6. Baidi, "White Emperor," had been renamed Yong'an, "Enduring Peace," by Liu Bei. The text reads Jinling, not Jianye; see chap. 120, n. 10.
7. The title, taiyu, had not been used before by the Wei court. After having prevented Zhuge Liang from taking Chang'an and Luoyang, Sima Yi was sent on a campaign against Gongsun Yuan in the northeast. He received the title when he returned from that campaign. Though lofty-sounding, the appointment was made to reduce his power.
8. According to tradition, Yuan Wengzhong was a man of the Qin regime who stood thirteen spans tall. The First Emperor of Qin assigned him to guard the northern border, and he struck fear into the Xiongnu people. After Wengzhong's death, the Emperor cast a bronze statue of him; and so bronze or stone statues of great size came to be called wengzhong. (Footnote to the Renmin wenxue chubanshe edition of Sanguo yanyi [Beijing, 1973], p. 917, n. 2. )
9. Shanglin Park, a copy of the imperial hunting grounds outside Chang'an.
10. Mao (introductory note): "After Kongming's death the anxiety of lord and vassals in Wu can be imagined: They would have said, 'No one will aid us [against Wei] now. ' After Kongming's death the elation of Wei can be imagined: They would have said, 'No one will menace us now. ' This explains why Wu fortified its border posts and the north undertook large-scale construction."
CHAPTER 106
1. To distinguish different names that appear identical in pinyin romanization, variations of spelling will be used. Here the name Wei Yan is spelled Wey Yan so that the reader will not confuse this character with the Riverlands hero of earlier chapters. In the following chapters Sun Qian will be spelled Suen Qian and Lu Zhi will be spelled Luu Zhi.
2. Cao Shuang's father, Cao Zhen, originally a Qin, was adopted into the Cao family. Cao Fang was adopted by Cao Rui. Mao (introductory note): "Cao Cao's father was adopted; Cao Pi's grandson was also adopted."
3. "Spectacular Commencement" (a. d. 239).
4. "Correct Beginning."
5. The sanji changshi replaced the changshi (or zhongchangshi), permanent household attendants or eunuchs, who played so great a part in the early years of Emperor Xian's reign. The Wei dynasty allowed eunuchs to serve only at low levels of the bureaucracy; Shu-Han permitted them to serve at higher levels because they perpetuated Han institutions. Sanji was cavalry not affiliated to a military unit.
6. "Qing ying," dr "Black Flies," is the title of Shi jing, ode 219, which warns of ruin through an enemy's slander. The quotation comes from the hexagram called "Modesty" (qian) in the Book of Changes.
7. "Auspicious Peace" (a. d. 249); a decade has passed since Cao Fang's enthronement.
8. Mao (introductory note): "A dead Kongming presented as a living man was used to frighten Sima Yi; and a live Sima presented as a dying man was used to satisfy Cao Shuang."
CHAPTER 107
1. Sima Yi was no longer the grand commandant; he had been made imperial guardian and thus had no official military office.
2. The son of Xin Pi.
3. Minister of agriculture, one of Cao Shuang's inner council; he was nicknamed "Store of Wisdom."
4. The preceding paragraph and closing verse are not in the TS. Instead, there are two verses lamenting the folly of Cao Shuang (p. 1045). Shuang was the last effective leader of the Cao clan.
5. Mao (introductory note): " Guan Lu foreknew that Cao Shuang's adherents would die; Xianying knew that Sima Yi would prevail over Cao Shuang. Yet Guan Lu's foreknowledge is less remarkable than Xianying's.... That Xin Chang should preserve his integrity by heeding his elder sister's counsel is not so remarkable; that a daughter of the Xiahou clan should assert her conviction [not to remarry] in opposition to her father is most remarkable.
"Guan Lu knew men through divination and body language. As a woman, Xianying [foresaw Sima's victory over the Cao clan] by different methods. Xin Chang supplemented his understanding with a woman's. The womanly conviction of the daughter of the Xiahou proved stronger than Xin Chang's convictions as a man."
6. Mao: "This recalls the granting of the Nine Dignities to the patriarch of Wei [Cao Cao]."
7. A Wei, not a Han, province; Yongzhou occupied the sanfu (three prefectures around the western capital that included Jingtao, Fufeng, and Fengxu). Yongzhou was initially established as a defensive measure against Shu.
8. Mao: "Xiahou Ba wants to punish the traitors to Wei; Jiang Wei will soon borrow him to help punish the traitors to Han."
9. Mao: "As Kongming was helped by [the defecting] Jiang Wei, so Jiang Wei is helped by Xiahou Ba."
10. Mao (introductory note): "This chapter shows how the Sima usurpation of Wei begins to emerge from the house of Cao's failure to govern; it also shows how the entry of Xiahou Ba into the Riverlands is the beginning of Jiang Wei's campaigns against Wei. However, Xiahou Ba's intentions are not Jiang Wei's intentions. Xiahou Ba wants to fight the Sima clan and to use Shu-Han to save the Cao clan. Jiang Wei wants to fight the Cao clan and to use Xiahou Ba to annihilate the Wei dynasty. Jiang Wei's mind is thus one with the Martial Lord's [Kongming]."
CHAPTER 108
1. "Red Crow" (a. d. 241).
2. Lu Xun, famous for checking Liu Bei's invasion of the Southland, had held the office of prime minister. For Zhuge Ke, see chap. 98.
3. "Grand Origin" (a. d. 251).
4. "Continuing Brilliance" (a. d. 252); Sun Quan's reign had begun in 229 when he had declared himself emperor.
5. "Commence the Revival" or "New Beginning" (a. d. 252)—an echo of the last reign title (in Shu) under which Kongming served.
6. Mao (introductory note)'. "Cao Pi waged war on Liu Shan during the mourning [for Liu Bei]; Cao Fang, also, waged war on Sun Liang during the mourning. In the former case Cao Pi authorized the invasion; in the latter Sima Shi, not Cao Fang, authorized the invasion."
7. Mao (introductory note): "Why did Ding Feng succeed in the Dongxing campaign while Zhuge Ke failed in the Xincheng campaign? Southland defense against Wei attack always succeeded while offensives against Wei failed. This is amply illustrated by the outcome of former campaigns. Zhou Yu's defense at Red Cliffs was the first victory; Sun Quan's offensive against Hefei, the first defeat. The Southland's second victory came defending Ruxu against Cao Cao; the second defeat was suffered when Zhang Liao held Xiaoyao Ford against the southerners.... Such was the situation in the days when Sun Quan lived and Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Lü Meng, or Lu Xun had command. To aim for the heartland during the time of Sun Liang was virtually futile."
8. Sun Jian, father of Sun Quan, was the founder of the Southland.
9. Mao (introductory note): "Sima Yi, a member of a nonroyal clan, had Cao Shuang, a royal clansman, killed; Sun Jun, a royal clansman, had Zhuge Ke, a member of a nonroyal clan, killed."
CHAPTER 109
1. Yangping Pass (also known as Yang'ankou) is slightly west of Dingjun Mountain and near the River Mian.
2. Two famous instances of armies defeated by entrapment. In 342 b. c. (early Warring States period) Pang Juan of Wei was lured from the siege of Han and ambushed at Maling; he cut his throat. Han Xin is said to have attacked Xiang Yu at Nine Mile Mountain.
3. Water will save Sima Zhao just as it saved his father; fire, symbol of Han, no longer reigns.
4. Mao (introductory note): "Jiang Wei's first attack on the northern heartland was made possible by the split in the royal Cao clan caused by Xiahou Ba's defection; Jiang Wei's second attack on the north was made possible by Zhuge Ke's invasion of the north in keeping with the Shu-Wu alliance. Neither of Jiang Wei's attacks succeeded because, in the first case, they relied on the Qiang, and the Qiang did not come; in the second case, the Qiang came but turned and fought for the enemy.... With Kongming dead, how could the Qiang ever aid the Liu?"
5. Mao: "This comparison of Sima Shi to Cao Cao foreshadows the usurpation."
6. Wang Mang usurped the Former Han and founded his own Xin or "New" dynasty; it lasted from a. d. 9 to 25, when the Later Han displaced it. Dong Zhuo put Emperor Xian on the throne after d
eposing his brother. Mao: "Why not frankly say Cao Cao?"
7. Cao Cao had her dragged off and executed. See chapter 66.
8. Yi Yin banished King Tai Jia for three years; when Tai Jia repented, Yi Yin restored his throne. Tai Jia was an early Shang sovereign, nephew of the preceding emperor. Huo Guang (d. 68 b. c. ) was regent for Emperor Zhao (r. 86-72 B. c. ). Upon the death of Emperor Zhao, Huo Guang placed Zhao's nephew, the Changyi prince, on the throne. When the prince proved unable to rule, Huo Guang replaced him with a grand nephew of the late Emperor.
9. Mao (introductory note): "Like Cao Fang, Emperor Xian had a secret edict [written in blood]. Like Empress Zhang of the Wei, Empress Fu of the Han was put to death. During the Han the plot of Dong Cheng and Fu Wan was discovered; during the Wei Zhang Qi's plot likewise was discovered. The cunning of retribution lies in its comprehensive coverage. What those who came before have done, those who come after will repeat, and with a vengeance. [After all, ] Cao Cao did not depose Emperor Xian for the girdle oath, but Sima Shi went further and deposed Cao Fang.... Heaven takes pleasure in second comings and in redoubled effects.... It shows the cunning of the Creative Force that the retribution for a renegade vassal should come from the mouths of his offspring rather than men of far future times.... Thus, we need give no further heed to Buddhist doctrines of hell and reincarnation."
10. Cao Cao murdered Emperor Xian's consort Fu Wan in chapter 66.
11. "Correct Origin" (a. d. 254).
12. The revolt of Wei commanders Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin, and those of Xiahou Ba earlier and Zhuge Tan later, were among the local actions against the displacement of the Cao clan by the Sima in Luoyang.
CHAPTER 110
1. "Correct Origin" (a. d. 255).
2. As a general serving Emperor Jing of the Former Han, Zhou Yafu suppressed the revolt of the seven kingdoms in the south.
CHAPTER 111
1. The TS has "and earn the bitter resentment in the Riverlands" for the final phrase; Fan Jian is identified as a member of Kongming's staff and an assistant to Dong Jue.
2. From "Correct Origin" to "Sweet Dew" (a. d. 256). In Chinese ganlu (sweet dew) "spells" Ambrosia.
3. In 264, one year after taking power, the Sima clan succeeded in abolishing the "soldier-tiller" acreage overseers, the diannong; they became taishou, governors. Xu Delin, Sanguo shi jianghua (Hong Kong: Wenchang shuju, n. d. ), p. 118.
CHAPTER 112
1. Zhang Liang (Zifang) was Han Gao Zu's main strategist.
2. Mao: "Troops had been removed from one gate to allow Zhuge Dan to escape. They failed to anticipate that troops would come in." Quan I (Yi) distinguishes son from uncle, Quan Yi.
3. See preceding footnote; the influx of troops led to a food shortage.
4. Mao (introductory notes): "[Dan] never received the [help from the element water that Sima Yi received] when it rained all day at Shangfang Gorge [extinguishing Kongming's mines and firebombs],... Nor did he receive the help that Sima Yi did from the overflowing well on Iron Cage Mountain. This shows the mind of Heaven [in not making the water element available].... This is why Qiao Zhou wrote his essay on enemy kingdoms.... In later times those who were determined to avenge their kingdoms were drawn to Kongming's 'Petitions on Taking the Field' ['Chu shi biao'] and not Qiao Zhou's essay ['Chou guo lun']."
5. Wen Qin is one of the southern volunteers still inside.
6. Mao: "When Guanqiu Jian took punitive action against Sima Shi, he had to be on guard against a rear attack by the Southland. But Zhuge Dan's action against Sima Zhao had the Southland's support."
7. "Dew on the Leaf" refers to a dirge on the transiency of things. Cao Cao wrote a famous ode to the melody. Tian Heng killed himself rather then submit to a new master. His troops followed him in death.
8. I. e., Henei, Henan, Hedong—the three capital districts on the Yellow River.
9. Yan Xi (Continuing Brilliance) 21 became Jing Yao (Spectacular Starlight) 1 in a. d. 258. Jiang Wei's attack on the northern forces described in this chapter, however, occurred in Yan Xi 20 (a. d. 257). (Footnote to the Renmin wenxue chubanshe edition of Sanguo yanyi [Beijing, 1973], p. 971 n. 3. )
10. Zhongsan daifu, an office established by Wang Mang. During the Eastern Han there were four daifu: guanglu, taizhong, zhongsan, and jianyi. Qiao Zhou was thus a daifu of the third degree. See Yang Hongnian, Han Wei zhidu congkao (Wuhan: Wuhan daxue chubanshe, 1985), p. 98.
11. The Hong Canal. The two agreed to return to their respective domains, Liu Bang to the west, Xiang Yu to the east. This was in 202 b. c. just before the final defeat of Xiang Yu.
12. Li Jue and Guo Si kidnaped Emperor Xian (see chap. 13).
CHAPTER 113
1. Mao (introductory note): "Emperor Xian plotted to execute an all-powerful minister, but his plotting came to light through Imperial Brother-in-Law Dong Cheng and again through Imperia Father-in-Law Fu Wan.... In the case of Sun Liang, the plot came to light through the imperial brother-in-law and the imperial father-in-law, thus combining in one incident the two incidents [involving Emperor Xian].... As the novel reaches the final chapters, the reader will find incidents which recapitulate those of the early chapters."
2. Yi Yin of the Shang is regarded as having acted justifiably when he sent his sovereign into exile. Huo Guang blocked the accession of Liu He, prince of Changyi, and arranged for the enthronement of Emperor Xuan in 73 b. c.
3. The southernmost province, Jiaozhou, comprised southern Guangxi and Guangdong, the Red River delta (of present-day Vietnam), and a coastal strip below the delta, perhaps as far south as the seventeenth parallel. The Southland's ruling house of Sun had a keen commercial interest in and active diplomatic relations with Jiaozhou.
4. See chapter 112, n. 9. The ZZTJ (p. 2451) reports that Jiang Wei weakened Shu's forward defense in Hanzhong by abandoning the network of outposts established by Kongming. Jiang Wei shifted his forces westward into three military townships, Hanshou, Yuecheng, and Hancheng, "prefiguring the fall of the kingdom of Shu," in the words of the Yuan annotater of the ZZTJ, Hu Sanxing. As a result of these decades of war in the northwest, the Qiang, Di, and other peoples came to dominate the region.
5. Mao: "These two figures have not been mentioned since the First Ruler [Liu Bei] solicited the services of Kongming [see chap. 37]; how artful of the author all of a sudden to evoke them here."
6. Yue Fei was a Song general. In 1127, after the northern heartland was occupied by Jurchen armies, the Song court was driven south. Yue Fei was one of those who championed the cause of retaking the lost territory.
CHAPTER 114
1. Pillowing the fallen liege's head was a vassal's ritual gesture to honor him.
2. Mao (introductory note): "Cai He and Cai Zhong were Cai Mao's real brothers, and yet Zhou Yu did not trust them [see chap. 47]. Wang Guan was not of Wang Jing's clan; how could Jiang Wei not have anticipated an impersonation? Even if Jiang Wei had trusted Wang Guan, surely Xiahou Ba would have recognized him. Thus, Deng Ai's plan was easier to expose than Cao Cao's. Kongming knew that Zheng Wen's defection was false, and he immediately execute him; as a result Kongming suffered no loss. Jiang Wei knew Wang Guan's defection was false, but he did not execute him; how could he not suffer a loss? Wang Guan's burning the grain and the wooden plank roads was no different from Jiang Wei's burning them himself. Thus, Jiang Wei proved himself less wise than Kongming. In the novel, sometimes a late event has more serious consequences than an early one: only those who read the later chapters can compare the gravity of both events. Sometimes a plan described late in the novel is not so well executed as one described earlier: only those who read the later chapters can compare the executions of both plans."
CHAPTER 115
1. Mao: "Just like Yue Fei." See chap. 113, n. 6.
2. Zhang Rang was a leader of the eunuchs under Emperor Ling (see the first chapters of the novel). Zhao Gao was the eunuch who murdered the second Qin emperor, Er Shi (r. 209-206 b. c. ). Cf. the Liu Tao incident in chap
. 2.
3. Mao: "This is the ninth punitive expedition against the kingdom of Wei."
4. Mao (introductory note): "Here the Riverlands campaigns against Wei end, and the Wei campaigns against the Riverlands begin—confirming Kongming's theory that 'if Han did not destroy the traitor, the traitor would destroy Han. ' Before Liu Bei entered the Riverlands, he saw Kongming's map, and subsequently he obtained Zhang Song's map. As Sima Zhao prepares to occupy the Riverlands, he first sees Deng Ai's map of Tazhong, and subsequently he obtains Zhong Hui's map of the whole kingdom."
5. Mao: "The original idea was to have Deng Ai tie up Jiang Wei's forces while Zhong Hui secretly invaded the Riverlands. As it turned out, Zhong Hui tied up Jiang Wei's forces while Deng Ai invaded the Riverlands."
6. Mao: "Here we see the reason Liu Ye avoided mentioning an expedition against the Riverlands."
7. Mao (introductory note): "As one reaches these final chapters, one hears echoes of the novel's opening lines: the yellow dragon visible in a well is a sign that recalls the green serpent on the imperial throne; Cao Fang's song about the yellow dragon is a poem that recalls the lines of the Emperor when he watched the flying swallows.... In terms of specific events, Jiang Wei's desire to eliminate the eunuch Huang Hao obviously recalls the Ten Eunuchs and the example of Emperor Ling."
CHAPTER 116
1. The character yan of Yan Xing, "Fires Revive" (the character consists of two "fire" elements, one over the other), often symbolized the Han.
2. Mao (introductory note): "The sorceress's sham projection of the god's words recalls the way the Yellow Scarves bewitched the masses with false doctrine in the first chapter. Huang Hao's concealment of Jiang Wei's petitions similarly recalls the way [eunuch leader] Zhang Rang concealed the Yellow Scarves' disturbances to deceive Emperor Ling [see chap. 1]."
3. Mao (introductory note): "This chapter records Wei's successes against Shu, but the principal party is Sima Zhao. Thus, it is not Wei's success but Jin's. The extinction of Wei came after the extinction of Shu, but Cao Fang had been deposed and Cao Mao murdered; even if Cao Huan had a breath or two of life left in him, the ruling house was entirely Jin, not Wei.... Prior to this campaign, Wei had attacked Shu twice. The first time was during Cao Pi's reign: five field armies fell apart before a battle was joined. The second time was during Cao Rui's reign: the army at Chencang met heavy rains and returned to Luoyang. This shows that Heaven did not want Han extinguished by Wei."
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