Romance of the Three Kingdoms II (25 page)

"My lord, by the slaughter of Kuan Yu you have brought misfortune very near to your state. You know the oath sworn in the Peach Garden. Now Liu Pei has the force of Hsich'uan at his back, Chuko Liang as adviser, and those heroes Chang Fei, Huang and Ma Ch'ao to carry out his behests. When Liu Pei hears of the death of both father and son he will set in motion the whole force he has to avenge them, and I fear you cannot stand such an onslaught."

Sun Ch'uan started up in a fright. "Yes; I have made a little mistake," said he. "But seeing it is so, what shall I do?"

"You need have no fear," replied Chang. "I have a plan, to fend off the armies of Hsich'uan from our borders and keep Chingchou quite safe."

"What is your plan?" asked Sun Ch'uan.

'Ts'ao Ts'ao with his many legions is greedily aiming at the whole country. Liu Pei, eager for revenge, will ally himself with him, and, should they combine against this country, we should be in great danger. Therefore I advise you to send Kuan Yu's head to Ts'ao Ts'ao to make it appear that Ts'ao Ts'ao was the prime cause of his destruction. This should divert Liu Pei's extreme hatred toward him and send the armies of Western Shu against Wei instead of toward Wu. After carefully considering the whole matter, I counsel this as the best course of action."

Sun Ch'uan thought the move worth making, and so the head of the great warrior was placed in a box and sent off as quickly as possible to Ts'ao Ts'ao.

At this time Ts'ao's army had marched back from Mopei to Loyang. When he heard of the coming of the gruesome gift he was glad at heart and said, "So Yun-ch'ang is dead; now I can stick to my mat and sleep soundly at night."

But Ssuma I saw through the ruse and said from his place by the steps, "This is a trick to divert evil from Wu."

"What do you mean? How?" said Ts'ao Ts'ao.

"The Peach Garden Oath bound the three brothers to live and die together. Now Wu is fearful of revenge for the execution of one of the three and sends the head to you to cause Liu Pei's wrath to fasten on you, O Prince. He wishes Liu to attack you instead of himself, the real perpetrator of the crime. Then he will find a way of accomplishing his ends while you two are quarreling."

"You are right, friend," said Ts'ao; "and now how can we escape?"

"
I
think escape is easy. You have the head of Kuan Yu; make a wooden image of the remainder of the body and bury the whole with the rites suitable to a minister of state. When Liu Pei hears of this he will turn his hate toward Sun Ch'uan and raise all his forces to attack him. If you will think it out you will see that whichever is victor the other will be smitten, and if we get one of the two the other will follow before very long."

Ts'ao Ts'ao was pleased with the solution. Then he ordered the messenger to come in with the box, which was opened, and he looked upon the face of the dead. The features had not changed; the face bore the same appearance as of old. Ts'ao Ts'ao smiled.

"I hope you have been well since our last meeting, Yun-ch'ang," said Ts'ao.

To his horror, the mouth opened, the eyes rolled and the long beard and hair stiffened. Ts'ao Ts'ao fell to the ground in a swoon.

They rushed to him, but it was a long time before he recovered consciousness.

"General Kuan is indeed a spirit," he said.

Suddenly the messenger who had brought the dead warrior's head became also possessed by the spirit of Kuan Yu, and fell to cursing and reviling his master, Sun Ch'uan, and he told the story of what had befallen Lu Meng.

Ts'ao Ts'ao, filled with dread, prepared sacrifices and performed the rite for the honoured dead. An effigy was carved out of heavy "fragrant" wood and buried outside the south gate with all the rites of a princely noble, a huge concourse of officials of all grades following in the procession. At the funeral Ts'ao Ts'ao himself bowed before the coffin and poured a libation. He also conferred on the dead the posthumous title of "Prince Ching," and appointed guardians of the tomb. The messenger was sent back to Wu.

The Prince of HanChung returned to his capital. Fa Cheng memorialised, saying. "O Prince, thy consort has passed away and the Lady Sun has returned to her maiden home, perhaps never to come again. Human relations should not be set at nought, wherefore a secondary consort should be sought, so that all things may be correctly ordered within the palace."

The prince having signified his acceptance of the principle, Fa Cheng continued, "There is the sister of Wu I, comely and good, and declared by the physiognomist as destined to high honour. She was betrothed to Liu Pao, son of Liu Yen, but he died in youth, and she has remained unwedded. Take her as a wife."

"It is incompatible with propriety; Liu Mao and I are of the same ancestry."

"As to the degree of relationship, would it differ from the marriage of Wen of Chin and Huaiying?"

Upon this precedent the prince gave his consent and wedded the lady, and she bore to him two sons, the elder of whom was named Jung and the younger Li.

Meanwhile, the whole land of Shu was prospering, the people were tranquil, and the state was becoming wealthy. The fields yielded bountiful harvests. Suddenly there came one who told of the attempt of Sun Ch'uan to ally himself with Kuan Yu by marriage, and the indignant rejection of the proposal.

"Chingchou is in danger," said K'ung-ming. "Recall and replace Kuan Yu."

Then began to arrive a series of messengers from Chingchou, bearers of news of the moves in the game. At first they brought good tidings, then evil. Kuan Hsing came first to tell of the drowning of the seven armies. Then one reported the installation of beacon towers along the river bank, and other preparations which seemed as near perfect as any could be. And Liu Pei's anxiety ceased.

But evil tidings were on the way. Liu Pei was ill at ease and felt a creepiness of the skin that boded evil. He was restless by day and sleepless by night. One night he rose from his couch and was reading by the light of a candle when drowsiness overcame him and he fell asleep over the low table by his side. He dreamed. A cold gust of wind swept through the chamber, almost putting out the candle flame. When it brightened again he glanced up and saw a figure standing near the light.

"Who are you, who thus come by night to my chamber?" asked he.

The figure made no reply, and Yuan-te got up to go over and see who it was. Then the figure took the shape of his brother. But it avoided him, retreating as he advanced.

"Brother, there is nothing wrong, I hope. But surely something of great importance brings you here thus in the dead of the night. And why do you avoid me thus, your brother, Who loves you as himself?"

Then the figure wept and said, "Brother, send your armies to avenge me."

As Kuan Yu said that, a chilly blast went through the room, and the figure disappeared. Just then Yuan-te awoke and knew that he had dreamed.

The drums were beating the third watch as he awoke. He felt greatly worried and disturbed. So he went into the front portion of the palace and sent for K'ung-ming. Soon he came, and Yuan-te told him of the vision.

"You have been thinking too deeply of Kuan Yu lately, my lord," said K'ung-ming. 'There is no need to be distressed."

But Yuan-te could not find comfort, and K'ung-ming was long in calming his feelings and arguing away his fancies.

As K'ung-ming left the palace he met Hsu Ching, who said, "I have a very secret piece of news to tell you, so I came on here."

"What is your secret?"

"There is a report about that Wu has got possession of Chingchou; Lu Meng has taken it. And more than that, Kuan Yu is dead. I had to come to tell you."

"I saw it in the sky. A large star fell over against Ching-chou, and I knew some evil had befallen Kuan Yu. But I feared the effect upon our master and I forbore to say anything."

They did not know that Yuan-te was standing just within the door. Suddenly he rushed out, seized K'ung-ming by the sleeve and said, "Why did you deceive me? Why, when you had such terrible news?"

"Because it is only a rumour," replied they. "It is too improbable for belief. We pray you not to be distressed."

"By our oath we live or die together; how can I go on living if he is lost?"

The two men soothed their lord as best they could, but even as they spoke to him one of the private attendants said that Ma Liang and I Chi had arrived. Yuan-te called them in and questioned them eagerly. They said Chingchou was indeed lost, and Kuan Yu begged for instant help.

The letters they brought had not been read before Liao Hua was ushered in. He prostrated himself and, weeping, told the story of the refusal of help on the part of Liu Feng and Meng Ta.

"Then is my brother lost" cried Yuan-te.

"If those two have really behaved so badly, the offence is even too great for death," said K'ung-ming. "But calm yourself, O Prince. I will see about an army and lead it to the rescue."

"If Yun-ch'ang is gone, I cannot live," moaned Yuan-te. "Tomorrow I will set out with an army to rescue him."

Yuan-te sent off a messenger to Chang Fei and gave orders to muster horse and foot for instant departure.

Before day dawned other messengers arrived, giving step by step the sequence of the tragedy, the last relating Kuan Yu's capture, haughty refusal to bend, and his death.

When he heard of the final catastrophe, Yuan-te uttered a great cry and fell swooning.

His mind went back to the pledge of days gone by;
Could he live still and let his brother die?

What happened will be told in the next chapter.

CHAPTER LXXVIII
HUA T'O, TREATING TS'AO TS'AO.
HIMSELF DIES: TS'AO TS'AO'S LAST WORDS
AND DEATH

A
s
has been said, the Prince of Hanchung swooned on hearing the terrible news of the death of the two Kuans, father and son. His officers went to his help, and when he had recovered sufficiently they led him to his private apartments.

"My lord, control your grief," said K'ung-ming. "Life and death are fixed by fate. Kuan Yu brought the evil upon himself by his harshness and haughtiness. You must now take care of your health and mature your vengeance."

"When we swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden we pledged ourselves to live or die together. What enjoyment of riches and honours is there for me now that my brother is gone?"

Just then he saw Kuan Yu's son, Hsing, coming in in deep distress. At sight of the youth, Liu Pei uttered a great cry and again sank to the earth. By and by he came to, and spent the whole day weeping and swooning at intervals. For three days he refused all nourishment, and he wept so bitterly that his garments were wetted, and there were spots of blood. K'ung-ming and the others tried every means to soothe him, but he was inconsolable.

"I swear I will not live under the same heaven as Sun Ch'uan," cried he.

"It is said that the head of your brother has been sent to Ts'ao Ts'ao, but Ts'ao has buried the remains with the rites of a princely noble," said K'ung-ming.

"Why did he do that?" asked Yuan-te.

"Because he thought thereby to bring evil upon Ts'ao. But Ts'ao saw through the subterfuge and has buried your brother with great honour so that your anger may burn against Wu."

"I want to send my armies to punish Wu and appease my wrath," said Yuan-te.

"No, you may not do that. Wu wishes to move you to smite Wei, and Wei wishes you to attack Wu, each harbouring the malevolent design of taking advantage of the quarrel. You would do well, my lord, to keep your armies at home. Put on mourning for Kuan Yu, and wait till Wei and Wu are at war. That will be your time."

The other officers supported K'ung-ming, and Yuan-te listened. Presently his grief spent itself, and he began to take food again. An edict was promulgated enjoining mourning dress upon all officials. The prince went outside the south gate to summon the spirit home, and sacrificed and wailed a whole day for the dead warrior, h
^;
s brother.

Although Ts'ao Ts'ao had given honourable burial to the remains of Kuan Yu, yet he was continually haunted by the dead man's spirit. Every night when he closed his eyes he saw Kuan the Noble as he knew him so well in the flesh. These visions made him nervous, and he sought the advice of his officers. Some suggested the building of new rooms for his own use.

"There is much witchcraft and malign influence in this old palace at Loyang; build new rooms for your own occupation," said they.

"I would, and it should be called 'Chienshih,' or 'The Firm Foundation,'" said he. "But where is the architect?"

They told him there was one Su Yueh, a very cunning artificer. He was called and set to work on the plans for a nine
cbien
pavilion for Ts'ao Ts'ao's own use It had verandahs and upper rooms as well. His plans pleased Ts'ao greatly.

"You have planned just such a place as I wished, only where will you find the main beam for such a building?"

"
I
know a certain tree that will serve," said the architect. "About thirty
li
from the city there is the Pool of the Leaping Dragon. Near it is a shrine, and beside that grows a fine pear tree. It is over a hundred feet high, and that will serve for the roof tree.

Ts'ao Ts'ao at once sent men to fell the tree. But after one whole day's labour the men came back to say they could make no impression on it neither with saw nor axe. Ts'ao, doubting their word, went to see. When he had dismounted and stood by the tree he could not but admire its size and proportions, as it rose above him tall, straight and unbranched till the wide-spreading and symmetrical top reached into the clouds. But he bade the men attack it again. Then a few aged men of the village came and said, "The tree has stood here some centuries and is the haunt of a spirit. We think it should not be cut down."

Ts'ao grew annoyed. "I have gone to and fro in the world now some forty years, and there is no one, from the Emperor to the commoner, who does not fear me. What spirit is there who dares oppose my wish?"

Drawing the sword he was wearing, he went up to the tree and slashed at the trunk. The tree groaned as he struck, and blood stains spattered his dress. Terror-stricken, he threw down the sword, mounted his horse and galloped off.

But that evening when he retired to rest he could not sleep. He rose, went into the outer room and sat there leaning on a low table. Suddenly a man appeared with his hair unbound, dressed in black and carrying a naked sword. The visitor came straight toward Ts'ao stopped in front of him and, pointing, cried out, "Behold the Spirit of the pear tree. You may desire to build your
chien-shih
pavilion and you may contemplate rebellion, but when you began to attack my sacred tree the number of your days was accomplished. I am come now to slay you."

"Where are the guards?" shouted Ts'ao in terror.

The figure struck at him with the sword. Ts'ao cried out and then awoke. His head was aching unbearably.

They sought the best physicians for him, but they failed to relieve the terrible pain.

Sympathy for their lord was universal among Ts'ao's subordinates. Hua Hsin one day said to his master, "My lord, have you heard of Hua T'o?"

"Do you mean him of Chiangtung who cured Chou T'ai?"

"Yes; that is he," replied Hua Hsin.

"I have heard something of his fame, but I know nothing of his capabilities in his art."

"He is very clever; there are few so skilful. If one is ill and calls him in he knows immediately whether to use drugs, or the needle, or the cautery, and the patient finds relief at once. Let one suffer from an internal complaint and drugs are ineffectual, with a dose of hashish he throws the patient into a state of perfect insensibility and then opens the abdomen and washes the affected organs with a medicament. The patient feels no pain. When the cleansing is complete, he sews up the wound with thread, dresses it, and in a month or less the patient is well. This shows you how skilful he is.

"One day Hua was travelling, when he heard a man by the wayside groaning with pain.

"That is dyspepsia,' said he. And further questions confirmed the diagnosis. He prescribed long draughts of the juice of garlic as an emetic, and the man vomited a worm; after this he was quite well. One Chen Teng, the Prefect of Kuangling, suffered from a heavy feeling at the heart. His face was red and congested, and he had no appetite. Hua gave him a drug, and he threw up many internal wriggling parasites with red heads. The Prefect asked what had caused the trouble, and Hua told him that he ate too much strong-smelling fish. He could cure him this once, but in three years the disease would recur, and then nothing could save him. Three years later Chen died. Another man had a tumour between the eyes, and it itched intolerably. Hua examined it and said there was a bird in it. The tumour was opened, and, surely enough, a canary flew out. The patient was relieved. A dog bit a man's toe, and two tumourous growths ensued, one of which itched intolerably and the other pained severely. Hua said the painful one contained several needles, and the other a couple of
wei-cb'i
pips. He opened the two swellings, and the contents were as he had said. Really he is of the same class of leech as Pien Ch'iao and Ts'ang Kung. He lives at Chinch'eng, not far away, and could be here very soon."

Ts'ao Ts'ao summoned him, and as soon as he arrived Hua To felt the pulse and made careful examination.

"Prince, your headaches are due to a malignant humour within the brain case. The humour is too thick to get out. Swallowing drugs will do no good. But I propose to administer a dose of hashish, then open the brain case and remove the thickened humour. That will be a radical cure."

"You mean you want to kill me," cried Ts'ao angrily.

"O Prince, you have heard how I cured Kuan Yu of the poison that had got into his bones? I scraped them, and he did not hesitate a moment. Your malady is trifling, and why do you mistrust me?"

"A painful arm may be scraped, but how can you cut open a man's head? The fact is you have conspired with some of Kuan's friends to take this opportunity to make away with me in revenge for his death."

He told his lictors to hale Hua To to gaol, and there he was tortured to try to find who were his accomplices. Chia Hsu pleaded for him on account of his rare skill, but his intervention was of no avail.

"The man wants to get a chance to kill me; he is the same sort of scoundrel as Chi P'ing."

The wretched physician was subjected to worse sufferings.

His gaoler was a certain Wu, nicknamed "The Gaoler" by nearly everybody. He was kindly disposed to Hua and saw that he was well fed. Hua To conceived a liking for his gaoler and said to him one day, "I am doomed, I know. The pity is that my Black Bag treatise on medicine may be lost. You have been most kind to me, and as I have no other way of recompensing you I will give you a letter to my wife telling her to send the Black Bag, and I will give it to you that you may carry on my art."

Wu rejoiced greatly, thinking that he would throw up the menial position of gaoler and travel about the country healing sick folk, and so he told Hua To to write the letter and promised to carry on his work.

The letter was written and given to Wu "The Gaoler," who lost no time in sending a man to Hua To's house for the Black Bag. After Hua To had read through the book carefully, he presented it to Wu, who took it home and hid it away.

Not many days after this, Hua To died in prison. "The Gaoler" bought a coffin and had him buried. This done, he quitted the prison and went home. But when he asked for the book he found that his wife had discovered it and was using it to light the fire. He snatched away what was left of it, but a whole volume was missing, and what was left amounted only to a few pages. He vented his anger in cursing his wife, and she retorted, saying, "If you become such a learned person as Hua To you will only die in prison like him. What good did it all do him?"

It struck Wu that there was something in what she said, and he ceased grumbling at her. But the upshot of all this was that the learning in the "Treatise of the Black Bag" was finally lost to the world, for what was left only contained a few recipes relating to domestic animals.

Hua T'o was the ablest of leeches
Like Chang Sung, who overtopped all,
He saw what diseases were lurking
Within a man's outermost wall.
Alas! that he died, and his writings

Meanwhile, Ts'ao Ts'ao became worse, the uncertainty of the intentions of his rivals aggravating his disease not a little. Then they said an envoy had come with letters from Wu, the gist of which was satisfactory, as it ran like this:—

"Thy servant, Sun Ch'uan, has long seen whom destiny indicates as master of all, and looks forward with confidence to his early accession to the dignity. If he will send his armies to destroy Liu Pei and sweep rebellion from the west, his servant at the head of his armies will submit and accept his land as a fief."

Ts'ao Ts'ao laughed as he read this, and he said to his officers, "Is this youth trying to put me on a furnace?"

But his attendants seriously replied, "O Prince, the Hans have been feeble too long, while your virtues and merits are like the mountains. All the people look to you, and when Sun Ch'uan acknowledges himself as your minister he is but responsive to the will of God and the desire of men. It is wrong that you oppose when such contrary influences work to a common end, and you must soon ascend to the high place."

Ts'ao Ts'ao smiled. "I have served the Hans for many years, and if I have acquired some merit, yet I have been rewarded with a princedom and high rank. I dare not aspire to greater things. If the finger of heaven points to me, then shall I be as Wen
Wang
of Chou."

"As Sun Ch'uan acknowledges himself your servant and promises obedience, you, my lord, can confer a title upon him and assign to him the duty of attacking Liu Pei," said Ssuma I.

Approving of the suggestion Ts'ao Ts'ao gave Sun Ch'uan the title of
"P'iao-cb'i,
General of Cavalry, and Marquis of Nanch'ang," and appointed him to the governorship of Chingchou. Forthwith this command was sent away to Sun Ch'uan.

Ts'ao Ts'ao's condition grew worse daily. One night he had a dream of three horses feeding out of the same manger. Next day he told it to Chia Hsu, adding that he thought it betokened some evil through the Ma family. How did he interpret the dream?

"It is auspicious to dream of
lu
(pay) and ma (horses)," replied Chia Hsu. "And naturally such things come to the ts'ao (a manger, eating place). I do not think you need feel any misgivings."

Ts'ao Ts'ao was comforted.

Ts'ao dreamed three steeds together fed,
The vision seers could not explain,
None guessed how soon, when Ts'ao was dead,
One dynasty would rule again.
Ah, yes, Ts'ao Ts'ao had vainly wrought,
Of none avail each wicked wile,
For, later, in Wei court, there fought
Against him one with equal guile.