Читаем Three Kingdoms Romance полностью

Mother Yuan was famous at the rise of Han,

Mother Zhao was distinguished at the end of Wei,

With purest virtue and unfaltering heart,

With resolution stern she played her part.

Her fortitude was great as Taishan Mountains,

Her life but as the floating down did count,

Like mother like son, their fame never will die,

So long as shall endure the earth and sky.

Imperial Guardian Sima Fu proposed that the body of the late Emperor should receive a royal funeral, and Sima Zhao consented. Jia Chong and those of his party urged Sima Zhao to assume the Throne and replace Wei, but he refused.

“Formerly King Wen had two-thirds of the empire, and yet he supported and served the state of Yin to its end. Wherefore Confucius called him 'Complete of Virtue.' Emperor Cao of Wei would not replace the Hans, nor will I accept an abdication of Wei.”

Those who heard this felt that in these words was an implication that he intended to place his own son Sima Yan on the throne, and they ceased to urge him to act.

In the sixth month of that year, Cao Huang, Duke of Changdao, was raised to the throne as Emperor, the period-style being changed to Wonderful Beginning, the first year (AD 260). Cao Huang was a son of Cao Yu, Prince of Yan, and a grandson of Cao Cao.

Sima Zhao was made Prime Minister and Duke of Jin (an ancient state). Beside, he received gifts of one hundred thousand gold coins and ten thousand rolls of silk. All the officers were promoted or received honors.

When these doings in Wei were told in Shu, Jiang Wei seized upon them as pretext for another war, to punish Wei for the deposition of its ruler. So letters were written calling upon Wu to help, and a memorial was sent to the Throne. The army raised was one hundred fifty thousand, and there were many carts with boxes made to fit them. Liao Hua and Zhang Yi were the Leaders of the Van. Liao Hua was to march to the Ziwu Valley, and Zhang Yi to the Luo Valley, while Jiang Wei took the Xie Valley road. They marched at the same time and hastened toward Qishan.

Deng Ai was still on the Qishan Mountains training the Wei soldiers when he heard that the Shu armies were once more on the war path. He called his officers together.

And Military Adviser Wang Guan said, “I have a plan to propose, but I will not tell it openly. However, I have written it down for your consideration.”

Deng Ai took the envelop, opened, and read it.

“Though excellent, I fear it is not enough to beguile the leader of Shu,” said Deng Ai as he finished reading.

“I am willing to stake my life on it,” said Wang Guan, “and I will lead the way.”

“Since you have such confidence you may try. You ought certainly to succeed.”

So five thousand troops were put under the leadership of Wang Guan, and they set out for the Xie Valley, where they fell in with the scouts of Jiang Wei's force.

Seeing these, their leader, Wang Guan, shouted, “We are deserters: tell your leader.”

So the scouts told Jiang Wei, who replied, “Hold up the soldiers, letting their leader only come to me.”

Wang Guan went forward and kneeled before Jiang Wei, saying, “I am a nephew of Wang Jing, and I hate Sima Zhao for what he has done to the Emperor and my family, and I wish to join you and my five thousand soldiers with me. I also desire to be sent against the rebel crew that I may avenge my uncle.”

Then said Jiang Wei, “Since you are sincere in your desertion, I must be sincere in my treatment of you. The one thing my army needs is grain. There is plenty at the border of the Lands of Rivers; and if you can transport it to Qishan, I can go straightway and take the Qishan camps of Deng Ai.”

This reply rejoiced Wang Guan, who saw that Jiang Wei was just going to walk into the trap. So he agreed at once.

“But you will not need five thousand troops to see after the transport. Take three thousand and leave two thousand as guides for me.”

Wang Guan, thinking that suspicions would be raised if he refused, took the three thousand of his troops and marched away, and the other two thousand were attached to the army of Shu.

Then Xiahou Ba was announced, and, when he was come in, he said, “O Commander, why have you believed the tale of this Wang Guan? In Wei I never heard that Wang Guan was related to Wang Jing, though it is true I never made particular inquiries. You should look to it, for there is much pretense in his story.”

“I know Wang Guan is false,” said Jiang Wei, with a smile. “That is why I have taken away many of his force. I am meeting trick with trick.”

“How do you know for certain he is a false?”