Strona 119 z 266

[Li Ch'uan alludes to the great victory won by Han Hsin over Lung

Chu at the Wei River. Turning to the Ch'ien Han Shu, ch. 34, fol.

6 verso, we find the battle described as follows: "The two armies

were drawn up on opposite sides of the river. In the night, Han

Hsin ordered his men to take some ten thousand sacks filled with

sand and construct a dam higher up. Then, leading half his army

across, he attacked Lung Chu; but after a time, pretending to

have failed in his attempt, he hastily withdrew to the other

bank. Lung Chu was much elated by this unlooked-for success, and

exclaiming: "I felt sure that Han Hsin was really a coward!" he

pursued him and began crossing the river in his turn. Han Hsin

now sent a party to cut open the sandbags, thus releasing a great

volume of water, which swept down and prevented the greater

portion of Lung Chu's army from getting across. He then turned

upon the force which had been cut off, and annihilated it, Lung

Chu himself being amongst the slain.