The Three Kingdoms Volume 1 (47 page)

“Why did you come?” asked Cao Cao.

“We heard that you, sir, had invited our brother to a wine party and we came to amuse you with a little sword play,” said Guan Yu.

“This is not a Hongmen Banquet,”
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replied Cao Cao. “What use do we have for two swordsmen?”

Liu Bei smiled. The host ordered wine to be served to them to allay their fear and, soon after, the three took their leave and returned home.

“We were nearly frightened to death,” said Guan Yu.

Liu Bei told his brothers about what happened at Cao Cao’s place. They asked him why he should say that he was afraid of thunder.

He explained: “Remember I’ve been learning gardening these days. That is to convince Cao Cao that I have no ambition at all. But I little expected that he’d name me as one of the two heroes. I was so startled that my chopsticks dropped to the ground. I thought he had some suspicions. Happily, the thunder at the moment supplied the excuse I wanted.”

“How very clever you are!” they said in admiration.

On the following day Cao Cao again invited Liu Bei over, and while the two were drinking, an officer, who had been dispatched to find out what Yuan Shao was doing, came to present his report.

He said, “Yuan Shao has completely overpowered Gongsun Zan.”

“Do you know the details?” asked Liu Bei at once.

“They were at war and Gongsun Zan had the worse of it, so he acted on the defensive. He built a wall around his city and on that erected a high tower, where he stored a huge quantity of grain. He took up his quarters there but his troops still passed in and out of the city without ceasing, some to give battle and others returning to rest. When one of them was surrounded by the enemy, the others asked Gongsun Zan to rescue him. He said, ‘If I rescue one, then later on everyone else will want to be helped and will not exert himself.’ So he did not go. This disgusted his men and many went over to the enemy so that his army diminished.

“He tried to seek help from the capital but the messenger was captured by Yuan Shao’s men. Then he sent a letter to Zhang Xiu to arrange with him for a joint attack against Yuan Shao, but the letter was again intercepted. His enemies disguised themselves as Zhang Xiu’s men and lit a fire outside the city, the signal given in the letter, to flush him out. Thus Gongsun Zan fell into an ambush. He lost heavily and retreated back into the city, where he was besieged. Later, Yuan Shao’s men dug a subterranean passage to his tower and set fire to it. Gongsun Zan could not escape. So he slew his wife and committed suicide. The flames destroyed his whole family.

“Yuan Shao has added the remnants of the vanquished army to his own and so become yet stronger. However, his brother Yuan Shu in Huainan, is so arrogant and cruel that his army and the people have turned against him. Therefore he sent a messenger to his brother to say that he would yield to him the title of Emperor, which he had assumed. Yuan Shao, however, also demanded the Imperial Seal, and Yuan Shu promised to bring it to him in person. Now he has abandoned Huainan and is about to set out for Hebei. If the two brothers join forces it will not be easy to overwhelm them. We must take immediate action to prevent this from happening.”

Liu Bei heard the story with sorrow in his heart, for he remembered Gongsun Zan’s kindness to him in the past. Moreover, he was anxious to know the fate of Zhao Yun.

He thought to himself, “What better chance am I likely to get to set myself free?”

So he rose and said to Cao Cao, “If Yuan Shu goes over to join his brother he will surely pass through Xuzhou. Give me an army and I will intercept him on the way. That will finish Yuan Shu.”

“Present a petition to the Emperor tomorrow and then you can start on the expedition,” said Cao Cao, smiling.

So the next day Liu Bei went to obtain permission from the Emperor and Cao Cao gave him command of 50,000 soldiers, horse and foot, and sent Zhu Lin and Lu Zhao to accompany him.

Liu Bei went to bid farewell to the Emperor, who wept as he saw him leave. As soon as he reached his lodging he set about preparing for immediate departure, returning his official seal and assembling his weapons. The army started the march at once.

Dong Cheng hurried out of town to see him off.

“You need not worry about my leaving—this journey will assuredly help with the scheme,” said Liu Bei.

“Keep your mind fixed on that,” said Dong Cheng, “and never forget what His Majesty requires of us.”

They parted. Liu Bei’s brothers asked him why he was in such a hurry to get away.

He replied, “I’ve been a bird in a cage, a fish in a net. This is like the fish regaining the open sea and the bird soaring into the blue sky. Now I’m no longer in confinement.” And he gave orders for the army to move faster.

Now Guo Jia and Cheng Yu had been away inspecting stores and supplies when Liu Bei left. As soon as they heard of his expedition they went to see their master, asking him why he had let Liu Bei go in command of an army.

“He is going to cut off Yuan Shu’s advance to Hebei,” said Cao Cao.

Cheng Yu said, “Formerly, when he was governor of Yuzhou, we entreated you to put him to death, but you would not hear of it. Now you have even given him an army. You have allowed the dragon to reach the sea, the tiger to return to the mountains. What control will you have in future?”

Guo Jia also remonstrated: “Even if you would not put him to death you need not let him go. As the proverb says, ‘Release control of the enemy for one day and an age-long harm ensues.’ Please consider this matter more carefully.”

Cao Cao recognized that these were prudent counsels, so he sent Xu Chu and five hundred men with imperative orders to bring Liu Bei back.

Liu Bei was marching as rapidly as possible when he noticed a cloud of dust to the rear and remarked to his brothers, “These must be Cao Cao’s men coming to pursue us.”

He halted and made a stockade and ordered his brothers to be in readiness, one on each side. Presently the messenger arrived and found himself in the midst of an army, ready for battle. He dismounted and entered the camp to speak to Liu Bei.

“Sir, on what business have you come?” asked Liu Bei.

“The prime minister has sent me to request that you return as he has further matters to discuss with you.”

“When a general has once taken the field, even the royal command can be of no effect. I bade farewell to the Emperor and received the prime minister’s command, so there can be nothing further to talk about. Please return at once with that reply to your master.”

The messenger was undecided what action to take. He knew of the friendship that existed between his master and Liu Bei and besides, he had no orders to fight. He could only return with this reply and ask for further instructions. So he left. When he related what had occurred to his master, Cao Cao still hesitated to take any action. His advisers pointed out to him that this refusal to return indicated betrayal.

“Still, two of my men are with him,” said Cao Cao. “He will not dare to betray me, I think. Besides, I sent him myself and I cannot go back on my own orders.”

So Liu Bei was not pursued.

A poem was written in praise of Liu Bei:

He fed the horses, disciplined his men,
And marched forth in a hurry,
Intent to accomplish his King’s behest
Deeply engrained in his memory.
At last he had escaped from confinement,
Like a tiger breaking loose from its cage.
He had shaken the shackles from his feet,
As a dragon soaring to heaven’s gate.

When Ma Teng heard that Liu Bei had departed, he felt that it would be difficult to carry out the Emperor’s decree in a short time. Meanwhile, pressing business at the frontier urged him to go back and he, too, left the capital for his own district in the west.

On Liu Bei’s arrival at Xuzhou the governor, Che Zhou, went to meet him. After the official banquet was over, his former subordinates, Sun Qian and Mi Zhu, came to pay their respects to him. Then he proceeded to his residence to see his family.

Scouts were sent out to discover what Yuan Shu was doing. They came back with the news that his arrogance had driven away two of his officers to the mountains. His forces thus reduced, he wrote to his brother, saying that he would yield his imperial title to him. Yuan Shao at once sent for him. So he packed up the palace fittings, got the remnants of his army in order, and marched toward Xuzhou.

When he neared Xuzhou, Liu Bei led out his officers and men to oppose him. They were met first by Ji Ling. Zhang Fei rode out and attacked without a word. In the tenth bout Ji Ling was slain and the defeated soldiers fled in all directions.

Then Yuan Shu came up with his army. Liu Bei placed his brothers and Cao Cao’s two officers on his two sides and began to abuse him. “You wicked rebel, I have the Emperor’s decree to destroy you. Yield at once and you may avoid punishment.”

“Base weaver of mats and mean maker of straw sandals, how dare you make light of me?” replied Yuan Shu and he gave the signal to attack.

The four officers on Liu Bei’s right and left fought back with their soldiers. They smote the enemy till corpses littered the plain and blood flowed in streams. Many soldiers deserted. After the defeat, Yuan Shu was further attacked by his former subordinates, who robbed him of all his supplies, completing his destruction. Yuan Shu tried to retreat to his home but the bandits barred the road.

He had to seek refuge in Jiangting, with only a thousand or so men left of all his army. And these were but the old and the weakly ones, able neither to fight nor flee. It was then the height of summer and their food was nearly exhausted. The whole provision consisted of thirty measures of wheat. This was made over to the soldiers and the members of his household went hungry. Many died of starvation. Yuan Shu could not swallow the coarse food that the soldiers lived on. One day he ordered his cook bring him some honey water to quench his thirst.

“There is no water with honey, save that tainted with blood,” replied the cook.

This was the last straw. Yuan Shu sat up on his couch and rolled out onto the floor with a loud cry. Blood gushed from his mouth and thus he died. It was the sixth month of the fourth year of the reign of Jian An.

The last days of Han approached and weapons clashed in every quarter,
The misguided Yuan Shu, lost all sense of honor,
Forgetful of his forefathers, who had filled the State’s highest offices.
Madly aspired to make himself Emperor,
Resting his outrageous claim on the possession of The Seal,
And arrogantly boasting that thus he fulfilled the design of Heaven.
Alas! Sick unto death he vainly begged for a little honey water;
He died, alone on his empty bed.

Yuan Shu being dead, his nephew escorted his coffin and his family toward Lujiang. There, the magistrate, Xu Miao, slew all the survivors. Among the possessions he found the Imperial Seal, which he at once took to the capital and presented to Cao Cao, for which service he was made a prefect.

When Liu Bei heard that Yuan Shu was dead, he prepared a report to the throne and sent it to Cao Cao. He also sent the two officers appointed by Cao Cao back to the capital, but kept the army to defend Xuzhou. Then he personally went through the countryside to call back the people to resume their lives.

Cao Cao was angry when his two officers returned without the army and wanted to put them to death. Xun Yu reasoned with him.

“The power was in Liu Bei’s hands and they had no alternative,” he said.

So they were pardoned.

“You should instruct Che Zhou to try to destroy him,” said Xun Yu.

Accordingly he sent secret orders to Che Zhou, who took Chen Deng, who had earlier betrayed Lu Bu, into his confidence. Chen Deng proposed placing an ambush near the city gate to attack Liu Bei on his return from the country. “I will attack his escort with arrows from the city walls,” he added. Che Zhou agreed to try this.

Chen Deng then went to tell the scheme to his father who, however, bade him go and warn Liu Bei of the danger. He at once rode away to do so. Before long he met the two younger brothers, to whom he related the story.

Now the two brothers had returned earlier and Liu Bei was still some distance behind. As soon as Zhang Fei heard of the plot, he wanted to attack the ambushing force, but Guan Yu said he had a better plan.

He said, “He’s laid an ambush there. It’ll be to our disadvantage if we go and attack. I think we can do this—in the night, we’ll pretend to be Cao Cao’s men and lure him out to meet us. We’ll slay him then.”

Zhang Fei approved of the plan. Now the soldiers, who used to serve under Cao Cao, had his army banners and wore the same armor. At about the third watch, they came to the city wall and hailed the guards to open the gate, saying that they were Zhang Liao’s troops sent from the capital. This was reported to Che Zhou, who sent hastily for Chen Deng to discuss the matter.

“If I don’t receive them they will suspect my loyalty,” he said. “Yet if I do I may be victim of a trick.”

So he went up on the wall and said it was too dark to distinguish friends from foes and they must wait till daylight. The men shouted back that Liu Bei had to be kept in ignorance and they begged him to let them in. Still he hesitated. But the shouting only grew louder.