Chapter 112: Yu Quan Dies for Honor Defending Shouchun; Jiang Boyue Fiercely Battles for the Great Wall
Chapter 112: Yu Quan Dies to Save Shouchun; Bo Yue Fights Fiercely to Take the Great Wall
When Sima Zhao heard that Zhuge Dan had joined forces with Wu troops to come for a decisive battle, he summoned Sanqi Changshi Pei Xiu and Huangmen Shilang Zhong Hui to discuss the strategy for defeating the enemy. Zhong Hui said, “The Wu troops are helping Zhuge Dan for the sake of profit; lure them with profit, and victory will be certain.” Sima Zhao followed his advice, so he ordered Shi Bao and Zhou Tai to first lead two units to ambush at Stone City, with Wang Ji and Chen Qian commanding elite troops in the rear. He then ordered the partial general Cheng Cui to lead tens of thousands of soldiers forward to entice the enemy. He also ordered Chen Jun to bring carts, oxen, horses, donkeys, and mules, loaded with rewards for the troops, and gather them in formation on all sides; if the enemy came, these were to be abandoned.
That day, Zhuge Dan ordered Wu general Zhu Yi on the left and Wen Qin on the right. Seeing the disorder among the Wei troops and horses in the formation, Zhuge Dan drove his soldiers and horses forward in a massive direct assault. Cheng Cui retreated, and Zhuge Dan pressed forward to slaughter the enemy. He saw oxen, horses, donkeys, and mules scattered across the countryside. The southern troops scrambled to seize them, losing all desire to fight. Suddenly, a cannon boomed, and troops charged in from two directions: on the left, Shi Bao; on the right, Zhou Tai. Zhuge Dan was greatly alarmed and hurriedly tried to withdraw, but Wang Ji and Chen Qian’s elite troops attacked. Zhuge Dan’s army suffered a major defeat. Sima Zhao then led reinforcements to join the battle. Zhuge Dan led his defeated troops fleeing into Shouchun, closed the city gates, and held fast. Sima Zhao ordered his soldiers to besiege the city from all sides and attack with full force.
At that time, the Wu troops had withdrawn to garrison Anfeng, while the Wei emperor’s carriage was stationed at Xiangcheng. Zhong Hui said, “Now, although Zhuge Dan has been defeated, there is still plenty of grain and fodder in Shouchun city. Moreover, the Wu troops at Anfeng form a pincer position. If we besiege them on all sides, they will hold fast if the situation eases and fight to the death if pressed. The Wu troops might take the opportunity to attack us from both sides, which would not benefit our army. It would be better to attack from three sides, leaving the southern gate road open to allow the enemy to flee. When they try to escape, we can strike and achieve a great victory. The Wu troops have come from afar, so their grain supplies will surely be insufficient. I will lead light cavalry to cut off their rear, and they will collapse without a fight.” Sima Zhao patted Zhong Hui on the back and said, “You are truly my Zhang Zifang!” So he ordered Wang Ji to withdraw the troops from the southern gate.
Now, the Wu troops were stationed at Anfeng. Sun Chen summoned Zhu Yi and rebuked him, saying, “You can’t even rescue a single city like Shouchun—how can you hope to swallow up the Central Plains? If you don’t win this time, you will be beheaded!” Zhu Yi then returned to his own camp to discuss the matter. Yu Quan said, “Now the southern gate of Shouchun is not besieged. I am willing to lead a unit through the southern gate to help Zhuge Dan defend the city. General, you challenge the Wei troops to battle, and I will sally forth from the city to attack from both sides, and the Wei troops can be defeated.” Zhu Yi agreed with him. Then Quan Yi, Quan Duan, Wen Qin, and others all expressed willingness to enter the city. So they led ten thousand soldiers with Yu Quan through the southern gate into the city. The Wei troops, not having received orders from their commander, dared not act rashly and allowed the Wu troops to enter the city. They then reported this to Sima Zhao. Sima Zhao said, “This is their plan to attack from within and without with Zhu Yi, to break our army.” He then summoned Wang Ji and Chen Qian and instructed them, “You two lead five thousand troops to cut off Zhu Yi’s route of advance and attack him from the rear.” The two accepted the order and departed. Zhu Yi was leading his troops forward when suddenly a great clamor arose from behind. On the left was Wang Ji, on the right Chen Qian—troops charged from both sides, and the Wu army suffered a great defeat. Zhu Yi returned to see Sun Chen. Sun Chen was furious and said, “A general who loses battle after battle—what use are you?” He shouted for the guards to drag him out and behead him. He then reprimanded Quan Yi, the son of Quan Duan, saying, “If you cannot repel the Wei troops, do not come to see me again, father and son!” Then Sun Chen himself returned to Jianye.
Zhong Hui said to Sima Zhao, “Now that Sun Chen has withdrawn, there are no relief forces outside, and the city can be besieged.” Sima Zhao followed his advice and pressed the siege. Quan Yi led his troops into Shouchun but, seeing the strength of the Wei forces, found no way forward or backward, so he surrendered to Sima Zhao. Sima Zhao appointed Quan Yi as a partial general. Grateful for Sima Zhao’s kindness, Quan Yi wrote a family letter to his father Quan Duan and his uncle Quan Yi, saying that Sun Chen was unkind and that it would be better to surrender to Wei. He shot the letter into the city. Quan Yi received Quan Yi’s letter and, together with Quan Duan, led several thousand men to open the gates and surrender. Zhuge Dan was deeply distressed in the city. His strategists Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi advised him, saying, “There is little grain and many soldiers in the city; it cannot be held for long. We should lead the Wu and Chu troops to fight a decisive battle with the Wei troops.” Zhuge Dan was furious and said, “I want to hold the city; you want to fight. Could it be that you have treacherous intentions? If anyone dares to speak of this again, I will certainly have him beheaded!” The two men looked up to heaven and sighed, saying, “Zhuge Dan is about to perish! We might as well surrender early to avoid death!” That night, during the second watch, Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi scaled the city wall and surrendered to Wei. Sima Zhao gave them important positions. As a result, though there were soldiers in the city willing to fight, no one dared to mention fighting again.
Inside the city, Zhuge Dan saw the Wei troops building earthen walls on all sides to guard against the Huai River, hoping that a flood would breach the earthen walls, allowing him to drive his troops to attack. Unexpectedly, from autumn to winter, there were no continuous heavy rains, and the Huai River did not overflow. Inside the city, grain and fodder were nearly exhausted. Wen Qin, holding out in the small inner city with his two sons, saw the soldiers gradually starving and collapsing. He had no choice but to report to Zhuge Dan, saying, “Grain and fodder are cut off, and the soldiers are suffering from starvation. It would be better to release all the northern troops from the city to conserve food.” Zhuge Dan was furious and said, “You want me to drive out all the northern troops—are you trying to harm me?” He shouted for Wen Qin to be dragged out and beheaded. Wen Yang and Wen Hu, seeing their father killed, each drew their short swords and immediately killed dozens of men. They leaped onto the city wall, vaulted over it, crossed the moat, and fled to the Wei army camp to surrender. Sima Zhao held a grudge over Wen Yang’s past feat of routing troops with a single rider and wanted to execute him. Zhong Hui advised him, saying, “The crime lies with Wen Qin. Now Wen Qin is dead, and his two sons, in desperate straits, have come to surrender. If you kill surrendered generals, it will only make those inside the city more determined to hold out.” Sima Zhao followed his advice, so he summoned Wen Yang and Wen Hu into his tent, spoke kindly to comfort them, granted them fine horses and brocade robes, appointed them as partial generals, and enfeoffed them as Guannei Marquises. The two bowed in thanks, mounted their horses, and rode around the city, shouting, “We two have been pardoned by the Grand General and granted titles. Why don’t you surrender early?” When those inside the city heard this, they all discussed it, saying, “Wen Yang was an enemy of the Sima clan, yet he is still given high office—how much more so for us?” So they all wanted to surrender. When Zhuge Dan heard of this, he was furious and patrolled the city day and night in person, killing people to assert his authority.
Zhong Hui knew that the hearts of the people in the city had changed, so he entered the tent and told Sima Zhao, “Now is the time to attack the city.” Sima Zhao was overjoyed, so he inspired the three armies to gather from all sides like clouds and attack together. The defending general Zeng Xuan surrendered the northern gate and let the Wei troops into the city. When Zhuge Dan learned that the Wei troops had entered the city, he hurriedly led several hundred of his followers to break out through a small path in the city. When he reached the drawbridge, he ran straight into Hu Zun, who raised his sword and cut Zhuge Dan down from his horse. The several hundred followers were all captured. Wang Ji led his troops to the western gate and encountered Wu general Yu Quan. Wang Ji shouted, “Why don’t you surrender early?” Yu Quan angrily replied, “I received orders to go out and rescue others from danger. If I cannot rescue them and then surrender to another, it is something that righteousness forbids!” So he threw his helmet to the ground and cried out, “A man living in this world—to die in battle is a stroke of luck!” He immediately drew his sword and fought desperately for more than thirty exchanges, but his horse was exhausted, and he was killed by the chaotic troops. Later, someone wrote a poem in praise:
When Sima besieged Shouchun that year,
Countless surrendered troops bowed in the dust.
Though the Eastern Wu had heroic men,
Who could match Yu Quan, who gave his life?
When Sima besieged Shouchun that year,
Countless surrendered troops bowed in the dust.
Though the Eastern Wu had heroic men,
Who could match Yu Quan, who gave his life?
Sima Zhao entered Shouchun and had all of Zhuge Dan’s family—old and young—beheaded and displayed as a warning, exterminating his three clans. The warriors brought forward several hundred of Zhuge Dan’s captured soldiers, bound and under guard. Sima Zhao said, “Will you surrender?” The men all shouted loudly, “We would rather die with Lord Zhuge; we will never surrender to you!” Sima Zhao was furious and ordered the warriors to push them all outside the city, questioning them one by one, saying, “Those who surrender will be spared death.” Not a single person said they would surrender. They kept killing until the end, and still not one surrendered. Sima Zhao sighed deeply and without end, ordered them all to be buried. Later, someone wrote a poem lamenting:
Loyal to the sovereign, resolved not to steal life—so were the soldiers beneath Zhuge Gongxiu’s banner. The song of dew on the shallots should not yet have ceased; their trace seeks to follow Tian Heng.
Now most of the Wu soldiers had surrendered to Wei. Pei Xiu told Sima Zhao: “The old and young of the Wu troops are all in the southeast, in the Jiang and Huai region. If we keep them now, in time they will surely cause trouble. Better to bury them alive.” Zhong Hui said: “That is not right. In ancient times, those who used arms considered preserving the enemy’s state as the highest policy, executing only the chief offenders. If we bury them all alive, this is not benevolent. It is better to release them back to Jiangnan, to display the magnanimity of the Central Plains.” Sima Zhao said: “This is a wise opinion.” Thereupon he released all the Wu troops back to their own country. Tang Zi, fearing Sun Chen, dared not return and also came to defect to Wei. Sima Zhao employed them all, assigning them to the three river regions. Huainan was now pacified. Just as he was about to withdraw his army, a report suddenly arrived that Jiang Wei of Western Shu was leading troops to attack Changcheng and intercept grain supplies. Sima Zhao was greatly alarmed and discussed with his many officials the plan to withdraw.
At this time it was the twentieth year of Yanxi of Shu Han, changed to the first year of Jingyao. Jiang Wei had selected two Sichuan generals in Hanzhong, training troops daily: one was Jiang Shu, the other was Fu Qian. Both were bold and courageous, and Jiang Wei greatly favored them. Suddenly a report came that Zhuge Dan of Huainan had raised troops to attack Sima Zhao, and Sun Chen of Eastern Wu was aiding him. Sima Zhao had mobilized a great host from the two Huai regions, taking the Wei Empress Dowager and the Wei sovereign with him on the campaign. Jiang Wei rejoiced greatly, saying: “My great undertaking will succeed this time!” He then submitted a memorial to the Later Ruler, requesting to raise an army to attack Wei. The Grand Master of Remonstrance, Qiao Zhou, hearing of this, sighed and said: “Lately the court indulges in wine and women, trusts the eunuch Huang Hao, neglects state affairs, and seeks only pleasure. Jiang Boyue repeatedly wishes to campaign, without pity for the soldiers. The state is about to perish!” He then wrote a treatise, “On the Hostile State,” and sent it to Jiang Wei. Jiang Wei unsealed it and read it. The treatise said:
Someone asked: “From ancient times, those who could overcome the strong with the weak—what was their method?” The reply: “Those who dwell in a great state and have no worries are often remiss; those who dwell in a small state and have constant anxieties often think of doing good. Much remissness leads to disorder; thinking of doing good leads to good governance—this is the constant principle. Thus King Wen of Zhou nurtured the people and overcame the many with the few; Goujian comforted the common folk and overcame the strong with the weak. This was their method.”
Someone said: “In former times, Chu was strong and Han weak; they agreed to divide the realm by the Hong Canal. Zhang Liang thought that once the people’s hearts were settled, they would be hard to move, and so pursued and struck Xiang Yu, finally destroying the Xiang clan. Must one necessarily imitate the deeds of King Wen and Goujian?” The reply: “In the Shang and Zhou times, kings and marquises were honored for generations, and the relationship between sovereign and minister was stable. In that age, even with a Han Gaozu, how could he have seized the realm with his sword? When the Qin abolished the feudal lords and established commanderies and prefectures, the people were worn out by Qin’s corvée labor, the realm collapsed like tiles crumbling, and then heroes arose to contend. Now we and the other side have both inherited states for several generations. It is neither the time of the great disorder at the end of Qin, nor is it actually the situation of the Six States standing side by side. Thus one can imitate King Wen, but it is hard to imitate Han Gaozu. Act when the time is right; move when Heaven’s numbers align. Therefore the armies of Tang and King Wu won victory without a second battle, truly because they valued the people’s toil and weighed the circumstances. If one exhausts the army and indulges in war, and misfortune befalls, even a wise man cannot plan for it.”
Jiang Wei finished reading and flew into a rage, saying: “This is the talk of a pedantic scholar!” He threw it on the ground. Thereupon he led the Sichuan troops to attack the Central Plains. He then asked Fu Qian: “In your view, where should we strike?” Fu Qian said: “The Wei grain stores are all at Changcheng. Now we can directly take the Luo Valley, cross the Shen Ridge, go straight to Changcheng, burn the grain first, and then strike straight for Qinchuan. Then the Central Plains can be gained in a matter of days.” Jiang Wei said: “Your view coincides secretly with my plan.” He immediately led his troops to take the Luo Valley, crossed the Shen Ridge, and advanced toward Changcheng.
Now Sima Wang, the garrison commander at Changcheng, was a cousin of Sima Zhao. The city had plenty of grain but few troops. When Sima Wang heard that the Shu army was coming, he hastily led the two generals Wang Zhen and Li Peng, and set up camp twenty li from the city. The next day, the Shu army arrived. Sima Wang led his two generals out in formation. Jiang Wei rode out and said to Sima Wang: “Now Sima Zhao has moved the sovereign to the army camp—this surely harbors intentions like those of Li Jue and Guo Si. I now bear the clear command of my court to come and question your guilt. You should surrender early. If you remain stubbornly deluded, your whole family will be slaughtered!” Sima Wang shouted back: “You have no sense of propriety! You repeatedly invade our superior state. If you do not withdraw soon, I will leave not a single piece of armor from your troops!” Before he finished speaking, Wang Zhen from behind Sima Wang leveled his spear and charged out. Fu Qian from the Shu ranks met him. They fought less than ten bouts; Fu Qian feigned a flaw, and Wang Zhen thrust his spear forward. Fu Qian dodged, seized Wang Zhen alive on his horse, and returned to his own formation. Li Peng, furious, galloped out, swinging his blade to rescue him. Fu Qian deliberately slowed, and as Li Peng drew near, he flung Wang Zhen to the ground with force, while secretly drawing a four-cornered iron mace. Li Peng caught up and raised his blade to strike; Fu Qian turned sideways, looked back, and struck Li Peng full in the face with the iron mace, dashing his eyeballs out. Li Peng died on horseback. Wang Zhen was pierced to death by the Shu troops’ disordered spears. Jiang Wei then drove his army forward in a great assault. Sima Wang abandoned his camp and entered the city, shutting the gates and refusing to come out. Jiang Wei issued orders: “The soldiers shall rest for one night to restore their sharpness. Tomorrow we must break into the city.” At dawn the next day, the Shu troops vied to advance in force, surging to the city walls. They shot fire arrows and fire bombs into the city. The thatched houses on the walls caught fire everywhere, and the Wei troops fell into turmoil. Jiang Wei then ordered dry brushwood piled high beneath the city walls, and set it all ablaze. Flames soared to the sky. The city was about to fall; the Wei soldiers inside wailed bitterly, their cries spreading across the countryside.
Just as the assault was underway, a great clamor of shouts suddenly arose from behind. Jiang Wei reined in his horse and looked back, seeing Wei troops beating drums and waving banners, advancing in a mighty flood. Jiang Wei then ordered the rear ranks to become the vanguard, and he himself stood beneath the gate banner waiting. From the Wei army’s formation, a young general in full armor emerged, leveling his spear and charging forth on horseback. He appeared about twenty years old, his face as smooth as powdered jade, his lips like vermilion, and he cried out sternly, “Do you recognize General Deng?” Jiang Wei thought to himself, “This must be Deng Ai.” He leveled his spear and rode out to meet him. The two summoned their spirits, fought for thirty to forty rounds, and neither could gain the upper hand. The young general’s spear technique showed no sign of slackening. Jiang Wei thought, “If I don’t use this stratagem, how can I prevail?” He then turned his horse and galloped toward a mountain path on the left. The young general pursued him. Jiang Wei hung up his steel spear and secretly took out his carved bow and feathered arrow to shoot him. The young general had sharp eyes and saw it coming; as the bowstring twanged, he bent forward and dodged the arrow. Jiang Wei looked back and saw the young general had already caught up, leveling his spear to thrust. Jiang Wei evaded it, and the spear passed under his ribs, where Jiang Wei clamped it fast. The young general abandoned his spear and fled back to his own formation. Jiang Wei sighed, “What a pity! What a pity!” He then turned his horse and gave chase. As he reached the front of the formation, a general emerged wielding a sword, saying, “Jiang Wei, you base fellow, do not pursue my son! Deng Ai is here!” Jiang Wei was greatly startled—it turned out the young general was Deng Ai’s son, Deng Zhong. Jiang Wei marveled to himself; he wanted to engage Deng Ai in combat, but fearing his horse was exhausted, he pointed vaguely at Deng Ai and said, “Today I have come to know you, father and son. Let us each withdraw our troops for now and decide the outcome in a death struggle tomorrow.” Deng Ai, seeing the battlefield situation unfavorable, also reined in his horse and replied, “Since that is the case, let each side withdraw. Those who resort to covert attacks are not true men.” Thus both armies retreated. Deng Ai occupied the Wei River and set up camp; Jiang Wei straddled two hills and established his position. Observing the terrain of the Shu troops, Deng Ai wrote a letter to Sima Wang, saying, “We must absolutely not engage in battle; we should only hold fast in defense. When the troops from Guanzhong arrive, the Shu army’s grain and fodder will be exhausted, and with a three-sided attack, there is no chance of failure. Now I am sending my eldest son, Deng Zhong, to help defend the city.” At the same time, he sent a messenger to Sima Zhao to request reinforcements.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wei sent a man to Deng Ai’s camp to deliver a challenge, agreeing to a great battle the next day. Deng Ai pretended to accept. The following day, before the fifth watch, Jiang Wei ordered the three armies to prepare their meals, and at dawn, they arrayed their formations and waited. In Deng Ai’s camp, the flags were furled and the drums silent, as if no one were there. Jiang Wei did not return to camp until evening. The next day, he again sent a man with a challenge, reproaching Deng Ai for breaking his promise. Deng Ai entertained the messenger with wine and food and replied, “I have been slightly ill, which delayed our engagement. I will fight tomorrow.” The following day, Jiang Wei again led his troops forward, but Deng Ai still did not come out, exactly as before.
This happened five or six times. Fu Qian said to Jiang Wei, “There must be a scheme behind this. We should be on guard.” Jiang Wei said, “This is surely just waiting for the troops from Guanzhong to arrive, so they can attack me from three sides. I will now send a messenger to Sun Chen of Eastern Wu, asking him to join forces and attack.” Suddenly, a scout reported that Sima Zhao had attacked Shouchun, killed Zhuge Dan, and that the Wu troops had all surrendered. Sima Zhao had returned his army to Luoyang and was now planning to lead troops to relieve Changcheng. Jiang Wei was greatly alarmed and said, “This expedition against Wei has once again come to nothing. It is better to withdraw for now.” Truly:
He had already sighed four times that his efforts were in vain,
And now lamented a fifth time that success could not be gained.
How the retreat was carried out is told in the next chapter.