Three Kingdoms

by Luo Guanzhong (Moss Roberts trans. )

  From a distant hilltop Kongming watched the Wei troops approach; in columns of three to five thousand and in columns of one to two thousand, their well-coordinated lines crisscrossed the terrain. Judging their objective to be his main camp in the Qishan hills, Kongming secretly ordered his commanders, "If Sima Yi himself should come, go and raid the Wei camp and take control of the River Wei's southern shore." One after another the commanders received their assignments.

  Meanwhile, as the northern troops rushed toward Qishan, from all directions shouting Riverlands soldiers rushed there too to create the impression of a general rescue. Sima Yi watched the Riverlands forces converging on the main camp; he raced for Gourd Gorge, leading his two sons and the central army's guards. At the entrance Wei Yan had been watching for Sima Yi's approach. Suddenly he saw a small Wei contingent advancing and rode out to inspect it. The leader was Sima Yi! "Ride no further, Sima Yi!" Wei Yan shouted, and he went forth with dancing blade to meet him. Sima Yi raised his spear and closed with Wei Yan. But after a brief clash Wei Yan wheeled round and fled, Sima Yi in hot pursuit. Wei Yan headed for the seven-star banner; Sima Yi saw that Wei Yan was lightly attended and raced after him. Anticipating no danger, he told Sima Shi to his left and Sima Zhao to his right to charge while he held the center. Wei Yan trailed behind his five hundred men as they retreated into the gorge.

  When Sima Yi reached the mouth of the gorge, he stopped and sent scouts inside. They reported no ambush, only some straw huts on the hillsides. "They must be for storing grain," Sima Yi said, and he led a grand charge into the gorge. Suddenly Sima Yi observed kindling atop the straw houses. Wei Yan had dropped from sight. Suspicious, Sima Yi asked his sons, "What should we do if the road back gets cut off?" No sooner had he spoken than the ground began shaking from the clamor of massed shouts. Torches flung down from the hillsides started bonfires that blocked the entrance to the gorge, trapping the northern troops where they stood as fiery arrows raked them from above and mines erupted from below. Catching fire, the kindling in the straw houses crackled and sizzled; flames shot into the air.

  Sima Yi dismounted helplessly and embraced his sons. "We three are doomed to die here," he cried. But at that moment a stormy wind raced down the valley, driving black clouds that covered the sky. A peal of thunder announced a sudden storm; torrents of rain gushed down and extinguished the fires throughout the gorge. The mines lay silent; the incendiary devices ceased functioning. Overjoyed, Sima Yi said, "This is our moment to escape!" He led a breakthrough charge as Zhang Lu and Yue Chen arrived to support him. Ma Dai had too few troops to pursue, and so Sima Yi, his two sons, and Zhang Lu and Yue Chen rallied their forces and returned to the main camp on the southern shore of the River Wei—only to find Riverlands troops already holding their sheds and bunkers, and Guo Huai and Sun Li fighting the Riverlands army on the pontoon bridges. Sima Yi drove the Riverlands soldiers back, burned the bridges, and fortified the northern shore of the river.

  During this time the northern troops who had been besieging the Riverlands fortifications in the Qishan hills received the news of Sima Yi's defeat and the loss of the southern riverbank. Dismayed, they began withdrawing when the western troops mounted a new attack. The Wei were sorely defeated: eight or nine of every ten were wounded and an incalculable number slain; survivors fled to the northern bank of the Wei.

  With great satisfaction Kongming had observed Wei Yan lure Sima Yi into Gourd Gorge; he had watched the sudden conflagration that followed. He was sure that this time Sima Yi was dead. But then, informed that Sima Yi and his sons had escaped after the untimely downpour, Kongming sighed and said, ' "Men devise, Heaven decides! ' Events cannot be forced." A verse of later times expresses his disappointment:2

  Wild gusts swung the fires round the gorge,

  But then, from azure heights, a sudden rain.

  Had Kongming's master plan achieved its end,

  Could this land have ever gone to Jin?3

  From his camp on the north bank Sima Yi issued an order: "The outworks on the southern shore have been lost to the enemy. The next man who calls for an offensive dies." The commanders accepted this order and settled into their positions.

  Guo Huai came before Sima Yi and said, "Recently, Kongming has been leading patrols. He must be looking for a place to pitch camp." Sima Yi responded, "If he comes through Wugong and moves east keeping to the hills, it will endanger us all. If he comes along the southern bank of the River Wei and stays to the west by Wuzhangyuan, we have no worries." When scouts informed him that Kongming had stationed himself at Wuzhangyuan after all, Sima Yi raised his palm to his forehead and cried, "Now, His Imperial Majesty of the royal house of Wei will keep the great blessing of his rule." Then he renewed his orders: "Remain on the defense; the enemy cannot hold out forever."

  After stationing himself at Wuzhangyuan, Kongming sent soldiers to challenge the northerners, but none responded. Kongming then placed a maiden's headdress and a mourning garment of white silk in a large box and sent it to the Wei camp with a letter enclosed.4 The northern commanders could not conceal the matter; they brought the envoy before Sima Yi, who opened the box in front of his commanders. He looked at the clothes and opened the letter, which read:

  Sima Yi, you are a great general and you command the forces of the heartland; but you have no taste for the real combat that would decide which of us shall prevail, content instead to huddle in the nest, careful to stay beyond the reach of spear or arrow, exactly like a woman! Today I send you this dress and chapeau, therefore, which, unless you choose to come out and face me, you may receive with humble thanks. If a spark of self-respect still burns inside you, however, if your breast still holds a manly heart, reply to me at once and face me on the field at a time of your choosing.

  Rage welled up inside Sima Yi as he finished the letter. But feigning a smile, he said, "So he takes me for a woman!" He took the gift and rewarded the bearer well; then he said, "Tell me something about Kongming: how he eats and sleeps, how taxing his duties are." The bearer answered, "The prime minister rises early and works late. He personally sees to any infraction punishable by more than twenty strokes. He eats no more than a few pints of grain each day." Sima Yi turned to his commanders and said, "Eating too little and working too hard. How long can he last?"

  The envoy returned to Wuzhangyuan and told Kongming, "Sima Yi expressed no anger when he took the clothing and read the letter. He simply asked how you were eating and sleeping and inquired about your workload. He said nothing at all about military matters. When I answered his questions he said, 'He eats too little and works too hard. How long can he last?" ' Kongming sighed and said, "He knows me well!"

  First Secretary Yang Yong tried to get Kongming to reduce his workload: "I have seen Your Excellency checking over our books and records personally. It seems to me unnecessary. Every governing system has to have a structure whose higher and lower levels function independently, much as the operation of a household requires menials to farm and maids to prepare food. No chores are neglected and all needs are supplied; thus, the master of the house can eat and drink carefree and at ease. But if the master busies himself with every last detail, it leads to physical and mental exhaustion, and in the end nothing gets done. Does that mean his knowledge is inferior to that of a menial or a maid? No. It means he has not found the right way to run the household. Indeed, as the ancients proclaimed, 'To sit and discuss the true way is for the three elder lords of the kingdom; to act on policy is for the imperial officeholders. ' In ancient times Bing Ji showed concern only for the panting ox and was indifferent to those who had fallen dead by the roadside.5 Similarly, Chen Ping had no knowledge of state receipts of grain and money. 'Others are in charge of that,' he said.6 Now Your Excellency wastes energy attending to the most trivial matters—and for what? What Sima Yi said is all too true." Weeping, Kongming replied, "I am not unaware of this. But I carry the heavy responsibility given to me by the late Emperor, and I fear that others may not be so conscientious
." The assembly wept with him. Thereafter, Kongming felt his confidence and peace of mind slipping away, and his commanders became reluctant to advance.

  It was soon widely known among the Wei commanders that Kongming had sent mourning garb and a woman's headdress to humiliate Sima Yi and that after receiving them Sima Yi still refused to fight. The outraged commanders protested before Sima Yi: "How can the renowned commanders of a great kingdom bear this insult? We request permission to take on the enemy and show them who the rooster is, who the hen." But Sima Yi responded, "Don't think I am afraid to take the field or content to bear this insult: the edict to defend our position and not give battle ties my hands. A rash move would violate the Emperor's order." Sima Yi's commanders were not satisfied with this answer, so he added, "If you wish me to attack, give me time to petition for the Emperor's approval to take the battle to the enemy. Agreed?" The commanders agreed, and Sima Yi subsequently memorialized Cao Rui, who was at army headquarters in Hefei. Cao Rui opened the document, which said in sum:

  My responsibilities being greater than my abilities, I labor under your all-seeing guidance. Your Majesty has enjoined me to keep to the defensive until the Riverlands army breaks up of its own accord. What am I to do when Zhuge Liang insults me by sending me a woman's headdress? With all due reverence, I must make known to Your Majesty in all your sagely wisdom that I shall soon have to fight the foe to the death, both to requite the court's kindness and to redeem my army's shame. With anguish greater than this vassal can master, ...

  Cao Rui read the appeal and said to his officials, "Sima Yi has been holding firm. Why does he petition again for permission to take the field?" Xin Pi, chief of Palace Security, said, "Sima Yi has no real desire to fight. He seeks reaffirmation of your sagely purpose in order to check his commanders' indignation over Zhuge Liang's insult." Cao Rui agreed, and he authorized Xin Pi to bear his injunction against engaging the enemy back to Sima Yi's camp on the northern bank of the River Wei. Sima Yi received the edict and entered the main tent with Xin Pi, who declared on behalf of the sovereign, "The next man to argue for taking the field shall be considered in violation of the imperial dictate." The commanders had no choice but to accept the edict. Privately, Sima Yi said to Xin Pi, "You know my mind well." Then he informed the army that Xin Pi had come to communicate the ruler's injunction against combat.

  The Riverlands commanders learned of the new edict and reported to Kongming, who remarked with a smile, "It's only Sima Yi's way of keeping his army quiet." Jiang Wei said, "How does Your Excellency know?" "He never meant to fight in the first place," he replied. "He sought permission to fight only to show his men his militant spirit. Have you forgotten? 'No general in the field is bound to obey an edict. ' Who ever heard of a general requesting permission to fight from a thousand li away! Sima Yi has to use Cao Rui to control his army, because the commanders and officers are seething. And they publicize it to weaken our resolve."

  During this conference Fei Yi's return from the Southland was announced. Kongming called for his report. Fei Yi said: "When the Southland invaded with three armies, Cao Rui took the main northern force to Hefei and had Man Chong, Tian Yu, and Liu Shao counter the southern armies. Man Chong burned out the southerners' supplies and weapons; and most of the southern troops contracted disease. Lu Xun therefore petitioned the king of Wu, Sun Quan, to set a time for a combined attack—front and rear—on the north. But the bearer of this petition was seized en route by northern troops. The plan was compromised, and the southern army withdrew without a victory."

  As Kongming listened, a long sigh escaped him. He lost consciousness and fell down. His commanders rushed to his assistance, but some time passed before he came to himself. "My mind is confused," he said, sighing again. "That old trouble again. The end may be near."

  That night the ailing Kongming managed to get himself out of his tent. He gazed at the constellations overhead in astonishment. Reentering, he said to Jiang Wei, "My days are numbered." "Why does Your Excellency say so?" Jiang Wei asked. "The guest stars in Triple Platform are doubly bright, the host stars darkened; the ranged luminaries supporting them are dimmer, too. These heavenly phenomena disclose my fate."7 "Despite these signs," Jiang Wei said, "does Your Excellency not have a way to pray for a reversal?" "I have," Kongming replied, "but everything depends on what Heaven decrees. I want forty-nine men in armor, each holding a black flag and dressed in black, to form a circle outside my tent. Inside I will pray to the Northern Dipper. If the main lamp stays lit seven more days, my life may last another circuit of the zodiac.8 If the lamp goes out, I will die. Please keep unauthorized persons out of the area. Anything I need can be brought in by my two young assistants." Jiang Wei left to make the preparations Kongming required.

  It was midautumn, halfway through the eighth month (a. d. 234). That night the Milky Way sparkled brilliantly, and a crystalline dew formed in perfect droplets. The flags hung slack in the windless air; the night gong was stilled. Outside Kongming's tent Jiang Wei commanded the guard of forty-nine. Inside, Kongming laid out fragrant flowers and sacrificial articles. On the ground were seven large lamps surrounded by forty-nine smaller ones; at the center of these rings he placed a single lamp for his own life. He bowed low and chanted: " Born into an age of disorder, I would have gladly spent my years in the countryside. But August Emperor Zhao Lie claimed my love when he came three times seeking my service. Later, he put his young son in my care, and I had to continue humbly serving his cause, having vowed to suppress the rebellion against Han.

  I did not expect my guiding star would slip and bring my mortal hours to a close. With reverence I address this final text to the blue span above, hoping Heaven will vouchsafe me its sympathetic attention and bend its rule by amending my mortal allotment. That would enable me to fulfill my duties to the Emperor and to rescue the common folk from their peril; to restore the manners, morals, and traditions of the former era and to perpetuate the holy rites of Han. This is no desperate prayer I offer here but one which springs from heartfelt anguish! " The incantation finished, Kongming remained bent to the floor awaiting the dawn. The next day he forced himself to conduct business, but he spat blood all day. By day he discussed military affairs; by night he paced the Northern Dipper.

  Sima Yi meanwhile had been keeping fast to his positions. Then one night he saw something in the heavens that delighted him. "A guiding star has lost its position," he said to Xiahou Ba. "Kongming must be ill. He is not long for this world. Take a thousand men to Wuzhangyuan and find out all you can. If the Riverlanders are disorderly and make no attempt to engage, Kongming is mortally ill—and we must seize our chance to attack!" Xiahou Ba left with his troops.

  Kongming remained at his devotions. On the sixth night the main lamp still burned bright and his heart was eased. Jiang Wei entered the tent and saw Kongming, hair loosed, leaning on his sword; he was pacing the Dipper in his mind's eye, hoping to stabilize his guiding star. Suddenly he heard an uproar outside his compound. He was about to have someone investigate, when Wei Yan came dashing into the tent crying, "The Wei army has come!" Wei Yan was running so fast that he overturned the main lamp, and it went out. Kongming set his sword aside and said with a sigh, "Death is a fate no one can avert." Wei Yan, overcome with confusion, flung himself down pleading for forgiveness. Jiang Wei wrathfully drew his sword. Indeed:

  No man can master the infinity of possibility;

  No heart can match wits with destiny.

  Would Jiang Wei kill Wei Yan?

  Read on.

  104

  The Guiding Star Falls, and the Han Prime Minister Returns to Heaven;

  The Wei Field Marshal Is Terrified by the Sight of a Wooden Statue

  Jiang Wei drew his sword, but Kongming checked him, saying, "It was not his fault. My time has come." Jiang Wei put up his weapon. Kongming spat several mouthfuls of blood and lay down on his couch. He said, "Sima Yi guessed I was ill and sent soldiers to probe our position. Engage them at once!" Wei Yan left the tent
and rode out of the compound to confront the northern force; Xiahou Ba hastily withdrew. Wei Yan pursued for more than twenty li before turning back. Kongming then sent Wei Yan back to his camp.

  Jiang Wei came to the side of Kongming's couch to attend him. Kongming said, "I have tried my best to return the heartland to Han rule. But Heaven's wishes rule us all. My end is near, very near. The results of a lifetime of study are written in these twenty-four essays in 104, 112 characters.1 They contain esoteric information on the Eight Principal Concerns, the Seven Precautions, the Six Dangers, and the Five Alerts. None of my commanders is fit to receive it; to you alone I transmit it. Treat it with all seriousness." Jiang Wei wept and prostrated himself on receiving the text. Kongming continued, "I have invented a bow that releases arrows simultaneously, but I have never had a chance to test it in combat. It shoots ten eight-inch arrows at a time. The sketches have been collected into a volume. Have the weapon built according to design." Jiang Wei received these papers also. Kongming continued, "The regions of the Riverlands are rather secure, except Yinping, which needs careful watching. Even though the terrain is arduous, we may soon have a problem there."

  Next he summoned Ma Dai, to whom he whispered certain instructions and gave a secret plan, saying, "Carry it out after my death." Ma Dai agreed and left. Shortly afterward Kongming received Yang Yi by his bedside, handed him a brocade sack, and secretly instructed him: "After I am dead, Wei Yan will turn against us. When he does, accompany him to the front line and then open this. You will find the right man to execute him." After disposing of all items of business, Kongming blacked out. Later that night, he regained consciousness and prepared a petition to the Second Emperor.