The Three Kingdoms, Volume 3: Welcome the Tiger: The Epic Chinese Tale of Loyalty and War in a Dynamic New Translation (89 page)

Zhuge Zhan had been known as a clever lad and had married a daughter of the Emperor, so that he became an imperial son-in-law. Later he inherited his father’s title as Marquis of Wuxiang, and had received a general’s rank as well. But he had retired to his home, claiming illness, when Huang Hao started meddling in state affairs.

Following Xi Zheng’s advice, the Second Ruler issued three edicts and summoned Zhuge Zhan to court. Weeping, the Second Ruler said, “Deng Ai is encamped in Fucheng and the capital is in crisis. For your father’s sake, please come and save my life.”

Zhuge Zhan also wept and said, “My father and I received so much kindness from the late Emperor and generosity from Your Majesty that no sacrifice is too great for me to render. Pray give me command of all the troops in the capital, and I will fight to the finish with the enemy.”

So the soldiers, 70,000 in all, were placed under his command. When he had taken leave of the Second Ruler, he collected his troops and called the officers together.

“Who dares to lead the van?” asked Zhuge Zhan.

A young officer came forth and said, “Father, as you have taken command, I will be the van leader.”

It was his eldest son, Shang, then just nineteen. He had studied military books and made himself an adept in martial arts. His offer pleased his father very much, and so he was appointed van leader. The army left the capital to meet the enemy.

In the meantime the traitor, Ma Miao, had presented Deng Ai a book of maps, showing all the mountains, rivers, and roads that lie along the three hundred and sixty
li
route
from Fucheng to Chengdu. The maps also indicated clearly whether these natural barriers and roads were wide or narrow and where the dangerous points lay. Deng Ai was alarmed after studying the maps.

“We can’t just stay here and hold Fucheng,” he said. “If the men of Shu hold the hills in front of the city we will fail. And if we delay further Jiang Wei will arrive and our army will be threatened.”

He at once called in his son and Shi Zuan to whom he said, “Take a troop and go straight to Mianzhu to keep back any Shu soldiers sent to stop our march. I will follow as soon as I can. But hasten—if you let the enemy forestall you and seize the strategic points, I will put you to death.”

They went as commanded. Nearing Mianzhu, they came upon the army commanded by Zhuge Zhan. Both sides deployed for battle. As the two Wei officers reined in their horses beneath the standard, they saw their opponents had arrayed their men in eight lines. After three drum rolls, the banners of the Shu formation opened in the center, and there emerged a four-wheeled chariot, escorted by dozens of officers, in which sat a figure who looked exactly like Zhuge Liang, with his silk headdress, the feather fan, and the Taoist robe. Beside the chariot rose a yellow standard embroidered with the words: Z
HUGE
L
IANG
, P
RIME
M
INISTER OF
H
AN AND
M
ARQUIS OF
W
U
.

The sight scared the two Wei officers, who broke out in a cold sweat of terror. Turning to their men, they cried, “So Zhuge Liang is still alive—we are doomed!”

Hastily they retreated. The men of Shu came on, and the army of Wei was driven away in defeat and chased a distance of twenty
li
. There the pursuers sighted Deng Ai coming with reinforcements and halted. Both sides called off the battle.

When Deng Ai had camped, he called the two officers before him and reproached them for retreating without fighting.

“We saw Zhuge Liang leading the Shu army,” said Deng Zhong, “so we ran away.”

“What do I fear, even if Zhuge Liang comes back to life again? Your retreat without cause has resulted in this defeat. I must execute both of you at once to observe the military law.”

The other officers pleaded earnestly for them, and finally Deng Ai’s wrath was mollified. Then he sent out scouts to reconnoiter, who returned to say that the commander of the Shu army was the son of Zhuge Liang, and the van leader his grandson, while the figure on the carriage was a wooden image of the great strategist.

Deng Ai said to his son and Shi Zhan: “Success or failure depends on this battle. If you lose again you will certainly lose your lives with it.”

At the head of 10,000 men they went out to battle once more. On the Shu side, Zhuge Shang, grandson of Zhuge Liang, rode out alone boldly. Bracing himself, he repulsed the two Wei officers. At Zhuge Zhan’s signal the two wings charged into the Wei line, dashing to and fro dozens of times, and the men of Wei suffered another major defeat with heavy casualties. Both officers being wounded, they fled, and the army of Shu pursued for more than twenty
li
before encamping to hold the invaders at bay.

The two Wei officers returned to see Deng Ai, who could not bring himself to punish them, seeing that they were wounded.

To his officers he said, “Shu has Zhuge Zhan to continue his father’s work with skill. Twice he has beaten us and slain over 10,000 of our men. We must defeat him quickly or calamity will await us.”

Qiu Ben said, “Why not send him a letter to draw him out?”

Taking his advice Deng Ai wrote the letter, which was delivered to the Shu camp by a messenger. The warden of the camp gate led the messenger in to see Zhuge Zhan, who opened the letter and read:

General Deng Ai, Conqueror of the West, writes to General Zhuge Zhan: Having carefully observed the talented men of the present time, I can find none equal to your most honored father. From the day he left his cottage he had predicted that the country was to be divided into three kingdoms. Then he conquered Jingzhou and Yizhou, thus establishing a separate rule for Liu Bei. Few could match his achievements in all history. Later he launched six expeditions from Qishan, and, if he failed to reach his goal, it was not that he lacked skill but that it was the will of Heaven.

Now your Emperor is foolish and weak, and his fortune as a ruler has come to an end. I have been commanded by the Son of Heaven to lead a mighty force to smite Shu with severity, and I have already captured most of the country. The fall of your capital is a matter of days. Why not abide by the will of Heaven and fall in with the desire of men by acting rightly and coming over to our side? I will obtain for you the rank of Prince of Langya, whereby your ancestors will be glorified. This is not an empty promise. Pray give my proposal a favorable consideration.

The letter threw Zhuge Zhan into fury. He tore it to fragments and ordered the bearer to be put to death immediately. The poor man’s head was sent back to the Wei camp and laid before Deng Ai, who was provoked to anger and wished to go forth at once to battle.

But Qiu Ben said, “Do not go out rashly to battle. You must overcome him by surprise attacks.”

So Deng Ai laid his plans. He sent Wang Qi, Prefect of Tianshui, and Qian Hong, Prefect of Longxi, to place their men in ambush, while he led the main body.

Zhuge Zhan was just going to challenge for battle when he was told that Deng Ai had approached with his army. Angrily he led out his army and rushed into the midst of the invaders. Deng Ai fled as though worsted, so luring on Zhuge Zhan. But as he pursued, there suddenly appeared the two forces lying in ambush and the men of Shu were defeated. They retreated into Mianzhu, which was immediately besieged by the order of Deng Ai. The men of Wei, shouting in unison, closed in around the city, making it like an air-tight iron barrel.

Seeing how desperate the situation had become, Zhuge Zhan ordered an officer named Peng He to break through the siege to deliver a letter to the ruler of Wu, asking for assistance. Peng He fought his way through and reached Wu, where he presented the letter to Emperor Sun Xiu.

After reading the letter the Emperor assembled his courtiers and said to them, “Since the land of Shu is in danger, I cannot sit and look on unconcerned.”

He decided to send 50,000 troops, over whom he set the veteran general Ding Feng as chief commander and two other officers as his assistants. Taking the order, the old general told his two lieutenants to move toward Mianzhong with 20,000 men, while he himself advanced toward Shouchun with the rest of the army. Marching in three divisions the army of Wu went to the rescue of their ally.

In the city Zhuge Zhan, seeing no relief force, said to his officers, “This long defense is not a good policy.”

Leaving his son and another officer in the city, Zhuge Zhan put on his armor and led his front, center, and rear troops to burst out of the three gates to confront the invaders. At this Deng Ai drew off and Zhuge Zhan pursued him vigorously. But all of a sudden there was an explosion and the Shu general was quickly surrounded. In vain he thrust right and shoved left, killing hundreds of his enemies. Deng Ai ordered his men to shoot and the flight of arrows scattered Zhuge Zhan’s men, who fled. Before long, Zhuge Zhan was shot by an arrow and fell from his horse.

“I have no more strength left to fight,” he cried. “I will die for my country.”

So he drew his sword and slew himself.

From the city walls his son Shang saw that his father had died on the battlefield. In a rage he girded on his armor and mounted his horse to go forth to fight.

“Don’t venture out in such haste,” cautioned one of the other officers.

“My grandfather, my father, and I have received much favor from the state,” sighed Zhuge Shang. “Now that my father has died in the battle against the enemy, can I still live?”

He whipped his horse and dashed out into the thick of the fight. He, too, died on the battlefield. A poem was written to praise the father and son.

Do not think that the loyal officers lacked skill;
But Heaven had decreed against the house of Liu,
Years before Zhuge Liang had left his fine offspring,
Who preserved his nobleness and loyalty well.

To mark their loyalty, Deng Ai had the father and son buried together.

To follow up this success he began to storm the city. The three officers in the city, each leading a troop, made a sortie. However, they were outnumbered and their effort availed to nothing, and all three officers sacrificed their lives in the battle. Thus the city of Mianzhu fell. After rewarding his men, Deng Ai set out for the capital Chengdu.

Observe the Second Ruler of Shu in his last days of rule,
How similar he was to Liu Zhang when compelled to resign.

The fate of Chengdu will be told in the next chapter.

*
   The first line, “At the start of the two fires,” refers to the first year of the period Yan Xing in Shu (
A.D.
263). The Chinese word for “Yan” is made of the two characters for “fire,” while that of “Xing” means “beginning.” The second line, “Someone will here stop by,” predicts the coming of Deng Ai. The third and fourth lines indicate that Deng Ai and Zhong Hui rival each other but will soon die.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN

Weeping at the Ancestral Temple, a Filial Prince Dies

Entering the West, Two Generals Fight for Merits

I
n
the Shu capital of Chengdu the Second Ruler was seized with panic when he heard of the fall of Mianzhu and the death in battle of Zhuge Zhan and his son. He hastened to summon a general council.

One of the courtiers said, “Outside the city people are all fleeing for their lives, taking their young and old with them. Their cries of woe shake the country.”