Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Author: Luo Guanzhong / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-05-01
Features: [Editor's Recommendation:] Excerpt: "Jiao Feng Xie, good at chaos and enjoying calamity." The character is a symmetrical structure, with the left half being "" and the right half being "." [Excerpt:] Chapter 43: Zhuge Liang Debates the Scholars, Lu Zijin Resists the Majority. Lu Su and Kongming bid farewell to Xuan De and Liu Qi, boarded a boat, and headed towards Chaisang Prefecture. The two discussed their plans on the boat. Lu Su said to Kongming, "When you meet General Sun, you must not tell him that Cao Cao has a large army and many generals." Kongming replied, "No need for you to remind me, I have my own words to say." When the boat arrived at the shore, Su invited Kongming to rest temporarily in the inn and went to see Sun Quan first. Sun Quan was holding a meeting with his ministers in the hall when he heard of Lu Su's return and quickly summoned him in, asking, "What did you find out about Jiangxia?" Su replied, "I have learned the general situation, but I will report in detail later." Sun Quan showed Cao Cao's decree to Su, saying, "Cao Cao sent a messenger here yesterday, and I sent him away first. Now we are discussing it with the ministers, but we have not yet reached a decision." Su took the decree and read it. The decree stated: "Recently, I have received the imperial decree to subdue the guilty. With my army pointing south, Liu Cong surrendered without a fight; the people of Jing and Xiang have submitted to me with the wind. Now, with a million brave soldiers and a thousand commanders, I wish to meet you in Jiangxia to fight against Liu Bei, divide the land together, and form a lasting alliance. Do not hesitate and quickly give me your reply." After reading it, Su asked, "What do you think, Your Majesty?" Sun Quan replied, "I have not yet made a decision." Zhang Zhao said, "Cao Cao has a million soldiers and uses the name of the Son of Heaven to conquer the four directions. To resist him is not proper. Moreover, the main force that can resist Cao Cao is the Yangtze River. Now that Cao Cao has taken Jingzhou, the strategic advantage of the Yangtze River is now shared with us, making it impossible to fight against him. In my opinion, it is better to accept surrender and seek peace." All the advisors agreed, "Zibu's words are in line with the will of heaven." Sun Quan thought for a moment without speaking. Zhang Zhao said again, "Your Majesty does not need to doubt. If you surrender to Cao Cao, the people of Dongwu will be at peace, and the six prefectures of Jiangnan can be secured." Sun Quan lowered his head without speaking. After a while, Sun Quan got up to change clothes, and Lu Su followed him. Sun Quan understood Lu Su's intentions and took his hand, saying, "What do you want?" Lu Su replied, "What the others said has greatly misled you. Everyone can surrender to Cao Cao, but you cannot." Sun Quan asked, "Why?" Lu Su replied, "If I surrender to Cao Cao, I will return to my hometown and be promoted step by step, eventually holding a position in the state or prefecture. If you surrender to Cao Cao, where will you go? Your position will not be higher than a marquis, your carriage will not be more than one, your horse will not be more than one, and your entourage will not be more than a few. How can you sit on the throne and rule? The opinions of the others are all for their own benefit. You should not listen to them. You should make up your mind early." Sun Quan sighed, "The opinions of the others greatly disappoint me. Lu Su's proposal aligns with my thoughts. This is a gift from heaven to Lu Su! But Cao Cao has recently gained Yuan Shao's army and has also recently taken Jingzhou's troops. I am afraid his power is too great for us to resist." Lu Su replied, "When I went to Jiangxia, I brought Zhuge Liang, the younger brother of Zhuge Jin, here. Your Majesty can ask him, and you will know the truth." Sun Quan asked, "Is the Dragon Slaying Master here?" Lu Su replied, "He is resting in the inn." Sun Quan said, "It is late today, so we cannot meet yet. Tomorrow, gather the ministers in the tent and let them meet the young talents of Dongwu first, and then hold a meeting in the hall."
The person who knocked down Dong Zhuo was actually Li Ju. At that time, Li Ju helped Dong Zhuo up and sat him in the academy. Zhuo asked, "Why are you here?" Ju replied, "I just arrived at the gate of the mansion and heard that the Grand Tutor was angry and went into the garden to look for Lü Bu. I hurried over and just met Lü Bu running, saying, 'The Grand Tutor is killing me!' I panicked and rushed into the garden to mediate, but unexpectedly bumped into the Grand Tutor. I am guilty! I am guilty!" Zhuo said, "How dare this traitor! He has played with my beloved concubine and sworn to kill him!" Ju replied, "Your Excellency is mistaken. In the past, King Chu Zhuangwang's 'cutting off the collars' banquet, he did not punish Jiang Xiong for playing with his beloved concubine. Later, when the Qin army trapped him, he saved him with his life. Now, Diaochan is just a woman, and Lü Bu is your heart's trusted general. If you give her to Lü Bu as an opportunity, Lü Bu will be deeply grateful and will die for you. Please think carefully." Zhuo thought for a long time and said, "Your words are also reasonable. I will think about it." Ju thanked him and left. Zhuo went into the back hall and called Diaochan, asking, "How did you conspire with Lü Bu?" Diaochan cried, "I was looking at flowers in the back garden when Lü Bu suddenly arrived. I was startled and tried to hide, but Lü Bu said, 'I am the son of the Grand Tutor, why should I avoid him?' He raised his spear and chased me to Fengyi Pavilion. I saw that he had bad intentions and feared being forced, so I wanted to throw myself into the lotus pond to commit suicide, but he grabbed me. I was between life and death when the Grand Tutor arrived and saved me." Zhuo said, "Now I will give you to Lü Bu. How about it?" Diaochan was shocked and cried, "I have served a nobleman, and now you suddenly want to give me to a household slave. I would rather die than be humiliated!" She drew a sword from the wall and tried to commit suicide. Zhuo panicked and grabbed the sword, hugging her, saying, "I was just joking with you!" Diaochan fell into Zhuo's arms, covering her face and crying, "This must be Li Ju's plot! Li Ju is close to Lü Bu, so he set this up; he does not care about the Grand Tutor's dignity or my life. I will bite him to death!" Zhuo said, "How can I bear to abandon you?" Diaochan replied, "Although I am grateful for your kindness, I am afraid it is not safe to stay here for long. Lü Bu will surely harm me." Zhuo said, "I will take you back to Mi Castle tomorrow and enjoy happiness together. Do not worry." Diaochan then wiped her tears and thanked him.
The next day, Li Ju came to see Zhuo and said, "Today is a good day to give Diaochan to Lü Bu." Zhuo replied, "Lü Bu and I have a father-son relationship, so it is not appropriate to give her to him. I will not pursue his crime. You can convey my meaning and comfort him with good words." Ju replied, "Your Excellency cannot be fooled by women." Zhuo changed his expression and said, "Is your wife willing to give Lü Bu? Do not talk about Diaochan again; if you do, you will be executed!" Li Ju left and sighed to the sky, "We will all die at the hands of women!"
Later, when people read this, they composed a poem to lament it:
"The Grand Tutor's clever plan relied on a woman,
No need for swords or armies, no need for war.
Fighting at Hulao was in vain,
Victory was sung at Fengyi Pavilion."
Dong Zhuo ordered his return to Mi Castle that day, and all the officials bid farewell. Diaochan saw Lü Bu among the crowd, looking at the carriage. She feigned covering her face as if in pain. When the carriage was far away, Lü Bu slowed his horse on the hilltop, looking at the dust of the carriage and sighing with grief and hatred. Suddenly, someone asked from behind, "Why did General Wen Hou not go with the Grand Tutor, but stand here looking and sighing?" Lü Bu looked and saw it was Wang Yun, the Grand Tutor. After meeting, Yun said, "I have been sick recently and have been staying indoors, so I have not seen the general for a long time. Today, the Grand Tutor is returning to Mi Castle, so I had to come out despite my illness. I am glad to meet you, General. Why are you sighing here?" Lü Bu replied, "It is because of your daughter." Yun pretended to be shocked, "Have you not given her to the general yet?" Lü Bu replied, "Your old man has been favored by her for a long time!" Yun pretended to be shocked, "I do not believe this!" Lü Bu told him everything that had happened. Yun fell to his feet, speechless for a moment. After a long while, he said, "I did not expect the Grand Tutor to act like this!" He held Lü Bu's hand and said, "Let's go to my house to discuss." Lü Bu followed Yun. Yun invited him into a secret room, served wine, and entertained him. Lü Bu then recounted the encounter at Fengyi Pavilion in detail. Yun said, "The Grand Tutor has had relations with my daughter and taken your wife. It is a shame for the whole world to laugh at—not laughing at the Grand Tutor, but laughing at me and you! However, I am an old and powerless man, not worth mentioning. It is a pity that you, a great hero, also suffer this humiliation!" Lü Bu's anger surged, and he slammed the table, shouting. Yun quickly said, "I spoke out of line, General, please calm down." Lü Bu replied, "I swear to kill this old man to avenge my shame!" Yun quickly covered his mouth, saying, "General, do not speak. It might bring trouble to me." Lü Bu replied, "A man of great ambition lives in the world, how can he stay suppressed for long?" Yun said, "With your talent, you are truly beyond the Grand Tutor's control." Lü Bu said, "I want to kill this old man, but I am afraid of the father-son relationship and what people will say later." Yun smiled and said, "You are surnamed Lü, and the Grand Tutor is surnamed Dong. When you threw the spear, there was no father-son relationship." Lü Bu was inspired and said, "Without the Grand Tutor's words, I would have made a mistake!" Yun saw that he was determined and said, "If you support the Han dynasty, you will be a loyal minister and be remembered in history for generations; if you help the Grand Tutor, you will be a traitor and be cursed for eternity." Lü Bu bowed and said, "My mind is made up, Grand Tutor, do not doubt me." Yun said, "I am afraid the plan may fail and bring great trouble." Lü Bu drew his sword, pricked his arm, and made a blood oath. Yun knelt and thanked him, saying, "The Han dynasty will not be destroyed because of your kindness. Do not reveal this! When the time comes, I will inform you." Lü Bu agreed and left. Yun then asked Sima Sun and Huang Wan to discuss the matter. Sun said, "Now the Son of Heaven has just recovered from his illness. We should send a skilled speaker to Mi Castle to ask Zhuo to meet for a discussion. At the same time, we should give the imperial decree to Lü Bu and have the guards hidden at the palace gate to ambush Zhuo and kill him: this is the best strategy." Wan asked, "Who dares to go?" Sun replied, "Lü Bu's hometown cavalry commander Li Su, because Zhuo did not promote him, is very resentful. If we send him, Zhuo will not suspect him." Yun said, "That is good." He asked Lü Bu to discuss the matter. Lü Bu said, "The old man once persuaded me to kill Ding Jianyang and join Zhuo. Now, if we do not go, I will kill him first." He secretly sent someone to invite Su. Lü Bu said, "The old man once told me to kill Ding Jianyang and join Zhuo; now Zhuo has deceived the Son of Heaven and oppressed the people, his crimes are great, and heaven and earth are angry. You can carry the imperial decree to Mi Castle, summon Zhuo to the capital, and ambush him for execution, supporting the Han dynasty and becoming loyal ministers. What do you think?" Su replied, "I have also wanted to eliminate this traitor for a long time, but I have no one to cooperate with. Now, if you do this, it is a gift from heaven. How can I have any second thoughts!" He broke an arrow as a oath. Yun said, "If you can do this, how can you not get a high position?"
Then, Chen Deng gave a suggestion to Xuan De, saying, "Cao Cao fears Yuan Shao. Shao has a tiger-like grip on the prefectures of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing, with a million soldiers and many officials and generals. Why not write a letter and send someone to ask for help?" Xuan De said, "Shao has never been in contact with me before, and he has just defeated my brother. How could he help me?" Deng said, "There is someone here who has been in contact with Shao for three generations. If we can get a letter from him to Shao, Shao will definitely come to help." Xuan De asked who it was. Deng said, "This is the man you have always respected and treated with courtesy. Why have you forgotten him?" Xuan De suddenly remembered, "Could it be Zheng Kangcheng, the scholar?" Deng confirmed, "Yes."
Zheng Kangcheng, also known as Zheng Xuan, was a learned and talented man who studied under Ma Rong. Whenever Ma Rong lectured, he would set up a red canopy, gather students in front, and arrange music and singing girls behind, with attendants lined up on both sides. Zheng Xuan listened to lectures for three years without looking aside, which greatly impressed Ma Rong. When he returned home after completing his studies, Ma Rong sighed and said, "The only one who truly understood the secrets of my teachings was Zheng Xuan!" The maids in Zheng Xuan's house were all skilled in the "Mao Shi." Once, a maid offended Zheng Xuan, and he ordered her to kneel on the steps. Another maid teased her, saying, "‘Why are you in the mud?’" The maid replied immediately, "‘I went to apologize, but met her anger.’" She was so refined like this. During the reign of Emperor Huan, Zheng Xuan rose to the position of Minister of State; later, due to the chaos of the Ten Eunuchs, he resigned and returned to his hometown, living in Xu Province. When Xuan De was in Zhuo County, he had already studied under him; when he became the governor of Xu Province, he often visited his home to seek advice and showed great respect. At that time, Xuan De recalled this person and was very happy. He went to Zheng Xuan's home with Chen Deng to ask him to write a letter. Zheng Xuan readily agreed and wrote a letter, giving it to Xuan De. Xuan De sent Sun Gan to deliver it to Yuan Shao at night. Shao read it and thought, "Xuan De has defeated my brother, so I should not help him, but because of Zheng Shangshu's order, I cannot refuse." He gathered his ministers and discussed raising an army to fight Cao Cao. Advisor Tian Feng said, "The army has been fighting for years, the people are exhausted, and there is no grain in the granaries. We cannot raise a large army again. We should first send someone to report the victory to the Son of Heaven. If we do not get approval, we should declare that Cao Cao blocks the road to our king, and then station the army at Liyang. We should also increase boats and military equipment in Hebei and station elite troops in the border areas. In three years, we can achieve great success." Advisor Shen Pei said, "Not necessarily. With your divine martial prowess and the strength of Hebei, to fight against Cao is as easy as flipping a hand; why delay for days?" Advisor Ju Shou said, "The strategy to win is not about strength. Cao Cao's laws are well established, and his soldiers are well trained, different from Gongsun Zan who suffered from being trapped. Now, abandoning the good strategy of reporting victory and starting a war without a name is not something I would recommend." Advisor Guo Tu said, "No. To attack Cao Cao is not without a name? You should seize the opportunity to establish your great cause. I hope to follow Zheng Shangshu's words, work with Liu Bei to uphold justice, and eliminate Cao, which will please heaven and satisfy the people, and will be very fortunate!" The four debated without reaching a conclusion, and Shao hesitated. Suddenly, Xu You and Xun Shen entered from outside. Shao said, "These two have much insight. Let's see what they think." After finishing their greetings, Shao said, "Zheng Shangshu has sent a letter, ordering me to raise an army to help Liu Bei and attack Cao Cao. Should we raise an army? Or not?" The two replied in unison, "Your Excellency will defeat the few with the many, attack the weak with the strong, and support the Han dynasty to uphold the royal family: we should raise an army." Shao said, "Their views are exactly what I think." They then discussed raising an army. First, they ordered Sun Gan to report to Zheng Xuan and ask him to prepare for reinforcement; at the same time, they ordered Shen Pei and Feng Ji to be the commanders, Tian Feng, Xun Shen, and Xu You as advisors, Yan Liang and Wen Chou as generals, raised 150,000 cavalry and 150,000 infantry, a total of 300,000 elite soldiers, and advanced towards Liyang. The division was decided, and Guo Tu said, "To fight against Cao Cao with your great cause, you must enumerate Cao Cao's crimes, issue decrees to the various prefectures, and declare your accusation to demand justice, then it will be justified." Shao agreed and ordered Chen Lin to draft the decree. Lin, styled Kongzhang, was famous for his talent; during the reign of Emperor Ling, he was an assistant minister but was dismissed for not being listened to by He Jin. Later, due to the chaos of Dong Zhuo, he fled to Ji Province and was employed by Shao as a secretary. At that time, he accepted the order and drafted the decree, writing it down immediately. The decree read:
"Since ancient times, wise rulers have planned for danger to control change, and loyal ministers have considered difficulties to establish authority. It is because of extraordinary people that extraordinary events occur, and it is because of extraordinary events that extraordinary achievements are established. Extraordinary things are indeed beyond the imitation of ordinary people. In the past, the strong Qin had a weak ruler, and Zhao Gao held power, dominating the court and doing as he pleased; people were forced and dared not speak the truth; in the end, there was the failure at Wangyi, the destruction of ancestors, and the disgrace that lasts to this day, serving as a warning to the world. Later, in the later years of Empress Lu, Chen and Lu held power, controlling the two armies internally and governing Liang and Zhao externally; they monopolized all affairs and decided matters without restrictions; the lower was suppressed and the upper was replaced, and the people of the world were chilled to the bone. At that time, the Marquis of Jing and the Prince of Zhu were mobilized, furious, and executed the rebellious and violent ones, establishing Emperor Taizong, so they were able to promote the prosperity of the king's way and make the light shine clearly: this is the clear example of ministers establishing authority.
"Vice Minister Cao Cao: His grandfather Cao Teng, along with Zuo Quan, Xu Hong, and Xu Guang, were demons, devouring and acting recklessly, harming the people and oppressing the commoners; his father Cao Cong, adopted and raised by beggars, obtained a position through corruption, transporting gold and jade to the powerful, stealing the high position and overturning the important institutions. Cao Cao, the illegitimate son of a castrated man, had no virtue; Jiao Feng Xie, good at chaos and enjoying calamity."