Lady Cai Renounces Jingzhou;
Zhuge Liang Burns Xinye.

　　When Liu Bei asked how his adviser hoped to repel Cao Cao, Zhuge Liang replied, “Xinye is a small city and unfitted for our lengthy occupation. Liu Biao is ill and failing fast, so this is the time to take his region as a base where we may be safe against Cao Cao.”

　　“You speak well, but Liu Biao has shown me GREat kindness, and I could not bear to serve him an ill turn.”

　　“If you do not take this opportunity, you will reGREt it ever after,” said Zhuge Liang.

　　“I would rather perish than do what is wrong.”

　　“We will discuss it again,” replied Zhuge Liang.

　　When Xiahou Dun reached the capital, he presented himself to his master in bonds and craved death. But his master loosed him and let him tell his tale.

　　And Xiahou Dun said, “I was the victim of Zhuge Liang's evil machinations： He attacked with fire.”

　　“As a soldier from your youth, you should have remembered that fire was a likely weapon in narrow roads.”

　　“Li Dian and Yu Jin reminded me. I am sorry enough now.”

　　Cao Cao rewarded Li Dian and Yu Jin who had warned their leader.

　　“Liu Bei as strong as he is now certainly is a menace to our existence, and he must be quickly destroyed,” said Xiahou Dun.

　　“He is one of my anxieties,” replied Cao Cao. “Sun Quan is the other. The rest do not count. We must take this chance to sweep the south clean.”

　　then orders were issued to prepare an army of five hundred thousand troops, in five divisions of ten legions each. Each division had two leaders： Cao Ren and Cao Hong were in command of the first division； Zhang Liao and Zhang He, the second； Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, the third； Yu Jin and Li Dian, the fourth. The fifth body was led by Cao Cao himself. The van was commanded by Xu Chu. The “horse” day of the seventh moon of the thirteenth year of Rebuilt Tranquillity was fixed for the march （AD 208）。

　　the High Minister, Kong Rong, offered a remonstrance.

　　He said, “Liu Bei and Liu Biao are both of the Imperial House and should not be attacked without grave reasons. Sun Quan in the six territories of the South Land is terrible as a crouching tiger and, with the GREat River as his defense, he is very secure. If, Sir Prime Minister, you undertake this unjustifiable expedition, you will forfeit the respect of the world, I fear.”

　　“All three of them are disobedient ministers and rebels, and how can I fail to punish them？” replied Cao Cao.

　　Cao Cao was angry, and bade the adviser go from his presence. Presently Cao Cao gave formal orders that he would put to death anyone who remonstrated on the subject of his expedition.

　　Kong Rong went forth from the Palace sadly.

　　Casting his eyes up to heaven, he cried, “Where is the chance of success when the perfectly inhumane attacks the perfectly humane？ He must be defeated！”

　　One of the clients of the Imperial Inspector Chi Lu, whom Kong Rong had always treated contemptuously and disdainfully, happened to hear this apostrophe and told his patron who carried the tale to Cao Cao.

　　Chi Lu also added to it, saying, “Kong Rong habitually speaks disrespectfully of the Chief Minister and has been very friendly with Mi Heng. In fact the insults that Mi Heng had hurled at you had been deliberately arranged and intrigued by Kong Rong. Kong Rong and Mi Heng seemed to admire each other hugely, and Mi Heng used to say, 'Confucius is not dead, because Kong Rong is he,' and the other used to reply, 'And his treasured disciple, Yan Hui, has risen again, because Mi Heng is he.'”

　　Chi Lu's tale angered Cao Cao, who ordered the arrest execution of the high minister.

　　Now Kong Rong had two sons, both young, who were sitting at home playing chess, when one of their servants ran in and said, “Your father has just been carried off for execution. Why do you not run away？”

　　the youths replied, “When the nest is pulled down, are the eggs left unbroken？”

　　Even at that moment the same executors came and carried off the whole household. The two youths were beheaded. The father's corpse was exposed in the streets.

　　Minister Zhi Xi wept over the corpse. This public exhibition of sympathy rekindled Cao Cao's anger, and he was going to punish it with death.

　　However, this additional punishment was prevented by Adviser Xun Yu, who said, “You should not slay a righteous man who came to mourn over his friend's corpse. Zhi Xi had often warned Kong Rong against the danger his severe rectitude might lead him into.”

　　Zhi Xi took up the remains of father and sons and buried them.

　　Kong Rong, who dwelt on the north sea shore, A noble reputation bore；With him all guests warm welcome found, And ceaselessly the wine went round. For skill in letters he was famed, In speech, he dukes and princes shamed, Historians his merits tell, Recorders say that he did well.

　　After wreaking his wrath on Kong Rong, Cao Cao issued the order to march. Xun Yu was left in command of the capital.

　　About this time the Imperial Protector of Jingzhou became seriously ill, and he summoned Liu Bei to his chamber. Liu Bei went accompanied by his two brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and Directing Instructor Zhuge Liang.

　　Liu Biao said, “the disease has attacked my very vitals, and my time is short. I confide my orphans to your guardianship. My sons is unfit to succeed to my place, and I pray you, my brother, administer the region after my death.”

　　Liu Bei wept, saying, “I will do my utmost to help my nephews. What else could I do, indeed？”

　　Even at this moment came the news of the march of Cao Cao's armies, and Liu Bei, taking hasty leave of his kinsman, was forced to hurry to his station. The evil tidings aggravated the sick man's condition, and he began to make his last arrangements. In his testament he appointed Liu Bei the guardian of his son Liu Qi, who was to succeed in the lordship.

　　This arrangement GREatly angered his wife, Lady Cai. She closed the inner doors against all and confided to her own partisans, of whom Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were her confidants, the keeping of the outer gates.

　　the heir was at Jiangxia, and he came to make filial inquiries as soon as his father's condition became serious.

　　But Cai Mao refused him admittance and said, “Your father sent you to guard Jiangxia. Such a very responsible post should by no means have been quitted without orders. Suppose it was attacked, what might not happen？ If your father sees you, he will be very angry, and it will make him worse. That would be most undutiful, and you should return to your command at once.”

　　Liu Qi stood out for some time, but admittance was denied him in spite of his tears. So he returned to his post. Meanwhile Liu Biao rapidly GREw worse. He anxiously looked for his son, but Liu Qi came not. Suddenly Liu Biao uttered piercing shrieks and then passed away.

　　When the Yuans were lords of the north, And Liu Biao held the bank of the river, It seemed, so strong were they both, That they would endure forever. But the family affairs troubled their states, And, meddling, confusion made；It was mournful indeed to see How quickly the houses decayed.

　　So Imperial Protector Liu Biao died. then the widow and her partisans took counsel together and forged a testament conferring the lordship of Jingzhou on the second son Liu Zong before they published the news of the death.

　　the wrongful heir was then fourteen years of age. But he was a cunning boy, so he assembled the officials and said, “My father has passed away, and my elder brother is at Jiangxia. More than that, our uncle is at Xinye. You have made me lord, but if my brother and uncle come here with an army to punish me for usurping the lordship, what explanation can I offer？”

　　At first no one replied.

　　then Adviser Li Gui rose and said, “You speak well. Now hasten to send letters of mourning to your brother and ask him to come and take his inheritance. Also call upon Liu Bei to come and assist in the administration. Then shall we be safe against our enemies——Cao Cao on the north and Sun Quan on the south. I consider this the most excellent plan.”

　　But Cai Mao replied harshly, “Who are you to speak thus wildly and oppose the testament of our late lord？”

　　Li Gui began to abuse him, saying, “You and your party have fabricated this testament, setting aside the rightful heir. Now the whole region is in the hands of the Cai family. If our dead lord knew your doings, he would slay you！”

　　Cai Mao ordered the lictors to take Li Gui away to execution. He was hurried out, but his tongue ceased not.

　　So the younger son was placed in his father's seat, and the Cai clan shared among them the whole military authority of the region. The defense of Jingzhou was confided to Liu Xin and Deng Yi, while Lady Cai and her son took up their residence in Xiangyang so as to be out of the reach of the rightful heir and his uncle. They interred the remains of the late Imperial Protector on the east of Xiangyang, near the bank of the Han River. No notice of the death was sent to Liu Qi, the son, or to Liu Bei, his uncle.

　　Liu Zong arrived at Xiangyang, but, before he had had time to recover from the fatigue of the journey, the startling news of the approach of Cao Cao's GREat army came in. He summoned Kuai Yue and Cai Mao and others to ask counsel.

　　One of the secretaries, Fu Xuan, offered his advice, saying, “Not only are we threatened by a GREat army from the north, but the elder son, who is the real heir, at Jiangxia, and his uncle at Xinye, are to be reckoned with. These two have not been notified of the death, and they will resent that. We shall be in sad case if they also march against us. But if you will adopt my suggestion, then our people will be as steady as Taishan Mountains and our young lord's position and rank will be assured.”

　　“What is your plan？” asked the young lord.

　　“To offer the whole region to Cao Cao, who will treat our young master most liberally.”

　　“What advice！” said Liu Zong angrily. “Am I to yield my heritage to another before I have even fairly succeeded to it？”

　　“the advice is good,” said Kuai Yue. “Opportunism is a policy, and possibilities need consideration. In the name of government, Cao Cao is fighting against his neighbors. If our lord opposes him, he will be termed contumacious. Beside, any misfortune on our borders before our young lord is well established will react upon the internal administration, and our people will be panic-stricken at the mere news of the approach of a hostile army. How could we then offer any resistance？”

　　Liu Zong replied, “It is not that I disaGREe with you, but I should be a laughing stock to the whole world were I to abandon my heritage without an effort.”

　　He was interrupted by a speaker who said, “If their advice is good, why not follow it？”

　　they turned toward the speaker who was a certain Wang Can of Shanyang, a lean, cadaverous individual much below the middle height of a man.

　　However, his talents did not conform to his physical appearance. When he was yet a youth, he went to visit Minister Cai Yong, then a vice-chairman of the Secretariat； and although many guests of exalted rank were present, the host hastened to welcome the newcomer with the GREatest deference. The others were astonished and asked why he was so respectful to a mere youth.

　　“He is a young man with the highest gifts,” said Cai Yong.

　　Wang Can was widely read and had a most retentive memory, better than any of his contemporaries. If he glanced at a roadside monument as he passed, he remembered every word of the inscriptio............