Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/366

 army to Hantan and Chu Ku came out to fight him. Chang Liao advanced to fight with Chu and after the third encounter the latter was defeated and fled. Liao went after him and when their two horses were not far apart, Liao took his bow and shot. The fleeing soldier fell as the bowstring twanged. Ts‘ao sent Ma Yen to complete the rout and Chu Ku’s force was broken up.

Now Ts‘ao led his armies to an attack on Ch‘ichou. Ts‘ao Hung went close to the city and a regular siege began. The army encompassed the city and began by throwing up great mounds. They also tunnelled subterranean ways.

Within the city Shên P‘ei turned his whole care to the defence and issued the severest commands. The captain of the east gate, one Fêng Li, got intoxicated and failed to keep his watch for which he was severely punished. He resented this, sneaked out of the city, went over to the besiegers and told them how the place could be attacked.

“The earth within the T‘umên is solid enough to be tunnelled and entrance can be effected there,” said the traitor.

So Fêng Li was sent with three hundred men to carry out his plan under cover of darkness.

After Fêng Li had deserted to the enemy Shên P‘ei went every night to the wall to inspect the men on duty. The night of the sapping he went there as usual and saw that there were no lights outside the city and all was perfectly quiet. So he said to himself, “Fêng is certain to try to come into the city by an underground road.” Whereupon he ordered his men to bring up stones and pile them on the cover of the tunnel opening. The opening was stopped up and the attacking party perished in the tunnel they had excavated. Ts‘ao having failed in this attempt abandoned the scheme of underground attack. He drew off the army to a place above the Hêngshui to await till Yüan Shang should return to relieve the city.

Yüan Shang heard of the defeat of Yin Kai and Chu Ku, and the siege of his own city, and bethought himself of relieving it. One of his captains, Ma Yen, said, “The high road will surely be ambushed; we must find some other way. We can take a bye-road from the Western Hills and get through at Fushuik‘ou, whence we can fall upon Ts‘ao’s camp.”

The plan was acceptable and Shang started off with the main body, Ma Yen and Chang K‘ai being rear guard.

Ts‘ao’s spies soon found out this move and when they reported it he said, “If he comes by the high road I shall have to keep out of the way; if by the Western Hills bye-road I can settle him in one battle. And I think he will show a blaze as a signal to the besieged that they may make a sortie. I shall prepare to attack both.” So he made his preparations.

Now Yüan Shang went out by the Fushui Pass east toward Yangp‘ing and near this he camped. Thence to his own city