As he fought through the southern lines, Wu Ban was overtaken by another southern force when, luckily, Zhao Zilong arrived on the scene and escorted him safely to Baidi.
At this time the Man king Shamoke, fleeing alone, was accosted by Zhou Tai. He killed Shamoke in a battle of twenty bouts, and the western commanders Du Lu and Liu Ning gave themselves up. All the grain, provender, and equipment in the western camps thus fell into southern hands, and untold numbers of Shu commanders and soldiers surrendered.
In the Southland Lady Sun heard of the western defeat at Xiaoting. On receiving an erroneous report that the Emperor had perished in the fighting, she had herself transported to the riverbank, where she stood gazing into the west in sorrow for the husband she believed dead. Then she threw herself into the waters and was no more. Her memory was later honored by the Shrine to an Ill-starred Consort built along the river.4 A commentator wrote a poem lamenting Lady Sun's death:
"To Baidi the army of Han's repaired" —
She lay down her life when the tidings came.
Today by the river there stands a stone
To honor forever the martyr's name.5
Lu Xun, triumphant, rode west in swift pursuit. Approaching Kui Pass, he saw a lethal miasma arising from among the looming mountains and the river alongside. Turning, he said to his followers, "There must be an ambush ahead. The army must not advance." Lu Xun retreated ten li and set up defensive formations on open ground. The scouts he sent to investigate came back with nothing to report. Lu Xun did not believe them. He climbed a hill on foot and scanned the terrain: the same sensation of danger made itself felt. He ordered a minute investigation, which turned up neither man nor horse. As the sun began to set, the mysterious signs seemed stronger. Still undecided, he sent one of his trusted followers to examine the area. He reported finding only eighty or ninety chaotic rock piles alongside the river, but no military forces.
But Lu Xun's doubts remained. He had some local people brought to him for questioning. "Who made these piles," he asked them, "and why does an aura of death seem to come from them?" One man replied, "This is Fishbelly Meadow. When Zhuge Liang came to the Riverlands he sent troops here to arrange these rock formations on the sand-flats. Since then, a kind of cloudlike effluvium seems to emanate from their interiors."
Lu Xun led a few score of cavalry to examine the rocks. From a hillslope he could see openings on all sides. "A device to perplex whoever comes," Lu Xun said with a smile. "What use is it?" He guided his men down from the slope directly into the formation to inspect it. A lieutenant said, "The sun is setting; we should return, Chief Commander." But when Lu Xun tried to get out, violent winds came up from nowhere. Instantly, streams of sand and stone covered the sky and the ground until all Xun could see were monstrous rocks sawing the air, jagged like sword blades, and the relentless sand heaping up and rising into mountains. The voice of the river rumbled and rolled like the beating of war drums.6
In terror Lu Xun cried, "Trapped by Zhuge Liang!" He was searching frantically for a way out, when an old man appeared in front of Lu Xun's horse and said with a smile, "You desire to leave, General?" "Would you lead us out, your reverence?" Lu Xun answered. The old man, supporting himself with a staff, slowly traversed the formations, escorting them back without the slightest difficulty to the hillslope they had come from. "Who are you, your reverence?" Lu Xun asked. "Huang Chengyan," he replied, "father-in-law of Zhuge Kongming. My son-in-law passed here on his way west and deployed these rocky ramparts, which he called the Eightfold Maze. There are eight endlessly shifting openings arranged according to the 'Taboo Days' formula: Desist, Survive, Injure, Confound, Exhibit, Perish, Surprise, and Liberate. During every time period of every day the openings move unpredictably, like ten crack legions in constant motion. As Kongming was leaving, he cautioned me, 'The time will come when a commanding general of the Southland will lose his way in this maze. Do not show him how to get out. ' Just now from the cliffs I saw you go in by the gate called Perish and judged that you would be entrapped out of ignorance of the system. But I've always been disposed to do a good turn, and rather than see you get swallowed up in here, I came over to show you out by the gate Survive."
"Good sir," Lu Xun asked, "have you mastered this system of formations?" Huang Chengyan answered, "The transformations never end. They cannot be mastered." Lu Xun hurriedly dismounted, paid his respects to the old man, and returned to his camp.7 The poet Du Fu has described Kongming's stone ramparts:
Deeds to vault a thrice-torn realm,
Fame at peak with the Eightfold Maze,
Now steadfast stones in the river's run—
Monument to his rue
That his king had choked on Wu!
"Kongming's a 'Sleeping Dragon, ' indeed—more than a match for me," Lu Xun conceded, and he gave the order to retreat. His advisers protested: "Liu Bei's army is ruined; his power is exhausted. We have him backed into a single walled town. This is our opportunity to attack. Why retire because of some rock formations?" Lu Xun responded, "I am not retreating for fear of the rocks. My guess is that Cao Pi, lord of Wei, is no less cunning than his father was. He knows we are pursuing the army of the Riverlands and will attack our undefended homeland. If we push too far west, it will be very difficult for us to pull back in time to defend it." And so Lu Xun assigned one general to block the rear while he led the main army back to the Southland. Less than two days after the retreat began, scouts urgently reported to Lu Xun the movements of the three northern armies: "Cao Ren has come down from Ruxu, Cao Xiu from Dongkou, and Cao Zhen from Nanjun. These three armies numbering in the hundreds of thousands have reached our borders by swift night marches, but their intentions are as yet uncertain." Lu Xun smiled and said, "Exactly what I anticipated! I have already sent troops to check them." Indeed:
Ambition to devour the west yielded to a wiser course:
Contain the north.
How did Lu Xun retreat?
Read on.
85
First Ruler Liu Finds a Guardian for His Heir;
Zhuge Liang Calmly Holds Off Five Armies
It was the sixth month of the second year of Zhang Wu.1 Lu Xun of the Southland had decisively beaten the Riverlands troops at Xiaoting and Yiling, and the Emperor was in sanctuary in Baidi, guarded by Zhao Zilong. Ma Liang arrived and, finding the army defeated, was overcome by a sense of futility and regret. He delivered Kongming's communication to the Emperor, who sighed and responded, "Had I heeded my prime minister in good time, today's defeat could have been avoided. How am I to return to Chengdu and face the assembly of the court?" He transmitted his wish to remain in Baidi and renamed his quarters the Palace of Enduring Peace. He grieved inconsolably when informed of the commanders who had perished in his service: Feng Xi, Zhang Nan, Fu Tong, Cheng Ji, and Shamoke.
A trusted vassal then reported: "Huang Quan has taken his troops from the north shore and defected to Wei. Your Majesty should deliver his entire clan to the authorities to answer for his conduct." But the Emperor replied, "Huang Quan was cut off by the southern army. He had no way to get back and surrendered to Wei against his will. It is I who have betrayed Huang Quan, not Huang Quan me. Why punish his family?" And he continued to provide for Huang Quan's family.
Meanwhile, Huang Quan had been taken before Cao Pi, who said, "In surrender, will you emulate Chen Ping and Han Xin and make war on Liu Bei while in my service?"2 Huang Quan wept openly as he replied, "The Riverlands Emperor was generous to me beyond all measure. He gave me command of the forces north of the river, and there Lu Xun cut me off. I could not return to Shu; I would not submit to Wu—so I chose to take refuge with Your Majesty. For a defeated general to be spared is blessing enough. I have no desire to emulate the ancients." This answer pleased Cao Pi. He would have appointed Huang Quan General Who Quells the South, but Quan firmly declined the honor. At that moment an attendant announced, "A spy from the west says that the lord of the Riverlands has put Huang Quan's clan to the sword." Huang Q
uan said, "The lord of the Riverlands and this vassal are perfectly honest with each other. He knows me too well to do such a thing." Cao Pi agreed. A poet of later times, however, criticized Huang Quan:
Surrender not to Wu, then why to Cao?
Loyalty is to serve a single throne!
For Huang Quan thus to cherish his own life
Is something Zhu Xi's Gangmu can't condone.
Cao Pi asked Jia Xu, "To fulfill my desire to unify the empire, should I take the Riverlands first or the Southland?" Jia Xu replied, "Liu Bei has prodigious ability and the added advantage of Zhuge Liang's great administrative skill. Sun Quan of the Southland has a keen eye for appraising his enemies. Lu Xun now controls the strategic points; the river and lakes give him protection and mobility. With no promising objectives and, in my view, no commanders to match those of the south or the west, not even Your aweinspiring Majesty can ensure success. Better to maintain a defensive position and wait for new developments in the two kingdoms." Cao Pi said, "The three powerful armies we have sent south should prevail." However, Imperial Secretary Liu Ye said, "Recently Lu Xun has defeated seven hundred thousand Riverlanders. The southern army is unified in spirit and enjoys the protective advantage of various bodies of water. It will be quite difficult to overpower them. And Lu Xun is full of schemes and will be well prepared for us."
Cao Pi said, "Initially you urged me to attack. Now you raise objections. Why?" "A difference in the timing," Liu Ye continued. "Earlier, the southerners had suffered a string of defeats and were vulnerable because their force was blunted. Now after complete victory, with their morale heightened a hundredfold, they are proof against attack." "I have decided to attack. You need say no more," Cao Pi responded and went forth at the head of the Royal Guard to reinforce the three armies. Before long, the Wei ruler received intelligence that the southern commanders had drawn up their defense: Lü Fan to check Cao Xiu, Zhuge Jin to block Cao Zhen at Nanjun, and Zhu Huan to oppose Cao Ren at Ruxu. Liu Ye said to Cao Pi, "Since they are prepared, what's the good of our going?" But Cao Pi remained determined to proceed.
The southern general Zhu Huan, a mere twenty-seven years of age, was bold and resourceful; Sun Quan treasured him. While on duty at Ruxu, Zhu Huan heard that Cao Ren had moved to take Xianxi, so Zhu Huan sent the bulk of his force to defend Xianxi, keeping back only five thousand cavalry at Ruxu. Zhu Huan next learned that Cao Ren was sending a high commander, Chang Diao, to Xianxi, together with Zhuge Qian, Wang Shuang, and fifty thousand crack troops. The defenders began to give way to fear. But Zhu Huan rested his hand on his sword and said, "Leadership, not numbers, determines victory. The rules of war teach that a defender can prevail with only half an attacker's numbers. Cao Ren has come a hard thousand li. His men and horses are worn out. We command our high walls; we have the Great River directly south of us and formidable mountains to our north. When our well-rested troops give their fatigued forces the 'welcome' they deserve, victory will be certain. Cao Pi himself would pose no problem, let alone Cao Ren!" So saying, Zhu Huan ordered all banners downed and all drums stilled, thereby creating the impression that the town was undefended.
From the distance, the general of the approaching Wei vanguard, Chang Diao, and his crack force saw neither horse nor soldier on the walls of Ruxu. Diao hurried his troops along. As they drew near, a bombard sounded and banners sprang up. Broadsword leveled, Zhu Huan charged Chang Diao and swiftly cut him down from his horse. The southern soldiers made the most of their leader's victory, routing the northern mass and inflicting heavy losses. A triumphant Zhu Huan captured quantities of banners, military equipment, and war-horses. Cao Ren's army arrived late. The southern forces from Xianxi cut them to pieces and drove them from the field.
Cao Ren presented himself before the Wei ruler, Cao Pi, and recounted the details of the debacle. Cao Pi was astonished. During their discussion, a fresh report arrived: "Cao Zhen and Xiahou Shang have gone down to defeat. They had Nanjun surrounded when ambushers inside, led by Lu Xun, and outside, led by Zhuge Jin, closed in and decimated them." While the envoy was speaking, another scout announced, "Cao Xiu has lost the field to Lü Fan." His three armies defeated, Cao Pi sighed deeply and said, "Had I only listened to Jia Xu and Liu Ye!"
It was midsummer. An epidemic was raging. Some seven-tenths of the soldiers, foot and mounted, had perished. At long last Cao Pi brought the armies back to Luoyang. Thereafter there was bad blood between Wei and Wu.
In the Palace of Enduring Peace the Emperor was confined to his bed by a worsening illness. In the fourth month of the third year of Zhang Wu (a. d. 223) the Emperor knew the disease had spread into his limbs. Weeping for his brothers had aggravated his symptoms. His vision grew dim. Disgusted with his attendants, he discharged them and lay back on his couch in solitude. A chill, gloomy wind sprang up. His lantern darkened, then flared. Two men stood in the circle of the shadow it cast. The Emperor spoke irritably: "I thought I had dismissed you to give my mind a moment's calm. What brings you again?" They ignored his dismissal. The Emperor arose to examine them: one was Lord Guan, the other Zhang Fei. "Then you are still alive!" the Emperor exclaimed. "We are ghosts, not men," responded Guan. "The supernal sovereign recognized that in our lifetimes we two never forsook our good faith or our allegiance, and so he has made gods of us. Elder brother, the time of our reunion is not far off."
The Emperor reached for them, emitting a cry, then awoke with a spasm. The two were gone. He summoned his attendants to ask the hour. It was the third watch. The Emperor sighed, saying, "My time will be short in the world of men." He sent to Chengdu for Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, Imperial Secretary Li Yan, and other high officials, and they rushed to the Palace of Enduring Peace to receive his final instructions. Kongming and the Emperor's younger sons Liu Yong, king of Lu, and Liu Li, king of Liang, came before the Emperor. The heir apparent, Liu Shan, remained in Chengdu.
Kongming, seeing that the Emperor's condition was critical, prostrated himself at the royal couch with reverent haste. But the Emperor expressed his wish that the prime minister sit at the edge of the couch. Placing his hand gently on Kongming's back, he said, "Through you alone the imperial quest was achieved. How could I have foolishly rejected your advice and thus brought on this defeat? Wracked by remorse, I stand at death's door. My heir is an inconsequential weakling, and so I must entrust you with my cause." Tears covered his face.3
Kongming, also in tears, replied, "Your Majesty must preserve his dragon form to fulfill the hopes of the empire." The Emperor glanced around the room and, spotting Ma Liang's younger brother, Ma Su, told him to retire. The Emperor asked Kongming, "What is my prime minister's estimate of Ma Su's talents?" "Among the most splendid of the age," was the reply. "You are wrong," the Emperor said. "In my view he's a braggart. Give him no important assignment. Take careful note of this, Prime Minister." Having issued this warning, the Emperor summoned his officials into his chamber and transcribed his testament before them. Handing it to Kongming, he said with a sigh, "I am no scholar; and my knowledge is crude and superficial. The Sage said, 'Doleful, the notes of a dying bird; precious, the words of a dying man. ' Together we have tried to annihiliate the traitor Cao and uphold the house of Han. Alas, midway in our undertaking we must part. I would trouble the prime minister to impart my edict to the heir and teach him its importance. I rely on you to guide him in all matters, Prime Minister."
Weeping, Kongming and the others bowed to the ground and said, "We beg Your Majesty to enjoy a measure of repose. Each of us will spare no pains in gratitude for your generous treatment." The Emperor ordered his attendants to raise Kongming up. Brushing his tearful eyes with one hand and taking Kongming's hand in the other, he said, "I am going to die, and I have something more to say." "What sacred instruction?" Kongming asked. The Emperor wept as he responded, "Your ability exceeds Cao Pi's by ten to one, and I know you will be able to secure and preserve the empire and in the end attain our goal. If my heir proves worthy of support, support him. If he pro
ves unfit, take the kingship of the Riverlands yourself." Kongming broke into a sweat; in extreme agitation, he prostrated himself again. "Could I do otherwise," he said tearfully, "than serve him as aide and vassal, persevering in loyalty unto death?" He knocked his forehead to the ground until blood showed.
Again the Emperor called Kongming to sit on his couch. He summoned Liu Yong and Liu Li to approach and charged them: "Mark well my words. After I am gone, I want you and Liu Shan to serve the prime minister with all diligence and respect, as if he were your father." So saying, he ordered the two princes to prostrate themselves before Kongming. "Were I to lay my innards on the ground, I could never requite the kindness Your Grace has shown me," Kongming concluded.
To the larger assembly the Emperor said, "I am entrusting my heir to the prime minister. I have instructed my heir to serve him as his father. Let none of you neglect this charge and betray my hopes." The Emperor turned to Zhao Zilong and said, "We have been through many a trial and ordeal together. Who could have anticipated such a parting? For the sake of our old friendship, will you keep a constant watch over my sons and honor my wishes?" Tearfully, Zhao Zilong prostrated himself and said, "I am bound to exert every fibre of my being in this service." Next, the Emperor said to the assembly, "I cannot give an individual charge to each one of you. But I hope you will all care well for yourselves and keep your self-respect." The Emperor finished speaking; then he was no more. He had reached the age of sixty-three. It was the twenty-fourth day of the fourth month of Zhang Wu 3.4 Du Fu has left this poem lamenting the fate of Liu Bei:
His view trained south, Shu's ruler graced Three Gorges
Three Kingdoms Page 110
