of the Bold Beauty〃; and one who described it wrote a poem:
The Ruler; defeated; fled to Baidicheng;
Through thunderous tiding; Lady Sun mitted suicide。
Today the water still flows by the carved stone
To show where and why this heroine died。
There could be no question that this exploit brought tremendous glory to Lu Xun。 Anxious to push his advantage as far as possible; Lu Xun led his exultant army westward。 But as he drew near to Kui Pass; he suddenly pulled up his horse; remarking that he saw an aura of death about the mountain side in front。
〃We may not yet advance farther。 I suspect an ambush。〃
So they retreated three miles and camped in a wide open space。 And the army was arrayed ready against any sudden attack。 Meanwhile; scouts were sent out。 They returned reporting no soldiers。 Lu Xun doubted and went up to the summit of a hill whence he could see over the country。 The aura was still visible to him; and so he dispatched other people to spy。 But he received the same report: Not a soldier; not a horse。
Still; as the sun got lower and lower in the west; he saw the same appearance accentuated; and he began to feel grave doubts。 He sent a confidant to look once more。
This man came back; saying; 〃There is not a single soldier; but I have noticed on the river bank nearly a hundred heaps of boulders。〃
The mander…in…Chief; still doubting; called in several of the natives and questioned them about the stones。
〃Who put them there? Why did they look so ghastly?〃 asked Lu Xun。
〃We do not know。 This place is called Fishbelly Creek。 When Zhuge Liang was going west into the River Lands; he came along here with a lot of soldiers and heaped up the boulders like that on the sandy beach。 We have