Romance of the Three Kingdoms/Chapter 15
| ←Chapter 14 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Chapter 15
Taishi Ci engages in a fierce battle with the Little Conqueror; Sun Bofu battles White Tiger Yan. |
Chapter 16→ |
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Let us now turn to Zhang Fei, who had drawn his straight sword and was about to slit his own throat. Xuande rushed forward and took hold of him. Taking the straight sword and throwing it to the ground, he said, "The people of ancient times had a saying, 'A brother is like one's hands and feet, while a wife is like clothing. Clothing can still be mended when torn; how can one continue, once one's hands and feet have been severed?' The three of us made an oath at the peach garden to not desire that we had been born on the same day, but rather to desire that we die on the same day. Even though I have lost the city and my family today, how can I bear to ask my brother to die while he's still in his prime? In any case, the city was not mine to begin with; even though my family has been captured, I'm confident that Lü Bu will not harm them. We still have time to figure out how to save them. How can you be expected to sacrifice your life over a momentary lapse in judgement!" After he finished, he began to weep. Guan and Zhang were both moved to tears. |
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Let us now turn to Yuan Shu, who had learned of Lü Bu's attack on Xuzhou. He sent someone to travel night and day to Lü Bu's position with a promise of 50,000 hu of grain,[1] 500 horses and 1,000 bolts of five-colored silk if Lü Bu agreed to join forces with him and stage a pincer attack against Liu Bei. Bu was delighted, ordering Gao Shun to lead an army of 50,000 men in an attack on Xuande's rear. When Xuande heard the news, he took advantage of the overcast and rainy conditions to withdraw his forces from Xuyi. From there, he headed east, with a plan to take Guangling. By the time Gao Shun arrived, Xuande had already departed. After meeting with Gao Shun, Ji Ling decided to retain possession of the promised items. Ling said, "Why don't you withdraw and allow me to confer with my lord in order to devise a plan." Gao Shun bid farewell to Ji Ling and withdrew his army. When he next saw Lü Bu, he recounted in detail his meeting with Ji Ling. |
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While Bu was pondering his next move, a letter from Yuan Shu arrived. The letter said, "Although Gao Shun came, Liu Bei has not been eliminated. Once Liu Bei is in custody, I will deliver the promised items to you." Bu angrily cursed Yuan Shu for going back on his word, and wanted to raise an army to attack him. Chen Gong said, "You can't do that. Shu holds Shouchun. He has a lot of troops and grain. You shouldn't underestimate him. It would be better to invite Xuande to come back to Xiaopei, and make him your assistant. In the future, you can order Xuande to take the lead in taking on Yuan Shu. After that, you can take on Yuan Shao, and rule over the all that is under heaven." Bu followed this advice, and ordered someone to send a letter inviting Xuande to return. |
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Let us now turn to Xuande, who had led his troops to the east in order to take Guangling. After his camp was raided by Yuan Shu, Xuande lost half of his troops. He was on his way back, when he encountered an emissary of Lü Bu, who gave him a letter. Xuande was overjoyed. Guan and Zhang both said, "Lü Bu is not a man of justice. He cannot be trusted." Xuande said, "He has treated me kindly. Why should I be suspicious of him?" With that, he went to Xuzhou. Bu was afraid that Xuande would be suspicious, so he took it upon himself to order Xuande's family to be returned to him. When Lady Gan and Lady Mi were reunited with Xuande, they explained in detail how Lü Bu had assigned soldiers to guard the entrance to their residence, and had not allowed anyone to enter. Also, he had frequently sent female servants to deliver necessary items to them, so that they did not lack anything. Xuande said to Guan and Zhang, "I knew that Lü Bu would not harm my family." He then set out to enter the town, so that he could thank Lü Bu. Zhang Fei hated Lü Bu, and was unwilling to accompany him. Instead, he escorted Xuande's two wives to Xiaopei. |
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Xuande went to see Lü Bu in order to thank him. Lü Bu said, "I did not want to take the city; Zhang Fei was getting drunk and killing people. I was afraid things would get out of hand. That's why I took charge." Xuande said, "I've wanted to yield the city to you for a while now." Bu feigned modesty, and tried to yield to Xuande. However, Xuande was insistent, and returned to Xiaopei, where he stationed his men. Guan and Zhang were uneasy. Xuande said, "We must humble ourselves and not overreach. Our time will come eventually. You can't force fate." Lü Bu sent people with grain and satin. It goes without saying that the two were reconciled after this. |
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Let us now turn to Yuan Shu, who had thrown a banquet in Shouchun for his men. He had received a report that Sun Ce was returning, after having defeated Lu Kang, governor of Lujiang. Shu summoned Ce, and Ce came to pay his respects. After the exchange of pleasantries, a banquet was arranged. It turns out that after Sun Ce's father died, he withdrew to Jiangnan, and developed a reputation for showing respect to men of talent, while not condescending to men of average abilities. Later, because Tao Qian did not get along with his uncle Wu Jing, who was governor of Danyang, Ce made arrangements for his mother and family to be moved to Qu'e. Ce himself offered his services to Yuan Shu. Shu was quite fond of him, and wistfully said, "If I but had a son such as Sun Lang, I could die without regret!" As a result, he made him Captain and Upholder of Justice. Ce led an army in an attack on Jing County, defeating Senior Grand Tutor Zu Lang. When Shu saw how brave Ce was, he again sent him out to attack Lu Kang. Ce had now returned from that victory. |
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After the banquet broke up that day, Ce returned to his camp. Having seen how courteously Shu had treated him at the banquet, he became depressed, and started to pace back and forth in the moonlight in the inner courtyard. He could not understand how he had fallen to such depths in light of the heroism displayed by his late father Sun Jian. Without realizing it, Ce began to cry. Suddenly, he saw someone come in from the outside. Smiling, the man said, "What is the matter? When your father was alive, he often sought me out for advice. If something is bothering you, why not ask me for help, rather than bursting into tears?" Ce looked at him. He was from Guzhang, in Danyang. His surname was Zhu, his given name was Zhi, and his style name was Junli. He had formerly been an aide to Sun Jian. Ce wiped away his tears, and invited him to sit, saying, "The reason I'm crying is that I am sad that I am unable to realize the ambitions of my late father." Zhi said, "Why don't you ask Yuan Gonglu to loan you some soldiers so that you can proceed to Jiangdong, under the pretext of rescuing Wu Jing. By doing that, you could accomplish great things, rather than remaining under the thumb of somebody else. |
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While they were discussing the matter, someone suddenly came in and said, "I already know what you two have been plotting. I have, serving underneath me, one hundred able-bodied men. They could provide assistance to you for a short time." Ce looked at him. It was Yuan Shu's strategist. He was from Xiyang in Ru'nan. His surname was Lü, his given name was Fan, and his style name was Ziheng. Ce was overjoyed, and bid him to sit down to talk things over. Lü Fan said, "My only fear is that Yuan Gonglu will be unwilling to loan out his soldiers to you." Ce said, "I have the Heirloom Seal of the Realm that was left to me by my late father. I could use that as collateral." Fan said, "Gonglu has wanted that item for a long time; if you use that as collateral, I'm certain that he will be willing to give you soldiers." |
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With that, the three had settled on a plan. The next day, when Ce met with Yuan Shu, he lamented, "I am unable to avenge my late father. Not only that, but my uncle Wu Jing is being bullied by Liu Yao, governor of Yangzhou. My mother's family is small. They are all in Qu'e. They are sure to come to harm. I would like to borrow several thousand brave soldiers, and cross the river, so that I may see my relatives and save them. However, I'm afraid you might not trust me. I have the royal jade seal, left to me by my father. I could offer it to you as collateral." When Shu heard that he had the royal seal, he took it in his hands to look at it, and became overjoyed, saying, "I don't want your royal seal. I will allow you to leave it here. I will loan you three thousand soldiers and 500 horses. As soon as you have pacified the area, you can return. Your position is too low to command authority. I will make you captain of war chariots and general in charge of annihilating bandits. You may set the date to depart with your troops." |
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Sun Ce thanked him, and took charge of his troops. Under his command were Zhu Zhi and Lü Fan, as well as old generals like Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang. He set a date for departure. When they came to Liyang, they saw that another army had already arrived. In front of this army was a man who was quite dashing in appearance. When he saw Sun Ce, he dismounted and gave him a salute. It was a man from Shucheng, Lujiang. His surname was Zhou, his given name was Yu, and his style name was Gongjin. As it turns out, when Sun Jian was fighting Dong Zhuo, he had moved his family to Shucheng. Yu and Sun Ce were the same age, and became close friends, almost like brothers. Ce was two months older than Yu, so Yu thought of Ce as his older brother. Yu's uncle Zhou Shang was the governor of Danyang. Yu was on his way to visit him, when he ran into Ce. |
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When Ce saw Yu, he was overjoyed, and shared with him his ambitions. Yu said, "I am willing to do my humble best to work with you to accomplish these great things." Ce was pleased, and said, "With your help, nothing will be too difficult to achieve." He then ordered him to meet with Zhu Zhi and Lü Fan. Yu said to Ce, "Since you want to accomplish great things, do you know about the two Zhangs of Jiangdong?" Ce said, "Who are the 'two Zhangs'?" Yu said, "One is Zhang Zhao of Pengcheng, whose style name is Zibu. The other is Zhang Hong of Guangling, whose style name is Zigang. Both of them have a talent for managing affairs of state. In order to avoid all of the fighting, they both came here to live in seclusion. Why don't you should hire them?" |
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Ce was pleased, and ordered someone to send an offer of employment to both of them, but both declined the offer. Ce went to their homes and spoke to them enthusiastically about the offer. He would not take no for an answer. Both of them eventually accepted the offer. Ce made Zhang Zhao his chief secretary, as well as commander of the palace guards. He made Zhang Hong captain of justice. He discussed his plans to attack Liu Yao with them. |
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Let us now turn to Liu Yao, whose style name was Zhengli.[2] He was from Muping, Donglai Commandery, and also was a descendent of the House of Han. He was a nephew of Grand Commandant Liu Chong, and the younger brother of Yanzhou governor Liu Dai. He had formerly served as governor of Yangzhou, and had been based in Shouchun. However, he had been driven across the Yangtze River by Yuan Shu, and ended up in Qu'e. When he heard that Sun Ce had arrived, he hastily gathered his generals to discuss the matter. General Zhang Ying said, "I will station an army at Niuzhu. Even if he has a million soldiers, he won't be able to get close to you." Before he could finish speaking, a subordinate yelled out, "I volunteer to take the lead." Everyone looked at him. It was Taishi Ci from Huang County. After Ci broke through the enemy lines at Beihai, he made his way to Liu Yao, who retained him as a subordinate. As soon as he heard that Sun Ce had arrived, he volunteered to be in the vanguard. Yao said, "You are still young. You're not yet ready to be a general. Stay by my side and await further orders." Taishi Ci left in a huff. |
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Zhang Ying led his troops to Niuzhu, and stored up 100,000 worth of rations in the granary. Sun Ce brought his own army there, and Zhang Ying came out to meet him. The two armies met on the banks of the nearby river. When Sun Ce rode out on his horse, Zhang Ying loudly cursed him. Huang Gai then went out to engage Zhang Ying in battle. After not more than a few rounds, chaos broke out amongst Zhang Ying's men. Someone reported that his camp had caught fire. Zhang Ying hastily withdrew his army. Sun Ce took advantage of the situation, and followed after him, slaughtering a number of his men. Zhang Ying abandoned Niuzhu, and escaped into the remote mountains. |
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As it turns out, the ones that had set the fire behind the camp were none other than two tough generals, one of whom had the surname Jiang, the given name Qin, the style name Gongyi, and was from Shouchun, Jiujiang. The other had the surname Zhou, the given name Tai, the style name Youping, and was from Xiacai, Jiujiang. After their world had descended into chaos, they relocated to the area near the Yangtze River, making their living as bandits. They had long been aware of Sun Ce's exploits to the south of the Yangtze River, and that Ce had a gift for attracting men of talent. As a result, they gathered more than three hundred of their men, and set out to join forces with Ce. Ce was overjoyed, and used them as captains in the vanguard of the chariots. They were able to seize hold of the granary and weapons of Niuzhu, and forced the surrender of more than 4,000 foot soldiers. After that, they marched their troops to Shenting. |
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Let us now turn to Zhang Ying, who had returned in defeat to Liu Yao. Yao was angry, and wanted to have him beheaded. His strategists Ze Rong and Xue Li advised him against it, so he instead was made to station his defeated army at Lingling, in order to defend against the enemy. Liu Yao personally led a force of men to the south ridge at Shenting, where he pitched camp. Sun Ce pitched camp to the north of the ridge. Ce asked the locals, "Is there a temple dedicated to Emperor Guangwu of Han in these mountains?" The locals said, "There is a temple up on the ridge." Ce said, "Last night, I dreamed that Guangwu invited me to meet with him. I must go and pray to him." His chief secretary Zhang Zhao said, "You can't. Liu Yao's camp is to the south of the ridge. If there are soldiers waiting for you in ambush, what then?" Ce said, "If the gods are protecting me, why should I be afraid?" He then donned his armor, took hold of his spear, and mounted his horse. He departed camp, and headed to the top of the ridge, accompanied with thirteen mounted warriors, including Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, Jiang Qin, and Zhou Tai. When they arrived at the temple, they burned incense. After dismounting from his horse and paying his respects, Ce stepped forward and kneeled down, saying, "If I can establish myself to the east of the river, and reestablish my late father's legacy, I vow to fix up this old temple, and offer sacrifices year-round." |
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After he finished praying, he exited the temple and mounted his horse. Looking back at his generals, he said, "I am going to pass over the ridge to get a look at the fence surrounding Liu Yao's camp." None of his generals thought he should do it. Ce disregarded their opinions, and went up on the ridge. Looking down at the villages and wooded areas along the southern side, one could see a small number of troops who were hiding there running back to report to Liu Yao. Yao said, "This must be a ploy by Sun Ce to lure me into his trap. We must not take the bait." Taishi Ci jumped up and said, "If we don't capture Sun Ce now, when will we ever get another opportunity?" With that, he did not wait for Liu Yao's orders, but took it upon himself to don his armor and mount his horse. As he was exiting the camp with his spear in his hands, he shouted, "If there is anyone among you who is brave, follow me now!" None of the generals moved. Only one minor general said, "Taishi Ci is truly a fierce general! I will help him!" He rode off on his horse with Ci, as the other generals laughed. |
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| ←Chapter 14 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Chapter 15
Taishi Ci engages in a fierce battle with the Little Conqueror; Sun Bofu battles White Tiger Yan. |
Chapter 16→ |
