At about the second watch he was again disturbed by some noise in the camp and was told that one of the fodder carts was on fire.
“Some soldiers must have dropped a spark. There is nothing to be alarmed about,” said Cao Cao.
But very soon the fire spread on all sides and he was startled. He called Dian Wei, but his trusted warrior was asleep after too much wine.
However, the beating of gongs and rolling of drums stirred Dian Wei in his dreams and he jumped up. Yet he could not find his spears. By this time the enemy had reached the outer gate. He hastily snatched a short sword and rushed out. At the gate he saw a big crowd of horsemen with spears bursting in. He dashed at them, slashing all around, and a score of them fell to his sword. But no sooner had the horsemen left than the foot soldiers came up. The spears stood around him like reeds on the river bank. Being totally without mail he was soon covered with wounds but he still fought desperately till his sword was blunted and no longer of any use. Throwing it aside, he seized a couple of soldiers and with their bodies as weapons felled half a score of his opponents. The others dared not approach, but they shot arrows at him. These fell as thick as rain, yet he still blocked the front entrance to Cao Cao’s tent against any assailants.
In the end the mutineers broke in by the rear entrance and one of them wounded him in the back with a spear thrust. Uttering loud cries, he fell. The blood gushed from his wounds like torrents and Dian Wei died. Even after he was dead, for some time no one dared to come in through the front gate.
In the meantime, Cao Cao, relying on Dian Wei to hold the enemy at bay, had fled in haste through the rear gate. Only his nephew accompanied him on foot. Then Cao Cao was wounded by an arrow in the right arm and his steed, too, was struck by three arrows. Fortunately it was a fine breed of horse and in spite of its wounds it bore its master swiftly to the banks of Yushui River.
Here some of the pursuers approached and his nephew was hacked to pieces. Cao Cao rode, splashing, into the river and reached the other side, but there an arrow struck his steed in the eye and it fell. By then his eldest son had caught up with him and he immediately dismounted and yielded his horse to his father, who galloped on. His son was killed but he himself got away. Soon after he met several of his officers who had rallied a small portion of their men.
The Qingzhou soldiers under Xiahou Dun seized the occasion to plunder the people. When Yue Jin learned about this he ordered his men to fall upon them and slew many of them. Thus he protected and appeased the people. The plunderers, meeting Cao Cao on the road, knelt down howling loudly, and told him that Yue Jin had mutinied and attacked them. Cao Cao was greatly surprised and when he was joined by his veteran officers he gave orders to capture Yue Jin.
When Yue Jin saw his master approaching with a big retinue he at once set his men to get into positions and make a camp. They did not understand what this meant and asked, “The Qingzhou soldiers have accused you of turning traitor; why don’t you explain now that our lord has arrived? Why first make a camp?”
Yue Jin replied, “Our enemies are close behind us. It is necessary to prepare for defense or we will not be able to withstand them. Explanation is a small matter but defense is very important.”
Almost immediately after the camp was finished, Zhang Xiu fell upon them in two divisions. Yue Jin himself rode out to face them. Zhang Xiu hastened to withdraw. The other officers, seeing Yue Jin advance thus boldly, also attacked and Zhang Xiu was overcome. They pursued him for as long as a hundred li until his force was nearly annihilated. With the miserable remnant he finally fled to Liu Biao.
Cao Cao called in his officers and men. It was only then that Yue Jin went to tell his master of the misconduct of the Qingzhou soldiers and why he had attacked them.
“Why didn’t you tell me before you set up camp?”
Yue Jin gave him the same reason as he had given to his men.
Cao Cao said, “At a time of great stress you still strived to maintain order and strengthen your defense, giving all your attention to duty but no thought to slander, and thus turning defeat into victory. Even distinguished generals in ancient times could not excel you!”
He rewarded Yue Jin with a pair of gold pieces and a noble title but reprimanded Xiahou Dun for neglecting his duty to discipline his men. Sacrifices in honor of the dead warrior Dian Wei were instituted. Cao Cao himself led the wailing to mourn over his death. Turning to his officers he said, “I have lost my eldest son and my dear nephew but I do not grieve so deeply for them as for Dian Wei. And I cry for him alone.” All were greatly moved.
Orders were then issued for the army to return to the capital—but nothing will be said here about the journey back.
Let us now turn to Lu Bu and what happened in Xuzhou. Now Cao Cao’s messenger, bearing the imperial decree, reached the city and was met by Lu Bu, who conducted him into his residence where the decree was read. It conferred on him a new title, General-Conqueror of the East, accompanied by a special seal for the mandate. A private letter from Cao Cao was also handed over and the messenger detailed the high esteem in which Lu Bu was held by the prime minister. Lu Bu was very flattered.
At that moment a messenger from Yuan Shu was announced. When the man was called in, he said that Yuan Shu’s plan to declare himself emperor and select his heir apparent were well under way and that he wanted the princess—meaning Lu Bu’s daughter—to be sent to his place as soon as possible.
“Has the rebel gone so far as that?” cried Lu Bu in a rage.
He put the messenger to death. Then he drafted a letter of thanks and sent it to the capital through Chen Deng; he also sent the unfortunate matchmaker, Han Yin, wearing a large wooden collar around his neck. He also replied to Cao Cao’s private letter asking to be confirmed in his governorship of Xuzhou.
On receiving the message, Cao Cao was pleased to hear of the rupture of the marriage arrangement and at once executed Han Yin.
However, Chen Deng secretly advised Cao Cao to destroy Lu Bu as soon as possible, saying that he was as vicious as a wolf, brave but stupid, and faithless.
“I know Lu Bu quite well,” said Cao Cao. “He is wickedly ambitious, and it will be hard to keep him in his place for long. You and your father are the only people that can tell me about his schemes and you must help me to get rid of him.”
“I will certainly be at your service if you are going to take action against him,” pledged Chen Deng.
As a reward Cao Cao obtained a handsome monthly grant of grain for the father and a prefecture for the son. When he took his leave, Cao Cao held him by the hand and said, “I will depend on you for affairs in the east.” Chen Deng offered his obeisance. Then he returned to Lu Bu, who asked him how things went. Chen Deng told him of the rewards he and his father had received.
Lu Bu burst into anger. “You did not ask Xuzhou for me yet you got something for yourselves. Your father advised me to help Cao Cao by breaking off the marriage alliance with Yuan Shu, and now I get nothing at all of what I asked for while you and your father get both wealth and position. I have been betrayed by you two!”
He drew his sword and threatened to kill him.
Chen Deng laughed and said, “Oh, General, how can you be so ignorant?”
“Me? Ignorant?”
“When I saw Cao Cao, I said that maintaining you was like feeding a tiger. The tiger must be kept fully fed or he would eat men. But he laughed and replied, ‘No, not like that. I treat him like a falcon. Do not feed it until the foxes and hares have been removed. Hungry, the bird is of use; fully-fed and it flies away.’ I asked him who were the beasts of prey. He named Yuan Shu, Sun Ce, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao and others.”
Lu Bu threw aside his sword and laughed. “Yes, he truly understands me.”
But just as they were talking, news came of the advance of Yuan Shu on Xuzhou and Lu Bu was quite taken aback.
When an alliance was broken, war started,
After a failed marriage an army marched.
What m
ight happen to Lu Bu will be told in the next chapter.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Yuan Shu Expeditions Eastward with Seven Divisions
Cao Cao Unites Three Forces to Attack Yuan Shu
As Governor of Huainan, a spacious and prosperous region, Yuan Shu was very powerful. Later the possession of the Imperial Seal added to his self-esteem. And he began to seriously think of assuming the title of Emperor. So he assembled all his subordinates and addressed them as follows:
“Of old the founder of the Han Dynasty was only an official of a very low rank and yet he became ruler of an empire. Now, after four hundred years of rule, the Hans have exhausted their fortune. They no longer have authority; and the country is the scene of turbulent unrest. My family has held the highest offices of the state for four generations and is universally respected. Therefore I intend to assume the imperial dignity in response to the will of Heaven and the desire of the people. What do you all think of this?”
Yan Xiang rose at once to oppose. “No, you should not do this. In the past, the ancestor of the House of Zhou was of distinguished virtue and had many merits. Later when King Wen ruled the House of Zhou he had already acquired two-thirds of the empire, yet he still served the Emperor of the Shang Dynasty as his lord. Your family is honorable but it is not so glorious as that of the House of Zhou in its prime. The Hans may be weak but they are not so abominably cruel as Emperor Zhou of the Shang Dynasty. Indeed, what you propose should never be done.”
Yuan Shu heard his words with great anger. “We Yuans came from Chen, who was a descendant of the ancient Emperor Shun. So I am of royal descent and my element of fortune is ‘earth,’ which agrees with the heavenly revelation that ‘fire,’ the element for the Hans, is to be replaced by ‘earth.’ Secondly, there is an oracle which says, ‘He who succeeds the Hans must be on the high roads.’ My name, Gong-lu, means ‘the high road.’ It fits exactly. Thirdly, I possess the Hereditary Seal of the State. If I do not become lord of all I will be acting against Heaven’s rule. My mind is made up. Whoever dares to object will be put to death.”
So he declared himself the new Emperor and his subordinates were given official titles of ministers. He rode in a carriage decorated with a dragon and a phoenix and offered sacrifices to Heaven and Earth after the manner of an Emperor in the north and south suburbs. A girl of the Feng family was made the Empress and his son, the Heir Apparent. Then he sent his men to Xuzhou to press for an early wedding of Lu Bu’s daughter with his son, so that the palace entourage might be complete.
But when he heard of the fate of his marriage ambassador he was very angry and began at once to plot revenge. Zhang Xun was made the general commander leading an enormous army of more than 200,000 men in seven divisions, each with its own leader and instructed to make a specific town his objective. The Governor of Yanzhou was ordered to superintend the supply of provisions, but he declined the office and so was put to death. General Ji Ling was in command of the reserve forces to help wherever he was required. Yuan Shu himself led 30,000 soldiers to reinforce the seven divisions and he appointed three veteran officers to supervise and see that the various armies did not lag behind.
Lu Bu found out from his scouts that Xuzhou, Xiaopei, and five other towns were the immediate targets under attack. The armies were marching fifty li a day, and plundering the countryside as they advanced.
He summoned his advisers to a council, to which came Chen Gong as well as Chen Deng and his father. When all had assembled Chen Gong said, “This misfortune is provoked by Chen Deng and his father, who fawned upon the court in order to obtain ranks and appointments for themselves. Now they shift the blame on to you, General. Just put these two to death and send their heads to Yuan Shu and the armies will withdraw.”
Lu Bu assented and had the two arrested. But the son, Chen Deng, only laughed. “What is this anxiety about?” he said. “These seven armies are no more to me than so many heaps of rotting straw. They are not worth thinking about.”
“If you can show us how to overcome them I will spare your life,” said Lu Bu.
“General, if you will listen to my words the city will be perfectly safe,” said Chen Deng.
“Let us hear what you have to say.”
“Yuan Shu’s men are numerous but they are only a motley crowd, not an army under a leader. There is no mutual trust. I can keep them at bay with a firm defense or overcome them by surprise strategies. What is more, I have another plan by which not only the city can be protected but Yuan Shu will be captured.”
“Go ahead and tell us,” said Lu Bu.
“Yang Feng and Han Xian, two of the seven leaders of our enemies, are old servants of the Han Dynasty who fled from fear of Cao Cao and, being homeless, sought temporary refuge with Yuan Shu. Naturally he despises them and they, in their turn, are dissatisfied to be in his service. A letter from you will secure their help as our allies from the inside, and with Liu Bei to help us on the outside we can certainly capture Yuan Shu.”
“You must deliver the letters yourself,” said Lu Bu.
Chen Deng agreed. Then Lu Bu prepared a memorial to report the situation to the court, wrote the letters to the two leaders and to Liu Bei, and finally sent Chen Deng, with a small escort, to wait for Han Xian on the road. When Han Xian’s army had halted and pitched camp, Chen Deng went to see him.
“What are you here for?” asked Han Xian. “You are Lu Bu’s man.”
“I am an official of the great Hans. Why do you call me Lu Bu’s man? But you, General, used to be an imperial officer, now serve under a traitor. You cancel out the grand services you rendered in protecting the Emperor and I do not think it a worthy exchange. Besides, Yuan Shu is by nature a suspicious person and he will surely harm you later. If you do not take this opportunity to work against him it will be too late to regret.”
Han Xian sighed. “I would give my allegiance to Han if there should be any opportunity.”
Then Chen Deng gave him the letter from Lu Bu. After reading it he said, “I see. Please go back and tell your master that General Yang and I will turn our weapons around and smite Yuan Shu. Look out for a signal flare and ask your master to come to our aid.”
As soon as Chen Deng had got back and reported his success, Lu Bu divided his men into five divisions of 10,000 soldiers each. He himself went to oppose Yuan Shu’s main body under the chief commander, Zhang Xun, and sent the others to four points to meet their enemies. The rest were left to guard the city.
Lu Bu camped thirty li from the city. Soon his enemy came up. Knowing that he was no match for Lu Bu, the enemy commander retreated twenty li to await reinforcements.
That night, in the second watch, Han Xian and Yang Feng arrived and at once the flare was lighted as arranged. Lu Bu’s men were admitted into the camp, causing great confusion. Taking advantage of this Lu Bu launched a fierce attack and Zhang Xun fled in defeat. Lu Bu pursued till daylight, when he fell in with one of Yuan Shu’s other armed forces led by Ji Ling. The two armies faced each other, but just as they were beginning to engage in battle Yang Feng and Han Xian also came up to join the attack and Ji Ling was forced to fly.
Lu Bu went in pursuit but soon from the rear of some hills appeared another force, marching toward him with all the pomposity of a royal expedition. It was preceded by flags bearing the dragon and the phoenix, representations of the sun and moon, and all kinds of imperial emblems. And beneath a yellow silken umbrella sat Yuan Shu on horseback, clad in golden mail with a sword handle showing at each wrist.
Riding in front of his army Yuan Shu railed at his opponent, calling him a traitor and a slave. Lu Bu said nothing but rode forward to give battle and one of Yuan Shu’s officers advanced to take the challenge. They met, but at the third bout, the man was wounded in the hand, at which he fled leaving his spear on the ground. Lu Bu waved on the advance and his men prevailed. The other side fled, leaving much spoil, including clothing, mail, and horses.
Yuan Shu’s defeated men had not gone far, ho
wever, when another strong troop, led by Guan Yu, appeared before them and barred their way of escape.
“You rebel! Get down and be slain!” cried Guan Yu.
Yuan Shu fled in great trepidation and his army melted in all directions. Guan Yu led his men to fall upon them with great slaughter. Yuan Shu and the remnant of his army retreated back to his own district.
Victory being now secure, Lu Bu, in company with Guan Yu, Yang Feng, and Han Xian, returned to Xuzhou, where he entertained his guests with banquets and rewarded all, including the soldiers. These over, Guan Yu took his leave, while Han Xian and Yang Feng were both recommended by Lu Bu to be magistrates of two cities in Shandong.
Lu Bu consulted his advisors about whether he should keep these two in Xuzhou but Chen Gui was opposed to it. “Let them hold those places in Shandong, which will all be yours within a year.” Lu Bu agreed and so they were sent to station their armies there and, in the meantime, to await court confirmations of their posts.
“Why not retain them here?” asked Chen Deng secretly of his father. “They can be used for our plan against Lu Bu.”
“But if they helped him, on the other hand, he would be made even stronger,” said his father.
Chen Deng could only but admire his father’s foresight.
Yuan Shu returned home burning to avenge his defeat, so he sent a messenger to Sun Ce to borrow soldiers from him. Sun Ce was very angry at the request. He said, “He does not return me the Imperial Seal but assumes the title of Emperor on the strength of it and betrays the Hans. He is an out-and-out rebel! I am just going to lead my army to punish him. How dare he expect me to help him?”
So he refused. His letter refusing help added to Yuan Shu’s anger. “What impudence!” he cried. “That callow youth! I will smite him before I deal with Lu Bu.” It was only after earnest dissuasion from one of his advisors that he gave up this course.
The Three Kingdoms, Volume 1: The Sacred Oath: The Epic Chinese Tale of Loyalty and War in a Dynamic New Translation Page 26