The Three Kingdoms Volume 1 (73 page)

But Guo Jia was of different opinion.

“You are wrong,” he said. “Though the prestige of our minister fills the empire, yet the men of the desert, relying on their inaccessibility, will not be prepared against us. A surprise attack will conquer them. Besides, Yuan Shao used to be kind to the nomads, so they will support the two brothers. We cannot allow them to live. As for Liu Biao, he knows he is not talented enough to command Liu Bei. If he delegates a heavy responsibility to Liu Bei he will be afraid of losing control of him, but if he entrusts him with a light task then Liu Bei will be dissatisfied. So even though you make a long expedition, leaving the capital almost unguarded, you do not have to worry about him. Nothing will happen.”

Cao Cao was inclined to agree with Guo Jia and he led his whole army to move ahead, followed by thousands of wagons.

The army marched into the desert. What greeted them was rolling waves of yellow sand and howling winds all around. The road was rugged and rough, making progress extremely difficult for both men and horses. Cao Cao began to think of returning and he consulted Guo Jia. The advisor had by then fallen victim to the effects of the climate and lay in his cart, very ill.

Cao Cao’s tears fell as he said, “My friend, you are suffering for my ambition to subdue the desert. I cannot bear to think you should be ill.”

“You have always been very good to me,” said the sick man, “and I can never repay what I owe you.”

“The country is exceedingly precipitous and I am thinking of going back. What do you say?”

Guo Jia replied, “The success of an expedition of this kind depends upon speed. To strike a sudden blow on a distant spot with a heavy baggage train is difficult. To ensure triumph you need light troops and a good road to strike quickly before an enemy has time to prepare. Now you must find guides who know the road well.”

Then the sick advisor was left at Yizhou for treatment and Cao Cao sought among the natives for someone to serve as guide. They recommended a former officer of Yuan Shao’s, who knew those parts well. Cao Cao called him in and questioned him.

The officer, named Tian Chou, said, “Between summer and autumn this route is under water, the shallow parts too deep for vehicles and horses, but the deep parts too shallow for boats. It is always difficult. Therefore you would do better to return and cross the dangerous zone of Baitan at Lulong Pass to get out of the desert. You will not be too far from the Willow City and attack before there is time for your opponents to prepare. One sudden onslaught will settle them.”

For this valuable information Tian Chou was made a general and went in front as guide. In the center came Zhang Liao and Cao Cao brought up the rear. They advanced swiflty by double marches.

Tian Chou led Zhang Liao to White Wolf Hill, where they came upon the two Yuans and Ta Dun, chief of the Wuhuan tribesmen, followed by a large mass of riders. Zhang Liao at once informed Cao Cao, who rode up to the top of a promontory to survey his foe. He saw the enemy force advancing in a disorderly mass without any military formation.

He said, “They have no formation. We can easily rout them.”

Then he handed over his ensign of command to Zhang Liao who, with three other officers, made a vigorous attack from four different points, with the result that the enemy was thrown into great confusion. Zhang Liao rode forward and slew Ta Dun and the others gave in. The two Yuan brothers, with a few thousand followers, got away to the east.

Cao Cao then led his army into the Willow City. To reward his service, Cao Cao conferred on Tian Chou the title of Lord of the Willow City and put him in charge of its defense. But Tian Chou declined the title. With tears in his eyes he said, “I am a renegade and a fugitive. It is my good fortune that you spared my life. How can I accept a reward for betraying the Lulong camp? I would rather die than receive the title of a lord.”

Cao Cao recognized the truth of his words and conferred upon him another post. He then pacified the tribesmen, collected a large number of horses from them, and at once set out on the homeward march.

The season was winter, cold and dry. For two hundred
li
there was no water and grain was also scanty. The troops could only feed on horse flesh. They had to dig very deep to find water.

When Cao Cao reached Yizhou he rewarded those who had tried to dissuade him from undertaking the expedition. He said, “I took some risk in going so far and by good fortune I have succeeded. But I owe the victory to the help of Heaven and it should not be viewed as the right course of action. Your counsels were for safety and therefore I reward you to show my appreciation of your advice so that you will not fear to speak your mind in future.”

The advisor Guo Jia did not live to see the return of his lord. His coffin was placed on the bier in a hall of the government offices and Cao Cao went there to mourn over his loyal advisor. He wept.

“Alas! Heaven has smitten me! Feng-xiao
^*
is no more.”

Turning to his men, he said, “You gentlemen are of the same age as myself but he was the youngest. I intended to entrust my future plans to him. What a misfortune it is that he should be snatched from me in the prime of his life. How my heart is torn with grief!”

The servant of the late advisor presented his last letter written on his deathbed and delivered his last words, “If the prime minister follows the advice given in it then Liaodong will be secure.”

Cao Cao opened the envelop and read the letter, nodding in agreement and uttering deep sighs. But the others did not know what was written.

Shortly after, Xiahou Dun came up to speak for a group of officers. “For a long time Gongsun Kang, Prefect of Liaodong, has been disobedient and now the Yuan brothers have fled to his protection. Would it not be well to attack before they move against you?”

“I need not trouble you, gentlemen,” said Cao Cao smiling. “Wait a few days and you will see the heads of our two enemies sent to me.”

They did not believe him.

As has been related, the two Yuan brothers had escaped to the east with a few thousand followers. When the prefect of Liaodong heard that the Yuans were on their way to his territory he called a council to decide what to do. At the council one of his advisors said, “When Yuan Shao was alive he often harbored the plan to annex our district. Now his sons, homeless, with a broken army and no officers, are coming here. It seems to me like the trick of the turtledove stealing the magpie’s nest. If we offer them shelter they will assuredly intrigue against us. I advise you to lure them into the city and then put them to death. Then send their heads to Cao Cao, who will be most grateful to us.”

“But I fear Cao Cao will come down to attack us,” said the prefect. “If so, it would be better to have the help of the Yuans against him.”

“Then you can send spies out to ascertain whether his army is preparing to attack us,” said the advisor. “If it is, then spare their lives; if not, then follow my advice.”

It was decided to wait till the spies came back. In the meantime, the two Yuan brothers had also been discussing their next move as they approached Liaodong. They said to each other, “Liaodong has a large army strong enough to oppose Cao Cao. We will go there and submit ourselves temporarily. Later, we will slay the prefect and take possession. Then when we have mustered enough strength, we will attack and recover our own land.”

With these intentions they went into the city. They were received and accommodated in the guesthouse, but when they wished to see the prefect he put them off with an excuse of indisposition. However, before many days the spies returned with the news that Cao Cao’s army was camped in Yizhou and there was no hint of any attack against Liaodong.

Then the prefect called the Yuans into his presence—but before they came, he hid swordsmen and axmen behind the arras in the hall. When the visitors had arrived and made their salutations, he told them to be seated.

Now it was bitterly cold and on the couch where Yuan Shang was sitting there were no coverings. So he asked for a cushion. The host said sullenly, “When your heads take that long, long journey, will there be any cushion?”

Before Yuan Shang could recover from the shock, the prefect shouted to the hidden assassins, “Why don’t you begin?”

At this, out rushed the assassins and the heads of the two brothers were cut off, even as they sat. Then they were placed in wooden boxes and sent to Cao Cao at Yizhou.

All this time Cao Cao had been calmly waiting and when his impatient officers petitioned again that he should return to the capital if he intended no attack on the east, he told them what he was waiting for. He would go as soon as the heads arrived.

In their hearts they doubted and secretly laughed at him. But then, surely enough, a messenger came from Liaodong bringing the heads. Then they were greatly surprised and when the messenger presented the prefect’s letter, Cao Cao cried, “Just as Feng-xiao had predicted!”

He amply rewarded the messenger and the prefect of Liaodong was created a nobleman and general. The officers asked him what his remark about Guo Jia meant and he told them what the late advisor had predicted. He read to them the last letter of the deceased advisor:

“Yuan Shang and his brother are going to Liaodong. You are on no account to attack Gongsun Kang, for he has long lived in fear lest the Yuans should annex his region. When the brothers arrive he will hesitate. If you attack, he will keep them to help him—if you wait, they will work against each other. This is evident.”

The officers all jumped with admiration when they saw how perfectly events had been foreseen.

Then Cao Cao at the head of all his men performed a grand sacrifice before the coffin of the wise Guo Jia. He had died at the age of thirty-eight, after eleven years of meritorious and wonderful service in the wars.

When Heaven permitted Guo Jia’s birth,
It made him ablest man on earth.
He knew by rote all histories,
From him war kept no mysteries.
Like Fan Li, his plans were quite decisive,
As Chen Ping, his strokes were most incisive.
Too soon he ran his earthly race,
Too soon the great beam fell from place.

When Cao Cao returned to Jizhou, he sent people to escort the coffin of his late advisor to the capital, where it was interred.

Then several of his officers said that as the north had been overcome it was time to settle the area south of the Yangtze. Cao Cao was pleased and said that it had long occupied his thoughts.

That night he went to stay in the east corner tower, where he leaned over the railing and studied the sky. His only companion was Xun You. Cao Cao said, “That is a very brilliant glow there in the south. It seems too strong for me to do anything there.”

“Who can oppose your heaven-sent prestige?” said Xun You.

Suddenly a beam of golden light shot up out of the earth. “Surely a treasure is buried there,” remarked Xun You.

They went down from the tower and ordered some men to dig at the point where the light had dazzled.

The southern skies with portents glow,
The northern lands their treasures show.

What treasure would be found will be told in the next chapter.

*
In modern Liaoning Province in northeast China.

†
An ancient nomadic tribe in northeast China.

*
Familiar name of Guo Jia, used here by Cao Cao to show his affection for the dead advisor.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Lady Cai Overhears a Secret

Liu Bei Leaps Over a Stream