صفحة 251 من 266

The King of Chao strongly disapproved of Lien P'o's cautious and

dilatory methods, which had been unable to avert a series of

minor disasters, and therefore lent a ready ear to the reports of

his spies, who had secretly gone over to the enemy and were

already in Fan Chu's pay. They said: "The only thing which causes

Ch'in anxiety is lest Chao Kua should be made general. Lien P'o

they consider an easy opponent, who is sure to be vanquished in

the long run." Now this Chao Kua was a son of the famous Chao

She. From his boyhood, he had been wholly engrossed in the study

of war and military matters, until at last he came to believe

that there was no commander in the whole Empire who could stand

against him. His father was much disquieted by this overweening

conceit, and the flippancy with which he spoke of such a serious

thing as war, and solemnly declared that if ever Kua was

appointed general, he would bring ruin on the armies of Chao.