第203部分(第1/7 页)

g　barred　the　way。　Chunyu　Dan　turned　off　along　another　road；　escaping　with　loss　of　many　troops。

But　he　was　not　yet　safe。　Some　distance　farther　he　ran　against　the　Mang　tribesmen　leader　Shamo　Ke。　However；　Chunyu　Dan　avoided　him　also　and　went　on　his　way；　pursued　now　by　three　parties。　Soon　he　reached　the　spot　two　miles　from　the　camp；　and　here　the　two　leaders　of　Shu………Xu　Sheng　and　Ding　Feng………；　who　had　been　placed　ready　to　afford　succor；　came　out　and　stopped　the　pursuit。　When　the　enemy　had　retired；　Chunyu　Dan　was　escorted　back　to　camp。

He　was　wounded；　and　with　the　arrow　still　undrawn　he　appeared　before　Lu　Xun　and　apologized　for　his　failure。

〃It　was　no　fault　of　yours；〃　said　the　mander…in…Chief。　〃I　wanted　to　test　the　force　of　our　enemy。　My　plan　of　attack　is　quite　ready。〃

〃The　enemy　is　very　strong　and　will　not　be　easily　overe；〃　said　Xu　Sheng　and　Ding　Feng。　〃We　have　now　suffered　great　loss　to　no　purpose。〃

〃This　plan　of　mine　would　not　hoodwink　Zhuge　Liang；　but　happily　he　is　not　here。　His　absence　will　allow　me　to　score　a　great　success。〃

Then　he　summoned　his　generals　to　receive　orders：　〃Zhu　Ran　is　to　lead　the　marine　force。　He　is　to　advance　next　day　afternoon；　when　the　southeast　wind　will　serve。　His　ships　are　laden　with　reeds　and　straw；　which　are　to　be　used　as　ordered。　Han　Dang　is　to　attack　the　north　bank；　Zhou　Tai　the　south。　Each　soldier；　in　addition　to　his　weapons；　is　to　carry　a　bundle　of　straw　or　reeds；　with　sulfur　and　saltpeter　hidden　therein；　and　each　has　a　piece　of　tinder。　They　are　to　advance；　and；　when　they　reach　the　Shu　camps；　they　are　to　start　a　conflagration。　But　they　are　to　burn　only　alternate　camps；　twenty　in　all；　leaving　the　others　untouched。　They　are　to　advance　and　pursue　the　enemy　until　they　capture　Liu　Bei。〃

The　lea