Now Li Jue and Guo Si, those two rebels, intended to murder Emperor Xian. But their fellow generals Zhang Ji and Fan Chou counseled against it. "That cannot be done," they said. "If we kill him today, we fear the people will not accept it. Better to keep him as our puppet ruler, lure the warlords into the passes, and first cut away his wings. Then we may kill him and seize the realm." Li and Guo agreed, and stayed their hands. The Emperor, from atop the city tower, issued a decree: "Since Wang Yun has been executed, why do your armies not withdraw?" Li Jue and Guo Si replied, "We have rendered meritorious service to the throne, yet no titles have been granted us. Therefore we dare not retreat." The Emperor asked, "What titles do you seek?" The four men—Li, Guo, Zhang, and Fan—each wrote down the rank they demanded and presented it. They insisted on these exact offices, and the Emperor had no choice but to comply. Li Jue was made General of Chariots and Cavalry, Marquis of Chiyang, bearing the Imperial Inspector's seal and wielding the authority of the Axe of Command. Guo Si was made General of the Rear, Marquis of Meiyang, also bearing the Axe of Command. Together they controlled the court. Fan Chou became General of the Right, Marquis of Wannian, and Zhang Ji became General of the Flying Cavalry, Marquis of Pingyang, commanding troops stationed at Hongnong. The others, Li Meng and Wang Fang, were made Commandants. After giving thanks, they led their armies out of the city. Then they ordered a search for Dong Zhuo's corpse. Only scattered fragments of skin and bone were found. They carved a body from fragrant wood, pieced it together, held a grand sacrifice, and dressed it in an emperor's robes and crown, with a royal coffin. Choosing an auspicious day, they moved the remains for burial at Meiwu. On the day of the interment, Heaven sent a great thunderstorm. The rain fell so heavily that the ground was flooded several feet deep. A thunderbolt split open the coffin, and the corpse was thrown out. Li Jue waited for clear weather and buried it again, but that night the same thing happened. Three times they tried to rebury him, and three times they failed. The scraps of skin and bone were all consumed by thunder and fire. Heaven's wrath against Dong Zhuo could not have been more severe.
Now Li Jue and Guo Si, having seized power, began to torment the people cruelly. They secretly placed trusted agents at the Emperor's side to watch his every move. Emperor Xian found himself surrounded by thorns at every step. All promotions and demotions of court officials were decided by the two rebels. To win popular support, they summoned Zhu Jun to court and appointed him Grand Coachman, giving him a share in governing. One day, a report arrived: Ma Teng, Grand Administrator of Xiliang, and Han Sui, Provincial Inspector of Bing Province, were leading over 100,000 troops toward Chang'an, loudly proclaiming their intent to punish the traitors. Earlier, these two generals had secretly sent men to the capital, making contact with three court officials—Attendant Ma Yu, Adviser Chong Shao, and General of the Household Liu Fan—who agreed to act as their inside men. These three secretly petitioned Emperor Xian, who appointed Ma Teng as General Who Conquers the West and Han Sui as General Who Pacifies the West. Each received a secret imperial edict to unite their forces and destroy the rebels. When Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou heard that two armies were approaching, they gathered to discuss a strategy for defense. The strategist Jia Xu said, "These armies come from afar. Our best course is to dig deep moats and build high ramparts, holding firm and refusing battle. Within a hundred days, their food will run out and they will retreat on their own. Then we can pursue and capture both generals." Li Meng and Wang Fang stepped forward and said, "That is a poor plan. Lend us ten thousand elite troops, and we will cut off Ma Teng's and Han Sui's heads and lay them before your tent." Jia Xu replied, "If you give battle now, you will surely be defeated." Li Meng and Wang Fang shouted together, "If we are defeated, we will gladly give up our heads. But if we win, you must forfeit yours!" Jia Xu turned to Li Jue and Guo Si and said, "Two hundred li west of Chang'an lies Mount Zhouzhi, with treacherous, steep paths. Have Generals Zhang and Fan station their troops there, fortifying the position and holding firm. Let Li Meng and Wang Fang lead the vanguard to meet the enemy." Li and Guo agreed and gave Li Meng and Wang Fang fifteen thousand troops. The two men departed joyfully and set up camp two hundred and eighty li from Chang'an.
When the Xiliang army arrived, the two generals led their forces to meet them. The Xiliang troops blocked the road and formed their battle lines. Ma Teng and Han Sui rode out side by side, pointing at Li Meng and Wang Fang and cursing: "Traitors to the state! Who will capture them?" Before the words had died away, a young general emerged from the Xiliang ranks. His face was as fair as jade, his eyes flashed like shooting stars. He had the body of a tiger, arms like an ape, a leopard's waist, and a wolf's sinews. In his hand he gripped a long spear, and he rode a fine steed. This was Ma Teng's son, Ma Chao, styled Mengqi. He was only seventeen years old, but his bravery was unmatched. Wang Fang, thinking him young and weak, spurred his horse forward to engage. Before they had exchanged even a few passes, Ma Chao's spear pierced Wang Fang and hurled him from his horse. Ma Chao reined in and turned back. Li Meng, seeing Wang Fang killed, charged after Ma Chao from behind. Ma Chao pretended not to notice. Ma Teng, watching from the camp gate, shouted, "There is a man chasing you from behind!" Before the cry had even ended, Ma Chao had already captured Li Meng and held him across his saddle. Ma Chao had known Li Meng was pursuing him and deliberately slowed his pace. When Li Meng drew close and thrust his spear, Ma Chao dodged aside. The thrust missed, and as the two horses came together, Ma Chao stretched out his ape-like arm and seized his enemy alive. The leaderless troops scattered like leaves before the wind. Ma Teng and Han Sui pressed their advantage, pursuing and slaughtering, winning a great victory. They drove straight to the narrow mountain pass and set up camp. Ma Chao beheaded Li Meng and displayed the head as a warning.
When Li Jue and Guo Si learned that both Li Meng and Wang Fang had been killed by Ma Chao, they finally believed in Jia Xu's foresight. They adopted his plan wholeheartedly, focusing only on holding the passes tightly. No matter how the enemy challenged them to battle, they refused to come out. As Jia Xu had predicted, within two months the Xiliang army ran out of food and fodder. They discussed retreating. Just then, a servant in the household of Ma Yu in Chang'an informed on his master, revealing the conspiracy with Liu Fan and Chong Shao to ally with Ma Teng and Han Sui as inside men. Li Jue and Guo Si were furious. They arrested all three families—old and young, innocent and guilty alike—and executed them in the marketplace. The three heads were hung at the city gate as a warning. Ma Teng and Han Sui, seeing their food supplies exhausted and their inside men discovered, had no choice but to strike camp and retreat. Li Jue and Guo Si ordered Zhang Ji to pursue Ma Teng, and Fan Chou to pursue Han Sui. The Xiliang army suffered a great defeat. Ma Chao fought a desperate rearguard action and drove back Zhang Ji. Fan Chou chased Han Sui, drawing close near Chencang. Han Sui reined in his horse and called out to Fan Chou, "You and I are from the same homeland. Why are you so merciless today?" Fan Chou also halted his horse and replied, "I cannot disobey orders from above!" Han Sui said, "I came here only for the sake of the nation. Why do you press me so hard?" Hearing this, Fan Chou turned his horse around, withdrew his troops to camp, and let Han Sui escape.
Unbeknownst to them, Li Jue's nephew, Li Bie, had seen Fan Chou release Han Sui and reported it to his uncle. Li Jue was enraged and prepared to raise an army to punish Fan Chou. Jia Xu counseled, "The people's hearts are unsettled. Frequent military action would be most unwise. Better to hold a banquet, inviting Zhang Ji and Fan Chou to celebrate their victory. During the feast, seize Fan Chou and execute him. It will cost us no effort at all." Li Jue was delighted and set up a feast, inviting Zhang Ji and Fan Chou. The two generals came gladly. Halfway through the wine, Li Jue's expression suddenly changed. "Fan Chou," he demanded, "why did you collude with Han Sui and plot rebellion?" Fan Chou was terrified and could not even reply before armed guards rushed out and beheaded him on the spot. Zhang Ji was so frightened he prostrated himself on the ground. Li Jue helped him up and said, "Fan Chou plotted treason, so I had him killed. You are my trusted confidant—why be afraid?" He placed Fan Chou's troops under Zhang Ji's command, and Zhang Ji returned to Hongnong.
After defeating the Xiliang army, Li Jue and Guo Si found that none of the other warlords dared challenge them. Jia Xu repeatedly urged them to pacify the people and attract worthy men. For a time, the court showed faint signs of life. But then the Yellow Turbans rose again in Qing Province, gathering several hundred thousand followers under various leaders, plundering and robbing the common folk. Grand Coachman Zhu Jun recommended a man who could break these bandits. When Li Jue and Guo Si asked who it was, Zhu Jun replied, "To crush the bandits of Shandong, none but Cao Mengde will do." "Where is Mengde now?" they asked. "He is currently Grand Administrator of Dong Commandery, with a large army. If you order him to suppress the rebels, he will destroy them in a matter of days." Li Jue was overjoyed. That very night he drafted an imperial edict and sent a messenger to Dong Commandery, ordering Cao Cao to join forces with Bao Xin, Chancellor of Jinan, to crush the bandits. Cao Cao received the imperial decree and combined his forces with Bao Xin's, marching against the rebels at Shouyang. Bao Xin charged deep into enemy lines and was killed. Cao Cao pursued the bandits all the way to Jinan, where tens of thousands surrendered. Cao Cao then used the surrendered bandits as his vanguard. Wherever his army went, all submitted. Within little more than a hundred days, he had recruited over three hundred thousand surrendered troops and more than a million men, women, and children. Cao Cao selected the best among them and formed them into a unit called the Qingzhou Army. The rest were sent back to farming. From then on, Cao Cao's reputation grew daily. When the report of his victory reached Chang'an, the court promoted him to General Who Pacifies the East.
While in Yan Province, Cao Cao began recruiting wise men and talented warriors. Two men, an uncle and his nephew, came to join him. The uncle was Xun Yu, styled Wenruo, from Yingchuan. He had previously served Yuan Shao but had now abandoned him for Cao Cao. When Cao Cao spoke with him, he was overjoyed and exclaimed, "This man is my own Zhang Liang!" He appointed Xun Yu as his Army Marshal. Xun Yu's nephew was Xun You, styled Gongda, a famous scholar who had once served as a Gentleman at the Yellow Gate but had later resigned and returned home. Now he came with his uncle to serve Cao Cao, who appointed him as Military Instructor. Xun Yu said, "I have heard of a worthy man in Yan Province, but I do not know where he is now." When Cao Cao asked who it was, Xun Yu replied, "He is Cheng Yu, styled Zhongde, from Dong'e in Dong Commandery." Cao Cao said, "I have long heard of his reputation." He sent men to search for him in the countryside. They found Cheng Yu studying in the mountains, and Cao Cao invited him with great ceremony. When Cheng Yu came to see him, Cao Cao was delighted. Cheng Yu said to Xun Yu, "I am ignorant and unlearned, unworthy of your recommendation. But there is a man from your own home district, Guo Jia, styled Fengxiao, a true worthy of our time. Why not recruit him?" Xun Yu suddenly remembered and said, "I almost forgot!" He immediately urged Cao Cao to summon Guo Jia to Yan Province. Together they discussed the affairs of the realm. Guo Jia then recommended a descendant of Emperor Guangwu's line, Liu Ye, styled Ziyang, from Chengde in Huainan. Cao Cao invited Liu Ye to join him. Liu Ye in turn recommended two men: Man Chong, styled Boning, from Shanyang, and Lü Qian, styled Zige, from Wucheng. Cao Cao, already familiar with both their names, appointed them as Military Advisors. Man Chong and Lü Qian together recommended another man, Mao Jie, styled Xiaoxian, from Chenliu. Cao Cao also appointed him as an Advisor.
Then a general arrived with several hundred troops to pledge allegiance to Cao Cao. This was Yu Jin, styled Wenze, from Taishan. Cao Cao saw that he was skilled in archery and horsemanship, with outstanding martial ability, and appointed him as Army Commandant. One day, Xiahou Dun brought a giant of a man to meet Cao Cao. When Cao Cao asked who he was, Xiahou Dun replied, "This is Dian Wei from Chenliu, a man of extraordinary strength. He formerly served Zhang Miao, but after a quarrel with some of Zhang's men, he killed several dozen of them with his bare hands and fled into the mountains. I was out hunting when I saw Dian Wei chasing a tiger across a ravine, and I took him into my army. Now I recommend him to you." Cao Cao said, "I can see from his imposing appearance that he must be a man of great strength." Xiahou Dun continued, "Once, to avenge a friend, he killed a man and walked through the marketplace carrying the victim's head. Hundreds of men dared not approach him. The two iron halberds he wields weigh eighty jin each. He can carry them onto his horse and whirl them like the wind." Cao Cao ordered Dian Wei to demonstrate. Dian Wei mounted his horse, halberds in hand, and galloped back and forth, wielding them with breathtaking speed. Suddenly, a great banner at the camp gate began to topple in the wind, with several soldiers struggling to hold it steady. Dian Wei dismounted, shouted the soldiers aside, gripped the flagpole with one hand, and stood firm in the wind, unmovable as a mountain. Cao Cao exclaimed, "This is the Evil Star of ancient times reborn!" He immediately appointed Dian Wei as Camp Commandant and gave him his own embroidered silk robe and his finest horse with an ornate saddle.
Thus Cao Cao's forces now had wise counselors in civil affairs and fierce generals in military command, and his might spread across all of Shandong. He sent Ying Shao, Grand Administrator of Taishan, to take his father Cao Song from Langya. Cao Song had fled from Chenliu and was living in seclusion in Langya. When he received his son's letter, he set out with his younger brother Cao De, over forty family members, more than a hundred servants, and over a hundred carts, heading straight for Yan Province. Their route passed through Xu Province, whose Grand Administrator was Tao Qian, styled Gongzu. Tao Qian was a gentle, sincere man who had long wished to build ties with Cao Cao but had never found the opportunity. When he learned that Cao Cao's father was passing through, he went out beyond the city walls to welcome him, bowed deeply, and hosted a grand banquet that lasted two days. When Cao Song wished to continue his journey, Tao Qian personally escorted him out of the city and specially ordered Zhang Kai, a Commandant, to lead five hundred troops as an escort. Cao Song and his family traveled to the area between Hua and Fei. It was late summer, turning to autumn, when a sudden torrential rain forced them to take shelter in an old temple. The monks received them. Cao Song settled his family and ordered Zhang Kai to bivouac the troops in the side corridors. The soldiers' clothes were soaked through, and they grumbled bitterly. Zhang Kai called his lieutenants aside to a quiet place and said, "We were originally remnants of the Yellow Turbans who reluctantly surrendered to Tao Qian. We've gained nothing from it. Look at all the wealth Cao's family is carrying in those carts. If you want riches and rank, it's simple enough. Tonight, at the third watch, we'll break in, kill Cao Song's entire family, take the treasure, and flee to the mountains to become outlaws. What do you say?" All agreed. That night, the wind and rain continued unabated. Cao Song was sitting quietly when suddenly shouts erupted from all sides. Cao De grabbed a sword and rushed out to investigate, only to be stabbed to death on the spot. Cao Song hurriedly took a concubine and fled to the abbot's quarters, intending to climb over the wall. But the concubine was too fat to get over. In desperation, Cao Song hid with her in the latrine, where the rampaging soldiers found them and killed them both. Ying Shao barely escaped with his life and fled to Yuan Shao. Zhang Kai slaughtered Cao Song's entire family, seized all their valuables, set fire to the temple, and fled with his five hundred men to Huainan.
A poet of the time reflected on this cruel twist of fate, recalling how Cao Cao himself had once slaughtered Lü Boshe's entire household. Now the same fate had befallen his own family—a cycle of retribution that Heaven would not ignore.
Some of Ying Shao's soldiers who had escaped the massacre brought word to Cao Cao. When Cao Cao heard the news, he collapsed to the ground, weeping. His men revived him. Gnashing his teeth, Cao Cao swore, "Tao Qian let his soldiers murder my father! This is a blood feud that cannot be shared under the same sky! I will raise my entire army, wash through Xu Province in blood, and only then will my hatred be avenged!" He left Xun Yu and Cheng Yu with thirty thousand troops to guard the three counties of Juancheng, Fan County, and Dong'e, while he led every other soldier he had in a furious march toward Xu Province. Xiahou Dun, Yu Jin, and Dian Wei led the vanguard. Cao Cao issued a chilling order: whenever a city was taken, every man, woman, and child within was to be slaughtered to the last soul, to satisfy his vengeance. When Bian Rang, Grand Administrator of Jiujiang and a close friend of Tao Qian, heard of Xu Province's peril, he led five thousand troops to its aid. Cao Cao, enraged, sent Xiahou Dun to intercept and kill him. Chen Gong, now a Military Advisor in Dong Commandery and also a friend of Tao Qian, heard that Cao Cao was raising an army for revenge and intended to slaughter all the people. He rode day and night to see Cao Cao. Cao Cao knew Chen Gong had come to plead for Tao Qian. He wanted to refuse to see him, but could not forget their old friendship, so he reluctantly invited him into his tent. Chen Gong said, "I have heard that you are marching on Xu Province with a great army to avenge your father, and that you intend to kill every inhabitant you encounter. That is why I have come to speak with you. Tao Qian is a benevolent and honorable man, not one who craves profit or forgets righteousness. Your father's death was the work of that villain Zhang Kai, not Tao Qian's fault. Besides, what have the common people of those counties done to you? To slaughter them would bring ill fortune. I beg you to think carefully before you act." Cao Cao replied in fury, "You abandoned me once before. What face do you have to come before me now? Tao Qian murdered my entire family. I swear I will rip out his heart and gall to wash away my hatred! You may plead for Tao Qian all you like, but I will not listen!" Chen Gong withdrew, sighing, "I have no face left to see Tao Qian either." He mounted his horse and rode off to join Zhang Miao, Grand Administrator of Chenliu.
Wherever Cao Cao's army marched, they slaughtered the people and dug up graves. In Xu Province, Tao Qian heard that Cao Cao was coming for revenge, killing civilians as he advanced. He looked up to Heaven and wept bitterly. "I have offended Heaven," he cried, "and now the people of Xu Province must suffer this calamity!" He urgently gathered his officers to discuss the situation. Cao Bao said, "Since Cao's army is coming, we cannot simply wait to die! I will help you break them." Tao Qian had no choice but to lead his army out to meet the enemy. From afar, Cao Cao's forces looked like a sea of frost or a tide of snow, with two white banners raised in the center of the formation, bearing the words "REVENGE FOR A MURDERED FATHER." The armies drew up in battle order. Cao Cao rode out in front, dressed entirely in white mourning clothes, and raised his whip to hurl abuse at Tao Qian. Tao Qian also rode out beneath his command banner, bowed, and said, "I wished only to befriend you, so I entrusted the escort to Zhang Kai. I never imagined his villainous heart would remain unchanged, leading to this tragedy.
Truly, it was not my doing. I beg you to see the truth." Cao Cao roared, "You old dog! You murdered my father, and still you dare to speak nonsense? Who will capture this old villain alive?" Xiahou Dun answered the call and charged forward. Tao Qian hastily retreated into his formation. As Xiahou Dun gave chase, Cao Bao leveled his spear and rode out to meet him. The two horses came together, but suddenly a fierce wind arose, whipping up sand and stones. Both armies fell into confusion and withdrew.
Tao Qian entered the city and gathered his advisors. "Cao's forces are too strong for us to defeat," he said. "I will bind myself and go to Cao Cao's camp, letting him do what he will with me, to save the people of Xu Province." Before he had finished speaking, a man stepped forward and said, "My lord, you have governed Xu Province for many years, and the people are grateful. Though Cao's army is large, they cannot break our walls so easily. You and the people should hold firm and not sally forth. I am no great talent, but I have a plan that will leave Cao Cao with no place even to bury his corpse!" Everyone was astonished and asked what the plan was.
Truly, what had begun as an attempt at friendship had turned into bitter enmity, and who could know that in the depths of despair, a new hope would arise? Who was this man, and what was his scheme? Read on to find out.