Chapter 13

Li Jue and Guo Si Wage Fierce War; Yang Feng and Dong Cheng Rescue the Emperor

Now Cao Cao had crushingly defeated Lü Bu at Dingtao. Lü Bu gathered the remnants of his routed troops and cavalry on the coast, where all his commanders rejoined him, eager to fight Cao Cao once more. Chen Gong said, “Cao Cao’s forces are now too powerful to contest. First find a place where we can establish ourselves; it will not be too late to return afterward.” Lü Bu said, “I wish to seek refuge with Yuan Shao again. What do you think?” Chen Gong said, “First send someone to Jizhou to learn the situation. Then we may go.” Lü Bu followed his advice.

Meanwhile, in Jizhou, Yuan Shao heard that Cao Cao and Lü Bu were locked in conflict. His adviser Shen Pei came forward and said, “Lü Bu is a jackal and a tiger. If he gains Yanzhou, he will certainly set his sights on Jizhou. Better to help Cao Cao attack him; only then will we be free of this danger.” Yuan Shao therefore sent Yan Liang with fifty thousand troops to assist Cao Cao. A spy learned the news and rushed a report to Lü Bu. Greatly alarmed, Lü Bu consulted Chen Gong. Chen Gong said, “I hear Liu Xuande has newly taken charge of Xuzhou. We may go and seek refuge with him.” Lü Bu accepted his advice and set out for Xuzhou.

Someone reported Lü Bu’s approach to Xuande. Xuande said, “Lü Bu is one of the foremost heroes of valor in our time. We should go out to welcome him.” Mi Zhu said, “Lü Bu is a creature of wolves and tigers. He must not be sheltered. Take him in, and he will harm you.” Xuande said, “Had Lü Bu not attacked Yanzhou before, how could this province have escaped its calamity? Now he comes to me in his extremity. How could he harbor any other intention?” Zhang Fei said, “Brother, your heart is far too kind. Even so, we must be prepared.”

Xuande led his followers thirty li beyond the city and met Lü Bu. Riding side by side, they entered the city. When they had reached the reception hall of the provincial offices and completed the formal courtesies, they sat down. Lü Bu said, “After I joined Excellency Wang Yun in plotting the death of Dong Zhuo, I suffered through the upheaval caused by Li Jue and Guo Si and wandered through the lands east of the passes, where few of the lords would tolerate me. Recently, because the traitor Cao Cao showed no humanity and invaded Xuzhou, you, Governor, came valiantly to Tao Qian’s rescue. I therefore attacked Yanzhou to divide Cao Cao’s strength. But unexpectedly I fell into his treacherous schemes, lost my army, and saw my commanders cut down. Now I have come to join you and undertake great affairs together. I do not know what you may think of this.”

Xuande said, “Governor Tao has newly passed away, and no one remained to administer Xuzhou. I was therefore made acting head of the province. Now, fortunately, you have come, General; it is only right that I yield the office to you.” He thereupon offered Lü Bu the tally and seal.

Lü Bu was just about to take them when he saw Guan Yu and Zhang Fei standing behind Xuande, anger on both their faces. He gave a feigned laugh and said, “Lü Bu is merely a fighting man. How could he serve as provincial governor?” Xuande offered the office again. Chen Gong said, “‘No guest, however strong, should overmaster the host.’ Governor, please have no doubts.” Only then did Xuande desist. He gave a banquet in Lü Bu’s honor and had a residence prepared for him.

The next day, Lü Bu returned the hospitality by inviting Xuande to a feast. Xuande went together with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. When they had drunk to half-intoxication, Lü Bu invited Xuande into the rear hall. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei followed. Lü Bu ordered his wife and daughter to come out and bow before Xuande. Xuande repeatedly declined the honor.

Lü Bu said, “Worthy younger brother, there is no need for such modesty.”

At this Zhang Fei glared and shouted, “My elder brother is a scion of the imperial house! What sort of man are you, that you dare call him your worthy younger brother? Come here! I will fight you for three hundred bouts!”

Xuande hurriedly rebuked him, and Lord Guan persuaded him to leave. Xuande made amends to Lü Bu, saying, “My unworthy brother speaks wildly after drinking. Elder brother, please do not hold it against him.”

Lü Bu sat silent. Soon afterward the feast ended. As Lü Bu escorted Xuande through the gate, Zhang Fei came galloping up, spear held crosswise, and shouted, “Lü Bu! Come fight me for three hundred bouts!”

Xuande urgently ordered Lord Guan to restrain him.

The next day Lü Bu came to take leave of Xuande. “You, Governor, have not rejected me,” he said, “but I fear your younger brothers cannot tolerate my presence. I must seek refuge elsewhere.”

Xuande said, “If you leave, General, the fault will be greatly mine. My unworthy brother has offended you; another day I shall make him apologize. Nearby Xiaopei is where I once stationed my troops. If you do not find the place too cramped and humble, why not rest your horses there for the time being? I shall see that your grain and military supplies are duly provided.”

Lü Bu thanked Xuande and led his army away to establish himself at Xiaopei. Xuande went off to reproach Zhang Fei, but of that there is no more to say.

Now Cao Cao had pacified Shandong and submitted a memorial to the court. He was promoted to General Who Establishes Virtue and made Marquis of Feiting. At that time Li Jue had appointed himself Grand Marshal, while Guo Si had appointed himself General-in-Chief. They acted with utter lawlessness, and no one at court dared speak against them.

Grand Commandant Yang Biao and Minister of Agriculture Zhu Jun secretly memorialized Emperor Xian: “Cao Cao now commands more than two hundred thousand troops and has scores of able advisers and military commanders. If Your Majesty could secure this man’s support for the dynasty, destroy the treacherous faction, and restore order, it would be a great blessing to the realm.”

Emperor Xian wept and said, “We have long suffered the bullying of these two villains. If they could be put to death, it would indeed be a great blessing!”

Yang Biao memorialized, “Your servant has a plan. First cause the two villains to destroy one another. Then summon Cao Cao by imperial edict to lead his army against them. Once their faction is swept away, the court may be secured.”

Emperor Xian said, “How is this plan to be carried out?”

Yang Biao said, “I hear Guo Si’s wife is fiercely jealous. If someone uses a scheme of estrangement through her, the two villains will soon turn upon each other.”

The Emperor wrote a secret edict and entrusted it to Yang Biao. Yang Biao covertly arranged for his wife to enter Guo Si’s residence on another pretext. Finding an opportunity, she told Guo Si’s wife, “I hear General Guo is having an affair with the Grand Marshal’s wife, and that they are extremely intimate. If the Grand Marshal should learn of it, your husband will certainly suffer at his hands. It would be wisest, my lady, to put an end to their dealings.”

Guo Si’s wife said in astonishment, “No wonder he often spends the night away and does not return! So he has been committing such a shameless deed! Had you not told me, madam, I would never have known. I must take careful precautions.”

Yang Biao’s wife announced that she must return home. Guo Si’s wife thanked her again and again before they parted.

Several days later, Guo Si was again preparing to attend a banquet at Li Jue’s residence. His wife said, “Li Jue’s nature is unfathomable. Besides, two great powers cannot stand side by side. If he poisons your wine after you have been drinking, what am I to do?”

Guo Si would not listen, though his wife repeatedly tried to stop him. That evening Li Jue sent over food and wine from his banquet. Guo Si’s wife secretly put poison into it before presenting it to him. Guo Si was about to eat when she said, “This food has come from outside. How can you eat it at once?” She first tested it on a dog, which immediately died. From then on, suspicion took root in Guo Si’s heart.

One day, after the court session had ended, Li Jue insistently invited Guo Si home to feast. The banquet ended at night, and Guo Si returned drunk. By chance, his stomach began to ache.

His wife said, “You must have taken his poison!” She hurriedly ordered that liquid manure be poured down his throat. Only after he had vomited did the pain subside.

Guo Si was furious. “Li Jue and I undertook great affairs together,” he said, “yet now, without cause, he seeks to murder me. If I do not strike first, I will certainly fall victim to his cruelty.”

He secretly mustered the armored troops under his direct command, intending to attack Li Jue. But someone had already carried word to Li Jue.

Li Jue too was furious. “How dare Guo Aduo behave like this!” He assembled the armored troops under his own command and advanced to kill Guo Si. A chaotic battle erupted beneath the city walls, and the soldiers seized the opportunity to plunder the inhabitants.

Li Jue’s nephew Li Xian led troops to surround the palace compound. He brought two carriages, one for the Son of Heaven and one for Empress Fu, and ordered Jia Xu and Zuo Ling to oversee the imperial convoy. All the other palace women and eunuchs were forced to go on foot.

They drove the Emperor and Empress out through the Rear Butchers’ Gate, just as Guo Si’s troops arrived. A storm of arrows flew, killing palace attendants beyond count. Li Jue charged after them, forcing Guo Si’s men to retreat. The imperial convoy made its perilous way out of the city and, without room for question or protest, was carried straight into Li Jue’s camp.

Guo Si led his troops into the palace, seized all the imperial consorts and palace women, and dragged them back to his camp; then he set fire to the palace halls. The next day, learning that Li Jue had abducted the Son of Heaven, Guo Si led his army to attack Li Jue’s camp. The Emperor and Empress were both terrified. A later poet lamented:

Emperor Guangwu revived the Han and renewed its age;Above and below, twelve emperors inherited the line.Under Huan and Ling, the Way failed and the ancestral altars fell;Eunuch ministers seized power as the dynasty declined.

He Jin, without a plan, attained the highest office;To root out palace vermin, he summoned treacherous heroes.Jackals and otters were driven out, but tigers and wolves came in;From the western provinces rose a rebel, savage and depraved.

Wang Yun gave his loyal heart into a beauty’s keeping,And so brought Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu into deadly conflict.The chief of the rebels perished, and the realm seemed at peace—Who knew that Li Jue and Guo Si still nursed their rage?

The sacred realm choked with thorns: what could be done?The inner palaces starved and grieved amid the clash of arms.When people’s hearts had turned away, Heaven’s mandate departed;Heroes carved out their domains and divided rivers and mountains.

Let later rulers study this and remain vigilant;Do not lightly let the golden vessel of empire break.Living souls were crushed, their brains and livers smeared in dust;Shattered hills and dwindling streams ran deep with bitter blood.

I read the surviving histories and cannot master my grief;Across the haze of past and present, I mourn the fallen realm.A sovereign must heed the warning of the mulberry roots:If no one holds the imperial sword, who shall preserve the bonds of rule?

Now when Guo Si’s troops arrived, Li Jue came out of his camp to meet them in battle. Guo Si’s army was defeated and withdrew for the time being.

Li Jue then moved the Emperor’s and Empress’s carriages to the fortress at Mei and ordered his nephew Li Xian to guard them. He cut off access by the palace attendants, and food and drink ceased to arrive regularly. All the courtiers showed signs of hunger.

The Emperor sent a man to ask Li Jue for five hu of rice and five cattle carcasses to distribute among those around him.

Li Jue angrily said, “Food is served morning and evening. Why does he ask for more?” He sent them rotten meat and spoiled grain, all so foul that none of it could be eaten.

The Emperor cursed him: “How can this rebel insult us so!”

Attendant-in-Ordinary Yang Biao hurriedly memorialized, “Li Jue is savage and violent. Since matters have come to this, Your Majesty must endure him for now and not provoke his fury.”

The Emperor lowered his head without a word, tears filling the sleeves of his robe.

Suddenly an attendant reported, “An army is approaching to rescue Your Majesty! Its spears and swords flash in the sun, and its gongs and drums shake the heavens.”

The Emperor asked who it was. It was Guo Si. His heart turned from hope to dread.

Soon a great clamor rose outside the fortress. Li Jue had led his troops out to meet Guo Si. Pointing his whip at him, he cursed, “I have never treated you ungenerously. Why did you plot to murder me?”

Guo Si said, “You are a rebel. Why should I not kill you?”

Li Jue said, “I am protecting the imperial carriage here. How am I a rebel?”

Guo Si said, “You abducted the imperial carriage. How can you call that protection?”

Li Jue said, “No more words! Let neither of us use our soldiers. We two will fight alone and decide the issue. The winner may take the Emperor.”

The two men fought before the battle lines. After ten bouts, neither had gained the advantage.

Then Yang Biao came galloping up and shouted, “Generals, cease for a moment! I have specially invited the assembled officials to come and reconcile you.”

Li Jue and Guo Si each returned to his camp.

Yang Biao and Zhu Jun assembled more than sixty officials of the court and first went to Guo Si’s camp to urge peace. Guo Si promptly detained them all.

The officials said, “We came with good intentions. Why do you treat us in this way?”

Guo Si said, “Li Jue can abduct the Son of Heaven. Why alone should I not abduct the high ministers?”

Yang Biao said, “One of you abducts the Son of Heaven, the other abducts the high ministers. What do you mean to accomplish?”

Guo Si flew into a rage, drew his sword, and was about to kill Yang Biao. Palace General Yang Mi argued forcefully against it. Guo Si then released Yang Biao and Zhu Jun, but kept all the others confined in his camp.

Yang Biao said to Zhu Jun, “We are ministers of the dynasty, yet cannot uphold our sovereign or rescue our lord. We live uselessly between Heaven and Earth!”

When he had spoken, the two embraced and wept, then fainted to the ground. Zhu Jun returned home, fell ill, and died.

From that time forward, Li Jue and Guo Si fought every day for more than fifty days in succession. No one knew the number of the dead.

Li Jue had always delighted in heterodox and demonic arts. He frequently had sorceresses beat drums and summon spirits within the army. Jia Xu repeatedly remonstrated with him, but he would not listen.

Attendant-in-Ordinary Yang Qi secretly memorialized the Emperor: “As your servant sees it, although Jia Xu is one of Li Jue’s closest confidants, in truth he has never forgotten his sovereign. Your Majesty should consult him.”

While he was speaking, Jia Xu arrived. The Emperor dismissed everyone around him and tearfully addressed Jia Xu: “Can you take pity on the house of Han and save our life?”

Jia Xu bowed to the ground and said, “That has always been your servant’s desire. For now, Your Majesty must say nothing. I will devise a way myself.”

The Emperor wiped away his tears and thanked him.

A short while later Li Jue came to see the Emperor, entering with his sword at his side. The Emperor’s face turned the color of earth.

Li Jue said to him, “Guo Si is a disloyal subject. He has imprisoned the high ministers and means to abduct Your Majesty. Were it not for your servant, the imperial carriage would already have been seized.”

The Emperor clasped his hands and thanked him. Li Jue then withdrew.

At the time, Huangfu Li came to see the Emperor. The Emperor knew him to be eloquent and also a native of the same region as Li Jue, so he commanded him to go between the two sides and reconcile them.

Huangfu Li obeyed the edict and hastened to Guo Si’s camp to persuade him.

Guo Si said, “If Li Jue sends out the Son of Heaven, I will release the high ministers.”

Huangfu Li then went to see Li Jue and said, “Because I am a man of Xiliang and come from the same region as you, the Son of Heaven has specially ordered me to reconcile you two lords. Guo Si has already accepted the imperial command. What is your intention?”

Li Jue said, “I performed the great service of defeating Lü Bu. I have assisted the government for four years and achieved many distinguished merits, as all the realm knows. Guo Aduo is nothing but a horse thief, yet he dares abduct the high ministers and oppose me. I swear I will destroy him! Look at my strategy and the strength of my troops. Are they not sufficient to defeat Guo Aduo?”

Huangfu Li replied, “Not so. In ancient times, Hou Yi of Youqiong relied upon his skill in archery and gave no thought to danger, which brought him to destruction. More recently, you saw with your own eyes the power of Grand Preceptor Dong. Lü Bu received his favor, yet turned against him, and in a moment Dong Zhuo’s head was hanging above the state gate. Strength, then, cannot be relied upon.

“You, General, hold the rank of supreme commander, bear the battle-axe and the staff of authority, and have seen your sons, grandsons, and entire clan raised to eminent office. The state’s favor toward you cannot be called ungenerous. Now Guo Aduo has abducted the high ministers, while you, General, have abducted the Supreme One. Which offense is the lighter, and which the graver?”

Li Jue flew into a rage. Drawing his sword, he shouted, “Did the Son of Heaven send you here to insult me? I will cut off your head first!”

Commandant of Cavalry Yang Feng remonstrated, “Guo Si has not yet been eliminated. If you kill the imperial envoy, Guo Si will have a righteous pretext for raising troops, and all the lords will come to his aid.”

Jia Xu also argued forcefully against it, and Li Jue’s anger slightly subsided. Jia Xu then pushed Huangfu Li outside.

Huangfu Li shouted, “Li Jue refuses the imperial command! He means to murder the sovereign and enthrone himself!”

Attendant-in-Ordinary Hu Miao hurriedly stopped him. “Do not utter such words! I fear they will bring harm upon you.”

Huangfu Li rebuked him: “Hu Jingcai! You too are a minister of the court. How can you attach yourself to a rebel? ‘When the sovereign is humiliated, the minister dies.’ If Li Jue kills me, it will only be my proper fate!”

He continued cursing without cease. When the Emperor learned of it, he urgently ordered Huangfu Li to return to Xiliang.

Most of Li Jue’s army consisted of men from Xiliang, and he also depended upon Qiang troops for support. Huangfu Li spread word among the men of Xiliang: “Li Jue is plotting rebellion. Whoever follows him becomes a member of his treasonous faction and will suffer no small calamity afterward.”

Many of the Xiliang men listened to Huangfu Li, and the army’s morale gradually dissolved.

When Li Jue heard what Huangfu Li was saying, he was furious and sent the Tiger Guard Wang Chang in pursuit. Wang Chang knew Huangfu Li to be a loyal and righteous man, so he did not pursue him at all, but merely returned and reported, “No one knows where Huangfu Li has gone.”

Jia Xu also secretly told the Qiang troops, “The Son of Heaven knows that you are loyal and righteous and have long endured the hardships of war. By secret edict, he commands you to return to your commanderies; later you will receive generous rewards.”

The Qiang already resented Li Jue for granting them neither ranks nor rewards. They therefore listened to Jia Xu and all led their troops away.

Jia Xu further memorialized the Emperor in secret: “Li Jue is greedy and without strategy. Now that his troops have dispersed and his heart is fearful, he may be baited with a high title.”

The Emperor issued an edict appointing Li Jue Grand Marshal.

Li Jue rejoiced. “This is the power of the sorceresses’ invocations and prayers!” He richly rewarded the sorceresses but gave nothing to his military commanders.

Commandant of Cavalry Yang Feng was furious. He said to Song Guo, “We have entered death and come out alive, exposing our bodies to arrows and stones. Are our merits worth less than those of sorceresses?”

Song Guo said, “Why not kill this villain and rescue the Son of Heaven?”

Yang Feng said, “Set fire to the central camp as a signal. I will lead my troops in support from outside.”

The two agreed to act during the second watch that night. But their plans were not kept secret, and someone informed Li Jue.

Li Jue was furious. He had Song Guo seized and immediately put to death. Yang Feng led his troops outside but saw no signal fire. Li Jue personally brought out his army and happened upon Yang Feng. They fought chaotically through the encampment until the fourth watch. Unable to prevail, Yang Feng led his army away to Xi’an.

From that time Li Jue’s military power steadily declined. Guo Si also attacked him constantly, and a great many men were killed.

Suddenly a messenger reported, “Zhang Ji has led a great army from Shaanxi and wishes to reconcile you two lords. He declares that if either refuses, he will attack with his troops.”

Li Jue decided to claim the favor of acting first and sent a man to Zhang Ji’s army to accept peace. Guo Si was likewise compelled to agree.

Zhang Ji submitted a memorial requesting that the Son of Heaven proceed to Hongnong.

The Emperor rejoiced. “We have long yearned to return to the eastern capital. That this opportunity now allows us to return is the greatest good fortune!”

By edict Zhang Ji was appointed General of Agile Cavalry. Zhang Ji supplied grain, wine, and meat for the court officials. Guo Si released the high ministers from his camp. Li Jue prepared the imperial convoy for the eastward journey and sent several hundred surviving members of the old Imperial Forest Guard, armed with halberds, to escort it.

The imperial carriage passed Xinfeng and reached Baling. It was autumn, and the golden wind suddenly rose.

All at once a great clamor sounded. Several hundred soldiers came onto the bridge and barred the imperial convoy, shouting sternly, “Who comes there?”

Attendant-in-Ordinary Yang Qi spurred his horse onto the bridge and said, “The sacred carriage is passing. Who dares obstruct it?”

Two commanders came forward. “We have orders from General Guo to guard this bridge against spies. If this is indeed the sacred carriage, we must see the Emperor in person before we can believe it.”

Yang Qi raised the beaded curtain high.

The Emperor addressed them: “We are here in person. Why do you not withdraw?”

The commanders and soldiers all cried, “Long live the Emperor!” and divided to either side. Only then could the imperial convoy pass.

The two commanders returned and reported to Guo Si, “The imperial carriage has gone.”

Guo Si said, “I meant to deceive Zhang Ji, seize the imperial carriage, and take it back into the fortress at Mei. How dare you let it pass on your own authority?”

He beheaded both commanders, raised his army, and hurried in pursuit.

The imperial convoy had just reached Huayin County when shouts behind it shook the sky: “Let the imperial carriage go no farther!”

The Emperor wept and told his ministers, “We have only just escaped the wolf’s lair, and now we meet the tiger’s jaws. What can be done?”

Everyone lost color. The rebel army drew steadily closer.

Then came a rolling burst of drums. From behind a hill emerged a commander leading troops at a gallop. At their head flew a great banner inscribed with four words: “Yang Feng of the Great Han.” With more than a thousand troops, he charged forward.

After Yang Feng had been defeated by Li Jue, he had led his army to encamp below Mount Zhongnan. Now, hearing that the imperial carriage was approaching, he had come especially to protect it.

The battle lines were immediately drawn up. Guo Si’s commander Cui Yong rode out and cursed Yang Feng as a rebel.

Yang Feng was enraged. Turning toward his ranks, he called, “Where is Gongming?”

A commander gripping a great axe spurred his bay horse into a flying gallop and charged straight at Cui Yong. The two horses met, and in a single bout he cut Cui Yong down from the saddle.

Yang Feng seized the advantage and drove forward. Guo Si’s army was crushingly defeated and retreated more than twenty li.

Yang Feng then recalled his troops and came before the Son of Heaven.

The Emperor comforted him, saying, “You have rescued our person. Your merit is not small!”

Yang Feng bowed his head to the ground and gave thanks.

The Emperor said, “Who was the man who cut down the rebel commander just now?”

Yang Feng led the commander forward to bow below the imperial carriage. “This man is from Yang County in Hedong. His surname is Xu, his given name Huang, and his courtesy name Gongming.”

The Emperor praised and rewarded him. Yang Feng escorted the imperial carriage to Huayin, where it halted. General Duan Wei presented clothing, drink, and food. That night the Son of Heaven lodged in Yang Feng’s camp.

After suffering defeat, Guo Si mustered his army the next day and again attacked the camp. Xu Huang was first to ride out.

Guo Si’s great army closed in from eight directions, trapping the Son of Heaven and Yang Feng at the very heart of the encirclement. At this moment of extreme peril, a mighty clamor suddenly rose in the southeast, and a commander came galloping into the attack at the head of an army. The rebel host broke and fled.

Xu Huang pressed the advantage and inflicted a crushing defeat upon Guo Si’s army.

The newcomer came before the Son of Heaven. He was Dong Cheng, a kinsman of the imperial house.

The Emperor tearfully recounted all that had happened.

Dong Cheng said, “Your Majesty need not grieve. General Yang and I swear to behead the two villains and restore peace to the realm.”

The Emperor ordered that they hasten toward the eastern capital. The imperial convoy set out that very night and proceeded toward Hongnong.

Guo Si returned with his defeated troops and encountered Li Jue. He said, “Yang Feng and Dong Cheng have rescued the imperial carriage and are taking it to Hongnong. If it reaches Shandong and establishes a secure footing there, the Emperor will certainly proclaim our crimes throughout the realm and command all the lords to attack us. Even our clans to the third degree will not be spared.”

Li Jue said, “Zhang Ji’s troops now occupy Chang’an, so we cannot move rashly. You and I should seize the opportunity to unite our armies, go to Hongnong, kill the Han sovereign, and divide the realm equally between us. Why should we not?”

Guo Si gladly agreed. The two united their armies and plundered along the road, leaving every place they passed utterly bare.

When Yang Feng and Dong Cheng learned that the rebel army had come from afar, they wheeled their troops about and fought a great battle against it at Dongjian.

Li Jue and Guo Si discussed their strategy. “Our troops are many and theirs are few. We need only overwhelm them in a general melee.”

Li Jue advanced on the left and Guo Si on the right, their soldiers flooding over hills and across fields.

Yang Feng and Dong Cheng fought desperately on both sides and barely managed to bring out the carriages of the Emperor and Empress. The court officials, palace attendants, seals, registers, canonical books, and every kind of imperial possession were all abandoned.

Guo Si led troops into Hongnong and plundered it. Dong Cheng and Yang Feng escorted the imperial carriage north toward Shan, while Li Jue and Guo Si divided their forces in pursuit.

On the one hand, Dong Cheng and Yang Feng sent envoys to negotiate peace with Li Jue and Guo Si. On the other, they secretly carried an imperial command to Hedong, urgently summoning the forces of the former White Wave leaders Han Xian, Li Le, and Hu Cai to come to the rescue.

Li Le too was a bandit who had gathered followers in the mountains and forests, but necessity now compelled the court to summon him. When the three armies heard that the Son of Heaven had pardoned their crimes and would grant them official rank, how could they refuse to come? They struck camp, joined Dong Cheng, and together advanced once more to take Hongnong.

Wherever Li Jue and Guo Si went, they plundered the people. They killed the old and weak and pressed the strong into their army. When they met the enemy, they drove these civilian conscripts before them and called them the “Dare-to-Die Army.” Thus the rebels’ power became immense.

Li Le’s army arrived and joined the others at Weiyang.

Guo Si ordered his soldiers to throw clothing and other possessions along the road. When Li Le’s troops saw garments strewn across the ground, they scrambled to seize them, and their formations collapsed completely.

The armies of Li Jue and Guo Si attacked from every side, plunging the field into chaos. Li Le’s army was crushingly defeated.

Yang Feng and Dong Cheng could not hold the enemy back. They escorted the imperial carriage northward, while the rebel army pursued behind them.

Li Le said, “The danger is urgent! I beg the Son of Heaven to mount a horse and go on ahead!”

The Emperor said, “We cannot abandon the court officials and leave.”

Everyone followed, wailing and weeping. Hu Cai was killed amid the chaotic fighting.

Seeing the rebels pressing close behind, Dong Cheng and Yang Feng urged the Son of Heaven to abandon the carriage and walk to the bank of the Yellow River. Li Le and the others found a small boat to serve as a ferry.

The weather was bitterly cold. The Emperor and Empress, supporting one another with difficulty, reached the bank. But the bank was steep, and they could not descend into the boat, while the pursuing army was about to arrive.

Yang Feng said, “Join the horses’ reins together, bind them around the Emperor’s waist, and lower him into the boat.”

Among the crowd, Fu De, the Empress’s brother, carried more than ten bolts of white silk. He said, “I recovered this silk amid the rout. We can join it together and use it to lower the imperial persons.”

Marching Colonel Shang Hong wrapped the Emperor and Empress in silk and ordered the men first to suspend the Emperor and lower him down. Only then did he reach the boat.

Li Le stood at the bow with sword in hand. Fu De carried his sister, the Empress, down into the boat.

Those on the bank who could not board fought to seize the mooring rope. Li Le cut them all down into the water. After ferrying the Emperor and Empress across, the boat returned to carry the others. Those fighting to cross had their fingers hacked away, and their cries shook the heavens.

When they had crossed to the farther bank, only a little more than ten people remained at the Emperor’s side.

Yang Feng found an ox cart and carried the Emperor to Dayang. There was nothing to eat. That evening they lodged in a tile-roofed cottage. An old countryman offered them millet. The Emperor and Empress ate together, but the grain was so coarse that they could scarcely swallow it.

The next day an edict appointed Li Le General Who Conquers the North and Han Xian General Who Conquers the East. The imperial convoy then resumed its journey.

Two great ministers found their way to it and, weeping, bowed before the carriage. They were Grand Commandant Yang Biao and Grand Coachman Han Rong. The Emperor and Empress both wept.

Han Rong said, “The two villains Li Jue and Guo Si place some trust in your servant’s words. I will risk my life to persuade them to cease hostilities. Your Majesty must carefully preserve the dragon person.”

After Han Rong departed, Li Le invited the Emperor to rest temporarily in Yang Feng’s camp. Yang Biao urged the Emperor to establish his court in Anyi County.

When the imperial carriage reached Anyi, there was no proper residence to be found. The Emperor and Empress both lived in a thatched hut. It had no door to close, so thorn branches were planted on every side to form a screen.

The Emperor discussed affairs with his ministers beneath the thatched roof, while the commanders stationed their troops outside the thorn fence to enforce order.

Li Le and the others monopolized power. If any court official offended them in the least, they beat and cursed him in the Emperor’s presence. They deliberately sent muddy wine and coarse food to the Emperor, who forced himself to accept it.

Li Le and Han Xian jointly submitted recommendations for more than two hundred tattooed convicts, private retainers, shamans, healers, runners, and menials, asking that they all be made colonels, censors, and other officials. There was no time to carve proper seals, so the inscriptions were scratched with awls. All order and dignity vanished.

Han Rong tactfully persuaded the two villains Li Jue and Guo Si. They accepted his arguments and released the court officials and palace attendants, allowing them to return.

That year there was a terrible famine. The people lived on wild plants, and the bodies of the starved lay across the countryside. Zhang Yang, Administrator of Henei, presented rice and meat; Wang Yi, Administrator of Hedong, presented silk and cloth. The Emperor gained a little respite.

Dong Cheng and Yang Feng conferred. On the one hand, they sent men to repair the palace compound at Luoyang; on the other, they planned to escort the imperial carriage back to the eastern capital.

Li Le refused to agree.

Dong Cheng said to him, “Luoyang is the place where the Son of Heaven rightfully established his capital. Anyi is only a small district. How can it accommodate the imperial carriage? To escort His Majesty back to Luoyang is the proper course.”

Li Le said, “You may escort the imperial carriage away. I will remain here.”

Dong Cheng and Yang Feng escorted the imperial carriage on its way.

Li Le secretly sent men to ally with Li Jue and Guo Si so that together they might abduct the Emperor. When Dong Cheng, Yang Feng, and Han Xian learned of the plot, they deployed their troops during the night and hurriedly escorted the imperial carriage toward Ji Pass.

When Li Le heard of this, he did not wait for the armies of Li Jue and Guo Si to arrive, but led his own troops in pursuit.

Around the fourth watch, he caught up below Mount Ji and shouted, “Let the imperial carriage go no farther! Li Jue and Guo Si are here!”

Emperor Xian was terrified, his heart pounding and his courage failing, as fires sprang up all across the mountain.

Indeed:

Before, the two villains divided into two;Now, three villains have united as one.

How the Han Son of Heaven escaped this peril will be told in the next chapter.

Li Jue and Guo Si Wage Fierce War; Yang Feng and Dong Cheng Rescue the Emperor

Now Cao Cao had decisively defeated Lü Bu at Dingtao. Lü Bu gathered the remnants of his defeated troops and horses by the seacoast, where all his officers came together, wishing to fight Cao Cao once more. Chen Gong said, “Cao Cao’s forces are now too powerful to contend with. First find a place where we can settle ourselves. It will not be too late to return afterward.” Lü Bu said, “I wish to seek refuge with Yuan Shao again. What do you think?” Chen Gong said, “First send someone to Jizhou to learn the situation. Then we may go.” Lü Bu followed his advice.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shao was in Jizhou. When he learned that Cao Cao and Lü Bu were locked in conflict, his adviser Shen Pei came forward and said, “Lü Bu is a jackal and a tiger. If he gains Yanzhou, he will certainly set his sights on Jizhou. It would be better to help Cao Cao attack him. Only then can we be free of trouble.” Yuan Shao therefore sent Yan Liang with fifty thousand troops to assist Cao Cao. A spy learned this news and hurried to report it to Lü Bu. Lü Bu was greatly alarmed and discussed the matter with Chen Gong. Chen Gong said, “I hear that Liu Xuande has newly taken charge of Xuzhou. We can go and seek refuge with him.” Lü Bu followed his advice and went straight to Xuzhou.

Someone reported Lü Bu’s arrival to Xuande. Xuande said, “Lü Bu is one of the brave heroes of the present age. We should go out to welcome him.” Mi Zhu said, “Lü Bu is a creature of tigers and wolves. He must not be taken in. If you take him in, he will harm you.” Xuande said, “If Lü Bu had not attacked Yanzhou before, how could this commandery’s disaster have been relieved? Now he is desperate and has come to me. How could he harbor any other intention?” Zhang Fei said, “Elder Brother’s heart is far too kind. Even so, we must be prepared.”

Xuande led his followers thirty li outside the city and met Lü Bu. They rode side by side into the city. When they had all reached the main hall of the provincial offices, they completed the formal courtesies and sat down. Lü Bu said, “After I joined Minister of the Interior Wang Yun in planning the death of Dong Zhuo, I suffered the upheaval caused by Li Jue and Guo Si and wandered through the lands east of the passes, where most of the lords would not tolerate me. Recently, because the villain Cao Cao cruelly invaded Xuzhou, and because you, Governor, gave all your strength to rescuing Tao Qian, I attacked Yanzhou to divide Cao Cao’s forces. Unexpectedly, I fell into his treacherous scheme instead, losing troops and officers. I have now come to join you so that together we may pursue great affairs. I do not know what your honored opinion may be.”

Xuande said, “Governor Tao has only recently died, and no one was left to administer Xuzhou, so I was ordered to take temporary charge of the province’s affairs. Now, fortunately, you have come here. It is proper that I yield the position to you.” He then offered Lü Bu the official tablet and seal. Lü Bu was about to accept them when he saw Lords Guan and Zhang behind Xuande, both looking angry. Lü Bu therefore gave a false laugh and said, “Lü Bu is merely a man of physical courage. How could I serve as Governor of a province?” Xuande offered again. Chen Gong said, “‘A powerful guest must not press down the host.’ Governor, please do not doubt us.” Only then did Xuande stop. He arranged a banquet for Lü Bu and prepared a residence in which he could settle.

The next day, Lü Bu returned the hospitality by inviting Xuande to a banquet, and Xuande went together with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. When they were half drunk, Lü Bu invited Xuande into the rear hall. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei followed him inside. Lü Bu ordered his wife and daughter to come out and bow to Xuande. Xuande repeatedly declined the honor. Lü Bu said, “Worthy younger brother, you need not be so modest.”

When Zhang Fei heard this, he glared and shouted furiously, “My elder brother is of the golden branches and jade leaves of the imperial house! What sort of man are you, that you dare call my elder brother your worthy younger brother? Come here! I will fight you for three hundred bouts!”

Xuande hurriedly shouted for him to stop, and Lord Guan persuaded Zhang Fei to go outside. Xuande spoke soothingly to Lü Bu: “My unworthy younger brother speaks wildly after drinking. Elder Brother, please do not blame him.” Lü Bu remained silent. Soon afterward, the banquet ended. As Lü Bu escorted Xuande out through the gate, Zhang Fei came galloping up with his spear held crosswise and shouted, “Lü Bu! I will fight you for three hundred bouts!” Xuande urgently ordered Lord Guan to restrain him.

The next day, Lü Bu came to take leave of Xuande and said, “You, Governor, have kindly accepted me, but I fear that your younger brothers cannot tolerate me. I ought to seek refuge elsewhere.”

Xuande said, “If you leave, General, my guilt will be great. My unworthy younger brother offended you, and on another day I shall order him to apologize. Nearby is Xiaopei, where I formerly stationed troops. If you do not consider it too small and cramped, General, you may rest your horses there for the time being. I shall respectfully provide the provisions and military supplies. What do you say?”

Lü Bu thanked Xuande and led his own army away to settle at Xiaopei. There is no need to relate how Xuande reproached Zhang Fei.

Now Cao Cao had pacified the lands east of the mountains. A memorial was submitted to the imperial court, and Cao Cao was promoted to General Who Establishes Virtue and Marquis of Feiting. At that time, Li Jue had appointed himself Grand Marshal, while Guo Si had appointed himself General-in-Chief. They acted violently and without restraint, and no one at court dared speak against them.

Grand Commandant Yang Biao and Grand Minister of Agriculture Zhu Jun secretly memorialized Emperor Xian: “Cao Cao now commands more than two hundred thousand troops and has several dozen civil advisers and military officers. If Your Majesty could obtain this man’s support for the dynasty, destroy the treacherous faction, and restore order, it would be a great blessing to the realm.”

Emperor Xian wept and said, “We have long suffered the oppression of these two villains. If We could have them executed, it would truly be a great blessing!”

Yang Biao memorialized, “Your servant has a plan. First make the two villains injure one another. Then summon Cao Cao by imperial edict to lead his troops against them. Once the rebel faction has been swept away, the court may be secured.”

Emperor Xian said, “How is this plan to be carried out?”

Yang Biao said, “I hear that Guo Si’s wife is extremely jealous. If someone uses a scheme of division through her, the two villains will turn against each other.”

The Emperor therefore wrote a secret edict and entrusted it to Yang Biao. Yang Biao secretly had his wife enter Guo Si’s residence on some other pretext. Finding an opportunity, she told Guo Si’s wife, “I hear that General Guo is having an affair with Grand Marshal Li’s wife, and that they are extremely intimate. If the Grand Marshal learns of it, your husband will certainly suffer at his hands. It would be best, my lady, for you to put an end to their dealings.”

Guo Si’s wife said in astonishment, “No wonder he sometimes stays out all night without returning! So he has been doing such a shameless thing! Had you not told me, I would never have known. I must guard carefully against it.”

Yang Biao’s wife announced that she was leaving. Guo Si’s wife repeatedly thanked her, and they parted.

Several days later, Guo Si was again about to go to Li Jue’s residence for a banquet. His wife said, “Li Jue’s nature is unpredictable. Besides, two heroes cannot stand side by side. If he puts poison in your wine after becoming drunk, what am I to do?” Guo Si would not listen, but his wife repeatedly urged him until she made him stay.

That evening, Li Jue sent food and wine from his banquet. Guo Si’s wife secretly put poison into it before presenting it to her husband. Guo Si was just about to eat when his wife said, “This food has come from outside. How can you eat it at once?” She first tested it on a dog, and the dog immediately died. From then on, Guo Si harbored suspicions.

One day, after the court audience had ended, Li Jue forcefully insisted that Guo Si come to his home for a banquet. The feast ended at night, and Guo Si returned drunk. By chance, his stomach began to hurt. His wife said, “You must have been poisoned!” She hurriedly ordered that liquid manure be poured down his throat. After vomiting once, he recovered.

Guo Si was furious and said, “Li Jue and I planned great affairs together, but now, for no reason, he wants to murder me. If I do not strike first, I will certainly fall to his poisonous hand.” He secretly prepared the armored troops of his own command, intending to attack Li Jue.

Someone had already reported the matter to Li Jue. Li Jue was also furious and said, “How dare Guo Aduo do this!” He mustered the armored troops of his own command and came to kill Guo Si. They fought chaotically beneath the city walls, taking advantage of the disorder to plunder the inhabitants.

Li Jue’s nephew Li Xian led troops to surround the imperial compound. He used two carriages, one to carry the Son of Heaven and one to carry Empress Fu, and ordered Jia Xu and Zuo Ling to supervise and escort the imperial carriages. All the other palace women and eunuchs had to walk. They were forced out through the Rear Butchers’ Gate, where they encountered Guo Si’s troops arriving. A storm of arrows was released, killing an unknown number of palace attendants.

Li Jue came up from behind and attacked. Guo Si’s troops withdrew, and the imperial carriages braved the danger and left the city. Without allowing any argument, Li Jue’s men forced them all the way to his camp. Guo Si led his troops into the palace, seized all the imperial consorts and palace women, and carried them off to his camp, then set fire to the palace halls.

The next day, Guo Si learned that Li Jue had abducted the Son of Heaven and led his army to fight before Li Jue’s camp. Both the Emperor and Empress were terrified. A later poet lamented:

Emperor Guangwu restored the Han and made its age flourish;Above and below, twelve emperors followed one another.But Huan and Ling lacked the Way, and the ancestral state declined;Eunuchs seized power as the dynasty neared its end.He Jin, without strategy, became one of the Three Excellencies;To remove the rats within the altar, he summoned treacherous heroes.Though jackals and otters were driven out, tigers and wolves came in;A rebel brute from the western province bred lust and violence.Wang Yun, loyal at heart, entrusted his plan to a painted beauty,And caused Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu to turn against each other.The chief villain was destroyed, and the realm should have found peace;Who knew that Li Jue and Guo Si still nursed resentment?What could be done when thorns filled the sacred land?The inner palaces starved and grieved amid the clash of arms.Once men’s hearts had turned away, Heaven’s mandate departed;Heroes carved up the rivers and mountains and ruled apart.Let later kings take warning and remain watchful in their work;Never lightly let the golden vessel of the realm be broken.Living souls were crushed, their livers and brains smeared on the earth;Broken hills and remnant waters were filled with bitter blood.I read the records left behind and cannot master my grief;Across past and present, dim and vast, I mourn the fallen millet.A ruler must remember the warning to cling to the mulberry roots;Who shall hold the mighty sword and preserve the whole order?

Now when Guo Si’s troops arrived, Li Jue came out of his camp to meet them in battle. Guo Si’s army fared badly and withdrew for the time being. Li Jue then moved the imperial carriages of the Emperor and Empress to the fortress at Mei and ordered his nephew Li Xian to guard them. He cut off access by the palace attendants, and supplies of food and drink failed. All the attending ministers showed signs of hunger.

The Emperor sent someone to ask Li Jue for five hu of rice and five sets of ox bones to bestow on those around him. Li Jue angrily said, “I provide meals morning and evening. Why does he ask for more?” He sent rotten meat and spoiled grain, all of it so foul that it could not be eaten.

The Emperor cursed him: “How can this traitorous villain abuse Us so!”

Attendant-in-Ordinary Yang Biao hurriedly memorialized, “Li Jue is brutal by nature. Matters have come to this point, so Your Majesty must endure him for now. You must not provoke his violence.”

The Emperor lowered his head without speaking, while tears soaked the sleeves of his robe.

Suddenly, attendants reported, “A force of troops is coming to rescue Your Majesty. Their spears and blades shine in the sun, and their gongs and drums shake the sky.”

The Emperor asked who it was and learned that it was Guo Si. His heart became even more troubled. Soon great shouts arose outside the fortress. Li Jue had led his troops out to meet Guo Si. Pointing his whip at him, he cursed, “I have not treated you poorly. Why did you plot to murder me?”

Guo Si said, “You are a traitor. Why should I not kill you?”

Li Jue said, “I am here protecting the imperial carriage. How am I a traitor?”

Guo Si said, “You abducted the imperial carriage. How can you call that protection?”

Li Jue said, “There is no need for more talk! Neither of us will use our soldiers. We two will fight each other and decide victory and defeat ourselves. The winner may take the Emperor.”

The two men then fought before the battle lines. After ten bouts, neither had won. Then Yang Biao came riding up and shouted, “Two Generals, rest a moment! This old man has specially invited the assembled officials to come and make peace between you.”

Li Jue and Guo Si each returned to his own camp.

Yang Biao and Zhu Jun assembled more than sixty court officials and first went to Guo Si’s camp to urge peace. Guo Si instead detained all the officials. They said, “We came with good intentions. Why do you treat us this way?”

Guo Si said, “Li Jue has abducted the Son of Heaven. Why should I alone be forbidden to abduct the highest ministers?”

Yang Biao said, “One abducts the Son of Heaven, and the other abducts the highest ministers. What do you intend to accomplish?”

Guo Si flew into a rage, drew his sword, and was about to kill Yang Biao. General of the Household Yang Mi urgently dissuaded him, so Guo Si released Yang Biao and Zhu Jun but kept all the others confined in his camp.

Yang Biao said to Zhu Jun, “We are ministers of the dynasty, yet we cannot set our ruler right or rescue our sovereign. We live uselessly between Heaven and Earth!”

When he had finished speaking, the two embraced and wept, then fainted to the ground. Zhu Jun returned home, fell ill, and died. From that time onward, Li Jue and Guo Si fought each other every day for more than fifty consecutive days, and no one knew the number of the dead.

Li Jue had always been especially fond of heterodox magic and evil occult arts. He often had sorceresses beat drums and summon spirits within the army. Jia Xu repeatedly remonstrated with him, but he would not listen.

Attendant-in-Ordinary Yang Qi secretly memorialized to the Emperor, “Your servant observes that although Jia Xu is one of Li Jue’s closest confidants, he has in truth never forgotten his sovereign. Your Majesty should plan with him.”

While he was still speaking, Jia Xu arrived. The Emperor dismissed everyone around him and tearfully said to Jia Xu, “Can you take pity on the Han court and save Our life?”

Jia Xu bowed to the ground and said, “That has always been your servant’s desire. Your Majesty must say no more. I shall devise a plan myself.”

The Emperor wiped away his tears and thanked him.

A short while later, Li Jue came to see the Emperor, entering with his sword at his side. The Emperor’s face turned the color of earth.

Li Jue said to him, “Guo Si is disloyal. He has imprisoned the highest ministers and wishes to abduct Your Majesty. If not for your servant, the imperial carriage would already have been seized.”

The Emperor folded his hands and thanked him, and Li Jue left.

At that time Huangfu Li entered to see the Emperor. The Emperor knew that Huangfu Li was eloquent and that he came from the same region as Li Jue, so he issued an edict ordering him to go between the two sides and reconcile them. Huangfu Li obeyed the edict and hurried to Guo Si’s camp to speak with him.

Guo Si said, “If Li Jue sends out the Son of Heaven, I will release the highest ministers.”

Huangfu Li immediately went to see Li Jue and said, “The Son of Heaven knows that I am a man of Xiliang and come from the same region as you. He has specially ordered me to come and urge peace between you two lords. Guo Si has already accepted the edict. What is your intention?”

Li Jue said, “I earned the great merit of defeating Lü Bu. I have assisted in governing for four years and established many distinguished achievements, as all the realm knows. Guo Aduo is nothing but a horse thief, yet he dares seize the highest ministers on his own authority and oppose me. I swear that I will execute him! Look at my strategy, officers, and troops. Are they enough to defeat Guo Aduo or not?”

Huangfu Li replied, “That is not so. In ancient times, Hou Yi of Youqiong relied on his skill in archery and gave no thought to danger, which brought about his destruction. More recently, you personally witnessed the power of Grand Preceptor Dong. Lü Bu received his favor but then plotted against him, and in a moment Dong Zhuo’s head was hanging over the state gate. Thus strength cannot be relied upon. You, General, are a supreme commander, bearing the axe of authority and holding the imperial staff. Your sons, grandsons, and entire clan all occupy eminent positions. The state’s favor toward you cannot be called ungenerous. Now Guo Aduo has abducted the highest ministers, while you, General, have abducted the Supreme One. Which offense is truly lighter, and which is heavier?”

Li Jue was furious. Drawing his sword, he shouted, “Did the Son of Heaven send you to humiliate me? I will cut off your head first!”

Cavalry Commandant Yang Feng remonstrated, “Guo Si has not yet been eliminated. If you kill an imperial envoy, Guo Si will have a rightful pretext for raising troops, and all the lords will assist him.”

Jia Xu also urgently dissuaded Li Jue, whose anger eased a little. Jia Xu then pushed Huangfu Li outside.

Huangfu Li shouted, “Li Jue refuses to obey the imperial edict! He wishes to murder the sovereign and set himself up as ruler!”

Attendant-in-Ordinary Hu Miao hurriedly stopped him, saying, “Do not say this! I fear it will bring harm upon you.”

Huangfu Li rebuked him: “Hu Jingcai! You too are a minister of the court. How can you attach yourself to a traitor? ‘When the sovereign is humiliated, the minister dies.’ If Li Jue kills me, it will only be my proper fate!”

He continued cursing without pause. When the Emperor learned of it, he urgently ordered Huangfu Li to return to Xiliang.

Most of Li Jue’s army consisted of men from Xiliang, and he also relied on Qiang troops for support. Huangfu Li openly declared to the Xiliang men, “Li Jue is plotting rebellion. Anyone who follows him becomes a member of the rebel faction and will face severe consequences later.”

Many of the Xiliang men listened to Huangfu Li, and the army’s resolve gradually dissolved. When Li Jue heard what Huangfu Li was saying, he flew into a rage and sent the Tiger Guard Wang Chang after him. Wang Chang knew that Huangfu Li was a loyal and righteous man, so he did not pursue him at all. He merely returned and reported, “No one knows where Huangfu Li has gone.”

Jia Xu also secretly told the Qiang, “The Son of Heaven knows that you are loyal and righteous and that you have suffered through long and exhausting warfare. He has secretly ordered you to return to your commanderies and will later bestow great rewards on you.”

The Qiang already resented Li Jue for giving them neither ranks nor rewards. They therefore listened to Jia Xu and all withdrew with their troops.

Jia Xu secretly memorialized to the Emperor again: “Li Jue is greedy and lacks strategy. Now that his troops have scattered and his heart is afraid, he can be baited with a high rank.”

The Emperor therefore issued an edict appointing Li Jue Grand Marshal. Li Jue rejoiced and said, “This is the power of the sorceresses’ prayers and summoning of spirits!” He richly rewarded the sorceresses but gave no rewards to his officers.

Cavalry Commandant Yang Feng was furious and said to Song Guo, “We have passed through death to win life, exposing ourselves to arrows and stones. Can it be that our merit is less than that of the sorceresses?”

Song Guo said, “Why not kill this villain and rescue the Son of Heaven?”

Yang Feng said, “Set fire to the central camp as a signal, and I will lead my troops in support from outside.”

The two agreed to act during the second watch that night. Unexpectedly, the affair was not kept secret, and someone informed Li Jue. Li Jue was furious and ordered Song Guo seized and killed at once.

Yang Feng waited outside with his troops but saw no signal fire. Li Jue personally led troops out, encountered Yang Feng, and fought chaotically with him inside the camp until the fourth watch. Yang Feng was defeated and led his army away to Xi’an.

From this point, Li Jue’s military power gradually declined. Moreover, Guo Si constantly attacked him, and very many men were killed. Suddenly, someone came to report, “Zhang Ji is commanding a great army and has arrived from the west of Shan Pass. He wishes to reconcile you two lords and declares that if either refuses, he will lead his troops against him.”

Li Jue decided to claim the favor for himself and first sent a man to Zhang Ji’s army to agree to peace. Guo Si also had no choice but to consent. Zhang Ji submitted a memorial requesting that the Son of Heaven’s carriage proceed to Hongnong.

The Emperor rejoiced and said, “We have long thought of the eastern capital. If We can take this opportunity to return, it will be the greatest of blessings!”

An edict appointed Zhang Ji General of Agile Cavalry. Zhang Ji presented grain, wine, and meat to supply the officials. Guo Si released the highest ministers from his camp. Li Jue prepared the imperial carriages to travel east and sent several hundred men from the former Imperial Forest Guard, carrying halberds, to escort them.

The imperial carriage passed Xinfeng and reached Baling. It was autumn, and a sharp western wind suddenly arose. All at once, loud shouting was heard as several hundred soldiers reached the bridge and blocked the imperial carriage. They sternly demanded, “Who goes there?”

Attendant-in-Ordinary Yang Qi spurred his horse onto the bridge and said, “The sacred carriage is passing. Who dares obstruct it?”

Two officers came forward and said, “We have General Guo’s orders to guard this bridge against spies. Since you say this is the sacred carriage, we must personally see the Emperor before we can believe you and let you pass.”

Yang Qi raised the beaded curtain high. The Emperor declared, “We are here in person. Why do you not withdraw?”

All the officers cried, “Long live the Emperor!” and divided to either side. The imperial carriage was then able to pass.

The two officers returned and reported to Guo Si, “The imperial carriage has already gone.”

Guo Si said, “I meant to deceive Zhang Ji, seize the imperial carriage, and take it back into the fortress at Mei. How could you release it on your own authority?”

He executed the two officers and raised troops to pursue. The imperial carriage had just reached Huayin County when shouts behind it shook the sky, and men cried, “Let the imperial carriage go no farther!”

The Emperor wept and told his ministers, “We have only just left the wolves’ den, and now We meet the tiger’s jaws. What are We to do?”

Everyone lost color. The rebel army drew nearer, but then the sound of massed drums was heard. From behind a mountain came an officer leading troops in a mounted charge. At their head was a great banner bearing four words: “Yang Feng of the Great Han.” More than a thousand troops followed him into the attack.

After Yang Feng had been defeated by Li Jue, he had led his army to camp beneath Mount Zhongnan. Now, hearing that the imperial carriage had arrived, he had come especially to protect it.

The battle lines were immediately drawn up. Guo Si’s officer Cui Yong rode out and cursed Yang Feng as a rebel. Yang Feng was furious. Looking back toward his ranks, he called, “Where is Gongming?”

An officer gripping a great axe galloped out on a fine chestnut horse and charged directly at Cui Yong. The two horses met, and in only one bout he cut Cui Yong down from his horse.

Yang Feng followed up the advantage with a sweeping attack. Guo Si’s army suffered a great defeat and retreated more than twenty li. Yang Feng then recalled his troops and came to see the Son of Heaven.

The Emperor praised and reassured him: “You have rescued Our person. Your merit is not small!”

Yang Feng knocked his head on the ground and gave thanks.

The Emperor said, “Who was the man who just killed the rebel officer?”

Yang Feng brought the officer forward to bow beneath the imperial carriage and said, “This man is from Yang County in Hedong. His surname is Xu, his given name is Huang, and his style name is Gongming.”

The Emperor praised and rewarded him. Yang Feng protected the imperial carriage as far as Huayin, where the Emperor halted. General Duan Wei prepared clothing, drink, and food and presented them to the Emperor. That night, the Son of Heaven lodged in Yang Feng’s camp.

After Guo Si’s defeat, he mustered his army again the next day and attacked the camp. Xu Huang was first to ride out. Guo Si’s great army surrounded them from all eight directions, trapping the Son of Heaven and Yang Feng at the very center.

At the height of the danger, tremendous shouting suddenly arose to the southeast, and an officer led troops in a mounted charge. The rebels collapsed and fled. Xu Huang took advantage of their confusion and attacked, inflicting a great defeat on Guo Si’s army.

The man came to see the Son of Heaven. It was Dong Cheng, a relative of the imperial house. The Emperor tearfully related all that had happened.

Dong Cheng said, “Your Majesty, do not worry. General Yang and your servant swear to kill the two villains and bring peace to the realm.”

The Emperor ordered them to make haste toward the eastern capital. The imperial carriage departed that very night and proceeded toward Hongnong.

Guo Si was returning with his defeated army when he encountered Li Jue and said, “Yang Feng and Dong Cheng have rescued the imperial carriage and taken it toward Hongnong. If it reaches the lands east of the mountains and establishes a secure position, the Emperor will certainly issue proclamations throughout the realm and order all the lords to attack us together. Then even our three generations of kin cannot be preserved.”

Li Jue said, “Zhang Ji’s troops now occupy Chang’an, so we cannot act rashly there. You and I should take this opportunity to combine our forces, go to Hongnong, kill the ruler of the Han, and divide the realm equally between us. Why should we not?”

Guo Si gladly agreed. The two united their troops and plundered along the road, leaving every place they passed completely bare.

When Yang Feng and Dong Cheng learned that the rebel army was coming from afar, they turned their troops back and fought a great battle with the rebels at Dongjian.

Li Jue and Guo Si discussed the situation: “Our forces are many, and theirs are few. We can defeat them through a confused general attack.”

Li Jue therefore took the left, Guo Si the right, and their troops surged forward over the hills and across the fields. Yang Feng and Dong Cheng fought desperately on both sides and barely managed to get the Emperor’s and Empress’s carriage out. The officials, palace attendants, imperial seals and registers, canonical books, and every kind of article for imperial use were all abandoned.

Guo Si led troops into Hongnong and plundered it. Dong Cheng and Yang Feng protected the imperial carriage in flight toward northern Shan, while Li Jue and Guo Si divided their troops and pursued them.

On one hand, Dong Cheng and Yang Feng sent men to negotiate peace with Li Jue and Guo Si. On the other, they secretly carried an imperial command to Hedong, urgently summoning the three forces of Han Xian, Li Le, and Hu Cai, former White Wave commanders, to come to their rescue. Li Le too was a bandit who had gathered followers in the hills and forests, but they had no choice except to summon him.

When the three forces heard that the Son of Heaven would pardon their crimes and grant them offices, how could they refuse to come? They pulled all the soldiers out of their camps, joined Dong Cheng, and advanced together to retake Hongnong.

At that time, wherever Li Jue and Guo Si went, they plundered the people. They killed the old and weak and forced the strong into their army. When facing an enemy, they drove these civilian troops in front and called them the “Dare-to-Die Army.” The rebels’ power was immense.

Li Le’s army arrived and joined the others at Weiyang. Guo Si ordered his soldiers to throw clothing and other articles along the road. When Li Le’s soldiers saw the ground covered with clothes, they rushed to seize them, and their formations entirely collapsed.

Li Jue’s and Guo Si’s armies attacked chaotically from every side, and Li Le’s army suffered a great defeat. Yang Feng and Dong Cheng could not hold the enemy back. They protected the imperial carriage in flight to the north, while the rebel troops pursued from behind.

Li Le said, “The situation is desperate! I ask the Son of Heaven to mount a horse and go on ahead!”

The Emperor said, “We cannot abandon the officials and leave.”

Everyone followed, wailing and weeping. Hu Cai was killed by the troops in the confusion.

Seeing that the rebels were pressing close behind, Dong Cheng and Yang Feng asked the Son of Heaven to abandon the carriage and walk to the bank of the Yellow River. Li Le and the others found a small boat to serve as a ferry.

The weather was bitterly cold. The Emperor and Empress supported each other with difficulty until they reached the bank. The bank was also too high for them to descend into the boat, while the pursuing troops were about to arrive.

Yang Feng said, “We can untie the horses’ reins and fasten them together, bind them around the Emperor’s waist, and lower him into the boat.”

Amid the crowd, Fu De, an imperial brother-in-law, was carrying more than ten bolts of white silk. He said, “I picked up this silk amid the confused fighting. We can join it together and use it to lower the imperial person.”

Marching Colonel Shang Hong wrapped the silk around the Emperor and Empress and ordered the men first to suspend the Emperor and lower him. In this way, he finally reached the boat.

Li Le stood at the bow with sword in hand. Fu De, the Empress’s brother, carried the Empress on his back down into the boat. Those on the bank who could not board struggled to seize the boat’s rope. Li Le hacked them all into the water.

After ferrying the Emperor and Empress across, they sent the boat back for the others. Those who fought to cross had their fingers cut off, and their cries shook the sky.

Once they had crossed to the opposite bank, only a little more than ten people remained around the Emperor. Yang Feng found an ox cart and carried the Emperor to Dayang. They had no food. That evening, they lodged in a tiled cottage. An old countryman presented them with millet rice, which the Emperor shared with the Empress, but it was so coarse that they could hardly swallow it.

The next day, an edict appointed Li Le General Who Conquers the North and Han Xian General Who Conquers the East, and the imperial party resumed its journey.

Two great ministers found them and came weeping to bow before the cart. They were Grand Commandant Yang Biao and Grand Coachman Han Rong. The Emperor and Empress both wept.

Han Rong said, “The two villains Li Jue and Guo Si place some trust in your servant’s words. I will risk my life and go persuade the two villains to cease hostilities. Your Majesty must carefully preserve your dragon person.”

After Han Rong left, Li Le asked the Emperor to rest temporarily in Yang Feng’s camp. Yang Biao asked the Emperor to establish his court in Anyi County.

When the imperial carriage reached Anyi, there were unfortunately no lofty buildings, so the Emperor and Empress both lived in a thatched hut. There was not even a door that could be closed, so thorn branches were planted on all four sides as a screen.

The Emperor discussed affairs with his ministers beneath the thatched roof, while the generals led troops outside the fence to keep control. Li Le and the others monopolized power. If the officials offended them in the slightest, they would beat and curse them in the Emperor’s presence. They deliberately sent the Emperor muddy wine and coarse food, which the Emperor forced himself to accept.

Li Le and Han Xian also jointly recommended more than two hundred tattooed convicts, personal retainers, shamans, physicians, runners, and common soldiers for appointment as colonels, imperial censors, and other officials. There was no time to carve seals, so they scratched them out with awls, without the least proper form or order.

Meanwhile, Han Rong tactfully persuaded the two villains Li Jue and Guo Si. They accepted his words and released the officials and palace attendants to return.

That year there was a great famine. The people all ate wild plants, and starved corpses covered the countryside. Zhang Yang, Administrator of Henei, presented rice and meat, while Wang Yi, Administrator of Hedong, presented silk cloth. The Emperor thereby gained a little peace.

Dong Cheng and Yang Feng discussed the matter. On one hand, they sent men to repair the palace compound at Luoyang, intending to escort the imperial carriage back to the eastern capital. Li Le refused to agree.

Dong Cheng said to Li Le, “Luoyang is the place where the Son of Heaven originally established the capital. Anyi is only a small place. How can it accommodate the imperial carriage? Escorting His Majesty back to Luoyang is now the proper course.”

Li Le said, “You may escort the imperial carriage away. I will remain here.”

Dong Cheng and Yang Feng therefore escorted the imperial carriage on its journey. Li Le secretly sent men to join with Li Jue and Guo Si so that together they could seize the imperial carriage.

Dong Cheng, Yang Feng, and Han Xian learned of the plot. During the night, they deployed their soldiers and escorted the imperial carriage in a hurried flight toward Ji Pass.

When Li Le heard of this, he did not wait for Li Jue’s and Guo Si’s troops to arrive but personally led the men and horses of his own command in pursuit. Around the fourth watch, he caught up beneath Mount Ji and shouted, “Let the imperial carriage go no farther! Li Jue and Guo Si are here!”

Emperor Xian was so frightened that his heart trembled and his courage failed. Firelight suddenly rose all across the mountain. Truly:

Before, the two villains divided into two;Now, the three villains have joined into one.

How the Han Son of Heaven escaped this danger will be explained in the next chapter.