The next day Jia Chong took his leave and went back to report in full to Sima Zhao. Furious, Sima Zhao said, "That rat defies me?" "Zhuge Dan is popular in Huainan," Jia Chong said. "He will cause trouble sooner or later and should be eliminated swiftly." And so Sima Zhao sent confidential instructions to Yangzhou's imperial inspector, Yue Chen, while openly he sent an edict appointing Zhuge Dan minister of public construction.
On receiving the edict, Zhuge Dan realized that Jia Chong had betrayed him. He therefore arrested and interrogated the envoy. The envoy said, "Yue Chen knows all about this." Zhuge Dan said, "How could be know?" The envoy answered, "General Sima has sent someone to Yangzhou with a secret letter for him." The outraged Zhuge Dan ordered his attendants to behead the envoy; then he organized an armed guard of one thousand, which he led to Yangzhou to deal with Yue Chen.
Zhuge Dan reached the southern gate of the provincial capital. Finding it sealed and the drawbridge raised, Dan shouted up, but no one on the wall responded. Zhuge Dan cried, "How dare the low-down Yue Chen do this!" He ordered his force to storm the wall. More than ten of his valiant cavaliers dismounted and crossed the moat. They scrambled up the wall, slaughtered the guard, and flung wide the gate. Then Zhuge Dan entered the town and put it to the torch. All of Yue Chen's family was killed. Yue Chen rushed to a tower to save himself. Zhuge Dan followed him, sword drawn, and shouted, "Your father, Yue Jin, once enjoyed the love and grace of Wei. Will you promote the treason of Sima Zhao and abandon your duty to your liege's house?" Before Yue Chen could answer, Zhuge Dan slew him. He then sent a petition to Luoyang enumerating the crimes of Sima Zhao. Next, Zhuge Dan stocked up on grain and organized the soldier-tiller families of Huainan—numbering more than one hundred thousand—and the more than forty thousand newly surrendered Yangzhou troops for a fresh advance. Zhuge Dan also had Senior Adviser Wu Gang deliver his son Zhuge Jing to the Southland as a pledge to accompany his request for cooperation in a joint campaign of chastisement against Sima Zhao.3
At the time of Wu Gang's mission, the Southland's prime minister Sun Jun had already died of illness and his paternal cousin Sun Chen (Zitong) was administering his office. Sun Chen, a cruel and violent man, had killed Grand Marshal Teng Yin, General Lu Ju, Wang Chun, and others and then taken state power into his own hands. Though he was an intelligent ruler, Sun Liang could not control Sun Chen. This was the situation when Wu Gang brought Zhuge Jing to the City of Stones.
Zhuge Jing prostrated himself before Sun Chen, who asked the purpose of the visit. Wu Gang said, "Zhuge Dan is a clansman of the late Martial Lord Zhuge Liang of Shu-Han. Previously Dan served the kingdom of Wei; but now, after watching Sima Zhao degrade the royal house, depose the ruler, and assume his powers, Zhuge Dan seeks to bring the villain to justice by armed force. To supplement his military deficiencies Zhuge Dan wishes to offer his allegiance, sending his own son Jing as hostage as a token of his sincerity. He prays you will send troops to aid him." Sun Chen allowed the request and dispatched two chief generals, Quan Yi and Quan Duan, to command the expedition; Yu Quan to support them from the rear; Zhu Yi and Tang Zi as the vanguard; and Wen Qin as guide. Seventy thousand advanced, mustered into three armies. Wu Gang returned to Shouchun to inform Zhuge Dan. Delighted at the success of Gang's mission, Zhuge Dan organized his troops in preparation.
Meanwhile, Zhuge Dan's memorial enumerating Sima Zhao's crimes had reached Luoyang. Sima Zhao read it and was enraged. He wanted personally to lead the army to suppress Zhuge Dan, but Jia Chong expressed objections. "Your Lordship controls the patrimony your father and elder brother built," he said. But your benevolent virtue has yet to be fully appreciated throughout the realm. If you leave the Son of Heaven behind and someone stages a coup at court, your regrets will come too late. Better to petition for the queen mother and the Son of Heaven to accompany you on the expedition. That should prevent unexpected difficulties. "
Delighted, Sima Zhao replied, "Our views agree," and he petitioned the queen mother; "Zhuge Dan has organized a revolt. I, your vassal, and the civil and military officials jointly petition Her Majesty and the Son of Heaven to accompany the punitive expedition we are undertaking to fulfill the late Emperor's dying wishes." Intimidated, the queen mother had to comply.
The next day Sima Zhao requested the Wei ruler, Cao Mao, to begin the march. Cao Mao said, "Regent-Marshal, you command the forces of the realm as you see fit. Why need we march in person?" "That is not the question," Sima Zhao answered. "In the past the Martial Ancestor, Cao Cao, towered over the realm. His son, Emperor Wen, and grandson, Emperor Ming, aspired to embrace the whole sphere of dominion, even to the eight directions. To oppose a major foe, they took the field in person. Your Majesty should live up to the example these former sovereigns set in ridding the realm of longstanding wrongs. What have you to fear?" Intimidated by Sima Zhao's power, Cao Mao could only comply.
Sima Zhao issued an edict mobilizing all troops in the two capitals, some two hundred and sixty thousand. He ordered General Wang Ji, Controller of the South, to take the van, and General Chen Qian, Securer of the East, to serve as his lieutenant. Military Superviser Shi Bao and Yanzhou Imperial Inspector Zhou Tai led the left and right forces protecting the imperial carriages. The army bore down on Huainan like a moving flood.
The Southland vanguard, Zhu Yi, led his troops to meet the northern onslaught. The two armies drew themselves into battle formation. Wang Ji rode forth from the Wei side, and after a brief clash Zhu Yi fled the field. Tang Zi followed Zhu Yi, but he too was beaten after a brief engagement. Wang Ji, commanding the field, dealt the Southland troops a heavy defeat. They retreated fifty li, pitched camp, and reported to Shouchun.
Zhuge Dan meanwhile had led his own crack forces to rendezvous with Wen Qin and his two sons, Wen Yang and Wen Hu. The four, in command of tens of thousands of doughty warriors, now came marching against Sima Zhao. Indeed:
The moment Sima Zhao's commanders saw the Southland fighters flag,
They saw stout northern forces in arms against them.
Who would emerge the victor?
Read on.
112
Yu Quan Dies Nobly Trying to Save Shouchun;
Jiang Wei Fights Fiercely Attempting to Seize Longwall
Informed that Zhuge Dan had joined forces with the Southland troops for a decisive battle, Sima Zhao summoned Detached Cavalry Senior Adviser Pei Xiu and Inner Bureau Attendant Zhong Hui to discuss measures to destroy the enemy. Zhong Hui said, "The Southland is helping Zhuge Dan for mere advantage. If we can lure the southerners away by the same means, we can win the day." Sima Zhao agreed and sent Shi Bao and Zhou Tai with two companies to the City of Stones to set up an ambush. He had Wang Ji and Chen Qian command a contingent of crack troops in the rear, and ordered Subordinate Commander Cheng Zu to take several tens of thousands of troops to try and divert the enemy. Sima Zhao also ordered Chen Jun to take wagons, horses, oxen, and mules loaded with items that would be used for rewards. These items, piled on all sides of the camps, were to be abandoned if the enemy came.
That day Zhuge Dan had under him two Southland generals: Zhu Yi on his left and Wen Qin on his right. Observing that the Wei formation was poorly organized, Zhuge Dan advanced directly in force. When Cheng Zu withdrew, Zhuge Dan pursued hotly. Then he noticed the many draught animals on the field and the southern troops striving to catch them; they had lost all interest in the battle. Suddenly a bombard sounded as two armies closed in on him, one led by Bao Shi, the other by Zhou Tai. Zhuge Dan panicked and tried to withdraw, but Wang Ji and Chen Qian joined the battle, and Dan suffered a major defeat. Sima Zhao himself arrived and reinforced his commanders. Zhuge Dan fled into Shouchun and sealed the city gates for a long defense. Sima Zhao surrounded the city and laid siege to the walls.
At this time the Southland troops withdrew to Anfeng, and the Wei ruler advanced in person to Xiangcheng. Zhong Hui said, "Despite today's defeat, Zhuge Dan remains well provided with grain and provender in Shouchun. And now the so
uthern troops have come to Anfeng, forming a pincer against us. We have Shouchun under siege on four sides, but the enemy can hold on indefinitely if we slacken, or fight to the death if we press harder. And the southern force could take advantage of the situation to mount a simultaneous attack on us, putting our forces at dire risk. It would be better for us to attack Shouchun on three sides but leave the south gate free so that the rebels can get out. If they do, we can pursue and strike them down to complete our victory. As for the Southland troops—having come so far, they will not have the grain to sustain themselves. If we slip behind them and harass them with light cavalry, they should fall apart without a battle." Sima Zhao put his arm on Zhong Hui's back and said, "My very own Zifang!"1 Zhao then ordered Wang Ji to withdraw his men from the south gate of Shouchun.
Sun Chen was in Anfeng with the southern troops. He summoned Zhu Yi and said to him, "If you can't save a single city like Shouchun, how are you going to conquer the north? One more failure, and it's your head!" Zhu Yi returned to his base to discuss the next move with his officers. Yu Quan said, "The south gate is open now. I volunteer to go in and help Zhuge Dan defend the walls. You, General, provoke the Wei troops to battle. I will come back out and form a second front to defeat the Wei army." Zhu Yi approved the plan. Quan Duan and Wen Qin volunteered to join Yu Quan; the three entered Shouchun with ten thousand men.2 In the absence of specific orders, the Wei troops dared not go into action; they simply allowed the southerners to enter Shouchun unopposed and reported it to Sima Zhao.
Sima Zhao said, "Zhu Yi and Yu Quan are trying to defeat us with a two-front attack." He summoned Wang Ji and Chen Qian and ordered them, "Take five thousand men and cut Zhu Yi's route into Shouchun, then attack from behind." The two left to perform the task. Zhu Yi was already marching toward the city when bombards sounded behind him, shattering the air. Wang Ji and Chen Qian attacked Zhu Yi and crushed the southern force. Zhu Yi returned to face Sun Chen, who said angrily, "What use have I for a commander who never wins?" On his order Zhu Yi was beheaded. Sun Chen also berated Quan Duan's son Quan I: "If you can't drive back the northern soldiers, neither you nor your father will ever enter my presence again." With that, Sun Chen returned to the southern capital at Jianye.
Zhong Hui said to Sima Zhao, "Sun Chen has withdrawn; the city is isolated. The siege should be resumed," and on his advice Sima Zhao ordered the siege laid once again. Quan I tried to enter Shouchun, but the northern force was so powerful that he saw no hope in the final outcome and surrendered to Sima Zhao. Sima Zhao made him a subordinate commander. Grateful for this kindness, Quan I drafted a letter to his father Duan and his uncle Yi accusing Sun Chen of cruelty and advising surrender to the kingdom of Wei. The letter was tied to an arrow and shot over the wall of Shouchun. Quan I's uncle obtained the letter, and he and Quan Duan led several thousand soldiers out of Shouchun to submit to Sima Zhao.
Inside the city a deeply worried Zhuge Dan listened to a suggestion from his counselors Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi: "Our grain stores are too low to feed so many soldiers.3 We cannot hold out long. Let us lead the southern troops out for a last-ditch battle." Zhuge Dan replied with anger, "I say defend; you say fight. Perhaps you have treachery in mind? Mention it again, and you will die for sure." The two counselors looked upward and sighed, saying, "Zhuge Dan is doomed. We had better surrender quickly and save ourselves." That night during the second watch Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi slipped out of the city and surrendered. Sima Zhao awarded them important posts. As a result, no one in the city dared mention fighting, though many inside were willing to fight.
Inside Shouchun, Zhuge Dan watched the northern soldiers constructing a loop of earthen walls to divert the River Huai when it rose. Dan was hoping that a flood might undermine these walls, enabling him to launch an attack on the northern troops. But to his disappointment little rain fell from autumn on into winter, and the Huai did not overflow.4 Within the city food ran short. Wen Qin and his sons, making a determined stand at a rampart, watched as more and more of the defenders collapsed from hunger.5 He informed Zhuge Dan, "Our grain is nearly gone. The men are famished. To save food, I think we should let out all your troops from the north." Zhuge Dan retorted hotly, "Are you conspiring against me, telling me to send out my troops from the north?" Zhuge Dan ordered Wen Qin executed.
Having seen their father killed, Wen Qin's sons, Yang and Hu, drew their swords and dispatched several score of men. They then leaped to the top of the wall, dropped to the other side, crossed the moat, and went to the Wei base camp to surrender. Sima Zhao remembered his grudge against Wen Yang for single-handedly driving back his troops and wanted to kill him. But Zhong Hui protested: "It was Wen Qin's offense, and he is gone. His two sons, in extremity, have tendered their allegiance. Killing surrendering commanders will only harden the city's defenders." On this advice Sima Zhao summoned Wen Yang and Wen Hu to his tent and spoke reassuringly to them. Zhao granted them fine horses and damask clothes, gave them subordinate commands, and enfeoffed them as honorary lords. Wen Qin's sons bowed low and thanked their benefactor. Then they circled Shouchun's wall shouting, "The Regent-Marshal has forgiven our crimes and awarded us rank. All of you should surrender quickly." Hearing their voices, those inside thought to themselves, "Wen Yang is Sima Zhao's enemy. If even he is given high office, would we be given less?" And so all decided to surrender. Enraged, Zhuge Dan patrolled the city day and night, striking down dissenters in order to sustain his authority.
Zhong Hui knew of the disaffection inside Shouchun. He entered the command tent and said to Sima Zhao, "The time to strike has come." Delighted, Sima Zhao urged the whole army to storm the city. The commander of the north gate, Zeng Xuan, delivered the gate, letting the northerners in. When Zhuge Dan learned that the enemy was inside, he exited hastily by a small road. A few hundred remained under him. But as he came to the drawbridge, Hu Fen confronted him. A hand rose, a blade fell, and Zhuge Dan lay dead beneath his horse. His followers were seized.6
Wang Ji led his men to the west gate, where he encountered the southern commander Yu Quan. "Surrender at once!" Wang Ji shouted, but Yu Quan retorted hotly, "I went forth entrusted with the task of saving people in distress. No man of honor, having failed in his task, surrenders to the foe." Throwing his helmet to the ground, Yu Quan cried aloud, "A man born into this age is fortunate to give his life on the field." Wielding his sword, he fought another thirty or forty desperate passes-at-arms until, broken by fatigue, he was slain by a passing soldier. A poet of later times has left this verse in admiration of Yu Quan:
The year Sima kept Shouchun under siege,
Its defenders gave up in the wagons' dust.
Which Southland hero justly stands beside
Yu Quan, who fought for honor to the last?
Sima Zhao entered Shouchun and executed every member of Zhuge Dan's household, old and young alike, as well as all the members of his clan. Soldiers brought Zhao several hundred prisoners from Zhuge Dan's own unit. Sima Zhao demanded, "Are you surrendering or not?" All shouted, "We vowed to die with Lord Zhuge. We will never submit to you!" Furious, Sima Zhao had his guards take them bound outside the city, where he asked each in turn, "Will you surrender and be spared?" Each soldier went to his death without submitting. Sima Zhao sighed and sighed again in admiration of their steadfastness; then he had the corpses buried. A poet of later times has left these lines of praise:
Vassals bound in fealty disdain cheating death—
Such were Zhuge Dan's soldiers of command,
For whom "The Dew on the Leaf" will never be sung;7
They add to our lore another Tian Heng.
When most of the southern troops had surrendered, Pei Xiu informed Sima Zhao, "The families of the southern soldiers are located to the southeast, between the Great River and the Huai. Lest they turn against you, slaughter them and bury them in a mass grave." Zhong Hui said, "No. The master strategists of old considered it essential to take an enemy kingdom whole—land and people—and execute only the
principal villains. It would be inhumane to slaughter so many; letting them go will show the magnanimity of our middle kingdom." "A well-reasoned conclusion," Sima Zhao said and sent all the southern troops home. Tang Zi also surrendered to Wei, rather than return and face Sun Chen. Sima Zhao appointed all the surrendering commanders and posted them in various places in the three river districts.8 Thus order was restored in Huainan.
As the northern army was preparing to withdraw, reports arrived that Jiang Wei of the Riverlands was leading troops to capture Chang'an and intercept grain shipments. Alarmed, Sima Zhao hastened to consult with his officials on ways to repel the invasion.
It was the twentieth year of Yan Xi, by the calendar of Shu-Han.9 In Hanzhong, Jiang Wei had selected two Riverlands commanders to train his forces, Jiang Shu and Fu Qian, two brave leaders whom he prized highly. During this time Jiang Wei learned that Zhuge Dan of Huainan had raised an army to chastise Sima Zhao, that Sun Chen of the Southland was helping him, and that Sima Zhao had mobilized both northern capitals and marched against Zhuge Dan together with the queen mother and the ruler of Wei. Delighted by this news, Jiang Wei said, "This time my ambition will succeed." He petitioned the Second Emperor to wage war again on the kingdom of Wei.
Household Master10 Qiao Zhou learned of these developments and said with a sigh, "How low the court has sunk these days, succumbing to the temptations of vice and luxury and placing all its trust in the favored eunuch Huang Hao, who ignores official business in his pursuit of pleasure. All the while Jiang Wei remains addicted to his campaigns of conquest, unconcerned for the troops' welfare. This house stands in grave peril." Qiao Zhou then wrote the essay "On Enemy Kingdoms" and sent it to Jiang Wei. Jiang Wei opened the seal and studied it. The text read:
Three Kingdoms Page 148