chapter 288

[?]: The fifth battalion has been surrounded!

[?]: Zhou Yu‘s troop has landed!

chapter 288 Courageously Going Forward

[?]: The front gate is breached. Sun Ce‘s army has entered the pass!

[?]: They…they broke the pass!

[?]: Sir, Zhou Yu’s fleet is applying pressure to our ships.
[?]: We won’t be able to retreat if we don’t head out now!

[?]: Sir! Our troops on the outer rung have scattered out of control!

[?]: We can’t hold this place any longer, General Huang, (please) give it up!

[Huang Zu]: We had everything going for us…

[HZu]: Why won’t you help me, dear Heaven!
(“you wouldn’t protect me”, he didn’t ask “why” and it’s quite rhetorical, but I’m not sure how to translate his words EXACTLY)

[?]: Shaxian’s fleet is retreating!

[?]: The fleet is ready for your next order, Advisor!

[Zhou Yu]: Good. Let Huang Zu think that our goal is Shaxian!
(“…that our army is attacking Shaxian in full force, letting him leave”)

[Huang Zhong]: Gan Ning,

[HZhong]: you made quite a number of enemies.

[HZhong]: That damn Huang Zu won’t even wait…
(slightly distorted)

[Gan Ning]: That’s life, old man Huang.
(“…life is like this”)

[GN]: It’s hard to find a good lord in this fucked up era.
[?]: Being both loyal and righteous is hard too!

[GN]: Dogs of the Sun clan, remember my name!

[Huang Gai]: Gan Ning, your life ends here today!

[Han Dang]: We will never forget!

{sfx: zing~ zing~}

{sfx: zing~}

{sfx: zing~ zing~}

[?]: How was it?

[HZhong]: So old now; still all right?
(this grammar is weird because I want to leave it as ambiguous as the original; I think most readers are interpreting this as “I’m already this old, is that still okay?” But it could also just be disguised as “You’re so old now, are you still all right there?”)

[HG]: Even one-hundred-year-old is fine when serving Sun Ce!
(I think they’re subtly negotiating a surrender)

{sfx: zing~}

As if I don’t want to!

[?]: I see them, master Hu!
(here it’s the first name, not last name)

[Liu Hu]: Gan Ning, Huang Zhong, this way!

[GN]: Liu Hu!

[HZhong]: Gan Ning, head for the shore!

[?]: Closer! Closer!
(“lean/inch/move toward there”)

[?]: The old one go first!
[?]: Okay!

[?]: Don’t let him get away!

[GN]: Dream on!
(“can the likes of you”)

{sfx: zing~}

[HZhong]: Got a bow and arrow, Liu Hu?

[LH]: Got one!
(“one set left”)

{sfx: pa}

[HZhong]: Bull’s eye.

{sfx: cha~}

[HG]: Han Dang!

So… so fast!

[HZhong]: I’ll cover you, Gan Ning!

[HZhong]: Get on board, hurry!

[HZhong]: Bull’s eye.

{sfx: cha~}

[HG]: Watch out for that old devil!
(“…old ghost”)

[HZhong]: Bull’s eye.

{sfx: cha~}

[?]: Keep going, don’t let them get away!

[LH]: Old fart!
(“…old ghost”)

[HG]: Old fart’s your grandpa!

{sfx: cha~}

[HZhong]: You got that right.

[HZhong]: Us old guys are still the most useful ones.

{sfx: shoo~}

{sfx: pong~}

[GN]: Look out, old Huang!

[?]: Did…

[?]: Did you see that?

[Zhou Tai]: That guy…

[?]: Over there!

[HZhong]: Gan Ning, you…

[GN]: You see it? That boat there…

[HZhong]: But that’s one of ours.

[GN]: Not just one, but over twenty.

[HZhong]: You mean…

[GN]: Sun Ce’s army has infiltrated our fleet during the chaos!

[GN]: Our men will not have noticed it yet because of the confusion.

[?]: We… we can’t catch up!

[GN]: Huang Zu leads the way while Sun Ce crosses the river…

[?]: The main encampment of Jiangxia is finished!

A warship heads straight for the two of them. Generals Gan and Huang had no choice but to change course to Liuyi.