When Cao Cao’s great army takes Jing Province, Sun Quan in Jiangdong keeps his troops at Chaisang and discusses how to resist. Lu Su speaks up. Jing Province borders on our land. Liu Biao has just died and Liu Bei has just been defeated. Let me go to Jiangxia on the pretext of mourning and tell Liu Bei to win over Liu Biao’s people and join us against Cao Cao. Sun Quan is pleased and sends Lu Su.
In Jiangxia, Kongming laughs when he hears Lu Su is coming. He asks Liu Qi, When Sun Ce died, did Xiangyang send anyone to mourn? Liu Qi says that Jiangdong and his family are enemies over the death of a father, so how could they exchange condolences? Then Lu Su has come not to mourn, says Kongming, but to find out how things stand. He tells Liu Bei that if Lu Su asks about Cao Cao’s movements he should say he does not know, and if Lu Su keeps asking, say only that he should ask Zhuge Liang.
Lu Su asks how large Cao Cao’s army is, and Liu Bei says he does not know and tells him to ask Kongming. Lu Su meets Kongming and urges an alliance with General Sun, and Kongming declines, saying that Liu Bei and General Sun have never had dealings. Lu Su presses him to come and meet General Sun. Liu Bei pretends to refuse, saying Kongming is his teacher and he cannot be parted from him for a moment. Only when Kongming says the matter is urgent and he will go does Liu Bei agree.