Zhang Bao denounced Sun Huan: "Little scamp! Prepare to die if you still dare to stand against Heaven's ordained army!" Sun Huan returned the taunt: "Your father is already a headless ghost. And now you come courting death—in all folly!" Zhang Bao raised his spear and made for Sun Huan. From behind Sun Huan, Xie Jing sprang forward and fought more than thirty bouts with Zhang Bao, then fled. Zhang Bao pursued, pressing his advantage. Li Yi, seeing Xie Jing defeated, flourished his gilt-metal axe and rushed against Zhang Bao. But neither prevailed in a battle lasting some twenty passes.
Tan Xiong, a lieutenant commander in the Southland army, saw that Li Yi could not best his brave opponent and so shot at him from a concealed position. But the arrow hit Zhang Bao's horse, and sent the wounded animal galloping back. It collapsed before it had reached the home line, throwing Zhang Bao to the ground. Li Yi again rushed forward wheeling his axe and aimed a blow at Zhang Bao's head. But a streak of red cut the air, and Li Yi's head fell first. Guan Xing had seen Zhang Bao racing back and was about to join the fight himself, when he saw the rider fall and Li Yi approach for the kill. Guan Xing shouted, then cut down Li Yi, saving Zhang Bao's life. Guan Xing pressed the attack, and Sun Huan suffered a great defeat. Finally, each side recalled its men.
The next day Sun Huan again appeared in force; Zhang Bao and Guan Xing advanced toward him. Guan Xing rode into position before his line and, standing alone, challenged Sun Huan. Roused to fury, Sun Huan raced toward him, wheeling his sword. After more than thirty bouts with Guan Xing, Sun Huan retired in defeat, exhausted. The two young commanders, Zhang Bao and Guan Xing, pursued Sun Huan and fought their way into his base camp, while Wu Ban led Zhang Nan and Feng Xi in a swift assault on the southerners. Zhang Bao, swept forward by his boundless courage, had crossed into the southern army's line when Xie Jing confronted him. Zhang Bao speared him with one thrust. The Southland forces fled every which way; the Riverlands army recalled its victorious troops. But Guan Xing was not to be seen.
In alarm, Zhang Bao said, "I cannot live without Guan Xing," and remounted, holding his spear. After riding several li in search of Guan Xing, Zhang Bao came upon him holding a sword in one hand and an enemy commander fast in the other. "Who is that?" Zhang Bao asked him. Guan Xing smiled as he replied, "I found this foe in the thick of battle and took him alive." Zhang Bao recognized Tan Xiong, the archer who had shot at him from ambush the day before, and took pleasure in bringing the prisoner back to camp, where Bao beheaded him and offered the drained blood in sacrifice to his dead horse. A report of the victory was sent to the Emperor.
The loss of commanders Li Yi, Xie Jing, and Tan Xiong as well as a number of officers and men had left Sun Huan too weak to resist; he called for help from the Southland. Riverlands commanders Zhang Nan and Feng Xi said to Wu Ban, "The southern army is through. This is the moment to raid their camps." Wu Ban answered, "Sun Huan has taken great losses, but Zhu Ran's marine force remains intact on the river. If we raid their camps, the sailors could come ashore and cut off our retreat—what then?" "That's easy enough," Zhang Nan answered. "Have commanders Zhang Bao and Guan Xing place five thousand each in ambush in the valleys. If Zhu Ran comes, he'll be trapped between our two forces and the day will be ours." Wu Ban said, "Why not first send a few soldiers to Zhu Ran to feign surrender and inform him of our planned raid? When Zhu Ran sees the camps afire, he will go to relieve them and we can spring our ambush then. Our triumph will be complete." Feng Xi and the other leaders were satisfied with the plan and proceeded at once to carry it out.
Zhu Ran was preparing to relieve Sun Huan when his sentries led the false defectors onto his boat. When the soldiers expressed their desire to surrender, Zhu Ran asked for an explanation. "We are Feng Xi's men," one of them said. "Because of his unfair rewards and punishments, we have come to submit—and to report an important secret as well." "What secret?" Zhu Ran asked. One of the soldiers continued, "Tonight Feng Xi wants to raid General Sun Huan's base camp. Fire will be the signal." Zhu Ran immediately forwarded this information to Sun Huan; his messenger was intercepted by Guan Xing and killed. Zhu Ran met with his commanders to plan the rescue of Sun Huan. Lieutenant Commander Cui Yu said to Zhu Ran, "Their story is doubtful. If this is a trick, our marine and land forces will both be done for. General, I suggest you defend our naval camp and let me go in your place." Zhu Ran approved this plan and gave Cui Yu a command of ten thousand. That night Feng Xi, Zhang Nan, and Wu Ban divided their Riverlands men into three armies and fell upon Sun Huan's camp. Fires rose on all sides as the southern troops panicked and fled.
In the meantime, Cui Yu had been advancing. Seeing the fires, he pressed forward and rounded a hill. Suddenly the beating of drums animated the valley as Zhang Bao and Guan Xing sprang their two-sided ambush. Cui Yu struggled to escape but found himself face to face with Zhang Bao, who took him prisoner after a single exchange of arms. Zhu Ran soon learned of this unfavorable turn of events and withdrew his fleet fifty or sixty li downstream. Sun Huan, escaping with his defeated men, asked a lieutenant, "Is there a stout-walled town with ample provisions anywhere ahead of us?" The lieutenant replied, "Due north is Yiling. We can station there." Sun Huan hurried in that direction; he had hardly entered the town, when Wu Ban's pursuit arrived and encircled the walls.
Guan Xing and Zhang Bao took Cui Yu to Zigui. The Emperor was delighted and ordered the prisoner beheaded. Afterward he rewarded his army. As a result of this victory, the Emperor was feared throughout the Southland.
The men Sun Huan had sent to ask for help reached the Southland. Astounded at the news they brought, the king of Wu summoned his counselors. "Sun Huan is trapped in Yiling," he told them, "and Zhu Ran was badly defeated on the river. The Riverlands army is indeed formidable. What are we to do?" Zhang Zhao addressed the king: "Although many generals have been lost, more than ten remain. Need we fear Liu Bei? Make Han Dang principal general, Zhou Tai his lieutenant, Pan Zhang vanguard leader, and Ling Tong rear commander; hold Gan Ning in readiness to assist where he's needed, and with one hundred thousand men we can resist them." Sun Quan ordered his commanders to carry out Zhang Zhao's proposal. Though suffering from dysentery, Gan Ning went with the army.
Meanwhile, the First Ruler had created a string of forty camps that stretched from Jianping at Wu Gorge some seventy li along the Great River to the vicinity of Yiling. Inspired by the great victories of Guan Xing and Zhang Bao, he exclaimed, "The commanders who have followed me from the early days are getting old; they're not good for much. But now that I have such splendid heroes in these nephews of mine, Sun Quan does not bother me!" At this moment the approach of southern troops under Han Dang and Zhou Tai was reported. The Emperor wanted to send a general to meet them, but an attendant told him, "Our general from the old days, Huang Zhong, has defected to the Southland with five or six men." "He's no turncoat," the Emperor said smiling. "It was a slip of the tongue when I said the old generals were not much use, and Huang Zhong, who will never give in to his years, has hustled off to the front."
The Emperor summoned Zhang Bao and Guan Xing and said to them, "Something is bound to happen to Huang Zhong this time. My worthy nephews, do not shirk hardship. Go after him and help him. After he accomplishes a little something, order him to return. See that nothing happens to him." The two commanders bade the Emperor good-bye and set out with their men. Indeed:
The old vassals were steeped in loyalty to their lord;
The fresh commanders could do great deeds for their land.
What was to be Huang Zhong's fate?4
Read on.
83
Fighting at Xiaoting, the Emperor Takes a Foe;
Defending the River, a Scholar Takes Command
In spring, the first month, of the second year of Zhang Wu (a. d. 222), Martial Might, General of the Rear Huang Zhong was marching with the First Ruler against the Southland, when someone told him that the ruler had disparaged the older generals. Zhong took up his sword, leaped to horse, and headed straight for the
vanguard camp at Yiling with half a dozen followers. Commanders Wu Ban, Zhang Nan, and Feng Xi welcomed him. "Why have you come, elder general?" they asked. Huang Zhong replied, "I have followed the Son of Heaven through every hardship since we met at Changsha. Today, over seventy, I can still eat ten catties of meat a day, draw a bow two hundred pounds strong, and ride the best of horses. I am not so old. But after our lord cast a slur on us old soldiers the other day, I have come to do battle—to let you see whose heads I will take and whether I should be counted old or not!"
The arrival of the Southland van was reported even while he spoke. As enemy scouts approached the camp, Huang Zhong left the tent with energetic zeal and mounted for battle. Feng Xi and others tried to dissuade him, saying, "Don't plunge into this lightly, elder general." Huang Zhong ignored Feng Xi and rode off. Wu Ban had Feng Xi follow with some troops to support him.
Huang Zhong reined in before the southern line, leveled his sword, and challenged the enemy leader Pan Zhang to single combat. Pan Zhang sent out a lieutenant Shi Ji to answer. Shi Ji scorned Huang Zhong for his years and rode forth, working his spear. But Huang Zhong unhorsed him and killed him in a brief clash. Angered, Pan Zhang spun the dragon blade Lord Guan had once wielded and confronted Huang Zhong. In several exchanges neither prevailed. Huang Zhong fought with vicious fury until Pan Zhong weakened, wheeled, and fled the field. Huang Zhong followed up with a murderous assault, then headed back to camp in triumph. On the way, he met Zhang Bao and Guan Xing. Guan Xing said, "Elder general, we bear the sacred imperial command to assist you. Now that you have distinguished yourself, return to camp quickly; we implore you." Huang Zhong would not listen to them.
The next day Pan Zhang again issued his challenge. Zhang Bao and Guan Xing tried to assist, but Huang Zhong refused; nor would he accept Wu Ban's offer of help. Instead, he went out himself with five thousand to meet the enemy. After several bouts Pan Zhang fled, trailing his sword. Huang Zhong galloped after him, crying hotly, "Stand your ground, traitor! Today I will avenge Lord Guan." Huang Zhong had run for thirty li, when shouts erupted on all sides and he was caught in an ambush: to his right, Zhou Tai; to his left, Han Dang; in front, Pan Zhang; and behind, Ling Tong. Suddenly a fierce storm began blowing. Huang Zhong moved swiftly to retreat as Ma Zhong guided his mount down one of the hillsides and shot Huang Zhong in the armpit, nearly unhorsing him. At the sight of the wounded enemy leader, the southern troops poured into the field. But war cries rang out behind them; two companies attacked the southerners and broke their mass: Guan Xing and Zhang Bao had saved Huang Zhong.
The two young generals escorted Huang Zhong directly to the royal camp. Lacking the vigor of a younger warrior, Huang Zhong suffered keenly from the open wound and was in mortal danger. The Emperor came to see him and, stroking his back, said, "I am to blame for getting you wounded, elder general." Huang Zhong replied, "I am only a warrior whose great good fortune was to serve Your Majesty. Now at seventy-five, I have lived long enough. I pray Your Majesty will keep his sacred person safe for the coming struggle for the northern heartland." So saying, he lost consciousness and passed away later that night in the royal camp. A poet of later times left these lines in his praise:
Huang Zhong, veteran general par excellence,
Won vast renown in the Riverlands campaigns.
He bore again his ringed and gilded mail;
His sturdy hands could strain a bow of steel.
Virile in war, he kept the north in fear;
His prodigies subdued the western sphere.
Though at the end his head was white as hoar,
He showed himself a hero all the more.
The Emperor grieved inconsolably for Huang Zhong. He had a coffin prepared for interment in Chengdu. With a sigh the Emperor said, "Of the 'Five Tiger Generals, ' three are gone. In sorrow I reflect that they remain unavenged." So saying, he led the Imperial Guard directly to Xiaoting for a general meeting with his generals and commanders. Afterward he divided his forces into eight field armies, which advanced by land and by water. Huang Quan commanded the naval forces; the Emperor himself led the march of the land armies. It was the middle of the second month, Zhang Wu 2 (a. d. 222).
When Han Dang and Zhou Tai learned of the Emperor's approach, they advanced to oppose him. The two armies drew up in formation, and Han Dang and Zhou Tai rode forth. They watched the Emperor emerge from the bannered entrance to his camp: above him a yellow silk gold-woven canopy; to his left, a white yak-tail banner; to his right, a golden battle-axe; before him and behind, golden and silver insignia. Han Dang called out, "Your Majesty is now the sovereign of Shu; why risk your person so lightly? What if something unforeseen happens? What use will regrets be then?" The Emperor shook his finger at the southern generals as he shouted, "Dogs of Wu! I'll never share this earth with my brother's murderers!" Han Dang turned to his commanders and said, "Who dares set upon them?" Lieutenant Xia Xun cocked his spear and rode out. Behind the Emperor, Zhang Bao held out his eighteen-span spear and, shouting lustily, charged into the field, making straight for Xia Xun. Xia Xun, quaking from the thunderous cry, started to flee; but Zhou Ping, the younger brother of Zhou Tai, raced out, his sword whirling, to support the wavering Xia Xun. Guan Xing, who had been watching the action unfold, now raised his sword and galloped into the fray. At this moment Zhang Bao vented a fierce cry and speared Xia Xun, unhorsing him. Zhou Ping panicked and lost his balance; Guan Xing laid him low with a stroke of his sword.
Next, the two young commanders made for Han Dang and Zhou Tai and sent them scrambling back to their line. Observing the combat, the Emperor exclaimed, "Tigers beget tigers!" Then, answering the motion of his whip, the soldiers of Shu poured onto the field and slaughtered the men of Wu. The eight western armies advanced like a mighty flood, strewing the ground with enemy corpses. The blood ran in rivers.
Recuperating from his wounds aboard ship, Gan Ning heard of the westerners' advance. He mounted at once and rode for the front. On the way, he encountered the western contingent of warriors from the Man nation. All wore their hair loose and went barefoot. Their weapons consisted of bows, crossbows, long spears, shields, swords, and battle-axes. The leader of these soldiers was the Qiang king, Shamoke. Shamoke had a deep bloodshot complexion and bulging greenish eyes. He wielded a steel-spiked mace and carried two bows at his waist; he flaunted his martial bearing. Unwilling to engage so formidable an opponent, Gan Ning swung his horse around and took flight; but Shamoke shot an arrow into his skull. With the arrow lodged in his head, Gan Ning rode to Fuchikou, sat down beneath a tree, and died. Strangely, hundreds of crows flew out of the branches and circled his corpse. King Sun Quan of Wu, grief-stricken, had him sumptuously buried. Afterward he built a temple in Gan Ning's honor so that sacrifices and services could be performed. A poet of later times wrote these lines in Gan Ning's praise:
First among Southland heroes, Gan Xingba—
Feared along the Yangzi for his silken sails—
Pledged fealty to the lord who knew his worth,
And befriended the son of the man he slew.
Before his famous raid on Cao Cao's camp,1
He let his fighting men carouse their fill.
Gan Ning's ghost ensouled those sacred crows;
His temple flame shall burn forevermore.
The Emperor, riding on the momentum of his victory, captured Xiaoting. Their ranks broken, the southern troops ran for their lives. But when the Emperor called a halt, he could not find Guan Xing; anxiously he sent Zhang Bao and others to make a search.
This is what had happened to Guan Xing. After penetrating the southern battle line, he met up with his archenemy Pan Zhang and raced after him. Pan Zhang panicked and darted into a ravine, where he soon lost himself. Guan Xing assumed he was in the hills and searched about, but without success. The day was ending, and Guan Xing could not find his way. Luckily, the moon and stars were bright. As Guan Xing pursued his enemy in the hills, he came upon a farm during the second watch. Dismounting
, he knocked at the door. An old man appeared and asked who he was. "A warrior," Guan Xing replied, "lost, who comes by chance to beg a bowl of food." The old man conducted him into a chamber lit with candles burning before a portrait of Lord Guan. With a cry Guan Xing flung himself to the ground. "What does this mean?" the old man asked. "That is my father," Guan Xing answered. The old man prostrated himself, too. Guan Xing asked, "Why these offerings to my father?" The old man replied, "His spirit is most revered in these parts. Every family revered him when he lived, and all the more so now that he is gone. I have prayed for the western army to avenge his death swiftly. Your coming, General, is a blessing to the people." The old man put food and drink before him; then he unsaddled Guan Xing's horse and fed it.
After the third watch another man knocked on the farmhouse gate. The old man went out to the door; it was the southern commander Pan Zhang seeking a night's refuge. The moment Guan Xing saw the commander come into the thatched cottage, he gripped his sword and cried, "Filthy traitor! Halt!" Pan Zhang had turned to leave, when another man came to the door. He had a face ruddy as dates, eyes like the crimson-faced phoenix's, brows like nestling silkworms; his beautiful beard in three strands moved delicately. He entered, hand to sword, wearing a green battle gown and metal armor. Pan Zhang recognized the divine presence of Lord Guan. A cry burst from him, and panic seized his faculties. He tried to turn, but Guan Xing cut him down, plucked out his heart, drained off the blood, and offered it in sacrifice before his father's portrait. Guan Xing recovered from Pan Zhang his father's crescent-moon blade, Green Dragon, and hung Pan Zhang's head from the neck of his mount. Bidding the old man good-bye, he climbed onto Pan Zhang's horse and rode back to camp. The old man dragged off the corpse and cremated it.
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