Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/226

 “I have a plan to propose,” said Kuo Chia, “a plan to overcome the city at once; it beats twenty legions.”

“I suppose you mean drowning the city,” said Hsün Yü.

“That is it,” said the proposer, smiling.

Ts‘ao Ts‘ao accepted the suggestion with joy and set his men to cut the banks of the I and Ssŭ Rivers, and moved his men to the high ground whence they watched the drowning out of Hsiaop‘ei. Only the east gate remained clear of water.

The besieged soldiers hastened to their leader. He said, “Why should I fear? My good horse can go as well through the water as over the land.” And he again returned to the wine cup for consolation, drinking deeply with his wife and concubine.

The continual drinking bouts told at last and Lü Pu began to look dissipated. Seeing himself in a mirror one day he was startled at the change and said to himself, “I am injuring myself with wine; no more from this day forward.”

He then issued an order that no one should drink wine under penalty of death.

Now one of his captains, Hou Ch‘êng, lost fifteen horses, stolen by one Hou Ts‘ao, who intended them for Yüan-tê. The owner found out where they were, went out after them and recovered them. And his colleagues congratulated him on his success. To celebrate the occasion he brewed a few catties of wine to be drunk at the feast, but thinking his chief might find him in fault he sent the bottles of wine to his palace with a petition explaining that by virtue of his lord’s warlike renown he had recovered his horses and asking that he and his comrades might be allowed a little wine at their feast.

Lü Pu took it very angrily saying, “When I have forbidden all wine you brew some and begin to give feasts; you are simply defying me.” Whereupon he ordered the officer to instant execution. However, a number of his colleagues came in and interceded and after a time Lü Pu softened.

“You ought to lose your head for this disobedience, but for the sake of your colleagues the punishment shall be reduced to a hundred strokes.”

They tried to beg him off this, but only succeeded in reducing the number of blows to one half.

When the sentence had been carried out and the offender was permitted to return home his colleagues came sadly to console him.

“Had it not been for you I should have been put to death,” said Hou Ch‘êng.

Sung Hsien replied, “All he cares for is his family, there is no pity for any one else. We are no more than the weeds by the roadside.”

Wei Hsü said, “The city is besieged, the water is drowning us out. There will not be much more of this for we may die any day.”