San kuo; or, Romance of the three kingdoms (volume 1 of 2)Luo, Guanzhong
History
San kuo; or, Romance of the three kingdoms (volume 1 of 2)
Luo, Guanzhong
China -- History -- Three kingdoms, 220-265 -- Fiction
In due course the Yüan men came down upon Tsʻao’s camp at Kuantu and
the defenders at once came out and fought them on three sides so that
they were worsted. By the time reinforcements arrived Tsʻao’s army,
returning from the raid, had also come and Yüan’s men were attacked in
the rear. So they were quite surrounded. However, Chang Ho and Kao Lan
managed to force their way out and got away.
When the remains of the defenders of the grain stores reached their
master’s camp they were mustered. Seeing the mutilated state of their
one time leader, Shao asked how he had come to betray his trust and to
suffer thus and the soldiers told their lord that their commander had
been intoxicated at the time of the attack. So Shunyu was forthwith
executed.
Kuo Tʻu, fearing lest Chang Ho and Kao Lan would return and testify the
whole truth, began to intrigue against them. First he went to his lord
saying, “Those two, Chang and Kao, were certainly very glad when your
armies were defeated.”
“Why do you say this?” asked Yüan.
“O they have long cherished a desire to go over to Tsʻao Tsʻao, so when
you sent them on the duty of destroying his camp they did not do their
best and so brought about this disaster.”
Shao accordingly sent to recall these two to be interrogated as to
their faults. But Kuo Tʻu, their enemy, sent a messenger in advance to
warn them, as though in friendly guise, of the adverse fate that
awaited them. So when the orders reached them to return to answer for
their faults they asked why they were recalled. When the messenger
disclaimed all knowledge of the reasons, Kao Lan drew his sword and
killed him. Chang Ho was stupefied at this demonstration but Lan said,
“Our lord has allowed some one to malign us and say we have been bought
by Tsʻao Tsʻao. What is the sense in our sitting still and awaiting
destruction? Rather let us surrender to Tsʻao Tsʻao in reality and save
our lives.”
“I have been wanting to do this for some time,” replied Chang Ho.
Wherefore both, with their companies, made their way to Tsʻao Tsʻao’s
camp to surrender.
When they arrived, Hsiahou Tun said to his master, “These two have come
to surrender but I have doubts about them.”
Tsʻao replied, “I will meet them generously and win them over even if
they have treachery in their hearts.”
The camp gates were opened to the two officers and they were invited to
enter. They laid down their weapons, removed their armour and bowed to
the ground before Tsʻao who said, “If Yüan Shao had listened to you he
would not have suffered defeat. Now you two coming to surrender are
like Wei Tzŭ going to Yin and Han Hsin going over to Han.”
He gave both men the rank of general and the title of marquis, which
pleased them much.
And so as Yüan Shao had formerly driven away his adviser, Hsü Yu, so
now he had alienated two captains and had lost his stores at Wuchʻao
and the army was depressed and down-hearted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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