Three Kingdoms Romance

by Guanzhong Luo

  Dong Zhuo camped without the walls, but every day he was to be seen in the streets with an escort of mailed soldiers so that the common people were in a state of constant trepidation. He also went in and out of the Palace careless of all the rules of propriety.

  Imperial Commander Bao Xin spoke of Dong Zhuo's behavior to Yuan Shao, saying, “This man harbors some evil design and should be removed.”

  “Nothing can he done till the government is more settled,” said Yuan Shao.

  Then Bao Xin saw Minister of the Interior Wang Yun and asked what he thought.

  “Let us talk it over,” was the reply.

  Bao Xin said no more but he left the capital and retired to the Taishan Mountains.

  Dong Zhuo induced the soldiers of the two brothers He Jin and He Miao to join his command, and privately spoke to his adviser Li Ru about deposing the Emperor in favor of the Prince of Chenliu.

  “The government is really without a head; there can be no better time than this to carry out your plan. Delay will spoil all. Tomorrow assemble the officials in the Wenming Garden and address them on the subject. Put all opponents to death, and your prestige is settled.” So spoke Li Ru and the words pleased Dong Zhuo mightily.

  So the next day Dong Zhuo spread a feast and invited many guests. As all the officers went in terror of him, no one dared be absent. Dong Zhuo himself rode up to the garden last of all and took his place with his sword girded on. When the wine had gone round several times, Dong Zhuo stopped the service and the music and began to speak.

  “I have something to say; listen quietly all of you.”

  All turned towards him.

  “The emperor is lord of all; and if he lacks dignity and behaves in an unseemly manner, he is no fitting inheritor of the ancestral prerogatives. He who is now on the throne is a weakling, inferior to the Prince of Chenliu in intelligence and love of learning. The Prince is in every way fitted for the throne. I desire to depose the Emperor and set up the Prince in his place. What think you?”

  The assembly listened in perfect silence, none daring at first to utter a word of dissent. But one dared; for suddenly a guest stood up in his place, smote the table and cried.

  “No! No! Who are you that you dare utter such bold words? The Emperor is the son of the lawful consort and has done no wrong. Why then should he be deposed? Are you a rebel?”

  The speaker was Ding Yuan, Imperial Protector of Jingzhou.

  Dong Zhuo glared at Ding Yuan, roaring, “There is life for those who are with me, death for those against.”

  Dong Zhuo drew his sword and made for the objector. But the watchful Li Ru had noticed standing behind Ding Yuan a particularly dangerous looking henchman of his, who was now handling his halberd threateningly, and whose eyes were blazing with anger. So Li Ru hastily interposed, saying, “But this is the banquet chamber, and state affairs should be left outside. The matters can be fully discussed tomorrow.”

  His fellow guests persuaded Ding Yuan to leave, and after his departure Dong Zhuo said, “Is what I said just and reasonable?”

  “You are mistaken, Illustrious Sir,” said Lu Zhi. “Of old Emperor Tai Jia of the Shang Dynasty was unenlightened. Wherefore the sage Minister Yi Yin immured him in the Tung Palace till he reformed. Later Prince Changyi ascended the throne, and in twenty-seven days he committed more than three thousand categorical faults. Wherefore Regent Marshal Huo Guang declared in the ancestral temple that Prince Changyi was deposed. Our present Emperor is young, but he is intelligent, benevolent, and wise. He has not committed a single fault. You, Sir, are an imperial protector of a frontier region and not a metropolitan official and have had no experience in state administration. Neither have you the pure intentions of Yi Yin and Huo Guang which qualified their actions. Without that justification such an act is presumption.”

  Dong Zhuo angrily drew his sword to slay the bold Lu Zhi, but two other officials remonstrated.

  “Minister Lu Zhi is the cynosure of the whole country, and his violent death would stir the hearts of all humans,” said Court Counselors Cai Yong and Peng Bo.

  Dong Zhuo then stayed his hand.

  Then said Wang Yun, “A great question like the deposition and substitution of emperors is not one to be decided after a wine party. Let it be put off till another time.”

  So the guests dispersed. Dong Zhuo stood at the gate with drawn sword watching them depart. Standing thus, Dong Zhuo noticed a spearman galloping to and fro on a fiery steed and asked Li Ru who that was.

  “That is Lu Bu, the adopted son of Ding Yuan. You must keep out of his way, my lord.”

  Dong Zhuo went inside the gate so that he could not be seen. But next day a man reported to him that Ding Yuan had come out of the city with a small army and was challenging to a battle. Dong Zhuo, with his army, went forth to accept the challenge. And the two armies were drawn up in proper array.

  Lu Bu was a conspicuous figure in the forefront. His hair was arranged under a handsome headdress of gold, and he had donned a embroidered thousand-flower fighting robe, a pheasant-tailed helmet, and breast plate, and round his waist was a gleaming jade belt with a lion's head clasp. With spear set he rode close behind his master Ding Yuan.

  Ding Yuan, riding forth, pointing his finger at Dong Zhuo, began to revile him.

  “Unhappy indeed was this state when the eunuchs became so powerful that the people were as if trodden into the mire under their feet. Now you, devoid of the least merit, dare to talk of deposing the rightful emperor and setting up another. This is to desire rebellion and no less.”

  Dong Zhuo could not reply for Lu Bu, eager for the fight, rode straight at him. Dong Zhuo fled and Ding Yuan's army came on. The battle went in Ding Yuan's favor, and the beaten troops retired ten miles and made another camp. Here Dong Zhuo called his officers to a council.

  “This Lu Bu is a marvel,” said Dong Zhuo. “If he were only on my side, I would defy the whole world.”

  At this a man advanced saying, “Be content, O my lord! I am a fellow villager of his and know him well, his bravery, his prowess, his cupidity, and his unscrupulousness. With this little, blarneying tongue of mine, I can persuade him to put up his hands and come over to your side.”

  Dong Zhuo was delighted and gazed admiringly at the speaker. It was Li Su, a general in the Imperial Tiger Army.

  “What arguments will you use with him?” asked Dong Zhuo.

  “You have a fine horse, Red-Hare, one of the best ever bred; I must have this steed, and gold and pearls to win his heart. Then will I go and persuade him. He will certainly abandon Ding Yuan's service for yours.”

  “What think you?” said Dong Zhuo to his adviser Li Ru.

  “One cannot grudge a horse to win an empire,” was the reply.

  So they grave Li Su what he demanded — a thousand ounces of gold, ten strings of beautiful pearls, a jeweled belt, and Red-Hare — and these accompanied Li Su on his visit to his fellow villager.

  Li Su reached the camp and said to the guard, “Please tell General Lu Bu that a very old friend has come to visit him.” He was admitted forthwith.

  “Worthy brother, have you been well since we last met?” greeted Li Su while bowing.

  “How long it is since we last saw each other!” replied Lu Bu, bowing in return. “And where are you now?”

  “I am a general in the Imperial Tiger Army. When I learned you were a strong supporter of the Throne, I could not say how I rejoiced. I have come now to present to you a really fine horse, a five-hundred-mile-a-day horse, one that crosses rivers and goes up mountains as if they were the level plain. Its name is Red-Hare. It will be a fitting aid to your valor.”

  Lu Bu bade his guards lead out the horse. It was of a uniform color like glowing sun red; not a hair of another color. It measured ten spans from head to tail and from hoof to neck eight spans. When it neighed, the sound filled the empyrean and shook the ocean.

  Mark ye the steed swift and tireless, see the dust, spurned by his hoofs, rising in clouds;


  Now it swims the river, anon climbs the hill, rending the purple mist asunder;

  Scornful it breaks the rein, shakes from its head the jeweled bridle;

  It is as a fiery dragon descending from the highest heaven.

  Lu Bu was delighted with the horse and said, “What return can I hope to make for such a creature?”

  “What return can I hope for? I came to you out of a sense of what is right,” replied Li Su.

  Wine was brought in and they drank.

  “We have seen very little of each other, but I am constantly meeting your honorable father,” said Li Su.

  “You are drunk,” said Lu Bu. “My father has been dead for years.”

  “Not so; I spoke of Ding Yuan, the man of the day.”

  Lu Bu started. “Yes, I am with him but only because I can do no better.”

  “Sir, your talent is higher than the heavens, deeper than the seas. Who in all the world does not bow before your name? Fame and riches and honors are yours for the taking. And you say you can do no better than remain a subordinate!”

  “If I could only find a master to serve!” said Lu Bu.

  “The clever bird chooses the branch whereon to perch; the wise servant selects the master to serve. Seize the chance when it comes, for repentance ever comes too late.”

  “Now you are in the government. Who think you is really the bravest of all?”, asked Lu Bu.

  “I despise the whole lot except Dong Zhuo. He is one who respects wisdom and reveres scholarship; he is discriminating in his rewards and punishments. Surely he is destined to be a really great man.”

  Lu Bu said, “I wish that I could serve him, but there is no way, I fear.”

  Then Li Su produced his pearls and gold and the jeweled belt and laid them out before his host. “What is this? What does it mean?” said Lu Bu.

  “Send away the attendants,” requested Li Su. And he went on, “Dong Zhuo has long respected your valor and sent these by my hand. Red-Hare was also from him.”

  “But, if he loves me like this, what can I do in return?”

  Li Su said, “If a stupid fellow like me can be a general in the Imperial Tiger Army, it is impossible to say what honors await you.”

  “I am sorry I can offer him no service worth mentioning.”

  Li Su said, “There is one service you can do, and an extremely easy one to perform; but you would not render that.”

  Lu Bu pondered long in silence, then he said, “I might slay Ding Yuan and bring over his soldiers to Dong Zhuo's side; what think you of that?”

  “If you would do that, there could be no greater service. But such a thing must be done quickly.”

  And Lu Bu promised his friend that he would do the deed and come over on the morrow.

  So Li Su took his leave. That very night, at the second watch, Lu Bu entered, sword in hand, into his master's tent. He found Ding Yuan reading by the light of a solitary candle.

  Seeing who came in, Ding Yuan said, “My son, what is afoot?”

  “I am a bold hero,” said Lu Bu. “Don't you think I am willing to be a son of yours.”

  “Why this change, Lu Bu?”

  As a reply Lu Bu made one cut, and Ding Yuan's head fell to the earth. Then Lu Bu called the attendants and said, “He was an unjust man and I have slain him. Let those who back me stay; the others may depart.”

  Most ran away. Next day, with the head of the murdered man as his gift, Lu Bu betook himself to Li Su, who led him to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo received him with a warm welcome and had wine set before him.

  “Your coming is welcome as the gentle dew to the parched grass,” said Dong Zhuo.

  Lu Bu made Dong Zhuo seat himself and then made an obeisance, saying, “Pray let me bow to you as my adopted father.”

  Dong Zhuo gave his newly won ally gold and armor and silken robes and spread the feast of welcome. They then separated.

  Thence Dong Zhuo's power and influence increased rapidly. He gave the lordship of Hu ((an ancient state)) and the rank Commander of the Left Army to his brother Dong Min. He appointed Lu Bu Lord of Luoyang, Commander of Capital District, and Commander of the Right Army. Dong Zhuo made himself Commander of the Central Army.

  The adviser Li Ru never ceased from urging him to carry out the design of deposing the young Emperor. The now all-powerful Dong Zhuo prepared a banquet in the capital at which all the officers of state were guests. He also bade Lu Bu post a company of armed men right and left ready for action. The feast began and several courses were served with nothing to distinguish that banquet from any other.

  Then suddenly the host arose and drew his sword, saying, “He who is above us being weak and irresolute is unfit for the duties of his high place. Wherefore I, as of old did Yi Yin and Huo Guang, will set aside this Emperor giving him the title of Prince of Hongnong, and I will place on the throne the present Prince of Chenliu. And those who do not support me will suffer death.”

  Fear seized them in its grip and they were silent, all but Yuan Shao who said, “The Emperor was innocent of any fault, and to set him aside in favor of a commoner was rebellion and nothing else.”

  “The empire is in my hands;” cried Dong Zhuo, “and when I choose to do this thing, who will dare say nay? Think you my sword lacks an edge?”

  “If your sword is sharp, mine is never blunt,” said Yuan Shao as his sword flashed out of the sheath.

  The two men stood face to face amid the feasters.

  When Ding Yuan by treacherous murder died,

  The loss was great to Yuan Shao's side.

  The fate of Yuan Shao will be disclosed in later chapters.

  CHAPTER 4. The Deposition Of The Emperor: Prince Of Chenliu Becomes Emperor; Schemes Against Dong Zhuo: Cao Cao Presents A Sword

  Dong Zhuo was on the point of slaying Yuan Shao, but Li Ru checked him, saying, “You must not kill rashly while the business hangs in the balance.”

  Yuan Shao, his sword still unsheathed, left the assembly. He hung up the seals of his office at the east gate and went to Jizhou Region.

  Dong Zhuo said to Imperial Guardian Yuan Wei, “Your nephew behaved improperly, but I pardon him for your sake; what think you of my scheme?”

  “What you think is right,” was the reply.

  “If any one opposes the great scheme, he will be dealt with by military law,” said Dong Zhuo.

  The ministers, thoroughly dreaded, promised obedience, and the feast came to an end.

  Dong Zhuo asked Counselor Zhou Bi and Commandant Wu Qiong what they thought of the flight of Yuan Shao.

  Zhou Bi said, “He left in a state of great anger. In such a state of excitement much harm may ensue to the present state of affairs, especially as the Yuan family have been noted for their high offices for four generations, and their proteges and dependents are everywhere. If they assemble bold spirits and call up their clients, all the valiant warriors will be in arms, and the east region of the Huashang Mountains will be lost. You would better pardon Yuan Shao and give him a post. He will be glad at being forgiven and will do no harm.”

  Wu Qiong said, “Yuan Shao is fond of scheming, but he fails in decision and so is not to be feared. But it would be well to give him rank and thus win popular favor.”

  Dong Zhuo followed this advice and thereupon sent a messenger to offer Yuan Shao the governorship of Bohai.

  On the first day of the ninth month, the Emperor was invited to proceed to the Hall of Virtue where was a great assembly of officials. There Dong Zhuo, sword in hand, faced the gathering and said, “The Emperor is a weakling unequal to the burden of ruling this land. Now listen ye to the document I have prepared.”

  And Li Ru read as follows:

  “The dutiful Emperor Ling too soon left his people. The emperor is the cynosure of all the people of this land. Upon

  the present Emperor Bian, the Heaven has conferred but small gifts: in dignity and deportment he is deficient, and in mourning he is remiss. Only the most complete virtue can grace imperial
dignity. Empress He has trained him improperly, and the whole state administration has fallen into confusion. Empress Dong died suddenly and no one knew why. The doctrine of the three bonds — Heaven, Earth, and Human — and the continuity of Heaven and Earth interdependence have both been injured.

  “But Liu Xian, Prince of Chenliu, is sage and virtuous beside being of handsome exterior. He conforms to all the rules of propriety: his mourning is sincere and his speech is always correct. Eulogies of him fill the empire. He is well fitted for the great duty of consolidating the rule of Han.

  “Now therefore the Emperor is deposed and created Prince of Hongnong, and Empress He retires from the administration.

  “I pray the Prince of Chenliu to accept the throne in conformity with the decrees of Heaven and Earth, the desires of people, and the fulfillment of the hopes of humankind.”

  This having been read, Dong Zhuo bade the attendants lead the Emperor down from the throne, remove his seal, and cause him to kneel facing the north, styling himself faithful servant of the Throne and requesting commands. Moreover Dong Zhuo bade Empress He strip off her royal dress of ceremony and await the imperial command. Both victims of this oppression wept bitterly, and every minister present was deeply affected.

  One minister put his discontent into words, crying, “The false Dong Zhuo is the author of this insult, which I will risk my life to wipe away.”

  And with this he rushed at Dong Zhuo threatening with his ivory baton of office.

  It was Secretary Ding Guan. Dong Zhuo had Ding Guan removed and summarily put to death. Before his death, Ding Guan ceased not to rail at the oppressor, nor was he frightened at death.

  The rebel Dong Zhuo conceived the foul design

  To thrust the King aside and wrong his line.

  With folded arms the courtiers stood, save one

  Ding Guan, who dared to cry that wrong was done.

  Then the Emperor designate, Prince of Chenliu, went to the upper part of the hall to receive congratulations. After this the late Emperor — now Prince of Hongnong—, his mother, and the Imperial Consort, Lady Tang, were removed to the Palace of Forever Calm. The entrance gates were locked against all comers.