Romance of the Three Kingdoms II (15 page)

"In the coming spring there will be a conflagration in Hsutu," said he.

Having been witness of the verification of Kuan Lu's words, Ts'ao Ts'ao was in no mood to neglect the warning. He stayed on in his palace, but he sent Ts'ao Hung with five legions to assist in the defence of East Ch'uan, while Hsiahou Tun, with three legions, went to Hsutu to keep careful watch and be ready against any surprises. He placed Chang Shih and Wang Pi in command of the Imperial Guard.

Ssuma I warned him against this Wang Pi. Said he, "The man is given to wine, and slack. He is not a fit man for such a post."

Ts'ao Ts'ao replied, "He is very fit. He has followed me through all difficulties and dangers. He is loyal and diligent, solid as stone or iron."

Wang Pi was appointed and led the guard into camp at the capital, outside the
Tung-hua
Gate of the Imperial Palace.

Now there was a certain Keng Chi, a Loyang man, who had long been employed in the minister's palace in a subordi-nate capacity and afterward had been promoted to a rather better post. He, Ssuma Chih and Wei Huang were close friends.

These three were greatly distressed at Ts'ao Ts'ao's advance to princely rank, and more especially at his use of the imperial chariots. In the early months of the twenty-third year Keng and Wei came to a secret exchange of views on Ts'ao's conduct.

Keng Chi said, "The man is a rebel and wicked, every day behaving worse. He intends to go farther, and how can we as servants of the dynasty, help him in his wickedness? I have a friend named Chin I, who also is a servant of Han and an enemy of Ts'ao Ts'ao's. He is a descendant of Chin Jih-ti one-time minister. Beside, he is friendly with Wang Pi. If we all tried our best we ought to succeed."

"But if he is friendly with Wang Pi he will not assist us!" said Keng.

"Let us go and sound him," said Wei Huang.

So the two went to see Chin I, who received them in his private rooms. There they talked.

Said Wei Huang, "O virtuous I, we know you are on most friendly terms with Commander Wang Pi, and so have come to beg a favour."

"What is it you ask?"

"The Prince of Wei will soon receive the abdication of the Emperor and himself ascend to the seat of the mighty. Then you and your friend Wang will advance to places of great honour; and when that day comes, we pray you not to forget us but to recommend us for employment. We should feel no shallow gratitude for your kindness."

Chin I flicked down his sleeves and arose looking very angry. At that instant arrived the tea for the visitors. He snatched it away from the serving-man and emptied it on the floor.

Wei Huang started up in feigned alarm.

"How have I offended you, my good old friend?" cried he.

"I have been friends with you because you are descendants of men who have served Han faithfully. Now, if instead of trying to repay the debt of gratitude you ought to feel, you turn aside to assist one who is their enemy, think you that I can regard you as friends? How could I look the world in the face?"

"But if it be destiny, one cannot help it," said Keng. "One must accept it."

Chin grew still more angry, so that the two visitors were convinced that at heart he was still loyal to the dynasty. Then they began to tell him the true state of the case.

"Our real desire is to destroy this rebeI, and we have come to ask your help in that. What we said at first was only a test to find out what you thought"

"Think you, with my, ancestry, generation after generation in the confidence and service of the Hans, that I would willingly follow a rebel? If you, Sirs, really think of restoring the dynasty, pray tell me your plans."

"Though we have the desire to prove our gratitude, yet we lack the means to destroy the enemy," said Wei.

Said Chin, "We desire helpers within and supporters without. If we could slay Wang Pi we could use his name and troops to help the Emperor. With the help of Liu, the Imperial Uncle, we should be able to destroy the rebel Ts'ao."

Hearing Chin I's plan, the others clapped their hands in approval.

"And I have two friends who will go with us," said Chin. "Both of them have the murder of a father to avenge. They are sons of the great physician Chi P'ing and are called Chi Miao and Chi Mu. Ts'ao Ts'ao put their father to death for his connection with the plot organised by Tung Ch'eng when he received the secret edict conveyed in the robe and girdle that was conferred upon him by the Emperor. The two sons escaped that time by flight, but they have since secretly returned to the capital. With their help all will go well."

The two conspirators rejoiced at the prospect of further help, and a messenger was sent to call in the two Chi. Soon they arrived, and the plot was laid before them. They were deeply affected and shed copious tears. Their wrath rose to the sky and they swore to aid in the destruction of the rebel.

"On the fifteenth day of the first month there will be grand illuminations in the city," said Chin I, "and felicitations will be going on on every side. Keng Chi and Wei Huang will each lead out their retainers and make their way quickly to Wang Pi's camp to wait till they see the fire begin. Then they will dash in, slay Wang Pi and follow me inside the palace. We will then request the Emperor to ascend the Tower of the Five Phoenixes, assemble his officers and issue orders to destroy the rebels. The two brothers Chi will make their way into the city and set fires going. Then all will raise their voices and summon the populace to their aid. They are to hold up any rescue force in the city till the Emperor has issued the edict and disturbance is allayed, when they will rush toward YehChun and seize Ts'ao Ts'ao. Then a messenger will be despatched with a summons for Liu, the Imperial Uncle. We will begin our work this night at the second watch and we will escape the ill success that attended Tung Cheng's attempt."

All five swore before Heaven to be true, and they smeared their lips with blood in earnest of their oath. After this, each returned to his own home to prepare arms and call up their men.

Both Keng Chi and Wei Huang had a large number of retainers, whom they armed. The brothers Chi also got together some hundreds of men. They gave out a story of a hunting party to explain the gathering.

When the preparations were complete, and before the time fixed for the rising, Chin I went to see Wang Pi and said, "Everything in the world seems now tranquil, and the power of the Prince of Wei extends over all the land. It is a season of joy and felicitation, and everyone is hanging out lanterns and putting up decorations for the occasion."

The night of full moon was very clear, moon and stars most brilliant. The people of the capital took advantage of the night and thronged the "six streets and the three market places." The lanterns were hung out in profusion, and all went merrily. No official interfered with the crowd, no one thought of the flight of time; all was simple gaiety.

That night Wang Pi and his officers of the guards had a feast in their camp. Just after the second watch had begun they heard a great shouting in the camp, and someone came in to say that a fire had started in the rear. Wang Pi hurriedly left the table and went outside. He saw flames leaping up and rolling by and heard shouts of "Kill!" rising on every side and echoing to the very sky. He thought the camp had certainly mutinied, and, jumping on his horse, went out at the south gate. Just outside he ran against Keng Chi, who loosed an arrow which struck him in the shoulder. He nearly fell with the shock, but he got away toward the west gate. He found he was pursued by armed men, so he got flurried, dismounted and went on foot. Presently he came to the house of Chin Wei and hammered at the door.

Now the fire that had created such a scare had been raised by Chin's own men sent for that purpose, and he had followed them to fight when the time came. Hence there was no one but the women folk left in his house. When the women heard the clamour at the door they thought Chin I had come back, and his wife, from the door of the women's quarter, called out, "Have you killed Wang Pi?"

This was a shock, but it told Wang Pi that his quondam friend was now an enemy. Wherefore he fled further to the house of Ts'ao Hsiu and told him that Keng Chi and Chin I had raised a disturbance. Ts'ao Hsiu immediately armed himself, got to horse and led a company into the city. He found fires on all sides, and the Tower of the Five Phoenixes was in flames. The Emperor had fled into the recesses of the palace, but Ts'ao Ts'ao's friends and partizans were defending the palace gate like grim death.

In the city the crowd was shouting one to another to slay Ts'ao Ts'ao and restore the Hans.

When Hsiahou Tun had received the command to keep watch and ward over the capital, he had gone into camp five
li
from the city. When he saw the conflagration start he set the army in motion and surrounded the city. He also sent reinforcements to Ts'ao Hsiu within.

Inside the city the fighting went on all night. No one joined the conspirators; the small band were left to their own efforts. Soon it was reported that Chin I and the brothers Chi were slain. Keng and Wei found their way to one of the gates, but there they met Hsiahou Tun's main force and were made prisoners. The handful of men with them were cut to pieces.

When the fighting subsided, Hsiahou Tun went into the city and set his men to put out the fires. He also laid hands on the whole households of the five conspirators. Then he sent a report to Ts'ao Ts'ao, who sent back orders to execute the two conspirators and put to death in public all the members of the five families. He was also to arrest every official and send the whole batch to YehChun.

Hsiahou Tun sent his two chief prisoners to the place of execution. They shouted against Ts'ao Ts'ao.

"Living we have failed to slay you, Ts'ao A-man; dead we will be malicious spirits smiting rebels in all places."

The executioner smote Keng on the mouth with his sword, so that the blood gushed out, but he continued to shout as long as he could. Wei Huang, his fellow-conspirator, dashed his temples on the ground crying, "How I hate him!" and ground his teeth till he broke them to fragments. And he died.

Who can with outstretched hands uphold the sky
Or thrones maintain by sample loyalty?
Han's day was done; two would avert the doom,
But failed, and carried anger to the tomb.

Hsiahou Tun carried out his chief's orders and sent the officials he had arrested to YehChun. There Ts'ao Ts'ao set up two flags, one red and one white, in the drill ground and sent all the officials thither. Then he addressed them.

"In this late rebellion some of you went out to extinguish the fire, some of you stayed within doors. Let those who went forth to put out the fire take their stand by the red flag and those who remained in their houses go to the white flag."

The officials thought within themselves, "Certainly there can be nothing wrong in trying to put out a fire," so they nearly all placed themselves under the red flag, only about a third went to the white.

Then the order was given to seize all those by the red flag.

They protested. "We are guiltless!" cried they.

Ts'ao Ts'ao said, "At that time you intended not to put out the flames but to aid the rebels."

He sent them all down to the Chang River and had them put to death on the bank. There were more than three hundred victims. He rewarded those who were under the white flag and sent them to their homes in the capital.

Wang Pi died from his wound and was buried with great honour.

Ts'ao Hsiu was placed over the guards; Chung Yu was dreated Prime Minister, Hua Hsin became a Chief Censor. The occasion was taken to create six grades of the title of "Marquis" with three divisions each, eighteen in all. There were seventeen grades of marquis under the name
Kuan-hsi,
or "West of the Pass." And all these had golden seals of office with purple ribbons. There were also sixteen ranks of marquis called
Kuan-nei,
"Interior," and
Kuan-wai,
"Exterior". They had silver seals with tortoise ornaments on the back and black ribbons. There were five classes of
Tai-fu
with three grades in each class. These had brass seals, with chain, ornaments and ribbons. And with all these various gradations of ranks and nobility reorganised, the Court was entirely transformed. There were new ranks and new men in office.

Ts'ao Ts'ao then remembered the warning about a conflagration in the capital and wished to reward Kuan Lu for his prescience, but he would receive nothing.

Ts'ao Hung with an army went into HanChung. He placed Hsiahou Yuan and Chang Ho in command at points of importance, while he went on to the attack. At that time Chang Fei with Lei T'ung were holding Pahsi. Ma Ch'ao marched to Hsiapan and sent Wu Lan out as van leader to reconnoitre. He fell in with Ts'ao Hung, and Wu Lan was going to retire. But a petty officer, Jen K'uei, advised against this.

"They are newly arrived, why not fight and take the keen edge off their pride? If we do not fight, how can we look our chief in the face when we return?"

So it was decided to offer battle, and Jen K'uei rode out and challenged Ts'ao Hung. The challenge was accepted, and the warriors advanced. Jen K'uei fell in the third encounter. Ts'ao Hung pressed the advantage, and Wu Lan was driven off. When he returned and told Ma Ch'ao, he was blamed.