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Then he called up the junior general, Chunyu Dan, and said, “You will take the fourth camp on the south side; you may have five thousand troops. The commander of the post is Fu Tong. I shall support you.”

When Chunyu Dan had gone, Lu Xun summoned Xu Sheng and Ding Feng and said, “Each of you will take three thousand troops and bivouac two miles from the camp, so that if your colleague is repulsed and pursued, you can rescue him.”

Chunyu Dan marched between the lights and reached the camp he was to capture just after the third watch. His drums rolled, and he attacked at once. The defenders came out led by Fu Tong, who, spear ready to thrust, rode straight toward the leader of the attack and forced him back. Suddenly there arose the roll of other drums, and a cohort under Zhao Rong barred the way. Chunyu Dan turned off along another road, escaping with loss of many troops.

But he was not yet safe. Some distance farther he ran against the Mang tribesmen leader Shamo Ke. However, Chunyu Dan avoided him also and went on his way, pursued now by three parties. Soon he reached the spot two miles from the camp, and here the two leaders of Shu — Xu Sheng and Ding Feng—, who had been placed ready to afford succor, came out and stopped the pursuit. When the enemy had retired, Chunyu Dan was escorted back to camp.

He was wounded, and with the arrow still undrawn he appeared before Lu Xun and apologized for his failure.

“It was no fault of yours;” said the Commander-in-Chief, “I wanted to test the force of our enemy. My plan of attack is quite ready.”

“The enemy is very strong and will not be easily overcome,” said Xu Sheng and Ding Feng. “We have now suffered great loss to no purpose.”

“This plan of mine would not hoodwink Zhuge Liang, but happily he is not here. His absence will allow me to score a great success.”

Then he summoned his generals to receive orders: “Zhu Ran is to lead the marine force. He is to advance next day afternoon, when the southeast wind will serve. His ships are laden with reeds and straw, which are to be used as ordered. Han Dang is to attack the north bank, Zhou Tai the south. Each soldier, in addition to his weapons, is to carry a bundle of straw or reeds, with sulfur and saltpeter hidden therein, and each has a piece of tinder. They are to advance, and, when they reach the Shu camps, they are to start a conflagration. But they are to burn only alternate camps, twenty in all, leaving the others untouched. They are to advance and only stop if they capture Liu Bei.” The leaders received the orders and so set out.

The First Ruler was in his own camp, pondering over a plan to destroy the armies of Wu, when suddenly the staff that bore the great standard in front of his own tent fell over and lay on the ground. There was no wind to account for this, so he turned to Cheng Ji and asked what it might portend.

“It means only one thing, that the troops of Wu will raid the camp tonight,” said Cheng Ji.

“They will not dare after the slaughter of yesterday.”

“But suppose that was only a reconnaissance; what then?”

Just then a report came in that some troops of Wu could be seen, very far off, going along the hills eastward.

“They are soldiers meant to put us in confusion,” said the First Ruler. “Tell the generals not to move, but let Guan Xing and Zhang Bao, with a small mounted force, go out to reconnoiter.”

It was dusk when these two returned, and they then reported: “Fire is seen among the camps on the north bank.”

The Emperor hastily bade Guan Xing go to the north camps and Zhang Bao to the south to find out what was really happening. And they started.

About the middle of the first watch the wind got up and blew strong from the east. Then fire arose from the camp on the left of the First Ruler's own. He was starting to extinguish this flame when another fire began in the camp on his right. With the aid of the strong breeze both fires became fierce, and soon the trees caught. A confused roar showed the gathering strength of the fire. The soldiers of the burning camps were rushing into the First Ruler's own camp to escape the fire, and in their confusion they trampled on each other, so that many died.

Behind them came the troops of Wu bent on slaughter. Ignorant of how many they might be, the First Ruler mounted and dashed for Feng Xi's camp, but that also was in flames, which seemed to rise to the very sky. By this time flames were rising from both sides of the river, so that everything was as visible as by day.

Feng Xi leaped to his horse and fled, followed by a few of his mounted troops. This small force ran against the soldiers of Wu under Xu Sheng. A melee ensued, thereupon the First Ruler turned and galloped west. Xu Sheng then left Feng Xi and went in pursuit. Presently the Emperor saw a party of soldiers in the way and became greatly alarmed.