The Three Kingdoms Volume 1 (23 page)

Chen Gong said, “I was told that you are going to avenge your worthy father’s death on the city of Xuzhou and its people. I have come specially to put in a word. Tao Qian is kind and honest, not a man who cares only for his own advantages and forgets morals before profits. Your worthy father died at the hands of Zhang Kai, not Tao Qian. The prefect is innocent. And still more innocent are the people of that city—to slay them would be an evil. Please think over this.”

Cao Cao retorted angrily: “You once abandoned me and now you have the impudence to come to see me! Tao Qian slew my whole family and I vow to tear his heart out in revenge. You may speak for his sake but I will not listen.”

His intercession having failed, Chen Gong took his leave and went out. Sighing deeply, he said to himself, “Alas! I’m ashamed to go back and face Tao Qian.” So he rode off to Chenliu to try his fortune there.

Cao Cao’s vengeful army laid waste to whatever place it passed through, slaying the people and desecrating their cemeteries. When Tao Qian heard the terrible tidings he turned toward Heaven and cried bitterly: “I must have been guilty of some sin before Heaven to have brought this calamity to my people!” He hastily called together his subordinates for counsel. One of them, Cao Bao, said, “Now that the enemy is upon us, we cannot sit and await death with folded hands. I for one will help you to make a fight.”

So Tao Qian had to lead his army out to meet Cao Cao. From a distance he saw the enemy, all in mourning white, spread out in enormous numbers as if the ground was covered with frost or snow. In the center were two big white flags on which were written the word “Vengeance.”

When he had ranged his men, Cao Cao, dressed completely in white, rode out to the front and started hurtling abuses at his foe. Tao Qian also advanced and from beneath his ensign he bowed to Cao Cao and said, “I wished to make friends with you, sir, so I sent Zhang Kai to escort your family. I did not know that his evil heart refused to change. And the tragedy happened. It was really not my fault, as you must recognize.”

“You old rascal! You killed my father and now you dare to talk such nonsense to me!” shouted Cao Cao. Then, turning to his men, he asked, “Who will capture him for me?”

At his call Xiahou Dun rode out. The prefect fled to his own army and as Xiahou Dun came on, Cao Bao went to engage him. But just as the two horses met a strong gale suddenly arose, sweeping up dust and pebbles from the ground and throwing the two opposing sides into the utmost confusion. Both drew off.

The prefect retired into the city and said to his men, “The enemy force is too strong for us to counter. I will give myself up and let him wreak his vengeance on me. Thus I may save the people.”

He had hardly finished speaking when someone stepped forward and said, “You have long ruled here and the people love you. Strong as the enemy are, they are not necessarily able to break down our walls. Now we must fortify ourselves and not go out and give battle. I will use a little scheme to destroy Cao Cao so that he will die without a burial place.”

The bold words startled the assembly and all asked him anxiously what the scheme was.

Making overtures for friendship he encounters deadly hate,
But, amid the gravest danger he discovered safety’s gate.

Who the bold speaker was will be told in the next chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Liu Bei Rescues Kong Rong in Beihai

Lu Bu Defeats Cao Cao at Puyang

I
t
was Mi Zhu who said he knew how to defeat Cao Cao completely. He came from a wealthy family in Donghai. Once, when returning home in a carriage after trading in Luoyang, he met a beautiful lady who asked him to let her ride with him. He stepped down from his carriage to walk and yielded his place to her. She invited him to share the seat with her. He mounted but sat rigidly upright, never even glancing in her direction. They traveled thus for some miles when she thanked him and alighted. Just before she took her leave she said, “I am the Goddess of Fire from the South. I am on my way to execute a decree of the Supreme God to burn down your dwelling, but your extreme courtesy has so deeply touched me that I now warn you. Go back home quickly and remove all your valuables. I will come tonight.”

Then she disappeared. Mi Zhu hastily finished his journey and as soon as he arrived he removed everything from his house. Sure enough, that night a fire started in the kitchen and soon devoured the whole house. After this he devoted most of his wealth to relieving the poor and comforting the afflicted. Later, Tao Qian gave him the office that he now held.

Mi Zhu disclosed his plan. “I will go to Beihai to seek help from Kong Rong. Another one of us should go to Qingzhou on a similar mission, and if the armies of these two places come to assist us, Cao Cao will surely withdraw his forces.”

The prefect accepted the plan and wrote the letters to be sent to the two places. Then he asked for a volunteer to go to Qingzhou and a certain Chen Dun offered himself for the errand. Soon, both of them left and the prefect led all the people to hold the city as long as they could.

This Kong Rong was a native of Qufu,
^*
in the old kingdom of Lu, a descendant of the twentieth generation of the great teacher Confucius. He had been noted as a very intelligent lad, if somewhat precocious. When he was only ten years old he had gone to see the governor of the district, but the doorkeeper would not let him in. Then he said, “Our two families are intimate friends,” and he was admitted. When he went in, the governor asked him what relations had existed between the two families. The boy replied, “Of old my ancestor (Confucius) had asked yours (Lao Zi
^*
) concerning ceremonial rites. So our families have known each other for many generations.” The governor was surprised at the boy’s ready wit.

Presently there came another visitor of high rank, to whom the governor told the story of his youthful guest. “He’s a wonder, this boy,” he said.

The visitor replied, “It doesn’t follow that a clever boy grows up into a clever man.”

The lad took him up at once, saying, “By what you say, sir, you were certainly clever as a boy.”

The others all laughed. “This boy is going to be a great man one day,” they said.

Thus from boyhood he became famous. When he grew up he became an official and was then Prefect of Beihai. Renowned for his hospitality, he used to say: “Let the rooms be full of guests, and the cups be full of wine. That is what I desire.” After six years at Beihai he was much loved by the people there.

The day Mi Zhu arrived he was, as usual, seated among his guests and the envoy was ushered in without delay. In reply to a question about the reason for his visit Mi Zhu presented the letter from Tao Qian.

“Cao Cao is pressing hard on the city. Please come and rescue us,” he added.

“Your master and I are good friends,” said Kong Rong. “And you have come to ask me for help yourself. Of course I will go to your aid. However, I bear no grudge against Cao Cao either, so I will first write to him to try to make peace. If he refuses, then I will set the army in motion.”

“Cao Cao will not listen to peace proposals—he is too certain of his strength,” said the envoy.

Kong Rong then wrote his letter and also gave orders to muster his men. But just at this moment a messenger came with the urgent news that a remnant troop of the Yellow Turbans had come to invade the prefecture. It was necessary to deal with them first so Kong Rong hastened to lead his army outside the city to oppose the rebels.

The rebel leader rode out to the front and said, “I know this district is rich and can well spare 10,000
shi
^*
of grain. Give me that and we will withdraw. Otherwise, we will batter down the city walls and destroy every single soul.”

Kong Rong shouted back, “I am an official of the great Han, entrusted with the safety of their land. Do you think I will feed rebels?”

The rebel whipped his steed, whirled his sword, and rushed at the prefect. One of the officers rode out to fight with him, but after a very few bouts was slain. The soldiers fell into confusion and ran pell-mell into the city for protection. The rebels then laid siege to the city on all sides. Kong Rong was careworn and Mi Zhu, who now saw no hope for the success of his mission, was grieved beyond words.

The next day, Kong Rong ascended the gate tower to look but the sight of the enormous number of rebels around the city troubled him even greater. Suddenly, he saw a man armed with a spear riding in among the rebels and scattering them like chaff in the wind. Before long he had reached the city gate and called out, “Open the gate!” But the defenders dared not open it to a stranger and in the delay a crowd of rebels had followed him to the edge of the moat. He wheeled about and cut down half a score of them and the rest fell back. At this the prefect ordered the wardens to open the gate and let him in at once. As soon as he was inside, he dismounted, laid aside his spear, and climbed up the tower to bow humbly to Kong Rong.

He said that his name was Taishi Ci and he came from Donglai. His aged mother had sent him to help the prefect out of gratitude for his kindness to her. “I only returned home yesterday from the north and then I heard that your city was in danger from a rebel attack. My mother said you had been very kind to her and told me to come and help you. So I rode out all alone and here I am.”

The prefect was overjoyed for he already knew the man by reputation as a valiant fighter, although the two had never met. When the son was away in the north the prefect had taken his mother, who dwelt about five
li
from the city, under his special care, and saw to it that she did not suffer from want. This had won over the old lady’s heart and she had sent her son to show her gratitude.

Kong Rong showed his appreciation by treating the warrior with the greatest respect and gave him presents of clothing and armor, a horse and saddle.

Taishi Ci said, “Give me a thousand veteran soldiers and I will go out and drive them off.”

“You are a bold warrior, but they are numerous. You should not act too rashly,” warned the prefect.

“My mother sent me because she was grateful to you. How will I be able to look her in the face if I cannot raise the siege? I prefer to conquer or perish.”

“I have been told that Liu Bei is a true hero and if we could get his help there would be no doubt of success. But there is no one to send the message.”

“I will go as soon as you have written the letter,” said the warrior.

So the prefect wrote the letter and gave it to the bold warrior who, after a large meal, put on his armor, attached his bow and quiver to his girdle, and tied his haversack firmly to his back. With his spear in hand he rode out of the city gate to confront the huge number of enemies—all alone.

Along the moat gathered a large party of besiegers, who at once came to intercept the solitary rider. But, dashing in among them, he cut down several of them and finally fought his way through.

The rebel leader, hearing that a rider had left the city, guessed what his errand would be and followed him with several hundred horsemen. He spread his men out so that the warrior was entirely surrounded. Taishi Ci set aside his spear, took his bow and arrows, and shot one after another all around him. And as every twang of his bowstring sent an enemy rider to his death the pursuers dared not close in.

Thus he got away and rode in hot haste to Pingyuan to see Liu Bei. After greeting his host in proper manner he presented the letter from Kong Rong and explained his errand.