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
The road to the new capital led through Jungyang, and when the
cavalcade reached it the Prefect went to welcome Tung Cho. Li Ju said,
“As there is some danger of pursuit it would be well to order the
Prefect of this place to lay an ambush ready to cut off the retreat of
our pursuers when our army beats them off. That will teach any others
not to follow.”
Then Lü Pu was ordered to command the rear guard. Very soon they saw
Tsʻao Tsʻao coming up and Lü Pu laughed at his colleague’s foresight.
He set out his men in fighting order.
Tsʻao Tsʻao rode forward crying, “Rebels, abductors, drovers of the
people, where are you going?”
Lü Pu replied, “Treacherous simpleton, what mad words are these?”
Then from Tsʻao Tsʻao’s army rode against him Hsiahou Tun with his
spear set and they two engaged. The combat had hardly begun when Li
Tsʻui with a cohort came in from the left. Tsʻao Tsʻao bade Hsiahou
Yüan meet this onslaught. However, on the other side appeared Kuo Ssŭ,
against whom was sent Tsʻao Jên. The onrush on three sides was too much
to withstand and Lü Pu showed no signs of being vanquished, so Hsiahou
Tun had to retire to the main line. Thereupon Lü Pu’s mail-clad men
attacked and completed the defeat. The beaten men turned toward
Jungyang.
They got as far as the foot of a bare hill in the second watch, about
nine in the evening, and the moon made it as light as day. Here they
halted to reform. Just as they were burying the boilers to prepare a
meal there arose a great noise of shouting on all sides and out came
the men from the ambush fresh to attack.
Tsʻao Tsʻao, thrown into a flurry, mounted and fled. He ran right in
the way of the waiting Prefect. Then he dashed off in another
direction, but the Prefect shot an arrow after him which struck him in
the shoulder. The arrow still in the wound, he fled for his life. As he
went over the hill two soldiers lying in wait among the grass suddenly
dashed out and wounded his horse, which fell and rolled over, and as
its rider slipped from the saddle he was seized and made prisoner.
Just then a horseman riding at full speed and whirling his sword came,
up, cut down both the captors and rescued Tsʻao Tsʻao. It was his
brother Tsʻao Hung.
Tsʻao Tsʻao said, “I am doomed, good brother, go and save yourself.”
“My lord, mount my horse quickly; I will go afoot,” said Hung.
“If those wretches come up, what then?”
“The world can do without me, but not without you, my brother.”
“If I live I shall owe you my life,” said Tsʻao Tsʻao.
So he mounted. His brother tore off his own breastplate, gripped his
sword and went on foot after the horse. Thus they proceeded till the
fourth watch when they saw before them a broad stream, and behind they
still heard the shouts of pursuers drawing nearer and nearer.
“This is my fate;” said Tsʻao Tsʻao. “I am really doomed.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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