Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/318

 “I was one of the Yellow Turbans and I saw you then. My one regret was that I could not join you. Now that my good fortune has brought me here I hope you will not reject me. Let me be one of your foot soldiers to be always near you to carry your whip and run by your stirrup. I will cheerfully die for you.”

As he seemed thoroughly in earnest Kuan Yü said, “But if you follow me, what of your companions?”

“They may do as they please; follow me or go their ways.”

Thereupon they all shouted, “We will follow.”

Kuan Yü dismounted and went to ask the ladies what they thought of this. The Lady Kan replied, “Brother-in-law, you have travelled thus far alone and without fighting men; you have safely passed many dangers and never wanted their assistance. You refused the service of Liao Hua, why then suffer this crowd? But this is only a woman’s view and you must decide.”

“What you say, sister-in-law, is to the point.”

Therefore returning to Chou Ts‘ang he said, “It is not that I am lacking in gratitude but my sisters-in-law do not care for a large following. Wherefore return to the mountains till I shall have found my brother when I will surely call you.”

Chou Ts‘ang replied, “I am only a rough uncouth fellow, wasting his life as a brigand. Meeting you, General, is like seeing the full sun in the skies and I feel that I can never bear to miss you again. As it might be inconvenient for all my men to follow you I will bid my companion lead them away, but I will come and follow you on foot wherever you go.”

Kuan Yü again asked his sisters-in-law what they thought of this. Lady Kan said one or two made no difference and so Kuan Yü consented. But P‘ei Yüan-shao was not satisfied with this arrangement and said he wished also to follow.

Chou said, “If you do not stay with the band they will disperse and be lost. You must take command for the moment and let me accompany General Kuan. As soon as he has a fixed abode I will come to fetch you.”

Somewhat discontentedly P‘ei Yüan-shao accepted the situation and marched off, while his one-time colleague joined the train of Kuan Yü and they went toward Junan. They travelled quickly for some days and then they saw a city on a hill. From the natives they heard that the city was called Kuch‘êng and that a few months before a warrior had suddenly appeared, driven out the magistrates and taken possession. Then he had begun to recruit men, buy up horses and lay in stores. The warrior’s name was Chang Fei. Now he had a large force and no one in the neighbourhood dared face him.

“To think that I should find my brother like this!” said Kuan Yü, delighted. “I have had never a word of him, nor knew I where he was since Hsü-chou fell.”