In the Year 26 of Jian’an (AD 221), Guan Yu was defeated and caught by Sun Quan but refused to surrender. Soon he was put to death; his legendary horse Red Hare was presented to Ma Zhong by Sun Quan.[22]
One day Ma Zhong submitted this report to Sun Quan: Red Hare has not eaten for days and will die soon. Shocked, Sun Quan sought out a nobleman named Bo Xi from the river valley. Bo Xi, a descendent of the famed Bo Le, was known to have a knack for equine language.
Bo Xi came with Ma Zhong to the stable next to his residence. There, next to the manger, lay the once grand Red Hare. Nobody knew what was wrong with the horse. Except for Bo Xi. He told everybody to leave and then put his hand on the horse’s back gently and sighed:
“In the old days Cao Cao in ‘Ode to the Old Horse’ sang these memorable lines: ‘As the old, retired horse still dreams of pulling off another 1000-li run, so does the great man, though in old age, still cherish the ambition for greater things.’ I know you miss the noble General Guan Yu so much that you’d rather follow him to the netherland. However, when Lü Bu lost his life at White Gate, you were not so saddened as wanting to follow him. Why this time? You don’t want to give up your 1000-li ambition, do you?”[23]
Red Hare sighed: “This I’ve heard: ‘When a bird is dying, even its singing is sad; When a man is dying, his last words will be from his heart.’ I feel so fortunate to have met you and will tell you what is in my heart. I was born and grew up in Xi Liang. Then I was taken by Dong Zhuo, that arrogant jerk, who killed the young Emperor and slept in his imperial dragon bed. I hated this traitor of the Han Dynasty deeply.”[24]
Bo Xi nodded: “Then I heard that at the advice of Li Ru, Dong Zhuo gifted you to Lü Bu. Lü Bu was then the bravest general in the world, as the saying goes: ‘As Lü Bu is the best of men, so Red Hare is the best of horses.’ So you two were well matched, weren’t you?”
Red Hare sighed again: “Oh, you don’t understand. Lü Bu was the least honorable man in the world. For wealth he killed Ding Yuan; for beauty he assassinated Dong Zhuo. He joined Liu Bei yet took Liu’s Xu Zhou; he formed alliance with Yuan Shu yet put to death Yuan’s envoy.[25] ‘Man without honor can not be trusted.’ To be mentioned together with a man without honor has been the biggest shame in my entire life. Then I went to Cao Cao. Cao had numerous brave generals under his banner but none could be called a true hero. I was worried that I was destined to serve despicable masters and die a worthless death. Later Cao Cao gifted me to General Guan Yu. I had seen his extraordinary bravery at Tiger Pass and his exceptional honor at White Gate and admired him ever since. General Guan Yu was thrilled at the sight of me, too, and bowed to thank Cao Cao for the gift. Cao Cao was puzzled by such a show of gratitude. So General Guan Yu said: ‘I’ve heard that this horse can run a thousand li a day and feel so fortunate to have it at last. From now on, it doesn’t matter how far you and I travel apart from each other, I can still get to see you within the day.’ What an honorable man! As the saying goes, ‘As a simple bird will fly far and high when following a phoenix, so will an average man achieve honor when in the company of a paragon of virtue.’ How could I help but serve him till my death?”
At this Bo Xi sighed: “Everybody has said General Guan Yu was a noble man of honor. Hearing it from you has convinced me of the truth even more.”
Red Hare sobbed: “I have always admired the extraordinary honor of Bo Yi and Shu Qi who would rather die than eat Zhou’s grains.[26] Genuine jade would rather be smashed to pieces than be smeared with impurities. Good bamboo can be broken but its joints can never be destroyed. A noble man would die for his bosom friend. An honorable man lives for his honor. How can I be at peace if I eat Wu’s grain just so that I breathe in this world for another day?”
With that, Red Hare fell back and died.
Bo Xi burst out crying: “A horse can be this noble, what about us humans?” Afterwards he reported back to Sun Quan. Sun Quan cried, too: “I didn’t know Guan Yu was such an honorable man and had him put to death. How can I face the world under Heaven?”
So Sun Quan issued a decree to give a grand burial to Guan Yu, his son, and his horse Red Hare.
(2001)