Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/349



s‘ao lost no time in taking advantage of Yüan Shao’s flight, but smote hard at the retreating men. Yüan Shao without helmet or proper dress, and with few followers, crossed hastily to the north bank at Liyang. He was met by his General, Chiang I-chu, who took him in and comforted him and listened to the tale of misfortunes. Next Chiang called in the scattered remnants of the army, and when the soldiers heard that their old lord was alive they swarmed to him like ants so that he quickly became strong enough to attempt the march to Ch‘ichou. Soon the army set out and at night halted at Huang Hills.

That evening, sitting in his tent, Shao seemed to hear a far off sound of lamentation. He crept out quietly to listen and found it was his own soldiers telling each other tales of woe. This one lamented an elder brother lost, that one grieved for his younger brother abandoned; a third mourned a companion missing, a fourth, a relative cut off. And each beat his breast and wept. And all said, “Had he but listened to T‘ien Fêng we had not met this disaster.”

And Yüan Shao, very remorseful, said, “I did not hearken unto T‘ien Fêng and now my men have been beaten and I was nearly lost. How can I return and look him in the face?”

Next day the march was resumed and he met Fêng Chi with reinforcements, to whom he said, “I disregarded T‘ien Fêng’s advice and have brought myself to defeat. Now shall I be greatly ashamed to look him in the face.”

This tribute to T‘ien Fêng’s prescience roused the jealousy of Fêng Chi, who replied, “Yes; when he heard the news of your defeat, though he was a prisoner, he clapped his hands for joy and said, ‘Indeed, just as I foretold!’ ”

“How dare he laugh at me, the blockhead? Assuredly he shall die,” said Yüan.

Whereupon he wrote a letter and sent therewith a sword to slay the prisoner.

Meanwhile T‘ien’s gaoler came to him one day saying, “Above all men I felicitate you.”

“What is the joyful occasion ang why felicitate?” said T‘ien Fêng.

The gaoler replied, “General Yüan has been defeated and is on his way back; he will treat you with redoubled respect.”