The renewal of Jianye was something Sun Quan perceived with particular clarity.
After Lü Meng died beneath the walls of Jiangling, the desperate situation of internal and external crises that Sun Quan had expected did not arrive as scheduled.
It was as though interest in Jiangdong had vanished overnight.
The navy of Jingzhou sailed across the river daily, beginning a careful campaign to eliminate river bandits.
The Shanyue tribes that had risen in connection with the turmoil did not attack cities. Instead, under the protection of the Jingzhou navy, they first established markets and guild settlements in Chungu County to trade with merchants. Afterward they began frequently assembling in groups to raid the estates and fortified manors of the great clans, claiming they were rescuing their comrades.
If one considered who had always led the campaigns against the Shanyue, and remembered the banners of great clans once seized from river pirates in previous years, and for the moment forgot the grudges of Jiangling, then Sun Zhongmou could not help feeling a trace of schadenfreude at these events.
Yet when he thought of the immense achievements now possessed by that imperial kinsman of his through marriage, he could not help lowering his head in dejection.
Nowadays even peddlers and laborers only needed to glance at the giant warship anchored on the river outside Jianye to understand that the ruler of Jiangdong had not yet been replaced simply because Sun Hou's brother-in-law had more important matters to attend to.
However, as more news returned from the north and gradually painted a fuller picture of the great war between Cao and Liu, Sun Quan began forming his own speculations regarding the still unresolved situation in Jiangdong.
Fear, endurance, resentment, humiliation, melancholy, shame. Many indescribable emotions had lingered within his chest for a long time.
These speculations became tinder, and the secret letter became fuel. Together they ignited suddenly, driving him to take down the ancestral treasured blade he had once hung there with his own hands.
The disturbance within the vermilion walls could not be concealed from those outside.
Like a stone thrown into a deep pool, ripples spread outward in every direction. These ripples were carefully gathered by attentive observers and sent to a riverside watchtower outside Jianye, where they were converted into several colored flags waved in particular directions.
Those signals were clearly observed by Gan Gui, who stood on the giant ship in the river holding a spyglass.
The signals were somewhat vague, yet Gan Gui had always been bold in action. Without hesitation he arranged matters aboard the ship and selected a group of personal guards to accompany him ashore, intending to act "according to circumstances" as instructed in the strategist's letter.
These veteran soldiers who had once followed Gan Ning were entirely fearless. They were already accustomed to Gan Gui's instruction to act freely once they landed. Had not old General Gan done the same?
Some even had time to joke on the ship with the young commander.
"General, once the Jiangdong matter is settled, we can finally go out to sea and have some fun?"
Before the young General Gan could reply, another soldier laughed loudly.
"Old Yu the Third only remembers having fun every day. Remember that the General intends to lead us to accomplish great deeds worthy of inscriptions on stone!"
The other guards immediately joined in the laughter, though it was obvious they all looked forward eagerly to the idea of going out to sea.
This was only natural.
These men had once followed Gan Ning out of Yizhou with the famed brocade sails. Who among them had not possessed ambitions to achieve merit and establish a name?
Yet it was a pity.
Extraordinary merit was usually seized on horseback. Victory and reputation belonged to those first to climb the walls. A man's life was as long as the rivers and seas, yet who could say when the pursuit of fame would truly end?
Fortunately, now that Gan Gui commanded the navy, they finally possessed the confidence to bring the brocade sails home. Moreover he had shown them a path by which even a naval force could achieve glory remembered for ages.
How could that not stir the youthful spirit still lingering within these veterans whose temples had begun to gray?
Sitting upright at the bow, after several years of training Gan Gui had gradually acquired some bearing of a general. Though he spoke little, everything in his mind had already been calculated clearly.
Strategist Zhuge had said that once the Jiangdong matter was settled, great ocean-going ships would be constructed at the ports of Wu Commandery.
After that they would explore Yizhou, pacify Liaodong, seize Zhuya Commandery, and secure Rinan Commandery.
Each of these four tasks lay directly before them. Completing even one would earn a name in the annals of history.
If all four were accomplished...
Even with Gan Gui's current composure, his heart could not help stirring slightly.
Then he recalled the strategist casually mentioning lands further away. To the east of Liaodong lay the island nation of Wa. To the south were numerous wealthy states across the southern seas. And west of Rinan existed great kingdoms comparable to the Han.
At this thought, Gan Gui's heart grew even more restless.
Such magnificent lands across the seas were the true destination for men.
At that time they would not even need treasure. Merely recounting the sights they had seen along the voyage would surely cause the old man back home to tug out his beard in envy.
He must ask the strategist for a great sea-going vessel. A huge brocade sail would hang upon it, and a silver bell the size of a man would be cast. Then he would plunder the various kingdoms along the route.
Perhaps in later generations, when people spoke of brocade sails, they would remember only the name of Gan Gui.
Would that not be truly amusing?
Thinking of the countless matters awaiting him in the future, Gan Gui finally felt some impatience. Before the ship had even fully steadied he leapt ashore first and moved swiftly toward the city.
---
Climbing to the bow of the ship, Wang Xuance took a deep breath of sea wind. The chill caught him off guard and he sneezed loudly.
This immediately drew good-natured laughter from the Arab sailors.
Wang Xuance did not find this strange, but the dark-skinned man standing beside him glared angrily at the sailors.
That only made the laughter louder.
"Sulai, they are merely joking. They do not intend to mock you or me."
After calming his companion, Wang Xuance raised his hands toward the rear of the ship in greeting. The laughter stopped immediately.
The sudden silence eased Sulai's expression somewhat. Although few people could detect it on his dark face, he felt secretly pleased when some Arab sailors hurriedly returned the greeting with awkward gestures.
Thus the matter passed.
Turning back, Sulai asked with an uneasy expression.
"Envoy... if Srivijaya refuses..."
Before he could finish, Wang Xuance interrupted firmly.
"That will never happen."
The certainty of his tone reassured Sulai considerably.
Yet in truth Wang Xuance was far less calm within his heart than his expression suggested.
Originally, after completing his journey to the island kingdom of Sri Lanka beyond the seas of India, he had planned to return to the Tang Dynasty by sea.
This route was not difficult.
From the time of the Former Han, the port of Huangzhi near Sri Lanka had served as a frequent trading station for Arab merchants. The monk Faxian of the Jin dynasty had once boarded an Arab ship there to return home.
Such ships were called "Siraf ships," named after the port of Siraf from which the Arab merchants set sail.
Wang Xuance had always been curious about this maritime trade route and wished to see its distant end with his own eyes.
But that would have to wait for another opportunity. For now the imperial mission took priority.
Boarding the Siraf ship had been smooth enough.
These merchant vessels typically sailed toward Chinese ports such as Guangzhou or Quanzhou. Since these were Han ports, the Arab captains were willing to offer hospitality and allow several passengers aboard.
It was also aboard this ship that Wang Xuance met a Kunlun sailor named Sulai.
According to Sulai, his family had worked this sea route since his grandfather's time. From Siraf all the way to Quanzhou he had visited nearly every port along the route. He spoke some Arabic, Chinese, Indian speech, and even the language of Srivijaya.
The name Sulai itself had been adopted after the fashion of the Arabs.
This impressed Wang Xuance greatly and stirred his desire to recruit talented men.
However, after more than twenty days at sea, that good fortune abruptly ended.
Near the waters of Kedah, just as Srivijaya came into sight, seven or eight foreign vessels surrounded them.
In less than the time needed to burn a single stick of incense, the Arab sailors who had laughed and talked with them for twenty days were all thrown into the sea to feed the fish.
At first Wang Xuance thought they had encountered pirates.
But when the attackers bound all the Chinese passengers together without speaking a word, he sensed something different.
During the transfer to a smaller boat he seized an opportunity when the guards grew careless. With Sulai's quick assistance, they seized a small craft and escaped into shallow currents.
After many dangers they were rescued by another Siraf ship.
Looking out at the distant sea, Sulai spoke again to distract himself.
"Envoy... do you truly think those were not pirates?"
Wang Xuance nodded.
"Though I have never met pirates before, robbers seek wealth. They extort money but leave lives intact so the trade routes do not collapse."
"Yet this was not a Tang warship but a merchant vessel. Why send seven or eight ships to surround it? Even if the cargo were divided among them the share would be thin."
Sulai had witnessed many disputes over profit in his years on the sea. The envoy's reasoning sounded entirely plausible.
Which meant the truth might be far more frightening.
After escaping, Wang Xuance rested only one night before declaring he would visit Srivijaya's king and borrow troops to compel Kedah to eliminate the bandits and rescue the missing Tang envoys.
To Sulai this sounded like using a wooden plank to strike against a hurricane.
Yet he lacked the courage to oppose the envoy.
And so the ship continued eastward.
The farther they traveled, the closer the northern and southern shores pressed toward the ship. Eventually they could clearly see stretches of fragrant herbs and spices growing along the coast.
The strange beauty of this strait-bound landscape filled Wang Xuance with admiration.
The Arab captain snorted.
"What is so remarkable about this? Our port of Siraf is a true spectacle. Only the Chinese ports of Guangzhou and Quanzhou can compare."
Wang Xuance merely smiled.
As the ship slowed to anchor, he produced a letter he had written and handed it respectfully to the captain.
"I cannot repay your great kindness. I have written in this letter asking the officials at Guangzhou to offer you tea when you arrive."
"When the bandit leader is captured, I will return home swiftly and repay your favor."
The Arab captain beamed with delight.
After some polite refusals he quickly accepted the sealed letter and carefully stored it.
Thus they parted ways.
Soon afterward Wang Xuance entered negotiations with officials of Srivijaya.
The arguments were simple.
Everyone along the trade route knew that Kedah acknowledged Srivijaya's authority.
Therefore, Wang Xuance argued that if disaster struck in Kedah, Srivijaya must take responsibility.
The Srivijaya general, however, grew furious.
In truth Srivijaya's authority over Kedah was only nominal.
After a day of fruitless discussion, Sulai brewed tea in their lodging while Wang Xuance calmly wrote another letter.
Later he said quietly:
"The attack upon us was likely tied to recent events. The naval forces of the Duke of Lu of Tang recently intervened in the war between Chenla and Funan and captured the king of Chenla."
"If the king has been captured, rebels will surely rise. Other states may hope to exploit the chaos."
Sulai slowly began to understand.
Wang Xuance sealed the letter and handed it to him.
"Small states often fail to understand the greatness of China."
The next day, just as Wang Xuance predicted, the king of Srivijaya hosted a banquet.
In the end an agreement was reached.
Srivijaya would provide thirty ships. Wang Xuance would command the expedition to Kedah and demand an explanation for the attack upon the Tang envoy.
Sulai did not witness the banquet.
After finishing the tea he quietly left the lodging and went to the harbor to find a northbound ship.
His skin blended into the darkness of night.
Yet the secret letter in his chest was destined to raise a storm that would sweep across the Southern Seas.