The Three Kingdoms Volume 1 (27 page)

“You have been defeated by me. How dare you come again?” he laughed. So saying he rode forth to fight but after a faint show of fighting, Dian Wei turned to flee. His opponent, intent upon the pursuit, did not notice the trap, and soon both he and his horse fell into the pit. He was taken prisoner by the soldiers, who tied him up and took him to their chief.

As soon as he saw the prisoner, Cao Cao stepped down from his seat, sent away the soldiers, and with his own hands loosened the bonds. Then he brought out clothes for him to wear, bade him sit down, and asked him his name and place of birth.

“My name is Xu Chu from the district of Jiaoguo. When the rebellion broke out I gathered several hundred of my kinfolk to build a stronghold for protection. One day the robbers came, but I had told my men to prepare a lot of stones for me and I threw them, hitting someone every time I aimed. This drove off the robbers.

“Another time they came again and we were short of grain. So I made peace with them and agreed to exchange cattle for their grain. They delivered the grain and were driving away the cattle when the beasts took fright and ran back to their pens. I seized two of them by the tail, one with each hand, and hauled them backwards a hundred or so paces. The robbers were so scared that they dared not come back for the cattle. From then on they never troubled us again.”

“I have long heard of your heroic exploits,” said Cao Cao. “Will you join my army?”

“Yes, that is my strongest desire,” replied Xu Chu.

So he called up his clan, some hundreds in all, and they formally submitted to Cao Cao. The strong man received the rank of a senior officer and received ample rewards. The two captured rebel leaders were executed and the area returned to peace.

Then Cao Cao returned to his own district and was met by Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren. These two told him that scouts had reported Yanzhou to be left defenseless, most of its garrison having given themselves up to plundering the surrounding country, and they suggested attacking it as soon as possible. “With these soldiers fresh from victory, the city will fall at a tap of the drum,” they said.

Acting on their advice, Cao Cao led his army to march to Yanzhou without delay. The two officers in the city, Xue Lan and Li Feng, were quite unprepared for this sudden assault, but had to come out with their small force to fight. Xu Chu said to his new master that he would capture these two as a gift to him.

Cao Cao was very happy to hear it and ordered him out to challenge for battle. Li Feng, with his halberd, advanced to meet him. The combat was brief, as Li Feng fell in the second bout. Seeing this, his colleague retreated with his men but, to his dismay, he found the drawbridge was seized by the enemy. He dared not go back to the city, so he led his men toward another town. Then an arrow killed him and his soldiers scattered to the four winds. So Yanzhou was restored to Cao Cao.

Next an expedition was prepared to take Puyang. The army set out in perfect order with van leaders and commanders for the flanks and the rear. Cao Cao led the center; Dian Wei and Xu Chu were van leaders. When they approached Puyang, Lu Bu wanted to go out alone to fight his enemy but his advisor protested, begging him to wait the arrival of his officers.

“Who do I fear?” said Lu Bu.

So he threw caution to the wind and went to meet his foes. Holding his halberd he began to revile them. From Cao Cao’s side, Xu Chu came out to fight with him and after a score of bouts neither combatant was any the worse.

“Lu Bu is not the type that a single man can overcome,” said Cao Cao, and he sent Dian Wei to assist. Lu Bu withstood the combined attack but soon after four other officers joined in. The six opponents proved too many for him so he turned back toward the city.

However, the gate tower had been seized by the rich Tian family. When they saw him returning beaten, they immediately raised the drawbridge. Lu Bu shouted to them to open the gates, but the Tians said: “We have gone over to General Cao Cao.” Lu Bu was so angry that he abused them roundly before he left for Dingtao. The faithful Chen Gong got away through the east gate, taking with him Lu Bu’s family.

Thus Puyang came into Cao Cao’s hands. The Tian family were forgiven their previous indiscretion of sending the false letters because of this new service.

Liu Ye said, “Lu Bu is a veritable tiger. To leave him alive would be a great danger. We must hunt him down while he has not yet recovered from defeat.”

Cao Cao saw this was true. Therefore he decided to follow Lu Bu to Dingtao, leaving Liu Ye and others to guard Puyang.

Lu Bu, Zhang Miao, and Zhang Chao were assembled in the city but four of his major officers were out foraging for provisions. Soon Cao Cao’s army arrived. However, it did not attack for several days and then retreated a long way to set up camp. It was harvest time and the soldiers were told to cut the wheat for food. Lu Bu’s men reported this to him and he hurried over with his army, but when he saw that Cao Cao’s camp lay near a thick wood he feared there might be an ambush inside and returned to the city. When Cao Cao heard that Lu Bu had come and gone, he guessed the reason.

“He was afraid of an ambush in the wood,” he said. “We will put up a lot of banners there to deceive him. To the west of the camp is a long embankment, but there is no water in the stream below. We will lay an ambush there for Lu Bu when he comes to burn the wood. I’m sure he will come tomorrow.”

So he hid all his soldiers behind the embankment, except fifty drummers and some villagers, who were told to raise a great deal of noise inside the camp, to make it seem that it was not empty.

Now Lu Bu had returned to tell his advisor what he had seen. “This Cao Cao is very crafty and full of wiles,” said his advisor Chen Gong. “You mustn’t underestimate him.”

“I will use fire this time and burn out his ambush,” said Lu Bu.

The following day he led a large force to Cao Cao’s camp and there he saw banners flying everywhere in the wood. He ordered his men forward to set fire to all sides. But to his great surprise there was not a single soul. He wanted to make for the camp but just then he heard the beating of drums and doubt filled his mind. Suddenly, he saw a party of soldiers moving out from behind the camp and he galloped after them to give chase.

Then the signal bombs exploded and out from behind the embankment rushed six of Cao Cao’s most valiant officers with their men. All of them dashed toward Lu Bu. He knew that he could not withstand them all so he fled into the open country. One of his officers was killed by an arrow and two-thirds of his men were lost. The defeated soldiers ran back to tell Chen Gong what had happened.

“We had better leave here,” said Chen Gong. “An empty city cannot be defended.”

So he and Gao Shun, taking Lu Bu’s family with them, abandoned the city of Dingtao. When Cao Cao led his victorious army into the city he met with little resistance. Zhang Chao committed suicide and Zhang Miao fled to Yuan Shu’s palace.

Thus the whole of Shandong fell under the power of Cao Cao. To consolidate his rule, he set out to calm the people and repair the city walls.

In the meantime, while retreating Lu Bu fell in with the four officers who had been out foraging. Soon Chen Gong also joined him so that he was by no means broken.

“I have but few men,” he said, “but still enough to challenge Cao Cao.” And so he took the road back toward the city to fight his enemy.

Thus does fortune alternate, victory, defeat,
The happy conqueror today, tomorrow may retreat.

The fate of Lu Bu will be told in the next chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Li Jue and Guo Si Fight a Bloody Battle

Yang Feng and Dong Cheng Rescue the Emperor

T
he
last chapter told of the defeat of Lu Bu, and his reunion with the other officers of his army by the riverside. When all his men had joined him he began to feel strong enough to fight it out with Cao Cao once again.

Chen Gong objected, “He is too strong to defeat right now. Wait until you find some place where you can entrench yourself first.”

“Suppose I went to Yuan Shao?” said Lu Bu.

“Send someone to make inquiries first.”

Lu Bu agreed. The news of the fighting between Cao Cao and Lu Bu had, however, reached Jizhou. One of Yuan Shao’s advisers, Shen Pei, warned him, “If this savage Lu Bu gets possession of Yanzhou, he will certainly attempt to devour our district. For your own safety you should help to crush him.”

Therefore Yuan Shao sent Yan Liang with 500,000 soldiers to help Cao Cao. Lu Bu’s spy heard of this and at once returned to tell him. Greatly disturbed, Lu Bu called in the faithful Chen Gong for consultation.

“I hear Liu Bei has lately acquired Xuzhou. We can go to him,” suggested Chen Gong.

Following this advice, Lu Bu started toward Xuzhou. When Liu Bei learnt of his coming, he wanted to go out and welcome him as a brave warrior. Mi Zhu was strongly against receiving him at all, saying that he was a cruel, bloodthirsty beast. “If you receive him, he will harm you,” he added.

But Liu Bei replied, “How would misfortune have been avoided if he had not attacked Yanzhou? He cannot be our enemy now that he is seeking asylum.”

“Brother, you’re really too kind. Although it may be as you say, it’s better to get prepared,” said Zhang Fei.

The new prefect went out of the city to welcome Lu Bu and the two chiefs rode in side by side. They proceeded to the official residence and there, after the elaborate ceremonies of reception were over, they sat down to talk.

Lu Bu said, “After Wang Yun and I succeeded in slaying Dong Zhuo, there arose the rebellion of Li Jue and Guo Si. I drifted about from one place to another in the northeast and most of the nobles seemed unwilling to receive me. When Cao Cao wickedly invaded this district and you, sir, came to its rescue, I aided you by attacking Yanzhou and thus diverting a portion of his force. I did not expect then that I would be the victim of a vile plot and lose my officers and men. Now I have come to offer myself to you so that we may together accomplish great designs. What do you say to this, sir?”

Liu Bei replied, “When the late prefect died there was none to administer Xuzhou and so I assumed that task temporarily. Now that you are here, General, I should certainly yield this place to you.”

So saying he handed to Lu Bu the insignia and the seal. Lu Bu was on the point of accepting them when he saw Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who stood behind the prefect, glaring at him with angry eyes, so he put on a smile and said, “I am nothing but a fighting man, how could I rule a place like this?”

Liu Bei repeated his offer. Chen Gong said, “A strong guest does not intimidate his host. You need not fear, sir.”

Then Liu Bei did not insist any longer. Banquets were held and lodgings prepared for the guest and his retinue. Lu Bu returned the feast the next day and Liu Bei went with his two brothers. Halfway through the banquet, Lu Bu invited his guest into the private quarters and the brothers followed him. Lu Bu told his wife and daughter to bow to their benefactor. As Liu Bei again showed excessive modesty, Lu Bu said, “My good younger brother, you needn’t be so very modest.”

Zhang Fei heard what he said and his eyes glared. “Our brother is one of the royal family. What sort of a man are you that dares call him ‘younger brother?’” he cried. “Come out and I will fight you three hundred bouts.”

Liu Bei hastily checked the impulsive Zhang Fei and Guan Yu persuaded him to go away. Then Liu Bei apologized to Lu Bu: “My unruly brother talks wildly after drinking. I hope you will not blame him.”