Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/313

 “I did not willingly slay a single one of them,” mused Kuan Yü as he rode along. “There was no help for it. Nevertheless when Ts’ao hears of it he will regard me as ungrateful for his bounty.”

Before long he saw a rider on the road who soon hailed him and proved to be Sun Ch‘ien.

“I have never heard a word from you since we lost sight of each other at Junan; how have you fared?” said Kuan Yü.

“After your departure the city fell. I was sent to Yüan Shao to try to make peace with him and succeeded, so that he invited your brother to go to him and share in the deliberations for an attack on Ts‘ao Ts‘ao. But to my disgust the leaders of Yüan Shao’s army showed great jealousy of each other so that one got into gaol, another was degraded and others quarrelled. Then Yüan Shao vacillated and hesitated, so that your brother and I consulted how we might get away from them all. Now the Uncle is at Junan with Liu P‘i and, thinking you could not know that and might suffer some harm if you unwillingly went to Yüan Shao, I have come to warn you. It is good fortune to find you like this. Now we can hasten to Junan and you will meet your brother.”

Kuan Yü took Sun Ch‘ien to make his bow to the ladies, who asked after his adventures and he told them of the risks Liu Pei had run from Yüan Shao’s sudden bursts of anger. Now, however, he was out of his way and safe at Junan where they would meet him.

They covered their faces and wept at the recital of his dangers. Then the party no longer travelled north but took the road toward Junan. Not long after a great cloud of dust was noticed behind them and they presently made out a squadron of horsemen. These were led by Hsiahou Tun, who shouted out to Kuan Yü to stop.

How finally Kuan Yü escaped death will appear in the succeeding chapter.