Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Complete Edition with Woodblock Illustrations

Author: Luo Guanzhong (Ming Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: It is said Dong Zhuo, styled Zhongying, was a native of Linma in Longxi. He held the position of Governor of Hedong and had always been arrogant. That day, he slighted Xuande, and Zhang Fei flew into a rage, wanting to kill him. Xuande and Guan Yu quickly restrained him, saying, "He is an official appointed by the court; how can we kill him without authorization?" Fei replied, "If we don’t kill this scoundrel, we will have to take orders under his command, which is unbearable! If the two brothers stay here, I will go elsewhere!" Xuande said, "Our three of us share the same fate in life and death; how can we be separated? It’s better for all of us to go elsewhere." Fei said, "If so, my hatred will be somewhat appeased." So, the three of them led their troops at night to join Zhu You.
Zhu You treated them very warmly and united his forces to attack Zhang Bao. At that time, Cao Cao was following to fight Zhang Liang and engaged in a major battle at Quyang. Here, Zhu You attacked Zhang Bao. Zhang Bao led his troops, numbering tens of thousands, to camp behind the mountains. He ordered Xuande to be the vanguard to face the enemy. Zhang Bao sent his deputy general Gao Sheng to fight. Xuande ordered Zhang Fei to confront him. Fei charged forward on horseback, wielding his spear, and engaged Gao Sheng in battle. After only a few exchanges, he pierced Gao Sheng and brought him down. Xuande led his troops straight into the enemy ranks. Zhang Bao, riding horseback, tied his hair up and wielded a sword, performing dark magic. Suddenly, thunder and lightning erupted, and a black mist descended from the sky, as if an endless army was attacking. Xuande quickly retreated, and his troops fell into chaos. They were defeated and returned to discuss matters with Zhu You. Zhu You said, "He uses dark magic; tomorrow, we can sacrifice pigs, sheep, and dogs, and have our soldiers hide on the mountain peaks. When the enemy pursues them, we will pour the blood from above the slopes, and their magic can be dispelled." Xuande followed the order, assigning Guan Yu and Zhang Fei each to lead a thousand soldiers to hide on the high ridges behind the mountains, preparing pigs, sheep, and dog blood along with filth.
The next day, Zhang Bao waved his flag and beat the drums, leading his troops to fight. Xuande went out to meet him. When they engaged in battle, Zhang Bao performed dark magic, and thunder and lightning raged, with sand and stones flying and a black mist covering the sky, as if an endless army descended from the heavens. Xuande rode away, and Zhang Bao chased after him. As they passed the mountain peak, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei released signal cannons and poured the filth. In the sky, paper soldiers and straw horses fell one after another; the thunder and lightning stopped, and the sand and stones ceased to fly. Zhang Bao realized his magic had been dispelled and wanted to retreat. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei emerged from both sides, and Xuande and Zhu You chased after them, leading to a crushing defeat for the enemy. Xuande spotted the banner of "Earth Marshal General" and rode forward to pursue Zhang Bao, who fled in panic. Xuande shot an arrow, hitting Zhang Bao’s left arm. Zhang Bao escaped with an arrow wound and entered Yangcheng, where he fortified himself and refused to come out. Zhu You led his troops to surround and attack Yangcheng, while sending spies to inquire about the news of Huangfu Song. The spies reported that Huangfu Song had achieved great victories and that the court had ordered him to replace Dong Zhuo. When Huangfu Song arrived, Zhang Jiao was already dead, and Zhang Liang had taken over his forces, opposing the court’s army. Huangfu Song defeated Zhang Liang in seven consecutive battles at Quyang, beheaded Zhang Liang, and sent Zhang Jiao’s coffin to the capital with his head displayed. The remaining troops surrendered. The court promoted Huangfu Song to the position of Cavalry General and appointed him as the Governor of Ji Province. Huangfu Song also submitted a memorial recommending Lu Zhi for his meritorious service, and the court restored Lu Zhi to his original position. Cao Cao was also rewarded for his contributions and appointed as the Governor of Jinan. He returned to his post the next day.
Upon hearing this news, Zhu You urged his troops to launch a full-scale attack on Yangcheng. The enemy’s situation grew desperate, and their general Yan Zheng killed Zhang Bao and surrendered his head. Zhu You pacified several prefectures and submitted a memorial to report his victory. At the same time, three remnants of the Yellow Turban rebellion—Zhao Hong, Han Zhong, and Sun Zhong—had gathered an army of tens of thousands, robbing and looting, claiming to avenge Zhang Jiao. The court ordered Zhu You to use his victorious army to suppress them. Zhu You accepted the order and led his troops forward. The rebels were stationed in Wancheng, and Zhu You attacked it. Zhao Hong sent Han Zhong to fight. Zhu You ordered Xuande, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei to attack the southwest corner of the city. Han Zhong led his elite troops to defend the southwest corner. Zhu You personally led two thousand iron cavalry straight for the northeast corner. Fearing the loss of the city, the rebels quickly abandoned the southwest and retreated. Xuande ambushed them from behind, and the rebels were defeated and fled into Wancheng. Zhu You divided his troops to surround the city from all sides. The city ran out of food, and Han Zhong sent someone out to surrender. Zhu You refused. Xuande said, "In the past, Emperor Gaozu of Han won the world by recruiting and pardoning rebels; why refuse Han Zhong?" Zhu You replied, "That was a different time. During the chaos of the Qin and Xiang periods, the people had no stable rulers, so recruiting and pardoning was to encourage them. Now the empire is unified, and only the Yellow Turbans are rebelling. If we accept their surrender, how can we encourage the virtuous? If the rebels win, they will loot at will; if they lose, they will surrender. This only emboldens the enemy and is not a sound strategy." Xuande said, "Refusing to accept the surrender of rebels is correct. But now the city is surrounded like an iron bucket, and they cannot surrender. They will fight to the death. Even a unified army of ten thousand cannot withstand them, let alone the thousands of desperate men in the city. It’s better to withdraw the troops from the southeast and focus on the northwest. The rebels will surely abandon the city and flee without hesitation, making them easy to capture." Zhu You agreed and withdrew the troops from the southeast, concentrating on the northwest. Han Zhong indeed led his troops to abandon the city and flee. Zhu You, Xuande, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei gave chase, killing Han Zhong and scattering the remaining rebels.
Just as they were pursuing the rebels, Zhao Hong and Sun Zhong arrived with their troops and engaged Zhu You in battle. Zhu You, seeing Zhao Hong’s army was too large, temporarily withdrew. Zhao Hong seized the opportunity to recapture Wancheng. Zhu You camped ten miles away. Just as he was about to attack, he saw a large force approaching from the east. The leader was a general with a broad forehead, wide face, and a powerful build. He was Sun Jian, styled Wentai, from Fuchun in Wu Prefecture, a descendant of Sun Wu. At the age of seventeen, he went with his father to Qiantang and saw ten bandits robbing merchants on the shore. Sun Jian told his father, "These bandits can be captured." He then bravely swam ashore with his sword, shouting and signaling as if calling for help. The bandits thought the officials had arrived and abandoned their loot and fled. Sun Jian caught up and killed one bandit. From then on, he became known throughout the prefecture and was recommended as a county officer. Later, when the sorcerer Xu Chang rebelled in Jieshi, claiming to be the "Bright Yang Emperor," Sun Jian and the county marquis recruited over a thousand to suppress him, killing Xu Chang and his son Xu Shao. The prefect submitted a memorial praising his meritorious service, appointing Sun Jian as the Administrator of Salt Rushu, and later as the Administrator of Xuyi and Xiapi. Now, hearing of the Yellow Turban rebellion, he gathered young men from his hometown and merchants, along with 1,500 elite troops from Huai and Si, to join Zhu You. Zhu You was overjoyed and ordered Sun Jian to attack the south gate, Xuande to attack the north gate, and Zhu You himself to attack the west gate, leaving the east gate open for the rebels to flee. Sun Jian led the charge and killed over twenty rebels, causing the rest to flee in disarray. Zhao Hong charged forward with his spear, aiming at Sun Jian. Sun Jian leaped from the city wall, snatched Zhao Hong’s spear, and brought him down. He then rode Zhao Hong’s horse and moved back and forth, killing more rebels. Sun Zhong led the rebels to break out from the north gate but had no intention of fighting and only wanted to flee. Xuande nocked an arrow and shot Sun Zhong, sending him tumbling off his horse. Zhu You’s army gave chase, killing tens of thousands and capturing countless others. The ten prefectures along the Nanьян route were pacified.
Zhu You returned to the capital and was enfeoffed as the Cavalry General and the Governor of Henan. He submitted memorials recommending Sun Jian and Xuande for their meritorious service. Sun Jian, with connections, was appointed as the Administrator of another county and left for his post. Xuande, however, had been waiting for too long without receiving an appointment and, along with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, felt frustrated. They strolled on the street and encountered Zhang Jun, a court official, arriving in his carriage. Xuande introduced himself and spoke of his achievements. Zhang Jun was greatly surprised and entered the court to see the emperor, saying, "The Yellow Turban rebellion originated from the Ten Eunuchs selling offices and accepting bribes, refusing to appoint relatives and executing enemies, leading to chaos in the empire. Now, the Ten Eunuchs should be executed and their heads displayed in the south suburbs, with envoys sent to announce to the world that those with meritorious service will be generously rewarded, and the empire will be peaceful." The Ten Eunuchs accused Zhang Jun of treason, and the emperor ordered guards to escort him out. The Ten Eunuchs discussed among themselves, "This must be someone who fought the Yellow Turbans and was not appointed, so he is resentful. Let’s temporarily have the Ministry of Personnel record his name as minor and deal with it later." Therefore, Xuande was appointed as the County Magistrate of Anxi in Zhongshan County, and he was to report to his post at the designated time. Xuande disbanded his troops and returned to his hometown, taking only twenty personal followers along with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to Anxi County, where he took office.
For a month, he served as the county magistrate without causing any harm to the people, and the people were deeply moved. After taking office, he ate and slept with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. When Xuande sat in a large gathering, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stood by his side, remaining vigilant all day long. Less than four months after taking office, the court issued an edict stating that those with military merit who had been appointed as local officials should be reviewed. Xuande suspected he was included in the review. Just then, a circuit inspector arrived at the county, and Xuande went out to greet him, offering a bow. The inspector sat on horseback, merely nodding slightly in response. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were furious. When they reached the inn, the inspector sat facing south, while Xuande stood at the bottom of the steps. After a long time, the inspector asked, "What is the background of County Magistrate Liu?" Xuande replied, "I am a descendant of Zhongshan Jing Wang. I have fought against the Yellow Turbans in Zhejiang for over thirty battles and achieved some merit, which led to my appointment." The inspector roared, "You falsely claim to be an emperor and exaggerate your achievements! The court has issued an edict to review such corrupt and incompetent officials!" Xuande murmured in agreement and left.
Back in the county, Xuande discussed the matter with the county officials. An official said, "The inspector is merely intimidating for a bribe." Xuande replied, "I have harmed no one, so how can I offer him money?" The next day, the inspector first took the county officials away, forcing them to accuse the county magistrate of harming the people. Xuande went several times to beg for mercy, but the gate attendants blocked him and refused to let him in.
Meanwhile, Zhang Fei, having drunk several cups of bitter wine, rode past the inn and saw fifty or sixty old men weeping in front of the door. He asked why and the old men replied, "The inspector is forcing the county officials to harm Liu Gong; we have come to complain, but we are not allowed in and are even beaten by the gate attendants!" Zhang Fei flew into a rage, his eyes wide open, his teeth clenched, and he jumped off his horse, entering the inn. The gate attendants could not stop him and he went straight to the back hall, where the inspector was sitting. He saw the county officials bound and lying on the ground. Zhang Fei roared, "You scoundrel who harms the people! Do you recognize me?" Before the inspector could speak, Zhang Fei grabbed his hair and dragged him out of the inn, tying him to a post in front of the county office. He grabbed a willow branch and severely whipped the inspector’s legs, breaking over a dozen willow branches.
Just then, Xuande was puzzling when he heard the commotion in front of the county office. He asked his attendants, who replied, "General Zhang is beating someone in front of the county office." Xuande hurried to see and found the bound man was the inspector. Xuande asked what had happened. Zhang Fei said, "This kind of scoundrel who harms the people should be killed!" The inspector pleaded, "General Xuande, save my life!" Xuande, being a kind-hearted person, quickly ordered Zhang Fei to stop. Guan Yu then stepped forward and said, "Brother has achieved great merit but was only appointed as a county magistrate and now humiliated by the inspector. I think the thorns and brambles are not a place for the phoenix to perch; it’s better to kill the inspector, resign, and return to our hometown to plan something greater." Xuande took the seal and hung it around the inspector’s neck, scolding him, "For harming the people, you should be killed. But I spare your life. I return the seal and leave." The inspector returned to report to the governor of Dingzhou, who sent someone to capture him. Xuande, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei went to Daizhou to join Liu Hui. Liu Hui, recognizing Xuande as a descendant of the Han imperial family, hid him in his home without mentioning it.
Meanwhile, the Ten Eunuchs, now holding great power, discussed among themselves: anyone who did not obey them would be executed. Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang sent people to demand gold and silk from the generals who had defeated the Yellow Turbans, dismissing those who refused. Huangfu Song and Zhu You refused, and the Ten Eunuchs had them dismissed. The emperor then enfeoffed Zhao Zhong as Cavalry General and the other thirteen as Marquis. The court government grew worse, and the people grew resentful. As a result, the rebel Qu Xing in Changsha rebelled, and Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun rebelled in Yuyang, with Zhang Ju claiming to be the emperor and Zhang Chun the Grand General. Petitions flew like snowflakes, but the Ten Eunuchs hid them and did not report them to the court.