第91部分(第2/7 页)

reat　ancient　scholars　Guan　Zhong　and　Yue　Yi。　No　one　could　gauge　his　talents。〃

〃How　es　it　that　Yingchuan　produces　so　many　able　humans？〃　said　Liu　Bei。

〃That　old　astrologer；　Yin　Kui；　used　to　say　that　the　stars　clustered　thick　over　the　region；　and　so　there　were　many　wise　people。〃

＇e＇　Guan　Zhong　was　priminister　of　Duke　Huan　of　Qi。　Guan　Zhong　made　Qi　a　powerful　state　during　the　Spring　and　Autumn　period。　。。。。。

＇e＇　Yue　Yi　was　a　great　general　of　Yan。　Yue　Yi　helped　Yan　overe　Qi；　which　was　a　dominant　state　during　the　Warring　States　period。　。。。。。

Now　Guan　Yu　was　there。　When　he　heard　Zhuge　Liang　so　highly　praised；　he　said；　〃Guan　Zhong*　and　Yue　Yi*　are　the　two　most　famous　leaders　mentioned　in　the　Spring　and　Autumn　and　the　Warring　States　Periods。　They　well　overtopped　the　rest　of　humankind。　Is　it　not　a　little　too　much　to　say　that　Zhuge　Liang　pares　with　these　two？〃

〃In　my　opinion　he　should　not　be　pared　with　these　two；　but　rather　with　two　others；〃　said　Water　Mirror。

〃Who　are　these　two？〃　asked　Guan　Yu。

〃One　of　them　is　Lu　Wang；　who　laid　the　foundations　of　the　Zhou　Dynasty　so　firmly　that　it　lasted　eight　hundred　years；　and　the　other　Zhang　Liang；　who　made　the　Han　glorious　for　four　centuries。〃

Before　the　surprise　called　forth　by　this　startling　statement　had　subsided；　Water　Mirror　walked　down　the　steps　and　took　his　leave。　Liu　Bei　would　have　kept　him　if　he　could；　but　he　was　obdurate。

As　he　stalked　proudly　away；　he　threw　up　his　head　and　said；　〃Though　Sleeping　Dragon　has　found　his　lord；　he　has　not　been　born　at　the　right　time。　It　is　a　pity！〃

〃What　a　wise　hermit！〃　was　Liu　Bei's　ment。

Soon　after　the　three　brothers　set　out　to　find　the　abode　of　the　wise　man。　When　they　drew　near　the　Sleeping　Dragon　Ridge；　they　saw　a　numb