The Three Kingdoms Volume 1 (46 page)

“So you find that ruffian a good man, eh?” said Ma Teng indignantly.

“Please lower your voice: there are eyes and ears very near us.”

“Those who covet life and fear death are not the ones to discuss any great undertakings.”

So saying he rose to leave. By this time his host’s doubts were cleared—he was sure that Ma Teng was loyal and patriotic. So he said, “Do not be angry any more. I will show you something.”

Then he invited him into the library and showed him the decree. As Ma Teng read it his hair stood on end—he ground his teeth and bit his lips till the blood came.

“When you take action, remember the whole force of my army is ready to help,” he offered.

Dong Cheng introduced him to the other three and then the pledge was produced and Ma Teng was asked to sign his name. He did so, at the same time smearing his lips with blood as he said the oath. “I swear I would rather die than betray this pledge.”

Pointing to the five he said, “If there are ten of us we can accomplish our design.”

“True and loyal men are but few,” said Dong Cheng. “One of the wrong sort will spoil all.”

Ma Teng told them to bring in the name list of all the officials. He read on till he came to the name Liu of the Imperial clan. Clapping his hands he cried, “Why not consult him?”

“Who?” cried the others altogether.

Ma Teng very slowly and deliberately spoke his name.

To a relative of the state comes the Emperor’s decree,
And a scion of the ruling house can prove his loyalty.

The name of Ma Teng’s hero will be told in the next chapter.

*
An important minister in West Zhou Dynasty. After the death of his brother, Emperor Wu, he became regent, helping the young emperor suppress rebellions by various lords.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Cao Cao Brews the Wine and Talks about Heroes

Guan Yu Slays Che Zhou to Regain Xuzhou

A
t
the end of the last chapter Ma Teng was about to disclose the name of a person who could be trusted with effecting the Emperor’s decree.

“Who is it?” was the question they asked him.

Ma Teng answered, “Liu Bei, Governor of Yuzhou. He’s here and we can ask him to help.”

“Though he is an uncle of the Emperor, he is at present a partizan of our enemy. I don’t think he’ll support us,” said Dong Cheng.

“But I noticed something during the expedition,” said Ma Teng. “When Cao Cao advanced to acknowledge the cheers of the crowds Liu Bei’s sworn brother Guan Yu was behind him. I saw him reaching for his sword to cut down Cao Cao. However, Liu Bei checked him with a warning look and he did not. He would willingly destroy Cao Cao, only he thought the tyrant had too many claws and teeth around him. You can ask him. I’m sure he’ll consent.”

Here Wu Shu interrupted. “Don’t be too hasty,” he cautioned. “Let’s consider the matter more carefully.”

They dispersed. The following night Dong Cheng went to Liu Bei’s lodging, taking with him the decree. As soon as he was announced Liu Bei came to greet him and led him into a private room where they could talk freely. The two younger brothers, as always, stood at his sides.

“It must be something unusually important that has brought you here tonight, sir,” said Liu Bei to his guest.

“If I had ridden forth by daylight, Cao Cao might suspect, so I came by night.”

Then wine was served and while they were drinking Dong Cheng said, “Why did you hold back your brother the other day at the hunting expedition when he was going to slay Cao Cao?”

Liu Bei, greatly startled, asked: “How did you know?”

“Nobody noticed but I saw.”

Liu Bei could not deny any more. “My brother could not help getting very angry at Cao Cao’s presumptuous behavior,” he explained.

The visitor covered his face and wept. “Alas, if all the officials were like him, there would be no worries for lack of tranquillity,” he sighed.

Now Liu Bei suspected that he might be sent by Cao Cao to test him so he cautiously replied, “Why worry about lack of tranquillity while Prime Minister Cao is running the government?”

Dong Cheng changed color and rose from his seat. “You, sir, are an uncle of His Majesty and so I showed you my innermost feelings. Why do you try to deceive me?”

“Because I feared you might be deceiving me, and I wanted to find out,” replied Liu Bei.

At this Dong Cheng showed him the decree. Liu Bei was deeply affected with sorrow and indignation. Then the guest produced the pledge, on which were only six names.

“Since you are acting on the decree of the Emperor, I must do all I can to help,” said Liu Bei. At Dong Cheng’s request he put down his name and signature underneath the others and handed it back.

“Now we need to get but three more, which will make ten, and we will be ready to act.”

“But you must move with the greatest caution and not let this get abroad,” warned Liu Bei.

The two talked till an early hour in the morning, when the visitor left.

In the meantime, Liu Bei, in order to guard against possible attacks from Cao Cao, began to devote himself to gardening, planting vegetables, and watering them with his own hands. His brothers were puzzled.

“Why do you neglect great matters of the country but tend to such lowly things?” they asked.

“This isn’t something you’ll understand, brothers,” he replied. And they said no more.

One day when the two brothers were absent and Liu Bei was busy in his garden, two officers came with an escort from Cao Cao’s palace and said: “The prime minister commands that you go and see him at once.”

“For what important affair?” he asked nervously.

“We know nothing. We were ordered to come and invite you.”

All he could do was to obey. When he went in to see Cao Cao, the latter laughed and said, “That is a great business you have in hand at home.”

At this remark Liu Bei’s face turned the color of clay. But Cao Cao took him by the hand and led him straight to his back garden. “The business of learning to grow vegetables is not easy.”

Liu Bei breathed again. “Hardly a business, just to while away the time,” he said.

Cao Cao said, “I happened to notice the green plums on the trees today and my thoughts turned back to a year ago when we were thrashing Zhang Xiu. We were marching through a parched district and everyone was suffering from thirst. I suddenly thought of a scheme. Lifting my whip I pretended to be pointing at something in the distance and said, ‘There is a plum orchard ahead.’ The soldiers heard it and it made their mouths water and they were no longer thirsty. Now I owe a debt to the plums and we will pay it today. Besides, I have brewed some wine which has been heated very hot so I have invited you, sir, to come and share the fruit and the wine with me.”

Liu Bei was quite composed by this time and went with his host to a small summer house, where the wine cups were already laid out and in the dishes were green plums. They sat facing each other and drank to their hearts’ content.

As they drank, the weather gradually changed. Dark clouds scudded across the sky and a storm was in the making. Some servants pointed out a mass of clouds that looked like a dragon hung in the sky. Both of them went over to the window and leaned against the railing to look at it.

“Do you understand the evolution of dragons?” asked Cao Cao of the guest.

“Not in detail.”

“A dragon can assume any size, can rise in glory or hide from sight. Assuming gigantic sizes, it can generate clouds and evolve mists; reduced in form, it virtually disappears from our vision. Rising, it can soar to the heavens; sinking, it hides among the deep waves of the ocean. This is the season of late spring and the dragon chooses this moment for its metamorphosis, like a man realizing his ambitions and dominating the world. As an animal the dragon can compare with the hero of the human world. Now you, Xuan-de, with your experience, must know the heroes of the present day. Tell me who they are.”

“How can my dull eyes recognize heroes?”

“Don’t be so modest.”

“Thanks to your kindly protection I have a post at court, but as to heroes, I really do not know who they are,” said Liu Bei.

“You may not know them by their faces but you have at least heard of their names,” insisted Cao Cao.

“Yuan Shu, with his rich resources—is he one?”

His host laughed. “A rotting bone in the graveyard. I will put him out of the way sooner or later.”

“Well, Yuan Shao, then. The highest offices of state have been held in his family for four generations and his friends are many. He is firmly posted in Jizhou and he has many able men under his command. Surely he is one.”

“A bully and a coward. He is fond of grandiose schemes but is indecisive; he attempts great things but grudges the necessary toil. He loses sight of everything else for just a little advantage. He is not a hero.”

“There is Liu Biao. He is renowned as one of the Wise Eight and his fame has spread on all sides. He must be a hero.”

“He is merely a man of vain reputation, not a hero.”

“Sun Ce is young and valiant, a leader in the east. Is he a hero?”

“He is relying on his father’s reputation—he is no hero.”

“What about Liu Zhang?” asked Liu Bei again.

“Though he belongs to the reigning family, he is nothing more than a guard dog. How could he be counted as a hero?” sneered Cao Cao.

“How about Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu, Han Sui?”

Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed very loudly. “These mediocre people are not worth mentioning.”

“Apart from these I really know none.”

“Now heroes are men who cherish lofty aspirations in their hearts and know how to accomplish them. They have all-embracing schemes and the whole world is at their mercy.”

“Who can be such a hero?” asked Liu Bei.

Pointing first at his guest and then at himself, Cao Cao said, “The only heroes in the world are you and me.”

Liu Bei was so frightened at the remark that his chopsticks rattled to the floor. Just at that moment a tremendous peal of thunder announced the onrush of the rain. Liu Bei calmly stooped down to recover the fallen article. “How powerful was that thunder! It was quite a shock!” he said.

“What? Are you afraid of thunder?” said Cao Cao, laughing.

Liu Bei replied, “The wise man in the ancient days paled at a sudden peal of thunder or a fierce gust of wind. How can one not fear?”

Thus he was able to conceal the real cause that so startled him.

Constrained to lodge in a tiger’s lair.
He played a waiting part.
But when Cao disclosed the real heroes
Then terror gripped his heart.
But he cleverly used the thunder peal
As excuse for turning pale.
Oh, quick to seize occasions thus!
He surely must prevail.

The shower had just stopped when all of a sudden there appeared two men rushing into the garden with swords in their hands. Pushing past the attendants, they forced their way to the pavilion where Cao Cao and Liu Bei were drinking. These two newcomers turned out to be Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

The two of them had been outside the city practicing archery. On their return they heard that their brother had been led away by two of Cao Cao’s officers. They hastened to his house and were told that their brother was in the back garden with his host. Fearing something might have gone amiss they rushed in. Now when they saw their brother quietly talking with Cao Cao and sipping wine, they took up their usual places behind him, their hands on their swords.