Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/136



he last chapter closed with Tsʻao Tsʻao in great danger. However, help came. Hsiahou Tun with a small body of soldiers found his chief, checked the pursuit, and fought with Lü Pu till dusk. Rain fell in torrents swamping everything and as the daylight waned they drew off and Tsʻao Tsʻao reached camp. He rewarded Tien Wei richly and advanced him in rank.

When Lü Pu reached his camp he called in his adviser Chʻên Kung. The latter proposed a new stratagem. He said, “In Puyang there is a rich family, Tʻien by name, who number thousands, enough to populate a whole district in themselves. Make one of these people go to Tsʻao Ts‘ao’s camp with a pretended secret letter about Lü Pu’s ferocity, and the hatred of the people, and their desire to be rid of him. End by saying that only Kao Shun is left to guard the city and they would help any one who would come to save them. Thus our enemy will be inveigled into the city and we will destroy him either by fire or ambush. His skill may be equal to encompassing the universe but he will not escape.”

Lü Pu thought this trick might be tried and they arranged for the T‘ien family letter to be sent. Coming soon after the defeat, when Tsʻao Tsʻao felt uncertain what step to take next, the secret letter was read with joy. It promised help and said the sign should be a white flag with the word “Rectitude” written thereon.

“Heaven is going to give me Puyang,” said Tsʻao joyfully. So he rewarded the messenger very liberally and began to prepare for the expedition.

Then came Liu Hua saying, “Lü Pu is no strategist but Chʻên Kung is full of guile; I fear treachery in this letter and you must be careful. If you will go, then enter with only one third your army leaving the others outside the city as a reserve.”

Tsʻao agreed to take this precaution. He went to Puyang, which he found gay with fluttering flags. Looking carefully he saw among them, at the west gate, the white flag with the looked-for inscription. His heart rejoiced.

That day, just about noon, the city gates opened and two bodies of soldiers appeared as if to fight. Tsʻao Tsʻao told off