Then Tien Wei spun round and flung the darts. With every fling a man fell from the saddle and never a dart missed.
Having thus slain half a score the remainder fled and Tien quickly remounted his steed, set his twin lance and rushed again into the fight with a vigour that none could withstand. One by one his opponents yielded and he was able to lead Ts‘ao Ts‘ao safely out of the press of battle. Ts‘ao and his captains went to their camp.
But as evening fell the noise of pursuit fell on their ears and soon appeared Lü Pu himself. “Ts‘ao, you rebel, do not flee!” shouted he as he approached with his halberd ready for a thrust.
All stopped and looked in each others’ faces: the men were weary, their steeds spent. Fear smote them and they looked around for some place of refuge.
You may lead your lord safely out of the press,
But what if the enemy follow?
We cannot say here what Ts‘ao Ts‘ao’s fate was, but the next chapter will relate.
