Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/85

 and since you have got hold of it you should publicly hand it over to me as chief. When Tung Cho has been slain it must go back to the government. What do you mean by concealing it and going away?”

“How could the seal get into my hands?”

“Where is the article out of the well?”

“I have it not: why harass me thus?”

“Quickly produce it, or it will be the worse for you.”

Sun Chien pointing toward the heavens as an oath said, “If I have this jewel and am hiding it myself may my end be unhappy and my death violent!”

The lords all said, “After an oath like this we think he cannot have it.”

Then Shao called out his informant. “When you pulled that thing out of the well, was this man there?” asked he of Sun.

Sun Chien’s anger burst forth and he sprang forward to kill the man. The chief also drew his sword saying “You touch that soldier and it is an insult to me.”

In a moment on all sides swords flew from their scabbards. But the confusion was stayed by the efforts of the others and Sun Chien left the assembly. Soon he broke up his camp and marched to his own place.

The chief was not satisfied. He wrote to Chingchou and sent the letter by a trusty hand to tell the governor to stop Sun Chien and take away the seal.

Just after this came the news of the defeat and misfortune of Ts‘ao Ts‘ao and when he was coming home Shao sent out to welcome him and conduct him into camp. They also prepared a feast to console him. During the feast Ts‘ao Ts‘ao said sadly, “My object was for the public good and all you gentlemen nobly supported me. My plan was to get Yüan Shu with his Honei men to approach Mêngching and Suantsao while the others of you held Ch‘êng-kao and took possession of the granaries and guarded Taku, and so controlled the points of vantage. Yüan Shao was to occupy Tanshi and go into Wukuan to help the three supports, all were to fortify their positions and not fight. Advantage lay in an uncertain military force showing the Empire’s possibilities of dealing with the rebellion. Victory would have been ours at once. But then came delays and doubts and inaction and the confidence of the people was lost and I am ashamed.”

No reply was possible and the guests dispersed. Ts‘ao Ts‘ao saw that the others mistrusted him and in his heart knew that nothing could be accomplished, so he led off his force to Yangchou.

Then Kungsun Tsan said to the three brothers, “This Yüan Shao is an incapable and things will go agley. We had better go too.”