Three Kingdoms Romance

by Guanzhong Luo

  “That being so, I shall know that you are true, Uncle.”

  This arrangement made, next day Han Sui with five generals in his train — Li Kan, Ma Wan, Yang Qiu, Hou Xuan, and Liang Xing — rode to the front, while Ma Chao concealed himself behind the great standard. Han Sui sent over to say that he wished to speak to the Prime Minister.

  Thereupon at his command, Cao Hong, with a train of ten horsemen rode out, advanced straight to Han Sui, leaned over to him and said, loudly enough to be heard plainly, “Last night the Prime Minister quite understood. Let there be no mistake.”

  Then without another word on either side Cao Hong rode away.

  Ma Chao had heard. He gripped his spear and started galloping out to slay his companion in arms. But the five generals checked him and begged him to go back to camp.

  When Han Sui saw him, he said, “Nephew, trust me, really I have no evil intentions.”

  But Ma Chao, burning with rage, went away. Then Han Sui talked over the matter with his five generals.

  “How can this be cleared up?”

  “Ma Chao trusts too much to his strength,” said Yang Qiu. “He is always inclined to despise you, Sir. If we overcome Cao Cao, do you think he will give way to you? I think you should rather take care of your own interests, go over to the Prime Minister's side, and you will surely get rank one day.”

  “I was his father's pledged brother and could not bear to desert him,” said Han Sui.

  “It seems to me that as things have come to this pass: you simply have to now.”

  “Who would act as go-between?” asked Han Sui.

  “I will,” said Yang Qiu.

  Then Han Sui wrote a private letter which he confided to Yang Qiu, who soon found his way over to the other camp. Cao Cao was only too pleased, and he promised that Han Sui should be made Lord of Xiliang and Yang Qiu its Governor. The other confederates should be rewarded in other ways. Then a plot was planned: when the preparations for the act of treachery were complete, a bonfire was to be lighted in Han Sui's camp, and all would try to do away with Ma Chao.

  Yang Qiu went back and related all this to his chief, and Han Sui felt elated at the success of his overtures. A lot of wood was collected in camp at the back of his tent ready for the signal blaze, and the five generals got ready for the foul deed. It was decided that Ma Chao should be persuaded into coming to a banquet, and there they would slay him then.

  All this was done, but not without some hesitation and delay, and some news of the plot reached Ma Chao. He found out the careful preparations that had been made and resolved to act first. Leaving Ma Dai and Pang De in reserve, he chose a few trusted leaders and with stealthy steps made his way into Han Sui's tent. There he found Han Sui and his five confederates deep in conversation. He just caught a word or two that Yang Qiu said, “We must not delay, now is the time.”

  In burst Ma Chao raging and yelling, “You herd of rebels! Would you dare to plot against me?”

  They were taken aback. Ma Chao sprang at Han Sui and slashed at his face. Han Sui put up his hand to ward off the blow, and it was cut off. The five drew their swords and set on Ma Chao and his men who rushed outside. Soon Ma Chao was hemmed in by the five, but he kept them at bay by wonderful swordsmanship. And as the swords flashed, the red blood flowed. Soon Ma Wan was down and Liang Xing disabled; then the other three fled.

  Ma Chao ran back into the tent to finish Han Sui, but the servants had removed him. Then a torch was lit, and soon there was commotion all through the camp. Ma Chao mounted his horse, for Pang De and Ma Dai had now arrived, and the real fight began. Cao Cao's troops poured in from all sides, and the Xiliang soldiers fought with each other.

  Losing sight of his companions, Ma Chao and a few of his followers got to the head of the floating bridge over the River Wei just about dawn. There he fell across Li Kan coming over the bridge. Ma Chao set his spear and rode at him full tilt. Li Kan let go his spear and fled. Lucky for him, it seemed at first that Yu Jin came up in pursuit. But unable to get near enough to seize Ma Chao, Yu Jin sent an arrow flying after him. Ma Chao's ear caught the twang of the bowstring, and he dodged the arrow, which flew on and killed Li Kan. Ma Chao turned to attack his pursuer, who galloped away, and then he returned and took possession of the bridge.

  Quickly Cao Cao's troops gathered about him, and the fiercest among them, the Tiger Guards, shot arrows at Ma Chao, which he warded off with his spear shaft so that they fell harmless to the earth. Ma Chao and his troops rode to and fro striking a blow wherever there was a chance, but the enemy were very thick about him, and he could not force his way out. In desperation he cut an arterial alley northwards and got through, but quite alone. Of his followers everyone fell.

  Still he kept on dashing this way and that, till he was brought down by a crossbow bolt. He lay upon the ground and his enemies were pressing in. But at the critical moment, an army came in from the northwest and rescued him. Pang De and Ma Dai had come up in the very nick of time.

  Thus Ma Chao was rescued, and they set him on one of the soldiers' horses, and he again took up the battle. Leaving a trail of blood in his rear, he got away northwest.

  Hearing that his enemy had got away, Cao Cao gave order to his generals, “Pursue him day and night, and rich rewards are for him dead or alive. For his head the rewards are a thousand ounces of gold and the lordship of a fief of ten thousand families. If any one captures Ma Chao, the reward is the rank of general.”

  Consequently the pursuit was hot as every one was anxious to win renown and reward. Meanwhile careless of all but flight, Ma Chao galloped on, and one by one his followers dropped by the way. The footmen who were unable to keep up were captured till very few remained, and only some scores of riders were left. They traveled toward Lintao, a city in Longxi.

  Cao Cao in person joined the pursuit and got to Anding, but there Ma Chao was still far in advance, so he gave up and returned. Gradually the generals did the same, all coming back to Changan. Poor Han Sui, with the loss of his left hand, was an invalid, but he was rewarded with the Lordship of Xiliang. Yang Qiu and Hou Xuan were given noble ranks and offices in Weikou.

  Then orders were given to lead the whole army back to the capital. Yang Fu, a military adviser from Liangzhou, came to Changan to point out the danger of withdrawal.

  “Ma Chao has the boldness of Lu Bu and the heart of a barbarian. Unless you destroy him this time, he will come again and he will be both bolder and stronger, and the whole west will be lost. Wherefore you should not with draw your army.”

  Cao Cao said, “I would be quite willing to finish the subjugation, but there is much to do in the capital and the south is still to conquer. So I cannot remain. But you, Sir, might secure this country for me. Do you consents”

  Yang Fu did consent. And he brought to Cao Cao's notice Wei Kang, who was made Imperial Protector of Liangzhou, with joint military powers. Just before Yang Fu left, he said to Cao Cao, “A strong force ought to be left in Changan, as a reserve in case they be required.”

  “That has been already dealt with,” replied Cao Cao.

  Contentedly enough Yang Fu took leave and went away.

  Cao Cao's generals asked him to explain his recent policy, saying, “Since the first outbreak at Tong Pass, O Prime Minister, the north bank of River Wei was undefended. Why did you not cross to the north bank from the east of the river? But instead you engaged in the attack of the Pass for many days before crossing to the north bank.”

  And he replied, “The rebels first held the Pass. Had I forthwith taken the east of the river, the rebels would have defended the camps one by one and mustered at all the ferries, and I should never have got across the river to the north bank. So I massed troops against Tong Pass and made the rebels guard the south bank so that the west of the river was left open. Thus Xu Huang and Zhu Ling could move there, and I was able later to cross over to the north. Then I made the raised road and the mud rampart to deceive the enemy and cause them to think I was weak and thus embol
den them up to the point of attacking without proper preparation. Then I used the clever device of causing dissension in their ranks and was able in one day to destroy the stored up energy of all their forces. 'It was a thunder clap before you could cover your ears.' Yes indeed; the mutations of the art of war can be called infinite.”

  “But one thing more puzzled us,” said the officers, “and we ask you to explain it. When you heard the enemy was reinforced, you seemed to grow happier. Why was that?”

  “Because Tong Pass is distant from Xuchang; and if the rebels had taken advantage of all defensible points and held them, they could not have been quelled in less than a couple of years. When they came on altogether, they made a multitude but they were not unanimous. They easily quarreled and, disunited, were easily overcome. So I had reason to rejoice that they came on altogether.”

  “Indeed no one can equal you in strategy,” said his officers, bowing low before him. “Still, remember that I rely on you,” said Cao Cao.

  Then he issued substantial rewards to the army and appointed Xiahou Yuan to the command at Changan. The soldiers who had surrendered were distributed among the various troops. Xiahou Yuan recommended Zhang Ji of Gaoling, as his aids.

  So the army returned to Capital Xuchang where it was welcomed by the Emperor in state chariot. As a reward for his service, Cao Cao was given the court privileges of omitting his distinctive name when he was received in audience and of proceeding toward the court without assuming the appearance of frantic haste. Further he might go to court armed and booted, as did the Han Founding Minister Xiao He of old. Whence his prestige and importance waxed mightily.

  The fame of these doings penetrated west into Hanzhong, and one of the first to be moved to indignation was Zhang Lu, Governor of Hanning. This Zhang Lu was a native of Pei ((an ancient state)). He was a grandson of Zhang Ling who retired to Mount Humming, in the Eastern Land of Rivers, where he had composed a work on Taoism for the purpose of deluding the multitude.

  Yet all the people respected Zhang Ling, and when he died his son, Zhang Heng, carried on his work, and taught the same doctrines. Disciples had to pay a fee in rice, five carts. The people of his day called him the Rice Thief.

  Zhang Lu, his son, styled himself Master Superior, and his disciples were called Commonly Devil Soldiers. A headman was called Libationer, and those who made many converts were called Chief Libationers. Perfect sincerity was the ruling tenet of the cult, and no deceit was permitted. When any one fell ill, an altar was set up and the invalid was taken into the Room of Silence where he could reflect upon his sins and confess openly. Then he was prayed for. The director of prayers was called Superintending Libationer.

  When praying for a person, they wrote his name on a slip and his confession and made three copies thereof, called “The writing of the Three Gods.” One copy was burned on the mountain top as a means of informing Heaven; another was burned to inform Earth; and the third was sunk in water to tell the Controller of the Waters. If the sick person recovered, he paid as fee five carts of rice.

  They had Public Houses of Charity wherein the poor found rice and flesh and means of cooking. Any wayfarer was allowed to take of these according to the measure of his appetite. Those who took in excess would invite punishment from on high. Offenses were pardoned thrice; afterwards offenders were punished. They had no officials but all were subject to the control of the Libationers.

  This sort of cult had been spreading in Hanzhong for some thirty years and had escaped repression so far because of the remoteness of the region. All the Government did was to give Zhang Lu the title of General Who Guards the South and the post of Governor of Hanning and take means to secure from him a full quota of local tribute.

  When the reports of Cao Cao's success against the west, and his prestige and influence, reached the Hanzhong people, Zhang Lu met with his counselors, saying, “Ma Teng has died, and Ma Chao defeated, thus the northwest has fallen. Cao Cao's next ambition will be the southwest, and Hanzhong will be his first attack. I should act first by assuming the title of Prince of Hanzhong and superintending the defense.1”

  In reply one Yan Pu said, “The army of this region counts one hundred thousand, and there are ample supplies of everything. The Eastern Land of Rivers is a natural stronghold with its mountains and rivers. Now Ma Chao's soldiers are newly defeated, and the fugitives from the Ziwu Valley are very numerous. We can add them to our army by several ten-thousands more. My advice is that as Liu Zhang of Yiazhou is weak, we should take possession of the forty-one counties of the Western Land of Rivers, and then you may set up your sovereign as soon as you like.”

  This speech greatly pleased Zhang Lu, who then began to concert measures with his brother, Zhang Wei, to raise an army.

  Stories of the movement reached Yiazhou, whose Imperial Protector was Liu Zhang. A son of Liu Yan, a descendant from Prince Gong of the Imperial House. Prince Gong had been moved out to Jingling several generations ago, and the family had settled there. Later, Liu Yan became an official, and when he died in due course, his son was recommended for the vacant Protectorship of Yiazhou.

  There was enmity between Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu, for Liu Zhang had put to death Zhang Lu's mother and brother. When he knew of the danger, Liu Zhang dispatched Pang Xi as Governor of Baxi to ward off Zhang Lu.

  But Liu Zhang had always been feeble, and when he received news from his commander of Zhang Lu's movements, his heart sank within him for fear, and he hastily called in his advisers.

  At the council one haughtily said, “My Master, be not alarmed; I am no genius, but I have a bit of a healthy tongue, and with that I will make Zhang Lu afraid even to look this way.”

  When plots did grow about the west,

  It suited Jingzhou's plans the best.

  The speaker's name and lineage will be told in the next chapter.

  CHAPTER 60. Zhang Song Turns The Tables On Yang Xiu; Pang Tong Proposes The Occupation Of Shu.

  The man who proposed the plan spoken of in the last chapter was Zhang Song, who belonged to Yiazhou and held the small office of Supernumerary Charioteer. His appearance was grotesque. He had a broad forehead, protuberant at the temples like a countryman's hoe, and a pointed head. His nose was flat and his teeth protruded. He was a dwarf in stature but had a deep voice like a great bell.

  “What proposal have you to offer that may avert this danger?” asked the Imperial Protector.

  “My proposal is that we gain the support of Cao Cao. As we know, he has made a clean sweep of the empire. Lu Bu went first, and both the Yuans followed, all exterminated. Lately he has destroyed Ma Chao. In short he is the one man against whom no one can stand. Therefore, my lord, prepare me worthy gifts to take to the capital, and I will get Cao Cao to march an army against Hanzhong, which will keep this Zhang Lu occupied so that we shall be left alone.”

  This met Liu Zhang's views, and so he prepared gold and pearls and rich stuffs, worthy presents for the man of power. And when these were ready, he appointed Zhang Song his emissary. Zhang Song in the meantime occupied his leisure in secretly copying maps and plans of the west country. When all was ready, he started with a small escort.

  They heard this in Jingzhou, and Zhuge Liang sent a trusty person to the capital to keep him informed as to all the doings.

  Zhang Song arrived in Xuchang, and, after he had established himself in his lodging, he made daily visits to the Prime Minister's palace to try to obtain an interview. But the last success had filled Cao Cao with insufferable pride, and he did nothing but give banquets. He never appeared except for the most important affairs, and even carried on the business of the state in his own residence. So Zhang Song waited many days. But when he got to know the persons who were nearest the Prime Minister, he bribed them and obtained an audience.

  Cao Cao was seated in the high place, and after his visitor had finished his salutations, he said, “Your master Liu Zhang has sent no tribute for several years; why?”

  “Because the roads are
dangerous and thieves and robbers infest them. Intercourse is restricted.”

  Cao Cao interrupted in a loud harsh voice, saying, “What thieves and robbers are there when I have cleansed the empire?”

  “How can you say the land is tranquil when one sees Sun Quan in the south, Zhang Lu and Liu Bei in the west, and every one of these with armies reckoned in legions? The weakest of them has one hundred thousand troops.”

  The mean appearance of the emissary had prejudiced Cao Cao from the outset; and when Cao Cao heard these blunt words, he suddenly shook out his sleeves, rose and left the hall.

  Those in attendance were annoyed with Zhang Song and said, “How can you behave so rudely when you come on a mission? Your whole attitude was blunt and discourteous. Happily for you, our lord remembered you had come from afar and did not take open notice of your fault. The best thing for you is to go home again as quickly as you can.”

  But Zhang Song smiled.

  “We have no plausible flatterers and glib talkers in our western country,” said he.

  At this, one from below the steps called out, “So you call us plausible and glib then; and you have none such in your country, eh?”

  Zhang Song looked around and saw the speaker was a man with thin delicate eyebrows crossing narrow eyes set in a pale spiritual face. He asked his name. It was Yang Xiu, son of the former Regent Marshal Yang Biao. The young man was then employed as Chief of the Secretariat of the Prime Minister. He was deeply read and had the reputation of being a clever controversialist, as Zhang Song knew. So on one side was a desire to confound and on the other overweening pride in his own ability, with contempt for other scholars. Perceiving the ridicule in Zhang Song's speech, Yang Xiu invited him to go to the library where they could talk more freely. There, after they had got settled in their respective places, Yang Xiu began to talk about the west.

  “Your roads are precipitous and wearisome,” said Yang Xiu.