272 Beijing Opera Performers - Jiang Gan - Number 96

Jiang Gan

Beijing Beijing Opera - "Meeting of the Elite"

Jiang Gan with a civilian clown face plays a part in the list-opera "Meeting of the Elite." Jiang Gan was one of Cao Cao's staff officers and a former schoolmate Zhou Yu, supreme commander of the armies of Wu.

The first match on the water was uneventful, but Zhou Yu gained some information about the enemy. Cao Cao sent out Jiang Gan to persuade Zhou Yu to surrender, but nothing he said could make him budge. Jiang Gan returned with a letter saying that Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, who feigned defection over to Zhou Yu, were traitors. They promised to deliver Cao Cao's head to Zhou Yu. Cao Cao had the two generals executed immediately, yet actually the whole story was part of Zhou Yu's plan to eliminate the best generals in the enemy camp. In retaliation Cao Cao sent Cai Mao's younger cousins Cai Zhong and Cai He into Zhou Yu's camp as spies.

Zhou Yu saw through Cao Cao's strategy and manipulated the spies to his own advantage. Huang Gai, a Wu general, feigned a rebellion in front of them, and to impress the spies he was whipped in public. When Cao Cao heard the reports that enemy generals were turning against their leader, he sent Jiang Gan over to scout out potential defectors. In another clever scheme, Pang Tong returned with Jiang Gan and designed a plan for Cao Cao's navy. According to his "Chain Link" plan, all of Cao Cao's ships were locked together with iron chains. Thus Pang Tong, who was loyal to Zhou Yu all along, maneuvered the enemy into a battle formation that stood no chance against the incendiary attack to come.