“You need not worry about that city,” said Pang Tong. “I do not think Wu will dare to take it so long as Zhuge Liang is there. But you can use this as an excuse. Write to Liu Zhang and say that on account of Cao Cao’s attack, Sun Quan has turned to you for help and that as his country and yours are neighbors and dependent upon each other for safety you cannot refuse. Furthermore, you will assure him that there is no danger of any invasion by Zhang Lu, for he is only concerned with his own safety. Tell him that you have too few men and insufficient grain and you want him to assist you with some 30–40,000 veterans and a plentiful supply of grain. I do not think he will, but if he does give you the men and the grain, then we can think of some other plans.”
Liu Bei agreed to this and sent a messenger to see the governor. On his way to Chengdu the messenger passed Fushui Pass. When the two commanders at the pass learned what Liu Bei wanted, one of them, Yang Huai, decided to go with the messenger to Chengdu. After they got to the city the letter was presented to Liu Zhang who, after reading the letter, asked Yang Huai why he had come as well.
“Because of that letter,” he replied. “This Liu Bei, from the day he first entered the province, has been trying to win over the hearts of your people with a big show of kindness and virtue. He must have cherished some very evil intentions. Now he is even asking for a large troop and a great deal of supplies from you. You must refuse. To help him is like adding fuel to a fire.”
“But we are brothers, how can I refuse to help him?” said Liu Zhang.
“Liu Bei is nothing but an ambitious adventurer,” cried someone. “To keep him long here in Shu is to loosen a tiger in your household. If you give him the men and supplies he asks for, you are adding wings to the tiger.”
All turned to look at the speaker and recognized him to be Liu Ba. His words threw Liu Zhang into a state of doubt and hesitation. Huang Quan, who had objected to Liu Bei’s coming from the start, also tried earnestly to dissuade him, and finally Liu Zhang decided to give only 4,000 old or weak soldiers and a paltry supply of grain. A letter to that effect was duly written and sent to Liu Bei. At the same time he gave fresh orders to Yang Huai and his colleague to keep a vigilant watch over Fushui Pass.
When Liu Bei read the letter he was furious. “I have been exerting myself in your defense and this is my reward!” he cried. “You are miserly enough to refuse my demands. How can you expect generous service?”
He tore the letter to fragments and abused the writer vehemently. The bearer of the letter fled back to the capital.
Pang Tong said, “You have been laying a great deal of stress on righteous behavior. But now that you have torn the letter, all is over between you two.”
“Then what should I do?” asked Liu Bei.
“I have three schemes ready in my mind. You may choose whichever pleases you.”
“What are your three schemes?”
“The first, and the best, is to send an army at once and seize Chengdu. The second is to capture Fushui Pass and slay the two commanders there as a first step to seizing the whole of the west country. These two officers are famous fighting men in this land and they are guarding the pass with a strong army. Pretend that you are returning to Jingzhou and they will assuredly come out to bid you farewell. Seize them and put them to death there and then, and both Fushui Pass and Fucheng will be yours. Chengdu will follow soon. The third plan, which is also the worst, is to discard this role you have been playing, go back to Jingzhou, and wait for other opportunities to arise later. But if you ponder too long and do not decide you will get into such straits that nothing can save you.”
Liu Bei replied, “Of your three schemes, I find the first too fast and the last too slow. The second scheme, which is neither, is good.”
So he wrote a letter to Liu Zhang, saying falsely that Cao Cao’s men had invaded Jingzhou; that his officers there were unable to repulse him so he had to go back to help; and that as he was in a hurry to depart he had no time to bid the governor farewell in person.
When Zhang Song learned about the content of the letter he thought Liu Bei was really going to return to Jingzhou. Much upset by the news, he wrote a letter to Liu Bei. While he was thinking about whom to send as the messenger, his brother Zhang Su, who was the prefect of a country district, came to see him. He hastened to hide the letter in his sleeve and went to receive his brother. However, his brother noticed that he was absent-minded, which he could not explain. Wine was brought in and, as the two brothers chatted over it, the letter dropped to the floor unnoticed by Zhang Song. One of his brother’s men saw it, picked it up, and gave it to his master after the banquet. The brother opened the letter and read it.
This is the letter in brief:
What I said to you lately was not mere idle talk. Why, then, do you postpone action? The ancients valued the policy to take by force but rule by conciliation. Now our great design is well under way. Why do you want to abandon all and return to Jingzhou? How distressed I am when I hear this! As soon as you get this, attack without a moment’s delay and remember that I am your ally on the inside.
“This plot of my brother’s will end in the destruction of our whole clan,” said Zhang Su. “I can’t but report it to our lord.”
So at once he went and laid the whole matter before the governor.
“I have always treated your brother so well!” said Liu Zhang, very angry.
He issued orders to arrest Zhang Song and behead him and all his household in the market place.
Zhang was quick of comprehension, his equals but few,
Little did he think that a letter would betray
His plot for another. But success he ne’er knew,
For himself death was his fate on that bloody day.
Having thus learned of a real conspiracy to deprive him of his heritage, Liu Zhang assembled his subordinates and asked them for their advice. Huang Quan said, “Prompt action is needed. Send people to every strategic point to tell the officers there to strengthen the defense and, above all, prevent the entrance of any one of Liu Bei’s men.”
Such orders were immediately sent to all strategic points.
In the meantime, Liu Bei, following Pang Tong’s scheme, had marched down to Fucheng, where he halted and sent in a messenger to invite the two officers in defense of Fushui Pass to come out for a farewell meeting.
“What is the real meaning of this withdrawal?” they wondered when they got the invitation.
“This Liu Bei is fated to die,” said Gao Pei. “Let us hide daggers under our robes and stab him at the meeting. That will end all our lord’s troubles.”
“An excellent plan,” agreed his colleague.
So they two, taking some two hundred men, went out of the Fushui Pass to see off Liu Bei. Most of their men were left in the camp.
On the way down to the Fu River, Pang Tong said to his master, “You need to be on your guard against those two if they come to bid you farewell. If they do not come, then the pass must be attacked without delay.”
Just as he said this a violent gust of wind swept down the leading flag of the army, and Liu Bei asked his advisor what this portended.
“That is a warning—those two intend to assassinate you, so be on your guard.”
Accordingly, Liu Bei put on double armor and girded on his sword in readiness. Presently, the two officers arrived and the army halted for the farewell meeting.
Pang Tong took Wei Yan and Huang Zhong aside and told them to see to it that none of the soldiers coming down from the pass were to return, however many there were.
The two officers of Shu, armed with hidden daggers, came up, their soldiers bearing gifts of sheep and wine. As they did not notice any visible precautions being taken against an attack, they secretly rejoiced, thinking that Liu Bei would fall an easy victim to their scheme. They were led into the tent where Liu Bei and his advisor were seated.
They said, “We hear, sir, that you are embarking on a long journey home. Therefore we have come to offer
a few meager gifts to you.”
With these words they filled the cup of farewell for Liu Bei, who replied: “You have a heavy responsibility to defend the pass, generals. You should drink first.”
They drank. Then Liu Bei said, “I have a secret matter to discuss with you.”
So, of the men of Shu, all but the two officers were sent away from the tent. As soon as the two hundred soldiers had gone, Liu Bei shouted to his men, “Seize these two rebels!”
At once out rushed Liu Feng and Guan Ping from behind the tent. The two officers of Shu, taken aback, hastened to struggle but was each seized.
“Your lord and I are of the same house,” said Liu Bei. “Why then have you plotted against me and conspired to sow enmity between us?”
Pang Tong told his men to search the captives, and the hidden daggers were found. So he ordered both to be immediately executed. At first Liu Bei hesitated, but his advisor insisted that they deserved death for the assassination they had planned. So the two men were beheaded. Of their following, not one had been allowed to slip away.
Liu Bei summoned the soldiers to his tent, soothed them with wine and said, “Your leaders conspired to sow dissension between me and your master and were found with daggers hidden beneath their clothing. They intended to assassinate me and so have met the fate they merited. You have committed no crime and need not be alarmed.”
The soldiers thanked him for his clemency with low obeisance.
Pang Tong said to them, “Now we are going to capture the pass. I want you to lead the way and you will be richly rewarded.”
They consented. That night the army set out, preceded by the men of Shu. When they reached the pass they hailed the gate, saying, “Open the gate quickly—the officers have returned for some important business.”
Hearing the voices of their comrades, the guards on the wall tower had no suspicion of treachery and threw open the gate. In rushed Liu Bei and his army and so gained possession of Fushui Pass without shedding a drop of blood. The men of Shu all surrendered and were liberally rewarded. Then a heavy defense was established all around to maintain what they had captured.
The next day was spent in feasting to celebrate the success. At the feast Liu Bei, quite intoxicated, turned to his advisor and said, “Isn’t this a joyful occasion!”
“To employ force on the land of another and think it joyful,” replied Pang Tong, “is not what a righteous man should do.”
Liu Bei rebuked him: “In the old days King Wu of Zhou Dynasty celebrated his victory over Shang with music. Do you think he was not a righteous man? Why do you talk so unreasonably? Get out at once!”
Pang Tong laughed and withdrew from the table, while the attendants helped Liu Bei to his own chamber to rest. About midnight he awoke from his wine and then the servants told him that he had driven away his advisor from the feast. He was at once filled with remorse. The next morning, dressed in ceremonial costume, he took his seat in the hall, summoned his advisor, and apologized for his rude behavior the night before.
“I drank too much last night and spoke rudely to you. Please do not take it to heart.”
Pang Tong, who did not seem to be in the least affected by the incident, laughed and talked as usual. But Liu Bei went on, “I was the only one who slipped in speech yesterday.”
“We both slipped—not just you, my lord,” said Pang Tong.
Then Liu Bei laughed, too, and the two were good friends again.
When Liu Zhang heard of the doings of his kinsman he was greatly alarmed. “I did not expect that such things would really happen.” He called his advisors and officers together to consider how to oppose the further advance of Liu Bei.
Huang Quan said, “Let us dispatch a force to hold Luocheng, which is the very throat of the road he must take. He may have veteran soldiers and fierce officers but he will not be able to pass through.”
So the four ablest officers were assigned for this task and they were given 50,000 men. Before they set out, one of them, Liu Gui by name, said, “In the Jinping Mountains there is a Taoist recluse who calls himself ‘Taoist of the Dark Void.’ He has the gift of second sight and can predict a man’s fate and fortune. As we will pass that region on our way, I think we can pay him a visit and inquire about our future.”
“What should one seek of a hermit when one is out to repulse an enemy?” objected his colleague, Zhang Ren.
“You are mistaken,” said Liu Gui. “The sage has said that the most sincere mind is able to prophecy. We go and quiz this man of high intelligence so that we may know what to do and what to avoid.”
Therefore they went to the foot of the mountains and sought the hermit’s retreat from a woodcutter who, pointing to one of the highest hills, said that the recluse lived on the very summit. They climbed up to the spot where they found a small hut. At their summons a lad in Taoist garb came out to speak with them. He asked their names and conducted them to the recluse who, seated on a rush cushion, received them. They made a low obeisance, told him the reason of their coming, and asked about their future.
“How can a poor Taoist recluse know of your fortunes, good or evil?” he said.
However, after Liu Gui’s repeated bows and pleas, the hermit told the lad to bring paper and ink and he wrote eight lines, which he handed to the inquirer.
A dragon and a phoenix,
Fly into the west.
But the Phoenix Fledgling shall fall to the earth,
And the Sleeping Dragon shall soar to the sky;
There shall be successes and failures,
For such is the eternal law.
See that you act when occasion offers,
Lest you descend to the Nine Springs.
Having read the oracle, Liu Gui pressed the seer to reveal to them their individual fate but he only replied, “Why ask these things? None can escape his fate.” Liu Gui ventured to question him further, but his eyelids closed as if he slumbered. Nor would he offer a word more, and the four officers took their leave and descended the hill.
“We must have faith in what he says,” said Liu Gui.
“What is to be gained by listening to the ravings of a mad man?” replied Zhang Ren.
So they continued their journey to Luocheng. When they arrived Liu Gui suggested that two of them should guard the city while the other two should station themselves beneath the shelter of some hills in front of the city. Ling Bao and Deng Xian volunteered to encamp outside. Thus, taking 20,000 men, they went to establish two camps some sixty li away, hoping to be able to keep the invaders from nearing the city.
After capturing Fushui Pass, Liu Bei began to consult his advisor as to how to seize Luocheng, the next city to be captured. Scouts had reported the arrival of the four officers sent by Liu Zhang and the two camps set up sixty li from the city. Liu Bei assembled his officers and asked them who would go to attack the camps. The veteran Huang Zhong offered himself.
“Take your own men and go, General,” said Liu Bei. “A goodly reward shall be yours if you capture the two camps.”
Huang Zhong gladly thanked his lord and was just leaving to muster his men when suddenly out stood a youthful officer, saying, “General Huang is advanced in years and unsuitable to go on such an expedition. Incapable as I am, I would like to take his place.”
The speaker was Wei Yan.
Huang Zhong replied, “I already have my commission—how dare you try to supplant me?”
“Because the task is beyond an old man’s strength,” said Wei Yan. “I was told that those two men guarding the camps are famous officers of this region. They are full of vigor and strength, and, veteran as you are, I fear you will be unable to overcome them. If you fail, our lord’s great design will be hindered. Therefore I ask that I replace you—my intentions are kindly.”
This reminder of his old age angered the veteran. “Old, did you say? Do you dare to compete with me?” he challenged.
“Sure I do. And our lord shall be the judge. The winner shall undertake this
expedition. Do you agree?”
Huang Zhong ran down the steps and called to his men to bring his sword.
Liu Bei hastened to stop this contest and said, “I rely on both of you to take the west country. When two tigers fight one is sure to lose, and the loss of either of you is more than I could bear. Do not quarrel and be reconciled.”
“You two need not squabble,” said Pang Tong. “Since there are two camps to be taken and two officers to fight, each of you two can take your own men and seize one camp. The first to capture a camp will have rendered the greater service.”
This decision pacified them and it was decided that Huang Zhong should go against Ling Bao, and Wei Yan, against Deng Xian. After they had marched away Pang Tong recommended Liu Bei to follow them lest they should quarrel on the way. So leaving the city in the care of his advisor, Liu Bei also departed, taking with him Liu Feng, his son by adoption, and Guan Ping, his nephew by adoption. They also took 5,000 soldiers with them.
Back in his own tent, Huang Zhong issued orders for the morning meal to be prepared at the fourth watch, and for the troop to be ready to set out by daybreak, taking the road through a gully to the left of the hills.
However, his rival had secretly sent a man to spy on his movements and had set his own departure time four hours earlier, meaning he would be able to reach his destination at dawn. After his men had taken their early meal they removed the bells from the horses and put gags in their own mouths to prevent talking, and with great stealth the army stole out of the camp. Their ensigns were furled and weapons covered lest the glint of steel should betray their movement.
Thinking that he had surpassed his rival in getting an earlier start, Wei Yan dreamed as he rode along what a fine figure he would cut if he could capture both camps. So he decided to attack Ling Bao’s camp before his rival could even get there and then, with his victorious troop, to also take the other camp. He at once ordered his men to deviate from their own course and take the mountain road on the left instead. By daylight he reached the camp defended by Ling Bao, the capture of which had been assigned to the old general. There he halted his men for a brief rest and then set out the drums, ensigns, and weapons.