Sima Yi smote his forehead.
“This is the Emperor's great good fortune, high as heaven itself. Zhuge Liang's army is at Qishan already, and all people's courage is at the brink of breakdown. The Emperor must go to Changan, and if he does not use me soon, Meng Da will carry out his plan; his plot will succeed and both capitals will be lost. Meng Da is surely in league with Zhuge Liang, and if I can seize this Meng Da before he makes any move, that will damp Zhuge Liang's spirits and he will retreat.”
His elder son Sima Shi remarked, “It is necessary to memorialize the Throne.”
“No,” replied his father, “that would take a month, and delay would mean failure.”
Sima Yi gave orders to prepare to advance by double-rapid marches and threatened death to all loiterers. In order to avert suspicion, he sent letters to Meng Da by the hand of Military Adviser Liang Ji to tell Meng Da to prepare to join the expedition.
Sima Yi quickly followed Liang Ji. After two days' march Sima Yi fell in with an army of General Xu Huang over the hills.
Xu Huang got an interview with Sima Yi, and he said, “The Emperor has arrived at Changan to lead an expedition against Shu. Whither is the Commander-in-Chief going?”
Sima Yi, in a low voice, said to him, “Meng Da is on the verge of rebellion, and I am going to seize him.”
“Let me go as your van-leader,” said Xu Huang.
So Xu Huang's troops were joined to the expedition and marched in the van. Sima Yi commanded the center, and his sons brought up the rear.
Two days farther on, some of the scouts captured Meng Da's confidential messenger, and with him Zhuge Liang's reply. Sima Yi promised the man his life if he would tell all he knew. So the messenger told all about the letters and messages he had taken from one to the other.
When Sima Yi read, he remarked, “All able people think the same way. Our plan would have been foiled by Zhuge Liang's cleverness unless, by the good luck of the Emperor, this messenger had been captured. Now Meng Da will be helpless.”
The army pressed on still more rapidly.
Meng Da had arranged for his stroke with Governor Shen Yi of Jincheng and Governor Shen Dan of Shangyong and was awaiting the day he had fixed. But Shen Yi and Shen Dan were only pretending to abet him, although they went on training and drilling their troops to keep up appearances till the soldiers of Wei could arrive. To Meng Da they pretended delay in their transport as the reason for being unable to start. And he believed them.
Just then Liang Ji came, and when he had been ceremoniously received, he produced the order from Sima Yi and said, “The Commander-in-Chief has received the edict of the Emperor to call in all the forces in this area, and he has sent me to direct you to hold your troops in readiness to march.”
“On what day does the Commander-in-Chief start?” asked Meng Da.
“He is just about starting now, and is on the way to Changan” replied Liang Ji.
Meng Da smiled inwardly, for, this being so, he saw success before him. He gave a banquet to Liang Ji; and after Liang Ji took his leave, Meng Da sent to his fellow conspirators — Shen Yi and Shen Dan — to say the first step must be taken next day by exchanging the banners of Wei for those of Han and marching to attack Luoyang.
Then the watchmen reported a great cloud of dust in the distance as though an army was coming. Meng Da was surprised and went up on the ramparts to see for himself. Soon he made out the banner of Xu Huang leading. He ran down from the wall and in a state of trepidation ordered the raising of the drawbridge. Xu Huang still came on and in due time stood on the bank of the moat.
Then Xu Huang called out, “Let the traitor Meng Da yield quickly!”
Meng Da, in a rage, opened upon him with arrows, and Xu Huang was wounded in the forehead. He was helped to a place of safety while the arrows flew down in great numbers. When the soldiers of Wei retired, Meng Da opened the gates and went in pursuit. But the whole of Sima Yi's army soon came up, and the banners stood so thick that they hid the sun.
“This is what Zhuge Liang foresaw!” said Meng Da despairingly. The gates were closed and barred.
Meanwhile the wounded general, Xu Huang, had been borne to his tent, where the arrow head was extracted and the physician attended to him. But that night he died. He was fifty-nine. His body was sent to Luoyang for burial.
Next day, when Meng Da went up on the wall, he saw the city was entirely surrounded as with a girdle of iron. He was greatly perturbed and could not decide what to do. Presently he saw two bodies of troops coming up, their banners bearing the names of his fellow conspirators — Shen Yi and Shen Dan. He could only conclude that they had come to his help, so he opened the gates to them and went out to fight.
“Rebel, stay!” cried they both as they came up.
Realizing that they had been false, he turned and galloped toward the city, but a flight of arrows met him, and the two who had betrayed him, Li Fu and Deng Xian, began to revile him.
“We have already yielded the city!” they cried.
Then Meng Da fled. But he was pursued, and as he and his horse were both exhausted, he was speedily overtaken and slain. They exposed his head, and his soldiers submitted. Sima Yi was welcomed at the open gates. The people were pacified, the soldiers were rewarded and, this done, a report of their success was sent to Cao Rui. Cao Rui ordered the body of Meng Da to be exposed in the market place of Luoyang, and he promoted Shen Yi and Shen Dan and gave them posts in the army of Sima Yi. He gave Li Fu and Deng Xian command of the cities of Xincheng and Shangyong.
Then Sima Yi marched to Changan and camped. The leader entered the city to have audience with his master, by whom he was most graciously received.
“Once I doubted you;” said Cao Rui, “but then I did not understand, and I listened to mischief-makers. I regret it. You have preserved both capitals by the punishment of this traitor.”
Sima Yi replied, “Shen Yi gave the information of the intended revolt and thought to memorialize Your Majesty. But there would have been a long delay, and so I did not await orders, but set forth at once. Delay would have played into Zhuge Liang's hands.”
Then Sima Yi handed in Zhuge Liang's letter to Meng Da, and when the Emperor had read that, he said, “You are wiser than both the great strategists of old — Wu Qi and Sun Zi.”
The Ruler of Wei conferred upon the successful leader a pair of golden axes and the privilege of taking action in important matters without first obtaining his master's sanction.
When the order was given to advance against the enemy, Sima Yi asked permission to name his leader of the van, and nominated Zhang He, General of the Left Army.
“Just the man I wished to send,” said Cao Rui, smiling. And Zhang He was appointed.
Sima Yi took his army off Changan and marched it to the camp of the Shu army.
By strategy the leader shows his skill;
He needs bold fighting men to work his will.
The result of the campaign will appear in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 95. Ma Su's Disobedience Causes The Loss Of Jieting; Zhuge Liang's Lute Repulses Sima Yi.
Beside sending Zhang He as van-leader of Sima Yi, Cao Rui appointed two other generals, Xin Pi and Sun Li, to assist Cao Zhen. Xin Pi and Sun Li each led fifty thousand troops.
Sima Yi's army was two hundred thousand strong. They marched out through the pass and made a camp.
When encamped, Sima Yi summoned Zhang He to his tent and admonished him, saying, “A characteristic of Zhuge Liang is his most diligent carefulness; he is never hasty. If I were in his place, I should advance through the Ziwu Valley to capture Changan and so save much time. It is not that he is unskillful, but he fears lest that plan might miscarry, and he will not sport with risk. Therefore he will certainly come through the Xie Valley, taking Meicheng on the way. That place captured, he will divide his force into two, one part to take Chi Valley. I have sent Cao Zhen orders to guard Meicheng strictly and on no account to let its garrison go out to battle. The generals Sun Li and Xin Pi are to command the Chi Valley entrance, and should the enemy come, they are to make a sudden attack.”