The Three Kingdoms Volume 1 (71 page)

Then Li Fu said, “As your food supply is short it would be well for the old, the feeble, and the women to surrender. The enemy will have no suspicion and so will not be prepared. And we can send the soldiers out behind the people.”

Shen Pei agreed to do all this and the next day they hoisted on the wall a white flag with the words “The populace of Jizhou surrenders” written on it.

“This means no food,” said Cao Cao. “They are sending the non-combatants out and the soldiers will follow behind them.”

So on both sides he laid an ambush of 3,000 soldiers while he went up to the wall in full state regalia. At the open gates he saw the people coming out supporting their aged folk and leading their little ones by the hand. Each carried a white flag. As soon as the people had passed the gate, the soldiers followed with a rush.

Then Cao Cao showed a red flag and the ambushing soldiers sortied forth. The Jizhou men had to fall back to the city and Cao Cao himself dashed forth to pursue them to the drawbridge, but there a tremendous shower of arrows and crossbow bolts came down from the wall tower. Cao Cao’s helmet was hit and his head was nearly injured. His men hastily came to the rescue and brought him back to camp.

As soon as Cao Cao had changed his robe and mounted a fresh horse he set out at the head of the army to attack Yuan Shang’s camp.

Yuan Shang led the defense. As the attack came simultaneously from many directions, the defenders were quite disorganized and presently defeated. Yuan Shang led his men back to the hills and made a camp under their shelter. Then he sent messengers to urge the two officers at the rear to bring up the supporters but he did not know that these two had been persuaded by the Lu brothers into joining Cao Cao’s banner and had been given high ranks.

Just before attacking the West Hills, Cao Cao sent the two Lus to seize Yuan Shang’s supplies. Yuan Shang realized he could not hold the hills so he went by night to Lankou. Before he could get properly camped he saw flaring lights spring up all around him and soon an attack began. He was caught by surprise and had to oppose the enemy with his men half armed, their mail hardly put on and their steeds unsaddled. His army suffered a tremendous loss and he had to retreat another fifty
li
.

By that time his force was too enfeebled to show any resistance. As no other course was possible, he sent an envoy to ask that he might surrender. Cao Cao feigned consent, but that very night he instigated a raid on Yuan Shang’s camp. Then came the hasty flight. Yuan Shang made for the Zhongshan Hills, abandoning everything—seals, emblems of office, mail and baggage—as he went.

Cao Cao resumed his attack on Jizhou. Xu You suggested drowning the city by turning the course of the River Zhang. Cao Cao adopted the advice and at once sent a small number of men to dig a channel of forty
li
in circumference to lead the water into the city.

Shen Pei saw the diggers from the city wall and knew immediately what his enemies were trying to do. However, he noticed that they made only a shallow channel. Chuckling to himself, he thought, “What is the use of such a shallow channel if they want to drown out the city?”

But as soon as night came on Cao Cao increased his army of diggers tenfold and by daylight the channel was deepened to twenty feet. The water gushed in a great stream into the city, where it stood some feet deep. So this misfortune was added to the lack of food.

Xin Bi now displayed Yuan Shang’s seal and garments hung out on spears, to the great shame of their late owner, and called upon the people of the city to surrender. This angered Shen Pei, who avenged the insult by putting to death on the city wall the whole of the Xin family who were still within the city. There were nearly a hundred of them and their severed heads were cast down from the walls. Xin Bi wailed incessantly.

Shen Pei’s nephew was a close friend of Xin Bi’s and the execution of Xin’s family greatly distressed him. He wrote a secret letter offering to betray the city, tied it to an arrow, and fired it out to the besiegers. The soldiers found it and gave it to Xin Bi, who took it to his chief.

Cao Cao issued an order that the family of the Yuans should be spared when the city is taken and that no one who surrendered should be put to death. The next day the soldiers entered by the west gate, opened for them by Shen Pei’s nephew. Xin Bi was the first to prance in on horseback and the men followed.

When Shen Pei, who was in the southeast of the city, saw the enemy within the gates he placed himself at the head of some horsemen to put up a last-ditch struggle. He was met and captured by Xu Huang, who bound him and took him outside the city. On the road they met Xin Bi who, grinding his teeth with rage at the killer of his family, struck the prisoner over the head with his whip and cursed him. Shen Pei railed in response: “You shameless traitor! How I regretted I had not slain you!”

The captive was taken before Cao Cao. “Do you know who opened the gate to let me in?” he asked.

“No.”

“It was your nephew Shen Rong who gave up the gate,” said Cao Cao.

“That brat! He has even sunk to this!” said the indignant Shen Pei.

“Before, when I approached the city, why were there so many arrows?”

“Too few! Too few!”

“As a faithful supporter of the Yuans you could do nothing else, I presume. Now will you come over to me?”

“Never! I will never surrender,” shouted the loyal Shen Pei.

Xin Bi threw himself to the ground with lamentations, saying, “Eighty of my people were murdered by this ruffian. I beg you to slay him, my lord!”

“Alive, I have served the Yuans,” said Shen Pei. “Dead, I will be their ghost. I am no flattering time-server as you are. Kill me quickly!”

Cao Cao gave the order and he was led out to be slain. On the execution ground he reproached the executioners: “My lord is in the north, how can you make me die facing the south?” So he knelt facing the north and extended his neck for the fatal blow.

Who of all the men of fame
In Hebei was true like Shen Pei?
Sad his fate! he served a fool,
But faithful as the ancient sage.
Straight and true was his word,
Never from the road he swerved.
Faithful unto death, he died
Gazing toward the lord he’d served.

Thus Shen Pei died. From respect for his character Cao Cao ordered that he be buried honorably on the north of the city.

Then he was ready to enter the city. Just as he was starting he saw the executioners hurrying forward a prisoner, who proved to be Chen Lin.

“You wrote that manifesto for Yuan Shao. If you had only directed your vitriol against me, it would not have mattered. But why did you shame my forefathers?” said Cao Cao.

“When the arrow is on the string, it must fly,” replied Chen Lin.

The others urged Cao Cao to put him to death but he was spared on account of his talents and given a minor civil post.

Now Cao Cao’s eldest son was named Pi. At the seizure of the city he was eighteen years of age. When he was born a dark purplish halo hung over the house for a whole day. At the time someone who understood the meaning of such manifestations had secretly told Cao Cao that the halo belonged to the imperial family and portended greatest honors to his son.

At eight the lad could compose very skillfully and his talents far exceeded others. He was well-read in ancient history. Now he was adept at all military arts and very fond of fencing. He had accompanied his father on this campaign. After the fall of Jizhou, he led his escort in the direction of Yuan Shao’s family dwelling and when he reached it he strode in sword in hand. The officer at the gate tried to stop him, saying that by order of the prime minister no one was to enter the house, but was told to step back. The guards fell back as he made his way into the interior, where he saw two women weeping in each other’s arms. He went forward to slay them.

Four generations of honors, gone like a dream,
Now misfortune has fallen to the family it seems.

The fate of the two women will be told in the next chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Cao Pi Takes Advantage of Confusion to Find a Wife

Guo Jia Leaves a Plan After Death for Settling Liaodong

A
s
was said, Cao Pi, having made his way into the Yuan house, saw two women there, whom he was about to kill. Suddenly a red light shone in his eyes and he paused. Lowering his sword he asked, “Who are you?”

“I am the widow of the late General Yuan,” said the elder of the two, “and this is the wife of Xi, his second son. She was of the Zheng family. When Xi was sent to command in Youzhou, she did not want to go so far from home and so she stayed behind.”

Cao Pi drew her toward him and looked at her closely. Her hair hung disordered, her face was dusty and tear-stained; but when, with the sleeve of his inner garment, he had wiped away these blemishes, he saw a woman of exquisite loveliness, with a complexion clear as jade touched with the tenderness of a flower, a woman indeed beautiful enough to ruin a kingdom.

“I am the son of Prime Minister Cao,” he said turning to the elder woman. “I will guarantee your safety, so you need not fear anything.”

He then put his hand on his sword and sat down in the hall.

As Cao Cao was entering the gate of the conquered city Xu You rode up to him very quickly and, pointing with his whip at the gate, he called him by his familiar name and said, “You would not be able to enter this gate without my help.”

Cao Cao laughed but his officers were much annoyed. When he reached the Yuan residence he stopped at the gate and asked if anyone had gone in. The guard at the gate said, “The young master is inside.” Cao Cao called him out and scolded him but Lady Liu interposed, saying, “But for your son we would not have been saved. I want to offer to you this lady of the Zheng family to wait upon your son.”

The girl was brought before him and she curtsied to him. After looking at her intently he said, “Just the wife for my son!” And he told Cao Pi to take her as a wife.

As the conquest of Jizhou had been made secure, Cao Cao made a ceremonial visit to the Yuan family cemetery, where he offered a sacrifice at the tomb of his late rival Yuan Shao, bowed several times, and lamented bitterly.

Turning to those around him he said, “Not long ago when Ben-chu and I worked together against Dong Zhuo he asked me, ‘If we fail this time what districts can be held?’ and I replied to by asking him what he thought. He said, ‘To the south I would hold the Yellow River and in the north, guard against Yan and Dai and the hordes from the desert areas. Then I will try to extend my influence southward—don’t you think I might succeed?’ I replied, ‘If the wisdom and force of the world be directed by righteous doctrines, then everything would be possible.’ These words seem as if spoken only yesterday, and now he is gone. Recalling all this I cannot refrain from tears.”

His men all sighed with sympathy. Cao Cao treated the widow generously, giving her gold and silks and food.

He also issued a further order that taxes in Hebei be exempted that year in consideration of the sufferings of the people during the military operations. Then he sent up a memorial to the Emperor and nominated himself Governor of Jizhou.

One day Xu Chu, riding in at the east gate, met Xu You, who called out to him: “Would you fellows be riding through this gate if it had not been for me?”

Xu Chu replied, “We risked our lives in bloody battles to capture this city. How dare you brag so!”