For it is the soldier’s disposition to offer an obstinate resistance
when surrounded, to fight hard when he cannot help himself, and to
obey promptly when he has fallen into danger.
過則從 is rendered by Capt. Calthrop: “to pursue the enemy if he
retreat.” But 過 cannot mean “to retreat.” Its primary sense is
to pass over, hence to go too far, to exceed or to err. Here,
however, the word has lost all implication of censure, and appears
to mean “to pass the boundary line dividing safety from danger,”
or, as Chang Yü puts it, 深陷于危難之地 “to be deeply involved in a
perilous position.” The latter commentator alludes to the conduct
of Pan Ch‘ao’s devoted followers in 73 A.D. The story runs thus in
the _Hou Han Shu_, ch. 47, fol. 1 _v_^o: “When Pan Ch‘ao arrived at
鄯善 Shan-shan, 廣 Kuang, the King of the country, received him at
first with great politeness and respect; but shortly afterwards
his behaviour underwent a sudden change, and he became remiss
and negligent. Pan Ch‘ao spoke about this to the officers of his
suite: ‘Have you not noticed,’ he said, ‘that Kuang’s polite
intentions are on the wane? This must signify that envoys have
come from the Northern barbarians, and that consequently he is in
a state of indecision, not knowing with which side to throw in his
lot. That surely is the reason. The truly wise man, we are told,
can perceive things before they have come to pass; how much more,
then, those that are already manifest!’ Thereupon he called one of
the natives who had been assigned to his service, and set a trap
for him, saying: ‘Where are those envoys from the Hsiung-nu who
arrived some days ago?’ The man was so taken aback that between
surprise and fear he presently blurted out the whole truth. Pan
Ch‘ao, keeping his informant carefully under lock and key, then
summoned a general gathering of his officers, thirty-six in all,
and began drinking with them. When the wine had mounted into their
heads a little, he tried to rouse their spirit still further by
addressing them thus: ‘Gentlemen, here we are in the heart of an
isolated region, anxious to achieve riches and honour by some
great exploit. Now it happens that an ambassador from the
Hsiung-nu arrived in this kingdom only a few days ago, and the
result is that the respectful courtesy extended towards us by our
royal host has disappeared. Should this envoy prevail upon him to
seize our party and hand us over to the Hsiung-nu, our bones will
become food for the wolves of the desert. What are we to do?’ With
one accord, the officers replied: ‘_Standing as we do in peril of
our lives, we will follow our commander through life and death_’
(今在危亡之地死生從司馬).” For the sequel of this adventure, see
chap. XII. § 1, note.