The Three Kingdoms, Volume 3: Welcome the Tiger: The Epic Chinese Tale of Loyalty and War in a Dynamic New Translation (79 page)

Suddenly a bomb exploded and down came the two ambushing forces of Wei upon them. Alarmed, Zhuge Dan attempted to withdraw, but the two Wei generals also appeared with their forces of veterans, and he was sorely smitten. But worse was yet to come. At that moment Sima Zhao himself arrived with his army as reinforcements. Zhuge Dan fled into Shouchun, where he fortified himself. Then the Wei army laid a siege to the city. The army of Wu retreated into Anfeng. The ruler of Wei was lodging at this time in Xiangcheng.

Zhong Hui offered more advice to Sima Zhao. “Despite his defeat, Zhuge Dan still has plenty of grain and fodder in the city of Shouchun and his allies, the men of Wu, are stationed nearby to support him. His position is strong. Our soldiers are now besieging the city. If we slacken our efforts they will hold out for a long time, and if we press on with the attack they will make a desperate sortie. The men of Wu may also fall upon us at the same time, and it would be to our disadvantage. Therefore I advise that the attack be made only on three sides, leaving the south gate open for them to flee. If they do, we can fall on them and gain a complete victory. The men of Wu, having come from afar, cannot have supplies for very long, and we can send some light cavalry to get round and attack their rear. They will retreat without a fight.”

“You are indeed my best strategist!” said Sima Zhao, stroking the back of his advisor.

So Wang Ji, who was besieging the city from the south, was ordered to withdraw.

In the Wu camp at Anfeng, Sun Chen was very angry at the defeat. He said to Zhu Yi, “If you cannot even relieve the siege of a single city of Shouchun, how can you ever hope to overrun the north? Another failure and I will put you to death!”

The threatened officer went back to his camp to discuss the situation with his colleagues. Yu Quan said, “The south gate is free. Let me lead a troop out from there to help Zhuge Dan defend the city. Then you go and challenge the Wei army, and I will rush out from the city to support you. Our joint attack will destroy the Wei army.”

Zhu Yi thought the plan good. Three other officers were also willing to go into the city and participate in the attack. They were allowed to march into the city from the south gate without interference, since the Wei officers had no orders to stop them.

When this was reported to Sima Zhao, he said, “They are trying to collaborate with Zhu Yi to defeat our army by attacking from both the front and the rear.”

So he summoned two of his officers, Wang Ji and Chen Qian, and told them to take 5,000 men to block Zhu Yi’s way to the city and strike him in the rear. The two took the order and left.

Now Zhu Yi was advancing toward the city when he heard a shouting in the rear, and soon he was attacked by Wang Ji on the left and Chen Qian on the right. His army was worsted and he had to return to Anfeng. When Sun Chen heard of this new defeat he was furious.

“What is the use of officers like you, who always lose?” he cried.

He put the poor man to death. Then he upbraided Quan Yi, son of Quan Duan: “If you do not drive off this army of Wei let me never again see your face, nor that of your father.”

Then Sun Chen returned to the capital of Wu.

When his departure was known in the Wei camp, Zhong Hui said to his chief: “Now that Sun Chen has left, the city of Shouchun has no hope of support from outside. This is our moment to attack it.”

A vigorous assault began. Quan Yi wanted to break the siege, but when he saw how strong the Wei army was he realized there was no hope of success. So he surrendered to Sima Zhao, who received him well and gave him the rank of a junior general.

Grateful for this kindness, Quan Yi wrote to his father and uncle inside the city, telling them how brutal Sun Chen was and urging them to follow his example. He tied the letter to an arrow and shot it over the walls. His uncle picked up the letter and so the two elder Quans, with several thousand followers, went out and yielded to Wei.

Within the city Zhuge Dan was distressed. Two advisors came to him to urge him to give battle, since food in the city was short. He turned on them angrily.

“I want to defend, yet you talk about going forth? Are you trying to betray me? If you say that again you will die.”

“He’s going to perish,” they said, sighing deeply as they cast their eyes heavenward. “We’d better surrender or we’ll die, too.”

At about the second watch that night they slipped over the wall and surrendered. Both were given important posts. Of those left in the city some were also for fighting, but they dared not say so.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Dan saw the Wei soldiers building walls all around their camp to take precautions against the possible flooding of the Huai River. So he anxiously waited for the river to rise and submerge the enemy’s clay walls. If that happened he would be able to smite Sima Zhao. However, from autumn to winter, the weather was unusually dry and there was no flood.

Within the city food diminished rapidly, and soon starvation stared them in the face. Wen Qin and his sons were defending the citadel. As his soldiers were falling one by one for lack of food, Wen Qin went to see Zhuge Dan and proposed sending out the northern men to save food. His suggestion brought forth an outburst of fierce wrath.

“Do you want to kill me by proposing to send my men away?”

He ordered Wen Qin to be put to death. When they saw their father slain, his two sons ran amok with rage. Drawing their daggers, they at once slew dozens of guards, then flew over the wall to desert to Wei.

However, Sima Zhao had not forgotten that one of the two, Wen Yang, had pinned down his whole army single-handedly. At first he wanted to put him to death, but his advisor Zhong Hui interposed.

“The real offender was his father,” said Zhong Hui, “but he is dead. Now these two have come to you in desperation. If you slay those who come to surrender, you will only harden the will of those inside to defend the city.”

Sima Zhao saw reason in this, and so their submission was accepted. They were led to Sima Zhao’s tent, and he soothed them with kind words, gave them sturdy horses and fine robes, and employed them as lieutenant generals. They were even created marquises. After expressing their gratitude, they rode about the city on the horses he had given them, shouting: “The great commander has not only pardoned us but conferred on us noble ranks. Why don’t you all yield?”

When those inside the city heard this they said to each other, “Wen Yang used to be an enemy of Sima Zhao’s, and yet he has been well received—how much more may we expect generous treatment!”

The desire to surrender possessed them all. When Zhuge Dan learned about this he was incensed, and went round the posts night and day trying to enforce his authority through punishment of death.

Zhong Hui calculated that Zhuge Dan had lost the support of his men. He went to Sima Zhao and said, “This is the time to seize the city.”

Sima Zhao was only too pleased. He exhorted his whole army to storm the walls all at once. Then an officer in the city treacherously opened the north gate and let in the Wei soldiers. When Zhuge Dan heard that the enemy had entered the city, he hurriedly called together several hundred guards and tried to escape along some byroads to the gate. But at the drawbridge he met the Wei officer Hu Zun, who raised his sword and cut Zhuge Dan down. His followers were all captured.

Wang Ji led his men to the west gate, where he encountered the Wu officer, Yu Quan.

“Why don’t you yield?” shouted Wang Ji.

Yu Quan replied, “I received orders to rescue those in danger. Although I have failed in my effort, I deem it dishonorable to surrender to the enemy.” Then throwing off his helmet, he cried, “Lucky is the man who can die on the battlefield.”

Whirling his sword about, he fought his foe for more than thirty bouts. In the end, both he and his horse being exhausted, he fell beneath the swords of enemy soldiers.

Sima’s men besieged Shouchun years ago
Many bowed their heads in the dust to yield.
The land of Wu has produced its heroes,
Yet only Yu Quan would his life devote.

When Sima Zhao entered the city he put to death three generations of Zhuge Dan’s clan. Several hundred of his followers were captured and brought before Sima Zhao, who offered them their lives if they would yield.

“No, we will never surrender to you!” they all shouted. “We will die with General Zhuge.”

Enraged, Sima Zhao had them tied up and taken outside the city to be executed. Before the execution, each one in turn was asked: “Will you submit and be spared of your life?” But each one in turn refused to yield and was beheaded. And they all died. Sighing deeply in admiration for their loyalty, Sima Zhao had them properly buried.

Loyal servants flee not in times of danger;
Such were Zhuge’s men who followed him to the shades.
The Song of Dirge still rang out loud.
Faithful unto death were they, even as Tian Heng’s men.
^*

Many of the men of Wu surrendered. One advisor said to Sima Zhao, “The families of these men are all in the southeast along the Yangtze and Huai rivers, and if you keep them alive they will rebel in the end. It is better to bury all of them now.”

But Zhong Hui objected: “No. When the ancients made war with an enemy country their aim was to conquer both its land and its people and so they only put to death the originators of trouble. It would be inhuman to bury them all. Better let them return home to show how generous our state is.”

“This is better advice,” agreed Sima Zhao.

So the men of Wu were released and allowed to return home. Tang Zi, a Wu officer, dared not return to his own place for fear of the cruel Sun Chen, so he surrendered to Wei and was well treated. All the Wu officers who had submitted were given posts in the districts along the three rivers.

Since the uprising in Huainan was suppressed, Sima Zhao decided to withdraw his army. Just then, news came that Jiang Wei had gone to capture Changcheng and was interfering with their supply lines. Startled, Sima Zhao hastened to call a council to discuss ways to deal with this new menace.

Meanwhile, in Shu the reign title was changed to Jing Yao. Jiang Wei picked out two local officers, Jiang Shu and Fu Qian, to train the army. These two were bold officers and Jiang Wei was very fond of them.

Around this time, there came the news that Zhuge Dan had raised an army to destroy Sima Zhao and had obtained the support and help of Wu; and that Sima Zhao had mobilized the forces in the two Wei capitals to go on an expedition against Zhuge Dan, taking with him the Emperor and Empress Dowager.

Jiang Wei was thrilled to hear the news. “I’m going to succeed this time!” he cried exultantly. And he petitioned the Emperor, requesting to make another expedition against Wei.

But when Qiao Zhou heard of this new expedition he sighed with grief. He said to himself, “The Emperor indulges himself in drinking and in lust, and trusts that eunuch, Huang Hao. He neglects state affairs and is only interested in seeking pleasure. And Jiang Wei constantly desires to launch expeditions, without caring for his men. The country is in danger of falling.”

He then wrote an essay “On State Injuries,” which he sent to Jiang Wei.

“One asks, ‘By what means did the weak overcome the strong in past times?’ The answer is that the ruler of a strong and carefree state usually neglected its people, while that of a weak and careworn state always showed compassion for its people. Trouble followed upon neglect and efficiency grew out of compassion, which is a universal truth. Therefore, King Wen of Zhou Dynasty, who devoted himself to the welfare of his people, defeated the multitudes of a strong state with a small army; King Gou Jian of the Kingdom of Yue, who cared for his men, overcame a powerful opponent with a weak force. These were their methods.

“But one could argue: In the past when Chu was strong and Han weak, the two sides agreed to divide the country at Hong Canal. Yet Zhang Liang, knowing that once the people’s minds were settled it would be difficult to take action again, went in pursuit of Xiang Yu and finally destroyed him. So why is it necessary to follow the examples of King Wen and Gou Jian?

“The answer is, in the days of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, feudal lords enjoyed permanent privileges and the relations between the ruler and his officials were firmly established. Even if the founder of Han lived at that time he could not have seized the empire by force. In the Qin Dynasty the practice of the investment of feudal lords was abolished and districts were governed by officials. Then the people, tired of the numerous taxes, rose to revolt. The empire was riven asunder and there followed a time of contention, when every bold man strove to build his own realm.

“But we are now in other times. There is no such seething chaos that marked the last days of Qin, but rather a state of things similar to that of the period when six kingdoms shared one empire. Therefore one can be King Wen, but not the founder of Han. Act when time is favorable, and start an expedition when success is predestined. The armies of Tang and Wu fought but one battle and won because they had compassion for the people and waited for the opportune time. If wars are constant, and a mishap occurs, even the wisest will be unable to see the safest way.”

After reading the article Jiang Wei cried wrathfully, “The words of a rotten pedant?” And he dashed the article to the ground in contempt.

So the remonstrance was disregarded, and the army was ready to march against Wei.