They agreed and began the regular alternate watch. Soon Cao Cao got to know what they were doing, and he turned to Jia Xu, saying, “I am succeeding.”
“Who keeps the look-out on this side tomorrow?” asked Cao Cao.
“Han Sui,” replied some one.
Next day Cao Cao at the head of a large party of his generals rode out of the camp, and the officers presently spread out right and left, he himself remaining a solitary rider visible in the center. Han Sui did not know that Cao Cao had come out.
Presently Cao Cao called out, “Do any of you soldiers want to see Cao Cao? Here I am quite alone. I have not four eyes nor a couple of mouths, but I am very knowing.”
The soldiers turned pale with fright. Then Cao Cao called up a man and told him to go and see Han Sui and say, “Sir, the Prime Minister humbly asks you to come and confer with him.”
Thereupon Han Sui went out, and seeing Cao Cao wore no armor, Han Sui also threw off his and rode out clad in a light robe. Each rode up to the other till their horse's heads nearly touched and there they stood talking.
Said Cao Cao, “Your father and I were granted filial degrees at the same time, and I used to treat him as an uncle. You and I set out on our careers at the same time, too, and yet we have not met for years. How old may you be now?”
“I am forty,” replied Han Sui.
“In those old days in the capital, we were both very young and never thought about middle age. If we could only restore tranquillity to the state, that would be a matter of rejoicing.”
After that they chatted long about old times, but neither said a word on military matters. They gossiped for a couple of hours before they took leave of each other.
It was not long before some one told Ma Chao of this meeting, and he went over to his ally to ask about it.
“What was it Cao Cao came out to discuss today?” said Ma Chao.
“He just recalled the old days when we were together in the capital.”
“Did he say nothing about military matters?”
“Not a word; and I could not talk about them alone.”
Ma Chao went out without a word, but he felt suspicious.
When Cao Cao returned to his camp, he said to Jia Xu, “Do you know why I talked with him thus publicly?”
“It may be an excellent idea,” said Jia Xu, “but it is not sufficient simply to estrange two people. I can improve on it, and we will make them quarrel and even kill each other.”
“What is your scheme?”
“Ma Chao is brave but not very astute. You write a letter with your own hand to Han Sui himself and put in it some rambling statements about some harm that is going to happen. Then blot it out and write something else. Afterwards you will send it to Han Sui, taking care that Ma Chao shall know all about it. Ma Chao will demand to read the letter, and when he sees that the important part of the letter has been changed, he will think that Han Sui has made the changes lest his secrets should leak out. This will fit into the private talk you had with Han Sui the other day, and the suspicion will grow until it has brought about trouble. I can also secretly corrupt some of Han Sui's subordinates, and get them to widen the breach and we can settle Ma Chao.”
“The scheme looks excellent,” said Cao Cao.
And he wrote the letter as suggested, and then erased and changed it, after which he sealed it securely and sent it across to Han Sui.
Surely enough some one told Ma Chao about the letter, which increased his doubts, and he came to Han Sui's quarters to ask to see it. Han Sui gave it to him, and the erasures and alterations struck Ma Chao at once.
“Why are all these alterations here?” asked he.
“It came like that; I do not know.” “Does any one send a rough draft like this? It seems to me, Uncle, that you are afraid I shall know something or other too well, and so you have changed the wording.”
“It must be that Cao Cao has sealed up the rough draft by mistake.”
“I do not think so. He is a careful man and would not make such a mistake. You and I, Uncle, have been allies in trying to slay the rebel; why are you turning against me now?”
“If you doubt my word, I will tell you what you can do. Tomorrow, in full view of the army, I will get Cao Cao to come out and talk. You can hide in behind the ranks ready to kill me if I am false.”
“That being so, I shall know that you are true, Uncle.”
This arrangement made, next day Han Sui with five generals in his train — Li Kan, Ma Wan, Yang Qiu, Hou Xuan, and Liang Xing — rode to the front, while Ma Chao concealed himself behind the great standard. Han Sui sent over to say that he wished to speak to the Prime Minister.
Thereupon at his command, Cao Hong, with a train of ten horsemen rode out, advanced straight to Han Sui, leaned over to him and said, loudly enough to be heard plainly, “Last night the Prime Minister quite understood. Let there be no mistake.”
Then without another word on either side Cao Hong rode away.
Ma Chao had heard. He gripped his spear and started galloping out to slay his companion in arms. But the five generals checked him and begged him to go back to camp.
