Horse
Zhuahuang Feidian 爪黃飛電
About this item
The Zhuahuang Feidian (Yellow-Clawed Flying Lightning) is, in the Romance, the horse ridden by Cao Cao. In the scene "Cao Cao Hunts at Xutian" from the title of Chapter 20 of the Romance, Cao Cao rides this horse, leads a host of 100,000 and hunts at Xutian with Emperor Xian, riding side by side with the Son of Heaven only a horse's head apart. The Romance records neither the horse's appearance nor its history. Romance, Ch. 20 §12
The Romance mentions this horse in only one place, in Chapter 20. The horse's name does not appear in Chen Shou's text or in Pei Songzhi's commentary. Romance, Ch. 20 §12
In the Romance
In Chapter 20 of the Romance, when a Court Gentleman for Consultation who impeached Cao Cao for his arbitrary rule is put to death and all the officials tremble with fear, Cheng Yu urges Cao Cao to seize the moment and carry out the deeds of a hegemon-king. Cao Cao says that there are still many ministers at court who are like the emperor's arms and legs, and that he will invite the Son of Heaven to a hunt to observe how things stand; he picks out fine horses, famous hawks and swift hounds and gathers troops outside the city. Emperor Xian, unable to refuse, sets out riding the Xiaoyao horse and carrying the Baodiaogong (Precious Carved Bow) and gold-tipped arrows. Romance, Ch. 20 §10–11
Cao Cao, riding the Zhuahuang Feidian and leading a host of 100,000, hunts at Xutian with Emperor Xian, and the hunting ground is more than two hundred li around. Cao Cao rides side by side with the Son of Heaven only a horse's head apart, those following behind are all Cao Cao's trusted men, and the civil and military officials can only follow at a distance. When Cao Cao, using the Son of Heaven's Baodiaogong and gold-tipped arrows, hits a deer that Emperor Xian had missed with three shots, the ministers, thinking the Son of Heaven had hit it, shout "Long live the Emperor," and Cao Cao spurs his horse forward, blocks the way in front of the Son of Heaven and receives the acclaim. Romance, Ch. 20 §12–14
When the angry Guan Yu tries to ride out with his blade, Liu Bei waves his hand to stop him. Liu Bei later says that because Cao Cao was only a horse's head away from the Emperor and surrounded by his trusted men, he feared that a rash move might bring harm to the Son of Heaven. Romance, Ch. 20 §14–16
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.
Ownership history
| Owner | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cao Cao | Romance 「曹操騎爪黃飛電馬，引十萬之衆，與天子獵於許田」 |
Ownership is checked against the source texts (3KDEX) — each entry rests on the passage where the item changes hands. Owners not in the People index are not shown.