Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/177

 Their steeds galloped off they knew not whither while the two men, each dropping his spear, began a hand to hand struggle. Soon their fighting robes were in tatters. Sun gripped the short lance that T‘aishih carried at his back, while T‘aishih tore off the other’s helmet. Sun tried to stab with the short lance but T‘aishih fended off the blow with the helmet as a shield.

Then arose a great shouting. Liu Yu had come up with a company of soldiers. Sun seemed now in sore straits. His twelve followers came up and each combatant let go his hold. T‘aishih quickly found another steed, seized a spear and mounted. Sun Ts‘ê, whose charger had been caught by Ch‘êng Pʻu, also mounted, and a confused battle began between the handful of men on one side and a whole company on the other. It swayed and drifted down the hill side. However, soon Chou Yü came to the rescue, and as evening drew on a tempest put an end to the fight. Both sides drew off and returned to camp.

Next day Sun Ts‘ê led his army to the front of Liu Yu’s camp and the challenge was accepted. The armies were drawn up. Sun hung the short lance he had seized from T‘aishih Tzŭ at the end of his spear and waved it in front of the line of battle and ordered his soldiers to shout, “If the owner of this had not fled he would have been stabbed to death.”

On the other side they hung out Sun’s helmet and the soldiers shouted back “Sun Ts‘ê’s head is here already.”

Both sides thus yelled defiance at each other, one side boasting, the other bragging. Then T‘aishih rode out challenging Sun to a duel to the death and Sun would have accepted, but Ch‘êng P‘u said, “My lord should not trouble himself, I will take him,” and he rode forth.

“You are no antagonist for me,” said T‘aishih. “Tell your master to come out.”

This incensed Ch‘êng, who rode at his opponent, and they two fought many bouts. The duel was stopped by the gongs of Liu Yu.

“Why did you sound the retreat?” said T‘aishih. “I was just going to capture the wretch.”

“Because I have just heard that Ch‘üa is threatened. Chou Yü is leading a force thither and a certain Ch‘ên Wu is in league with him to betray the city. The loss would be irremediable. I will hasten to Moling to get the help of Hsüeh Li and Chai Jung.”

The army retired, T‘aishih Tzŭ with it, without being pursued. On the other side Chang Chao said to Sun Ts‘ê, “Chou Yü’s threatened attack is the cause of this move; they are in no mood to fight. A night raid on their camp would finish them.”

The army was divided into five divisions for the night surprise and hastened toward the camp where they were