Presently he heard some one shouting from a hill, calling him by name to halt. He saw a youth wearing a yellow turban and dressed in a silk robe. He held a spear in his hand and was mounted on a horse from the neck of which dangled a bloody head. Behind him were a hundred or so men on foot, and they advanced quickly.
“Who are you?” asked Guan Yu.
The young man dropped his spear, dismounted, and made a low bow. Guan Yu feared this was some ruse, so he only checked his horse and gripped his sword the more firmly, saying, “Sir, I desire you to tell me your name.”
“My name is Liao Hua. I belong to a Xiangyang family. Since these troubled times began I have been an outlaw among the rivers and lakes, and I and my comrades have lived by plunder. We are about five hundred in all. By chance my friend Du Yuan came across two ladies in a carriage just now; and, quite wrongly, he took them prisoners and brought them to the hold in the hills. I questioned the servants and so found out who they were and who was escorting them. So I wished them to be set free to pursue their journey. Du Yuan opposed this and spoke so ill-mannerly that I killed him. And here is his head. I pray you pardon me.”
“Where are the two ladies?”
“They are among the hills,” replied Liao Hua.
“Bring them down here, at once,” said Guan Yu.
In a short time a party of the brigands pushed the carriage down the hill, and the ladies sat there before him.
Then Guan Yu dismounted, laid aside his sword, and stood respectfully before them with his arms crossed.
“Sisters, have you been alarmed?” asked he.
They replied, “We should have suffered at the hands of Du Yuan had it not been for Liao Hua.”
“How did Liao Hua come to save the ladies?” asked Guan Yu of those who stood by.
They said, “Du Yuan carried off the ladies and proposed that he and Liao Hua should have one each as wife. But Liao Hua had found out they were of gentle birth and worthy, and was for treating them with respect. When Du Yuan disagreed, Liao Hua slew him.”
Hearing this Guan Yu bowed to Liao Hua and thanked him. Liao Hua then wanted to join himself and his troop to Guan Yu, but Guan Yu, seeing he was a Yellow Scarf, would have nothing to do with him. So Guan Yu simply thanked him for his kindness to the ladies. Liao Hua offered some presents, but these were also declined.
So Liao Hua took his leave and presently disappeared in a valley among the hills. Guan Yu told his sisters the story of his interview with Cao Cao and the gift of a robe, and then he urged the carriage on its way. Towards dark they came to a farm where they would rest. The farmer, an old graybeard, came out to welcome the party and asked who they were. Guan Yu described himself as the brother of Liu Bei, and said his name.
“Surely you are no other than the slayer of Yan Liang and Wen Chou,” said the venerable host.
“That is so,” replied Guan Yu.
“Come in,” said the old man, joyfully.
“My two sisters-in-law are in the carriage;” said Guan Yu, “will you let your women folks go out to receive them?” As Guan Yu remained standing there, the host asked him to be seated, but he would not sit while the women were present and remained standing in a respectful attitude till the old man's wife had returned and ushered the ladies into the inner apartments. Then the old man set to the entertainment of his guest in the guest hall. Guan Yu asked his name.
He replied, “I am called Hu Hua. In the days of the Emperor Huan, I was an officer of the court, but I resigned and retired into private life. I have a son, Hu Ban, with Governor Wang Zhi of Yingyang; and if you should be going that way, General, I should like to send him a letter by you.”
Guan Yu said he would take the letter. Next day, after an early meal, the ladies got into their carriage, the host handed his letter to Guan Yu, and the little party once more took the road. They went toward Luoyang.
Presently they approached a pass known as the Dongling Pass, guarded by Commander Kong Xiu and five hundred soldiers. When the soldiers saw a carriage being pushed toward the pass, they ran to tell their commander, who came out to accost the travelers. Guan Yu dismounted and returned the officer's salute, and Kong Xiu said, “Whither are you going?”
“I have left the Prime Minister to go into the North of Yellow River to find my brother.”
“But Yuan Shao is my master's rival. You have authority from him to go thither?”
“I left hurriedly and could not get it.”
“If you have no authority, you must wait while I send to request orders.”
“To remain while you send and receive an answer will delay me greatly,” said Guan Yu.
“I must stand by my instructions; that is the only thing to do,” said Kong Xiu.
“Then you refuse to let me pass?”
“If you want to go through, leave the family as a gage.”
At this Guan Yu got very angry and made to cut at the commander on the spot, but Kong Xiu withdrew into the gate and beat the drums for an attack. Thereupon the soldiers armed themselves, mounted, and came down to oppose the passage, crying, “Dare you go through, eh?”
The carriage was sent off to a safe distance, and then Guan Yu rode at full speed directly at the commander of the guard, who set his spear and came to meet him. The two steeds met and the men engaged, but at the first stroke of the green-dragon saber the commander of the gate fell to the earth dead. His troops fled.
“Soldiers, do not flee!” cried Guan Yu. “I killed him because I could do no otherwise. I have nothing against you, but I would ask you to tell the Prime Minister how this thing came to pass, that Kong Xiu wished to kill me, and so I slew him in self defense.”
The soldiers bowed before him, and Guan Yu, with the carriage, passed through the gates and continued their way to Luoyang. But one of the guards of the pass went quickly in advance and informed the Governor of Luoyang, Han Fu, of the slaughter of Kong Xiu. Wherefore Han Fu assembled his officers to take counsel.
Meng Tan, one of his generals, said, “This Guan Yu must be a fugitive, or he would have a safe conduct. Our only course is to stop him, or we shall incur blame.” “The man is fierce and brave. Remember the fate of Yan Liang and Wen Chou. It seems vain to oppose him by force, and so we must think out some trap for him,” said Han Fu.
“I have a ruse ready,” said Meng Tan. “I will close the gate with thorny blockades, and I will go to fight with him. I will engage and then flee, and you can shoot him from an ambush along the road. If we can get him and his party and send them prisoners to the capital, we ought to be well rewarded.”
This course was determined upon, and soon they heard that Guan Yu was approaching. Han Fu strung his bow and filled his quiver with arrows and with one thousand soldiers took up position along the pass. Then as the party approached, Han Fu said, “Who is the traveler who comes?”
Guan Yu bowed low and said, “He is a certain Guan Yu, Lord of Hanshou, and he wishes to go through the pass.”
“Have you a letter from the Prime Minister?”
“In the hurry of departure I did not get any.”
“My special orders from him are to hold this pass and make examination of all spies that may go to and fro. Any person without an authority must be a fugitive.”
Then Guan Yu began to be angry, saying, “I have killed Kong Xiu at Dongling Pass. Do you also seek death?”
“Who will capture him for me?” cried Han Fu, and Meng Tan offered himself. He rode out, whirling his double swords, and made straight for Guan Yu.
Guan Yu sent back the carriage out of danger and then rode toward Meng Tan. They engaged, but very soon Meng Tan turned his steed and fled. Guan Yu pursued. Meng Tan, intent only on leading his enemy toward the ambush, took no account of the speed of Red-Hare. Very soon Meng Tan was caught up, and a stroke of the mighty sword cut him in two pieces. Then Guan Yu stopped and turned back. The archers in the gate shot their hardest; and though it was a long way off, one of them lodged an arrow in his left arm. He pulled it out with his teeth, but the blood streamed down as he rode toward Governor Han Fu. The men scattered. Guan Yu rode straight at his next victim. He raised his sword and made an oblique cut which sliced off the head and shoulder of Han Fu.