第57部分(第3/7 页)

ood　and　clothing；　but　put　him　in　prison　till　his　colleague　could　be　captured。

Guan　Yu　said　to　Liu　Bei；　〃I　knew　you　had　peaceful　intentions　in　your　mind；　therefore；　I　captured　Wang　Zhong　instead　of　slaying　him。〃

〃I　was　afraid　of　Zhang　Fei's　hasty　and　impulsive　temper；〃　said　Liu　Bei。　〃He　would　have　slain　this　man。　So　I　could　not　send　him。　There　is　no　advantage　in　killing　people　of　this　sort；　and　while　alive　they　are　often　useful　in　amicable　settlements。〃

Here　Zhang　Fei　said；　〃You　have　got　this　Wang　Zhong；　now　I　will　go　and　get　the　other　man。〃

〃Be　careful；〃　said　Liu　Bei。　〃Liu　Dai　was　once　Imperial　Protector　of　Yanzhou；　and　he　was　one　of　the　nobles　who　met　at　Tiger　Trap　Pass　to　destroy　Dong　Zhuo。　He　is　not　to　be　despised。〃

〃I　do　not　think　him　worth　talking　about　so　much。　I　will　bring　him　in　alive　just　as　Second　Brother　did　this　other。〃

〃I　fear　that　if　his　life　be　lost；　it　may　upset　our　designs；〃　said　Liu　Bei。

〃If　I　kill　him；　I　will　forfeit　my　own　life；〃　said　Zhang　Fei。

So　he　was　given　three　thousand　soldiers　and　went　off　quickly。

The　capture　of　his　colleague　made　Liu　Dai　careful。　He　strengthened　his　defenses　and　kept　behind　them。　He　took　no　notice　of　the　daily　challenges　and　continual　insults　which　began　with　Zhang　Fei's　arrival。

After　some　days　Zhang　Fei　evolved　a　ruse。　He　issued　orders　to　prepare　to　rush　the　enemy's　camp　at　night；　but　he　himself　spent　the　day　drinking。　Pretending　to　be　very　intoxicated；　he　held　a　court…martial；　and　one　soldier　was　severely　flogged　for　a　breach　of　discipline。

The　man　was　left　bound　in　the　midst　of　the　camp；　Zhang　Fei　saying；　〃Wait　till　I　am　ready　to　start　tonight：　You　shall　be　sacrificed　to　the　flag。〃

At　the　same　time　he　gave　secret　orders　to　the　custodians