Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/130

 and my virtue meagre. I doubt my fitness even for my present post and only a feeling of doing right sent me to your assistance. To hear such speech makes me doubt. Surely you think I came with greed in my heart. May God help me no more if I cherished such a thought.”

“It is a poor old man’s real sentiment,” said T‘ao Ch‘ien.

Time after time T‘ao Ch‘ien renewed his offer to retire, but how could Liu Pei accept it?

In the midst of this came Mi Chu to say the enemies had reached the wall and something must be done to drive them off. The matter of one officer retiring in favour of the other could await amore tranquil time.

Said Liu Pei, “I ought to write to Ts‘ao Ts‘ao to press him to raise the siege. If he refuse, we will attack forthwith.”

Orders were sent to the three camps to remain quiescent till the letters could reach Ts‘ao Ts‘ao.

It happened that Ts‘ao Ts‘ao was holding a council when a messenger with a war letter was announced. The letter was brought in and handed to him and, when he had opened and looked at it, he found it was from Liu Pei.

This is the letter, very nearly:—“Since meeting you outside the pass, fate has assigned us to different quarters of the world and I have not been able to pay my respects to you. Touching the death of your noble father, the Marquis, it was owing to the vicious nature of Chang K‘ai and due to no fault of T‘ao Kung-tsu. Now while the remnant of the Yellow Turbans is disturbing the provinces and Tung Cho’s partizans have the upper hand in the capital, I would that you, illustrious Sir, would regard the critical position of the Court rather than your personal grievances and so divert your forces from the attack on Hsüchou to the rescue of the State. Such would be for the happiness of that city and the whole world.”

Tsʻao Ts‘ao gave vent to a torrent of abuse. “Who is this Liu Pei that he dares write and exhort me? Beside, he means to be satirical.”

He issued orders to put the bearer of the letter to death and to press on the siege. But Kuo Chia remonstrated, “Liu Pei has come from afar to help T‘ao and he is trying the effect of politeness before resorting to arms. I pray you, my master, reply with fair words that his heart may be lulled with a feeling of safety. Then attack with vigour and the city will fall.”

Ts‘ao found this advice good, so he spared the messenger telling him to wait to carry back his reply. While this was going on a horseman came with news of misfortune. Lü Pu had made a raid on Yenchou.

When Li and Kuo, the two partizans of Tung Cho, succeeded in their attack on the capital Lü Pu had fled to Yüan Shu, who however looked askance at him for his instability, and refused