Romance
of the Three Kingdoms
Chapter
106
“I
feared lest I should not see you again,” said the Ruler of Wei [Emperor Cao
Rui]. “But now I can die content.”
The
general [Sima Yi] bowed and said, “On the road they told me the sacred person
was not perfectly well. I grieved that I had not wings to hasten hither. But I
am happy in that I now behold the dragon countenance.”
The
heir, Cao Fang, was summoned to the Emperor’s bedside and also Cao Shuang, Liu
Fang, Sun Zu, and certain others.
Taking
Sima Yi by the hand, the dying Emperor [Cao Rui] said, “When Liu Bei [Emperor
of Shu-Han] lay dying at Baidicheng [castle], he confided his son, so soon to
be an orphan, to the care of [prime minister] Zhuge Liang, who labored in this
task to the very end and whose devotion only ceased with [his own, that is, Zhuge Liang’s] death.
If such conduct is possible in the mere remnant of a dying dynasty continued in
a small state [Shu-Han], how much more may I hope for it in a great country
[Cao-Wei]! My son [Cao Fang] is only eight years of age, and incapable of
sustaining the burden of rulership. Happily for him he has ample merit and
experience around him in the persons of yourself and his relatives. He will
never lack friends for my sake.”
Turning
to the young prince [Cao Fang], he continued, “My friend Sima Yi is as myself,
and you are to treat him with the same respect and deference.”
Cao
Rui bade Sima Yi lead the young prince forward. The boy threw his arms around
Sima Yi’s neck and clung to him.
“Never
forget the affection he has just shown,” said Cao Rui, weeping. And Sima Yi
wept also.
Luo Guanzhong, Romance of the Three Kingdoms (translated Charles Henry Brewitt-Taylor, 1925) (first printed version circa 1522).
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Tillman’s
commentary: Why is this scene affecting? Because at the end of his life, the ruler
of Wei took a lesson in governance from Shu-Han. Shu-Han was Wei’s great enemy,
but it was an enemy within a shared language, culture, and civilization.
Seth Barrett Tillman, ‘Understanding Patriotism,’ New Reform Club (Apr. 16, 2023, 5:01 PM), <https://reformclub.blogspot.com/2023/04/understanding-patriotism.html>;
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