The Three Kingdoms Volume 1 (37 page)

Jia Xu replied, “I was formerly with Li Jue and was blamed by all. Now I am with Zhang Xiu, who followed all of my advice—I cannot bear to abandon him.”

He left and the next day he introduced his master to Cao Cao, who treated him very well. Then Cao Cao entered the city with a small force while the greater part of his army remained in camp outside, where the line of tents extended some ten
li
. Inside the city banquets were given every day to entertain Cao Cao.

One day Cao Cao returned to his quarters in a more than usual merry mood and he asked his attendants if there were any singing girls in the city. The son of his elder brother heard the question and said to him in private, “Last night I saw by a fleeting glance a perfectly beautiful woman who lives next door to us. They told me she is the wife of Zhang Xiu’s uncle.”

Cao Cao told his nephew to go and bring her to him. He did so supported by an armed escort, and very soon the lady stood before Cao Cao.

She was a beauty indeed and Cao Cao asked her who she was.

“I am Zhang Ji’s wife, born of the Zhou family,” she replied.

“Do you know who I am?”

“I have known Your Lordship by reputation for a long time. I am happy to be permitted to bow before you,” she said humbly.

“It was for Your Ladyship’s sake that I allowed Zhang Xiu to submit; otherwise, his whole clan would be exterminated.”

“Indeed I owe my very life to you. I am most grateful.”

“It is a blessing from heaven for me to set eyes upon you. Stay here for the night and then come with me to the capital, where we can enjoy a life of luxury together. What do you say to that?”

She thanked him. That night she stayed in his bedchamber.

“Zhang Xiu will surely suspect if you continue to live in the city and besides, gossip wll begin to spread,” she said.

“I will go with you to my camp outside the city tomorrow,” said Cao Cao.

So the following day Cao Cao left the city to stay in his tent, where Dian Wei was appointed as a special guard to bar the entrance to anyone not permitted. Therefore Cao Cao was divorced from affairs outside and he passed days in idle dalliance with the lady, quite content to let time flow by.

Soon Zhang Xiu’s people told him about this and he was very angry at the shame brought upon the family. He confided his trouble to Jia Xu who said, “Keep quiet about this. There should be no leaks. Wait until he comes again to attend to business.” And then he told his master his plan to punish Cao Cao in great secret.

Not long after this Zhang Xiu had an interview with Cao Cao. He told him that, as many of his men were deserting, it would be well to put them in the center. Cao Cao agreed and so Zhang Xiu was able to move his soldiers and place them in four camps, ready to start an attack at any time.

But Dian Wei, the special guard of Cao Cao’s tent, was a man to be feared, being both brave and powerful. It was hard to get near to him. So Zhang Xiu discussed the matter with an officer called Hu Ju-er, a man of enormous strength and great stamina. He could carry a burden of 600 pounds (272 kg) and travel 700
li
in a day.

The officer said, “The fearsome thing about Dian Wei are his double iron spears. Invite him to a wine party and make sure that he is quite drunk before you send him back. I will mingle among his escort and so get into his tent to steal his weapons. Then we need not be afraid of him.”

Zhang Xiu was very pleased with this. So the necessary arms were prepared and orders given to his men in the four camps. When the date to strike the blow came, Dian Wei was invited and plied with copious wine so that he was quite intoxicated when he left. And, as arranged, Hu Ju-er mingled with his escort and made away with the weapon.

That night when Cao Cao was drinking with the lady, he heard the voices of men and the neighing of horses outside. He sent someone to find out what was the matter, and the man returned to say that it was Zhang Xiu’s soldiers doing the night patrol. Cao Cao was assured.

At about the second watch he was again disturbed by some noise in the camp and was told that one of the fodder carts was on fire.

“Some soldiers must have dropped a spark. There is nothing to be alarmed about,” said Cao Cao.

But very soon the fire spread on all sides and he was startled. He called Dian Wei, but his trusted warrior was asleep after too much wine.

However, the beating of gongs and rolling of drums stirred Dian Wei in his dreams and he jumped up. Yet he could not find his spears. By this time the enemy had reached the outer gate. He hastily snatched a short sword and rushed out. At the gate he saw a big crowd of horsemen with spears bursting in. He dashed at them, slashing all around, and a score of them fell to his sword. But no sooner had the horsemen left than the foot soldiers came up. The spears stood around him like reeds on the river bank. Being totally without mail he was soon covered with wounds but he still fought desperately till his sword was blunted and no longer of any use. Throwing it aside, he seized a couple of soldiers and with their bodies as weapons felled half a score of his opponents. The others dared not approach, but they shot arrows at him. These fell as thick as rain, yet he still blocked the front entrance to Cao Cao’s tent against any assailants.

In the end the mutineers broke in by the rear entrance and one of them wounded him in the back with a spear thrust. Uttering loud cries, he fell. The blood gushed from his wounds like torrents and Dian Wei died. Even after he was dead, for some time no one dared to come in through the front gate.

In the meantime, Cao Cao, relying on Dian Wei to hold the enemy at bay, had fled in haste through the rear gate. Only his nephew accompanied him on foot. Then Cao Cao was wounded by an arrow in the right arm and his steed, too, was struck by three arrows. Fortunately it was a fine breed of horse and in spite of its wounds it bore its master swiftly to the banks of Yushui River.

Here some of the pursuers approached and his nephew was hacked to pieces. Cao Cao rode, splashing, into the river and reached the other side, but there an arrow struck his steed in the eye and it fell. By then his eldest son had caught up with him and he immediately dismounted and yielded his horse to his father, who galloped on. His son was killed but he himself got away. Soon after he met several of his officers who had rallied a small portion of their men.

The Qingzhou soldiers under Xiahou Dun seized the occasion to plunder the people. When Yue Jin learned about this he ordered his men to fall upon them and slew many of them. Thus he protected and appeased the people. The plunderers, meeting Cao Cao on the road, knelt down howling loudly, and told him that Yue Jin had mutinied and attacked them. Cao Cao was greatly surprised and when he was joined by his veteran officers he gave orders to capture Yue Jin.

When Yue Jin saw his master approaching with a big retinue he at once set his men to get into positions and make a camp. They did not understand what this meant and asked, “The Qingzhou soldiers have accused you of turning traitor; why don’t you explain now that our lord has arrived? Why first make a camp?”

Yue Jin replied, “Our enemies are close behind us. It is necessary to prepare for defense or we will not be able to withstand them. Explanation is a small matter but defense is very important.”

Almost immediately after the camp was finished, Zhang Xiu fell upon them in two divisions. Yue Jin himself rode out to face them. Zhang Xiu hastened to withdraw. The other officers, seeing Yue Jin advance thus boldly, also attacked and Zhang Xiu was overcome. They pursued him for as long as a hundred
li
until his force was nearly annihilated. With the miserable remnant he finally fled to Liu Biao.

Cao Cao called in his officers and men. It was only then that Yue Jin went to tell his master of the misconduct of the Qingzhou soldiers and why he had attacked them.

“Why didn’t you tell me before you set up camp?”

Yue Jin gave him the same reason as he had given to his men.

Cao Cao said, “At a time of great stress you still strived to maintain order and strengthen your defense, giving all your attention to duty but no thought to slander, and thus turning defeat into victory. Even distinguished generals in ancient times could not excel you!”

He rewarded Yue Jin with a pair of gold pieces and a noble title but reprimanded Xiahou Dun for neglecting his duty to discipline his men. Sacrifices in honor of the dead warrior Dian Wei were instituted. Cao Cao himself led the wailing to mourn over his death. Turning to his officers he said, “I have lost my eldest son and my dear nephew but I do not grieve so deeply for them as for Dian Wei. And I cry for him alone.” All were greatly moved.

Orders were then issued for the army to return to the capital—but nothing will be said here about the journey back.

Let us now turn to Lu Bu and what happened in Xuzhou. Now Cao Cao’s messenger, bearing the imperial decree, reached the city and was met by Lu Bu, who conducted him into his residence where the decree was read. It conferred on him a new title, General-Conqueror of the East, accompanied by a special seal for the mandate. A private letter from Cao Cao was also handed over and the messenger detailed the high esteem in which Lu Bu was held by the prime minister. Lu Bu was very flattered.

At that moment a messenger from Yuan Shu was announced. When the man was called in, he said that Yuan Shu’s plan to declare himself emperor and select his heir apparent were well under way and that he wanted the princess—meaning Lu Bu’s daughter—to be sent to his place as soon as possible.

“Has the rebel gone so far as that?” cried Lu Bu in a rage.

He put the messenger to death. Then he drafted a letter of thanks and sent it to the capital through Chen Deng; he also sent the unfortunate matchmaker, Han Yin, wearing a large wooden collar around his neck. He also replied to Cao Cao’s private letter asking to be confirmed in his governorship of Xuzhou.

On receiving the message, Cao Cao was pleased to hear of the rupture of the marriage arrangement and at once executed Han Yin.

However, Chen Deng secretly advised Cao Cao to destroy Lu Bu as soon as possible, saying that he was as vicious as a wolf, brave but stupid, and faithless.

“I know Lu Bu quite well,” said Cao Cao. “He is wickedly ambitious, and it will be hard to keep him in his place for long. You and your father are the only people that can tell me about his schemes and you must help me to get rid of him.”

“I will certainly be at your service if you are going to take action against him,” pledged Chen Deng.

As a reward Cao Cao obtained a handsome monthly grant of grain for the father and a prefecture for the son. When he took his leave, Cao Cao held him by the hand and said, “I will depend on you for affairs in the east.” Chen Deng offered his obeisance. Then he returned to Lu Bu, who asked him how things went. Chen Deng told him of the rewards he and his father had received.

Lu Bu burst into anger. “You did not ask Xuzhou for me yet you got something for yourselves. Your father advised me to help Cao Cao by breaking off the marriage alliance with Yuan Shu, and now I get nothing at all of what I asked for while you and your father get both wealth and position. I have been betrayed by you two!”

He drew his sword and threatened to kill him.

Chen Deng laughed and said, “Oh, General, how can you be so ignorant?”

“Me? Ignorant?”

“When I saw Cao Cao, I said that maintaining you was like feeding a tiger. The tiger must be kept fully fed or he would eat men. But he laughed and replied, ‘No, not like that. I treat him like a falcon. Do not feed it until the foxes and hares have been removed. Hungry, the bird is of use; fully-fed and it flies away.’ I asked him who were the beasts of prey. He named Yuan Shu, Sun Ce, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao and others.”

Lu Bu threw aside his sword and laughed. “Yes, he truly understands me.”

But just as they were talking, news came of the advance of Yuan Shu on Xuzhou and Lu Bu was quite taken aback.

When an alliance was broken, war started,
After a failed marriage an army marched.

What might happen to Lu Bu will be told in the next chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Yuan Shu Expeditions Eastward with Seven Divisions

Cao Cao Unites Three Forces to Attack Yuan Shu