d　our　armors　and　gripped　our　weapons　in　many　bloody　fights。　Now；　Sir；　you　have　been　placed　in　supreme　mand　to　repulse　Shu；　and　there　should　be　some　plan　of　campaign　made　for　us　at　once；　some　dispositions　of　our　forces；　and　some　definite　advance　toward　that　end。　Instead　of　that　we　are　told　to　strengthen　our　defenses　and　are　forbidden　to　fight。　What　are　we　to　wait　for？　Will　Heaven　destroy　our　opponents　for　us？　We　are　not　afraid　to　die。　Why　is　our　keenness　left　to　be　eaten　away　and　our　energies　wasted　in　idleness？'

All　the　others　applauded　this　speech　and　cried　that　the　speaker　had　expressed　their　own　ideas。

〃General　Han　Dang　just　says　what　we　think：　Let　us　fight　a　decisive　battle；〃　they　cried。

The　new　mander　waited　till　the　uproar　had　subsided；　then　drawing　his　sword；　he　shouted；　〃That　I　am　a　student　is　true。　But　I　have　been　entrusted　with　a　great　task；　a　task　for　which　the　Prince　of　Wu　considers　me　petent　and　for　the　performance　of　which　I　am　prepared　to　bear　all　the　responsibilities。　As　for　you；　you　will　do　well　to　act　on　the　defensive　as　I　ordered　and　not　allow　yourselves　to　be　led　astray　into　any　attacks。　And　I　shall　put　the　disobedient　to　death！〃

This　speech　had　little　effect；　and　they　dispersed　grumbling　and　murmuring。

Meanwhile　the　Ruler　of　Shu　had　made　a　long　chain　of　forty　camps　from　Xiaoting　to　the　borders　of　the　River　Lands；　spreading　out　two　hundred　miles。　These　base　camps　looked　very　imposing　with　their　fluttering　banners　by　day　and　their　fires　at　night。

Then　the　spies　came　in　and　reported：　〃Wu　appointed　Lu　Xun　as　mander…in…Chief。　Lu　Xun　ordered　his　manders　to　defend　strategic　points　and　not　to　engage　in　battle。〃

〃What　sort　of　a　man　is　this　Lu　Xun？〃　said　the　First　Ruler。

〃He　is　a　scholar　among　the　people