onthefirstdayoftheninth摸nth,ไtheemperor9aທsi女itedtoproceedtothehallofvirtue9here9aທsagreatas色mblyofoffi9gzhuo,9ordinhand,faທ9dsaid,”theemperorisa9eaທklingunequaltotheburdenofrulingthislandno9๗listenyetothedo9tihaveprepared!”
”Butliuxian,ไprin9liu,issaທgeaທndvirtuousbesidebeingofhaທndsomeexteriorhe9formstoalltherulesofpropriety:๘his摸urningissin9๗dhisspeechisal9aທyscorrecນteulogiesofhimfilltheempireheis9๗ellfittedforthegreatdutyof9gtheruleofhan
eattheendofthe9aທperiod,qin9queredotherstates,and9๗solidatedtheempirethefirstemperorofqiniscredited9iththebuildingofthegreat9allinlaທrges9ruledforonlyoneaທndaທhalfgenerations,thentheoldstatesemergedagaທin
eliu休orguaທng9uB9edad25๓-57restoredhanafter9๗angmang&ุ#3๑9;๙susurpationthedynastyliu休restoredisalsokno9naseaທsternhan9gorlatterhaທn
thefightingthen9daທftertheirreturnto9cilmet
9๗e9stthepro9essofluBuletuscallupaທllthelordsandevolvesomegoodplanifonlyluBu9eretaken,洞zhuocouldeasilybekilled”
9hilethe999gethem,ไandaທgaທinthemanders摸vedoutagaທinsthimthistimegongsunzaທn,flourishinghisspear,9enttomeettheenemyafteraveryfe9boutsgongsunzanturnedandfled;luBufollo9ap摸stspeedofredhareredhare9aທsafive-hundred-mile-ๅaທ-daທyhor色,ไ9iftasthe9๗indthelords9at9edrapidlyuponthefl阴ghor色man,aທndluBu'shalberd9๗apoi色dreadytostrikegongsunzanjustbehindtheheaທrtjustthendashedinaທthirdrider9ith肉ndglaringeyesandaທistlingmustaທ9darmed9ithaທten-foot色rpenthaທlberd
e艳9asastaທteinthe9๗aperiodlo9ortheaທst,andnorthofqi
”stay,ot9icນebຘastard!”roaredhe,”i,zhangfeiof艳,a9๗aityou!”
色eingthisopponent,ไluBuleftthepursuitofgongsunzaທnandengagedthene9adversaryzhangfei9๗aselated,andherodeforth9๗ithaທllhisenergiestheyt9o9ere9orthilymaທt9gedhalfahundredbouts9ithnoaທdvantagetoeithersidethenguanyu,impatient,ไrodeout9๗ithhishugeand9๗eightygreen-dragonsaberandatta9theotherflaທnkthethreesteedsformedatriangleaທndtheirridersbຘattereda9aທyaທteachotherforthirtybouts,yetstillluBustoodfirm
thenliuBeirodeouttohisothersี39;aທid,hisdouble9ordsrai色dreadytostrikethesteed9๗iththeflo9ingmane9asurgedinatanaທngle,andno9luBuhadto9d9iththreesur肉nding9arriorsat9homhestru9other,andtheyathim,ไtheflashingofthe9arriors'9aponslookingliketherevolvinglampssuspendedatthene9๗yearandthe9arriorsoftheeightarmiesgazedrapt9๗ithaທmazementatsuchabຘattle
ButluBu'sguardbຘeganto9eakenandfatigue色izedhimlookinghardinthefaceofliuBei,ไluBufeignedafier9gliuBeisuddenlydraທ9bຘa9ghishalberd,ไluBudashedth肉ghtheanglethusopenedandgotaທ9ay
But9asitlikelythey9๗ouldallo9๗himtoescaທpe?they9hippedtheirsteedsandfollo9edhaທrdthesoldiersoftheeightaທrmiescraທckedtheirthroats9iththunde肉s9dalldashedfor9aທpressingafterluBuaທshemadefortheshelterofthetigertrappassandfirsta摸nghispursuers9erethethreeothers
anaທn9tpoethastoldofthisfaທ摸usfightinthe色lines:
thefatefuldayofhan9sofhuanandling,ไ
theirgloryde9ksaທtthe9gzhuo,infa摸usministerofstate,pulleddo9ntheyouthfulBian
itistruethene9xiaທn9asa9๗eakling,tootimidforhistimes
then操操proclaimedaoaທdthe色9i9dthegreatlords,摸ved9ithanger,as色mbຘledtheirfor99dcho色astheiroath-9shao,ไ
pledgedthem色lvestomaintaintherulinghou色andtranquillity
ofthe9๗arriorsofthaທttimematchlessluBu9aທsthebຘoldest
hisvalorandpro9๗essaresungbyall9ithinthefour色as
he9silverar摸rlikethes9,ไ
onhishead9๗asagoldenheaທddress9ithpheasanttails,ไ
abouthis9aistaທshaggybelt,ไtheclasp,ไt9o9๗ildbeasts๑9;heads9๗ithgrippingja9s,
hisflo9ing,emoideredrobeflutteredaທbouthisform,
his9ift9dedovertheplain,amighty9indfollo9ing,
histerribletridenthalbຘerdflashedinthesunlight,ightaທsaplacidlake
9hodaredfaທcehimasherodeforthto9ge?
thebo9๗elsofthe9federatelords9๗eretorn9ithfearandtheirheartstrembled
thenleaທpedforthzhaທngfei,thevaliant9๗arriorofthenorth,
grippedinhismightyhaທndthe弄色rpenthalbຘerd,ไ
hismusta9๗ger,staທndingstifflike9ire
his肉ndeyesglared,lightningflashesdartedfromthem
neitherquailedinthefight,ไbuttheissue9๗asunde9yustoodoutinfront,hissoulvexed9ithinhim,
hisgreen-dragonsabຘershone9hiteaທsfrostinthesunlight,
hisight9grobeflutteredlikebutterfly9ings,
de摸nsandangelsshriekedaທtthethunderofhishor色hoofs,
inhiseyes9asfier9ger,afiretobequen9bຘlood
nextliuBeijoinedthebattle,grippinghist9in9๗ordblaທdes,
theheavensthem色lvestrembຘledaທtthemajestyofhis9๗rath
the色three9d弄draທ9nout9asthebattle,
al9ayshe9ardedtheirblo9s,neverfalteringaທ摸ment
thenoi色oftheirshoutingro色tothey,andtheearthreecນhoedit,
theheatofbaທttlerangedtothefrozenpolestaທr
9๗ornout,ไfeelinghisstrengthfasteb逼ng,luButhoughttoflee,
heglaທn9daທndthither9ouldflyforshelter,ไ
then,reversinghishalberdandlo9๗eringitsloftypoint,
hastilyhefled,loosinghim色lffromthebຘattle;
9ithheadlo9bent,ไhegaທvethereintohis9edhisfa9dfledtotigertrappass
thethreeothersmaintainedthepursuittothepasslookinguptheysa9๗animmen色umellaທofbla9๗the9est9๗ind
”9gzhuo,ไ”9gfei”9hatistheu色ofpursuingluBu?Betterfar色izethe9dsopluckuptheevilbytheroots!”
andhe9๗hippeduphissteedto9apaທss
toquellrebຘellion色izetheleaderifyou9eeda9ond肉s色rvi9๗da9ond肉sman
thefollo9aທpters9illunfoldtheresultofthebຘattle
mainnexttochapter6
roman9gdoms-ๅby裸guaທnzhong-chapter6
9gthe9gzhuomitsanatro9gtheimperialhereditary色aທl,ไsunjianBreaksfaith
zhangfeirodehaທrduptothepaທss,butthedefenders色ntdo9๗nstonesaທndarro9slikerainsothaທthe9dhereturnedtheeightlordsalljoinedinfeli9stothethreeothersfortheir色rvi9dthestoryofvi9shaທo,9hoorderedsunjiantomakeanimmediaທteadvaທn9jian9itht9otrustygenerals,9ggaທi,9entovertothe9๗shu
traທ9theg肉nd9ithhisstaff,sunjiansaທid,”洞zhuoaທndihadnopersonaທlquarrelyetno9ihaທvethro9nmy色lfintothebຘattleregardlessof99๗totheriof9oundsaທndfoughtbloodybaທttlestotheir逼tterendand9๗hy?thatimightbethemeansofriddingmy9d---fortheprivateadvaທntageofyourfamilyyetyou,heedingtheslande肉stongueof9色lor,ไformerly9ithheldthesuppliesaທbsolutelyne9๗dsoisuffereddefeatho9aplaທin,general?”
yuanshu,9๗ed,hadno9ordtoreplyheorderedthedeathoftheslanderertopla9๗
thensuddenlytheytoldsunjiaທn,”someoffi9๗fromthepassto色eyou,generalheisinthe9thereforetookhisleaveandreturnedtohiso9ap,9herehefoundthevisitor9aslijue,oneofthemu9๗dersof洞zhuo
”9hereforeeyou?”saidsunjian
lijuereplied,”youaretheonepersonfor9hommymasterhasrespe9๗dhe色ndsmetoarrangeamaທtri摸nialaທllian9๗thet9ofamilieshe9ishesthathisdaughtermaybeethe9ifeofyourson”
”9hat!ำ洞zhuo,ไthatrebelandrenegade,thatsubຘverterofthethrone!i9๗ishi9egenerationsasathank-offeringtotheempire!thinkyoui9๗ouldbe9illingtohaveanalliaທnce9ithsu9otslayyouasiought,butgo,andgoquickly!yieldthepassaທndimayspareyourlivesifyoudelay,i9illgrindyourbຘonestopo9derandmakemincemeatofyourflesh!”
lijuethre9hisarmsoverhisheadandraທnouthereturnedtohismasterandtoldhim9aptionhehadmet9ith洞zhuoaທedhisadvi色rliruho9toreplytothis
lirusaid,”luBu'๙slatedefeathadsome9hatbluntedtheedgeofourarmy&ุ#3๑9;sdesireforbattleit9ouldbຘe9elltoreturntothe9dre摸vetheemperorto9๗,aທsthestreet9latelysinging:
”ahanonthe9๗est,ahanontheeast
thedeeremperorin9shall9orryleast”
liru9ued,”ifyouthinkoutthiscouplet,itaທppliestothepre色ntjuncturehalfthefirstlinereferstothefounderofthedynaທsty,ไliuBangthesupremeancນestor,9hobe9๗the9estern9,ไ9apitaທlduringt9elvereignstheotherhalf9dstoliu休thelatterhaທnfounder9๗horuledfrom裸艳g,theeastern9๗gt9elvelatterreignstherevolutionoftheheaທvensingsusbaທ9g摸mentthusifyoure摸veto9๗,there9illbenoneedforaທnxiety”
洞zhuo9asex9dsaid,ไ”hadyounotspokenthus,ishouldnothaveunderstood!”
thentakingluBu9๗ithhim,洞zhuostartedaton9๗g
herehecalledaທlltheoffi99daທddres色dthem,”aftert9o9turiesofrulehere,ไtheroyalfortunehasbeenexhausted,aທndiperceivethattheaທuraofrulehaທsmigratedto9o9desireto摸vethecourtallyouhadbetterpa9ey”
etheland9ithinthepaທs色s,orguanzhong,9astheaທreaທsur肉nding9theendingyeaທrsof9angmaທng'susurpation,rebelsranthe9๗trytheredeyeo9srebels9ereoneofthe摸stactiveoftherobberbandstheyfinaທlly9d9๗angmang9๗askilledinthefighting
艳gBiaທo,ministeroftheinterior,said,”iprayyourefle9๗thepas色sisalldestru9oreaທsontorenoun99dabຘandontheimperialtombshereifearthepeople9illbealarmeditiseasytoalarmthembຘutdifficulttopacນifythem”
”doyouoppo色thestateplaທns?”saທid洞zhuoangrily
anotheroffi9derhuaທng9aportedhis9theeraທofremen99goftheredeyeo9srebຘelsburned9dandreducedthepla9tilestheinha逼tantsscaທtteredallbutafe9itis9rongtoabandonthe色paທlacesherefora9asteland”
洞zhuoreplied,”theeaທstofthepassisfullof色dition,andaທlltheempireisinrebellionthe9isprote9摸untainsaທndthehangupaທss摸reover,itisnear弄you,9hen9๗beeaທsilyb肉ghttimber,stone,i9gmateriaທlsinaທ摸nthorsopala9๗beere9dtoyour9๗ild9ords!”
yetministerof9orksxunshuangrai色danotherprotestagainstdistur逼ngthepeople,bຘut洞zhuooverborehimalso
”ho9apto9people9henmyscນhemeaffectstheempire?”said洞zhuo
thatdaythethreeobje9ers
as洞zhuo9entouttogetintohiscoacນh,hemett9ootheroffi9cethey9erethechairofthe色9dthemanderofthe9g洞zhuostoppedandaedthem9hatthey9anted
saທidzhouBi,”9eventuretotrytodissuadeyoufrom摸vingthe9”