Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/171



n the last chapter it was recorded that Chang Fei was about to end his life with his own weapon. But his brother rushed forward and caught him in his arms, snatched away the sword and threw it on the earth saying, “Brothers are hands and feet; wives and children are as clothing. You may mend your torn dress, but who can re-attach a lost limb? We three, by the Oath of the Peach Garden, swore to seek the same death-day. The city is lost, it is true, and my wife and little ones, but I could not bear that we should die ere our course be run. Beside, the city was not really mine and Lü Pu will not harm my family but will rather seek to preserve them. You made a mistake, worthy brother, but is it one deserving of death?”

And he wept. His brothers were much affected and their tears fell in sympathy.

As soon as the news of Lü Pu’s successful seizure of his protector’s district reached Yüan Shu, he sent promises of valuable presents to Lü to induce him to join in a further attack on Liu Pei. The presents are said to have been fifty thousand measures of grain, five hundred horses, ten thousand taels of gold and silver and a thousand pieces of coloured silk. Lü Pu swallowed the bait and ordered Kao Shun to lead forth five legions. But Liu Pei heard of the threatened attack, so he made inclement weather an excuse to disband his few soldiers and left Hsüi, before the attacking force came up.

However, Kao Shun demanded the promised reward through Chi Ling, who put him off saying, “My lord has gone away, I will settle this as soon as I can see him and get his decision.”

With this answer Kao Shun returned to Lü Pu, who could not decide what to do. Then came a letter from Yüan Shu saying that although Kao Shun had gone to attack Liu Pei, yet Pei had not been destroyed and no reward could be given till he was actually taken. Lü Pu railed at what he called the breach of faith and was inclined to attack Yüan Shu himself. How ever, his adviser opposed this course, saying, “You should not; he is in possession of Shouch‘un and has a large army, well supplied. You are no match for him. Rather ask Liu Pei to take up his quarters at Hsiaop‘ei as one of your wings and, when the time comes, let him lead the attack. Then both the Yüans will fall before you and you will be very powerful.”