Still not a person was seen, and Zhou Yu began to feel suspicious. He had his ship navigated in shore, and he himself landed on the bank, where he mounted a horse and, with a small army of three thousand veterans under Gan Ning, Xu Sheng, and Ding Feng, traveled along the land road.

By and bye he came to the city wall. There was no sign of life. Reining in his steed, he bade them challenge the gate. Then some one from the wall asked, “Who is there?”

The soldiers of the South Land replied, “The Commander-in-Chief of the South Land, Zhou Yu, in person.”

Immediately was heard the thud of a club, and the wall became alive with troops all armed. And from the tower came out Zhao Yun who said, “Why are you here, General?”

“I am going to take the west for you;” replied Zhou Yu, “do you not know?”

“The Directing Instructor knows that you want to try the ruse of 'Borrowing a Road to Destroy the Host.' And so he stationed me here. And my master bade me say that he and the ruler of the Western Land of Rivers are both members of the reigning family so that he could not think of such baseness as attacking Yiazhou. If you people of the South Land do so, he will be forced to go away into the mountains and become a recluse. He could not bear to lose the confidence of humankind.”

At this Zhou Yu turned his horse as if to return. Just then his scouts came up to report: “Armed bands are moving toward us from all four sides, led by Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, and Wei Yan. Their number is unknown, but the sound of their tramping shakes the heavens. They say they want to capture the Commander-in-Chief.”

At these tidings Zhou Yu's excitement became so intense that he fell to the ground with a great cry, and the old wound reopened.

The game was now too deep; in vain he sought

A countermove; his efforts came to nought.

Later chapters will show what was Zhou Yu's fate.

CHAPTER 57. Sleeping-Dragon Mourns At Chaisang; Blooming-Phoenix Intervenes At Leiyang.

In the last chapter it was said that a sudden rage filled the bosom of Zhou Yu, and he fell to the ground. Then he was carried to his boat. It only added to his rage and mortification to be told that Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang could be seen on the top of one of the hills apparently feasting and enjoying some music. He lay grinding his teeth with vexation.

“They say I shall never be able to get Yiazhou! But I will; I swear I will.”

Soon after Sun Quan's brother Sun Shao arrived, and Zhou Yu told him his vexations.

“My brother sent me to assist you,” said Sun Shao.

Zhou Yu ordered Sun Shao to press the army forward for Yiazhou, and they got to Baqiu. There they stopped, for the scouts reported large forces under Liu Bei's generals — Liu Feng and Guan Ping — barring the water route in the Great River. This failure did not make the Commander-in-Chief any calmer.

About this time a letter from Zhuge Liang arrived, which ran like this:

“Since our parting at Chaisang I have thought of you often. Now comes to me a report that you desire to take the

Western Land of Rivers, which I regret to say I consider impossible. The people there are strong, and the country is precipitous and defensible. Imperial Protector Liu Zhang may be weak within, but he is strong enough to defend himself.

“Now indeed, General, you would go far and you would render great services, yet can any one foretell the final result? No; not even Wu Qi the Great General could say for certain, nor could Sun Zi the Famed Strategist be sure of a successful issue. Cao Cao suffered severe defeat at the Red Cliffs; think you he will ever cease to hope for revenge? Now if you undertake a long expedition, will he not seize the occasion to fall upon the South Land and grind it to powder? Such a deed would be more than I could bear, and I venture to warn you of the possible danger if haply you may condescend to regard it.”

The letter made Zhou Yu feel very sorrowful, and he sighed deeply. He called for paper and ink and wrote to the Marquis of Wu and, having done this, he said to his assembled officers, “I have honestly tried to do my best for my country, but my end is at hand. The number of my days is accomplished. You must continue to aid our master till his end shall be achieved—”

He stopped; for he had swooned.

Slowly he regained consciousness; and as he looked up to heaven, he sighed heavily, “O God, since thou made Zhou Yu, why did thou also create Zhuge Liang?”

Soon after he passed away; he was only thirty-six.