Three Kingdoms

by Luo Guanzhong (Moss Roberts trans. )

  Che Zhou climbed the wall and shouted, "We cannot tell who you are in the dark. We will receive you at dawn." Below the gate someone shouted back, "What if Xuande sees us here? Open at once!" Che Zhou still hesitated. Then, unable to resist the clamor of the troops outside, he rode out in full armor with one thousand men. As they crossed the lowered drawbridge, Che Zhou shouted, "Where is Zhang Liao?" In the glare of torches he saw Lord Guan bearing down on him, sword held high. "How dare a wretch like you plot to kill our brother?" he cried. Che Zhou took fright. The warriors tangled and fought, but Che Zhou soon fell back. He swung his horse round and raced for the drawbridge, only to be met with volleys of bolts shot on Chen Deng's order. Che Zhou fled, riding close to the wall. Lord Guan overtook him and cut off his head. "The traitor is dead," he shouted. "All others are forgiven. Give up and be spared." Che Zhou's men downed their weapons and surrendered. The army and the people were assured that peace was restored.22

  Lord Guan carried Che Zhou's head to Xuande and explained the plot against his life. "What will we do if Cao Cao comes now?" he asked. "Zhang Fei and I will deal with him," was Lord Guan's answer. But Xuande remained remorseful.23 Then he reentered Xuzhou to a warm welcome from the people and the elders of the city. He went to the protector's residence looking for Zhang Fei, only to find that his brother had exterminated Che Zhou's entire family. "We've killed Cao Cao's trusted official. Do you think he is not going to act?" he asked Chen Deng. "I think I know how to keep him away," Deng replied. Indeed:

  No sooner was Xuande out of the tiger's lair

  Than he needed a plan to stop a brewing war.

  Chen Deng's cunning had delivered Lü Bu to Cao Cao; could he now save Xuande from Cao Cao?

  Read on.

  22

  Cao Cao Takes the Field Against Yuan Shao;

  Lord Guan and Zhang Fei Capture Two Generals

  Chen Deng offered the following plan to Xuande: "Cao Cao fears no man more than Yuan Shao, for Shao holds firmly the four northern provinces of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing. He commands a million men, and civil and military officials in ample numbers. Why not send to him for help?" "Yuan Shao and I have had no dealings with one another," Xuande responded. "And now that I have just defeated his younger brother, how could he possibly aid us?" "Here in Xuzhou," Chen Deng said, "is a scholar whose family has been intimate with the Yuans for three generations. If he wrote in our behalf, Shao would aid us, I am certain." Xuande asked the man's name. "Someone you have always held in great esteem. Have you forgotten?" Chen Deng said. "Not Zheng Xuan?" Xuande replied, suddenly having a thought. "But of course!" Chen Deng answered.

  Zheng Xuan (Kangcheng) was a scholar of many talents who had once studied under Ma Rong, famed for his knowledge of the classic Book of Odes. Ma Rong himself was in the habit of lecturing to students before a crimson curtain behind which sat singing girls. Around the room maids stood in waiting. But during the three years that Zheng Xuan studied there, his glance never strayed from the books before him—an act of self-discipline that Ma Rong admired. After Zheng Xuan had completed his studies and returned home, Ma Rong sighed and said, "Xuan is the only one who has grasped the essence of my teachings."

  In Zheng Xuan's own household all the serving girls were versed in the Odes. Once a maidservant displeased Zheng Xuan, and he had her kneel for a long time at the steps before the main hall. Another maidservant teased her, quoting from the Odes: "'What hast thou done to land in the mire?" ' The punished maid, quoting back, replied, "I voiced my plaint and met with wrath.'"1 This shows the refinement of Zheng Xuan's household. Under Emperor Huan, Zheng Xuan advanced to chief of the Secretariat. Afterward, during the upheaval caused by the eunuchs, he resigned and went home to his farm in Xuzhou. When Xuande was in Zhuo county, he studied under Zheng Xuan.2 After he became protector of Xuzhou, Xuande often visited this former teacher whom he revered, and sought his advice. Thus Xuande was delighted to be reminded of Zheng Xuan and went with Chen Deng to solicit the scholar's help. Zheng Xuan consented wholeheartedly and wrote a letter, which he gave to Xuande; Xuande delegated Sun Qian to deliver it immediately to Yuan Shao.

  Reading the renowned scholar's recommendation, Yuan Shao mused, "I should not be helping the man who caused my younger brother's death, but this letter in his behalf from the former chief of the Secretariat obliges me to act." Shao put the question of attacking Cao Cao to his officers and officials. Adviser Tian Feng said, "These long years of war have wearied the common people. We lack the grain to supply a large force. This is the time not to make war but to report our victory over Gongsun Zan to the Emperor. If they deny us access to him, we can protest formally—and then we can take up arms and plant ourselves at Liyang, enlarge our fleet on the Yellow River, repair and deploy our weapons, and assign crack troops to dig in along the borders. Inside of three years we can take power."

  Adviser Shen Pei, however, opposed Tian Feng. "Sire," he began, "your marvelous martial prowess and your splendid might have calmed the entire north; we can bring Cao Cao to justice with a wave of the hand. Why keep putting it off?" A third adviser, Ju Shou, said, "It is not 'splendid might' that determines victory. Cao Cao has kept civil order in his realm. His army, steeled and seasoned, is not the easy target Gongsun Zan's was when you encircled it. I beg you not to start an unjustified war but rather to follow the sound strategy of formally announcing the recent victory to the Emperor."

  Adviser Guo Tu joined the argument. "Not at all!" he cried. "Who says we have no right to move against Cao Cao? It is high time to set our enterprise in motion. I urge following the course Zheng Xuan's letter recommends—joining with Xuande in loyalty to the throne and sweeping the criminal Cao from his haven! This would correspond to the mind of Heaven and coincide with the mood of the people, an action doubly felicitous." The four counselors disputed back and forth without coming to an agreement. Yuan Shao hesitated to make the decision himself.

  Unexpectedly, Xu You and Xun Shen entered, and Yuan Shao thought, "Here are two men of wide experience. Let me hear what they favor." After the exchange of courtesies, Yuan Shao said to them, "I have a letter from Zheng Xuan urging me to help Liu Bei attack Cao Cao. Should I do it, or not?" "Most enlightened lord," they replied, "you have the numbers and the strength to prevail. We, too, favor calling up the army to uphold the royal house and punish the traitor." "My view exactly," Yuan Shao said.3

  Yuan Shao began to make preparations. First, he sent Xuande's representative, Sun Qian, to inform Zheng Xuan of his decision; then he coordinated arrangements with Xuande. He appointed Shen Pei and Pang Ji to overall command; Tian Feng, Xun Shen, and Xu You as military advisers; Yan Liang and Wen Chou as generals. Yuan Shao mustered a total of one hundred and fifty thousand cavalry and an equal number of infantry and deployed them at Liyang.4 At this point Guo Tu said, "Since Your Lordship resorts to arms in the name of the highest allegiance, it behooves us to spell out Cao's crimes and circulate the indictment through all districts in order to publish his offenses and secure his punishment. Our claim thus will be valid and our position lawful." Yuan Shao took this advice and had Master of Documents Chen Lin draft a bill of charges.

  Chen Lin (Kongzhang) was a renowned literary genius. He had served as first secretary during the reign of Emperor Ling. But when his admonitions to Regent-Marshal He Jin went unheeded and the Dong Zhuo calamity overtook him, he fled to safety to Jizhou. There Yuan Shao employed him as documents officer. In response to the command to prepare an indictment of Cao Cao, Chen Lin wrote the following:

  All men know that a wise lord anticipates danger in order to master the unexpected, and a devoted subject stands vigilant against any eventuality. Verily, the extraordinary mission requires extraordinary men, and the extraordinary mission will lead to extraordinary merit. But the extraordinary is far from what ordinary men aspire to.

  Of old, when a weakling ruled the mighty house of Qin, Prime Minister Zhao Gao concentrated control in his hands, making himself the sole source of authority and favor.
In that time of fear and oppression no one in the court dared to speak out for what was right. The Emperor finally committed suicide in the Wangyi Palace, and the royal clan was consumed in the ensuing conflagration—a disgrace remembered even today and an object lesson for all time.

  After the death of the Supreme Ancestor, Empress Lü took power. Toward the end of her reign, she allowed her two nephews Lü Chan and Lü Lu to monopolize the administration. They held military authority in the capital, while the lords of Liang and Zhao did their bidding outside. In the secrecy of the imperial chambers they summarily decided all questions, abusing those below, intending to supplant the One above, until the hearts of all froze in despair. At that point the lords of Jiang and Zhuxu raised an army and displayed their wrath.5 They punished the traitors and enthroned Emperor Wen, a son of the Supreme Ancestor, enabling the kingly principle of true descent to flourish once again, and the imperial luster to shine with new brilliance. What a splendid instance of great ministers standing ready to prevent usurpation.

  Turning to the present case of Minister of Works6 Cao Cao, his grandfather, Teng, was a palace eunuch who joined with other eunuchs like Zuo Guan and Xu Huang to commit unspeakable crimes.7 His rampant avarice injured the imperial leadership and ruined the common people. Cao Song, Teng's adopted son and the father of Cao Cao, wheedled his way into Teng's family and bribed his way to advancement. Conveying precious metals and jade to the gates of the mighty, he crept into the highest public office and then subverted the instruments of government. Cao Cao, vile legacy of this eunuch, an unnatural child, a man without integrity or virtue, quickly found his advantage in sedition and calamity.8

  The valiant warriors of the military command under Yuan Shao swept out the vicious, usurping eunuchs. Alas, the next crisis swiftly followed: Dong Zhuo laid violent hands on officialdom and even on the throne. That was when we took up our swords and flourished our war drums, issuing word to the east of the realm: gather and pick the finest heroes to serve our cause. Thus we came to accept Cao Cao's cooperation and assigned him a supporting command, thinking to put this bird of prey's fierce claws to our good use.

  Cao Cao proved himself to be ignorant and frivolous—shortsighted in strategy, hasty in advance, capricious in retreat—and his troops were decimated time after time.9 Yet our command again and again parceled out the finest men to make his losses good, his strength whole. Then, on our recommendation, he was put in charge of Hedong district and made imperial inspector of Yanzhou.10 We cloaked him in the tiger colors of military authority in hopes of gaining the full fruit of his vengefulness against Dong Zhuo, as the state of Qin did when it used Meng Ming against Jin.11

  But now Cao Cao has run wild with what we have provided him. By his unbridled conduct and malignant excesses he has bloodied the common people, ruined the worthy, and injured the innocent. Was not Bian Rang, governor of Jiujiang, known across the land for his splendid talents and exalted name, his frank views and forthright expression ? Was he not honored as a man whose views were free of craven flattery? And was he not decapitated, his head piked, his harmless wife and babes snuffed out?12 Since that time, the community of scholars has been sore with indignation. And as the grievances of the people grew heavier, one man rose in opposition and a whole province responded. Was not Cao Cao crushed near Xuzhou and his territory seized by Lü Bu, leaving him to roam the eastern fringe with nowhere to tread or hold?13

  But this command, affirming the principle of "strong trunk, weak branches," sanctioned no revolt of the disaffected Lü Bu against central authority. Hoisting our standards and donning our armor, we again set out in force to commence the campaign. Gong and drum echoed and shuddered. Lü Bu's hosts melted away as we plucked Cao Cao from sure disaster and restored his position in Yanzhou—though this was more fortunate for Cao than for the people of that province.14

  After Cao was installed in Yanzhou, the royal entourage was attacked by criminal remnants of Dong Zhuo's faction. Preoccupied by a military emergency in the northern reaches of our home province, Jizhou, we had Xu Xun, an imperial corps-man, dispatch Cao Cao to restore the temples and sacrificial sites and to protect the young sovereign.15 But Cao seized the occasion to give full rein to his ambition. Like a domineering bully, he moved the capital by force and took charge of the inner life of the court; he demeaned the royal house and destroyed its laws and standards. Taking the three highest offices under his control, he monopolized administrative power, dictating according to his whim appointments, conferments, punishments, and executions. Those who held his favor won prestige for their entire clan. Those he held in disfavor were exterminated to the last kinsman. Those who objected openly were publicly executed. Those who objected privately were secretly done away with. Officialdom sealed its lips. Men in the streets communicated with glances. The Secretariat confined itself to recording court sessions. The ministers were reduced to bureaucratic ciphers.

  The former grand commandant Yang Biao, who once had served as minister of works and later as minister of the interior, enjoyed the highest station in the land. But once he became an object of Cao's jealous fury, he was smeared with calumny, beaten mercilessly, and tortured. Indeed, Cao Cao punished capriciously anyone who offended him, heedless of the requirements of law.16 Take the case of Court Counselor Zhao Yan, whose devoted admonitions and forthright criticisms could not be dismissed. The Emperor received his counsel with delight and approval. But Cao was determined to deprive the Emperor of all wise judgment. He terminated the counselor's access and then arrested him and had him killed, without bothering even to inform the court.

  Then there was the incident of Prince Xiao's tomb. Prince Xiao of Liang, son of Emperor Wen, was the brother of Emperor Jing. His sepulcher and the trees planted there by his ancestors—the mulberry and the lindera, the pine and the cypress—should have been held in most sacred reverence. Yet Cao Cao personally directed his officers in the exhumation of the tomb. Breaking open the coffin, they exposed the remains and seized all the buried treasure. To this day the Emperor weeps for it, and the people grieve.

  Next, Cao Cao set up new offices—Imperial Corps Commander for Exhumations, Commandant for Uncovering Valuables—with agents who made havoc with everything they came upon, exhuming corpses to the last bone. Thus Cao held highest office but brutally played the tyrant's part, corrupting the government and injuring the people; the poison has touched the spirits of the dead as well as living men.

  On top of that came the suffering caused by trivial regulations and augmented by mutual surveillance, hedging men's activities with hidden dangers. Lift a hand and catch it in a net; move a foot and spring a trap. That is why the people of Cao's own provinces, Yanzhou and Yuzhou, have lost all spirit, and why the groans of wronged men fill the capital. Search through the annals for renegade ministers who surpass Cao Cao for blatant avarice and cruel malice!

  This command, occupied with the punishment of external sedition, had no time to confront the problem at court. More recently we have refrained from taking action in the hope that the situation could be rectified. But the rapacious jackal Cao harbors dire designs. He seeks to destroy the pillars of the dynasty, weaken the house of Han, and remove all righteous and devoted men so that he can play the potentate unopposed.

  When we marched north to chastise Gongsun Zan, those stubborn rebels held off our siege for a whole year thanks to the aid Cao quietly gave them while he was overtly supporting our royal forces. But Cao's envoy was discovered. Gongsun Zan was executed and his forces eliminated. We had blunted Cao's thrust, and his scheme came to naught.17 At present, though Cao Cao holds the Ao granary and enjoys the protection the Yellow River affords, he resembles the mantis that stands against the oncoming chariot wheel with its forelegs upraised.

  This command, imbued with the sacred spirit of Han's majesty, will fend off any thrust from any quarter. Our long spears number in the millions, our mounted nomad hordes are in the thousands. We have rallied warriors who are the equal of heroes of myth, and s
ummoned the strength of crack archers and crossbowmen. We shall cross the Taihangs in Bingzhou and ford the Ji and the Ta in Qingzhou to descend in force on the Yellow River and pierce Cao Cao's front; from Jingzhou Liu Biao will sweep up through Wancheng and Ye and block him from the rear. We shall overpower and overwhelm Cao as surely as seawater quenches embers, as the torch fires the kindling.

  Those of Cao's officers and men who can fight come from the northern provinces, Ji or You, or from units of former legions—all of whom chafe at their long service and yearn to go home, tearfully gazing northward. The rest are men of Yan and Yu, or remnants of Lü Bu's and Zhang Yang's troops who, vanquished and coerced, follow him out of mere expedience. Scathed in many battles, all nurse grievances and enmities. If they turn their banners against Cao, mounting the high ground and sounding the drum and fife, and we wave the white to offer an avenue of surrender, Cao's host will break apart like clods of clay, without waiting for a decision by blood and blade.

  Now the house of Han is dying a slow death. The social fabric hangs slack and torn. The court stands without a shred of support. The top administration is defenseless. In the imperial estates the elite look downcast, heads bowed, wings furled, having lost all hope of succor. Though loyal liegemen remain, how can they manifest their integrity when they are menaced by so cruel and violent a vassal!

  Cao Cao controls a picked force of seven hundred that surrounds the palace. It poses as the residential guard, but in reality detains the sovereign, a sign of impending usurpation that we find all too alarming. The time is ripe for those loyal to the dynasty to splash the ground with their life's blood, for upright men to make their mark. Let no one fail to rise to the occasion.18

  Cao Cao has counterfeited an edict empowering him to dispatch envoys and soldiers. We are concerned lest remote regions provide for the renegade out of a mistaken sense of obedience. Whoever aids him will lose imperial sanction and be ridiculed by all. No sensible man will follow such a course.