Authors: Luo Guanzhong
Zhong Hui became quite alarmed after reading this brief letter. “My army outnumbers that of Deng Ai greatly and if he only wants me to seize Deng Ai, he knows well enough that I could handle it easily. Now his appearing with an army means he suspects me.”
He again consulted Jiang Wei, who said, “When the master suspects his official, that official must die. Have you forgotten about Deng Ai?”
“My mind is made up,” replied Zhong Hui. “Success, and the empire is mine; failure, and I will retreat into Shu and I can be another Liu Bei.”
Jiang Wei said, “Empress Dowager Guo has died only recently. You can pretend she left you a command to destroy Sima Zhao, to punish him for the murder of the late Emperor. With your talents you will sweep clean the northern land.”
“Then you must be the van leader,” said Zhong Hui. “When success is ours we will share the glory and wealth.”
“I’m willing to render what little service I can offer,” said Jiang Wei. “But I’m afraid your officers may not agree.”
“Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. We can have lanterns put up all over the former Shu palace for celebration and invite all the officers to a banquet. We will kill all those who refuse to follow us.”
His words filled Jiang Wei’s heart with a secret joy.
On the following day the officers were invited to the feast. After several rounds of wine, Zhong Hui suddenly lifted his cup and wept. All were surprised and asked him the reason for his grief.
Zhong Hui replied, “I have here an edict from the late Empress Dowager before her death, commanding me to punish Sima Zhao for his treasonous crimes of slaying the late Emperor at the south gate and plotting to usurp the throne. I want you all to put down your names and join me in this task.”
Astounded, the officers stared at each other, not knowing how to respond. Zhong Hui drew his sword and cried, “Whoever disobeys must die!”
All of them were intimidated and, one by one, they signed their names to pledge allegiance. As further security, they were all kept prisoners in the palace under careful guard.
“They are not really with us,” said Jiang Wei. “Please bury them.”
“I have ordered my men to dig a great pit in the palace,” replied Zhong Hui. “And I have thousands of clubs ready. Those who disobey will be clubbed to death and buried in the pit.”
Qiu Jian, one of his trusted officers, was present when he said this. He had once served under Hu Lie, who was among the imprisoned officers, and he secretly informed his former chief of Zhong Hui’s words.
Hu Lie wept and said, “My son is in command of a force outside the city. He will never suspect Zhong Hui capable of such a crime. I beg you to consider our old friendship and break the news to him. Then I will have no regrets, even if I die.”
“Have no anxiety, sir,” replied Qiu Jian. “Let me find a means to do that.”
He went to Zhong Hui and said, “My lord, you are holding the officers in captivity, and it is inconvenient for them to get food and water. Will you not appoint someone to supply their needs?”
Zhong Hui always listened to Qiu Jian, so he made no difficulty about this request. He told Qiu Jian to see to it himself, saying, “I am placing a great responsibility in you, and you must never let the secret out.”
“Rest assured, my lord. I know how to keep a strict watch.”
But he secretly confided in a close follower of Hu Lie’s. The man was given a letter, which he swiftly delivered to his master’s son, Hu Yuan, in his camp outside the city.
Much alarmed, Hu Yuan showed the letter to his colleagues in other camps and they were all enraged. They went to Hu Yuan’s tent to discuss the matter.
“We would rather die than obey a rebel,” they said.
Hu Yuan said, “We can make a surprise attack on the eighteenth day of the month.”
Then he explained in detail his plan, which won the support of the army inspector Wei Guan, who got his men ready and ordered Qiu Jian to inform Hu Lie what was afoot. Hu Lie told his fellow captives.
Now Zhong Hui had dreamed of being bitten by many serpents, and he asked Jiang Wei to explain this vision. Jiang Wei replied that dreams of dragons and snakes were exceedingly auspicious. Zhong Hui was only too ready to accept this interpretation.
“The clubs are all ready,” said Zhong Hui. “What about letting the officers out and question them?”
“They are opposed to us and will surely stir up trouble later. It’s better to slay them all quickly.”
Zhong Hui agreed and told Jiang Wei to take armed guards to execute the captives. But just as he was starting out, Jiang Wei was seized with a sudden pain of the heart, so severe that he fainted. The attendants helped him up but he did not revive until after a long while. Then suddenly a tremendous hubbub arose outside the palace. Zhong Hui at once sent someone to find out its cause, but at that moment cries of war shook the earth and multitudes of troops rushed up from every direction.
“That must be the officers in mutiny,” said Jiang Wei. “Slay them at once.”
But it was reported that the troops had already entered the palace. Zhong Hui ordered the gates to be closed and told his men to climb up to the roof to pelt the incoming soldiers with tiles. Dozens were slain on either side.
Then fire broke out on all sides outside the palace and the assailants broke open the gates. Zhong Hui drew his sword and slew several, but was shot by an arrow and he fell. His enemies hacked off his head.
Jiang Wei, taking his sword, ran up the hall and fought the enemy on every side. But unfortunately he suffered another heart spasm.
Turning to Heaven, he cried, “My plan has failed. This is the will of Heaven.”
These were his last words. He put an end to his life with his own sword. He was fifty-nine years old.
Several hundred were slain within the palace. Wei Guan presently ordered the soldiers to return to their various camps to await the orders of the Emperor. The soldiers of Wei, out of revenge, slit open the abdomen of Jiang Wei and found his gall as large as an egg. They also seized and slew Jiang Wei’s family members.
Seeing that Deng Ai’s enemies had perished, his former subordinates hastened to chase the cage carts to rescue him. When Wei Guan heard of this, he feared for his own life.
“I was the one who arrested him,” said Wei Guan. “If he gets free it means my death.”
Tian Xu said to him, “When Deng Ai took Jiangyou he wished to put me to death. It was only after the pleading of my comrades that he let me off. This is the moment for my revenge.”
So at the head of five hundred men Tian Xu went in pursuit of the cage-carts. He caught up with them at Mianzhu, where he found that the two prisoners had just been released from the carts and were on their way to Chengdu. When he saw Tian Xu, Deng Ai assumed that his own troops had come up, so he took no precaution to defend himself. Before he could ask any questions he was cut down by Tian Xu, whose men fell upon the son, Deng Zhong, and slew him also. Later a poem was written to lament over Deng Ai:
From early years he could scheme and plan;
He was an able commander as a man.
The earth could hide no secrets from his eye,
With equal skill he read the starry sky.
Mountains and hills cleft as his horse rode up
And roads opened when his troops arrived.
But foulest murder closed a great career,
His soul curls amid the mist o’er River Han.
A poem was also composed in lamentation for Zhong Hui:
Of mother-wit Zhong had no scanty share,
And in due time at court did office bear.
His subtle plans shook Sima’s hold on power,
He was well named the Zi-fang
*
of the hour.
At Shouchun he won renown for his schemes,
In Sword Pass he displayed his martial skills.
Ambitious, he would not in the hills roam;
Now his wandering spirit grieves for home.
Another poem, in pity of Jiang Wei, runs:
Tianshui boasted of a distinguished hero,
Liangzhou produced an unusual talent.
For ancestor he claimed the famed Jiang Shang,
†
And in skill he was tutored by Zhuge Liang,
So valiant was he that he feared nothing,
Always pressing forward and never returning,
Grieved were the generals of Han
When he died in Chengdu that day.
And thus died three great warriors. Zhang Yi and some other officers also perished in the fight. Liu Rui, the Heir Apparent, and Guan Yi, grandson of Guan Yu, were both killed by Wei troops. A great confusion followed and there were clashes between the army and the people, resulting in numerous deaths.
Ten days later Jia Chong arrived. He put out notices to pacify the people and order was finally restored. He left Wei Guan in defense of the city of Chengdu and took the captive Second Ruler to Luoyang. Few officials accompanied the deposed Second Ruler on this disgraceful journey. Liao Hua and Dong Jue pleaded illness as an excuse not to go. They died of grief later.
At this time the reign-style of Wei was changed from the fifth year of Jing Yuan to the first year of Xian Xi. In the third month of that year, Ding Feng, the veteran general of Wu, seeing that Shu had already been destroyed, called back his relief force and returned to his own country.
At the Wu court, an official named Hua Jiao said to the Emperor, “Wu and Shu were as close as are lips and teeth, and ‘when the lips are gone the teeth are cold.’ Without doubt Sima Zhao will attack us at any moment. I beg Your Majesty to strengthen the defenses to guard against his invasion.”
The Emperor shared his view, so he appointed Lu Kang, son of the able commander Lu Xun, General–Guardian of the East, Prefect of Jingzhou, and entrusted him with the defense of the Yangtze. General Sun Yi was sent to hold the strategic points in and around Nanxu. As a further precaution hundreds of camps were set up along the riverbanks, with the veteran general Ding Feng in full control, to guard against Wei troops.
When Huo Yi, Prefect of Jianning, heard that Chengdu had fallen, he put on a mourning robe of white and, facing west toward the capital, he wept for three days.
“Now that the Emperor has lost his throne, why not surrender at once?” suggested his officers.
Huo Yi replied in tears, “With all links cut, I don’t know the fate of our lord, whether he is safe or not. If the ruler of Wei treats him with courtesy, then it will not be too late for me to yield the city. But if the captors put him to shame, then it is my duty to die, but not to surrender.”
The others agreed and a man was sent to Luoyang to find out the fate of their former ruler.
It happened that when Liu Shan, the Second Ruler, reached the capital of Wei, Sima Zhao had already returned from Chang’an. At court Sima Zhao upbraided him: “You indulged yourself in dissipation, dismissed the wise, and misgoverned your country. For these faults you ought to be executed.”
Hearing this, Liu Shan turned ashen with fear, not knowing how to respond.
But the courtiers said, “Although he has misruled his country, he has fortunately rendered a timely surrender. He now deserves pardon.”
Following their counsel Sima Zhao created Liu Shan Duke of Anle (Comfort), and assigned him a residence and a revenue, as well as a gift of 10,000 rolls of silk and a hundred maids and servants. His son, Liu Yao, and the officials who had accompanied him into exile were given noble ranks. Liu Shan thanked him and took his leave. But Huang Hao, for the crimes of undermining the country and oppressing the people, was cruelly put to death in public. When news of all this reached Huo Yi, Prefect of Jianning, he came with a retinue to yield to Wei.
The next day Liu Shan went to the residence of Sima Zhao to express his gratitude again, and the latter gave a banquet to entertain him. At the banquet music and dances from Wei were performed first and all the guests from Shu felt sad—except Liu Shan, who looked quite at ease. Then Sima Zhao had artists from Shu perform their own dances and music before the guests. As they watched tears rolled down their faces, but their lord, utterly unaffected, laughed merrily.
After drinking for some time, Sima Zhao said to Jia Chong: “How un-feeling he is! Even if Zhuge Liang had lived, he could not have maintained his rule for long, let alone Jiang Wei.”
Turning to Liu Shan, Sima Zhao asked, “Do you miss Shu?”
“I am so happy here that I do not miss Shu at all,” replied Liu Shan.
Presently Liu Shan rose and left the table for a while. Xi Zheng followed him outside and said, “How could you say that you do not miss Shu, Your Majesty? If he asks you again, say in tears, ‘The tomb of my father is far away in Shu and not a single day passes without my heart grieving for the west.’ Then he will let you return to Shu.”
Liu Shan memorized his words and went back to the banquet table. When he was a little intoxicated with wine, Sima Zhao raised the same question again, to which Liu Shan replied as he had been instructed. He also tried to weep, but failed to produce a tear, so he shut his eyes.
“How come you sound so much like Xi Zheng?” remarked his host.
“Yes, it is just as you say,” replied Liu Shan in surprise, opening his eyes.
Sima Zhao and his attendants all laughed. This convinced Sima Zhao of Liu Shan’s honesty and felt that he had nothing to fear from him.
He pursued pleasure and joy, his face lit with smiles;
Ne’er did he have the slightest grief for his lost empire.
Happy in an alien land, his home state out of his mind.
How unfit he was to sit on the throne, all said.