saying；　〃What　grieves　my　lord？〃

〃No　great　matter；　only　this　last　failure　to　gain　my　ends。〃

〃The　difficulty　may　be　easily　removed；〃　said　Zhang　Zhao。　〃Choose　some　trusty　man　and　charge　him　with　a　secret　letter　to　Lady　Sun　Ren　saying　that　her　mother　is　dangerously　ill。　Give　him　five　hundred　men　as　escort　and　tell　him　to　make　his　way　privily　into　Jingzhou　City　and　deliver　the　letter。　Hearing　her　mother　wants　her；　she　will　rush　home　at　once；　and　she　might　bring　with　her　the　only　son　of　Liu　Bei。　Liu　Bei　will　be　glad　enough　to　exchange　Jingzhou　for　his　son。　If　he　will　not；　you　can　still　send　the　army。〃

〃That　sounds　like　a　good　plan；〃　said　Sun　Quan。　〃Further；　I　have　the　man　to　carry　it　out　successfully。　He　is　that　Zhou　Shan；　who　was　a　bold　one。　He　used　to　acpany　my　brother　in　his　youth。　He　is　the　man　to　go。〃

〃Keep　it　a　secret；　then；〃　said　Zhang　Zhao；　〃and　let　Zhou　Shan　start　quickly。〃

It　was　decided　that　Zhou　Shan　should　take　with　him　about　five　hundred　soldiers　disguised　as　ordinary　traders。　He　had　five　vessels　and　distributed　his　men　among　them；　while　weapons　were　hidden　in　the　holds。　Travel　documents　were　forged　to　look　like　veritable　authority　in　case　they　were　asked。

Zhou　Shan　set　out　along　the　river　route　for　the　city　of　Jingzhou　and　was　not　long　on　the　way。　He　anchored　his　ships　under　the　bank；　landed；　and　went　into　the　city　to　the　residence；　where　he　bade　the　doorkeepers　announce　him。　He　was　admitted　and　led　into　the　presence　of　Lady　Sun　and　presently　gave　her　the　secret　letter。　When　she　read　that　her　mother　was　in　danger　of　death；　she　began　to　weep　bitterly　and　questioned　the　messenger　closely。

Zhou　Shan　invented　a　story；　saying；　〃The　Dowager　Marchioness　is　really　fretting　for　a　sight　of　yours。　If　you　do　not　go　quickly；