The Three Kingdoms Volume 2 (73 page)

“My family has been in the service of the Hans for generation upon generation. Do you think I’d willingly follow a rebel? If you, sirs, are really thinking of restoring the dynasty, please tell me your plans.”

“Unfortunately we have only the desire, but not the plan, to destroy the rebel,” said Wei Huang.

Jin Yi said, “We must rely on forces from within and supporters from without. If we slay Wang Bi we can get his troops to help the Emperor. Then with the help of Liu Bei, we should be able to destroy the rebel Cao Cao.”

Hearing Jin Yi’s plan, the other two clapped their hands in approval.

“And I have two bosom friends who’ll certainly join us,” said Jin Yi. “Both of them have the murder of a father to avenge. They’re the sons of the court physician Ji Ping, who was tortured to death by Cao Cao, together with Dong Cheng and the others. The two sons escaped death at the time by escaping but have secretly returned and are now staying outside the capital. If we ask them for help they will not refuse.”

His two friends rejoiced at the prospect of further help, and the two Ji brothers were called forth. Soon they arrived, and the plan was laid before them. Weeping with deep gratitude for their friends and intense hatred for the torturer of their father, they swore to aid in the destruction of Cao Cao.

Jin Yi suggested that they took action on the fifteenth day of the first month,
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as the city would then be lit by lights and fire everywhere for the celebration of the lantern festival.

Turning to Geng Ji and Wei Huang, he added: “You two are to lead out your servants and make your way quickly to Wang Bi’s camp. When you see a fire breaking out inside the capital, burst in, slay Wang Bi and follow me into the palace. We’ll then request the Emperor to ascend the Tower of the Five Phoenixes, where he’ll assemble his officers and issue orders to destroy the rebels.”

To the two Ji brothers, he said: “You’re to make your way into the city and set fires going. Raise your voices to call on the populace to aid you in destroying the enemy of the state. In the meantime, try to delay any rescue force inside the city. When the Emperor has issued the edict and the disturbance is calmed, we’ll mobilize an army to Yejun to seize Cao Cao. By then, a messenger will have been dispatched with a summons for Liu Bei. Tonight we’ve decided upon our plan and when the day comes we’ll begin our action at the second watch. We mustn’t bring misfortune to ourselves like Dong Cheng.”

All five swore before Heaven and smeared their lips with blood to pledge to be true. After this, each returned to his own home to prepare arms and call up their men.

Both Geng Ji and Wei Huang had a large number of servants, whom they armed. The Ji brothers also got together some hundreds of men, pretending that they were preparing for a hunting party.

Before the time fixed for their operation, Jin Yi went to see Wang Bi, to whom he said, “The country has enjoyed some peace now and the prestige of the Prince of Wei extends over all the land. The lantern festival is drawing near. I think we must have the lights and fireworks out to mark the joy and felicitation of the occasion.”

Wang Bi agreed and had notices put out to tell the residents to hang out lanterns and decorations for the festival. On the night of the full moon, the sky was very clear. The moon and stars vied for brilliance. Among the “six streets and the three market places” of the city lanterns were hung out in profusion, and the people took advantage of the occasion to have a wonderful time. They were not to fear the interference of city guards or mind about the passing of time—all was pure gaiety.

That night Wang Bi and his colleagues had a feast in their camp. Just after the second watch they heard a great shouting in the camp, and reports came in to say that a fire had started in the rear. Wang Bi hurriedly left the table and went outside, where he saw flames leaping up on every side and heard shouts of “Kill!” rising to the very sky. He thought the camp had certainly mutinied, and, jumping on his horse, exited by the south gate. Just outside he ran into Geng Ji, who fired an arrow that struck him in the shoulder. He nearly fell from the wound, but he got away toward the west gate. He found he was pursued by armed men, so he gave up his horse and went on foot. Presently he came to the house of Jin Yi and hammered at the door.

Now the fire in the camp had been raised by Jin Yi’s men, and he himself had led his servants to assist his friends in fighting. Hence when Wang Bi came to his door there was but the womenfolk left in his house. When his wife heard the clamor at the door she thought Jin Yi had come back, and before opening the door she asked, “Have you killed Wang Bi?”

This was a great shock to him, but it told Wang Bi that his friend was involved in the plot. Therefore he fled further to the house of Cao Xiu and told him that Geng Ji and Jin Yi had raised a disturbance. Cao Xiu immediately armed himself, mounted, and led a troop to suppress the uprising. He found fires on all sides, and the Tower of the Five Phoenixes was also caught in flames. The Emperor had fled into the recesses of the palace, and Cao Cao’s trusted palace guards defended the palace like grim death.

In the city the crowd was shouting, “Slay Cao Cao and restore the Hans.”

By this time the disturbance had also reached Xiahou Dun, who had been commanded by Cao Cao to watch over the capital, and had camped five
li
from the city. When he saw the conflagration start up he mobilized the army and surrounded the city with his main force, while sending a body of soldiers to reinforce Cao Xiu within the capital.

Inside the city fighting went on all night. Without reinforcements the small band of loyalists were entirely on their own. Soon it was reported that Jin Yi and the Ji brothers had been slain. Geng Ji and Wei Huang tried to escape from one of the gates, but they ran into Xiahou Dun’s main force and were captured. The few men with them were all killed.

When the fighting subsided, Xiahou Dun went into the city and detailed his men to put out the fires. He also rounded up the whole households of the five organizers of the uprising. Then he sent a dispatch to Cao Cao, who sent back orders to execute Geng Ji and Wei Huang and put to death in public all the members of the five families. He also told him to arrest every official of the court and send them all to Yejun.

Xiahou Dun took his two chief prisoners to the place of execution.

Geng Ji shouted fearlessly, “Alive I have failed to slay you, Cao Cao— dead I will be a vengeful spirit to smite you.”

The executioner struck him on the mouth with his sword, so that blood gushed out, but he continued to curse as long as he could. His comrade Wei Huang dashed his face on the ground crying, “Hateful! Hateful!” and ground his teeth till he broke them to fragments. And he died.

Who can with outstretched hands uphold the sky

Or thrones maintain by simple loyalty?

Han’s day was done; two would avert the doom,
But failed, they carried anger to their tombs.

Xiahou Dun carried out his chief’s orders and sent the arrested officials to Yejun. There, Cao Cao set up two flags, one red and one white, on the drill ground. Then he addressed the officials.

“In this recent rebellion some of you went out to extinguish the fire, while some of you stayed inside. Those of you who went to put out the fire, stand by the red flag; and those of you who remained indoors, go to the white flag.”

The officials thought to themselves, “Certainly there can be nothing wrong in trying to put out a fire.” So most of them placed themselves under the red flag—only about a third went to the white one.

Then the order was given to seize all those by the red flag.

They protested. “We are innocent!” they cried.

Cao Cao said, “At that time your intention was not to put out the flames but to aid the rebels.”

All of them, three hundred or more victims, were taken down and executed by the banks of the Zhang River, while those who stood under the white flag were rewarded with gifts and allowed to return to the capital.

Since Wang Bi had died from his arrow wound and was buried with great honor, Cao Xiu was given command of the Imperial Guard. To replace all the executed court officials, Cao Cao made a number of new appointments. Zhong Yao was created prime minister and Hua Xin became a chief minister.

The occasion was also used to create six levels of marquis, with three grades in each, so eighteen in total. There were seventeen types of marquis in regions within the passes. And all these marquises had golden seals of office with purple ribbons. There were also sixteen grades of marquis in regions both inside and outside the passes. They had silver seals with tortoise ornaments on the back and black ribbons. There were five classes of
Da-fu
with fifteen grades, and these had brass seals with chain ornaments and black ribbons. And with all these various grades of rank and nobility reorganized, the court was entirely transformed. There were new ranks and new men for every office.

Cao Cao then remembered Guan Lu’s warning about a conflagration in the capital and wished to reward the soothsayer for his prescience, but he would accept nothing.

Meanwhile, Cao Hong arrived in Hanzhong with an army. Placing Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He in command of key positions, he himself led his troops to counter the men of Shu. At that time Zhang Fei, assisted by Lei Tong, was holding Baxi, while Ma Chao was stationed at Xiabian and had sent Wu Lan out as van leader to reconnoiter. On the way he encountered Cao Hong—Wu Lan wanted to retreat but a minor officer, Ren Kui by name, urged him to fight.

“Our enemy has only just arrived. If we do not dishearten them how can we return and face our chief?” he argued. So saying, he rode out to challenge. Cao Hong himself accepted his challenge, and Ren Kui succumbed in the third encounter. Cao Hong pressed on, and Wu Lan was driven off in a serious defeat. When he returned to see Ma Chao, he was blamed for his rash action.

“Why did you attack without my orders and bring about this defeat?”

“It was the fault of Ren Kui, who would not listen to me.”

Ma Chao told him to hold the city firmly and not to go out and fight. On the other hand, he sent a report to Chengdu and awaited orders for further actions. Seeing that Ma Chao remained inactive for several days running, Cao Hong suspected some ruse was being planned, and retreated to Nanzheng. Here he was visited by Zhang He, who asked his chief why he had retreated following the successful attack.

“Ma Chao declined to come out to fight. I suspected some ruse was being designed,” he replied. “Besides, when I was at Yejun, I heard that that wonderful soothsayer, Guan Lu, foretold the loss of a major officer here. So I thought I should be careful.”

Zhang He laughed. “General, you’ve been a fighting man for half your lifetime and yet you heed the sayings of a soothsayer! I may be of small wit, but I’ll take Baxi with my own troops. The seizure of that city will be the key to the capture of the whole of Shu.”

“The commander at Baxi is Zhang Fei,” said Cao Hong. “He’s no ordinary man to meet. We must be careful.”

“All the others fear this Zhang Fei, but I look upon him as a mere nobody! I’ll capture him this time!”

“But if you fail, what then?”

“Then I will pay the penalty of death.”

Cao Hong made him put this down in writing, and then Zhang He set out on the campaign.

The proud are often defeated,

The rash seldom succeed.

What happened to Zhang He will be told in the next chapter.

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An ancient book of divination, probably the work of several Confucian scholars in the periods of Warring States and Qin Dynasty. The traditional Chinese theory of the interplay of ying and yang was first expounded in this book.

*
The Chinese way of writing “nineteen” is to put a “ten” first and then a “nine” (10+9), while for “ninety-nine” it is to write a “nine” first, then a “ten” and another “nine” (9+10+9). Hence it is possible to insert a “nine” before the “ten.”

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See Chapter
Seventy-One
for an explanation of these four lines.

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According to the lunar calendar, the fifteenth of the first month is celebrated as the lantern festival, when every household would make special lanterns and hang them out for all to see. The tradition is still observed to a lesser degree today.

CHAPTER SEVENTY