East Wind
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Had his vessels not been fastened together, Cao Cao would not have sustained such heavy losses. As a matter of fact, the idea of fastening his vessels was given him by a spy from Wu. At the time his soldiers were ill because they were not used to living on the water. The spy suggested that all the vessels be fastened with iron chains in groups and covered with planks. This way men and horses could walk from boat to boat as if they were walking on dry land without fear of rough waves and winds. Cao Cao thought it was a great idea.
One of his advisors objected. “Chaining the boats together will make them steady. But if the enemy attacks us by fire, we will be in deep trouble.”
Cao Cao laughed. “Good thinking! But you overlooked one thing. A fire attack must depend on the direction of the wind. We are in the middle of winter. The wind only blows from the north or the west, not from the south or the east. If the enemy uses fire, they will only burn themselves out.”
It never occurred to him that there could be an easterly wind in the middle of winter.
The issue of the wind had been very much on Zhou Yu’s mind too, for a fire attack could not succeed without an east wind. Earlier, he was so anxious that he fell ill. When Zhuge Liang called on him, he told Zhou Yu he knew what was bothering him and wrote a prescription for Zhou Yu.
To break Cao Cao,
We must use fire.
Now we’ve got everything except the east wind.
Zhou Yu was shocked. “What cure do you have?”
“I happen to know how to call up winds by praying to Heaven. I’ll need an altar on Mount Nanping for the purpose. I’ll go there and pray for a strong southeast wind to rise and blow for three days and three nights.”
“One night would be sufficient.” Zhou Yu’s spirits were restored.
An altar was built on Mount Nanping according to Zhuge’s specifications. Zhuge went there to pray the day before the winter solstice. Just as he had promised, a strong southeasterly wind rose around midnight.
Now that victory over Cao Cao was virtually assured, Zhou Yu decided it was time to get rid of Zhuge whom he had always regarded as a potential threat to Wu. He dispatched a hundred men to Mount Nanping to capture him, but Zhuge was nowhere to be found. A search by land and water ensued.
But Zhuge was already sailing away in a boat escorted by Shu’s most valiant general, Zhao Yun.
“It’s no use chasing me,” Zhuge shouted to his pursuers. “I know what Zhou Yu is up to. I can read his mind like a book. I’m going home now.”
Twang! General Zhao Yun shot down the sail of the pursuing boat and Zhuge’s boat sped away.
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The Huarong Trail
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Self-Sacrifice
Wise Proverbs
- Thousands of preparations made readlly, all that is needed is the east wind.
- 万事俱备，只欠东风。
- A profound understanding of commomplace affairs is genuine knowledge; a mastery of wordly wisdom is true learning.
- 世事洞明皆学问，人情练达即文章。
- A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
- 智者创造的机会比他所找到的更多。
Editor Says:
The ostensible reason Zhuge Liang went to Mount Nanping was to pray for easterly winds. But his real purpose was to escape. Zhuge had lived in the area for a long time and knew that the winter solstice usually brought about a change of winds. He had been under the watchful eyes of Zhou Yu since he came to Wu and was well aware of Zhou Yu’s intention. To pray for easterly winds was a perfect reason to ascend Mount Nanping, which gave him the chance to get away. By achieving his rival’s objective, he achieved his own.