Three Kingdoms

by Luo Guanzhong (Moss Roberts trans. )

  Lady Sun summoned Zhou Shan to audience, and he presented her the secret letter. Reading of her mother's condition, Lady Sun tearfully expressed her deep concern. Prostrating himself, Zhou Shan said plaintively, "Throughout her terrible illness the state mother has had you alone in her thoughts. If you delay, you might never see her again. She bids you take Ah Dou with you to see her." "The imperial uncle," replied Lady Sun, "is on a remote campaign. I will have to inform Director General Kongming before returning south." "And what," Zhou Shan answered, "if he has to have the imperial uncle's approval?" "If I depart without taking leave," said Lady Sun, "we will be blocked." "Boats are now waiting in the river," said Zhou Shan. "I beg Your Ladyship, mount your carriage at once and leave the city."

  The news of her mother's condition made Lady Sun's head spin. She hurried the seven-year-old Ah Dou into her carriage and, followed by some thirty armed guards, left the city of Gong'an for the river's edge. She had already embarked at Sandy Head before her attendants could report it.

  Zhou Shan was about to set sail when he heard a shout from the shore: "Hold on! Let me see my lady off!" It was Zhao Zilong. Returning from patrol, Zhao Zilong was shocked to discover Lady Sun had departed. Riding like the wind, he had reached the shore with but five horsemen. Gripping a long spear, Zhou Shan cried out, "Who dares thwart the lady?" and ordered the boat launched as armed soldiers lined the decks. The wind favored them and the current sped the five boats on.

  Zhao Zilong rode along the shoreline, shouting, "Lady Sun is free to leave. But I must make one appeal to her." Zhou Shan took no notice and urged the little fleet forward. Zilong followed another ten li. Suddenly he sighted a fishing vessel moored at the bank. Dismounting, he seized his spear and jumped aboard. Zilong and one follower steered urgently after the boat carrying Lady Sun. Zhou Shan ordered his men to shoot. But Zilong knocked the arrows harmlessly aside with his spear. As he drew to within ten feet of the main craft, the soldiers stabbed wildly at him. Zilong set aside his spear and took hold of the black-hilted sword at his waist. Finding a break in the menacing spears, he scrambled aboard the southern boat.

  The sailors fell back, astonished. Zilong entered the cabin and saw Lady Sun cradling Ah Dou at her bosom. "How dare you!" she cried. Zilong put away his sword and paid his respects, saying, "Where is my lady bound? Why have you not informed the director general?" "My mother is at death's door," she replied. "There was no time to inform anyone." "Does a visit to the state mother require taking the young master?" asked Zilong. "Ah Dou is my child now," was the reply. "There was no one to leave him with in Jingzhou." "Not so, my lady," responded Zilong. "This bit of blood and bone, my master's only progeny, was saved by your humble commander from a battlefield of a million by Steepslope Bridge in Dangyang. Why does my lady wish to carry him off?"

  Angrily Lady Sun said, "What has the likes of you, a ruffian in service, to do with my family affairs?" "You are free to leave," Zilong replied. "But our young lord must stay." Lady Sun shouted, "You jump onto my boat midway—it means revolt!" "If you don't leave the child, I will face ten thousand mortal perils before I'll let Your Ladyship go," said Zilong. Lady Sun called her female attendants to seize the intruder, but Zilong thrust them aside, snatched Ah Dou, and carried him safely onto the deck. He wanted to get close to shore, but there was no one to help; neither had he cause for violent action. There was no way out.

  Lady Sun called her women to recover Ah Dou. Zilong held the boy in one arm and fended off the attendants with the other; no one dared approach him. To the rear Zhou Shan held the rudder steady, bent on his downstream course. Sped by wind and current, the boat moved toward midstream. Zilong was helpless. With Ah Dou in his arms, how could he shift the boat toward shore?

  * * *

  * * *

  At this critical moment, from an inlet downstream, a row of ten boats emerged, flags waving, drums rolling. Zilong thought, "This time the Southland has me!" Then he saw a commander on the boat ahead. A long spear was in his hand. "Sister-in-law!" he bellowed. "Leave my nephew!" It was Zhang Fei; he had learned of Lady Sun's departure while on his rounds and had rushed to the mouth of the River You. Encountering the southern ships, he hastened to bar their advance. In moments Zhang Fei had boarded the main craft, sword at the ready. Zhou Shan sprang to meet him, but Zhang Fei cut him swiftly down and flung his severed head at Lady Sun's feet. "How could you commit such an outrage, brother-in-law?" Lady Sun cried in alarm. "The outrage, sister," Zhang Fei went on, "is that you are quietly taking yourself home without giving a thought to my elder brother." "My mother is dying," she replied. "If I waited for your elder brother's approval, it would be too late. Let me go home or I will throw myself into the water."

  Zhang Fei observed to Zilong, "To drive her to her death is no way for loyal men to act. Let's take Ah Dou and leave it at that." So Zhang Fei said to Lady Sun, "My brother, imperial uncle of the great Han, has always treated Your Ladyship as befits your dignity. Now you are leaving us. But if my brother's kind affection for you be in your thoughts, you will come back soon." So saying, Zhang Fei took Ah Dou in his arms and returned with Zilong to his boat. Lady Sun was permitted to pass. A later verse pays tribute to Zilong:

  In Dangyang once he saved the little heir;

  Now he hurls himself upon the Jiang.

  The southern sailors feel their spirits die

  Before the prowess of this paragon.

  Another verse praises Zhang Fei:

  Once by Steepslope Bridge at fury's pitch

  The tiger growled and Cao's men gave ground.

  Today he stands beside his menaced prince

  And makes a name for evermore renowned.

  The two men sailed homeward well pleased with themselves. Before they had covered many li, Kongming met them with a large naval force. He was delighted to have Ah Dou safely back. The three men continued their journey on horseback. Kongming sent a letter to the Jiameng Pass to inform Xuande of what had happened.

  Lady Sun told her brother, Sun Quan, that Zhang Fei and Zhao Zilong had intercepted her boat, killed Zhou Shan, and wrested Ah Dou from her. Angrily Sun Quan said, "My sister has returned to us. Xuande is my relative no more. The death of Zhou Shan must be avenged." He met with his advisers to consider the conquest of Jingzhou. But during their discussion of the assignment of units, Sun Quan learned that Cao Cao was coming with an army of four hundred thousand to avenge his defeat at Red Cliffs. Astounded, Sun Quan set aside the question of Jingzhou and turned to the threat from Cao Cao.

  At this moment a messenger announced the death of the senior adviser Zhang Hong, who had earlier pleaded illness and returned home. His last words had been put down in a letter urging Sun Quan to shift his capital to Moling, a site, he claimed, that had an imperial aura in its hills and streams and would sustain an enduring estate. After perusing the letter, Sun Quan wept and addressed his followers: "Zhang Hong urges me to remove to Moling. How can I ignore his counsel?" He ordered the seat of government shifted to Jianye,4 where he built the City of Stones.

  Lü Meng offered his counsel: "Since Cao's troops are coming, we should build a rampart near the mouth of the Ruxu River to hold them back." The commanders all said, "There's no need for a wall. We can attack from shore, or wade barefoot into our boats." To this Lü Meng responded, "The fortunes of war are never constant; victory is never sure. In an abrupt confrontation, with infantry and cavalry jostling together, our men may not have time to reach the water much less board the boats." Sun Quan commented, "Improvidence invites danger. Lü Meng wisely looks ahead." So saying, he sent tens of thousands of soldiers to build a rampart at the Ruxu, and by dint of unremitting toil the project was completed according to plan.

  Cao Cao was in Xuchang, the capital. Day by day his power and fortune grew. Senior Adviser Dong Zhao proposed: "Since antiquity no servant of the throne has achieved what His Excellency has achieved. Neither the Duke of Zhou nor Lü Wang approaches him. These thirty years he has faced the utmost rigors in his campai
gns to clear our realm of rebels, relieve the people's plagues, and revive the house of Han. How could he be ranked with other servants of the imperial house? He merits the position of lord patriarch of Wei and the award of the Nine Dignities to glorify his virtue and his achievements." What are the Nine Dignities?

  1. Chariot and Horse: one great wain of state or golden chariot, one military chariot, two quadriga of dark stallions, eight cream-colored mounts;

  2. Royal Raiment: Dragon-figured robe and squared headdress matched with vermillion shoes;

  3. Suspended Chimes: music suited to audience with a king;

  4. Vermillion Doors: a gateway of fortune for his residence;

  5. Inner Staircase: protected, for him to ascend;

  6. Imperial Tiger Escort: three hundred guards to secure his palace gates;

  7. Imperial Axes: ceremonial axes and battle-axes;

  8. Bows and Arrows: one red-striped bow and one hundred red-striped arrows, ten black bows and a thousand black arrows;

  9. Implements for the Ritual Offering of Black Millet Wine, Herb-Scented: jade tablet and libation cup, one bowl of millet and wine each (the tablet and cup matching, the millet black); seasoned wine to sprinkle on the ground to attract the gods below; tablet and libation cup, ritual instruments of the ancestral temple for sacrificing to the former kings.5

  Privy Counselor Xun Wenruo said, "This may not be! His Excellency has raised a loyalist army in support of the house of Han and must follow humble and retiring ways to maintain his loyalty and integrity. The noble man shows his love of fellow man through his virtue—not like this." Cao Cao was indignant at Xun Wenruo's stand. Dong Zhao said, "Can one man thwart the general wish?" and submitted a memorial to the throne calling for Cao Cao to be honored as lord patriarch of Wei and awarded the Nine Dignities. Xun Wenruo sighed and said, "Little did I expect to witness such a thing!" Cao Cao, deeply angered by Wenruo's objections, no longer regarded him as a dependable friend.

  In the winter of Jian An 17 (a.d. 212), the tenth month, Cao Cao mobilized his army to crush the Southland. He ordered Xun Wenruo to accompany him; but Wenruo had anticipated Cao's intent and, pleading illness, remained in Shouchun. Cao sent the adviser a container for food sealed with his handwritten inscription, but Wenruo found the box empty when he looked inside. There was no mistaking Cao Cao's point. The counselor took poison and died. He was fifty years old. A poet of later times left this appreciation of Xun Wenruo:

  A splendid talent, admired of all men!

  His folly lay in serving Cao Cao's power.

  Liken him not to Zhang Liang, Lord of Liu:6

  Wenruo was 'shamed to face Han's Emperor!

  Xun Wenruo's son, Xun Yun, informed Cao Cao of his father's passing. The prime minister deeply regretted his action and had Wenruo buried richly and honorably with the posthumous title lord of Jing.

  Cao Cao's main force reached the Ruxu. He sent Cao Hong ahead with thirty thousand armored cavalry to scout the shoreline. The report came back: "Banners along the river far as the eye can see. But troop concentrations not visible." His confidence shaken, Cao Cao went to the Ruxu himself and deployed his force. He took one hundred men to a height and observed squadrons of southern warships in orderly array, flying flags of all colors, weapons gleaming smartly. On a large craft positioned in the center, beneath an umbrella of blue-green silk sat Sun Quan, flanked by attendants, counselors, and advisers.

  Pointing with his whip, Cao Cao said, "Oh, for sons like Sun Quan! Liu Biao's were pigs and pups." As he spoke, a noise rang out. Swift boats were attacking from the south. From behind the Ruxu barrier an armed force emerged and attacked. Cao Cao's troops turned and fled, heedless of commands to stop. Suddenly hundreds of pursuers raced to the hillside; at the lead, a man with jade-green eyes and a purplish beard. Everyone recognized Sun Quan himself, leading a squad of cavalry. Cao Cao panicked and turned as Sun Quan's generals—Han Dang and Zhou Tai—joined the fray. Xu Chu dashed up to cover Cao Cao and, working his sword, checked the two southern generals' advance. Thus, Cao Cao got away and back to camp. Xu Chu fought thirty bouts with the two before retiring.

  Back at camp Cao Cao rewarded Xu Chu well. He then scolded the rest of his commanders: "To retire in the face of the enemy blunts morale. Those who break ranks again will face execution." That night during the second watch an earthshaking clamor arose outside Cao's camp. Cao took to his horse in time to see fires spring up on all sides as the southern troops forced their way into the site. The killing went on until dawn. Cao's men retreated fifty li and camped. Sick at heart, Cao Cao browsed among his military manuals. Cheng Yu said to him, "Your Excellency knows the art of warfare well. Can you have forgotten the dictum that nothing is more precious than 'superhuman speed'? Your operations took too long and Sun Quan had ample time to prepare. He walled the Ruxu River on both sides, making it difficult to attack. I think we should retreat to the capital and reformulate our plans." Cao refused this advice.

  Cheng Yu left, and Cao Cao rested his head on a low table. A noise like the surge of the tide or the stampede of ten thousand horses filled his ears. Cao went to look outside and saw in the midst of the river a great rolling sun whose blaze dazzled his eyes, and up in the sky a pair of suns. Suddenly the sun in the river rose from the water and dropped to earth in the hills before his camp, making a terrific peal. With a start Cao Cao awoke from his dream. They were announcing the noon hour.

  Cao Cao had his horse readied and rode with fifty men to where he had seen the sun fall. There by the hillside he saw a body of soldiers. The leader wore gilded armor and helmet. It was Sun Quan. Cao's arrival seemed to make no impression on Sun Quan. Betraying no uneasiness, he reined in his horse and, pointing at Cao with his whip, said, "The prime minister has full control of the northern heartland and has attained the height of his fortunes. What greed prompts him to invade the south?"

  To this Cao Cao responded, "You are a vassal who shows no respect to the royal house. The Son of Heaven has mandated me to bring you to justice." With a laugh Sun Quan replied, "What an outrage! Who in the world does not know that you coerce the Son of Heaven to compel the obedience of the feudal lords? Far from not respecting the Han court, I am going to bring you to justice so that the dynasty may be set to rights." Enraged, Cao Cao shouted to his commanders to take the hill and capture Sun Quan. Suddenly there was a tremendous drumming as two companies came from behind the hill: on the right, Han Dang and Zhou Tai; on the left, Chen Wu and Pan Zhang. The four commanders had three thousand archers unleash a storm of arrows on Cao's position. Cao beat a swift retreat, but the four southern commanders gave chase. Midway, Xu Chu managed to block the pursuers with Cao's personal guard and pull Cao to safety. The southern troops burst into a victory song and returned to the Ruxu naval base.

  Returning to his own camp, Cao Cao thought, "Sun Quan is no ordinary man. The sign of the red sun means he will eventually reign." Yet though he saw the wisdom of pulling back, he feared the ridicule of the southerners. And so the two sides remained at a standoff for over a month, each scoring small victories. By the first lunar month of the following year, continuous rains had flooded the roadways, and Cao Cao was anxious over the suffering of his troops in the mud. Some counseled retreat; others argued that the spring thaw would assist the campaign. Cao Cao remained undecided. At this point a messenger from the south brought a letter to Cao Cao. The text read:

  Your Excellency and myself act equally in the service of the court. Yet Your Excellency, giving no thought to his debt to the dynasty or the welfare of the people, resorts unreasonably to arms, causing dreadful suffering to the common people. Is this the conduct of a humane man? Now that the spring floods have erupted, you should depart quickly, lest you suffer another Red Cliffs. Kindly give this your consideration.

  On the back of the document was another sentence: "I shall have no peace while you live."

  Cao Cao laughed at what he read. "Sun Quan speaks no lie," he said. After rewarding Sun's envoy, Cao ordered a g
eneral retreat to the capital. He instructed the governor of Lujiang, Zhu Guang, to garrison Huancheng and took the army back to Xuchang himself. Sun Quan, too, retired to Moling. There he set a proposal before his advisers: "Cao Cao has gone back, and Liu Bei remains away at Jiameng Pass. Why not use the soldiers who were fighting Cao Cao to capture Jingzhou?" Zhang Zhao, however, opposed this plan, saying, "It's still not time to use the army. I have a plan that will prevent Liu Bei's return to Jingzhou." Indeed:

  The moment Cao Mengde's power moved back north,

  Sun Quan's ambitions for the south revived.

  Would Zhang Zhao's proposal return Jingzhou to Sun Quan's hands at last?

  Read on.

  62

  Yang and Gao Lose Their Heads in the Conquest of Fu;

  Huang and Wei Vie for Credit in the Attack on Luo

  "Refrain from military action," Zhang Zhao advised. "The moment you mobilize, Cao Cao will return. Instead, write two letters: the first, telling Liu Zhang that Liu Bei is allied with us in an effort to capture the Riverlands—that will turn Liu Zhang against Liu Bei; the second, urging Zhang Lu to attack Jingzhou and cut off Liu Bei's link to his base area. That should assure the success of our campaign for Jingzhou." Following this suggestion, Sun Quan dispatched two envoys.

  Xuande, after many months at Jiameng Pass, had won popular support in the locality. Receiving Kongming's letter informing him that Lady Sun had returned south and hearing of Cao Cao's attack on the Ruxu, Xuande turned to Pang Tong: "Cao has attacked Sun Quan. Whoever wins will take Jingzhou. What are we to do?" "There is nothing to fear," Pang Tong replied. "With Kongming there, I doubt the south will invade Jingzhou. Speed a letter to Liu Zhang, though, as follows: 'Sun Quan seeks aid from Jingzhou against Cao Cao. Quan and I stand or fall as one; I must help him. Zhang Lu is digging in now and won't dare attack the Riverlands. I would like to join forces with Sun Quan, but, alas, I don't have enough grain or men. I wonder if I could presume on our relationship as kinsmen to request thirty or forty thousand crack troops and a hundred thousand bushels of grain for the march? Please fail me not.' If Liu Zhang grants our request, we can plan the next step."