by Luo Guanzhong
15Captain of Light Cavalry Wu Fu, whose style name was Deyu, saw Zhuo's cruelty and was incensed. He wore light armor underneath his ceremonial court clothes, and carried a concealed dagger; he was waiting for an opportune moment to kill Zhuo. One day, Zhuo was on his way to court, when Fu intercepted him at the foot of a pavilion; he drew his dagger and thrust it at Zhuo. Zhuo's strength was great, and he used both hands to catch the attacker's arms. Lü Bu then entered and tackled Wu Fu. Zhuo asked him, "Who told you to commit treason?" Fu glared at him, and shouted, "You are not my lord, and I am not your subject; why shouldn't I rebel against you? Your crimes are too many to mention; anyone would kill you if they had the chance! I regret that you cannot be tied up, limb-by-limb, to horse-drawn carriages and pulled apart; that would appease the country!" Zhuo was outraged, and ordered him to be dragged outside, drawn and quartered. Right up to his death, Fu screamed obscenities non-stop. People of later generations composed a poem in praise of him; it went:
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In the final years of Han, the ministers all talked of Wu Fu, and how his awesome heroism went unmatched in this world.
His reputation for slaying bandit rebels still precedes him at court; one can call him a real man for all time!
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From that point on, Dong Zhuo brought armed escorts with him whenever going to or from court. At the time, Yuan Shao was in Bohai. When he heard that Dong Zhuo was abusing his power, he sent someone to deliver a secret communiqué to Wang Yun. The communiqué went something like:
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The villain Zhuo has cheated heaven and deposed the ruler, and there is nothing that anyone can say about it; however, you have indulged his overbearing actions as if you knew nothing about them. How can you then call yourself a loyal and devoted servant of the empire? I shall gather and train an army; I would like to clean out the royal household, but do not want to be hasty in my actions. If you have the inclination, you should seize the opportunity to plot against him. If you have an assignment for me, I shall follow your orders.
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: Deposing the Han emperor: Chenliu becomes emperor; plotting against the villain Dong: Mengde presents a dagger.
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This translation from Wikipedia. See license CC-BY-SA.
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