Sanguo zhi pinghua page 6

←page 5

Sanguo zhi pinghua Part A, page 6

page 7→

Brotherhood Sworn in the Peach Orchard

…There was a man, last name Guan, first name Yu, style name Yunchang, born in Xieliang County, Pu Prefecture, Pingyang. He was an extraordinary looking man, with almond-shaped phoenix’s eyes, a long beard, and a dark brown face. He was 2.12 meters tall. He loved reading Chunqiu Zuozhuan (Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals). He was deeply disgusted and angered when he read about the stories of traitors and villains. At that time, the greedy and corrupted governors in his county were bullying and oppressing the masses. So he killed the county magistrate and fled for Zhuo county. If he had never become a fugitive, how could he ever met likeminded friends? There was another man, last name Zhang, first name Fei, style name Yide, born in Fanyang County, Zhuo Commandery, Yanbang. His head was round like a leopard’s head. And he had round eyes, swallow jaw and tiger beard. He was over 2m tall. And he talked like enormous bell rang. His family was very rich. One day Guan Yu passed by his door when he was wandering around. He was intrigued by Guan Yu-- an extraordinary looking stranger in rags. He stepped forward and bowed to Lord Guan. And Lord Guan bowed back. Fei asked: “Where are you from, sir? And, where are you going?” Lord Guan looked at the remarkable looking man in front of him, answered: “I am from Xieliang, the east side of the river. The magistrate in my county was bullying our people, so I killed him. I can’t stay there anymore, so I fled to this place.” Fei admired Lord Guan as a real man with remarkable ambitions. So he invited Lord Guan to a tavern. Fei asked for two, hundred coins liquors. The owner answered and brought the liquors. Lord Guan thought Fei was not an impertinent man. Over the conversation, they became friendlier and finished the liquor. Lord Guan wanted to buy drinks for Fei, but he did not have any money to afford it. He felt award. Fei said: “How can I let you do this!” Then he asked for more liquor. They started drinking like old friends. That is: The day when dragon and tiger meet, is the time when king and officers celebrate their meeting. There was a man, last name Liu, first name Bei, who was styled Xuande. His hometown was Fanyang fiefdom, Zhuo commandery. He was the seventeenth generation of Emperor Jing of Han, and the descent of the Jing king of Zhongshan state. Xuande had a big dragon nose and long phoenix eyes. His back was like Yu’s back, and his shoulders were like Tang’s shoulders. He was 1.72m tall. His arms hung down below his knees. He never showed his emotions on his face. He liked making friends. He lost his father when he was little. He and his mother relied on weaving mats and straw sandals. In the southeastern corner of their backyard, stood a 16.5m tall mulberry tree The shape of the leaves resembled the canopy of a chariot. It could be seen from a great distance. People passed by predicted that there must be a man of distinction coming from this family where this unusual tree located. When Xuande was a boy, he played with other boys beneath the tree, yelling: “I am the emperor, and this is the Changchao palace.” His uncle Liu Deran heard this, said: “Don’t say this kind of thing that might get us killed.” Deran’s father was Yuanqi. Yuanqi’s wife said: “We should throw him out of our family.” Yuanqi refused: “The boy in our family is not an ordinary one. Don’t you say that again!” When Xuande was fifteen years old, his mother sent him to study with Lu Zhi, the administer of Jiujiang. Xuande did not like studying, but games, beautiful clothes and music. One day, Xuande went to the tavern after he sold out all the straw sandals. Guan and Zhang noticed this extraordinary looking man who had indescribable fortune. Then Guan offered Xuande a drink. Xuande was very excited to see these two outstanding men, so he took the drink and drunk it up. After this, Fei offered another drink. Xuande drank that one up as well. Fei invited Xuande to join the conversation. After three rounds, they fell asleep together until they sobered up the next morning. Fei suggested: “This place is not nice enough. If you two don’t mind, I would like to invite you to my house to have another drink.” They agreed and followed Fei to his home. There was a peach orchard in the back of his house. A pavilion stood in the orchard. Fei set up the drinks, and invited Lord Guan and Xuande to the pavilion. Over the conversation, three of them stated their birth years: Xuande was the eldest, Lord Guan was the second, and Fei was the youngest. Then they regarded the eldest as the elder brother, the younger ones as younger brothers. They sacrificed a white horse for the sky and a black cattle for the earth. It did not matter when they were born, they just wish they could die together. Three of them swore their brotherhood. From that day, they did everything together. Xuande noticed that the Han dynasty was in great danger just as piled-up eggs. Robbers were everywhere, and the masses were suffering. …

---

。。。姓關名羽，字雲長，乃平陽蒲州解良人也，生得神眉鳳目，虯髯，面如紫玉，身長九尺二寸，喜看「春秋左傳」。觀亂臣賊子傳，便生怒惡。因本縣官員貪財好賄，酷害黎民，將縣令殺了，亡命逃遁，前往涿郡。

不因躲難身漂泊，怎遇分金重義知。

卻說有一人，姓張名飛，字翼德，乃燕邦涿郡範陽人也；生得豹頭環眼，燕頷虎須，身長九尺餘，聲若巨鐘。家豪大富。因在門首閒立，見關公街前過，生得狀貌非俗，衣服藍縷，非是本處人。縱步向前，見關公施禮。關公還禮。

飛問曰：「君子何往？甚州人氏？」關公見飛問，觀飛貌亦非凡；言曰：「念某河東解州人氏，因本縣官虐民不公，吾殺之。不敢鄉中住，故來此處避難。」飛見關公話畢，乃大丈夫之志。遂邀關公於於酒肆中。飛叫量酒，將二百錢酒來。主人應聲而至。

關公見飛非草次之人，說話言談，便氣和酒盡。關公欲待還杯，乃身邊無錢，有艱難之意。飛曰：「豈有是理！」再叫主人將酒來。二人把盞相勸，言語相投，有如契舊。正是：

龍虎相逢日，君臣慶會時。

說起一人，姓劉名備，字玄德，涿郡範陽縣人氏，乃漢景帝十七代賢孫，中山靖王劉勝之後，生得龍准鳳目，禹背湯肩，身長七尺五寸，垂手過膝，語言喜怒不形於色，好結英豪，少孤，與母織席編履為生。舍東南角籬上，有一桑樹，生高五丈餘，進望見重重如小車蓋，往來者皆怪此樹非凡，必出貴人。玄德少時，與家中諸小兒戲於樹下：「吾為天子，此長朝殿也。」其叔父劉德然見玄德發此語，曰：「汝勿語戲滅吾門。」德然父元起。起妻曰：「他自一家，趕離門戶。」元起曰：「吾家中有此兒，非常人也，汝勿發此語！」年十五，母使行學，事故九江太守盧植處學業。德公不甚樂讀書，好犬馬、美衣服，愛音樂。

當日，因販履於市，賣訖，也來酒店中買酒吃。關、張二人見德公生得狀貌非俗，有千般說不盡底福氣。關公遂進酒於德公。公見二人狀貌亦非凡，喜甚；也不推辭，接盞便飲。飲罷，張飛把盞，德公又接飲罷。飛邀德公同坐，三杯酒罷，三人同宿，昔交便氣合。

有張飛言曰：「此處不是咱坐處。二公不棄，就敞宅聊飲一杯。」二公見飛言，便隨飛到宅中。後有一桃園，園內有一小亭。飛遂邀二公，亭上置酒，三人歡飲。飲間，三人各序年甲：德公最長，關公為次，飛最小。以此大者為兄，小者為弟。宰白馬祭天，殺烏牛祭地。不求同日生，只願同日死。三人同行同坐同眠，誓為兄弟。

有德公，見漢朝危如累卵，盜賊蜂起，黎庶荒荒，。。。