“Yuan Shu of the South of River Huai, with his strong army and abundant resources; is he one?”
His host laughed, “A rotting skeleton in a graveyard. I shall put him out of the way shortly.”
“Well, Yuan Shao then. The highest offices of state have been held in his family for four generations, and his clients are many in the empire. He is firmly posted in Jizhou, and he commands the services of many able people. Surely he is one.”
“A bully, but a coward; he is fond of grandiose schemes, but is devoid of decision; he makes for great things but grudges the necessary sacrifice. He loses sight of everything else in view of a little present advantage. He is not one.”
“There is Liu Biao of Jingzhou. He is renowned as a man of perfection, whose fame has spread on all sides. Surely he is a hero.”
“He is a mere semblance, a man of vain reputation. No; not he.”
“Sun Ce is a sturdy sort, the chief of all in the South Land. Is he a hero?”
“He has profited by the reputation of his father, Sun Jian; he is not a real hero.”
“What of Liu Zhang of Yiazhou?” “Though he is of the reigning family, he is nothing more than a watch dog. How could you make a hero of him?”
“What about Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu, Han Sui, and all those leaders?”
Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed very loudly, saying, “Paltry people like them are not worth mentioning.”
“With these exceptions I really know none.”
“Now heroes are the ones who cherish lofty designs in their bosoms and have plans to achieve them; they have all-embracing schemes, and the whole world is at their mercy.”
“Who is such a person?” said Liu Bei.
Cao Cao pointed his finger first at his guest and then at himself, saying, “The only heroes in the world are you and I.”
Liu Bei gasped, and the spoon and chopsticks rattled to the floor. Now just at that moment the storm burst with a tremendous peal of thunder and rush of rain. Liu Bei stooped down to recover the fallen articles, saying, “What a shock! And it was quite close.”
“What! Are you afraid of thunder?” said Cao Cao.
Liu Bei replied, “The Sage One paled at a sudden peal of thunder or fierce gust of wind. Why should one not fear?”
Thus he glossed over the real fact, that it was the words he had heard that had so startled him.
The shower had passed, and there appeared two men rushing through the garden, both armed. In spite of the attendants, they forced their way to the pavilion where sat the two friends. They were Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
The two brothers had been outside the city at archery practice when Cao Cao's invitation had come so peremptorily. On their return they heard that two officers had arrived and led away Liu Bei to the Prime Minister. They hastened to his palace and were told their brother was with his host in the grounds, and they feared something had happened. So they rushed in.
Now when they saw their brother quietly talking with Cao Cao and enjoying a cup of wine, they took up their usual places and meekly stood waiting.
“Why did you come?” said Cao Cao.
“We heard that you, Sir, had invited our brother to a wine party, and we came to amuse you with a little sword play,” said they.
“This is not a Hongmen Banquet,” replied Cao Cao. “What use have we for Xiang Chang and Xiang Ba of old? 1”
Liu Bei smiled. The host ordered wine to be served to the two “Fan Kuais” to allay their anxiety and, soon after, the three took their leave and returned homeward.
“We were nearly frightened to death,” said Guan Yu.
The story of the dropped chopsticks was told. The two asked what their brother intended by his actions.
“My learning gardening was to convince Cao Cao of my perfect simplicity and the absence of any ambition. But when he suddenly pointed to me as one of the heroes, I was startled, for I thought he had some suspicions. Happily the thunder at that moment supplied the excuse I wanted.”
“Really you are very clever,” said they.
Next day Cao Cao again invited Liu Bei and while the two were drinking, Man Chong, who had been dispatched to find out what Yuan Shao was doing, came to present his report.
He said, “Gongsun Zan has been completely defeated by Yuan Shao.”
“Do you know the details? I should like to know how,” interrupted Liu Bei.
