s。〃

This　offer　rejoiced　Zhang　Lu；　who　sent　away　Huang　Quan　with　a　promise　to　help。　Then　Zhang　Lu　told　off　twenty　thousand　for　Ma　Chao　to　lead。　Pang　De　was　too　ill　to　take　part　in　the　expedition；　so　he　remained　in　Hanzhong。　Zhang　Lu　ordered　Yang　Bo　to　be　Army　Supervisor。　Ma　Chao　and　Ma　Dai　chose　a　day　to　march　to　Jiameng　Pass。

Meanwhile；　the　messenger　sent　to　Chengdu　by　Fa　Zheng　had　returned　to　Luocheng　to　report：　〃Zheng　Du　advised　Liu　Zhang　to　set　fire　to　all　the　plains　and　valleys　between　the　capital　and　the　invaders；　as　well　as　the　granaries；　to　move　sway　the　people；　and　to　stand　solely　on　the　defensive。〃

This　news　caused　Liu　Bei　and　Zhuge　Liang　great　anxiety；　for　it　would　be　a　grave　danger　to　them。　However；　Fa　Zheng　was　more　sanguine。

〃Do　not　be　anxious；〃　said　he；　〃the　plan　would　be　extremely　harmful；　but　it　will　not　be　carried　out。　Liu　Zhang　will　not　do　that。〃

Surely　enough；　very　soon　they　heard　that　Liu　Zhang　had　not　adopted　the　suggestion；　he　would　not　remove　the　people。　It　was　a　great　relief　to　Liu　Bei

Then　said　Zhuge　Liang；　〃Now　let　us　capture　Mianzhu　quickly；　for；　that　done；　Chengdu　is　as　good　as　ours。〃

Liu　Bei　therefore　told　off　Huang　Zhong　and　Wei　Yan　to　advance　first。　When　mander　of　Mianzhu；　Fei　Guan；　heard　of　their　advance；　he　ordered　Li　Yan　to　go　out　to　stop　them；　and　Li　Yan　led　out　three　thousand　troops。　The　two　sides　being　arrayed；　Huang　Zhong　rode　out　and　fought　some　half　hundred　bouts　with　Li　Yan。　Neither　was　able　to　claim　a　victory；　and　so　Zhuge　Liang　from　the　midst　of　the　host　ordered　them　to　beat　the　gongs　to　cease　from　battle。

When　Huang　Zhong　had　got　back　to　his　side　again；　he　said；　〃O　Instructor；　why　did　you　sound　the　retirement　just　as　I　was　getting　the　better　of　my　opponent？〃

〃Becau