Chapter 49: Turmoil At Ganlu Temple
On the third day of the first lunar month during the New Year, Xuchang was still immersed in the New Year atmosphere. At night, several carriages were parked at the entrance of Carriage and Cavalry General Dong Cheng’s mansion, and several coachmen were gathered together chatting idly. Suddenly, a large group of soldiers appeared beside them, scaring the coachmen into kneeling and begging for mercy.
The coachmen were taken away by the soldiers, and immediately afterward, over a thousand soldiers surrounded Dong Cheng’s mansion.
Cao Ren gave an order, “Ram open the gate!”
“Boom!”
The gate was rammed open by soldiers using wooden posts, and hundreds of soldiers charged inside.
In a secret room in the inner residence, Dong Cheng was discussing important matters with several high-ranking ministers.
“I received a secret letter from Sun Ce. After spring begins, he will lead an army of fifty thousand north to Xuchang. Gentlemen, at that time Cao the usurper will be stalled by Yuan Shao, Xuchang’s troop strength will be weak, the Marquis of Wu’s army will strike, and Cao the usurper will be attacked from both front and back, surely leading to defeat and death.”
Just as he said this, Dong Cheng heard a loud boom, and everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Dong Cheng opened the door and ordered his subordinate outside, “Go see what happened?”
No sooner had he spoken than the butler came stumbling in, shouting, “Master, officers and soldiers have entered the mansion!”
An arrow whistled through the air and struck the butler in the back, and the butler let out a miserable scream before collapsing dead.
The room fell into chaos, with everyone jumping up and fleeing in all directions, but it was too late. Cao Cao’s soldiers had already surrounded the meeting hall, and those who ran out were all pinned to the ground and bound.
Dong Cheng was also pinned down by several soldiers, who tied his hands behind his back. Dong Cheng struggled desperately, shouting, “I am the Imperial Consort’s father, you cannot treat me like this!”
His mouth was gagged, all were captured, and they were dragged out like chicks.
Cao Cao, with a long sword at his waist, appeared in the courtyard. Soon, Dong Cheng, Wang Zifu, Zhong Ji, Wu Shuo, Wu Zilan, and others were brought out and forced to kneel before Cao Cao.
Cao Cao sneered, “Discussing important matters on the third day of the first lunar month—are you plotting how to get rid of me?”
At this time, soldiers searched the study and found the Son of Heaven’s Imperial Edict and the signed letter. Except for Ma Teng and Liu Bei who were not in Xuchang, everyone on the list was rounded up.
At the same time, they found the letter written by Sun Ce, making Cao Cao even angrier. He sternly ordered the Magistrate of Xuchang, Man Chong, “Take them away for strict interrogation. Arrest all their faction members.”
“This official obeys the order!”
In fact, there was no need for Gan Ning to remind him—Cao Cao had long known that Dong Cheng and the others were secretly forming a faction to harm him. He had been waiting for an opportunity, and now during the New Year, he had finally captured them all.
Man Chong used cruel methods to interrogate them. These civil officials could not withstand it and confessed everything. After several days of interrogation, hundreds of branch conspirators were uncovered. On the ninth day of the first lunar month, Cao Cao ordered the public execution of the hundreds, and the Noble Consort Dong was also poisoned to death with a cup of poisoned wine.
Cao Cao did not take Dong Cheng and the others to heart. A scholar’s rebellion takes ten years and still fails.
His real worry was Sun Ce. The letter from Sun Ce found in Dong Cheng’s study showed that Sun Ce had resolved on the Northern Expedition. Internal ties down were useless, and external ties down also had no effect, giving Cao Cao a severe headache.
That afternoon, as soon as Cao Cao returned to his study, a soldier came to report, “Reporting to the Minister of Works, Strategist Jia urgently requests an audience!”
Cao Cao nodded, “Invite him to the outer study!”
Cao Cao arrived at the outer study, where Jia Xu, waiting in the study, hurriedly came forward to greet him, “Greetings to the Minister of Works!”
“What urgent matter does sir have?”
“Reporting to the Minister of Works, this subordinate’s informant in Nanchang County has just sent an urgent report that Yuzhang Commandery has been completely occupied by Gan Ning.”
“What?”
Cao Cao was greatly shocked. Twenty days ago when Yu Jin reported for duty, Pengze County was still fine—why had it been occupied by Gan Ning so quickly?
“What happened?”
Jia Xu took out his subordinate’s express report and presented it to Cao Cao. Cao Cao quickly opened it and examined it closely. Gan Ning had surprisingly captured Pengze, Haihun, Nanchang, and Poyang—the four counties—in ten days, annihilating his own twelve thousand men and Sun Ben’s fifteen thousand troops, capturing Sun Fu, and driving away Han Dang and Zhou Tai, occupying Yuzhang Commandery in one go.
After a long moment, Cao Cao sighed, “I underestimated him!”
“Minister of Works, this subordinate believes the Yuzhang change will definitely affect Sun Ce’s Northern Expedition plan.”
Cao Cao took out Sun Ce’s letter to Dong Cheng again. The postscript date was December 27th of last year, while Gan Ning took Yuzhang Commandery on the fifth day of the first lunar month this year.
Cao Cao nodded slightly, “The loss of Yuzhang Commandery should be beyond Sun Ce’s expectations. I don’t know how he will respond, but we must keep close watch on Jiangdong’s situation. There will surely be major changes in Jiangdong!”
Pausing, Cao Cao sighed again, “I once promised him that if he could take Yuzhang Commandery within a year, I would recommend him as Prefect of Yuzhang Commandery. He actually completed the task I set in half a year!”
Sun Ce also received the news of Yuzhang Commandery’s fall. At this time, Sun Ce had just led his army to arrive at Jingkou, making final preparations for the Northern Expedition. The first day of the second lunar month would be the day of Sun Ce’s Northern Expedition.
But the news of Yuzhang Commandery’s fall was like the second arrow Gan Ning shot at Sun Ce, catching him off guard and striking him again.
This matter seriously disrupted Sun Ce’s Northern Expedition plan. The Northern Expedition on the first day of the second lunar month was impossible. He had to defeat Gan Ning and retake Yuzhang Commandery; otherwise, when he went on the Northern Expedition, Gan Ning would surely attack Lujiang Commandery, or even launch an offensive on Danyang Commandery—how could he possibly focus on the Northern Expedition?
Yet his grain and rear supplies had not all arrived. How long did he have to wait?
Thinking that the grand Northern Expedition plan was delayed filled Sun Ce with burning anxiety and frustration, leaving him utterly depressed with no solution.
That morning, Sun Ce went up Bei Gu Mountain alone and came to the cliff edge, gazing at the rolling Yangtze River ahead. His dozens of personal guards were all a hundred paces away—they knew their lord was in a bad mood and did not dare approach too closely to disturb him.
After standing for an unknown time, Sun Ce finally let out a long sigh, turned, and walked toward Ganlu Temple. Ganlu Temple was very small, occupying only two mu of land, with a dozen monks.
As soon as Sun Ce entered the main hall, a monk came forward, handed him a plate with a letter on it, and said, “This is a letter for the benefactor!”
Sun Ce was stunned. Who wrote this letter?
As he picked up the letter, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back—a weapon had pierced his body. The monk’s face changed, he threw away the plate in his hand, drew a dagger, and viciously stabbed at Sun Ce’s neck. Sun Ce shouted and rolled more than a zhang away. Behind him just now was a monk holding a short spear, its bluish spear tip covered in blood.
At that moment, another short spear silently thrust out from between the nearby curtain banners without any warning. Sun Ce could not dodge, and the spear plunged into his left abdomen with a puff. Enduring the intense pain, Sun Ce drew his sword and slashed. The monk hiding behind the curtain screamed and fell backward.
The other two monks roared, “We are Xu Gong’s retainers, here to avenge our master!”
The two thrust their spears at Sun Ce together. Sun Ce’s vision blurred, and he could no longer stand steadily. He forcefully crashed through the side door, tumbling into the courtyard with the door.
His dozens of personal guards happened to be walking in and saw their lord covered in blood. Everyone was shocked and drew their blades to charge at the assassins.
The two monks knelt on the ground and shouted upward, “We are Xu Gong’s retainers, avenging our master. Today our wish is fulfilled, and we die without regrets!”
The personal guards were furious and rushed forward to kill them, but the personal guard leader shouted, “Don’t kill them, take them alive!”
But two personal guards still rushed up and each delivered a knife strike, beheading the two assassins.
Seeing their lord had fainted, the personal guards panicked and carried him down the mountain, shouting as they ran, “The lord has been assassinated! Quickly find the military doctor!”
By the time the military doctor arrived, Sun Ce remained unconscious and his injuries were fatal; the military doctor was helpless.
The first spear had missed the heart by a bit. The fatal strike was the third spear from behind the curtain, which pierced Sun Ce’s liver. Combined with excessive blood loss and deadly poison on the weapon, Sun Ce could not be saved and breathed his last in the barracks an hour later.
In the large tent, over a dozen generals knelt before Sun Ce’s corpse and wept bitterly. Lv Fan suppressed his grief and said, “This is not the time to cry. First seal off the news to avoid chaos. Immediately send the lord’s corpse back to Wu Commandery and let the Old Madam decide.”
Huang Gai wiped away his tears and asked, “May I ask the strategist, should the army withdraw together as well?”
Lv Fan nodded, “Military power must be held by the Old Madam. The army withdraws immediately to Wu Commandery. No one is allowed to leak the news.”
Intuition told Lv Fan something was wrong. The lord’s visit to Bei Gu Mountain was a sudden whim with no prior arrangement, yet three assassins were lying in wait in Ganlu Temple. How did they know? There was something suspicious here.
At this time, Sun Ce’s personal guard leader arrived to report, “Reporting to the strategist, two personal guards have committed suicide!”
Lv Fan’s face changed dramatically.
