Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/121

 but dared not come near. The weapon he uses now is a two-branched spear over a hundred pounds in weight, and he vaults into the saddle with this under his arm.”

Ts‘ao Ts‘ao bade the man give proof of his skill so he galloped to and fro carrying the spear. Then he saw away among the tents a huge banner swaying dangerously with the force of the wind and on the point of falling. A crowd of soldiers were vainly struggling to keep it steady. Down he leaped, shouted to the men to clear out and held the staff quite steady with one hand, keeping it perfectly upright in spite of the strong wind.

“This is old Wu Lai again,” said Ts‘ao Ts‘ao. He gave the strong man a post in the army and besides made him presents of an embroidered robe and a swift steed with a handsome saddle.

Thus Ts‘ao Ts‘ao encouraged able men to assist him and he had advisers on the civil side and valiant captains in the army. He became famous through all Shantung.

Ts‘ao’s father, Sung, was living at Langya, whither he had gone as a place free from the turmoil of the partizan struggles and, as a dutiful son, Ts‘ao sent the Prefect of T‘aishan to escort his father to Yenchow. The old man read the letter with joy and the family prepared to move. They were some forty in all, with a train of a hundred servants and many carts.

Their road led through Hsüchou where the Prefect, Tao Ch‘ien, was a sincere and upright man who had long wished to get on good terms with Ts‘ao Ts‘ao but, hitherto, had found no means of effecting a bond of union. Hearing that the family of the great man was passing through his district he went to welcome them, treated them with great cordiality, feasting and entertaining them for two days, and when they left he escorted them to his boundary. Further he sent with them one Chang K‘ai with a special escort.

The whole party reached Huafei. It was the end of summer, just turning into autumn, and at this place they were stopped by a tremendous storm of rain. The only shelter was an old temple and thither they went. The family occupied the main rooms and the escort the two side wings. The men of the escort were drenched, angry and discontented. The leader called some of his petty officers to a secret spot and said, “We are old Yellow Turbans and only submitted to T‘ao because there was no help for it. We have never got much out of it. Now here is the Ts‘ao family with no end of gear and we can be rich very easily. We will make a sudden onslaught to-night at the third watch and slay the whole lot. Then we shall have plenty of treasure and we will get away to the mountains.”

They all agreed. The storm continued into the night and as Ts‘ao Sung sat waiting anxiously for signs of clearing he