Three Kingdoms

by Luo Guanzhong (Moss Roberts trans. )

  Yang Feng and Dong Cheng decided to have the Luoyang palace grounds restored in preparation for the Emperor's return, but Li Yue opposed them. "Luoyang," Dong Cheng argued, "is the original capital. Anyi is too small for his needs. The Emperor must be delivered to Luoyang." "Then you do it," Li Yue retorted, "I'm staying here." Dong Cheng and Yang Feng set out for Luoyang with the Emperor. But Li Yue now decided to join the rebels and sent someone to Li Jue and Guo Si with a plan for seizing the Emperor. Dong Cheng, Yang Feng, and Han Xian had been warned, however, and deployed troops to speed the Emperor to the pass in the Winnow Basket Hills. Li Yue did not wait for the rebel generals. Alone, he overtook the Emperor in the Winnow Basket Hills slightly before the fourth watch. "Go no further!" he shouted. "This is Li Jue and Guo Si!" The Emperor trembled with fear; his entrails quivered. The surrounding hills lit up with torches. Indeed:

  What was begun with two rebels falling out

  Was ending with three rebels joining forces,

  placing the Emperor in greater peril than ever.9 What was his fate?

  Read on.

  14

  Cao Cao Moves the Emperor to Xuchang;

  Lü Bu Attacks Xuzhou by Night

  Fear overcame the Emperor at the thought that Li Yue now had Li Jue and Guo Si's backing. But Yang Feng said, "It's only Li Yue!" and sent out Xu Huang, who cut the rebel down in a single exchange. The White Wave gang dispersed, and Yang Feng guided the Emperor safely through Winnow Basket Pass. Zhang Yang, governor of Henei, provided grain and silk as he welcomed the sovereign at Zhidao. The Emperor elevated the governor to regent-general, and Yang Feng moved his troops to Yewang, northeast of Luoyang.

  The Emperor entered Luoyang and saw the ruin of his former capital—the palace buildings burned out, the streets and markets desolate. Everything was overgrown with weeds. The walls of the palaces were crumbling.1 Emperor Xian ordered Yang Feng to build a small dwelling to serve as a provisional palace. In the meantime court was held in the open woods.

  The Emperor mandated that the reign year be changed from Stability Restored (Xing Ping) to Reestablished Peace (Jian An), year 1.2 But it was another year of famine. The few hundred families remaining in Luoyang survived on tree bark and grass roots foraged outside the city. Even members of the Secretariat had to gather their own fuel there too, and many simply perished beside falling walls or within crumbling houses. Never was the dynasty at lower ebb, as these lines lament:

  Slain by Liu in the Mang-Dang Hills,

  The white snake bled;3

  The fire-red flag triumphant

  Toured the realm of Han.

  They chased and downed the deer of Qin

  To raise a newer shrine;

  They brought Chu's warrior steed to earth

  To mark the limes of Han.

  If the Son of Heaven has no power,

  Vice and error rise.

  Once his prime is past,

  Crime and treason thrive.

  Two cities lie in ruin,

  Luoyang and Chang'an:

  Even tearless men of iron

  Cannot but despond.

  Grand Commandant Yang Biao appealed to the Emperor: "The decree with which you honored me has yet to be dispatched. At present Cao Cao has the most powerful army in the northeast. He should be summoned to support the royal house." "I have so ordered," said the Emperor. "A second petition is not necessary. Send someone and be done with it." In accordance with the imperial will, an envoy was sent.4

  Cao Cao, on learning of the Emperor's return to Luoyang, called together his advisers. "More than eight hundred years ago," Xun Wenruo said, "Lord-Patriarch Wen of the state of Jin protected King Xiang of the failing Zhou dynasty, and the lords of the realm accepted Wen's leadership. The founder of the Han conducted the mourning services for Chu's Emperor Yi, and the realm tendered it allegiance.5 Today the Son of Heaven, evicted from his capitals, roams the land, an exile. This is the moment, General, to answer the expectations of all by calling for loyalist forces to uphold the imperial honor. It is a stroke to define the age. But if you delay, someone else may act first." Cao Cao reacted with enthusiasm to Xun Wenruo's advice and was preparing to muster his army when the imperial summons arrived. On the appointed day Cao Cao was ready to march.

  In Luoyang the Emperor found all in ruin. Even the walls were beyond repair. Moreover, reports of new threats from Li Jue and Guo Si alarmed him. To Yang Feng the Emperor said, "Our messenger has not returned. Our enemies could come at any time. What can we do?" Yang Feng and Han Xian replied, "We will fight to the death to protect Your Majesty." But Dong Cheng said, "Look at our walls and how few soldiers we have! What if we fail? I recommend that Your Majesty proceed to Cao Cao's camp." The Emperor approved, and that day the court set out for the region east of Huashan. Horses were so scarce that the officials followed the Emperor's carriage on foot.

  The procession was hardly under way when clouds of dust darkened the sky ahead, and the air throbbed with drums and gongs. Masses of troops loomed in the distance. Emperor and Empress were too frightened to speak. A single rider approached. It was the imperial envoy. "General Cao Cao," he reported, "has called up every soldier in the northeast and is coming in response to your decree. He has sent Xiahou Dun on ahead with ten top generals and fifty thousand picked men to deal with the threat to Luoyang from Li Jue and Guo Si." At last the Emperor felt safe.

  Xiahou Dun, flanked by Xu Chu and Dian Wei, presented himself before the Emperor with due military etiquette. As the sovereign was making his will known to the three generals, Cao Cao's infantry arrived and commanders Cao Hong, Li Dian, and Yue Jin were also granted audience. Cao Hong petitioned the Emperor: "Your Majesty, my brother, Cao Cao, has sent us by rapid marches to assist Xiahou Dun against Li Jue and Guo Si." "General Cao is a true servant of our shrines," the Emperor replied. Cao Hong escorted the sovereign forward.

  Mounted scouts reported the approach of Li Jue and Guo Si at a forced march. The Emperor ordered Xiahou Dun to divide his force and meet the enemy. Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong deployed their men in two wings. The cavalry went out first; the infantry followed behind. They attacked in full force, and the army of Li Jue and Guo Si was severely defeated, losing more than ten thousand.

  At the suggestion of Cao's generals, the Emperor returned to his former palace in Luoyang. Xiahou Dun stationed his army outside the city. The next day Cao Cao arrived with the main force, established camp, and was received. Prostrating himself below the stairs to the imperial dais, Cao Cao acknowledged his sovereign. The Emperor bade him stand and commended him for his service. "My debt to the dynasty," Cao said, "is foremost in my thoughts. The crimes of the two traitors, Li and Guo, have exceeded all bounds. My army of more than two hundred thousand stands ready to crush the renegades in Your Majesty's behalf. Guard well Your Dragon-self for the sake of the sacred shrines." The Emperor appointed Cao Cao commander of the Capital Districts, granted him the insignia and battle-axe empowering him to conduct all military operations, and gave him control of the Secretariat, where decrees originated.

  When Li Jue and Guo Si heard of Cao Cao's arrival, they wanted to fight at once. But Jia Xu objected: "You will fail. His men are too good, and his leaders too brave. Better to surrender and beg amnesty." "Are you trying to thwart us?" Li Jue demanded, drawing his sword. But all who were present stopped him. That night Jia Xu slipped away to his home village.

  On the morrow Li and Guo engaged the forces of Cao Cao. Cao sent forth Xu Chu, Cao Ren, and Dian Wei at the head of three hundred armored cavalry. The three commanders made three quick strikes through the enemy lines before positioning their own soldiers. Li Jue's nephews, Xian and Bie, sallied forth in the semicircle of their line. Before taunts could be exchanged, Xu Chu raced out and felled Li Xian with one stroke. Li Bie panicked and lurched out of his saddle. Xu Chu killed him too and took both men's heads back to his line. "My own Fan Kuai!" exclaimed Cao, patting Xu Chu's back.6 Then Cao Cao sent Xiahou Dun with a force to the left and Cao Ren with a
force to the right, while he led the assault through the center. Signaled by drums, the three corps advanced. The traitors broke and fled. Wielding his sword, Cao Cao bore down on the enemy line, pressing the slaughter through the night. Thousands were flushed out and killed. Countless more surrendered.

  Desperate as homeless dogs, Li and Guo headed west for the mountains to live as bandits—for who would receive them now? Cao Cao returned to Luoyang and stationed his army outside the city.7 Yang Feng and Han Xian,8 who had seen the Emperor all the way from Chang'an to Luoyang, realized that Cao Cao had no place for them and arranged for the Emperor to authorize them to pursue Li and Guo. Thus they were able to move their troops to Daliang.

  One day the Emperor summoned Cao Cao to the palace. Receiving the messenger, Cao noticed that his eye was clear and his manner energetic. "After a year of dearth," mused Cao, "even the officials and the army, not to mention the people, look faint from hunger. How come this fellow is looking so well fed?" Cao said to him, "You at least are plump enough. How do you take care of yourself?" "No special method," replied the man. "I have fared hard and simply for thirty years." Cao nodded and continued, "And what office do you hold?" "I was recommended for filial devotion and honesty," the messenger replied, "and have served Yuan Shao, as well as Zhang Yang. When I heard the Emperor was back in the eastern capital, I came to pay my respects and was appointed court counselor. I am Dong Zhao (styled Gongren), a native of Dingtao in Jiyin."

  Cao Cao raised himself from his mat and said, "A name long known to me. How fortunate to meet with you here." Cao Cao called for wine and introduced his chief adviser Xun Wenruo. Suddenly the passage of a contingent of troops headed east was announced. Cao Cao sent someone to investigate, but Dong Zhao said, "It's only Yang Feng and Han Xian leaving to take refuge in Daliang now that you're here." "Do you mean they mistrust me?" asked Cao. "Let's say they are too inept to be of concern," responded the Emperor's envoy. "What about Li Jue and Guo Si?" Cao pressed. "Tigers with no claws," answered Dong Zhao. "Birds with no wings. They'll be your prisoners soon enough."

  Cao Cao admired the aptness of Dong Zhao's replies and proceeded to ask him about the condition of the royal house. "My lord," he answered, "the loyal army you command has saved the court from chaos and rescued the Son of Heaven. For this you rank with the Five Protectors of antiquity, who safeguarded the sovereigns of the Zhou dynasty. In the present instance, however, we have many generals with many ambitions; they may not always obey you. Therefore it might be more advantageous to move the Emperor from Luoyang to Xuchang.9 On the other hand, the court is newly installed here in the former capital after a period of shuttling about, and men near and far yearn for stability. Another move will be widely resented. Still and all, extraordinary acts win extraordinary merit. The choice is yours."

  Cao Cao took Dong Zhao's hand and smiled. "I really want to move the court," he said, "but with Yang Feng loose in Daliang and the high ministers opposed, things could turn against me." "That's easy," responded Dong Zhao. "Write Yang Feng and put his mind at rest. Next, tell the high ministers that the food shortage in and around Luoyang imposes the necessity of moving the Emperor to Xuchang, where regular grain shipments from nearby Luyang can be virtually guaranteed. The ministers should be only too glad to cooperate." Cao Cao was delighted with Dong Zhao's advice. The envoy excused himself, but Cao took his hand again and said, "Let me benefit from your advice whenever an important decision is pending." Dong Zhao thanked the general and left. That day Cao Cao conferred with his counselors on the question of transferring the capital.10

  Privy Counselor and Historian-Astrologer Wang Li said privately to Liu Ai, director of the Imperial Clan, "Since last spring Venus, associated with metal, had stood opposed to Saturn, associated with earth, at the same degree in the first two sectors of the northern sky, Ox and Dipper. Venus then crossed the star cluster Ford of Heaven in the adjacent sector, Woman, as Mars, associated with fire,11 that flickering, disobedient planet, again reversed course to rendezvous with Venus in the Pass of Heaven cluster of the sector called Net. This conjunction of metal and fire means that a new sovereign will ascend. The sum of Han is told. In the central regions, the area of ancient Jin and Wei, another house will arise."12

  After speaking to Liu Ai, Wang Li petitioned the Emperor: "The Mandate of Heaven does not permanently empower any dynasty, nor does any one of the five agents—water, fire, earth, wood, metal—remain ascendant forever. Fire, symbol of the Han, will be replaced by earth, symbol of the Wei." Apprised of this petition, Cao Cao sent a message to Wang Li: "I know you speak out of devotion to the Han. But the ways of Heaven are too profound for man to follow. I would rather you said less about them." Cao Cao also discussed the matter with Xun Wenruo, who said, "Han reigns by the strength of the element fire. You, my lord, are under the mandate of earth, with which the city of Xuchang is associated. If you move there, your fortunes should prosper, for fire yields ash, which is earth, and earth produces vegetation, which is wood: exactly as Dong Zhao and Wang Li have said, the future will see a new power arise."

  These arguments persuaded Cao Cao to petition the Emperor: "Luoyang is ruined and cannot be restored. The grain shortage has caused severe hardship. Xuchang, close to Luyang's grain, has walls, buildings, riches, and resources more than sufficient for our needs. I propose removing there if it is acceptable to Your Majesty." The Emperor could only agree, for none of his officials dared oppose Cao Cao. On a chosen day Cao led the imperial escort, and the courtiers followed their sovereign to the new capital.

  The procession had traveled but a few stages when it was stopped at a high hill by Yang Feng and Han Xian, backed by a noisy multitude. "Where are you taking the Emperor?" Xu Huang demanded. Cao Cao quietly admired Xu Huang's commanding appearance. Then he sent Xu Chu to engage him. Sword met battle-axe in a struggle of more than fifty exchanges that produced no victor. Cao Cao sounded the gong, and the soldiers retreated. "Yang Feng and Han Xian are not worth our breath," Cao told his advisers, "but Xu Huang is a fine general. It hurts me to have to take him by force. Couldn't we win him over?" Acting Military Aide Man Chong said, "My lord, perhaps I can be of use. I was once acquainted with Xu Huang. Let me slip into his camp tonight dressed as an ordinary soldier and persuade him that he can do no better than to join with us." Cao Cao gladly sent Man Chong to try his plan.

  That night Man Chong slipped undetected into Xu Huang's tent. The warrior was sitting in full armor in the candlelight when Man Chong stepped suddenly before him, saluted, and said, "Have you been well since we parted, honored friend?" Startled, Xu Huang squinted and replied, "Is that Man Chong of Shanyang there? What brings you?" "I am now in the service of General Cao," was the response. "Today we had a glimpse of your prowess in the field and hope to put a suggestion before you. That is why I risked my life coming here." Xu Huang offered him a seat. "Your bravery and strategic sense," Man Chong continued, "are all too rare. Why lower yourself serving the likes of Yang Feng and Han Xian? General Cao is a true hero of our age; his respect for the worthy, his courtesy toward the able are widely known. Today because of his deep admiration for your ability, he refrained from sending his best generals to finish the fight and sent me instead to extend this invitation. Why not abandon a lost cause for a part in our promising enterprise?"

  After pondering this offer, Xu Huang said with a heartfelt sigh, "I know full well these two men will accomplish nothing, but I can't bear to abandon them after serving them so long." "You must know the saying, 'The wise bird chooses its branch, the wise servant his master.' To let this chance to serve a worthy lord slip away shows lack of mettle." Thus Man Chong responded. Xu Huang rose and said gratefully, "I would like to accept your proposal." "Then," suggested Man Chong, "why not kill Yang Feng and Han Xian outright as your 'presentation' gift?" "I cannot do something so dishonorable as murder the lords I have served," was the reply. "Truly, you are a man of honor," Man Chong said. Taking a few dozen comrades, Xu Huang rode nightlong for Cao Cao's camp.r />
  The next morning Yang Feng discovered the defection and pursued Xu Huang furiously with one thousand horsemen. Drawing close, he called out, "Xu Huang, you turncoat. Go no further!" But as he spoke, bombards resounded and torches appeared on a nearby hill, high and low, signaling an ambush that took Yang Feng from four directions. "Finally he's come!" Cao Cao cried out, leading the charge. "Don't let him escape." Panicked, Yang Feng tried to maneuver a retreat, but Cao's troops walled him in—until Han Xian rode up and broke through, enabling Yang Feng to escape in the ensuing melee. The battle, however, was not over. Cao overwhelmed both armies, taking more than half the troops prisoner; and Yang Feng and Han Xian, stripped of military force, found refuge with Yuan Shu.13

  Back at camp Man Chong introduced Xu Huang to Cao Cao, who received the warrior warmly and generously. Cao then escorted the imperial procession to Xuchang. Royal dwellings and temples were erected; the ancestral sanctum and soil shrine established; the court, administrative departments, and garrisons set up; and the city walls and storehouses built. Dong Cheng and thirteen others were awarded lordships of the first rank. Cao Cao assumed complete authority over all benefits and penalties and had himself appointed regent-marshal and honored as lord of Wuping.14 His chief adviser, Xun Wenruo, was named privy counselor and executor of the Secretariat. Xun You was made military director; Guo Jia, chief of sacrifices; Liu Ye, chief of the Ministry of Public Works; and Mao Jie and Ren Jun, Imperial Corps commanders for the farmer-soldier colonies,15 supervising taxes in money and kind. Cheng Yu became lord of the fief of Dongping; Fan Cheng and Dong Zhao became prefects of Luoyang; Man Chong, prefect of Xuchang, the new capital. Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong were appointed generals; Lü Qian, Li Dian, Yue Jin, Yu Jin, and Xu Huang, commandants; Xu Chu and Dian Wei, district military commanders. The other captains and officers were given minor positions. Power was concentrated in Cao Cao's hands to such a degree that all important issues at court were first proposed by petition to him and then presented to the Son of Heaven.