第83部分(第1/7 页)

Cao　Hong；　who　displayed　very　great　valor；　burst　into　the　press　of　battle　and　met　Yuan　Tan　face　to　face。　The　two　slashed　and　hammered　at　each　other；　and　Yuan　Tan　was　killed。

Guo　Tu　saw　that　his　side　was　wholly　disorganized　and　tried　to　withdraw　into　the　shelter　of　Nanpi。　Yue　Jing　saw　this　and　opened　a　tremendous　discharge　of　arrows　so　that　Guo　Tu　fell　and　the　moat　was　soon　filled　with　dead。

The　city　of　Nanpi　fell　to　Cao　Cao。　He　entered　and　set　about　restoring　peace　and　order。　Then　suddenly　appeared　a　new　army　under　two　of　Yuan　Xi's　generals；　Jiao　Chu　and　Zhang　Neng。　Cao　Cao　led　out　his　troops　to　meet　them；　but　the　two　manders　laid　down　their　arms　and　yielded。　They　were　rewarded　with　the　rank　of　lordship。

Then　Zhang　Yan；　the　leader　of　the　Black　Hills　Brigands；　came　with　one　hundred　thousand　troops　and　gave　in　his　submission。　He　was　made　General　Who　Pacifies　the　North。

By　an　order　of　Cao　Cao；　the　head　of　Yuan　Tan　was　exposed；　and　death　was　threatened　to　anyone　who　should　lament　for　him。　Nevertheless　a　man　dressed　in　mourning　attire　was　arrested　for　weeping　below　the　exposed　head　at　the　north　gate。　Taken　into　Cao　Cao's　presence；　he　said　he　was　Wang　Xiu　and　had　been　an　officer　in　Qingzhou。　He　had　been　expelled　because　he　had　remonstrated　with　Yuan　Tan。　But　when　the　news　of　Yuan　Tan's　death　came；　he　had　e　to　weep　for　his　late　master。

〃Did　you　know　of　my　mand？〃　said　Cao　Cao。

〃I　knew　it。〃

〃Yet　you　were　not　afraid？〃

〃When　one　has　received　favors　from　a　man　in　life；　it　would　be　wrong　not　to　mourn　at　his　death。　How　can　one　stand　in　the　world　if　one　forgets　duty　through　fear？　If　I　could　bury　his　body；　I　would　not　mind　death。〃

Cao　Cao　said；　〃And　there　were　many　such　as　this　in　the　north。　What　a　pity　that　the　Yuan　fam