Cao Cao was very pleased with his success and at once began to scheme for the taking of Xiapi, the sole place now left to Lu Bu, where he had taken refuge. Cheng Yu said the course was inadvisable.
“If Lu Bu be pressed too hard, he may get clear by a desperate effort and throw himself into the arms of our especial enemy, Yuan Shu. These two as allies would be difficult to overcome. Rather send a capable man to guard the South of River Huai, one able to secure you against Lu Bu on one hand and to hold Yuan Shu on the other. Moreover the bandits are in Huashang Mountains and still our enemies. They must be watched.”
Cao Cao replied, “I can keep the whole of Huashang Mountains, and I will request Liu Bei to take the south.”
“Could I dare withstand your command?” said Liu Bei.
So forthwith Liu Bei, leaving Mi Zhu and Jian Yong at Xuzhou, went south, taking in his train Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Sun Qian. And Cao Cao led his army to Xiapi.
Lu Bu felt very secure in his refuge. He had good store of grain, and he had the protection of River Si, so he sat quiet, satisfied that he could maintain his defense. So he allowed Cao Cao's army to approach without molestation.
“You ought to attack Cao Cao's army as they come up, before they have time to make camps and defenses. They will only have a fatigued army to oppose to your fresh troops, and you will certainly defeat them.”
So said Chen Gong, but Lu Bu replied, “I have suffered too many defeats lately to take any risk. Wait till they actually attack, and you will see them floating away on the waters.”
So Lu Bu neglected the confidant's advice and waited till the enemy had settled into their camp. This done, the attackers advanced against the city. From the foot of the wall, Cao Cao called to Lu Bu to listen while he spoke. Lu Bu ascended to the wall where he stood.
Cao Cao addressed him, saying, “When I heard that your family and that of Yuan Shu were likely to be united by marriage, I sent an army against you. Yuan Shu was guilty of treason, while you had to your credit on the destruction of Dong Zhuo. For what reason have you sacrificed all your merits to throw in your lot with a rebel? It will be over late to regret when this city shall have fallen. But if you surrender and help me to support the ruling house, you shall not lose your rank.”
Lu Bu replied, “If the Prime Minister will retire, we may be able to discuss the matter.”
But Chen Gong, standing near his master, began to rail at Cao Cao for a rebel and shot an arrow that struck his plumed helmet.
“My oath, but I will slay you at least!” cried Cao Cao, pointing his finger at Chen Gong.
Then the attack on the walls began.
“They have come from far and cannot maintain this for long,” said Chen Gong. “General, go out with your horse and foot and take up a position outside, leaving me to maintain the defense with the remainder of our troops. If he engages you, I will come out and strike at his rear ranks; if he attacks the city, you can come to our aid. In ten days their stores will fail, and we can beat them off. This will place them between the ox-horns.”
“The advice seems good,” said Lu Bu. Lu Bu went back to his palace and prepared his weapons. As it was the depth of winter, he made his army take plenty of wadded clothing to keep them warm. Lady Yan, his wife, heard of it and came to ask whither he was going. He told her of Chen Gong's plan.
She said, “My lord, you are leaving an undamaged city, abandoning your wife and little ones, and going with a paltry force. Should any untoward event happen, will your handmaid and her lord ever meet again?”
Lu Bu hesitated and for three days made no move. Then Chen Gong came to see him again and said, “The enemy are all round the city, and unless you go out soon you will be quite hemmed in.”
“I am thinking it would be better to maintain a stubborn defense,” said Lu Bu.
“Our enemies are short of food and have sent for supplies to Xuchang. These will soon arrive, and you should go out with some veterans and intercept the convoy. That loss would be a heavy blow.”
Lu Bu agreed and went in to tell his wife the new plan.
She wept saying, “If you go, do you think Chen Gong and others equal to the defense of the city? Should anything go wrong, you would be very sorry. You abandoned me at Changan, and it was only through the fortunate kindness of Pang Shu that I was hidden from our enemies and rejoined you. Who would have thought you would leave me again? But go, go your way as far as you wish, and do not mind your wife.”
And she wept bitterly. Lu Bu very sadly went to take leave of Diao Chan who said, “You are my lord and my life; you must not be careless and ride out alone.”
“You need not fear; with my mighty trident halberd and Red-Hare, who dare come near me?”
He went out. But when he met Chen Gong, he said, “That story about supplies for Cao Cao is all false, one of his many ruses. I am not going to stir.”
Chen Gong sighed; he felt all was lost.
“We shall die, and no person shall know our burial place,” said he.
Thereupon Lu Bu remained in his own quarters with his ladies, drinking freely to dissipate his sorrows.
Two of his advisers, Xu Si and Wang Kai, went in and proposed, “Yuan Shu in the South of River Huai is very powerful. Why not write to him to renew the marriage alliance? Yuan Shu can hardly refuse to rescue the affianced bride of his son.”
So Lu Bu wrote and bade these two take the letter.
Xu Si said, “You ought to send a strong escort with us to force a way through.”
So Lu Bu told off one thousand troops and two of his generals, Zhang Liao and He Meng, to conduct his messenger beyond the pass. They started that same night at the second watch, Zhang Liao leading and He Meng bringing up the rear. They got out of the city, crept past Liu Bei's camp, and got beyond the danger zone. Then half the escort went on, and Zhang Liao led the remainder back toward the city. At the pass he found Guan Yu waiting. However, at that moment Gao Shun came to his help, and they all returned and reentered the gates. The two messengers presently reached Shouchun, saw Yuan Shu, and presented the letter.
“How is this?” said Yuan Shu. “Formerly he slew my messenger and repudiated the marriage; now he sends to ask for it.”
“It is all due to the vile plans of that monster Cao Cao. If pray you, Illustrious Sir, consider it carefully,” replied Xu Si.
“But if your master was not hemmed in by his enemy and in imminent danger, he would never have thought of renewing this proposal of marriage.”
The messengers said, “You may decide not to help him, but the teeth are cold when the lips are gone. It will not make for your happiness and comfort.”
Said Yuan Shu, “Lu Bu is unreliable; tell him that I will send soldiers after the girl has arrived here.”
This was final, and the two messengers took leave and headed back to Xiapi. When the party reached Liu Bei's camp, Xu Si decided, “We must wait the night falls, and Wang Kai and I will try to get through in the darkness; the escort of He Meng remaining behind to protect our rear.”
They tried that very night, and the two messengers crept across without discovery. But the escort found them selves faced by Zhang Fei. He Meng tried to fight but was captured in the very first bout, and the five hundred troops of his half company were either killed or they fled.
The prisoner was taken to Liu Bei, who forwarded him to the main camp. There he told the story of the marriage and the scheme to save the city. Cao Cao was angry and ordered the execution of He Meng at the main gate.
Then Cao Cao sent orders to each camp to exercise the greatest diligence with threats of rigorous punishment of the officers of any corps that permitted any communication between the besieged and the outer world.
Every soldier felt mightily afraid. Liu Bei returned to camp and cautioned his brothers, saying, “We are in the most important place with regard to the South of River Huai, and you must be very careful not to allow any breach of this command.”
Zhang Fei was inclined to grumble, saying
, “We have just captured one of the enemy's leaders, and there is no word of praise or reward for us; nothing but new orders and threats. What do you make of that?”
“You are wrong to complain,” said Liu Bei. “These are orders of the Commander-in-Chief, and what would happen were there no orders? Do not disobey them, Brother.”
They promised obedience and withdrew. In the meantime Xu Si and Wang Kai had got back to Lu Bu and told him what Yuan Shu had said, that if the girl came the soldiers should go.
“But how can she be sent?” said Lu Bu.
Xu Si said, “That is the difficulty. He Meng's capture means that Cao Cao knows the whole plan of getting help from the South of River Huai. I do not see how any one but you yourself could hope to get through the close siege.” “Suppose we tried, today?” said Lu Bu.
“This is an ill-omened day; you must not try today. Tomorrow is a very lucky day, especially in the evening, for any military action.”
Then Lu Bu ordered Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, “Get ready three thousand troops for the venture, and prepare a light carriage. I will lead the first seventy miles; thence you can escort the bride-elect the remainder of the way to her new home.”
Next evening toward the second watch, Lu Bu wrapped up his daughter in soft wadded garments, bound her about with a mailed coat, and took her on his back. Then with his mighty trident halberd in hand, he mounted Red-Hare and rode at the head of the cavalcade out of the city gate. Zhang Liao and Gao Shun followed.
In this order they approached Liu Bei's camp. The drums at once beat the alarm, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei barred the way.
“Stop!” they shouted.
Lu Bu had no desire to fight; all he wished was to get through, so he made for a side road. Liu Bei came in pursuit and the two parties engaged. Brave as he might be, Lu Bu was almost helpless now that he was hampered by a girl on his shoulders, whom he was desperately anxious to preserve from hurt. Beside other parties came up all shouting and attacking, and he had no alternative but to give up his project and return into the city of Xiapi. He reached his palace very sad at heart. The besiegers returned to camp well pleased that no one had got beyond their lines.
Lu Bu found consolation in the wine cup. The siege had gone on for two months, and still the city stood. Then they heard that Zhang Yang, Governor of Henei, had been inclined to come to the help of Lu Bu. But one of his subordinates, Yang Chou, had assassinated him and was bringing his head as an offering to Cao Cao, when he also had been slain by Kui Gu, one of the Governor's adherents. Kui Gu had then led the force to Quan.
In the camp of the besiegers, there now arose much murmuring. Cao Cao sent Shi Huan to intercept and kill Kui Gu.
Then he called a counsel, saying, “Though Zhang Yang, who meant to hurt us, is happily no more, yet we are threatened on the north by Yuan Shao, and on the east Liu Biao and Zhang Xiu are a menace. Here we meet with no success against the city of Xiapi. We are for leaving Lu Bu to his fate and returning home. What do you think?”
Among them Xun You fought against the idea, saying, “You must not act like this. Lu Bu has lost much, and his spirit is broken. The spirit of the leader expresses that of his army; and when the leader fails, his soldiers do not fight. Chen Gong is clever, but nothing is done. Lu Bu broken, Chen Gong without decision, it only needs a sharp attack, and we shall succeed.”
“I have a plan to propose—” said Guo Jia, “a plan to overcome the city at once; it is better than two hundred thousand troops.”
“I suppose you mean drowning the city by River Si and River Yi,” said Xun Yu.
“That is it,” said Guo Jia, smiling. Cao Cao accepted the suggestion with joy and set his troops to cut the banks of River Yi and River Si, and moved his army to the high ground whence they watched the drowning out of Xiapi. Only the east gate remained clear of water.
The besieged soldiers hastened to their leader.
Lu Bu said, “Why should I fear? My good horse can go as well through the water as over the land.”
And he again returned to the wine cup for consolation, drinking deeply with his wife and concubine.
The continual drinking bouts told at last, and Lu Bu began to look dissipated. Seeing himself in a mirror one day, he was startled at the change and said to himself, “I am injuring myself with wine; no more from this day forward.”
He then issued an order that no one should drink wine under penalty of death.
Now one of his generals, Hou Cheng, lost fifteen horses, stolen by one of his subordinates, Hou Cao, who intended to resell them to Liu Bei. Hou Cheng found out where the horses were, went out after them, and recovered them after killing Hou Cao. And Hou Cheng's colleagues congratulated him on his success. To celebrate the occasion, Hou Cheng brewed a few barrels of wine to be drunk at the feast, But thinking his chief might find him in fault, Hou Cheng sent the bottles of wine to Lu Bu's palace with a petition explaining, “By your virtue of warlike renown, I have recovered my horses; and as my comrades come with their congratulations, I brew some bottles of wine, first to offer Your Lordship and second to ask your permission to have a little wine at the feast.”
Lu Bu took it very angrily, saying, “When I have forbidden all wine, you brew some and begin to give feasts; you are simply defying me!”
Whereupon he ordered the officer to instant execution. However, Song Xian, Wei Xu, and other officers came in and interceded, and after a time Lu Bu softened.
“You ought to lose your head for this disobedience; but for the sake of your colleagues, the punishment shall be reduced to a hundred strokes.”
They tried to beg him off this, but only succeeded in reducing the number of blows to one half.
When the sentence had been carried out and Hou Cheng was permitted to return home, his colleagues came sadly to console him.
“Had it not been for you I should have been put to death,” said Hou Cheng.
Song Xian replied, “All Lu Bu cares for is his family; there is no pity for any one else. We are no more than the weeds by the roadside.”
Wei Xu said, “The city is besieged; the water is drowning us out. There will not be much more of this, for we may die any day.”
“He is a beast, with neither a sense of humanity nor of right. Let us leave him,” said Song Xian.
“He is not worth fighting for. The best we could do would be to seize him and hand him over to Cao Cao,” said Wei Xu. “I was punished because I got my horses back again, yet all he trusts in is his own Red-Hare. If you two will betray the gate and seize Lu Bu, I will steal the horse and go out to Cao Cao's camp.”
They settled how to carry out the plot, and that very night Hou Cheng sneaked into the stables and got Red-Hare away. He hastened to the east gate which was opened to let him through. The guard made a pretense of pursuing him but only a pretense.
Hou Cheng reached the besiegers' camp, presented the horse and told Cao Cao what had been arranged. They would show a white flag and open the gates to his army. Hearing this Cao Cao had a few notifications written out, which were attached to arrows and shot over the walls. This is one of them:
“Regent Marshal Cao Cao has received a command from the Emperor to destroy Lu Bu. Those who interfere with
the operations of his grand army, whatever their rank, shall be put to death in the gate on the day that the city shall be captured. Should any one capture Lu Bu or bring his head he shall be well rewarded. Let all take note of this.”
Next day at daylight a tremendous hubbub was heard without the city and Lu Bu, halberd in hand, hasted to the wall to see what it meant. As he went from gate to gate inspecting the defenses and guards, he censured Wei Xu for letting Hou Cheng escape and get away with his horse. Lu Bu threatened to punish Wei Xu. But just then the besiegers began a fierce attack as the white flag had just appeared, and Lu Bu had to turn all his energies to defense. The assault lasted till noon, when the attacking force drew off for a time.
Lu Bu was taking a rest in the tower and fell asleep i
n his chair. Song Xian sent away Lu Bu's attendants; and when they had gone, he stole Lu Bu's weapon, the trident halberd in which he trusted. Then Song Xian and Wei Xu fell upon Lu Bu together and before he was well awake had bound him with cords, trussing him so that he could not move. Lu Bu shouted for his guards, but they were driven off by the two traitor generals and could not come near. Then a white flag was shown, and the besiegers again approached the city. The traitors shouted out, “Lu Bu has been captured alive!”
But Xiahou Yuan could hardly believe it till they threw down the famous halberd. The gates were flung open, and the enemy entered the city. Gao Shun and Zhang Liao, who were at the opposite gate, were surrounded and cut off by the water and helpless. They were captured. Chen Gong made a dash to the south gate but was also taken by Xu Huang. Presently Cao Cao entered and at once gave orders to turn the streams back into their usual courses. He put out proclamations soothing the people.
Cao Cao and Liu Bei, with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei behind, seated themselves side by side in the White Gate Tower. The captives, to the number of a thousand, were brought before them. Lu Bu looked a pitiable object. Although a very tall man, he was tied up in a veritable ball.
“The bonds are very tight,” cried he, “I beseech you to loosen them!”
“Bindings a tiger must binding tight, of course,” replied Cao Cao.
Seeing Hou Cheng, Song Xian, and Wei Xu standing there looking pleased at their success, Lu Bu said, “I treated you all well enough; how could you turn against me?”
Said Song Xian, “You listened to the words of your women, but rejected the advice of your generals. Was not that mean?”
Lu Bu was silent. Then Gao Shun was brought forward.
“What have you to say?” asked Cao Cao. Gao Shun sulkily held his tongue and was ordered out to execution.
Next Chen Gong was led in.
“I hope you have been well since we last saw each other, Chen Gong?” said Cao Cao.
Three Kingdoms Romance Page 29