The Three Kingdoms, Volume 3: Welcome the Tiger: An Epic Chinese Tale of Loyalty and War in a Dynamic New Translation

by Luo Guanzhong

  Qiu Ben said, “Why not send him a letter to draw him out?”

  Taking his advice Deng Ai wrote the letter, which was delivered to the Shu camp by a messenger. The warden of the camp gate led the messenger in to see Zhuge Zhan, who opened the letter and read:

  General Deng Ai, Conqueror of the West, writes to General Zhuge Zhan: Having carefully observed the talented men of the present time, I can find none equal to your most honored father. From the day he left his cottage he had predicted that the country was to be divided into three kingdoms. Then he conquered Jingzhou and Yizhou, thus establishing a separate rule for Liu Bei. Few could match his achievements in all history. Later he launched six expeditions from Qishan, and, if he failed to reach his goal, it was not that he lacked skill but that it was the will of Heaven.

  Now your Emperor is foolish and weak, and his fortune as a ruler has come to an end. I have been commanded by the Son of Heaven to lead a mighty force to smite Shu with severity, and I have already captured most of the country. The fall of your capital is a matter of days. Why not abide by the will of Heaven and fall in with the desire of men by acting rightly and coming over to our side? I will obtain for you the rank of Prince of Langya, whereby your ancestors will be glorified. This is not an empty promise. Pray give my proposal a favorable consideration.

  The letter threw Zhuge Zhan into fury. He tore it to fragments and ordered the bearer to be put to death immediately. The poor man’s head was sent back to the Wei camp and laid before Deng Ai, who was provoked to anger and wished to go forth at once to battle.

  But Qiu Ben said, “Do not go out rashly to battle. You must overcome him by surprise attacks.”

  So Deng Ai laid his plans. He sent Wang Qi, Prefect of Tianshui, and Qian Hong, Prefect of Longxi, to place their men in ambush, while he led the main body.

  Zhuge Zhan was just going to challenge for battle when he was told that Deng Ai had approached with his army. Angrily he led out his army and rushed into the midst of the invaders. Deng Ai fled as though worsted, so luring on Zhuge Zhan. But as he pursued, there suddenly appeared the two forces lying in ambush and the men of Shu were defeated. They retreated into Mianzhu, which was immediately besieged by the order of Deng Ai. The men of Wei, shouting in unison, closed in around the city, making it like an air-tight iron barrel.

  Seeing how desperate the situation had become, Zhuge Zhan ordered an officer named Peng He to break through the siege to deliver a letter to the ruler of Wu, asking for assistance. Peng He fought his way through and reached Wu, where he presented the letter to Emperor Sun Xiu.

  After reading the letter the Emperor assembled his courtiers and said to them, “Since the land of Shu is in danger, I cannot sit and look on unconcerned.”

  He decided to send 50,000 troops, over whom he set the veteran general Ding Feng as chief commander and two other officers as his assistants. Taking the order, the old general told his two lieutenants to move toward Mianzhong with 20,000 men, while he himself advanced toward Shouchun with the rest of the army. Marching in three divisions the army of Wu went to the rescue of their ally.

  In the city Zhuge Zhan, seeing no relief force, said to his officers, “This long defense is not a good policy.”

  Leaving his son and another officer in the city, Zhuge Zhan put on his armor and led his front, center, and rear troops to burst out of the three gates to confront the invaders. At this Deng Ai drew off and Zhuge Zhan pursued him vigorously. But all of a sudden there was an explosion and the Shu general was quickly surrounded. In vain he thrust right and shoved left, killing hundreds of his enemies. Deng Ai ordered his men to shoot and the flight of arrows scattered Zhuge Zhan’s men, who fled. Before long, Zhuge Zhan was shot by an arrow and fell from his horse.

  “I have no more strength left to fight,” he cried. “I will die for my country.”

  So he drew his sword and slew himself.

  From the city walls his son Shang saw that his father had died on the battlefield. In a rage he girded on his armor and mounted his horse to go forth to fight.

  “Don’t venture out in such haste,” cautioned one of the other officers.

  “My grandfather, my father, and I have received much favor from the state,” sighed Zhuge Shang. “Now that my father has died in the battle against the enemy, can I still live?”

  He whipped his horse and dashed out into the thick of the fight. He, too, died on the battlefield. A poem was written to praise the father and son.

  Do not think that the loyal officers lacked skill;

  But Heaven had decreed against the house of Liu,

  Years before Zhuge Liang had left his fine offspring,

  Who preserved his nobleness and loyalty well.

  To mark their loyalty, Deng Ai had the father and son buried together.

  To follow up this success he began to storm the city. The three officers in the city, each leading a troop, made a sortie. However, they were outnumbered and their effort availed to nothing, and all three officers sacrificed their lives in the battle. Thus the city of Mianzhu fell. After rewarding his men, Deng Ai set out for the capital Chengdu.

  Observe the Second Ruler of Shu in his last days of rule,

  How similar he was to Liu Zhang when compelled to resign.

  The fate of Chengdu will be told in the next chapter.

  Footnote

  * The first line, “At the start of the two fires,” refers to the first year of the period Yan Xing in Shu (A.D. 263). The Chinese word for “Yan” is made of the two characters for “fire,” while that of “Xing” means “beginning.” The second line, “Someone will here stop by,” predicts the coming of Deng Ai. The third and fourth lines indicate that Deng Ai and Zhong Hui rival each other but will soon die.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN

  Weeping at the Ancestral Temple, a Filial Prince Dies

  Entering the West, Two Generals Fight for Merits

  In the Shu capital of Chengdu the Second Ruler was seized with panic when he heard of the fall of Mianzhu and the death in battle of Zhuge Zhan and his son. He hastened to summon a general council.

  One of the courtiers said, “Outside the city people are all fleeing for their lives, taking their young and old with them. Their cries of woe shake the country.”

  Hearing this the Second Ruler became even more alarmed. Soon reports came that the enemy was approaching the city. Many courtiers advised flight.

  “We have few officers and men to counter the enemy. It is better to abandon the city and flee to the seven districts of the south. The terrain is dangerous and easily defended. We can get the Mans to help us recover the territory.”

  But Qiao Zhou was opposed to this proposal. “No, that will not do,” he said. “The Mans are out-and-out rebels. Besides, we have not shown them any favor over the years. It will be a calamity if we seek their help now.”

  Then some officials proposed seeking refuge in Wu. “Wu is our ally. In this most critical situation we can go there for shelter.”

  But Qiao Zhou was also opposed to this. “In the whole course of history, no emperor has ever sought shelter in another state. So far as I can see, Wei will eventually absorb Wu, but not vice versa. To declare yourself a servant to Wu is a humiliation already. It will double the humiliation if Your Majesty has to bow to Wei again when Wu is devoured by Wei. Hence, it is better to yield to Wei, but not to Wu. Wei will surely split its territory and give Your Majesty an estate. Your Majesty will be able to preserve the ancestral temple on the one hand, and protect the people on the other. Pray reflect upon this.”

  Unable to make up his mind, the distracted ruler retired into his palace.

  The next day the same issue was discussed in court and opinions differed widely among the courtiers. Qiao Zhou, who saw how desperate the situation was, presented a written memorial urging the Second Ruler to yield to Wei. The Second Ruler accepted it and decided to submit.

  But from behind a screen stepped forward a man, who reproached Qiao Zhou s
everely: “You cowardly pedant! How dare you utter such nonsense over the fate of a dynasty? Never in history has any emperor yielded to an enemy!”

  The speaker was Liu Chen, fifth son of the Second Ruler and Prince of Beidi. The Second Ruler had seven sons, but all were weaklings except Liu Chen, who had showed exceptional intelligence from childhood.

  The Second Ruler turned to his son and said, “The ministers all agree that surrender is the best policy. Yet you alone say otherwise, relying on the boldness of youth. Do you want to drench the city in blood?”

  The prince said, “During the reign of the late Emperor, this Qiao Zhou had no voice in state policies. Now he improperly discusses the fate of the dynasty, using the most subversive language. This is outrageous. I know for certain that we still have tens of thousands of troops in the city, and Jiang Wei’s whole army is stationed in the Sword Pass. He will hasten to our rescue as soon as he hears of the enemy’s assault on the capital. Then we can join him in attacking the enemy from both the front and rear. Success will be ours. How can Your Majesty listen to the words of this degenerate pedant and abandon so lightly the kingdom founded by the late Emperor?”

  The Second Ruler scolded his son angrily: “Be silent! You are too young to understand the decree of Heaven.”

  The prince, weeping, beat his head upon the ground and implored his father to be strong. “If we have exhausted all our efforts and yet are unable to alter the situation, then when disaster is imminent both of us, father and son, ruler and his servant, should fight one last battle, with our backs against the city, and die for the dynasty. Thus we will be able to meet the late Emperor unashamedly in the afterlife. Why should we surrender?”

  But the appeal left the Second Ruler unmoved. The prince lamented bitterly, “It is with great pains that the late Emperor founded this kingdom. What a shame to give it up in one day! I would rather die than suffer the disgrace!”

  The Second Ruler told the courtiers to push the young man out of the palace. Then he ordered Qiao Zhou to prepare the letter of surrender. When it was written, Qiao Zhou and two others were sent to offer submission to Deng Ai, taking with them the letter and the imperial seal.

  Meanwhile, Deng Ai had hundreds of horsemen ride to Chengdu daily to reconnoiter the city. It was a happy day for him when they returned to report sighting the flag of surrender hoisted over the city wall. Soon the three Shu envoys arrived and were welcomed. Kneeling below the steps of the hall, they presented the letter of surrender and the imperial seal. Deng Ai read the letter with great exultation and accepted the seal. He treated the envoys very courteously and asked them to take back a letter to allay the anxiety of the people in the Shu capital. In due time they returned to the city, presented Deng Ai’s letter to the Second Ruler, and related in detail how well they had been treated at the Wei camp. The Second Ruler read the letter with much satisfaction and at once sent Jiang Xian with an edict to the Sword Pass, commanding Jiang Wei to surrender without delay.

  Next he ordered a minister named Li Hu to submit to Deng Ai the census records and a statement of the resources of the kingdom. Altogether there were 280,000 households, 914,000 male and female civilians, 102,000 armored men of all ranks, and 40,000 civil employees. Besides, there were 400,000 catties of grain, 2,000 catties each of gold and silver, and 200,000 rolls of silk of various types. There were also other items in the various storehouses, but there was not enough time to have them enumerated. The first day of the twelfth month of the year (A.D. 264) was chosen for the Second Ruler and his officials to go out of the city to surrender.

  The Prince of Beidi was beside himself with rage when he heard of all this. Sword in hand, he entered the palace.

  His wife Lady Cui asked him, “My lord, you look terribly angry today. What’s troubling you?”

  The prince replied, “The army of Wei is coming at any minute, and my father has offered to surrender. Tomorrow he and all his ministers are going out of the city to submit formally, and that will be the end of our dynasty. But rather than bend the knee to another, I will die first to meet the late Emperor in the realms below.”

  “How noble, my lord! A most worthy death, indeed!” said Lady Cui. “But let me die first before you, my lord, depart.”

  “But why should you die?”

  “You, my lord, die for your father and I, for my husband. One principle guides both. When the husband dies the wife follows. No question is necessary.”

  So saying she dashed her head against a pillar, and so killed herself. Then the prince slew his three sons and cut off the head of his wife. Bearing the head of the princess in his hand, he went to the temple of the late Emperor Liu Bei, where he knelt down and said tearfully: “I will be ashamed to witness the surrender of our kingdom to an enemy. Therefore I have slain my wife and sons so as to rid myself of all worries. And now I will give my own life to you, grandfather. If your spirit can hear me, you will read my heart.”

  After this pronouncement he wept so copiously that blood ran from his eyes—then he cut his throat with his own sword. The men of Shu grieved deeply for him, and a poet celebrated his noble deed in a poem:

  Both king and courtiers, willing, bowed the knee,

  Except for one prince alone, who was grieved.

  The western Shu ceased to exist any more;

  A noble prince stood forth, for e’er renowned.

  He took his own life to save his forebear’s shame

  In deep sorrow he wept beneath the blue sky.

  His heroic image seems to be with us still

  Who can say that Han has perished.

  When the Second Ruler knew of the suicide of his son, he sent men to bury him.

  The next day the main body of the Wei army came up. The Second Ruler, leading his Heir Apparent, his other sons, and all his courtiers to the number of more than sixty, went out ten li from the north gate to bow their heads in submission. The Second Ruler bowed to the ground, his face turned to the victor, his hands tied behind his back, with a carriage bearing a coffin standing by his side. With his own hands Deng Ai helped the yielding Emperor, Liu Shan, to his feet, untied the cords binding his hands, and burned the coffin.

  Then the victorious general and the vanquished Emperor rode back into the city side by side.

  Into Shu marched the troops of Wei,

  But too cowardly was its ruler to end his own days.

  Without doubt Huang Hao was a traitor to his state;

  In vain Jiang Wei had the talents his land to save.

  How noble was the heart of the faithful warrior!

  How sad was the prince’s will to die than to bear the shame

  Of the dynasty his ancestor fought so hard to found!

  A lifetime’s effort was brought to nought in one day.

  The common people welcomed the men of Wei into the city with burning incense. The title of General of Cavalry was given to Liu Shan, the Second Ruler of Shu, and other ranks were given to the officials who had surrendered. Then he was asked to return to his palace and issue a proclamation to reassure the people. The granaries and storehouses were duly submitted to the conquerors. Two Shu officials were sent into the provinces to explain the new situation and call upon the local officers and people to surrender to Wei. Another envoy was sent to exhort Jiang Wei to yield. A report of the success was sent to Luoyang.

  Huang Hao’s wickedness was reported to Deng Ai, so he decided to put the eunuch to death. However, by bribing Deng Ai’s close attendants Huang Hao escaped the death penalty.

  Thus perished the House of Han. Reflecting on its end, a poet recalled the exploits of Zhuge Liang in the following poem.

  Apes and birds feared his written commands.

  And clouds and winds used to help him in his defense.

  But for naught did he bid his fine officers wield their mighty pens

  I see the fallen king born away to an alien land in the end.

  In gifts Zhuge was a peer of Guan Chong and Yue Yi;

  But little cou
ld he do, with Guan and Zhang no more.

  Some other year pass his shrine at Jinli I may

  The elegy composed, my sorrow will remain.*

  In due time the envoy reached the Sword Pass and gave the general the Second Ruler’s command to surrender to the invaders. Jiang Wei was so shocked that he could not even utter a word. All his officers ground their teeth with rage and mortification, their eyes glaring and their hair standing on end. Drawing their swords they slashed at stones and shouted, “We are here fighting so desperately. Why should he surrender first?”

  The roar of their angry lamentation was heard for scores of li. Seeing how loyal they were to the House of Han, Jiang Wei soothed them: “Don’t grieve, gentlemen. I have a plan to restore the House of Han.”

  All of them wanted to know his plan. Jiang Wei whispered something in their ears.

  He ordered flags of surrender hoisted up all around the Sword Pass, and sent a messenger to Zhong Hui’s camp to announce that he would lead his chief officers there to submit. Zhong Hui was overjoyed to hear this and sent his men to welcome them in.

  “Why have you been so long in coming?” said Zhong Hui when Jiang Wei came.

  With tears in his eyes, Jiang Wei said seriously, “With the whole army of the state in my command, my coming here today is far too soon.”

  Amazed at his remark, Zhong Hui stepped down from his seat and bowed to him. He treated Jiang Wei as an honored guest.

  Jiang Wei said persuasively, “I hear that since you left Huainan, General, you have accomplished all your plans. The Sima family owes to your efforts for their good fortune, and so I am willing to bow my head to you. Had it been Deng Ai, I would have fought him to the death. I would never surrender to him.”

  Zhong Hui broke an arrow in two, and swore brotherhood with Jiang Wei. He became very intimate with Jiang Wei and let him retain the command of his own army, at which the latter secretly rejoiced. The envoy was sent back to Chengdu.