Messengers pass when states are at wrangle;

May this one succeed and unravel this tangle!

What fortune attended this messenger will be related in the next chapter.

CHAPTER 82. Sun Quan Submits To Wei, Receiving The Nine Dignities; The First Ruler Attacks Wu, Rewarding Six Armies.

In the eighth month of the first year of Manifest Might (AD 221) the First Ruler marched at the head of his army and camped at Baidicheng (City of the White Emperor), through the Kui Pass. His advanced guard had gone beyond the Lands of Rivers when his attendants told him that Zhuge Jin had come as a messenger from Wu. He told them not to admit him.

But Huang Quan said, “His brother being your Prime Minister, Zhuge Jin is certainly come on some important mission. Your Majesty ought to see him and hear what he says. If his proposals are admissible, then agree; if not, he can be made use of to take knowledge of your intentions to Sun Quan and let Sun Quan know that you intend to punish his crime.”

Then the First Ruler gave way, and the messenger was brought in. He bowed down to the earth.

“Zhuge Jin, you have come a long journey; what is its object?” said the First Ruler.

“My brother has long served Your Majesty; I have come at the risk of my life to discuss Jingzhou affairs. When Guan Yu was at Jingzhou, my master repeatedly sought to ally the two families by marriage, but was refused. When Guan Yu attacked Xiangyang, Cao Cao wrote again and again urging my master to attack Jingzhou. But the Marquis was unwilling, and it was the enmity between your brother and Lu Meng that led to the attack and the unfortunate success.

“My master is now very sorry for it, but it was Lu Meng's doing. However, Lu Meng is now dead and his enmity has died with him. Moreover, Lady Sun is always thinking over returning to you. My master now proposes to send back the lady, to bind and hand over to you those officers who surrendered, and to restore Jingzhou. If the two houses swear perpetual amity, then they may join forces against Cao Pi and punish his usurpation.”

To this harangue the First Ruler only replied, “You of Eastern Wu killed my brother; yet you dare to come with your artful talk!”

Zhuge Jin said, “I only wish to discuss the relative importance of the issues. Your Majesty is an Imperial Uncle, and Cao Pi has seized the throne of your House. Yet you do not think of destroying the usurper, but on the other hand you disregard the most honorable position in the world for the sake of a so-called brother, a connection of another name. Surely this is rejecting the chief for the subordinate, the main issue for a detail.

“The Middle Land is the biggest part of the empire, and the two capitals, Luoyang and Changan, are both famous as places whence the two, one the Founder, the other the Restorer, of the Hans, initiated their mighty task. Your Majesty takes no thought of these, but would dispute over Jingzhou; in other words, the important is abandoned for the worthless.

“All the world knows of your assumption of the dignity of Emperor and that you will assuredly restore the Hans and rescue their territory; only now you do not try to deal with Wei, you only desire to attack Wu. I venture to think you have made a bad choice.”

All this argument only added fuel to the fire.

“The slayer of my brother shall not live in the same world as I. You ask me not to fight. I will cease when I have slain your master. Were it not for the sake of your brother, I would behead you at once. As it is, you may go; and you may tell your master to cleanse his neck ready for the blade of the executioner.”

Zhuge Jin saw that the position was hopeless and took his leave to return to the South Land.

But while Zhuge Jin had been absent, Zhang Zhao said to Sun Quan, “He knows something of the strength of the armies of Shu, and he made this mission of his an excuse to get out of danger. He will not return.”

The Marquis replied, “He and I are sworn friends — friends to the death. I shall not wrong him, nor will he betray me. When he was at Chaisang and Zhuge Liang came to our country, I wanted my friend Zhuge Jin to persuade his brother to remain with me. His reply was that his brother would not remain any more than he himself would go: each would be faithful to his salt. That was quite clear enough. How could he desert me after that? Our friendship has something of the divine in it, and no talk from outside can sow dissension between us.”

Even as Sun Quan spoke, the servants told him that Zhuge Jin had returned.

“What do you think now?” said Sun Quan.

Zhang Zhao retired overwhelmed with shame. The luckless messenger unfolded his tale of failure.

“Then the South Land is in great danger,” said Sun Quan, as he heard the story.

But a certain man here interposed, saying, “I have a way out of the difficulty.”