Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/209

 Ts‘ao’s men were totally defeated and fled out of the gate into the country. Chang Hsiu kept up the pursuit till daybreak, when he retired into the city again.

Ts‘ao Ts‘ao then rallied his army and mustered his men. He had lost five legions and much baggage, while two of his captains, Lu Ch‘ien and Yu Chin were wounded.

Tsʻao Ts‘ao being thus worsted, Chang Hsiu wrote off to Liu Piao to cut off his retreat that he might be utterly destroyed.

An army was preparing for this purpose when a scout came to say that Sun Ts‘ê had encamped at Huk‘ou. Kʻuai Liang urged the immediate departure of the expedition as he said this move of Sun Ts‘ê was part of Ts‘ao Ts‘ao’s strategy and there would be never-ending regret if he were allowed to escape. Wherefore Liu Piao moved out with his army to Anchung, leaving Huang Tsu to hold the point of vantage. Chang Hsiu, having been informed of the movement to attack his enemy in the rear, went with Chia Hsü to smite him once more.

In the meantime Ts‘ao Ts‘ao’s army, marching very leisurely, had arrived at Hsianch‘êng. Walking one day beside the Yushui River he suddenly uttered a great cry, and when his officers asked the reason thereof he replied, “I remembered that here, only a year ago, I lost my great captain Tien Wei. Is that not a reason to grieve?”

Thereupon he gave orders to halt while he should make a great sacrifice and mourn for his lost leader. At the ceremony he himself burned incense and wailed and prostrated himself. The army was much affected by his devotion. After the sacrifices to the lost hero, he sacrificed to the names of his nephew Ts‘ao An-ming and his eldest son Ts‘ao An, both of whom had died at the same time. He also sacrificed to his lost soldiers and even to his steed which had been killed by an arrow.

Soon Hsün Yü wrote to tell him that Liu Piao had gone to help Chang Hsiu and was camped at Anchung, thereby cutting his road of retreat. Tsʻao replied to the letter saying, “I have been marching only a short distance each day and of course knew of the pursuit. But my plans are laid and, as I near Anchung, my enemy will be broken. You need not have any fears.”

Then he hastened his march till he came near where Liu Piao had taken position. Chang Hsiu still followed. Ts‘ao ordered his men during the night to open a secret way through a pass, where he laid an ambush.

With the first light of dawn Liu and Chang met. As Ts‘ao Ts‘ao’s force looked small, they thought he had retired so they boldly advanced into the pass to smite him. Then the ambush was opened and both the attackers’ forces were cut up. The fighting ended, Ts‘ao’s soldiers went outside the pass and encamped.