The present prince has succeeded his father’s great cause. He is resplendent in virtue, capable of accomplishing great tasks, and as magnanimous as his late father. Heaven shows auspicious signs; gods and men declare his worth. To him give the bright reward, and let him accept this mandate. All say his capabilities fit him to be the supreme ruler as the ancient sage Shun. Thus, as did my great predecessor Yao, I respectfully retire that you may be established. The revolution of Heaven brings the glory upon your person, and you will accept the highest office and comfort all men by reverently obeying the decree of Heaven.
The reading finished, Cao Pi proceeded to the altar and ascended to the place of the Emperor. Then Jia Xu, at the head of the great concourse of officials, came to the foot of the altar to bow to their new ruler. The title of the reign was changed to Huang-Chu and the government became that of Great Wei. An edict was then published proclaiming a general amnesty, and the title of “Founder and Emperor Wu of Wei Dynasty” was conferred upon the late prince Cao Cao.
After that Hua Qin said, “As Heaven has but one sun, so the people can have but one ruler. The Hans have abdicated, and it is fitting that they withdraw from the capital. I pray Your Majesty will name the place of residence for the Liu family.”
Taking the deposed Emperor by the arm, he led him forward and made him kneel below the altar to hear the command. Then the new Emperor conferred upon him the title of “Duke of Shanyang,” ordering him to depart that very day for the place.
The wicked Hua Qin, his hand on his sword, pointed at his former lord and shouted in a harsh voice: “It is an old rule that the setting up of one Emperor means the deposition of another. Now, through the gracious kindness of His Majesty you are spared your life and created a duke. Leave at once and never return to court without being summoned.”
The last Emperor of Han, in tears, bowed to the usurper for his clemency and left. The soldiers and people who witnessed the scene could not help feeling greatly sorry for him.
Cao Pi said to his courtiers, “Now I understand the story of Shun and Yu.”
Then they all shouted, “Long live the Emperor!”
For two dynasties the Han reigned,
But the land was lost to them in a single day.
Little did he know, who then snatched their scepter,
That in time he would be replaced by another.*
The officials then asked Cao Pi to bow to Heaven and Earth to show his gratitude, but just as he was kneeling down a gust of furious wind suddenly swept up, and all at once there came a raging storm of whirling dust and flying stones, blowing out all the lights on the altar and darkening the entire sky. The newly-enthroned Emperor, terrified, collapsed to the ground. He was carried from the altar unconscious. After he came to, he was assisted into the palace, but for many days he was too ill to attend the court.
When he had somewhat recovered, he met his courtiers to receive their felicitations. He promoted all his officials, particularly Hua Qin and Wang Lang. But as his recovery was slow, he began to suspect that there were too many ghosts about the palace in the capital, so he departed for Luoyang, where he began erecting new palaces.
News soon reached Chengdu and Liu Bei, hearing the rumor that Emperor Xian had been put to death, was terribly upset. He wept bitterly all day and ordered all his officials to wear mourning attire. A sacrifice was instituted and the “late” Emperor was conferred the posthumous title of “Filial and Sorrowful Emperor.” This sad event brought on an illness, so that it was impossible for him to tend the business of his administration, which was then left in the hands of Zhuge Liang.
One day Zhuge Liang said to his colleagues, “The empire cannot be without its ruler for a single day—we must ask our prince to assume the title of Emperor.”
One of them, Jiao Zhou, agreed with him entirely. Citing auspicious signs that had been observed of late, he said, “There have been propitious indications of mild winds and gilded clouds. And a yellow vapor has been seen in the northwest rising to the very sky, and the Emperor’s star, appearing in this area, is as splendid in brilliance as the moon. These signs mean that our prince is to become Emperor to continue the rule of the House of Han. There can be no doubt.”
So Zhuge Liang and Xu Jing, at the head of a large group of officials, presented a memorial requesting the prince to assume the title of emperor.
Liu Bei was shocked when he read this and he cried, “Do you desire to reduce me to a disloyal and unfaithful person?”
“No,” said Zhuge Liang. “But Cao Pi has usurped the throne and as a scion of the House of Han, it is right and proper that you should succeed to the highest office.”
The prince suddenly showed anger. “But he is an arch rebel! How can I imitate him?”
Flicking his sleeves he rose and went inside. The officials dispersed. Three days later Zhuge Liang again led a deputation of officials and entreated the prince to come forth and hear them. He came, and they all knelt before him.
This time it was Xu Jing who spoke first. “The late emperor of the Hans has been slain by Cao Pi. You, my lord, will fail both in loyalty and rectitude if you do not assume the succession and raise an army to destroy the usurper. It is the wish of the whole empire that you be the supreme ruler so that you may avenge the death of the late emperor. You will dishearten the people if you do not accept what we propose.”
Liu Bei replied, “Although I am descended from an emperor of Han I have not been able to offer the people any benefits, and if I assumed the title of ‘Emperor,’ how would that be different from usurpation?”
Zhuge Liang pleaded with him again and again, but the prince remained obdurate. Then Zhuge Liang thought that where argument failed a ruse might succeed. So having arranged the parts his several colleagues were to play, he pleaded illness and remained at home.
When he heard that his chief advisor’s condition was becoming serious, Liu Bei went to his bedside to inquire after him.
“What illness are you suffering from, sir?” asked Liu Bei.
“My heart is burning with worries and I am going to die soon.”
“What are your worries?”
But Zhuge Liang did not reply. Although the question was repeated time and again he still refused to say anything, but lay with his eyes closed as if too ill to speak. It was only after great exhortation from the prince that he spoke with a deep sigh, “My lord, from the day I left my humble cottage to enter your service, you have always listened to my words and accepted my advice. And now to my gratification you have possessed the western district, as I had predicted. But this usurpation by Cao Pi means the annihilation of the Hans and the cessation of their line, so my colleagues and I desired you to become emperor in order to crush Wei and restore Han, so that both you and your officials may achieve fame. But you refused so obstinately to accede to our wish. Now your officers and advisors are all disheartened and they will drift away before very long. After they are gone you will be left alone. If Wu and Wei come to attack, it will be difficult for you to hold on to what you have. Is this not sufficient reason for me to feel worried?”
“But I am afraid the whole land will blame me if I declare myself emperor,” replied the prince.
Zhuge Liang replied, “As the sage Confucius once said: ‘An adequate reason justifies an action.’ Now you are fully justified in accepting the highest honor—what is there to blame you for? Do you know the saying, ‘Those who discard what Heaven offers will be blamed’?”
“Well, it will not be too late when you have recovered from your illness,” said the prince.
At this, Zhuge Liang leapt from his bed and at his signal in rushed a group of high officials, who prostrated themselves before Liu Bei and said in unison: “So you have consented! Pray choose the day for the grand ceremony.”
Liu Bei was greatly startled to see them, and again blamed them for committing him to doing what was wrong.
Zhuge Liang said, “Since you have given your consent, we can proceed to build an alta
r and choose a propitious day for the great occasion.”
Without a moment’s delay two officials were appointed to see to the building of the altar. And when all was ready a great concourse of officials reverently escorted Liu Bei, riding in an imperial carriage, to the site. As he ascended the altar the great ceremony began.
Jiao Zhou, master of ceremony, solemnly read out the declaration in a loud voice:
On this twelfth day of the fourth month of the twenty-sixth year of the period Jian An, I, Liu Bei, the Emperor, make this solemn declaration to Heaven and Earth. The Hans have ruled the empire for hundreds of years. In the past Wang Mang usurped the throne, and later Emperor Guang Wu rose in his wrath and put him to death, thus restoring the Dynasty of Han. Of late Cao Cao, relying on his military strength, cruelly slew the Empress, and his crimes reached the skies. His son, Cao Pi, carrying evils into every quarter, has seized the scepter. My subordinates, regarding the dynasty as having been overthrown, think it fitting that I, Bei, should continue the line. As successor to the two great founders of the dynasty, Gao-zu (Liu Bang) and Guang Wu, I will punish the rebels as Heaven decrees. Fearing lest my virtue be inadequate to the throne, I consulted the voices of the people, and all, even the most distant, have said that the mandate of Heaven must not be disobeyed; the great empire of my ancestors must not be long in the hands of another; and the land must never be without a lord. And they claim the cynosure of all eyes is myself. Now I, respecting the mandate of Heaven and fearing lest the great cause of Gao-zu and Guang Wu may perish, have reverently selected this auspicious day to ascend the altar to offer sacrifices and accept the imperial seal in order to comfort all the people. May Heaven bring eternal blessing to the House of Han!
When the reading ended, Zhuge Liang led the officials to present the imperial seal to Liu Bei, who took it in both hands. Then he laid it upon the altar and again declined, saying, “I am not qualified for such great honor. Pray choose another one who has both talent and virtue.”
But Zhuge Liang said, “My lord, you have brought peace and order to the four seas and your merits are manifest to the whole country. Moreover, you are a member of the imperial family and it is only right that you succeed to the throne. Now that the great declaration has been made to Heaven and Earth, such self-denial is impossible.”
At this all the officials shouted, “Eternal life to the Emperor!” and made their obeisance. So Liu Bei became Emperor of Shu Han and the dynastic title was announced to be Zhang-Wu.
Lady Wu was declared Empress and the eldest son, Chan, or A-dou, Heir-Apparent. The second son was made Prince of Lu and the third son, Prince of Liang. Zhuge Liang became prime minister, and Xu Jing, the next highest in rank. Many others were promoted, and a general amnesty was proclaimed, so that there was great rejoicing among the army and the people throughout the land of Shu.
The next day the first court was held, and when the military and civil officials, lined on two sides, had paid their obeisance, Liu Bei, the First Ruler of Shu Han, made a pronouncement.
“In the Peach Garden my two brothers and I pledged to live and die together. Unhappily my brother Yun-chang met his end at the hands of Sun Quan of Wu. I must avenge him or I will be breaking my oath. Therefore I intend to devote the whole force of my kingdom to the destruction of Wu and the capture of its rebellious chief.”
But just as he closed this speech an officer threw himself down at the foot of the throne and said, “No, this will not do.”
The First Ruler looked at the speaker and saw that it was Zhao Yun.
“Dire vengeance will I wreak!” so cried the King,
His minister replied, “Do no such thing.”
What arguments Zhao Yun would use will appear in the next chapter.
Footnotes
* In Chinese, the first line means “Wei,” which is a combination of the two characters “ghost” and “sent,” while the third line refers to the Chinese word for “Xu,” which is composed of the characters “word” and “noon”; the last line means “Zhang,” which consists of two words for “sun.” Xuzhang, or Xudu, was then the capital of Han and later of Wei.
* An allusion to the Kingdom of Wei being soon replaced by that of Jin, with Sima Yi’s son as ruler.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE
Zhang Fei Is Assassinated
To Avenge His Younger Brothers Liu Bei Goes to War
Zhao Yun, who was opposed to the military campaign against Wu, said to the First Ruler: “The real renegade of the country is not Wu, but Wei; and now it is Cao Pi who has usurped the throne, which has aroused the anger of both gods and men. Your Majesty should try to seize the Guanzhong region first by camping your army on the upper reaches of the Wei River, from which to attack Wei. Then all those with a sense of justice will offer grain and horses to support you. If you leave Wei out of consideration in order to fight Wu, once the war begins, do you think you can disengage yourself quickly in case of necessity? It is worth considering.”
The First Ruler replied, “Sun Quan is the one who slew my brother. Besides, Fu Shi-ren, Mi Fang, Pan Zhang, and Ma Zhong are my sworn enemies and I wish I could eat their flesh and wipe out their clans to appease my intense hatred. Why are you against that?”
“The enmity against Wei is a public matter whereas vengeance for your brother is personal. Matters of empire should be placed first.”
“What do I care for an empire of a myriad of li as long as my brother is unavenged?”
So disregarding Zhao Yun’s remonstrance, he gave orders to prepare an army against Wu. To strengthen his military build-up he also sent an envoy to the Five Valleys to borrow an army of 50,000 tribesmen. At the same time he also sent a messenger to Langzhong conferring on Zhang Fei the rank of General of Cavalry and the titles of Marquis of Westland and Governor of Langzhong.
Now when Zhang Fei heard of Guan Yu’s death at the hands of Sun Quan he wept very bitterly day and night and his robe was stained with tears and blood. His subordinates tried to console him with wine, but the heavy drinking only increased his ill-humor, which he vented on any offender in his camp. Some of his men even died under the heavy floggings. Every day he would glare southward, grinding his teeth with rage and weeping loudly.
One day Liu Bei’s messenger was announced. Zhang Fei summoned him immediately. When he learned about the content of the edict he bowed toward the north to express gratitude for the imperial mandate. Then he gave a banquet in honor of the messenger.
At the banquet he said to his guest, “My brother died at the hands of Sun Quan and our enmity against him is as deep as the sea. Why don’t the officials at the court propose an avenging expedition?”
The messenger replied, “Most of them favor the destruction of Wei first and then Wu.”
“What nonsense?” cried Zhang Fei angrily. “When we three swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden we pledged to die together. Now, alas! My second brother has perished. How can I enjoy wealth and honor without him? I must see the Emperor and offer myself to lead the van. In mourning garb the army will smite Wu and capture the rebel Sun Quan so as to avenge my brother’s death and fulfill our oath.”
So he went with the messenger to Chengdu.
In the meantime the First Ruler had been busy training his army. Every day saw him in the drill ground and a date was chosen when he would lead the expedition in person to destroy Wu. Much worried about the adverse consequences of such an expedition, a number of courtiers went to see Zhuge Liang, to whom they said: “Our lord has but recently assumed the title of Emperor, yet he is taking personal command of this expedition, disregarding the damage this might cause to his throne. You, sir, hold the weighty post of chief advisor in such matters—why don’t you dissuade him?”
“I’ve tried repeatedly to dissuade him, but he just won’t listen. Now you all come with me to the drill ground, and we’ll try once more.”
So there they went, with Zhuge Liang at their head, and he said to the First Ruler: “Your Majesty has but lately taken
the imperial seat. If this expedition were aimed at destroying Cao Pi, the renegade of Han, and preserving justice, it would be perfectly right for the Emperor to lead the army, but an officer of high rank would be more proper to send for an attack on Wu. Why should Your Majesty expose himself to such perils?”
The First Ruler, touched by the depth of his minister’s concern and the wisdom of his counsel, began to waver a little in his determination. At that moment, however, the arrival of Zhang Fei was announced. He immediately summoned his brother, who came in, threw himself to the ground, and clasped his elder brother’s feet, weeping bitterly. The First Ruler joined in the lamentation.
“Your Majesty is now ruler and too quickly forgets the oath in the Peach Garden! Why is our brother’s death not avenged?”
The First Ruler replied, “Many advisors have remonstrated against this—I dare not act rashly.”
“What do others know of our oath? If Your Majesty will not go, then let me sacrifice myself to avenge our brother. If I fail, I would rather die than return to see you.”
“Then I will go with you,” said the First Ruler. “You go and muster the men in your place and I will lead my veterans to meet you at Jiangzhou. Together we will smash Wu and have our revenge.”
As Zhang Fei rose to take leave, his elder brother said to him: “I know you often lose your temper after drinking and flog your men. The beaten men who remain near you may be dangerous—it is certainly the road to misfortune. From now on you must be more kindly and not give way to your temper.”
Zhang Fei accepted the admonition and left.
Soon after, the preparations for the expedition were complete and the army was about to set out. But again an official, Qin Mi by name, came to speak to his lord: “Your Majesty, it is not the practice of the ancients to risk your precious person for a small matter of rectitude. Pray reflect upon this.”