Chapter Sixteen: Chaos Begins
Li Jue and Guo Si, the two rebels, wanted to kill Emperor Xian. Jia Xu hastily stepped forward and advised: "It's not possible. If we kill him today, people will not obey us. Instead, let's still treat him as our lord, lure the other lords into the pass, remove their wings first, and then kill him. The world can be conquered." Li Jue and Guo Si followed his advice and put down their weapons.
Emperor Xian, who was on the tower, proclaimed: "Now that Wang Yun has been killed, why haven't your troops retreated?" Li Jue and Guo Si replied from below: "We have rendered meritorious service to the imperial court, but we have not received any rewards. Therefore, we dare not retreat our troops."
Emperor Xian listened and said helplessly: "What titles do you want to be granted?" Li Jue and Guo Si each wrote down their desired official positions and presented them, demanding such ranks. Emperor Xian had no choice but to agree.
Li Jue was appointed as the General of Chariots and Cavalry, Marquis of Qiuyang, and Acting Governor of the Capital Province, while Guo Si was appointed as the Rear General, Marquis of Meiyang, and also Acting Governor of the Capital Province. They were both in charge of state affairs and led their troops to garrison at Hongnong.
The other officials who had followed Guo Si and Li Jue in their rebellion were all appointed as Commanders. Then, Guo Si and Li Jue led their troops to thank the emperor for his grace and left the city.
An edict was also issued to search for Dong Zhuo's corpse, which was found to be in pieces. The remains were gathered and placed in a wooden coffin, and a grand funeral ceremony was held, with the use of imperial clothes, hats, and coffins. A lucky day was chosen for the burial at Kuaiji.
On the day of the burial, there was a heavy thunderstorm, with water flooding the ground several feet deep. The thunder shook open the coffin, and the corpse was exposed outside. Li Jue waited for clear weather to rebury it, but that night, the same thing happened again. Three times they tried to bury him, but each time they failed, and the remains were destroyed by lightning.
This was Heaven's wrath towards Dong Zhuo!
Li Jue and Guo Si, having seized power, were cruel to the people; they secretly sent their trusted attendants to serve beside Emperor Xian of Han, observing his movements. At this time, Emperor Xian's every move was like walking on thorns. The officials in the court, all rose or fell at the behest of these two villains. Taking into account public opinion, they specially summoned Huangfu Song to enter the capital and appointed him as Taifu, sharing leadership over the government. One day, a report came that Ma Teng, the Governor of Xiliang, and Han Sui, the Inspector of Bingzhou, had led an army of over 200,000 men to attack Chang'an, claiming to be seeking revenge against the villains. It turned out that these two generals had previously sent someone to enter Chang'an and form an alliance with the attendants Shi Zhong, Zhen Yu, and Liu Fan, who were secretly plotting against the villainous party. The three men secretly reported this to Emperor Xian, who was overjoyed and appointed Ma Teng as the General Who Conquers the West and Han Sui as the General Who Pacifies the West, each receiving a secret edict to lead their armies in attacking the villains. At that time, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou heard that the two armies were approaching and jointly discussed strategies for defending against them. The strategist Jia Xu advised: "The two armies have come from afar; we should only deepen our trenches and build high walls to resist them. After more than a hundred days, their soldiers will be exhausted and they will surely retreat on their own. Then we can lead our army in pursuit of them, and the two generals can be captured." Guo Si and Li Jue were overjoyed upon hearing this, but two brave warriors under them spoke out: "This is not a good plan. We wish to borrow 10,000 elite soldiers to immediately cut off Ma Teng's and Han Sui's heads and present them before your banners." Jia Xu said: "If we fight now, we will surely suffer defeat." The two brave warriors said in unison: "If we lose, we are willing to be beheaded; if we win, you should also surrender your head to us." Jia Xu said to Li Jue and Guo Si: "Two hundred li west of Chang'an lies the mountain pass of Tongguan, where the road is steep and treacherous. We can have Guo Si and Li Jue lead their armies to garrison there, firmly defending it; when we let them lead their army to welcome the enemy, they will also be able to." Li Jue and Guo Si followed his advice, selecting 15,000 soldiers and horses to go with Li Meng and Wang Fang. The two men were overjoyed as they departed, setting up camp 280 li west of Chang'an.
The Western Liang army arrived, and two generals led the troops to welcome them. The Western Liang army's horses blocked the road and formed a battle array. Ma Teng and Han Sui rode out together, pointing at Guo Si and Li Jue's two generals and shouting: "Traitors! Who will capture them?" Before they had finished speaking, a young general appeared, with a face like jade, eyes like flowing stars, a tiger-like body, and a wolf-like waist. He held a long spear and rode a fine horse, flying out from the battle array. It turned out that this general was Ma Teng's son, Ma Chao, also known as Mengqi, who was only 17 years old and invincible in bravery. Guo Si's general underestimated him because of his youth and charged forward on horseback. They fought for less than a dozen rounds before Ma Chao stabbed the general to death with one spear thrust. Ma Chao then turned his horse back. Li Jue's general saw his comrade being killed by Ma Chao and chased after him from behind. Ma Chao pretended not to know and waited until the enemy general approached, raised his spear to strike, and then dodged to the side. The enemy general missed his target, and their horses drew alongside each other. Ma Chao easily captured the enemy general with a swift movement of his arm. The enemy soldiers were leaderless and fled in all directions. Ma Teng and Han Sui took advantage of the situation and pursued them, winning a great victory. They beheaded the enemy generals and set up a warning sign at the entrance to their camp. When Li Jue and Guo Si heard that both of their generals had been killed by Ma Chao, they finally believed that Jia Xu had foreseen this and decided to follow his plan, defending the pass tightly and not engaging in battle. Indeed, within two months, the Western Liang army's food and forage were exhausted, and they discussed retreating. Coincidentally, a servant from Ma Yu's household came forward to reveal that his master was secretly collaborating with Liu Fan and Qian Zhao, who were connected to Ma Teng and Han Sui, planning an internal uprising. Li Jue and Guo Si were enraged and executed the three households, including old and young, good and bad, in the market. They displayed the three severed heads at the entrance of their camp as a warning. When Ma Teng and Han Sui saw that their army's food was exhausted and their internal plot had been exposed, they had no choice but to retreat. Li Jue and Guo Si discussed letting Guo Si lead his troops to pursue Ma Teng while he himself led his troops to pursue Han Sui. The Western Liang army suffered a great defeat. Ma Chao fought bravely at the rear, killing off Guo Si's pursuing troops. Jia Xu chased after Han Sui and caught up with him near Chen Cang. Han Sui stopped his horse and said to Jia Xu: "We are both servants of the great Han dynasty; why are you pursuing me so relentlessly today?" Jia Xu also stopped his horse and replied: "I must obey the emperor's orders!" Han Sui said: "I have come here for the sake of the country, too. Why are you treating me with such hostility?" Jia Xu thought to himself that Guo Si and Li Jue were not wise rulers; why not leave a way out for himself? He turned his horse around, withdrew his troops, and let Han Sui go.
Li Jue's nephew, Li Biao, saw Jia Xu release Han Sui and reported back to his uncle. Li Jue was furious and wanted to punish Jia Xu. Jia Xu had no choice but to say: "Now that people's hearts are not at peace, frequent military actions would be very inconvenient; now, General, it would be easy for you to kill me. But I, Jia Xu, am the one who will leave a way out for you in the future. If we kill Ma Teng and Han Sui now, can the two generals pacify Xiliang? If not, Liu Bei's forces in Yizhou are strong and powerful, and his fourth brother, Li Yu, is the Grand Marshal, attacking without defeat and winning without exception! What if Liu Bei orders Li Yu to take advantage of the situation and seize Xiliang's army to advance on Chang'an? Therefore, I let Ma Teng and Han Sui escape, which can also restrain some of Liu Bei's forces for the two generals, making Liu Bei not dare to focus all his attention on the two generals. Isn't this a good thing?" Li Jue and Guo Si were overjoyed after hearing this and set up a banquet to invite Jia Xu.
Here is the translation:
After Li Jue and Guo Si were defeated by the Western Liang army, the various lords did not dare to contend for hegemony. It's not that they had no enemies under heaven, but rather that at this time all the lords of the land were harboring private intentions and secretly accumulating strength to seize territory and prepare to contend for hegemony.
The strategist Jia Xu repeatedly advised them to comfort the people and win over the heroes. As a result, the imperial court had a slight glimmer of hope. However, unexpectedly, the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou rose up again, gathering tens of thousands of people, with leaders who were not equal, plundering and pillaging good citizens.
The Grand Marshal Huangfu Song recommended one person to defeat the bandits. Li Jue and Guo Si asked who it was. Huangfu Song said: "To defeat the bandits in Shandong, no one can do it except Cao Mengde."
Li Jue said: "Where is Mengde now?" Huangfu Song replied: "He is currently the governor of Yan Province, with a large army. If you order him to suppress the bandits, they will be defeated immediately." Li Jue was overjoyed and hastily drafted an edict, sending someone to deliver it to Yan Province, ordering Cao Mengde and Ji Bing's general Bao Xin to jointly defeat the bandits.
Cao Mengde received the imperial edict and joined forces with Bao Xin. They launched a campaign against the bandits in Shouyang. Bao Xin charged into the enemy lines and was killed by the bandits. Cao Mengde pursued the bandit army all the way to Ji Bing, capturing tens of thousands of people.
Cao Mengde used his clever strategy to make use of the surrendered bandits as vanguard troops. His army marched everywhere, and no one did not surrender. Within a hundred days or more, he had pacified over 30 million soldiers and civilians. Cao Mengde selected the best among them and named them the "Qingzhou Army". The rest were all ordered to return to their farms.
From this time on, Cao Mengde's reputation grew daily. A report of his victory was sent to Chang'an, and the imperial court promoted him to General Who Pacifies the East. Cao Mengde was in Yanzhou, recruiting heroes and gathering scholars. Two men came to join him: they were from Yingchuan, surnamed Xun, named Yu, with the style name Wenruo, and his nephew Xun You, with the style name Gongda.
Xun Yu had previously served under Yuan Shao but now abandoned him to follow Cao Mengde. Cao Mengde was delighted with Xun Yu and said: "This is my Zhuge Liang!" He then appointed Xun Yu as his military advisor. His nephew Xun You, a famous scholar in the land, had once been a Yellow Gate Gentleman-in-Attendance but later abandoned his official position to return home.
Now he followed his uncle to join Cao Mengde, who made him his military professor. Xun Yu advised Cao Mengde: "I have heard that there is a wise man in Yanzhou, but I do not know where he is now." Cao Mengde asked who it was, and Xun Yu replied: "He is from Chenliu, Xuchang County, surnamed Chen, named Qun, with the style name Changwen."
Cao Mengde said: "I have also heard of him for a long time." He then sent someone to search for him in the countryside. They found that he was reading books in the mountains and invited him to come. When Chen Qun came to see Cao Mengde, he was overjoyed.
Chen Qun asked Xun Yu: "I am ignorant and unsophisticated, not worthy of your recommendation. Now I have received General's favor, how can I not exert my utmost effort?" Cao Mengde was delighted and personally helped Chen Qun up, saying: "I have longed for you like a long drought longing for sweet rain."
From this time on, Cao Mengde discussed the affairs of the world with Xun Yu, Xun You, and Chen Qun every day. Sometimes they talked through the night without sleeping.
Chen Qun also recommended two people to Cao Mengde: one was from Shanyang, Changyi County, surnamed Man, named Chong, with the style name Boren; the other was from Wucheng, surnamed Lü, named Xian, with the style name Zike. Cao Mengde had also heard of these two men's reputations and hired them to serve in his army.
Man Chong and Lü Xian jointly recommended one person: he was from Chenliu, Pingqiu County, surnamed Mao, named Jie, with the style name Xiaoxian. Cao Mengde also hired him to serve in his army.
Another will lead the army of hundreds of people to surrender to Cao Cao: he is a giant from Taishan, with the surname Yu and the name Jin, with the style name Wenze. Cao Cao saw that his archery and horsemanship were skilled, and his martial arts were outstanding, so he was appointed as the commander of the army. One day, Xiahou Dun brought a big Han to meet him, and Cao Cao asked who it was. Xiahou Dun replied to Cao Cao: "This is a person from Chenliu, with the surname Dian and the name Wei, with bravery and strength beyond ordinary people. He used to follow Zhang Miao, but he didn't get along with the people in the army, so he killed dozens of people and escaped into the mountains. Xiahou Dun went hunting and saw Dian Wei chasing a tiger across a ravine, so he was taken into the army. Now I recommend him to you." Cao Cao listened and was overjoyed, saying: "I see that this person has a majestic appearance, he must have great bravery and strength." Xiahou Dun replied: "He once avenged his friend's death by killing someone, and walked out of the market with the head in hand, and hundreds of people didn't dare to get close. Now he uses two iron spears that weigh 80 kilograms each, and rides a horse as if flying." Cao Cao immediately ordered Wei to try it. Dian Wei held the spear and rode his horse, galloping back and forth. Suddenly, he saw the big flag in front of the tent being blown by the wind, swaying precariously, and the soldiers holding it couldn't steady it; Dian Wei got off his horse, shouted at the crowd to retreat, and with one hand grasped the flagpole, standing firmly in the wind. Cao Cao was shocked and exclaimed: "This is a hero from ancient times!" He then appointed him as the commander of the front tent, took off his own brocade jacket, and gave it to him along with a fine horse and an intricately carved saddle.
Here is the translation:
Cao Cao had a strategist, Guo Jia, and a brave general, Zhang Liao. He was feared in Shandong Province. Then he sent Taishan Governor Ying Yang to Langya County to fetch his father, Cao Song. Song had fled from Chenliu and was hiding in Langya; when he received the letter, he immediately set off with his brother Cao De and over 40 family members, as well as over 100 followers, more than 100 carts, and headed towards Yan Province. On their way through Xuzhou, Governor Tao Qian, whose courtesy name was Gongzu, was a kind and honest man who had long wanted to win over Cao Cao but had not found an opportunity; when he learned that Cao Song was passing by, he went out of the city to welcome him, bowed twice, and treated him with great respect. He also set up a grand feast and entertained them for two days. When Cao Song was about to leave, Tao Qian personally escorted him out of the city gate and specially dispatched Colonel Zhang Kan to lead 500 soldiers to escort him. Cao Song led his family to Huafang, where they encountered heavy rain at the end of summer and beginning of autumn; they had no choice but to take shelter in an old temple. The monks welcomed them in. Song settled his family and ordered Zhang Kan to station their troops in the two corridors. The soldiers' clothes were all soaked by the rain, and they complained loudly. Zhang Kan called his subordinates to a quiet place to discuss: "We were originally remnants of the Yellow Turbans who reluctantly surrendered to Tao Qian; we have not gained anything good from it. Now Cao's family has countless carts and goods; if you want to become rich and noble, it is not difficult. Tonight at the third watch, let us all rush in and kill Cao Song and his family, take their wealth, and flee to the mountains together." Everyone agreed. That night, the wind and rain had not subsided, and Cao Song was sitting when he suddenly heard a loud shout from the four walls. Cao De drew his sword to go out and look, but was killed by the soldiers. Cao Song hastily led one of his concubines to flee into the back chamber, wanting to climb over the wall; the concubine was too fat and could not get out, so Cao Song hid with her in the toilet, where they were killed by the chaotic troops. Ying Yang barely escaped with his life and fled to Yuan Shao. Zhang Kan killed all of Cao Song's family, took their wealth, set fire to the temple, and fled with 500 men to Huainan. Later, people had a poem that said: "Cao Cao was a treacherous hero who boasted about killing Lü Bu's whole family; now his own family has been killed by others. Heaven's justice is fair and unerring." At that time, some of Ying Yang's soldiers who had escaped reported back to Cao Cao. When he heard the news, he fell to the ground crying. His subordinates helped him up. Cao Cao gritted his teeth in anger and shouted: "Tao Qian let his troops kill my father; this enmity will not be shared under the same sky! I will now raise a large army to sweep through Xuzhou and avenge my hatred!" He left behind Xuande, Chen Gong, and led 30,000 soldiers to guard the three counties of Juancheng, Fanxian, and Dong'a. The rest all marched towards Xuzhou. Xiahou Yuan, Yu Jin, and Dian Wei were in the vanguard. Cao Cao gave a strict order: "When we capture cities, we will slaughter all the civilians inside to avenge my father's death." At that time, Jiangdu Governor Bian Rang was on good terms with Tao Qian; when he learned of Xuzhou's crisis, he led 5,000 soldiers to come and rescue. Cao Cao heard about it and became enraged, sending Xiahou Yuan to intercept and kill him on the way. Lü Bu had fled to Dongjun and heard that Cao Cao was raising an army to avenge his father; he knew that this was his chance and prepared day and night.
Here is the translation:
When Cao's great army arrived, they killed and plundered the people, and dug up graves. Tao Qian was in Xuzhou when he heard that Cao had raised an army to avenge his father, killing and plundering the common people. He looked up at the sky and wailed, saying: "I have committed a crime against heaven, causing the people of Xuzhou to suffer this great calamity!" He hastily gathered all the officials to discuss what to do.
Cao Biao said: "Now that Cao's army has arrived, can we just sit back and wait for death? I am willing to help you defeat him." Tao Qian had no choice but to lead his troops out to meet them. From a distance, he saw Cao's army stretching out like a blanket of snow, with two white flags in the center bearing the words "Avenge my father" in large letters.
The army formed into battle array, and Cao rode out on horseback, wearing mourning clothes and brandishing his whip as he cursed loudly. Tao Qian also rode out under the banner at the gate, bowed his head, and said: "I originally wanted to make friends with you, sir, so I entrusted Zhang Qi to escort him. But unexpectedly, the thief's heart has not changed, leading to this affair. It is truly not my fault. I hope you will investigate."
Cao cursed loudly, saying: "You old scoundrel! You killed my father and still dare to speak wildly! Who can capture this old thief alive?" Xiahou Dun responded immediately and rode out.
Tao Qian hastily retreated into the army formation. Xiahou Dun chased after him, but Cao Biao charged forward on horseback, spear in hand, to meet the enemy. The two horses clashed, and suddenly a strong wind arose, blowing sand and stones everywhere, throwing both armies into chaos. Each side withdrew their troops.
Taoyuan entered the city and discussed with the crowd: "Cao's army is powerful and difficult to defeat. I should bind myself and go to his camp, let him cut me up, and save the lives of the people in Xuzhou." Before he finished speaking, someone came forward and said: "The governor has been stationed in Xuzhou for a long time, and the people are grateful. Although Cao's army is numerous, they cannot break our city immediately. The governor and the people should firmly defend and not go out; I am willing to implement a small strategy, teach Cao to die without a place to bury his body!" Everyone was shocked and asked where this plan would come from.
