Lu Su (172–217), courtesy name Zijing, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty. In the year 200, when Sun Quan had just taken over the reins of power, his adviser Zhou Yu recommended Lu Su as a talent to Sun Quan. As one of Sun Quan's most important advisers in the warlord's early career, Lu Su is best known for making some significant contributions. Firstly, in 200 he drafted a long-term strategy for Sun Quan's power bloc to emerge as one of three major contending powers in China – a plan similar to Zhuge Liang's Longzhong Plan, which was proposed about seven years later. Secondly, before the Battle of Red Cliffs in late 208, he was the first person to persuade Sun Quan to ally with Liu Bei against Cao Cao. Thirdly, he succeeded Zhou Yu as the frontline commander of Sun Quan's forces in 210 after Zhou's death and maintained the Sun–Liu alliance. Fourthly, in 215, he represented Sun Quan at the negotiations with Liu Bei's general Guan Yu during the Sun–Liu territorial dispute over Jing Province.
Early life Lu Su was from Dongcheng County (), Linhuai Commandery (), which is located southeast of present-day Dingyuan County, Anhui.(魯肅字子敬，臨淮東城人也。) Sanguozhi vol. 54. He lost his father not long after he was born, so he lived with his grandmother. Lu Su was very generous with his family's wealth as he used it to help the needy. Wei Zhao's Book of Wu () described Lu Su as having a stalwart and extraordinary appearance. He had great ambitions since he was young and was very fond of strategy.(吳書曰：肅體貌魁奇，少有壯節，好為奇計。) Wu Shu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 54.
Towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, when chaos broke out throughout China due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Dong Zhuo's tyranny, Lu Su sold his family's lands and properties and used the money to help the poor. He also spent his time associating with other reputable and talented persons. He was well-loved by his fellow townsfolk.(生而失父，與祖母居。家富於財，性好施與。爾時天下已亂，肅不治家事，大散財貨，摽賣田地，以賑窮弊結士為務，甚得鄉邑歡心。) Sanguozhi vol. 54.
The Book of Wu gave another account of Lu Su's life during that chaotic period. Apart from practising sword-fighting, horse-riding and archery, he also hired a group of young men as his retainers, and provided them with clothing and food. They often went to the hills to hunt and practise military arts. The elders of the clan remarked: "We got this wild boy because the Lu clan is in decline!"(天下將亂，乃學擊劒騎射，招聚少年，給其衣食，往來南山中射獵，陰相部勒，講武習兵。父老咸曰：「魯氏世衰，乃生此狂兒！」) Wu Shu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 54.
Moving to Jiangdong Around 196, when Zhou Yu was nominally serving as the Chief () of Juchao County under the warlord Yuan Shu, he wanted to leave Yuan Shu and travel east to the Jiangdong (or Wu) region to join Sun Ce, who had recently conquered some territories in Jiangdong over the past few years. Along the way, Zhou Yu and his militia, numbering a few hundred men, visited Lu Su and requested for supplies. At the time, Lu Su owned two large granaries, each capable of storing 3,000 hu of grain. He pointed at one granary and gave it to Zhou Yu. Realising that Lu Su was no ordinary person, Zhou Yu thanked and befriended him. The third-century historian Chen Shou compared their friendship to that of Gongsun Qiao and Ji Zha () during the Spring and Autumn period.(周瑜為居巢長，將數百人故過候肅，并求資糧。肅家有兩囷米，各三千斛，肅乃指一囷與周瑜，瑜益知其奇也，遂相親結，定僑、札之分。) Sanguozhi vol. 54. The Chinese idiom "pointing at a granary and presenting it" (), which means to generously provide aid to someone, originated from this anecdote.
When Yuan Shu heard of Lu Su's fame, he wanted to recruit him to serve as the Chief of Dongcheng County (東城縣; present-day Suining County, Jiangsu). However, Lu Su refused because he saw that Yuan Shu's administration was ill-disciplined and predicted that Yuan Shu would ultimately meet his downfall. He told his followers, "The central government has collapsed. Robbers and bandits are rampant. The areas around the Huai and Si rivers are no longer safe. I heard the lands in Jiangdong are fertile and they have a prosperous population and powerful armed forces. We can take shelter there. Are you willing to accompany me to that paradise and wait until stability is restored in central China?" They unanimously agreed to follow him.(後雄傑並起，中州擾亂，肅乃命其屬曰：「中國失綱，寇賊橫暴，淮、泗間非遺種之地，吾聞江東沃野萬里，民富兵彊，可以避害，寧肯相隨俱至樂土，以觀時變乎？」其屬皆從命。) Wu Shu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 54.
Lu Su led his followers and some civilians southward to Juchao County to join Zhou Yu. He ordered able-bodied young men to guard the rear while the others continued moving forward. The local authorities sent some armed horsemen to stop Lu Su and his followers from leaving. When the riders caught up with them, Lu Su turned back and said, "All of you are capable men, so you should understand what's going on. The Tianxia is now in a state of chaos. While you won't be rewarded for your efforts (even if you manage to stop us), you will also not be punished for failing to stop us. Do you really want to force us to fight?" He then placed a shield upright on the ground and fired an arrow at it. The arrow pierced through the shield. The horsemen realised that they could not stop Lu Su so they gave up and left. Lu Su and his followers then crossed the Yangtze River with Zhou Yu and arrived in Jiangdong, where they met Sun Ce, who also saw great potential in Lu Su.(乃使細弱在前，彊壯在後，男女三百餘人行。州追騎至，肅等徐行，勒兵持滿，謂之曰：「卿等丈夫，當解大數。今日天下兵亂，有功弗賞，不追無罰，何為相偪乎？」又自植盾，引弓射之，矢皆洞貫。騎旣嘉肅言，且度不能制，乃相率還。肅渡江往見策，策亦雅奇之。) Wu Shu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 54.
In Jiangdong, Lu Su lived in Qu'e County (曲阿縣; in present-day Danyang, Jiangsu) for some time before making a short trip back to Dongcheng County later to attend his grandmother's funeral.(袁術聞其名，就署東城長。肅見術無綱紀，不足與立事，乃攜老弱將輕俠少年百餘人，南到居巢就瑜。瑜之東渡，因與同行，留家曲阿。會祖母亡，還葬東城。) Sanguozhi vol. 54.
Nearly leaving Jiangdong Liu Ziyang, a friend of Lu Su, once wrote a letter to him: "Warlords and heroes have emerged all over the Tianxia. I believe the time has come for me to put my talents to good use. I am in a rush to fetch my mother but I will be stopping at Dongcheng County for a while. I heard that recently there is one Zheng Bao (鄭寶) who has rallied thousands of followers in Chaohu and gained control over some very fertile lands. Many people in Lujiang Commandery are planning to join him – including myself. As of now, he is still gathering followers. You should act fast and not miss this opportunity." Lu Su agreed with what Liu Ziyang told him. After his grandmother's funeral, Lu Su returned to Qu'e County and planned to leave Jiangdong and head north to join Zheng Bao. However, after he found out that Zhou Yu had fetched his mother to Wu Commandery (around present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu), he gave up his plan to leave Jiangdong and headed to Wu Commandery to meet Zhou Yu.(劉子揚與肅友善，遺肅書曰：「方今天下豪傑並起，吾子姿才，尤宜今日。急還迎老母，無事滯於東城。近鄭寶者，今在巢湖，擁衆萬餘，處地肥饒，廬江閒人多依就之，況吾徒乎？觀其形勢，又可博集，時不可失，足下速之。」肅荅然其計。 ... 葬畢還曲阿，欲北行。會瑜已徙肅母到吳，肅具以狀語瑜。) Sanguozhi vol. 54.
In 200, after Sun Ce was assassinated, his younger brother Sun Quan succeeded him as the warlord controlling the Jiangdong territories. When Lu Su arrived in Wu Commandery, Zhou Yu told him, "In the past, Ma Yuan once told Emperor Guangwu, 'In this era, not only do lords choose their subjects; subjects also choose the lords they wish to serve.' The new lord [Sun Quan] welcomes and respects persons of virtue and talent. He has recruited many extraordinary people. Besides, I also heard a saying that in the past, philosophers predicted that the successor to the Liu clan's empire [the Han dynasty] will rise in the southeast. As you can see, these events are already in motion. This is the time for heroes to rise up and showcase their talents and abilities, and contribute to the construction of a new empire to receive the Mandate of Heaven. Having said this, I don't think you need to take Liu Ziyang's words to heart." Lu Su heeded Zhou Yu's advice(時孫策已薨，權尚住吳，瑜謂肅曰：「昔馬援荅光武云『當今之世，非但君擇臣，臣亦擇君』。今主人親賢貴士，納奇錄異，且吾聞先哲祕論，承運代劉氏者，必興於東南，推步事勢，當其歷數。終搆帝基，以協天符，是烈士攀龍附鳳馳騖之秋。吾方達此，足下不須以子揚之言介意也。」肅從其言。) Sanguozhi vol. 54. and remained in Jiangdong.
The historian Chen Shou, who wrote Lu Su's biography, believed that Zhou Yu recommended Lu Su to Sun Quan because he knew that his lord needed to widely recruit more of such talents to accomplish his goal of building up his power bloc. Therefore, he could not afford to let Lu Su leave.(瑜因薦肅才宜佐時，當廣求其比，以成功業，不可令去也。) Sanguozhi vol. 54.
Drafting a plan for Sun Quan Sun Quan immediately summoned Lu Su to meet him, and was pleased to see Lu Su. When the other guests were leaving after the meeting, Lu Su also took his leave but Sun Quan called him back. They shared a table and had a private conversation over drinks. Sun Quan asked, "The Han dynasty is in decline and there is turmoil everywhere. I have inherited the work of my father and elder brother, and I intend to make achievements like those of Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin. I am honoured to have your noble patronage. What advice do you have for me?"(權即見肅，與語甚恱之。衆賔罷退，肅亦辭出，乃獨引肅還，合榻對飲。因密議曰：「今漢室傾危，四方雲擾，孤承父兄遺業，思有桓文之功。君旣惠顧，何以佐之？」) Sanguozhi vol. 54. Lu Su replied: Sun Quan replied, "Now, I am doing my best to support the Han dynasty. What you said can't be achieved."(權曰：「今盡力一方，兾以輔漢耳，此言非所及也。」) Sanguozhi vol. 54.
Zhang Zhao, a senior adviser to Sun Quan, felt that Lu Su was not humble enough so he often spoke ill of Lu Su in front of their lord. Pointing out that Lu Su was too young and neglectful, Zhang Zhao advised Sun Quan to refrain from entrusting Lu Su with important responsibilities. However, Sun Quan ignored Zhang Zhao and continued to treat Lu Su respectfully and regard him highly. He gave new clothes and curtains to Lu Su's mother and restored Lu Su's family to their prior status as a wealthy family.(張昭非肅謙下不足，頗訾毀之，云肅年少麤踈，未可用。權不以介意，益貴重之，賜肅母衣服幃帳，居處雜物，富擬其舊。) Sanguozhi vol. 54.
Formation of the Sun–Liu alliance When Liu Biao died in 208, his younger son Liu Cong succeeded him as the Governor of Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan). Upon receiving news of Liu Biao's death, Lu Su told Sun Quan, Sun Quan then sent Lu Su as his representative to Jing Province.(權即遣肅行。) Sanguozhi vol. 54.
When Lu Su reached Xiakou (夏口; present-day Hankou, Hubei), he heard that Cao Cao and his forces were advancing towards Jing Province so he travelled day and night in the hope of reaching Xiangyang (Jing Province's capital) in the shortest time possible. When he arrived at Nan Commandery (南郡; around present-day Jingzhou, Hubei), he received news that Liu Cong had already surrendered to Cao Cao, and that Jing Province was now under Cao Cao's control. At the same time, Liu Bei had been defeated at the Battle of Changban and was trying to cross the Yangtze and head further south. Lu Su met Liu Bei at Changban (長坂; in present-day Dangyang, Hubei), where he conveyed Sun Quan's intentions to Liu Bei and pointed out that Jiangdong was very stable. Liu Bei was delighted. Lu Su also met and befriended Liu Bei's adviser Zhuge Liang; he told Zhuge Liang that he was a friend of Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Liang's elder brother. Liu Bei moved to Xiakou, where he instructed Zhuge Liang to follow Lu Su to meet Sun Quan and discuss the formation of a Sun–Liu alliance against Cao Cao.(到夏口，聞曹公已向荊州，晨夜兼道。比至南郡，而表子琮已降曹公，備惶遽奔走，欲南渡江。肅徑迎之，到當陽長阪，與備會，宣騰權旨，及陳江東彊固，勸備與權併力。備甚歡恱。時諸葛亮與備相隨，肅謂亮曰「我子瑜友也」，即共定交。備遂到夏口，遣亮使權，肅亦反命。) Sanguozhi vol. 54.
Contradiction