The Tan River is the barrier Xuande encounters as he flees Cai Mao’s plan to kill him. With pursuers behind him and fast-flowing water ahead, he entrusts his escape to his horse; the successful crossing preserves his life and gives the episode its defining reversal.

Setting and Role in the Escape

After receiving a secret warning at a banquet that Cai Mao intends to kill him that evening, Xuande slips away on the pretext of going to the toilet. He rides out through the city gate, but Cai Mao soon hears of his departure and pursues him with five hundred men. Xuande’s route ends at the broad, swift-flowing Tan River, where the water blocks his flight as the pursuing force closes in.

The Crossing

In despair, Xuande has no apparent choice but to trust his horse to ford the river. The horse, regarded by many as cursed because of unusual markings on its face, instead makes a remarkable leap through the water, struggles free of mud on the far bank, and carries Xuande safely across. The river is thus not merely a geographical obstacle: it is the point at which escape appears to fail, then becomes possible through the horse’s unexpected feat.

Aftermath and Narrative Significance

Cai Mao rides up on the opposite side and asks why Xuande left so suddenly. Xuande directly asks why Cai Mao wanted to kill him; Cai Mao dismisses the threat as a misunderstanding. The river crossing brings Xuande out of immediate danger, but the exchange leaves the attempted killing unresolved in words. In the episode’s structure, the Tan River marks the turn from pursuit to temporary safety, with the horse’s leap carrying Xuande across both a physical boundary and the crisis that had seemed to trap him.