When the reading was done, Kongming led the assembly in tendering the jade seal. The king took it in his hands and placed it reverently on the altar. Again and again he declined the honor, saying "I, Bei, have neither talent nor virtue; you should find someone else who has, and elevate him." But Kongming addressed the throne thus: "In bringing order to the realm, Your Majesty has illumined the empire with merit and virtue. And since you are a member of the royal house, it is fitting that you occupy the proper seat. The gods above have already received the sacrifice and the announcement. To defer is not possible any longer." A chorus of "Long live the Emperor!" went up from the assembly.
At the conclusion of the ceremonies, they changed the reign title to Zhang Wu, Manifest Might. The Emperor's consort, Lady Wu, was made Empress.20 His eldest son, Shan, was appointed heir apparent; his second son, Yong, was honored as king of Lu; and his third son, Li, was named king of Liang. Zhuge Liang became prime minister; Xu Jing, minister of the interior; and all the other officials, high and low, were advanced. An amnesty was declared throughout the empire, and the people of the Riverlands, soldier and civilian alike, rejoiced.
The next day in full court, before the civil and military in their respective stations, the First Ruler21 delivered his first edict: "With Lord Guan and Zhang Fei we bound ourselves in honor and allegiance in the peach garden, swearing to live or die as one. Alas! My second brother, Lord Guan, met his doom at the hands of Sun Quan of the Southland. Unless we take revenge on this enemy, the covenant is betrayed. Therefore we intend full mobilization for war against the south to take alive the renegade traitor and to redeem our shame." But before the First Ruler had finished, someone stepped out from the ranks and threw himself at the First Ruler's feet to object: "No!" he cried. It was one of the "Five Tiger Generals," Zhao Zilong. Indeed:
Before the Emperor could execute the punishment ordained,
His vassal Zhao Zilong brought forward a complaint.
How did the great warrior remonstrate?
Read on.
81
Eager for Revenge, Zhang Fei Is Assassinated;
To Avenge His Brother, the Emperor Goes to War
Zhao Zilong spoke against the expedition: "Cao Cao is the traitor, not Sun Quan. Cao Pi has usurped the Han throne, to the common indignation of gods and men. Let Your Majesty first make the land within the passes your target. Station your men along the upper Wei River in order to bring these hateful renegades to justice; and the Han loyalists east of the passes will then bundle their grain and urge on their horses to welcome the royal host. But if, instead of the northern kingdom of Wei, you attack the southern kingdom of Wu, once your forces are engaged, they cannot be quickly recalled. May Your Majesty consider this carefully."1
The Emperor replied, "Sun Quan murdered my brother, and others have earned their share of my hatred: Fu Shiren, Mi Fang, Pan Zhang, Ma Zhong. Until I've gnawed their flesh and exterminated their clans, my humiliation will not be effaced. Why would you stand in my way?" Zhao Zilong answered, "War against the traitors to Han is a public responsibility. War for the sake of a brother is a personal matter. I urge Your Majesty to give priority to the empire." To this the Emperor replied, "If I should fail to avenge my brother, the possession of these ten thousand li of mountains and rivers would make an unworthy prize." Ignoring Zhao Zilong's opposition, the Emperor ordered mobilization, sending envoys to Wuxi to borrow fifty thousand troops from the Qiang nation. At the same time he promoted Zhang Fei, who was in Langzhong, to general of Chariots and Cavalry and commander of the Capital Districts, and further honored him as lord of Xixiang and protector of Langzhong. An envoy took the edict to him.
Zhang Fei was in Langzhong when he learned that the revered Lord Guan had been murdered in the Southland. Day and night he howled and wept until his shirt was damp with blood. Wine, which his commanders urged on him to calm him, served only to inflame him; whoever crossed him—whether of high rank or low—he had flogged immediately, and many deaths resulted. Each day he would stare into the south, gnashing his teeth in the fury of humiliation, venting cries of anguish. At this time the messenger from the Emperor arrived. He was rushed into Zhang Fei's presence, where he read the edict. After accepting his new honors and offices, Zhang Fei faced north and prostrated himself to show his devotion to the Emperor. He then regaled the messenger.
"My will to revenge my brother's murder is deep as the sea," Zhang Fei said. "Why have the members of court made no appeals to the throne for a general mobilization?" The envoy replied, "The majority urge that Wei be annihilated before we take up arms against Wu." "What words!" Zhang Fei cried out angrily. "We three brothers took an oath to live and die as one. The second has passed from us before his time. What are wealth and station to me without him? I shall see the Son of Heaven myself and offer to serve in the vanguard. Under the banner of mourning I shall wage war upon the south, bring the traitor home to sacrifice to my second brother, and thus fulfill the covenant." Zhang Fei headed back to Chengdu, capital of the Riverlands, with the envoy.
The Emperor went regularly to the training field to direct army maneuvers. He set the day for the expedition, which he intended to lead personally. The high officers of the court went to the prime minister's quarters and complained to Kongming: "The Son of Heaven has held the throne for too brief a time to be taking personal command of the army. The sacred shrines will be neglected as a result. Your Excellency, you hold the most influential position. Could you not urge him toward a better course?" Kongming responded, "I have protested—many times—to no avail. Come with me today to the training grounds and I'll try again."2
Kongming, at the head of the assembly, addressed the Emperor: "Your Majesty has assumed the throne so recently; if it is your purpose to bring the northern traitors to justice so that the principle of allegiance to legitimate authority may prevail in the empire, then it is altogether right for you to take command of the entire army yourself. But if you simply mean to attack the Southland, ordering one of your superior commanders to lead the campaign should suffice. Why should your own sagely self bear the burden?" In view of Kongming's strenuous objections, the Emperor was experiencing some uncertainty about the invasion when Zhang Fei's arrival was announced.3 The Emperor summoned him at once. Zhang Fei bent to the ground before the reviewing stand, weeping as he hugged his lord's feet. The Emperor wept too.
"Today Your Majesty reigns," Zhang Fei said, "and already the peach garden oath is forgotten! Can you leave our brother unavenged?" "Many officials oppose taking revenge. I cannot act rashly," was the reply. "What do others know of our covenant? If you will not go, I will revenge him whatever the cost to myself. Should I fail, I shall be content to die and see you no more." "Then I shall go with you," the Emperor said. "You start out from Langzhou with your own troops. I shall meet you with an elite force at Jiangzhou. Our joint campaign against the Southland will redeem our shame." Zhang Fei was about to leave when the Emperor added a warning, "You have often turned violent after wine, beaten your stalwarts, and then reassigned them in your personal guard. That is a good way to destroy yourself. Hereafter change your ways; make an effort to be tolerant and understanding." Zhang Fei bowed low, took leave, and departed.
The next day the Emperor organized his forces for the march. Scholar Official Qin Mi addressed the throne: "For Your Majesty to jeopardize the imperial person in pursuit of a trifling point of honor is a course no sage of olden times would approve.4 I beg you to reconsider." "Yunchang is I—in sacred union," the Emperor responded, "and I am Yunchang. Who could forget the great obligation this entails?" Qin Mi flung himself to the ground and would not get up. "Heed me," he cried, "lest your plan miscarry." "How dare you speak of failure on the eve of the mobilization?" the Emperor demanded angrily. He ordered the guards to remove Qin Mi and behead him. But Qin Mi, his expression unaltered, turned back and smiled at the Emperor. "I go to die without regret," he said, "but the collapse of your new enterprise makes me sad." All the officials pleaded for Qin
Mi, and so the Emperor said, "Imprison him for the time being. We'll deal with him after completing our mission of revenge." Kongming learned of this incident and submitted a memorial in defense of Qin Mi:
It is my earnest belief that the treachery of the Southland led to the disaster in Jingzhou. We lost our leading star; our pillar of Heaven was broken. But however keen our grief, however unforgettable, we must also remember that the crime of displacing the sacred dynastic vessels of Han arose through Cao Cao. The removal of the holy offerings of the Liu was not Sun Quan's fault. And I would presume to say that if the traitors of the Wei are removed, then the Southland will submit to us of its own accord. I implore you to accept the precious advice of Qin Mi and husband the strength of our armies. There are other worthwhile strategies that will bring great good fortune to our shrines and to our realm.5
But the Emperor threw the petition to the ground and said, "We are resolved. Let there be no further opposition." So saying, he commanded Prime Minister Zhuge Liang to take the heir apparent, Ah Dou, into his charge and defend the Riverlands; Flying Cavalry General Ma Chao and his cousin Ma Dai to assist Queller of the North, General Wei Yan, in the defense of Hanzhong against the northern army; Tiger Might General Zhao Zilong to coordinate relief from the rear and to supervise supply operations; Huang Quan and Cheng Ji to serve as military advisers; Ma Liang and Chen Zhen to take charge of documents; Huang Zhong to serve as vanguard of the forward army; Feng Xi and Zhang Nan to serve as lieutenant commanders; Fu Tong and Zhang Yi to be posted as commander's aides in the central army; and Zhao Rong and Liao Chun to coordinate the rear. The expedition, which included several hundred Riverlands generals as well as a number of leaders of the Miao and Yao peoples from the Wuxi region—altogether seven hundred and fifty thousand strong—was to begin on the bingyin day, fifty-first of the cycle, in the seventh month of Zhang Wu l.6
Zhang Fei returned to his camp in Langzhong, where he allotted but three days to prepare white banners and white armor so that his armies might set forth against the Southland under the color of mourning. The next day two minor commanders, Fan Jiang and Zhang Da, entered his tent and announced, "The allotted period will have to be extended if we are to arrange for white banners and white armor." Violently angered by these words, Zhang Fei shouted, "My vengeance will brook no delay. The shame is that we can't reach the traitor's borders tomorrow! And yet you dare contravene my command!" He shrieked for them to be bound to a tree and lashed on the back fifty times. Then he pointed at them menacingly and cried, "Everything is to be ready tomorrow! If you fail, I will make a public example with your heads!" And he beat them until blood ran from their mouths.
The two returned to camp to think of a way to save themselves. Fan Jiang said, "After a beating like this, how are we going to carry out our orders? The man's as violent as fire. And unless everything's ready tomorrow, we both will die!" "Better him than us," Zhang Da answered. "But we couldn't get near him," Fan Jiang replied. "If we are fated to live, he will fall asleep drunk. If we are fated to die, he will stay sober," Zhang Da said. Thus, the two men prepared themselves to act.
That night in his tent, anxious and restless, Zhang Fei asked his commanders, "I no longer know peace; I cannot rest—what does it mean?" The officers responded, "It comes from thinking of the revered Lord Guan, Your Lordship." Zhang Fei ordered wine and drank with his officers. Before realizing it, he fell into a drunken stupor. Informed of Zhang Fei's condition, Fan Jiang and Zhang Da slipped into his tent at the first watch with concealed knives. Claiming to have an important secret petition to present, they approached his couch. Now, Zhang Fei always slept with open lids, and the two traitors, watching the sleeping man's bristling beard and staring eyes, stood paralyzed. Then, hearing the loud drone of breath in his nostrils, they stepped up and plunged their daggers into Zhang Fei's belly. Zhang Fei gave a single cry and died. He was fifty-five years of age. A poet of later times has left these lines:
At Anxi town he flogged the state inspector7
And aided the Liu in clearing out the Scarves.
At Tiger Trap his voice rang clear and loud;
By Steepslope Bridge he turned back Cao Cao's horde.
His release of Yan Yan secured the Riverlands;
He tricked Zhang He and gave Liu Bei Hanzhong.
But by dying before the Southland could be won,
He left a lasting sadness in Langzhong.
The two traitors severed Zhang Fei's head and proceeded to the south with a few dozen followers. By the time the deed was known the next day, pursuit was impossible.
At the time of the murder Wu Ban, one of Zhang Fei's commanders, earlier from Jingzhou, had been assigned by the Emperor as garrison commander to help defend Langzhong. This Wu Ban prepared the memorial announcing Zhang Fei's death. After completing it, he had Zhang Fei's eldest son, Zhang Bao, prepare the coffins, inner and outer, and place the body inside; he had the younger son, Zhang Shao, guard Langzhong while Zhang Bao went ahead to inform the Emperor.
The Emperor had already gone forth with the army on the day selected. Kongming, followed by a grand assembly of officials, escorted the Emperor some ten li. Afterward, the prime minister, filled with foreboding, returned to Chengdu, where he told the court officials, "Fa Zheng, were he alive, could have prevented this expedition."8
The Emperor spent an anxious night. Unable to sleep, he stepped outside his tent and looked into the sky: in the northwest he saw a meteor large as a dipper plunge toward the horizon. The Emperor sent to Kongming for an explanation of the phenomenon. Kongming responded, "It represents the loss of a senior general. We'll have upsetting news within three days." Kongming's reply kept the Emperor from advancing. Suddenly, an attendant addressed the throne: "General Zhang Fei's commander Wu Ban has sent a man to deliver a memorial." The Emperor stamped his foot on the ground and cried, "Alas! Third brother must be gone!" Then he learned the awful truth from Wu Ban's memorial. The Emperor let out a terrible cry and fell faint. His officers rushed to revive him.
The next day it was reported that a company of troops was fast approaching. The Emperor left his tent to see for himself; after a long wait he saw a young commander in white battle gown and silver-gilt armor ride up, dismount briskly, and prostrate himself, crying. It was Zhang Fei's son, Zhang Bao. "Fan Jiang and Zhang Da," he cried, "have slain your vassal's father and taken his head to the Southland." The Emperor, grief-stricken, refused all food and drink. His officers pleaded, "If Your Majesty means to avenge the death of your two brothers, you must maintain your health." Finally the Emperor accepted food. He asked Zhang Bao, "Are you and Wu Ban willing to put your men in the vanguard to avenge your father?" Zhang Bao replied, "Yes. For my kingdom and for my father's sake, I will welcome death ten thousand times if need be."
The Emperor was about to dispatch Zhang Bao to ready his troops, when another body of soldiers arrived. The Emperor directed his attendant to find out who they were. Presently the attendant escorted in a young general dressed in a white surcoat and silvered armor; he prostrated himself and cried. It was Guan Xing. The sight of the lad reminded the Emperor of the revered Lord Guan, and he gave voice to his grief. The officials could not assuage him. "I remember when we were commoners in obscurity," the Emperor said. "We pledged our honor to live and die for each other. Now, as the Son of Heaven, I should be enjoying wealth and prestige with my brothers. Alas, both met violent ends. And the sight of these two nephews breaks my heart." So saying, he began to cry again.
The officials said to the young commanders, "Withdraw for now; our liege lord needs rest." The imperial attendants addressed the throne: "Such excess of emotion could be harmful, Your Majesty; you are more than sixty years of age." "Can I carry on alone, without my brothers?" the Emperor said. He knocked his head on the ground and wept. The body of officials asked each other, "How can we relieve the Son of Heaven's distress?" Ma Liang replied, "For our lord to grieve all day when he is personally commanding this great campaign bodes the army no good." C
hen Zhen added, "I have heard that west of Azure City Mountain lives an old recluse named Li Yi, said to be over three hundred years old, who can divine a man's years and his fortune. He is one of the holy immortals of our age. Let us petition the Son of Heaven to summon this man and ask his reading of what lies in store. It will be worth more than any suggestions of ours."
Chen Zhen presented this proposal to the Emperor, who approved and sent Chen Zhen to deliver his edict and summon the divine. That night Chen Zhen reached Azure City Mountain and had a man from the area guide him to a recess in the valley from which he could observe the divine's cottage.9 Clouds enshadowed it, and a magical aura marked it. Suddenly a lad greeted him and said, "You must be Chen Zhen." The astonished visitor replied, "How do you know me, young immortal?" "Yesterday my master told me that today Chen Zhen would bring an imperial edict," was the reply. "A true seer!" he exclaimed. "What people say is no lie." He accompanied the lad to the cottage, paid his respects to the sage, and announced the imperial summons. But Li Yi declined the summons, pleading his great age. Chen Zhen pursued the matter: "The Son of Heaven urgently desires an interview with the divine elder. Please do not begrudge him this visit." After repeated pleas, Li Yi agreed to go.
Li Yi came to the royal camp. Receiving him, the Emperor observed the old man's crane-white hair and youthful face, his greenish eyes and broad pupils glistening with an inner light, and his body that seemed to have assumed the configuration of an ancient cypress. Recognizing in Li Yi a man of unique gifts, the Emperor treated him with the sincerest cordiality.
"This old man," Li Yi began, "from a remote mountain village lacks both art and wisdom. Your Majesty has graciously summoned me, but what your command may be, I do not know." The Emperor responded, "I formed a life-and-death bond with my brothers, Guan and Zhang, more than thirty years ago. The two have been murdered, and I have undertaken to lead this great army to exact revenge, but I wonder what outcome the future holds. I have long known, divine elder, that you understand the mysterious workings of fate, and I look forward to the benefit of your instruction." Li Yi answered, "What Heaven ordains is beyond my ken." The Emperor pleaded again and again. Finally Li Yi called for brush and paper and drew some forty illustrations of soldiers, horses, and weapons. He then tore each drawing into tiny pieces. Next, he drew a giant sleeping faceup on the ground. Beside him someone was digging a grave to bury him. At the top of the paper Li Yi wrote the word "white." He knocked his head respectfully to the ground and departed. Displeased, the Emperor said to his company, "A mad old man! Not worth our trust!" He burned the paper and dispatched the order for his army to advance.10
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