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| Zhang Fei meets the Yellow Turbans |
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| The scout came back and reported: “The forces of the traitors are very powerful. Most of the traitors are in Xiqing prefecture, Yan Province. 500,000 traitors are located at two places. 300,000 of them are in Yan Province. 12.5 kilometers away from the Yan Province, two leaders are at the Xinglin villa. One is Zhang Bao,[1] another one is Zhang Biao.[2] They lead 20,000 soldiers.” The marshal gave the vanguard 50,000 soldiers to determine the actual situation in Xiqing Fu. Liu Bei said: “I don’t need 50,000 soldiers. I only need my own 3,500 soldiers.” Then [Liu Bei] led his soldiers camped at Rencheng Prefecture. Next, the marshal led the main forces and camped at Rencheng prefecture as well.
The marshal asked the officers again about which person could go to detect the traitors’ actual situation, and summon them to surrender. Liu Bei said: “Bei would love to go as a vanguard.” Immediately, the marshal sent him the edict of pardon. Liu Bei received the edict, bid farewell to the marshal. Then he led his soldiers to the east gate of Rencheng Prefecture, swam across the river and headed to Ban village. Xuande asked: “How far is it from here to Xinglin villa?” “Around 6 kilometers.” Xuande asked the soldiers: “Who is willing to summon Zhang Biao to surrender in Xinglin villa with the edict of pardon?” Zhang Fei responded: “Fei is willing to go.” Liu Bei asked: “How many soldiers do you need?” Fei answered: “I don’t need any soldiers. Fei will go to summon Zhang Biao to surrender in Xinglin villa with the edict of pardon all by myself.” Zhang Fei departed to Xinglin villa alone with a horse. The guards at the gate couldn’t stop him. Fei went straight to the praetorian tent, where he halted his horse, and rested his lance across his waist. Over fifty people were sitting in the tent. Zhang Biao was sitting in the middle. Over five hundreds of soldiers around the tent got their lances ready warily. Zhang Biao and everyone was shocked. Zhang Biao asked: “Who are you? Are you a scout?” Zhang Fei answered: “I am not a scout. I am just an ordinary soldier in the vanguard’s army, under the command of the marshal of the Han. I’m here not for myself, but to summon you to surrender with the imperial edict of pardon from the emperor. Even though you conspired treasons and killed officials sent by the Son of the Heaven,[3] you will all be pardoned. If you surrender to the Han, remove your yellow turban, and raise your flag for the country, your sons and wife will be ennobled, and you will be awarded a high position with great prizes. If you don’t surrender, I will slaughter you all!” Zhang Biao ordered soldiers to get Fei immediately, raging about Fei’s words. All the soldiers rushed forward to attack Fei. Fei didn’t even take a look. He swept the enemies who were within the circle of his attack range, only with the tip of his four meters long lance. Nobody could approach him. Countless lances were snapped. The traitors were all startled and made room for Fei when they heard his yell. Fei alone with his horse went across the traitors’ campsite freely and nobody dared to block him. Suddenly, the traitors heard the sounds of gongs and drums. Zhang Biao saw a person coming to the tent and reported: “A disaster, Your Majesty!” Zhang Biao asked: “What disaster?” “The vanguard army of the Han divided into six troops with five hundred soldiers each. With wildly sounding gongs and drums, they are waving their flags and yelling. And they just burst into our camp!” Zhang Biao immediately summoned some traitors and fled to the direction to Yan Province. The Han army was chasing after them around 20 kilometers.[4] Xuande retreated his army, camped at Xinglin villa. Xuande ordered soldiers to guard the gate and checked on his officials. He asked where the traitors went. The officials answered: “The traitors all entered the city of Yan Province. They abandoned the seniors and children. And we killed them all.” Afterwards, Xuande wrote a report and sent it to the marshal, asking him to come to Xinglin villa. The marshal was very pleased to see the report. He led his army to Xinglin villa right away. Liu Bei received and seated the marshal in the tent and set up a banquet. The marshal made an order that all the officials of the marshal’s army and the vanguard’s army would be rewarded. During the banquet, a scout came and reported in front of the tent: “After Zhang Biao went to Yan Province, his army joined Zhang Bao’s army. Their forces are growing.” Hearing this, the marshal made a command: “Who is going to take over Yan Province?” Xuande responded: “Liu Bei is willing to go.” The marshal was very pleased: “According to the scout, the traitors’ forces are powerful. It is difficult for a few to defeat a crowd. You’d better go with more soldiers.” Bei said: “I don’t need many soldiers. Only my ordinary officials are more than enough.” The marshal said: “Then just be careful!” Xuande bid farewell to the marshal, led his troops to Yan Province with the edict of pardon. They camped around four kilometers away from Yan Province. Xuande asked: “Who is willing to summon Zhang Biao and Zhang Bao to surrender?” |
。。。數目。
探事人回言：「賊兵大勢，袞州昔慶府最多，賊軍五十萬，在於兩處。袞州有賊軍三十萬；離袞州三十里，杏林莊有二頭目，一名張寶，[5]一名張表，領兵二十萬。」元帥交先鋒將領五萬軍，去探昔慶府虛實。劉備曰：「不用五萬軍，止用本部三千五百軍。」先往任城縣下寨。元帥大軍隨後亦到任城縣下寨。
元帥又問諸將，誰人再探賊人虛實，招安賊人。劉備曰：「備為先鋒願往。」即時分付詔赦。劉備齎擎詔赦，辭了元帥，引本部下軍，往任城縣東門，打跳河中過去。前去班村。玄德問曰：「這裡離杏林莊遠近？」「約一十五里。」玄德問眾軍：「誰可將詔赦往杏林莊招安張表？」道罷，張飛曰：「飛願往。」曰：「爾用軍多少？」飛曰：「不用軍兵。飛獨往將詔赦去杏林莊招安張表。」
張飛一人一騎，便出至杏林莊上。有把門軍卒遮當不住，直至中軍帳下，立馬橫槍。帳上坐著五十餘人，中間坐著張表。帳下五百餘人皸槍。張表等眾人皆驚。張表問：「甚人？莫非探馬？」張飛曰：「我不是探馬，我是漢元帥手下先鋒軍內一卒。我不為私來，我有皇帝聖旨並詔赦。若有謀反大逆，殺天子命官，盡皆赦免。若投漢者，去其黃巾，打國家旗號，蔭子封妻，高官重賞。如不投者，盡皆誅戮！」
張表聞言大怒，呼左右即下手。眾軍們齊向前來刺張飛。張飛不望，用丈八長槍撮梢兒把定輪轉動。眾軍不能向前。打折賊軍槍桿，勿知其數。寨中賊兵發喊驚恐自開。張飛一騎馬，於賊軍中縱橫來往，無人敢當。賊軍自聞鑼鼓之聲。
張表見一人，帳下報喏：「大王禍事！」張表問：「怎生禍事！」「今有漢先鋒軍分六隊，各領兵五百，金鼓亂鳴，搖旗發喊，奪門撞入寨中！」張表急速領賊兵，一發奔袞州走。漢軍隨後追趕，到五十餘里。
玄德收軍，往杏林莊下寨。玄德令軍把了寨門，點視諸將。問軍趕賊那裡去也，答曰都入袞州城也，有拋棄老小，盡皆殺了。玄德便申元帥，交奔杏林莊來。元帥見申狀，大喜。即時領軍至杏林莊。劉備接著元帥，共於帳上坐定，筵宴。元帥降令，先鋒軍兵並帥府下諸將頭目等，盡皆賜賞。
正筵宴間，有一探馬至帳前報喏：「今有張表入袞州，與張寶合兵一處甚大。」道罷，元帥降令：「誰人取取袞州？」玄德曰：「劉備願往。」元帥大喜：「據賊兵勢大，寡不敵眾，你多將軍兵去。」備曰：「不用軍多，止將本部下雜虎軍去足矣。」元帥曰：「爾去，在意者！」
玄德即時辭了元帥，將詔赦領兵奔袞州來。前離袞州十餘里，下寨。玄德曰：「誰人將詔赦招安張表並張。。。