Translation:Romance of the Three Kingdoms/Chapter 5
| 第五回 |
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| Chapter 5 |
| 卻說陳宮正欲下手殺曹操，忽轉念曰：「我為國家跟他到此，殺之不義。不若棄而他往。」插劍上馬，不等天明，自投東郡去了。操覺，不見陳宮，尋思「此人見我說了這兩句，疑我不仁，棄我而去；吾當急行，不可久留」。遂連夜到陳留，尋見父親，備說前事；欲散家資，招募義兵。父言「資少恐不成事。此間有孝廉衛弘，疏財仗義，其家巨富。若得相助，事可圖矣。」 |
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Let us now turn to Chen Gong, who was about to kill Cao Cao; he suddenly had a change of heart, thinking, "I followed him to this place for the sake of the country; killing him would be immoral. It would be better if I just left him here, and went somewhere else." He returned his straight sword to its scabbard, and mounted his horse. Not waiting until daylight, he headed to Dong Commandery by himself. When Cao awoke, he did not see Chen Gong, and thought, "This guy heard me say a couple of things, suspected me of being inhumane, and left me here. I should go at once; I cannot stay for long." He then went to Chenliu that same evening, looked for his father, and told him the whole story. He wanted to use his family's financial resources to enlist conscript soldiers. His father said, "We have limited means, and I'm afraid that we will not succeed. There is a local government official who received his post based on his record of filial piety and honesty, whose name is Wei Hong. He has shown a willingness to disperse money in order to uphold justice, and his family is super wealthy. If we can get him to help out, we could make it work." |
2[edit]
| 操置酒張筵，拜請衛弘到家，告曰：「今漢室無主，董卓專權，欺君害民，天下切齒。操欲力扶社稷，恨力不足。公乃忠義之士，敢求相助。」衛弘曰：「吾有是心久矣，恨未遇英雄耳。既孟德有大志，願將家資相助。」操大喜；於是先發矯詔，馳報各道，然後招集義兵，豎起招兵白旗一面，上書「忠義」二字。不數日間，應募之士，如雨駢集。 |
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Cao arranged for a banquet, and then invited Wei Hong to his house. He told him, "Today, the House of Han is without a ruler and Dong Zhuo has seized power. He is committing fraud against the emperor and causing harm to the people; everyone in the nation is gnashing their teeth in frustration. I would like to use my strength to help the country, but I regret that my strength alone is insufficient. You are a loyal servant of the empire; I boldly ask for your help." Wei Hong said, "I have been of this mind for quite some time, but regret that I have not yet found any heroes. If you are really determined, Mengde, I am willing to help out by making my family's financial resources available to you." Cao was overjoyed; he then issued a forged imperial edict, which was carried at top speed along every byway. Later, when he was gathering conscript soldiers, he planted a white recruitment banner with the words "loyalty to the empire" written on it. After not more than a few days, he had raised a massive volunteer army. They were lined up side by side, each man like a tiny drop of rain in a great storm. |
3[edit]
| 一日，有一個陽平衛國人，姓樂，名進，字文謙，來投曹操。又有一個山陽鉅野人，姓李，名典，字曼成，也來投曹操。操皆留為帳前吏。又有沛國譙人，夏侯惇，字元讓，乃夏侯嬰之後；自小習槍棒；年十四從師習武，有人辱罵其師，惇殺之，逃於外方；聞知曹操起兵，與其族弟夏侯淵，兩個各引壯士千人來會。此二人本操之弟兄。操父曹嵩原是夏侯氏之子，過房與曹家，因此是同族。 |
  One day, a man from the Kingdom of Wei in Yangping Commandery offered his service to Cao Cao;[2] his surname was Yue, his given name was Jin, and his style name was Wenqian.[3] Another man, from Juye in Shanyang Commandery, also offered his service to Cao Cao; his surname was Li, his given name was Dian, and his style name was Mancheng.[4] Cao kept them both as field generals. There was also a man from Qiao in the State of Pei; his name was Xiahou Dun, and his style name was Yuanrang;[5] he was a descendant of Xiahou Ying. He had trained with the spear and staff since he was little. When he was fourteen, he found a teacher, and began his formal training in the military arts. A person had insulted his teacher, so Dun killed him and fled the area. When he heard that Cao Cao was raising an army, he and his younger kinsman, Xiahou Yuan, each came with one thousand fierce warriors. These two men were originally kinsmen of Cao's. Cao's father Cao Song was originally a son of the Xiahou clan, adopted into the Cao family; because of this, they were kinsmen. |
4[edit]
| 不數日，曹氏兄弟曹仁、曹洪，各引兵千餘來助。曹仁字子孝，曹洪字子廉。二人兵馬嫻熟，武藝精通。操大喜，於村中操練軍馬。衛弘盡出家財，置辦衣甲旗幡。四方送糧者，不計其數。 |
  After not more than a few days, two other members of the Cao family, Cao Ren and Cao Hong, lent their assistance by each leading more than a thousand troops. Cao Ren's style name was Zixiao,[6] and Cao Hong's style name was Zilian.[7] The two of them were highly skilled in warfare, and proficient in all of the military arts. Cao was overjoyed, and began training the soldiers and cavalry right there within the village. Wei Hong used a considerable amount of his family's financial resources to purchase body armor and banners. Provisions came from all over, in numbers too great to count. |
5[edit]
| 時袁紹得操矯詔，乃聚麾下文武，引兵三萬，離渤海來與曹操會盟。操作檄文以達諸郡。檄文曰： |
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When Yuan Shao obtained the forged imperial edict, he gathered everyone under his command, both military and civilian alike. He led a total of 30,000 soldiers from Bohai to meet up with Cao Cao and form an alliance. Cao drafted an official call to arms, which was to be sent to all of the commanderies. The call to arms read: |
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| 操發檄文去後，各鎮諸侯，皆起兵相應： |
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Once Cao issued the official call to arms, the nobles from each of the garrisons all raised armies in response: |
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| 諸路軍馬，多少不等，有三萬者，有一二萬者，各領文官武將，投洛陽來。 |
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All of these forces, which varied in size from thirty thousand to ten or twenty thousand, and which were led by either civil officials or military generals, converged on Luoyang. |
10[edit]
| 且說北平太守公孫瓚，統領精兵一萬五千，路經德州平原縣。正行之間，遙見桑樹叢中，一面黃旗，數騎來迎。瓚視之，乃劉玄德也。瓚問曰：「賢弟何故在此？」玄德曰：「舊日蒙兄保備為平原縣令，今聞大軍過此，特來奉候，就請兄長入城歇馬。」瓚指關、張而問曰：「此何人也？」玄德曰：「此關羽、張飛，備結義兄弟也。」瓚曰：「乃同破黃巾者乎？」玄德曰：「皆此二人之力。」瓚曰：「今居何職？」玄德答曰：「關羽為馬弓手，張飛為步弓手。」瓚歎曰：「如此可謂埋沒英雄！今董卓作亂，天下諸侯，共往誅之。賢弟可棄此卑官，一同討賊，力扶漢室，若何？」玄德曰：「願往。」張飛曰：「當時若容我殺了此賊，免有今日之事。」雲長曰：「事已至此，即當收拾前去。」 |
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Let us now turn to Gongsun Zan, governor of Beiping Commandery, who was leading an army of fifteen thousand elite troops past Pingyuan County in Dezhou. While they were on the move, they spotted yellow banners near a clump of mulberry trees;[8] it was a group of men approaching on horseback. Zan saw that it was Liu Xuande. Zan asked, "It is my junior colleague, why are you here?" Xuande replied, "A while back, you saw to it that I was made governor of Pingyuan County;[9] when I heard that a large army was passing by here, I came out especially to await your arrival so that I could invite my benefactor to come into town and rest his horses." Zan pointed to Guan and Zhang, and asked, "Who are these two?" Xuande said, "This is Guan Yu and this is Zhang Fei; they are my sworn brothers." Zan said, "Are these the same men who crushed the Yellow Turbans?" Xuande said, "It was all thanks to the efforts of these two men." Zan said, "What posts do they now hold?" Xuande replied, "Guan Yu is a cavalry archer, and Zhang Fei is an infantry archer." Zan sighed, saying, "If that is the case, one might say that these two heroes have been neglected! Dong Zhuo is now causing unrest, and all of the nobles are on their way to take him down. You should abandon this lowly post, come with me to punish this bandit rebel, and help the House of Han; what do you think?" Xuande said, "I would like to go." Zhang Fei said, "If you had let me kill that scoundrel the last time, this wouldn't have happened." Yunchang said, "What's done is done; we should gather up our things and go." |
11[edit]
| 玄德、關、張，引數騎跟公孫瓚來。曹操接著，眾諸侯亦陸續皆至，各自安營下寨，連接二百餘里。操乃宰牛殺馬，大會諸侯，商議進兵之策。太守王匡曰：「今奉大義，必立盟主；眾聽約束，然後進兵。」操曰：「袁本初四世三公，門多故吏，漢朝名相之裔，可為盟主。」紹再三推辭。眾皆曰：「非本初不可。」紹方應允。次日築臺三層，遍列五方旗幟，上建白旄黃鉞，兵符將印，請紹登壇。紹整衣佩劍，慨然而上，焚香再拜。其盟曰： |
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Xuande, Guan and Zhang led a number of people on horseback, and followed behind Gongsun Zan. Cao Cao welcomed them as a steady stream of nobles were also arriving. Each army set up their own camp, in a string of camps that stretched more than 200 li.[10] Cao slaughtered a bull and a horse, then convened all of the nobles to discuss plans for a military advance. Commandery governor Wang Kuang said, "Today, we come together for the sake of justice. We must decide on a leader for our alliance, and everyone must abide by that decision, before we can advance our armies." Cao said, "Members of Yuan Benchu's family have occupied the highest positions within the government for four generations,[11] and he has a lot of students and former subordinates. He is the descendent of a famous chancellor of the Han Dynasty; he should be the leader of our alliance." Shao repeatedly declined the offer. Only after everyone said, "It can be none other than Benchu." did Shao finally agree to do it. The following day, a three-level platform was erected. The banners of the five directions were placed in rows along each side;[12] a white banner, with a yak tail on top of its pole, and a gilded battle-ax were both placed on the platform.[13] Military papers and the seal of a military general were placed on the platform as well. Shao was asked to ascend the platform. Shao straightened his clothes, put on his straight sword, and solemnly climbed up. He burned incense and performed the ritual obeisance. The creed of the alliance read: |
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| 讀畢，歃血。眾因其辭氣慷慨，皆涕泗橫流。歃血已罷，下壇。眾扶紹升帳而坐，兩行依爵位年齒，分列坐定。操行酒數巡，言曰：「今既立盟主，各聽調遣，同扶國家，勿以強弱計較。」袁紹曰：「紹雖不才，既承公等推為盟主，有功必賞，有罪必罰。國有常刑，軍有紀律；各宜遵守，勿得違犯。」眾皆曰：「惟命是聽。」紹曰：「吾弟袁術總督糧草，應付諸營，無使有缺。更須一人為先鋒，直抵汜水關挑戰。餘各據險要，以為接應。」 |
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After they finished reading the creed, they smeared their mouths with blood.[14] Because of the impassioned tone of the wording, they were all weeping uncontrollably. Having smeared their mouths with blood, they now came down from the raised platform. They all escorted Shao into the planning tent. They separated into two rows and took their seats according to noble rank, official position and age. Cao made several toasts, then said, "Now that we have a leader for our alliance, each must proceed to where they are assigned; we must all help out our nation, regardless of whether we are strong or weak." Yuan Shao said, "I am not a talented man. However, I have been nominated to be the leader of this alliance. Therefore, those among us who meet with success shall be rewarded; those among us who commit an offense shall be punished. Our country has its penal system, and our army has its system of discipline. Each of you should abide by the two; we must not permit infractions." Everyone said, "We swear on our lives that we will not fail you." Shao said, "My younger brother Yuan Shu shall oversee provisions. He will deal with all of the camps and make sure that there are no shortages. More importantly, we need someone to take point, proceed directly to Sishui Pass, and pick a fight. The rest of you shall each take up a position in a strategic location, so that you can respond to the enemy's advance." |
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| 長沙太守孫堅出曰：「堅願為前部。」紹曰：「文臺勇烈，可當此任。」堅遂引本部人馬殺奔汜水關來。守關將士，差流星馬往洛陽丞相府告急。董卓自專大權之後，每日飲宴。李儒接得告急文書，逕來稟卓。卓大驚，急聚眾將商議。溫侯呂布挺身出曰：「父親勿慮。關外諸侯，布視之如草芥。願提虎狼之師，盡斬其首，懸於都門。」卓大喜曰：「吾有奉先，高枕無憂矣！」 |
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Sun Jian, governor of Changsha Commandery, said, "I would like to be in the advance force." Shao said, "You are brave and fierce, Wentai; you may have this mission." Jian then led the main force toward Sishui Pass. The soldiers who were guarding the pass sent someone on a fast horse to the chancellor's residence in Luoyang to report the emergency. Dong Zhuo had been throwing lavish banquets everyday since assuming power. After receiving the emergency communiqué, Li Ru went straight to Zhuo and gave him the letter. Zhuo was shocked, and immediately convened all of his generals to discuss the matter. Marquis of Wen Lü Bu stood up and said, "Don't worry father.[15] The nobles beyond the pass are as insignificant as mustard seeds. I would like to have my division of crack troops chop off each of their heads, and hang them on the gates of the capital." Zhuo was overjoyed, saying, "I have Fengxian, so I can rest easy!" |
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| 言未絕，呂布背後一人，高聲出曰：「『割雞焉用牛刀？』不勞溫侯親往。吾斬眾諸侯首級，如探囊取物耳。」卓視之，其人身長九尺，虎體狼腰，豹頭猿臂；關西人也；姓華，名雄。卓聞言大喜，加為驍騎校尉，撥馬步軍五萬，同李肅、胡軫、趙岑，星夜赴關迎敵。眾諸侯內有濟北相鮑信。尋思孫堅既為前部，怕他奪了頭功，暗撥其弟鮑忠，先將馬步軍三千，逕抄小路，直到關下搦戰。華雄引鐵騎五百，飛下關來，大喝：「賊將休走！」鮑忠急待退，被華雄手起刀落，斬於馬下，生擒將校極多。華雄遣人將鮑忠首級來相府報捷，卓加雄為都督。 |
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He had not yet finished speaking, when a person standing behind Lü Bu said loudly, "'Why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken?' We shouldn't trouble the Marquis of Wen to go personally. Cutting off the heads of all of the nobles would be as easy for me as taking something out of my pocket." Zhuo took a look at the man, who stood at a height of nine chi,[16] had a tiger-like torso, a wolf-like waist, a panther-like head, and ape-like arms; he was from the area to the west of Hangu Pass. His surname was Hua, and his given name was Xiong. Upon hearing this, Zhuo was overjoyed. He made him captain of armed cavalry, and allotted him 50,000 horses and men. He set out to meet the enemy, traveling all night, accompanied by Li Su, Hu Zhen and Zhao Cen. One of the nobles was Bao Xin, chief minister of the Kingdom of Jibei. He thought about the fact that Sun Jian had taken point, and was afraid that he would get all the glory, so he secretly sent his younger brother Bao Zhong ahead with a contingent of 3,000 men and horses on a side road in order to pick a fight at the pass. Hua Xiong quickly led a force of 500 armored cavalry down from the pass, shouting, "Halt, you bandit rebels!" Bao Zhong rapidly retreated, but was cut down from his horse by Hua Xiong with one stroke of the sword. A large number of military officers were captured alive. Hua Xiong sent someone to take Bao Zhong's head to the residence of the chancellor, and to report news of their victory. Zhuo made Xiong a provincial military commander. |
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| 卻說孫堅引四將直至關前。那四將：第一個，右北平土垠人，姓程，名普，字德謀，使一條鐵脊蛇矛；第二個，姓黃，名蓋，字公覆，零陵人也，使鐵鞭；第三個，姓韓，名當，字義公，遼西令支人也，使一口大刀；第四個，姓祖，名茂，字大榮，吳郡富春人也，使雙刀。孫堅披爛銀鎧，裹赤幘，橫古錠刀，騎花鬃馬，指關上而罵曰：「助惡匹夫，何不早降！」 |
 Let us now turn to Sun Jian, who led his four generals to the entrance of the pass. As for the four generals: the first one was from Tuyin in Youbeiping Commandery, his surname was Cheng, his given name was Pu, his style name was Demou,[17] and his weapon of choice was an iron-ridge snake lance.[18] The second one's surname was Huang, his given name was Gai, his style name was Gongfu,[19] he was from Lingling Commandery, and his weapon of choice was an iron whip. The third one's surname was Han, his given name was Dang, his style name was Yigong,[20] he was from Lingzhi in Liaoxi Commandery, and his weapon of choice was a large broadsword. The fourth one's surname was Zu, his given name was Mao, his style name was Darong,[21] he was from Fuchun in Wu Commandery, and his weapons of choice were a pair of broadswords. Sun Jian wore shiny armor that sparkled like silver, fastened a red kerchief around his head, carried a Guding broadsword,[22] and rode a horse with a multi-colored mane. He pointed to the top of the pass, and cursed, "All of you commoners who are aiding villainy: why not surrender early!" |
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| 華雄副將胡軫，引兵五千出關迎戰。程普飛馬挺矛，直取胡軫，鬥不數合，程普刺中胡軫咽喉，死於馬下。堅揮軍殺至關前，關上矢石如雨。孫堅引兵回至梁東屯住，使人於袁紹處報捷，就於袁術處催糧。或說術曰：「孫堅乃江東猛虎；若打破洛陽殺了董卓，正是除狼而得虎也。今不與糧，彼軍必散。」術聽之，不發糧草。孫堅軍缺食，軍中自亂，細作報上關來。李肅為華雄謀曰：「今夜我引一軍從小路下關襲孫堅寨後，將軍攻其前寨，堅可擒矣。」 |
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Hu Zhen, Hua Xiong's second in command, led a force of 5,000 men out of the pass to join in the battle. Cheng Pu raised his lance and galloped his horse at full speed toward Hu Zhen. After several bouts, Cheng Pu stabbed Hu Zhen in the throat, which caused him to die at the foot of his horse. Jian led his army on a frontal assault of the pass amidst a hail of arrows and rocks. Sun Jian then led his troops back to the east of the ridge, and dug in. He sent someone to Yuan Shao's location to report a victory, and then to Yuan Shu's location to requisition provisions. Someone told Shu, "Sun Jian is known as the fierce tiger from the eastern bank of the Yangtze.[23] If he smashes Luoyang and kills Dong Zhuo, it will be as though we have replaced a wolf with a tiger. If we don't give him any provisions now, his army will disperse for sure." Shu heeded this advice, and did not release any rations. Sun Jian's army went without food, and dissention sprang up within the ranks. A spy reported all of this to the forces on top of the pass. Li Su schemed with Hua Xiong, saying, "Tonight, I will lead an army down from the pass on a side trail, and attack Sun Jian from the rear of his encampment. If you attack the front of his encampment, Jian can be captured." |
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| 雄從之，傳令軍士飽餐，乘夜下關。是夜月白風清。到堅寨時，已是半夜，鼓譟直進。堅慌忙披掛上馬，正遇華雄。兩馬相交，鬥不數合，後面李肅軍到，令軍士放起火來。堅軍亂竄。眾將各自混戰，止有祖茂跟定孫堅突圍而走。背後華雄追來。堅取箭，連放兩箭，皆被華雄躲過。再放第三箭時，因用力太猛，拽折了鵲畫弓，只得棄弓縱馬而奔。祖茂曰：「主公頭上赤幘射目，為賊所識認。可脫幘與某戴之。」堅就脫幘換茂盔，分兩路而走。雄軍只望赤幘者追趕，堅乃從小路得脫。祖茂被華雄追急，將赤幘掛於人家燒不盡的庭柱上，卻入樹林潛躲。 |
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Xiong did as he was told. He relayed orders for his troops to eat their fill, so that they could take advantage of the night to descend from the pass. On this night, the moon was bright and the air was crisp. It was midnight by the time they arrived at Jian's stronghold. They sounded the drums and charged directly at them. Jian hastily donned his armor and got on his horse, just in time to encounter Hua Xiong. The two horses met, and they fought several bouts. Just then, Li Su's forces arrived in the rear, and gave the order to set fires. Jian's army scattered. It was every man for himself, and only Zu Mao was able to break through the lines and flee with Sun Jian. Hua Xiong was following right behind them. Jian took out his arrows and shot two in a row, but Hua Xiong dodged them both. When he went to fire the third arrow, he used too much force, and snapped his magpie-decorated bow in two. He had no choice but to throw away his bow and gallop away on his horse. Zu Mao said, "My lord, you are wearing that red headband, which makes you a target. It is the reason the bandits can recognize you. Why don't you take it off and give it to me to wear?" Jian removed the headband and gave it to Mao, who tied it around his helmet. They then parted ways. Xiong's army only followed the one wearing the red headband. Jian was thus able to escape via a small side road. Zu Mao was being chased by Hua Xiong, so he stuck the headband onto the unburnt pole of a house, and hid in the woods. |
19[edit]
| 華雄軍於月下遙見赤幘，四面圍定，不敢近前。用箭射之，方知是計，遂向前取了赤幘。祖茂於林後殺出，揮雙刀欲劈華雄；雄大喝一聲，將祖茂一刀砍於馬下。殺至天明，雄方引兵上關。程普、黃蓋、韓當都來尋見孫堅，再收拾軍馬屯紮。堅為折了祖茂，傷感不已，星夜遣人報知袁紹。紹大驚曰：「不想孫文臺敗於華雄之手！」便聚眾諸侯商議。眾人都到，只有公孫瓚後至，紹請入帳列坐。紹曰：「前日鮑將軍之弟不遵調遣，擅自進兵，殺身喪命，折了許多軍士。今者孫文臺又敗於華雄，挫動銳氣，為之奈何？」諸侯並皆不語。 |
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In the moonlight, Hua Xiong's army could see the red headband in the distance. They surrounded it on all four sides, but did not dare advance. It was not until they shot at it with arrows that they realized that it was a ruse and moved forward to take down the red headband. Zu Mao charged out of the woods, with both swords drawn, in an attempt to cut down Hua Xiong. Xiong let out a yell, and cut Zu Mao down from his horse. The slaughter continued until daybreak before Xiong led his troops back up the pass. Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and Han Dang all came to find Sun Jian, then they gathered up their troops and set up camp. Jian was beside himself with grief over the death of Zu Mao. He dispatched someone to travel through the night to report to Yuan Shao. Shao was shocked, saying, "I would not have imagined that Sun Wentai could have been defeated at the hands of Hua Xiong!" He then gathered together all of the nobles to discuss the matter. Everyone had arrived, with the exception of Gongsun Zan, who came late. Shao invited them to come into his tent and sit according to rank. Shao said, "The other day, General Bao's younger brother did not go where he was assigned, and took it upon himself to advance. As a result, he was killed along with many of his soldiers; and now, Sun Wentai has been defeated by Hua Xiong. These are huge setbacks for us, what shall we do?" None of the nobles said anything. |
20[edit]
| 紹舉目遍視，見公孫瓚背後立著三人，容貌異常，都在那裡冷笑。紹問曰：「公孫太守背後何人？」瓚呼玄德出曰：「此吾自幼同舍兄弟，平原人劉備是也。」曹操曰：「莫非破黃巾劉玄德乎？」瓚曰：「然。」即令劉玄德拜見。瓚將玄德功勞，並其出身，細說一遍。紹曰：「既是漢室宗派，取坐來。」命坐。備遜謝。紹曰：「吾非敬汝名爵，吾敬汝是帝室之冑耳。」玄德乃坐於末位，關、張叉手侍立於後。 |
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Shao looked up and fixed his gaze on the three men standing behind Gongsun Zan. They had an unusual appearance, and were all sneering. Shao asked, "Who are the people behind Commandery governor Gongsun?" Zan bade Xuande to step up, then said, "This is a colleague that I have known since childhood. His name is Liu Bei, and he is from Pingyuan County." Cao Cao said, "Isn't this the same Liu Xuande who smashed the Yellow Turbans?" Zan said, "It is." Then he ordered Liu Xuande to come pay his respects. Zan explained in detail Xuande's deeds and his background. Shao said, "Seeing as how you are a member of the house of Han, come take a seat." Thus, he ordered him to sit. Bei humbly declined. Shao said, "I am not honoring your deeds or your noble rank, but rather the fact that you are a descendant of the imperial household." With that, Xuande sat in the last and most inferior position. Guan and Zhang stood in attendance behind him, their hands respectfully clasped in front of their chests. |
21[edit]
| 忽探子來報：「華雄引鐵騎下關，用長竿挑著孫太守赤幘，來寨前大罵搦戰。」紹曰：「誰敢去戰？」袁術背後轉出驍將俞涉曰：「小將願往。」紹喜，便著俞涉出馬。即時報來：「俞涉與華雄戰不三合，被華雄斬了。」眾大驚。太守韓馥曰：「吾有上將潘鳳，可斬華雄。」紹急令出戰。潘鳳手提大斧上馬。去不多時，飛馬來報：「潘鳳又被華雄斬了。」眾皆失色。紹曰：「可惜吾上將顏良、文醜未至！得一人在此，何懼華雄！」 |
  Suddenly, a scout came with a report, "Hua Xiong has led armored cavalry down the pass, and was waving Commandery governor Sun's red headband on the end of a long bamboo pole. He came to the front of our stronghold, cursing and challenging us to fight." Shao said, "Who will dare to go out and fight?" The brave general named Yu She came out from behind Yuan Shu, saying, "I would like to go." Shao was pleased, and instructed Yu She to head out. A report immediately came back, "Yu She had gone for no more than three bouts with Hua Xiong before he was cut down by Hua Xiong." Everyone was shocked. Commandery governor Han Fu said, "A general of mine named Pan Feng can cut down Hua Xiong." Shao immediately ordered him into battle. Pan Feng held a large battle ax as he mounted his horse. After he was gone for not that long, someone came galloping back with a report, "Pan Feng was also cut down by Hua Xiong." Everyone was crestfallen. Shao said, "It is a shame that my two generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, are not here! If either one of them were here, what reason would there be for us fear Hua Xiong!" |
22[edit]
| 言未畢，階下一人大呼出曰：「小將願往斬華雄頭，獻於帳下！」眾視之！見其人身長九尺，髯長二尺；丹鳳眼，臥蠶眉；面如重棗，聲若巨鐘；立於帳前。紹問何人。公孫瓚曰：「此劉玄德之弟關羽也。」紹問現居何職。瓚曰：「跟隨劉玄德充馬弓手。」帳上袁術大喝曰：「汝欺吾眾諸侯無大將耶？量一弓手，安敢亂言！與我打出！」曹操急止之曰：「公路息怒。此人既出大言，必有勇略；試教出馬，如其不勝，責之未遲。」袁紹曰：「使一弓手出戰，必被華雄所笑。」操曰：「此人儀表不俗，華雄安知他是弓手？」關公曰：「如不勝，請斬某頭。」 |
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He had not yet finished what he was saying, before a person at the foot of the raised platform exclaimed loudly, "I am willing to go and cut off Hua Xiong's head, and present it to the people in this tent!" Everyone looked at him! They saw that he stood at a height of nine chi,[24] and had a two chi long beard;[25] his eyes were like that of a crimson phoenix,[26] and his eyebrows resembled reclining silkworms;[27] his face was the color of a dark jujube,[28] and he had a voice that rang out like a giant bell.[29] He was standing near the entrance of the tent. Shao asked who he was. Gongsun Zan said, "This is Guan Yu, a junior associate of Liu Xuande." Shao asked what position he currently occupied. Zan said, "He is a cavalry archer for Liu Xuande." From the raised platform inside the tent, Yuan Shu bellowed, "Are you falsely implying that we nobles lack any great generals? Seeing as you're nothing but an archer, how dare you make such outlandish statements! Let me kick him out!" Cao Cao rushed to stop him, saying, "Gonglu, calm down. For this person to make such grandiose statements, he must be brave and cunning. Why not try sending him out. If he doesn't win, it won't yet be too late." Yuan Shao said, "But if we send an archer out to fight, Hua Xiong will laugh at him for sure." Cao said, "This man has a striking appearance, how will Hua Xiong know that he is an archer?" Lord Guan said, "If I don't win, please cut off my head." |
23[edit]
| 操教釃熱酒一盃，與關公飲了上馬。關公曰：「酒且斟下，某去便來。」出帳提刀，飛身上馬。眾諸侯聽得關外鼓聲大振，喊聲大舉，如天摧地塌，岳撼山崩，眾皆失驚。正欲探聽，鸞鈴響處，馬到中軍，雲長提華雄之頭，擲於地上，其酒當溫。後人有詩讚之曰： |
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Cao called for a cup of warm wine to be poured, which he gave to Lord Guan as Lord Guan was mounting his horse. Lord Guan said, "Go ahead and pour the wine, I will be right back." He exited the tent, took a hold of his blade, then leaped onto his horse. All of the nobles were listening to the great ruckus of drums and yelling from beyond the pass. It sounded like the sky was being torn apart, the earth was caving in, and the mountains were collapsing. Everyone was startled. Just as they thought of going out to see what was happening, they heard the sound of horse bells. A horse arrived at the Army of the Center.[30] It was Yunchang; he took Hua Xiong's head and threw it on the ground. The wine was still warm. People of later generations wrote a poem in praise of him, which went: |
24[edit]
25[edit]
| 曹操大喜。只見玄德背後轉出張飛，高聲大叫：「俺哥哥斬了華雄，不就這裡殺入關去，活拿董卓，更待何時！」袁術大怒，喝曰：「俺大臣尚自謙讓，量一縣令手下小卒，安敢在此耀武揚威！都與趕出帳去！」曹操曰：「得功者賞，何計貴賤乎？」袁術曰：「既然公等只重一縣令，我當告退。」操曰：「豈可因一言而誤大事耶？」即命公孫瓚且帶玄德、關、張回寨。眾官皆散。曹操暗使人齎牛酒撫慰三人。 |
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Cao Cao was overjoyed. Suddenly, Zhang Fei came out from behind Xuande, and said in a loud voice, "Now that my brother has taken down Hua Xiong, we should fight our way past the pass, and arrest Dong Zhuo; what are we waiting for!" Yuan Shu was outraged, and said, "We senior ministers have been deferential this whole time. How dare this lowly soldier, serving under a county governor, put on such a bellicose display! Get them all out of this tent!" Cao Cao said, "We should reward men of achievement, why make a big deal out of their social status?" Yuan Shu said, "Since all of you only regard a county governor as important, I should take my leave." Cao said, "How can you have such a big misunderstanding over just one sentence?" He then ordered Gongsun Zan to take Xuande, Guan and Zhang back to their camp. Everyone left. Cao Cao secretly sent someone to make a gift of oxen and wine in order to placate the three of them. |
26[edit]
| 卻說華雄手下敗軍，報上關來。李肅慌忙寫告急文書，申聞董卓。卓急聚李儒、呂布等商議。儒曰：「今失了上將華雄，賊勢浩大。袁紹為盟主，紹叔袁隗，現為太傅；倘或裡應外合，深為不便，可先除之。請丞相親領大軍，分撥剿捕。」 |
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Let us now turn to Hua Xiong's defeated army, who had reported back up to the pass. Li Su hurriedly wrote a letter requesting emergency assistance, which he sent to Dong Zhuo. Zhuo immediately got everyone together, including Li Ru and Lü Bu, to discuss the matter. Ru said, "Now that we have lost General Hua Xiong, the power of the bandit rebels is substantial. Yuan Shao is the leader of their alliance. His uncle is Yuan Wei, the current Grand Tutor. If he works from the inside in coordination with elements from the outside, it will make it deeply inconvenient for us; we should first get rid of him. I invite the chancellor to personally take command of the army, allocating forces to surround and capture him." |
27[edit]
| 卓然其說，喚李傕，郭汜，領兵五百，圍住太傅袁隗家，不分老幼，盡皆誅絕，先將袁隗首級去關前號令。卓遂起兵二十萬，分為兩路而來：一路先令李傕，郭汜，引兵五萬，把住汜水關，不要廝殺；卓自將十五萬，同李儒，呂布，樊稠，張濟等，守虎牢關。這關離洛陽五十里。軍馬到關，卓令呂布領三萬大軍，去關前紮住大寨。卓自在關上屯住。 |
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Zhuo agreed with him; he instructed Li Jue and Guo Si to lead a force of 500 soldiers to surround Yuan Wei's house. Everyone was executed, regardless of age. They immediately took the head of Yuan Wei and put it on display at the pass, for all to see. Zhuo then gathered an army of 200,000, and divided them into two routes; Li Jue and Guo Si were put in charge of the first route, which consisted of a force of 50,000 men. They were to take up position at Sishui Pass, but not engage in any fighting. Zhuo personally led a force of 150,000. This group included Li Ru, Lü Bu, Fan Chou and Zhang Ji, among others. This group took up position at Hulao Pass.[31] This pass was 50 li from Luoyang.[32] When the soldiers and horses arrived at the pass, Zhuo ordered Lü Bu to lead a large force of the 30,000 men down to the front of the pass, where he was to make camp. Zhuo made camp at the top of the pass, where he was quite comfortable. |
28[edit]
| 流星馬探聽得，報入袁紹大寨裡來。紹聚眾商議。操曰：「董卓屯兵虎牢，截我諸侯中路，今可勒兵一半迎敵。」紹乃分王匡、喬瑁、鮑信、袁遺、孔融、張楊、陶謙、公孫瓚，八路諸侯，往虎牢關迎敵。操引軍往來救應。八路諸侯，各自起兵。河內太守王匡，引兵先到。呂布帶鐵騎三千，飛奔來迎。王匡將軍馬列成陣勢，勒馬門旗下看時，見呂布出陣，頭戴三叉束髮紫金冠；體掛西川紅錦百花袍，身披獸面吞頭連環鎧；腰繫勒甲玲瓏獅蠻帶；弓箭隨身，手持畫戟；坐下嘶風赤兔馬：果然是人中呂布，馬中赤兔。 |
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A messenger on horseback did some snooping around, and then reported back to Yuan Shao at camp. Shao gathered everyone together to discuss the matter. Cao said, "Dong Zhuo has amassed troops at Hulao. He has been blocking the way of our nobles. We should take half of our soldiers to meet the enemy." Shao then dispatched eight of the nobles -- Wang Kuang, Qiao Mao, Bao Xin, Yuan Yi, Kong Rong, Zhang Yang, Tao Qian and Gongsun Zan -- to head toward Hulao Pass to meet the enemy. Cao led an army that would reinforce them. Each of the eight nobles formed their armies. Governor of Henei Commandery, Wang Kuang was the first to arrive with his soldiers. Lü Bu rapidly responded by leading a contingent of 3,000 armored cavalry out to face them. After Wang Kuang had halted his army, he had his camp entrance flags planted into the ground, and placed his troops and horses into battle formations. When he was finished, he looked around and saw Lü Bu riding out onto the field. On his head, Lü Bu wore a shiny gold headpiece which was pinned to his hair with three hair pins; over his torso, he wore a red gown from Xichuan which was embroidered with a variety of flower patterns;[33] on top of that, he wore plated body armor, linked together with rings, which had a picture of a beast swallowing a head on the front of it; around his waist, he had fastened an exquisite belt which had a clasp decorated with figures of lions and barbarian kings. The belt held his armor in place; he had slung a bow and a quiver of arrows around his back, and held his painted trident halberd in his hand; he sat on top of his snorting steed Red Hare. In truth, Lü Bu had no equal among men, and Red Hare had no equal among horses. |
29[edit]
| 王匡回頭問曰：「誰敢出戰？」後面一將，縱馬挺槍而出。匡視之，乃河內名將方悅。兩馬相交，無五合，被呂布一戟刺於馬下，挺戟直衝過來。匡軍大敗，四散奔走。布東西衝殺，如入無人之境。幸得喬瑁、袁遺兩軍皆至，來救王匡，呂布方退。三路諸侯，各折了些人馬，退三十里下寨。隨後五路軍馬都至，一路商議，言呂布英雄，無人可敵。 |
 Wang Kuang looked back and said, "Who is daring enough to go out and fight?" An officer in back of him galloped out on his horse, his spear in hand. Kuang saw that it was his famed officer from Henei Commandery, Fang Yue. The two squared off against each other; after not more than five bouts, he was stabbed by Lü Bu's trident halberd. Lü Bu then raised his halberd, and charged straight at them. Kuang's army was soundly defeated, and scattered in all four directions. Bu rode back and forth, killing everyone in his path, as if they were not even there. Fortunately, both the armies of Qiao Mao and Yuan Yi had arrived, and came to Wang Kuang's rescue. It was only then that Lü Bu retreated. The three of them had lost a number of horses and men, so they retreated for 30 li,[34] and made camp. Later, the other five armies arrived, and they all got together to discuss the matter; they were saying things like Lü Bu was a hero, and that nobody could stand against him. |
30[edit]
| 正慮間，小校報來，呂布搦戰。八路諸侯，一齊上馬。軍分八隊，布在高岡遙望。呂布一簇軍馬，繡旗招颭，先來衝陣。上黨太守張楊部將穆順出馬，挺槍迎戰，被呂布手起一戟，刺於馬下。眾大驚。北海太守孔融部將武安國，使鐵鎚飛馬而出。呂布揮戟拍馬來迎。戰到十餘合，一戟砍斷安國手腕，棄鎚於地而走。八路軍兵齊出，救了武安國，呂布退回去了。眾諸侯回寨商議。曹操曰：「呂布英勇無敵，可會十八路諸侯，共議良策。若擒了呂布，董卓易誅。」 |
 While they were considering the matter, a junior officer came to report that Lü Bu was calling them out to fight. The eight nobles all mounted their horses in unison. They split up into eight armies, while Bu watched them from a hilltop. Lü Bu took a group of cavalry, their embroidered flags fluttering in the wind, and charged ahead. Mu Shun, an officer under the command of Shangdang Commandery governor Zhang Yang, rode out on his horse, his spear in hand, to meet him in battle. He was knocked off of his horse from a single thrust of Lü Bu's halberd. Everyone was shocked. Wu Anguo, an officer under the command of Beihai Commandery governor Kong Rong, galloped out on his horse with his iron mallet in his hand. With a flourish of his halberd, Lü Bu smacked his horse on the rump, and rode out to intercept him. After more than ten bouts, a swipe of his halberd had cut off Anguo's hand at the wrist. He threw his mallet on the ground, and rode off. As soon as the soldiers from all eight armies had come out in unison to rescue Wu Anguo, Lü Bu retreated. All of the nobles returned to camp to discuss the matter. Cao Cao said, "Lü Bu is brave and has no equal in battle; we should gather the eighteen nobles to come up with a good strategy. If we were to capture Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo would be easy to kill." |
31[edit]
| 正議間，呂布復引兵搦戰。八路諸侯齊出。公孫瓚揮槊親戰呂布。戰不數合，瓚敗走。呂布縱赤兔馬趕來。那馬日行千里，飛走如風。看看趕上，布舉畫戟望瓚後心便刺。旁邊一將，圓睜環眼，倒豎虎鬚，挺丈八蛇矛，飛馬大叫：「三姓家奴休走！燕人張飛在此！」 |
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While they were discussing the matter, Lü Bu again led his troops out to challenge the nobles to battle. The eight nobles all went out in unison. Gongsun Zan, wielding his long lance, personally fought with Lü Bu. After not more than a few rounds, Zan was defeated and fled. Lü Bu made Red Hare catch up with him. His horse was capable of traveling great distances in a single day, and was as fast as the wind. When he saw that he was about to catch up, Bu raised his trident halberd and stabbed straight at the center of Zan's back. An officer on the sidelines, who had big round eyes and whiskers that stood up on end, held up his 1.8 zhang snake lance and yelled out while galloping at full speed,[35] "Don't run off, you house servant with three surnames![36] I, Zhang Fei from Yan, am here!" |
32[edit]
| 呂布見了，棄了公孫瓚，便戰張飛。飛抖擻精神，酣戰呂布。連鬥五十餘合，不分勝負。雲長見了，把馬一拍，舞八十二斤青龍偃月刀，來夾攻呂布。三匹馬丁字兒廝殺。戰到三十合，戰不倒呂布。劉玄德掣雙股劍，驟黃鬃馬，刺斜裡也來助戰。 |
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When Lü Bu saw this, he abandoned his pursuit of Gongsun Zan, and took on Zhang Fei instead. Fei fought valiantly in a pitched battle against Lü Bu. They fought for more than fifty consecutive bouts, with no clear winner or loser. When Yunchang saw this, he slapped his horse on the rump, gave a flourish with his 82 catty Green Dragon Crescent Blade,[37] and attacked Lü Bu from the other side so that Lü Bu was trapped between them. The three horses had now formed a "T" shape as they fought. After fighting for thirty bouts, they were unable to bring down Lü Bu. Then Liu Xuande drew both of the straight swords that he was wearing on his hips, and raced out on his yellow-maned horse from the side so that he could also assist in the fighting. |
33[edit]
| 這三個圍住呂布，轉燈兒般廝殺。八路人馬，都看得呆了。呂布架隔遮攔不定，看著玄德面上，虛刺一戟，玄德急閃。呂布蕩開陣角，倒拖畫戟，飛馬敗回。三個那裡肯捨，拍馬趕來。八路軍兵，喊聲大震，一齊掩殺。呂布軍馬，望關上奔走。玄德、關、張隨後趕來。古人曾有篇言語，單道著玄德、關、張三戰呂布： |
 The three of them surrounded Lü Bu, and fought with him in a manner that resembled one of those toy lanterns which are adorned with a revolving circle of paper horses.[38] The armies of the eight nobles were all dumbfounded. Lü Bu fought and parried, but was unable to hold them off indefinitely. Seeing Xuande's face, he halfheartedly stabbed with his trident halberd, but Xuande quickly dodged the attack. Lü Bu recklessly forced his way through the forward double-column formation of soldiers, his painted halberd in tow, and sped off on his horse in defeat. But the three of them were in no mood to let him get away, so they slapped their horses on the rump and chased after him. The forces of the eight nobles let out a thunderous roar, and charged in unison. Lü Bu's forces fled to the top of the pass. Xuande, Guan and Zhang were following right behind him. The ancients had a poem dedicated to the subject of the fight between Xuande, Guan and Zhang and Lü Bu: |
34[edit]
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35[edit]
| 三人直趕呂布到關下，看見關上西風飄動青羅傘蓋。張飛大叫：「此必董卓！追呂布有甚強處；不如先拿董賊，便是斬草除根！」拍馬上關來擒董卓。正是：擒賊定須擒賊首，奇功端的待奇人。未知勝負如何，且聽下文分解。 |
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The three of them followed Lü Bu to the base of the pass, when they saw a bluish-green silk umbrella covering at the top of the pass, fluttering in the western winds of autumn. Zhang Fei yelled out, "That must be Dong Zhuo! There's no great advantage to pursuing Lü Bu; it would be better to first capture the bandit rebel Dong; that way, we could pull out the weed by its roots!" He slapped the rump of his horse, and headed to the top of the pass in order to capture Dong Zhuo. It was a case of:
Don't know who won and who lost? Keep reading, and all will be explained. |
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Three heroes: Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei
- ↑ The State of Wei was in present day Qingfeng County, Henan.
- ↑ Literal meaning: refined and modest
- ↑ Literal meaning: achieving gracefulness
- ↑ Literal meaning: first to yield
- ↑ Literal meaning: child who is filial
- ↑ Literal meaning: child who is honest and upright
- ↑ At the time, the color yellow was commonly used on military banners.
- ↑ See chapter 2.
- ↑ One li was approximately 415.8 meters, 200 li would have been 83.16 km (~51.64 miles).
- ↑ For four generations, Yuan Shao's ancestors had occupied one of the 三公 posts (Three Excellencies: the three highest civil posts in the country):
- great-great grandfather: Yuan An (袁安) was a 司徒 (Minister over the Masses)
- great grandfather: Yuan Chang (袁敞) was a 司空 (Minister of Works)
- grandfather: Yuan Tang (袁湯) was a 太尉 (Grand Commandant)
- father: Yuan Feng (袁逢) was a 司空 (Minister of Works)
- ↑ In ancient times, five different colors (green, red, white, black and yellow) were used on banners to depict the five directions: east, south, west, north and center. The banners were used for coordinating movement in battle.
- ↑ These two items signified the start of a military expedition. The gilded battle-ax was symbolic of the power and authority of an emperor or high official.
- ↑ Smearing one's mouth with the blood of a sacrificed animal showed one's commitment when taking an oath. Some descriptions of this ritual also imply that the blood was licked or even swallowed.
- ↑ Lü Bu uses the term "father" out of respect. He is not actually related to him.
- ↑ One chi was approximately 23.1 cm, nine chi was approximately 2.079 meters (6 feet, 9.85 inches).
- ↑ Literal meaning: moral plans
- ↑ The snake lance was an unusually long lance, commonly used on horseback. The term snake refers to its length.
- ↑ Literal meaning: answers to the public
- ↑ Literal meaning: fair and just
- ↑ Literal meaning: great glory
- ↑ In ancient times, the swords produced in Guding garrison (古錠鎮; in present day Hebei) were famous for being sharp.
- ↑ Between Wuhu and Nanjing, the Yangtze River flows north to south. The east side of the river is on the southern bank.
- ↑ One chi was approximately 23.1 cm,nine chi was approximately 2.079 meters (6 feet, 9.85 inches).
- ↑ One chi was approximately 23.1 cm, two chi was approximately 46.2 cm (~18 inches).
- ↑ i.e. the corners of his eyes were turned up
- ↑ i.e. they were long and tapered
- ↑ i.e. his face had a dark red hue to it, like the color of dark jujube fruit
- ↑ The author is more or less repeating the description given in chapter 1.
- ↑ The Army of the Center is headed by the senior field commander.
- ↑ In actuality, Sishui Pass and Hulao Pass referred to the same location. The author either took literary license here, or he was himself confused.
- ↑ One li was approximately 415.8 meters, 50 li would have been 20.79 km (~12.91059 miles)
- ↑ Xichuan was an alternate name for Yizhou (an ancient name for the Sichuan basin).
- ↑ One li was approximately 415.8 meters, 30 li would have been 12.474 km (~7.746354 miles).
- ↑ One zhang (丈) was approximately 2.31 meters, 1.8 zhang was approximately 4.158 meters (~13 feet 5.35 inches); the term snake most likely referred to the length of the lance, rather than the shape of its head.
- ↑ Three surnames: Lü Bu became the adopted son of Ding Yuan, then later became the adopted son of Dong Zhuo.
- ↑ One catty was approximately 220 grams, 82 catties was approximately 18.04 kilograms (~39.7782 pounds).
- ↑ This type of lantern was (and still is) particularly popular during new years festivals. click here to see a photo.