Accordingly, Liu Bei put on double armor and girded on his sword in readiness. When the two generals arrived, the army halted while the generals should pay the farewell visit.
Then Pang Tong said to his two generals, Wei Yan and Huang Zhong, “However many soldiers come down from the Pass, see to it that none return.”
The two generals of the Western Land of Rivers, Yang Huai and Gao Pei, armed with hidden daggers, came up, their escort bearing gifts of sheep and wine. They marked no precautions being taken against an attack and began to think their task of murder would be an easy one. They were led in to where Liu Bei sat under a tent, his adviser with him.
They said, “We hear, O Imperial Uncle, that you contemplate a long march, and therefore we come to offer a few poor gifts to speed you on your way.”
The cups of farewell were duly filled. Then Liu Bei replied, “You have a heavy responsibility to defend the Pass, Generals. I pray you drink first.”
They drank. Then Liu Bei said, “I have a secret matter to talk over with you.”
So all the two hundred soldiers of the escort were sent away and led to the midst of the camp.
As soon as they had gone, Liu Bei shouted, “My generals, lay hands upon these two rebels!”
Thereupon Liu Feng and Guan Ping rushed out from behind the tent. The two generals of the Pass were taken aback, but began to struggle. However, Liu Feng and Guan Ping each seized one man and held him.
“Your lord and I are of the same house;” said Liu Bei, “why then have you plotted against me and conspired to sow enmity between us?”
Pang Tong bade them search the captives, and the hidden daggers were found. So both were ordered to immediate execution. However, Liu Bei hesitated and was unwilling to confirm the sentence and put them to death. But his adviser insisted that they were worthy of death for the assassination they had penned, and bade the executioners fall on. So the two men were beheaded. Of their following not one had been allowed to slip away.
Liu Bei summoned the soldiers of the escort to his tent, gave them wine to comfort them, and said, “Your leaders conspired to sow dissension between brothers and were found with daggers hidden beneath their clothing. They were assassins in intent and have met the fate they merited. You have committed no crime and need feel no alarm.”
The soldiers thanked him for his clemency with low obeisance.
Then said Pang Tong, “If you will now show the way so that our troops may capture the Pass, you shall even be rewarded.”
They consented. That same night the army set out, with the soldiers of the renegade escort leading the way.
When they reached the Pass they hailed the gate, saying, “Open the gate quickly; the generals have returned earlier than they expected because of important business.”
Hearing the voices of their comrades, the gate guards had no suspicion of treachery and threw open the gates. In rushed the enemy soldiers and so gained possession of River Fu Pass without shedding a drop of blood. The defenders came over to the side of Liu Bei and were liberally rewarded. This done, the army was posted so as to guard the approaches and maintain what they had captured. The next few days were spent in banquets and feasts in celebration of success.
At one of these feasts, Liu Bei turned to his adviser, saying, “This is what one might call a joyful occasion.”
“To employ warlike weapons in making an attack upon the possession of another is not using them in the best way,” replied Pang Tong. “Nor is such attack the most proper occasion for rejoicing.”
Liu Bei replied, “The success of King Wu of Zhou was celebrated with music; I suppose weapons were not well used on that occasion either. Why do you talk so wide of reason? You would better retire.”
Pang Tong laughed and withdrew from the table, while the attendants supported Liu Bei to his own chamber, where he had a long sleep. About midnight he awoke from his wine, and then the servants told him that he had driven sway his adviser from the feast. He was at once filled with remorse. Next day, having dressed early in full costume of ceremony, he took his seat in the great hall, summoned his adviser and apologized handsomely for his rude behavior the night before.
“I drank too much last night and spoke rudely; pray forget it.”
Pang Tong, who had taken the whole episode in very good part from the first, laughed and talked as usual.
But Liu Bei went on, “Really I was the only one to blame yesterday.”
“We both slipped up; it was not only you, my lord,” said Pang Tong.
Then Liu Bei laughed too, and the two were as good friends again as ever.
When Imperial Protector Liu Zhang heard of the doings of his relative and guest, he said, “I did not think that such things would come to pass.”
