At once Zhuge Liang ordered the army to withdraw into the stockades and bar the gates. The Mans came close up to the stockades and pranced about naked, shouting insults.
Within the stockade the officers grew very angry and they went in a body to their leader to beg to engage. But he refused. “Those people have always been wild and lawless. They have come with all the ferocity imaginable. In that mood we are no match for them. So it’s better to remain inside for a few days till their viciousness has spent itself. Then I have a good plan to overcome them.”
Several days passed and the men of Shu maintained a firm defense. From a high position Zhuge Liang saw that the keen vigor of the Mans had given way to careless idleness. He called together his officers and asked them if they dared to go out and give battle. They all rejoiced at the suggestion. So he first summoned Zhao Yun and Wei Yan, who were given secret orders, and set out without delay. Then Wang Ping and Ma Zhong were also given instructions and departed.
Next he said to Ma Dai, “I’m going to abandon these stockades and retreat to the north of the river. As soon as the army has crossed you’re to take apart the floating bridge and set it up again downstream for Zhao Yun and Wei Yan and their men to cross over.”
Lastly, Zhang Yi was ordered to remain by the camp and light it up at night as if it was still occupied. If Meng Huo pursued, he was to cut off his retreat. After he had arranged everything Zhuge Liang led the rest of the army in retreat, with Guan Suo alone to escort his carriage.
The soldiers left the stockades but the lights were on as usual. The Mans saw this from a distance and dared not attack. At daybreak the next morning, Meng Huo led his men to the stockades and found not a man or horse inside. Only some hundreds of carts of grain and fodder lay abandoned.
“They have abandoned the camp,” said Meng You. “Could this be a ruse?”
“I think Zhuge Liang must have some important business in the capital, which has forced him to leave in a hurry without his baggage. Either Wu has invaded or Wei has attacked. He has kept these lamps on to make us think the camps are still inhabited, while he has run away leaving everything behind. We must not lose this good opportunity, but must pursue at once.”
So the king urged his army onward, himself heading the leading division. When they reached the bank of the West Er River, they saw their enemy had set up orderly camps on the opposite side, their banners flying like a brightly tinted cloud of silk. Along the bank stood a wall of cloth. They dared not attack.
Meng Huo said to his brother, “This means Zhuge Liang is afraid that we may pursue, so he has set up a temporary camp on the north bank. He will retreat in a couple of days.”
Therefore he ordered his army to camp on the riverbank and sent men into the hills to hack bamboo trees to make rafts. The boldest of the soldiers were placed in front of the camp. However, little did Meng Huo suspect that the army of Shu had already infiltrated into his camp.
That day there was a strong wind blowing. Suddenly the Mans saw great lights spring up all around them, and at the same time the rolling of drums heralded an attack by the men of Shu. In the confusion the Mans and their allies fought among themselves. Meng Huo, greatly alarmed, fled with all his clan and dependents. They fought their way through and made a dash for their old camp.
Before they reached it there appeared an enemy force led by Zhao Yun. Meng Huo hastened to return to the riverside and sought refuge in the mountains. But he was stopped by another force under Ma Dai. With only a dozen of his men left he escaped into a valley, where he saw clouds of dust and the glow of torches rise on three sides. He was forced to flee toward the east, the only side remaining clear. However, he had just negotiated a mountain pass when he noticed in front of a woods a carriage accompanied by scores of followers. And in that carriage sat Zhuge Liang.
Laughing heartily, Zhuge Liang said, “Meng Huo, you are doomed to defeat! I have been waiting for you here for a long time.”
In wrath Meng Huo turned to his followers and cried, “Thrice have I been the victim of this man’s base tricks and put to shame. Now Heaven has sent him across my path. You must rush forward and attack him with all your energy. Let us cut him to pieces, carriage and all.”
Several of his men followed Meng Huo as he, shouting loudly, charged toward his foes. But as they got near, crash! all stumbled and disappeared into hidden pits. Instantly out came Wei Yan and his men from the woods. One by one, the Mans were pulled out of the pits and bound tight with cords.
Zhuge Liang returned to his camp, where he busied himself in soothing the captured Mans soldiers and the chiefs, most of whom had by then returned to their own villages with their followers. All those that remained yielded to him. They were well fed and assured of safety. Then they were all sent home, and they went off grateful at this kindness.
By and by Zhang Yi brought up the king’s brother. Zhuge Liang reproached him for not trying to stop his brother from rebelling. “Your brother is stupid and stubborn,” he said to Meng You. “You ought to remonstrate with him. Now he has been a captive for the fourth time. How can he have the effrontery to look anyone in the face?”
A deep flush of shame rose over his face as he threw himself to the ground, begging for life.
Zhuge Liang said, “If I want to put you to death, I do not have to wait until today. I will pardon you this time but you must talk to your brother.”
So Meng You was loosened from his bonds and allowed to go free. He bowed and went away weeping.
Soon Wei Yan brought up the king, to whom Zhuge Liang simulated great rage, saying, “You are in my hands again. What can you say now?”
“I blundered into your trick again,” said the king. “I will die with my eyes open.”*
Zhuge Liang shouted to the guards to take him away and behead him. Meng Huo betrayed no sign of fear at this, but as he was being hustled out he turned to his captor and said, “If you could free me only once more, I would wipe out the shame of my earlier four defeats.”
At this bold reply Zhuge Liang laughed and ordered the guards to untie his bonds. Then he gave him wine and invited him to sit in the tent.
Zhuge Liang said, “Four times you have been treated generously and yet you are still defiant. Why?”
“Though I am what you call a barbarian, I would scorn to employ your vile ruses. How can I submit?”
“I have released you four times. Do you think you can still give battle?”
“If you catch me again I will yield from the bottom of my heart and I will give all I have to reward your men. I pledge never to rebel again.”
Zhuge Liang smiled and let him go. The king thanked him and left. Then mustering several thousand men, he went southward. Before long he fell in with his brother, Meng You, who had got together the remnant of his army and was on his way to avenge his brother. As soon as they saw each other the brothers fell into each other’s arms and, weeping bitterly, they related to each other what they had suffered.
Meng You said, “We can’t stand against the enemy. We’ve been defeated several times. I think we’d better go into the mountains and hide in some deep caves where they can’t find us. The summer heat will prove too much for them to bear and they’ll leave, sooner or later.”
“Where can we hide?” asked his brother.
“I know a place in the southwest called Bald Dragon Cave, and the chieftain, Duo Si, is a friend of mine. Let’s seek refuge with him.”
Meng Huo agreed and sent his brother first to go and arrange it.
So Meng You went. When he learned about this, the chieftain, Duo Si, at once came out with his soldiers to welcome Meng Huo into his cave. After the exchange of greetings, Meng Huo related what had happened to his host.
Duo Si said, “Have no worries. If those men from Shu come here I will guarantee that none of them will return home alive. And Zhuge Liang will meet his death here, too.”
Delighted, Meng Huo inquired of his host how this could be done.
Duo Si said, “
There are only two roads leading to this cave—the one you used lies to the northeast, where the ground is level and solid, and the waters are sweet. Men and horses may both travel along it. But if we seal the mouth of the route with a barricade of logs and rocks, no force, however strong, can get in. The other road to the northwest is precipitous and narrow, and hence very dangerous. Though there are some paths, these are beset with venomous serpents and scorpions, and as evening comes on the whole area is enveloped in a smog that does not disperse until noontime the next day. One can only pass that road between three and seven in the afternoon, but the water there is undrinkable, making that road virtually impossible to cross for both horses and men. In addition there are four poisonous springs there. One is called the Dumb Spring. Its water is pleasant to taste, but if one drinks it one becomes dumb and dies in about ten days. The second one, called the Spring of Destruction, is as hot as soup. If one bathes in it, one’s flesh rots till the bones are exposed and the victim dies. The third one is the Black Spring, which has greenish water. If the water is sprinkled on a man’s body, his hands and feet turn black and he dies. The last one, named the Soft Spring, has icy cold water. If one drinks this water, the drinker’s breath is chilled and his whole being goes all weak and he soon dies. Neither birds nor insects are found in this region, and no one but the Han general Ma Yuan, who was styled ‘General of Subduing the Waves’, has ever set foot on that road. Now the northeast road will be blocked and you may hide here perfectly safe from those men of Shu, for, finding that way blocked, they will try the other road, which is waterless save for the four deadly springs. No matter how many men they have, they will perish. There will be no need of weapons.”
“Now at last I have found a place to live in,” cried Meng Huo, striking his forehead in great relief. Then looking toward the north he said, “Even Zhuge Liang’s cunning schemes will be of no avail. The four springs alone will defeat him and avenge my army.”
The two brothers settled down comfortably as guests of Duo Si, with whom they spent the days in feasting.
In the meantime, as the Mans did not appear, Zhuge Liang gave orders to leave the West Er River and press southward. It was then the sixth month, and the weather was blazing hot. A poem describes the scorching heat of the deep south:
The hills are arid, the valleys dry,
A raging heat fills all the sky,
Throughout the whole wide universe
No spot exists where heat is worse.
Another poem runs:
The glowing sun darts out fierce rays,
No cloud gives shelter from the blaze,
In parching heat there pants a crane,
And turtles moan in the hissing main.
The brook’s cool margin now I love,
Or idle stroll through bamboo grove.
Wretched are those warriors who marched
In iron mail to go out for war.
In spite of the sultry heat, the men of Shu journeyed southward. On the way scouts brought news of Meng Huo’s retreat into the Bald Dragon Valley and the barricading of the key route leading to its entrance. They also said that the route was garrisoned, and the hills were precipitous and impassable.
So Zhuge Liang called in Lu Kai and questioned him, who answered: “I have heard there is another route into that valley but I do not know exactly where it is.”
Then the senior official, Jiang Wan, tried to dissuade him from advancing. “Meng Huo is repeatedly captured. He must have been scared out of his wits and will not dare to venture out again. Our men are exhausted with this intense heat and little is to be gained by prolonging the campaign. I think the best move is to return to our own country.”
“If we do that we will fall into the trap of Meng Huo’s scheme,” said Zhuge Liang. “If we retreat he will certainly follow. Besides, having advanced so far, it will be foolish to turn back now.”
So he ordered Wang Ping to lead the first division, taking with him some of the recently surrendered Mans soldiers as guides to look for a road to get to the valley from the northwest. Wang Ping found the road they were looking for. Presently they got to the first spring, where the thirsty men and horses had a good drink.
Wang Ping returned to report his success but by the time he reached camp he and all his men had lost the power of speech. They could only point to their mouths. Zhuge Liang, who knew they had been poisoned, was much alarmed. He went forward in his light carriage to find out the cause, accompanied by dozens of his men. When he came to the spring he saw the water was clear but very deep. A mass of vapor hung about the surface, rising and falling. The men would not touch the water. Getting off the carriage, Zhuge Liang went up the hill to view the terrain. All he saw was rugged mountains. A deep silence hung over the whole place, unbroken even by the cry of a bird. He was greatly perplexed.
Suddenly he noticed an old temple far away among the high crags. With the aid of hanging creepers he managed to clamber up, and in a chamber hewn out of the rock he saw the statue of an officer. Beside it was a tablet saying the temple was dedicated to Ma Yuan, the famous general who had preceded him in coming to that wild land. The natives had erected it to offer sacrifices to the leader, who had overcome the Mans in the old days.
Zhuge Liang, much impressed, bowed before the image of the general and said: “I, Zhuge Liang, have received from my late lord the sacred mission of protecting his son. Now at my new lord’s order I have come here to subdue the Mans in order that the land might be free from trouble for when I begin my campaign against Wei and conquer Wu, in order to restore the glory of the Hans. But the soldiers are unfamiliar with the country. Some of them have drunk the water from a poisonous spring and have become dumb. I earnestly pray that your honored spirit, out of regard for the Han dynasty, will manifest your holy power by safeguarding and assisting our army.”
After the prayer Zhuge Liang left the temple to try to find some natives to make inquiries. Then in the distance he saw coming toward him from the hill opposite an aged man of unusual appearance, who had a cane in his hand to help him in walking. When he reached the temple, Zhuge Liang asked the venerable visitor to walk in. After exchanging greetings, they sat down on some stones, facing each other.
Zhuge Liang asked the old gentleman who he was.
The old man evaded the question but said, “Sir, I know you well by repute, and am happy to meet you. The Mans are deeply grateful to you for sparing their lives.”
Then Zhuge Liang asked him about the mystery of the spring. The old man told him all about the four poisonous springs and the smog.
“Then the Mans cannot be conquered,” said Zhuge Liang in despair, when the old man had finished. “If they are not subdued, how can we repress Wu, overcome Wei, and restore the Hans? I will fail in the mission set me by my late king. I would rather die than stay alive!”
“Do not lose heart, sir,” said the aged man. “I can point you to a place, where you can find a cure to all of this.”
“What exalted advice have you to confer upon me? I hope you will instruct me.”
“West of here, not far off, is a valley, and twenty li inside it you will find a stream, called the Stream of Ever Lasting Peace. Near there lives a recluse known as the Hermit of the Stream. He has not left the valley these many decades. Behind his cottage there gushes out a spring of water, called the Spring of Peace and Happiness. It provides a cure for the poisons of the four springs. Bathing in the spring will also cure the skin diseases or sickness from inhaling the miasma. Moreover, in front of his cottage grows a special kind of plant, with leaves like leek. Chewing a leaf of this protects one from being poisoned by miasma. You, sir, must go there and get these remedies without delay.”
Zhuge Liang humbly bowed to this aged gentleman and said, “Venerable sir, I am immensely grateful to you for your kindness and compassion. You have saved all our lives. May I ask again by what honored surname I may address you?”
The old man rose and walked into the temple, saying, “I am the
spirit of this mountain, sent by General Ma Yuan to guide you.”
As he said this he shouted at the solid rock behind the temple and it opened of itself to let him in.
Zhuge Liang, whose astonishment was beyond measure, made another obeisance to the mountain spirit and went down by the way he had come. Then he returned to his camp.
The next day, bearing incense and gifts, he took Wang Ping and his stricken men to the spot that the old man had indicated. They quickly found the valley and followed its narrow path till they came to an enclosure where tall pines, lofty cypresses, luxuriant bamboo, and exotic flowers sheltered several thatched-roofed cottages. An exquisite fragrance pervaded the whole place.
Delighted, Zhuge Liang proceeded to knock at the door. A lad answered his knock, and before Zhuge Liang could introduce himself the host appeared and asked, “Could it be that my visitor is the Prime Minister of Han?”
Zhuge Liang saw at the door a man with blue eyes and yellowish hair, wearing a bamboo headdress, straw sandals, and a white robe girded by a black sash.
“Honored sir, how do you know who I am?” asked Zhuge Liang with a smile.
“How could I not have heard of your expedition to the south?”
He invited Zhuge Liang to enter, and when they had seated themselves in their relative positions as host and guest, Zhuge Liang said: “My former lord, the late Emperor, confided to me the care of his son and successor. Now, at the command of the new Emperor, I have led an army to this country to subdue the Mans so that they will obey the rule of the central government. But to my disappointment, Meng Huo has hidden himself in a certain valley, and some of my men have been poisoned by the water in the Dumb Spring. But last night the late general, Ma Yuan, commander of a much earlier expedition, manifested his sacred presence and told me that you, exalted sir, have a cure for this poison. I beg you to have compassion on us and bestow on us some of your holy water to save the lives of my men.”