chinese story - 12

　So Zhou Zhi sailed to the Bashan Mountains.
　　Next day Du Yu directed the army and the marine forces in a simultaneous advance.
　　the scouts reported： “The Ruler of Wu has sent the land force under Wu Yan, the navy
under Lu Jing, and the vanguard under Sun Xin！”
　　Du Yu led his forces forward. the vanguard of Wu, under Sun Xin, came up, and at the
first encounter Du Yu's army retired. Sun Xin landed his marines and pursued. But in the
midst of the pursuit a signal bomb sounded, and Sun Xin was attacked on all sides by the Jin
troops. He tried to retire, but the army he had been pursuing, Du Yu's force, turned back
too and joined in the attack. Wu's losses were very heavy, and Sun Xin hastened back to the
city. But the eight hundred Jin soldiers of Zhou Zhi mingled with the Wu army at the
ramparts and so entered the gates. The Jin soldiers raised signal fires on the walls.
　　This maneuver amazed Sun Xin, and he said, “the northern troops had surely flown across
the river into the city！”
　　Sun Xin made an effort to escape, but the leader of Jin, Zhou Zhi, unexpectedly appeared
and slew him.
　　Admiral Lu Jing of the Wu fleet of that had accompanied Sun Xin saw on the south shore,
in the Bashan Mountains, a GREat standard bearing the name Jin General Who Guards the South
Du Yu. Lu Jing became alarmed and landed to try to escape, but the Jin General Zhang Shang
soon found and slew him.
　　At his position at Jiangling, Wu Yan heard of these defeats and knew his position was
untenable, so he fled. However, he was soon captured and led into the presence of the
victorious general.
　　“No use sparing you,” said Du Yu, and he sentenced the prisoner to death.
　　Thus Jiangling was captured and all the counties along the River Xiang and River Yuan as
far as Huangzhou, which surrendered at the first summons.
　　Du Yu sent out officers to soothe the people of the conquered counties, and they
suffered nothing from the soldiery. Next he marched toward Wuchang, and that city also
yielded. So the glory of Du Yu became very GREat. He then summoned his officers to a council
to decide upon attacking Capital Jianye.
　　Hu Fen said, “A one-century rebellion will not be reduced completely at once. the time
of the spring rise of waters is near, and our position is precarious. We should do well to
await the coming spring.”
　　Du Yu replied, “In the days of old, Yue Yi overcame the powerful state Qi in one battle
in Jixi. Our prestige is now high and success certain, easy as the splitting of a bamboo,
which seems to welcome the knife after the first few joints have been overcome. We shall
meet no GREat opposition.”
　　So Du Yu gave orders to the various leaders to move in concert against the capital land
of Jianye.
　　Now the Jin leader Wang Jun had gone down the river with his naval force. From his
scouts he heard of the iron chains and the hammers that had been laid in the river to hinder
his proGREss. But he only laughed. He constructed great rafts of timber and placed on them
straw effigies of soldiers in armors and sent them down river with the current. The
defenders of Wu took them for real troops and, alarmed by their numbers, fled in panic. Then
the great hammers and chains were dragged away as the rafts drifted on. Moreover, on the
rafts they laid great torches many fathoms long, and very thick, made of straw soaked in
linseed oil. When the raft was checked by a chain, the torches were lighted and the chains
exposed to the heat till they melted and broke asunder. Thus the rafts went down stream
conquering wherever they came.
　　then the Prime Minister of Wu, Zhang Ti, sent two leaders, General of the Left Army Shen
Zong and General of the Right Army Zhuge Xing, to try to check the advance of the armies.
　　Shen Zong said to his colleague, “the forces above have failed to stop the enemy, and
the enemy will surely come here. We shall have to put forth all our strength. If haply we
can succeed, the safety of our South Land is assured. But suppose we fight and lose the
battle, then is our country lost.”
　　“Sir, you only say what is too true,” said Zhuge Xing.
　　Just as they talked of these matters came reports of the approach of their enemies in
irresistible force. The two leaders were seized with panic and went back to see the Prime
Minister.
　　“Our country is lost！” cried Zhuge Xing. “Why not run？”