Novel scene
Cao Cao Battles Lü Bu 曹孟德大戰呂布
About this event
Cao Cao Battles Lü Bu is the latter scene of the Chapter 12 title of the Romance, "Tao Gongzu thrice yields Xu Province; Cao Mengde fights a great battle with Lü Bu," the passage in which the Battle of Puyang continues. It portrays how Cao Cao, deceived by Chen Gong's false offer of inside help made through the Tian family of Puyang, barely escapes alive from the burning city, halts the fighting because of a swarm of locusts, and then retakes Yan Province and Puyang and defeats Lü Bu at Dingtao. Romance, Ch. 12 §2–3 · 7 · 12 · 15 · 35 · 38 · 42
Chen Shou's text has the same outline. The Annals of Emperor Wu record that when Cao Cao attacked Puyang, Lü Bu's cavalry charged the Qingzhou troops and threw his formation into disorder, and Cao Cao, breaking out through the fire, fell from his horse and burned the palm of his left hand; that after facing each other for more than a hundred days they each withdrew because of a swarm of locusts; and that in the 2nd year of Xingping (195) he beheaded Xue Lan and others at Juye, and that afterwards he defeated more than ten thousand men under Lü Bu and Chen Gong who came at him again from Dongmin. Records, Wei 1 §30 · 33
In the Romance
In Chapter 12 of the Romance, Chen Gong has the Tian family, wealthy householders of Puyang, send Cao Cao a secret letter saying that Lü Bu has gone to Liyang and only Gao Shun is in the city, so if he comes by night they will respond from within. Liu Ye advises dividing the army into three and keeping two divisions outside the city, and Cao Cao does so but himself takes the lead into the city. When the gates open and he gets as far as the provincial office without seeing anyone, Cao Cao realizes it is a trap and shouts for a retreat, but flames shoot up at the four gates. Romance, Ch. 12 §2–7
With Zhang Liao and Zang Ba, Hao Meng and Cao Xing, and Gao Shun and Hou Cheng blocking each gate, Cao Cao runs into Lü Bu in the firelight, covers his face with his hand as he passes, and takes a blow on the helmet from the halberd. Asked "Where is Cao Cao?", he escapes by falsely saying it is the man ahead on the yellow horse. Breaking out through the flames behind Dian Wei, Cao Cao's horse is brought down by a collapsing burning beam, and pushing the beam away with his hands he burns his arm, beard and hair; he is rescued by Dian Wei and Xiahou Yuan. Romance, Ch. 12 §8–12
Cao Cao spreads the false rumor that he has died of his burns, hides troops on Mount Maling, and makes Lü Bu, who comes to attack, lose many men and horses. That year a swarm of locusts arises, a hu of grain costs fifty strings of cash and people eat one another, so Cao Cao withdraws to Juancheng and Lü Bu to Shanyang, and the fighting stops. Romance, Ch. 12 §13–15
When Cao Cao, having pacified the Yellow Turbans of Runan and Yingchuan and won Xu Chu, goes to Yan Province, Xu Chu beheads Li Feng, and Lü Qian shoots dead Xue Lan as he flees toward Juye. Before Puyang six generals including Xu Chu and Dian Wei attack Lü Bu together, and when the Tian family on the wall raise the drawbridge and declare that they have surrendered to Cao Cao, Lü Bu flees to Dingtao. Cao Cao plants banners in a wood to make Lü Bu suspicious and hides elite troops in a dry embankment, defeating Lü Bu when he comes to burn the wood. When Dingtao falls, Zhang Chao cuts his own throat and Zhang Miao flees to Yuan Shu. Romance, Ch. 12 §34–42
Where the Romance differs
The fire at Puyang: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, Cao Cao, deceived by the Tian family's false offer of inside help, enters the city and is attacked with fire, burns his arm, beard and hair pushing a beam away, and is rescued by Dian Wei and Xiahou Yuan. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, Lü Bu first charged the Qingzhou troops with his cavalry and threw Cao Cao's formation into disorder; Cao Cao, breaking out through the fire, fell from his horse and burned the palm of his left hand, and the Major Lou Yi helped him back onto a horse. The Tian family does not appear in Chen Shou's text. Romance, Ch. 12 §2–3 · 11–12Records, Wei 1 §30
Xue Lan, Li Feng and Zhang Chao: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, Li Feng is beheaded by Xu Chu, Xue Lan is killed by Lü Qian's arrow while fleeing toward Juye, and Zhang Chao cuts his own throat when Dingtao falls. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, in summer of the 2nd year of Xingping (195), when Cao Cao attacked Xue Lan and Li Feng, who were stationed at Juye, Lü Bu, who came to rescue them, fled and Xue Lan and the others were beheaded, and Zhang Chao, who held Yongqiu with Zhang Miao's family, killed himself when Yongqiu fell in the 12th month of that year. Romance, Ch. 12 §35 · 42Records, Wei 1 §33–34
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.