Authors: Luo Guanzhong
He left the court and returned to his home. Toward the end of the year he was critically ill, and the Emperor went to visit him in his home. The sight of the Emperor at his bedside brought tears to the eyes of the old soldier.
“If I died a myriad times, I could not have repayed Your Majesty,” said the sick man.
The Emperor also wept. “I deeply regret that I cannot use your strategy to attack Wu. Who now is there to carry out your design?”
The sick general replied tearfully, “I am dying and must be wholly sincere. General Du Yu is the right man for the task. He should be employed if Your Majesty is going to attack Wu.”
Sima Yan said, “It is a good thing to bring worthy men into prominence. But why did you submit a memorial recommending certain men to court and then burn the draft so that no one would see it?”
The dying man answered, “I deem it despicable to recommend someone in open court and then receive his thanks in private.”
With these words he died. Sima Yan wailed in sorrow for him, and when he returned to his palace he conferred on the dead general the posthumous rank of
Tai-fu
and the title of marquis. His death was mourned everywhere. People in Nanzhou closed their shops and wept; officers and men guarding the frontier in the south wailed for him; and inhabitants of Xiangyang, recalling how he loved to visit the Xian Hills, built there a temple and set up a tablet to his memory and submitted sacrifices regularly at the four seasons. Passersby were moved to tears when they read the inscription on the tablet, which came to be named “Tablet of Tears.” In later times a poet visited the temple and composed these lines to his memory:
One morning, moved by his memory, I climbed the hill
I see fragments of a stone while spring visits Xian Hills
From the pine branches dew drops constantly fall
Could those who mourned for him then be weeping still?
On the strength of Yang Hu’s recommendation Du Yu was placed over Xiangyang, with the title General–Conqueror of the South. He was experienced and competent, untiring in study. His favorite book was
Zuo Zhuan
, or Zuo Qiu-ming’s
Spring and Autumn Annals
, a copy of which was never out of his hand while he was seated or in bed. Whenever he was out riding he would have the book brought before his horse. That was how he came to be known as “
Zuo Zhuan
mad” among his contemporaries. After taking the Emperor’s order Du Yu went to Xiangyang, where he comforted the people and rested the army to prepare for an invasion of Wu.
By this time Wu had lost both Ding Feng and Lu Kang, its two most able generals. The conduct of its ruler became even more atrocious. Every time he gave a banquet to his courtiers he would force them to get quite drunk. He appointed ten eunuchs as agents to observe the faults committed by the guests, and after such a banquet all offenders were punished—some by flaying, others through gouging out the eyes. The people of the country lived in sheer terror.
Wang Jun, Governor of Yizhou, proposed an attack upon Wu in his memorial, which said: “Sun Hao is steeped in vice and should be attacked at once. Should he die and be succeeded by a wise ruler we might find a strong opponent in Wu. Secondly, the ships that I built seven years ago are rotting daily, and it is a waste not to use them. Thirdly, I am seventy years of age and may die any day. If any one of these three events happens, the death of Sun Hao, or the destruction of these ships, or my death, then Wu will be difficult to conquer. I pray Your Majesty not to miss the good opportunity.”
After reading this Sima Yan said to his courtiers, “Wang Jun’s arguments correspond to those of General Yang’s. My mind is made up on the issue.”
But an official named Wang Hun remonstrated: “I hear Sun Hao intends to march north and has his army and equipment in full readiness. It would be hard to confront his troops while their morale is high. Better to wait another year till his army has lost its vigor.”
The Emperor approved and an edict was duly issued to cease war preparations. One day the Emperor was playing a game of
wei-chi
in his chamber, with Zhang Hua as opponent, when a memorial arrived from Du Yu at the frontier. In short it read:
Formerly Yang Hu confided his plans to Your Majesty alone, but failed to consult the courtiers. That was why most of them were opposed to his view. In every matter we should weigh the pros and cons and in this campaign we are going to benefit tremendously. The worst that can happen is failure. Since last autumn the proposed attack has become known, and, if we withdraw now, Sun Hao, in his dread, may move his capital to Wuchang, repair his fortifications in various southern cities, and evacuate his people. Then the cities will be hard to destroy, nor will anything be left in the countryside for us to seize as booty. Hence if we wait for another year, our campaign will also fail.
No sooner had the Emperor finished reading than Zhang Hua sprang to his feet, pushed back the chessboard, and said, his hands clasped respectfully before his chest: “Your Majesty is most skilled in war, your state is prosperous, and your people strong. But the ruler of Wu is a tyrant, his people are miserable, and his kingdom weak. Act now and you can easily conquer him. I pray Your Majesty will have no further doubts.”
“Your words are most revealing and I have no more doubts,” said the Emperor.
He at once convened a council at which he issued his commands. Du Yu was appointed commander-in-chief, and was to lead 100,000 men to attack Jiangling. Four other generals, each leading 50,000 men, were to attack the south from four points: Tuzhong, Hengjiang, Wuchang, and Xiakou. All four divisions were under the command of Du Yu. In addition to the land forces, two large fleets, consisting of tens of thousands of warships and boats, were to operate on the river. The land and marine forces numbered more than 200,000. A separate force was sent away to camp at Xiangyang to reinforce various positions.
The ruler of Wu was greatly alarmed at the news. He called quickly his prime minister, Zhang Ti, and two others, He Zhi and Teng Xun, to discuss how to drive away the enemy. The prime minister proposed sending Wu Yan to meet Du Yu at Jiangling and Sun Xin to Xiakou. He also volunteered to act as military advisor and go with two generals to Niuzhu, ready to lend help to the other forces. Sun Hao approved and the prime minister left with the army.
Sun Hao returned to his chamber looking much worried, for he realized that no preparations had been made against an attack by water. His favorite eunuch Cen Hun asked him why he looked so much in distress and his master told him of his dread of the enemy navy.
“But I have a scheme that will smash all their ships,” cried Cen Hun.
“What is it?” asked the Emperor, pleased to hear this.
“We have plenty of iron here. We can weld over a hundred long iron chains with heavy links and stretch them across the river at various points. Also forge many massive iron hammers and arrange them in the stream. When the enemy’s ships sail down before the wind they will collide with the hammers and be wrecked. Then how can they sail across?”
Sun Hao was overjoyed to hear this and blacksmiths were soon at work on the riverbank, welding the links and forging the hammers. Work went on day and night, and soon all were in place.
In the meantime, Du Yu marched his army toward Jiangling. He ordered his officer Zhou Zhi to take eight hundred sailors and sail secretly across the Yangtze to attack Yuexiang, where they were to make a show of flags among trees in the hills. They were to beat drums and explode bombs during the day and raise fires by night. Zhou Zhi took the instruction and stole across the river and hid his men at Ba Hill.
The next day, Du Yu’s main body advanced on land and by water. Scouts reported that the Wu forces were coming in three divisions to meet them—Wu Yan on land, Lu Jin with the fleet, and Sun Xin as the van leader. Du Yu pressed forward and soon encountered Sun Xin’s ships. Du Yu retreated at once and Sun Xin landed his men and pursued. But before he had gone twenty
li
a signal bomb sounded and Sun Xin was attacked on all sides. He hastened to pull out, but Du Yu turned back and joined in the attack.
Wu’s losses were very heavy, and Sun Xin hastened back. But the eight hundred men of Jin, under Zhou Zhi, mingled with his own, and so also entered the city. They raised a fire on the wall. Sun Xin cried in disbelief, “Could the northern men have flown across the river?”
He made an effort to escape, but Zhou Zhi appeared, and with one savage shout, slew him.
In his ship the Wu commander Lu Jing saw a sea of fires on the south shore and a great standard fluttering in the wind on top of Ba Hill, bearing the name of the Jin general Du Yu. In terror, he tried to escape by land, but soon a Jin officer rode up and he was slain.
At his position in Jiangling, Wu Yan heard of these defeats and knew his position was untenable, so he fled. However, he was soon captured by soldiers in ambush and led into the presence of Du Yu.
“There is no use sparing you,” said Du Yu, and he ordered the prisoner to be put to death.
Thus Jiangling was seized by the northern army. Soon all the districts along Yuan and Xiang rivers as far as Guangzhou also fell, as the southern commanders yielded their seals of offices at the first summons. Du Yu sent out messengers with a
jie
(symbol of authority), to soothe the people of the conquered districts and to discipline his troops, who did not in the least harm the local inhabitants. Next Du Yu marched toward Wuchang, and that city also yielded. With this victory the reputation of Du Yu’s army soared.
Du Yu called his officers to a council to discuss plans to seize Jianye.
At the council Hu Fen said, “Enemies of a hundred years cannot be reduced completely in a short time. This is the time of spring flooding of rivers and streams and we will be unable to remain here for long. It’s better to wait until next year to launch another major campaign.”
Du Yu replied, “In the days of old, Yue Yi overcame the mighty Kingdom of Qi in a single battle at Jixi. Our army’s morale is now very high and we can succeed as easily as splitting a bamboo, which breaks all the way down at the touch of a blade after the first few joints have been cut and there was nothing left of it to hold in hand.”
So he sent written commands to his officers at various positions to move in concert against the city of Jianye.
Now the Jin general, Wang Jun, had sailed down the river with his naval force. From his scouts he learned of the iron chains and hammers that had been laid in the river by the men of Wu to hinder his progress. He laughed. Then he had several dozen big rafts constructed and placed on them straw effigies of men in armor and sent them downstream with the current. The men of Wu took them for real soldiers and fled at once. When the rafts reached the hammers they were all lifted out of the stream. Next he put on the rafts huge torches many fathoms long, and more than ten arm-lengths wide, soaked in linseed oil. Whenever a raft was checked by a chain the torch was lit and the chain, exposed to the fire, quickly melted and broke apart. Thus Wang Jun’s two squadrons sailed down the Yangtze, conquering wherever they went.
At this time the prime minister of Wu sent two generals, Shen Ying and Zhuge Jing, to try to check the advance of the Jin armies.
Shen Ying said to his colleague, “The forces upstream would be caught unprepared and I reckon the enemies will surely come here. We ought to exert all our strength to counter them. If we can succeed, the safety of our country is assured. But if, unfortunately, we lose the battle, then all is over.”
“Your words are only too true, General,” agreed his colleague.
Just as they were talking reports came of the approach of their enemies downstream, in irresistible momentum. Alarmed by the news the two officers went to see the prime minister.
“Our country is in peril,” said Zhuge Jing. “Why not escape?”
“The wise as well as the dumb know that the land is doomed,” replied the prime minister, weeping. “But wouldn’t it be a shame if both the Emperor and his officials should yield, without a single person dying for his country?”
Zhuge Jing, also weeping, took his leave. The prime minister and Shen Ying urged their army to fight the invaders, who soon came on all sides, and Zhou Zhi was the first to break into the Wu camp. Zhang Ti, the prime minister, resisted heroically, but was slain in a melee, and Shen Ying was killed by Zhou Zhi. The beaten men of Wu scattered in all directions.
As Du Yu’s banner fluttered on Ba Hill,
Zhang Ti of the south died a loyal death.
The fortune of the kingdom being spent,
He rather chose to die than shame his land.
Having thus conquered Niuzhu, the Jin troops penetrated deeply into the territory of Wu. A messenger was dispatched to Luoyang to tell of the success of the army, and Sima Yan was immensely pleased.
But Jia Chong was opposed to continuing the war and said, “The army has been out fighting for a long time and our soldiers, who are unaccustomed to the alien climate, are bound to fall sick. It would be well to recall them and plan for further actions later.”
Zhang Hua retorted, “The army has penetrated into the very heart of the enemy land. The men of Wu are too frightened to resist us and within a month Sun Hao will be our prisoner. To recall the army now would be to waste the efforts already made. It would indeed be a great pity.”
Before the Emperor could respond, Jia Chong turned upon his opponent savagely, “You are wholly ignorant of the time and the geographical conditions and yet you attempt to win glory at the expense of our soldiers’ lives. Even your death would not be enough to appease the whole country.”