First Secretary Yan Xiang said, "That cannot be done! Hou Ji, high ancestor of the Zhou house, had great virtue and merit. Yet even in the last years of the Shang dynasty the Zhou remained loyal to the ruling house—though King Wen had the allegiance of two-thirds of the realm and could have overthrown the Shang. Your Lordship, the Yuan family, though noble for many generations, lacks the distinction of the Zhou ruling family; while the house of Han, however feeble, is guilty of no tyranny resembling the Shang's when the Zhou finally overthrew it. Your elevation is therefore unthinkable."
Yuan Shu, profoundly angered, replied, "The Yuan line springs from the Chen; the Chen descends from Shun.1 The sequence of the elements dictates that the earth sign of the Chen will supplant the fire sign of the Han. Moreover, it has been predicted that whoever follows the Han will 'take the high road': my style, Gonglu, or Lord's Way, fits the prognostication. Finally, we hold the imperial seal. Thus for me to decline the leadership of the realm would be to turn against Heaven. My decision stands. Whoever says more, dies."
Yuan Shu then established the reign period Zhong Shi2 and created a secretariat and other state offices. Borne in a dragon-and-phoenix carriage, he performed the imperial rituals at the northern and southern limits of the city.3 He made Feng Fang's daughter his empress, his son crown prince, and sent an envoy to Xuzhou to speed the wedding with Lü Bu's daughter. At that point he learned that Lü Bu had already delivered the go-between, Han Yin, to the capital, where Cao Cao had had him executed.
In great anger Yuan Shu organized an army of over two hundred thousand under the leadership of Regent-Marshal Zhang Xun: his object, to conquer Xuzhou. There were seven field armies: the first, led by Zhang Xun, in the center; the second, led by Senior General Qiao Rui, on the left flank; the third, under Senior General Chen Ji, on the right; the fourth, under Deputy General Lei Bo, on the left; the fifth, under Deputy General Chen Lan, on the right; the sixth, led by Han Xian, a general who had surrendered, on the left; and the seventh, led by another general who had surrendered, Yang Feng, on the right.4 Able commanders served each leader.
The army began marching north on the appointed day. Yuan Shu elevated Jin Shang, imperial inspector of Yanzhou, to the position of grand commandant so that he could supervise the supply of the seven field armies; but Jin Shang refused the promotion, and Yuan Shu had him executed. Ji Ling was put in charge of support for the army. Yuan Shu himself took command of thirty thousand men and assigned Li Feng, Liang Gang, and Yue Jiu to drive the lines forward and to direct reinforcement operations.
Lü Bu's scouts brought word that Zhang Xun was advancing on the main road to Xuzhou; Qiao Rui, toward Xiaopei; Chen Ji, toward Yidu; Lei Bo, toward Langye; Chen Lan, toward Jieshi; Han Xian, toward Xiapi; and Yang Feng, toward Junshan. The seven field armies made some fifty li per day and plundered the towns and villages along the way. Lü Bu called upon his counselors. Chen Gui and his son, Deng (now in league with Cao Cao), were present. Chen Gong, Lü Bu's chief adviser, said, "Chen Gui and Chen Deng are responsible for Xuzhou's present troubles, currying favor with the court for their own ends and leaving you to face the consequences, General. Deliver their heads to Yuan Shu, and his armies should retreat." Lü Bu agreed and ordered father and son, Chen Gui and Chen Deng, arrested.
Chen Deng scoffed aloud. "What are you afraid of?" he cried. "Those seven armies look like seven piles of rotten straw to me—beneath contempt!" "If you think you can defeat them," Lü Bu responded, "I will spare you." "General," Chen Deng asserted, "I have a plan to preserve Xuzhou and guarantee its future." "We are listening," Lü Bu said. "Yuan Shu's army," Chen Deng went on, "though large, is a motley mass with no bonds of mutual trust. If we defend the city straightforwardly while conducting surprise raids, we can defeat them easily. And I have something else up my sleeve which will keep Xuzhou safe and even allow us to capture Yuan Shu himself."
"How will you proceed?" Lü Bu asked. "Two of the generals, Yang Feng and Han Xian," Chen Deng replied, "who had long been faithful to the Han, went over to Yuan Shu only from fear of Cao Cao. They had no choice. Yuan Shu shows them no respect, and they are unhappy in his service. A letter should be enough to secure their collaboration. If you arrange for Liu Bei's support as well, Yuan Shu is yours!" "You will have to take the letter yourself," Lü Bu said, and Chen Deng agreed. After petitioning the Emperor and communicating with Liu Bei in Xuzhou, Lü Bu sent Chen Deng to Xiapi.
Han Xian arrived and camped. Chen Deng went to see him. Han Xian asked, "You are Lü Bu's man, are you not? What brings you here?" "I am a courtier in the service of the mighty Han," Deng replied with a smile. "How can you call me 'Lü Bu's man'? You yourself, General, once served the Han but now serve a rebel, wiping out the devotion to the Emperor you once showed when you helped him escape from Chang'an.5 I should choose a different course if I were you, General. Besides, in Yuan Shu you will find a most mistrustful master, and he will do you in—unless you act first." Han Xian sighed. "I want to be loyal to the Han, but there's no way back." Chen Deng then produced Lü Bu's letter soliciting his cooperation. "I am not surprised," Han Xian said. "You return first. Yang Feng and I will move on Yuan Shu together. Look for a signal fire. Lü Bu should then attack in force." Chen Deng took leave of Han Xian and reported to Lü Bu.
Lü Bu deployed his troops in five field armies. Gao Shun marched to Xiaopei against Qiao Rui; Chen Gong to Yidu against Chen Ji; Zhang Liao and Zang Ba to Langye against Lei Bo; Song Xian and Wei Xu to Jieshi against Chen Lan. Lü Bu himself led a force on to the main road to confront Zhang Xun. Each army comprised ten thousand men. Other troops were left guarding the city.
Lü Bu advanced and camped thirty li from the city. Zhang Xun saw he could not prevail and camped twenty li away to await reinforcements. It was night. As the second watch began, Han Xian and Yang Feng had their men set fires and guide Lü Bu's soldiers into the camp. Zhang Xun's army quickly became disorganized. Lü Bu attacked in full force, and Zhang Xun fled. Lü Bu chased him until daybreak. He then met up with Ji Ling's reinforcements, and the two armies prepared to engage. But Han Xian and Yang Feng attacked and drove off Ji Ling's army. Lü Bu in pursuit took a heavy toll of the fleeing enemy.
At that moment Lü Bu saw a band of warriors approaching from behind a hill, marking out with flags and banners a detachment of horsemen holding high the imperial regalia. There were streamers showing the dragon and phoenix, and the sun and moon; feathered standards with the key stars of the four quadrants as well as the five directions of earth; and there were the gold mace and the silver battle-axe, the gilded axe and the white yak-tail command banner. Beneath a golden parasol draped with thin buff silk Yuan Shu rode in imperial yellow armor, a knife swinging from each wrist.6
Yuan Shu came before his battle line and swore, "Lü Bu! Traitor and slave!" Lü Bu raised his halberd and advanced. Yuan Shu's commander Li Feng engaged him. In a brief clash Lü Bu speared Li Feng's hand; he dropped his weapon and fled. Lü Bu's army, in a massive onslaught, dealt Yuan Shu a devastating defeat, capturing countless horses and pieces of armor. Yuan Shu had fled several li when a fresh detachment led by Lord Guan came from behind a hill and intercepted him. "Renegade!" Guan shouted defiantly. "Prepare to die!" Yuan Shu panicked. His remaining ranks broke under Guan's assault. Finally Yuan Shu escaped to his home region below the River Huai, accompanied by a remnant of his army.7
To celebrate the victory Lü Bu invited Lord Guan, Han Xian, Yang Feng, and a number of other leaders to a feast in Xuzhou. He also rewarded the soldiers of his five armies. The next day Lord Guan took leave. Lü Bu recommended Han Xian as protector of Yidu, and Yang Feng as protector of Langye. Lü Bu had wanted to keep the two generals in Xuzhou, but Chen Gui opposed it, arguing, "Establishing them east of the mountains will make all the towns there acknowledge your authority." Convinced, Lü Bu dispatched the two generals. But Chen Deng was puzzled by his father's maneuver. "Why didn't you want them here to support us against Lü Bu?" he asked. "If they sided with him," Chen
Gui replied, "we would only be sharpening the tiger's claws." Chen Deng bowed to his father's wisdom.
Back in Huainan, Yuan Shu asked Sun Ce for troops to avenge his defeat. Sun Ce refused the request outright. "With my royal seal," he ranted, "Yuan Shu has arrogated the name of emperor, breaking his allegiance to the ruling house. It is high treason! And I mean to wage war and bring him to justice. Does the traitor expect my help?" Yuan Shu exploded with rage on receiving Sun Ce's rejection. "That milksop!" he cried. "How dare he! I will strike first!" Only Senior Adviser Yang Dajiang's strenuous opposition persuaded Shu to desist.
After sending his reply to Yuan Shu, Sun Ce defended the strategic points on the Great River as a precaution. At this juncture Cao Cao's envoy arrived in the Southland appointing Sun Ce governor of Kuaiji and authorizing him to chastise Yuan Shu by force of arms. Sun Ce and his advisers were eager for action, but Senior Adviser Zhang Zhao argued, "Despite his recent defeat, Yuan Shu has too many men and supplies for us to risk attack. Why not write back to Cao Cao urging him to march south against Yuan Shu, while we coordinate from the rear? Between the two armies Yuan Shu will be crushed; if we miscalculate, we can look to Cao for help." Sun Ce put this proposition in his reply to Cao Cao.
Back in the capital after being routed by Zhang Xiu, Cao Cao built a shrine to honor the memory of the late lamented warrior Dian Wei. He appointed Dian Wei's son Man to the Imperial Corps and took the lad into his own home. Cao Cao received Sun Ce's letter at the same time as a report that Yuan Shu, pressed by shortages, was plundering Chenliu, Cao's home district. Cao mustered an army and marched south, hoping to profit from Yuan Shu's difficulties. Cao Ren stayed behind to protect the capital; all other generals joined the campaign. Cao Cao's force came to one hundred and seventy thousand, and he had over one thousand wagons loaded with grain and supplies. As he set out, he informed Sun Ce, Liu Xuande, and Lü Bu of his intentions.8
Protector Liu Xuande greeted Cao Cao at the boundary of his province, Yuzhou, and was invited into the prime minister's camp. After the amenities, Xuande presented Cao Cao with two severed heads. "Who were these men?" Cao asked in astonishment. "Han Xian and Yang Feng," Xuande answered. "Why did you kill them?" Cao asked. "Lü Bu's orders," was the reply. "They let their soldiers run riot in the villages of Yidu and Langye, counties they were sent to govern, so I invited them to a banquet to discuss matters. While the wine was circulating, I dropped my cup as a signal, and Lord Guan and Zhang Fei killed them. We have accepted the surrender of their men. Today I come to beg forgiveness."
"You have rid the dynasty of a great evil," Cao Cao said, "and thus rendered a great service. There is no offense to forgive." He rewarded Xuande richly, and both armies proceeded to the boundary of Xuzhou, where Lü Bu met them. Cao Cao consoled Lü Bu and appointed him general of the Left, promising to send the seal of office after returning to Xuchang. Lü Bu was gratified. Cao Cao then assigned Lü Bu to the left and Xuande to the right, while he directed the center. Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin formed the vanguard.
On learning of Cao Cao's arrival, Yuan Shu sent his senior general, Qiao Rui, with fifty thousand men to counter the invaders. The two armies met near Shouchun.9 Qiao Rui rode out first but was speared and killed by Xiahou Dun; Yuan Shu's army retreated to Shouchun. Sun Ce's boats attacked from the west bank of the river, and Lü Bu struck from the east. Xuande attacked from the south, and Cao Cao, at the head of one hundred and seventy thousand, from the north. Yang Dajiang advised Yuan Shu, "The Shouchun region has suffered flood and drought for the past several years. Food is short everywhere. The people will not tolerate another call to arms, and so the enemy cannot easily be thrown back. We had better stay inside the city and refuse battle. When the enemy's food runs out, they will revolt. In the interim, Your Majesty, take your Royal Guard across the Huai to familiar terrain, and you can avoid their thrust."
On this advice Yuan Shu took the rest of his army and the entire contents of his treasury across the Huai, leaving Li Feng, Yue Jiu, Liang Gang, and Chen Ji defending Shouchun with one hundred thousand troops. Meanwhile, maintaining the siege was proving a heavy burden for Cao Cao's army; it required vast stores of grain, but the surrounding districts, stricken by dearth, could offer no aid. Cao pressed for battle, but General Li Feng kept within the walls. After another month Cao Cao, faced with dwindling supplies, borrowed one hundred thousand bushels of grain from Sun Ce. But he did not distribute it.
During the emergency Granary Officer Wang Hou, who served under Ren Jun, administrator of rations, petitioned Cao Cao: "There is too little to feed so many. What shall we do?" "Distribute short rations," Cao Cao commanded him, "to tide us over." "And if they complain?" asked Wang Hou. "I have provided for that," Cao assured him. The officer gave out reduced rations as ordered. Meanwhile, Cao Cao sent his men around to the camps. From them he learned that soldiers were accusing him of cheating them. Cao Cao then summoned Wang Hou and said, "You have something I would like to borrow to quiet the soldiers. I hope you will not begrudge it." "What do I have," Wang Hou answered, "of use to Your Excellency?" "Your head," Cao replied, "to show the men." "But I have committed no fault!" the officer cried in fright. "I know that," Cao said. "I must act, or the army will revolt. I will see after your family personally, so have no concern on their account." Before Wang Hou could say more, the executioners were already pushing him out. They cut off his head and hung it from a pole with a signboard reading, "Wang Hou: Duly Punished by Military Law for Purposefully Assigning Short Rations and Stealing from the Granary." This measure improved the troops' morale.10
The next day Cao Cao ordered all camp commanders, "Work together and destroy the city in three days' time, or I will have you all put to death." Cao Cao went personally to the wall of Shouchun and supervised the filling of the moat with earth and stones. Rocks and arrows rained down from the walls. Two lieutenants tried to get away, but Cao cut them down himself. He then dismounted and joined in the earth-moving work, stirring officers and men to greater efforts. The moat got filled; the troops advanced, overcoming Shouchun's defenders, and gained the wall. Once inside, they killed the guards and opened the gates. Troops swarmed into Shouchun. Yuan Shu's generals were executed publicly. Every building fashioned in the imperial style and all prohibited fascimilies of the royal regalia were burned. The city was then stripped bare.
Cao Cao wanted to pursue Yuan Shu across the Huai, but Xun Wenruo objected: "It's not in our interest to impoverish the farmers and soldiers with further marches when food is as scarce as it has been these past years. I suggest returning to Xuchang until the winter wheat is ripe. We can try again in spring when rations should be dependable." The sudden appearance of a messenger dissuaded Cao Cao from chasing Yuan Shu: "Zhang Xiu has thrown in with Liu Biao and is mounting new attacks. Nanyang and Jiangling are again in revolt. Cao Hong, after losing several battles, cannot control the situation and has begged me to report the emergency." Cao Cao ordered Sun Ce to deploy his troops across the Great River to keep Liu Biao off balance while he hurried back to the capital to plan the battle against Zhang Xiu.
Before leaving, Cao gave Xuande special instructions: he had him station troops in Xiaopei and reestablish fraternal ties and cooperative relations with Lü Bu. After Lü Bu had departed for Xuzhou, Cao took Xuande aside. "I ordered you to Xiaopei," he said, "to 'dig the tiger's pit.' Keep in touch with Chen Gui and Chen Deng, and things should proceed smoothly. I will assist from without."11
Back in Xuchang, Cao Cao learned that Duan Wei had killed Li Jue and that Wu Xi had killed Guo Si, bringing the severed heads to the capital. In addition, Duan Wei was holding two hundred members of Li Jue's household. Cao Cao ordered the whole clan executed in groups at each of the gates and the severed heads posted as a warning. The people cheered the punishment of the two generals who had attacked the western capital and forced Emperor Xian to flee.
The restoration of order and tranquility was celebrated at a grand court banquet. Emperor Xian ascended the ceremonial hall and pre
sided. Duan Wei was made General Who Purges Sedition and Wu Xi was made General Who Destroys Villainy. Both thanked Cao Cao for his favor and were sent to secure Chang'an. In a memorial to the throne Cao Cao reported Zhang Xiu's rebellion and declared his intent to suppress it. The Son of Heaven personally saw Cao Cao off with the army in a grand procession to the outskirts of the capital. It was the fourth month of the third year of Jian An (a.d. 198).
Leaving Xun Wenruo in the capital to supervise military operations, Cao Cao directed the main army's advance. The wheat was ripe along the way, but the peasants, frightened by the soldiers, would not work in the fields. Cao Cao circulated a formal letter of assurance to the village elders and local officials: "I hold the Emperor's decree to chastise the rebels and protect the people; for reasons beyond our control we have to march in a harvest season. We shall execute any officer high or low who tramples crops while crossing a field, enforcing military law without mercy or exception. Let no one fear or doubt us." The peasants welcomed the order with open praise and crowded round the approaching armies to pay their respects. Passing through the fields, the officers dismounted and carefully held aside the wheat stalks with their hands.
One day a turtledove flew up and caught the eye of Cao Cao's horse. The horse bolted onto a field and ruined a swath of crop. Cao Cao summoned his first secretary and proposed that his crime be punished. The officer said, "How can we condemn Your Excellency?" "If I violate a law I myself made," Cao Cao declared, "how can I hold my men to it?" He raised his sword to his throat. Soldiers and officers stopped him. Guo Jia said, "According to Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals, 'the law shall not apply to those in the highest positions.'" Cao Cao brooded silently; then he said, "Since the Spring and Autumn so specifies, we may waive the death penalty. Let this stand for my head." He cut off his hair with his sword and threw it down for all to see. "The prime minister," messengers explained, displaying Cao's hair, "deserved to die as an example to all for destroying the wheat. In this case his hair has been cut off instead." The entire army was stricken with fear, and regulations were meticulously observed. A poet of later times wrote:
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