Hearing of the meditated attack on him, Liu Yao summoned his generals to take counsel.
Said General Zhang Ying, “I will take an army and entrench at Niuzhu. No army can get past that, whatever its strength.”
Zhang Ying was interrupted by another who shouted, “And let me lead the van!”
All eyes turned to this man; it was Taishi Ci who, after helping Kong Rong raise the siege of Beihai, had come to serve Liu Yao.
Hearing him offer to undertake the hazardous post of van leader, Liu Yao said, “But you are still young and not yet equal to such a charge. Rather stay by my side and await my orders.”
Taishi Ci withdrew in disappointment. Soon Zhang Ying led his army to Niuzhu, where the stores of grain located. When Sun Ce approached, Zhang Ying went to meet him, and the two armies faced each other above the Bullock Rapid. Zhang Ying roundly abused his opponent, and Huang Gai rode out to attack him. But before the combat had proceeded far, there arose an alarm of fire in Zhang Ying's camp. Zhang Ying turned back, and then Sun Ce advanced in full force, compelling the enemy to abandon their possession. The defeated general fled to the hills.
Now the incendiaries who had brought about this result were two, named Jiang Qin from Shouchun and Zhou Tai from Jiujiang, who in these turbulent times had got together a band of kindred spirits and lived by plundering the country along the Great River. They knew Sun Ce by reputation as a man who treated able people very liberally and wished to join him. So they came with their band, three hundred strong, and helped him in this way as an introduction. Sun Ce welcomed them and gave the leaders rank. After taking possession of the stores of all kinds abandoned by the runaways, and enlisting four thousand of those who surrendered into his own ranks, Sun Ce moved forward to attack Shenting.
After his defeat Zhang Ying returned to his master and told his misfortune. Liu Yao was going to punish his failure by death, but listened to his advisers, who asked for mercy for the unfortunate man, and sent him to command the garrison in Lingling. Liu Yao himself set out to meet the invaders. He camped south of the Sacred Hills. Sun Ce camped on the opposite side of the hills.
Sun Ce inquired the natives, “Is there a temple of Liu Xiu the Founder of Latter Hans in the vicinity?” They said, “There is a temple to the south on the summit of the hills.”
“I dreamed last night that Liu Xiu called me, so I will go and pray there,” said Sun Ce.
But Counselor Zhang Zhao advised, “My lord, you should not go as the enemy is on the other side, and you may fall into an ambush.”
“The spirit will help me; what need I fear?”
So Sun Ce put on his armor, took his spear and mounted, taking with him twelve of his commanders as an escort. They rode up the hills, dismounted, burned incense, and they all bowed in the shrine.
Then Sun Ce knelt and made a vow, saying, “If I, Sun Ce, succeed in my task and restore the authority of my late father, then will I restore this temple and order sacrifices at the four seasons.”
When they had remounted, Sun Ce said, “I am going to ride along the ridge and reconnoiter the enemy's position.”
His commanders begged him to refrain, but he was obstinate, and they rode there together, noting the villages below.
A soldier of the other side going along a bye road quickly reported the presence of horsemen on the ridge, and Liu Yao said, “It is certainly Sun Ce trying to inveigle us to battle. But do not go out.”
Taishi Ci jumped up, saying, “What better chance to capture him?”
So, without orders he armed himself and rode through the camp, crying, “If there be any valiant people among you, follow me!”
No one moved save a subaltern who said, “He is a valiant man and I will go with him.”
So he also went. The others only laughed at the pair.
Now having seen all he wished, Sun Ce thought it time to return and wheeled round his horse. But when he was going over the summit, some one shouted, “Stay, Sun Ce!”
Sun Ce turned; two horsemen were coming at full speed down the next hill. Sun Ce halted and drew up his little escort right and left, he himself with his spear ready.
“Which is Sun Ce?” shouted Taishi Ci.
“Who are you?” was the reply.
“I, Taishi Ci of Laihuang, come to take him prisoner.”
“Then I am he,” said Sun Ce, laughing. “Come both of you together; I am not afraid of you. If I were, I should not be Sun Ce.”
“You and all your crowd come on and I will not blench,” cried Taishi Ci putting his horse at a gallop and setting his spear. Sun Ce braced himself for the shock and the battle began. Fifty bouts were fought and still neither combatant had the advantage. Sun Ce's commanders whispered to each other their admiration and amazement. Taishi Ci saw that the spearmanship of his opponent showed no weak point whereby he could gain the advantage, so he decided to resort to guile. Feigning defeat he would lead Sun Ce to pursue. Taishi Ci however did not retire along the road by which he had come, but took a path leading around the hill instead of over it. His antagonist followed, shouting, “He who retreats is no worthy soldier!”
But Taishi Ci thought within himself, “He has twelve others at his back and I only one. If I capture him, the others will retake him. I will inveigle him into some secret spot and then try.”
So flying and fighting by turns he led Sun Ce, an eager pursuer, down to the plain. Here Taishi Ci suddenly wheeled about and attacked. Again they exchanged half a hundred bouts, without result. Then Sun Ce made a fierce thrust, which his opponent evaded by gripping the spear under his arm, while he himself did the same with his opponent's spear. Neither was wounded but each exerting his utmost strength to pull the other out of the saddle they both came to the ground.
Their steeds galloped off they knew not whither, while the two men, each dropping his spear, began a hand to hand struggle. Soon their fighting robes were in tatters. Sun Ce gripped the short lance that Taishi Ci carried at his back, while Taishi Ci tore off the Sun Ce's helmet. Sun Ce tried to stab with the short lance but Taishi Ci fended off the blow with the helmet as a shield.
Then arose a great shouting. Liu Yao had come up with a thousand soldiers. Sun Ce seemed now in sore straits. His twelve followers came up, and each combatant let go his hold. Taishi Ci quickly found another steed, seized a spear, and mounted. Sun Ce, whose horse had been caught by Cheng Pu, also mounted, and a confused battle began between the handful of men on one side and a whole thousand troops on the other. It swayed and drifted down the hill side. However, soon Zhou Yu leading his troops came to the rescue, and as evening drew on a tempest put an end to the fight. Both sides drew off and returned to camp.
Next day Sun Ce led his army to the front of Liu Yao's camp, and the challenge was accepted. The armies were drawn up. Sun Ce hung the short lance he had seized from Taishi Ci at the end of his spear and waved it in front of the line of battle and ordered his soldiers to shout, “If the owner of this had not fled, he would have been stabbed to death.”
On the other side they hung out Sun Ce's helmet, and the soldiers shouted back, “Sun Ce's head is here already.”
Both sides thus yelled defiance at each other, one side boasting, the other bragging. Then Taishi Ci rode out challenging Sun Ce to a duel to the death, and Sun Ce would have accepted, but Cheng Pu said, “My lord should not trouble himself; I will take him.”
And Cheng Pu rode forth.
“You are no antagonist for me,” said Taishi Ci. “Tell your master to come out.”
This incensed Cheng Pu, who rode at his opponent, and they two fought thirty bouts. The duel was stopped by the gongs of Liu Yao.
“Why did you sound the retreat?” said Taishi Ci. “I was just going to capture the wretch.”