Romance of the Three Kingdoms II (58 page)

Cheng accepted the proposal with alacrity, mounted his horse and away he went. K'ung-ming went out to see the fight. There was the challenger shaking his spear and reviling his late friend as rebel and brigand and horse-thief.

"Give me back my horse you stole!" cried he, galloping toward Cheng as soon as he appeared. Cheng whipped up his horse, waved his sword and went to meet the attack. In the first bout he cut down Ch'in Lang.

The Wei soldiers then ran away; the victor hacked off the head of his victim arid returned to lay it at K'ung-ming's feet. Seated in his tent, he summoned the victor and burst out:—

"Take him away and behead him!"

"I have done nothing wrong," cried Cheng.

"As if I do not know Ch'in Lang! The man you have just killed was not Ch'in Lang. How dare you try to deceive me?"

Cheng said, "I will own up, but this was his brother Ming."

K'ung-ming smiled. "Ssuma sent you to try this on for some reason of his own, but he could not throw dust in my eyes. If you do not tell the truth I will put you to death."

Thus caught, the false deserter confessed and begged his life.

K'ung-ming said, "You can save your life by writing a letter to Ssuma telling him to come to raid our camp. I will spare you on this condition. And if I capture Ssuma, I will give you all the credit and reward you handsomely."

There was nothing for it but to agree, and the letter was written. Then the writer was placed in confinement.

"How did you know this was only a pretended desertion?" said Fan Chien.

"Ssuma looks to his men," replied K'ung-ming. "If he made Ch'in Lang a leading general, he was certainly a man of great military skill and not the sort of man to be overcome by this fellow Cheng in the first encounter. So his opponent certainly was not Ch'in Lang. That is how I knew."

They congratulated him on his perspicacity. Then K'ung-ming selected a certain persuasive speaker from among his officers and whispered certain instructions in his ear. The officer at once left and carried the letter just written to the Wei camp, where he asked to see the general. He was admitted, and the letter was read.

"Who are you?" said Ssuma.

"I am a man from the capital, a poor fellow stranded in Shu. Cheng Wen and I are fellow villagers. K'ung-ming has given Cheng a van-leadership as a reward for what he has done, and he got me to bring this letter to you and to say that he will show a light tomorrow evening as a signal, and he hopes you will lead the attack yourself. Cheng will work from the inside in your favour."

Ssuma took great pains to test the reliability of these statements, and he examined the letter minutely to see if it bore any signs of fabrication. Presently he ordered in refreshments for the bearer of the letter, and then he said, "We will fix today at the second watch for the raid, and I will lead in person. If it succeeds I will give you a good appointment as a reward."

Taking leave, the soldier retraced his steps to his own camp and reported the whole interview to K'ung-ming.

K'ung-ming held his sword aloft, took the proper paces for an incantation, and prayed. This done, he summoned six of his most able and trusty leaders, to whom he gave certain instructions. When they had gone to carry them out he ascended a hill, taking with him a few score men only.

Ssuma had been taken in by Cheng Wen's letter and intended to lead the night raid. But the elder of his sons, whom he had selected to help him, expostulated with his father.

"Father, you are going on a dangerous expedition on the faith of a mere scrap of paper," said his son. "I think it imprudent. What if something goes unexpectedly wrong? Let some captain go in your place, and you come up in rear as a reserve."

Ssuma saw there was reason in this proposal, and he finally decided to send Ch'in Lang, with a legion, and he himself would command the reserve.

The night was fine with a bright moon. But about the middle of the second watch the sky clouded over, and it became very black, so that a man could not see his next neighbour.

"This is providential," chuckled Ssuma.

The expedition duly started, men with gags, and horses with cords round their muzzles. They moved swiftly and silently, and Ch'in Lang made straight for the camp of Shu.

But when he reached it, and entered, and saw not a man, he knew he had been tricked. He yelled to his men to retire, but lights sprang up all round, and attacks began from four sides. Fight as he would, Ch'in Lang could not free himself.

From behind the battle area Ssuma saw flames rising from the camp of Shu and heard continuous shouting, but he knew not whether it meant victory for his own men or to his enemy. He pressed forward toward the fire. Suddenly, a shout, a roll of drums and a blare of trumpets close at hand, a bomb that seemed to rend the earth, and Wei Yen and Chiang Wei bore down upon Ssuma, one on each flank.

This was the final blow to him. Of every ten men of Wei eight or nine were killed or wounded and the few others scattered to the four winds. Meanwhile Ch'in Lang's men were falling under arrows that came in locust-flights, and their leader was killed. Ssuma and the remnant of his army ran away to their own camp.

After the third watch the sky cleared. K'ung-ming from the hilltop sounded the gong of retreat. This obscurity in the third watch was due to an incantation called
tun-chia
of "The concealing
chia."
The sky became clear, but K'ung-ming performed another incantation of the sixth of the ting and the
chia
in order to sweep away the few floating clouds that still persisted.

The victory was complete. The first order on K'ung-ming's return to camp was to put Cheng to death.

Next he considered new plans for capturing the south bank. Every day he sent a party to offer a challenge before the camps of the enemy, but no one accepted.

One day K'ung-ming rode in his small chariot to the front of Ch'ishan, keenly scanned the course of the Wei River and carefully surveyed the lie of the land. Presently he came to a valley shaped like a bottle-gourd, large enough to form a hiding place for a whole company of soldiers in the inner recess, while half as many more could hide in the outer. In rear the mountains were so close that they left passage only for a single horseman. The discovery pleased the great captain mightily, and he asked the guides what the place was called.

They replied, "It is called Shangfang Valley, or Hulu Valley."

Returning to his camp, he called up two leaders named Tu Jui and Hu Chung and whispered into their ears certain secret orders. Next he called up a company of the artizan camp followers and sent them into the valley to construct some "wooden oxen and running horses" for the use of the troops. Finally he set Ma Tai with half a company to guard the mouth of the valley and prevent all entrance and exit. He added that he would visit the valley at irregular intervals to inspect the work.

"A plan for the defeat of Ssuma is being prepared here and must be kept a profound secret," said he.

Ma Tai left to take up the position. The two captains, Tu Jui and Hu Chung, were superintendents of the work in the valley. K'ung-ming came every day to give instructions.

One day Yang I went to K'ung-ming and said, "The stores of grain are all at Chienko, and the labour of transport is very heavy. What can be done?"

K'ung-ming replied, smiling, "I have had a scheme ready for a long time. The timber that I collected and bought in Hsich'uan was for the construction of wooden transport animals to convey grain. It will be very advantageous, as they will require neither food nor water and they can keep on the move day and night without resting."

All those within hearing said, "From old days till now no one has ever heard of such a device. What excellent plan have you, O Minister, to make such marvellous creatures?"

"They are being made now after my plans, but they are not yet ready. Here I have the plans for these 'oxen and horses,' with all their dimensions written out in full. You may see the details."

K'ung-ming then produced a paper, and all the captains crowded round to look at it.

[Herefollows a specification which appears incomprehensible, and is omitted.]

They were all greatly astonished and lauded K'ung-ming's cleverness. A few days later the new transport animals were complete and began work. They were quite life-like and went over the hills in any desired direction. The whole army saw them with delight. They were-put in charge of Kao Hsiang and a company to guide them. They kept going constantly between Chienko and the front carrying grain for the use of the soldiers.

Along the Chienko mountain roads
The running horses bore their loads,
And through Hsieh Valley's narrow way
The wooden oxen paced each day.
O generals, use these means today,
And transport troubles take away.

Ssuma was already sad enough at his defeat when the spies told him of these "bullocks and horses" of new design which the men of Shu were using to convey their grain. This troubled him still more. With this device they might never be compelled to retreat for want of food. What was the use for him to shut his gates and remain on the defensive waiting for the enemy to be starved when they never would be starved? Then he called up two captains and bade them lurk beside the track of the "bullocks and horses" and capture four or five of them.

So a half company went on this service disguised as men of Shu. They made their way along the by-ways by night and hid. Presently the "wooden" convoy came along under the escort of Kao Hsiang. Just as the end of it was passing they made a sudden rush, and captured a few of the "animals" which the men of Shu abandoned. In high glee they took them to their own camp.

When Ssuma saw them he had to confess they were very life-like. But what pleased him most was that he could imitate them now that he had models.

"If you can use this sort of thing it would be strange if I could not," said he.

He called to him many clever artizans and made them then and there take the machines to pieces and make some exactly like them. In less than half a month they had completed a couple of thousand after K'ung-ming's model, and they could move. Then he placed Ts'en Wei, an officer of high rank, in charge of this new means of transport, and the "animals" began to ply between the camp and Shensi.

Kao Hsiang returned to camp and reported the loss of a few of his "oxen and horses."

"I wished him to capture some of them," said K'ung-ming, much pleased. "I am just laying out these few, and before long I shall get some very solid help in exchange."

"How do you know, O Minister," said his officers.

"Because Ssuma will certainly copy them, and when he has done that I have another trick ready to play on him."

Some days later K'ung-ming received a report that the enemy were using the same sort of "bullocks and horses" to bring up supplies from Shensi.

"Exactly as I thought," said he.

Calling Wang P'ing, he said, "Dress up a company as men of Wei and find your way quickly and secretly to Peiyuan. Pretend you are escort men, for the convoy, and mingle with the real escort. Then suddenly turn on them so that they scatter. Then you will turn the "animals" this way. By and by you will be pursued. When that occurs you will give a turn to the tongues of the wooden animals, and they will not move. Leave them where they are and run away. When the men of Wei come up they will be unable to drag the creatures and equally unable to carry them. I shall have men ready, and you will go back with them, give the tongues a backward turn and bring the convoy here. The enemy will be greatly astonished."

Next he called Chang I and said, "Dress up half a company in the costume of the 'six
ting'
and the 'six
chia'
so that they appear supernatural. Fit them with demon heads and wild beast shapes, and let them stain their faces various colours so as to look as strange as possible. Give them flags and swords and bottle-gourds with smoke issuing from combustibles inside. Let these men hide among the hills till the convoy approaches, when they will start the smoke, rush out suddenly and drive off the 'animals.' No one will dare pursue such uncanny creatures."

When he had left, Wei Yen and Chiang Wei were called.

"You will take one legion, go to the border of Peiyuan to receive the wooden transport creatures and defend them against attack."

Then another half legion was sent to check Ssuma if he should come, while a small force was sent to bid defiance to the enemy near their camp on the south bank.

So one day when a convoy was on its way from Shensi, the scouts in front suddenly reported some soldiers ahead who said they were escort men for the grain. The Commander Ts'en Wei halted and sent to enquire. It appeared they were really men of Wei, however, and so he started once more.

The new comers joined up with his own men. But before they had gone much farther there was a yell, and the men of Shu began to kill, while a voice shouted "Wang P'ing is here!" The convoy guard were taken aback. Many were killed, but the others rallied round Ts'en Wei and made some defence. However, Wang P'ing slew the leader, and the others ran this way and that, while the convoy was turned toward the Shu camp.

The fugitives ran off to Peiyuan and reported the mishap to Kuo Huai, who set out hot foot to rescue the convoy. When he appeared, Wang P'ing gave the order to turn tongues, left the "animals" in the road and ran away. Kuo Huai made no attempt to pursue, but tried to put the "animals" in motion toward their proper destination. But could he move them?