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卷七 魏書七 呂布臧洪傳

Volume 7: Book of Wei 7 - Biographies of Lü Bu and Zang Hong

Chapter 7 of 三國志 · Records of the Three Kingdoms
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1
簿 使
Lü Bu, whose courtesy name was Fengxian, came from Jiuyuan in Wuyuan commandery. His prowess in arms earned him a post in Bingzhou. Inspector Ding Yuan served as Colonel of Cavalry with his army camped in Henei; he appointed Lü Bu chief clerk and treated him with conspicuous favor. After Emperor Ling's death, Ding Yuan marched his army to Luoyang. 〈The Record of Heroes notes that Ding Yuan's courtesy name was Jianyang. He was born into a humble family, rough in manner but brave in battle and an excellent horseman and archer. As a clerk in the southern district he never flinched from a dangerous assignment; whenever bandits struck and had to be run down, he led the charge. He barely knew how to read and had scant talent for administration.〉 He joined He Jin's plot to slaughter the Yellow Gate eunuchs and was awarded the post of Bearer of the Golden Mace. When He Jin fell, Dong Zhuo marched into the capital. Planning to seize control, he meant to kill Ding Yuan and absorb his army. Because Lü Bu enjoyed Ding Yuan's trust, Dong Zhuo suborned him to murder his patron. Lü Bu beheaded Ding Yuan and brought his head to Dong Zhuo, who named him Colonel of Cavalry, lavished favor on him, and pledged a pact like father and son.
2
便 忿 使
Lü Bu excelled as an archer and horseman and possessed extraordinary strength; men called him the Flying General. He rose step by step to General of the Household and received the Duting village marquisate. Dong Zhuo knew his bullying had made him enemies, so he kept Lü Bu at his side wherever he went. But Dong Zhuo was rigid and quick-tempered; one day a petty annoyance made him snatch up a short halberd and throw it at Lü Bu. Lü Bu dodged nimbly. 〈The Classic of Poetry runs: 'Without strength, without courage—it becomes the step to chaos.' The gloss explains quan as 'strength.'〉 Lü Bu turned back and apologized, and Dong Zhuo's anger subsided. From that moment Lü Bu nursed a secret grudge against Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo habitually posted Lü Bu to guard the inner apartments, where Lü Bu began an affair with one of Zhuo's maids; dreading exposure, he lived in constant anxiety.
3
使
Minister Wang Yun had already taken a liking to Lü Bu—another sturdy northerner—and welcomed him warmly. Later Lü Bu sought Wang Yun out and told him how Dong Zhuo had almost murdered him. Wang Yun was already plotting Dong Zhuo's assassination with Deputy Director Shisun Rui, so he enlisted Lü Bu as his agent inside the palace. Lü Bu protested, 'But we swore an oath like father and son!' Wang Yun replied, 'Your surname is Lü—you were never his kin. You are fighting for your life—what kind of father and son bond is that?' Lü Bu agreed and ran Dong Zhuo through with his own hand. The full story appears in Dong Zhuo's biography. Wang Yun appointed Lü Bu (General Who Displays Might) [General Who Displays Martial Power], with imperial credentials and ceremonial standing equal to the Three Excellencies, promoted to Marquis of Wen: together they governed the court. After Dong Zhuo's death Lü Bu despised and feared the Liangzhou troops, and they hated him in return. Li Jue and his allies therefore united and marched back to storm Chang'an. 〈The Record of Heroes places Guo Si north of the walls. Lü Bu opened the gates, rode out to face Guo Si, and proposed a duel: 'Pull your men back—let you and I settle this alone.' The two men fought alone until Lü Bu speared Guo Si; Guo's escort then rushed up and pulled him clear, and both sides broke off the fight.〉 Lü Bu could not hold them, and Li Jue's host poured into the capital. Sixty days after Dong Zhuo's death, Lü Bu too was beaten. Pei Songzhi notes: other texts date Zhuo's death to the twenty-third of the fourth month and Lü Bu's flight to the first of the sixth—with no leap month that year, so 'six decad-days' does not quite fit. He escaped through Wuguan with a few hundred horsemen, heading for Yuan Shu.
4
使使
Lü Bu assumed that slaying Dong Zhuo had settled Yuan Shu's blood feud and hoped to win his gratitude. Yuan Shu despised his fickle loyalty and turned him away. He rode north to Yuan Shao, who joined him in a campaign against Zhang Yan in Changshan. Zhang Yan commanded more than ten thousand elite soldiers and several thousand horsemen. Lü Bu rode a celebrated charger named Red Hare. 〈The unofficial History of Cao Cao quotes a contemporary saying: 'Lü Bu among men, Red Hare among horses.'〉 Time and again he charged the enemy line with Cheng Lian, Wei Yue, and his other trusted followers, shattering Zhang Yan's host. But he kept demanding reinforcements while his men looted the countryside, until Yuan Shao grew anxious and suspicious. Reading the mood, Lü Bu asked Yuan Shao's permission to leave. Yuan Shao feared Lü Bu might one day turn on him and sent assassins to strike by night; they failed. When the plot leaked, Lü Bu bolted for Henei. 〈The Record of Heroes adds that Lü Bu considered himself the Yuan family's benefactor, sneered at Yuan Shao's officers, and dismissed their self-made appointments as beneath notice. Lü Bu asked permission to return west; Yuan Shao made him acting Colonel Director of Retainers. He talked of seeing Lü Bu off while planning his murder. On the morning of Lü Bu's departure Yuan Shao assigned thirty armored men 'to see him on his way.' Lü Bu had them wait outside his tent while a servant strummed a zither within—an empty show of occupation. The escort fell asleep; Lü Bu slipped out unnoticed. At midnight they attacked the bed in a frenzy, certain they had killed him. Next morning Yuan Shao learned Lü Bu was still alive and ordered the gates shut. Lü Bu was already gone.〉 He joined Zhang Yang. Yuan Shao ordered pursuit, but no one dared close with the Flying General. 〈The Record of Heroes reports that Li Jue and Guo Si had put a price on Lü Bu's head and won over Zhang Yang's officers. Lü Bu warned Zhang Yang, 'We hail from the same commandery. Killing me would only weaken you. Better to hand me over and collect the full reward from Guo Si and Li Jue.' Zhang Yang feigned cooperation with Guo Si and Li Jue while sheltering Lü Bu in fact. Annoyed, Guo Si and Li Jue countered with an imperial rescript sealed in the great envelope, naming Lü Bu administrator of Yingchuan.〉
5
使
Zhang Miao, courtesy name Mengzhuo, was a native of Shouzhang in Dongping. As a young man he made a name as a chivalrous figure—always helping the needy at his own expense—so bold spirits flocked to him. Both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao counted him as a friend. Called to the capital service, he graduated with honors, received the colonelcy of cavalry, and rose to administrator of Chenliu. When Dong Zhuo seized power, Cao Cao and Zhang Miao were among the first to raise armies against him. At the Bian River Zhang Miao detached Wei Zi's contingent to fight under Cao Cao. Once Yuan Shao headed the coalition his manner turned arrogant; Zhang Miao rebuked him to his face. Yuan Shao told Cao Cao to execute Zhang Miao; Cao refused. 'Mengzhuo is family to me,' he told Yuan Shao. 'You must allow him his faults. The empire is still unsettled—we cannot afford to turn on each other.' When word reached Zhang Miao, he felt even deeper gratitude toward Cao Cao. Before marching against Tao Qian, Cao Cao told his family: 'If I do not come back, seek refuge with Mengzhuo.' When he returned, he and Zhang Miao wept in each other's arms. Such was the closeness between them.
6
〈The Record of Heroes quotes Lü Bu's first meeting with Liu Bei: 'We are both men of the northern frontier,' he said with great respect. I watched the lords east of the mountains take up arms against Dong Zhuo. I killed Dong Zhuo and came east, yet not one of those generals will have me—they all want me dead.' He brought Liu Bei into his tent, seated him on the women's couch, had his wife pay her respects, poured the wine, and called him 'younger brother.' Liu Bei noted Lü Bu's erratic talk and nodded along while inwardly disliking him.〉 Zhang Miao threw in his lot with Lü Bu and left Zhang Chao to hold Yongqiu with the families. Cao Cao besieged the city for months, sacked it, and put Zhang Chao and his family to the sword. Zhang Miao rode to Yuan Shu for help but was murdered by his own men before relief arrived. 〈The Annals of Emperor Xian record Yuan Shu's bid for the throne. Zhang Miao told him: 'The Han holds the virtue of Fire—it falters, then flares again; its blessings spread wide, and they produced a man like you. You stand at the pivot—honored at court, the cynosure of every gaze; neither Mount Hua nor Mount Huo could make you higher, nor any abyss match your depth—magnificent, unrivaled. Why cast that aside to proclaim yourself emperor? Your blessing may never reach the width of an eye's corner; disaster could flood the age. Zhuangzi's ox fattened for the suburban rites—fed for a year, draped in brocade, led with the ritual knife through the temple gate—at that point not even a solitary calf's life is within reach!' The main text, however, says Zhang Miao died on the road before he reached Yuan Shu. This passage makes him Yuan Shu's critic—Pei Songzhi cannot say which version is right.〉
7
使 使 使 使 使 使 退 使 使 使 使 便
Yuan Shu sought Lü Bu as an ally and asked for Lü's daughter for his son; Lü Bu agreed. He dispatched Han Yin to brief Lü Bu on his plan to claim the throne and to escort the bride home. The Chancellor of Pei, Chen Gui, feared that if Shu and Bu completed their marriage, Xu and Yang would form an allied league and would become a crisis for the state; thereupon he went to persuade Bu, saying: "Lord Cao has welcomed the Son of Heaven, assists and extols the administration of the state, his numinous might commands the age, and he will campaign across the four seas—the General ought to join him in common planning and seek the security of Mount Tai. Now if you ally by marriage with Shu, you will bear throughout the realm the name of unrighteousness, and will surely have the danger of eggs stacked high." Lü Bu still smarted at Yuan Shu's earlier refusal of him. His daughter was already on the road when he called her back, annulled the match, bound Han Yin in chains for delivery, and exposed Han's head in the marketplace at Xu. Chen Gui wanted to send his son Deng to Cao Cao, but Lü Bu would not allow it. An imperial envoy soon arrived and invested Lü Bu as General of the Left. Lü Bu was delighted and at once let Deng go, instructing him to submit a memorial of thanks. 〈The Record of Heroes states that while the emperor was east of the Yellow River, he issued a handwritten summons on wooden slips inviting Lü Bu to escort him. Lü Bu's camp lacked supplies to make the journey, so he sent a memorial instead. The court named him General Who Pacifies the East and Marquis of Pingtao. The courier lost the documents in Shanyang; Cao Cao wrote again to reassure Lü Bu, spelled out the plan to welcome the emperor and pacify the empire, and enclosed arrest warrants for Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shu, Han Xian, Yang Feng, and the rest. Overjoyed, Lü Bu sent another memorial to the throne: 'I meant to escort Your Majesty myself; learning that Cao Cao is loyal and has settled you at Xu, I once fought Cao Cao; now that he attends you as regent, my bringing an army to court might look suspicious, so I remain at Xu Province uneasy in every move I make.' To Cao Cao he wrote: 'I am a condemned man fit only for execution; your letter lifts me with undeserved praise. Seeing the arrest warrant for Yuan Shu and company again, I will prove my loyalty with deeds.' Cao Cao then dispatched Wang Ze with the imperial edict and investiture regalia for General Who Pacifies the East. Cao Cao added a personal note: 'The packet you lost was recovered in Shanyang. Treasury gold was poor, so I supplied gold from my own house for your seal; there was no purple ribbon at court, so I sent the one from my belt to show my regard. Your messengers did not serve you well. You checked Yuan Shu when he proclaimed himself emperor, yet blocked his memorials from reaching the throne. The court trusts you and asked you to petition again to prove your loyalty.' Lü Bu therefore had Deng deliver his thanks and returned a fine ribbon to Cao Cao.〉 When Chen Deng met Cao Cao, he explained that Lü Bu was bold but unstrategic, quick to change sides, and should be dealt with soon. Cao Cao replied, 'Lü Bu has the heart of a wolf cub—impossible to keep tame for long. Only you could read him so clearly.' He raised Chen Gui's stipend to two thousand piculs and named Chen Deng administrator of Guangling. As Chen Deng took his leave, Cao Cao clasped his hand. 'The entire east—I leave it in yours.' He told Chen Deng to rally allies secretly as fifth columnists.
8
Lü Bu had asked Chen Deng to secure him the governorship of Xu. When Deng came back empty-handed, Lü Bu seized a halberd and smashed his bench. 'Your father told me to side with Cao Cao and cut ties with Yuan Shu— —yet I gained nothing while you two rose to honor—you have betrayed me! What excuse do you offer?' Chen Deng showed no fear and answered calmly: 'I told Cao Cao that managing you is like keeping a tiger—you must feed it meat or it will turn on its keeper. He replied: 'Your analogy misses the mark. Raising you is like falconry: hunger keeps you loyal; a full crop sends you off. That was how he put it.' Lü Bu's anger cooled.
9
使 使 西 西 簿
Enraged, Yuan Shu allied with Han Xian and Yang Feng and dispatched Zhang Xun against Lü Bu. Lü Bu asked Chen Gui, 'This army from Yuan Shu—your doing. What now?' Chen Gui answered, 'Han Xian and Yang Feng form only a marriage of convenience with Yuan Shu; no plan binds them. My son Deng compares them to chickens tied together—they cannot roost on one perch—and they can be split apart.' Lü Bu followed this advice, sent envoys to Han Xian and Yang Feng, and promised them all captured materiel if they would join him against Yuan Shu. They agreed, and Zhang Xun's army was shattered. 〈The Spring and Autumn of the Nine Provinces preserves Lü Bu's letter: 'You rescued the emperor and brought him east—merit fit for the histories and an undying name. Yuan Shu rebels—why march with a traitor against me instead of punishing him? I slew Dong Zhuo, as did you in your way—strike Yuan Shu now and win glory while you can.' Han Xian and Yang Feng switched sides as soon as they read it. Lü Bu drew up within a hundred paces of Zhang Xun's camp; Han Xian and Yang Feng struck together, took ten generals' heads, and left casualties beyond count in the water. The Record of Heroes adds that Lü Bu later marched on Shouchun with Han Xian and Yang Feng by land and river, pillaging as they went. They reached Zhongli, looted heavily, and withdrew. North of the Huai he left Yuan Shu a letter: 'You boast of your hosts and brag of swallowing every rival—I have held you back until now! I may lack valor, yet I strode across Huainan like a tiger while you cowered in Shouchun like a rat afraid to show your face. Where are those famous warriors now? You love bombast—do you think you can fool everyone under heaven? Ancient armies exchanged envoys—I did not provoke this war. We are close enough—send word when you wish.' After Lü Bu crossed, Yuan Shu led five thousand men to brandish arms along the Huai; Lü Bu's horsemen on the north bank jeered and rode away. Xiao Jian of Donghai was governing Langya from Ju, holding his walls and refusing all contact with Lü Bu. Lü Bu wrote: 'The coalition rose only to destroy Dong Zhuo. I killed Dong Zhuo, reached the east, and begged for men to escort the emperor west and recover Luoyang, but the lords only turned on one another and forgot the throne. I was born in Wuyuan, five thousand li from here in the far northwest; I have not come to fight you for the southeast. Ju lies near Xiapi—we should be allies. Or do you fancy every district an empire and every county a throne? Yue Yi swept Qi in weeks—only Ju and Jimo held out because Tian Dan defended them. I am no Yue Yi and you are no Tian Dan—show this letter to wise counsel.' Xiao Jian answered at once, sending his registrar with a courteous note and five good horses. Zang Ba soon overran him and seized his stores. Hearing this, Lü Bu marched on Ju in person. Gao Shun urged caution: 'You slew Dong Zhuo and awe the frontier peoples—your very gaze commands fear. Do not rashly take the field. A defeat would cost you more than a battle.' Lü Bu ignored him. Fearing Lü Bu's plundering, Zang Ba manned the walls. Lü Bu failed to storm the city and withdrew to Xiapi. Zang Ba later reconciled with Lü Bu.〉
10
使 使 使 使 簿 簿
In Jian'an 198 Lü Bu renewed his ties to Yuan Shu and sent Gao Shun against Liu Bei at Pei, routing him. Cao Cao dispatched Xiahou Dun to Liu Bei's aid, but Gao Shun defeated him. Cao Cao led the expedition himself, drew up beneath Xiapi, and wrote Lü Bu with an appeal weighing surrender against ruin. Lü Bu was ready to yield, but Chen Gong and his faction—knowing Cao Cao would never spare them—blocked him. 〈The Annals of Emperor Xian record Cao Cao's army reaching Pengcheng. Chen Gong urged a spoiling attack: 'Hit them while they march—fresh troops against weary ones—and you cannot lose.' Lü Bu preferred to wait and drive them into the Si River.' When the siege tightened, Lü Bu mounted the White Gate Tower and told his men to spare him further shame—he would surrender to Lord Cao himself.' Chen Gong shouted back, 'That traitor Cao Cao—what enlightened lord is he? Surrender now and you might as well smash eggs on rock!'〉' Lü Bu begged Yuan Shu for help, led a thousand riders in a sortie, was beaten back, and shut himself inside the walls. 〈The Record of Heroes names Xu Si and Wang Kai as his envoys to Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu replied, 'He broke our marriage pact—defeat is his own fault—why bother me again?' They warned him, 'Refuse Lü Bu now and you doom yourself. If he falls, you fall with him.' Yuan Shu had proclaimed himself emperor, hence the deferential 'Your Enlightened Majesty.' He massed troops as a gesture of support. Lü Bu suspected Yuan Shu withheld aid until the bride appeared, so he swathed his daughter in silk, lashed her to a saddle, and tried to ride her through Cao Cao's lines by night; volleys drove him back. He planned to leave Chen Gong and Gao Shun to hold Xiapi while he raided Cao Cao's supply lines. Bu's wife said to him: 'For the General personally to go out and cut Lord Cao's grain road is right. But Gong and Shun hardly cooperate—leave them alone and the city may fall; then where will you stand? Think hard—do not let Chen Gong gamble away your life. You abandoned me once in Chang'an—I survived only because Pang Shu hid me. Forget about me now.' Her words left him paralyzed with doubt. The Wei Chronicle quotes Chen Gong: 'Cao Cao marched far—he cannot keep this up. Camp outside with the bulk of your horse and foot while I hold the walls—if they chase you, I strike their rear; if they besiege me, you relieve them from outside. Their provisions will fail within ten days—then we crush them.' Lü Bu agreed. His wife objected: 'Cao Cao once cherished Chen Gong like a child—yet Gong deserted him for you. You barely trust Chen Gong more than Cao Cao did—yet you would stake the city, your family, and a lone sortie on him. If anything goes wrong, I am no longer your wife!' Lü Bu abandoned the plan.〉 Yuan Shu could not save him either. Fierce as Lü Bu was, he lacked judgment, suspected everyone, failed to master his own faction, and put blind faith in his officers. His commanders doubted one another and rarely won a fight. After three months of trench warfare the garrison came apart: Hou Cheng, Song Xian, and Wei Xu seized Chen Gong and surrendered with their men. 〈The Spring and Autumn of the Nine Provinces explains that Hou Cheng had entrusted fifteen horses to a groom who bolted toward Pei to rejoin Liu Bei. Hou Cheng rode after him and recovered every horse. The officers congratulated him with ceremony. Hou Cheng brewed several hu of wine, bagged a dozen pigs, and carried half a pig and five dou of wine to Lü Bu before touching his own feast. Kneeling, he said: 'Your Grace helped me recover my horses; my comrades wished to celebrate, so I brewed a little wine and took game—but I would not taste it until I offered the first share to you.' Lü Bu thundered: 'I banned liquor—you brewed it, you feasted like sworn brothers—do you mean to murder me?' Terrified, Hou Cheng poured out the wine and gave back the congratulatory gifts. He began to fear for his life; when Cao Cao invested Xiapi, he opened the gates.〉 Lü Bu and his retinue climbed the White Gate Tower. With the noose tightening, he came down to surrender. They took him alive. 'The ropes are too tight,' Lü Bu said, 'give me a little slack.' Cao Cao answered, 'This is how you tie a tiger.' Lü Bu pleaded: 'I am the only thorn in your side, and I yield—think what that means for the rest of the realm. Put me at the head of your horse—and you will pacify the empire.' Cao Cao hesitated. Liu Bei put in: 'My lord, remember Ding Yuan—and Dong Zhuo.' Cao Cao nodded. Lü Bu jabbed a finger at Liu Bei. 'That man is the worst oath-breaker alive.' 〈The Record of Heroes quotes Lü Bu: 'I treated my officers well—they deserted me in crisis.' Cao Cao shot back: 'You betray your wife for other men's wives—some generosity.' Lü Bu had no reply. The Xiandi Chunqiu says: Bu asked Grand Progenitor: 'Why is the enlightened lord thin?' Grand Progenitor said: 'How do you recognize me in solitude?' Lü Bu said they had crossed paths in Luoyang at the Wen family's estate.' So we did,' said Cao Cao. He had forgotten. He blamed his wasted frame on having discovered Lü Bu too late." Bu said: 'Duke Huan of Qi forgave the arrow in his belt-hook and made Guan Zhong his minister; Let me bend every muscle as your vanguard—will you have me?' Bound tight, he cried to Liu Bei: 'You sit free while I am trussed—will you not speak for me?' Cao Cao laughed: 'Why plead with Xuande instead of asking me yourself?' He meant to spare Lü Bu and ordered the ropes slackened. Registrar Wang Bi protested: 'Lü Bu is too dangerous to spare. His troops still surround us—we cannot risk it.' Cao Cao said with a shrug, 'I would loosen them, but my registrar forbids it—what can I do?'〉 They strangled Lü Bu. Lü Bu, Chen Gong, Gao Shun, and the rest were beheaded; their heads went to Xu before the bodies were buried. 〈The Record of Heroes describes Gao Shun as austere, formidable, abstemious, and incorruptible. He commanded some seven hundred men who passed as a thousand, in flawless armor—every assault succeeded—known as the Camp That Breaks the Line. Gao Shun often warned Lü Bu: 'States fall not for lack of loyal men but because rulers refuse counsel. You rush every decision and pile mistake on mistake.' Lü Bu knew he was honest yet never followed his advice. After Hao Meng's mutiny Lü Bu grew colder toward Gao Shun. He stripped Gao Shun's command and gave the troops to his wife's relative Wei Xu. When battle came he made Gao Shun lead Wei Xu's men; Gao Shun showed no resentment.〉
11
After Chen Gong's capture Cao Cao asked whether he wanted his mother and daughter spared. Gong replied: 'Gong has heard that one who governs the realm with filial piety does not cut off others' kin; one who extends benevolence within the four seas does not exhaust others' sacrifices—the old mother is with you, not with Gong.' Cao Cao supported Chen Gong's mother for life and saw his daughter married. 〈Yu Huan's Comprehensive Survey gives Chen Gong's courtesy name as Gongtai and his origin in Dong commandery. Blunt and bold, he befriamed every famous scholar of the age. When chaos came he first served Cao Cao, then doubted him and joined Lü Bu—whose plans he drew and routinely ignored. At Xiapi's fall Lü Bu and Chen Gong were brought before Cao Cao, who spoke of old times—hence Lü Bu's plea for life. Cao Cao asked, 'Gongtai, you always claimed superior wit—how did it end?' Chen Gong pointed at Lü Bu: 'Because he never listened to me. Had he listened, we might not stand here.' Grand Progenitor laughed and said: 'Today's affair—how ought it to be?' Gong said: 'As a minister not loyal, as a son not filial—death is my proper portion.' Grand Progenitor said: 'If you are thus, what of your old mother?' Gong said: 'Gong has heard that one who will rule with filial piety does not harm others' kin—whether the old mother lives or dies is with the enlightened lord.' Grand Progenitor said: 'What of your wife and children?' Gong said: 'Gong has heard that one who will extend humane government within the four seas does not cut off others' sacrifices—whether wife and children live or die is also with the enlightened lord.' Cao Cao fell silent. Gong said: 'I request to go out and accept execution, to clarify military law.' He walked out; no one could stop him. Cao Cao wept at the gate; Chen Gong never looked back. Afterward Cao Cao treated Chen Gong's kin even better than before.〉
12
使 使 宿 忿 使
Chen Deng, courtesy name Yuanlong, enjoyed wide renown in Guangling. His role in crushing Lü Bu earned him the title General Who Calms the Waves; he died at thirty-nine. Later Xu Si together with Liu Bei both sat in Governor of Jingzhou Liu Biao's presence; Biao together with Bei discussed people of the realm; Si said: 'Chen Yuanlong is a lakes-and-seas knight—his heroic spirit is not removed.' Bei said to Biao: 'Does Sir Xu weigh right and wrong?' Biao said: 'If I wish to say it is not so, this gentleman is a good man—I ought not speak emptily; Calling him right would slight Chen Deng's fame." Bei asked Si: 'You speak of heroism—was there indeed an affair?' Si said: 'Formerly suffering chaos I passed through Xiapi and saw Yuanlong. Chen Deng acted nothing like a host—ignored him, stretched out on the main couch, and relegated Xu Si to the foot bench." Bei said: 'You have the name of a state knight; today the realm is greatly chaotic, the emperor-host has lost his place—I hoped you would worry for the state and forget home, having intent to save the age; yet you seek fields and ask after houses—your words have nothing worth adopting—this is what Yuanlong avoids; what cause would there be for him to converse with you? Were it Liu Bei, he would seat Xu Si on the floor beneath a hundred-foot loft—not merely the wrong couch." Liu Biao roared with laughter. Bei therefore said: 'If Yuanlong's civil and military courage and resolve—one ought to seek them in antiquity; in haste it is hard to obtain comparison.' 〈The Accounts of Worthies describes Chen Deng as loyal, brilliant, far-sighted, and ambitious to save the people. He read widely and mastered classical letters and state papers. At twenty-five he earned the Filial and Incorrupt nomination and governed Dongyang, caring for elders and orphans as if each citizen were wounded flesh. In famine times Tao Qian named him agricultural intendant; he surveyed fields, dug irrigation, and filled the granaries with rice. Called to Xu, Cao Cao made him administrator of Guangling to plot against Lü Bu in secret. At Guangling his rewards and punishments were transparent and his authority respected. More than ten thousand pirate households under Xue Zhou surrendered without a fight. Within a year his rule won fear and love. Deng said: 'This can be used.' When Cao Cao reached Xiapi, Chen Deng led his district troops in the van. Lü Bu held Chen Deng's three brothers hostage inside Xiapi to force a truce. Chen Deng pressed the siege without flinching. Inspector Zhang Hong, fearing reprisals, smuggled the brothers out to Chen Deng by night. After Lü Bu's execution Chen Deng earned the title General Who Calms the Waves and the devotion of the Huai River lands—he dreamed of conquering the south. Sun Ce besieged him at Kuangqi. The fleet blotted out the river; his staff urged retreat—Sun Ce outnumbered them ten to one—and counseled yielding an empty city. Land-bound sailors cannot stay; they will withdraw. Deng with stern voice said: 'I received the state's command to guard this soil. Ma Yuan had crushed Yue and Di from this post—how could he flee pirates? I will give my life for the Han, ride the cause of justice, and Heaven favors the just—we cannot lose.' He shut the gates, played weak, and forbade any sound from the ramparts—dead still. From the battlements Chen Deng saw how to strike: before dawn he ordered weapons prepared, burst from the south gate, and rolled up the enemy rear. Sun Ce's men were caught lining up and never made it back to their ships. Chen Deng sounded the charge himself; the enemy broke, ditched their boats, and ran. He chased the rout and counted tens of thousands of enemy killed or captured. Smarting from defeat, they returned in strength against Chen Deng. Outnumbered, Chen Deng dispatched Chen Jiao to plead with Cao Cao. He pitched a decamp ten li out, crisscrossed paired bundles of fuel, and set the rows ablaze after dark. The garrison roared welcome as if Cao Cao's main army were there. The fires routed them; Chen Deng cut off ten thousand heads in the pursuit. The court transferred him to Dongcheng. Grateful Guangling tried to follow him en masse—parents hoisted children on their backs to keep up. At daybreak he told them to turn back: 'My tenure invited Wu's attacks—we survived by fortune alone. You will find another good shepherd.' Sun Quan took everything south of the Yangtze. Cao Cao never crossed the Yangtze without cursing his delay—Chen Deng could have checked Sun Quan before the beast grew claws. Emperor Wen ennobled Chen Deng's memory and gave his son Su a post at court.〉
13
西 西 西
Zang Hong, courtesy name Ziyuan, came from Sheyang in Guangling. His father Zang Min served as Han inspector of the northern tribes and as governor of Zhongshan and Taiyuan with a celebrated record. 〈Xie Cheng records Zang Min as a capable administrator and model officer. Summoned from Xu clerking to the capital, he governed Lunu, won Ji Province's top nomination, and advanced to Yangzhou governor and Danyang administrator. Border raids by Qiang and Hu led the court to post him as colonel against the northern tribes. Successful campaigns earned him the counsellor's seal and a seat at court. Grand Commandant Yuan Feng interviewed him on the Western Regions—lands, peoples, and customs. Zang Min traced how thirty-six Tarim states had fractured into well over a hundred polities; he rehearsed distances, populations, climates, and strange flora and fauna, sketching each kingdom from memory. Feng marveled at his talent and sighed: 'Even Ban Gu's Treatise on the Western Regions could hardly surpass this.' He closed his career as colonel of the Chang River corps and governor of Taiyuan.〉 Zang Hong's stature turned heads; the Filial and Incorrupt nomination brought him to the capital. The court seconded palace cadets to county posts; Peers included Zhao Yu at Ju, Liu Yao at Xiayi, Wang Lang at Zaiqiu, and Zang Hong at Jiqiu. He left office under Ling and served Zhang Chao of Guangling as chief clerk.
14
西
When Dong Zhuo murdered the sovereign and menaced the dynastic altars, Hong urged Zhang Chao: 'Your house has received generations of favor; you and your brothers hold great commanderies; the throne totters and the traitor still lives—this is the hour for every loyal man to repay his debt. Raise your district and you can field twenty thousand—kill Dong Zhuo and you shame every warlord who waits.' Zhang Chao agreed and rode with Zang Hong to plan with Zhang Miao at Chenliu. At Suanzao Zhang Miao asked why Zhang Chao let Zang Hong run his administration.' He outclasses me,' said Zhang Chao; 'the realm rarely sees his like.' One conversation convinced Zhang Miao. He presented Zang Hong to Liu Dai and Kong Zhou, who embraced him. They built a covenant altar; every lord declined leadership until Zang Hong alone remained. Hong mounted the altar, lifted the sacrificial cup, smeared blood, and swore: 'The Han starves—imperial rule frays; Dong Zhuo exploits turmoil to wound the Son of Heaven and scourge the people; we dread the altars will fall and the realm burn. Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Chenliu, Dongjun, and Guangling pledged arms for the emperor. We vow one purpose—to restore the Han or die. Break faith and lose posterity. Let Heaven, earth, and our fathers judge us!' His voice shook the altar—even grooms swore themselves to the cause. 〈Pei Songzhi: the roster held barely five signatories—Liu Dai among them. Later editors padded the list with Liu Biao—without evidence. Liu Biao never left Jing—he could not have shared Zang Hong's altar.〉 Stalemate starved the alliance apart.
15
使 使 西
Zang Hong never reached Liu Yu—Hejian was a battlefield. Yuan Shao admired him and sealed a personal tie. Yuan Shao named him acting Qingzhou governor after Jiao He's death. 〈The Spring and Autumn of the Nine Provinces opens with Jiao He's tenure. Jiao He rushed east to the coalition, abandoning Qingzhou to the rebels. The lords lost at Xingyang almost immediately. Rebels overran the province. Jiao He kept sharp blades and full ranks but no intelligence—panic scattered his host unseen. He tried freezing the river with weighted balls, stuffed his tent with oracles and witches, brilliant in talk, helpless in war. Qingzhou became a wasteland.'〉 Zang Hong cleared the province in twenty-four months. Yuan Shao transferred him to Dongjun with seat at Dongwuyang.
16
Grand Progenitor besieged Zhang Chao at Yongqiu; Chao said: 'I trust only Zang Hong—he must rescue me.' Skeptics said Yuan Shao would never let Zang Hong march against Cao Cao. 'Zang Hong keeps faith,' Zhang Chao insisted—unless Yuan Shao forbids him. Zang Hong wept barefoot and begged Yuan Shao for relief; Yuan Shao said no. Zhang Chao's house died to the last. Zang Hong renounced Yuan Shao forever. Yuan Shao besieged Dongwuyang for years. Yuan Shao ordered Chen Lin's letter of appeal and threat. Zang Hong wrote back:
17
滿 便 使 使 使使 使 忿 退
Separation haunts my dreams. We are neighbors in principle yet worlds apart—how bitter. Your recent letter laid out doom and duty with brutal clarity. I lacked wit to match your rhetoric; and because you serve Yuan Shao who wars on my lord while your family stays in the east. Even heartfelt pleas would sound like treason from Zang Hong—how could I counsel you? You know the canon—can you truly misunderstand? Your speech aims at self-preservation, not truth. Rehashing old scores helps neither of us. I stayed silent to honor our break. I thought my silence stated my final word. Your new six-page brief forces my pen. I owe Yuan Shao much yet we draw swords—think what that costs me. On the parapet I see your drums and weep like a child. Why? I believed serving Yuan Shao blameless. His grace knew no limit. We meant to restore the Han together. Instead the throne turned hostile, my home fell, Zhang Miao died at Yongqiu, and Chenliu armed itself—I lost honor as son and friend alike. Forced to choose, I chose integrity over fond memory. Had Yuan Shao shown mercy, I would keep Guan Zhong's patience—no siege between us. Proof? Zhang Jingming sealed the alliance, rushed Han Fu's abdication, and won you Ji Province; a court memorial earned him execution overnight. 〈Pei Songzhi cites the Record of Heroes: "Yuan Shao sent Zhang Jingming, Guo Gongze, Gao Yuancai, and others to persuade Han Fu and make him yield Ji Province." Han Fu's surrender owed Zhang Jingming effort. Pei leaves the rest obscure.'〉 Lü Bu fled from Dong Zhuo, asked you for aid, got none, and left—where was the offense? You hunted him again until he nearly died. Liu Ziqi overstayed his embassy, could not resign, feigned a way home for family's sake—loyal son, no rival to your power— yet you struck him down without mercy. 〈Your subject Pei Songzhi notes: Gongsun Zan's memorial listing Yuan Shao's crimes states: 'Shao together with the former Tiger-Fang general Liu Xun jointly raised troops; Xun still had merit, yet over a petty grudge Shao unjustly killed Xun—this is Shao's seventh crime.' Pei identifies him with Liu Zihuang.'〉 I am slow-witted, yet I doubt Yuan Shao thought those men deserved execution. He meant to dominate Shandong and cow his army by branding imperial orders—rewarding friends and killing doubters. So I learned from their fate and fight on though trapped. Even a dullard hears the sages. That was never my wish. Your master drew me in. I hold this city because honor forbids me to serve your rival. You twist the code that drove my breach—hardly the conduct of a friend. Righteous men honor kin and sovereign—I aid my province and my patron together. You ask me to destroy my roots to match Yuan Shao. When paths split I withdrew to protect family and lord—that was order. Your rule would make Shen Baoxu stab Wu Zixu rather than wail at Qin. Pedantic rescue misses the moral point. Perhaps you think marriage and old ties should make me yield rather than die upright. Yan Ying defied swords; the Qi chronicler chose death—posterity remembers them. I hold strong walls, willing arms, stores for a year's siege—why talk of long fortification? Autumn may bring Gongsun Zan south, Zhang Yang and Heishan in arms—your northern flank could panic while your courtiers flee homeward. Take your lesson, withdraw to Ye, train your host—why waste fury on my stones? You jeer at Heishan allies—did Yuan Shao scorn the Turbans' coalition? Even Feiyan bands hold imperial warrant now. Gaozu took Peng Yue from bandits; Guangwu rose through Green Woods—virtue sanctifies the source. I serve them under imperial seal. Farewell, Chen Lin. You hunt gain abroad; I die for patron and family. You cling to the warlord; I swore fealty at the capital. You predict my oblivion—your own tale may vanish first. We started as one road and forked—take care—there is nothing left to say.
18
簿 使
Reading Zang Hong's refusal, Yuan Shao doubled the assault. Grain inside the city was exhausted and no strong relief came without; Hong reckoned he could not escape and called clerks and soldiers, saying: 'The Yuan clan is lawless, plots rebellion, and would not save my governor. I die for honor—you need not share my doom. Send your families out while you can.' Officers, soldiers, and people all wept: 'You had no feud with the Yuans—you ruin yourself for the court's governor—how could we abandon you!' They ate rats and leather until nothing remained. The chief clerk reported three dou of inner-kitchen rice and begged to halve it for thin gruel; Hong sighed: 'To eat this alone—what for!' He shared watery gruel and killed his favorite concubine for the troops. Men sobbed too hard to look up. Seven thousand died side by side without desertion.
19
使
Yuan Shao took Zang Hong alive when the walls broke. Shao had always been intimate with Hong; he draped curtains lavishly and assembled generals to meet Hong, saying: 'Zang Hong—how could you betray me thus! Will you yield now?' Zang Hong glared from the floor: 'Your house enjoyed four generations of Han favor. Now you abandon the throne, murder the good, and hunger for the mandate. You called Zhang Miao brother—then share duty against rebels instead of watching slaughter. I lack strength to avenge the Han—submission?' Yuan Shao wanted him to bend and live; seeing his resolve, executed him. 〈Xu Zhong praises Zang Hong's covenant loyalty. Yet Yuan Shao raised him—accepting command bound him. Cao Cao attacked rebels Yuan Shao ignored—Zhang Chao backed Lü Bu against law. Yuan Shao owed Zhang Chao nothing. Zang Hong should neither have asked Yuan's aid nor blamed him for refusal. Better flee for help or die beside Zhang Chao than stubborn siege. Why waste lives on a hopeless wall?'〉 Chen Rong of Donghai revered Zang Hong and served as his aide. Zang Hong sent him out before the fall. Shao ordered him to sit with the assembly; seeing Hong about to die he rose and said to Shao: 'You raise a great enterprise to cleanse the realm—yet you kill loyalty first—does that match Heaven's mind! You owe him your rank—how murder him?' Shao flushed and attendants dragged him forth; Shao said: 'You are no peer of Zang Hong—why this empty gesture!' Rong looked back: 'Are benevolence and righteousness fixed—walk them and you are a gentleman; betray them and you are petty. Better die with Zang Hong than live under you.' They executed Chen Rong too. None seated with Shao did not sigh and whisper: 'How kill two martyrs in one day!' Zang Hong had dispatched two aides to Lü Bu; they returned too late and died charging Yuan's lines.
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Editorial comment
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Appraisal: Lü Bu fought like a tiger yet lacked judgment—faithless and greedy. Such men never escape ruin. Guangwu misread Pang Meng; Cao Cao misjudged Zhang Miao. Knowing men is sage kings' hardest art. Chen Deng and Zang Hong burned bright—one died young, one outmatched—both unfinished tragedies.
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