Dong
Zhuo was on the point of slaying Yuan Shao, but Li Ru checked him, saying,
"You must not kill rashly while the business hangs in the balance."
Yuan Shao, his sword still
unsheathed, left the assembly. He hung up the seals of his office at the east gate
and went to Jizhou Region.
Dong Zhuo said to Imperial Guardian Yuan Wei, "Your nephew behaved improperly, but I pardon him for your sake. What think you of my scheme?"
"What you think is right," was the reply.
"If anyone opposes the great scheme, he will be dealt with by military law!" said Dong Zhuo.
The ministers, thoroughly dreaded, promised obedience, and the feast came to an end.
Dong Zhuo asked Counselor Zhou Bi and Commander Wu Qiong what they thought of the flight of Yuan Shao.
Zhou Bi said, "He left in a state of great anger. In such a state of excitement much harm may ensue to the present state of affairs, especially as the Yuan family have been noted for their high offices for four generations, and their proteges and dependents are everywhere. If they assemble bold people and call up their clients, all the valiant warriors will be in arms, and the whole Shandong Mountains will be lost. You had better pardon Yuan Shao and give him a post. He will be glad at being forgiven and will do no harm."
Wu Qiong said, "Yuan Shao is fond of scheming, but he fails in decision and so is not to be feared. But it would be well to give him rank and thus win popular favor."
Dong Zhuo followed this advice, and within that day sent a messenger to offer Yuan Shao the governorship of Bohai.
On the first day of the ninth month, the Emperor was invited to proceed to the Hall of Virtue where was a great assembly of officials.
There Dong Zhuo, sword in hand, faced the gathering and said, "The Emperor is a weakling unequal to the burden of ruling this land. Now listen ye to the document I have prepared!"
And Li Ru read as follows:
"The dutiful Emperor Ling too soon left his people. The emperor is the cynosure of all the people of this land. Upon the present Emperor Bian, Heaven has conferred but small gifts: In dignity and deportment he is deficient, and in mourning he is remiss. Only the most complete virtue can grace imperial dignity. Empress He has trained him improperly, and the whole state administration has fallen into confusion. Empress Dong died suddenly and no one knew why. The doctrine of the three bonds---Heaven, Earth, and Human---and the continuity of Heaven and Earth interdependence have both been injured.
"But Liu Xian, Prince of Chenliu, is sage and virtuous beside being of handsome exterior. He conforms to all the rules of propriety: His mourning is sincere, and his speech is always correct. Eulogies of him fill the empire. He is well fitted for the great duty of consolidating the rule of Han.
"Now therefore the Emperor is deposed and created Prince of Hongnong, and Empress He retires from the administration.
"I pray the Prince of Chenliu to accept the throne in conformity with the decrees of Heaven and Earth, the desires of people, and the fulfillment of the hopes of humankind."
This having been read, Dong Zhuo bade the officials lead the Emperor down from the throne, remove his seal, and cause him to kneel facing the north, styling himself faithful servant of the Throne and requesting commands. Moreover Dong Zhuo bade Empress He strip off her royal dress of ceremony and await the imperial command.
Both
victims of this oppression wept bitterly, and every minister present was deeply
affected.
One minister put his
discontent into words, crying, "The false Dong Zhuo is the author of this
insult, which I will risk my life to wipe away!"
It
was Chair of the Secretariat Ding Guan. Dong Zhuo had Ding Guan removed and
summarily put to death. Before his death, Ding Guan ceased not to rail at the
oppressor, nor was he frightened at death.
The rebel Dong Zhuo conceived the foul design
To thrust the King aside and wrong his line.
With folded arms the courtiers stood, save one
Ding Guan, who dared to cry
that wrong was done.Then the emperor designate, Prince of Chenliu, went to the
upper part of the hall to receive congratulations. After this the former
Emperor---now Prince of Hongnong---, his mother, and the Imperial Consort, Lady
Tang, were removed to the Palace of Forever Calm. The entrance gates were
locked against all comers.
It
was pitiful! There was the young emperor, after reigning less than half a year,
deposed and another put in his place. The new Emperor was Liu Xian, the second
son of the late Emperor Ling. He was nine years of age, five years younger than
his deposed brother. The new reign-style was changed to Inauguration of Tranquillity,
the first year (AD 190).
Becoming
the Prime Minister, Dong Zhuo was most powerful and arrogant. When he bowed
before the throne, he did not declare his name. In going to court he did not
hasten. Booted and armed he entered the reception halls. He amassed a wealth
exceeding any other's.
His adviser, Li Ru,
impressed upon Dong Zhuo constantly to employ people of reputation so that he
should gain public esteem. Therefore, Dong Zhuo restored many offices of those
who had been victims of the eunuchs. For those who had died, he gave ranks and
positions to their progeny.
When they told him Cai Yong
was a man of talent, Dong Zhuo summoned him. But Cai Yong would not go. Dong
Zhuo sent a message to him that if he did not come, he and his whole clan
should be exterminated.
Then
Cai Yong gave in and appeared. Dong Zhuo was very gracious to him and promoted
him thrice in a month. Cai Yong became Court Counselor. Such was the generosity
of the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile the deposed ruler, his mother, and his consort were immured in the Palace of Forever Calm and found their daily supplies gradually diminishing. The deposed Emperor wept incessantly. One day a pair of swallows gliding to and fro moved him to verse:
"Spring and the green of the tender grass,
Flushes with joy as the swallows pass;
The wayfarers pause by the rippling stream,
And their eyes will new born gladness gleam;
With lingering gaze the roofs I see
Of the Palace that one time sheltered me.
But those whom I sheltered in all righteousness,
Let's not stay in silence when the days pass useless?"
The
messenger, sent by Dong Zhuo from time to time to the palace for news of the
prisoners, got hold of this poem and showed it to his master.
"So
he shows his resentment by writing poems, eh! A fair excuse to put them all out
of the way," said Dong Zhuo.
Li Ru was sent with ten men
into the palace to consummate the deed.
The
three were in one of the upper rooms when Li Ru arrived. The Emperor shuddered
when the maid announced the visitor's name.
Presently
Li Ru entered and offered a cup of poisoned wine to the Emperor. The Emperor asked
what this meant.
"Spring
is the season of blending and harmonious interchange, and the Prime Minister
sends a wine cup of longevity," said Li Ru.
"If it be the wine of longevity, you may share it too," said
Empress He.
Then Li Ru became brutally frank.
"You will not drink?" asked he.
He called the men with daggers and cords and bade the Emperor look at them.
"The cup, or these?" said he.
Then
said Lady Tang, "Let the handmaid drink in place of her lord. Spare the
mother and her son, I pray!"
"And who may you be to die for a prince?" said Li Ru.
Then he presented the cup to the Empress once more and bade her drink.
She railed against her brother, the feckless He Jin, the author of all this trouble. She would not drink.
Next Li Ru approached the Emperor.
"Let me say farewell to my mother," begged he, and he did so in these lines:
"The heaven and earth are changed,
Alas! the sun and the moon leave their courses,
I, once the center of all eyes, am driven to the farthest confines,
Oppressed by an arrogant minister my life nears its end,
Everything fails me and vain are my falling tears."
Lady Tang sang:
"Heaven is to be rent asunder, Earth to fall away,
I, handmaid of an emperor, would grieve if I followed him not.
We have come to the parting of ways, the quick and the dead walk not together;
Alas! I am left alone with the grief in my heart."
When they had sung these lines, they fell weeping into each others' arms.
"The
Prime Minister is awaiting my report," said Li Ru, "and you delay too
long. Think you that there is any hope of succor?"
The Empress broke into another fit of railing, "The rebel forces us
to death, mother and son, and Heaven has abandoned us. But you, the tool of his
crime, will assuredly perish!"
Thereupon Li Ru grew more
angry, laid hands on the Empress and threw her out of the window.
Then
he bade the soldiers strangle Lady Tang and forced the lad to swallow the wine
of death.
Li Ru reported the
achievement to his master who bade them bury the victims without the city.
After this Dong Zhuo's behavior was more atrocious than before. He spent his
nights in the Palace, defiled the imperial concubines there, and even slept on
the Dragon Couch.
Once
he led his soldiers out of the city to Yangcheng when the villagers, men and
women, were assembled from all sides for the annual spring festival.
His troops surrounded the
place and plundered it. They took away booty by the cart loads, and women
prisoners and more than one thousand severed heads.
The
procession returned to Capital Luoyang and published a story that they had
obtained a great victory over some rebels.
They burned the heads beneath the walls, and the women and
jewelry were shared out among the soldiers.
A general named Wu Fu was
disgusted at this ferocity and sought a chance to slay Dong Zhuo.
Wu Fu constantly wore a
breastplate underneath his court dress and carried in conceal a sharp dagger.
One day when Dong Zhuo came to court, Wu Fu met him on the steps and tried to
stab him.
But
Dong Zhuo was a very powerful man and held Wu Fu off till Lu Bu came to his
help. Lu Bu struck down the assailant.
"Who
told you to rebel?" said Dong Zhuo.
Wu Fu glared at him and cried, "You are not my prince, I am not
your minister: Where is the rebellion? Your crimes fill the heavens, and every
person would slay you. I am sorry I cannot tear you asunder with chariots to
appease the wrath of the world!"
Dong Zhuo bade the guards
take him out and hack him to pieces. Wu Fu only ceased railing as he ceased to
live.
That loyal servant of the latter days of Han.
His valor was high as the heavens, in all ages unequaled;
In the court itself would he slay the rebel, great is his fame!
Throughout all time will people call him a hero.
Thereafter Dong Zhuo always went well guarded. At Bohai, Yuan Shao heard of Dong Zhuo's misuse of power and sent a secret letter to Minister of the Interior Wang Yun:
"That rebel Dong Zhuo outrages Heaven and has deposed his ruler. Common people dare not speak of him: That is understandable. Yet you suffer his aggressions as if you knew naught of them. How then are you a dutiful and loyal minister? I have assembled an army and desire to sweep clean the royal habitation, but I dare not lightly begin the task. If you are willing, then find an opportunity to plot against this man. If you would use force, I am at your command."
The letter arrived but Wang
Yun could see no chance to plot against Dong Zhuo.
One
day while among the throng in attendance, mostly people of long service, Wang
Yun said to his colleagues, "This is my birthday, I pray you come to a
little party in my humble cot this evening."
"We certainly will," they cried, "and wish you long
life."
That
night the tables were spread in an inner room, and his friends gathered there.
When
the wine had made a few rounds, the host suddenly covered his face and began to
weep.
The
guests were aghast.
"Sir, on your birthday too, why do you weep?" said they.
"It
is not my birthday," replied Wang Yun. "But I wished to call you
together, and I feared lest Dong Zhuo should suspect, so I made that the
excuse. This man insults the Emperor and does as he wishes so that the imperial
prerogatives are in imminent peril. I think of the days when our illustrious
founder destroyed the Qin, annihilated Chu, and obtained the empire. Who could
have foreseen this day when that Dong Zhuo has subjugated all to his will? That
is why I weep."
Then
they all wept with him.
Seated
among the guests, however, was Cao Cao, who did not join in the weeping but
clapped his hands and laughed aloud.
"If all the officers of the government weep till dawn, and from
dawn weep till dark, will that slay Dong Zhuo?" said Cao Cao.
Wang
Yun turned on him angrily.
"Your
forbears ate the bounty of the Hans. Do you feel no gratitude? You can
laugh?"
"I laughed at the absurdity of an assembly like this being unable
to compass the death of one man. Foolish and incapable as I am, I will cut off
his head and hang it at the gate as an offering to the people."
Wang Yun left his seat and went over to Cao Cao.
"These later days," Cao Cao continued, "I have bowed my head to Dong Zhuo with the sole desire of finding a chance to destroy him. Now he begins to trust me, and so I can approach him sometimes. You have a sword with seven precious jewels which I would borrow, and I will go into his palace and kill him. I care not if I die for it."
"What good fortune for the world that this is so!" said Wang Yun.
With this Wang Yun himself poured out a goblet for Cao Cao who drained it and swore an oath.
After this the treasured
sword was brought out and given to Cao Cao who hid it under his dress. He
finished his wine, took leave of the guests, and left the hall. Before long the
others dispersed.
The
next day Cao Cao, with this short sword girded on, came to the palace of the
Prime Minister.
"Where is the Prime Minister?" asked he.
"In
the small guest room," replied the attendants.
So
Cao Cao went in and found his host seated on a couch.
Lu
Bu was at his side.
"Why
so late, Cao Cao?" said Dong Zhuo.
"My horse is out of condition and slow," replied Cao Cao.
Dong
Zhuo turned to his henchman Lu Bu.
"Some good horses have come in from the west. You go and pick out a
good one as a present for him."
And
Lu Bu left.
"This
traitor is doomed!" thought Cao Cao. He ought to have struck then, but Cao
Cao knew Dong Zhuo was very powerful, and he was afraid to act. He wanted to
make sure of his blow.
Now
Dong Zhuo's corpulence was such that he could not remain long sitting, so he
rolled over couch and lay face inwards.
"Now
is the time," thought the assassin, and he gripped the good sword firmly.
But
just as Cao Cao was going to strike, Dong Zhuo happened to look up and in a
mirror he saw the reflection of Cao Cao behind him with a sword in the hand.
"What are you doing, Cao Cao?" said Dong Zhuo turning
suddenly.
And
at that moment Lu Bu came along leading a horse.
Cao
Cao in a flurry dropped on his knees and said, "I have a precious sword
here which I wish to present to Your Benevolence."
Dong Zhuo took it. It was a
fine blade, over a foot in length, inlaid with the seven precious signs and
very keen---a fine sword in very truth.
Dong
Zhuo handed the weapon to Lu Bu while Cao Cao took off the sheath which he also
gave to Lu Bu.
Then
they went out to look at the horse. Cao Cao was profuse in his thanks and said
he would like to try the horse. So Dong Zhuo bade the guards bring saddle and
bridle.
Cao
Cao led the creature outside, leapt into the saddle, laid on his whip vigorously,
and galloped away eastward.
Lu
Bu said, "Just as I was coming up, it seemed to me as if that fellow was
going to stab you, only a sudden panic seized him and he presented the weapon
instead."
"I
suspected him too!" said Dong Zhuo.
Just
then Li Ru came in and they told him.
"Cao
Cao has no family here in the capital but lodges quite alone and not far
away," said Li Ru. "Send for him. If he comes forthwith, the sword
was meant as a gift. But if he makes any excuses, he had bad intentions. And
you can arrest him."
They
sent four prison warders to call Cao Cao.
They
were absent a long time and then came back, saying, "Cao Cao had not
returned to his lodging but rode in hot haste out of the eastern gate. To the
gate commander's questions he replied that he was on a special message for the
Prime Minister. He went off at full speed."
"His conscience
pricked him and so he fled. There is no doubt that he meant
assassination!" said Li Ru.
"And
I trusted him so well!" said Dong Zhuo in a rage.
"There
must be a conspiracy afoot. When we catch him, we shall know all about
it," said Li Ru.
Letters and pictures of the
fugitive Cao Cao were sent everywhere with orders to catch him. A large reward
in money was offered and a patent of nobility, while those who sheltered him would
be held to share his guilt
Cao
Cao traveled in hot haste toward Qiao, his home county.
On
the road at Zhongmou, he was recognized by the guards at the gate and made
prisoner. They took him to the Magistrate.
Cao Cao declared he was a merchant,
named Huang Fu. The Magistrate scanned his face most closely and remained in
deep thought.
Presently
the Magistrate said, "When I was at the capital seeking a post, I knew you
as Cao Cao. Why do you try to conceal your identity?"
The Magistrate ordered Cao Cao to the prison till the morrow when he
could send Cao Cao to the capital and claim the reward.
He gave the soldiers wine
and food as a reward.
About midnight the
Magistrate sent a trusty servant to bring the prisoner into his private rooms
for interrogation.
"They
say the Prime Minister treated you well. Why did you try to harm him?"
said Magistrate.
"How
can swallows and sparrows understand the flight of the crane and the wild
goose? I am your prisoner and to be sent to the capital for a reward. Why so
many questions?"
The Magistrate sent away
the attendants and turning to the prisoner said, "Do not despise me. I am
no mere hireling; only I have not yet found the lord to serve."
Said
Cao Cao, "My ancestors enjoyed the bounty of Han, and should I differ from
a bird or a beast if I did not desire to repay them with gratitude? I have
bowed the knee to Dong Zhuo that thereby I might find an opportunity against
him, and so remove this evil from the state. I have failed for this time. Such
is the will of Heaven."
"And
where are you going?"
"Home
to my county. Thence I shall issue a summons calling all the bold people to
come with forces to kill the tyrant. This is my desire."
Thereupon the Magistrate
himself loosened the bonds of the prisoner, led him to the upper seat, and
bowed, saying, "I am called Chen Gong. My aged mother and family are in
the east county of Dongjun. I am deeply affected by your loyalty and
uprightness, and I will abandon my office and follow you!"
Cao
Cao was delighted with this turn of affairs. Chen Gong at once collected some
money for the expenses of their journey and gave Cao Cao a different dress.
Then each took a sword and rode away toward Qiao.
Three
days later at eventide they reached Chenggao. Cao Cao pointed with his whip to
a hamlet deep in the woods and said, "There lives my uncle, Lu Boshe, a
sworn-brother of my father. Suppose we go and ask news of my family and seek
shelter for the night?"
"Excellent!"
said his companion Chen Gong, and they rode over, dismounted at the farm gate
and entered.
Lu Boshe greeted them and
said to Cao Cao, "I hear the government has sent stringent orders on all
sides to arrest you. Your father has gone into hiding to Chenliu. How has this
all come about?"
Cao
Cao told him and said, "Had it not been for this man here with me, I
should have been already hacked to pieces."
Lu
Boshe bowed low to Chen Gong, saying, "You are the salvation of the Cao
family. But be at ease and rest, I will find you a bed in my humble
cottage."
Lu
Boshe then rose and went into the inner chamber where he stayed a long time.
When
he came out, he said, "There is no good wine in the house. I am going over
to the village to get some for you."
And
he hastily mounted his donkey and rode away. The two travelers sat a long time.
Suddenly they heard at the back of the house the sound of sharpening a knife.
So
they silently stepped out into a straw hut at the back.
Presently someone said, "Bind before killing, eh?"
"As
I thought," said Cao Cao. "Now unless we strike first, we shall be
taken!"
Suddenly Cao Cao and Chen Gong dashed in, sword in hand, and slew the
whole household male and female, in all eight persons.
After
this they searched the house. In the kitchen they found a pig bound ready to
kill.
"You were too suspicious," said Chen Gong, "and we have
slain honest folks!"
Cao Cao and Chen Gong at
once mounted and rode away.
Soon they met their host Lu
Boshe coming home, and over the saddle in front of him they saw two vessels of
wine. In his hands he carried fruits and vegetables.
"Why are you going,
Sirs?" Lu Boshe called to them.
"Wanted people dare
not linger," said Cao Cao.
"But
I have bidden them kill a pig! Why do you refuse my poor hospitality? I pray
you ride back with me."
Cao
Cao paid no heed, urging his horse forward. But he suddenly drew his sword and
rode back after Lu Boshe.
"Who
is that coming along?" called Cao Cao.
Lu
Boshe turned and looked back, and Cao Cao at the same instant cut Lu Boshe
down.
Chen
Gong was frightened.
"We
were wrong enough before," cried Chen Gong. "What now is this?"
"When he got home and saw his family killed, think you he would
bear it patiently? If he had raised an alarm and followed us, we should have
been killed."
"To
kill deliberately is very wrong," said Chen Gong.
"Rather we let down the world than the world let us down!" was
the reply.
Chen
Gong only thought.
They rode on some distance
by moonlight and presently knocked up an inn for shelter.
Having
first fed their horses, Cao Cao was soon asleep, but Chen Gong lay thinking.
"I took him for a true
man and left all to follow him, but he is as cruel as a wolf.
If
I spare him, he will do more harm later," thought Chen Gong.
And Chen Gong rose intending to kill his companion.
In his heart lie cruelty and venom, he is no true man;
In nought does he differ from his enemy Dong Zhuo.
The further fortunes of Cao
Cao will be told in later chapters.
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Zhang Fei & Liu Bei & Guan Yu & Cao Cao & Lu
Bu
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Dong Zhuo
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