Three Kingdoms

by Luo Guanzhong (Moss Roberts trans. )

  Unexpectedly a household servant dashed in and reported, "General Deng Ai of the Wei—no one knows from where—has forced his way into the town with two thousand soldiers." Ma Miao rushed out in panic and offered to surrender. Throwing himself to the ground before the main government building, he cried out tearfully, "I have intended to give my allegiance to the north for a long time and wish to call forth the townspeople and our military to submit to you, General." Deng Ai accepted the surrender and integrated the Jiangyou defense unit into his own forces; then he appointed Ma Miao his guide. At that moment it was reported that Ma Miao's wife had hanged herself. Deng Ai asked for an explanation, and Ma Miao told him the truth. Moved by the woman's integrity, Deng Ai had her buried with full ceremony and personally went to offer the sacrifice. The northerners sighed deeply when they heard of this. Later someone left these lines in praise of Lady Li:

  Han's rites o'erthrown, Liu Shan gone astray,

  Heaven sent Deng Ai to seize the west:

  More than all its captains of renown,

  Jiangyou's Lady Li proved worthiest.

  Having taken Jiangyou, Deng Ai welcomed the rest of his troops arriving from Yinping by side and back paths. Deng Ai's attack forces converged at Jiangyou and marched directly to Fucheng. A subordinate commander, Tian Xu, said, "Our troops have come through rough terrain. They're numb with fatigue and could do with a few days' rest before pressing on." "In war nothing takes the place of surprise. Are you trying to undermine morale?" Deng Ai answered hotly. He ordered Tian Xu removed and executed, relenting only after his commanders pleaded strenuously for mercy. Then Deng Ai took direct command and marched his men to Fucheng. Within the town officials and officers, soldiers and commoners thought that the northerners had dropped from the sky, and to a man they surrendered.

  News of these losses reached Chengdu swiftly. The Second Emperor hurriedly summoned Huang Hao and asked his advice. Huang Hao petitioned him: "These reports are false. The gods would never deceive Your Majesty." The Emperor called again for the sorceress, but she could not be found. Meanwhile, urgent appeals from near and far piled up as thick as snowflakes; and envoys bearing news streamed back and forth. The Emperor held court to formulate a plan, but his officials only eyed one another knowingly and said nothing. Xi Zheng stepped forth from the ranks and petitioned the Emperor: "The crisis is upon us. Your Majesty must summon the son of the Martial Lord to advise us on repelling the invaders."

  The son of the Martial Lord was Zhuge Zhan (Siyuan). His mother, from the house of Huang (she was the daughter of Huang Chengyan), had been a woman of undistinguished looks but rare ability who could interpret the constellations and the contours of the terrain. Moreover, she had thoroughly understood the various texts of military strategy and the arts of prognostication. While still in Nanyang, the Martial Lord had heard of her ability and won her hand. And the Lady Huang had played a part in her husband's quest for knowledge. She passed away soon after the Martial Lord. On her deathbed she bequeathed to her son, Zhan, a single teaching: strive to be loyal and to be filial.

  From his youth Zhuge Zhan had been perceptive and intelligent. He took to wife a daughter of the Second Emperor and as an imperial son-in-law served as a military commander. Later he succeeded to his father's rank as lord of Wuxiang. In the fourth year of Jing Yao (a. d. 261) Zhan was promoted to acting supervisory general. But when the eunuch Huang Hao became employed by the Emperor, Zhuge Zhan had stopped attending court on pretext of illness.

  Adopting Xi Zheng's advice, the Second Emperor issued three edicts summoning Zhuge Zhan to the imperial quarters. Tearfully, the Second Emperor stated the problem: "Deng Ai has occupied Fucheng, and Chengdu stands in grave danger. For the sake of your late father, come to my rescue." Also in tears Zhuge Zhan petitioned: "As servants of your house, my father and I enjoyed many kindnesses from your late father as well as Your Majesty's special favor—debts no sacrifice could repay. I would like Your Majesty to send forth all the troops in Chengdu under my command for a fight to the finish." At once the Second Emperor placed seventy thousand soldiers and their commanders under Zhuge Zhan.

  Zhuge Zhan took leave of the Emperor, marshaled his forces, and gathered his commanders around him. "Who dares take the van?" he asked. A young commander promptly stepped forward. "Since my father wields great power," he said, "his son volunteers for the van." All eyes turned to Zhuge Shang, eldest son of Zhuge Zhan, age nineteen. He was widely read in military texts and skilled in the martial arts as well. Well pleased, Zhuge Zhan assigned Shang to the van. That day the army left Chengdu to confront the invaders from Wei.

  Upon surrendering, Ma Miao had presented a volume of maps to Deng Ai for the three hundred and sixty li stretch from Fucheng to Chengdu. The maps clearly and completely indicated land and river routes plus dimensions and difficult points. Deng Ai examined the maps in a mood of rising apprehension. "If we simply hold Fucheng," he said, "and the enemy holds the hills ahead, what hope of success do we have? If the days drag on and Jiang Wei's force arrives, hope will be slim." He summoned Shi Zuan and his own son, Zhong, and instructed them: "Lead a company straight to Mianzhu to check the western troops. I will be coming right behind. Make all haste. If they take the strongpoints before you, I'll have your heads."

  Shi Zuan and Deng Zhong led their troops to Mianzhu, where they encountered the Riverlands force. Both armies assumed battle formation. As they drew up their horses at the entrance to their position, Shi Zuan and Deng Zhong saw that the Riverlands troops had assumed the Eight Ramparts formation. When the war drums ceased, the Riverlands entrance opened and dozens of commanders rode forth escorting a four-wheeled carriage bearing a single figure: a silk band binding his hair, he gripped a feather fan and wore the crane-plumed robe that immortals often wear. Alongside the carriage hung a yellow banner inscribed "Prime Minister of Han, the Martial Lord Zhuge." At the sight, Shi Zuan and Deng Zhong burst into sweat and, turning back toward their officers, said, "So Kongming still lives! We are done for." They tried desperately to turn about, but the western troops stormed forward and drove the northerners back in defeat. The Shu force rode the enemy down for some twenty li until Deng Ai appeared with reinforcements; then both sides recalled their troops.

  Deng Ai seated himself in his command tent and called Shi Zuan and Deng Zhong before him. "Why did you retire without putting up a fight?" he asked accusingly. Deng Zhong replied, "We ran when we saw Zhuge Kongming in the Shu battle lines guiding their army." Angrily Deng Ai said, "Even if Kongming has come back to life, I fear him not. For retreating without good reason and losing the day you shall be executed at once." The commanders pleaded strenuously, and Deng Ai's fury finally subsided. He sent out scouts, who reported back that Kongming's son, Zhuge Zhan, was the commanding general and Zhan's son, Shang, was leading the van. The figure seated in the carriage was a wooden statue of Kongming.

  After receiving this report, Deng Ai said to Shi Zuan and Deng Zhong, "Today's action will decide all. You must prevail or be executed." The two commanders led ten thousand men into battle. Zhuge Shang, a lone mounted spearman, drove the two back in a show of martial prowess, and Zhuge Zhan directed his soldiers on either side to charge forth. They plunged into the enemy battle lines, striking and thrusting to the right and left, moving back and forth across the field scores of times. The Wei force was defeated, their losses beyond calculating. Shi Zuan and Deng Zhong, though wounded, escaped. Zhuge Zhan rode down the retreating foe for twenty li and then took up positions to parry a counterattack.

  Shi Zuan and Deng Zhong came before Deng Ai, who, in consideration of their wounds, refrained from imposing punishment. Ai said to his commanders, "The Riverlands has a true heir to Zhuge Liang's cause in Zhuge Zhan. Twice he has defeated us, killing over ten thousand. If we do not crush the westerners quickly, the end will be near for us." Army Superviser Qiu Ben said, "Why not send a letter to lure them out?" Deng Ai approved the suggestion and sent a letter to the Riverlands camp. The gate guard brought it to
the command tent, where Zhuge Zhan unsealed it. It read:

  From General Deng Ai, Conqueror of the West, to General Zhuge Zhan, supervisory general: scrutinizing the talents of the present age, we find none to compare with your late honored father. Years ago he left his thatched dwelling, predicting the three kingdoms. He conceived the conquest of Jingzhou, then the Riverlands, and the establishment of Liu Bei's patrimony. In history such accomplishment is rarely found. Later, he directed six expeditions from the Qishan hills; he failed to defeat Wei only because Heaven did not ordain it, not because his wisdom and strength were deficient. But the present sovereign, the Second Emperor, is muddleheaded and incompetent; his kingly spirit is gone. I, Deng Ai, hold a mandate from the Son of Heaven to lead this well-armed mass of troops in a punitive expedition against the Riverlands; most of its territory we have taken already. Chengdu stands in imminent danger. Sir, comply with the will of Heaven and man and accept service under Wei for honor's sake. I, Deng Ai, will petition to have you named prince of Langye for the greater glory of your ancestral line—no empty promise, this. Favor us with your considered reflection.

  Zhuge Zhan exploded in anger; he tore the letter to shreds and executed the bearer. On Zhan's order the northern escort carried the severed head back to Deng Ai in the Wei camp. The enraged Deng Ai wanted to attack in force at once, but Qiu Ben argued, "Do not risk it yet, General. A surprise attack will win the day for us." Deng Ai approved and ordered the governor of Tianshui district, Wang Qi, and the governor of Longxi district, Qian Hong, to place their forces in hiding to the rear while he led his troops forward.

  Just as Zhuge Zhan was preparing to challenge the enemy, his men reported the approach of Deng Ai. Zhan led his men directly into the enemy lines. Deng Ai fled, and Zhan bore down upon him. Suddenly from either side the ambushers came out fighting and dealt the Riverlands troops a stunning blow, forcing them to withdraw. They retreated to Mianzhu, to which Deng Ai laid siege; the northern troops, shouting high-spiritedly, sealed Mianzhu tight as a steel drum.

  The town felt the mounting pressure. Zhuge Zhan ordered Peng He to fight his way out in order to take a letter to the Southland appealing for relief. Peng He reached the Southland and presented the request. After reading it, the ruler Sun Xiu proposed a policy to his courtiers. "How can I sit back during an emergency in the Riverlands?" he asked and ordered the veteran general Ding Feng to lead a rescue force of fifty thousand to the west: Ding Feng was the chief commander, Ding Fung4 and Sun Yi his subordinate commanders. Ding Feng took the field and dispatched his two lieutenants, Ding Fung and Sun Yi, to Mianzhong with twenty thousand men; meanwhile, Ding Feng himself marched to Shouchun with thirty thousand. The southern force consisted of three field armies.

  Zhuge Zhan, however, seeing no relief on the way, said to his commanders, "Prolonging our defense is poor policy," and left his son Shang and the Secretariat's Zhang Zun (Zhang Fei's grandson) to guard Mianzhu. Then Zhan took to horse and led his army out of the city's three gates to take on the besiegers. Deng Ai watched the Riverlands troops rush forth, and he withdrew quickly. Zhuge Zhan gave vigorous chase. Suddenly a bombard sounded and from four sides northern troops closed in. Zhuge Zhan fought furiously, killing hundreds of northerners, but when Deng Ai had his archers rake them with bolts, the Riverlands soldiers dispersed.

  One arrow struck Zhuge Zhan and knocked him from his horse. "I can fight no more; I give my life for my kingdom," he cried and slit his throat with his sword. His son, Shang, saw his father perish on the battlefield and leaped to his horse in a burst of anger. Zhang Zun cautioned him: "Young general, do not act recklessly." With a sigh Zhuge Shang replied, "For three generations my family has enjoyed the generosity and kindness of this kingdom. Now that my father has fallen on the field, what have I to live for?" Lashing his horse, he plunged fighting into the fray and perished. Later someone left these lines in praise of Zhan and Shang, father and son:

  Think not Shu's vassals failed in policy!

  Heaven ended Liu's reign, fire-signed,

  Though Zhuge Liang left worthy heirs to Shu

  To carry on the Martial Lord's design.

  Deng Ai, moved by their loyalty, had father and son buried together. He then proceeded to attack the weakly defended town of Mianzhu. Three Riverlands commanders—Zhang Zun, Huang Chong, and Li Qiu—each led forth a company, but the invading northerners overwhelmed them with their numbers, and all three died in battle. Deng Ai took possession of Mianzhu. After rewarding his fighting men, he began the march on Chengdu. Indeed:

  The last days of the Second Emperor recall

  The time Liu Bei coerced Liu Zhang's surrender.

  Would Chengdu fall or stand?

  Read on.

  118

  Weeping at the Ancestral Hall, a Filial Prince Dies;

  Entering the Riverlands, Two Warriors Vie for Glory

  To Chengdu came word that Deng Ai had occupied Mianzhu and that Zhuge Zhan and his son, Shang, had fallen in battle. Shocked, the Second Emperor summoned his civil and military officials to an urgent conference. A privileged attendant petitioned: "The common folk flee the city for their lives, taking their young and old; the ground trembles with their cries." The Emperor was too flustered to act. Suddenly mounted scouts arrived and reported the approach of northern troops and commanders. The assembly of officials recommended, "We have neither the men nor the commanders to resist. The passes must be held while we flee to the seven southern districts.1 There we can borrow troops of the Man nations and try to recover the northern part of our kingdom."

  Director of Palace Bureaucracy Qiao Zhou2 said, "That will never work. The southern Man are inveterate rebels who have never shown us kindness. If we seek refuge with them, it will end in disaster." The officials then petitioned: "Wu is still an ally. Our situation is critical. We can take refuge there." Again Qiao Zhou urged the sovereign to reject their proposal: "There is no historical precedent for a Son of Heaven seeking sanctuary in another kingdom. And Wei seems far more likely to devour Wu than the other way around. Declaring allegiance to the Southland would be only the first disgrace. If the south falls to Wei, will Your Majesty suffer disgrace a second time by declaring allegiance to Wei? Why not submit directly to Wei, which will endow Your Majesty with some fief land to maintain your ancestral temple and provide for your people? I beg Your Majesty, consider this carefully." Undecided, the Emperor withdrew into the palace.

  Conflict marked court discussion the following day. Qiao Zhou, sensing the urgency of the situation, submitted another advisory to the sovereign advocating surrender. The Emperor accepted Qiao Zhou's suggestion and was preparing to implement it, when a man stepped forward from behind a screen and denounced Qiao Zhou in a harsh voice: "Miserable pedant! Irresponsibly arguing the fate of our sacred grain altars just to save your miserable skin! What Son of Heaven has ever surrendered?" The Emperor regarded the speaker, Liu Chan, the prince of Beidi, his fifth son.

  The Second Emperor had seven sons. They were, in order of birth: Liu Rui, Liu Yao, Liu Zong, Liu Zan, Liu Chan (the prince of Beidi), Liu Xun, and Liu Ju. Of the seven, only Chan had shown superior intelligence—even as a child—and splendid aptitudes none could match; his six brothers were ineffectual sorts. The Emperor said to Liu Chan, "My principal ministers counsel surrender. You alone, confident in the hot courage of your youth, would see the city run with blood?" Liu Chan responded, "While your father lived, Qiao Zhou never dared meddle in government policy. Now he rashly offers counsel in matters of state, presuming to give voice to subversive opinions, which have neither reason nor justification. Why, we have tens of thousands of troops in the capital, and Jiang Wei's army is intact at Saber Gateway. If Wei forces breach our outer perimeter, Jiang Wei will come to our aid the moment he hears of it. Then we can attack the enemy at the same time from the front and carry all before us. Why heed these miserable pedants and casually cast aside the late Emperor's patrimony?"

  The Second Emperor rebuked Liu Chan: "You little boy w
ho knows nothing of Heaven," he said. Liu Chan struck his head to the ground and said, weeping, "If we have no way out, if our strength is spent and disaster threatens, then let us two, father and son, liege and vassal, fight our last fight, backs to the city walls, and die together for the sake of the sacred shrines. Then we can present ourselves before the late Emperor. What good is surrender?" The Emperor would not agree. Liu Chan cried out tearfully, "At what expense and sacrifice did the late Emperor establish this patrimony! Give me death, not the humiliation of throwing our land away without a fight!" The Emperor had his attendants force Liu Chan out of the palace gates and ordered Qiao Zhou to prepare the documents of surrender. Next, he dispatched his personally appointed privy counselor, Zhang Shao, and Imperial Son-in-Law and Military Commander Deng Liang to accompany Qiao Zhou to Luocheng with the imperial seal and cord and the request for permission to surrender.3

  At this time Deng Ai had hundreds of armored cavalry scouts near Chengdu who saw the flag of surrender go up and reported it to him. Deng Ai was well pleased. Soon Zhang Shao and his delegation arrived, and Deng Ai sent men to receive them. The three Riverlands representatives bowed low before the stair leading to Deng Ai's seat, then they presented the jade seal of state and the offer of surrender. Deng Ai unsealed the surrender petition and studied it. Satisfied, he accorded Zhang Shao, Qiao Zhou, and Deng Liang appropriate protocol and sent them back to Chengdu with a reply, reassuring all parties of his peaceful intentions.

  The three took their leave and returned to Chengdu directly. They came before the Emperor, presented Deng Ai's response, and described how well they had been treated. The Second Emperor, pleased with the contents of the reply, ordered a court steward, Jiang Xian, to carry the order of surrender to Jiang Wei; he also sent Li Hu of the Secretariat to deliver the appropriate official documents to Deng Ai. According to these documents, the Riverlands had two hundred and eighty thousand households and a population of nine hundred and fourteen thousand; armor-bearing soldiers and commanders numbered one hundred and two thousand, civil officials, forty thousand; stored grain, more than four hundred thousand measures; gold and silver, two thousand cat-ties of each; damasked glossy silk and dyed silk, two hundred thousand bolts of each; other items in the treasury, because of a lack of time, were not enumerated. The date selected for the surrender of the Second Emperor and his vassals was the first day of the twelfth month.