by Luo Guanzhong
29Bu promised Su that he would surrender his forces the next day, so Su departed. That night during the second watch, Bu marched straight into Ding Yuan's tent with his sword in hand. Yuan was reading by candlelight at the time; when he saw that Bu had arrived, he said, "My son, what's wrong?" Bu said, "I am a full grown man of accomplishment, how could I ever consent to being your son!" Yuan responded, "Fengxian, why have you had a sudden change of heart?" Bu moved in with his sword and cut off Ding Yuan's head in one movement; he shouted out, "Attendants! Ding Yuan was a tyrant, and I have now killed him. Those who wish to follow me stay here, those who do not can leave of their own accord!" Just over half of the soldiers took their leave.
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The next day, Bu took the head of Ding Yuan and went to see Li Su. Su then took Bu to see Zhuo. Zhuo was overjoyed, and poured wine for his guest. Zhuo then bowed in respect, saying, "My obtaining a new general is like a parched seedling encountering a sweet rain." Bu took a seat with Zhuo and saluted him, saying, "If you will have me, I would like your permission to call you my new father." Zhuo presented a suit of armor, along with a brocade gown, to Bu as a gift. They merrily drank and then parted company. Zhuo's prestige grew even stronger after this, and he personally took over as general of the front army. He made his younger brother Dong Min general of the left army and gave him the title of Marquis of Hu County.[24] He made Bu captain of the cavalry and captain of the imperial guard, and also gave him the title of Marquis of the Capital City Ting. Li Ru advised Zhuo to quickly finalize his plans for deposing the emperor. Zhuo then threw a banquet at the palace, and gathered all of the ministers. He ordered Lü Bu to command a detail of more than 1,000 troops to stand guard.
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That day, all of the officials arrived, including Grand Tutor Yuan Wei. After a few rounds of drinks, Zhuo grabbed his sword, and said, "The current emperor is ignorant and weak. He is not qualified to make offerings at the imperial ancestral temple. I am going to follow the precedent set by Yi Yin and Huo Guang; I will demote the emperor to Prince of Hongnong, and make Prince of Chenliu emperor instead. Anyone who does not obey my wishes shall be executed!" The ministers were all terrified, and no one dared oppose him. Then Yuan Shao, captain of the middle army, stood up and said, "The current emperor has only been on the throne for a short time, and he has not committed any transgressions. Now you want to depose the son of an empress, and replace him with the son of a concubine; if that is not treason, then what is?" Zhuo angrily replied, "I control everything under the heavens! If I decide to do something now, who will dare to oppose me? Do you believe that my sword is not sharp?" Yuan Shao also drew his own sword, saying, "Your sword is sharp, and my sword has never been dull!" The two of them squared off near their reed seating mats. It was a case of:
Ding Yuan upheld justice, and was the first to die. Yuan Shao is now in a fight to the finish, and his power is in peril.
How did things turn out for Yuan Shao? Did he live or die? Keep reading, and all will be explained.
End of Chapter 3.
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Lays of Ancient Rome by Macaulay.
This is one of four great novels from China, published when it was the most highly civilization in the world. Map shows China at the time of this story.
Chapter Summary: How Dong Zhuo rebukes Ding Yuan in the Garden of Warmth and Brightness; Li Su wins over Lü Bu with offerings of gold and pearls.
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This translation from Wikipedia. See license CC-BY-SA.
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