Orders were given for a banquet. While it was being prepared, a messenger came to report, saying, “Huang Zhong and Wei Yan had been fighting with Wu Lan and Lei Tong and had held their own, till enemy reinforcements led by Wu Yi and Liu Gui arrived. Huang Zhong and Wei Yan then fled eastward.”
Zhang Fei at once asked his brother to go with him to rescue them. Both went. When Wu Yi and Liu Gui saw the army of Jingzhou coming, they retired into the city. Wu Lan and Lei Tong continued the pursuit. The coming of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei threatened their rear, and Huang Zhong and Wei Yan turned and recommenced the battle. Wu Lan and Lei Tong were thus between two fires and helpless. They offered to surrender and were received. Liu Bei returned to his own camp near the city.
The loss of his two generals grieved Zhang Ren sorely. He called his remaining two and asked advice. They proposed to risk all in one desperate battle while they sent to Chengdu to tell their master of their sorry plight.
Zhang Ren agreed.
Said he, “Tomorrow I will go and challenge them. If they accept and come out to fight, I will feign retreat and inveigle them round to the north side of the city. As they follow me, a sortie must be made when they pass the gate so as to cut their army in two. We ought to overcome them in this way.”
“Let me lead the sortie,” said Wu Yi. “General Liu Gui can stay to help our lord's son Liu Xun guard the city.”
This also was agreed to. Next morning Zhang Ren went out to offer the challenge, his troops waving flags and shouting lustily. At once Zhang Fei took up the challenge and rode out. He stayed not to parley, but galloped up to Zhang Ren and engaged him. After about ten bouts Zhang Ren seemed to be getting worsted, so he turned and fled, taking the way around the north of the city. Zhang Fei pursued him with all speed. Then as he passed the gate, Wu Yi made a sortie so that Zhang Fei was between two forces and unable to get clear. Zhang Ren turned back to attack.
Zhang Fei seemed in a parlous state. But at this very moment a body of soldiers came up from the river-side and a fierce warrior rode straight for Wu Yi, and in the first bout made him prisoner; his troops were then forced back, and Zhang Fei was free. It was Zhao Yun who had so opportunely appeared.
“Where is the Directing Instructor?” asked Zhang Fei.
“He has arrived; I think he has already seen our lord,” replied Zhao Yun.
The prisoner was carried to the camp where Zhuge Liang was. Zhang Fei dismounted and went in to greet him.
Zhuge Liang was surprised, and said, “How comes it that you arrived before me?”
Liu Bei told the story of Zhang Fei's prudence and sagacity in dealing with Yan Yan.
Zhuge Liang congratulated Zhang Fei and said, “When Zhang Fei behaves with such skill, my lord's good fortune is indeed ample.”
When the prisoner was taken in, Liu Bei asked him if he would surrender.
Wu Yi replied, “Why not, seeing I am a prisoner?”
Thereupon Liu Bei himself loosed his bonds. Zhuge Liang began to question him upon the defense.
Wu Yi told him the names of the officers, saying, “The son of the Imperial Protector, Liu Xun, and his generals Liu Gui and Zhang Ren are the defenders. Liu Gui does not count for much, but Zhang Ren is a man to be avoided.” “Then before we can get the city we must capture Zhang Ren,” said Zhuge Liang. “There is a bridge on the east; what is it called?”
“It is known as the 'Bridge of the Golden Goose.'“
Zhuge Liang rode over to the bridge and scrutinized the neighborhood.
After his return to camp, he summoned Huang Zhong and Wei Yan for orders.
To them he said, “On the east of the city is a bridge called the Bridge of the Golden Goose, and about two miles south of this I saw a dense growth of reed and sedge which would afford excellent shelter. Wei Yan is to lead a thousand spearmen to the left and attack, but only attack horsemen. Huang Zhong will lead a thousand swordsmen who are to cut the horses. When Zhang Ren has lost most of his troops and horses, he will flee by the hill road, where he will fall into an ambush of Zhang Fei.”
Next Zhao Yun was called and sent to lie in ambush close to the bridge, which he was to destroy as soon as the enemy had crossed. That done, Zhao Yun was to take up a position beyond the bridge to prevent the enemy from getting away to the north. Forced to the south, their destruction would be inevitable.
These arrangements made, Zhuge Liang himself went to challenge the enemy and try to bring them to battle.
Imperial Protector Liu Zhang had sent two generals, Zhang Yi and Zhuo Ying, to reinforce Zhang Ren. Zhang Ren sent Zhang Yi to the help of Liu Gui in the city, while Zhuo Ying was to march second with Zhang Ren himself to encounter the enemy.
Zhuge Liang led across the bridge a mob of disorderly looking soldiers, all in disarray, whom he drew up as if they were a fighting force. He himself, dressed in a simple robe and toying with a fan, took his seat in a small four-wheeled carriage. A few horsemen caracoling gaily to and fro formed his escort.
Having crossed the bridge, Zhuge Liang halted and pointed to Zhang Ren, saying, “Dare you withstand me and not surrender when Cao Cao's million troops fled at my name?”
But the enemy leader was rather occupied with inspecting the disorderly lot of soldiers he saw in front, all standing anyhow and not drawn up into formation at all.
With a cynical smile, Zhang Ren said, “People talk of Zhuge Liang's superhuman military genius; I say his reputation is false.”
With that Zhang Ren whirled his spear about his head, and he dashed forward with all his troops. As he came, Zhuge Liang left his carriage, mounted a horse, and retired to the far side of the bridge. Zhang Ren impetuously pursued and rushed over the Bridge of the Golden Goose. It was only when he had reached the other side that he saw a body of soldiers on either hand. Then he knew that he had been led into a trap.
As soon as he had got across the bridge, the two bodies of soldiers under Liu Bei and Yan Yan came to the attack. Zhang Ren turned to get back to the bridge, but Zhao Yun had done his work and the bridge was in ruins. Zhang Ren made to turn sway north, but Zhao Yun's troops stopped the way so he had to turn southward and followed the course of the river. He presently reached the place where grew the reeds and sedges. Out came Wei Yan and his company of spearmen, who stabbed at the horsemen fiercely while Huang Zhong, with his swordsmen, cut down the horses. Soldiers and horses were soon lying on the ground. The few survivors were quickly made prisoners and bound with cords. No footman escaped. But a few lucky horsemen followed Zhang Ren and got away to the hills. There they met Zhang Fei, who fell upon them with a mighty roar, scattered the few followers, and captured the leader. Seeing Zhang Ren a prisoner, his second in command Zhuo Ying turned toward Zhao Yun and surrendered. Victorious, they returned to camp. Liu Bei rewarded Zhuo Ying.
When the leader Zhang Ren was led in by Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang was seated beside his lord.
“Why have you held out so long after all the other generals of Yiazhou have yielded?” said Liu Bei.
“Can a loyal servant take a second master?” cried Zhang Ren fiercely, his eyes glaring with hate.
“You do not know the times; submission means life.”
“I might submit today, but it would not endure. I should repent it. You would better slay me.”
Liu Bei was inclined to mercy, but the prisoner was irreconcilable and kept up a stream of furious abuse. So at last the order was given for his execution, thus giving him a right to fame.
A poem says:
No second lord the heroic servant knows,
The way of death Zhang Ren contented goes.
Clear shines his fame as doth the heavenly moon