The Three Kingdoms Volume 1

by Luo Guanzhong

  Then he dashed forward with his spear ready to thrust but at that moment a rider galloped up behind him at full speed, crying, “You must not fight with Yun-chang!”

  Guan Yu reined in his steed at once and waited. The messenger came up, drew from his bosom an official document and said to Xiahou Dun: “The prime minister admired General Guan for his loyalty and honor, and fearing that he might be stopped at the various passes, he sent me over to show this document at every pass on the road.”

  “But this Guan Yu has slain several commanders of the passes. Does the prime minister know that?” asked Xiahou Dun.

  The messenger said that he did not know.

  “Then,” said Xiahou Dun, “I will arrest him and take him to the prime minister, who can set him free or not as he wishes.”

  “Do you think I am afraid of you?” said Guan Yu getting angry.

  And he rode forward. His rival, too, set his spear and pushed forth for battle. They met and had reached the tenth encounter when a second horseman came up at full speed, crying, “Generals, wait a moment!”

  Xiahou Dun stopped and asked the messenger, “Does the prime minister want me to arrest him?”

  “No,” replied the second messenger. “For fear that General Guan should have difficulties at the passes the prime minister has sent me with a dispatch to say he is to be allowed to leave.”

  “Did the prime minister know that he had slain several men on the way?”

  “No, he did not.”

  “In that case, I must not let him go,” and he signalled for his men to close in around Guan Yu.

  But Guan Yu flourished his mighty sword and a battle was again imminent. At that moment a third rider appeared, who called the two combatants by their names and cried, “Don’t fight!”

  The speaker was Zhang Liao. Both combatants made no further move and waited.

  Zhang Liao said, “I have brought the prime minister’s strict orders. He has heard that Yun-chang has slain several men on the way and he fears that someone else may hinder his passage again, so he has sent me to deliver his command at each pass—Yun-chang is to be allowed to leave freely.”

  Xiahou Dun said, “Qin Qi was Cai Yang’s nephew and he was left in my special care. Now this Guan Yu has killed him—how can I let him go?”

  “When I see his uncle I’ll explain. But now the main point is that you have the prime minister’s order to let him pass and you mustn’t act against his wish.”

  So the only thing for Xiahou Dun to do was to obey and he did.

  “Where are you going now?” asked Zhang Liao to Guan Yu.

  “I hear my brother is no longer with Yuan Shao and now I’m going to roam the land to look for him.”

  “Since you don’t know where he is, why don’t you return to the prime minister?”

  “What’s the sense of that?” said Guan Yu with a smile. “But, Wen-yuan, please apologize to the prime minister for my faults when you return.”

  With this he bade farewell to Zhang Liao and departed. Zhang Liao and the others returned to the capital.

  Guan Yu quickly overtook the carriage and the group resumed their journey. He rode side by side with Sun Qian and told him what had happened. Several days later they were caught in a heavy rain and their luggage was all wet. Looking about for protection, they noticed a farm by the side of a hill and they went there to seek shelter. An old man came out to greet them, to whom Guan Yu told their story. When he had finished, the old man said, “My name is Guo Chang and my family has always lived here. I am very pleased to meet you, General, for I have long known your name by reputation.”

  So he killed a sheep and brought out wine to treat the travelers. The two ladies were ushered into the inner quarters to take a rest. While they refreshed themselves their baggage was put out to dry and their horses were fed.

  As the day closed in they saw a young man leading several people into the house and their host said to him, “Come here and pay your respects to the general.”

  “This is my son,” he said to Guan Yu, pointing to the young man.

  “What has he been doing?” asked Guan Yu.

  “He has just come in from hunting.”

  The young fellow saluted Guan Yu and went out. The old man continued, “All my family have been farmers or scholars. He is my only son and instead of following in the footsteps of his ancestors he cares for nothing but gad-ding about and hunting. It is a misfortune for our family.”

  “Why is it a misfortune?” asked Guan Yu. “In these days of disorder a good soldier can make a name for himself as well.”

  “If he would only learn the military arts that would be something of a career, but he is nothing but a vagabond and does everything he should not do. He is a grief to me.”

  Guan Yu sighed in sympathy. The old man stayed till a late hour and when he took his leave his two guests began to prepare for rest.

  Suddenly there arose a great hubbub in the backyard, men shouting and horses neighing. Guan Yu called his people but as no one answered he and his companion drew their swords and went into the stable yard to investigate. There they found their host’s son on the ground while their men were struggling with the farm people. Guan Yu asked what had happened and his men told him that the young fellow had tried to steal the Red Hare but had been badly kicked by the horse. They had heard shouting and had gone to see what it meant when the farm people set upon them.

  Guan Yu was very angry. “You mean thieves! How dare you steal my horse?” he cried.

  But before he could do anything his host came running up and implored, “It was not with my consent that my son did this evil thing. I know he deserves death but his mother loves him tenderly and I beg you to be merciful and pardon him.”

  “He is indeed unworthy of his father,” said Guan Yu. “What you told me shows he is a degenerate. For your sake I pardon him.”

  Then he told his own people to keep a better lookout, sent the farm people away, and went back with Sun Qian to get some rest.

  The next morning the old man and his wife came up to bow to him and to thank him for forgiving their son. “My unworthy son has offended you greatly and I am deeply grateful to you for your kindness in not punishing him,” said the old man.

  “Bring him here and I will teach him to reason,” said Guan Yu.

  “He went out before daylight with several of his fellow rogues and I do not know where he is.”

  So they took leave and continued their journey, picking up paths among the hills. Before they had gone far they saw a large party of men led by two riders. One of the riders wore a yellow turban and battledress. The other was the old man’s son. The wearer of the yellow turban called out: “I am one of the officers of the General of Heaven, Zhang Jue. Whoever you may be, leave that horse you are riding and you may go free.”

  Guan Yu greeted the speech with a hearty laugh.

  “You ignorant rebel! If you have been with Zhang Jue, you should have known the names of Liu, Guan, and Zhang, the three brothers.”

  “I have heard that the ruddy-faced man with a long beard is called Guan Yu, but I have never seen him. Who are you?”

  Guan Yu laid aside his sword, reined in his horse and drew off the bag that covered his beard thus showing its magnificence.

  The turban wearer immediately slipped out of the saddle, laid an angry hand on his companion and they both bowed low in front of Guan Yu’s steed.

  “Who are you?” asked Guan Yu.

  “I am Pei Yuan-shao. After the death of Zhang Jue I was left without a leader and I gathered together people like myself and we took refuge in the forests. Early in the morning this fellow came to tell me that a guest at his father’s farm had a valuable horse and asked me to steal it with him. I did not expect to meet you, General.”

  The wretched son of the old man entreated that his life be spared and Guan Yu pardoned him for his father’s sake. He crept away in a hurry.

  “You did not recognize me. How then did you know my name?” a
sked Guan Yu.

  Pei Yuan-shao replied, “Not far from here is a mountain called the Sleeping Bull, where lives a man whose name is Zhou Cang. He is a very powerful man from the west, with a stiff curly mustache and a majestic look. He was also with the Yellow Turbans and when his leader perished he took to the forest as well. He has often mentioned your name to me but I have never had the honor of seeing you.”

  Guan Yu said, “The greenwood is no place for a true hero. You had better abandon this depraved way of life and return to the path of virtue. Do not prepare your own destruction.”

  As they were talking a troop of horsemen appeared in the distance. “This must be Zhou Cang,” said Pei Yuan-shao. And Guan Yu waited for them to approach.

  The leader of the group was a tall man of very dark complexion, carrying a spear in his hand. As soon as he drew near enough to see he exclaimed joyfully, “This is General Guan!”

  In a moment he had slipped out of the saddle and was on his knees by the roadside.

  “Zhou Cang renders obeisance to you, General,” he said.

  “Where could you have known me?” asked Guan Yu of the warrior.

  “I was with the Yellow Turbans and saw you then. As I was a rebel at that time I could not join you, which has been one of my deepest regrets. Now that my good fortune has brought me here I hope you will not reject me. Let me be one of your foot soldiers so that I can always be near you to carry your whip and run by your stirrup. Then I will die with no regrets.”

  As he seemed thoroughly sincere Guan Yu said, “But if you follow me, what about your companions?”

  “They may do as they please—follow me or go their own ways.”

  Then they all shouted, “We will follow.”

  Guan Yu dismounted and went to ask the ladies what they thought of this. Lady Gan said, “Brother, you have traveled thus far all alone without any fighting men to support you. You have encountered many dangers but you never wanted any assistance. Earlier you refused the service of Liao Hua, why then accept this crowd? But this is only a woman’s view and you must decide.”

  “You are right, sister,” answered Guan Yu.

  Returning to Zhou Cang he said, “It is not that I am lacking in feeling but my sisters-in-law do not care for a big following. Please go back to the mountains for the time being till I have found my brother and I will surely call you.”

  Zhou Cang answered, “I am only a rough, uncouth fellow, wasting my life as a brigand. Meeting you, General, is like seeing the light of day and I can never bear to miss you again. As it is inconvenient for all my men to follow you I will ask my friend here to lead them away, but let me come and follow you on foot wherever you go.”

  Guan Yu again asked his sisters-in-law what they thought of this. Lady Gan said that one or two men made no difference and so Guan Yu consented. But Pei Yuan-shao was not satisfied with this arrangement and said that he also wished to follow.

  Zhou Cang said, “If you don’t stay with the band they’ll disperse and be lost. You must take command for the moment and let me accompany General Guan. As soon as he has a fixed abode I’ll come to fetch you.”

  Somewhat discontented, Pei Yuan-shao accepted the situation and marched off while his friend joined Guan Yu’s party and they went toward Runan. They traveled quickly for some days and then they saw a city on the hills. From the natives they learned that the place was called Gu-cheng, or Old City, and that a few months before a warrior had suddenly appeared, driven out the magistrate and taken possession. Then he had begun to recruit men, buy horses, and store grain. His name was Zhang Fei. Now he had a large force and no one in the neighborhood dared to face him.

  “To think that I should find my younger brother like this!” exclaimed Guan Yu in delight. “I’ve lost all news about him since the fall of Xuzhou.”

  So he dispatched Sun Qian into the city to tell its new commander to come out and greet his sisters-in-law.

  Now, after being separated from his brothers, Zhang Fei had gone to the Mangdang Hills where he had remained a month or so. One day while searching for tidings of Liu Bei, he happened to pass this city. He had sent his men to borrow some grain from the magistrate but had been refused. In revenge, he had driven away the magistrate and taken possession of the city. Since then he had made this place his temporary abode.

  Following Guan Yu’s order, Sun Qian entered the city and, after the usual greetings, told Zhang Fei the news of his two brothers, saying that Liu Bei had left Yuan Shao and gone to Runan and that Guan Yu, with their sisters-in-law, was at his gates. Then he asked him to go and welcome them in. Zhang Fei said not a word after he heard all this but called for his armor and spear, mounted, and rode out with a thousand or so men. Sun Qian was astonished but dared not ask him what this meant and simply followed.

  Guan Yu was very glad when he saw his brother coming. Handing his sword to Zhou Cang, he rode toward him at full speed. But when he approached he saw all the signs of fierce anger on the face of his brother, who roared as he attacked with his spear.

  Guan Yu was entirely taken aback. Ducking hastily to evade the blow, he called out anxiously, “Brother, what does this mean? Is the Peach Orchard Oath quite forgotten?”

  “You faithless fellow! What impudence is this that you come to see me after your disgraceful behavior?” shouted Zhang Fei.

  “What disgraceful behavior?”

  “You have betrayed our brother and surrendered to Cao Cao. You have received title and office at his hands. And now you have come to cheat me. I will fight you to death!”

  “So you don’t know and it’s hard for me to explain. But ask our sisters-in-law, worthy brother, and they’ll tell you.”

  At this the ladies lifted the curtain of the carriage and called out, “Brother, why is this?”

  Zhang Fei said, “Wait a while, sisters, and see me slay this traitor. After that I will conduct you into the city.”

  Lady Gan said, “Since he did not know where you were he took temporary shelter with Cao Cao. And when he knew that your eldest brother was in Runan he braved every danger to escort us thus far on the road. Please do not misunderstand him.”

  Lady Mi also chimed in: “When he went to the capital there was no other course open to him.”

  “Sisters, do not let him blind you to the truth. Real loyalty prefers death to dishonor. No good man will serve two masters.”

  Guan Yu said, “Brother, don’t wrong me, I beg you.”

  Sun Qian said, “Yun-chang has come especially to seek you.”

  “You are talking nonsense, too,” roared Zhang Fei. “How can he be sincere? He only came to capture me, I say.”

  “Had I come to capture you, I should have come with men and horses,” said Guan Yu.

  “And aren’t there men and horses coming?” said Zhang Fei pointing at something behind Guan Yu.

  Guan Yu turned, and there indeed he saw a cloud of dust rising, indicating the approach of an army—and from the banners they showed themselves to be Cao Cao’s men.

  “Now can you try to cajole me any further?” cried Zhang Fei in a rage.

  He set his long spear and was just coming on when Guan Yu said, “Brother, wait a minute—see me slay the leader of these to prove that I’m no traitor.”

  “Well, if you are really true, prove it by slaying that leader, whoever he may be, before I have finished three rolls of the drum.”

  Guan Yu agreed. Soon the army was near enough to make out the leader to be Cai Yang. Sword in hand he rode at full speed, crying, “So I have found you, killer of my nephew! I have the prime minister’s command to capture you.”

  Guan Yu made no reply. Raising his sword he struck at once. Zhang Fei himself beat the drum. Before one roll was completed Cai Yang’s head had rolled on the ground. His men scattered and fled. Guan Yu, however, captured the ensign-bearer and questioned him. The youth said that Cai Yang was incensed at the loss of his nephew and wished to pursue and attack Guan Yu, but the prime minister would not permit him to do
so. To appease him he had sent Cai Yang to attack Runan and the meeting at this place was entirely an accident.

  Guan Yu made him repeat this story to his brother. Zhang Fei also questioned him concerning all that had happened in the capital, and the details the soldier gave him finally convinced him of the fidelity of Guan Yu.

  Just then a messenger came from the city to tell Zhang Fei that some scores of horsemen had arrived at the south gate. They seemed in a great hurry but no one knew them. Zhang Fei, with some lingering doubt in his heart, went to look at the newcomers and truly enough there were a score or two of mounted archers with light bows and short arrows. Seeing him they hastily dismounted and he discovered them to be Lady Mi’s two brothers. Zhang Fei also dismounted and greeted them.

  Mi Zhu said, “After the fall of Xuzhou we returned to our own village, where we sent out people all around for news of you. We heard that Yun-chang had surrendered to Cao Cao and our lord was in Hebei with Yuan Shao, but we could hear nothing about you. Yesterday, however, we fell in with some travelers, who told us a certain General Zhang of such and such an appearance had occupied the Old City. We felt it must be you so we came to inquire. How happy we are to find you here!”

  Zhang Fei replied, “Yun-chang and Sun Qian have just come with my sisters-in-law. They have news of where my eldest brother is.”

  This added to the joy of the two newcomers, who at once went to see Guan Yu and the ladies. Then they all entered the city. When all were seated the two ladies related the whole story of Guan Yu’s experience since the destruction of the city of Xiapi, at which Zhang Fei was overcome with remorse and bowed before his brother, weeping bitterly. The Mi brothers were also greatly affected. Then Zhang Fei, in his turn, related what had happened to him.

  A day was spent in banquets and the next day Zhang Fei wished to join his newfound brother on his journey to Runan to see their eldest brother Liu Bei. But Guan Yu did not consent.

  “You stay here and take care of the ladies while Sun Qian and I go to get news,” he said.