Chapter 78

The Divine Physician Dies Treating a Head Affliction; The Arch-Hero’s Fate Ends with His Last Commands

Now when the King of Hanzhong heard that Lord Guan and his son had been slain, he wept and fell senseless to the ground. His civil and military officers hastened to revive him, and only after a long while did he regain consciousness. They helped him into the inner hall. Kongming exhorted him, saying, “My lord, restrain your grief. From ancient times it has been said, ‘Life and death are decreed by fate.’ Lord Guan was habitually unyielding and self-confident, and for that reason met with this calamity today. Your Majesty should take care of your honored person for the present and calmly devise a plan for vengeance.” Xuande said, “When I swore brotherhood with my two younger brothers, Guan and Zhang, in the Peach Garden, we vowed to live and die together. Now that Yunchang is dead, how can I enjoy wealth and honor alone?” Before he had finished speaking, Guan Xing came in, wailing bitterly. At the sight of him, Xuande gave a great cry and again wept himself unconscious. The officers revived him. Each day he fainted from grief three or five times; for three days he took neither water nor broth, but did nothing save weep. His tears soaked his robe, leaving stains of blood. Kongming and all the officers repeatedly sought to console him. Xuande said, “I swear that Eastern Wu and I shall not exist beneath the same sun and moon!” Kongming said, “I have heard that Eastern Wu presented Lord Guan’s head to Cao Cao, and that Cao buried it with the rites due a prince and noble.” Xuande said, “What was the meaning of this?” Kongming replied, “Eastern Wu wished to shift the blame onto Cao Cao. Cao perceived their design and therefore buried Lord Guan with lavish honors, intending that Your Majesty’s resentment should fall upon Wu.” Xuande said, “I shall raise an army this very day and call Wu to account, that I may avenge my wrong!” Kongming remonstrated: “You must not. At present Wu wishes to make us attack Wei, while Wei wishes to make us attack Wu. Each harbors a treacherous design and watches for an opening to exploit. Your Majesty should keep the army motionless and first hold the funeral rites for Lord Guan. When Wu and Wei fall at odds, you may seize the moment and attack.” The officers also remonstrated with him again and again. Only then did Xuande take food. He issued an order that every officer and soldier, high and low, throughout the Riverlands should don mourning. The King of Hanzhong went in person beyond the southern gate to summon back the spirit and perform the funeral sacrifice, wailing throughout the day.

Now Cao Cao was in Luoyang. Ever since he had buried Lord Guan, whenever he closed his eyes at night he saw him. Cao was greatly alarmed and questioned his officers. They said, “The old halls of the traveling palace at Luoyang are much haunted by evil spirits. A new hall should be built for Your Majesty’s residence.” Cao said, “I wish to erect a hall called the Hall of the New Beginning, but regret that I have no master craftsman.” Jia Xu said, “There is a fine craftsman in Luoyang named Su Yue, a man of surpassing ingenuity.” Cao summoned him and ordered him to draw up plans. Su Yue designed a great hall nine bays wide, with covered walks, side buildings, towers, and pavilions before and behind, and presented it to Cao. Cao examined it and said, “Your design accords perfectly with my wishes, but I fear there is no timber fit for its ridge beam.” Su Yue said, “Thirty li from the city is a pool called Leaping Dragon Pool. Before it stands a shrine called Leaping Dragon Shrine. Beside the shrine grows a great pear tree more than ten zhang high, which would serve as the beam of the Hall of the New Beginning.”

Cao was delighted and at once ordered workmen to go there and fell it. The next day they returned and reported that no saw could cut the tree and no ax could bite into it, so it could not be felled. Cao refused to believe them. He personally led several hundred horsemen straight to Leaping Dragon Shrine, where he dismounted and looked up at the tree. It towered like a magnificent canopy and rose sheer into the cloudy heavens, without a single crooked joint. Cao ordered it cut down. Several village elders came forward and remonstrated: “This tree is already several hundred years old, and a divine being often dwells upon it. We fear it must not be felled.” Cao flew into a rage. “For more than forty years I have traveled throughout all beneath Heaven. From the Son of Heaven above to the common people below, there is none who does not fear me. What demon or spirit is this that dares oppose my will?” With that, he drew the sword at his side and struck the tree himself. There came a ringing clang, and blood spattered all over him. Cao started back in horror, flung away his sword, mounted his horse, and returned to the palace. That night, during the second watch, he lay down but could not rest. He sat in the hall, leaned upon an armrest, and dozed. Suddenly he saw a man with disheveled hair and a sword in hand, dressed all in black, stride directly before him. Pointing at Cao, the man shouted, “I am the spirit of the pear tree! In building the Hall of the New Beginning, you intend to usurp the throne, and now you have come to fell my sacred tree! I know that the number of your days is exhausted, and I have come expressly to kill you!” Cao was appalled and cried out, “Where are my guards?” The black-clad man raised his sword to strike him. Cao gave a great cry and suddenly awoke, his head aching beyond endurance. He hastily issued orders to seek skilled physicians everywhere, but none of their treatments could cure him. All his officers were deeply troubled.

Hua Xin entered and memorialized: “Does Your Majesty know of the divine physician Hua Tuo?” Cao said, “Do you mean the man who treated Zhou Tai in Jiangdong?” Hua Xin said, “The same.” Cao said, “Though I have heard his name, I do not know his methods.” Hua Xin replied, “Hua Tuo, whose courtesy name is Yuanhua, is a native of Qiao County in the state of Pei. The wonders of his medical art are rarely equaled in the world. Whenever he has a patient, he uses medicine, needles, or moxibustion as the case requires, and the sufferer is cured at his touch. If the illness lies in the five viscera or six bowels and medicine cannot take effect, he gives the patient a numbing decoction to drink, causing him to become as insensible as one dead from intoxication. He then uses a sharp knife to cut open the abdomen and washes the organs with a medicinal broth, while the patient feels not the slightest pain. When the washing is done, he sews up the opening with medicated thread and applies medicine to it; within a month, or perhaps twenty days, the patient is completely restored. Such are the wonders of his art. One day, while Hua Tuo was traveling along a road, he heard a man groaning. Hua Tuo said, ‘This is an ailment in which food and drink cannot pass down.’ He questioned the man and found it was indeed so. Hua Tuo ordered him to drink three sheng of garlic-and-pickle juice. The man vomited up a snake two or three chi long, and at once could eat and drink again. Chen Deng, Governor of Guangling, suffered from distress and oppression in his chest; his face was red, and he could take no food. He sought treatment from Hua Tuo, who gave him medicine to drink. Chen Deng vomited three sheng of worms, all with red heads and writhing from head to tail. Deng asked the cause. Hua Tuo said, ‘This poison arose because you ate too much raw fish. Although you are cured today, after three years it will certainly return, and then you cannot be saved.’ Three years later, Chen Deng indeed died. Another man had a tumor growing between his eyebrows, which itched beyond endurance, and asked Hua Tuo to examine it. Hua Tuo said, ‘There is a flying creature inside.’ Everyone laughed at him. Hua Tuo cut the tumor open with a knife, whereupon a yellow sparrow flew out and the patient was immediately cured. Another man had been bitten on the toe by a dog, after which two lumps of flesh grew there. One was unbearably painful and the other unbearably itchy. Hua Tuo said, ‘Inside the painful one are ten needles, and inside the itchy one are two black-and-white gaming pieces.’ No one believed him. Hua Tuo cut them open with his knife, and everything proved exactly as he had said. This man is truly of the same order as Bian Que and Master Cang. He now resides in Jincheng, not far from here. Why does Your Majesty not summon him?”

Cao immediately sent men riding through the night to invite Hua Tuo to the palace, where he ordered him to feel his pulse and examine his illness. Hua Tuo said, “Your Majesty’s headache arose from an affliction of wind. The root of the illness lies within the brain, where the wind-borne phlegm cannot escape. It is useless to take medicinal decoctions, for they cannot cure it. I have one method: first drink a numbing decoction, and then let me cleave open your skull with a sharp ax and remove the wind-borne phlegm. Only thus can the root be eradicated.” Cao flew into a rage. “Do you mean to murder me?” Hua Tuo said, “Has Your Majesty not heard how Lord Guan was struck by a poisoned arrow and wounded in his right arm? I scraped the poison from his bone, yet Lord Guan showed not the least trace of fear. Why should Your Majesty be so suspicious over this trifling ailment?” Cao said, “An aching arm may be scraped, but how can a man’s skull be split open? You must have been on intimate terms with Lord Guan, and now mean to seize this opportunity to avenge him!” He called to his attendants to seize Hua Tuo and cast him into prison, there to be tortured and interrogated concerning his intentions. Jia Xu remonstrated: “A skilled physician such as this has scarcely an equal in the world. He must not be destroyed.” Cao rebuked him: “This man means to seize the opportunity to harm me. He is no different from Ji Ping!” He urgently ordered that the interrogation under torture continue.

While Hua Tuo was in prison, there was a jailer surnamed Wu, whom everyone called Jailer Wu. Every day this man supplied Hua Tuo with food and wine. Grateful for his kindness, Hua Tuo told him, “I am now about to die. My only regret is that my Book of the Green Satchel has not been transmitted to the world. I am grateful for your great kindness, yet have no other means of repaying you. I shall write a letter, which you may send to my home to obtain the Book of the Green Satchel. I will give it to you, so that you may carry on my art.” Jailer Wu was overjoyed. “If I obtain this book, I shall leave this service and treat the sick throughout the world, thereby perpetuating your virtue, Master.” Hua Tuo immediately wrote a letter and gave it to Jailer Wu. Jailer Wu went straight to Jincheng, presented it to Hua Tuo’s wife, obtained the Book of the Green Satchel, and returned to the prison, where he handed it to Hua Tuo. After inspecting it, Hua Tuo presented the book to Jailer Wu, who carried it home and hid it away. Ten days later, Hua Tuo died in prison. Jailer Wu bought a coffin and saw to his encoffinment and burial. Then he resigned his post and returned home, intending to take out the Book of the Green Satchel and study it. But there he saw his wife burning the book. Jailer Wu was horrified and rushed to snatch it away, but the whole volume had already been consumed, with only a page or two remaining. Jailer Wu angrily berated his wife. She said, “Even if you learned arts as wondrous as Hua Tuo’s, you would only end by dying in prison. What use would they be?” Jailer Wu sighed and let the matter rest. For this reason, the Book of the Green Satchel was never transmitted to the world. All that survived were minor methods for castrating chickens and swine and the like, which had been recorded on the one or two pages saved from the fire. A later poet lamented:

Hua Tuo’s immortal arts matched those of Master Changsang;His divine perception pierced a wall to see what lay beyond.Alas, the man is dead, his book forever lost;No later age shall see the Green Satchel again.

Now after Cao Cao had put Hua Tuo to death, his illness grew still more severe, while the affairs of Wu and Shu added to his anxieties. As he was brooding over these matters, a close attendant suddenly reported that Eastern Wu had sent an envoy bearing a letter. Cao took the letter, broke its seal, and read it. In substance, it said:

Your subject Sun Quan has long known that Heaven’s Mandate has passed to Your Majesty. I humbly pray that you will swiftly assume the supreme station and send your generals to destroy Liu Bei and pacify the two riverlands. Your subject will then lead all his followers in surrendering our territory and submitting to your rule.

When Cao had finished reading, he laughed aloud and showed the letter to his ministers, saying, “This fellow means to set me atop a blazing furnace!” Palace Attendant Chen Qun and others memorialized: “The imperial house of Han has long been in decline, while Your Highness’s merit and virtue tower aloft, and all living souls look to you with hope. Now Sun Quan declares himself your subject and submits to your mandate. Heaven and mankind answer as one; strange portents and human voices are in accord. Your Highness should comply with Heaven and follow the wishes of the people by swiftly assuming the supreme station.” Cao smiled and said, “I have served the Han for many years. Though my merit and virtue have benefited the people, my rank has risen to king, the highest of names and titles. How could I dare entertain any further ambition? If the Mandate of Heaven truly rests with me, then I shall be King Wen of Zhou.” Sima Yi said, “Now that Sun Quan has declared himself a subject and offered allegiance, Your Majesty may confer office and rank upon him and order him to resist Liu Bei.” Cao followed this advice. He submitted a memorial appointing Sun Quan General of Agile Cavalry, Marquis of Nanchang, and Governor of Jingzhou. That same day, he dispatched an envoy bearing the patent and imperial command to Eastern Wu.

Cao’s illness steadily worsened. One night he suddenly dreamed that three horses were feeding from the same trough. At dawn he asked Jia Xu, “Some time ago I dreamed that three horses fed from the same trough, and I suspected Ma Teng and his sons would bring calamity. Now Ma Teng is dead, yet last night I again dreamed that three horses fed from the same trough. Does this portend good fortune or disaster?” Jia Xu said, “A stipend horse is an auspicious omen. Since the stipend horse returns to Cao, why should Your Majesty harbor doubts?” Because of this, Cao ceased to suspect anything. A later poet wrote:

Three horses at one trough gave cause enough for doubt;He knew not that the roots of Jin were planted even then.For all Cao Cao’s cunning as a treacherous hero,How could he discern the Sima masters at his court?

That night Cao lay in his bedchamber. At the third watch, feeling his head swim and his vision blur, he rose and lay forward over a table. Suddenly he heard a sound in the hall like silk being torn. Cao looked up in alarm and saw Empress Fu, Noble Lady Dong, the two imperial princes, Fu Wan, Dong Cheng, and more than twenty others, all covered in blood and standing amid clouds of sorrow. Faintly he heard them calling for his life. Cao hastily drew his sword and slashed into the air. Suddenly there came a tremendous crash that shook down the southwestern corner of the hall. Cao fell senseless to the floor in terror. His attendants carried him out and moved him to another palace to recuperate. The next night, he again heard the ceaseless weeping of men and women outside the hall. At dawn, Cao summoned his ministers and said, “For more than thirty years I have lived amid warhorses and weapons, and never once believed in strange and supernatural things. Why, then, is this happening to me today?” His ministers memorialized, “Your Majesty should command Daoist priests to establish an altar and perform rites to avert calamity.” Cao sighed and said, “The Sage said, ‘He who has offended against Heaven has nowhere to pray.’ My Heaven-ordained span is exhausted; how can I be saved?” He therefore refused to permit the rites.

The next day, Cao felt his vital breath surge into his upper chest, and his eyes could see nothing. He urgently summoned Xiahou Dun for counsel. When Xiahou Dun reached the doors of the hall, he suddenly saw Empress Fu, Noble Lady Dong, the two imperial princes, Fu Wan, Dong Cheng, and the others standing amid dark clouds. Xiahou Dun was horrified and fell unconscious. His attendants carried him away, and from that time onward he too was ill. Cao summoned Cao Hong, Chen Qun, Jia Xu, Sima Yi, and others to his bedside and entrusted his affairs to them. Cao Hong and the others struck their foreheads against the floor and said, “May Your Majesty carefully preserve your precious person. Before many days have passed, you will surely recover completely.” Cao said, “For more than thirty years I have ranged unhindered throughout the realm. All the rival heroes have been destroyed, and only Sun Quan in Jiangdong and Liu Bei in western Shu remain unconquered. My illness is now mortal, and I shall not be able to speak with you again, so I entrust my family affairs to you. My eldest son, Cao Ang, was born of Lady Liu, but unhappily died in his youth at Wancheng. Lady Bian bore me four sons: Pi, Zhang, Zhi, and Xiong. All my life I have loved my third son, Zhi, but his character is vain and showy, with little sincerity; he is fond of wine and unrestrained in conduct, and for that reason I do not establish him as heir. My second son, Cao Zhang, is brave but lacks judgment. My fourth son, Cao Xiong, is sickly and unlikely to survive. Only my eldest, Cao Pi, is sincere, generous, respectful, and circumspect; he can succeed to my enterprise. You must assist him.”

Cao Hong and the others tearfully accepted his command and withdrew. Cao ordered his attendants to bring out the precious incense he had collected over the years and divide it among his concubines. He further instructed them: “After my death, you must diligently practice women’s handiwork and make many silk shoes. By selling them, you may earn money to support yourselves.” He also commanded that the concubines should mostly reside in Bronze Bird Terrace, where sacrifices must be offered every day and female musicians made to perform as food was presented. He further left orders that seventy-two false tombs be constructed outside the Military Exercises Citadel in Zhangde Prefecture, so that later generations would not know where he was buried, for fear that men might dig up his grave. When he had finished giving these instructions, he heaved a long sigh, and tears fell like rain. A moment later, his breath ceased and he died. He was sixty-six years old. It was the first month of spring in the twenty-fifth year of Jian’an. A later poet composed a “Song of Ye” lamenting Cao Cao:

Ye is Ye’s walled city, and its river is the Zhang;Surely some extraordinary man must rise from such a place.Heroic schemes, refined pursuits, and a literary heart—Sovereign and minister, brothers, and father and son.No hero ever bore a vulgar heart;Could his comings and goings lie within common sight?The chief of merit and the chief of guilt were not two men:One body left both lasting infamy and fragrant fame.His writings had divine force, his rule an awesome spirit;How could he idly dissolve into the common herd?Amid the surging flood he built his terrace facing Taihang;His vital force and reasoned power rose and fell together.How could such a man refrain from rebellion—A petty hegemon at least, and at the greatest, king?Yet king and hegemon stooped to weep like wife and child,His heart aggrieved by what no power could remedy.He knew full well the incense by his bed could bring no aid,Yet its division cannot be called wholly without feeling.Alas! In all the deeds the ancients did, great or small,Their lonely splendor always held some hidden purpose.Bookish scholars lightly judge the man within the tomb;The man within the tomb laughs at your bookish airs!

Now when Cao Cao died, all the civil and military officers raised the lamentation. At the same time, messengers were sent to report the death to the heir apparent Cao Pi, Cao Zhang the Marquis of Yanling, Cao Zhi the Marquis of Linzi, and Cao Xiong the Marquis Huai of Xiao. The officers encoffined Cao in a golden inner coffin and a silver outer coffin, then escorted the bier through the night to Ye Commandery. When Cao Pi learned of his father’s death, he wept aloud. Leading all the officers, high and low, he went ten li beyond the city and prostrated himself beside the road to receive the bier. He escorted it into the city and placed it in a side hall. The officials donned mourning and gathered in the hall to weep. Suddenly one man stepped boldly forward and said, “I beg the heir apparent to restrain his grief so that we may deliberate upon the great matter.” They looked and saw that it was Sima Fu, Palace Gentleman to the Heir Apparent. Sima Fu said, “Now that the King of Wei has passed away, the whole realm is shaken. His successor should be enthroned without delay to reassure the hearts of the people. Why do nothing but weep?” The ministers said, “The heir apparent should succeed to the throne, but we have not yet received the Son of Heaven’s edict. How can we act precipitately?” Chen Jiao, Minister of War, said, “The King has died away from the capital. If his beloved sons establish themselves privately and conflict arises between them, the state will be endangered.” Thereupon he drew his sword, cut the sleeve from his robe, and cried sternly, “This very day, we must invite the heir apparent to succeed to the throne. If any officer voices a contrary opinion, let this robe be his example!” All the officers trembled in fear. Suddenly it was reported that Hua Xin had galloped in from Xuchang. Everyone was greatly astonished. Presently Hua Xin entered. They asked the purpose of his coming. Hua Xin said, “Now that the King of Wei has passed away, the whole realm is shaken. Why do you not ask the heir apparent to succeed to the throne without delay?” The officers said, “Precisely because there was no time to await an imperial edict, we were discussing whether to enthrone the heir apparent as king by the benevolent command of Queen Dowager Bian.” Hua Xin said, “I have already obtained an imperial edict from the Emperor of Han. It is here.” Everyone leaped for joy and offered congratulations. Hua Xin drew the edict from his robe, opened it, and read it aloud. In truth, Hua Xin served Wei with fawning devotion, and so had drafted this edict himself and coerced Emperor Xian into issuing it. The Emperor had no choice but to comply. Thus the edict was issued, immediately appointing Cao Pi King of Wei, Imperial Chancellor, and Governor of Jizhou. That same day, Cao Pi ascended the throne and received the prostrations and ceremonial homage of all his officials, high and low.

In the midst of the celebratory banquet, it was suddenly reported that Cao Zhang, Marquis of Yanling, had arrived from Chang’an at the head of a hundred thousand troops. Cao Pi was greatly alarmed and asked his ministers, “My yellow-bearded younger brother has always been unyielding by nature and is thoroughly versed in the martial arts. Now he has brought an army from afar; he must mean to contest the kingship with me. What is to be done?” Suddenly a man below the steps answered and came forward: “I beg leave to go and meet the Marquis of Yanling. With a few words, I shall bring him to submission.” Everyone said, “No one but you, Grandee, can resolve this calamity.” Indeed:

Now see what passes between Cao Pi and Cao Zhang,Who nearly repeat the strife of Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang.

Who this man was will be revealed in the chapter that follows.

The Divine Physician Dies Treating a Head Affliction; The Arch-Hero’s Fate Ends with His Last Commands

Now when the King of Hanzhong heard that Lord Guan and his son had been killed, he wept until he collapsed to the ground. His civil and military officials hurried to revive him, and only after a long while did he regain consciousness and allow them to help him into the inner hall. Kongming advised him, “My lord, do not grieve so deeply. As the old saying goes, ‘Life and death are decreed by fate.’ Lord Guan was always unyielding and proud, and that is why this disaster befell him today. For now, Your Majesty should take care of your noble person and slowly plan how to avenge him.” Xuande said, “When I swore brotherhood with my younger brothers Guan and Zhang in the Peach Garden, we vowed to live and die together. Now that Yunchang is dead, how can I enjoy wealth and honor alone?” Before he had finished speaking, Guan Xing came in, wailing bitterly. At the sight of him, Xuande gave a great cry and again wept until he lost consciousness and fell to the ground. The officials revived him. Each day he fainted from grief three to five times, and for three days he took neither food nor drink, but only wept bitterly. His tears soaked his robe and left it spotted with blood. Kongming and the officials repeatedly tried to console him. Xuande said, “I swear that Eastern Wu and I shall not exist beneath the same sun and moon!” Kongming said, “I have heard that Eastern Wu presented Lord Guan’s head to Cao Cao, and that Cao Cao buried him with the rites due a prince.” Xuande said, “What was the meaning of that?” Kongming replied, “Eastern Wu wished to shift the blame onto Cao Cao. Cao Cao saw through the scheme, and so buried Lord Guan with great honors, intending that Your Majesty direct your hatred toward Wu.” Xuande said, “I will raise an army this very moment and call Wu to account, to avenge my hatred!” Kongming remonstrated, “You must not. At present Wu wishes to make us attack Wei, while Wei wishes to make us attack Wu. Each side harbors a treacherous scheme and waits for an opening to exploit. Your Majesty should keep the army in place and take no action, and first hold the funeral rites for Lord Guan. When Wu and Wei fall out with each other, you may seize the opportunity to attack.” The officials also remonstrated with him again and again. Only then did Xuande take food. He issued an order that every officer and soldier throughout the Riverlands put on mourning. The King of Hanzhong personally went out through the southern gate to summon the dead man’s spirit and conduct the funeral sacrifice, wailing throughout the entire day.

Meanwhile, Cao Cao was in Luoyang. Ever since burying Lord Guan, he saw him whenever he closed his eyes at night. Cao Cao was greatly frightened and asked his officials about it. They said, “The old halls of the traveling palace in Luoyang are infested with spirits. A new hall should be built for Your Majesty to live in.” Cao Cao said, “I wish to construct a hall called the Hall of the New Beginning, but unfortunately I have no master craftsman.” Jia Xu said, “There is a fine craftsman in Luoyang named Su Yue, who is exceptionally ingenious.” Cao Cao summoned him and ordered him to draw up plans. Su Yue designed a great hall nine bays wide, with covered walkways, side buildings, towers, and pavilions before and behind, and presented the plans to Cao Cao. After examining them, Cao Cao said, “Your design suits my wishes very well, but I fear there is no timber fit for the main beam.” Su Yue said, “Thirty li from the city is a pool called Leaping Dragon Pool. Before it stands a shrine called Leaping Dragon Shrine. Beside the shrine grows a great pear tree more than a hundred feet tall, which would serve as the main beam of the Hall of the New Beginning.”

Cao Cao was delighted and immediately sent workmen there to cut it down. The next day they returned and reported that their saws could not bite into the tree and their axes could not penetrate it, so they were unable to fell it. Cao Cao did not believe them. He personally led several hundred horsemen straight to Leaping Dragon Shrine, dismounted before it, and looked up at the tree. It rose straight and stately like a magnificent canopy, reaching into the clouds, and had no bends or knots. Cao Cao ordered it cut down. Several village elders came forward and remonstrated, “This tree is already several hundred years old, and a divine being often dwells in it. We fear it must not be felled.” Cao Cao flew into a rage and said, “For more than forty years I have traveled throughout all the world beneath Heaven. From the Son of Heaven above to the common people below, there is no one who does not fear me. What kind of monstrous spirit is this, that it dares oppose my will?” When he had spoken, he drew the sword he wore and struck the tree himself. There came a metallic clang, and blood spattered all over him. Cao Cao was stunned and terrified. He threw down his sword, mounted his horse, and returned to the palace. During the second watch that night, Cao Cao slept uneasily. He sat in the hall, leaned against a low table, and dozed off. Suddenly he saw a man with disheveled hair and a sword in his hand, dressed in black, come straight before him. Pointing at Cao Cao, the man shouted, “I am the spirit of the pear tree! You are building the Hall of the New Beginning because you intend to usurp the throne and rebel, and now you have come to cut down my sacred tree! I know that your allotted span has run out, and I have come especially to kill you!” Greatly alarmed, Cao Cao cried, “Where are my guards?” The man in black raised his sword to strike him. Cao Cao gave a great cry and suddenly awoke with an unbearable pain in his head. He immediately issued orders to seek out skilled physicians everywhere, but none of their treatments could cure him. All his officials were deeply worried.

Hua Xin entered and reported, “Does Your Majesty know of the divine physician Hua Tuo?” Cao Cao said, “Is he the man who treated Zhou Tai in Jiangdong?” Hua Xin replied, “He is.” Cao Cao said, “Although I have heard his name, I know nothing of his skill.” Hua Xin said, “Hua Tuo, whose courtesy name is Yuanhua, is a native of Qiao County in the state of Pei. The wonders of his medical art are rarely seen in this world. Whenever anyone is ill, whether he uses medicine, needles, or cauterization, the patient is cured almost as soon as he applies his hand. If someone suffers from a disease of the internal organs that medicine cannot cure, he has the patient drink an anesthetic potion, causing him to become as insensible as if he were dead from intoxication. He then uses a sharp knife to cut open the abdomen and washes the organs with a medicinal solution, while the patient feels no pain at all. When the washing is finished, he sews the opening shut with medicated thread and applies medicine to it. In a month, or sometimes only twenty days, the patient is completely restored. Such are the marvels of his art. One day, as Hua Tuo was traveling along a road, he heard a man groaning. Hua Tuo said, ‘This is a disease that prevents food and drink from passing down.’ When he questioned the man, it proved to be so. Hua Tuo had him drink three sheng of garlic-pickle juice, whereupon he vomited up a snake two or three feet long, and food and drink passed down at once. Chen Deng, the governor of Guangling, suffered from agitation in his heart, a flushed face, and an inability to eat or drink, and he asked Hua Tuo to treat him. Hua Tuo gave him medicine to drink, and he vomited up three sheng of worms, all with red heads and writhing from head to tail. Chen Deng asked what had caused it. Hua Tuo said, ‘This poison arose because you ate too much raw fish. Although you are cured today, the illness will certainly return three years from now, and then you cannot be saved.’ Chen Deng did indeed die three years later. Another man had a tumor growing between his eyebrows that itched unbearably, and he asked Hua Tuo to examine it. Hua Tuo said, ‘There is a flying creature inside it.’ Everyone laughed at him. Hua Tuo cut it open with a knife, and a yellow sparrow flew out, whereupon the patient was cured. Another man had been bitten on the toe by a dog, after which two lumps of flesh grew there. One was painful and the other itched, and both were unbearable. Hua Tuo said, ‘There are ten needles inside the painful one, and two black-and-white game pieces inside the itching one.’ No one believed him. Hua Tuo cut them open with a knife, and everything was exactly as he had said. This man truly belongs in the company of Bian Que and Master Cang. He presently lives in Jincheng, not far from here. Why does Your Majesty not summon him?”

Cao Cao immediately sent men to summon Hua Tuo, traveling day and night. When Hua Tuo arrived, Cao Cao had him brought inside and ordered him to take his pulse and examine his illness. Hua Tuo said, “Your Majesty’s pain in the head was caused by a wind disorder. The root of the illness lies within the brain, where the harmful wind and fluids cannot escape. It is useless to take medicinal decoctions, for they cannot cure it. I have one method: first drink an anesthetic potion, and then allow me to split open the skull with a sharp ax and remove the harmful wind and fluids. Only then can the root of the illness be eliminated.” Cao Cao flew into a rage and said, “You mean to kill me!” Hua Tuo said, “Your Majesty must have heard that Lord Guan was struck by a poisoned arrow and wounded in his right arm. I scraped the bone to remove the poison, and Lord Guan showed not the slightest fear. Your Majesty’s present ailment is a minor one. Why be so suspicious?” Cao Cao said, “An aching arm can be scraped, but how can a man’s skull be split open? You must have been close to Lord Guan and now wish to seize this opportunity to avenge him!” He called to his attendants to seize Hua Tuo and throw him into prison, where they tortured him to learn the truth. Jia Xu remonstrated, “A fine physician such as this has scarcely an equal in the world. He must not be done away with.” Cao Cao rebuked him, saying, “This man wishes to seize the opportunity to harm me. He is no different from Ji Ping!” He urgently ordered that the interrogation under torture continue.

While Hua Tuo was in prison, there was a jailer surnamed Wu, whom everyone called Jailer Wu. Every day this man supplied Hua Tuo with wine and food. Grateful for his kindness, Hua Tuo told him, “I am now about to die. My only regret is that I possess the Book of the Green Satchel, which has never been handed down to the world. I am grateful for your great kindness, but have nothing with which to repay you. I will write a letter, and you may send someone to my home to fetch the Book of the Green Satchel. I will give it to you so that you may carry on my art.” Jailer Wu was delighted and said, “If I obtain this book, I will abandon this occupation and treat the sick throughout the world, thereby perpetuating your virtue.” Hua Tuo immediately wrote a letter and gave it to Jailer Wu. Jailer Wu went directly to Jincheng, presented the letter to Hua Tuo’s wife, obtained the Book of the Green Satchel, and returned to the prison, where he gave it to Hua Tuo. After looking it over, Hua Tuo presented the book to Jailer Wu. Jailer Wu took it home and hid it there. Ten days later, Hua Tuo died in prison. Jailer Wu bought a coffin and saw to his encoffining and burial, then resigned his post and went home, intending to take out the Book of the Green Satchel and study it. There he saw his wife burning the book. Greatly alarmed, Jailer Wu hurried to snatch it away, but the entire volume had already been destroyed, leaving only one or two pages. Jailer Wu furiously cursed his wife. She said, “Even if you learned arts as marvelous as Hua Tuo’s, you would only end up dying in prison. What use would they be?” Jailer Wu sighed and let the matter drop. For this reason the Book of the Green Satchel was never handed down to the world. All that survived were minor techniques for caponizing chickens and castrating pigs, which had been recorded on the one or two pages left unburned. A later poet lamented:Hua Tuo’s immortal art matched that of Master Changsang;His divine insight seemed to see through walls.Alas, the man died, and his book vanished too;No later age would ever see the Green Satchel again.

After Cao Cao had Hua Tuo killed, his illness grew still more serious, and he also worried over affairs in Wu and Shu. While he was brooding over them, a close attendant suddenly reported that Eastern Wu had sent an envoy with a letter. Cao Cao took the letter, opened it, and read it. In brief, it said:Your subject Sun Quan has long known that Heaven’s mandate has passed to Your Majesty. I humbly hope that you will quickly assume the supreme position and send generals to exterminate Liu Bei and pacify the two Riverlands. I will then lead all my subordinates in presenting our territory and submitting to you.

After reading it, Cao Cao laughed loudly and showed it to his ministers, saying, “This boy means to put me on top of a blazing furnace!” Palace Attendant Chen Qun and the others reported, “The house of Han has long been in decline. Your Highness’s achievements and virtue tower above the age, and all living people look up to you. Now Sun Quan has declared himself your subject and submitted to your mandate. This shows the accord of Heaven and mankind, with all signs and voices united. Your Highness should obey Heaven and follow the will of the people by quickly assuming the supreme position.” Cao Cao laughed and said, “I have served Han for many years. Although my achievements and virtue have benefited the people, I have risen to the rank of king, and my titles and honors have reached their utmost limit. How could I dare hope for anything more? If Heaven’s mandate truly rests with me, then I shall be King Wen of Zhou.” Sima Yi said, “Now that Sun Quan has declared himself your subject and submitted to you, Your Majesty may grant him offices and titles and order him to resist Liu Bei.” Cao Cao followed his advice. He submitted a memorial appointing Sun Quan General of Agile Cavalry, Marquis of Nanchang, and Governor of Jingzhou. That same day he sent an envoy bearing the patent and imperial command to Eastern Wu.

Cao Cao’s illness continued to worsen. One night he suddenly dreamed that three horses were eating from the same trough. At dawn he asked Jia Xu, “Some time ago I dreamed of three horses at one trough, and I suspected that Ma Teng and his sons would bring disaster. Now Ma Teng is dead, yet last night I again dreamed of three horses at one trough. Does this foretell good or evil?” Jia Xu said, “Horses of emolument are an auspicious sign. The horses of emolument are returning to Cao, so why should Your Majesty have any doubts?” Because of this, Cao Cao ceased to be suspicious. A later poet wrote:Three horses at one trough should have aroused doubt;He did not know the foundations of Jin were already laid.For all Cao Cao’s cunning, heroic schemes,How could he recognize the Sima masters within his court?

That night Cao Cao lay in his bedchamber. During the third watch, his head grew dizzy and his vision blurred, so he rose, bent over a low table, and lay there. Suddenly he heard a sound in the hall like silk being torn. Looking up in alarm, Cao Cao suddenly saw Empress Fu, Noble Lady Dong, the two imperial princes, Fu Wan, Dong Cheng, and more than twenty others. Their bodies were covered in blood, and they stood amid clouds of sorrow while faint voices could be heard demanding his life. Cao Cao hurriedly drew his sword and slashed at the air. Suddenly there came a tremendous crash that shook down the southwest corner of the hall. Cao Cao fell senseless to the floor. His close attendants rescued him and moved him to another palace to recover from his illness. The next night he again heard men and women weeping endlessly outside the hall. At dawn Cao Cao summoned his ministers and said, “I have spent more than thirty years amid war and cavalry, and never once believed in supernatural phenomena. Why are such things happening today?” His ministers reported, “Your Majesty should order Daoist priests to set up an altar, perform rites, and pray for the removal of this calamity.” Cao Cao sighed and said, “The Sage said, ‘One who has offended against Heaven has nowhere to pray.’ Heaven’s allotted span for me has ended. How can I be saved?” He therefore refused to permit the rites.

The next day, Cao Cao felt his breath surging into his upper chest and could no longer see. He urgently summoned Xiahou Dun to consult with him. When Xiahou Dun reached the entrance to the hall, he suddenly saw Empress Fu, Noble Lady Dong, the two imperial princes, Fu Wan, Dong Cheng, and the others standing amid dark clouds. Xiahou Dun was so terrified that he fainted, and his attendants carried him away. From that time on, he too fell ill. Cao Cao summoned Cao Hong, Chen Qun, Jia Xu, Sima Yi, and the others to his bedside and entrusted them with his final affairs. Cao Hong and the others knocked their heads against the floor and said, “Your Majesty must take good care of your noble person. Before many days have passed, you will surely recover completely.” Cao Cao said, “For more than thirty years I have ranged unhindered throughout the realm, and all the rival heroes have been destroyed. Only Sun Quan in Jiangdong and Liu Bei in Western Shu have not yet been exterminated. My illness is now grave, and I cannot meet with you again, so I have especially summoned you to entrust my family affairs to you. My eldest son, Cao Ang, was born to Lady Liu, but unfortunately died at a young age in Wancheng. Lady Bian bore me four sons: Pi, Zhang, Zhi, and Xiong. Throughout my life I most loved my third son, Zhi, but he is vain and showy, lacks sincerity, and gives himself over to drink and license. For this reason I did not establish him as my heir. My second son, Cao Zhang, is brave but lacks strategy. My fourth son, Cao Xiong, is often ill and may not survive. Only my eldest son, Cao Pi, is sincere, generous, respectful, and prudent, and he can succeed to my enterprise. You must assist him.”

Cao Hong and the others tearfully accepted the command and withdrew. Cao Cao ordered his close attendants to bring out the rare incense he had collected over the years and divided it among his concubines. He also instructed them, “After I die, you must diligently practice women’s handicrafts. Make plenty of silk slippers, and sell them to earn money for your own support.” He further ordered that the concubines live together in Bronze Bird Terrace, that sacrifices be offered every day, and that female musicians perform while food was presented. He also left instructions that seventy-two false tombs be established outside the Military Exercise City in Zhangde Prefecture, so that later generations would not know where he was buried, for fear that someone might dig up his grave. When he had finished giving his instructions, he heaved a long sigh, and tears poured down like rain. A moment later his breath ceased, and he died. He was sixty-six years old. It was the first month of spring in the twenty-fifth year of Jian’an. A later writer composed “The Song of Ye” in lament for Cao Cao:Ye is Ye City, and its river is the Zhang;Surely an extraordinary man would rise from here.Grand schemes, refined pursuits, and a literary heart—Ruler and subject, elder and younger brothers, father and son.No hero ever bore a commonplace heart;Could his comings and goings be fathomed by ordinary eyes?The foremost achiever and the chief offender were not two men;Infamy and lasting glory both belonged to one man.His writings had spirit, his dominance had grandeur;How could he lightly fade into the common crowd?Amid the surging flood he built a terrace facing Mount Taihang;His spirit and the force of reason rose and fell against each other.How could such a man not become a rebel?Too small to be hegemon, too great not to be king.The king and hegemon descended to the weeping of women and children,His heart aggrieved by what could not be helped.Looking toward the curtains, he knew full well it was of no use;Yet dividing his incense cannot be called heartless.Alas! In all the ancients did, whether great or small,Both lonely austerity and lavish splendor held a purpose.Bookish scholars lightly judge the man within the tomb;The man within the tomb laughs at your bookish airs!

After Cao Cao died, all the civil and military officials went into mourning. At the same time, they sent men to report the death to Cao Pi, the heir apparent; Cao Zhang, Marquis of Yanling; Cao Zhi, Marquis of Linzi; and Cao Xiong, Marquis Huai of Xiao. The officials placed Cao Cao’s body in a golden inner coffin and a silver outer coffin, then escorted the coffin day and night to Ye Commandery. When Cao Pi learned of his father’s death, he burst into loud weeping. Leading officials of every rank ten li outside the city, he prostrated himself beside the road to receive the coffin, then escorted it into the city and placed it in a side hall. The officials put on mourning clothes and gathered in the hall to weep. Suddenly one man stepped forward and said, “I beg the heir apparent to restrain his grief so that we may discuss the great matter.” Everyone looked and saw that it was Sima Fu, an Attendant to the Heir Apparent. Sima Fu said, “Now that the King of Wei has passed away, the whole realm is shaken. A successor should be established at once to calm the people’s hearts. Why do nothing but weep?” The ministers said, “The heir apparent should succeed to the throne, but we have not yet received an imperial command from the Son of Heaven. How can we act rashly?” Chen Jiao, Minister of War, said, “The King died away from the capital. If one favored son establishes himself privately and changes arise on every side, the state will be imperiled.” He drew his sword, cut off one of his robe sleeves, and sternly declared, “This very day we must ask the heir apparent to succeed to the throne. If any official voices a different opinion, let this robe be his example!” All the officials trembled in fear. Suddenly it was reported that Hua Xin had galloped in from Xuchang. Everyone was greatly astonished. A moment later Hua Xin entered. They all asked why he had come. Hua Xin said, “Now that the King of Wei has passed away, the whole realm is shaken. Why have you not quickly asked the heir apparent to succeed him?” The officials said, “Precisely because there was no time to wait for an imperial command, we were discussing whether to establish the heir apparent as king by means of a gracious decree from Queen Dowager Bian.” Hua Xin said, “I have already obtained an imperial command from the Emperor of Han. It is here.” Everyone leaped for joy and offered congratulations. Hua Xin took the imperial command from inside his robe, opened it, and read it aloud. In fact, Hua Xin had ingratiated himself with Wei, and so had drafted the command himself and intimidated Emperor Xian into issuing it. The Emperor had no choice but to comply. Thus the edict immediately appointed Cao Pi King of Wei, Imperial Chancellor, and Governor of Jizhou. That same day Cao Pi ascended to his position and received the ceremonial bows and salutations of officials great and small.

In the midst of the celebratory banquet, it was suddenly reported that Cao Zhang, Marquis of Yanling, had arrived from Chang’an at the head of an army of one hundred thousand. Cao Pi was greatly alarmed and asked his ministers, “My yellow-bearded younger brother has always had a fierce disposition and is highly accomplished in martial arts. Now he has come from afar at the head of an army. He must intend to contend with me for the kingship. What am I to do?” Suddenly a man below the steps stepped forward in response and said, “I ask leave to go see the Marquis of Yanling and bring him to submission with a few words.” Everyone said, “No one but you, sir, can avert this disaster.” Indeed:Now see what passed between Cao Pi and Cao Zhang;They nearly matched the strife of Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang.Who this man was will be revealed in the next chapter.