Romance of the Three Kingdoms II (42 page)

Next day, as K'ung-ming was telling off parties to search for and capture the king, it was announced that the brother-in-law of Menghuo and Chief Tailai, having vainly tried to persuade the king to yield, had made prisoners of him and his wife and all his clan and were bringing them to K'ung-ming.

Hearing this, Chang I and Ma Chung were called and received certain orders, upon which they hid themselves in the wings of the tent with a large body of sturdy warriors. This done, K'ung-ming ordered the keepers to open the gates, and in came Chief Tailai with Menghuo and his people in custody. As he bowed at the entrance of the hall, K'ung-ming called out, "Let my strong captors appear!" At once out came the hidden men, and every two of them laid hands upon a prisoner and bound him.

"Did you think your paltry ruse would deceive me?" said K'ung-ming. "Here you are a second time captured by your own people and brought before me that you might surrender I was not hurt you, but I firmly believe this surrender is part of a plot to kill me."

Then he called out to his men to search the prisoners. They did so, and on every man they found a sharp knife.

"Did you not say that if your family were taken prisoners you would yield? How now?" said K'ung-ming.

"We have come of our own will and at the risk of our lives the credit is not yours. Still I refuse to yield'" replied Menghuo.

"This is the sixth time I have captured you, and yet you are obstinate; what do you expect?"

"If you take me a seventh time, then I will turn to you and never rebel again."

"Well, your stronghold is now destroyed. What have I to fear?" said K'ung-ming.

He ordered the bonds to be loosed, saying, "If you are caught again and he to me once more I shall certainly not be inclined to let you off."

Menghuo and his people put their hands over their heads and ran off like rats.

The defeated
Mans
who had fled were many, and most of them were wounded. They fell in with their king, who restored what order was possible and felt glad that he had still some men left. Then he and the Chief Tailai took counsel together.

"Whither can we go?" said Menghuo. "Our stronghold is in the hands of the enemy."

Tailai replied, "There is but one country that can overcome these men; that is the
Wuko
country. It lies seven hundred
li
to the south-east. The king of that state is named Wut'uku. He is a giant. He does not eat grain, but lives on serpents and venomous beasts. He wears scaly armour, which is impenetrable to swords and arrows. His men wear rattan armour. This rattan grows in gullies, climbing over rocks and walls. The inhabitants cut the rattans and steep them in oil for half a year. Then they are dried in the sun. When dry they are steeped again, and so on many times. Then they are plaited into helmets and armour. Clad in this the men float across rivers, and it does not get wet. No weapon can penetrate it. The soldiers are called the Rattan Army. You may seek aid from this king, and with his help you can take Chuko Liang as easily as a sharp knife cleaves a bamboo."

Menghuo went to the Wuko country and saw the king. The people of this country do not live in houses, but dwell in eaves Menghuo told the story of his woes and obtained a promise of help, for which he expressed great gratitude. Wut'uku called up two decurions named T'uan and Hsini and gave them three legions of the rattan-armoured soldiers and bade them march north-east.

They came to a river called the Peach-flower Water
(T'aohua Shui),
on both banks of which grow many peach trees. Year after year the leaves of these trees fall into the river and render it poisonous to all but the natives. But to the natives it is a stimulant which doubles their vigour. They camped on the bank of this river to await the coming of the army of Shu.

Now K'ung-ming was informed of the journey of Menghuo and its results, and he knew when the rattan-clad army camped at the ford. He also knew that Menghuo had callected all the men of his own that he could to help. He at once marched to the ford. Really, the
Man
soldiers did not seem human; they were so hideous. He questioned the natives, and they told him that the peach leaves were falling and the water of the river was undrinkable. So he retired five li and camped.

Next day the
Wuko
men crossed the stream, and, with a rolling of drums, Wei Yen went out to meet them. The Wako men approached bent double. The men of Shu shot at them but neither arrows nor bolts penetrated their armour; they rolled off harmless. Nor could swords cut or spears enter The enemy, thus protected and armed with swords and prongs, were too much for the men of Shu, who had to run away. However, they were not pursued. When, on the retreat, they came to Peach-flower Water ford they saw the
Mans
crossing. Some of them were tired, so they took off their rattan breast plates, sat upon them and floated to the other side.

When K'ung-ming heard the report of his captain he summoned Lu K'ai and called in some natives. Lu K'ai said he had heard of the Wuku country as perfectly barbarous, the people having no notion of human relations as they were understood in the Central Land. He had heard of this rattan armour and the harmful Peach-flower Waters. He wound up by saying that these people were really untameable and advised retreat.

"No, no!" said K'ung-ming merrily; "we have had too much difficulty in getting here to go back so easily. I shall have a counter-plan for these people tomorrow."

Having provided for the defence of his camp and given strict orders to his captains not to go out to fight, K'ung-ming went to reconnoitre. He rode in his light chariot with a few natives as guides. He came to the ford, and from a secluded spot in the mountains on the north bank he looked about him.

The whole country was mountainous and difficult, impassable for any carriage. So he got out and went afoot. Presently, from a hill he saw a long winding valley, like a huge serpent. The sides were very precipitous and bare. However, a road ran through the middle.

"What is the name of the valley?" asked K'ung-ming.

"It is called 'Coiled Serpent Valley,'" said the guides. "At the other end you come into the high road to Sanchiang. The valley was formerly called 'T'alangtien.'"

"The very thing," cried K'ung-ming. "Surely this is providence. I shall score a great success here."

Having seen enough, he retraced his steps, found his chariot and returned to camp. Arrived at the camp, Ma Tai was called and put in charge of the preparations. He was to take the ten black painted carts and get a thousand long bamboo poles. What the carts contained and what was to be done with the contents K'ung-ming told his captain in confidence. Then h'e was to keep the two ends of the vallev Half a month was allowed to carry out his task, which was to be performed with the most perfeet secrecy under pain of severe punishment.

Next Chao Yun was sent to a point on the Sanchiang road; Wei Yen to camp at the ford. If the
Mans
came over the river he was to abandon the camp and march toward a certain white flag he would see. Further, he was warned that in half a month he would have to acknowledge defeat some fifteen times and abandon seven camps. On no account was he to come to interview K'ung-ming even after fourteen defeats.

Wei Yen went off, not a little hipped at the prospect, but prepared to obey. Next, Chang I was sent to make a stockade at a certain indicated point, and others were given other tasks.

Menghuo had begun to have a real terror of K'ung-ming, and he warned the king of the
Wuko,
saying, 'This Chuko is exceedingly crafty. Ambush is one of his favourite ruses, so you should warn your soldiers that on no account should they enter a valley where the trees are thick."

"Great King, you speak with reason," said Wut'uku. "I have always heard that the men of the Central State are full of wiles, and I will see that your advice is followed. I will go in front to fight, and you may remain in the rear to give orders."

Presently the scouts told them of the arrival of the men of Shu on the bank of the Peach-flower Water. Wut'uku sent his two captains to cross the river and engage them. The two sides met, but Wei Yen soon left the field. The
Mans
were afraid to pursue as they dreaded an ambush.

In the meantime, Wei laid out another camp. The
Mans
crossed the river in greater force. Wei came out to meet them, but again fled after a very short fight. This time the
Mans
pursued, but having lost their hold of the enemy and coming then to the late camp of the men of Shu, which seemed quite safe, they occupied it.

Next day the two captains asked their King Wut'uku to come to the camp, and they reported what had happened. He decided to make a general advance to drive the men of Shu before him. They fled, even casting aside their breastplates and throwing away their arms, they were in such haste to flee. And they went toward a white flag that appeared in the distance. They found a camp already made, which they occupied.

Soon, however, King Wut'uku came near, and as he pressed forward Wei Yen abandoned this camp and fled. When the
Mans
reached the camp they took up quarters therein.

Soon after they set out to renew the pursuit, but Wei Yen turned back and checked them. This was only a temporary check, for he fled after three encounters, going toward a white flag in the distance.

To avoid wearisome iteration it may be said that this sort of thing continued daily until the men of Shu had been defeated and driven out of the field fifteen times and had abandoned their camp on seven different occasions.

The
Mans
were now warm in pursuit and pressed on with all their might, the King Wut'uku being in the forefront of the pursuers. But then they came to a thick umbrageous wood; and he halted, for he saw flags moving about behind the sheltering trees.

"Just as you foretold," said Wut'uku to Menghuo.

"Yes; Chuko Liang is going to be worsted this time. We have beaten off his men now daily for half a month and won fifteen successive victories. His men simply run when they hear the wind. The fact is he has exhausted all his craft and has tried every ruse. Now our task is nearly done."

Wut'uku was greatly cheered and began to feel contempt for his enemy.

The sixteenth day of the long fight found Wei Yen leading his oft-defeated men once more against the rattan-protected foe. King Wut'uku on his white elephant was well in the forefront. He had on a cap with symbols of the sun and moon and streamers of wolf's beard, a fringed garment studded with gems, which allowed the plates or scales of his cuirass to appear, and his eyes seemed to flash fire. He pointed the finger of scorn at Wei Yen and began to revile him.

Wei whipped up his steed and fled. The
Mans
pressed after him. Wei made for the Coiled Serpent Valley, for he saw a white flag calling him thither. Wut'uku followed in hot haste, and as he saw only bare hills without a sign of vegetation, be felt quite confident that no ambush was laid.

So he followed into the valley. There he saw some score of black painted carts in the road. The soldiers said to each other that they must be the commissariat waggons of the enemy, abandoned in their hasty flight. This only urged the king to greater speed, and he went on toward the other mouth of the valley, for the men of Shu had disappeared. However, he saw baulks of timber being tumbled down across the track and great boulders rolled down the hill side into the road.

The pursuers cleared away the obstacles. When they had done so and advanced a little they saw certain wheeled vehicles in the road, some large, some small, laden with wood and straw, which was burning. The king was suddenly frightened and ordered a retreat. But he heard much shouting in the rear, and they told him that the wood-laden carts on being broken open had been found to contain gunpowder, and they were all on fire. However, seeing that the valley was barren and devoid of grass and wood, Wut'uku was not in the least alarmed and merely bade his men search for a way round.

Then he saw torches being hurled down the mountain side. These torches rolled till they came to a certain spot, where they ignited the fuses leading to the powder. Then the ground suddenly heaved with the explosion of bombs beneath. The whole valley was soon full of flames, darting and playing in all directions, and wherever they met with rattan armour the rattan caught fire, and thus the whole army, huddled and crowded together, burned in the midst of the valley.

K'ung-ming looked on from the heights above and saw the
Mans
burning. Many of the dead had been mangled and torn by the explosions of the mines. The air was full of suffocating vapour.

K'ung-ming's tears fell fast as he saw the slaughter, and he sighed, saying, "Though I am rendering great service to my country yet I have sacrificed many lives."

Those who were with him were also deeply affected.

King Menghuo was in his camp awaiting news of success when he saw a crowd of his men come along, and they bowed before him and told him that King Wuko was fighting a great battle and was about to surround Chuko Liang in the Valley of the Coiled Serpent. But he needed help. They said they themselves had had no alternative when they had yielded to Shu, but now they had returned to their allegiance and were come to help him.