The Three Kingdoms Volume 2 (77 page)

His uncle said to him, “When you go out to fight Huang Zhong I want you to lose and not to win. I have a very good plan ready for the enemy.” He then explained his plan to Xiahou Shang, who took the instruction and went away with 3,000 men.

Now Huang Zhong and his comrade, Fa Zheng, were camped in a valley of Mount Dingjun. They had been endeavoring to entice Xiahou Yuan out into the field to fight, but so far had not been successful. They would have liked to attack him but, apprehensive of the precipitous mountain roads, dared not do so. So they had not advanced. That day, when scouts came to report that Cao Cao’s men had come down from the hill to offer battle, Huang Zhong was ready to march out to meet them at once. But a minor officer named Chen Shi offered himself.

“Do not trouble yourself, General,” said Chen Shi. “Let me go out to fight them.”

Delighted with the offer, Huang Zhong consented, and placed one thousand men under Chen Shi, who went out of the valley and deployed his army. Presently Xiahou Shang came up and, as arranged, merely fought a few bouts and ran away. Chen Shi followed but was soon brought to a standstill by the falling of logs and stones from the hills on both sides. As he hastened to turn back, Xiahou Yuan suddenly emerged from behind and attacked. Chen Shi had no chance against them and was quickly made prisoner. Many of his men surrendered to the enemy, but a few escaped to their own camp and told Huang Zhong of the defeat.

Huang Zhong at once consulted Fa Zheng, who said, “This Xiahou Yuan is easily provoked to anger, and he relies more on his boldness than discretion. Our plan now is to first raise the fighting spirit of our men, then break camp and advance stage by stage, entrenching ourselves at every step. In this way we’ll provoke our enemy to battle, when we can capture him. This tactic is known as ‘Turning the guest into the host.’”

Huang Zhong took his advice. He distributed all the things in the camp among his men, whose rejoicing filled the whole valley. They vowed to fight to death in battle. Then camp was broken, and the army marched forward a certain distance. Then they made a temporary camp, where they stayed for a few days for rest. The maneuver was repeated.

When tidings of the enemy’s advance reached Xiahou Yuan, he proposed to go out and fight. “This is a well-known ruse called ‘Turning the guest into the host’,” said Zhang He. “And you should remain on the defensive. You‘ll lose if you fight.”

Xiahou Yuan was not the man to tolerate cautious advice, so he sent out Xiahou Shang to give battle. As soon as this force reached Huang Zhong’s camp, he mounted and rode out to fight. In the very first bout he captured Xiahou Shang. Those who escaped told the news to their commander, and Xiahou Yuan at once proposed an exchange of prisoners. This was agreed to, and the exchange was to be effected the following day in front of both armies.

So the next day both sides were arrayed in a spot where the valley widened, the two leaders on horseback beneath their respective standards. Beside each stood his prisoner. Both captives wore thin clothes to cover their bodies, without robes or armor. At the first beat of the drum each started to run back to his own side. But just as Xiahou Shang reached the ranks of his own side, Huang Zhong shot an arrow and wounded him in the back. The victim managed to return to his side, still carrying the arrow in his back.

Xiahou Yuan, mad with rage, could contain himself no longer. He galloped straight at Huang Zhong to engage him, which was exactly what the latter wanted to provoke him into doing. The fight went on for a score of bouts, when suddenly gongs clanged out from Xiahou Yuan’s side and he hastily drew off, losing some men while doing so. When he reached his own side he asked why the gong had sounded.

“Because we saw the banners of Shu on several parts of the hill and we were afraid there might be an ambush.”

Believing this must be the case, Xiahou Yuan decided to maintain a strict defense. Before long, Huang Zhong had got to the foot of the mountain, and he again asked his comrade for advice.

Fa Zheng, pointing to the hills around, said, “There is a steep hill to the west of this one, difficult to access, but from its summit one has a complete view of the defenses of the enemy. If you can take that eminence, Mount Dingjun lies in the palm of your hand.”

Huang Zhong looked up and saw that the top of the unknown hill was a small plateau and it was guarded by just a few men. So that evening at the second watch he led his men to dash up the hill, drove out the small force there, and captured their camp. It was just opposite Mount Dingjun.

Fa Zheng said, “General, you take up a position halfway up the hill, and I’ll go to the top. When the enemy appears I’ll show a white flag. But don’t rush into battle. Wait quietly till the enemy becomes dull with inaction, and at that point I’ll hoist a red flag. That’ll be the signal for attack.”

Pleased, Huang Zhong prepared this plan. In the meantime, the men who had been driven from the hilltop had reported the loss to Xiahou Yuan.

“With Huang Zhong occupying that hill, I simply must give battle,” he said in wrath.

Zhang He was strongly opposed to this, saying the whole thing was a ruse of Fa Zheng’s, but Xiahou Yuan was obstinate.

“From the top of that hill the whole of our position is visible, our strengths as well as our weaknesses. How can I not fight?”

In vain did Zhang He try to dissuade him. Xiahou Yuan set out his men to surround the hill and then began to vent his rage at his enemy in an attempt to incite him to give battle.

At the top of the hill Fa Zheng hoisted the white flag and Xiahou Yuan was allowed to fume and rage in vain. He tried every form of insult, but Huang Zhong ignored them all. In the afternoon the men became weary and dispirited, obviously losing their eagerness to fight. Seeing this, Fa Zheng unfurled the red flag.

Instantly drums rolled, horns blew, and men shouted till the earth seemed to shake as the hoary warrior rode out ahead of his men, down the hill with the momentum of a landslide. Xiahou Yuan, caught unawares, was totally unprepared for this sudden onslaught. Before he could defend himself Huang Zhong had rushed to his standard, and with a thundering roar, raised his sword and cleft Xiahou Yuan through the head and shoulders so that he fell in two pieces.

A poem was written to praise the veteran general:

Hoary headed is he, but he goes out to battle;

Gray haired, yet fearlessly mighty;

With his strong arms he bends the bow,
The arrows fly.

With the swiftness of the wind he rides,
The white sword gleams.

The sound of his voice is as the roar of a tiger,
His steed is swift as a dragon in flight.
Victory is his and its rich rewards,
For he extends the domain of his lord.

At the death of their commander, the soldiers fled for their lives. On the back of this victory Huang Zhong went on to capture Mount Dingjun. Zhang He came out to oppose him, but, attacked at two points by Huang Zhong and Chen Shi, he lost the day and fled. However, before he had gone far, another force blazed out from the hillside and barred his way. Their leader cried: “This is Zhao Zi-long ( Zhao Yun) of Changshan!”

Terrified, Zhang He led his men to flee back to Mount Dingjun. But on the way he met a body of his own men, who told him that the hill had fallen into the hands of Liu Feng and Meng Da. This was another severe blow to Zhang He. With nowhere else to turn he escaped to the Han River, where a temporary camp was pitched and the terrible tidings were dispatched to Cao Cao.

At the news of the death of his favorite general, Cao Cao burst into loud wailing. And then he remembered the four lines the soothsayer, Guan Lu, had said and began to see their hidden meaning. The first line,
Three-eight crosswise
, meant that the time was the twenty-fourth year of the period Jian An; the second line,
The yellow boar meets the tiger
, narrowed the time further down to the first month of the year of the pig; the third line,
South of Dingjun
, referred to the south of Mount Dingjun; and the last line,
Loss of one limb
, indicated the brotherly relationship between Xiahou Yuan and himself.

Cao Cao sent people to inquire the whereabouts of Guan Lu, but he was nowhere to be found.

Cao Cao hated Huang Zhong intensely, and so he himself led his army toward Mount Dingjun to avenge the death of his cousin Xiahou Yuan. Xu Huang led the van. The army presently reached the Han River, where it was joined by Zhang He and his men.

Zhang He said to Cao Cao, “Now that this position is lost we must move the supplies in the Micang Mountain to the north before advancing farther.” Cao Cao agreed and Zhang He was ordered to remove the grain to the safer place.

Huang Zhong cut off the head of Xiahou Yuan and took it to Liu Bei to claim his victory. For his service he was rewarded with the title General-Conqueror of the West, and banquets were given in his honor.

Soon, however, an officer named Zhang Zhu brought the news of Cao Cao’s vindictive expedition and the removal of his supplies to the north by Zhang He.

Zhuge Liang said, “Cao Cao is here with a large army. He will probably be short of supplies. If some of you can penetrate deep into his territory and burn his stores and seize his baggage, he will have but little spirit left to fight.”

“I will undertake the task,” volunteered Huang Zhong again.

Zhuge Liang tried to dissuade him. “Remember Cao Cao is a different sort of opponent from your latest victim.”

Liu Bei said, “After all, Xiahou Yuan was but a bold fighting man. He was no match for Zhang He. It will be ten times better to kill Zhang He.”

“I will go and kill him,” cried the aged warrior excitedly, his spirit roused.

“Then go with Zi-long,” said Zhuge Liang. “Combine forces and see who can succeed.”

Huang Zhong agreed to this condition. Zhang Zhu was also sent as his second.

On the way, Zhao Yun asked him what plan he had in mind to deal with Cao Cao’s army of 200,000 in their ten camps, and how the stores of grain and forage were to be seized.

“Let me go first, then,” said Huang Zhong.

“No, wait—I’m going first,” said Zhao Yun.

“But I’m the senior leader—you’re only my second,” said Huang Zhong.

“Well, you and I are both anxious to render a good service to our lord. We’re not rivals. Let’s cast lots to decide who’s to lead the way.”

This was agreed to, and the lot fell to the aged general.

“Since you’re to make the first attempt, you must let me help you,” said Zhao Yun. “Now let’s decide upon a fixed time, and if you’ve returned by that time, I’ll not stir. But if by that time you haven’t come back then I’ll come to aid you.”

“That suits me admirably,” said Huang Zhong.

So they set noon as the time. Zhao Yun went back to his own camp, where he called in his next in command and said, “General Huang is going to try to burn Cao Cao’s supplies tomorrow. If he hasn’t returned at noon I’m to go to his aid. Our camp faces the Han River and the ground here is dangerous enough, suitable for defense. If I go, you must guard it very carefully and do not venture out.”

Huang Zhong also went back to his camp and said to his senior captain, Zhang Zhu: “As I’ve slain Xiahou Yuan, Zhang He is surely scared. I’m going to destroy the enemy’s store of grain tomorrow, taking with me most of the men. You’re to come and assist me. Tell the men to have a good meal at the third watch, and be ready to move out at the fourth watch. We’ll go straight to the foot of the northern hills, capture Zhang He first, and then get their supplies.”

Zhang Zhu took the order and arranged everything. That night they set out, with Huang Zhong leading the way and Zhang Zhu following in the rear, and stole across the Han River to the foot of the hills. As the sun rose in the east, they saw before them mountains of grain and only a few men on watch. These fled at the first sight of the men of Shu. Huang Zhong ordered his cavalrymen to collect brushwood and pile it on the grain. Just as they were starting the fire, there appeared a force led by Zhang He, who at once began a fight with Huang Zhong. Soon Cao Cao heard of the raid and sent Xu Huang to help. He came up from the rear, and Huang Zhong was surrounded. Zhang Zhu, with a small company, managed to get away, but before he could escape to camp he was intercepted by Wen Ping in front, and by more of Cao Cao’s men in the rear, so that he was also surrounded. Both were in grave danger.

Meanwhile, time was quickly ticking away. When noon came with no sign of Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun hurriedly girded on his armor, took 3,000 soldiers with him and rushed to his aid. Just as he was leaving he again warned his comrade Zhang Yi to keep a good watch.

“Guard the camp most carefully—see that you have a lot of archers and crossbowmen on both sides.”

Zhang Yi obeyed. Zhao Yun rushed off, spear in hand, to the scene of the battle. Soon he encountered one of Wen Ping’s men, whom he easily disposed of. The next man to block his way was an officer called Jiao Bing, to whom Zhao Yun asked, “Where are the soldiers of Shu?”

“All killed,” cried Jiao Bing.

In a rage, Zhao Yun dashed forward, slew Jiao Bing with one thrust of his spear, and drove away his soldiers. Then he went on to the foot of the northern hills, where he found Huang Zhong surrounded. With a yell he dashed into the encircling forces, thrusting this way and shoving that, forcing everyone to shrink and recoil before him. He swung his mighty spear so swiftly that its gleaming light resembled blossoms of a pear tree dancing around his body. Zhang He and Xu Huang, panic-stricken, dared not stand in his way, and thus Zhao Yun fought his way through and rescued the old general. Then they fought their way out and none could even dream of coming near the heroic Zhao Yun.