Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Meanwhile, Jiang Wei, fearing the arrival of reinforcements, first ordered the withdrawal of the wagons carrying weapons and all military supplies, along with the infantry, while keeping the cavalry behind to cover the rear. A spy reported this to Deng Ai. Ai laughed and said, "Jiang Wei knows the Grand General is approaching, so he has retreated ahead of time. There is no need to pursue him—if we do, we shall fall into his trap." He sent men to scout the area, and they reported that indeed, in the narrow passes of Luogu, firewood had been piled up, ready to burn any pursuing troops. All praised Deng Ai, saying, "The General truly has divine foresight!" He then dispatched a messenger with a memorial to report these events. Sima Zhao was greatly pleased and issued further rewards to Deng Ai.

Meanwhile, the Grand General of Eastern Wu, Sun Lin, upon learning that Quan Duan and Tang Zi had surrendered to Wei, flew into a furious rage and had all their family members executed. The Wu sovereign, Sun Liang, was then only seventeen years old. Seeing that Sun Lin's killings were excessive, he deeply disapproved. One day, while in the Western Garden, he ate some raw plums and ordered a eunuch to fetch honey. When the honey arrived shortly after, several pieces of rat droppings were found inside. He summoned the storehouse official and rebuked him. The official kowtowed and said, "Your servant kept it sealed tightly—how could there be rat droppings?" Sun Liang asked, "Did the eunuch ever ask you for honey?" The official replied, "The eunuch did ask for honey several days ago, but your servant dared not give it to him." Sun Liang pointed at the eunuch and said, "It must be you, angry that the official refused you honey, who placed the droppings in the honey to frame him." The eunuch protested his innocence. Sun Liang said, "This matter is easy to determine. If the droppings had been in the honey for a long time, both the inside and outside would be moist. If they were recently placed, the outside would be moist but the inside dry." He ordered the honey cut open, and indeed the inside was dry. The eunuch confessed his guilt. Such was Sun Liang's intelligence in general. Yet for all his cleverness, he was held in check by Sun Lin and could not act on his own authority. Sun Lin's younger brother, Sun Ju, the General of Martial Valor, entered the Canglong Gate to serve as a palace guard; Sun En, the General of Martial Defense; Sun Gan, the Junior General; and Sun Kai, the Colonel of the Changshui Regiment—all garrisoned various camps in separate commands.

One day, as the Wu sovereign Sun Liang sat in melancholy silence, Huangmen Shilong Quan Ji was at his side. Ji was the emperor's maternal uncle. Sun Liang tearfully told him, "Sun Lin usurps power and kills without restraint—he insults me beyond bearing. If I do not act against him now, he will surely become a future calamity." Quan Ji said, "Whatever Your Majesty requires of your servant, I shall not shrink from ten thousand deaths." Sun Liang said, "You may at once mobilize the palace guards, and together with General Liu Cheng, each of you seize a city gate. I myself shall go out and slay Sun Lin. But you must on no account let your mother know of this matter. Your mother is Sun Lin's elder sister. If word leaks out, the harm to me will be no small matter." Quan Ji said, "I beg Your Majesty to draft an edict for me. When the time comes to act, I shall show the edict to the troops, so that none of Sun Lin's men will dare to move." Sun Liang agreed and wrote a secret edict, which he gave to Quan Ji. Quan Ji received the edict and returned home, where he secretly informed his father, Quan Shang. When Shang learned of the plot, he told his wife, "Within three days, Sun Lin shall be killed." His wife said, "Killing him is right." Though she gave her assent, she secretly sent a messenger with a letter to inform Sun Lin. Sun Lin was enraged. That very night, he summoned his four brothers and mobilized elite troops, first surrounding the imperial palace. At the same time, he had Quan Shang, Liu Cheng, and all their family members arrested. By the time dawn broke, the Wu sovereign Sun Liang heard the great clamor of drums and gongs outside the palace gates. A palace attendant rushed in to report, "Sun Lin has led troops to surround the Inner Garden." Sun Liang flew into a rage, pointed at Empress Quan, and cursed, "Your father and brother have ruined my great cause!" He drew his sword and tried to go out, but the Empress Quan and the attending ministers all grabbed his robe and wept, refusing to let him leave. Sun Lin first had Quan Shang and Liu Cheng put to death, then summoned the civil and military officials to the court and issued a decree: "The sovereign has long been sunk in debauchery and illness, muddled and without principle—he is unfit to serve the ancestral temple. He shall now be deposed. Let any among you civil and military officials who dares to disobey be charged with treason!" All were cowed and answered, "We shall follow the General's orders." The Minister of Works, Huan Yi, burst into rage, stepped forward from the assembly, pointed at Sun Lin, and cursed him loudly: "The sovereign is a wise ruler—how dare you utter such rebellious words! I would sooner die than obey the commands of a treacherous minister." Sun Lin, in a fury, drew his sword and beheaded him on the spot. He then entered the inner palace, pointed at the Wu sovereign Sun Liang, and cursed: "Worthless, muddled ruler—you ought to be put to death to answer to all under heaven! But for the sake of the late emperor, I shall merely depose you as the Prince of Kuaiji. I myself shall select a virtuous man to take the throne." He ordered the Palace Library Secretary Li Chong to seize the imperial seal and ribbon, and commanded Deng Cheng to take custody of them. Sun Liang departed, weeping bitterly. A later poet wrote in lament:

*A brigand slanders himself as Yi Yin,*

*A traitor sets himself up as Huo Guang.*

*Pitiful, this wise and clever sovereign—*

*He shall no longer tread the court hall.*

Sun Lin sent the Minister of the Imperial Clan, Sun Kai, and the Palace Library Secretary, Dong Chao, to Hulin to invite the Prince of Langya, Sun Xiu, to become sovereign. Sun Xiu, styled Zilie, was the sixth son of Sun Quan. While in Hulin, he dreamed one night of riding a dragon up to heaven, but when he looked back, he could see no tail of the dragon. He awoke in alarm. The next day, Sun Kai and Dong Chao arrived and invited him to return to the capital. When they reached Qu'e, an old man who said his surname was Gan and his name was Xiu approached and kowtowed, saying, "Affairs, when long delayed, are bound to change—I pray Your Highness make haste." Sun Xiu thanked him. When they reached Busing Pavilion, General Sun En arrived with a carriage to greet him. Sun Xiu dared not ride in the imperial carriage and instead entered in a small cart. The officials lined the road and paid their respects; Sun Xiu hastily descended from his cart to return their greetings. Sun Lin came forward, had him helped to his feet, and invited him to enter the great hall, where he ascended the imperial throne and took the position of Son of Heaven. Sun Xiu declined several times before finally accepting the jade seal. The civil and military officials offered their congratulations, a general amnesty was proclaimed, and the era name was changed to the first year of Yong'an. Sun Lin was enfeoffed as Chancellor and Governor of Jing Province; many officials received titles and rewards. Sun Xiu's nephew, Sun Hao, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Wucheng. Sun Lin's entire family held five marquisates and commanded the palace guards, their power overshadowing that of the sovereign. The Wu sovereign Sun Xiu, fearing internal revolt, outwardly showed him favor and affection but inwardly kept a close watch on him. Sun Lin grew ever more arrogant and overbearing.

In the twelfth month of winter, Sun Lin brought oxen and wine into the palace to offer birthday congratulations to the ruler of Wu. Sun Xiu, the Wu sovereign, refused to accept them. Enraged, Sun Lin then went to the mansion of Left General Zhang Bu to drink the oxen and wine together. After they had become somewhat intoxicated, Sun Lin said to Zhang Bu, "When I first deposed the Prince of Kuaiji, everyone urged me to take the throne myself. I considered the present sovereign to be worthy, so that is why I installed him instead. Now when I offer birthday congratulations and am rejected, it means he treats me as an ordinary man. Before long, I will show you what I can do!" Upon hearing these words, Zhang Bu merely assented obsequiously. The following day, Zhang Bu entered the palace and secretly reported this to Sun Xiu. Xiu was greatly terrified and remained uneasy day and night. Within a few days, Sun Lin dispatched Palace Library Secretary Meng Zhong, assigning him fifteen hundred elite soldiers from the Central Camp and sending them to garrison Wuchang. He also turned over all the military weapons from the armory to them. Thereupon, General Wei Miao and Palace Guard Officer Shi Shuo secretly reported to Sun Xiu, saying, "Lin has redeployed troops outside the capital and moved all the weapons from the armory. Sooner or later, he will certainly rebel." Xiu was greatly alarmed and immediately summoned Zhang Bu to deliberate. Zhang Bu memorialized, "The veteran general Ding Feng possesses surpassing stratagems and is capable of settling great matters. He may be consulted." Xiu then summoned Ding Feng into the inner palace and secretly informed him of the matter. Ding Feng memorialized, "Your Majesty need not worry. I have a plan to rid the state of this menace." Xiu asked what the plan was. Ding Feng said, "On the coming La Festival of the new year, simply announce a grand assembly of all officials and summon Sun Lin to the banquet. I will make my own arrangements." Xiu was overjoyed. Ding Feng assigned Wei Miao and Shi Shuo to handle external matters, with Zhang Bu acting as the inside accomplice.

That night, a violent wind arose, blowing sand and stones about and uprooting old trees. By dawn the wind had subsided, and an envoy arrived bearing an imperial summons inviting Sun Lin to enter the palace for the banquet. Sun Lin had just risen from bed when he was suddenly pushed over as though by an unseen hand upon level ground, and he felt displeased in his heart. More than ten escorts crowded around him and ushered him inside. His household attendants tried to stop him, saying, "The violent wind did not cease all night, and this morning you were inexplicably knocked down. This may not be an auspicious omen. You should not attend the banquet." Sun Lin replied, "My brothers and I jointly command the palace guard—who would dare approach me? If anything should happen, light a fire at my mansion as a signal." Having given these instructions, he mounted his carriage and entered the palace. The Wu sovereign Sun Xiu descended nervously from his throne to welcome him and invited Sun Lin to take the seat of honor. After several rounds of wine had been served, all present were startled and said, "It appears that a fire has broken out outside the palace." Sun Lin was about to rise. Xiu restrained him, saying, "Prime Minister, please remain at ease. There are plenty of troops outside—what need is there to be afraid?" Before he had finished speaking, Left General Zhang Bu drew his sword, led more than thirty warriors, and rushed up onto the hall, crying out sternly, "By imperial edict, we arrest the rebel Sun Lin!" Sun Lin tried to flee, but the warriors seized him at once. Sun Lin knocked his head on the ground and said, "I beg to be exiled to Jiaozhou to return to the fields." Xiu rebuked him, saying, "Why did you not allow Teng Yin, Lü Ju, and Wang Dun to be exiled?" He ordered Sun Lin dragged out and beheaded. Thereupon Zhang Bu led Sun Lin down from the hall and beheaded him on the eastern side. None of those following dared to move. Zhang Bu proclaimed the edict: "The guilt lies with Sun Lin alone; the rest shall not be questioned." Only then did the people's hearts settle. Zhang Bu requested Sun Xiu to ascend the Tower of Five Phoenixes. Ding Feng, Wei Miao, Shi Shuo, and others captured Sun Lin's brothers and brought them before him. Xiu ordered them all beheaded in the marketplace. Several hundred members of his clan were put to death, and his three branches of kinship were exterminated. He ordered soldiers to open the tomb of Sun Jun and desecrate his corpse. For those who had been wrongfully killed—Zhuge Ke, Teng Yin, Lü Ju, and Wang Dun—their families' tombs were rebuilt to honor their loyalty. Those who had been implicated and exiled to distant places were all pardoned and allowed to return to their hometowns. Ding Feng was richly rewarded and enfeoffed.

A dispatch was sent in haste to Chengdou. Later Ruler Liu Shan sent an envoy to return congratulations, and Wu's envoy Xue Xu rendered the courtesies. When Xu returned from Shu, the Wu sovereign Sun Xiu asked what recent activities he had observed in Shu. Xu memorialized, "Recently, the regular palace attendant Huang Hong has been wielding power, and the high officials mostly curry favor with him. Enter his court, and you hear no frank counsel; pass through his countryside, and the people show the complexion of famine. He is what is described as 'a sparrow nesting in the hall, not knowing that the great mansion is about to be burned.'" Xiu sighed and said, "If Zhuge Wu-hou were still alive, how could things have come to this!" He then wrote a state letter and had it carried into Chengdou, saying that Sima Zhao would soon usurp Wei and was certain to invade Wu and Shu to demonstrate his power, and that both sides should make preparations.

When Jiang Wei received this news, he joyfully submitted a memorial to again propose launching a campaign against Wei. It was the winter of the first year of Jingyao of Han. Grand General Jiang Wei appointed Liao Hua and Zhang Yi as vanguard, Wang Han and Jiang Bin as the left army, Jiang Shu and Fu Qian as the right army, and Hu Ji as the rearguard. Jiang Wei and Xiahou Ba formed the central army in overall command, raising a total of two hundred thousand Shu troops. They took leave of the Later Ruler and proceeded directly to Hanzhong, where Jiang Wei consulted with Xiahou Ba about which territory to attack first. Xiahou Ba said, "Mount Qi is a place where military prowess can be employed—from there one can advance. That is precisely why the late Prime Minister launched six campaigns from Mount Qi. Other routes are not viable." Jiang Wei followed his advice and ordered all three armies to advance toward Mount Qi, where they made camp at the mouth of the valley. At this time, Deng Ai was at the Mount Qi encampment, organizing the troops of Longyou. Suddenly a courier on fast horse arrived, reporting that the Shu forces had been seen setting up three camps at the valley mouth. Upon hearing this, Deng Ai climbed high to observe, then returned to his camp and ascended his command tent, greatly pleased, saying, "This is exactly as I anticipated!" The reason was that Deng Ai had previously surveyed the terrain and had deliberately left the ground where the Shu forces now camped. From the earth beneath the Mount Qi encampment all the way to the Shu camps, tunnels had already been dug, so that when the Shu troops arrived, action could be taken from within them. At this time, Jiang Wei had divided his forces at the valley mouth into three camps, and the tunnels ran directly beneath the left camp, which was where Wang Han and Jiang Bin had made their encampment. Deng Ai summoned his son Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan, assigning each ten thousand troops to attack from left and right. He then summoned his subordinate general Zheng Lun, assigning him five hundred tunnel-sappers, and ordered them to proceed by the tunnels that very night during the second watch directly to the left camp, emerging from beneath the ground behind the command tents.

Now Wang Han and Jiang Bin, because their encampment had not yet been properly established, feared that Wei troops might raid their camp and did not dare remove their armor to sleep. Suddenly they heard great chaos in the main camp. They hastily seized their weapons and mounted their horses, but outside the camp Deng Zhong led his forces in a fierce attack. Attacked from within and without, the two generals Wang and Jiang fought desperately but could not withstand the assault. They abandoned the camp and fled. In his tent, Jiang Wei heard shouting from the left camp. He surmised that there were forces working in concert from inside and outside, so he quickly mounted his horse and took his position before the central command tent. He issued orders: "Anyone who moves without authorization will be beheaded! Even if enemy soldiers reach the edge of our camp, do not engage them—simply rain arrows and crossbow bolts upon them!" He sent the same order to the right camp, forbidding any unauthorized movement as well. Sure enough, the Wei forces charged over ten times but were each time driven back by arrows. They fought on until dawn, but the Wei troops dared not break into the camp. Deng Ai withdrew his forces to his own camp and sighed, "Jiang Wei has thoroughly mastered Kongming's methods! His soldiers were not thrown into panic at night, and his generals did not lose their composure upon hearing of a crisis. He is truly a commander of talent!" The next day, Wang Han and Jiang Bin gathered their defeated troops and prostrated themselves before the great camp to plead their guilt. Jiang Wei said, "This is not your fault. It is because I failed to properly discern the lay of the land." He then dispatched troops and ordered the two generals to establish a new camp. He had the bodies of the dead and wounded filled into the tunnels and covered with earth. He then sent a challenge to Deng Ai, requesting single combat the following day. Deng Ai accepted with delight.

The next day, the two armies drew up before Mount Qi. Jiang Wei, following the Eight Formations method of the Marquis of Wu, arranged his forces according to the patterns of Heaven, Earth, Wind, Cloud, Bird, Serpent, Dragon, and Tiger. Deng Ai rode forth and saw that Jiang Wei had deployed the Eight Trigrams formation. He then arranged his own forces in the same way, with identical gates on the left, right, front, and rear. Jiang Wei raised his spear, spurred his horse forward, and shouted, "You have imitated my Eight Formations. But can you transform it?" Deng Ai laughed and said, "Do you think only you can deploy this formation? Since I know how to set it up, how could I not know how to change it?" Deng Ai then rode into the formation and ordered his flag officers to wave the banners to the left and right, transforming the formation into sixty-four gates. He rode back out before the formation and said, "How is my transformation?" Jiang Wei said, "Not bad. But dare you enter my formation and surround me?" Deng Ai said, "What is there to fear?" The two armies advanced according to their formations. Deng Ai directed from the center. As the two forces clashed, the formations held without error. Jiang Wei reached the center, waved his banner, and suddenly transformed the formation into the "Coiling Serpent Sweeping the Ground" formation, trapping Deng Ai at its core while shouts of battle thundered from all four sides. Deng Ai did not recognize this formation and was greatly alarmed. The Shu soldiers pressed in gradually, and Deng Deng and his generals could not fight their way out. All they could hear was the Shu soldiers shouting in unison, "Deng Ai, surrender at once!" Deng Ai looked up to heaven and sighed, "In my moment of arrogance, I fell into Jiang Wei's trap!"

Suddenly, from the northwest, a force burst in. Deng Ai saw that it was Wei troops and seized the chance to fight his way out. The one who rescued Deng Ai was Sima Wang. By the time Deng Ai was rescued, all nine Shu camps on Mount Qi had been seized by the Shu army. Deng Ai led his defeated troops back and made camp south of the Wei River. Deng Ai said to Sima Wang, "How did you know this formation and manage to rescue me?" Sima Wang said, "In my youth, while studying in southern Jing Province, I was friends with Cui Zhouping and Shi Guangyuan, and we discussed this formation together. The formation Jiang Wei transformed into today was the 'Coiling Serpent Sweeping the Ground' formation. Had you attacked from any other direction, it could not have been broken. I saw its head was in the northwest, so I struck from the northwest and it broke of its own accord." Deng Ai thanked him and said, "Though I have studied formations, I truly do not know their transformations. Since you understand this method, could we use it tomorrow to recapture the Mount Qi camps?" Sima Wang said, "What I know would likely not fool Jiang Wei." Deng Ai said, "Tomorrow you engage him on the battlefield and contest formations with him, while I lead a force to secretly attack the rear of Mount Qi. With a two-pronged assault, we can recapture our old camps." He then appointed Zheng Lun as vanguard while Deng Ai himself led the force to attack from behind the mountain. He also sent a challenge to Jiang Wei, requesting a formation contest the next day. Jiang Wei accepted the challenge and said to his generals, "I have received the Marquis of Wu's secret manual. This formation has three hundred and sixty-five transformations, matching the number of days in a year. Now they challenge me to a formation contest—this is like wielding an axe before the master carpenter's door! But there must be some treacherous scheme behind this. Do you know what it is?" Liao Hua said, "They must be trying to distract us with the formation contest while sending a force to attack our rear." Jiang Wei smiled, "That is exactly what I intend." He then ordered Zhang Yi and Liao Hua to lead ten thousand troops to lie in ambush behind the mountain.

The next day, Jiang Wei gathered all the troops from the nine camps and deployed them before Mount Qi. Sima Wang led his troops from south of the Wei River straight to the front of Mount Qi, where he rode forth to exchange words with Jiang Wei. Jiang Wei said, "You asked me to contest formations. First, let me see yours." Sima Wang deployed the Eight Trigrams formation. Jiang Wei laughed, "This is precisely the Eight Formations method I deployed. You have stolen it—what is so remarkable about that?" Sima Wang said, "You are also stealing another man's method!" Jiang Wei said, "How many transformations does this formation have?" Sima Wang laughed, "Since I can deploy it, how could I not transform it? This formation has eighty-one transformations." Jiang Wei laughed, "Show me, then." Sima Wang entered the formation and transformed it several times, then rode out and said, "Do you recognize my transformations?" Jiang Wei laughed, "My formation follows three hundred and sixty-five transformations according to the cycle of heaven. You are like a frog at the bottom of a well—how could you fathom its mysteries!" Sima Wang knew in his heart that he did not actually know all these transformations, but he argued stubbornly, "I do not believe it. Show me your transformations." Jiang Wei said, "Call Deng Ai out, and I will deploy them for him to see." Sima Wang said, "General Deng has his own excellent stratagems. He is not concerned with formations." Jiang Wei laughed loudly, "What excellent stratagem! He is merely having you distract me here with formations while he leads troops to attack our rear!" Sima Wang was greatly alarmed. Just as he was about to order a general engagement, Jiang Wei pointed with the butt of his whip, and the two flank forces struck first, routing the Wei soldiers so thoroughly that they threw down their armor and cast aside their weapons, each fleeing for his life.

Deng Ai pressed his vanguard commander Zheng Lun to attack the rear of the mountain pass. Zheng Lun had just rounded the bend of the hill when suddenly a cannon boomed, drums and horns thundered, and hidden troops burst forth. At their head rode the great general Liao Hua. Before the two could exchange a word, their horses met, and with a single stroke of his blade Liao Hua cut Zheng Lun down from his mount. Deng Ai was greatly alarmed and hastily reined in his forces to withdraw, but then Zhang Yi led another army charging in. Attacked from both sides, the Wei troops were utterly routed. Deng Ai broke through at the risk of his life, his body pierced by four arrows. When he reached his camp on the south bank of the Wei River, Sima Wang had also arrived. The two discussed plans for retreat. Wang said, "In recent days the Shu sovereign Liu Shan has shown great favor to the eunuch Huang Hao, spending his days and nights in wine and women. We can use a stratagem of sowing discord to recall Jiang Wei, and this siege will be lifted." Deng Ai asked his assembled advisors, "Who can go into Shu to make contact with Huang Hao?" Before he had finished speaking, a man answered at once, "I am willing to go." Deng Ai looked at him—it was Dang Jun of Xiangyang. Deng Ai was overjoyed and immediately ordered Dang Jun, laden with gold, jewels, and precious goods, to proceed straight to Chengdu and ingratiate himself with Huang Hao, spreading rumors far and wide that Jiang Wei harbored resentment toward the Son of Heaven and would soon defect to Wei. Soon everyone in Chengdu was repeating the same tale. Huang Hao reported this to the Latter Sovereign, who at once dispatched a messenger to summon Jiang Wei to court with all speed.

Now Jiang Wei had been issuing daily challenges, but Deng Ai had kept firmly behind his defenses and would not come out. Jiang Wei harbored deep suspicions. Then suddenly an imperial messenger arrived, summoning him to court. Jiang Wei did not know what matter was at hand and had no choice but to withdraw his army and return. Deng Ai and Sima Wang, knowing that Jiang Wei had fallen into their trap, accordingly pulled their troops from the south bank of the Wei River and pursued him, falling upon his retreating forces.

Indeed:

Yue Yi's campaign against Qi was thwarted by slander from within;

Yue Fei's victory over the foe was undone by recall on false charges.

What the outcome would be—that must await the next chapter.

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Romance of the Three Kingdoms