Читаем Three Kingdoms Romance полностью

“If you have no authority, you must wait while I send to request orders.”

“To remain while you send and receive an answer will delay me greatly,” said Guan Yu.

“I must stand by my instructions; that is the only thing to do,” said Kong Xiu.

“Then you refuse to let me pass?”

“If you want to go through, leave the family as a gage.”

At this Guan Yu got very angry and made to cut at the commander on the spot, but Kong Xiu withdrew into the gate and beat the drums for an attack. Thereupon the soldiers armed themselves, mounted, and came down to oppose the passage, crying, “Dare you go through, eh?”

The carriage was sent off to a safe distance, and then Guan Yu rode at full speed directly at the commander of the guard, who set his spear and came to meet him. The two steeds met and the men engaged, but at the first stroke of the green-dragon saber the commander of the gate fell to the earth dead. His troops fled.

“Soldiers, do not flee!” cried Guan Yu. “I killed him because I could do no otherwise. I have nothing against you, but I would ask you to tell the Prime Minister how this thing came to pass, that Kong Xiu wished to kill me, and so I slew him in self defense.”

The soldiers bowed before him, and Guan Yu, with the carriage, passed through the gates and continued their way to Luoyang. But one of the guards of the pass went quickly in advance and informed the Governor of Luoyang, Han Fu, of the slaughter of Kong Xiu. Wherefore Han Fu assembled his officers to take counsel.

Meng Tan, one of his generals, said, “This Guan Yu must be a fugitive, or he would have a safe conduct. Our only course is to stop him, or we shall incur blame.” “The man is fierce and brave. Remember the fate of Yan Liang and Wen Chou. It seems vain to oppose him by force, and so we must think out some trap for him,” said Han Fu.

“I have a ruse ready,” said Meng Tan. “I will close the gate with thorny blockades, and I will go to fight with him. I will engage and then flee, and you can shoot him from an ambush along the road. If we can get him and his party and send them prisoners to the capital, we ought to be well rewarded.”

This course was determined upon, and soon they heard that Guan Yu was approaching. Han Fu strung his bow and filled his quiver with arrows and with one thousand soldiers took up position along the pass. Then as the party approached, Han Fu said, “Who is the traveler who comes?”

Guan Yu bowed low and said, “He is a certain Guan Yu, Lord of Hanshou, and he wishes to go through the pass.”

“Have you a letter from the Prime Minister?”

“In the hurry of departure I did not get any.”

“My special orders from him are to hold this pass and make examination of all spies that may go to and fro. Any person without an authority must be a fugitive.”

Then Guan Yu began to be angry, saying, “I have killed Kong Xiu at Dongling Pass. Do you also seek death?”

“Who will capture him for me?” cried Han Fu, and Meng Tan offered himself. He rode out, whirling his double swords, and made straight for Guan Yu.

Guan Yu sent back the carriage out of danger and then rode toward Meng Tan. They engaged, but very soon Meng Tan turned his steed and fled. Guan Yu pursued. Meng Tan, intent only on leading his enemy toward the ambush, took no account of the speed of Red-Hare. Very soon Meng Tan was caught up, and a stroke of the mighty sword cut him in two pieces. Then Guan Yu stopped and turned back. The archers in the gate shot their hardest; and though it was a long way off, one of them lodged an arrow in his left arm. He pulled it out with his teeth, but the blood streamed down as he rode toward Governor Han Fu. The men scattered. Guan Yu rode straight at his next victim. He raised his sword and made an oblique cut which sliced off the head and shoulder of Han Fu.

Then Guan Yu drove off the soldiers and returned to escort the carriage. He bound up his wound, and, fearing lest any one might take advantage of his weakness, he made no long halts on the road but hurried toward River Si Pass.

The warden of this pass was Bian Xi of Bingzhou, a warrior whose weapon was a comet-hammer. He had been a Yellow Scarf and had gone over to Cao Cao, who had given him this post. As soon as he heard of the coming of the redoubtable Guan Yu, he cudgeled his brains for a ruse to use against him. He decided upon an ambush. In the Guardian Temple at the pass he placed two hundred ax-men and swordsmen. He reckoned on enticing Guan Yu to the temple for refreshment, and when he let fall a cup as signal, the hidden ruffians would rush out.

All being thus arranged and ready, he went out to welcome Guan Yu in friendly guise, and Guan Yu dismounted at his coming. Bian Xi began very amiably.

“Your name, General, makes the very earth tremble, and every one looks up to you. This return to the Imperial Uncle proves you to be noble and true.”

Guan Yu in reply told him the story of the men he had slain in the last two passes.