Guan Yu understood and they returned to the scene of the battle, pretending to be still engaged in a flight and chase. Guan Yu urged his men on a wide offensive and his opponents feigned defeat, scattering in all directions. So the city was taken. Having pacified the people, Guan Yu at once led his army back toward the capital. Cao Cao came out of the city to welcome him back and the army was again rewarded with feasts.
After the feast, Guan Yu went to the dwelling of his sisters-in-law to pay his respects at their door.
“Have you been able to get any news of your brother in your two expeditions?” asked Lady Gan.
“No,” replied Guan Yu.
After he left the two ladies wept bitterly and said to each other, “He must be dead! Our brother-in-law is hiding the truth from us lest we should be too distressed.”
One of the old soldiers, who had been with Guan Yu on the expeditions, heard the sounds of their perpetual grief, took pity on them, and said outside their door: “Do not weep, ladies. Your lord is with Yuan Shao in Hebei.”
“How do you know that?” they asked.
“I went with General Guan and some soldiers told me.”
The two ladies summoned Guan Yu at once and reproached him. “Your brother has not done you anything wrong and yet you remain here enjoying Cao Cao’s favor and forgetting the old times. You even lied to us about your brother. How can you explain that?”
Guan Yu bowed his head and said, “My brother is really in Hebei but I dared not tell you lest it should leak out. This must be done very carefully and it needs time.”
“Please make haste, brother,” said Lady Gan.
Guan Yu withdrew. Back in his own quarters, he racked his brains for a scheme to leave Cao Cao. The thought caused him much uneasiness.
Meanwhile Yu Jin, having learned that Liu Bei was in the north, told Cao Cao about it, who at once sent Zhang Liao to find out Guan Yu’s intention. So one day, when Guan Yu was brooding over his worries at home, Zhang Liao entered jauntily and said, “They tell me that you gained news of your brother on the battlefield. I’ve come to congratulate you.”
“My lord is there, indeed, but I haven’t even seen him. I see nothing to be glad about.”
“How will you compare your friendship with Liu Bei and that between you and me?” asked Zhang Liao.
Guan Yu replied, “You and I are friends while Xuan-de and I are friends as well as brothers—and on top of this, we’re also master and officer. They can’t be viewed in equal terms.”
“Well, now that you know where your brother is, are you going to him?”
“Certainly I won’t go back on my own words! Please explain this to the prime minister.”
Zhang Liao went back to tell his master what Guan Yu had said but Cao Cao did not seem to be worried. “I have a plan to keep him here,” he said.
After Zhang Liao left Guan Yu sat pondering over how he could get away. Soon he was told that an old friend of his had come to see him. The visitor was admitted into his room but Guan Yu did not recognize him.
“Who are you?” asked Guan Yu.
“I am Chen Zhen of Nanyang in the service of Yuan Shao,” said the stranger.
Greatly startled, Guan Yu sent away the attendants in a hurry and then asked, “There must be some special reason for your visit.”
In reply the visitor drew out a letter and handed it to his host, who recognized that it was from his brother Liu Bei. Briefly it read like this:
You and I, sir, pledged in the Peach Orchard to die together.
Why, then, do you go back on your words in the middle of your life
and break an old friendship? If you are determined to seek
position and wealth, I am willing to offer my head to help you
achieve your ambition. This letter cannot contain all that I want
to say but I await your command in great anxiety.
After reading the letter Guan Yu was overcome with emotion. Weeping bitterly he said, “I always wanted to find my brother but I did not know where he was. I will never break my oath for comfort!”
“Your brother eagerly seeks you. If you are still bound by the old pledge you should go and see him without delay,” said the messenger.
Guan Yu said seriously, “For one born into this world integrity is what marks him as a true man. Whatever he does, he must carry it to the end. I came here openly and I will not leave in any other way. I am going to write a letter for you to take to my brother and I will bring the two ladies to join him as soon as I have taken leave of Cao Cao.”
“What if Cao Cao refuses to let you go?” asked the messenger.
“I would rather die than remain here for long.”
“Then please write your letter quickly and relieve your brother from anxiety.”
So Guan Yu wrote the following:
I know that a man of principles does not betray trust and a man of loyalty does not fear death. I have taken up studies since my youth and know something of the proprieties. The legendary story about the friendship between Yang Jue-ai and Zuo Bo-tao* has moved me to sighs and tears.
I was in charge of Xiapi but the place lacked neither provision nor outside assistance. I would have fought to death if not for the responsibility of the safety of my two sisters-in-law. Therefore I dared not die for fear of betraying your trust. And so I linger on in life hoping for a reunion later. It was only when I went to Runan that I got news of your whereabouts. I will go and see Cao Cao at once to bid him farewell, and bring the two ladies with me when I come.
If I have ever harbored any treacherous thought, may I perish at the hands of both gods and men. Paper and brush are poor substitutes for what I want to say but I look forward to seeing you soon.
After the visitor left with the letter Guan Yu went in to inform the two ladies of his plan. Then he proceeded to Cao Cao’s house to say farewell. But knowing why he was coming, Cao Cao had his men hang up a “No Visitor” sign in front of the gate. Guan Yu had to return. However, he told his few followers to be ready for the journey at any moment. He also issued orders that everything given by Cao Cao was to be left in the house—nothing was to be taken.
The next day he went again to take leave of Cao Cao, but again the sign there showed him that there was no admittance. Several times more he went but still he could not see Cao Cao. Then he went to see Zhang Liao who, too, did not come out to meet him on an excuse of poor health.
Guan Yu thought to himself, “This means he won’t let me go. But I’ve made up my mind to leave and I won’t stay any longer.”
So he wrote a letter to Cao Cao to inform him of his departure and to thank him for his kindness:
As a young man I entered the service of my sworn brother and pledged myself to sharing his fortunes. Heaven and Earth witnessed this oath. When I lost the city of Xiapi and came to you I raised three conditions, which you granted. Now I hear that my brother is with Yuan Shao and I, remembering our old pledge, must go to him. Though your kindness to me is great I cannot forget the bond of the past. Therefore I write this letter of farewell, trusting that you will not take offense. For your kindness that I have not yet repaid I hope I can find another time to show my gratitude.
He sealed the letter and sent someone to deliver it at Cao Cao’s house. At the same time he locked all the gold and silver he had received from Cao Cao in the storage room and hung up his seal of title in the hall. Then he asked the two ladies to get into a carriage he had prepared for them. He himself mounted the Red Hare and carried his Blue Dragon sword in his hand. With a small group of men, those formerly under his command, he escorted the carriage and left the capital by the north gate.
The wardens there would have stopped him but he frightened them by raising the sword and yelling fiercely. Once out of the gate he told his men to proceed with the carriage while he remained behind to guard against pursuit, so as not to alarm the two ladies. So they pushed the carriage toward the main road.
Back in the city, Guan Yu’s letter r
eached Cao Cao while he was consulting his men about how to retain the great warrior. He read it and exclaimed, “He is gone!” Then the warden of the north gate came to report that Guan Yu had forced his way out with a carriage and some twenty followers. Next came the servants from his house to report that he had left, taking nothing of the gold and silver, nor any of the waiting maids. Everything was left in the house, even his seal. His only escort was the few men of his original force.
All were surprised to hear this. Suddenly from the assembly rose a man who cried out, “Give me 3,000 mailed cavalrymen and I will bring him back alive.”
The speaker was General Cai Yang.
He had just escaped from the dragon’s pool
But would be chased by thousands of wolves.
Whether Cao Cao would approve of Cai Yang’s request will be told in the next chapter.
Footnote
* Two friends during the period of Warring States (475–221 B.C.). On a journey to the Kingdom of Chu to seek office they were caught in a heavy snowstorm. Zuo Bo-tao gave all his clothes and food to his friend and died of hunger and cold himself. Later, his friend who had become an important official in Chu, returned to find his corpse and buried it in great honor. Then he committed suicide.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Guan Yu the Beautiful Beard Travels a Thousand Li
And Slays Six Officers at Five Passes
Now of all the officers in Cao Cao’s army, the only one friendly toward Guan Yu, with the exception of Zhang Liao, was Xu Huang. The others treated him with respect but Cai Yang was decidedly hostile. So when he heard of Guan Yu’s departure he wanted to go and pursue him. But Cao Cao said, “He does not forget his old master and he has been perfectly open and honest in all his actions. He is a man true to his words. You will do well to follow his example.”
So he ordered Cai Yang out and to say no more about pursuit.
“You were exceedingly good to Guan Yu,” said Cheng Yu, “but he did not even bid you farewell, leaving only a few lines to state his reasons. He has affronted you and that is no light matter. Now to let him join Yuan Shao is to add wings to a tiger. You had better catch him and put him to death so as to avoid future trouble.”
Cao Cao replied, “But he had my promise and can I break my word? He has his master to serve. Do not pursue.” Then he said to Zhang Liao, “He has rejected all I gave him, so bribes were powerless with him in whatever shape. I have the greatest respect for someone like him. He has not yet gone far, I think, and I will try to secure his friendship and make one more appeal to his sentiment. You ride after him and beg him to wait till I can come up to bid him farewell. I will offer him a sum of money for his journey and a fighting robe so that he will remember me kindly in later days.”
So Zhang Liao alone galloped out at once—Cao Cao soon followed him with an escort of a score or so of his officers.
Now the steed that Guan Yu rode was the Red Hare and it was so fast that no one could have caught up with him. But as he was traveling with the ladies’ carriage he had to check his horse’s movement and go slow. Suddenly he heard a shout behind him, a voice crying, “Wait a minute, Yun-chang.”
Turning back he saw it was his friend Zhang Liao. Ordering the pushers of the carriage to press on along the main road he reined in his steed, held his sword ready and waited for Zhang Liao to come up.
“Have you come to take me back, Wen-yuan?” asked Guan Yu.
“No. The prime minister knows that you are going a long way and wishes to see you off. He told me to hasten forward and beg you to wait till he can come up. That’s all.”
“Even if he is coming with his mailed men I will fight to the very last,” said Guan Yu and he took up his position on a bridge, where he kept a close watch. Soon he saw Cao Cao approaching very quickly, with several of his best fighters close behind him. Seeing Guan Yu was ready to fight, Cao Cao ordered his escort to open out on his two sides. Guan Yu was much relieved when saw that none of them carried any weapons in their hands.
“Why do you go in such haste, Yun-chang?” asked Cao Cao.
While still mounted, Guan Yu made an obeisance to him and replied, “I have told you before that I will go and join my brother if I know where he is. Now that I know he is in Hebei I have to leave at once. I went to your place time and again but was refused admittance. So I wrote a letter to bid you farewell. I have also locked up the gold and hung up my seal to return them to you. I hope you recall the promise you once made.”
Cao Cao replied, “My desire is to win the trust of all men—of course I will not go back on my word. However, I think you may find the journey expensive and therefore I have here prepared a sum of money for you.”
Then one of his officers passed a packet of gold to Guan Yu.
“But I have sufficient gold left from your earlier rewards—keep that as gifts for your soldiers.”
“Why should you refuse this? It is but an insignificant return for your great services,” said Cao Cao.
“My services have been trifling, not worth mentioning.”
“Really, Yun-chang, you are the most high-principled of men. I am very sorry that I do not have the fortune to retain you at my side. I have brought an embroidered robe to show you I am not entirely ungrateful,” said Cao Cao. Then one of his followers dismounted and held up a silken coat in both hands.
Fearful of what might happen, Guan Yu dared not dismount, but picked it up with the tip of his sword and threw it over his shoulders. Turning to thank the giver he said, “Thank you for the robe, sir. I trust we will meet again.”
So saying, he rode over the bridge and went away toward the north.
“He is too rude,” said Xu Chu. “Why not take him prisoner?”
Cao Cao replied, “He was absolutely alone facing scores of us. No wonder he was suspicious. I have given my word and he is not to be pursued.”
Cao Cao returned with his men, feeling very sad that Guan Yu had left him.
Now Guan Yu galloped down the bridge to chase the carriage carrying the two ladies, but after about thirty li there was still no sign of it. Alarmed, he rode hither and thither looking on all sides.
Suddenly he heard someone calling him by name from the top of a hill. It was a young man wearing a yellow turban and dressed in a silk robe. He held a spear in his hand and was mounted on a horse from the neck of which dangled a bloody head. Behind him were a hundred or so men on foot and they advanced quickly.
“Who are you?” asked Guan Yu.
The young man dropped his spear, dismounted and made a low bow. Guan Yu feared there might be some trick so he only checked his horse and gripped his sword even more firmly.
“Sir, I desire you to tell me your name.”
“I am Liao Hua from Xiangyang. Since these troubled times began I have been an outlaw and lived by plunder. There are about five hundred of us in all. Just now, my mate Du Yuan came down the hill and very wrongly took the two ladies prisoners and brought them to our camp. I questioned the ones who went with him and found out that the ladies are wives of the uncle of the Emperor and that you, General, are escorting them. So I wanted them to be set free to continue their journey. Du Yuan opposed this and spoke so insolently that I killed him. And I present his head to ask for your pardon.”
“Where are the two ladies?”
“They are on the hill,” replied Liao Hua.
“Get them down at once,” said Guan Yu.
In a short time the carriage was pushed down the hill, accompanied by a hundred or so men.
Then Guan Yu dismounted, laid aside his sword, and bowed respectfully before the ladies with his arms crossed.
“Sisters, have you been alarmed?” he asked.
They replied, “We would have suffered at the hands of Du Yuan had it not been for General Liao.”
“How did Liao Hua come to save the ladies?” asked Guan Yu of his men.
They said, “Du Yuan carried off the ladies and proposed to Liao Hua that each of them take on
e as wife. When Liao Hua found out who the ladies were, he treated them with respect. Du Yuan disagreed so Liao Hua slew him.”
Hearing this Guan Yu bowed to Liao Hua and thanked him. Liao Hua suggested escorting Guan Yu with his troops, but since he was formerly a member of the Yellow Turbans, Guan Yu would have nothing to do with him. So he simply thanked him for his kindness. Liao Hua then offered some presents to him but these were also declined.
So Liao Hua took his leave and presently disappeared in a valley among the hills. Guan Yu told his sisters-in-law his meeting with Cao Cao and the gift of a robe and then he urged the carriage on its way.
Toward dusk they came to a farm where they asked for shelter. The farmer, an old greybeard, came out and asked who they were. Guan Yu told him who he was.
“Are you not the one who slew Yan Liang and Wen Chou?” inquired the venerable host.
“Yes, I am,” replied Guan Yu.
“Come in,” said the old man, joyfully.
“My two sisters-in-law are waiting in the carriage,” said Guan Yu.
The old man called out his wife and daughter to welcome the ladies in. When the two ladies came into the hall, Guan Yu stood respectfully beside them. The host asked him to take a seat but he said that he could not sit while his sisters-in-law were present. Then the old man told his wife to entertain the ladies in the inner quarters while he treated Guan Yu in the hall. Guan Yu asked him his name.
He replied, “I am Hu Hua. In the days of Emperor Huan I was an official of the court but I resigned and retired here to lead a private life. I have a son who is with the prefect of Yingyang and if you should be going that way, General, I would like you to take a letter to him.”
Guan Yu said he would take the letter. The next day after breakfast the ladies got into their carriage, the host handed his letter to Guan Yu, and the little party once more took the road. They went toward Luoyang.
The Three Kingdoms, Volume 1: The Sacred Oath: The Epic Chinese Tale of Loyalty and War in a Dynamic New Translation Page 40