Cao Cao insisted repeatedly, leaving Zhou Yu little choice but to answer.
After a moment's thought, he said, "There is a man counted among the Eight Eminent Ones, whose might awes the world-could Liu Jingsheng of Jing Province be called a hero?"
Cao Cao shook his head. "When I attacked Lü Bu, Liu Biao did not strike at me. During the campaign in Yang Province, he did not rescue Yuan Shu. He is a bandit who merely guards his own holdings, best dealt with later, not a hero. Sooner or later, I shall capture him."
Zhou Yu tried again. "There is a man in the prime of his vigor, whose martial prowess is unrivaled, known as the foremost warrior under heaven. Is Lü Fengxian a hero?"
"Lü Bu?" Cao Cao scoffed disdainfully. "Lü Bu is a Servant of Three Surnames, with nothing but a little martial strength. He is merely a brute, not a hero."
Zhou Yu thought for a moment before speaking again. "Could Liu Jiyu of Yi Province be called a hero?"
Cao Cao was even more dismissive. "Though Liu Zhang belongs to the Imperial Clan, he is hopelessly weak and benighted. He cannot even subdue the insignificant Zhang Lu. How could he qualify as a hero?"
Zhou Yu continued, "Ma Chao of Liang Province holds sway over Liang Province and Si Province, awes the Foreign Tribes, and commands the finest Iron Cavalry under heaven. Could he be a hero?"
"No, no!" Cao Cao shook his head emphatically. "That little colt merely borrows his father's name. He has courage but no strategy. He is certainly no hero."
After naming four mighty men who each dominated a region, only to have Cao Cao reject them all, Zhou Yu could think of no one else for the moment and could