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“Because you are ill, and the physician said you were on no account to be provoked to anger. Wherefore, although the enemy challenged us to battle, I kept it from you.”

“And if you do not fight, what think you should be done?” said Zhou Yu.

And they all said they desired to return to the South Land till he had recovered from his wound, when they would make another expedition.

Zhou Yu lay and listened. Suddenly he sprang up, crying, “The noble person who has eaten of his lord's bounty should die in his lord's battles; to return to one's home dead and wrapped in a horse's hide is a happy fate. Am I the sort of people to bring to nought the grand designs of my country?” So speaking he proceeded to gird on his armor and he mounted his horse. The wonder of the officers only redoubled when their General placed himself at the head of some hundreds of horsemen and went out of the camp gates toward the enemy, then fully arrayed. Cao Ren, their general, stood beneath the great standard.

At sight of the opponents, Cao Ren flourished his whip and began to hurl abuse at them, “Zhou Yu, you babe! I think your fate has met you. You dare not face my army.”

The stream of insult never ceased. Presently Zhou Yu could stand it no longer. Riding out to the front he cried, “Here I am, base churl; look at me!”

The whole Cao Ren's army were taken aback. But Cao Ren turned to those about him and said, “Let us all revile him!”

And the whole army yelled insults.

Zhou Yu grew angry and sent Pan Zhang out to fight. But before he had delivered his first blow, Zhou Yu suddenly uttered a loud cry, and he fell to the ground with blood gushing from his mouth.

At this Cao Ren's army rushed to the battle, and the army of the South Land pressed forward to meet them. A fierce struggle waged around the General's body, but he was borne off safely and taken to his tent.

“Do you feel better?” asked Cheng Pu anxiously.

“It was a ruse of mine,” whispered Zhou Yu in reply.

“But what avails it?”

“I am not suffering, but I did that to make our enemies think I was very ill and so oppose them by deceit. I will send a few trusty men to pretend desertion and tell them I am dead. That will cause them to try a night raid on the camp, and we shall have an ambush ready for them. We shall get Cao Ren easily.”

“The plan seems excellent,” said Cheng Pu.

Soon from the tent there arose the sound of wailing as for the dead. The soldiers around took up the cry and said one to another, “The General is dead of his wound,” and they all put on the symbols of mourning.

Meanwhile Cao Ren was consulting with his officers. Said he, “Zhou Yu lost his temper, and that has caused his wound to reopen and brought on that flow of blood. You saw him fall to the ground, and he will assuredly die soon.”

Just then there came in one who said that a few men had come over from the enemy asking to be allowed to join the army of Cao Ren; among them were two of Cao Cao's men who had been made prisoners.

Cao Ren sent for the deserters and questioned them. They told him, saying, “Zhou Yu's wound reopened at his anger, and he died in the camp that day. The leaders are all clothing in white and in mourning. We desert because we have been put to shame by the second in command.”

Pleased at this news, Cao Ren at once began to arrange to make a night attack on the camp and, if possible, get the head of the dead general to send to the capital.

“Success depends upon promptitude, so act without delay,” said Chen Jiao. Niu Jin was told off as Van Leader, Cao Ren himself led the center, while the rear was commanded by Cao Hong and Cao Chun. Chen Jiao and a small force were left to guard Nanjun.

At the first watch they left the city and took the way toward Zhou Yu's camp. When they drew near, not a soldier was visible in the camp, but flags and banners and spears were all there, evidently to keep up an appearance of preparation. Feeling at once that they had been tricked, they turned to retreat.

But a bomb exploded and this was the signal for an attack on all four sides. Han Dang and Jiang Qin pressed in from the east; Zhou Tai and Pan Zhang, from the west; Chen Wu and Lu Meng, from the north; and Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, from the south. The result was a severe defeat for the raiders, and the army of Cao Ren was entirely broken and scattered abroad so that no one part of the beaten army could aid the other.

Cao Ren, with a few horsemen got out of the press and presently met Cao Hong. The two leaders ran away together, and by the fifth watch they had got near Nanjun. Then they heard a beating of drums, and Ling Tong appeared barring the way. There was a small skirmish, and Cao Ren went off at an angle. But he fell in with Gan Ning, who attacked him vigorously. Cao Ren dared not go back to Nanjun, but he made for Xiangyang along the main road. The forces of the South Land pursued him for a time and then desisted.