“Indeed, no one can equal you in strategy,” said his officers, bowing low before him.
“Well, remember that I rely on you, too,” said Cao Cao.
Then he issued substantial rewards to the army and appointed Xiahou Yuan commander at Chang’an. The soldiers who had surrendered were distributed among the various troops. Xiahou Yuan recommended a local man called Zhang Ji to defend the city with him.
So the army returned to the capital, where it was welcomed by the Emperor in his royal chariot. As a reward for his service, Cao Cao was given the three court privileges of not announcing his name when being received by the Emperor, of proceeding to court at a leisurely pace, and of ascending the audience hall armed and booted. These were the privileges that were once enjoyed by Xiao He,* the Han prime minister of old. From then on his prestige extended far and wide.
The fame of these doings penetrated west into Hanzhong, and one of the first to be moved to alarm was Zhang Lu, Prefect of Hanning. This Zhang Lu was the grandson of a Taoist, called Zhang Ling. A long time ago, Zhang Ling had retired to Mount Huming, in West Chuan, where he had composed a work on Taoism for the purpose of deluding the multitude.
Yet all the people respected him, and when he died his son, Zhang Heng, carried on his work, and taught the same doctrines. Disciples had to pay a fee of five measures of rice, so Zhang Heng came to be known as the Rice Thief.
Zhang Lu, his son, styled himself Master Superior and his disciples were called commonly “devil soldiers.” A headman was called Libationer and those who had a large following were called Chief Libationers. Perfect sincerity was then made the ruling tenet of the cult and no deceit was permitted. When anyone fell ill an altar was set up and the invalid was taken into the Room of Silence, where he was to reflect upon his sins and make an open confession. Then he was prayed for. The leading prayer was called Libation Superintendent.
When praying for a sick person they wrote his name on a slip of paper, expressed his willingness to renounce his sin, and made three copies of what was called “The writing of the Three Officers.” One copy was placed on the mountain top as a means of informing Heaven; another was buried underground to inform Earth; and the third was sunk in water to tell the Controller of the Waters. If the sick person recovered he was to pay as fee five measures of rice.
Zhang Lu also built public houses of charity in which the poor found rice, meat, and means of cooking. Any wayfarer was allowed to take of these according to the measure of his appetite. However, those who took in excess would invite punishment from on high. Offenses were pardoned thrice—afterwards, offenders were punished. There were no officials but all were subject to the control of the Libationers.
This sort of cult had been practiced in Hanzhong for some thirty years and had escaped repression so far because of the remoteness of the district. Later the court appointed Zhang Lu Prefect of Hanning so as to secure from him a full quota of tribute.
When reports of Cao Cao’s victory over the Xiliang men and his rising prestige reached him, Zhang Lu assembled his men for consultation. He said, “Ma Teng is slain and his son Ma Chao has recently been defeated. I fear our region will be the next to be invaded by Cao Cao. I think I should assume the title of King of Hanning and oversee the defense. What do you say to this?”
In reply, Yan Pu said, “Our province is blessed by a large population of many households, ample supplies, and naturally defensible positions. With the recent setback of Ma Chao, we are even more strengthened by the inrush of numerous fugitives from Xiliang, who have escaped from the Meridian Valley into our region. As Liu Zhang of Yizhou is weak, my humble advice is that you should take possession of the forty-one towns of West Chuan first to establish a solid base for your kingdom. Then consider styling yourself King of Hanning.”
This speech greatly pleased Zhang Lu, who then began to devise measures with his brother to raise an army.
News of the movement soon traveled further west. Now the Governor of Yizhou was Liu Zhang, a son of Liu Yan and a descendant from a prince of the imperial house. The prince had been given his fief in Jingling many generations ago and the family had settled there. Later, Liu Yan became ruler of Yizhou, and when he died of illness in due course, his son was recommended for the vacant governorship of Yizhou. There was enmity between Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu because Zhang Lu’s mother and brother had died at the hands of the governor. To protect himself against his foe, Liu Zhang had appointed Pang Xi commander of Baxi, a place not too far from Hanzhong.
When he learned of the impending invasion, Pang Xi immediately dispatched the news to Liu Zhang who, a weakling by nature, was seized by anxiety and fear and he hastily called in his advisors.
At the council a man stood up and said bravely, “Sir, do not be alarmed. I am no genius but with my little tongue I will make Zhang Lu afraid even to look our away.”
When plots did grow in the west,
It suited Liu Bei’s plans the best.
The speaker’s name will be told in the next chapter.
Footnote
* Prime minister to the founder of Han.
CHAPTER SIXTY
Zhang Song Turns the Tables on Yang Xiu
Pang Tong Advises Liu Bei to Seize the West
The bold speaker was called Zhang Song, who held the office of Bi Jia, an important civil position, in Yizhou. His appearance was grotesque. He had a pointed head and a broad forehead like a countryman’s hoe. His nose was flat and his teeth protruded. He was a dwarf in stature but had a voice like a huge bell.
“What proposal do you have that may avert this danger?” asked Liu Zhang.
“My proposal is that we gain the support of Cao Cao. As we know, he has made a clean sweep of the entire country. Lu Bu went first and both the Yuans followed, all exterminated. Lately he has destroyed Ma Chao. In short he is the one man against whom no one can stand. Therefore, my lord, prepare me some valuable gifts to take to the capital and I will persuade Cao Cao to send an expedition to take Hanzhong, which will keep this Zhang Lu, occupied and we will be left in peace.”
This pleased Liu Zhang very much and so he prepared gold and pearls and rich stuffs, all valuable presents to be presented to the man of power. And when these were ready he appointed Zhang Song as his emissary. Zhang Song, however, secretly drew maps of the western regions and took these with him, well-concealed among his things, to the capital. He was accompanied by a small escort.
News of this soon got to Jingzhou and Zhuge Liang sent a trusty person to the capital to keep him informed of Zhang Song’s visit.
Zhang Song arrived in the capital and, after finding lodging for himself, he paid daily visits to the prime minister’s residence to try to obtain an interview. But his last victory over Ma Chao had filled Cao Cao with insufferable conceit and he indulged himself in drinking and feasting. As he seldom went out, state affairs were administered in his own residence. So Zhang Song had to wait for three days before he was able to send in his name. But even then he had to bribe those who were close attendants of the prime minister to obtain an audience.
Cao Cao was seated in the high place, and after his visitor had made his obeisance, asked, “Your master Liu Zhang has sent no tribute for several years running. Why is that?”
“Because the roads are infested with thieves and robbers, unable to pass through.”
Cao Cao interrupted in a loud, harsh voice, “What thieves and robbers can there be when I have cleansed the country?”
“How can you say the land is peaceful when one sees Sun Quan in the south, Zhang Lu in the north, Liu Bei in the west—and even the weakest of them has an army of several hundred thousand?”
The mean appearance of the emissary had displeased Cao Cao from the outset, and when he heard these blunt words he rose angrily with a flick of his sleeves and left the hall. Those in attendance were annoyed with Zhang Song and said, “How can you behave so rudely when you come on a mission? Your whole attitude was blunt and outrageous. Fortunately for you,
our lord remembered you had come from afar and did not punish you for your fault. The best thing for you to do now is to go back as quickly as you can.”
Zhang Song only smiled. “We have no servile flatterers and glib talkers in our western country,” he said.
At this, a man from below the steps called out in a stern voice, “If you have no such people, can there be any here?”
Zhang Song looked at the speaker and found him to be a man with thin delicate eyebrows and small eyes set in a pale, spiritual face. Zhang Song asked the speaker his name and was told that he was Yang Xiu, son of the loyal Han minister Yang Biao. The young man was then employed in the commissariat of the prime minister. Well-read, intelligent, and eloquent he had the reputation of being clever and controversial. Zhang Song, who was aware of this, had a strong desire to challenge his rival, whereas Yang Xiu, proud of his own ability, was contemptuous of all other scholars. Perceiving the ridicule in Zhang Song’s speech, Yang Xiu invited him out to the library, where they could talk more freely.
After settling down in their respective seats as host and guest, Yang Xiu said, “The roads in the west are tortuous and precipitous. You must be quite weary after such a journey.”
“At my lord’s command I will not flinch, even if I need to go through fire or water,” replied Zhang Song.
“What sort of a country is this land of Shu?”
“Shu is the name for the group of districts known of old as Yizhou. The land is magnificent. It offers such splendid scenery as the Jing River and the Sword Pavilion. The land is also extensive. To travel back and forth through the country takes over two hundred and eighty days and the entire area measures 30,000 square li. The population is so dense that one can hear the crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs in his neighbor’s house. The soil is so rich and well-cultivated that droughts or famines are virtually unknown. Prosperity is general and the music of pipes and strings constantly greets the ear. The produce of the fields is piled mountain high. There is no place its equal.”
“But what of the people?”
“In liberal arts, the land has hailed such talents as Sima Xiangru;* in military arts, the brave Ma Yuan;† in medicine, the capable Zhang Ji;‡ in astrology, the profound Yan Zun.§ We have more outstanding figures from so many walks of life than I can enumerate. How should I ever finish telling of them?”
“And how many equal to your ability are there in the service of your master?”
“Able men number about a hundred, all of them wise, bold, loyal, and magnanimous, well-versed in both civil and military arts. As for poor simpletons like myself, there are cartloads of them, bushels of them, too numerous to count.”
“What office do you hold, then?”
Zhang Song replied, “I am assuming the office of Bi Jia, but in fact I am quite unfit for the job. But, sir, may I inquire what post you hold in the government?”
“I am Zhu Bo (first secretary) in the residence of the prime minister,” replied Yang.
“I have known for long that members of your family held important offices in the government for many generations. Why then, sir, are you not in court service assisting the Emperor, instead of filling the post of a mere clerk in the house of the prime minister?” asked Zhang Song.
Yang Xiu’s face flushed with shame at this rebuke, and he replied lamely, “Though I am among the minor officials, yet my duties are of great importance and I am gaining a great deal of experience under the prime minister’s constant guidance. I hold the office in order to train.”
Zhang Song smiled. “If what I have heard is true, Cao Cao’s academic learning does not penetrate into the essence of the teachings of Confucius or Mencius, nor does his military skill attain the art of the strategists Sun Wu or Wu Qi. All he is good at is using brute force to acquire high position for himself. I do not see how he can give you any valuable instruction to enlighten your understanding.”
“Ah, sir, you live in too remote a region to know of the magnificent talents of the prime minister. But I will show you something.”
Yang Xiu called up an attendant and told him to bring a book from a certain case. He showed this to his guest, who read the title New Book of Meng-de. Then he opened it and read it through from the beginning to the end, the whole thirteen chapters. They all dealt with the art of war.
“What do you think this book is?” asked Zhang Song, when he had finished reading it.
“This is the prime minister’s discussions of the art of ancient and modern war written after the model of Sun Tzu’s Thirteen Treatises. You despised the prime minister for having no talent but will this not go down to posterity?”
“This book! Every child in Shu knows this by heart. What do you mean by calling it a new book? It was written by some obscure person of the time of the Warring States (475–221 B.C.) and Cao Cao has plagiarized it. But he can deceive no one but you, sir!”
“This book is well-concealed inside his private library. It has never been given to the world, although thread-bound copies have been made. But you say that even school children in Shu know the book by rote. How can you try to deceive me like that?”
“Do you disbelieve me? Why, I can recite it.”
Then he repeated the whole book, word for word, from beginning to end.
Yang Xiu was extremely impressed. “So you can remember it after only one reading! What a marvelous genius you really are!”
He boasted not a handsome face,
Nor was his body blessed with grace.
His words streamed like a waterfall,
He read only once and knew it all.
Shu’s glories could he well rehearse,
His lore embraced the universe.
Of texts or notes of scholars
Once read, his memory held fast.
At leave-taking Yang Xiu said, “Remain a while in your lodging till I can petition the prime minister to give you an interview with the Emperor.”
Zhang Song thanked him and left. Yang Xiu went in to see Cao Cao and said, “Sir, why did you treat Zhang Song so off-handedly just now?”
“Because he spoke very rudely,” said Cao Cao.
“But you even tolerated Mi Heng. Why not with this man?”
“Mi Heng’s reputation for scholarship stood highest of all and I could not bear to put him to death. But what ability does this Zhang Song have?”
“To say nothing of his ability to speak like torrents and his talent for argument. I happened to show him your new book—he read it over once and could repeat it word for word. Such a prodigious memory is rarely found in the whole world. But he said the book was the work of an obscure person of several hundred years back and every school boy in the land of Shu knew it.”
“Could it be that the ancients and I agree in secret?” replied Cao Cao.
Therefore he ordered the book to be torn up and burned.
“I think you can present him to the Emperor, sir, and let him see the glory of the court.”
Cao Cao said grudgingly, “I am reviewing troops tomorrow on the western parade ground. You may bring him there and let him see what my army looks like so that he will go back and spread the news that after I have dealt with the south I will take the west in hand.”
Hence the very next day, Yang Xiu took Zhang Song over to the west parade ground, where a review of the mighty army was to be held. There were 50,000 of them, and when drawn up in order, they made a very brave show, with their gleaming helmets and bright new uniforms. Drums rolled to shake the heavens and weapons glittered in the sun. From all sides marched the various divisions of the forces, their gay banners fluttering and their spirited horses galloping.
Zhang Song glanced at the parade contemptuously. After a long while Cao Cao called up Zhang Song and, pointing to his army, said: “Have you ever seen such fine heroic soldiers in your country?”
“We never have such military parades in Shu—we govern men by righteousness.”
Cao Cao changed color and looked hard at the bold spe
aker, who gazed back at him without the least sign of fear. Yang Xiu shot quick warning glances at him, but he paid no notice. Cao Cao went on, “I regard the rat-class of the world as mere weeds, and for my army to reach a place is to overcome it, to give battle is to conquer. Those who are with me, live—but those who oppose me, die. Do you understand?”
“Sir, I know well that when you march out your army, you always conquer. I knew it when you attacked Lu Bu at Puyang; when you fought Zhang Xiu at Wancheng; when you met Zhou Yu at the Red Cliff; when you encountered Guan Yu at Huarong; when you cut off your beard and threw away your robe at Tong Pass; and when you hid in a boat to escape the arrows on the Wei River. On all these occasions no one could stand against you.”
Cao Cao was mad with rage to be thus taunted with his misfortunes and he roared, “You impudent pedant! How dare you bring up all my failures?”
He called his attendants to push him out and put him to death.
Yang Xiu ventured to say, “He does deserve death but he comes from the remote country of Shu bearing tribute and his death would have a very negative effect on all peoples in distant regions.”
But Cao Cao was too angry to be pacified. However, Xun You also put in a word for the offender and Zhang Song was eventually not executed but driven out. He returned to his lodging, collected his things, and left the city that night for home. On the way he thought to himself, “I didn’t expect Cao Cao to treat me with such arrogance when I came with the intention of giving him a province. I left Liu Zhang with a big promise but now I’m returning empty-handed and I’ll be the ridicule of my fellow countrymen. Surely I can’t go back. They say Liu Bei is a virtuous person. Let me go back by way of Jingzhou and see what manner of man he is. Then I can decide what to do.”
So he made for Jingzhou with his servants. He had reached the border of Yingzhou* when he met a troop of horsemen, at the head of whom rode an officer in a light robe, who pulled up, saying: “Are you not Zhang Song, the Bi Jia from West Chuan, sir?”
The Three Kingdoms, Volume 2: The Sleeping Dragon: The Epic Chinese Tale of Loyalty and War in a Dynamic New Translation Page 35