his thirty thousand marines together and assembled eighty ships for the expedition.

Lu Meng dressed a number of sailors in the plain white costumes of ordinary merchants and put them on board to work his vessels. He concealed his veterans in the compartments. He selected seven generals — Han Dang, Jiang Qin, Zhu Ran, Pan Zhang, Zhou Tai, Xu Sheng, and Ding Feng — to serve under him and settled the order of their successive movements. The remainder of the forces was left with Sun Quan as supports and reserves. Letters were also written to Cao Cao that he might cooperate by sending his army to attack Guan Yu in the rear, and to Lu Xun that he would act in concert.

Then the sailors in plain white dress navigated the ships to River Xunyang as quickly as possible, and then crossed to the north bank.

When the beacon-keepers came down to question them, the men of Wu said, “We are traders forced into the bank by contrary winds.”

And they offered gifts to the beacon-keepers, who accepted them and let the ships come to an anchor close to the shore.