The Oath in the Peach Garden《桃园三结义》

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the government was in chaos. Zhang Jiao led the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which spread across the country. People lost their homes, and troops were being recruited everywhere to put down the rebellion.

There was a young man named Liu Bei. He was a descendant of the Han royal family. When he saw the notice recruiting soldiers, he sighed—he wanted to serve his country, but had no way to do it.

His sigh drew a loud scolding from a man nearby: "A real man should serve the country! Sighing here—how can you call yourself a hero?" Liu Bei looked up. The man had a leopard-like head, round eyes, a tiger’s beard, and a voice like thunder. He was Zhang Fei, a pork seller. Liu Bei quickly explained he wanted to help the country. They talked more and more, and both dreamed of fighting to protect the country. They agreed to go to a tavern for a drink.

Just as they reached the tavern door, they met another tall man pushing a wheelbarrow. His face was as red as dates, his lips as red as rouge, and he had phoenix eyes and silkworm-shaped eyebrows. He looked noble and powerful. He was Guan Yu. When Guan Yu heard they were going to join the army, he smiled and said: "I’m going to enlist too. Why don’t we go together?"

They sat down in the tavern, drank wine, and talked happily. They chatted about the country’s situation and their dreams. It felt like they had been friends for years—they all regretted meeting so late. Zhang Fei suggested: "There’s a peach garden behind my house. Tomorrow we'll go to the peach garden and become sworn brothers. " Liu Bei and Guan Yu agreed happily.

The next day, Zhang Fei killed an ox and prepared wine. Liu Bei bought incense and candles. They went to the peach garden and laid out offerings under the peach trees, knelt down, and burned incense. They said: "We don’t ask to be born on the same day, same month, same year, but we wish to die on the same day, same month, same year. " After that, they ranked by age: Liu Bei, the oldest, was the eldest brother; Guan Yu, the second, was the middle brother; Zhang Fei, the youngest, was the youngest brother.

After the oath, they recruited local brave men and made weapons. They led their soldiers and joined the fight against the Yellow Turbans. From then on, the great story of the "Three Kingdoms" began.

译文：

《桃园三结义》

东汉末年，朝政混乱，张角带领的黄巾军起义席卷天下，百姓流离失所，各地都在招募兵马平乱。

有个名叫刘备的年轻人，是汉朝皇室的后代。他见了招募义军的榜文，忍不住叹气，感叹自己空有报国之心，却无力施展。

这声叹气引来了旁边一个人的大声斥责：“大丈夫不为国家出力，反倒在这里叹气，算什么英雄！”刘备抬头一看，只见这人豹头环眼，燕颔虎须，声若巨雷，正是卖猪肉的张飞。刘备连忙解释自己是想为国分忧，两人越聊越投机，都有杀敌报国的志向，便相约一起去酒馆喝酒。

刚走到酒馆门口，又遇见一个推着独轮车的大汉，这人面如重枣，唇若涂脂，丹凤眼，卧蚕眉，相貌堂堂，威风凛凛，正是关羽。关羽听说两人要去投军，笑着说：“我也正要去应募，不如咱们一同前往？”

三人进店坐下，把酒言欢，聊起天下大势和各自的抱负，竟像认识了多年的老友，都觉得相见恨晚。张飞提议：“我家后面有个桃园，花开得正盛，不如我们明天就去桃园结为异姓兄弟。”刘备和关羽听了，都高兴地答应了。

第二天，张飞杀了牛，备了酒，刘备买来香烛，三人来到桃园。他们在桃花树下摆好祭品，跪地焚香，齐声说道：“不求同年同月同日生，但愿同年同月同日死。”说完，三人按年龄认了兄弟：刘备年长，为大哥；关羽次之，为二哥；张飞最小，为三弟。

结义之后，三人招募乡勇，打造兵器，他们带着招募来的兵马，率先加入了平定黄巾军的战斗，从此揭开了“三国”风云的序幕。

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