Chaisang is a Wu political base where the debate over whether to join Cao Cao or ally with Xuande becomes a turning point in the struggle among the emerging powers. Kong Ming arrives there with Lu Su and, through argument and negotiation, helps move Sun Quan from uncertainty toward a partnership with Xuande.

Setting and Political Stakes

At Chaisang, Sun Quan must decide how to answer Cao Cao’s formal letter urging him to join an attack on Xuande. Zhang Zhao supports accepting Cao Cao’s proposal, but Sun Quan is unsure and initially keeps his view to himself. Lu Su advises against the alliance and reveals that he has brought Kong Ming back with him; Sun Quan is surprised and pleased by Kong Ming’s presence.

The dispute at Chaisang is part of a wider contest over the Han’s decline and the shape of the power that may replace it. Kong Ming argues that Cao Cao’s control of the emperor makes him difficult to oppose directly, while Sun Quan’s support among the people gives him a different kind of strength. He presents Xuande as the other necessary partner: together, the southern power, Jingzhou, and Xuande’s position could form a three-part balance against Cao Cao.

Kong Ming’s Debate and Negotiation

The next day, Kong Ming faces roughly twenty of Sun Quan’s advisers, led by Zhang Zhao. Their questioning puts his political judgment under pressure, including the charge that accepting Heaven’s transfer of power would violate loyalty to the Han and filial duty. Kong Ming answers the objections, and Lu Su eventually takes him away from the interrogation to meet Sun Quan.

On the way, they encounter Kong Ming’s brother Zhuge Jin, who welcomes him to the south and asks why he has not yet visited. Kong Ming explains that public responsibilities take precedence over personal ones and promises to see his brother later. The exchange briefly brings family ties into view, but also clarifies the demands of Kong Ming’s public role.

Before Kong Ming meets Sun Quan, Lu Su cautions him not to emphasize Cao Cao’s military strength. Kong Ming nevertheless speaks in a way that unsettles Sun Quan, who leaves in visible anxiety. Lu Su rebukes Kong Ming for upsetting him; Kong Ming replies that he has a plan to defeat Cao Cao, but could not present it when Sun Quan had not asked. Lu Su carries this assurance back to Sun Quan, who first resists hearing Kong Ming out, then relents. The two men apologize to one another privately and begin a serious discussion.

Alliance and Consequences

Sun Quan recalls the former opponents of Cao Cao and observes that several have died, leaving Xuande as the only plausible partner who might still resist him. Kong Ming counters that Xuande retains substantial forces, while Cao Cao’s army is tired from its long movements, inexperienced in naval warfare, and made up in part of unwilling conscripts. An alliance, he argues, could exploit those weaknesses and establish a three-sided political balance.

The meeting at Chaisang thus gives strategic form to the idea of cooperation between Sun Quan and Xuande. It changes Sun Quan’s discussion from whether to submit to Cao Cao’s pressure into whether a joint resistance is viable. Later, Lu Su returns to Chaisang to report on Xuande’s situation and seek more time; Zhou Yu angrily suspects that Xuande has manipulated him, then devises a scheme that uses a proposed western campaign as cover for an intended attack on Jingzhou. Chaisang remains the setting to which the alliance’s negotiations and rival plans return, revealing how military partnership coexists with competition over territory.