Chinese Storytelling

The famous general from Hebei, Yan Liang, led his one hundred thousand men into combat with Cao Cao. After Cao Cao received the news, he also led one hundred thousand men along and met Yan Liang in battle on the White Horse Slope.

They were not able to beat Yan Liang and at first had no way out, but later Cao Cao took the advice of the military counsellor Guo Jia: He should write a letter and order his attendant to return to Xuchang and ask Guan Yu to come and help. In the letter Cao Cao only boastfully invited Guan Yu to visit the camp and celebrate a feast - to drink and have a good time. Why didn't he declare clearly that he wanted his help?

Cao Cao could not do so, because before he entered on this military expedition, Guan Yu had asked him for the task, saying that he wanted to lead a force of men into combat with Yan Liang. But Cao Cao had defied his request, saying: 'This is a mere trifle, no reason to trouble Your Honour', and did not want him to join them. Why didn't Cao Cao want Guan Yu to join? He was afraid. He was afraid that as soon as Guan Yu had left Xuchang and received news of his elder brother Liu Bei, he would not come back again. Therefore he had not been willing to let him join. And therefore he found it embarrassing to ask him directly for help, and would rather invite him to the camp for a feast of wine. Guan Yu, however, was fully aware of this.

Now the two of them were sitting in the big tent and drinking, when they heard a great noise in front of the mountain: 'A-a-a-a-a-a-a-h!' An attendant rushed into the big tent: 'Diddleli-diddleli-diddleli...' and knelt down on one knee:

"Report...! Our Prime Minister is informed that Yan Liang is standing at the foot of the mountain and urging for battle."

"I know! Withdraw!"

"Shall be!"

The attendant gets up and withdraws.

"Please, drink a cup, my general!"

"Please, Prime Minister!"

After a while the noise in front of the mountain was heard again: 'A-a-a-a-a-a-h!' The attendant entered once more:

"Report...! Our Prime Minister is informed that Yan Liang is standing at the foot of the mountain, boasting and cursing us into battle!"

"I know! Withdraw!"

"Shall be!"

The attendant again withdraws.

"Please, have something to eat, my general!"

"Please, Prime Minister!"

After a short while the noise was again heard from the mountain. The attendant entered the doorway of the tent in great alarm:

"Report...! I must inform our Prime Minister that Yan Liang stands at the foot of the mountain, saying: if you, our Prime Minister, do not come out with your men in battle immediately, he will lead his men up the White Horse Slope in attack!"

"I know! Withdraw!"

"Shall be!"

His attendant once more withdrew.

"You have come a long way, my general, it has been a hard journey. Please, have another couple of cups!"

"Please, Prime Minister!"

The attendant had given report three times and still Cao Cao was acting as if nothing had happened. Cao Cao acted as if nothing has happened, but now Guan Yu was getting upset. 'Oh, Cao Cao, Yan Liang is just about to attack the mountain. Do you think it is all right just to sit here with me and drink wine? You ought to lead your men out in resistance. But on the other hand, I cannot blame Cao Cao. Why has he invited me, Guan Yu? To drink and feast. Just now he cannot very well leave me, his honoured guest, and run off, that would not be a proper way to treat his guest. According to this, should I not ask for the task to go down the mountain and enter in combat with Yan Liang? Oh, no, that won't do. Last time we met, and I asked him for a task, he answered me: "This is a mere trifle!" He didn't need me. Can you tell me if he has a smart plan this time how to handle Yan Liang? Who can tell? As soon as I open my mouth and ask him for the task, he may retort once again: "This is a mere trifle!" And will that perhaps not be still another embarrassment for me? Absolutely! If he really intends to invite me, Guan Yu, to help out, he will of course open his mouth and invite me. If you do not open your mouth, it is better that I do not open mine either for the time being.' Guan Yu thought a bit about it and he actually did not bring the matter up.

Well, do you think Cao Cao would ask Guan Yu to go down the hill? Ha! Cao Cao didn’t dare to open his mouth. Last time he refused Guan Yu’s offer. If he opened his mouth now: ‘Hey, Guan Yu, please help me! Will you please go down the mountain and have a fight with Yan Liang!’, then Guan Yu’s face would darken: ‘Hem! last time when I asked you for the task, you said: "This is a mere trifle!" and you didn’t want me. So why do you ask me to go down the mountain now? This is really outrageous! I’m not going!’ After such a rebuff it isn’t easy to smooth things out again. ‘Guan Yu is a clever fellow, he is well aware of my embarrassment. He surely intends to help me out, so there is no need for me to speak out first. He will speak out on his own and ask me for this task. "If you do not speak out, well, then please, be my guest during this meal and let’s see how you feel about it!"’

Well, enough! Both of them were sitting there waiting for each other to speak. The two of them were trying the patience of each other. Which of them had the strongest will? Cao Cao had the strongest, Guan Yu cannot compete with him in this.

Guan Yu was eating and eating, getting more and more uneasy. ‘This is no good. If we continue like this, it will be a disaster. If Yan Liang really storms the mountain and we loose White Horse Slope, people will begin talking. And they will say: "Guan Yu is good in the martial arts and he is well educated, but he has one weak point: He loves to eat. That time at White Horse Slope he was so obsessed with eating that he kept Cao Cao waiting while he finished his meal, and in this way they lost White Horse Slope." Can you imagine what bad reputation I’ll have after this? What kind of a hero will I be called henceforth? What is to be done? Got it! Right now I will not talk about going down the mountain, let me first discuss something else with him and see whether he has a plan how to get the better of Yan Liang. Well, let me try:’

"I should like to ask the Prime Minister, after your men arrived here, how many times have they engaged in combat?"

"Since you ask this question, my general, they have engaged in combat once."

"How was the outcome?"

"Don’t mention it, my general. First my two generals Song Xian and Wei Xu went down the mountain and both of them fell in battle. After that things have been only so-so. Now four other generals have gone down, but none of them have been able to win a battle. Up to now we are in a cease-fire."

"Oh!"

Guan Yu understood very well. From the tone of Cao Cao’s voice he could hear that up til now Cao Cao had not found a way to get the better of Yan Liang.

"The way you speak about it, I see that Yan Liang is truly a brave hero. Even though I have heard about him, I have never seen him. I should like to go to the hillside and have a look. How do you think about it, Prime Minister?"

"Ha,ha,ha…"

When Cao Cao heard this, he was very pleased. Why? ‘He wants to go to the hillside! That was what I was hoping for. As soon as you throw a glance, you will surely ask me for the task, and I will not have to speak out first.’

"Let me escort you."

Then the two of them got up. Some attendants cleared the table of wine and food, and brought hot towels so that they could wipe their faces. When they stepped outside the tent, they invited each other to mount their horses. Putting his hand on the saddle, Guan Yu mounted his horse swift as the wind: Dooh-pooh! All the civil and military officers crowded around them and mounted their horses in a great hurry. The attendants followed behind. They left the big tent and approached the White Horse Slope. The White Horse Slope is a stretch of flat slope. The men of Cao Cao brought folding tables and chairs. Guan Yu was seated in the place of honour. Cao Cao sat opposite to him. All the civil and military officers paraded behind them. One of the men brought along tea on a shoulder pole and served them tea. As soon as Guan Yu was seated, he thought: ‘Cao Cao is an old hand in military strategy. How come he is not able to beat Yan Liang this time? Let me go and have a look.’ He stroked his five strands of beard and threw a glance to the big camp opposite on the north side of the river. He saw only a thicket of fluttering flags, a forest of daggers and lances, an array of more than one hundred thousand men. Then he took a look at the hillside behind him: ‘Oh, Cao Cao, your men are surely not inferior! How come you cannot beat him? Well, perhaps the generals north of the river are fiercer? Let me have a look!’ He took another look at the generals of the great camp north of the river. Again he watched the row of generals in front of Cao Cao: ‘Speaking about generals, I will not flatter you, Cao Cao, but although the generals north of the river are by no means few in number, they can hardly compare to the generals in front of you, Cao Cao!’ He threw a glance downhill: ‘Oh, over there he is!’ At the foot of the hill he saw the general with golden helmet and golden armour, astride his red horse and holding his golden sword. Galloping around in the middle of the battleground he surely looked awe-inspiring. Well, his name and fame was not without foundation. You didn’t have to notice anything else, just take a look at the sword in his hand, and you would see that this was not an ordinary man. My, why was Yan Liang’s mouth moving up and down all the time? Oh, I see, the attendants reported that Yan Liang was standing at the foot of the hill and cursing to engage his foe into battle. He was surely standing there and cursing Cao Cao. ‘Oh, Yan Liang, what a kind of a man are you? You are a famous general. A famous general must exercise self-control and should not begin to curse people. Since you are still flapping your mouth and cursing down there at the foot of the hill, you are not really worthy of respect!’ When Guan Yu had taken this look, he still did not open his mouth.

What about Cao Cao? Cao Cao sat there at this very moment, thinking hard and figuring out the situation. [...]