The next day Xiahou Mao, gongs, drums, flags, and streamers all in order, led forth his army. Zhao Zilong and Deng Zhi met him in the field. Deng Zhi on horseback turned to Zhao Zilong and said, "Yesterday the northern troops fled after a major defeat. Their return today must be a trick. Take care, old veteran!" "The babe had the stink of mother's milk about him," Zhao Zilong replied. "It is nothing. I will take him today." With that he raced ahead.
The Wei general Pan Sui met him in combat but fled after a brief clash. Zhao Zilong gave chase. Eight commanders from the northern side rode forth to engage him. They let Xiahou Mao run by first, then one after another the eight followed in his tracks. Zhao Zilong, riding on the momentum, closed in for the kill, Deng Zhi following close behind.
When Zhao Zilong entered the ambush site, he heard thunderous shouts on every side. Deng Zhi urgently gathered his men and retreated as Dong Xi and Xue Ze fell upon Zhao Zilong's men from two sides. Deng Zhi had too few troops to rescue Zhao Zilong. Caught in the middle, he fought fiercely on all sides; but the Wei lines only grew more dense. At the same time Zhao Zilong had only a thousand men in his command. He fought his way to the slope of a hill, on top of which he saw Xiahou Mao directing the northern army, pointing east when he headed east, west when he headed west. Zhao Zilong could not break through the enemy lines, and so he headed uphill.
Zhao Zilong was midway up the slope when timber and other missiles came hurtling down, checking his advance. Held down from early morning until dusk, he dismounted, intending to rest and wait for the moon to rise before resuming the struggle. Zhao Zilong was sitting without his armor as the moon came up. Suddenly from four sides flames shot skyward; drums roared in the air, and arrows and stones came raining down on him again. The Wei soldiers closed in, shouting, "Surrender now, Zhao!" Zhao Zilong swiftly mounted and took on the foe. But on all sides the northmen pressed closer, and crossbow bolts flew toward him with increasing frequency from every corner. His forces pinned, Zhao Zilong looked up and sighed, "I chose not to retire, and now it is over for me!"
Suddenly from the northeast voices rang out in the air; the northern soldiers began to break and scatter as a band of warriors attacked. Leading them was a commander with an eighteen-span spear in his grasp and a human head hanging from his horse's neck. It was Zhang Bao! Seeing Zhao Zilong, he said, "His Excellency sensed something might go wrong, General, and sent me with five thousand men to support you. When I heard you were in trouble, I cut through the encirclement and slew the Wei general, Xue Ze, who was blocking the road." Zhao Zilong was overjoyed. He and Zhang Bao cut their way out of the northwest corner.
The two watched amazed as the Wei troops flung down their spears and fled before another band of soldiers that was outside the enemy line and cutting their way in, shouting fiercely. The general at their head wielded a crescent-moon blade, Green Dragon; a human head swung from his free hand: it was Guan Xing. "The prime minister charged me to bring five thousand here in case the veteran general ran into trouble and needed support," Guan Xing said. "Just now," he went on, "I met up with the Wei general Dong Xi and cut him down. This is his head. His Excellency is close behind and should be arriving momentarily." "The extraordinary service you two generals have rendered," Zhao Zilong said, "now gives us the opportunity to capture Xiahou Mao and achieve our goal. What do you say?" At these words Zhang Bao started off with his band, and Guan Xing followed, saying, "I intend to distinguish myself as well."
Turning to his attendants, Zhao Zilong said, "If those two nephews of mine thirst for fame, how can a senior general of the royal house like me, a venerable vassal of the court, show any less zeal? What do I care for the days left to me, if I can requite the love of the former Emperor!" So saying, Zhao Zilong joined the effort to catch Xiahou Mao.
That night the three armies attacked and defeated the northern troops in battle. Deng Zhi joined the fighting, which went on until the field was strewn with corpses and drenched with blood. Xiahou Mao was not a resourceful man. Young and inexperienced in war, he responded to the rout of his forces by fleeing to Nan'an district with a hundred or more of the valiant cavaliers under him, whereupon the mass of Wei soldiers, left leaderless, scurried from the field themselves.
Zhang Bao and Guan Xing followed Xiahou Mao to Nan'an. Entering the city, Xiahou Mao sealed the gates and posted guards. When Guan Xing and Zhang Bao arrived, they surrounded the city. Zhao Zilong arrived shortly after, and the three generals besieged Nan'an on three sides. In a short while Deng Zhi too reached Nan'an. The siege went on for ten days, but the defenders continued to hold out. Suddenly it was reported that the prime minister had come with the central army after leaving the rear army in Mianyang, the left army in Yangping, and the right army in Shicheng. Zhao Zilong, Deng Zhi, Guan Xing, and Zhang Bao came to receive Kongming and discuss their failure to take the city.
Kongming went in a small carriage to the city wall and examined the situation closely. Then he returned to his tent and seated himself. The commanders stood in a circle around him, awaiting orders. Kongming said, "Its deep moat and steep walls make this city difficult to attack. In any event, Nan'an is not my main concern. If you remain here too long, I am afraid the Wei will take Hanzhong by other routes and endanger our forces." Deng Zhi protested, "But Xiahou Mao is an imperial son-in-law. His capture would be worth more to us than beheading a hundred of their commanders. How can we let him go when we have him?" "I have an idea," Kongming answered. "West of here is Tian-shui. To the north, Anding. Who are the governors of these two districts?" A spy replied, "Ma Zun is governor of Tianshui, Cui Liang of Anding." Delighted, Kongming summoned Wei Yan and gave him certain instructions. Next, he called Guan Xing and Zhang Bao to give them their instructions. Last, he called two trusted officers and instructed them. Every commander led his men off to carry out his assignment. Meanwhile, Kongming remained outside the walls of Nan'an, ordering the soldiers to heap up twigs and dry grass at the base of the wall and to proclaim that they were going to burn the city. Inside, the Wei troops laughed bravely at the threat.
Cui Liang, governor of Anding, however, was apprehensive about the Riverlands siege of Nan'an and Xiahou Mao's plight. Accordingly, he detailed four thousand men to defend his own city. Suddenly a man arrived from a southerly direction, claiming to have secret information. Questioned by the governor, the man said, "I am Pei Xu, a confidential agent for Chief Commander Xiahou Mao. My orders are to seek the assistance of Tianshui and your city of Anding for the emergency in Nan'an. Every day from the wall we have signaled with fire and have anticipated relief from the two district towns, but nothing has come. I have been sent through the lines to report our condition to you. Raise an army at once to assist us. If the chief commander sees troops from the two towns, he will open the gates and join the battle too." "Do you have a document from the chief commander?" Cui Liang asked. Pei Xu produced a letter, now soaked in sweat after being held against his skin. He let the governor read it quickly and then headed for Tianshui on a fresh horse.
The second day another rider came to announce that the governor of Tianshui had sent troops to relieve Nan'an, and he called for swift assistance from Anding. Cui Liang conferred with his ministers, who argued, "If we send no relief, we will lose Nan'an, and the imperial son-in-law will be doomed. Our two towns will have to answer for it. We have no choice." Cui Liang consequently mustered a force and, leaving Anding guarded by civilian officials, set out on the main road for Nan'an. He saw flames rising into the sky in the distance and urged his force to make haste.
When Cui Liang came within fifty li of Nan'an, he suddenly heard a great tumult both before and behind him. Mounted scouts reported, "Guan Xing has cut off the road ahead. Zhang Bao is coming from behind." The Anding troops fled in fear. Cui Liang panicked; he led a hundred of his own men in retreat, and by desperate fighting they managed to flee to Anding by back roads. But when they reached the city wall, they were greeted by barrages of arrows. Wei Yan, the Riverlands general, shouted down, "
Your city is in my hands! Surrender at once." Wei Yan had disguised his troops as Anding men and in the dead of the night had fooled the guards into opening the gate to them. The Riverlanders had then entered and taken the town.
In desperation Cui Liang fled toward Tianshui. But before he had made one stage of the march, he found the road ahead barred by a band of soldiers holding a broad banner aloft. Beneath it was a carriage carrying a man, sitting poised, with bound hair and a feather fan, a Taoist robe and a crane-feather cloak. Recognizing Kongming, Cui Liang turned and fled. Guan Xing and Zhang Bao pursued with their men, calling out, "Surrender now!" Cui Liang, encircled now by Riverlands troops, could only comply, and he returned with Guan Xing and Zhang Bao to the main camp.
Kongming treated Cui Liang as an honored guest and said to him, "The governor of Nan'an and you are close friends, I believe?" "Governor Yang Ling is a cousin of Yang Fu. The governor is from the neighboring district. Our relations are extremely close," Cui Liang responded. Kongming continued, "I would trouble Your Honor to go into Nan'an and convince Yang Ling to seize Xiahou Mao. Is it possible?" "If Your Excellency orders me to go," Cui Liang answered, "pull back your troops for the time being, and I will go into the city to persuade him." Kongming approved and immediately ordered all contingents to withdraw twenty li and camp.
Cui Liang rode to the wall of Nan'an and was admitted into the city. He presented himself before the governor and explained the situation fully. Yang Ling said, "We cannot turn against the ruler of Wei whose favor we have enjoyed. Let's fight fire with fire." Yang Ling had Cui Liang inform Xiahou Mao of the circumstances. Xiahou Mao responded, "What plan should we use?" Yang Ling said, "Tell them I will surrender the city. We will trick them into entering and will slaughter them once they are inside."
Accordingly, Cui Liang left the city, met with Kongming, and said, "Yang Ling will surrender and allow your army to enter Nan'an and capture Xiahou Mao—a step Yang Ling has not taken only because his force is too small." "That should be easy enough to remedy," Kongming answered. "You already have the more than one hundred who have surrendered. Conceal among them Riverlands commanders disguised as Anding soldiers; and after entering the town, hide them in Xiahou Mao's quarters. Then secretly arrange with Yang Ling to deliver the city in the middle of the night so that our soldiers outside can coordinate with yours inside."
Cui Liang reflected, "If I don't take their commanders, Kongming will get suspicious. Anyway, we can kill them once inside, raise the fire signal, and trick Kongming into coming in." And so Cui Liang accepted Kongming's suggestion. Next, Kongming told Cui Liang, "I will first send my most trusted commanders Guan Xing and Zhang Bao to follow you in. To allay Xiahou Mao's suspicions, simply pose as a rescue force entering the city. The moment you signal with fire, I will come in myself and capture Xiahou Mao."
It was nearly dark. Guan Xing and Zhang Bao had Kongming's secret instructions. Armed and mounted, they mingled with the Anding soldiers and followed Cui Liang to Nan'an. Inside, Yang Ling had suspended a platform over the city wall. Now he leaned against its protective railing. "Where is your army from?" he asked. Cui Liang responded, "We are a rescue force from Anding." Cui Liang shot an arrow onto the wall bearing a secret message: "Zhuge Liang has sent two commanders to wait in ambush in our city and collaborate with the outside force. Remain calm so our plan is not divulged. When they are inside, we can deal with them."
Yang Ling showed the letter to Xiahou Mao and explained the situation. Xiahou Mao said, "Since he has fallen for the trap, have a hundred men armed with swords and axes hide in the government buildings. If the two commanders following Governor Cui Liang dismount there, shut the gates and kill them; light a fire on the wall, lure Kongming in, and spring the ambush. Zhuge Liang can be taken!" These arrangements completed, Yang Ling returned to the wall and said, "If these are Anding troops, then let them in." Guan Xing followed Cui Liang into the town; Zhang Bao followed. When Yang Ling descended to welcome them inside the gate, Guan Xing's arm rose, his blade struck, and Yang Ling fell dead. Stunned, Cui Liang turned his horse and raced to the drawbridge. Zhang Bao shouted to him, "Halt, traitor! How could you ever fool His Excellency?" With a single thrust of his spear, he killed Cui Liang. Guan Xing had already given the fire signal from the wall, and the Riverlands troops were swarming in. Xiahou Mao, caught unprepared, opened the southern gate and tried to fight his way out; but a band of troops led by Wang Ping cut him off. After a brief struggle, Wang Ping captured Xiahou Mao. All his followers had been killed.
Kongming entered Nan'an and informed the people of the change of rule; his highly disciplined troops committed no offense against the city residents. The Riverlands commanders had rendered exceptional service; and Xiahou Mao had been imprisoned in a cage-cart. Deng Zhi asked Kongming, "How did Your Excellency come to know Cui Liang's plan?" "I knew he never meant to surrender," Kongming replied, " so I purposely sent him back into the town, certain that he would tell Xiahou Mao everything he had agreed to with me and devise countermeasures. When he came to me again, his deceit was evident; I sent the two commanders back with him to reassure him.
"If Yang Ling had been sincere, he would have refused the commanders. He took them eagerly only to avoid arousing my suspicions, thinking he would have ample time to get rid of them once inside the city and that we would enter unsuspecting if we had those two on the inside to rely on. But I had already given Guan Xing and Zhang Bao secret orders to take care of them once inside the gate, where there would be no preparations. Then my army followed directly after, something they had not counted on at all." The Riverlands commanders expressed great admiration for Kongming's planning. "To fool Cui Liang," Kongming continued, "I had my trusted agent impersonate the Wei commander Pei Xu. Another agent was sent to deceive the governor at Tianshui, but he has not returned, for reasons still unknown. Now we are in a position to take Tianshui." Leaving Wu Yi to defend Nan'an and Liu Yan to defend Anding, Kongming dispatched Wei Yan with a force to capture the district of Tianshui.
The governor of Tianshui was Ma Zun. Hearing that Xiahou Mao was trapped in Nan'an, he had convened his council. Liang Xu of the Merit Bureau, Yin Shang, his first secretary, and Liang Qian, the official clerk, as well as others argued, "Imperial Son-in-Law Xiahou Mao is a part of the royal family; the slightest negligence will be punished as willful indifference to his fate. Governor, shouldn't you muster all the troops you have to save him?"
Ma Zun was in a quandary when Pei Xu, Xiahou Mao's trusted agent, was announced. The man entered the governor's residence, handed Ma Zun a document, and said, "Chief Commander Xiahou demands immediate relief from both Tianshui and Anding districts." So saying, he hurried away. The next day another rider arrived and announced, "The Anding force has already left. Have the governor hasten on to meet them." Ma Zun was about to call up his troops, when someone rushed in and cried, "Don't fall into Zhuge Liang's trap!" The assembly turned to Jiang Wei (Boyue), a native of Jicheng in Tianshui district.
Jiang Wei's father, Jiong, had once headed the Bureau of Merit in Tianshui but died serving the dynasty during the uprisings of the Qiang people. Since childhood Jiang Wei had read and studied widely and was a master of both military affairs and martial arts. He served his mother with unstinting filial love and had earned wide respect for it throughout the district. Later he was appointed Imperial Corps commander and in that capacity advised the governor's military force.
Jiang Wei said to Ma Zun, "I have just heard that Zhuge Liang has defeated Xiahou Mao and that Nan'an is sealed off. How could anyone have gotten out to come here? Pei Xu is a minor captain, completely unknown. We have never met him. Then there is a rider from Anding, who has no documents. As I analyze it, this man is not a Wei commander, but a Riverlands commander in disguise whose intention is to trick Your Lord-ship into leaving Tianshui. I am sure that if we leave our city undefended, they will place an ambush force close by to await the right moment to capture it." Ma Zun suddenly realized the actual situation. "If
not for Jiang Wei," he said, "I would have fallen into the trap!" With a smile Jiang Wei responded, "The governor need not worry. I have a plan to capture Zhuge Liang and relieve Nan'an." Indeed:
In spinning cunning plans, one will meet one's master;
In the battle of the minds, one finds an unexpected man.6
Would Jiang Wei's ploy succeed?
Read on.
93
Jiang Wei Submits to Kongming;
Kongming's Invective Kills Wang Lang
Jiang Wei offered Ma Zun this plan: "Zhuge Liang's force is waiting nearby to surprise Tianshui—if he can trick us into leaving. Let me have three thousand crack troops to place in ambush on the main road. Then, Your Lordship, come out of the city with the main army, not too far—turn back after thirty li. The moment you see fire, we will catch the enemy between us and defeat them. Let Zhuge Liang come himself: we will capture him." Ma Zun adopted the plan, and Jiang Wei left with a crack force. After that, Ma Zun and Liang Qian led their troops out of the city to await the enemy; and Liang Xu and Yin Shang remained to guard Tianshui.
Prior to these events Kongming had sent Zhao Zilong with a company of troops to hide in the hills and wait for the governor to leave Tianshui open to attack. On the day the defending troops marched out, spies reported the move to Zhao Zilong; they also told him that civil officials but no military officers had remained behind to hold the city. Delighted, Zhao Zilong communicated the news to Zhang Yi and Gao Xiang and had them intercept Ma Zun. (Their two contingents had earlier been placed in ambush by Kongming.)
Three Kingdoms Page 121
