Cao Rui next sent down a command to build Fragrant Forest Park. He had all the ranking men at court carry earth and plant trees inside. Minister of the Interior Dong Xun submitted a vehement remonstrance to the Wei ruler:
The wars of the Jian An era broke some families and extinguished others, leaving as survivors orphans, the elderly, and the feeble. Even if Your Majesty had deemed the imperial quarters too confining and had sought to enlarge them, it still would have been appropriate to schedule the work to avoid interfering with agriculture. It is all the more so for work on unnecessary construction! Your Majesty has honored your courtiers by distinguishing them with fine headgear, clothing them in finery, transporting them in elegant carriages—all to separate them from those of no consequence. Today these same courtiers have been put to work lugging wood and earth until their bodies are drenched and their feet soiled. It detracts from the glory of the kingdom to give such importance to the irrelevant. The park is indefensible. Confucius has said, "The lord employs the vassal according to ritual formality; the vassal serves the lord with loyalty." How is the kingdom to stand with neither formality nor loyalty?
Your servant knows full well that thus to speak is to die. But my worth amounts to but one hair from an ox's hide. If one's life is useless, can death be a loss? Writing brush in hand, I let tears flow, in my heart bidding farewell to this world. My eight sons might become a burden to Your Majesty after my death. Overcome with anxiety, I await your command.
Cao Rui read the petition and said angrily, "Has Dong Xun no fear of death?" The imperial aides petitioned for his execution. Cao Rui said, "The man has always been loyal and honorable. Let us reduce him to commoner status now. Another outrageous statement and he dies." At the time Zhang Mao (Yancai), a companion of the crown prince, had also remonstrated vehemently; Cao Rui had ordered him executed.
That day Cao Rui summoned Ma Jun to ask his advice: "We are building a tall terrace and a multilevel gallery for easy commerce with immortal spirits who might bestow on us the secret of eternal youth." Ma Jun addressed the sovereign: "Of Han's twenty-four sovereigns, Emperor Wu enjoyed the longest rule. His extraordinary longevity was doubtless due to his having ingested the essence of the sun and the aura of the moon. Once in the Chang'an palace they built the Cypress Beam Terrace. Inside the terrace, they placed a standing bronze statue of a man holding a bowl in both hands. It was called the Bowl for Receiving the Dew; it caught the congealed mist called Heaven's Ambrosia or Sweet Dew that falls from the Northern Dipper during the third watch. If this fluid is mixed with the grindings of fine jade and then administered, it will reverse the course of age and restore youth." Cao Rui said with delight, "Take some men; go at once to Chang'an. Remove the bronze statue and set it up in Fragrant Forest Park."
Accordingly, Ma Jun led ten thousand workers to Chang'an, had them erect a scaffolding around Cypress Beam Terrace, and went up into it. In a short time five thousand men with ropes and lanyards had circled their way up as well. The terrace stood two hundred spans high, and the bronze column was ten arm-lengths around. Ma Jun ordered the statue pulled down first; but when a number of men joined together and accomplished this, lo, the statue's eyes filled with tears. The men were astonished. Suddenly a stormy wind sprang up along the terrace, sending dirt and stones flying with the speed of driving rain. With a deafening roar, as if the heavens had fallen or the earth opened wide, the terrace and the pillar toppled over, crushing a thousand of the men.
Ma Jun took the bronze statue and the golden bowl back to Luoyang and presented them to the Emperor, who asked, "Where is the bronze pillar?" Ma Jun replied, "It weighed a million catties, too heavy to move here." Cao Rui ordered the pillar broken up for shipping to Luoyang. There it was recast into two bronze figures called wengzhong, and these were placed outside the Sima mansion gates.8 The Emperor also had cast a bronze dragon and a bronze phoenix, a pair. The dragon was forty spans high, the phoenix more than thirty; they were set before the hall. Finally, in Supreme Forest Park they planted rare flowers and trees and raised exquisite birds and strange animals.9 Yang Fu, an assistant to the imperial guardian, remonstrated by petition to Cao Rui:
Your servant has learned that the sage-king Yao built with thatch and bramble and the ten thousand kingdoms lived in peace. Great Yu kept a humble dwelling and the world labored content. The Yin and Zhou dynasties used reception rooms three spans above ground and nine mats in size. Never did the sagely sovereigns and enlightened kings of old adorn their quarters to excess and weaken thereby the economic strength of the population.
The villainous sovereign Jie, however, had gem-decorated rooms and ivory-inlaid corridors; and the evil monarch Zhou built the Tilted Palace and the Deer Terrace. Both destroyed their dynasties in this way. King Ling of Chu built Zhang Hua Hall and brought ruin on himself; and the First Emperor of Qin left a legacy of disaster for his son by building the E Pang Palace: the empire revolted, and the house of Qin fell in its second reign.
To gratify the desires of ear and eye without properly calculating the economic strength of the multitude is the sure road to oblivion. Take these kings as your model: Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu; and be forewarned by these: Jie, Zhou, Chu, and Qin. For if you still go on to amuse and regale yourself with fancy palaces and towers, your doom is assured. The sovereign is the head, the vassals his limbs. The vassals share the fate of their lord; they are parts of the whole. Your servant may be but a weak-willed jade, but I dare not forget a vassal's honored duty. If I did not speak keenly home, I could not awaken Your Majesty to the dangers. Let the coffin be prepared and my body washed: I await the death sentence.
Cao Rui ignored the petition and insisted that Ma Jun build the tower to house the bronze statue with its dew-collecting pan. Then he issued another edict for an empirewide selection of beautiful women to be brought into Fragrant Forest Park. His officials bombarded him with petitions and protests, but Cao Rui paid no heed.
Cao Rui's consort, nee Mao, came from Henei. Earlier, when Rui was prince of Pingyuan, they had enjoyed each other's deep love and affection. And when he later ascended the throne, she became his empress. But afterward Lady Guo had replaced her in Rui's favor. Lady Guo was lovely and shrewd. Cao Rui doted on her, and the enjoyment they shared day after day would often keep him inside the imperial living quarters for more than a month at a time. In the third month of the year, when the flowers of Fragrant Forest Park were in their glory, Cao Rui and Lady Guo went there to enjoy the gardens and to drink wine. Lady Guo said, "Shouldn't we invite the Empress to share our enjoyment?" "If she were with us," the Emporer replied, "I couldn't enjoy a drop of the wine." He instructed the palace beauties to keep all knowledge of his pleasure outings from Empress Mao.
Empress Mao observed that Cao Rui had not entered the official palace chambers for more than a month. She took a dozen of her attending ladies to the Alcedine Flowers Terrace for recreation where she heard music playing, clear and gay. "Where is the performance?" she asked, and one of her women let slip the truth, saying, "His Sacred Majesty and Lady Guo are enjoying the flowers and drinking in the royal garden." The Empress was vexed and returned to her palace to compose herself.
The next day Empress Mao rode forth to enjoy the sights in a small carriage. Meeting up with Cao Rui in a winding corridor, she smiled and said, "Your Majesty's excursion to the northern garden yesterday must have been great fun!" Cao Rui angrily ordered all his attendants brought before him to punish the discloser of his activities. "On yesterday's excursion," he said, "we forbade those with us to divulge anything to Empress Mao. How was the information released despite my order?" So saying, he roughly commanded his palace officers to execute all the attendants. Empress Mao returned to the palace in great distress, and Cao Rui issued an edict granting her permission to take her life. He then made Lady Guo his empress. No one at court dared remonstrate.
One day the imperial inspector of Youzhou, Guanqiu Jian, petitioned to inform the Emperor that Gongsun Yuan of Liaodong had
revolted and declared himself king of Yan; that he had adopted the reign title Extending Han; that he had built a palace and appointed a body of officials; and that his invading army had shaken the north. Cao Rui, in great alarm, gathered his civil and military officials to discuss mustering the army to repel Gongsun Yuan. Indeed:
The northern kingdom was newly exhausted by Cao Rui's imperial projects;
It was now faced with war threats to the north.10
How would the ruler of Wei meet the invasion?
Read on.
106
Suffering a Defeat, Gongsun Yuan Dies at Xiangping;
Feigning Illness, Sima Yi Deceives Cao Shuang
Gongsun Yuan was the grandson of Gongsun Du, also of Liaodong, and the son of Gongsun Kang. In the twelfth year of Jian An (a. d. 207), before Cao Cao had reached Liaodong in his pursuit of Yuan Shang, Gongsun Kang delivered Shang's head to him; for this favor Cao Cao had enfeoffed Gongsun Kang as lord of Xiangping. When Gongsun Kang died, two sons survived him: Huang, the elder, and Yuan. Because they were both quite young, Kang's brother, Gongsun Gong, inherited his position. At the time, Cao Pi appointed Gongsun Gong general of Chariots and Cavalry and enfeoffed him as lord of Xiangping. By the second year of Tai He (a. d. 228), Gongsun Yuan had grown to manhood well trained in civil and military matters. After Yuan, who had a resolute character and a penchant for combat, had wrested control of Liaodong from his uncle Gong, Cao Rui appointed him General Who Shows Mettle and governor of Liaodong.
Some time later, Sun Quan sent Zhang Mi and Xu Yan to Liaodong with gifts of gold, pearls, and fine gemstones and an offer to enfeoff Gongsun Yuan as king of Yan. But Yuan, unwilling to antagonize the Wei kingdom, put the two Southland envoys to death and sent their heads to Cao Rui. Cao Rui thereupon promoted Yuan to grand marshal and senior lord of Yuelang. Dissatisfied, Gongsun Yuan proposed to his court that he assume the title of king of Yan and change the reign title to Extending Han. Jia Fan, a lieutenant commander, remonstrated with him, saying, "The rank of senior lord granted to Your Lordship by Wei is no mean honor. If you break faith with them, it will be seen as rebellion. Further, Sima Yi is a fine general. Not even the Martial Lord Zhuge of the western Riverlands succeeded in besting him. What can Your Lordship expect to achieve?" Gongsun Yuan angrily ordered his attendants to tie up Jia Fan and take him away for execution.
Military Adviser Lun Zhi protested: "Jia Fan is in the right! The Sage has said, 'When a kingdom is going to fall, there will be monstrous visitations. ' Recently many uncanny and frightful things have been seen in our kingdom—a dog in Taoist headgear and dressed in red walked on a roof like a man. In another case, some country folk south of the city were preparing their meal when inside the rice pot they found a small boy who had been steamed to death. Again, in the north market of Xiangping a hole opened up in the ground and a piece of flesh was thrown up. It was several spans around and it had a face with features, but it lacked the four limbs. It was impervious to sword or arrow; no one knew what to make of it. A diviner said, 'A shape not completed, a mouth that's mute: the ruling house will fall. Note well the warning sign. ' Considering these three omens of ill fortune, it would behoove Your Lordship to make no reckless moves lest you incur disaster."
In a fresh outburst of anger Gongsun Yuan ordered his armed guards to take Lun Zhi and Jia Fan to the marketplace for execution. Then, placing Chief General Bei Yan in command and making Yang Zuo the vanguard, Gongsun Yuan mobilized an army of one hundred and fifty thousand Liao troops for an attack on the kingdom of Wei.
Officials from the border area reported the threat to Cao Rui, who summoned Sima Yi to court. Sima Yi said to him, "The forty thousand in my command—infantry, cavalry, and officers—will suffice to defeat the rebels." Cao Rui responded, "Your force is too small to fight so far away. Won't it be difficult to get back?" "What counts," Sima Yi replied, "is not numbers but the ability to surprise and outwit the enemy. Your servant, favored with Your Majesty's boundless blessing, will not fail to capture Gongsun Yuan and deliver his head." Cao Rui responded, "What tactics do you expect from Gongsun Yuan?" Sima Yi answered, "His best move would be to leave the city before we arrive; the next would be to defend Liaodong against us; the worst would be to defend Xiangping. If he resorts to the last, I will capture him for sure." "How much time will it take you to go and return?" asked Cao Rui. "Four thousand li?" Sima Yi said. "One hundred days to go, one hundred to fight, one hundred to return; add sixty days of rest: one year should do." "And if Wu and Shu should invade?" Cao Rui asked. "Your Majesty need not worry," he replied. "Protective measures have already been taken." Satisfied, Cao Rui commanded Sima Yi to undertake the punitive expedition against Gongsun Yuan.
Sima Yi took his leave and left the city. His vanguard, Hu Zun, went ahead with the forward army and fortified a position near Liaodong. Mounted scouts quickly brought word to Gongsun Yuan; he had Bei Yan and Yang Zuo post two armies of forty thousand each at Liaosui, dig a moat around the town, and surround the moat with a dense barrier of brambles and sharp stakes. Informed of Gongsun Yuan's measures, Sima Yi smiled and said, "The rebels will not fight; they want to wear us down. If their main forces are here, their havens should be empty, so let's head for Xiangping. When the rebels try to rescue it, we can hit them en route and thus score a great victory." He therefore guided the Wei troops along the path to Xiangping.
Gongsun Yuan's commander, Bei Yan, conferred with Yang Zuo and said, "If the Wei troops attack, let us not engage. Having come such a distance, they will be too short of grain and provender to hold out for long. Once their food is gone, they'll withdraw; a surprise attack then should put Sima Yi in our hands. A few years ago Sima Yi was locked in a standoff with the Riverlands army. He sat tight on the south bank of the River Wei, and Kongming finally died during the campaign. The same tactics should work now on him." During this conference a fresh report came in: "The Wei army has shifted to the south." Bei Yan was alarmed. "Then they know how few troops we have at Xiangping and have gone to raid our old camp. If we suffer a loss there, defense here is useless." Bei Yan broke camp and pursued the northern forces.
Mounted scouts rushed word to Sima Yi, but he only smiled and said, "They are moving into my trap!" He had Xiahou Ba and Xiahou Wei put two ambushes in place along the shore of the River Liao, and told them, "Strike together if the Liao troops come." The two commanders went to perform their assignment.
Soon Xiahou Ba and Xiahou Wei saw Bei Yan and Yang Zuo approaching. At the report of a bombard they attacked from two sides, furiously sounding their drums and roaring and waving their flags. From the left Xiahou Ba and from the right Xiahou Wei closed in for the kill. Bei Yan and Yang Zuo lost all heart for combat and fled in disarray. Reaching Crown Mountain, they met Gongsun Yuan arriving with his forces and reorganized themselves to face the enemy and resume battle. Bei Yan rode forth and taunted the northerners: "Traitors, enough tricks! Do you dare to fight or no?" Xiahou Ba raced against him, sword wheeling. The battle was brief. Bei Yan fell under Xiahou Ba's blade. The Liao army went to pieces, and Xiahou Ba's troops hunted them down. Gongsun Yuan fled with his defeated soldiers into Xiangping, where he sealed himself in. The Wei army mounted siege from all sides.
It was the season of autumn rains, and a month of steady downpour had left the ground flooded to a depth of three spans. Boats carrying grain reached Xiangping direct from the mouth of the River Liao. The Wei troops, surrounded by water, could neither march nor maintain their positions. Left Field Marshal Pei Jing went into the main tent and said, "These rains have turned the camps to mud; the soldiers cannot stay here. I request permission to move the camps onto the hill ahead." Sima Yi answered angrily, "We are on the verge of capturing Gongsun Yuan. The camps must not be moved, and the next man to speak of it dies." Pei Jing withdrew, mollifying Sima Yi. Soon Right Field Marshal Chou Lian entered the main tent and said, "The men are suffering from the wetness. We appeal to the grand commandant to move the camps to some high point." Sima Yi in great a
nger replied, "How dare you contradict a direct order?" He ordered Chou Lian removed and executed. His head was hung at the camp entrance, and the whole army was chilled into silence.
Sima Yi ordered his southernmost positions to withdraw twenty li to enable the troops inside the city to come out, fetch firewood, and graze their oxen and horses. Captain Chen Qun questioned Sima Yi: "Earlier, Grand Commandant, to attack Shangyong you divided your army into eight units, and inside of eight days you had reached the town and captured Meng Da alive in a great victory. Now with forty thousand in armor, and after coming a great distance, instead of ordering an attack on their fortified town, you settle down for a long wait in the mud and even let the enemy out for firewood and grazing. I find myself at a loss to understand what the grand commandant has in mind." Sima Yi smiled and answered, "Don't you know anything about the art of war? At that time Meng Da had ample grain and few soldiers; and we had many troops and little grain, so we had to fight quickly. We struck where he least expected it and we won the day. But in this case the Liao troops are numerous and ours are few. The enemy is going hungry, not us. Why spend our strength in an attack? The right thing is to let them escape and then attack them. I have opened the door: allowing them access to firewood and grazing gives them their way out." Chen Qun expressed respectful admiration for this plan.
Three Kingdoms Page 140
