Chapter 34

Someone, take this general to the main tent and look after him well; have the military doctor properly treat his wounds. This man will surely be of great use!

Translation: "Come here, take this general to the main tent and look after him well; let the military doctor properly treat his wounds—this person will surely be of great use!"

We need to keep it concise but faithful. Let's produce: "Come here, take this general to the main tent and look after him well; have the military doctor properly treat his wounds—this person will surely be of great use!"

Check: "Come here" = "take this general to the main tent and look after him well"; "let the military doctor properly treat his wounds"; "this person will surely be of great use!" Good.

Two armored soldiers helped the unconscious Meng Hu Zhang Liao down, as they had agreed.

Two armored soldiers supported the unconscious Meng Hu Zhang Liao and withdrew as ordered.

Two armored soldiers helped the unconscious Meng Hu Zhang Liao down, as they had agreed.

Better: "Two armored soldiers helped the unconscious Meng Hu Zhang Liao down, as they had agreed."

Let's produce: "Two armored soldiers helped the unconscious Meng Hu Zhang Liao down, as they had agreed."

Afterwards, Hao Meng, Wei Xu and the others were imprisoned together with Xiahou Yuan. These contemptible wretches had few good qualities, yet Lü Bu treated them decently; later, in Xiapi, he had Lü Bu bound and sent to Cao Cao.

Translation: "Afterwards, Hao Meng, Wei Xu and the others were locked up together with Xiahou Yuan; these contemptible wretches had few redeeming qualities, yet Lü Bu treated them not badly—later, in Xiapi, he actually had Lü Bu bound and sent to Cao Cao."

Check: "these contemptible wretches had few redeeming qualities" = "yet Lü Bu treated them not badly"; "later, in Xiapi, he actually had Lü Bu bound and sent to Cao Cao." Good.

Over thirty thousand captured troops were also placed under Xu Huang's guard. At this point, Lü Bu's Wolf Cavalry and Cao Cao's Qingzhou troops were all mixed together and became prisoners.

Translation: "Over thirty thousand captured troops were also placed under Xu Huang's guard; at this moment, whether Lü Bu's Wolf Cavalry or Cao Cao's Qingzhou troops, all were mixed together and became prisoners."

Check: "Over thirty thousand captured troops were also placed under Xu Huang's guard"; "At this moment, whether Lü Bu's Wolf Cavalry or Cao Cao's Qingzhou troops, all were mixed together and became prisoners." Good.

At this moment, Guan Yu waited on the walls of Xuzhou for Lü Bu's main camp to descend into chaos; Jia Xu sent a messenger, and when the battle cries rose from Lü Bu's camp, he ordered Guan Yu to lead his men straight out the gate and seize Lü Bu's main camp.

Translation: "At this moment, Guan Yu waited on the walls of Xuzhou for Lü Bu's main camp to erupt in chaos; Jia Xu sent a messenger, and when the cries of battle rose from Lü Bu's camp, he ordered Guan Yu to lead his men straight out the gate and seize Lü Bu's main camp."

Check: "At this moment, Guan Yu waited on the walls of Xuzhou for Lü Bu's main camp to erupt in chaos"; "Jia Xu sent a messenger"; "when the cries of battle rose from Lü Bu's camp, he ordered Guan Yu to lead his men straight out the gate and seize Lü Bu's main camp." Good.

Xiahou Dun and Che Zhou, leading over ten thousand troops, had already arrived beneath the walls of Xuzhou; Xiahou Dun proudly said to Che Zhou,

Translation: "Xiahou Dun and Che Zhou, leading over ten thousand troops, had already arrived beneath the walls of Xuzhou; Xiahou Dun proudly said to Che Zhou,"

Xiahou Dun and Che Zhou, leading over ten thousand troops, had already arrived beneath the walls of Xuzhou; Xiahou Dun proudly said to Che Zhou,

General Che Zhou, if we take Lü Bu's main camp and Xuzhou city today, it will be a great merit; according to several captives, Xuzhou now has little defensive strength left. I will take Lü Bu's main camp; you seize the Xuzhou city gate and then come to my aid.

Translation: "\"General Che Zhou, if we take Lü Bu's main camp and Xuzhou city today, it will be a great merit; according to the statements of several captives, Xuzhou now has little defensive strength left—I will take Lü Bu's main camp, you seize the Xuzhou city gate and then come to my aid. \""

Check: "General Che Zhou" = "if we take Lü Bu's main camp and Xuzhou city today, it will be a great merit"; "according to the statements of several captives, Xuzhou now has little defensive strength left"; "I will take Lü Bu's main camp; you seize the Xuzhou city gate and then come to my aid." Good.

Che Zhou chuckled.

Translation: "Che Zhou chuckled."

"When General Xiahou goes forth, he will surely win at the first outset!"

"When General Xiahou goes forth, he will surely win at the first clash!"

"Alright, you and I each take five thousand troops and move out; speed is essential in war, so let's act quickly!"

Translation: "\"Alright, you and I each take five thousand troops and move out; speed is essential in war—let's act quickly! \""

Xiahou Dun impatiently cut off Che Zhou; that fellow always acted like a bootlicker, and Xiahou Dun had long disliked him.

Translation: "Xiahou Dun impatiently cut off Che Zhou; that fellow always acted like a bootlicker, and Xiahou Dun had long disliked him."

Check: "bootlicker" = "Xiahou Dun impatiently cut off Che Zhou; that fellow always acted like a bootlicker, and Xiahou Dun had long disliked him."

Although Xuzhou city doesn't have many troops, it has the brave general Guan Yu guarding it! You, Che Zhou, won't be able to take it down anytime soon; when the time comes, I'll first take Lu Bu's main camp and then give you a beating!

Thinking about soon capturing Lu Bu's camp, Xiahou Dun got excited. Lu Bu, you're so tough, what can you do! This time we'll take your lair!

Upon reaching the front of Lu's army's main camp gate, Xiahou Dun waved his hand, and several dozen soldiers pushed a battering ram out of the ranks and came forward.

"Brothers, Lu Bu's camp currently has at most two or three thousand men; smash the gate with the ram! Take Lu Bu's camp!"

These several dozen soldiers pushing the battering ram, under the cover of over a hundred shield bearers, charged toward the gate of Lu's camp; along the way there was nothing unusual.

Two thousand assault soldiers, under the deputy commander's lead, also slowly followed the battering ram, providing cover and killing as they went.

It looks like Lu Bu has pulled all his forces away; there's actually no one guarding this gate!

Xiahou Dun secretly gloated, thinking that taking Lu Bu's camp like this wouldn't require much effort.

Just then, suddenly hundreds of flying arrows shot out from inside the wall; the Cao troops charging in front were instantly thrown into disarray.

Afterward, several huge Yasha Lei rolled down from the top of the wall; these Yasha Lei rolled down the walltop and heavily smashed into the front Cao troops assaulting the camp. These Cao troops, already unable to dodge the volley of arrows, could not resist at all, unable to dodge, could only watch helplessly as the huge Yasha Lei smashed into them.

Originally, Gao Shun had anticipated that Xuzhou's troops might come to raid the camp using a 'lure the tiger away from the mountain' stratagem, so he had long ordered preparations of various defensive weapons; but now they were used against this group of Cao troops.

(Note: Yasha Lei, also known as 'Li Ke Zhu'. This weapon uses a wet elm log about 3 meters long and 30 cm in diameter as a roller; around it densely studded with 'reverse beard nails', nail heads protruding 15 cm from the wood surface, tied with iron chains to a winch; when enemy troops gather at the foot of the city wall, they are thrown into the crowd, and turning the winch can crush the enemy to death.)

"Hey!"

The Cao troops at the front were smashed into pulp by the Yasha Lei; a miserable wail rose among the Cao troops. Flesh and blood flew everywhere, causing each Cao soldier to feel their courage shattered. Afterwards, the armored troops of the Assault Camp on the wall top, each group of four operating the winch, pulled back the Yasha Lei, and then inflicted secondary damage within the Cao troops' formation.

Many of the fallen Cao soldiers were already bloody pulp, with severed limbs scattered everywhere.

Xiahou Dun instantly flared with rage, but at the same time he was vexed by his own carelessness.

"Archers, shoot at those people! Quick, cover the brothers as they retreat!"

Over a thousand crossbowmen in the Cao army's ranks drew their bows and shot arrows at the wall top.

Gao Shun stood on the wall, saw the change in the Cao army's formation, and had already ordered the shield bearers of the Assault Camp to raise large iron shields as tall as a person.

The Cao army's arrows striking the large iron shields only produced a clinking sound and could not inflict real harm on the Assault Camp soldiers.

The junior officer Cao Xing stood behind Gao Shun and said.

"General, this is our old rival! This guy is the Xiahou Dun serving under Cao Cao!"

Gao Shun fixed a determined gaze on the distant Xiahou Dun, who was shouting and gesticulating.

"Xiahou Dun? Last time I nearly lost to him; today I want to see how he handles his troops!"

Seeing that his men had suffered over a thousand casualties while he himself had not even reached the gate of Lü Bu's main camp, Xiahou Dun's anger flared, and he turned to a deputy and said.

"Send another two thousand assault troops; I'll lead the charge myself! Keep the remaining thousand as reserves—now Lü Bu's main camp only has two thousand men, and I will surely take it!"

Immediately, under the cover of archers and shield bearers, Xiahou Dun led his two thousand men forward again, and the soldiers on both sides thrust at each other with spears across the gate.

Gao Shun had stationed the Assault Camp's elite spearmen at the gate, and in the back-and-forth clash, Xiahou Dun's troops quickly piled up corpses at the entrance.

Seeing that the soldiers on the wall were fully armored in iron, even wearing iron face guards, Xiahou Dun realized this was the Assault Camp of his old rival Gao Shun.

Thus Xiahou Dun shouted loudly from below the wall.

"Gao Shun, you brat, dare to come out and fight me down here? What kind of man hides and cowers?"

Cao Xing flew into a rage, begging Gao Shun to open the gate and go down to fight, but Gao Shun slowly shook his head.

"General Cao, don't panic; for now we are short-handed, so we must follow the strategist's orders, hold the camp, and wait for the lord and his men to return."

Although Gao Shun foresaw that Lü Bu and his men, not returning after so long, might have suffered defeat, as a warrior he ought to do his utmost to fulfill his duty.

Though the enemy forces surround us in myriad layers, I stand unmoving!

Cao Xing turned, took a large bow from a nearby guard, nocked an arrow, drew the string to the full, and aimed at Xiahou Dun's head from beside the Assault Camp's shield bearers.

"Whoosh!"

The wolf-tooth arrow shot straight at Xiahou Dun's head; in his pupil the arrow loomed larger, startling him into hastily dodging to the side.

But Xiahou Dun, who had just been shouting insults, reacted a beat too slowly, and the arrow still struck his left eye.

"Ah!!!"

Xiahou Dun howled in pain like a wounded beast, and blood kept seeping from between the fingers covering his left eye.

The deputy officers and guards were shocked, each rushing forward with shields to pull Xiahou Dun back.

Dragged into the army formation, Xiahou Dun trembled uncontrollably from the pain; he then seized the arrow shaft and yanked out the arrowhead, blood spattering his robes.

Xiahou Dun's burly frame shook incessantly; looking at the eyeball on the arrowhead, he could barely contain his rage!

"Father's essence, mother's blood—must not be discarded!"

He then swallowed his own eyeball in one gulp; the demonic-looking Xiahou Dun, now disheveled and blood‑smeared, turned and roared.

"Lads, fall back for a moment to rest and prepare a fire attack!"