The Three Kingdoms, Volume 3: Welcome the Tiger: The Epic Chinese Tale of Loyalty and War in a Dynamic New Translation (61 page)

The soldiers were also terror-stricken and dared not pursue.

Hearing of the setback in Beiyuan, Sima Yi hastened to the rescue. Midway along the road, where the land was most precipitous, two forces burst out upon him with fierce yells and deafening bombs. Upon the leading banner he read: “Generals Zhang Yi and Liao Hua of Han.”

Sima Yi was startled at this and his men ran away in panic.

Encountering the demonish troops he lost his grain,
Facing a surprise attack his life was in danger again.

Sima Yi’s fate will be revealed in the next chapter.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THREE

Sima Yi Is Trapped in Gourd Valley

Zhuge Liang Invokes His Star on Wuzhang Plain

S
orely
smitten by Zhang Yi and Liao Hua in the battle, Sima Yi fled toward a thick wood, alone and armed only with his spear.

Zhang Yi halted the rear division while Liao Hua pressed forward after the fugitive, whom he could see threading his way among the trees. Sima Yi was, indeed, soon in fear for his life, dodging from tree to tree as his pursuer neared. When he was close enough Liao Hua slashed at his enemy but the sword struck a tree, not the man, and before he could pull his sword out Sima Yi had escaped. When Liao Hua resumed the chase Sima Yi was nowhere to be seen. Presently Liao Hua noticed a golden helmet lying east of the thicket. He picked it up, hung it on his saddle, and followed that way.

But the crafty fugitive, having flung away his helmet thus to the east of the wood, had gone westward, so that Liao Hua was moving farther away from his prey. After some time of futile searching, Liao Hua fell in with Jiang Wei, and the two rode back to camp.

By then the wooden oxen and running horses had been driven into camp, and the grain collected amounted to more than 10,000
shi
.

Liao Hua presented Sima Yi’s helmet and received a reward of the highest merit. But Wei Yan was angry and he complained openly. Zhuge Liang, however, pretended not to hear anything.

Sima Yi returned to his own camp in distress. Bad news followed: a messenger from the capital brought the Emperor’s edict, telling him of an invasion by three armies of Wu and the preparations to send forces against them, and enjoining him to adhere to a defensive policy. Sima Yi, having received the imperial order, strengthened his defenses and refused any battle with the army of Shu.

On hearing that Wu was invading his land from three directions, Cao Rui sent three armies to repulse the invaders: Liu Shao to protect Jiangxia, Tian Yu to guard Xiangyang, while he himself, with Man Chong, relieved Hefei with the main army.

Man Chong led the leading division to Chaohu Lake. Looking across to the eastern shore, he saw numerous battleships and an orderly display of a large number of flags and banners. He went to see his ruler and proposed a surprise attack without loss of time.

“The enemy must expect us to be fatigued after a long march and will not take the trouble to prepare any defense. We should attack tonight, and victory will be ours.”

The Emperor liked his idea and he ordered Zhang Qiu, a valiant general, to take 5,000 men carrying flammable material to raid the enemy from the lake. Man Chong was to command an equal number of men to attack from the eastern bank.

At the second watch that night the two forces set out quietly and gradually approached the lake. On reaching the Wu naval camp unobserved, all of them burst upon it with a yell, and the men of Wu fled without even striking a blow. The men of Wei set fires going in every direction and thus destroyed numerous ships, large quantities of grain, and many weapons.

Zhuge Jin, who was in command, led his beaten men to Miankou, and the northerners returned to their camp much elated by their victory.

When news of the defeat came to Lu Xun he called together his officers and said, “I must write to the Emperor to abandon the siege of Xincheng, so that his force can be employed to cut off the retreat of the Wei army, while I attack in front. Harassed in the rear and front, they will easily be broken.”

All agreed that this was a good plan, and the petition was drafted. It was sent by the hand of a junior officer, who was told to convey it secretly to Sun Quan. But this messenger was captured at the ferry and taken before Cao Rui, who read the dispatch and then said with a sigh, “This Lu Xun of Wu is really very resourceful.”

The captive was put into prison, and Liu Shao was warned to guard against Sun Quan’s attack from the rear.

Now Zhuge Jin’s defeated men were also suffering from illnesses due to the summer heat, and at length he was compelled to write to Lu Xun, petitioning to withdraw homeward. Having read this dispatch, Lu Xun said to the messenger, “Give my regards to the general and tell him that I know what to do.”

The messenger returned with this reply to Zhuge Jin.

“What is the commander doing?” asked Zhuge Jin.

“I saw him urging the men to plant beans outside the camp, and he and his officers were amusing themselves with a shooting game at the entrance gate.”

Startled, Zhuge Jin himself went to see Lu Xun in his camp and ask him how to repel Cao Rui’s strong army.

Lu Xun replied, “My messenger to our Emperor was captured, and thus my plan was discovered. As the enemy will be prepared it is useless to fight, so we had better retreat. I have sent another memorial to the Emperor, suggesting that all our forces withdraw gradually.”

“But what is the point of the delay? If you think it best to retreat, it had better be done quickly.”

“My army must retreat slowly, or the enemy will come in pursuit, which will mean defeat and loss. Now you can prepare your ships to feign resistance, while I make a semblance of advancing toward Xiangyang to confuse our enemy. Under cover of these operations we will slowly and steadily withdraw to the south, and the enemy will not dare to follow.”

So Zhuge Jin returned to his own camp and began to fit out his ships for the planned voyage, while Lu Xun disciplined his army and started the march, letting it be widely known that he was heading for Xiangyang. The news of these movements were duly reported to the ruler of Wei, and when the officers heard it they wished to go out and fight.

However, the Emperor, fully aware of Lu Xun’s talents, warned his officers, “Lu Xun is very crafty. Perhaps this is his plan to induce us out to fight. Do not risk a battle.”

The officers obeyed, but a few days later scouts brought in news that the three armies of Wu had all withdrawn. The Emperor did not believe this and sent out more spies to investigate, who confirmed the previous report.

Sighing deeply, the Wei ruler said, “Lu Xun is no less a strategist than Sun Tzu and Wu Qi. The south is not to be conquered yet.”

Therefore he ordered his officers to defend firmly the various crucial points while he himself led the main army back to Hefei, where he encamped to await possible changes in the situation.

Meanwhile Zhuge Liang was at Qishan, planning a long stay. He told his soldiers to mix with the local people of Wei and help with plowing the fields. He divided the land between his army and the residents, with the army taking one third of the total. Strict orders were issued against any encroachment on the property of the farmers, and so the people and the soldiers lived together very amicably.

Sima Yi’s elder son, Shi, went to see his father and said: “The men of Shu have snatched much grain from us, and now they are mingling with the people of Qishan and farming the land along the banks of the Wei River for a longterm deployment. This will be a calamity for us. Why not choose a time to fight a decisive battle with Zhuge Liang, Father?”

His father replied, “I have the Emperor’s orders to act on the defensive and must not venture out imprudently.”

While they were talking, it was reported that Wei Yan was challenging for battle outside, waving Sima Yi’s helmet and abusing him. Greatly incensed by the insult the officers desired to accept the challenge, but their commander was immovable in his decision to remain on the defensive.

“A sage once said, ‘Impatience over a small matter upsets a great design.’ Our best plan is to stick to a firm defense.”

So the challenge was ignored. After reviling his enemy for quite some time, Wei Yan went back.

Seeing that his enemy was not to be provoked into fighting, Zhuge Liang secretly ordered Ma Dai to build a strong fence and therein to excavate a deep pit to collect large quantities of inflammables. And on the surrounding hills he was told to put up sham straw sheds and bury mines both in and around these sheds. When these preparations were complete Ma Dai received another secret instruction to block the rear exit to Gourd Valley and lie in ambush there.

“If Sima Yi comes to pursue, let him enter the valley, and then ignite the mines and kindle the firewood,” added Zhuge Liang.

Then he arranged some secret signals with Ma Dai: in the daytime a seven-star banner was to be held high up at the mouth of the valley and during the night seven lamps were to be lit on a hill. Ma Dai received the instructions and left.

Wei Yan was the next one to be summoned, and Zhuge Liang said to him: “Take five hundred men and go to the Wei camp to challenge the enemy for battle. The important point is that you must entice Sima Yi out of his stronghold. When he comes out, do not try to beat him but feign a defeat. He will surely pursue—and you’re to head for the seven-star banner by day and the seven lamps by night. If you can lead him into the Gourd Valley, I have a plan to capture him.”

Wei Yan took the order and departed with his men. Soon Gao Xiang was summoned.

“Take the wooden oxen and running horses in groups of about one or two score, load them with grain, and lead them to and fro on the mountain paths. If you succeed in getting them seized by the enemy you will have rendered a good service.”

So Gao Xiang went away with the wooden animals to play his part in the scheme. Then Zhuge Liang sent away the remainder of the Qishan troops, seemingly to work in the fields, but actually to redeploy them in the coming battle. Before they left he said: “Unless Sima Yi comes in person, pretend defeat no matter who your opponent is. If he himself is on the scene, then concentrate your attack on the south bank of the river to cut off his retreat.

Having completed the deployment, Zhuge Liang led his men to camp near the Gourd Valley.

At the Wei camp two of the Xiahou brothers went to speak to their commander. “The men of Shu have set up camps in various places and are engaged in farming everywhere in the countryside, intending to hold out for a long period of time. If they are not destroyed now, but are allowed to consolidate their position, they will be hard to dislodge.”

“This must be another of Zhuge Liang’s ruses,” said Sima Yi.

“Commander, you are so full of doubts and hesitations,” they said. “When do you suppose we can destroy the enemy? At least let us two brothers fight one life-and-death battle that we may show our gratitude to our country.”

“In that case, you may go in two divisions,” consented Sima Yi at last.

So the two brothers went away with 5,000 men each, while Sima Yi sat in his camp, awaiting the result of their fight.

As the two divisions were marching along they saw coming toward them a body of Shu men driving the wooden animals. They attacked at once, and the men of Shu fled in defeat. All the animals were captured by the men of Wei and sent to Sima Yi’s camp. On the following day they captured more than one hundred Shu soldiers, who were also sent back to the main camp.