Novel scene
The Sun Family Takes Revenge on the Yangtze 戰長江孫氏報仇
About this event
This is the scene of the latter half of the title of Chapter 38 of the Romance, "The Sun Family Takes Revenge on the Yangtze": the passage in which, in the Battle of Jiangxia, Sun Quan attacked Huang Zu, the foe who had killed his father Sun Jian, and took his revenge. The Romance places this campaign in the spring of the year after the Dowager Lady Wu died in the winter of the 12th year of Jian'an, and Huang Zu's head is cut off and presented by Gan Ning at the beginning of Chapter 39. Romance, Ch. 38 §39 · 42 · 47Romance, Ch. 39 §2–3
In Chen Shou's text, this battle in the spring of the 13th year of Jian'an (208) is recorded in the Biography of the Lord of Wu in Records of Wu 2 and in the biographies of Lü Meng, Dong Xi, Gan Ning and others in Records of Wu 9 and 10, while Sun Jian's death from an arrow shot by Huang Zu's soldiers is in the Biographies of Sun Jian and Sun Ce in Records of Wu 1. Records, Wu 2 §11Records, Wu 9 §58–59Records, Wu 10 §49–50 · 57Records, Wu 1 §21
Course of events in the Records
According to the Biographies of Sun Jian and Sun Ce, in the 3rd year of Chuping Sun Jian, attacking Liu Biao on Yuan Shu's orders, defeated Huang Zu and besieged Xiangyang, but while riding alone past Mount Xian he was shot dead by an arrow from Huang Zu's soldiers. Records, Wu 1 §21
In the spring of the 13th year of Jian'an (208) Sun Quan again attacked Huang Zu. When Huang Zu blocked Miankou with two mengchong warships set crosswise, Dong Xi and Ling Tong charged in with men sworn to die and Dong Xi cut the ropes, and Lü Meng personally cut down Huang Zu's Area Commander Chen Jiu. Ling Tong, Dong Xi and others threw all their best troops into the attack and at last put the city to the sword; Huang Zu escaped alone but was beheaded by the cavalryman Feng Ze, and tens of thousands of men and women were taken captive. At the banquet the next day Sun Quan raised his cup to Dong Xi, saying, "Today's banquet is owed to the merit of cutting the ropes." Records, Wu 2 §11Records, Wu 10 §49–50Records, Wu 9 §58–59
In the Romance
In Chapter 38 of the Romance, when Sun Quan discussed attacking Huang Zu, Zhang Zhao held him back, saying that not even a year of mourning had passed, while Zhou Yu asked why one should wait a year to avenge a wrong. Just then Lü Meng brought in Gan Ning, who had come over from Huang Zu, and Gan Ning urged him, after defeating Huang Zu, to take the Chu Pass in the west and plan for Ba and Shu. Sun Quan made Zhou Yu Grand Commander and set out in person with a great army of 100,000. Romance, Ch. 38 §42 · 45–47
When Huang Zu's vanguard, Chen Jiu and Deng Long, blocked Miankou with mengchong warships moored by thick ropes, Gan Ning approached with more than a hundred small boats, cut the ropes, leapt onto the mengchong and cut down Deng Long, and Lü Meng burned the ships and cut down Chen Jiu. Pan Zhang captured Su Fei, and Sun Quan attacked Xiakou day and night. Romance, Ch. 38 §48–51
In Chapter 39, when Gan Ning blocked Huang Zu as he slipped out by the east gate, Huang Zu said he had never treated Gan Ning lightly, but Gan Ning rebuked him for having treated him as a river pirate. Fearing that Cheng Pu, coming up behind, would contend for the credit, Gan Ning shot Huang Zu with an arrow, cut off his head and presented it, and Sun Quan resolved to return to Jiangdong and offer it before his father's spirit tablet. Romance, Ch. 39 §1–3
Where the Romance differs
Huang Zu's end: In Chapter 39 of the Romance, Gan Ning shot Huang Zu in the back and cut off his head. The Biography of the Lord of Wu in the Records says that the cavalryman Feng Ze pursued him and cut off his head, while the biography of Lü Meng records that soldiers pursued and captured him, and the biography of Gan Ning that Sun Quan captured Huang Zu. Romance, Ch. 39 §2Records, Wu 2 §11Records, Wu 9 §59Records, Wu 10 §57
The ropes of the mengchong: In Chapter 38 of the Romance, Gan Ning approached in small boats and cut the ropes. In the biography of Dong Xi in the Records, Dong Xi and Ling Tong each led a hundred men sworn to die in the charge, and Dong Xi personally cut the two ropes with his sword. Romance, Ch. 38 §49Records, Wu 10 §49
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.