Novel scene
Zhao Yun Blocks the River and Recovers A Dou 趙雲截江奪阿斗
About this event
Zhao Yun Blocks the River and Recovers A Dou is the scene from the chapter title of Chapter 61 of the Romance, "Zhao Yun Cuts Off the River and Snatches A Dou." While Liu Bei is away at Jiameng Pass, Sun Quan sends Zhou Shan to take Lady Sun and A Dou back to Wu on the pretext of Dowager Wu's illness; Zhao Yun gives chase in a fishing boat, leaps onto the large ship and snatches A Dou, and Zhang Fei blocks the river and cuts down Zhou Shan. Romance, Ch. 61 §6 · 10–12 · 15–19 · 21–22
Chen Shou's text has no such scene. The Biographies of Pang Tong and Fa Zheng in Records of Shu 7 record that Lady Sun was strong-willed and fierce, and that because more than a hundred maidservants stood by her holding blades, Liu Bei always felt a chill in his heart whenever he went in to her. Records, Shu 7 §28–29
In the Romance
In Chapter 61 of the Romance, when Liu Bei goes to Jiameng Pass to hold off Zhang Lu, Gu Yong of Eastern Wu proposes cutting off the road back and attacking Jing Province. But Sun Quan's mother, Dowager Wu, comes out from behind a screen and rebukes him, asking whether he means to harm her only daughter. Zhang Zhao suggests calling Lady Sun back with a secret letter saying that the Dowager is gravely ill, and bringing Liu Bei's only son A Dou as well, who could be exchanged for Jing Province, and Sun Quan sends the bold Zhou Shan with five hundred men disguised as merchants in five ships. Romance, Ch. 61 §6 · 8–12
On reading the secret letter, Lady Sun puts the seven-year-old A Dou in a carriage and boards a ship at Shatou Town with some thirty sword-bearing attendants. Zhao Yun, returning from patrol and hearing the news, chases along the river with four or five horsemen, catches up in a fishing boat, parries the arrows with his spear, draws the Qinggang Sword and leaps onto the large ship. Asking what right she has to take away the young lord he had rescued from among a million troops at Changban, Zhao Yun snatches A Dou from Lady Sun's arms and holds him, but the ship drifts out into the middle of the river. Romance, Ch. 61 §12–20
Zhang Fei, coming out of an inlet downstream with more than ten boats, leaps onto the Wu ship, cuts down Zhou Shan and throws his head before Lady Sun. When Lady Sun says she will throw herself into the river unless they let her go home, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun return to their own boat with only A Dou and let her ships go. Zhuge Liang comes out with boats to meet them and informs Liu Bei at Jiameng Pass, and Sun Quan, hearing Lady Sun's account after her return to Wu, means to attack Jing Province but gives it up at the news that Cao Cao is invading with 400,000 men. Romance, Ch. 61 §21–27
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.