The Three Kingdoms: The Sacred Oath Read online

  Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

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  Copyright © 2014 Ronald C. Iverson

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data in process.

  ISBN: 978-1-4629-1437-1 (ebook)

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  Dedication

  To my son, Winston, and my daughter, Aimee, who, from a toddler’s age to adulthood, were thrilled with my telling and retelling of the stories from this great book.

  With sincere gratitude to Yu Sumei for accepting the challenge to work with me to create a new translation of this classic literature with the goal of turning it into an exciting novel. My belief is that it is not just what you say but how you say it. My appreciation to Yu Sumei’s daughter who typed out each page. They worked diligently for two years to produce a uniquely compelling version of this epic work, complete with footnotes for clarification of certain events and words in the text. My gratitude extends to a friend, Shen Li who was instrumental in recommending and introducing me to Yu Sumei.

  And certainly a note of gratitude to Cheryl Banks for her suggestions as to improving the look of the book, as well as her many hours of help in preparing this text for printing which ultimately led to its publication.

  No dedication would be complete without the mention of my many Chinese and American friends who encouraged me to continue this new translation and share it with the world. May readers enjoy the journey as much or beyond what we have experienced in the production of this classic, which will live in perpetuity.

  Ronald C. Iverson

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Contents

  List of Main Characters

  CHAPTER ONE

  Three Heroes Swear Brotherhood at a Feast in the Peach Garden

  The Sworn Brothers Render Good Services in Fighting Against the Rebels

  CHAPTER TWO

  Zhang Fei Thrashes the Inspector in Wrath

  He Jin Plots to Kill the Eunuchs in Secret

  CHAPTER THREE

  Dong Zhuo Silences Ding Yuan at Wenming Gardens

  Li Shu Bribes Lu Bu with Lavish Gifts

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Prince of Chenliu Sits in the Throne to Replace the Deposed Emperor

  Cao Cao Presents Dong Zhuo a Sword in an Attempt to Kill Him

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Many Lords Respond to Cao Cao’s Call Against Dong Zhuo

  The Three Brothers Fight with Lu Bu in the Battle at Tigertrap Pass

  CHAPTER SIX

  Burning the Capital, Dong Zhuo Commits Atrocities

  Hiding the Emperor’s Seal, Sun Jian Breaks His Faith

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Yuan Shao Fights with Gongsun Zan at River Pan

  Sun Jian Crosses the River to Attack Liu Biao

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Wang Yun Cleverly Employs the “Chain” Scheme

  Dong Zhuo Raises Havoc at Fengyi Pavilion

  CHAPTER NINE

  Lu Bu Helps Wang Yun Destroy the Tyrant

  Li Jue Seeks Counsel from Jia Xu on Attacking the Capital

  CHAPTER TEN

  Ma Teng Raises an Army to Fight the Rebels

  Cao Cao Attacks Xuzhou to Avenge his Father

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Liu Bei Rescues Kong Rong in Beihai

  Lu Bu Defeats Cao Cao at Puyang

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Prefect Tao Thrice Offers Xuzhou to Liu Bei

  Cao Cao Fights a Great Battle Against Lu Bu

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Li Jue and Guo Si Fight a Bloody Battle

  Yang Feng and Dong Cheng Rescue the Emperor

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Cao Cao Moves the Throne to Xudu

  Lu Bu Raids Xuzhou at Night

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Taishi Ci Fights a Fierce Battle with

  Sun Ce Sun Ce Competes with the White Tiger

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Lu Bu Performs a Feat in Archery

  Cao Cao Loses a Battle at Yushui River

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Yuan Shu Expeditions Eastward with Seven Divisions

  Cao Cao Unites Three Forces to Attack Yuan Shu

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Jia Xu Engineers a Great Victory

  Xiahou Dun Loses An Eye

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Cao Cao Assembles His Forces at Xiapi

  Lu Bu Perishes at the White Gate Tower

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Cao Cao Goes Hunting at Xutian

  Dong Cheng Receives a Secret Decree in the Palace

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Cao Cao Brews the Wine and Talks about Heroes

  Guan Yu Slays Che Zhou to Regain Xuzhou

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Yuan Shao and Cao Cao Both Take the Field

  Guan Yu and Zhang Fei Capture Two Enemy Officers

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Mi Heng Strips and Rails at Cao Cao

  Ji Ping Is Tortured for Poisoning Cao Cao

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Cao Cao Kills Lady Dong, the Emperor’s Concubine

  Liu Bei Seeks Refuge with Yuan Shao after His Defeat by Cao Cao

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Guan Yu Proposes Three Conditions on Top of a Hill

  Cao Cao Breaks the Siege at Baima

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Yuan Shao Is Defeated and Loses His Best Officers

  Guan Yu Hangs up the Seal and Abandons Cao Cao’s Gifts

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Guan Yu the Beautiful Beard Travels a Thousand Li

  And Slays Six Officers at Five Passes

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Guan Yu Kills Cai Yang to Clear Zhang Fei’s Doubt

  Liu Bei Is Reunited with His Followers at Old City

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  The Formidable Little Lord Sun Ce Slays Yu Jie in Wrath

  The Blue-eyed Sun Quan Takes Control of the East

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Yuan Shao Is Defeated at Guandu

  Cao Cao Burns the Wuchao Granary

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Cao Cao Overcomes Yuan Shao at Changting

  Liu Bei Seeks Shelter with Liu Biao

  C
HAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Yuan Shang Strives for the Rule of Jizhou

  Xu You Schemes to Flood the Zhang River

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Cao Pi Takes Advantage of Confusion to Find a Wife

  Guo Jia Leaves a Plan After Death for Settling Liaodong

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Lady Cai Overhears a Secret

  Liu Bei Leaps Over a Stream

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Liu Bei Meets a Recluse at Nanyang

  Shan Fu Finds a Noble Lord at Xinye

  About the Authors

  Back Cover

  List of Main Characters

  Cai Mao—brother-in-law of Liu Biao

  Cao Cao (Cao Meng-de, A.D. 155–220)—prime minister to Emperor Xian, controls the real power of the state; later created Duke of Wei, Prince of Wei and posthumously, Emperor Wu of Wei Dynasty

  Cao Hong—cousin of Cao Cao and senior officer under him

  Cao Pi (A.D. 187–226)—second son of Cao Cao, later first emperor (Emperor Wen) of Wei Dynasty, which he established in A.D. 220

  Cao Ren—cousin of Cao Cao and senior officer under him

  Cao Rui—son of Cao Pi, later Emperor Ming of Wei

  Cao Shuang—son of Cao Zhen, enemy of Sima Yi

  Cao Zhen—senior officer of Wei

  Cao Zhi (Cao Zi-jian, A.D. 192–232)—favorite son of Cao Cao and a famed poet

  Chen Deng—advisor to Lu Bu but later plots his destruction

  Chen Gong—chief advisor to Lu Bu

  Chen Lin—notable scholar, first served as advisor to Yuan Shao but later surrendered to Cao Cao

  Chen Wu—senior officer of Wu

  Cheng Pu—senior officer of Wu

  Cheng Yu—advisor to Cao Cao

  Deng Ai—commander of the forces of Wei after Sima Yi

  Dian Wei—bodyguard to Cao Cao

  Diao Chan (Sable Cicada)—singing girl at Wang Yun’s house, who helps her master destroy Dong Zhuo; concubine of Lu Bu

  Ding Feng—senior officer of Wu

  Dong Cheng—general of Han and relative to the imperial house, who receives the secret edict from Emperor Xian to assassinate Cao Cao

  Dong Zhuo—governor of Hedong, later establishes himself as prime minister of Han; set up Emperor Xian in place of his brother, Emperor Shao, in order to build his own power

  Emperor Shao (Liu Bian)—son of Emperor Ling and Empress He, deposed and murdered by Dong Zhuo

  Emperor Xian (Liu Xie)—brother of Emperor Shao, a puppet ruler controlled by his ministers; deposed by Cao Pi in A.D. 220 (r. A.D. 189–220)

  Empress Dowager He—mother of Emperor Shao, sister of He Jin; murdered by Dong Zhuo

  Fa Zheng—Liu Zhang’s official who helped Liu Bei acquire the rule of Shu

  Feng Ji—advisor to Yuan Shao, enemy of Tian Feng

  Gan Ning (Gan Xin-ba)—senior officer of Wu, famed for his bravery

  Gao Shun—officer under Lu Bu

  Gongsun Zan—patron of Liu Bei and one of the seventeen lords who join forces to wage war on Dong Zhuo; commits suicide after being destroyed by Yuan Shao

  Guan Lu, famous sage

  Guan Ping—adopted son of Guan Yu, killed by Sun Quan

  Guan Xing—elder son of Guan Yu

  Guan Yu (Guan Yun-chang, A.D. ?–219)—sworn brother of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, Lord of Hanshou, famed for his valor and rectitude; respected greatly by Cao Cao

  Guo Jia (Guo Feng-xiao)—trusted advisor to Cao Cao

  Guo Si—fellow rebel with Li Jue after the downfall of Dong Zhuo

  Guo Tu—advisor to Yuan Shao and later to his eldest son Yuan Tan

  Han Dang—senior officer of Wu

  Han Sui—warrior from the northwest, sworn brother of Ma Teng

  He Jin—brother of Empress Dowager He and commander of Han forces; murdered by eunuchs

  Hua Tuo—famous physician who cures Zhou Tai and Guan Yu; killed by Cao Cao

  Hua Xin—senior official under Cao Cao and Cao Pi, notorious for his cruelty toward Empress Fu

  Huang Gai (Huang Gong-fu)—senior officer of Wu, whose false defection to Cao Cao plays a key role in the Battle of the Red Cliff

  Huang Zhong (Huang Han-sheng)—veteran warrior, joins Liu Bei after the latter’s seisure of Changsha

  Huang Zu—commanding officer under Liu Biao

  Ji Ling—commanding officer under Yuan Shu

  Ji Ping—physician of Han court, killed by Cao Cao after failing to poison him

  Jia Xu—resourceful strategist, advisor first to Li Jue and Guo Si, then to Zhang Xiu, and finally to Cao Cao

  Jian Yong—advisor to Liu Bei

  Jiang Gan—official under Cao Cao, an old friend of Zhou Yu’s

  Jiang Wei (Jiang Bo-yue)—successor to Zhuge Liang as commander-in-chief of Shu forces

  Kan Ze—senior advisor of Wu, who delivers Huang Gai’s false letter of defection to Cao Cao

  Kong Rong—notable Han scholar, descendant of Confucius, Prefect of Beihai; later killed by Cao Cao for his outspokenness

  Kuai Yue—advisor to Liu Biao

  Lady Cai—second wife of Liu Biao, sister of Cai Mao

  Lady Gan—wife of Liu Bei, mother of Liu Shan (A Dou)

  Lady Liu—wife of Yuan Shao and mother of Yuan Shang

  Lady Mi—wife of Liu Bei, sister of Mi Zhu and Mi Fang

  Lady Sun—wife of Liu Bei and sister of Sun Quan

  Li Dian—officer under Cao Cao

  Li Jue—chief rebel after the downfall of Dong Zhuo

  Liao Hua—officer of Shu under Guan Yu

  Lin Tong—officer of Wu

  Liu Bei (Liu Xuan-de, A.D. 161–223)—descendant of the imperial house, sworn brother of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, later Prince of Hangzhong and first ruler of the kingdom of Shu

  Liu Biao (Liu Jin-sheng, A.D. 142–208)—Prefect of Jingzhou, who gives shelter to Liu Bei and leaves in his care his two sons, Liu Qi and Liu Zong

  Liu Qi—elder son of Liu Biao; hated by his stepmother Lady Cai

  Liu Shan (A Dou, A.D. 207–271)—eldest son of Liu Bei, second ruler of Shu (r. A.D. 223–263)

  Liu Ye—senior advisor to Cao Cao

  Liu Zhang—Governor of Yizhou, later overthrown by his kinsman Liu Bei

  Liu Zong—younger son of Liu Biao; killed with his mother, Lady Cai, by Cao Cao

  Lu Bu (Lu Feng-xian)—valiant warrior, adopted son first of Ding Yuan and later of Dong Zhuo, both of whom die at his hands; killed by Cao Cao

  Lu Meng (Lu Zi-ming)—senior officer of Wu; succeeds Lu Su as commander-in-chief of forces

  Lu Shang—chief counselor to King Wen of Zhou and his son King Wu, who founded the Zhou Dynasty

  Lu Su (Lu Zi-jing)—chief advisor of Wu, successor to Zhou Yu as commander-in-chief; advocates alliance with Liu Bei against Cao Cao

  Lu Xun (Lu Bo-yan)—son-in-law of Sun Ce; succeeds Lu Meng as commander-in-chief of Wu forces to foil Liu Bei’s attack

  Lu Zhi—Han general who commands an imperial force in the suppression of the Yellow Turban Uprising

  Ma Chao (Ma Meng-qi)—son of Ma Teng, later one of Liu Bei’s Five Tiger Generals

  Ma Dai—cousin of Ma Chao, officer of Shu

  Ma Liang—advisor to Liu Bei, brother of Ma Su

  Ma Su (Ma You-chang)—advisor to Liu Bei, younger brother of Ma Liang; put to death after the fall of Jieting

  Ma Teng—Han general, loyal to the House of Han; killed by Cao Cao

  Man Chong—advisor to Cao Cao, who persuades Xu Huang to submit to Cao Cao

  Meng Da—good friend of Fa Zheng and Zhang Song; assists Liu Bei in conquering Shu

  Mi Fang—brother of Lady Mi and Mi Zhu, who fails to rescue Guan Yu and is later killed by Liu Bei

  Mi Zhu—brother of Lady Mi and Mi Fang, loyal follower of Liu Bei

  Pan Zhang—senior officer under Sun Quan

  Pang De—formerly serves under Ma Chao but later joins Cao Cao; killed by Guan Yu

  Pang Tong (Pang Shi-yuan, or Phoenix Fle
dgeling)—chief strategist in the Battle of the Red Cliffand later advisor to Liu Bei

  Shen Pei—advisor to Yuan Shao, and later his youngest son Yuan Shang

  Sima Yan—grandson of Sima Yi; first emperor of Jin Dynasty after forcing the abdication of Cao Huan, last emperor of Wei Dynasty

  Sima Yi (Sima Zhong-da)—advisor to Cao Cao, father of Sima Zhao, who later overthrows Wei Dynasty and establishes Jin Dynasty

  Sima Zhao—son of Sima Yi, father of Sima

  Sun Ce (Sun Bo-fu, A.D. 175–200)—eldest son of Sun Jian, brother of Sun Quan; enlarges the territory he inherits from his father east of the Yangtze River; later assassinated

  Sun Jian (Sun Wen-tai, A.D. 155–191)—founder of Wu and father of Sun Ce and Sun Quan; killed by Liu Biao’s men

  Sun Qian—senior counselor to Liu Bei

  Sun Quan (Sun Zhong-mou, A.D. 182–252)—second son of Sun Jian and brother of Sun Ce; succeeds them to be ruler of the land of Wu and later Emperor of Wu (r. A.D. 229–252)

  Taishi Ci—valiant warrior of Wu

  Tao Qian—Prefect of Xuzhou, who yields his district to Liu Bei

  Tian Feng—advisor to Yuan Shao

  Wang Ping—officer of Shu

  Wang Yun—senior official of the Han court, who instigates the “chain” scheme to destroy Dong Zhuo, but is later killed by Li Jue and Guo Si

  Wei Yan (Wei Wen-chang)—senior officer under Liu Bei, later commander of Hanzhong; distrusted by Zhuge Liang

  Wen Chou—general under Yuan Shao, slain by Guan Yu

  Xiahou Ba—son of Xiahou Yuan, cousin of Xiahou Dun

  Xiahou Dun—senior officer in the service of Cao Cao

  Xiahou Yuan—senior officer in the service of Cao Cao; later killed by Huang Zhong

  Xu Chu—bodyguard of Cao Cao

  Xu Huang—senior officer in the service of Cao Cao

  Xu Sheng—senior officer of Wu

  Xu You—advisor first to Yuan Shao and later to Cao Cao; killed by Xu Chu

  Xun You—advisor to Cao Cao, nephew of Xun Yu

  Xun Yu (Xun Wen-ruo)—senior advisor to Cao Cao

  Yan Liang—general under Yuan Shao, slain by Guan Yu

  Yang Feng—officer under Li Jue, but later leaves him to serve Emperor Xian; killed by Liu Bei

  Yi Ji—advisor to Liu Biao first, but later joins Liu Bei, to whom he exposes Cai Mao’s plot to harm him

  Yu Fan—advisor to Sun Quan

  Yu Jin—senior officer under Cao Cao

  Yuan Shang—youngest son of Yuan Shao

  Yuan Shao (Yuan Ben-chu, A.D. ?–202)—born into a family of high-ranking officials of Han; leader of a confederacy army against Dong Zhuo; rules four northern districts but is later destroyed by Cao Cao