Chapter 50

Chapter 50

That night, Zhang Liao's arrow had struck Huang Gai into the river, and he had saved Cao Cao to shore. Having found horses and fled, they found the army in utter chaos. Han Dang, plunging through smoke and flame to attack the water camp, suddenly heard a soldier report: "A man at the stern is shouting your courtesy name, General!" Han Dang listened carefully and heard the cry: "Yigong, save me!" Han Dang said, "This is Huang Gongfu!" He ordered him rescued at once. Huang Gai had been wounded by the arrow; he had bitten off the shaft, but the arrowhead was buried in his flesh. Han Dang quickly removed his wet clothing, cut out the arrowhead with a knife, bound the wound with a torn flag, stripped off his own battle robe for Huang Gai to wear, and sent him ahead in another boat to the main camp for treatment. Huang Gai, it turned out, knew the ways of water well, so even in the depths of winter, clad as he was in armor and plunged into the river, he managed to save his life.

Now on that day, the whole river was a rolling mass of flame, and the din of shouting shook the earth. On the left, the armies of Han Dang and Jiang Qin swept in from the west bank of Red Cliff; on the right, the armies of Zhou Tai and Chen Wu came from the east bank of Red Cliff; and in the center, the great fleet led by Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, Xu Sheng, and Ding Feng all arrived. Fire called for soldiers to answer, and soldiers relied on fire's might. This was truly: a battle on the three rivers, a bloody fight at Red Cliff. Cao Cao's soldiers—shot by spears, struck by arrows, burned by fire, or drowned in water—were beyond counting. A later poet wrote:

Wei and Wu fought to decide the hero of the age,

At Red Cliff the mighty fleet was swept away in a single blaze.

The raging fire first rose to illuminate the sea of clouds,

And here Zhou Lang once broke the power of Duke Cao.

And another poem reads:

The mountains are high, the moon is small, the waters stretch vast and boundless,

As I sigh and recall the restless struggles of dynasties past.

The southern lords had no heart to welcome the Martial Duke of Wei,

But the East Wind had its will and favored Zhou Lang.

Let us leave the battle on the river and turn to another matter. Gan Ning had Cai Zhong lead him deep into Cao Cao's camp. Ning cut Cai Zhong down from his horse with a single stroke, then set fire to the grass. Lü Meng, seeing the flames rise from the center of the camp, also set fires in a dozen places to support Gan Ning. Pan Zhang and Dong Xi set fires and shouted their war cries in their respective sectors. Drums thundered on every side. Cao Cao and Zhang Liao led some hundred riders through a forest of fire, finding no spot untouched ahead. As they pressed forward, Mao Jie arrived with Wen Ping and a dozen riders. Cao Cao ordered them to find a way out. Zhang Liao pointed and said, "Only Wulin—there the ground is open and we can pass." Cao Cao made straight for Wulin.

As they went, a force came hard behind them, shouting, "Cao the rebel, do not flee!" Through the firelight the banner of Lü Meng appeared. Cao Cao urged his men forward, leaving Zhang Liao to hold off Lü Meng. Then ahead they saw torches spring up again, and a force poured out of a mountain valley, shouting, "Ling Tong is here!" Cao Cao's very liver and gall were split with terror. But suddenly a force came slanting from the side, crying, "Do not panic, Prime Minister! Xu Huang is here!" The two sides fought a confused battle, then broke free and fled north. Presently they saw a body of troops encamped before a hillside. Xu Huang rode forward to question them and found they were Ma Yan and Zhang Yi, former generals of Yuan Shao, with three thousand northern troops camped there. They had seen the sky full of fire that night and dared not move, and they happened upon Cao Cao just then. Cao Cao ordered the two generals to lead a thousand men as the vanguard, while the rest remained as a guard. With this fresh force, Cao Cao's heart was somewhat eased. Ma Yan and Zhang Yi rode ahead. Before they had gone ten li, shouts arose and a force blocked the way. At its head a general cried out, "I am Gan Xingba of Eastern Wu!" Ma Yan was about to engage when Gan Ning cut him from his horse with a single stroke. Zhang Yi leveled his spear and came forward, but Gan Ning gave a great shout; Zhang Yi was caught off guard and, with one sweep of Ning's blade, tumbled from his horse. The rear guard rushed the news to Cao Cao. Cao Cao had hoped for troops from Hefei to come to his aid, but Sun Quan, at the Hefei road junction, had seen the fire blazing on the river and knew his side was victorious. He ordered Lu Xun to light a fire as a signal; Taishi Ci, seeing this, joined forces with Lu Xun and charged forward. Cao Cao had no choice but to flee toward Yiling. On the road he met Zhang He, whom he ordered to cover the rear.

He lashed his horse and galloped on until the fifth watch, when he looked back and saw the fires growing distant. Only then did Cao Cao's heart settle. He asked, "What place is this?" His attendants replied, "This is west of Wulin and north of Yidu." Cao Cao saw the tangled forests and the rugged mountains and terrain, and he threw his head back on horseback and laughed without stopping. His generals asked, "Why does Your Excellency laugh so?" Cao Cao said, "I laugh at no one else—I laugh only at Zhou Yu's lack of strategy and Zhuge Liang's shallow wisdom. If I were directing troops, I would have placed an ambush here in advance. What then?"

He had scarcely finished speaking when drums thundered on both sides and flames shot skyward, startling Cao Cao so badly he nearly fell from his horse. A force came slanting out from the side, shouting, "I, Zhao Zilong, by the command of the Marshal of the Forces, have been waiting here for a long time!" Cao Cao ordered Xu Huang and Zhang He to engage Zhao Yun together while he himself plunged through the smoke and fire. Zhao Yun did not pursue; he busied himself seizing banners, and Cao Cao got away.

The sky grew light; black clouds hung over the land, and the southeast wind still did not abate. Suddenly a torrential rain poured down, soaking through their armor and clothing. Cao Cao and his soldiers marched on through the rain, and all the troops showed signs of hunger. Cao Cao ordered the soldiers to raid the villages for grain and to search for fire. They were just about to cook when a force came up from behind. Cao Cao was greatly alarmed. It turned out to be Li Dian and Xu Chu, escorting the various advisers to safety.

Cao Cao was overjoyed. He ordered the troops to march on and asked, "What is the terrain ahead?" He was told, "One road leads south by the South Yiling highway; the other is the North Yiling mountain road." Cao Cao asked, "Which way is shortest to Nanjun and Jiangling?" The soldiers reported, "Taking South Yiling through Hukou Pass is the most direct." Cao Cao ordered them to take the South Yiling road. When they reached Hukou Pass, the army was starving and could not march; the horses were exhausted, and many had fallen by the roadside. Cao Cao ordered a halt ahead. Some horses carried gongs and pots, and some had seized grain from the villages. They chose a dry spot by the hillside, dug in to cook, and roasted horse flesh to eat. All stripped off their wet clothing and dried it in the wind. The horses were unsent and turned loose to graze on the grass.

Cao Cao sat beneath a sparse wood, laughing up at the sky. His officers asked: "Just now Your Excellency laughed at Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang, and it provoked Zhao Zilong to come forth, and we lost many men and horses besides. Why do you laugh again now?" Cao Cao said: "I laugh at Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu because, when all is said, their wisdom and strategy are lacking. If I were commanding troops, at this very spot I would have laid an ambush—resting our men while waiting for the enemy. Even if we escaped with our lives, we could not have avoided grievous losses. They did not see this far, and that is why I laugh at them."

Even as he spoke, the vanguard and rear guard both raised a shout at once. Cao Cao was greatly alarmed. He flung aside his armor and mounted his horse. Many of the soldiers had no time to gather their mounts. Soon fire and smoke were seen closing in on all sides around a mountain pass, and a force arrayed itself. At their head was the man of Yan, Zhang Fei, spear laid across his horse, seated in the saddle, crying: "Where will you flee, you Cao Cao wretch!" When the officers and soldiers saw Zhang Fei, their courage melted entirely. Xu Chu rode up on a horse without a saddle to engage Zhang Fei. Zhang Liao and Xu Xu also spurred their horses in to attack from two sides. The armies on both sides fell into a confused melee. Cao Cao was the first to gallop away; the officers each made their own escape. Zhang Fei came hard on their heels. Cao Cao fled in a winding retreat; the pursuers gradually fell behind, and when he looked back, he saw that most of his officers bore wounds.

As they rode on, a soldier reported: "Ahead there are two roads. Which one does Your Excellency wish to take?" Cao Cao asked: "Which is the shorter?" The soldier said: "The main road is somewhat level, but it is more than fifty *li* longer. The smaller road leads by Huarong Pass, and it is more than fifty *li* shorter. But the ground is narrow and the road perilous, with ruts and hollows hard to traverse." Cao Cao sent men to climb the heights and observe. They returned and reported: "Along the smaller road, several columns of smoke are rising among the hills. The main road shows no sign of activity." Cao Cao ordered the vanguard to take the Huarong Pass road. The officers said: "Where there is smoke, there must be troops. Why then go by this road?" Cao Cao said: "Have you not heard what the military texts say: 'Seem empty when you are full, seem full when you are empty.' Zhuge Liang is full of schemes. He has men burn smoke in the hills to make our army afraid to take the mountain road, while he lays an ambush on the main road to wait for us. I have weighed the matter fully—I shall do the very thing to foil his plan!" All the officers said: "Your Excellency's calculations are beyond any other man's." And so they led their troops along Huarong Pass.

By now the men were collapsing from hunger, and the horses were utterly spent. Those with singged heads and scorched brows hobbled along leaning on staffs; those pierced by arrows or wounded by spears forced themselves forward with difficulty. Their armor and clothing were soaked through, none of them whole; weapons and banners were scattered and in disorder. The greater part had been so hard-pressed on the road to Yiling that they rode only bare-backed horses, having thrown away saddles, bridles, and garments entirely. It was the depths of the bitter winter cold—what they suffered cannot be told.

Cao Cao saw his vanguard halt and asked why. The report came back: "Ahead the mountain road is narrow, and because of the rain that fell this morning, the ruts and ditches are filled with standing water. The mud has trapped the horses' hooves, and they cannot advance." Cao Cao flew into a rage and roared: "An army on campaign cuts through mountains to open roads and piles up stones to bridge streams—how can it be said that mud is reason enough not to proceed!" He issued orders that the old, the weak, and the wounded should follow slowly behind, while the strong should carry earth and bind firewood, haul grass and transport reeds, and fill the road—they must set about it at once. Any who disobeyed would be beheaded. The soldiers had no choice but to dismount and fell bamboo and timber by the roadside to fill the mountain path. Cao Cao, fearing the rear army would overtake them, ordered Zhang Liao, Xu Chu, and Xu Xu to lead a hundred horsemen with drawn swords, and to behead anyone who lagged.

Cao Cao ordered his men and horses to move along the gallery road, and those who perished were beyond counting. The sound of wailing followed them without cease along the way. Cao Cao raged: "Life and death are decreed by fate—what is there to weep about? Anyone who weeps again shall be beheaded at once!" Of the three divisions of his force, one fell behind, one was swallowed in filling the gullies, and one remained with Cao Cao. Once they had passed the steepest ground, the road grew somewhat level. Cao Cao looked back and saw that barely three hundred riders followed him, and not one among them whose armor and robes were whole. He urged them on to greater speed. The officers said: "The horses are completely spent. We must rest a little." Cao Cao said: "We can rest when we reach Jing Province—it is not too late then." They had ridden no more than a few *li* further when Cao Cao raised his whip from horseback and laughed aloud. The officers asked: "Why does Your Excellency laugh again?" Cao Cao said: "Everyone says that Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang are wise and full of schemes. As I see it, they are, in the end, men of no ability. If a single company of troops were laid in ambush here, we would all be captured without a fight."

Before he had finished speaking, a cannon roared, and on both sides five hundred swordsmen with curved blades spread out. At their head was the great general Guan Yu, gripping the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, mounted on the Red Hare Horse, blocking the road ahead. When Cao Cao's soldiers saw him, their souls fled from their bodies and they stared at one another in blank terror. Cao Cao said: "Since we have come to this pass, we must fight to the death!" The officers said: "Though the men may not lack courage, the horses are spent—how can we fight again?" Cheng Yu said: "I have long known that Lord Guan is proud toward those above him but cannot bear to be cruel to those below; he bullies the strong but does not oppress the weak. He distinguishes clearly between kindness and enmity, and his faith and honor are well established. Your Excellency showed him kindness in former days. If you go to him now in person and speak of it, you may escape this calamity."

Cao Cao followed this counsel. He rode forward and, leaning in his saddle, said to Lord Guan: "General, have you been well since we parted?" Lord Guan also inclined his reply: "I have come by the command of our Strategist to wait for Your Excellency, and I have waited long." Cao Cao said: "Cao Cao's army is defeated, his position desperate, and he has reached the end of his road. I look to you to set great store by the bond we shared in former days." Lord Guan said: "In the past, though I received Your Excellency's generous favor, I already repaid it by slaying Yan Liang and putting Wen Chou to death, and lifting the siege of Baima. How dare I set private feeling above the demands of duty today?" Cao Cao said: "Do you still remember the time when you passed through the five passes and cut down the generals? A true man sets great store by honor and faith. You are deeply versed in the *Spring and Annals*—how can you not know the tale of Duke Yi of Zhou pursuing Ziyu Ziru?"

Yunzhang was a man whose sense of honor weighed as heavily as a mountain. He recalled all the favors Cao Cao had shown him in former days, and the matter of passing through five passes and slaying six generals thereafter—how could his heart remain unmoved? Moreover, he saw the Cao soldiers looking distraught, all on the verge of tears, and his heart grew even more reluctant to press them. So he pulled his horse around and called out to the troops, "Spread out in all directions!" This was clearly a signal that he intended to release Cao Cao. When Cao saw Yunzhang turn his horse, he and his generals charged through together. By the time Yunzhang turned back, Cao Cao and his men had already passed. Yunzhang let out a great shout, and his soldiers all dismounted and fell to the ground weeping. Yunzhang's heart grew even more tender. Just as he was hesitating, Zhang Liao came galloping up. When Yunzhang saw him, the affection he felt for this old acquaintance was stirred once more. He heaved a long sigh and let them all go.

A later poet wrote:

Cao Man's routed troops fled through Huarong,

Where Guan Gong met them head-on upon the road.

Only because the debts of old were so heavy,

He unloosed the golden chains and let the dragon escape.

Having escaped the peril at Huarong, Cao Cao marched on until he reached the valley pass. Looking back at the soldiers who had followed him, he found only twenty-seven horsemen. As evening fell and they drew near Nanjun, torches blazed on all sides and a body of men blocked the road. Cao Cao was greatly alarmed and cried, "My life is finished!" But then a troop of scouting riders charged forward, and he recognized them as Cao Ren's men. Only then did his heart settle. Cao Ren came forward and said, "Though I knew our army had been defeated, I dared not go far away, so I waited nearby to welcome you." Cao Cao replied, "I nearly never saw you again!"

He then led his men into Nanjun to rest. Zhang Liao arrived shortly after and spoke of Yunzhang's noble conduct. Cao Cao mustered his officers and found that a great many had been wounded, and he ordered them all to recuperate. Cao Ren set out wine to ease Cao Cao's melancholy, and all the advisors were seated. Suddenly Cao Cao looked up to the sky and broke into anguished weeping. The advisors said, "When Your Excellency escaped from the tiger's lair, you showed no fear or hesitation at all. Now we are in the city, the men have food, and the horses have fodder. This is the time to reorganize the army and seek revenge—why do you weep instead?" Cao Cao said, "I weep for Guo Fengxiao! Had Fengxiao been alive, he would never have allowed me to suffer such a great defeat!" Then he beat his breast and wailed: "Alas, Fengxiao! Grief for Fengxiao! How I regret the loss of Fengxiao!" All the advisors sat in silence, ashamed of themselves.

The next day, Cao Cao summoned Cao Ren and said, "I shall return to Xuchang for now to gather our forces, and I will certainly come back to avenge this. You must hold Nanjun securely. I leave a plan here, sealed up—do not open it unless the situation is urgent, and then act according to its instructions, so that Eastern Wu will not dare to cast covetous eyes upon Nanjun." Cao Ren asked, "Who will defend Hefei and Xiangyang?" Cao Cao replied, "Jingzhou I entrust to your governance. Xiangyang I have already assigned to Xiahou Dun. Hefei is the most critical position—I appoint Zhang Liao as commander, with Yue Jin and Li Dian as his lieutenants, to defend it. If any emergency arises, send word to me at once."

Having made these arrangements, Cao Cao mounted his horse and led his men back to Xuchang. All the civil and military officials who had surrendered in Jingzhou were taken back to Xuchang for reassignment. Cao Ren himself sent Cao Hong to garrison Yiling and Nanjun to guard against Zhou Yu.

Now, Yunzhang had released Cao Cao and was leading his army back. By this time, all the other detachments had returned to Xiakou with horses, equipment, and provisions, but Yunzhang had not captured a single man or horse and returned empty-handed to face Xuande. Zhuge Liang was with Xuande offering congratulations when word suddenly came that Yunzhang had arrived. Zhuge Liang quickly rose from his seat and came forward with a cup in hand, saying, "I rejoice that General Guan has performed this world-shaking deed and removed a great scourge from the realm. A celebration is most fitting."

Yunzhang was silent. Zhuge Liang said, "Could it be that the general is displeased because we did not come out to welcome him from afar?" He turned to his attendants and said, "Why did you not report this earlier?" Yunzhang said, "I have come specifically to ask for death." Zhuge Liang said, "Could it be that Cao Cao did not come by the Huarong Road?" Yunzhang replied, "He came by that way. I was incompetent, and so he escaped." Zhuge Liang said, "What officers or soldiers did you capture?" Yunzhang said, "I captured none." Zhuge Liang said, "This must be because Yunzhang was thinking of the favors Cao Cao showed him in the past and deliberately released him. But since a military pledge has been given, I cannot but enforce military law." He then ordered the guards to take Yunzhang out for execution.

Indeed:

He was ready to lay down his life to repay a friend's trust,

And so for a thousand ages his name for honor will be revered.

What became of Yunzhang's life will be told in the next chapter.