The Three Kingdoms Volume 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

is not a good policy.”
    “It is well not to let them surrender,” said Liu Bei. “But the city is enclosed on all sides like an iron barrel. As their submission is refused, they will be desperate in their fight. A myriad of such men cannot be withstood. But in the city they are several times that number, all doomed to die. It is better to withdraw from the east and the south and only attack the west and the north. They will surely give up the place and flee, without much desire to fight. We can capture them then.”
    The general saw that the advice was good and followed it. He withdrew the troops from the east and the south and only attacked from the west and the north. As predicted by Liu Bei, the rebels gave up the city and ran out, led by their leader. The general and the three brothers fell upon them as they fled and Han Zhong was shot to death by an arrow. The rest of them scattered in all directions, still pursued by the imperial troops. But just then the other two rebel leaders came with large reinforcements and as they appeared very strong, Zhu Jun decided to retreat temporarily. And Wancheng was recaptured by the rebels.
    Zhu Jun encamped ten li from the city and was preparing to attack again when there arrived a body of horsemen and footmen from the east. Riding in front was a young officer with a broad open face and a lithe yet powerfully-built body. His name was Sun Jian, also known as Sun Wentai. He was a native of Wu in Southeast China and a descendant of Sun Wu, a famous military strategist during the period of Spring and Autumn. * When he was only seventeen, he was once with his father on the Qiantang River † and saw a gang of pirates dividing their booty on the river bank after plundering some merchants.
    “I can capture these pirates,” he said to his father. So, gripping his sword he jumped boldly ashore. There he cried out to this side and that as if calling his men to come quickly. This made the pirates believe that the soldiers were on them and he even succeeded in killing one of the pirates. In this way he became known throughout the region and was recommended to be an officer. Later, in collaboration with the local officials, he mobilized a thousand warriors and helped quell a rebellion headed by a man who called himself Emperor Yangming. Both the rebel leader and his son were killed by him. For this he was commended in a memorial to the throne and received a further promotion.
    When he heard about the Yellow Turban rebellion, he gathered together over 1,500 men made up of local youths, merchants, and veteran soldiers to aid in the fighting. Now he had reached the battlefront.
    Zhu Jun welcomed him very warmly and asked him to attack the south gate. Liu Bei and Zhu Jun himself were to attack the north and west gates respectively, leaving the east gate free to give the rebels a false impression of an escape route. Sun Jian was the first to mount the wall and killed more than twenty rebels single-handedly. The other rebels ran away but Zhao Hong, their leader, rushed over on horseback to fight with Sun Jian, his spear at the ready. Sun Jian leaped down the wall, snatched the spear, and with it pierced the rebel who fell down from his horse. Then mounting the horse, Sun Jian rode hither and thither, slaying as he went.
    The other rebel leader, Sun Zhong, led his men to escape by the north gate, where they were met by Liu Bei. By then the rebels had lost their heart to fight and only wanted to get away. Liu Bei drew his bow, fitted an arrow to it, and shot Sun Zhong down from his horse. The main army led by Zhu Jun came up, and after tremendous slaughter, the others surrendered. Thus peace was restored to the region around Nanyang.
    Zhu Jun led his army to the capital. He was promoted to the rank of General of Carriage and Cavalry and given the governorship of Henan. He did not forget those who had helped him, though. In a memorial to the Emperor he mentioned the merits of Sun Jian and Liu Bei. As