Three Kingdoms Romance

by Guanzhong Luo

  “Your ways were crooked, and so I left you,” said Chen Gong.

  “You say I was crooked; and what of your serving Lu Bu?”

  “Though he was a fool, he did not resemble you in deceit and wickedness.”

  “You say you are able enough and clever, but what about your position today?”

  Turning toward Lu Bu, Chen Gong said, “This man would not follow my advice. Had he done so, he would not now be a captive.”

  “What think you ought to be done about this day's work?” said Cao Cao.

  “There is death for me today, and that is the end!” said Chen Gong undauntedly.

  “Very well for you; but what of your mother and wife and children?”

  “It is said that one who rules with due regard to filial piety does not harm a person's family; one who would show benevolence does not cut off the sacrifices at a person's tomb. My mother and wife and children are in your hands. But since I am your prisoner, I pray you slay me quickly and not to try to harrow my feelings.”

  Cao Cao's heart still leaned toward mercy, but Chen Gong turned and walked away, repulsing the attendants who would stop him. Cao Cao rose from his place and walked with Chen Gong, the tears falling from his eyes. Chen Gong never looked at him.

  Turning to his guards Cao Cao said, “Let his mother and family be taken to Xuchang and looked after immediately. Any postponement will be punished!”

  The condemned man heard him but uttered no word. He stretched out his neck for the blow. Tears sprang to the eyes of all present. His remains were honorably coffined and buried in Xuchang.

  A poem pitying Chen Gong's fate says:

  Neither hope of life nor fear of death moved him.

  How brave was he, a hero indeed!

  But his lord heeded not his words,

  Wherefore in vain possessed he great talents.

  Nevertheless, in that he stood by his master.

  To parting with wife and mother,

  He merits our pity and profound respect.

  Who would resemble Chen Gong

  That day he died at the White Gate Tower?

  While Cao Cao sadly escorted Chen Gong on the way to death, Lu Bu appealed to Liu Bei, “Noble Sir, you sit there an honored guest while poor I lie bound at your feet. Will you not utter one word to alleviate my lot?”

  Liu Bei nodded. As Cao Cao returned to his place, Lu Bu called out, “Your only trouble, Illustrious Sir, is myself, and I am on your side now. You take the lead, I will help you, and together the world is at our feet.”

  “What do you think?” said Cao Cao turning to Liu Bei.

  “You are willing to forget the episodes of Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo?”

  “Truly the lout is not to be trusted!” said Lu Bu, looking at Liu Bei.

  “Strangle and expose!” said Cao Cao.

  As he was led away, Lu Bu turned once more to Liu Bei, “You long-eared lout, you forget now the service I rendered you that day at my camp gate, when my arrow hit the mark!”

  Just then some one shouted, “Lu Bu, O fool! Death is but death, and why are you scared at it?”

  Every one turned to look; the guards were hustling Zhang Liao to the place of judgment. Cao Cao ordered Lu Bu's execution.

  A poet has written upon the death of Lu Bu:

  The flood spreads wide, the city drowns,

  Its lord is captive. Nought avails

  His courser's speed or halberd's thrust.

  The tiger erstwhile fierce, now whines

  For mercy. Cao Cao had meted him

  Full well, a falcon flown at will

  And hungry kept. Poor fool! He let

  Chen Gong's advice be overborne

  By harem tattle; vainly now

  He rails against the Long-Ears' faith.

  And another poem says:

  Round is the hungry tiger, eater of men, for whom is no pity,

  Since the blood of his victims is fresh and not yet dry.

  Liu Bei spoke no word in favor of Lu Bu,

  To whom even a father's life was not sacred.

  It was recorded earlier that the executioners were hustling Zhang Liao forward. Pointing to him from above, Cao Cao said, “He has a familiar face.”

  “You were not likely to forget me; you saw me before in Puyang,” said Zhang Liao.

  “O, so you remember me, eh?”

  “Yes; more is the pity.”

  “Pity for what?”

  “That the fire that day was not fierce enough to burn you up, rebel that you are.”

  Cao Cao began to get angry. “How dare you insult me?” cried he and lifted his sword to kill the bold speaker.

  The undaunted Zhang Liao never changed color, but stretched out his neck for the blow. Then a man behind Cao Cao caught his arm, and in front of him another dropped on his knees, saying, “O Prime Minister, I pray thee stay thy hand!”

  Lu Bu whining was not spared,

  Railing Zhang Liao far better fared.

  Who was it that saved Zhang Liao? The next chapter will show.

  CHAPTER 20. Cao Cao Organizes A Hunting Expedition In Xutian; Dong Cheng Receives A Secret Command In The Palace

  The last chapter said that Cao Cao was checked in his angry attack upon Zhang Liao. They were Liu Bei who held his arm and Guan Yu who knelt before him.

  “A man as generous-hearted as he is should be saved,” said Liu Bei.

  Guan Yu said, “I know him well as loyal and righteous. I will vouch for him with my own life!”

  Cao Cao threw aside his sword and smiled.

  “I also know Zhang Liao to be loyal and good; I was just testing him,” said he.

  Cao Cao loosed the prisoner's bonds with his own hands, had a change of dress brought in, and clothed him therewith. Then he was led to a seat of honor. This kindly treatment sank deep into Zhang Liao's heart, and he hastened to declare formally that he yielded. And then he was given the rank of Imperial Commander and the title of Lordship.

  Zhang Liao was sent on a mission to win over the bandit leader Zang Ba, who hearing what had happened, came forthwith and gave in his submission. He was graciously received, and his former colleagues — Sun Guan, Wu Dun, and Yin Li — also yielded, with the exception of Chang Xi, who remained obdurate. All these former enemies who came over were kindly treated and given posts of responsibility wherein they might prove the reality of their conversion. Lu Bu's family were sent to the capital.

  After the soldiers had been rewarded with feasting, the camp was broken up and the army moved away to Xuchang. Passing through Xuzhou the people lined the roads and burned incense in honor of the victors. They also petitioned that Liu Bei should be their protector.

  Cao Cao replied, “Liu Bei has rendered great services. You must wait till he has been received in audience and obtained his reward. After that he shall be sent here.”

  The people bowed low to the ground to express their thanks. Che Zhou, General of the Flying Cavalry, was given command of Xuzhou for the moment.

  After the army had arrived at the capital, rewards were granted to all the officers who had been in the expedition. Liu Bei was retained in the capital, lodging in an annex to the Prime Minister's palace.

  Next day a court was held, and Cao Cao memorialized the services of Liu Bei who was presented to Emperor Xian. Dressed in court robes, Liu Bei bowed at the lower end of the audience arena. The Emperor called him to the Hall and asked his ancestry.

  Liu Bei replied, “Thy servant is the son of Liu Hong, grandson of Liu Xiong, who was a direct descendant of Prince Faubus of Zhongshan, who was the son of His Majesty the Emperor Myers (circa BC 150).” The Emperor bade them bring forth the Books of the Genealogies, and therefrom a secretary read:

  “Liu Jing the Filial Emperor begot fourteen sons of whom the seventh was Liu Sheng, Prince of Zhongshan; Sheng

  begot Liu Zhen, Lord of Luchang; Zhen begot Liu Ang, Lord of Pei ((an ancient state)); Ang begot Liu Lu, Lord of Zhang ((an ancient state)); Lu begot Liu Lian, Lord of Yishui;
Lian begot Liu Ying, Lord of Qinyang; Ying begot Liu Jian, Lord of Anguo; Jian begot Liu Ai, Lord of Guangling; Ai begot Liu Xian, Lord of Jiaoshui; Xian begot Liu Shu, Lord of Zuyi; Shu begot Liu Ziyang, Lord of Qiyang; Ziyang begot Liu Bi, Lord of Yuanze; Bi begot Liu Da, Lord of Yingchuan; Da begot Liu Buyi, Lord of Fengling; Buyi begot Liu Hui, Lord of Jichuan; Hui begot Liu Xiong, Governor of Zhuo; Xiong begot Liu Hong, who held no office or rank; and Liu Bei is his son.”

  The Emperor compared this with the registers of the Imperial House and found by them that Liu Bei was his uncle by descent. The Emperor seemed greatly pleased and requested Liu Bei to go into one of the side chambers where he might perform the ceremonial obeisance prescribed for a nephew to his uncle. In his heart he rejoiced to have this heroic warrior uncle as a powerful supporter against Cao Cao who really held all the power in his own hands. The Emperor knew himself to be a mere puppet. He conferred upon his uncle the rank of General of the Left Army and the title of Lord of Yicheng.

  When the banquet was concluded, Liu Bei thanked the Emperor and went out of the palace. And from this time he was very generally styled the “Imperial Uncle.”

  When Cao Cao returned to his palace, Xun Yu and his fellow advisers went in to see him.

  Xun Yu said, “It is no advantage to you, Illustrious Sir, that the Emperor recognizes Liu Bei as an uncle.”

  “Liu Bei may be recognized as uncle, but he is under my orders since I control the decrees of the Throne. He will be all the more ready to obey. Beside I will keep him here under the pretense of having him near his sovereign, and he will be entirely in my hands. I have nothing to fear. The man I fear is Yang Biao, who is a relative of the two Yuan brothers. Should Yang Biao conspire with them, he is an enemy within and might do much harm. He will have to be removed.”

  Hence Cao Cao sent a secret emissary to say that Yang Biao was intriguing with Yuan Shu, and on this charge Yang Biao was arrested and imprisoned. And his death would have been compassed had his enemy dared.

  But just then the Governor of Beihai, Kong Rong, was at the capital, and he remonstrated with Cao Cao, saying, “Yang Biao comes from a family famed for virtue for at least four generations; you cannot trump up so foolish a charge as that against him.”

  “It is the wish of His Majesty,” retorted Cao Cao.

  “If the child Emperor Cheng of Zhou Dynasty had put Duke Chao to death, could the people have believed Duke Zhou, the Regent Marshal, had nothing to do with it? 1”

  So Cao Cao had to relinquish the attempt, but he took away Yang Biao's offices and banished him to his family estate in the country.

  Court Counselor Zhao Yan, an opponent of the Prime Minister, sent up a memorial impeaching Cao Cao for having removed a minister of state from office without a decree. Cao Cao's reply to this was the arrest of Zhao Yan and his execution, a bold stroke which terrified the bulk of officers and reduced them to silence.

  Cheng Yu advised Cao Cao to assume a more definite position. He said, “Illustrious Sir, your prestige grows daily; why not seize the opportunity to take the position of Chief of the Feudatory Princes?” “There are still too many supporters of the court,” was the reply. “I must be careful. I am going to propose a royal hunt to try to find out the best line to follow.”

  This expedition being decided upon they got together fleet horses, famous falcons, and pedigree hounds, and prepared bows and arrows in readiness. They mustered a strong force of guards outside the city.

  When the Prime Minister proposed the hunting expedition, the Emperor said he feared it was an improper thing to do.

  Cao Cao replied, “In ancient times rulers made four expeditions yearly at each of the four seasons in order to show their strength. They were called Sou, Miao, Xien, and Shou, in the order of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Now that the whole country is in confusion, it would be wise to inaugurate a hunt in order to train the army. I am sure Your Majesty will approve.”

  So the Emperor with the full paraphernalia for an imperial hunt joined the expedition. He rode a saddled horse, carried an inlaid bow, and his quiver was filled with gold-tipped arrows. His chariot followed behind. Liu Bei and his brothers were in the imperial train, each with his bow and quiver. Each party member wore a breastplate under the outer robe and held his especial weapon, while their escort followed them. Cao Cao rode a dun horse called “Flying-Lightning,” and the army was one hundred thousand strong.

  The hunt took place in Xutian, and the legions spread out as guards round the hunting arena which extended over some one hundred square miles. Cao Cao rode even with the Emperor, the horses' heads alternating in the lead. The imperial attendants immediately following were all in Cao Cao's confidence. The other officers, civil and military, lagged behind, for they dared not press forward into the midst of Cao Cao's partisans.

  One day the Emperor was riding toward the hunting grounds and noticed his newly found uncle respectfully standing by the roadside.

  “I should like to see my uncle display his hunting skill,” said the Emperor.

  Liu Bei mounted his steed at once. Just then a hare started from its form; Liu Bei shot and hit it with the first arrow.

  The Emperor, much struck by this display, rode away over a slope. Suddenly a deer broke out of the thicket. He shot three arrows at it but all missed.

  “You try,” said the Emperor turning to Cao Cao.

  “Lend me Your Majesty's bow,” Cao Cao replied; and taking the inlaid bow and the golden-tipped arrows, he pulled the bow and hit the deer in the shoulder at the first shot. It fell in the grass and could not run.

  Now the crowd of officers seeing the golden-barbed arrow sticking in the wound concluded at once that the shot was the Emperor's, so they rushed up and shouted “O King, live forever!” Cao Cao rode out pushing past the Emperor and acknowledged the congratulations.

  They all turned pale. Guan Yu, who was behind Liu Bei, was especially angry. The silkworm eyebrows stood up fiercely, and the red phoenix eyes glared as, sword in hand, he rode hastily forth to cut down the audacious Prime Minister for his impertinence.

  However, Liu Bei hastily waved him back and shot at him a meaning glance so that Guan Yu stopped and made no further move.

  Liu Bei bowing toward Cao Cao said, “Most sincere felicitations! A truly supernatural shot, such as few have achieved!”

  “It is only the enormous good fortune of the Son of Heaven!” said Cao Cao with a smile.

  Then he turned his steed and felicitated the Emperor. But he did not return the bow; he hung it over his own shoulder instead.

  The hunt finished with banqueting; and when the entertainments were over, they returned to the capital, all glad of some repose after the expedition. Guan Yu was still angry of the Prime Minister's breach of decorum.

  One day Guan Yu said to Liu Bei, “Brother, why did you prevent me from killing that rebel and so ridding the world of a scoundrel? He insults the Emperor and ignores everybody else.”

  “When you throw stones at a rat, beware of the vase,” quoted Liu Bei. “Cao Cao was only a horse's head away from Our Lord, and in the midst of a crowd of his partisans. In that momentary burst of anger, if you had struck and failed, and harm had come to the Emperor, what an awful crime would have been laid to us!”

  “If we do not rid the world of him today, a worse evil will come of it,” said Guan Yu.

  “But be discreet, my brother. Such matters cannot be lightly discussed.”

  The Emperor sadly returned to his palace. With tears in his eyes, he related what had occurred in the hunt to his consort, Empress Fu.

  “Alas for me!” said he. “From the first days of my accession, one vicious minister has succeeded another. I was the victim of Dong Zhuo's evil machinations; then followed the rebellion of Li Jue and Guo Si. You and I had to bear sorrows such as no others have borne. Then came this Cao Cao as one who would maintain the imperial dignity, but he has seized upon all real authority and does as he wishes. He works continually for his own glorification,
and I never see him but my back pricks. These last few days in the hunting field, he went in front of me and acknowledged the cheers of the crowd. He is so extremely rude that I feel sure he has sinister designs against me. Alas, my wife, we know not when our end may come!”

  “In a whole court full of nobles, who have eaten the bread of Han, is there not one who will save his country?” said she.

  Thus spoke the Empress, and at the same moment there stepped in a man who said, “Grieve not, O Imperial Pair! I can find a savior for the country.”

  It was none other than the father of the Empress, Fu Wan.

  “Have you heard of Cao Cao's wanton and perverse behavior?” said the Emperor, drying his eyes.

  “You mean the deer shooting? Who did not see that, indeed? But the whole court is full of his clan or his creatures. With the exception of the relatives of your Consort, there is not one loyal enough to deal with a rebel. I have no authority and can do nothing, but there is General Dong Cheng, the State Uncle, who could do it.” “Could Uncle Dong Cheng come in to consult about this? I know he has had much experience of state troubles.”

  Fu Wan replied, “Every one of your attendants is a partisan of Cao Cao, and this sort of thing must be kept most profoundly secret or the consequence will be most serious.”

  “Then what can be done?” said the Emperor.

  “The only plan I can think of is to send gifts of a robe and a jade girdle to Dong Cheng, and in the lining of the girdle hide a secret edict authorizing him to take certain steps. When he gets home and has read the edict, he can elaborate plans as quickly as possible, and neither the spirits above nor the demons below will know anything about them.”

  The Emperor approved, and Fu Wan went out. The Emperor then with his own hand drew up a decree, writing it with blood drawn by biting his finger. He gave the document to Empress Fu to sew into the purple lining of the girdle. When all was done he put on the robe and girded it with the girdle. Next he bade one of the attendants summon State Uncle Dong Cheng to the Palace.

  Dong Cheng came; and after the ceremonies were finished, the Emperor said, “A few nights ago I was talking with the Empress of the terrible days of the rebellion, and we thought of your good services then, therefore we have called you in to reward you.”