Leading his defeated men and a hundred riders, Wang Jing broke out of the trap and fled directly into the town of Didao. There they sealed the gates and set up a defense. Jiang Wei's triumph was complete; after rewarding the army, he made ready to attack Didao. But Zhang Yi protested. "General, your triumph is complete. Your prestige is felt everywhere. It is time to call a halt. If we advance now and something goes wrong, it will be a case of 'ruining a perfect picture of a snake by adding paws. '" "Not at all," Jiang Wei answered, "Just a little while ago our defeated soldiers were still willing to strive to win and overrun the northland. Today at the battle of the River Tao the Wei army was broken in spirit. Didao, I reckon, will fall as easily as spittle on your hands. Don't lose heart now." Zhang Yi could not prevail upon him. Jiang Wei led his soldiers to capture Didao.
Meanwhile in Yongzhou, General Chen Tai, Conqueror of the West, was mobilizing his forces to avenge Wang Jing's defeat. Suddenly, Deng Ai, imperial inspector of Yanzhou, arrived with his troops. Chen Tai welcomed him, and after the exchange of formalities, Deng Ai said, "I bear the regent-marshal's command to assist you against the foe." Chen Tai asked if he had a plan, and Deng Ai replied, "The Riverlands won the day at the Tao. We would have had real trouble had they called in Qiang troops to contest Longyou and Guanzhong and rally the four districts. But they did not and have not thought of that, and are now squandering their strength on the impregnable walls of Didao. I am going to deploy at Xiangling and then attack. The Riverlanders are sure to suffer defeat." Chen Tai said, "A marvelous analysis!" Then he picked twenty squadrons of fifty men to go to the steep hills southeast of Didao and conceal themselves there. Each squad—moving by night and hiding by day—carried banners, horns, drums, and flares. When the Riverlands troops came to Didao, the squads were to frighten the enemy, sounding their horns and drums if by day or lighting their flares and hurling bombards if by night. These arrangements completed, the Wei force settled in to wait. Soon after, Chen Tai and Deng Ai advanced to Didao, each with twenty thousand men.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wei had been laying siege to Didao. Day after day his troops assaulted the town but failed to subdue it. Jiang Wei despaired of finding a successful plan. One day at dusk several mounted scouts reported: "Two field armies are coming. Their banners proclaim boldly the names of Chen Tai, Conqueror of the West, and Deng Ai, imperial inspector of Yanzhou." Jiang Wei, alarmed, summoned Xiahou Ba, who said, "I warned you, General, that Deng Ai had mastered warfare at an early age. He knows topography well. He has led his army here, and he will prove a formidable foe." Jiang Wei said, "His army comes from afar. If we prevent them from establishing their positions, we can attack." He left Zhang Yi to continue the siege of Didao and ordered Xiahou Ba to engage Chen Tai while he engaged Deng Ai himself.
Jiang Wei had not gone five li when a bombard resounded from the southeast and horns and drums shook the ground beneath him as flames shot into the sky. Jiang Wei rode ahead to look and found himself surrounded by Wei signal flags. "I have fallen into Deng Ai's trap," he exclaimed in fright and sent orders to have Xiahou Ba and Zhang Yi abandon the siege at Didao and retire from the field. Thus, the entire Riverlands force withdrew to Hanzhong. Jiang Wei himself was holding the rear when he heard the steady roll of drums behind him. By the time he had withdrawn through Saber Gateway, he realized that the drumming and twenty or so fire sites were all decoys. Jiang Wei rallied his men and stationed them at Zhongti.
At this time the Second Emperor issued an edict making Jiang Wei regent-marshal on the strength of his victory at the River Tao. Jiang Wei accepted the office and submitted a memorial of gratitude. Then he proposed another invasion of Wei. Indeed:
Don't try to improve upon a success;
There's always fight in a rebel tiger.
Would the next western expedition succeed?
Read on.
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With Ingenuity Deng Ai Defeats Jiang Wei;
For Justice's Sake Zhuge Dan Campaigns Against Sima Zhao
Jiang Wei retreated and stationed his force at Zhongti; the Wei army occupied the area outside Didao. Wang Jing welcomed Chen Tai and Deng Ai into the town and, prostrating himself, thanked them for breaking the siege. He prepared a feast for the commanders and rewarded the entire army. Chen Tai announced Deng Ai's achievements to the Wei ruler, Cao Mao, who appointed Ai General Who Secures the West and also Commandant Who Protects the Eastern Qiang, authorizing him and Chen Tai to station troops at various points in Yongzhou and Liangzhou.
After Deng Ai had submitted a memorial of gratitude to the Wei ruler, Chen Tai held a congratulatory banquet. On the occasion Chen Tai said, "Jiang Wei, his power spent, has skulked away by night and will not show himself again." Deng Ai replied with a smile, "I can give five good reasons for the Riverlands army to return." Queried by Chen Tai, Deng Ai went on: "Though they have withdrawn, they still have strategic advantages, and we still have strategic liabilities—that's the first reason they will come back. The Riverlands army was educated and disciplined by Kongming, and his well-conditioned soldiers are easily redeployed, while our commanders are periodically rotated and our men poorly trained—that's the second reason. The Riverlanders rely largely on riverboat transport; our troops move on land, which is far more tiring—that's the third reason. Didao, Longxi, Nan'an, and the Qishan hills are four points we have to defend. If the Riverlanders feint east and strike west, or point south and attack north, they can stretch our defenses and overwhelm any one of the four points with a concerted attack— that's the fourth reason. If the Riverlands army leaves the Nan'an-Longxi region, they can obtain food from the valleys of the Qiang; if they move out through the Qishan hills, there is sown wheat to supply them—that's the fifth reason." Chen Tai, won over by Deng Ai's cogent reasoning, said, "You read the enemy so marvelously, I don't think we have much to fear from them." From then on, Chen Tai and Deng Ai became close friends despite the large difference in their ages. Deng Ai undertook to organize and train the soldiers of Yongzhou and Liangzhou and other regions, and established forts at all the defense points.
Jiang Wei held a grand banquet in Zhongti to discuss the next invasion of Wei. Staff officer Fan Jian said, "General, not one of our offensives has ever brought a decisive victory. But our recent showing at the River Tao has the northerners quite intimidated. What purpose is served by another foray? And if something goes amiss, we will have to forfeit the gains already made."1 Jiang Wei answered, "All of you seem to think that the size and population of the Wei kingdom make it unconquerable at this time. You fail to see the five prospects of success for an invasion."
Asked to elaborate, Jiang Wei continued, "Wei's defeat at the River Tao has completely blunted their fighting spirit. Though we retreated, we took no losses and can advance again—that is one reason for optimism. Our soldiers, transported by ship, will be spared fatigue; the enemy must march some distance to meet us—that is the second. Our army has undergone prolonged training; the enemy is a loosely gathered bunch, poorly organized—that is our third advantage. Our troops will benefit from the autumn harvest if we move out from the Qishan hills—that is our fourth advantage. The enemy will have to disperse its strength to defend various points; ours is a unified force, and the enemy cannot relieve all the points we attack—that is our fifth advantage. No better time will come for invading Wei."
Xiahou Ba said to Jiang Wei, "Deng Ai is a deep strategist for one so young. They have made him General Who Secures the West, and he will have established more effective defenses at various points than they had before." Jiang Wei replied sharply, "I fear him not! I've had enough of your building up the enemy's fighting capacity and undermining our own confidence. I have decided to begin with the capture of Longxi." No commander dared protest further.
Jiang Wei led the advance guard and ordered the commanders to move up behind him as the Riverlands army evacuated Zhongti and headed for the Qishan hills. Mounted scouts informed Jiang Wei that the northerners had already fortified nine positions
in the Qishan hills. In disbelief, Jiang Wei and some riders climbed an elevation to observe. There before them like a giant serpent lay the line of enemy campsites, its two ends within signaling range. Jiang Wei said to his followers, "Xiahou Ba was right. Only my master the late military director, His Excellency Zhuge, could have positioned the forts so perfectly. Deng Ai's skill is not inferior to his."
Jiang Wei returned to his base camp and summoned his commanders. "If the northerners have prepared," he said, "then they knew we were coming. My guess is that Deng Ai is with them. I want you to fly my banner as a decoy and pitch camp at the entrance to this valley. Send a hundred riders to reconnoitre daily. On each sortie have them change their armor and their banners, rotating the colors of the five directions, blue, yellow, red, white, and black. I, meanwhile, will quietly lead the main force out through Dongting precinct and surprise Nan'an directly." Jiang Wei ordered Bao Su to station troops at the valley leading to the Qishan hills while he set out for Nan'an.
Meanwhile, Deng Ai worked with Chen Tai making preparations to meet the Riverlands army when it emerged from the Qishan hills. Ai noted, however, that the western troops did not come forth with challenges to battle. Instead, each day mounted scouts made five forays, some riding as far as ten or fifteen li. After surveying the enemy from a high vantage, Deng Ai rushed back to the command tent. "Jiang Wei is not with them," he exclaimed to Chen Tai. "He must mean to surprise Nan'an from Dongting. Too few scouts are coming out, and they keep changing their attire and wearing out their horses riding back and forth. And the commander in charge doesn't seem too able. General Chen, take a company and attack; their camp is vulnerable. Destroy the outworks, then go straight to the Dongting road and cut Jiang Wei's avenue of retreat. I will go to protect Nan'an and to capture Wucheng Hill. If we can control its summit, Jiang Wei will head for Shanggui. There is a valley near Shanggui, the Duan: arduous hills hemming in a ravine—ideal for an ambush. When they come to take Wucheng Hill, we should have two units in position in Duan Valley to ambush them. Jiang Wei's defeat is certain."
Chen Tai said, "In the two or three decades I have been defending Longxi, I have never acquired so clear a grasp of the terrain. Your calculations are simply marvelous! Leave at once; I will attack the enemy positions here." Deng Ai led the north's main army to Wucheng Hill by rapid night marches and pitched camp there. No Riverlands troops appeared, and so Deng Ai sent his son Zhong and Shi Zuan, captain of his tent guards, into Duan Valley with five thousand men each. The two commanders departed to carry out their instructions. Deng Ai ordered all flags lowered, all drums stilled, and waited for the Riverlands army to arrive.
On his way to Nan'an via Dongting, Jiang Wei passed the ground before Wucheng Hill. To Xiahou Ba he said, "That hill near Nan'an called Wucheng—control of it would give us control of Nan'an. But Deng Ai is resourceful. We must be on guard." Even as he was deliberating, a bombard shot rang out from the summit of the hill. Loud shouts shook the ground, and horns and drums sounded together. Everywhere flags shot up and northern troops swarmed all over. In the center stood a yellow banner bearing the words "Deng Ai." The Riverlands troops panicked.
Crack troops poured down from various staging points on the hill, overwhelming the Riverlands advance guard. Jiang Wei rushed the main army forward to save the van; the northerners had already withdrawn. Marching straight to the foot of Wucheng Hill, Jiang Wei challenged Deng Ai; the northern troops refused to come down despite the taunts Jiang Wei ordered his men to hurl at the foe. By evening he wanted to pull back. Again, horns and drums resounded from the hilltop, but the Wei troops did not show themselves. Jiang Wei tried to attack uphill, only to face a furious barrage that blocked all advance. The Riverlands soldiers maintained their positions on the hill until the third watch. They tried to turn back then, but horns and drums rang out from the hilltop again, and Jiang Wei repositioned his men at the foot of the hill. By the time Jiang Wei had gotten enough wood and stone moved into the area to begin building fortifications, horns and drums spoke again from the summit. The Wei troops descended and routed the Riverlands forces. Many were trampled to death by their comrades during the retreat to their original campsite.
The next day Jiang Wei ordered supply wagons to Wucheng Hill, intending to link them into a defensive outwork that would allow his troops to occupy the position. That night during the second watch Deng Ai led five hundred men with torches down the hill. They came by two separate routes and set fire to the western army's wagons. Troops on both sides battled wildly through the night, and the Riverlands army was unable to set up the line of wagons. Once again Jiang Wei withdrew and consulted with Xiahou Ba. "We have yet to take Nan'an," Jiang Wei said to him. "We had better take Shanggui first. It's the grain depot for Nan'an. Then Nan'an should fall."
Leaving Xiahou Ba at Wucheng Hill, Jiang Wei led his crack troops and proven commanders on to Shanggui. They marched through the night, until the dawn made visible the steep hills pressing in upon them and the twists and turns of the road. Jiang Wei said to his guide, "What is this place called?" "Duan Valley," he replied. Jiang Wei took fright. "An unpleasant name," he said, "the valley 'in which one is cut off. ' If anyone cut off the entrance, what could we do?" Jiang Wei hesitated; then a report came from the advance guard: "Behind the hill much dust is rising. There must be an ambush there." But when Jiang Wei ordered the retreat, Shi Zuan and Deng Zhong attacked him in force. Jiang Wei fought as he retreated, and retreated as he fought. Ahead of him roaring voices announced Deng Ai, who was closing in on the third side. Attacked from three directions, the Riverlands army suffered a heavy defeat. Luckily Xiahou Ba joined the fray, and the northerners drew back. Xiahou Ba rescued Jiang Wei, who wanted to go again to the Qishan hills.
Xiahou Ba said, "Chen Tai has already destroyed our positions in the Qishan hills. Bao Su was killed in action, and the entire force has removed to Hanzhong." Jiang Wei abandoned the attempt to capture Dongting precinct and headed back by mountain bypaths. He had the main force go on while he defended the rear against Deng Ai's hot pursuit. But as Jiang Wei marched in the hills, a company of men sprang upon him unawares. It was the northern general Chen Tai. His men gave a great war cry and boxed Jiang Wei in. Jiang Wei's men and horses were exhausted. Thrust and charge as he might, he could not break through. General Zhang Ni, Sweeper of Invaders, heard that Jiang Wei was trapped and led a few hundred riders to free him. Ni broke through the encircling rings, enabling Jiang Wei to fight his way free, but Ni then fell to a stray northern arrow.
On returning to Hanzhong, Jiang Wei, moved by Zhang Ni's loyal and courageous sacrifice for the Emperor's cause, recommended rewarding his sons and grandsons. Jiang Wei himself, however, was held to blame by most Riverlanders for the relatives they had lost in battle. And so, in keeping with the precedent Kongming had established after his defeat at Jieting, Jiang Wei recommended that the Emperor demote him to general of the Rear Army and acting chief general.
On seeing the last of the Riverlands army retreat, Deng Ai and Chen Tai congratulated each other at a banquet. The Wei army was also heavily rewarded. Chen Tai memorialized the Wei court on the achievements of Deng Ai, and Sima Zhao sent an envoy authorized to raise Deng Ai's rank and award him the seal of his higher office. In addition, the court honored Deng Ai's son, Zhong, as a precinct lord.
At this time the Wei ruler, Cao Mao, changed the reign title Zheng Yuan, year 3, to Gan Lu, year l.2 Sima Zhao made himself first field marshal of all military forces in the empire. Entering and leaving court he kept at his command three thousand armored valiant commanders, who formed a front and rear guard for him. Zhao decided all matters in his ministerial quarters without petitioning the court, and he began to harbor thoughts of usurping the dynasty.
Sima Zhao's trusted confidant, Jia Chong (Gonglu), was the son of the late Jia Kui, General Who Establishes Prestige. Jia Chong served as senior adviser in Sima Zhao's household. One day Jia Chong said to Sima Zhao, "Your Lordship wields such great power that people
everywhere are bound to be uneasy. Let's inquire quietly into the opinions of those concerned and cautiously begin preparing to seize the throne." Sima Zhao responded, "My very own intention. I want you to go to the east for me on the pretext of rewarding the expeditionary forces. See what you can find out."
As ordered, Jia Chong went to Huainan to see Zhuge Dan, Chief General Who Controls the East. Zhuge Dan (Gongxiu) was from Nanyang in Langye and was a cousin of the late Kongming. Although he served the Wei, Kongming's service as prime minister in Shu had made it impossible for Zhuge Dan to receive any significant appointment. After Kongming's death, however, Zhuge Dan gradually rose through the ranks; he was enfeoffed as lord of Gaoping and had overall command of the armed forces on both sides of the River Huai.
Jia Chong left that day, ostensibly to reward the army, but on arriving at Huainan, he went directly to see Zhuge Dan. At the reception in Jia Chong's honor the company was already well warmed with wine when Jia Chong said pointedly to Zhuge Dan, "Recently those of merit and worth in Luoyang have come to believe that the present ruler is no longer capable of acting as sovereign. Regent-Marshal Sima, guide and support of the imperial house for three reigns, whose achievements and virtues reach high as Heaven, would make a fit successor to the house of Wei in the event of the present ruler's formal abdication. What is your esteemed view in this matter, I wonder?" Zhuge Dan was furious. He said, "You dare speak treason? The son of Jia Kui, imperial inspector of Yuzhou, who earned his keep by the grace of the Wei!" Excusing himself, Jia Chong said, "I have simply conveyed to Your Lordship what someone else had said." "If a coup is attempted, I shall die protecting the court," Zhuge Dan added. Jia Chong kept silent.
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