Three Kingdoms

by Luo Guanzhong (Moss Roberts trans. )

  Cao Cao convened his generals. Cheng Yu offered a plan for a "ten-part ambush." He advised withdrawing to the river and placing ten units in five pairs along either side of the route to the river and then enticing Yuan Shao to pursue. "Our troops," Cheng Yu explained, "backed against the water, will fight to the death and defeat Yuan Shao." Cao Cao approved the plan, and the men were assigned to the following squads; on the left, squad one, Xiahou Dun; squad two, Zhang Liao; squad three, Li Dian; squad four, Yue Jin; squad five, Xiahou Yuan; on the right, squad one, Cao Hong; squad two, Zhang He; squad three, Xu Huang; squad four, Yu Jin; squad five, Gao Lan. The center force was under Xu Chu in the van. Next day the ten squads assumed their positions. At midnight Xu Chu feigned a raid on Yuan Shao's camp, and as Cao Cao had expected, Yuan Shao's troops responded in force.

  Xu Chu's raiding party reversed course at once, drawing Yuan Shao in pursuit, his men yelling steadily. By dawn they had crowded Cao Cao's men against the river. "There's no way out! Each man fights to the finish!" Cao Cao shouted to his troops, and they turned on the enemy with new vigor. Xu Chu now moved swiftly forward and slew ten of Yuan Shao's commanders, causing disorder in his ranks. Yuan Shao scrambled to retreat. Cao Cao harried his rear guard. Drums began beating, and the first ambush was sprung—a lightning squeeze on Yuan Shao from Xiahou Yuan to the left, Gao Lan to the right. Ringed by his sons and nephew, Yuan Shao hacked his way free. But they had retreated barely ten li from the river when Yue Jin and Yu Jin attacked from both sides, taking a bloody toll. The ground ran with gore. Yuan Shao advanced another few li; then Li Dian and Xu Huang gripped him in another murderous pincer.

  Stricken with fear, Yuan Shao and his sons fled back to their original camp. Yuan Shao ordered a meal, but there was no time to prepare it: Zhang Liao and Zhang He had charged the camp. Yuan Shao took to his horse and sped to Cangting. His men and mounts were nearly spent. From behind, Cao Cao's main force came on. Yuan Shao fled for his life, but his escape was cut off by Cao Hong and Xiahou Dun. "Fight or fall!" Yuan Shao screamed to his followers. With a final burst of energy he broke out of the fifth trap. Yuan Xi and Gao Gan had been wounded by arrows; few troops survived. Yuan Shao embraced his sons and wept. Then he fainted. His men crowded around trying to revive him, but he kept vomiting blood. Finally he came round and said brokenly, "I never expected to be ruined like this after dozens of battles. Return to your own provinces. We'll settle with the traitor Cao yet!"2

  Yuan Shao instructed Xin Ping and Guo Tu to follow Yuan Tan back to Qingzhou to reorganize and prevent Cao Cao from crossing the border there. He sent Yuan Xi back to Youzhou and Gao Gan back to Bingzhou. The three were to gather men and horses and await the next call to action. Yuan Shao and his third son, Shang, returned to Jizhou, where Yuan Shao recuperated. He placed Shang in charge of military affairs and assigned Shen Pei and Pang Ji to assist him.

  After the victory at Cangting, Cao Cao rewarded his soldiers. Spies informed him that Yuan Shao was confined to bed and that Yuan Shang and Shen Pei were guarding the city of Jizhou tightly, while Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi, and Gao Gan had returned to their provinces. Cao Cao resisted arguments for an immediate attack, saying, "Jizhou is well stocked, and Shen Pei is an able adviser. The city will not fall easily. Now the crops are in the field, and we must protect the harvest. Wait for late autumn."

  During the discussion Cao Cao had an urgent report from Xun Wenruo in the capital: "Liu Xuande has taken in tens of thousands in Runan, men who had been under Liu Pi and Gong Du.3 When Xuande heard of your campaign in the north, he left Liu Pi holding Runan and marched toward the capital. Your Lordship must go back and head him off." Cao Cao assigned Cao Hong to maintain a presence along the river in Yuan Shao's domain; then he moved south toward the capital.4

  Bent on surprising Xuchang, Liu Xuande with his two brothers and Zhao Zilong had reached the Rang Mountains when they encountered Cao Cao's troops marching toward them. Xuande pitched camp and divided his force into three units: Lord Guan at the northeast point; Zhang Fei at the southwest; and Xuande and Zhao Zilong due south, where they built a fortification. Amid a fearful din Cao Cao came into view, formed his line, and called Xuande out.

  From beneath his banners Xuande rode forward. Leveling his whip at Xuande, Cao Cao cried out, "As my honored guest, you once received much kindness. Will you dishonor our friendship now?" Xuande replied, "You claim to be prime minister to the Han. In fact you are a traitor to the Han, whom I, a kinsman of the Han, am authorized by imperial decree to punish." Before the two armies Xuande read out loud and clear the secret decree from the girdle of Emperor Xian.5

  Driven to fury by Xuande's recitation, Cao Cao ordered Xu Chu into the field. From behind Xuande, Zhao Zilong charged out with ready spear. The generals came to grips thirty times, but neither could prevail. Suddenly the ground trembled with battle cries as Lord Guan from the northeast and Zhang Fei from the southwest plunged into the action. Cao Cao's warriors, already fatigued from their long march, turned and fled. Xuande returned to base triumphant.

  The next day Xuande sent Zhao Zilong to challenge the enemy, but Cao Cao's troops did not show themselves for ten days.6 Zhang Fei was unable to provoke any response, either. While puzzling over Cao Cao's tactics, Xuande was informed that a grain shipment Gong Du was bringing in had been trapped. Xuande sent Zhang Fei to rescue it. No sooner had Zhang Fei set out than Xuande learned that Xiahou Dun was about to capture Runan from the back routes. "The enemy is in front and behind," Xuande cried, "where can I turn?" He sent Lord Guan to relieve Runan, but Runan fell that day. Liu Pi had fled, and Lord Guan was surrounded. Xuande became alarmed; then he heard that Zhang Fei, vainly trying to relieve Gong Du, had also been trapped. Xuande wanted to retreat but feared Cao Cao would attack from behind. Finally, a direct challenge came: Xu Chu stood before his camp to do battle.

  Xuande held his ground until daybreak. He told his men to eat their fill and gave the order to break camp. The foot soldiers, followed by the cavalry, began moving out. False watches were announced to delay Cao Cao's attack. Xuande and his men had gone several li when, rounding a hill, they faced a row of torches. Above voices boomed, "Don't let Xuande escape! His Excellency has been waiting here especially for him!" Xuande despaired. Zhao Zilong said, "Do not fear, my lord. Follow me," and he plunged ahead, working his spear to cut a path as Xuande plied his twin swords. But then Xu Chu challenged them, followed by Li Dian and Yu Jin. Cao's commanders drove Xuande into the brush. Alone, he pushed deeper into the hills by unused trails. The sounds of battle receded. He had barely escaped.

  Night dragged on. At dawn one thousand of his own defeated cavalry appeared, led by Liu Pi, who was escorting Xuande's family. Sun Qian, Jian Yong, and Mi Fang also rode up. "Xiahou Dun forced us from Runan," they said. "Lord Guan held off Cao Cao, and we got away." "Where is Lord Guan?" Xuande asked. "General, keep moving for now," Liu Pi replied. "We'll try to find him later."

  After another few li a drum sounded and a body of troops surged in front of them. "Dismount and surrender!" cried the commander, Zhang He. Xuande tried to turn back. On a hill he saw enemy soldiers moving red flags in great sweeping circles. From a glen another company of men burst into view, commanded by Gao Lan. Xuande had no recourse. He cried to Heaven, "Why have you decreed this ordeal? Let me die!" He lifted his sword to his throat, but Liu Pi checked him. "I'll try to break through. Death does not daunt me!" he said. But Gao Lan cut him down at the moment of engagement. Xuande prepared himself to fight when a tumult arose in the rear of Gao Lan's force. A general tore into Gao Lan's back ranks and speared the commander. It was Zhao Zilong. Xuande was thankful to be saved.

  Zhao Zilong, mounted, continued thrusting and stabbing as his horse reared and plunged. After putting Gao Lan's back ranks to flight, he reached the front and drove off Zhang He in a bitter struggle of thirty bouts. Zhao Zilong took a bloody toll until he found himself squeezed into a narrow valley blocked by Zhang He. He was rescued almost at once as Lord Guan, Guan Ping, and Zhou Cang ar
rived with three hundred men. Now squeezed himself, Zhang He was forced to withdraw. Zhao Zilong and Lord Guan came out of the defile and camped at a strongpoint in the hills. Xuande had Lord Guan look for Zhang Fei.

  Zhang Fei had gone to relieve Gong Du, but Du was already in Xiahou Yuan's hands. Zhang Fei engaged Xiahou Yuan and forced him back. He pressed the attack but was himself surrounded by Yue Jin's men. Lord Guan, aided by stragglers, managed to track his way back to Zhang Fei, and together they drove off Yue Jin. The two brothers then returned to Xuande—only to hear that Cao Cao himself was coming in force. Xuande sent Sun Qian on with his family and began retreating with his comrades. In the end Xuande got far enough away, and Cao Cao called off the pursuit.

  The harried remnants of Xuande's troops—now less than a thousand—pressed on. They reached a river known locally as the Han. Xuande pitched camp. People in the area brought lamb and wine especially to honor Xuande, and the gathering ate and drank at the river's edge. Then Xuande addressed his followers. "Good friends," he said sadly, "you are men with the talent to serve a king. Alas, following one whose fate is sealed has brought you only grief. For I possess nothing, not even the ground I stand on. I have led you far astray, I fear, and I urge you to seek out another more enlightened lord in whose service you may distinguish yourselves." His followers averted their faces and covered their eyes with their sleeves.

  "Brother," Lord Guan said, "it is not so. At the beginning of the Han when the founding emperor suffered so many reverses in his struggle for mastery with Xiang Yu, his success in a single battle at Nine Mile Mountain enabled him to establish a four-hundred-year patrimony. Reverses are common in war and must not be allowed to affect morale." To this Sun Qian added, "There is a time for victory and for defeat. Do not lose heart. We are near Jingzhou, where Liu Biao controls the nine districts. He has a strong army and ample stores. And, like yourself, he is a Liu, a kinsman of the Han, who may protect us if we ask." "I doubt he'd grant us protection," Xuande replied. "Perhaps I can persuade him to receive you properly," Sun Qian suggested, and Xuande gave his approval.

  Sun Qian presented himself before Liu Biao.7 After the formalities Liu Biao said, "You serve Xuande. Why have you come here?" "My master," Sun Qian replied, "is one of the great heroes of the empire. At the moment his forces are at a low point, but he remains determined to sustain the sacred shrines of the Han. In Runan two utter strangers, Liu Pi and Gong Du, laid down their lives for him. Your Lordship and my master are both of the royal line. Recently Lord Liu suffered a setback and was thinking of taking refuge with Sun Quan in the Southland, but I took the liberty of saying to him, 'Why turn to a stranger? Nearby in General Liu Biao we have a kinsman, a leader who welcomes the worthy, who attracts men of talent, and who will welcome us all the more since both of you are Lius.' And so my master bid me offer his respects and learn your will."

  Delightedly Liu Biao said, "I look upon Xuande as a younger brother; I have long wished to meet him but have never had the privilege. If he now so kindly seeks me out, it is fortunate indeed." However, Cai Mao objected: "That would be a serious mistake. Xuande first served Lü Bu, then Cao Cao, and after them, Yuan Shao. But he has served no one to the end. Doesn't that tell us enough about his character? If we welcome Xuande here, Cao Cao will turn on us. We will be involved in hostilities for no good reason. I would cut off this envoy's head and have it delivered to Cao Cao! That should raise your standing with the prime minister, my lord."

  Sternly Sun Qian said, "I do not fear death. My master is loyal, heart and soul, to the Han. There is no comparison with a Cao Cao, a Yuan Shao, or a Lü Bu, whose service he entered only under duress. You, General Liu, are a descendant of the Han, a kinsman bonded in friendship, and that is why he seeks—despite all obstacles—to join you. How can Cai Mao purvey such slanders and show his jealousy of men of worth?" "I have made up my mind," Liu Biao said to Cai Mao in a tone of rebuke. "You need say no more." Shamed and resentful, Cai Mao left. Liu Biao had Sun Qian inform Xuande of his decision, and then he personally traveled thirty li outside the city to welcome his guest. At the reception Xuande showed great reverence for Liu Biao, who extended the most generous hospitality. Xuande introduced Lord Guan and Zhang Fei, who offered their respects, and all together they entered the city of Xiangyang. There the guests were assigned to suitable quarters.8

  When Cao Cao discovered where Xuande had gone, he wanted to attack Jingzhou at once. Cheng Yu tried to dissuade him: "It is too risky with Yuan Shao threatening from the north. Return to the capital and build up your forces. After the spring thaw we can destroy Yuan Shao first and then take Xiangyang, sweeping north and then south in a single action." Cao Cao accepted this advice and took his army back to Xuchang.

  In the first month of Jian An 7 (a.d. 202) Cao Cao reopened discussion of the campaign. He detailed Xiahou Dun and Man Chong to hold Runan and keep Liu Biao in check; he left Cao Ren and Xun Wenruo guarding Xuchang; and then he himself led the main army back to Guandu.

  Yuan Shao, having recovered from the physical effects of last year's campaigns—catarrh and spitting of blood—was ready to plan another attack on the capital. Shen Pei argued against it: "In the battles at Guandu and Cangting last year our morale was badly hurt. We need to stay on the defensive and strengthen the army and the people." During this discussion, however, word came that Cao Cao had returned to Guandu and was preparing to attack Jizhou. "I don't think we can wait for the enemy to reach our walls and moats before we take the field," Yuan Shao said. "I will lead the main army myself." Then Yuan Shang, his youngest son, spoke up. "Father's condition does not yet permit a long campaign. Let me take command," he said. Yuan Shao consented and directed the other three provinces of his realm to gather their forces and defeat Cao Cao. Indeed:

  Hardly had the war drums died away at Runan

  When they began rolling again north of the river.

  Could Cao Cao dominate both sides of the Yellow River?

  Read on.

  32

  Yuan Shang and His Brother Struggle for Jizhou;

  Xu You Proposes Diverting the River Zhang

  Yuan Shang, who had killed Cao Cao's commander Shi Huan at Cangting, confidently marched his host of tens of thousands to Liyang without waiting for the armies of his brothers. At Liyang he engaged Cao Cao's vanguard. Zhang Liao rode out first, hot for combat. Spear braced, Yuan Shang answered the challenge but could not fend off Zhang Liao; he fled the field. Pressing his advantage, Zhang Liao drove the stunned Yuan Shang back to Jizhou. There Yuan Shao, in shock after his son's defeat, collapsed vomiting quantities of blood.

  Lady Liu rushed Yuan Shao to a bedroom. His survival looked doubtful. She summoned Shen Pei and Pang Ji to his bedside to discuss the succession. Unable to speak, Yuan Shao answered by gestures. "Shall Shang succeed you?" Lady Liu asked. Yuan Shao nodded. Shen Pei wrote out his lord's testament. Yuan Shao rolled over, uttered a last cry, and passed away, blood spewing from his mouth.1 A later poet wrote:

  From this noble and long-honored line

  Sprang a youth of unrestrained ambition,

  Who called three thousand champions up in vain

  And led his puissant armies to their ruin.

  No glory for this sheep in tiger's hide!

  No triumph for a chicken phoenix-plumed!

  The saddest part of this pathetic end:

  Both brothers of this fallen house were doomed.2

  Shen Pei took charge of Yuan Shao's funeral. Lady Liu had all five of Yuan Shao's favored concubines put to death. Driven by jealousy, she had their heads shaved, their faces slashed, and their corpses mutilated, lest they try to rejoin their master in the netherworld. As a further precaution Yuan Shang killed the concubines' relatives. Next, Shen Pei and Pang Ji installed Yuan Shang as chief commanding officer and protector of the four provinces Ji, Qing, You, and Bing. After these measures were taken, they announced Yuan Shao's death.

  Yuan Tan had already marched from Qingzhou to fight Cao Cao when he learned
of his father's death. Guo Tu advised him, "My lord, hasten to Jizhou, or Shen Pei and Pang Ji will take advantage of your absence to put Shang in power." But Xin Ping cautioned, "Those two will be ready for us. Go now at your peril." "What should I do?" Yuan Tan asked. "Station troops outside the city and wait,"3 Guo Tu said, "while I go in and survey the scene." Yuan Tan approved this plan; Guo Tu proceeded to Jizhou and presented himself to Yuan Shang.4

  After the formalities Yuan Shang asked, "Where is my brother?" "With the army, convalescing. He couldn't come today," Guo Tu answered. "By my father's will," Yuan Shang said, "I am now lord. My brother is promoted to general of Chariots and Cavalry. Cao Cao threatens the southern border, and I want my brother to hold the front against him. I will bring reinforcement." Guo Tu replied, "We have no tacticians with the army. Could you let us have Shen Pei and Pang Ji?" Yuan Shang responded, "I depend on their counsel myself at all times. I cannot spare them." "Then," Guo Tu pressed, "would you send one of them?" Unable to refuse this request, Yuan Shang had the two men draw lots. Pang Ji was selected and went back with Guo Tu to deliver the seal and ribbon of command.

  Finding Yuan Tan in perfect health, however, Pang Ji proffered the regalia with great anxiety. Yuan Tan would indeed have put Pang Ji to death, but Guo Tu dissuaded him: "With Cao Cao at the border, we'd better keep Pang Ji entertained to avoid provoking your brother. There'll be time enough to make our bid for Jizhou after Cao is defeated." Yuan Tan broke camp and advanced to Liyang. Deploying opposite Cao Cao, he sent Wang Zhao to challenge the enemy. Xu Huang rode forth to engage him. The duel had hardly begun when Xu Huang swept Wang Zhao to the ground with a stroke of his blade. Cao Cao's men pressed forward and fell upon the northerners. Yuan Tan retreated to Liyang and sought Yuan Shang's aid.