the manipulation of state affairs by the prime minister Dong Zhuo towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty （25-220） aroused strong anger in people， but nobody dared to air it. Upright ministers wanted to but failed to think of a way to get rid of him. Deep at night and alone in his garden， Wang Yun， a minister， sighed at these worries， his teaful eyes cast up at the moon. Suddenly， he heard a sigh from the pavilion nearby. He went over to see Diao Chan， the sixteen-year-old， very beautiful singsong girl in his family. Upon enquiry， the girl went down on her knees and said， “Your excellency has treated me so nice after Icame. How could I repay your kindness？ Ihave noticed your knitted eyebrows， You must have big worries that Idare not ask. Isighed， because Iwish Icould help you in some way.”
Who could believe， thought Wang that the destiny of the Han Dynasty lies in this girl's hand. He helped the girl up， then he himself prostrated and kowtowed to her. “Why do you bow to me？” the puzzled girl asked. She repeated her offer to help in any way.
Convinced of her resolüte attitude， Wang Yun was straightforward： “Both Dong Zhuo and his stepson Lü Bu love women. I'll take you as my step daughter， then I'll betroth you to Lü Bu before I present you as a gift to Dong Zhuo. You will seek opportunities to sow discord between them and make Lü kill Dong. In this way we can preserve the Han Dynasty.” “If I fail to do as you say，” she vowed， “I will die a violent death.” These were the interlocking stratagems laid by Wang Yun and Diao Chan.
2010年4月25日星期日
Zhuge Liang Pays a Mourning Call
This is a story from Three Kingdoms. Zhou Yu， chief commander of Wu， Was talented and proficient in strategies and tactics but was narrow-minded and intolerant of others. He discussed with Zhuge Liang plans to conquer Cao Cao while simultaneously pondering how to murder Zhuge Liang. Zhou Yu had been wounded by a poisonous arrow when he was attacking Nanjun. Zhou's wound burst when he learned that Zhuge Liang had already taken over Nanjun， Jingzhou and Xiangyang. Zhou Yu， with a healing wound， racked his brains for ways to capture Jingzhou. His strategies， however， were all seen through by Zhuge Liang who even sent him a mocking message. Zhou Yu was vexed again. “Since You（the Heaven） made me， Zhou Yu， why did You make Zhuge Liang too？” Zhou Yu grudgingly asked before he took his last breath.
Learning of Zhou Yu's demise， Zhuge Liang decided to go to pay respects. Fearing that Zhuge Liang might be murdered， Liu Bei send Zhao Yun with 500warriors to protect him. Before Zhou Yu's coffin， Zhuge Liang personally offered libation， kneeled on the ground， and read his eulogy. Tears of grief gushed forth from Zhuge Liang. All the generals from Wu were moved. When Lu Su saw Zhuge Liang was in such grievance， he said to himself， “Zhou Liang was narrow-minded and he brought on his own death.”
Learning of Zhou Yu's demise， Zhuge Liang decided to go to pay respects. Fearing that Zhuge Liang might be murdered， Liu Bei send Zhao Yun with 500warriors to protect him. Before Zhou Yu's coffin， Zhuge Liang personally offered libation， kneeled on the ground， and read his eulogy. Tears of grief gushed forth from Zhuge Liang. All the generals from Wu were moved. When Lu Su saw Zhuge Liang was in such grievance， he said to himself， “Zhou Liang was narrow-minded and he brought on his own death.”
Zhuge Liang Pays a Mourning Call
This is a story from Three Kingdoms. Zhou Yu， chief commander of Wu， Was talented and proficient in strategies and tactics but was narrow-minded and intolerant of others. He discussed with Zhuge Liang plans to conquer Cao Cao while simultaneously pondering how to murder Zhuge Liang. Zhou Yu had been wounded by a poisonous arrow when he was attacking Nanjun. Zhou's wound burst when he learned that Zhuge Liang had already taken over Nanjun， Jingzhou and Xiangyang. Zhou Yu， with a healing wound， racked his brains for ways to capture Jingzhou. His strategies， however， were all seen through by Zhuge Liang who even sent him a mocking message. Zhou Yu was vexed again. “Since You（the Heaven） made me， Zhou Yu， why did You make Zhuge Liang too？” Zhou Yu grudgingly asked before he took his last breath.
Learning of Zhou Yu's demise， Zhuge Liang decided to go to pay respects. Fearing that Zhuge Liang might be murdered， Liu Bei send Zhao Yun with 500warriors to protect him. Before Zhou Yu's coffin， Zhuge Liang personally offered libation， kneeled on the ground， and read his eulogy. Tears of grief gushed forth from Zhuge Liang. All the generals from Wu were moved. When Lu Su saw Zhuge Liang was in such grievance， he said to himself， “Zhou Liang was narrow-minded and he brought on his own death.”
Learning of Zhou Yu's demise， Zhuge Liang decided to go to pay respects. Fearing that Zhuge Liang might be murdered， Liu Bei send Zhao Yun with 500warriors to protect him. Before Zhou Yu's coffin， Zhuge Liang personally offered libation， kneeled on the ground， and read his eulogy. Tears of grief gushed forth from Zhuge Liang. All the generals from Wu were moved. When Lu Su saw Zhuge Liang was in such grievance， he said to himself， “Zhou Liang was narrow-minded and he brought on his own death.”
Jiang Gan Steals a Letter
This is an episode from the Three Kingdoms. Cao cao sent a letter to Zhou Yu to summon him to surrender. Zhou Yu tore Cao's letter to pieces. Zhou Yu's classmate， Jiang Gan， was working for Cao Cao as an adviser， Jiang offered to travel to Wu to persuade Zhou Yu to surrender. One day while Zhou Yu was discussing with his subordinates how to defeat Cao Cao， he was told that Jiang Gan had come to see him. Zhou immediately figured out that Jiang must have come to persuade him to surrender. Zhou Yu devised a clever plan to thwart his efforts and enlisted the help of his subordinate to carry it out. Then he went to meet Jiang Gan all smiles. Zhou Yu took Jiang Gan's hands and marshaled him into his tent and treated him to a banquet. When all his generals and subordinates came for dinner， Zhou Yu told those around the table： “This is an old friend or mine. Though he came from the Cao Cao camp， he did not come to persuade me to surrender. Please do not suspect him.” After the banquet， Zhou Yu pretended that he had too much and invited Jiang Gan to his bedroom for a rest. Zhou Yu soon pretended to have fallen asleep. Jiang Gan took this chance to thumb through Zhou Yu's documents. He was shocked to find a letter from Cai Mao and Zhang Yun， two generals of the Cao camp， who had written Zhou Yu to surrender. Jiang hid letter of surrender in his pocket and returned to the bed， pretending that he was sill asleep.
After midnight， someone sneaked into Zhou Yu's tent and woke him up， telling him “A messenger came from the Cao camp to say that Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were not yet a position to carry out their plan.” After he heard the news， Zhou Yu went back to sleep. Jiang Gan got up again silently and snuck out of Zhou Yu's camp. He crossed the river immediately and handed the letter of surrender to Cao Cao. Cao was enraged and he had Cai Mao and Zhang Yun executed.
When the news spread to Wu， Zhou Yu burst into laughter and said， “Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were the two generals I feared most. Now I fear no one.” Before long， Cao cao realized that he was cheated by Zhou Yu's stratagem of sowing distrust in Cao's camp.”
After midnight， someone sneaked into Zhou Yu's tent and woke him up， telling him “A messenger came from the Cao camp to say that Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were not yet a position to carry out their plan.” After he heard the news， Zhou Yu went back to sleep. Jiang Gan got up again silently and snuck out of Zhou Yu's camp. He crossed the river immediately and handed the letter of surrender to Cao Cao. Cao was enraged and he had Cai Mao and Zhang Yun executed.
When the news spread to Wu， Zhou Yu burst into laughter and said， “Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were the two generals I feared most. Now I fear no one.” Before long， Cao cao realized that he was cheated by Zhou Yu's stratagem of sowing distrust in Cao's camp.”
A Leap Over the Tanxi River
Liu Bei captured an excellent horse in a battle. When Liu Biao marveled at the steed， Liu Bei gave it to him as a gift. Under Liu Biao， there was a horse expert who said， “This horse， though excellent， tends to harm its owner； you'd better return it to Liu Bei.” Following the expert's advice， Liu Biao returned the horse to Liu Bei. Liu Biao's wife Cai and her brother had long wished to Xiangyang to meet some officials. Cai and her brother decided it was an good opportunity. They sent troops to guard every city gate except the western one， for outside that gate， the wide Tanxi River， with its rapid water， blocked the road. At the banquet for officials， a man hinted to Liu Bei that Liu Biao planned to kill him. Liu Bei followed the man to the back garden， where he whispered into his ear the details of plan Cai and her brother had set. “Every gate but the western one is heavily guarded，” the man added. “The western gate is your only chance.” Alarmed， Liu Bei mounted the horse and fled. Outside the gate the river blocked his way. Soldiers were fast approaching. Liu Bei whipped the horse like mad， the animal moved forward， but after just a few steps into the river it stumbled. “Surely you harm your master，” Liu Bei cried in despair. At this， oddly， the horse made a vigorous leap to the other side of the river， leaving the soldiers behind.
Note： Liu Biao was a governor of Jingzhou and a Han royal family member.
Note： Liu Biao was a governor of Jingzhou and a Han royal family member.
Zhao Yun Saves Young Master Single-Handedly
Though Liu Bei was outnumbered by Cao Cao's troops in the Xinye battle， Liu defeated Cao thanks to the smart tactic he had resorted to. Cao soon commanded an army of 500，000 to take his revenge. When Liu Bei and his force of 3，000 got to Dangyang County， they were stopped by Cao's troops. A bitter fight lasted until dawn and the Liu army narrowly managed to eLüde the chasing enemy.
As day broke， General Zhao Yun discovered that Liu Bei's wife and son were missing. Zhao gathered 30 troops and fought his way back onto the battlefield to look for Liu's wife， Madam Mi， and son， A Dou. With the help of a middle-aged woman， Zhao Yun found Madam Mi and A Dou by the side of a dry well behind a collapsed wall. Madam Mi said： “A Dou is safe now with you， General. I'd rather die than encumber you.” When Zhao Yun was not looking her way， Madam Mi threw herself into the well. Suddenly， Cao troops came charging toward Zhao Yun. With tears in his eyes， Zhao Yun pushed down what remained of the collapsed wall to cover the dry well. He then held A Dou against his chest and rode his horse onward as he fought off attackers. It took Zhao Yun three rounds of combat to fight off the chasing enemy. At one point Zhao was engaged by General Zhang He and a unit of Cao's troops. Zhao and Zhang fought a dozen rounds and Zhao tried to break the siege. But Zhao Yun and his horse unexpectedly fell into a trap. Just as Zhang He charged to pierce Zhao Yun with his spear， Zhao's horse leapt out of the trap. Zhang He was taken aback by the sudden move and his horse backed off several gaits. Zhao Yun fought Cao's generals and troops single-handedly. No one could get close to him. Cao Cao， who was watching the battle from a nearby hilltop， ordered that Zhao Yun be captured alive. Zhao Yun made the most of Cao's no-kill order and broke through the siege in the end. When he returned to his camp， Zhao Yun handed the young master to Liu Bei.
As day broke， General Zhao Yun discovered that Liu Bei's wife and son were missing. Zhao gathered 30 troops and fought his way back onto the battlefield to look for Liu's wife， Madam Mi， and son， A Dou. With the help of a middle-aged woman， Zhao Yun found Madam Mi and A Dou by the side of a dry well behind a collapsed wall. Madam Mi said： “A Dou is safe now with you， General. I'd rather die than encumber you.” When Zhao Yun was not looking her way， Madam Mi threw herself into the well. Suddenly， Cao troops came charging toward Zhao Yun. With tears in his eyes， Zhao Yun pushed down what remained of the collapsed wall to cover the dry well. He then held A Dou against his chest and rode his horse onward as he fought off attackers. It took Zhao Yun three rounds of combat to fight off the chasing enemy. At one point Zhao was engaged by General Zhang He and a unit of Cao's troops. Zhao and Zhang fought a dozen rounds and Zhao tried to break the siege. But Zhao Yun and his horse unexpectedly fell into a trap. Just as Zhang He charged to pierce Zhao Yun with his spear， Zhao's horse leapt out of the trap. Zhang He was taken aback by the sudden move and his horse backed off several gaits. Zhao Yun fought Cao's generals and troops single-handedly. No one could get close to him. Cao Cao， who was watching the battle from a nearby hilltop， ordered that Zhao Yun be captured alive. Zhao Yun made the most of Cao's no-kill order and broke through the siege in the end. When he returned to his camp， Zhao Yun handed the young master to Liu Bei.
Zhang Fei's Apology
At Cao Cao's instruction， Liu Bei was about to set off for a punitive expedition against Yuan Shu. Before he left， Liu Bei worried about the defence of Xuzhou City. When Zhang Fei volünteered to take the task， Liu said， “How can I feel assured， when you're so fond of drinking and after drinking you always flog your soldiers for no reason？ And you're such a hot-tempered person and frequently you refuse to take advice.” He entrusted the task upon Zhang only after the latter's repeated entreatments and resolütions to mend his ways. For safety， he left consultant Chen Deng to assist Zhang . One day Zhang invited his subordinate officers over. “My elder brother instructed me before he left to stay away from wine for fear I may fail my duties to guard the city. Let's have an final drinking party today， and starting from tomorrow， we will quit drinking and concentrate on the job .” With these words said， he began toasting everyone. When neither of his toasts was accepted by Cao Bao， Zhang flared up ， By then ， Zhang was already drunk. He had Cao flogged fifty times. After the party was over， the resentful Cao sent one of his men to Lü Bu， the enemy general， asking him to attack the city that night while Zhang was drunk. Lü came with 500 horsemen. They successfully took the city. When Zhang woke up with a start， the city was gone. He fought his way out of the enemy troops and fled the city， leaving his elder brother's family behind. When he met Liu， he felt so shame-faced that he unsheathed his sword meaning to commit suicide， only to be stopped by his elder brother.
Fresh from Thatched Cottage
Liu Bei visited the thatched cottage three times and finally succeeded in inviting Zhuge Liang to be his military adviser. Yet his sworn brothers， Guan Yu and Zhang Fei， did not take Zhuge seriously. Before long， Cao Cao dispatched an army of 100，000 to attack Liu Bei's headquarters at Xinye. Cao's troops were at the command of General Xiahou Chun. When Liu Bei turned to Zhuge Liang for advice， Zhuge said： “Ihave to borrow your majesty's sword of authority in that I am f/afraid that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei will not listen to me.” Liu lost no time in lending his sword of authority to Zhuge who then started to dispatch Liu's army for the defence.
Zhuge ordered Guan Yu to Lück and wait at Mount Yushan with 1，000 troops. Guan was not to attack the enemy but rather let them pass. He would charge at the enemy as soon as he saw fire break out in the enemy procession. Zhang Fei was ordered to Lürk and wait in the valley with another 1，000 troops. Zhang was to attack the town of Bowang as soon as he saw fire break out in the enemy procession. Guan Ping， adopted son of Guan Yu and General Liu Feng were ordered to each guide 500 troops to wait behind the slope of Bowang. They would set fire to the enemy procession as soon as the enemy arrived at the slope. Zhuge recalled Zhao Yun from Fancheng to be the vanguard of Liu's army. But Zhao was ordered not to defeat the advancing enemy but rather pretend to be defeated. Liu Bei was given 1，000 troops as the back up force.
Guan Yu was so curious that he asked： “We all go out to fight the battle. But what will you do？” Zhuge Liang answered smiling， “I will sit and wait here in town.” Zhang Fei burst into larghter and said： “We all go out to risk our lives while you enjoy your time carefree inside the town！” Zhuge said： “I have the sword of authority. Those who disobey my orders will be executed.” Guan and Zhang had nothing more to say， but they walked away sneeringly.
Since the generals carried out Zhuge Liang's orders to the letter， the enemy was routed Zhuge's first military advice truned out to be smart and farsighted. Guan Yu， Zhang Fei and other generals in the Liu camp soon came to respect the new military adviser.
Zhuge ordered Guan Yu to Lück and wait at Mount Yushan with 1，000 troops. Guan was not to attack the enemy but rather let them pass. He would charge at the enemy as soon as he saw fire break out in the enemy procession. Zhang Fei was ordered to Lürk and wait in the valley with another 1，000 troops. Zhang was to attack the town of Bowang as soon as he saw fire break out in the enemy procession. Guan Ping， adopted son of Guan Yu and General Liu Feng were ordered to each guide 500 troops to wait behind the slope of Bowang. They would set fire to the enemy procession as soon as the enemy arrived at the slope. Zhuge recalled Zhao Yun from Fancheng to be the vanguard of Liu's army. But Zhao was ordered not to defeat the advancing enemy but rather pretend to be defeated. Liu Bei was given 1，000 troops as the back up force.
Guan Yu was so curious that he asked： “We all go out to fight the battle. But what will you do？” Zhuge Liang answered smiling， “I will sit and wait here in town.” Zhang Fei burst into larghter and said： “We all go out to risk our lives while you enjoy your time carefree inside the town！” Zhuge said： “I have the sword of authority. Those who disobey my orders will be executed.” Guan and Zhang had nothing more to say， but they walked away sneeringly.
Since the generals carried out Zhuge Liang's orders to the letter， the enemy was routed Zhuge's first military advice truned out to be smart and farsighted. Guan Yu， Zhang Fei and other generals in the Liu camp soon came to respect the new military adviser.
Brotherhood Forged in the Peach Garden
Toward the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty（25-220） China was war-stricken. After a royal edict to recruit soldiers in Zhuozhou， three heroes surfaced. One was Liu Bei， a descendent of Liu Sheng， Prince Jin of Zhongshan during the Han Dynasty. Liu Bei was sighing while reading the posted edict when he heard an impatient voice behind， “ What use is just sighing， without a man's devotion to his country？”
then the man introduced himself： “I'm Zhang Fei and my livelihood is selling wine and slaughtering hogs.”
“I do want to devote myself to the country，” Liu explained after telling Zhang his name. “But how can I help if I'm empty handed？”
“You needn't worry，” said Zhang. “I'm willing to give up my fortune to build an army and embark on this new career with you.”
While the two talked merrily over cups in a small restaurant， in came a martial looking， handsome man with a huge build and a red complexion. Liu and Zhang invited him to join them. They learned that the man was named Guan Yu. As he had upheld justice by killing a local tyrant， he had fled home and wandered about for many years. During an amiable conversation the three found that they shared a common ambition and the next day in a peach garden they swore brotherhood to heaven and earth before lit candles and joss sticks， Liu Bei the eldest， Guan Yu the second-oldest and Zhang Fei the youngest. They vowed devotion to China. Later， the three sworn brothers had successful career. Liu Bei ascended to the throne of the State of Shu in 221A.D in present-day Sichuan.
then the man introduced himself： “I'm Zhang Fei and my livelihood is selling wine and slaughtering hogs.”
“I do want to devote myself to the country，” Liu explained after telling Zhang his name. “But how can I help if I'm empty handed？”
“You needn't worry，” said Zhang. “I'm willing to give up my fortune to build an army and embark on this new career with you.”
While the two talked merrily over cups in a small restaurant， in came a martial looking， handsome man with a huge build and a red complexion. Liu and Zhang invited him to join them. They learned that the man was named Guan Yu. As he had upheld justice by killing a local tyrant， he had fled home and wandered about for many years. During an amiable conversation the three found that they shared a common ambition and the next day in a peach garden they swore brotherhood to heaven and earth before lit candles and joss sticks， Liu Bei the eldest， Guan Yu the second-oldest and Zhang Fei the youngest. They vowed devotion to China. Later， the three sworn brothers had successful career. Liu Bei ascended to the throne of the State of Shu in 221A.D in present-day Sichuan.
To Borrow Arrows with Thatched Boats
This is an episode from the Three Kingdoms. Zhou Yu ordered Zhuge Liang to manufacture 100，000 arrows within ten days. Zhuge said， "Give me three days." He also signed a pledge placing himself liable for punishment should he fail to complete the order. Zhou Yu ridiculed that Zhuge Liang was looking for self-destruction. On the one hand， Zhou Yu ordered his troops not to provide Zhuge Liang with materials to make the arrows. He also sent Lu Su to spy on him to find out what was going on. In fact， Zhuge Liang had already realized that this was a plot by room， Zhuge said to Lu Su， "Save me please." He asked Lu Su to lend him 20boats， each lined with straw-made scarecrows and manned by 30 soldiers. He requested that Lu Su not tell Zhou Yu what was happening.
When Lu Su came again to see Zhuge Liang， he did not find anything unusual. Nothing happened on the second day either. In the small hours of the third day， Zhuge Liang invited Lu Su for a boat ride. The 20 boats were tied together with strong ropes. Zhuge's fleet sailed toward the camp of Cao Cao. A thick mist had spread over the surface of the river. People could hardly see each other on the river. When Zhuge's fleet got close to the Cao camp before dawn， Zhuge Liang ordered his soldiers to shout and beat drums to fake an attack. Zhuge and Lu Su simply sat inside one of the boats and drank wines to enjoy themselves.
As soon as the Cao camp heard the shouting and drum beating， they mistook it for a surprise attack by the Zhou Yu camp. Since they could see nobody on the river， they gathered 3，000 bow men and ordered them to shoot arrows towards where the shouting and drum beating came. The front of the scarecrows was quickly shot full of arrows. After a while， Zhuge Liang had his fleet turned around to expose the other side of the scarecrows. When this side was also shot full of arrows， the day broke. Zhuge Liang ordered his soldiers to return to their base port. The soldiers shouted， "Thank you， Cao Cao， for your arrows." After they got back to their camp， they collected more than 100，000 arrows from the scarecrows.
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