Story of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 3
Story of the Three Kingdoms
Chapter 3
Dong Zhuo Struggled with Ding Yuan
Li Su Persuaded Luu Bu
Cao Cao said to He Jin, "There has been the problem of eunuches
since ancient times. The root of the problem is at the ruler himself.
He gave them the power, and that is the cause of all evils. If you
want to fix the problem, take back the power they have. All you
need are prison guards. What do you need the army for? If you want
to do it your way, I predict you won't succeed." He Jin angrily
replied, "Does Cao Cao have some ulterior motive here?" Cao Cao
stepped out and murmured to himself, "The chao will start from
He Jin now." and left. He Jin sent secret messengers to the provinces.
Let us now turn to the infamous general Dong Zhuo. He was demoted
by the Emperor for not being able to win a battle over the Yellow
Turbans. Because he bribed the Ten Eunuches he avoided punishment.
Later with more bribes he was given command of twenty thousand army
in the west. Now he received the order to go to the Capital. He saw
that his chance had come. He let his son-in-law Niu Fu stay in
Shaanxi. He himself brought all of his army to Luoyang. His other
son-in-law, Li Ru, said, "Although we have the order, there are many
things that are not clear. Why don't we write a letter back and ask
for permission to bring the troops in. If they give the permission
then we will have the right excuse." Dong Zhuo wrote a letter, said,
-
We learnt that the cause of all the disasters in the country
is the abuses by the eunuches Zhang Rang etc. Although it is
painful to have to remove these people, it is better than
letting them rot and bring down the country. I humbly request
the permission to bring my troops to Luoyang and to remove
the bad eunuches. If the permission is granted it is the good
fortune of our country.
He Jin received the letter and showed it to the ministers. Zheng Tai
said, "Dong Zhuo is like a wolf. If you let him into the Capital, he
will eat people." He Jin said, "You don't trust anyone. How can you
accomplish anything without trusting anyone?" Lu Zhi said, "I know
Dong Zhuo's character. He looks nice but his heart is black. We should
stop him and not let him into the Capital. Otherwise there will be
trouble." He Jin did not listen to them. Zheng Tai and Lu Zhi both
resigned and left. More than half of the ministers resigned. He Jin
sent men to greet Dong Zhuo.
The eunuches heard that the armies came from the provinces. They
discussed among themselves, "He Jin must be behind this. We need to
act first before he kills us all." They hid executers behind the gates
of the Palace. Then they went to see Empress He. They said to her,
"General He falsified an Emperor's order and brought outside armies
to the Capital. His plan is to kill your humble servants. Please save
us." Empress said, "Why don't you go directly to General He's house and
ask for forgiveness." Zhang Rang said, "We won't be able to get General
He's house alive. Please ask General He to come here. Otherwise we will
have to die in front of you." Empress He sent an order to the General.
He Jin immediately wanted to go in. Minister Chen Lin said, "This order
must be the conspiracy of the Ten Eunuches. Don't go. You will be
killed." He Jin said, "Why?" Yuan Shao said, "Now everyone knows what
we plan to do and they know also. Don't you think it's dangerous to go
into the Palace?" Cao Cao said, "We can order the Ten Eunuches to come
out first, then General can go in." He Jin laughed, "That's childish. I
have the army of the whole country in my hand, who dares to kill me?"
Yuan Shao said, "If you insist, I'll bring some guards to go with you."
Yuan Shao and Cao Cao each selected five hundred soldiers, and asked the
younger brother of Yuan Shao, named Yuan Shu, to lead the men. Yuan Shao
and Cao Cao accompanied He Jin to the front gate of the Palace. The guards
at the gate said, "The order was for the General. Others should wait
here." Yuan Shu and Cao Cao and their men were all stopped outside.
He Jin went in without hesitation. As soon as he was inside the Palace,
Zhang Rang and Duan Gui came out, and the hidden guards surrounded He
Jin. Zhang Rang announced, "He Jin, you murdered Empress Dong. And
you attempted to murder us. You were a butcher, if not for us, you
are still slaughtering pigs. You don't think about to thank us. Now
you are getting your due." He Jin turned around and looked for a way
to escape. The guards stepped forward and cut him into two pieces.
Yuan Shao waited at the gate for a long time. He Jin still had not
come out. Yuan Shao yelled, "General He, please board the carriage."
Zhang Rang threw He's head over the wall, and shouted, "He Jin
conspired to rebel. He has been executed. The accessaries of the crime
are forgiven. You can leave now." Yuan Shao yelled, "The eunuches
murdered a minister. Come with me to put down the rebellion." Wu Kuang,
a subordinate of He Jin, started a fire from the gate of the Palace.
Yuan Shu led the soldiers charging into the Palace. They killed
every eunuch in sight. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao killed the guards at
the gate, and also charged into the Palace. Four of the Ten Eunuches,
Zhao Zhong, Cheng Kuang, Xia Hui, and Guo Sheng were chased to the
front of the Cuihua Tower and were chopped into pieces. The whole
Palace was on fire now. Zhang Rang, Duan Gui and Cao Jie took Empress
He and the Emperor and the King of Chenliu hostages. They fled north
to the North Palace. Lu Zhi was still in the Capital after he resigned.
When he saw the Palace on fire, he dressed up in his armor and held
his spear, stood under the North Palace. Just then Duan Gui with the
Empress came this way. Lu Zhi shouted, "Duan Gui, don't you dare to
hurt the Empress." Duan Gui stopped and turned back. Empress He jumped
out of the window and was saved by Lu Zhi. Wu Kuang went into the
inner Palace, and saw He Miao walking out with a sword in his hand. Wu
Kuang said, "He Miao is an accessary of the murder of his brother,
don't let him go." The soldiers replied, "Murdering his brother
deserves to die." And they killed him. Yuan Shao ordered the soldiers
to kill all the families of the eunuches, and not to let anyone escape.
Many people were killed by mistake. Cao Cao sent people to put out the
fire in the Palace, in the meantime he also sent troops to pursue Zhang
Rang and look for the young Emperor.
Zhang Rang and Duan Gui took the Emperor and the King of Chenliu, and
fled out of the Capital and arrived at Mount Beimang. An hour before
midnight, a large army arrived, led by Min Gong. Zhang Rang had
nowhere to flee, and drowned himself in the river. The Emperor and
the King of Chenliu hid in the grass by the river, and were afraid to
make any sound. The soldiers searched around for the Emperor and
didn't find them. The Emperor and The King of Chenliu hid for four
hours. They were cold and hungry. They held each other and wept.
They were afraid of being discovered. King of Chenliu said, "We can't
stay here for long. Let's find a better place." They tied their
clothes together, and climbed up the bank. It was dark, and they
couldn't find where the road was. Just then a big crowd of fireflies
came in front of the Emperor. King of Chenliu said, "God help us."
They followed the fireflies and found the road. After walking for two
hours, their feet hurt too much and they couldn't walk any more. They
saw a big stack of hay by the hill, and laid down on the hay. A few
yards away from them was a cottage. The owner of the cottage dreamed
two suns sunk in his backyard. He got up and went out to check. He saw
two children lying on the grass. He asked, "Whose children are you? Why
are you here?" The Emperor was afraid, and couldn't reply. The King of
Chenliu pointed to the Emperor and said, "This is the Emperor. We were
kidnapped by the eunuches, and escaped here. I am his brother, the
King of Chenliu." The man was surprised to hear this. He said, "My
brother once served the late Emperor. My name is Cui Yi." He help the
Emperor and his brother into the house and served them some food and
drink.
Min Gong caught Duan Gui. He asked, "Where is the Emperor?" Duan Gui
said, "We lost him on the road. I don't know where he is now." Min Gong
killed Duan Gui, and hung his head on the neck of the horse. He sent
soldiers to search for the Emperor. He took the horse and went to
search on a different path by himself. When he passed by Cui Yi's
house, Cui Yi saw the head hung on the horse, and asked. Min Gong told
him what had happened. Cui Yi led Min Gong to the Emperor. The Emperor
cried when he saw Cui Yi. Cui Yi said, "The country cannot be without
the Emperor for a single day. Please Your Majesty return to the
Capital." Cui Yi had only one horse. He gave it to the Emperor. Min
Gong and the King of Chenliu shared the other horse. They went for a
few miles, before they met the ministers and the generals who came out
to look for them. As they were returning to the Capital, they first
sent back the head of Duan Gui to be displayed in the city. This
episode had been predicted by a children's folk song before, "The
Emperor is not like an Emperor, The King is not like a King, and ten
thousand horses march down to Mount Beimang."
Before they could reach the Capital, they saw a huge army coming up
the road. The Emperor and the ministers were all scared. Yuan Shao
rode up the road and shouted, "Who is leading this army?" A general
came out from the crowd and yelled as loud as he could, "Where is the
Emperor." The Emperor was trembling with fear and couldn't speak.
The King of Chenliu went forward and said, "Who is this?" The man
answered, "I'm the Governor of Xiliang, Dong Zhuo." King of Chenliu
said, "Are you here to help the Emperor, or to kill the Emperor?"
Dong Zhuo said, "I'm here to save the Emperor from danger." King of
Chenliu said, "If you want to help the Emperor, the Emperor is here,
why don't you get off the horse and kneel down?" Dong Zhuo hurriedly
jumped off the horse and knelt at the side of the road. King of Chenliu
talked with Dong Zhuo, and did not say anything wrong during the
whole time. Dong Zhuo was amazed, and made up his mind that he was
going to change the crown to the King. They returned to the Palace that
day. After the clean up, the national Jade Seal was lost. Dong Zhuo's
army camped just outside the city. Everyday Dong Zhuo led his armored
troops into the city and ransacked the market. Dong Zhuo went in and
out of the Palace as he wished, and no one dared to stop him. General
Bao Xin went to see Yuan Shao, said that Dong Zhuo did not mean good,
and wanted to get rid of him quickly. Yuan Shao said, "The new emperor
is just in place. We should be careful." Bao Xin went to see Wang Yun,
Wang Yun said, "Let's go slow." Bao Xin was impatient. He took his
army and went to Mount Tai.
Dong Zhuo bought over the troops once under the He brothers. Dong Zhuo
asked Li Ru, "How can I make King of Chenliu Emperor?" Li Ru said,
"The new Emperor is in place just a few days. It's easier to change now
than later. Tomorrow we'll call a meeting of the ministers and discuss
this. Anyone who disagrees will be executed." Next day Dong Zhuo set up
a big banquet and invited all the ministers. Everyone was afraid of
Dong Zhuo so everyone came. Dong Zhuo waited until all of the ministers
were there, and arrived with a sword on his belt. After a few rounds of
wine, Dong Zhuo stopped the music and the wine, and said, "I have
something to say. An Emperor is the master of the people. However the
current emperor we have is too weak. He cannot rule the country
effectively. The King of Chenliu is smart. I want him to be the emperor.
What are your opinions?" No one replied. Suddenly, a man stood up and
said, "Nonsense. The Emperor is the son of the late Emperor. He didn't
do anything wrong. This talk of changing the emperor is complete
nonsense. You want to usurp?" The man was the Governor of Jing, named
Ding Yuan. Dong Zhuo was angry, and said, "Those who disagree with me,
die!" He took his sword and wanted to kill Ding Yuan. Li Ru saw a man
standing behind Ding Yuan, with a giant fork in his hand pointing to
the sky, and staring at Dong Zhuo. Li Ru said, "Today is a banquet,
we shouldn't talk about politics. Let's leave it for tomorrow." Others
calmed down Ding Yuan and persuaded him to leave.
Dong Zhuo then asked the rest, "What about you?" Lu Zhi said, "What
you said was not proper." And he went through a lecture why Dong Zhuo
should not change the emperor. Dong Zhuo wanted to kill him. Others
stopped Dong Zhuo and said, "Minister Lu has a good reputation in the
country. If you kill him, the whole country will be against you." Wang
Yun said, "We shouldn't discuss this after we had too much to drink.
Let's discuss it some other day."
After the banquet, Dong Zhuo held his sword and stood at the door.
There was a man on a horse, riding up and down the street. Dong Zhuo
asked Li Ru, "Who is this guy?" Li Ru said, "This is the adopted son
of Ding Yuan. His name is Luu Bu. We'd better avoid him for now."
Next day, it was reported to Dong Zhuo that Ding Yuan was asking
Dong Zhuo to come out and fight a battle. Dong Zhuo accepted the
challenge and led his army out of the city. As the two army faced each
other, Ding Yuan pointed to Dong Zhuo and said, "It was unfortunate for
the country to have the chaos brought by the eunuches. You have not
made a single contribution to the country. Who do you think you are to
talk about changing the emperor?" Before Dong Zhuo could answer, Luu Bu
rode on the horse charged toward Dong Zhuo's army like a wind. Dong
Zhuo was flustered and fled. Ding Yuan ordered his army to charge.
Dong Zhuo's army was defeated, and retreated thirty miles before they
stopped. Dong Zhuo set up camps, and gathered his generals to discuss
strategy. He said, "Luu Bu is very unusual. If I can get him to serve
me I'll get the whole country." A general named Li Su said, "Don't
worry. I came from the same village as Luu Bu. I know him well. He is
kind of the person who forgets friend as soon as he sees money. You
have a very good horse. If you can give me that horse and some gold,
I can make sure that Luu Bu will kill Ding Yuan and come to serve you."
Dong Zhuo gave him the horse, plus a thousand ounces of gold, a few
dozen pearls, and a jade belt.
Li Su took the gifts and went directly to the camp of Luu Bu. Li Su
told Luu Bu that he had a good horse to give him. Luu Bu went to
see the horse, and loved it. He said to Li Su, "You give me this as
a gift, what do you ask in return?" Li Su said, "We are friends. I
don't want anything in return." Luu Bu dined with Li Su. After some
wine, Li Su said, "We haven't seen each other for years. But I see
your father often." Luu Bu said, "You are drunk. My father died years
ago." Li Su laughed, "Haha, not that father. I'm talking about
Governor Ding." Luu Bu was embarrassed, "I had nowhere to go. This
father is only nominal." Li Su said, "You are capable of commanding
the heaven and the oceans. Why are you living under another man?"
Luu Bu said, "I don't have anyone better to serve." Li Su said,
"You can choose whoever you want to serve. It's not too late." Luu
Bu said, "Who do you think is the hero of today?" Li Su said, "In
my opinion, no one is better than Dong Zhuo. Sooner or later he will
accomplish something big." Luu Bu said, "I want to go to him, but I
can't find anyone to introduce me." Li Su took out the gold, the
pearls and the jade belt, and asked Luu Bu to talk privately. He
told Luu Bu, "These are the gifts from Dong Zhuo. The horse is also
from him." Luu Bu said, "How can I repay him?" Li Su said, "It's
easy. I don't know if you want to do it." Luu Bu thought for a
moment, and said, "I will kill Ding Yuan. How is that?" Li Su said,
"That's great. You need to do it as soon as possible." And he
returned.
An hour before midnight, Luu Bu took a knife and went to the camp of
Ding Yuan. Ding Yuan was reading under a candle. As he saw Luu Bu, he
asked, "My son, what do you need?" Luu Be said, "Who is your son?"
And chopped off Ding Yuan's head with one stroke. He yelled to the
others, "Ding Yang is a bad man. I've killed him. Those who want to
follow me stay, those who don't leave." More than half of the soldiers
left. Next day, Luu Bu took the head of Ding Yuan and went to see
Li Su. Li Su took him to see Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo set up a banquet
to greet him. Dong Zhuo knelt before Luu Bu and said, "I'll need your
help to accomplish my plans." Luu Bu let Dong Zhuo sit down and knelt,
"I'd like you to adopt me as your son." Dong Zhuo accepted.
Next day, Dong Zhuo set up a banquet again, and invited all the
ministers. Luu Bu led a thousand soldiers surrounded the banquet hall.
After a few rounds of wine, Dong Zhuo held his sword and said, "I will
change the emperor. Whoever disagrees die." No one dared to answer.
Yuan Shao stood up and said, "Are you planning a rebellion?" Dong Zhuo
said, "I have the whole country under my hand. Do you want to try
whether my sword is sharp?" Yuan Shao pulled out his own sword and
said, "Your sword may be sharp, but do you want to know whether mine
is sharp?" Do you want to know whether Yuan Shao lived? Wait for the
next chapter.