chapter 396

In year 208, Zhang Fei was Liu Bei’s sole rear guard at the Changban bridge.

UGH~
(sounds like “oo”)

{crowd noise}

[?]: Su… such distance!

[Xiahou Yuan]: Look out, he’s at it again!

chapter 396 Masterpieces of Painting and Poetry
(“…unrivaled”)

{sfx: pa}

[Zhang Fei]: Time for you all to come forward. What? Scared?

{sfx: shoo~}

{sfx: cha~}

{crowd noise}

[Li Dian]: We can’t hurt him without moving forward a little more!

His frightening throw goes further than the archers’ arrows…
(“shocking arm strength…”)

[Cao Ren]: We’ll be the laughing stock of the world if he gets to keep toying with us!

[?]: Switch tactics. Shields-men, up the bridge!

[?]: Protect the archers. Go!

[?]: Seal off all gaps. Don’t give him any opening!

[?]: Archers, follow them. Shorten the distance!

[?]: Forward!
(“go”)

[?]: Go!

[?]: Hm! What’s with him?

[?]: Captain, he’s walking away!

{sfx: pa}

[XHY]: The formation is working. He’s taking off!

[?]: Good, archers, get ready…

[?]: Nock arrows!

[ZF]: Fall.

{sfx: pa~}

{sfx: pong~}

{crumble sfx}

{sfx: poom~}

[?]: The weight is too much for the old bridge- it collapsed!
(“the old bridge can’t withstand the weight of that many people, collapsed”)

{sfx: sha~}

[?]: That guy knew it from the beginning!?

{sfx: pa~}

{sfx: cha~}

[?]: Look, he’s coming back!

[ZF]: Look at my painting, traitor Cao,

[ZF]: and the ink splash finale.

[ZF]: Please-

[ZF]: enjoy the bloom.
(“view flower”)

[?]: This… this is…
[?]: It’s coming from over there.

[Zhang Liao]: My Lord… this is…

[ZL]: It’s soot!
(“is flammable material’s ashes”)

There…

they’ve already planted flammable materials!

This is an open plain and our troops are all gathered here.

The wind will fan the fire beyond control.

This guy knows the terrains like the back of his hand!

[?]: General Yu, look ahead!

[?]: Fire, up ahead!

{sfx: foom~}

[?]: We’re in the south.

[?]: Protect our main army by attacking the enemy troops that set the fire!

[?]: Nock arrows!

Over there!

[Guan Yu]: Tailwind, get ready.

[GY]: Release!

[Cao Ren]: The rear flank is now the front- emergency retreat!

[CR]: Hurry, exit the plains!

[?]: Retreat!

[Cao Cao]: My, my. How much time will this fire buy him?

[ZL]: From the looks of it, my Lord, at least two days.

Liu Bei will be gone in two days.

Nice painting. I can’t believe he pulled the same trick.

The Book of Odes recites, the young and elegant peach tree, brilliant is the blossom.
(alternative version cited by reader)

[CC]: I say, the rapid escape, razor sharp is the point.
(wordplay on the poetry, lost in translation; the first part is homonym, changed by one hanzi in the written form, and apparently the original was first borrowed to mean the modern version anyway; not sure about second part; could refer to sharp/high morale, momentum, or a stretch- the pointy end of the weapons)

[CC]: Master Meng said, read the poet’s real meaning in the expressions.
(translation citation by reader; my guess is the wordplay is what CC saw through of Zhang Fei’s plan/secret-message, “help Liu Bei escape”)

Masterpieces of painting and poetry. What a Peach Garden Artist!

[CC]: Flying petals can be weapons too.

[CC]: Mister Zhang,

your artistry has improved!

Elegant blossom; rapid escape.