266페이지 중 232페이지

[Tu Mu says that the previous paragraphs had reference to the

fire breaking out (either accidentally, we may suppose, or by the

agency of incendiaries) inside the enemy's camp. "But," he

continues, "if the enemy is settled in a waste place littered

with quantities of grass, or if he has pitched his camp in a

position which can be burnt out, we must carry our fire against

him at any seasonable opportunity, and not await on in hopes of

an outbreak occurring within, for fear our opponents should

themselves burn up the surrounding vegetation, and thus render

our own attempts fruitless." The famous Li Ling once baffled the

leader of the Hsiung-nu in this way. The latter, taking advantage

of a favourable wind, tried to set fire to the Chinese general's

camp, but found that every scrap of combustible vegetation in the

neighbourhood had already been burnt down. On the other hand,

Po-ts'ai, a general of the Yellow Turban rebels, was badly

defeated in 184 A.D.