Lord Guan would not retreat, and the wound would not heal. His commanders were searching high and low for a good doctor when one arrived unexpectedly by boat from the Southland. A petty officer led him to Guan Ping, who studied the man. He had a square cap and loose-fitting clothes. A black satchel hung from his arm. Volunteering his name, he said, "I am Hua Tuo (styled Yuanhua) from the Qiao district in the fief of Pei. Hearing that General Guan, the world-renowned hero, has been wounded by a poisoned arrow, I have come especially to cure him." "I believe you are the man who once treated Zhou Tai of the Southland," Guan Ping said. "That is true," Tuo replied. Guan Ping was delighted, and in company with the commanders he took Hua Tuo in to Lord Guan.
Lord Guan was in terrible pain and worried about morale in the army. He was playing chess with Ma Liang to divert himself when they arrived. He invited the doctor in and, after the formalities, offered him a seat. Tea was served and drunk. Hua Tuo then asked to examine the wound. Lord Guan bared his arm and stretched it out. "This is from a crossbow," Hua Tuo said. "There is aconite infiltrating the bone. The arm will be useless if not treated soon." "What would you use?" Lord Guan asked. "I can save it," Hua Tuo answered, "but I am afraid Your Lordship would shrink from the treatment." With a smile Lord Guan responded, "To me, death is my homecoming. I will not shrink."
Hua Tuo continued, "In a quiet room we will have to set up a post with a loop nailed to the top. I will ask you to put your arm through the loop and let us tie it. We will cover your head with a blanket. I will cut through to the bone with a razor and scrape the poison off the bone; then after applying some medicine, I will sew up the wound. Nothing will happen to you; I am only afraid you will shrink from the surgery." "Is that all? It won't bother me a bit," Lord Guan replied. "And you can dispense with post and loop." With that he ordered a feast set forth.
After a few cups, Lord Guan resumed his game of chess with Ma Liang as he extended his arm and instructed the doctor to start the operation. An attendant held a basin under the arm to catch the blood. Hua Tuo took up his knife and said, "I am ready. Have no fear, Your Lordship." "Do what is required," said Lord Guan. "Don't think I shrink from pain like any common fellow." Hua Tuo parted the flesh, exposing the bone: it was already coated green. The knife made a thin, grating sound as it scraped the surface, until everyone present blanched and covered his face. But Lord Guan continued eating and drinking, laughing and talking as he played, showing no sign of pain.
In a short time the basin filled with blood. Hua Tuo finished the scraping, applied medicine, and sewed the wound shut. Lord Guan got up, smiled, and said to his commanders, "The arm is as flexible as ever. There is no pain at all. Master, you are a marvelous physician." Hua Tuo replied, "In a lifetime of practice I have never seen anything like this! It is Your Lordship who is more than human!" A poet of later times left these lines:
Physic and surgery—two branches of one art—
The rare and subtle science of the mortal world.
For superhuman might, Lord Guan may take the crown;
For sacred skill in healing, Hua Tuo wins renown.
When his wound was better, Lord Guan held a banquet to thank Hua Tuo. "Your Lordship's wound is cured," the doctor said, "but it must still be protected from any shock of anger. It will take a hundred days before everything is normal." Lord Guan offered Hua Tuo one hundred taels of gold, but the physician said, "I seek no reward. Your reputation for a high-minded sense of honor brought me here." Firmly refusing payment, Hua Tuo left a prescription for medicine to put on the wound; then he took his leave and departed.1
After Lord Guan's stunning victories—the capture of Yu Jin and the execution of Pang De—his name resounded across the northern heartland, impressing one and all. When spies reported Lord Guan's triumph in the capital, Cao Cao summoned his advisers and said in alarm, "I have always known that Lord Guan surpassed all others in wisdom and valor. Now he holds Xiangyang: the tiger has grown wings! Yu Jin has been captured, Pang De killed, and our own keen mettle blunted. What if they come straight to the capital? I think we should take the precaution of transferring the government."
Sima Yi objected to this proposal: "Yu Jin's men drowned in the flood, not in battle. Jin's defeat does not affect the government's position. Moreover, current discord between the Liu and Sun houses means that if Lord Guan gets what he wants, Sun Quan will be very unhappy. This is the time, Your Highness, to send someone down there who, by judicious argument—and by offering the entire Southland to Sun Quan as his fief once peace is restored—will be able to convince Sun Quan to muster a force and quietly pounce on Lord Guan from behind. That is how to relieve the siege at Fan."2
First Secretary Jiang Ji added, "Sima Yi is right. Send a man to the Southland. There's no need to move the capital and disturb the people. Cao Cao assented, and the idea of moving the capital was dropped. In a tone of dismay Cao said to his commanders," Yu Jin followed me for thirty years. It surprised me that at the moment of truth he didn't measure up even to Pang De. Now I want a man to take the letter to the Southland, and I also want a ranking commander to check Lord Guan's advance. " Even as he spoke, a commander standing below volunteered. Cao Cao turned to him. It was Xu Huang. Well pleased, Cao Cao put fifty thousand picked men in Xu Huang's command, with Lü Jian as his deputy. On the appointed day the army advanced to Yangling Slope and camped there, waiting for an answer from the Southland before marching on.
On receiving Cao Cao's letter, Sun Quan readily accepted the proposed plan and swiftly dispatched his answer. He then assembled his counselors. Zhang Zhao made the first argument: "The recent news is that the north is so shaken by Lord Guan's victories over Yu Jin and Pang De that Cao Cao wants to move the capital and thus avoid the brunt of Guan's attack. Now that Fan may fall, he sends to us for help. But after the situation is stabilized, he will only go back on his word." Before Sun Quan had time to speak, a report came in: "Commander Lü Meng has arrived by boat from Lukou with important business to present in person." Sun Quan summoned the commander, who said, "Lord Guan has deployed around Fan. Now is the time to attack Jingzhou, when he is on a far-off campaign." "I was thinking rather of going north and taking Xuzhou," Sun Quan replied. "Cao Cao, too, is far from his base on the north side of the Yellow River," Lü Meng said, "and has no time to look east to Xuzhou, it's true. Moreover, the province is lightly defended and should fall easily. However, the terrain favors the army rather than the navy. Even if we capture it, holding it will be another matter. I would take Jingzhou first; and then with the whole of the Great River secured, we can consider our next move." "Exactly my thought," Sun Quan responded. "I only wanted to sound you out. Quickly devise a plan. I will follow you with my army."3
Lü Meng bade Sun Quan good-bye and returned to Lukou. There, mounted scouts informed him: "Up and down the river there are warning-fire beacons, some twenty, some thirty li apart." Lü Meng also learned that the Jingzhou forces were magnificently marshaled and fully prepared for attack. Startled, he said, "If that is how things stand, our plans are in trouble. A day ago I was trying to convince Lord Sun to capture Jingzhou. And now—how am I going to put my words into deeds?" Unable to come with a solution, Lü Meng hid from his lord under cover of illness.
Sun Quan was deeply saddened by the news of Lü Meng's illness. Another commander, Lu Xun, came forward and said, "Lü Meng's illness is not real; it is put on." "If you are sure of that," Sun Quan said, "look into it." As ordered, Lu Xun went to Lukou and saw Lü Meng, whose face, as he had expected, showed no sign of illness. Lu Xun said to him, "I have been instructed by Lord Sun to inquire most respectfully into what has given discomfort to your esteemed self." Lü Meng replied, "Some unforeseen disorder afflicts my humble person—hardly worth troubling yourself to inquire after." "Lord Sun has entrusted a heavy responsibility to you," Lu Xun went on. "But instead of seizing the time to act, you vainly nurse this melancholia. Why?" Lü Meng studied his visitor a long while but said nothing. Lu Xun continued, "I would be so foo
lish as to proffer a little prescription that should remedy your disorder, General. However, I am not certain it applies." Lü Meng dismissed his attendants and said, "Vouchsafe the precious remedy, and soon." With a smile Lu Xun said, "Your disorder is due to the magnificent marshaling of the Jingzhou army and its flare warning system along the river. But I have a plan to keep the guardians of the flare stations from raising the signal, a plan that will bring the armies of Jingzhou to surrender tamely. Would that suit you?" Lü Meng blurted out startled thanks, saying, "You speak as if you could see into my vitals. I would learn your worthy plan."
"Lord Guan counts too much on his heroic valor," Lu Xun explained, "and assumes he has no equal. You alone cause him concern. General, take this opportunity to resign your office, pleading ill health. Yield your command here at Lukou to someone else, someone whom we will instruct to acclaim and exalt Lord Guan with self-deprecatory phrases in order to feed his arrogance. Then he will be sure to pull back from Jingzhou and concentrate on Fan. If he leaves Jingzhou unprepared, a surprise attack by one of our contingents will yield control of it with a minimum of effort." Lü Meng was delighted with the ruse. He persisted in claiming he was too sick to appear, and finally submitted a written resignation.
Lu Xun returned and explained the strategy to Sun Quan, who accordingly summoned Lü Meng back to Jianye to convalesce. Coming before Lord Sun, Lü Meng was told, "Originally, Zhou Yu recommended Lu Su as his replacement for the post you hold; Lu Su recommended you. Now you, too, should recommend someone able and well regarded to replace you." "If we appoint an important person," Lü Meng said, "Lord Guan will be on his guard. Lu Xun is a profound strategist and, having no more than a local reputation, is unlikely to cause Lord Guan anxiety. If you appoint him in my place, our plan should carry." Delighted, Sun Quan made Lu Xun subordinate commander and inspector on the Right, replacing Lü Meng as defender of Lukou.4
Lu Xun declined the honor, saying, "I am too young and inexperienced to assume so heavy a task." But Sun Quan said, "Lü Meng's recommendation could not be wrong. I will not take no for an answer." And so Lu Xun accepted the seal of office and departed at once for Lukou. After assuming command of all infantry, cavalry, and naval forces, Lu Xun drew up a letter to Lord Guan and sent it by messenger together with champion horses, rare silk damasks, wine, and other gifts.
While Lord Guan was recuperating from his wound and refraining from military action, the announcement came: "The Southland's chief commander at Lukou, Lü Meng, is dangerously ill. Sun Quan has recalled him for treatment and assigned Lu Xun to replace him. Lu Xun has sent a man with a letter and gifts as a gesture of respect." Lord Guan summoned the messenger and, pointing at him, said, "It seems rather shortsighted of Sun Quan to appoint a mere boy as general." The messenger bowed down to the ground and said, "General Lu presents this letter and these ceremonial gifts not only to honor Your Lordship, but with an earnest desire for accord and amity between the houses of Liu and Sun. I pray your indulgence in accepting them."
Lord Guan unsealed the letter and studied it. The language was the ultimate in self-deprecation and reverence. After perusing it, Lord Guan looked up and laughed, ordered his aides to receive the gifts, and sent the messenger back. The messenger told Lu Xun: "Lord Guan was appreciative and delighted. The Southland should not concern him any further."
Lu Xun could not have been more pleased. He sent spies into Jingzhou who reported that Lord Guan had indeed shifted most of his men to the siege at Fan and was waiting only for his wound to heal before launching the attack. After verifying the details, he dispatched the news to Sun Quan overnight. Sun Quan summoned Lü Meng and told him, "As expected, Lord Guan has pulled troops out of Gong'an and Jiangling in order to attack Fan. We can prepare the tactics to surprise the province. You and my younger cousin, Sun Jiao, shall lead the offensive. What do you say?" Sun Jiao (Shuming) was the second son of Quan's uncle Sun Jing.
Lü Meng responded, "If Your Lordship has confidence in me, use me alone. If you have confidence in Sun Jiao, use him alone. You must remember how much conflict there was when Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu were left and right field marshals; that was because Cheng Pu felt his senior status compromised by Zhou Yu's authority to make decisions. Cheng Pu had to see Zhou Yu's talents at work before he paid him the respect he deserved. My own talents fall far short of Zhou Yu's, and Sun Jiao is closer to you than Cheng Pu was; I'm afraid things wouldn't balance out."
Sun Quan saw the wisdom of Lü Meng's point and made him chief commander with authority over all armed forces. He ordered Sun Jiao to oversee supply and support operations from the rear. Lü Meng prostrated himself in gratitude; then he called up thirty thousand men and eighty swift craft. He selected a group of able sailors, disguised them in the plain clothes that merchants usually wear, and placed them at the oars. Concealed in the hulls were crack troops. Next, he assigned seven ranking commanders—Han Dang, Jiang Qin, Zhu Ran, Pan Zhang, Zhou Tai, Xu Sheng, and Ding Feng—to advance in series. The rest of the commanders were to remain with Sun Quan to provide support and reinforcement. The preparations complete, Lü Meng sent a letter to Cao Cao telling him to attack Lord Guan from the rear; and Lu Xun in Lukou was informed of all steps taken. Finally, the sailors dressed as merchants began their mission. They steered their light craft to the Xunyang River, moving at full speed day and night until they hit the north shore.
When challenged by Lord Guan's soldiers at the signal-flare stations, the Southlanders replied, "We are all merchants from afar. The wind blocked our course on the river, so we have come to take refuge here." They offered gifts to the station guards, who took their word and permitted them to anchor along the shore. Toward the second watch, the troops hidden in the boats emerged as a body, seizing and binding the station guards. At a silent signal the troops in all eighty boats appeared, captured the soldiers at the key signal stations, and hustled them back to the boats. Not one escaped. The Southlanders then struck out for Jiangling in unimpaired secrecy.
As they approached Jiangling in Jingzhou, Lü Meng used fair words to placate the men he had captured by the river; by means of various generous gifts he got them to agree to deceive the gate guards and, once inside, to start signal fires.5 The captives followed orders. Lü Meng had them lead the way. Late that night when they reached the walls, the gatekeepers recognized their own men and opened at their call. A united shout arose from the crowd of soldiers, and just inside the gate they set the signal fires. The Southlanders rushed in and took the city by surprise.
Lü Meng immediately issued a decree: "If any soldier kills one man or takes one article, he will be dealt with by strict military law." The city's administrators were told to continue in their current duties. Lord Guan's family was moved to different quarters and placed under protective custody. A report was sent to Sun Quan.
During a day of heavy rains, Lü Meng and his attendants were riding around inspecting the four gates of the city. They spotted one of Meng's men wearing a common cape and straw hat over his armor. Meng ordered the man held and interrogated; he turned out to be a fellow villager of Lü Meng's. "Although you come from my home region," the commander said, "you have violated my publicly proclaimed order and military law must therefore be applied." Tearfully, the man appealed: "I only feared that the rains would damage the armor issued to me, so I took the cape and cap to protect it. It was not for my personal use. Please, General, consider our bond as fellow townsmen." "I fully appreciate your intention," Lü Meng replied, "but when all is said and done, it is forbidden to take any article belonging to the people." He ordered the man removed and executed, and then ordered his head displayed publicly. Afterward he had head and body gathered up and buried. At the interment Lü Meng wept. From then on, strict discipline prevailed throughout the armed forces.
Within a day Sun Quan and his forces arrived; Lü Meng received his lord outside of the city walls. After paying tribute to the achievement of the troops, Sun Quan ordered Pan Jun to resume control of civil administrati
on of all Jiangling's affairs. He released Yu Jin from jail and sent him home to Cao Cao. Then he comforted the population, rewarded his men, and held a great banquet to celebrate the victory. On that occasion Sun Quan said to Lü Meng, "Jingzhou is now ours. But how can we recover Gong'an, which Fu Shiren holds, and Nanjun district, which Mi Fang governs?" As he spoke, someone stepped forward and said, "I think I can talk Fu Shiren into surrendering, and save us the effort of military action." The assembly turned to Yu Fan. Sun Quan said to him, "You must have some exceptional plan to induce Fu Shiren to surrender." "He and I have been close friends since childhood," Yu Fan responded. "If I can show him where his true interests lie, I am sure he will come over." Sun Quan was delighted and sent Yu Fan with five hundred soldiers straight to Gong'an.6
Fu Shiren, when he learned of the loss of Jingzhou, ordered a strict defense of his city. Yu Fan arrived to find the gates shut tight, so he wound a letter round an arrow and shot it over the wall. It was brought to Fu Shiren who studied carefully its call to surrender. Putting the letter aside, he thought, "When he departed, Lord Guan showed hatred for me.7 I'm better off surrendering." So he opened the gates and bade Yu Fan enter. The two men exchanged courtesies and discussed their old friendship. Yu Fan spoke of Sun Quan's magnanimity and honorable treatment of able men. Shiren was delighted and went with Yu Fan to Jiangling to deliver the seal of his office.
Greatly pleased, Sun Quan asked him to resume control of Gong'an. But Lü Meng whispered to Sun Quan, "Don't put him back in Gong'an while Lord Guan is still free, or he will turn on us before too long. Why not send him on to Nanjun to urge Mi Fang to surrender?" Accordingly, Sun Quan said to Shiren, "You and Mi Fang are old and good friends. If you can induce him to join our side, you will be richly rewarded." Fu Shiren agreed eagerly. Taking a dozen riders, he went to Nanjun. Indeed:
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