The Three Kingdoms Volume 2 (41 page)

“A very filial proceeding,” said the Dowager. “I should not think of stopping you. Although you have never known your husband’s parents yet you should go with him to offer sacrifices as it’s proper for a wife to do.”

Both thanked the Dowager and went out, rejoicing at having so far hoodwinked Sun Quan. Lady Sun got into her carriage, taking only a few valuable things and clothing with her, while Liu Bei followed with a small escort of riders. They went out of the city and met Zhao Yun at the pre-arranged place. With the five hundred soldiers guarding the front and rear they left the precincts of the city, traveling as quickly as they could.

That day, at the new year banquet, Sun Quan drank freely so that he had to be helped to his chamber, and then the officials all left. By the time the escape of the fugitives became known it was already dark, and when the officials tried to tell Sun Quan they could not rouse him. He slept heavily until the fifth watch.

It was the next morning that Sun Quan heard of the escape and he hastened to seek advice from his counselors. Zhang Zhao said, “Liu Bei has got away today and trouble will surely come of it. You must pursue them without loss of time.”

So Chen Wu and Pan Zhang, with five hundred veterans, were sent out with orders to chase at full speed both by day and by night and bring back the fugitives.

They left. Sun Quan’s fury burned hot against Liu Bei. In his wrath he seized his jade inkstone and smashed it to pieces.

Cheng Pu, the deputy commander of his army, said: “My lord, your wrath is in vain for I do not think those two will catch the runaways.”

“Will they dare to disobey my order?” said Sun Quan.

“Our young lady has always delighted in martial arts and is very fierce and determined. All the officers fear her. Now she has gone with her husband of her own free will and those sent in pursuit will not dare to lay hands on Liu Bei in her presence.”

Sun Quan’s wrath burned the more fiercely at these words. He drew the sword girded at his side and summoned Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai, saying, “You two take this sword and bring back the heads of my sister and Liu Bei. And if you do not I will put you to death.”

With this order they set out in pursuit, leading a force double that of their predecessors. Meanwhile, Liu Bei and his wife were pressing forward at the fastest speed. When night fell they rested for a time by the roadside, but not for long. Just as they reached the confines of Caisang, they noticed a great cloud of dust behind and soldiers came to report that the pursuers were closing.

Liu Bei asked Zhao Yun anxiously, “What is to be done? Our pursuers are here.”

“My lord, you go on in front and I will check the pursuit.”

However, as they rounded the foot of a hill they saw another troop blocking their road in front. Two officers were there and they bellowed, “Liu Bei, dismount and yield yourself captive. We are here by order of General Zhou and you have kept us waiting long.”

Now, it had occurred to Zhou Yu that Liu Bei would try to flee, and so he had sent Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, with 3,000 soldiers, to intercept him at this critical place. They had made a camp there and kept a lookout on the hilltops, for Zhou Yu had calculated that Liu Bei would certainly take that route if he was going by land. So when Liu Bei and his cavalcade appeared they all buckled on their arms and barred the way.

Greatly alarmed, Liu Bei rode back to consult Zhao Yun, to whom he said, “We are caught in between two forces. There is no escape. What can we do?”

“Do not be alarmed, my lord. Our great strategist gave me three wonderful plans enclosed in three silk bags. Two have been used and have answered admirably. There is yet the third one and my orders are to open the bag in such a plight as this. I think it is time to open it.”

So he opened the small silk bag and handed it to Liu Bei. As soon as Liu Bei had read the contents he hastened to Lady Sun’s carriage and, weeping, said to her, “There is something I must confide in you now.”

“What have you to say to me?” she asked. “Tell me the whole truth.”

“Your brother and Zhou Yu formerly plotted together for you to marry me, not for your sake, but to get me under their power so that they might seize Jingzhou. They were intent on murdering me and you were the bait with which to hook me. Careless of consequences I came, for I knew that the spirit of a man dwelt in your bosom and you would pity me. Yesterday I heard that harm was intended to me and so I made the excuse of Jingzhou being in danger in order to escape. Happily for me, you have remained true and come with me. But now your brother is pursuing us and Zhou Yu’s men are in front. Only you, my wife, can extricate us from this danger. And if you refuse, then slay me where I stand so that I may thus show my gratitude for your kindness.”

Lady Sun grew angry and said, “Since my brother doesn’t regard me as his sister, how will I ever want to see him again? I’ll certainly extricate us from this danger.”

So she bade her people push the carriage to the front. She rolled up the blind and called out, “Xu Sheng, Ding Feng, are you trying to rebel then?”

The two officers slid out of their saddles, dropped their arms and stood meekly in front of the carriage.

“We are no rebels,” they said. “We have General Zhou’s orders to camp here and await Liu Bei.”

“How dare he, that rebel!” she cried in wrath. “We of the land of Wu have never ill treated him! Liu Bei, uncle of the Emperor, is my husband and I have already told my mother and my brother of our journey to Jingzhou, but you two lead an army here at the foot of this hill, preventing our passage. Do you intend to plunder us of our valuables?”

The two officers meekly denied the charge and said, “Do not be angry, madam. This is no plan of ours—we are but obeying our commander’s orders.”

“So you fear Zhou Yu and not me!” she cried scornfully. “Do you think he can slay you while I cannot?”

She broke into a torrent of abuse about Zhou Yu. Then she bade the soldiers to push her carriage forward.

The two officers thought to themselves, “We are but servants—we dare not dispute with Lady Sun.” Besides they saw Zhao Yun was bursting with wrath. So they ordered their men to stand aside and leave the road clear.

The cavalcade had only gone a little distance when up came the pursuers sent by Sun Quan. The two officers told the newcomers what had happened. “You were wrong to let them pass,” said Chen Wu and Pan Zhang. “We have orders from our lord himself to arrest them.”

So all four went in pursuit. When the noise of the approaching force reached the ears of Liu Bei he implored his wife again, “They are again pursuing us—what now?”

“You go on in front. Zhao Yun and I will keep them off.”

So Liu Bei and three hundred men pushed on toward the riverbank while Zhao Yun reined up beside the lady’s carriage and deployed his men ready for battle. And when the four men came up they dismounted and stood with folded arms.

“What are you doing here, officers?” asked Lady Sun.

“We have orders from our lord to request you and Liu Bei to return.”

Calmly but bitterly she said, “This is exactly the work of you ruffians! You would sow dissension between brother and sister. I am a married woman and I am on my way to my husband’s home, not eloping with someone. Nor am I leaving clandestinely, for I have my mother’s gracious permission to go with my husband to Jingzhou—and even if my brother were here himself he would have to observe the rules. Now because you have weapons in your hands you think you can slay me!”

She abused the four men to their faces so that they looked from one to another, unable to reply. And each thought to himself, “After all she and our lord are brother and sister, and the Dowager is on her side. Our lord is most filial and would never dare oppose his mother’s decision. When they make up later then we will certainly be the ones to blame. We’d better just let them go.” Besides, Liu Bei was nowhere to be seen and Zhao Yun looked angry and dangerous, ready to fight. So finally they gave way and withdrew. Then Lady Sun ordered the carriage to proceed.

“Let us all four go and report this to the commander,” said Xu Sheng.

But that did not please them at all and they stood irresolute. After some time they saw a troop sweeping down on them like a hurricane. These were Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai with their thousand men.

“Have you fellows seen Liu Bei?” they cried as they rushed up.

“He passed in the morning.”

“Why didn’t you arrest him?”

The four told them what Lady Sun had said.

“That is just what our lord feared and so he gave us this sword and told us first to slay his sister and then Liu Bei. And if we disobey he will put us to death.”

“What can be done? They are far away by now.”

Jiang Qin said, “After all they are but on foot and cannot travel very fast.” Following his suggestion, it was then decided that Xu Sheng and Ding Feng were to go to Zhou Yu and tell him to pursue the fugitives by water with fast boats, while the other four were to follow by land. Once they caught up with the runaways either by water or land, they were to slay them right away, without even waiting to hear what they might say.

Meanwhile, Liu Bei and his followers had reached the river, some distance from Caisang and he felt a little calmer. Here they searched along the bank, looking for boats, but there were no craft on the broad bosom of the stream. Liu Bei bowed his head, deep in thought.

Zhao Yun asked him not to worry, saying, “You have escaped from the tiger’s jaws and have not far to go. I think our advisor must have some plan ready.”

These words triggered memories of the luxurious life he had enjoyed in the house of his wife and tears rolled down his cheeks. A poem was written about this episode.

By the bank of the deep flowing Yangtze

Once was a wedding,
And the ruling houses of two states yet to be
Were allied by marriage.

See the beautiful maiden stepping slowly
To the golden bridal chamber.

Yet was the marriage but a ruse.

Its author vainly imagined that a hero,
Sinking in amorous toils,
Would forget his high intent and great resolve.

Liu Bei told Zhao Yun to go down the bank to find some boats. Suddenly soldiers rushed to report that there was a huge cloud of dust behind them. Ascending a hill he saw riding swiftly toward them an army that seemed to cover the whole earth. He said with a sigh, “We have been fleeing for days. Our men are worn out and our horses spent. Now the pursuers are on us again and we will all die in this place, far from home.”

He watched them approaching nearer and nearer. Then, as things began to look most desperate, he saw a line of some twenty boats all in the act of setting their sails.

“By good luck here are some boats,” said Zhao Yun. “Let us get on board quickly, row to the other bank and see what can be done.”

Liu Bei and his bride hastened down the bank and went into a boat. Zhao Yun and the soldiers also embarked. Then they saw coming out of the cabin a man in a Taoist robe, who laughed loudly, saying, “My lord, Zhuge Liang has been waiting for you for a long time.”

All the merchants on board were actually their men from Jingzhou in disguise, and Liu Bei rejoiced at this sudden happy turn of affairs.

Before long the pursuers reached the bank. Zhuge Liang pointed to them and laughed, saying, “I foresaw this a long time ago. You may return and tell Zhou Yu not to use this ‘fair damsel ruse’ again.”

Those on the bank sent a flight of arrows at the boats but they were already too far away. The four officers on the bank could only stare.

As the boats were sailing along a great noise was heard on the river behind them and there appeared a huge fleet of warships, sailing under the flag of Zhou Yu who was there in command, supported on two sides by Huang Gai and Han Dang. They had the momentum of a drove of flying horses and came along swift as a comet, gaining on the fugitives rapidly.

Zhuge Liang ordered the boats to row over to the north bank where, abandoning the vessels, they landed and took to the road. Presently Zhou Yu’s men also disembarked to keep up the pursuit, with only a few in front riding horses. When they reached the borders of Huangzhou, Liu Bei and his party were not far away, and so they pressed on even harder. All of a sudden, the rolling of drums was heard and from out of a gully dashed a force of swordsman led by Guan Yu.

Zhou Yu was too unprepared to do anything but flee for his life and Guan Yu pursued. As the men of Wu ran away, two more enemy officers came forth and attacked them, so that they suffered a severe defeat. Hardly had Zhou Yu managed to get down into his ship when soldiers on the bank jeered at him on the undoing of his scheme. They were told to shout:

Matchless indeed are Zhou Yu’s wonderful designs,

He loses his men and gives Liu his bride besides.

Zhou Yu was so annoyed that he would have gone up the bank to fight again if his officers had not restrained him.

“My schemes have failed,” he thought. “How could I look my lord in the face?”

All at once he cried aloud and with that his old wound reopened. The officers came to his help but he had already lost consciousness.

Twice had he planned and twice had he lost the game;
He was full of resentment and overwhelmed with shame.