The three visits to Kong Ming's cottage

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

  The three visits to Kong Ming's cottage
  (From the Romance of Three Kingdoms: parts of charters 37 & 38)

   After the collapse of the Han Dynasty (206BC to 220AD) the land was 
divided by the three most powerful generals during that time. In the 
North was Cao Cao, the adopted son of an eunch. Sun Quan in the region 
of South and Southeast of the Yangtze River. Liu Bei in Sichuan, the 
Western part of the land.

   Originally Liu Bei was a general under the commamnd of Cao Cao, 
the Prime Minister of the central government of the Han Court. He was 
frustrated by being pushed around by Cao Cao. 

   In 201AD he left Cao Cao and went to Jing Zhou to join up with Liu 
Biao, another general who was in control of the central region of the 
Yangtze River. Liu Bei became the new ruler of that region after the 
death of Liu Biao in 208AD.
  
   Liu Bei wanted to organize a punitive force to attack Cao Cao the 
tricky, deceitful and corrupted Prime Minister. But he could not do so
as he did not have capable personnel to command his troops. Eventually 
he found a kindred spirit in the two generals by the names of Guan Gong
and Zhang Fei. The three of them became sworn brothers with Liu Bei as 
the elder brother, Guan Gong the second and Zhang Fei the younger brother. 

   Xu Shu, a friend of Liu Bei, advised him to seek the services of Zhu Ge
Liang alias Kong Ming, who was a great politician as well as a military
strategy and tactics genius. He told Liu Bei that Kong Ming lived at Long
Zhong a small town about twenty miles away from Xiang Yang city.
   
   One day in mid-wnter in 208AD, Liu Bei, from Xin Ye his home base,
with his two sworn brothers, and bringing along some gifts and presents, 
went to Long Zhong to visit Kong Ming. Liu Bei wanted Kong Ming to help
him to establish a administration. 
 
   On the way to Kong Ming's cottage they passed through many lotus fields. 
They heard the farmers saying a folk song,

   "The sky is like a round lid.
    The earth is like a chess board.
    People are divided into good and bad.
    Time-immemoral they fought for glory and fame.  
    The victors will live in peace and contented   
    The losers will have miserable and hard lives
    In Nan Yang there resides a hermit 
    Who lives happily with a reclusive life "

After hearing the song Liu Bei got down from the horse and asked a farmer 
who composed the song. He replied,

     "Mr Er Long composed it."
     "Where does Mr Er Long Live?" asked Liu Bei.
     "From the South of this hill to the high ridge is 
      called Er Long Geng. In front of the ridge there is a cottage.
      That is the reclusive place of of Mr Er Long Kong Ming."
 
Following the direction Liu Bei obtained from the farmer, the three 
brothers proceeded on their way to seek for Kong Ming. After walking for 
a few miles they arrived at the cottage where Kong Ming lived.

   Liu Bei knocked at the door. A young male house-keeper opened the door.
Liu Bei introduced himself and asked if Mr Kong Ming was home. The 
house-keeper was a bit annoyed. He replied that Mr Kong Ming had gone out 
early this morning.

     "Where did he go ?" asked Liu Bei.
     "I have no idea."  replied the house-keeper.
     "When will he be back?" asked Liu Bei again.
     "The day of his return is uncertain. Sometimes he 
      went out for three or five days. Many an occassion 
      he returned home after several months."
Zhang Fei said, 
      "Since he is not at home let's go."
Guan Gong also said,
       "Let's go home. Later we will send someone here to inquire
        if he has returned. Then we shall come again."
        "When Mr Kong Ming returns home please convey my message to him
        that Liu Bei has called." said Liu Bei to the house-keeper.
After leaving the message they left and returned to Xin Ye.

   A few days later Liu Bei sent a messenger to find out if Kong 
Ming had returned. The messenger came back and told him that Kong 
Ming had returned home.
   While Liu Bei was preparing to see Kong Ming again Zhang Fei said
to him,
 
   "Is it really necessary for you to go yourself to see a country 
pumpkin folk. Why not send someone there and call him to come here?"
Liu Bei was angry and scolded him by quoting a saying from Mengzi,

   "If you want to see a sage you must be polite or else
    you would not be able to go inside his closed house.
    Kong Ming is a great sage."

   Together, the three brothers went to Long Zhong again to look for Kong
Ming.

While on the way Zhang Fei complained about the snowing weather. 
On arrival at the cottage Liu Bei knocked at the door. The same 
house-keeper opened the door and allowed them to go inside the cottage.
Liu Bei saw a young man sitting at the table reading. Liu Bei went near 
him and asked politely if he was Kong Ming. The young man replied that he 
was not Kong Ming but his younger brother. He told Liu Bei that his elder 
brother went touring with a friend yesterday. He also mentioned that they
went out by a little boat to the big lake to see a monk who lived in the 
island of the lake. They were going to play chess.

   Liu Bei asked if his elder brother had read a lot of books about the 
art of war and military strategy and tactics. He gave Liu Bei a negative 
reply. Liu Bei sighed and said sadly that he had failed to meet his 
brother twice. It could be fated that he would never meet him again. He 
requested for some paper and a brush. He wrote a resume of himself and 
asked the young man to give it to his brother. He said that they would 
come again. After leaving the written message the three brothers left 
for home. They were just about to leave the cottage they heard a boy
called out,

  "The old master is home."

   They saw an old man riding a donkey. He was drinking a jar of wine
and singing loudly and happily. Liu Bei quickly got down from his horse
and went over to pay his homage saying he was happy to meet him. But Kong
Ming's younger brother said that the old man was not his brother but Kong
Ming's father-in-law. Again Liu Bei was disappointed. They mounted their 
horses and went back to Xin Ye.

   It was spring now and Liu Bei was still thinking of going to call on 
Kong Ming. Guan Gong and Zhang Fei were not pleased about his idea of
going to see Kong Ming the third time. They tried to persuade Liu Bei
to give up his idea because they reckoned it was too time consuming.
However Liu Bei persistently wanted to go the third time. So again 
they journeyed to Long Zhong to seek for Kong Ming.
 
   About half a mile from Kong Ming's cottage they met his younger brother.
Liu Bei asked if his brother was at home. He replied that he had returned 
home last night and he would meet them this time. Liu Bei said to himself 
that it was his lucky day. They arrived at the cottage and knocked at the 
door. Again the same house-keeper opened the door. Liu Bei enquired if 
Kong Ming was home.
 
    "Yes he is at home, but he is still sleeping."
Liu Bei told Guan Gong and Zhang Fei to wait outside and he went in alone. 
So quietly and walking slowly Liu Bei went in. He saw Kong Ming was 
still fast asleep. He stood in front of Kong Ming's bed and waited
patiently.
  
     Wondering, why was it so quiet inside the cottage Zhang Fei went in. 
He saw Liu Bei standing in front of Kong Ming's bed waiting for him to 
wake up. He was ferious. He told Liu Bei that he was going to set fire  
to the cottage and burn it down and see if he would wake up. Liu Bei told 
him to get out and wait there.

   Kong Ming turned his body. But he was not awaken yet. The house-keeper 
wanted to wake Kong Ming up but Liu Bei told him not to disturb him and 
let him sleep some more. 
    
     Finally Kong Ming woke up. The house-keeper told him that Liu Bei
had been waiting for him for a long time. Kong Ming scolded the 
house-keeper for not informing him earlier. Liu Bei quickly paid his 
respect and they settled down with cups of tea. 

   They talked and talked and talked about current affairs and contemporary 
politics. Liu Bei asked Kong Ming to help him to get rid of Cao Cao.
Initially Kong Ming refused to come out to work. After many hours of 
persuasion Kong Ming was finally convinced and agreed to work for him. Liu
Bei employed him as his think tank.

   Liu Bei called in Guan Gong and Zhang Fei to pay their homage to Kong 
Ming. Reluctantly they obliged. Kong Ming told his younger brother to look 
after the fields for him while he was away. Together and happily the four
of them were on their ways to Xin Ye.
     
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan.  chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au