It is said that Cao Cao, sword raised, was about to slay Zhang Liao when Liu Bei seized his arm and Guan Yu fell to his knees before him. Liu Bei pleaded, “This man’s loyalty and valor make him invaluable!” Guan Yu added, “I have long known him as a man of noble integrity; I would stake my life to protect him.” Casting aside his sword with a laugh, Cao Cao replied, “I know him well too—this was but a test.” He ordered Zhang Liao’s bonds loosed, his garments restored, and had him seated as his honored guest. Deeply moved, Zhang Liao surrendered. Cao Cao appointed him General of the Central Army, bestowed upon him the title of Marquis Within the Passes, and sent him to recruit Zhang Yang’s old ally Zang Ba. When Zang Ba heard of Lü Bu’s death and Zhang Liao’s defection, he likewise led his troops to submit. Cao Cao rewarded him handsomely and also accepted the surrenders of Sun Guan, Wu Dun, and Yin Li—only Chang Xi refused to yield. Zang Ba was made Chancellor of Langya. Cao Cao brought Lü Bu’s wife and daughters back to Xuchang, feasted his armies, then withdrew. Passing through Xuzhou, the grateful townspeople lit incense to line the roads and begged him to leave Liu Jingzhong as their governor. Cao Cao declared, “Liu Jingzhong’s service merits his investiture; I shall summon him when the time is ripe.” He summoned General of Chariots Che Zhou to govern Xuzhou in the interim, and returned to Xuchang. There he rewarded his officers and lodged Liu Bei in a residence west of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.
The next morning, at the imperial court, Emperor Xian held audience. Cao Cao reported Liu Bei’s military achievements and summoned him before the Throne. Clad in full court robes, Liu Bei knelt on the red steps. The emperor rose, asked, “What is your ancestry?” Liu Bei answered, “I am a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, youngest son of Emperor Jing—great-great-great-grandson of His Majesty—and the son of Liu Hong.” The emperor ordered the Minister of the Imperial Clan to produce the genealogical rolls. Reading aloud, they traced Liu Bei’s lineage through fourteen generations back to Emperor Jing of Han. When the emperor saw that Liu Bei was, in fact, his uncle, he was overjoyed. Summoning him to the Side Hall, he performed the rites of uncle and nephew, secretly thinking, “Cao Cao wields power unchecked; but with this heroic uncle of mine at court, I am no longer alone.” He then bestowed upon Liu Bei the rank of Left General and the title Marquis of Yicheng Pavilion. After a celebratory banquet, Liu Bei took his leave—and from that day forward was known to all as “Imperial Uncle Liu.”
Back at his mansion, Cao Cao met with his chief advisers—Xun Yu among them—who cautioned, “The emperor’s recognition of Liu Bei may threaten Your Excellency.” Cao Cao replied, “Now that the Throne itself has issued the edict, Liu Bei dares not disobey. Moreover, although he sits near the Son of Heaven, he remains under my watchful eye here in Xuchang. I need fear no one. What does concern me is Yang Biao, the Grand Commandant, whose kinship to Yuan Shu could make him a traitorous ally. We must remove him.” Secretly, Cao Cao had Yang Biao accused of colluding with Yuan Shu, had him arrested, and entrusted Man Chong to interrogate him. At that time, Governor Kong Rong of Beihai was also in Xuchang. He interceded, saying, “Yang Gong’s family has served the empire for generations—surely he deserves clemency?” Cao Cao feigned deference to the court’s will and released Yang Biao to retire in his country estate. But Zhao Yan, a court attendant, bristled at Cao’s heavy-handedness and submitted a memorial charging him with usurping the emperor’s authority and imprisoning high officials. Enraged, Cao Cao had Zhao Yan executed. From that moment, the entire court trembled in fear. Cheng Yu then urged Cao Cao, “Your fame now outshines the Han; why not seize the realm for yourself?” Cao Cao replied, “There are still many pillars of the state; it is too soon to move. I will invite the Son of Heaven on a hunting expedition to gauge the court’s true allegiances.”
Cao Cao selected fine horses, prized hawks, and swift hounds, gathered his bowmen, and encamped outside the city. He then petitioned the emperor to go hunting at Xu Field. The emperor demurred, “Hunting seems frivolous.” Cao Cao argued, “Ancient sovereigns performed field‐exercises in spring, summer, autumn, and winter to demonstrate martial prowess. In these turbulent times, such an outing will show our strength.” The emperor, powerless to refuse, mounted his leisurely steed, shouldered the imperial bow and golden-tipped arrows, and rode out in his palanquin. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, each dressed in their lamellar coats and carrying weapons, led a small company of horsemen to accompany His Majesty. Cao Cao, astride his famous steed “Yellow Lightning,” led an army of a hundred thousand. They formed a vast circle two hundred li across. Cao Cao rode alongside the emperor, each vying to keep his horse’s head just ahead of the other, flanked by their personal guards. The civil and military officials stayed some distance behind.
When the emperor urged Liu Bei to demonstrate his skill, Liu Bei spurred his mount and loosed an arrow at a fleeing hare, hitting it squarely. The emperor applauded. Around a hillock, a stag bolted forth; the emperor loosed three arrows without hitting it. He then handed his bow to Cao Cao, who fitted a golden arrow to its notch, drew deep, and struck the stag in its haunch. It collapsed in the grass. The assembled officers, seeing the golden arrow, assumed the emperor had made the shot and cried “Long live the Son of Heaven!” Cao Cao then rode forward to receive their cheers. In that moment, Guan Yu’s face blazed with fury—he drew his saber, spurred his horse, and would have struck Cao Cao had Liu Bei not waved him back. With a bow, Liu Bei bowed to Cao Cao, saying, “Your marksmanship surpasses all.” Cao Cao laughed, “It is but the emperor’s good fortune.” He returned the bow to the throne, hung it from his belt, and the hunting concluded. A feast was held at Xu Field before they all returned to Xuchang.
That night, Emperor Xian wept to Empress Dowager Fu, “Since my enthronement I have suffered under treacherous warlords—from Dong Zhuo to Li Jue and Guo Si. Now I have Cao Cao, who claims to protect the realm yet rules it himself. Each time I see him, I feel a prick at my heart. Sooner or later I must act against him—yet my life and the empress’s hang in the balance.” The empress replied, “All the court ministers draw their salaries from the Han; is there none who will save the dynasty?” Before she could finish, her father Fu Wan burst in and said, “Your Majesty, do not despair. I know one man who can uproot this menace.” The emperor asked, “Who?” Fu Wan answered, “Our Lord’s brother-in-law, the Prince-in-Law Dong Cheng. He has long proven his loyalty and can be trusted.” The emperor agreed, “Let him enter the inner court so we may plot together.” Fu Wan warned, “Your Majesty’s surroundings are filled with Cao Cao’s confidants; if our plans leak, we are doomed.” The emperor pressed, “Then how?” Fu Wan proposed, “I will craft a secret edict on fine silk, hide it within the lining of Dong Cheng’s imperial sash, and bid him draw it forth in private. From there he can plan in secrecy.” The emperor approved. He wrote a clandestine decree in his own blood, had it sewn into the purple silk lining of Dong Cheng’s jade belt, personally donned the robe, fastened the sash, and sent a court official to summon Dong Cheng.
Dong Cheng rose to greet the emperor, who praised him for saving the capital in the troubled days past and led him to the ancestral temple and the Hall of Meritorious Officials. There, amid the ancestral portraits, the emperor secretly showed him the blood-written edict:
“I have long seen Cao Cao’s treachery: he rules in my name and tramples on my authority. I fear for the dynasty’s future. You, my closest kin and a loyal minister, must unite righteous heroes, eliminate the usurpers, and restore the realm. I seal this with my own blood; fail me not! —Third month, spring, Jian’an Year Four.”
Dong Cheng wept and could not sleep, turning over the edict again and again. At dawn he laid it on his writing desk, deep in thought. Presently his brother Wang Zifu entered and, noting Dong Cheng asleep over his desk, found the sash’s lining stained with dry blood spelling “Zhuo” (the first character of “Zhuan’an”). Fearing discovery, Wang Zifu quietly slipped the edict into his sleeve and teased, “Brother, you sleep so soundly!” as Dong Cheng awoke in terror. Realizing the edict was gone, he nearly fainted. Wang Zifu revealed it and pledged, “If you act, I will stand with you—and we will deliver our heads if need be.” Together they swore an oath, wrote their own signatures on a white silk pledge, and resolved to recruit the loyal Minister of the Household Wu Shuo and Colonel Zhong Ji. As fate would have it, both came that day; Dong Cheng revealed the edict, and they pled their lives to the cause.
Before they could plan further, a messenger announced the arrival of Inspector Ma Teng of Xiliang. Ma Teng, angered that Dong Cheng feigned illness to avoid him, confronted him at the gate: “I saw your lavish robe and sash—why feign sickness?” Dong Cheng stammered apologies. Ma Teng, full of righteous indignation, declared, “Your sporting with Cao Cao’s hunts betrays the realm!” Dong Cheng then invited him in, revealed the secret edict, and Ma Teng, hair on end, vowed, “If you move against Cao Cao, I will bring the Xiliang army to aid you.” He joined their pact with a blood-oath, and they resolved to gather ten loyalists before acting. Ma Teng examined the imperial family registers and cried, “We must involve that man”—namely, the person under discussion.
Thus the plot thickens. To learn how Ma Teng’s proposal unfolds, one must turn to the next chapter…
