The Three Kingdoms Volume 1 (44 page)

It was recorded earlier that the executioners were hustling Zhang Liao forward. Pointing to him as he stood there, Cao Cao said, “His face is familiar.”

“You were not likely to forget me; we met before in the city of Puyang,” said Zhang Liao.

“So you remember it too?”

“Yes, more is the pity.”

“Pity for what?’

“That the fire that day was not fierce enough to burn you to death, you rebel.”

Cao Cao began to get angry. “How dare you insult me?” he cried and lifted his sword to kill the bold speaker.

The undaunted Zhang Liao never changed color, but stretched out his neck for the blow. Then a man behind Cao Cao caught his arm and in front of him another dropped to his knees. They pleaded, “Oh, sir, please stay your hand.”

Lu Bu whining was not spared,
Railing Zhang Liao far better fared.

Who pleaded with Cao Cao for Zhang Liao’s life will be told in the next chapter.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Cao Cao Goes Hunting at Xutian

Dong Cheng Receives a Secret Decree in the Palace

T
he
last chapter said that Cao Cao was checked in his angry attack upon Zhang Liao. It was Liu Bei who held his arm and Guan Yu who knelt before him.

“A man as loyal-hearted as he is should be saved,” said Liu Bei.

Guan Yu said, “I have always known him as loyal and righteous. I will vouch for him with my own life.”

Cao Cao threw aside his sword. “I also know him to be a man of loyalty and goodness—I was just testing him,” he said.

He loosed the prisoner’s bonds with his own hands, took off his own robe, and placed it around his shoulders. Then he led him to a seat of honor. This kindly treatment touched Zhang Liao’s heart and he yielded. So he was given a rank and a title and was sent on a mission to win over Zang Ba who, hearing what had happened, came forthwith and offered his submission. He was graciously received and in his turn, he brought in several of his former colleagues, with the exception of Cang Xi, who remained obstinate. All these former enemies who came over were kindly treated and given posts of responsibility. Lu Bu’s family were sent to the capital.

After the soldiers had been rewarded with feasts the camp was broken up and the army moved back. Passing through Xuzhou the local people lined the roads and burned incense in honor of the victors. They also petitioned that Liu Bei should be their governor.

Cao Cao replied: “Liu Bei has rendered great services. You must wait till he has received an audience with the Emperor and obtained his reward. After that he will be sent here.”

Then he left a major officer of his to be in command of Xuzhou for the moment. When the army arrived at the capital, rewards were granted to all those who had been in the expedition. Liu Bei was retained in the capital, lodging in an annex to his residence. The next day at court, Cao Cao celebrated the services of Liu Bei and presented him to Emperor Xian. Dressed in court robes, Liu Bei bowed at the lower end of the audience arena. The Emperor called him into the hall and asked him about his ancestry.

Liu Bei replied, “Your humble servant is the son of Liu Hong, grandson of Liu Xiong, who was a direct descendant of Prince Jin of Zhongshan, who was a son of His Majesty Emperor Jing.”

The Emperor told his secretary to bring forth the
Book of Genealogy
. Consequently Liu Bei’s royal origin was proved, as the book had listed in a detailed family tree that he was, indeed, a descendant of Prince Jin of Zhongshan, who was the seventh son of the fourth Emperor Jing in West Han Dynasty.

The Emperor compared this with the registers of the imperial house and found by them that Liu Bei was his uncle by descent. The Emperor was greatly pleased and requested Liu Bei to go into one of the side chambers, where he might perform the ceremonial obeisance prescribed for a nephew to his uncle. In his heart he rejoiced to have this heroic warrior-uncle as a powerful supporter against Cao Cao, who really held all the power in his own hands, leaving him a mere puppet. He conferred upon his uncle the rank of general and the title of Lord of Yicheng.

When the banquet was concluded Liu Bei thanked the Emperor and went out of the palace. And from this time onwards he was generally known as Liu, the Imperial Uncle.

When Cao Cao returned to his place, Xun Yu and his fellow advisors went to see him. Xun Yu said, “It is no advantage to you, sir, that the Emperor recognizes Liu Bei as an uncle.”

“He is now formally recognized as the Emperor’s uncle, which only makes it easier for me to order him about in the name of the throne. He will not dare to disobey. Besides, I will keep him here under the pretense of having him near his sovereign and he will be entirely in my hands. I have nothing to fear. The man I fear is the powerful Yang Biao, who is a relative of the two Yuans. If he should conspire with them, much harm might be done. He will have to be removed at once.”

Hence Cao Cao secretly ordered one of his men to accuse Yang Biao of intriguing with Yuan Shu and on this false charge the innocent man was arrested and imprisoned. He seemed to be destined to die.

But at that time Kong Yong, Prefect of Beihai, happened to be in the capital and he remonstrated with Cao Cao. “Minister Yang comes from a family famed for virtue for at least four generations. It is not right to charge him on account of the Yuans.”

“It is the Emperor’s idea,” replied Cao Cao, trying to shift responsibility.

“In the old days, Duke Zhou,
^*
the regent, made the young Emperor Cheng put Duke Shao to death. Could Duke Zhou have pretended ignorance?’

Cao Cao could not answer and had to relinquish, but he took away Yang Biao’s office and banished him to his family estate in the country.

Indignant at Cao Cao’s tyranny, a certain official sent up a petition impeaching him for having removed a high-ranking minister of the state from office without the Emperor’s approval. Cao Cao’s angry reply to this was the arrest of the brave man and his execution, an act that terrified all the other officials and reduced them to silence.

At Cao Cao’s place, Cheng Yu advised him to take an even bolder step. He said, “Sir, your prestige is growing daily—why not seize the opportunity to take the throne?”

“There are still too many supporters of the court,” said Cao Cao. “I must be careful. I am going to propose a royal hunt to try to find out the best line to follow.”

The hunting expedition decided upon, his men got together swift horses, famous breeds of falcons, and pedigree hounds, and prepared bows and arrows in readiness. Moreover, a strong force of guards was mustered and positioned outside the city.

Then Cao Cao went in to propose the hunting expedition to the Emperor, who objected by saying that he feared it was an improper thing to do.

Cao Cao replied, “In ancient times rulers took four expeditions yearly, one at each of the four seasons in order to exhibit their military strength. Now that the whole country is in turmoil it would be wise to launch a hunting expedition to champion military training.”

The Emperor dared not argue with him so the full paraphernalia for an imperial hunt joined the expedition. He rode a saddled horse, carried an inlaid bow, and his quiver was filled with gold-tipped arrows. His chariot followed behind. The three brothers were in the imperial train, each with a bow and quiver. Each wore a breastplate inside his robe and held his special weapon, while their escort followed them. Cao Cao rode a dun-colored horse called Flying Lightning at the head of a huge procession.

The hunt took place in Xutian and the army deployed as guards around the hunting arena, which extended over some two hundred square
li
. Cao Cao rode almost side by side with the Emperor, following only at the close distance of a horse’ head. Behind them were all of Cao Cao’s trusted officers. The imperial officials, civil and military, lagged far behind, for who dared to press forward into the midst of Cao Cao’s partizans?

That day, when the Emperor reached the hunting ground, he saw his newly-found uncle respectfully bowing to him by the roadside.

“I would like to see you display your hunting skill, Uncle,” said the Emperor.

Liu Bei mounted his steed at once. Just then a hare emerged from the grass. Liu Bei shot and hit it with the first arrow. The Emperor applauded at this fine display of archery. Then he rode away over a slope. Suddenly, a deer broke out of the thicket. He shot three arrows at it but all missed.

“You try,” said the Emperor turning to Cao Cao.

“Lend me Your Majesty’s bow and arrows,” he replied, and taking the inlaid bow and the golden-barbed arrows, he pulled the bow and hit the deer in the shoulder at the first shot. It fell still in the grass.

Now the crowd of officers, seeing the golden-barbed arrow sticking in the wound, concluded at once that the shot was the Emperor’s, so they rushed up, shouting “Long live the Emperor!” Cao Cao rode out, pushing past the Emperor, and acknowledged the congratulations.

All turned pale. What did this mean? Liu Bei’s brother Guan Yu was especially angry. His bushy eyebrows stood up fiercely and his red phoenix eyes glared as he, sword in hand, urged his horse forward to cut down the audacious minister for his impertinence. However, his eldest brother hastily waved him back and shot at him a meaningful glance so that he stopped and made no further move.

Liu Bei bowed toward Cao Cao and said, “A truly wonderful shot, sir. Few can hope to match your mastery!”

“I owe this to the enormous good fortune of the Emperor,” said Cao Cao with a smile. Then he turned his steed to congratulate the Emperor. Nevertheless, he did not return the bow but hung it over his own shoulder instead. The hunt finished with banqueting. When the entertainment was over they all returned to their own lodgings in the capital.

Guan Yu was still thinking of Cao Cao’s breach of decorum. He asked Liu Bei, “Brother, why did you prevent me from killing that rebel and so ridding the world of a scoundrel? He had insulted the Emperor.”

“When you throw stones at a rat, beware of the vase,” quoted Liu Bei. “Cao Cao was only a horse’s head away from our Lord and in the midst of a crowd of his own men. In that momentary burst of anger, if you struck and failed, and harm had come to the Emperor, what an awful crime would have been laid on us!”

“If we don’t get rid of him today, more evil will come of it,” said Guan Yu.

“But be discreet, my brother. Such matters can’t be lightly discussed.”

The Emperor sadly returned to his palace. With tears in his eyes he related what had occurred in the hunting expedition to his consort, Empress Fu. He said, “From the day of my accession one vicious minister has succeeded another. I was first the victim of Dong Zhuo’s tyranny, which was then followed by the rebellion of Li Jue and Guo Si. You and I have suffered miseries such as no others have endured. Then came this Cao Cao. I thought he would maintain the imperial dignity, but he has seized all the power of the state and does as he wishes. He works continually for his own glorification and rides roughshods over all others. I never see him but I am on tenterhooks. In the hunting field today he even pushed ahead of me to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd. He was so extremely impertinent that I feel sure he has sinister designs against me. And then, alas, it will be the end of both you and me!”

The Empress said in despair, “In a whole court full of nobles who have eaten the bread of Han, is there not one who will save his country?”