Now, Sun Quan was determined to reclaim Jing Province. Zhang Zhao presented a plan: "Liu Bei's reliance is solely on Zhuge Liang. His elder brother, Zhuge Jin, serves in Wu. Why not take Jin's family into custody and send him to Sichuan to speak with his brother? Let him persuade Liu Bei to hand over Jing Province. If he refuses, Jin's family will suffer. Zhuge Liang, moved by brotherly love, will surely agree." Sun Quan said, "Zhuge Jin is an honest and virtuous man. How can I bear to imprison his family?" Zhang Zhao replied, "If you clearly inform him it is a stratagem, he will have no fear." Sun Quan agreed. He summoned Zhuge Jin's family and placed them under nominal house arrest. Then he wrote a letter and dispatched Zhuge Jin to Western Sichuan.
Within days, Zhuge Jin arrived in Chengdu. He first sent word to Liu Bei. Liu Bei asked Zhuge Liang, "Why has your brother come?" Zhuge Liang replied, "He comes to demand Jing Province." Liu Bei asked, "How shall we answer him?" Zhuge Liang said, "Let us proceed in this manner." Having settled the plan, Zhuge Liang went outside the city walls to greet his brother. He did not take him to his private residence but directly to the guest lodge. After they had exchanged bows, Zhuge Jin burst into loud sobbing. Zhuge Liang said, "Brother, if you have something to say, say it. Why this display of grief?" Zhuge Jin wept, "My entire family is doomed!" Zhuge Liang said, "Is this not because of Jing Province? Because of my actions, your family has been taken hostage. How can my heart be at ease? Brother, do not worry. I have a plan to return Jing Province."
Zhuge Jin was overjoyed. He immediately went with Zhuge Liang to see Liu Bei and presented Sun Quan's letter. After reading it, Liu Bei said angrily, "Sun Quan married his sister to me, yet while I was away from Jing Province, he secretly took her back. This is an outrage! I was about to raise a massive army from Sichuan to descend upon the south and avenge this insult, and now he dares to demand Jing Province?" Zhuge Liang fell to his knees, weeping, and said, "The Lord of Wu has taken my brother's family hostage. If we do not return the province, my brother and his entire household will be executed. If my brother dies, how can I alone continue to live? I beg you, my lord, for my sake, return Jing Province to Eastern Wu and preserve the bond between brothers!" Liu Bei repeatedly refused, while Zhuge Liang continued to weep and plead. At last, Liu Bei said slowly, "Very well. For the sake of the military strategist, I will return half of Jing Province: the three commanderies of Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang." Zhuge Liang said, "Since you have granted this, please write a letter to Guan Yu ordering him to hand over the three commanderies." Liu Bei said, "When you go to him, you must speak gently to my brother. His temper is like fire, and even I am cautious with him. Be very careful."
Zhuge Jin obtained the letter, took his leave of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, and journeyed to Jing Province. Guan Yu received him in the main hall, and they exchanged courtesies. Zhuge Jin presented Liu Bei's letter, saying, "His Imperial Highness has agreed to first return three commanderies to Eastern Wu. I beg you, General, to hand them over immediately, so that I may return and report to my lord." Guan Yu's expression darkened. "My brother and I swore an oath in the Peach Garden to uphold the Han Dynasty together. Jing Province is territory of the Great Han. How dare anyone give away so much as an inch of it? A general in the field may not always obey his sovereign's orders. Even if my brother sends a letter, I will not return it." Zhuge Jin said, "But the Lord of Wu holds my family hostage. If I do not secure Jing Province, they will be executed. I beg you, General, to have mercy!" Guan Yu replied, "This is a deceitful trick of the Lord of Wu. Do you think I cannot see through it?" Zhuge Jin said, "General, why are you so heartless?" Guan Yu grasped his sword and said, "Say no more! This sword has no heart!" Guan Ping, his son, interceded, saying, "Father, think of the military strategist's reputation. Please calm your anger." Guan Yu said, "If it were not for his sake, you would never return to Wu!"
Zhuge Jin, covered in shame, hastily took his leave and boarded a boat, returning to Western Sichuan to see Zhuge Liang. But Zhuge Liang had already left on an inspection tour. Zhuge Jin had no choice but to see Liu Bei again, weeping as he recounted how Guan Yu had nearly killed him. Liu Bei said, "My brother is hot-tempered and extremely difficult to reason with. You may return for now. Allow me to first capture Eastern Sichuan and Hanzhong. Once I have those, I will transfer Guan Yu to defend them, and then Jing Province can be handed over."
Zhuge Jin, left with no other option, returned to Eastern Wu and reported everything to Sun Quan. Sun Quan was furious. "You went back and forth on this errand. Was it all a scheme of Zhuge Liang?" Zhuge Jin replied, "No. My brother also wept and begged Liu Bei before he agreed to first return the three commanderies. But then Guan Yu stubbornly refused." Sun Quan said, "Since Liu Bei promised to return the three commanderies first, we can send officials to take up posts in Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang. Let us see what happens." Zhuge Jin said, "My lord, your plan is excellent." Sun Quan then ordered Zhuge Jin's family released and sent officials to the three commanderies. Within days, the officials were all driven back. They reported to Sun Quan, "Guan Yu would not tolerate us. He drove us out by night, threatening to kill anyone who lingered."
Sun Quan was enraged. He summoned Lu Su and rebuked him: "You once vouched for Liu Bei when he borrowed Jing Province from us. Now Liu Bei has taken Western Sichuan and refuses to return it. How can you sit idly by?" Lu Su said, "I have thought of a plan and was about to tell you." Sun Quan asked, "What plan?" Lu Su replied, "I will station troops at Lukou and send an invitation to Guan Yu to attend a feast. If he comes, I will reason with him. If he refuses, I will have assassins hidden to kill him. If he does not come at all, we will advance our forces and decide the matter by battle, seizing Jing Province." Sun Quan said, "This suits my intention. Proceed at once." Kan Ze stepped forward and said, "You cannot. Guan Yu is a tiger among generals, not one to be trifled with. If the plan fails, we will suffer greatly." Sun Quan said angrily, "If we hesitate like this, when will we ever reclaim Jing Province?" He ordered Lu Su to execute the plan immediately. Lu Su took his leave and went to Lukou. He summoned Lü Meng and Gan Ning to discuss the matter. They prepared a feast at a riverside pavilion outside the camp at Lukou. Lu Su wrote an invitation and selected an eloquent messenger from his retinue to deliver it. The messenger crossed the river and was questioned by Guan Ping at the river port. Guan Ping led him into Jing Province to see Guan Yu. The messenger delivered Lu Su's invitation. After reading it, Guan Yu said to the man, "Since Lu Su has invited me, I will attend the feast tomorrow. You may return first."
The messenger departed. Guan Ping said, "Lu Su's invitation must be a trap. Father, why did you accept?" Guan Yu laughed. "Do you think I do not know? This is because Zhuge Jin reported to Sun Quan that I refused to return the three commanderies. So Lu Su has stationed troops at Lukou and invited me to a feast to demand Jing Province. If I do not go, they will think me a coward. Tomorrow, I will take a small boat with only a dozen attendants and my single blade. Let us see how Lu Su dares to approach me!" Guan Ping protested, "Father, why risk your priceless life by walking into a den of wolves and tigers? This would betray the trust of your elder brother." Guan Yu replied, "I have charged through forests of spears and flights of arrows on horseback, as if entering an empty land. Do you think I fear these rats of the south?" Ma Liang also advised him: "Though Lu Su is a man of integrity, in this desperate situation he may be driven to treachery. You must not go lightly." Guan Yu said, "In the Warring States period, Lin Xiangru of Zhao, a man with no strength to truss a chicken, faced the court of Qin at the Mianchi Conference as if they were nothing. And I have studied the art of war against ten thousand men! Since I have given my word, I cannot break it." Ma Liang said, "Even if you go, you must be prepared." Guan Yu said, "Order my son to prepare ten fast boats, conceal five hundred skilled sailors aboard, and wait on the river. When you see my banner rise, cross the river to me." Guan Ping accepted the order and went to prepare.
Meanwhile, the messenger returned to Lu Su and reported that Guan Yu had gladly accepted and would arrive the next day. Lu Su discussed with Lü Meng: "What do we do when he comes?" Lü Meng said, "If he brings troops, Gan Ning and I will each lead a force and hide on the riverbank. We will use a cannon shot as a signal and prepare for battle. If he comes alone, we will hide fifty assassins behind the hall and kill him during the feast." The plan was set. The next day, Lu Su sent men to watch from the riverbank. Around mid-morning, they saw a single boat approaching on the river. It had only a few sailors and a helmsman, with a red flag fluttering in the wind, bearing the large character "Guan." As the boat neared the shore, they saw Guan Yu, wearing a green headwrap and green robe, seated in the boat. Beside him stood Zhou Cang holding his great blade, and eight or nine stout men from west of the pass, each with a sword at his waist. Lu Su, startled and suspicious, welcomed Guan Yu into the pavilion. After exchanging formal greetings, they took their seats and began to drink. Lu Su raised his cup to toast Guan Yu, but dared not look him in the eye. Guan Yu, however, laughed and talked as if nothing were amiss.
When the wine had flowed freely, Lu Su said, "I have something to say to you, my lord, and I beg you to listen. In days past, your elder brother, the Imperial Uncle, asked me to vouch for him before my lord, to borrow Jing Province as a temporary refuge, with the promise that he would return it after taking Sichuan. Now Sichuan has been taken, but Jing Province has not been returned. Is this not a breach of faith?" Guan Yu replied, "These are matters of state. Let us not discuss them at a feast." Lu Su said, "My lord rules only the small territory of Jiangdong, yet he was willing to lend Jing Province because he pitied your army's defeat and your long journey, with no base to rely on. Now that you have taken Yi Province, Jing Province should naturally be returned. Yet the Imperial Uncle only agreed to first cede three commanderies, and you, General, have refused even that. This seems unreasonable." Guan Yu said, "In the battle at Red Cliffs, the Left General (Liu Bei) personally faced arrows and stones, fighting with all his might to break the enemy. Was all that effort to go unrewarded, without even a foot of land? And now you come again to demand territory?" Lu Su said, "That is not the case. You and the Imperial Uncle were both defeated at Changban. Your plans were exhausted, your strength spent, and you were about to flee far away. My lord, pitying that the Imperial Uncle had no place to rest, did not begrudge the land and gave you a place to stand, so that you might plan future achievements. But now the Imperial Uncle has broken faith and ruined our friendship.
He has taken Western Sichuan and still occupies Jing Province. Such greed and betrayal of righteousness will surely bring shame upon him before the world. I beg you to consider this." Guan Yu said, "These are my brother's affairs. It is not for me to speak of them." Lu Su said, "I have heard that you and the Imperial Uncle swore an oath in the Peach Garden to live and die together. The Imperial Uncle is you. How can you evade the matter?" Before Guan Yu could answer, Zhou Cang, standing below the steps, shouted, "The land under Heaven belongs only to the virtuous! Is it for Eastern Wu alone to possess?" Guan Yu's face changed color. He rose, snatched the great blade from Zhou Cang's hands, and stood in the center of the hall. He glared at Zhou Cang and roared, "This is a matter of state! How dare you speak out of turn? Be gone!" Zhou Cang understood. He went first to the riverbank and waved the red flag. Guan Ping's boats shot across the river like arrows toward the eastern shore. Guan Yu, holding his blade in his right hand, seized Lu Su's left hand with his own. Feigning drunkenness, he said, "You invited me to a feast today. Do not bring up the matter of Jing Province. I am already drunk and fear I might harm our old friendship. Another day, I will invite you to a feast in Jing Province, and we can discuss it then." Lu Su was terrified, his soul fleeing his body, as Guan Yu dragged him to the riverbank.
Lü Meng and Gan Ning each wanted to lead their troops out, but seeing Guan Yu holding his great blade and grasping Lu Su, they feared for Lu Su's safety and dared not move. When Guan Yu reached his boat, he finally released Lu Su. He stood at the prow of the boat and bid Lu Su farewell. Lu Su stood as if stunned, watching Guan Yu's boat sail away with the wind.
A poet of the time celebrated Guan Yu's deed, saying: He held the ministers of Wu in contempt as if they were children; with a single blade, he dared to attend the feast, defying all. The heroic spirit of that day surpassed even Lin Xiangru at Mianchi.
Guan Yu returned to Jing Province. Lu Su and Lü Meng discussed the matter: "This plan has failed again. What is to be done?" Lü Meng said, "We should immediately report to our lord and raise an army for a decisive battle with Guan Yu." Lu Su promptly sent a messenger to report to Sun Quan. When Sun Quan heard this, he was furious and began to discuss mobilizing the entire realm's forces to take Jing Province. Suddenly, a report arrived: "Cao Cao has raised another 300,000 troops and is marching south!" Sun Quan was greatly alarmed. He ordered Lu Su to cease all hostilities against Jing Province and instead move his troops to Hefei and Ruxu to resist Cao Cao.
Now, just as Cao Cao was about to set out on his southern campaign, his military advisor Fu Gan, styled Yancai, submitted a memorial of advice. The memorial read, in essence: "I have heard that when using military force, one must first display might; when using civil governance, one must first display virtue. When might and virtue complement each other, the kingly enterprise is achieved. In the past, when the realm was in chaos, you, Illustrious Lord, used military force to quell it, subduing nine-tenths of the realm. Now the only ones who have not accepted your mandate are Wu and Shu. Wu has the natural barrier of the Yangtze River; Shu has the impregnable mountains. They cannot be overcome by might alone. In my humble opinion, you should instead cultivate civil virtue, lay down arms, rest your troops, and wait for the right moment to act. If you now lead hundreds of thousands of troops to the banks of the Yangtze, and the enemy relies on their natural defenses to hide deep within, our horses and men will be unable to display their prowess, and our stratagems will be useless. Then the majesty of Heaven will be humbled. I beg you, Illustrious Lord, to consider this carefully."
After reading this, Cao Cao called off the southern campaign. Instead, he established schools and welcomed learned men. Then, four court officials—Wang Can, Du Xi, Wei Kai, and He Qia—proposed that Cao Cao be honored as the King of Wei. The Palace Secretary Xun You said, "This cannot be. The Chancellor has already been made Duke of Wei and granted the Nine Bestowments. His position is at its peak. To advance him further to the rank of king is against all reason." When Cao Cao heard this, he said angrily, "This man wants to emulate Xun Yu!" When Xun You learned of this, he fell ill from worry and anger. He lay in bed for over ten days and then died, at the age of fifty-eight. Cao Cao gave him a lavish burial and then set aside the matter of making himself king.
One day, Cao Cao entered the palace with his sword. Emperor Xian was sitting with Empress Fu. When Empress Fu saw Cao Cao approaching, she hastily rose. The Emperor, seeing Cao Cao, trembled uncontrollably. Cao Cao said, "Sun Quan and Liu Bei each dominate a region and do not respect the court. What should be done about them?" The Emperor replied, "This is entirely in the Duke of Wei's hands to decide." Cao Cao said angrily, "When Your Majesty says such things, outsiders will hear and think that I am bullying the sovereign." The Emperor said, "If you are willing to assist me, I would be most grateful. If not, I beg you to show me mercy and leave me in peace." When Cao Cao heard this, he glared at the Emperor and left in a fury. Some attendants reported to the Emperor, "We have heard that the Duke of Wei intends to make himself king and will soon usurp the throne." The Emperor and Empress Fu wept together. The Empress said, "My father, Fu Wan, has long wished to kill Cao Cao. I will now write a secret letter and send it to him to plan this." The Emperor said, "In the past, Dong Cheng was not careful in his plot and brought great disaster upon himself. If this is leaked again, both of us will be finished!" The Empress said, "We live each day as if sitting on a bed of needles. To live like this is worse than early death! I believe the most loyal and trustworthy eunuch is Mu Shun. Let us entrust the letter to him." She immediately summoned Mu Shun to a private chamber, dismissing all attendants.
The Emperor and Empress wept and said to Mu Shun, "The traitor Cao Cao wants to become King of Wei and will soon usurp the throne. We wish to have Empress Fu's father, Fu Wan, secretly plot against this traitor, but all those around us are Cao Cao's confidants. We have no one to trust. We want you to deliver the Empress's secret letter to Fu Wan. We believe in your loyalty and know you will not betray us." Mu Shun wept and said, "I am grateful for Your Majesties' great kindness. I would die to repay it! I will go at once." The Empress wrote the letter and gave it to Mu Shun. Mu Shun hid the letter in his hair, secretly left the palace, and went directly to Fu Wan's residence. He presented the letter. Fu Wan, seeing that it was in the Empress's own handwriting, said to Mu Shun, "The traitor Cao Cao has many confidants. We cannot act hastily. Unless Sun Quan of Jiangdong and Liu Bei of Western Sichuan raise armies from outside, Cao Cao will surely go to fight them himself. Then we can seek out loyal ministers at court and plot together. With an attack from within and without, we might succeed." Mu Shun said, "Your Excellency can write a reply to the Emperor and Empress, asking for a secret edict. Then we can secretly send messengers to Wu and Shu, asking them to coordinate their armies and attack the traitor to save the sovereign." Fu Wan immediately wrote a letter and gave it to Mu Shun. Mu Shun hid it in his topknot, took his leave, and returned to the palace.
But someone had already reported the matter to Cao Cao. Cao Cao waited at the palace gate. When Mu Shun returned, he encountered Cao Cao. Cao Cao asked, "Where have you been?" Mu Shun replied, "The Empress is ill. I was sent to summon a physician." Cao Cao asked, "Where is the physician you summoned?" Mu Shun said, "I have not yet summoned him." Cao Cao ordered his men to search Mu Shun thoroughly. They found nothing hidden on his person, so they let him pass. Suddenly, the wind blew off Mu Shun's hat. Cao Cao called him back, took the hat, inspected it, found nothing, and returned it, telling him to put it on. Mu Shun put the hat on backwards with both hands. Cao Cao became suspicious and ordered his men to search Mu Shun's hair. They found Fu Wan's letter. When Cao Cao read it, he saw that it spoke of allying with Sun Quan and Liu Bei as external support. Cao Cao was furious. He seized Mu Shun and interrogated him in a secret chamber, but Mu Shun refused to confess. That very night, Cao Cao mustered three thousand armored soldiers, surrounded Fu Wan's private residence, and arrested everyone, young and old. They found the Empress's letter in Fu Wan's handwriting. Then Fu Wan's entire clan, three generations, were thrown into prison. At dawn, Cao Cao sent the Imperial Guard General Xi Lu, bearing the imperial seal, into the palace to first seize the Empress's seal and sash.
That day, the Emperor was in the outer hall when he saw Xi Lu leading three hundred armored soldiers directly inside. The Emperor asked, "What is the matter?" Xi Lu replied, "By order of the Duke of Wei, I am to seize the Empress's seal." The Emperor knew the secret was out and his heart shattered. Xi Lu went to the rear palace. Empress Fu had just risen. Xi Lu ordered the keeper of the seals to hand over the jade seal and then left. The Empress knew the plot had been exposed. She hid in a secret compartment within the wall of the private chambers. Soon, the Palace Secretary Hua Xin led five hundred armored soldiers into the rear hall. He asked the palace maids, "Where is the Empress?" They all pleaded ignorance. Hua Xin ordered the soldiers to break open the red-lacquered doors and search. They could not find her. Guessing she was in the wall, he ordered the soldiers to break through the wall. Hua Xin himself grabbed the Empress by her hair and dragged her out. The Empress said, "I beg you to spare my life!" Hua Xin shouted, "Go and plead with the Duke of Wei yourself!" The Empress, her hair disheveled and her feet bare, was pushed and dragged out by two soldiers. Now, Hua Xin had long been known for his talent. In his youth, he had been friends with Bing Yuan and Guan Ning. People of the time called the three of them "the Three Dragons": Hua Xin was the Dragon's Head, Bing Yuan the Dragon's Belly, and Guan Ning the Dragon's Tail. One day, Guan Ning and Hua Xin were tilling a vegetable garden together. Their hoes struck a piece of gold. Guan Ning continued hoeing without looking back. Hua Xin picked it up, examined it, and then threw it away. Another day, they were sitting together reading when they heard shouting outside. A nobleman was passing by in a grand carriage. Guan Ning sat upright, unmoved. Hua Xin put down his book and went to look. From that day on, Guan Ning despised Hua Xin's character. He cut the mat they shared and sat apart, refusing to be friends with him again. Later, Guan Ning fled to Liaodong, where he always wore a white cap. He sat and slept in a single tower, never setting foot on the ground, and refused to serve the Kingdom of Wei for his entire life. Hua Xin, on the other hand, first served Sun Quan, then later surrendered to Cao Cao. Now he had come to arrest the Empress.
A poet of the time lamented Hua Xin's actions, saying: Hua Xin, on that day, displayed his vicious schemes; breaking through the wall, he seized the Empress alive. Aiding the tyrant, he gained a tiger's wings; his name will be reviled for a thousand years, the "Dragon's Head" a laughingstock. Another poet praised Guan Ning, saying: In Liaodong, they speak of Guan Ning's tower; the man is gone, the tower empty, but his name remains alone. How laughable that Ziyu (Hua Xin) craved wealth and rank; how could he match the white-capped one's free and noble spirit?
Now, Hua Xin dragged Empress Fu to the outer hall. When the Emperor saw her, he descended from the throne, embraced her, and wept. Hua Xin said, "The Duke of Wei has given his orders. You must go quickly!" The Empress wept and said to the Emperor, "Can we not save each other?" The Emperor said, "I do not know when my own life will end!" The soldiers pushed the Empress away. The Emperor beat his chest and wailed loudly. Seeing Xi Lu nearby, the Emperor said, "Minister Xi! Is there such a thing in all the world?" He collapsed to the ground, weeping. Xi Lu ordered his attendants to help the Emperor back into the palace. Hua Xin took Empress Fu to see Cao Cao. Cao Cao cursed her: "I treated you with all sincerity, yet you plotted against me! If I do not kill you, you will surely kill me!" He ordered his men to beat her to death with clubs. Then he entered the palace and poisoned the Empress's two sons. That very night, Fu Wan, Mu Shun, and over two hundred members of their clans were executed in the marketplace. Inside and outside the court, everyone was shocked. This happened in the eleventh month of the nineteenth year of the Jian'an era (214 AD).
A poet of the time lamented, saying: Cao Cao's cruelty was unmatched in the world; what could Fu Wan's loyalty achieve? How pitiful that the Emperor and Empress were parted, more cruelly than any common husband and wife.
After Empress Fu was killed, Emperor Xian did not eat for days. Cao Cao entered the palace and said, "Your Majesty, do not worry. I have no treacherous intentions. My daughter has already been made your Noble Consort. She is virtuous and filial and should be made Empress." Emperor Xian dared not refuse. On the first day of the first month of the twentieth year of the Jian'an era (215 AD), during the New Year's celebration, Cao Cao's daughter, Noble Consort Cao, was formally installed as Empress. None of the officials dared to speak against it.
At this time, Cao Cao's power and influence grew daily. He convened his ministers to discuss the conquest of Wu and Shu. Jia Xu said, "You must summon Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren back to discuss this matter." Cao Cao immediately sent messengers, who rode day and night to recall them. Before Xiahou Dun arrived, Cao Ren came first. He entered Cao Cao's residence that very night. Cao Cao was lying in bed, drunk. Xu Chu stood guard at the entrance of the hall with his sword. When Cao Ren tried to enter, Xu Chu blocked his way. Cao Ren said angrily, "I am of the Cao clan! How dare you stop me?" Xu Chu replied, "You, General, though a relative, are an official stationed in the outer provinces. I, Xu Chu, though a distant relation, am an attendant within the palace. The lord is lying drunk in the hall. I dare not let you enter." Cao Ren did not dare to force his way in. When Cao Cao heard of this, he sighed and said, "Xu Chu is a true loyal minister!" A few days later, Xiahou Dun also arrived. They discussed the campaign together. Xiahou Dun said, "Wu and Shu cannot be attacked immediately. We should first attack Zhang Lu of Hanzhong. Then, with the momentum of victory, we can take Shu in one blow." Cao Cao said, "This suits my intention." He then raised an army and marched west. And so it was that: Just as he had used his cruel schemes to bully a weak ruler, he now drove his fierce troops to sweep away a neighboring kingdom.
Whether the outcome of this campaign would be favorable or not remains to be seen in the next chapter.