At Jingzhou The Son Of Liu Biao Thrice Begs Advice; At Bowang Slope The Directing Instructor Plans His First Battle.

Now Sun Quan fought against Xiakou. When Huang Zu recognized that he was beaten and could not maintain his position, he abandoned Jiangxia and took the road to Jingzhou. Gan Ning, foreseeing this, had laid an ambush outside the east gate of Jiangxia. Soon after the fugitive, with a small following, had burst out of the gate, he found his road blocked.
From horseback, Huang Zu said, "I treated you well in the past. Why do you now press me so hard?"
Gan Ning angrily shouted, "I did good service for you, and yet you treated me as a pirate. Now what have you to say?"
There was nothing to be said, and Huang Zu turned his horse to escape. But Gan Ning thrust aside his troops and himself rode in pursuit. Then he heard a shouting in his rear and saw General Cheng Pu coming up. Fearing lest this other pursuer should overpass him and score the success he desired for himself, Gan Ning fitted an arrow to his bow and shot at the fugitive. Huang Zu was hit and fell from his steed. Then Gan Ning cut off his head. After this, joining himself to Cheng Pu, the two returned bearing the ghastly trophy to their lord. Sun Quan ordered them to place it in a box to be taken back home and offered as a sacrifice to the manes of his father.
Having rewarded the soldiers for the victory and promoted Gan Ning, Sun Quan next discussed the advisability of sending a force to hold Jiangxia.
But his adviser, Zhang Zhao, said, "It is impossible to try to hold one distant city alone. It is better to return home and prepare for the expedition that Liu Biao will surely send in revenge. We will meet and defeat his worn army, push home the attack, and capture his whole region."
Sun Quan saw the advice was wise, so he left Jiangxia and led his army home to the South Land.
Now Su Fei was still confined, but he got someone to go to Gan Ning to beg him to plead for mercy. Gan Ning had expected this although the prisoner had said no word, and he was averse from leaving his friend and one-time protector to perish.
"I should not have forgotten him even if he had said nothing," said Gan Ning.
When the army had returned, Sun Quan gave orders for Su Fei's execution that his head might be offered with that of Huang Zu.
Then Gan Ning went in to his lord and said, weeping, "Long ago, if it had not been for Su Fei, my bones would have been rotting in some ditch and how then could I have rendered service under your banner? Now he deserves death, but I cannot forget his kindness to me, and I pray you take away the honors you have bestowed on me as a set-off to his crime."
Sun Quan replied, "Since he once showed kindness to you, I will pardon him for your sake. But what can be done if he run away?"
"If he be pardoned and escape death, he will be immeasurably grateful and will not go away. If he should, then will I offer my life in exchange."
So the condemned man escaped death,