On the first news of the approach of Tsʻao Tsʻao with an army Chang Hsiu wrote to Liu Piao for help. Then he sent out his men under command of Lei Hsü and Chang Hsien. When the array was complete Chang Hsiu took his station in front and pointing at Tsʻao Tsʻao railed at him saying, “O false and pretended supporter of benevolence and justice! O shameless one! You are just a beast of the forest, and absolutely devoid of humanity.” This annoyed Tsʻao Tsʻao who sent out Hsü Chʻu against the insulter. Chang Hsien came to meet him and fell in the third bout. Thence Chang Hsiu’s men fled and were pursued to the very walls of Nanyang, only managing to get within just before the pursuit came up. The city was then closely besieged. Seeing the moat was so wide and deep that approach to the wall would be difficult they began to fill up the ditch with earth. Then with sand bags, brushwood and bundles of grass they built a great mound near the wall and on this erected steps so that they could look over into the city. Tsʻao rode round the city closely inspecting the defences. Three days later he issued an order to make a mound of earth and brushwood at the north west angle, as he would mount the walls at that point. He was observed from within the city by Chia Hsü, who went to his chief and said, “I know what he intends and I can defeat him by a counter-move.” E’en amongst the very foremost There is one who leads the way; Some one sees through your devices, Be as crafty as ye may. What the counter-move was will be told in the next chapter. CHAPTER XVIII. CHIA HSÜ ENGINEERS A GREAT VICTORY: HSIAHOU TUN LOSES AN EYE. Chia Hsü, as he had guessed the enemy’s intention, had also devised a counter-move. So he went to his chief and said, “I saw Tsʻao Tsʻao very carefully reconnoitring round about the city and he certainly noticed that the south-east angle of the wall had been lately restored with mud bricks of a different kind and that the abatis is badly out of repair. He will try to effect an entrance there. Wherefore he is making a feint attack at the opposite point. He is piling up straw and making ostentatious preparations whereby to cajole us into withdrawing from the real point of attack to defend the north-west. His men will scale the walls in the darkness and try to enter at the south-east.” “Supposing your surmise correct, what do you advise?” asked Chang Hsiu. “The counter-move is plain. You issue an order for our best and bravest soldiers to fill their bellies, to take only the lightest outfit and conceal themselves in the houses near the south-east corner. Then disguise the townspeople as soldiers and send them to pretend to defend the north-west. To-night we will let the enemy climb up the walls and enter the city and, once they are fairly within, give the signal and the concealed soldiers will rush out upon them. We may even capture Tsʻao Tsʻao himself.”