At that time Li Yan of Yongan sent his officer, named Gou An, to deliver a convoy of grain. This man indulged in alcohol and loitered on the road, so that he arrived ten days late. Wrathful at the delay, Zhuge Liang upbraided him: “Grain is of the utmost importance to the army. Three days’ delay is to be punished by death. Now you are late by ten days, what can you say to that?”
He ordered the man to be taken out and put to death at once.
Yang Yi interceded. “Gou An is in the service of Li Yan, whose governing area in West Chuan is affluent in money and grain. If you put this man to death, no one there will dare to deliver grain again.”
Zhuge Liang then told the executioners to loosen the bonds and lessened the penalty to eighty blows. Then the man was allowed to leave. Filled with resentment for this punishment, Gou An took his half dozen followers and deserted to the enemy that night. He was taken before Sima Yi, to whom he related his wrongs.
“Your tale may be true, but it is hard to trust it,” said Sima Yi. “Zhuge Liang is full of guile. However, if you can render me a great service, I will ask the Emperor to make you a general of rank.”
“Whatever you ask I will do my best,” replied the deserter.
“Go to your capital and spread a tale that Zhuge Liang harbors a grudge against his lord and will one day assume the throne himself. This will get him recalled. That is the service I want from you.”
Gou An accepted the treacherous mission. In the capital he told his wicked tale to some of the eunuchs, who became alarmed and brought it before the Second Ruler.
“If that is true, what am I to do?” asked the Second Ruler, greatly surprised.
“Recall him to the capital,” said the eunuchs, “and deprive him of his military power to avoid rebellion.”
Accordingly the Emperor issued an edict to recall the army.
Jiang Wan asked, “The prime minister has repeatedly won victories since he departed for the expedition. Why is he recalled?”
“I have a private matter to discuss with him personally,” said the Second Ruler.
So the edict was issued and dispatched to Zhuge Liang. The messenger at once set out to the main camp in Qishan, where he was received by the prime minister and the edict delivered.
“The Emperor is young, and there must be some wicked officials by his side,” said Zhuge Liang with a deep sigh. “I’m on the verge of achieving some major success—why am I recalled? If I don’t go, I will be disobeying my Emperor—but if I withdraw, I will never get such a chance again.”
“If the army withdraws, Sima Yi will attack,” said Jiang Wei. “What must we do?”
“I will divide the army into five divisions and withdraw in the following way. Today the first division will go. Suppose there are a thousand men in the camp, then prepare two thousand cooking places; tomorrow, prepare three thousand; the day after, four thousand and so on. Increase the cooking places as the men are gradually withdrawn.”
Yang Yi said, “In the days of old, when Sun Bin was attacking Pang Juan, he decreased cooking places as the men were increased. Why do you reverse this, sir?”
“Sima Yi is an able commander and will pursue if he knows we are retreating. But as he will be wary of an ambush, he will send his men to count the cooking places in our camp; the increase of those will leave him in doubt as to whether our men have gone or not, and he won’t pursue. Thus we can withdraw without loss.”
The order for retreat was given.
Meanwhile Sima Yi, who anticipated that Gou An would have worked harm, waited for the retreat of the Shu army to begin his operation. He was still waiting when scouts told him that the enemy’s camps were empty. However, he did not order immediate pursuit for fear this would be another of Zhuge Liang’s ruses. Instead, he rode out himself with a small scouting party to inspect the empty camps. There he told his men to count the cooking places. The next day he sent men back to the same camp and again the cooking places were counted. They reported that there was an increase of a tenth.
“I knew Zhuge Liang was up to his tricks. And sure enough, he has increased his men as the increase of cooking places shows. If we pursue, he will be ready for us. Better retreat and await another opportunity.”
So there was no pursuit, and Zhuge Liang returned to the capital without losing a single man.
Later Sima Yi was informed by local inhabitants that when Zhuge Liang retreated they had seen him increase the cooking places, but not the number of men.
Casting his eyes heavenward, Sima Yi heaved a deep sigh. “Zhuge Liang has tricked me again. He is really too resourceful for me.”
And so he led his army back to Luoyang.
When players of equal skill are matched, then victory hovers between;
When talents of the same depth meet, then conceit quietly leaves.
What happened when Zhuge Liang reached the capital will be told in the next chapter.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND ONE
Leaving Longshang Zhuge Liang Disguises Himself as a God
Hurrying to Sword Pass Zhang He Falls into a Trap
By means of the artifice just described, Zhuge Liang withdrew his army safely into Hanzhong, whereas Sima Yi also retreated to Chang’an. Zhuge Liang distributed rewards to his officers and men for their services and then went to the capital to see the Second Ruler.
“Your Majesty recalled me just as I was on the point of seizing Chang’an,” he said. “What is the important matter?”
The Second Ruler could not reply. After quite a while he said, “I missed you very much so I called you back. That is all.”
Zhuge Liang replied, “I do not think that was your own intention. Some slanderous courtier must have put the idea into Your Majesty’s head that I cherished ulterior motives.”
Hearing this the Second Ruler fell silent, unable to answer.
Zhuge Liang continued, “I owe your late father such great kindness that I pledged to devote my life to his great design. But if vile influences are permitted to work at home, how can I destroy the rebels without?”
“It was wrong of me to listen to the talk of some eunuchs and recall you on an impulse. Now it is all clear to me and I regret it very much.”
Zhuge Liang interrogated the eunuchs and thus found out the rumor had stemmed from Gou An. He at once ordered the man to be arrested, but the traitor had already fled to Wei. The eunuchs who had influenced the Second Ruler were put to death, and all the others were expelled from the palace. He also upbraided Jiang Wan and Fei Yi severely for failing to detect evil persons and advise the Emperor correctly.
Zhuge Liang then took leave of the Second Ruler and returned to Hanzhong, where he immediately began preparations for a new expedition. A message was sent to Li Yan, ordering him to supervise the necessary supplies for the army.
Yang Yi said, “The soldiers were wearied during previous expeditions, and the supplies were not regular. I think this time we can divide our men into two bodies. First, send half the army to Qishan for three months, and at the end of that time exchange them for the other half, and so on, alternately. In this way, their energies will be conserved and we can work steadily toward the conquest of the north.”
“That’s exactly what I’d like to do,” said Zhuge Liang. “The conquest of the north is not a matter to be achieved in haste. We really must develop a longterm plan.”
Therefore the army was divided, and each half would campaign for one hundred days at a time, after which it would be relieved by the other force. Full penalties would be enforced for any laxity and failure to maintain the periods of active service.
In the spring of the ninth year of Jian Xing the army once more took the field against Wei. In Wei it was the fifth year of the reign of Tai He.
When the Emperor of Wei heard of this new invasion he summoned Sima Yi at once and asked him for advice.
“Now that my friend Cao Zhen is no more, I am willing to do all I can to destroy the rebels.”
The Emperor was gratified by thi
s ready offer, and honored Sima Yi with a banquet. The following day came urgent news of Shu’s attack and the army was ordered to move without delay. The Emperor, riding in his state chariot, escorted Sima Yi out of the city. Then Sima Yi took the road to Chang’an, where he met with leaders of various forces for a council of war against Shu.
Zhang He offered to guard Yong and Mei, but Sima Yi said, “Our front division is not strong enough to face the enemy’s whole force. If we further divide our army it won’t be a wise scheme. Perhaps it’s better to leave a troop to guard Shanggui while the rest of us all move to Qishan. Will you lead the van?”
Exhilarated, Zhang He said, “I have always been most loyal and wish to devote myself entirely to the service of the state. So far I have not met a commander who really appreciated my sincerity, but now that you confer upon me a post of such responsibility, I will defy any sacrifice.”
So Zhang He was appointed van leader while Guo Huai was told to hold the various districts in Longxi. The other officers marched with the major army along different routes.
Scouts ascertained that the main force of Shu was directed toward Qishan, and their van leaders, Wang Ping and Zhang Ni, had left Chencang and crossed Sword Pass to reach Ye Valley via San Pass.
Hearing this, Sima Yi said to Zhang He: “Zhuge Liang is advancing in full force. He certainly intends to reap the wheat in Longxi for his army’s provisions. You camp here to hold Qishan, while Guo Huai and I will go over to Tianshui to foil the enemy’s plan to gather the harvest.”
So Zhang He took 40,000 men to hold Qishan, and Sima Yi went westwards to Longxi.
When Zhuge Liang reached Qishan and had encamped his men, he saw that the bank of the River Wei had been fortified by his enemy.
“That must be the work of Sima Yi,” he remarked to his officers. “But we haven’t enough food. I have repeatedly sent people to urge Li Yan to send grain, but so far it has not yet arrived. I reckon the wheat in Longxi is now just ripe. Let us go quietly and reap it.”
Leaving four officers to guard the camp, Zhuge Liang, with Jiang Wei, Wei Yan, and others, went over to Lucheng. The prefect of that city, who had long known Zhuge Liang’s reputation, opened the gates and yielded. Zhuge Liang learned from him that the wheat in Longshang was ready to be harvested. So leaving two officers to defend the city, he led the remainder of the army to Longshang.
But soon the leading body reported that Sima Yi had already positioned his army there.
“So that man guessed what I intended to do!” said Zhuge Liang, taken aback.
Zhuge Liang then bathed and changed his attire. He told his men to push out three identical four-wheeled chariots with exactly the same decorations. These chariots had been built in Shu sometime before and were among the baggage of the army.
Jiang Wei was told to lead a troop of 1,500 and hide beyond the city, where a thousand soldiers were to escort a chariot and five hundred to beat drums. In like manner, Wei Yan and Ma Dai were assigned the two other chariots and sent to the east and the west of the city. Each chariot was propelled by a team of twenty-four men, all dressed in black, barefooted, and with loosened hair. Each one of the team also held a sword and a black, seven-starred bannerol.
While the chariots were taking up their positions, the remaining 30,000 men were ordered to prepare ropes and sickles to cut and carry away the grain. Next Zhuge Liang selected twenty-four handsome soldiers dressed and armed in the same fashion as the charioteers of the other three chariots. These soldiers were to man his own chariot. Guan Xing was told to dress up as a heavenly general and to walk in front of Zhuge Liang’s chariot holding a black, seven-starred bannerol. The preparations complete, Zhuge Liang mounted the chariot and headed toward the Wei camp.
The appearance of a chariot with such attendants more than startled the enemy’s scouts, who did not know whether the apparition was that of a man or a demon. They hastened to tell their commander about this. Sima Yi came out to see for himself. There was Zhuge Liang seated in his chariot, dressed as a Taoist mystic with his headdress, white robe, and a feather fan, surrounded by twenty-four men armed with swords, all with their hair down, and preceded by a god-like figure carrying a black bannerol.
“Some of Zhuge Liang’s tricks again,” he said, and he ordered a couple of thousand men to go out and seize the chariot and its escort.
The Wei soldiers went out to give chase, but seeing this, Zhuge Liang ordered the chariot to retreat slowly toward the Shu camp. As the men of Wei galloped onward, they felt a chilly breeze and a cold mist rolling about them. Mounted as they were, they could not catch up with the procession.
They found it uncanny and halted. “How odd!” they said to one another. “We’ve been pressing on for thirty li and yet we get no nearer. What does it mean?”
When Zhuge Liang saw that the pursuit had ceased, he had his chariot turned back again to rest before the pursuers. They hesitated for quite some time, but were later tempted to take up the chase once more. Upon this the chariot again turned and retreated, proceeding slowly. And thus another twenty li were covered but to the pursuers, the chariot was always in sight yet never within reach.
The Wei soldiers halted again, stunned at this puzzling pursuit. But as they stopped, the chariot came again toward them. They were about to resume the chase when Sima Yi came up with a strong force and stopped them.
He said to his men, “Zhuge Liang is an old master in the Taoist magic. This trick of his is recorded in the Book of Heaven as ‘Shortening the distance’—it’s futile to pursue.”
So they ceased following. But the moment they turned back, a roll of drums from their left indicated the arrival of the enemy. Sima Yi at once ordered his men to repel them, but to their astonishment, from the midst of the Shu soldiers there came into view a chariot with Zhuge Liang seated in it, accompanied by twenty-four men, the exact replica of the procession he had just seen.
“But just now he was sitting in that other chariot—how can he be here? It’s most weird,” cried Sima Yi in disbelief.
Hardly had he finished speaking than another roll of drums rose from their right, and there appeared another body of men, with an identical chariot and escort in the midst, complete with the seated figure of Zhuge Liang.
“These must be heavenly soldiers,” said Sima Yi, filled with fear.
The men, spooked by these mysterious appearances, began to get restless. Not daring to fight such beings, they fled. But before they had gone far, lo!—another roll of drums, another cohort, and yet another chariot appeared, with yet another figure of Zhuge Liang seated therein.
The men of Wei were now thoroughly frightened, and even Sima Yi himself was much alarmed, not knowing whether these phantoms should be ascribed to men or ghosts. So he and his men fled in disorder, not stopping until they reached Shanggui. Once inside the city, they closed the gates and refused to go out.
In the meantime, Zhuge Liang’s 30,000 men had already reaped the wheat and carried it into Lucheng to winnow and dry.
Sima Yi remained behind the protection of the city walls for three days. Only when he saw his enemy had left did he dare to send out some scouts, who presently returned with a Shu soldier they had captured. The prisoner was questioned.
“I was of the reaping party,” confessed the man. “My horse had wandered away so I was caught.”
“What magic soldiers were those of yours that we saw here lately?” asked Sima Yi.
The man replied, “The prime minister was not with the three ambushing forces. These officers were Jiang Wei, Ma Dai, and Wei Yan. Each force had only one thousand fighting men and five hundred drummers. He was only in the first chariot that came to induce you.”
“His comings and goings are as mysterious as those of a god or a demon,” said Sima Yi in resignation.
Just then Guo Huai came to see him. After exchanging greetings, Guo Huai said, “I hear the enemy has only a small force in Lucheng, occupied with winnowing the grain—why not smite them?”
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p; Sima Yi told him his last experience with his opponent’s wiles.
“He succeeded in throwing dust in your eyes once,” said Guo Huai with a smile. “But now that you have seen through his ruse, it is absolutely useless. Let me go and attack Lucheng from the rear, while you lead a troop to storm the front. We will take the city and capture Zhuge Liang, too.”
Sima Yi approved and the army departed by two routes to attack Lucheng.
At Lucheng the men of Shu were busy gathering in the wheat. Suddenly Zhuge Liang called up his officers and said, “The enemy will attack tonight. I presume there is enough space for an ambush in the newly reaped fields. Who dares to go for me?”
Four officers offered themselves, and he posted them with 4,000 men at the southeast, northwest, southwest, and northeast corners of the city. They were to await a signal and then converge to withstand the enemy. When these had gone, Zhuge Liang led out about a hundred men, each carrying explosives, and hid in the newly reaped wheat fields.
When Sima Yi reached the walls of Lucheng the sun had already gone down. He said to his officers, “If we attacked by daylight we should find the city well prepared, so we will take advantage of the darkness. The moat is shallow and the walls are low here. There will be no difficulty in overcoming it.”
The men bivouacked to wait till the time to attack. At about the first watch Guo Huai also arrived, and the two forces converged. Then drums began to beat and the city was quickly surrounded tightly on all sides. However, the defenders maintained such a heavy discharge of arrows, bolts, and stones from the walls that the besiegers dared not close in.
Suddenly from the midst of the Wei army sounded signal explosions. The soldiers were startled, but no one could tell where the enemy was coming from. Guo Huai sent his men to search the wheat fields. But all at once, from the four corners rose towering flames and roaring shouts, and the four Shu forces rushed forth to fall upon the Wei army. At the same time the four city gates were thrown widely open and the men inside also burst out to support their comrades. A great battle ensued, and Wei suffered heavy losses.
The Three Kingdoms, Volume 3: Welcome the Tiger: An Epic Chinese Tale of Loyalty and War in a Dynamic New Translation Page 39