Episode 60
Three Kingdoms
Prime Minister's Residence
After the Youngest Master passed away,
I've burnt a book at his grave each month as an offering.
It has been three years to the day, and I have burned 36 books.
I think I can now fulfill my agreement with Your Excellency,
and choose one of your sons to serve as his retainer.
And who would you choose?
Cao Pi.
I hoped you would choose Cao Zhi.
He is outstanding and has a great future ahead of him.
Cao Zhi is already outstanding enough. I have no means to instruct him further.
But if I command you to do so?
Your Excellency,
to avoid doing something which I'm reluctant to do, I have feigned paralysis once.
I have also escaped arrest using a fictitious name.
Now, I am willing...
I am willing to die for the same reason.
You are indeed exceptional.
Zhongda, no doubt you possess some bit of talent,
but you are too arrogant.
It's all right if you don't want to instruct Cao Zhi,
but I won't permit you to teach Cao Pi either.
But Your Excellency promised me three years ago that
I would be free to choose any one of the young masters.
Even a promise can be rescinded, right?
I'm the prime minister, the holder of the highest office.
Some even complain that my word is royal law, that I wield sole control over the nation.
Am I right?
Your Excellency is absolutely right.
Therefore,
I can eat my own words.
But you can't.
Zhongda,
since I have no place for you here, you may leave now.
Thank you, Your Excellency.
Master Zhongda!
Please wait, Master Zhongda.
Young Master, what instructions have you come to give me?
I've heard.
Master, is this all because of me?
It's not because of you.
This is Heaven's will.
I can only do all that I can, and leave the rest to Heaven.
No, I'll not let you go, sir.
Please come home with me.
Even if Father does not give his permission.
I will still honor you as my teacher!
You must not do that.
If His Excellency finds out, he will suspect you.
Even if Father suspects me
I don't want to lose you, sir.
Also!
Everyone knows that His Excellency wishes to recruit me. .
If you insist on retaining me, the officials will all, be suspicious of you too when they find out.
Your brothers will also view you as their enemy.
Young Master, please do not act on impulse.
Then... then... what should I do?
Don't worry.
I have a thatched hut outside the city, enough to shelter me from wind and rain.
When you have some free time, we can enjoy fishing together.
It will be.an injustice to you, sir.
Don't worry about that either.
I'm used to suffering from injustice,
and now I've learned to relish from it.
Lets go.
Where did Sima Yi go?
He left the city and went far away. His whereabouts are unknown.
Did he meet with anyone before leaving?
Young Master Pi pursued him to the outskirts of the city, and met up with him.
Your Excellency, Sima Yi is an extraordinary talent.
If he leaves, will he end up in Sun Quan or Liu Bei's service?
Liu Bei has Kongming and Pang Tong,
and Sun Quan has Lu Su.
If I were Sima Yi,
I will definitely not go and compete with them.
Wise words.
Moreover, I doubt he'll go very far.
Why?
Have you heard about Mt. Zhongnan?
I do. It's a famous mountain. Who wouldn't know of it?
How did it become famous then?
That mountain is not far away from Chang'an.
In the past, disappointed scholars often took to living in seclusion there,
writing sentimental verses and painting natural landscapes,
acting as if they were above the mundane world.
But in fact, they were just waiting for the right opportunity.
Your Excellency, I understand now.
Sima Yi did not go far. He's waiting for his opportunity.
Precisely.
Moreover, I'm unwilling to let him-go.
If he really leaves, then of course there's nothing we could do.
But if he doesn't
I'd be interested to see what Sima Yi's ambition is like.
Impressive.
Your Excellency. Your Excellency, Sir,
the renovation of the back garden is done.
May it please you to go take a look?
Very well. Let's go take a look then.
After you.
Hmm... not bad.
Not bad.
These gazebos are quite exquisitely constructed.
Yes, these are done according to Your Excellency's tastes.
They were built with care by craftsmen employed from the south.
I was just thinking that they look different from the gazebos of the Central Plains.
Not bad. Excellent.
I doubt I can set foot in the south during my lifetime.
Ill just look at these gazebos and pretend that I'm taking a tour of the south, then.
But... Your Excellency!
Lets go.
Your Excellency, what's wrong>with this doorway?
This...what does this...
What did he mean by this?
Dismantle this doorway immediately.
Why?
he character for "live" and the character for "door" written together form the character for "wide".
His Excellency finds this doorway a bit too wide.
Oh, I see. Then lets dismantle it quickly.
That's right.
What is this?
Sir, on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ma Teng from Xiliang sent his tribute to the court.
He gave a box of pastries to His Excellency, who then wrote "One Box of Pastries" on the box.
Did His Excellency say anything else?
After he wrote these words, he left.
We do not know what he meant, hence we dare not touch the box.
Come, come, come.
Help yourselves to the pastries.
But...His Excellency did not give us permission. We dare not touch it!
Just do what I say.
His Excellency will not punish any of you.
Come.
Who gave you permission to eat that?
Your Excellency, it was I who told them to eat it.
Why did you let them?
I was just following Your Excellency's orders.
When did I ever give such an order?
Didn't Your Excellency write on the box "each man—a bite of pastry"?
Hence, I was merely following Your Excellency's orders.
Yang Xiu, you're very sharp, aren't you?
You can guess my intentions.
Excellent.
Call Xun Yu in.
Yes, sir.
Your Excellency.
Wenruo, have some pastry.
How does it taste?
It tastes both bitter and sweet.
Is it sweet with a bitter aftertaste, or is it bitter with a sweet aftertaste?
It's sweet and bitter at the same time.
This pastry was given by Ma Teng.
Don't worry.
Yang Xiu and the rest have tried it.
Ma Teng did not put poison in it.
Usually, Ma Teng only ever shows you disrespect.
What made him send pastries to you all of a sudden?
He's out to insult me!
On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival,
he sent a tribute of 10,000 taels of gold to the emperor.
as well as 1,000 bushels of fruits and 100 boxes of pastries.
To me, though, he gave only this little box of pastries.
If we do not remove Ma Teng, the northern borders will not know peace.
Xiliang has sixty to seventy thousand soldiers, all horsemen.
They are always waiting to pounce.
No matter when, as soon as Your Excellency marches south,
Ma Teng will lead his army to attack Xuchang.
He had done so several times in the past.
If Your Excellency wishes to conquer the south
and avenge your defeat at Red Cliff,
you must get rid of this threat.
You're right. Do you have any ideas?
Hasn't Ma Teng desired to set foot in the Central Plains for many years?
Your Excellency can have an imperial edict issued,
to appoint him General who Conquers the South,
and command him to lead his Xiliang warriors to go fight Sun Quan in the south.
Your Excellency, this strategy is known as "pitting the wolf against the dog".
Whether the wolf or the dog wins.
Your Excellency can lead your forces to crush them when they are in the thick of fighting,
thus annihilating them both.
Excellent plan. But I would make some modifications.
Please instruct me, Your Excellency.
Bestow upon Ma Teng 10,000 bushels of grain and 1,000 rolls of silk,
and grant him the rank of General of the Front.
Thereafter, command him to lead his Xiliang warriors south to attack Sun Quan.
Yes, sir.
I'm not finished yet.
When he passes by Xuchang with his army,
he will have to visit the palace and give his thanks to the emperor.
At that time, we can take the opportunity to arrest him and his sons.
Thereafter, the Xiliang troops will lose their leader,
and they will have to submit to the imperial court—that is, me.
Ma Teng gave us a box of pastries, did he not?
We should return the favor.
Your revision is superb, Your Excellency.
The plan will work wonderfully and those villains will fall into our hands.
Good brother, the court has issued an edict to bestow on me the rank of General of the Front.
Cao Cao provided me with food supplies on the side,
and commanded me to go south to attack Sun Quan.
Brother, what do you think about that?
They made you General of the Front?
That is among the highest ranks in the court!
Previously, Cao Cao had only given this rank to Yuan Shao.
Even Cao Cao himself dares not hold this title.
But now he gives this rank to you.
It shows that he holds you in good esteem.
As for going south to attack Sun Quan,
imagine
the moment you lead our men to war.
Cao Cao may take the opportunity to attack our base.
What should we do then?
This is Cao Cab's evil plot.
Father, if you obey the edict, you will fall for his trap.
But if you don't, Cao Cao will accuse you of going against the imperial court.
He will then lead his army west to fight us in the name of the emperor.
I feel that, since Cao Cao ordered us to lead an army south,
we should take the opportunity to attack the passes, and take down Chang'an and Xuchang along the way.
We mustn't do that.
The traitor is extremely crafty. He will be prepared.
If Uncle were to bring our forces south.
I think we may be ambushed by Cao Cao's army along the way.
Uncle, you mustn't go.
It wont do to obey the edict, and it wont do to defy it.
What should we do?
I will not bring the whole army either.
but only take 5,000 light cavalry with me to Xuchang.
Brother Shoucheng! You mustn't do that!
Father!
That is suicide!
Not going is as good as waiting to be slaughtered.
If I go, there may still be a slim chance of finding victory amid dangers.
I may even succeed in taking Cao Cao's head.
What is your plan, then?
My brother,
can you see the wicked plot hidden in Cao Cao's edict?
For many years.
he has desired to sow discord between us
and cause internal strife in Xiliang.
Now, he gave me the rank of General of the Front,
but did not say a single word about you,
or bestow anything on you. Why is that so?
It is purely intentional.
Cao Cao desires to make you feel indignant.
so that you will quarrel with me.
That's right.
Well then! We shall act as if we are really fighting with each other,
to the point of clashing our armies.
We shall use this to confuse Cao Cao.
How do we confuse him?
Today I shall submit a memorandum to the imperial court to give my thanks, and at the same time,
I'll say that you, Han Sui, are so angry and jealous that you received nothing
that you wouldn't obey me.
After which, you shall also submit a memorandum,
accusing me of massacring the Qiang people and causing a revolt among the civilians.
to do away with my rank and title,
You shall appeal to the imperial court
and recommend Ma Chao to take over my military command instead.
Thereafter, I shall send another memorandum
accusing you of collaborating with Ma Chao to lead a mutiny in a bid to wrest power from me,
and I shall appeal to the imperial court to remove you from,your office.
After that, you shall send another memorandum
saying that I have led my armies to attack your cities.
Within a span of a few days, we shall send memorandums one after another,
each sounding more serious than the previous one.
By that time, Cao Cao will be convinced that Xiliang is in complete chaos.
Very true. So what do we do after that?
After that, I can proceed to Xuchang.
I will meet Cao Cao and tell him
that Han Sui has collaborated with Ma Chao to wrest military power from me.
Left with no choice, I had to flee for my life.
bringing only 5,000 remnant soldiers with me to seek refuge with the Prime Minister.
I shall then appeal to His Excellency to give me an army to retake Xiliang.
By then, Cao Cao will have to believe my words.
After I enter the city, I shall coordinate with a planted agent,
and attack the city at night.
office, kill Cao Cao, and occupy the palace.
In the process, I will seize control of the Prime Minister's
With the emperor in my hands,
I can issue a decree to force* all the court officials to surrender to me.
After Cao Cao is dead, his followers will have no leader.
Everyone of them will be fearful. Who will dare oppose me then?
Brother Shoucheng, this is the best strategy I have ever heard in my life!
Let alone Cao Cao.
Even if you put him, Kongming, and Zhou Yu together,
they will not see through the plan easily!
Father, though this is a good plan,
it's too dangerous for you to enter the enemy's lair.
If you do not take risks, how do you expect to achieve success?
We, the Ma clan, have been loyal subjects for generations.
Our ancestor, General Ma Yuan, is famous for this saying.
A man should seek to die on the battlefield,
and have his body carried home wrapped in horsehide!
Right now, Cao Cao is doing harm to the country and the emperor lives amid dangers.
I am already past my prime. My days are numbered.
What am I waiting for, if I do not seek to kill the traitor now and repay my country?
Father, if you insist on this plan, let me take this risk on your behalf.
volunteer to lead 5,000 men to Xuchang.
Father, please stay in Xiliang.
Cao Cao fears me the most among all in the northwestern forces.
If I go, he will let down half his guard.
Only then will he believe us.
It's useless to have you go.
Sir, please take us with you to the south! We are willing to die for your cause!
This is a dangerous mission, penetrating deep behind enemy lines.
The crux to achieving victory is keeping Cao Cao in the dark.
If I bring all of you along, how will Cao Cao possibly believe me?
Let's not argue anymore. I shall bring only Ma Dai and Ma Tie with me this time.
The rest of you shall stay put and obey General Han's orders.
In case... in case I do not return,
you shall all obey General Han
and rebuild our power!
Uncle! Father!
Sir!
The officials are all talking about Secretary Yang Xiu nowadays.
He is really, really...
he's really clever beyond words.
Young Master, tell me about him.
A few days ago, when the renovation of the back garden was completed,
Father went to inspect the work.
In the end, he did not say a word,
but only wrote the character "live" on the door frame.
Then he put down the brush and-left.
Nobody understood what he meant.
Only Yang Xiu solved the puzzle right away.
His Excellency found, to his dislike, that the door was too wide.
There's also another incident.
On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ma Teng sent an emissary to deliver a box of pastries.
Father wrote»on the box the words
One Box of Pastries and left it on the table and departed.
Once again, nobody understood what he meant.
And once more it was Yang Xiu who came in,
opened the box, and let everyone share the pastries.
Father came back and asked, "Hmm? Who allowed you eat it?"
Yang Xiu replied, "Your Excellency, you wrote on the box,
Each man—a bite of pastry'. I dared not disobey and thus ate the pastry.
Say, isn't he very clever?
Clever, he's indeed clever.
A man who is that clever...
will not live for long.
Master, what do you mean by that?
Yang Dezu thinks too highly of himself,
and keeps revealing His Excellency's thoughts.
Don't you think such a subordinate is a threat to His Excellency?
No lord
wants a subordinate who completely does not understand his intentions.
or a subordinate who can completely see through his thoughts.
Out of the two,
a lord will bear a greater grudge against the latter.
Why so?
If a subordinate can see through His Excellency's thoughts all the time.
then what is left of His Excellency's power?
Remember this, true power is that which is unpredictable and unfathomable.
Yang Xiu is too self-assured, and boasts of his abilities wherever he goes.
This happens to be the biggest taboo when it comes to dealing with His Excellency.
Your words bring me to my senses, sir.
These are just some trivial words. Not worth mentioning.
Young Master, did anything else happen in the city?
In the name of the emperor. Father has issued...
an edict to bestow on Ma Teng the rank of General of the Front,
and to order him to lead the Xiliang army to attack Sun Quan.
General of the Front? That's quite something!
Young Master, make a guess.
What»do you think is His Excellency's intention?
This is a ruse to "make the wolf fight with the dog".
Hasn't Ma Teng always wanted to set foot in the Central Plains?
So Father gave him this chance,
to lure him to march against Sun Quan.
Thereupon Father can make a move
and conquer either the Southland or Xiliang.
Or, he may even conquer both.
Young Master, try guessing again.
Father is luring Ma Teng to the south,
to ambush and kill him on his way to Xuchang?
Precisely, that's right!
Having Ma Teng journey all the way south to attack Sun Quan
is obviously impossible.
What if Ma Teng and Sun Quan join hands to,attack Xuchang instead?
Hence, when Ma Teng is journeying south.
we must kill him and annex his army.
take Xiliang and secure our rear borders.
Isn't he made General of the Front?
According to protocol, Ma Teng should meet the emperor to give his thanks.
Sir
do you think Father's plan will succeed?
Most likely, I think.
Minister, this way please.
We have good seats on the second floor.
This way.
This way please, sir.
Master Huang, I have been awaiting your arrival.
You are?
I'm Feng Er from Xiliang.
At the end of last year.
you instruct me to choose some fine horses for you.
Right. So you're Proprietor Feng Er.
That's me.
Look at my poor memory! Come, please take a seat.
After you, Master Huang.
All right.
Please go ahead, sir.
All right.
It's too dangerous for you to come here.
Sir, this is a letter from the General of the Front.
That means, General Ma Teng is really coming to Xuchang?
That's right.
Isn't he aware that this is Cao Cao's ruse?
General Ma is fully aware.
However, since Cao Cao bestowed on him the rank of General of the Front,
he ought to enter Xuchang to give his thanks, shouldn't he?
Your Excellency, we received an urgent dispatch.
A great mishap has occurred within the Xiliang forces.
What mishap?
Han Sui had colluded with Ma Chao's subordinates,
and led an attack on Ma Teng's camps.
Both parties fought for many days, and in the end, Han Sui defeated Ma Teng,
and chased him out of Xiliang.
Where's Ma Teng then?
Ma Teng fled to the central lands with just 5,000 remnant troops.
He petitioned for Your Excellency to give him refuge.
A few days ago, Han Sui and Ma Teng sent accusations of each other, one after another.
I was just worried that a mutiny might take place.
And they really started fighting!
In that case. Your Excellency, will you permit Ma Teng to come here?
Let him come.
When he's here, he'll ask me for some soldiers to retaliate against Han Sui.
I can make use of him to take Xiliang in the process.
Wait.
Your Excellency.
Why do I find this matter so strange somehow?
Ma Teng is slyer than a fox.
Among the eighteen lords who fought against Dong Zhuo, only he and Liu Bei are still alive.
Nobody had ever defeated him so badly before.
But this time, it was his son, Ma Chao, who stabbed him in the back.
Compose an edict.
Appoint Han Sui as General who Defends the South,
and let him rule all commanderies of Xiliang.
Make Ma Chao Lieutenant General.
Bestow on them whatever they took from Ma Teng.
Yes, sir.
If there's really a plot hidden in all this,
then Ma Chao or Han Sui should be here to surrender instead.
Ma Teng is the leader of Xiliang.
A man may give up an arm in order to survive,
but never his head!
Indeed there's something odd about this.
Uncle, Xuchang is less than thirty miles from here.
General, Lord Cao has agreed to receive you.
He has instructed his son Cao Pi to welcome you from 30 miles outside the city.
He fell for it!
Dismount now and await for Young Master Cao Pi's arrival.
I am Cao Pi. I'm here on my fathers orders
to welcome the General of the Front.
Master, thank you for welcoming us.
I thank His Excellency for his great favor. Young
Please get up quickly.
I My father has already prepared a base for you.
Sir, please lead your men there to rest.
Very good! After you, Young Master.
After you. Very good! After you. Young Master.
Brother Shoucheng, I'm sorry to hear what happened.
Come, let us drink together.
Thank you for taking me in, Your Excellency.
You're too polite. Brother Shoucheng.
I remember when you and I swore to fight against Dong Zhuo together.
Come to think of it, we are actually old acquaintances.
Pi, hurry and toast to your uncle Ma.
Your nephew toasts to the health of Uncle Ma.
Many thanks Young Masters.
Your Excellency, seeing how outstanding your sons are.
I am pained to think about my unfilial son
If not for those few old followers who risked their lives to save me.
I could never see Your Excellency again.
Do not grieve so, Brother Shoucheng.
A man must be flexible and not be troubled by a couple of losses.
Look at me. Wasn't I humiliated at Red Cliff as well?
Your Excellency, I cannot wait to storm back to Xiliang
and behead my treacherous son and Han Sui.
Thereafter, I will lead all of Xiliang to surrender to the imperial court.
Only then will my anger subside.
It's a pity... I.. l...
only have these few thousand defeated troops left.
Don't you worry about that.
In a few days' time, I will allocate thirty thousand Qingzhou men to you,
to aid you in recapturing Xiliang.
Thank you very much, Your Excellency. I shall repay you with my life.
Please rise, please rise.
There is no need for formalities between us.
Your Excellency, after I have recaptured Xiliang, I shall return to Xuchang
and help you unite the realm!
Huang Kui.
Here.
Have you prepared the supplies for Brother Shoucheng's army?
Your Excellency, the preparations are done.
Deliver another 500 jars of wine tomorrow as a reward for their services.
Yes.
I know the Xiliang warriors are good at drinking.
Zhang.
Yes, Father.
You shall accompany him tomorrow also.
Toast to the Xiliang warriors on my behalf.
Yes, sir.
Thank you, Your Excellency.
Welcome, General.
Where's Ma Teng?
I'm sorry, sir.
General Ma drank a cup too many at the Prime Minister's last night. He's still asleep.
Indeed Uncle Ma drank quite a bit last night. I can't blame him.
Unload the wine first. I shall take a walk in the camp in a moment.
I wish to see our fellows from Xiliang.
Yes, sir.
Minister Huang,
Here.
Later, HI make my way back first. You stay here.
After Uncle Ma wakes up, please let him know that I've come.
Yes, sir.
This way, sir.
When I was at Ma Teng's camp,
nobody in the camp was training though it was already midday.
The soldiers appear slack and lethargic.
Many have grown beards and look old.
Their clothes and armor look torn and tattered.
I really think they did just escape defeat.
How many men do you need to defeat them then?
I need only five hundred crack troops to exterminate them all.
Only five hundred men?
Definitely
Send my order.
Withdraw the 20,000 soldiers that are watching over Ma Teng outside the city,
lest he finds out and accuses me of being insincere.
Understood.
General,
is there really a mutiny in Xiliang?
Of course not.
leading the elite warriors of Xiliang,
Not only so, my son Ma Chao is now
advancing secretly to the northern banks of Wei River.
The moment I make a move in Xuchang,
they will reinforce me at the south gate.
General, you are of exceptional wisdom and courage to go deep inside the enemy's lair.
I'm most impressed.
However, you brought only five thousand weak soldiers with you.
How can you possibly kill the traitor?
I've fooled even you.
Though they are older men, they have followed me in battle for many years.
Each of them can take on ten men.
Even though Cao Cao has more soldiers, they are all in the main camp outside the city.
There are only several thousand sentinels in the city.
As soon as someone opens the gate.
I'll charge into the city at night, and go straight to Cao Cao's residence and kill him.
Then, I'll advance to the palace, escort the emperor out and shout,
The deed is done!
Marvelous!
General, my wife's brother, Miao Ze, happens to be Xuchang's gatekeeper.
We'll collaborate with you and open Xuchang's south gate at night.
We'll light a torch as a signal for you to enter the city.
This is wonderful! Heaven is on our side!
Madam, Madam...
What are you yelling for? Did someone die or what?
Don't bother with her, come on...
Did I let you come in?
I'm really sorry.
But Master has returned. I came to let you know.
Leave now.
Miao Ze, hurry, leave quickly!
Why is Brother-in-Law back so soon?
We can't let him see you.
I'm hurrying...
Wait, your belt!
Darling, I really can't bear to leave you.
Liar, get your ass moving!
Bye then!
Brother-in-law.
I have a friend who is a retainer of Young Master Zhi's.
He knows that you enjoy reading,
and that you are a scholar and a book-collector.
So he wanted me to... borrow from you this book called...
The Mozi... Mozi...
I went to look for you earlier but you1 weren't in, so I paid my sister a visit instead.
Young Master Zhi is a famed writer and poet.
How can he possibly not have a copy of the Mozi at home?
How strange!