Someone asks, "In ancient cases of the weaker overcoming the stronger, what method was used?" I reply, great, confident kingdoms typically disdain those around them; small, insecure kingdoms typically concentrate on keeping all sides satisfied. Normally, such disdain leads to disaffection and disorder, while concentrating on satisfying all sides leads to orderly rule. King Wen of Zhou nurtured the people and won wide support though he started with few; Gou Jian showed concern for the army and from a position of weakness destroyed a stronger foe.
Another question: "Before the Han regime the forces of Chu were stronger than those of Han. Liu Bang and Xiang Yu agreed to divide the realm at the Great Canal.11 But Zhang Liang convinced Liu Bang that once the people's adherence was fixed, it would be difficult to mobilize them again. And so Bang chased Xiang Yu east and in the end destroyed the house of Xiang. So why is it necessary to follow the virtuous oath of King Wen and Gou Jian?" Mv answer is, during the regimes of Shang and Zhou, when princes and lords were honored generation after generation, when the relationship of liege to liege man had long been settled, not even a Han Gao Zu could take the empire by force of arms. But by the time of the Qin regime, when lordships were abolished and imperial governors established, when the people were wearied by Qin's campaigns and the empire itself was crumbling, then bold spirits rose and vied for power.
Now we have entered another age—not the seething cauldron years of Qin's fall, but rather a time like the Warring States when six kingdoms held their own, a time, indeed, when the role of a King Wen can be played, but not the role of a Han Gao Zu. So do not act before the time is right; do not strike until all factors are conducive. The hosts of Tang and Wu, founders of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, conquered without having to fight a second time. Truly they took seriously the strain on the people and evaluated the occasion with circumspection. If in the end the military mentality prevails and the outcome is unfortunate, the wisest of men will be unable to redeem the situation.
Qiao Zhou's essay angered Jiang Wei. "The views of a rotten pedant!" he cried and threw the paper down. Then he readied the Riverlands army for the march against the northern heartland. He asked Fu Qian, "Where do you think we should sortie?" "All Wei's grain and provender are stored at Longwall," Fu Qian answered. "We should go straight through Luogu Gorge and across the Shen Range, direct to Longwall. We'll first burn out their supplies, then capture Qinchuan. That will put the north within reach." "Your plan tallies nicely with mine," Jiang Wei confided, and he set out for Longwall via Luogu Gorge and the Shen Range.
Sima Wang, a cousin of Sima Zhao's, was commander in control for Longwall, a well-stocked but lightly defended city. Hearing that Riverlands troops were approaching, Sima Wang and two commanders, Wang Zhen and Li Peng, established fortifications twenty li outside the city walls. The next day the Riverlands force arrived, and Sima Wang led the two commanders out in formation. Riding ahead, Jiang Wei pointed at Sima Wang and said, "Sima Zhao has moved the ruler of Wei into his army camp. He must be intending to do what Li Jue and Guo Si did.12 But I hold a mandate from the court to make you answer for your crimes. Surrender now! Persist in this course of folly, and your whole family will be executed." Sima Wang answered in a booming voice, "None of your impudence! You have violated our greater kingdom time and again. Withdraw now or be wiped out to the last man."
As Sima Wang spoke, his first commander Wang Zhen emerged, spear held high. From the Riverlands line Fu Qian went forth to meet him. After less than ten passes Fu Qian feinted, and Wang Zhen thrust hard. Fu Qian swerved and seized Wang Zhen, hauling him onto his own mount; then he rode back to his line. In great anger Li Peng galloped forth, swinging his sword, to save Wang Zhen. Fu Qian let Li Peng draw near, then flung his prisoner to the ground and surreptitiously grasped a four-pronged iron bar. Catching up, Li Peng raised his sword to strike. Fu Qian turned sideways and, looking back, hurled the bar at Li Peng's forehead. It pierced Peng's eye, and he fell dead from his horse; Wang Zhen was speared by Riverlands soldiers. When Jiang Wei pressed his advantage, moving up in force, Sima Wang abandoned his base and retreated into the city, sealing himself in behind the gates. Jiang Wei issued an order: "Tonight the troops are to rest and restore their energies. Tomorrow we enter Longwall."
The next day at dawn the Riverlands soldiers vied in leading the assault. Crowding up to the foot of the city wall, they sent incendiary arrows and missiles over the top. The thatched rooms on the wall burst into flames, and the northern soldiers broke ranks. Jiang Wei had his men fire the kindling they had piled up along the wall. Giant flames shot upward, licking the sky. The city was about to fall, and the piteous cries of the Wei troops inside carried far into the surrounding countryside.
The Riverlands forces were pressing the attack when suddenly behind them lusty shouts shattered the air. Jiang Wei maneuvered his horse around and saw northern troops swarming toward him, beating their drums and waving their banners. Jiang Wei ordered his force to reverse direction, making the rear the van. Standing beneath his banner at the entrance to his line, awaiting the enemy, Jiang Wei watched as a young Wei commander rode forth in full battle dress, his spear ready for action. He appeared to be in his early twenties, with a face so fair it seemed powdered; his lips were like daubs of red. The young commander called out harshly, "Know me for General Deng!" "Deng Ai," Jiang Wei thought and raised his spear for combat. He raced forth, and the two closed in a grand display of martial spirit. But after some thirty or forty passes-at-arms neither had prevailed.
The young commander worked his spear flawlessly. Jiang Wei thought, "There's only one way I can win," and guided his horse to the left toward the mountain paths and fled. The young commander gave chase. Jiang Wei fixed his spear in its sling, surreptitiously fitted an arrow to his bow, and shot. The sharp-eyed young commander spotted the maneuver at once and leaned forward on hearing the bowstring's tone; the arrow sailed harmlessly overhead. The next time Jiang Wei looked back, his pursuer had caught up and was about to thrust his spear home. Jiang Wei dodged the blow and gripped the shaft under his arm as it slid along his ribs. The young commander released the spear and fled for his life. Jiang Wei cried, "What a shame! What a pity!" and chased Deng Ai down to the front of his line.
Another commander emerged waving his sword. "Jiang Wei, you low-down rogue! Don't chase my boy! Deng Ai is here for you!" And so Jiang Wei discovered to his amazement that the young commander was not Deng Ai but his son, Deng Zhong. Jiang Wei inwardly voiced his admiration. He wanted to fight Deng Ai but feared his horse was tired, so he pointed to Ai and said, "Today I have met both father and son. Let us withdraw for now and fight to the finish tomorrow." Deng Ai himself realized that the arena was unfavorable to him, and he, too, reined in and said, "In that case, let us recall our men. Let no man of honor take unfair advantage."
Thus the two armies retired. Deng Ai built his camp against the River Wei; Jiang Wei made camp across two hills. After looking over the terrain and position of the Riverlands troops, Deng Ai sent a letter to Sima Wang: "We must avoid battle and hold our lines until reinforcement from within the passes reaches us and the Riverlands army runs out of grain. Then a three-sided attack will make victory certain. I am sending my eldest son, Deng Zhong, to help you defend the city." At the same time Deng Ai sent to Sima Zhao for aid.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wei had delivered a written challenge to Deng Ai's camp to do battle the following day. Deng Ai falsely accepted the challenge. The next day at the fifth watch Jiang Wei ordered his men to take their meal, and at the first light they deployed and waited. In his camp Deng Ai stilled the drums and took down all flags to create the appearance of an evacuated position. Jiang Wei waited until night fell, then he returned to his base. The next day he sent another challenge and a reproach to Deng Ai for not showing up the day before. Deng Ai entertained the envoy with food and wine and sent his reply: "I had a slight ailment and missed the engagement. I will meet you on the field tomorrow."
On the morrow Jiang Wei led hi
s forces out, but Deng Ai again failed to appear. The same scene was repeated every day for four or five days. At last Fu Qian said to Jiang Wei, "They are up to something. We must be on guard." Jiang Wei replied, "They are holding back until their troops from within the passes get here; then they will be able to attack us on three sides. I am going to have a letter carried to Sun Chen in the Southland to persuade him to support our attack."
That moment mounted scouts reported: "Sima Zhao has attacked Shouchun and killed Zhuge Dan. All the southern troops have surrendered. Sima Zhao has withdrawn to Luoyang and is preparing to relieve Longwall." This news, beyond all expectation, forced Jiang Wei to say, "So our campaign against Wei has become an empty dream once again. We might as well return home now." Indeed:
The first four campaigns yielded no success;
The fifth attempt proved a failure, too.
How would Jiang Wei manage the retreat?
Read on.
113
Ding Feng Frames a Plan to Kill Sun Chen;
Jiang Wei Forms a Battle to Defeat Deng Ai
Jiang Wei began retreating before reinforcements could reach Deng Ai. He sent his weapons, wagons, military equipment, and infantry back first, assigning the cavalry to secure the rear. Spies reported Jiang Wei's movements to Deng Ai, who smiled and said, "He knows our supreme commander's army is coming and so retreats in good time. No need to pursue. We would only be trapped." Deng Ai's scouts, after tracking the enemy, reported that, indeed, firewood had been piled at narrow points along the Luogu Gorge road: they had evidently intended to surprise their pursuers with fire. Deng Ai's council exclaimed, "A marvelous deduction, General." Deng Ai sent a written account to the court, and Sima Zhao, well pleased with the outcome of the fighting, again rewarded him.
Meanwhile the Southland's supreme commander Sun Chen had learned that Quan Duan and Tang Zi had surrendered to the Wei. Exploding in anger, he had their families executed. The ruler of Wu, Sun Liang, sixteen years old, deplored the extreme cruelty of Sun Chen. One day while eating a fresh plum in the western garden, he sent a eunuch to fetch some honey. Moments later it was brought. The ruler saw mouse droppings in the honey. He summoned the steward who kept the honey, and rebuked him. Touching his head to the ground, the steward replied, "The honey was strictly locked up and sealed. How could there be mouse droppings in it?" Sun Liang said, "Did anyone from the Inner Bureau ask you for some?" The steward answered, "Several days ago, yes, but I didn't dare give him any."
Sun Liang turned to the eunuch and said, "You put the droppings in because the steward refused you honey and you wanted to ruin him." The eunuch would not own up. "It's easy enough to find out," Sun Liang continued. "If the droppings have been in the honey for any length of time, they will be soaked through; if not, they will be dry inside." He ordered one opened and examined. True enough, the core was dry, and the eunuch confessed. Thus Sun Liang demonstrated his quick mind. But for all his cleverness, Sun Liang was under Sun Chen's control and could not act on his own.
Sun Chen ordered his younger brother, Sun Ju, General Who Overawes Distant Regions, to enter Canglong and establish a permanent guard there. He ordered Sun En, general for military protection, Subordinate Commander Sun Gan, and the commandant for Changshui, Sun Kai, to occupy various campsites.
One day the Wu ruler, Sun Liang, attended by the imperial brother-in-law, Quan Ji of the Inner Bureau, sat pondering the plight of his ruling house. Sun Liang said to him tearfully, "Having concentrated great power in his hands, Sun Chen now uses it to kill others wantonly. Me he has abused beyond belief. Measures must be taken now, or we will face grave danger." Quan Ji replied, "I am at Your Majesty's disposal, no matter what the risk." Sun Liang said, "I need you to mobilize the Palace Guard; then, with General Liu Cheng, take control of the city gates. That way I can get out and kill Sun Chen. But be sure to keep this from your mother, for she is the elder sister of Sun Chen, and I will pay dearly if she finds out." "I beg Your Majesty," Quan Ji said, "let me have a handwritten edict from you to show the troops when the time comes—it will prevent Sun Chen's henchmen from taking matters into their own hands." Sun Liang agreed and gave Quan Ji a secret edict.
Quan Ji returned home with the imperial decree and privately informed his father, Quan Shang. Shang informed his wife at once: "They're going to kill Sun Chen within three days." "And well they should!" she replied, but secretly she had the information conveyed to Sun Chen. Enraged, Sun Chen summoned his four brothers that night, mustered his crack troops, and surrounded the imperial palace. At the same time he arrested Quan Shang, Liu Cheng, and their entire families. As day broke, the ruler of Wu, Sun Liang, heard loud gongs outside the palace gates. A courtier entered and told him, "Sun Chen has surrounded the grounds." Angrily, Sun Liang accused Empress Quan. "Your father and brother have ruined my work," he cried and drew his sword to make his way outside. But Empress Quan, together with his courtiers and personal attendants, hung onto his garments and wept and thereby prevented him from going out.
Having put Quan Shang and Liu Cheng to death, Sun Chen summoned all officials and officers to court and issued an edict: "The sovereign has long suffered physically from his wanton depravities. Incompetent and immoral, he cannot perform the temple services to the ancestors and should therefore be deposed. Anyone who objects will be considered a conspirator." The fear-stricken assembly responded, "We will comply gladly with your command." But Chief of the Secretariat Huan Yi angrily rose to his feet and stepped forth from the ranks of officials to condemn Sun Chen: "How dare you speak treason of our wise and knowing sovereign? Give me death before I follow a traitor's decree." In a fury Sun Chen drew his sword and dispatched the secretary. Then he strode into the ruler's quarters and denounced Sun Liang: "Immoral, ignorant leader. You should by rights be executed to satisfy the empire. But out of respect for the late Emperor we will demote you to prince of Kuaiji and select someone virtuous to assume the throne in your place." Sun Chen harshly ordered a courtier from the Secretariat to remove the ruler's seal and cord and ordered Deng Cheng to take possession of them. Sun Liang gave vent to loud cries and departed for Kuaiji.1 A poet of later times has left these lines expressing his dismay:
Such treason mocks Yi Yin's hallowed name
And wrongly claims Huo Guang's authority.2
Lament Sun Liang, this wise and knowing lord,
Who never would preside again at court.
Sun Chen sent Sun Kai, the keeper of the Imperial Clan Registry, and Dong Chao, a courtier in the Secretariat, to the town of Hulin to welcome the new sovereign, Sun Xiu (Zilie), prince of Langye. He was the sixth son of Sun Quan. While in Hulin, Sun Xiu had dreamed he was riding a dragon into the sky but on looking back could not see the dragon's tail. He woke with a violent start. The next day Sun Kai and Dong Chao came and, prostrating themselves, invited Xiu to return with them to the capital.
On their way the three came to Qu'e. An old man knocked his head on the ground before them, claiming his name was Gan Xiu. He said, "Any prolonged situation is bound to change. I pray Your Highness, move faster." Sun Xiu thanked the old man. When they reached Busai precinct, Sun En brought the imperial carriage to welcome Sun Xiu. Sun Xiu did not dare ascend it; instead, he entered the capital in a smaller carriage. The entire body of officials prostrated themselves along the roadway to welcome him. Sun Xiu anxiously stepped down from the carriage and reciprocated their courtesy. Sun Chen appeared, ordered the new ruler raised to his feet, and invited him into the main hall. Sun Xiu ascended the platform and assumed the seat of the Son of Heaven.
Sun Xiu declined several times before finally accepting the jade seal. After the civil and military officials finished offering their congratulations, a general amnesty was proclaimed and the reign year changed to Yong An, "Perpetual Peace," year 1 (a. d. 258). Sun Chen was appointed prime minister and protector of Jingzhou, and the various officials received fiefs and awards. Sun Xiu also enfeoffed Sun Hao, the son of his elder brother, as lord of Wucheng. The c
lan of Sun Chen received five lordships; all five lords had authority over troops guarding the emperor. They dominated Sun Xiu so completely that he feared a coup. Publicly he showed the five lords favor while secretly he tried to protect himself against them. Sun Chen meanwhile was becoming more arrogant and arbitrary than ever.
In winter, the twelfth month, Sun Chen brought beef and wine to the palace to celebrate the sovereign's health. The ruler of Wu, Sun Xiu, refused the gift. Deeply offended, Sun Chen took the food and drink to the residence of General of the Left Zhang Bu to share them. They drank and grew mellow with the wine. Sun Chen said to Zhang Bu, "Initially, when I deposed the prince of Kuaiji, many urged me to take power. But I had taken the present ruler for a worthy man, so I placed him on the throne instead. Now he refuses my congratulatory gifts and treats me most shabbily. Before long you will hear from me!" At this boast Zhang Bu nodded obsequiously.
The next day Zhang Bu entered the palace and secretly informed Sun Xiu of Sun Chen's threat. The ruler had no peace of mind thereafter. Several days later Sun Chen sent an official of the Secretariat, Meng Zong, to Wuchang with a force of fifteen thousand picked troops that had been made available to him from the central camp. The entire armory was also placed at Meng Zong's disposal. At this point General Wei Miao and an officer of the guard, Shi Shuo, secretly informed Sun Xiu, "Sun Chen has transferred troops outside the city and distributed all of the weapons in the armory. A coup must be coming." Sun Xiu summoned Zhang Bu for an emergency meeting.
Zhang Bu said to the ruler, "Let us consult veteran general Ding Feng. He is an excellent strategist and will be capable of dealing with so grave a matter." Sun Xiu summoned Ding Feng and explained the situation. Ding Feng said to the ruler, "Let Your Majesty be at ease. I think I know how to save the dynasty." Sun Xiu asked his plan, and Ding Feng answered, "Tomorrow begins the year-end La festival. Use the occasion of the grand congregation of the court to summon Sun Chen. I will make the necessary arrangements." Sun Xiu was delighted. Jointly with Wei Miao and Shi Shuo, Ding Feng took charge of all measures outside the palace; Zhang Bu coordinated from within.
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