The Three Kingdoms, Volume 1: The Sacred Oath: The Epic Chinese Tale of Loyalty and War in a Dynamic New Translation

by Luo Guanzhong

  As the other one was also of the same opinion, Dong Zhuo followed this advice. An envoy was sent that day to announce the appointment of Yuan Shao as Prefect of Bohai.

  On the first day of the ninth month, the Emperor was asked to be present at Jiade Hall to meet all his officials and generals. There, Dong Zhuo, sword in hand, addressed the assembly. “The Emperor is weak and unintelligent, and not fit to be the ruler of the empire. Now, all of you, listen to the document I have prepared.”

  Li Ru read as follows: “The dutiful Emperor Ling too soon left his subjects. And all the people of the land looked up to his inheritor, but upon the present Emperor Heaven has conferred small gifts: in dignity and deportment he is deficient and in mourning he is remiss. His faults being apparent, he is inadequate for the throne. The Empress Dowager is improper in instruction and inefficient in administration. The sudden death of the late Emperor’s mother has caused many to wonder. How can the doctrine of The Three Guides* and the rule of Heaven and Earth be injured? Now Prince Xie of Chenliu is sage and virtuous in every way. He conforms to all the rules of propriety. In mourning he is sincere and in speech he is always correct. His fine reputation spreads throughout the empire. He is well-fitted for the great duty of continuing the rule of Han to infinity.

  “Therefore the Emperor is deposed and created Prince of Hongnong and the Empress Dowager retires from the administration.

  “Pray accept Prince of Chenliu as the new Emperor in compliance with the will of Heaven and the desires of men, so as to fulfill the hopes of all the people.”

  This having been read, Dong Zhuo ordered the attendants to lead the Emperor down from the throne, remove his imperial seal, and cause him to kneel facing the north as befitting his new status of a prince waiting to be commanded by his master. Moreover, he bade the mother take off her dress of ceremony and await the imperial command.

  Both victims wailed bitterly and every official present was deeply affected. One of them put his anger in words, saying, “Shameless Dong Zhuo, how dare you plot this insult against the will of Heaven? I will give my life to stop it!” So saying he threw his ivory baton† at the conspirators. It was Minister Ding Guan and he was immediately taken and put to death at the vicious man’s order. But before he was executed he never ceased rebuking the oppressor nor was he frightened at death.

  The rebel Dong conceived the foul design,

  To thrust the King aside and wrong Han’s line.

  With indifference the courtiers stood, save one

  Ding Guan who dared to cry that wrong was done.

  Then the Emperor designate was asked to take the seat of the throne to receive respects from his officials. After this the deposed Emperor, his mother, and his wife were removed to a separate building. The entrance gates were locked and no official could enter without permission. It was pitiful! There was the young Emperor, having reigned less than six months, already deposed and another put in his place. The new Emperor was his younger brother Xie, then only nine years old. He was known in history as Emperor Xian of the East Han Dynasty. The reign title was changed to Chu Ping.

  As prime minister, Dong Zhuo was arrogant beyond all reason. When he bowed before the throne he did not declare his name; when he went to court he did not hasten; and when he entered the audience hall he did not take off his boots or sword. Never had anyone been as powerful as he.

  His chief advisor constantly urged him to employ men of reputation so as to gain public esteem. So when someone recommended Cai Yong as a man of talent, Dong Zhuo summoned him, but to his fury, Cai Yong refused to come. Then Dong Zhuo sent a message to him, threatening to kill his whole clan unless he did as he was told to do. Cai Yong had to give in and appeared before him. Dong Zhuo was very gracious to him and promoted him three times in one month. He became a high-ranking official and seemed to be much favored by the tyrant.

  Meanwhile the deposed Emperor, his mother, and wife were imprisoned in their lodging and found their daily supplies of food and clothing gradually diminishing. The former ruler wept incessantly. One day he chanced to see a pair of swallows flying about in the courtyard, which moved him to verse.

  Green in the mist grows the tender grass,

  Graceful and gentle do the swallows dance.

  Clear is the water in the rippling stream

  Which travelers praise when they softly pass.

  With lingering gaze the roofs I see,

  Of the palace that once sheltered me.

  May someone with a noble mind

  Help me vent the grievance in my heart.

  The spy, sent by Dong Zhuo occasionally to the place for news of the prisoners, got hold of this poem and showed it to his master.

  “So he shows his resentment by writing poems, eh! A good excuse to put them all out of the way,” he said.

  Li Ru went with ten armed men to commit the foul deed. The three were in one of the upper rooms when they arrived. The deposed Emperor shuddered with fright when the maid announced the visitor’s name.

  Presently Li Ru entered and offered a cup of poisoned wine to the Emperor. The Emperor asked him what it meant.

  Li Ru said, “Spring is the season of harmony and the prime minister Dong sends you the wine of longevity.”

  “If so, you drink it first,” said the Empress Dowager.

  “You will not drink?” cried Li Ru furiously. He called his men to place the dagger and the roll of white cloth before her.

  “Take these if not the cup,” he bellowed.

  Then Lady Tang, the Emperor’s wife, knelt down and pleaded, “Let me drink the wine for my lord. Please spare the mother and son.”

  “Who do you think you are that can die for a prince?” he shouted.

  Then he presented the cup to the mother once more and pressed her to drink. She railed against her brother, the unresourceful He Jin, for bringing in the wicked Dong Zhuo and causing all this trouble.

  Li Ru approached the Emperor and pressed hard.

  “Let me bid farewell to my mother,” he entreated, and weeping heart-brokenly, he sang the following lines:

  Oh, Heaven and Earth change places, the sun and the moon leave their courses,

  I, deprived of my empire, am driven to the farthest confines.

  Oppressed by a vicious minister, my life nears its end,

  Everything fails me and in vain my tears fall.

  Lady Tang also sang:

  Heaven is to be rent asunder, Earth to fall away,

  I, having served an emperor, would grieve if I followed him not.

  We are fated to part for the quick and the dead do not cross in their ways,

  Alas, I am left alone with grief in my heart.

  When they had sung these lines they fell weeping into each other’s arms.

  “The prime minister is expecting my report,” shouted Li Ru, “and you delay too long. Do you think there is any hope of succor?”

  The Empress Dowager burst into another fit. “The vicious Dong Zhuo forces us, mother and son, to die. Heaven will not permit it! And all of you who help him to do this evil will surely suffer extermination of your whole clans!”

  Li Ru became more angry. He laid his brutal hands on her and pushed her down the stairs. Then he ordered the soldiers to strangle Lady Tang and poured the wine of death down the throat of the poor young Emperor. Then he reported the bloody deed to his master, who ordered him to bury the victims outside the city.

  After this Dong Zhuo’s behavior was more atrocious than ever. He spent nights in the palace, defiled the maids there, and even slept on the imperial couch. Once he led his soldiers out of the city, and came to a place called Yangcheng where the villagers, men and women, were assembled for an annual festival in the second month of the lunar year. Dong Zhuo ordered his soldiers to surround the place and begin killing and plundering. All the men were killed and all the women taken prisoners. They took away booty by the cart load, and they hung their victims’ heads under the carts. The procession returned to the city and fab
ricated a story that they had obtained a major victory over some rebels. They burned the heads beneath the city walls and the women and booty were shared out among the soldiers.

  An officer named Wu Fu was disgusted at this ferocity and sought a chance to slay the tyrant. He constantly wore a breastplate underneath his court dress and carried a concealed sharp dagger. One day when Dong Zhuo came to court Wu Fu met him on the steps and tried to stab him. But Dong Zhuo was a very powerful man and held him off till Lu Bu came to his help. Wu Fu was struck down at once.

  “Who told you to rebel?” asked Dong Zhuo.

  Wu Fu glared at him and cried, “You are not my lord, I am not your minister: where is the rebellion? Your crimes fill the heavens and every man would slay you. I am sorry I cannot tear you apart to appease the wrath of the whole land.”

  Dong Zhuo ordered him to be taken out and hacked to pieces. He only ceased cursing as he ceased to live.

  Men praise Wu Fu, that loyal servant of the latter days of Han.

  His valor was high as the Heavens, in all ages unequaled;

  In court itself would he slay the tyrant, so great is his fame!

  Throughout all time will men call him a hero.

  Dong Zhuo’s misuse of power had also reached Yuan Shao in Bohai. He sent a secret letter to Wang Yun in which he mentioned that he had assembled an army and would sweep clean the royal habitation. He urged Wang Yun to find an opportunity to destroy the wicked man.

  One day while waiting in attendance at court he noticed that all the officials of long service were present. So he said to his colleagues, “It is my birthday today. Would you like to come to a little party at my house this evening?”

  “Certainly,” they said. “We’ll come to wish you long life.”

  That evening a banquet was given in the inner hall and his friends gathered there. When the wine had made a few rounds, the host suddenly covered his face with his sleeves and wept bitterly.

  All the guests were aghast. “Why do you cry, sir, and on your birthday, too?” they asked in surprise.

  “This isn’t my birthday,” he replied. “But I wanted to call you together and I was afraid lest Dong Zhuo should suspect, so I used that as an excuse. This villain insults the Emperor and dominates the court so that the state is in imminent danger. I think of the days when our illustrious founder destroyed Qin and annihilated Chu to establish the empire. Who could have foreseen this day when it should be lost to Dong Zhuo. That is why I weep.”

  Then they all wept with him.

  Seated among them, however, was Cao Cao who did not join in the weeping but clapped his hands and laughed. “If all the officials weep from dawn to night and from night to dawn, will the tears kill Dong Zhuo?” he demanded.

  His host turned on him angrily. “Your forebears also benefited from the bounty of the Hans—do you feel no gratitude? You can still laugh?”

  “I laughed because none of you can think of a way to kill him. Incapable as I am, I will cut off his head and hang it at the city gate to avenge the nation.”

  The host left his seat and went over to Cao Cao’s. “What good idea do you have, Meng-de?”

  “These days I have bowed my head to Dong Zhuo,” replied Cao Cao. “In fact, I have been waiting for a chance to destroy him. Now he trusts me greatly and I can often approach him. I hear you have a seven-treasure dagger which I would like to borrow and I will take it with me to go to his house and kill him even though I may die for it.”

  “What good fortune for the whole country if you are willing to do that!” exclaimed his host. And he himself filled a goblet with wine for his guest, who held it in hand and swore an oath. Then the precious dagger was brought out and given to Cao Cao, who hid it under his robe. Then he finished his wine, took leave of the others, and left. Before long they all dispersed.

  The following day, Cao Cao, with the dagger girded on, came to Dong Zhuo’s house. “Where is the minister?” he asked.

  “In the small chamber, “answered the attendants.

  Cao Cao went in and found him seated on a couch. Lu Bu was standing at his side.

  “Why are you so late, Meng-de?” asked Dong Zhuo.

  “My horse is too weak to go fast.”

  Dong Zhuo turned to his adopted son and said, “Some good horses have come in from Xiliang. You go and pick one out for Meng-de.” And the young man left.

  He’s doomed to die, thought Cao Cao. He thought to strike then but, knowing how powerful Dong Zhuo was, he wanted to make sure of his blow. Now Dong Zhuo was very fat and he could not remain sitting for long, so he rolled over and lay facing inwards.

  “Now’s the time,” thought Cao Cao, and he at once took the dagger in his hand. But just as he was to deal the fatal blow, Dong Zhuo happened to look up and in the big mirror he saw Cao Cao drawing a dagger behind him.

  “What are you doing, Meng-de?” he asked, turning suddenly.

  Cao Cao, in a panic, dropped on his knees and said, “I have a choice sword here which I want to present to Your Benevolent Lordship.” At that moment Lu Bu was already outside the chamber with the horse.

  Dong Zhuo took it and found that it was over a foot long, inlaid with seven treasures and had a very sharp edge—a fine sword indeed. He handed the weapon to Lu Bu and Cao Cao took off the sheath, which he also gave to the young man.

  Then they went out to look at the horse. Cao Cao thanked the minister and said that he would like to try riding it. So Dong Zhuo told his men to bring him saddle and bridle. Cao Cao led the horse out of the house, leaped into the saddle and urged his horse to gallop away at full speed toward the southeast.

  Lu Bu said, “It seemed to me Cao Cao was going to stab you just now. Only when he was exposed did he present the sword.”

  “I suspected him too,” said Dong Zhuo. Just then Li Ru came in and they told him about it.

  “He has no family here but lives quite alone by himself,” said Li Ru. “Send for him now. If he comes without any suspicion then the sword was meant as a gift, but if he makes excuses he intended assassination. And you can arrest him.”

  So Dong Zhuo sent four prison warders to call Cao Cao. They were gone for a long time and then came back with the news that he had not returned to his lodging but had ridden in haste out of the east gate. When he was questioned by the gate wardens he said that he was on an urgent mission for the minister and gone off at full speed.

  “He was afraid that he might be found out so he fled. There is no doubt that he meant to stab you,” said Li Ru.

  “And I trusted him so much,” cried Dong Zhuo in a rage.

  “There must be accomplices—when we catch him we will know,” said Li Ru.

  Dispatches and images of the fugitive were sent out everywhere with orders to arrest him on sight. A large reward of money and a promise of promotion to noble status were offered to whoever caught Cao Cao, while anyone who sheltered him would be held to share his guilt.

  Cao Cao escaped outside the city and fled toward his hometown. Unfortunately, while he was passing through Zhongmou, he was recognized by the guards at the gate and made a prisoner. They took him to the magistrate. Cao Cao declared that he was a merchant and his surname was Huangfu. The magistrate looked at him closely but did not speak for a long time—he seemed to be lost in thought.

  Then he said, “When I was seeking a post in the capital I knew you as Cao Cao. How can you conceal your identity?”

  He ordered the guards to keep him in prison until the next day when he would be sent to the capital and the reward claimed. However, late that night, the magistrate sent a trusty servant to bring the prisoner into his private chamber for interrogation.

  “They say the prime minister treated you well. Why did you want to bring trouble to yourself?” asked the magistrate.

  “How can swallows and sparrows understand the aspirations of the wild goose? I am your prisoner and you will give me over to Dong Zhuo for a reward. Why so many questions?”

  The magistrate sent away
his attendants and said to the prisoner, “Do not despise me. I am not a mere hireling, only I have not yet found the rightful lord to serve.”

  “My ancestors all served under the Hans and enjoyed their bounty. I would be no different from a beast if I did not desire to dedicate myself to the empire. I had submitted to Dong Zhuo’s tyranny in the hope that I might find an opportunity to slay him so as to remove this evil for the people. I have failed this time. Such is the will of Heaven.”

  “And where are you going?”

  “Home to my village. I will issue a call, urging all the lords to come up with arms and join their forces in destroying the tyrant. This is what I intend to do,” said Cao Cao.

  At this, the magistrate himself loosened the cord that bound the prisoner’s hands, helped him to a seat and bowed to him, saying, “You are truly a man of loyalty and justice, sir.”

  Cao Cao in his turn also bowed to the magistrate and asked him his name.

  “My name is Chen Gong. My aged mother and family are in another place in the east. Your loyalty to the country and your sense of justice have moved me deeply. I will abandon my office and escape with you,” said the magistrate.

  Cao Cao was delighted with this turn of events. Then the magistrate prepared some money for the journey and asked his new friend to change his clothes. Carrying a sword each on their backs, they left for Cao Cao’s home village. Three days later, they reached Chenggao toward the evening. Cao Cao, pointing with his horsewhip to somewhere deep in the woods, said: “There lives my uncle, Lu Bo-she, a sworn brother of my father’s. Shall we go and ask news of my family and seek shelter for the night?”