Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/82

 burned, the Emperor abducted, the whole world upset and no one knowing whither to turn. But all the confederate lords seemed of one mind and that mind was to postpone action. So they did nothing. However, Ts‘ao Ts‘ao and his subordinates, with a full legion of soldiers, started in pursuit.

The road to the new capital led through Jungyang, and when the cavalcade reached it the Prefect went to welcome Tung Cho. Li Ju said, “As there is some danger of pursuit it would be well to order the Prefect of this place to lay an ambush ready to cut off the retreat of our pursuers when our army beats them off. That will teach any others not to follow.”

Then Lü Pu was ordered to command the rear guard. Very soon they saw Ts‘ao Ts‘ao coming up and Lü Pu laughed at his colleague’s foresight. He set out his men in fighting order.

Ts‘ao Ts‘ao rode forward crying, “Rebels, abductors, drovers of the people, where are you going?”

Lü Pu replied, “Treacherous simpleton, what mad words are these?”

Then from Ts‘ao Ts‘ao’s army rode against him Hsiahou Tun with his spear set and they two engaged. The combat had hardly begun when Li Ts‘ui with a cohort came in from the left. Ts‘ao Ts‘ao bade Hsiahou Yüan meet this onslaught. However, on the other side appeared Kuo Ssŭ, against whom was sent Ts‘ao Jên. The onrush on three sides was too much to withstand and Lü Pu showed no signs of being vanquished, so Hsiahou Tun had to retire to the main line. Thereupon Lü Pu’s mail-clad men attacked and completed the defeat. The beaten men turned toward Jungyang.

They got as far as the foot of a bare hill in the second watch, about nine in the evening, and the moon made it as light as day. Here they halted to reform. Just as they were burying the boilers to prepare a meal there arose a great noise of shouting on all sides and out came the men from the ambush fresh to attack.

Ts‘ao Ts‘ao, thrown into a flurry, mounted and fled. He ran right in the way of the waiting Prefect. Then he dashed off in another direction, but the Prefect shot an arrow after him which struck him in the shoulder. The arrow still in the wound, he fled for his life. As he went over the hill two soldiers lying in wait among the grass suddenly dashed out and wounded his horse, which fell and rolled over, and as its rider slipped from the saddle he was seized and made prisoner.

Just then a horseman riding at full speed and whirling his sword came, up, cut down both the captors and rescued Ts‘ao Ts‘ao. It was his brother Ts‘ao Hung.

Ts‘ao Ts‘ao said, “I am doomed, good brother, go and save yourself.”

“My lord, mount my horse quickly; I will go afoot,” said Hung.

“If those wretches come up, what then?”