Chapter 90

Giant Beasts Are Driven Forth, Yet the Man Army Is Routed a Sixth Time; the Rattan Armor Is Burned and Meng Huo Captured a Seventh Time

Now Kongming released Meng Huo and all his companions. Yang Feng and his sons were each granted official rank and title, and the cave soldiers were richly rewarded. Yang Feng and the others bowed their thanks and departed. Meng Huo and his followers fled through the night back to Silver Pit Cave. Outside the cave flowed three rivers: the Lu River, the Gannan River, and the Xicheng River. Because the three waterways converged there, the place was called Three Rivers. For more than three hundred li north of the cave, the land was mostly level and produced all manner of things. Two hundred li west of the cave lay salt wells. Two hundred li to the southwest, the country reached directly to the Lu and Gan rivers. Three hundred li due south stood Liangdu Cave, encircled by mountains. Silver was mined in those mountains, and hence they were called the Silver Pit Mountains. Within them, palaces, towers, and terraces had been built to serve as the barbarian king’s stronghold. An ancestral temple stood there, called the “Household Spirit.” In all four seasons, cattle and horses were slaughtered and offered in sacrifice, a rite called “Divining the Spirits.” Each year, people from Shu and other foreign districts were regularly sacrificed there. If anyone fell ill, he refused medicine and prayed only to shamans and sorcerers, which was called “Healing by Spirits.” There were no written laws or punishments in that place; whoever committed a crime was simply beheaded. When a girl came of age, she bathed in the streams, where men and women mingled freely and chose their own mates without hindrance from their parents; this was called “Learning the Art.” In years when rain fell in due measure, they planted rice and grain. If the crops failed, they made broth of snakes and cooked elephants for food. In every district, the foremost household was styled “Cave Lord,” and the next in rank “Chieftain.” On the first and fifteenth days of every month, all gathered in Three Rivers City to buy, sell, and barter goods. Such were their customs.

Now Meng Huo assembled more than a thousand members of his clan and faction inside the cave and said to them, “Again and again I have suffered humiliation at the hands of the soldiers of Shu, and I have sworn to avenge myself. What worthy counsel can you offer?” Before he had finished speaking, one man replied, “I can recommend someone who will defeat Zhuge Liang.” All looked at him. He was Meng Huo’s brother-in-law, presently chief of the Eight Tribes, known as Cave Lord Dailai. Meng Huo was overjoyed and hastened to ask whom he meant. Cave Lord Dailai said, “Southwest of here lies Bana Cave. Its lord, King Mulu, is deeply versed in magic. Whenever he goes forth, he rides an elephant and can summon wind and call down rain. Tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, venomous snakes, and vicious scorpions always follow him. He also commands thirty thousand spirit soldiers, all exceedingly valiant. Your Majesty may write him a letter and prepare gifts, and I will go in person to seek his aid. If he consents, why should we fear the soldiers of Shu?” Meng Huo gladly ordered his brother-in-law to carry the letter and depart. He then commanded King Duosi to hold Three Rivers City as an outer bulwark.

Now Kongming led his army straight to Three Rivers City. From afar he saw that three sides of the city bordered rivers, while only one side opened onto dry land. He therefore sent Wei Yan and Zhao Yun to lead a force against the city by the landward road. When the army reached the foot of the walls, bows and crossbows loosed together from above. The cave people were highly practiced with the crossbow, and each crossbow discharged ten bolts at once. Every arrowhead was smeared with poison; anyone struck by one found his skin and flesh rotting away until his five viscera lay exposed, and then he died. Unable to prevail, Zhao Yun and Wei Yan returned to Kongming and told him about the poisoned arrows. Kongming rode his light carriage to the front, examined the true state of affairs, then returned to camp and ordered the army to withdraw several li before encamping again. When the barbarian soldiers saw the Shu forces retreating into the distance, they all laughed and congratulated one another, supposing that fear and cowardice alone had driven them back. That night they slept in perfect ease and posted no scouts.

Once Kongming had arranged the army’s withdrawal, he closed the camp and did not come forth. For five days running, he issued no orders. Toward dusk on the fifth day, a light breeze suddenly arose. Kongming passed down an order: “Every soldier is to provide a piece torn from the skirt of his robe and report with it by the first watch. Anyone without one will be beheaded at once.” None of the generals understood his purpose, but the soldiers obeyed and made ready. At the first watch another order came: “Every soldier is to use his piece of cloth to wrap a bundle of earth. Anyone without one will be beheaded at once.” Again the soldiers did not understand, but they had no choice save to obey. Kongming then sent out a further command: “All troops are to deliver their bundles of earth beneath the walls of Three Rivers City. Those who arrive first will be rewarded.” On hearing the order, every soldier wrapped up clean earth and raced toward the city. Kongming commanded them to heap the soil into an ascending ramp, declaring that the first man onto the wall would receive the foremost merit. Thus more than a hundred thousand soldiers of Shu, together with over ten thousand surrendered troops, all cast the earth they had carried beneath the city walls. In a moment, the soil rose into a hill reaching the battlements. At a secret signal, the soldiers of Shu swarmed up onto the wall. By the time the barbarians hastened to loose their crossbows, more than half had already been seized and dragged down, while the rest abandoned the city and fled. King Duosi died amid the chaos of battle. The Shu commanders directed their troops along separate routes to hunt down and destroy the enemy. Kongming took Three Rivers City, and all the jewels and treasures captured there he distributed among the three armies. The defeated remnants of the barbarian host escaped back to Meng Huo and reported, “King Duosi is dead, and Three Rivers City has been lost.” Meng Huo was greatly alarmed.

While he was still anxiously considering what to do, a messenger reported that the army of Shu had crossed the river and was now encamped before his own cave. Meng Huo fell into a great panic. Suddenly someone behind a screen laughed loudly and stepped forth, saying, “You call yourself a man, yet how can you be so witless? Though I am only a woman, I am willing to go out and fight for you.” Meng Huo looked and saw that it was his wife, Lady Zhurong. Her family had dwelt in the Southern Man country for generations, and she was a descendant of the Fire God Zhurong. She was skilled in casting flying knives and never missed her mark. Meng Huo rose and thanked her. Lady Zhurong gladly mounted her horse and led several hundred fierce generals of her clan, together with fifty thousand fresh cave troops, out from the palaces of Silver Pit to face the soldiers of Shu. They had just rounded the mouth of the cave when a body of troops barred their way. The Shu commander at their head was Zhang Yi. At the sight of him, the barbarian soldiers swiftly formed into two wings. Lady Zhurong carried five flying knives at her back and held an eighteen-foot spear in her hand. Beneath her was a curly-maned Red Hare horse. Zhang Yi beheld her and marveled inwardly. The two spurred forward and crossed weapons. After only a few bouts, the lady wheeled her horse and fled. Zhang Yi pursued her, but suddenly a flying knife descended through the air. He raised his hand to ward it off, and it struck him squarely in the left arm, sending him tumbling from his horse. With a great shout, the barbarian soldiers seized and bound him. When Ma Zhong heard that Zhang Yi had been captured, he rushed out to rescue him, but the barbarians quickly surrounded him. Seeing Lady Zhurong sitting motionless on her horse with spear poised, Ma Zhong charged forward in fury to fight her. His mount was tripped and fell, and he too was captured. Both prisoners were taken into the cave before Meng Huo, who laid a feast to celebrate. Lady Zhurong ordered the executioners to drag Zhang Yi and Ma Zhong out and behead them. Meng Huo stopped her, saying, “Zhuge Liang has released me five times. If we kill his generals now, we shall be acting without honor. Confine them in the cave for the present. Once we have captured Zhuge Liang, it will not be too late to kill them.” The lady accepted his words, and they drank, laughed, and made merry.

Meanwhile the defeated remnants returned to Kongming and told him what had happened. Kongming immediately summoned Ma Dai, Zhao Yun, and Wei Yan, gave each of them secret instructions, and sent them forth at the head of separate forces. The next day, barbarian scouts entered the cave and reported that Zhao Yun had come to challenge them. Lady Zhurong mounted her horse and rode out to meet him. They fought for only a few bouts before Zhao Yun wheeled and fled. Fearing an ambush, the lady reined in her troops and returned. Then Wei Yan led an army forward and issued a challenge. Lady Zhurong spurred out to meet him. At the height of the fighting, Wei Yan feigned defeat and fled, but she refused to pursue. The following day, Zhao Yun again led troops forward to challenge her, and once more the lady brought out the cave soldiers to meet him. After a few bouts, Zhao Yun pretended to be defeated and fled, but the lady rested her spear and would not give chase. Just as she was about to withdraw into the cave, Wei Yan led up his troops and began hurling insults at her in a single voice. In anger, Lady Zhurong leveled her spear and charged at Wei Yan. He wheeled his horse and fled. Enraged, she pursued, while Wei Yan galloped into a narrow, secluded mountain path. Suddenly a loud crash sounded behind him. Wei Yan looked back and saw the lady falling backward from her saddle. Ma Dai had lain in ambush there and brought down her horse with a trip rope. She was seized and bound on the spot, then escorted to the main camp. When the barbarian generals and cave troops came to rescue her, Zhao Yun charged and scattered them in a single onslaught.

Kongming sat upright in his command tent when Ma Dai brought Lady Zhurong before him. Kongming at once ordered the guards to remove her bonds, invited her into a separate tent, and gave her wine to calm her alarm. He then sent an envoy to inform Meng Huo that he wished to exchange the lady for the two generals Zhang Yi and Ma Zhong. Meng Huo agreed, immediately released Zhang Yi and Ma Zhong, and returned them to Kongming. Kongming then sent the lady back into the cave. Meng Huo received her with mingled joy and vexation. Suddenly it was reported that the lord of Bana Cave had arrived. Meng Huo went out of the cave to welcome him and saw a man riding a white elephant, his body adorned with gold and pearl necklaces, two great swords hanging from his waist. Around him crowded a company of men who tended tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves. Meng Huo escorted him inside, bowed twice, and sorrowfully recounted all that had happened. King Mulu promised to avenge him. Meng Huo was overjoyed and prepared a feast in his honor. The next day, King Mulu led forth the soldiers of his cave, bringing the fierce beasts with him. When Zhao Yun and Wei Yan learned that the barbarian army had emerged, they drew up their troops in battle formation. The two generals sat side by side on horseback before the line and watched. They saw that the barbarian banners and weapons were wholly unlike their own. Most of the men wore neither clothes nor armor but went completely naked, their faces hideous to behold, and each carried four sharp knives. No drums or horns sounded in their ranks; gongs alone gave the signals. King Mulu rode out from beneath his great standard, two precious swords hanging at his waist, a handbell in his grasp, and a white elephant beneath him. At the sight, Zhao Yun said to Wei Yan, “We have spent our lives on the battlefield, yet never have we seen such a person as this.” While the two were still pondering, King Mulu began muttering some unknown incantation and shaking his handbell. Suddenly a furious gale sprang up, flinging sand and rolling stones like a driving rain. At one blast of a painted horn, tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, venomous snakes, and savage beasts rushed forth upon the wind, baring fangs and brandishing claws as they charged. How could the soldiers of Shu withstand them? They fell back at once. The barbarian army pursued and slaughtered them, chasing them all the way to the border road of Three Rivers before turning back.

Zhao Yun and Wei Yan gathered the defeated troops and came before Kongming’s tent to confess their failure, recounting everything in detail. Kongming laughed and said, “This is no fault of yours. Before ever I left my thatched cottage, I knew that the Southern Man possessed arts for driving tigers and leopards. While still in Shu, I prepared the means to break this formation. Twenty wagons have accompanied the army, all sealed and marked here. Today we shall use half of them and retain the other half for a different purpose later.” He ordered his attendants to bring ten red-painted cabinet wagons before the tent, leaving ten black-painted cabinet wagons in reserve. None understood his purpose. When Kongming had the cabinets opened, they were found to contain enormous beasts carved from wood and brightly painted, all covered with coats of five-colored wool and furnished with teeth and claws of steel and iron. Each could carry ten men. Kongming selected more than a thousand strong and able soldiers, assigned ten to each of the hundred beasts, and had smoke and fire-making substances packed into their mouths. He then concealed them within the army. The next day, Kongming drove his forces forward in strength and arrayed them before the mouth of the cave. The barbarian scouts learned of it and went in to report to the barbarian kings. Believing himself invincible, King Mulu led out the cave soldiers together with Meng Huo. Kongming, wearing a silk cap and holding a feather fan, sat upright in his carriage in a Daoist robe. Meng Huo pointed and said, “The man seated in that carriage is Zhuge Liang! If we capture him, the great affair will be settled!” King Mulu muttered an incantation and shook his handbell. In an instant, a furious gale arose and the fierce beasts charged forth. Kongming waved his feather fan, and the wind immediately turned and blew back into the enemy ranks. Then the false beasts surged out from the Shu formation. When the true beasts of the barbarian caves saw the giant creatures from the Shu army coming toward them, flames pouring from their mouths, black smoke streaming from their nostrils, copper bells clanging over their bodies, and teeth and claws fiercely displayed, not one of the savage animals dared advance. All fled back toward the barbarian cave and trampled down countless barbarian soldiers in their flight. Kongming drove his army forward in a great assault. Drums and horns thundered together as the men charged ahead in pursuit and slaughter. King Mulu died amid the chaos. Meng Huo’s clansmen and followers within the cave abandoned the palaces and fled over mountains and ridges. Kongming’s great army occupied Silver Pit Cave.

The next day, as Kongming was about to divide his forces to hunt down and capture Meng Huo, a report suddenly arrived: “Cave Lord Dailai, brother-in-law to the barbarian king Meng Huo, urged Meng Huo to submit, but Meng Huo refused. He has therefore captured Meng Huo, Lady Zhurong, and several hundred of their clansmen and followers, and has brought them all to present to the Prime Minister.” On hearing this, Kongming summoned Zhang Yi and Ma Zhong and gave them certain secret instructions. The two generals accepted the plan and led two thousand picked soldiers into ambush in the two side galleries. Kongming then ordered the gate commanders to admit the entire party. Cave Lord Dailai led in executioners escorting Meng Huo and several hundred others in bonds, and they bowed below the hall. Kongming shouted, “Seize them for me!” The strong soldiers rushed out from both galleries, two men seizing each prisoner, and bound them all. Kongming laughed loudly and said, “How could such petty tricks of yours deceive me? Twice before, men from your own cave seized you and brought you to submit, and I did them no harm. You thought I trusted them completely, and so you came in feigned surrender, intending to kill me here inside the cave!” He ordered the guards to search them, and sure enough, each man carried a sharp knife. Kongming asked Meng Huo, “You once said that only if I captured you in your own home would you submit in your heart. What have you to say today?” Meng Huo replied, “We came of our own accord to seek death. This was no feat of yours. My heart is not yet submissive.” Kongming said, “I have captured you six times, and still you refuse to submit. How long do you mean to wait?” Meng Huo answered, “If you capture me a seventh time, then I shall submit with all my heart and swear never to rebel again.” Kongming said, “Your stronghold is already broken. What have I to fear?” He ordered the guards to remove all their bonds, then rebuked them: “If I capture you again and you still prevaricate, I will show you no mercy!” Meng Huo and his companions clutched their heads and scurried away like rats.

More than a thousand defeated barbarian soldiers had escaped, most of them wounded, and now they chanced to meet the barbarian king Meng Huo. He gathered these remnants and felt somewhat heartened. He then conferred with Cave Lord Dailai, saying, “Now that my cave stronghold has been occupied by the soldiers of Shu, where can we go to find refuge?” Cave Lord Dailai replied, “There is only one kingdom capable of defeating Shu.” Meng Huo said joyfully, “Where may we find it?” Cave Lord Dailai answered, “Seven hundred li southeast of here lies a kingdom called Wuge. Its ruler, Wutugu, stands twelve feet tall. He eats no grain, but feeds on living snakes and savage beasts. His body is covered in scales that neither blades nor arrows can pierce. All the soldiers under him wear rattan armor. The rattan grows in mountain ravines, twining over walls of rock. The people harvest it and soak it in oil for half a year before taking it out to dry. Once dry, it is soaked again. Only after this has been done more than ten times is it fashioned into armor. When worn, it does not sink in crossing rivers, does not grow wet in water, and cannot be pierced by blade or arrow. For this reason, his troops are called the Rattan-Armored Army. Your Majesty may now go and seek his aid. If he assists us, capturing Zhuge Liang will be as easy as a sharp knife splitting bamboo.” Meng Huo was overjoyed and set off for the kingdom of Wuge to see Wutugu. There were no houses in his cave domain; all the people lived in earthen pits. Meng Huo entered the cave, bowed twice, and sorrowfully related all that had happened. Wutugu said, “I shall raise the troops of my cave and avenge you.” Meng Huo gladly bowed his thanks. Wutugu then summoned two tribal commanders, one named Tu’an and the other Xini, and raised thirty thousand soldiers, all clad in rattan armor. They left the kingdom of Wuge and marched northeast. Presently they reached a river called Peach Blossom Water. Peach trees grew on both banks, and year after year their fallen leaves dropped into the stream. People from other countries who drank its water invariably died, but when the people of Wuge drank it, their vitality was redoubled. Wutugu’s army encamped at Peach Blossom Ford to await the soldiers of Shu.

Kongming sent barbarian scouts to discover Meng Huo’s whereabouts. They returned and reported, “Meng Huo has invited the ruler of Wuge to bring thirty thousand rattan-armored troops, who are now encamped at Peach Blossom Ford. Meng Huo is also gathering barbarian soldiers from all the tribes to combine their strength and resist us.” On hearing this, Kongming advanced with his army directly to Peach Blossom Ford. Looking across the river, he saw barbarian soldiers scarcely resembling human beings, exceedingly hideous and repulsive. When he questioned the local people, they told him that the peach leaves were now falling and the water could not be drunk. Kongming withdrew five li to make camp and left Wei Yan to defend it.

The next day, the ruler of Wuge led a force of rattan-armored soldiers across the river, while gongs and drums shook the heavens. Wei Yan led his troops out to meet them. The barbarians swept forward like a rolling carpet. The Shu troops shot crossbow bolts against their rattan armor, but none could penetrate, and all fell to the ground. Swords could not cut it, nor spears pierce it. The barbarian soldiers all wielded sharp knives and steel forks. How could the troops of Shu withstand them? They fled in utter defeat. The barbarians did not pursue, but turned back. Wei Yan rallied his men and followed to Peach Blossom Ford, where he saw the barbarian troops crossing the water in their armor. Some who had grown weary removed their armor, laid it upon the surface of the water, and crossed while sitting on it. Wei Yan hastened back to the main camp and reported everything in detail to Kongming. Kongming summoned Lü Kai and some local people and questioned them. Lü Kai said, “I have long heard that among the Southern Man there is a kingdom called Wuge, whose people possess no human customs. They protect themselves with rattan armor and cannot readily be harmed. There is also the deadly water tainted by peach leaves: when the natives drink it, their vitality increases, but when people of other lands drink it, they die. Even if we won a complete victory over such a barbarous region, what benefit would there be? We would do better to withdraw the army and return at once.” Kongming laughed and said, “I did not come all this way lightly. How can I simply depart? Tomorrow I shall have a plan to subdue these barbarians.” He then ordered Zhao Yun to assist Wei Yan in guarding the camp and warned them not to venture out rashly.

The next day, Kongming had local men guide him while he rode in his light carriage to a secluded place among the hills on the north bank of Peach Blossom Ford, where he carefully surveyed the terrain. When the mountains and ridges grew so steep that the carriage could go no farther, Kongming abandoned it and proceeded on foot. Presently he came to a mountain and saw a valley shaped like a long serpent. On both sides rose smooth, sheer walls of rock without a tree upon them, while a single broad road ran through the center. Kongming asked the local guide, “What is this valley called?” The man replied, “This place is called Coiled Serpent Valley. Beyond it lies the main road to Three Rivers City, while the plain before the valley is called Talang Meadow.” Kongming was overjoyed and said, “Heaven has bestowed this place upon me so that I may accomplish my work!” He retraced his path, mounted his carriage, and returned to camp. There he summoned Ma Dai and instructed him: “I give you the ten black-painted cabinet wagons. You will also require a thousand bamboo poles. As for the contents of the cabinets, you are to arrange them thus and thus. Take your own troops and secure both ends of Coiled Serpent Valley, carrying out my plan exactly. You have half a month to prepare everything. When the appointed time comes, make these dispositions. If anyone escapes, you will assuredly be punished under military law.” Ma Dai received the plan and departed. Kongming then summoned Zhao Yun and told him, “Go beyond Coiled Serpent Valley and guard the junction of the main road to Three Rivers in this manner. Prepare everything you will need by the appointed day.” Zhao Yun received the plan and departed. Kongming next summoned Wei Yan and instructed him: “Lead your own troops to encamp at Peach Blossom Ford. If the barbarians cross the water to attack, abandon your camp and flee toward the place where you see a white flag. Within half a month, you must lose fifteen successive battles and abandon seven fortified camps. If you lose only fourteen battles, do not bother returning to see me.” Wei Yan accepted the order, but was displeased at heart and went away resentfully. Kongming also summoned Zhang Yi, ordered him to lead a separate force to the place he indicated, and had him erect a stockaded camp there. He then commanded Zhang Yi and Ma Zhong to take a thousand surrendered cave soldiers and act according to further secret instructions. Each man carried out the plan exactly.

Meng Huo now said to Wutugu, ruler of Wuge, “Zhuge Liang has many cunning schemes, but all depend upon ambushes. In future engagements, give orders to the three armies that whenever they see a mountain valley thick with trees, they must not advance rashly.” Wutugu replied, “Your Majesty speaks wisely. I have long known that the people of the Central Plains employ many deceitful stratagems. Henceforth I shall act as you advise. I will fight in the front, while you remain behind and direct me.” Their plans settled, they suddenly received word that the Shu army had raised a camp on the north bank of Peach Blossom Ford. Wutugu immediately sent the two tribal commanders across the river with the Rattan-Armored Army to engage the soldiers of Shu. After only a few bouts, Wei Yan fled in defeat. Fearing an ambush, the barbarians did not pursue but returned of their own accord. The next day, Wei Yan again came and established a camp. When the barbarian scouts discovered it, they again led the host across the river to fight. Wei Yan came out to meet them, but after a few bouts he fled in defeat. The barbarians pursued for more than ten li. Seeing no movement anywhere around them, they occupied the abandoned Shu camp. The next day, the two tribal commanders invited Wutugu to the camp and told him what had happened. Wutugu at once brought his army forward in strength and pursued Wei Yan for another stage. The Shu soldiers threw away their armor and cast aside their spears as they fled. Presently a white flag appeared ahead. Wei Yan led his defeated troops racing toward it and found a camp already standing there, so he halted within. Wutugu drove his army onward in pursuit. Wei Yan again led his troops in abandoning the camp and fleeing, and the barbarians took possession of it. The next day, they continued their pursuit. Wei Yan turned back to fight, but before three bouts had passed, he was defeated again. Watching for a white flag, he fled toward it and found another camp, where he halted. The next day, the barbarians arrived once more. Wei Yan made a brief show of battle, then fled again, and the barbarians occupied another Shu camp.

There is no need to weary the tale with every detail. Fighting and retreating by turns, Wei Yan lost fifteen battles and abandoned seven camps in succession. The barbarian army pressed forward in pursuit and slaughter. Wutugu himself led the fighting at the head of the army, but whenever he saw a place along the road where trees grew thickly, he dared not advance. Instead he sent men to observe from afar, and they invariably saw banners fluttering beneath the shade. Wutugu said to Meng Huo, “Everything has happened exactly as Your Majesty predicted.” Meng Huo laughed loudly and said, “This time I have seen through Zhuge Liang’s scheme! Day after day, Your Majesty has defeated him in fifteen battles and captured seven camps, while the soldiers of Shu flee at the mere sight of you. Zhuge Liang has exhausted his stratagems. One more advance, and the great affair will be settled!” Wutugu was delighted and thereafter gave no thought at all to the soldiers of Shu.

On the sixteenth day, Wei Yan led his defeated remnants out to face the Rattan-Armored Army. Wutugu rode an elephant at the forefront. On his head he wore a sun-and-moon cap adorned with wolf whiskers, and over his body hung necklaces of gold and pearls. Beneath his arms, the living scales of his flesh were exposed, and a faint radiance shone from his eyes. Pointing at Wei Yan, he reviled him loudly. Wei Yan wheeled his horse and fled, and the barbarian army surged forward behind him. Wei Yan led his soldiers around Coiled Serpent Valley and fled toward the white flag. Wutugu commanded his whole army to pursue and slaughter them. Seeing no grass or trees on the surrounding mountains, Wutugu judged that there could be no ambush and pressed on without concern. When he reached the valley, he saw several dozen black-painted cabinet wagons blocking the road. The barbarian soldiers reported, “These were used to transport provisions for the Shu army. When Your Majesty’s troops arrived, the enemy abandoned their supply wagons and fled.” Wutugu was overjoyed and urged his men onward in pursuit. As they approached the far end of the valley, not a Shu soldier could be seen. Suddenly logs and boulders came rolling down across the way, piling up and sealing the valley mouth. Wutugu ordered his troops to clear the road and continue their advance. All at once they saw large and small wagons ahead, laden with dry firewood, burst into flame. Wutugu hurriedly ordered a retreat, but shouts arose from the rear ranks, reporting that the other mouth of the valley had already been blocked with heaps of dry wood and that the wagons there had been filled with gunpowder, which was now blazing all at once. Seeing that there were no trees or grass nearby, Wutugu still did not panic, but ordered his men to seek another path of escape. Then torches rained down from both sides of the mountain. Wherever they landed, hidden powder trains in the earth caught fire, setting off iron bombs beneath the ground. Flames leaped and whirled throughout the valley, and every suit of rattan armor they touched instantly ignited. Wutugu and all thirty thousand soldiers of the Rattan-Armored Army were burned to death in Coiled Serpent Valley, clinging to one another in their agony. Looking down from the mountain, Kongming saw the barbarian soldiers stretching their limbs and writhing in the flames, while most had their heads and faces smashed to pieces by the iron bombs. All lay dead within the valley, and the stench was unbearable. Kongming shed tears and sighed, “Though I have rendered service to the state, this deed will surely diminish the years of my life!” Not one of the officers and soldiers around him failed to sigh with grief.

Meanwhile Meng Huo waited in his camp for news from the barbarian army. Suddenly more than a thousand men came laughing and bowed before the camp, saying, “The army of Wuge has fought a great battle with the soldiers of Shu and surrounded Zhuge Liang in Coiled Serpent Valley. We have come especially to ask Your Majesty to go forward and support them. We are all men of your own cave who were compelled against our will to surrender to Shu. Now that we know Your Majesty has come, we have returned especially to aid you in battle.” Meng Huo was overjoyed. At once he gathered his clansmen and the tribesmen he had assembled, mounted during the night, and ordered the barbarian soldiers to guide him. He had just reached Coiled Serpent Valley when he saw flames rising fiercely and smelled an unbearable stench. Realizing that he had fallen into a trap, Meng Huo hastily ordered a retreat. But Zhang Yi charged out with one army on the left, and Ma Zhong with another on the right. Meng Huo was about to resist them when a great shout arose. More than half the barbarian soldiers in his own ranks were actually men of Shu, and they seized the barbarian king’s clansmen and all the assembled tribesmen.

Meng Huo fought his way alone through the encirclement and fled along a mountain path. As he raced onward, a body of men and horses suddenly emerged from a hollow in the hills, escorting a light carriage. Seated upright within it was a man wearing a silk cap, holding a feather fan, and dressed in a Daoist robe. It was Kongming. Kongming shouted, “Meng Huo, rebel! What have you to say this time?” Meng Huo hastily turned his horse and fled. A general darted out from one side and barred his way. It was Ma Dai. Taken wholly unprepared, Meng Huo was captured alive by Ma Dai. By then Wang Ping and Zhang Yi had led another force into the barbarian camp and captured Lady Zhurong and every member of their household, old and young alike.

Kongming returned to camp, ascended the command seat, and said to his generals, “I employed this plan only because I had no other choice, but it has grievously injured my hidden virtue. I knew that the enemy would suppose I had laid ambushes wherever the woods were thick, so I planted empty banners there without a single soldier, thereby filling their minds with suspicion. I ordered Wei Wenchang to lose fifteen battles in succession in order to strengthen their confidence. I saw that Coiled Serpent Valley had only one road, that both walls were smooth rock without trees, and that the ground below was all sand and earth. I therefore ordered Ma Dai to arrange the black-painted cabinets throughout the valley. Inside the oil-coated cabinets on the wagons were fire bombs prepared in advance, called ‘earth-shaking thunder.’ Each large bomb contained nine smaller ones. They were buried thirty paces apart, with hollow-jointed bamboo poles laid between them to carry the powder trains. Once ignited, they could rend mountains and split rocks. I also ordered Zhao Zilong to prepare wagons of dry grass and arrange them inside the valley, while great logs and boulders were made ready upon the mountains. Wei Yan was then to lure Wutugu and the Rattan-Armored Army into the valley. Once Wei Yan had been allowed to escape, their road was to be cut off and the enemy burned. I have heard it said, ‘What profits by water must suffer by fire.’ Though blades and arrows could not pierce the rattan armor, it had been soaked in oil and was bound to ignite when it met flame. These barbarian troops were so fierce and intractable that without an attack by fire, how could we have prevailed? Yet to leave not one seed of the people of Wuge alive—this is my great crime!” The generals bowed low and said, “The Prime Minister’s heavenly designs are beyond the fathoming of ghosts and spirits!” Kongming ordered Meng Huo brought before him. Meng Huo knelt below the command tent. Kongming had his bonds removed and ordered that he be taken to a separate tent and given wine and food to calm his alarm. He then summoned the officer in charge of provisions, called him before his couch, gave him certain private instructions, and sent him away.

Meng Huo, Lady Zhurong, Meng You, Cave Lord Dailai, and all their clansmen were drinking wine in the separate tent when a man suddenly entered and said to Meng Huo, “The Prime Minister is ashamed to face you and does not wish to meet you. He has specially ordered me to release you so that you may return, raise more troops, and come back to decide victory and defeat. You should leave at once.” Meng Huo shed tears and said, “Seven times captured and seven times released—never since ancient days has such a thing been known. Though I am a man from beyond the reach of civilization, I still have some understanding of propriety and honor. Can I truly be so utterly shameless?” Then, together with his brothers, wife, children, and clansmen, he crawled to the foot of the command tent, knelt with his upper body bared, and confessed his guilt, saying, “Before the Prime Minister’s heavenly majesty, the people of the south will never rebel again!” Kongming said, “Do you submit now?” Meng Huo wept and replied, “My children and my children’s children shall all be grateful for your life-giving grace, as vast as the sheltering heavens and sustaining earth. How could I not submit?” Kongming then invited Meng Huo into the command tent, gave a feast in celebration, and appointed him perpetual lord of the caves. All the territory that had been seized was returned. Meng Huo’s clansmen and the barbarian soldiers were filled with gratitude and reverence; all leaped for joy and departed. A poet of later times praised Kongming:

Feather fan and silken cap beneath the azure banners bright;Seven wondrous captures tamed the barbarian king in might.Still through stream and cave his grace and majesty are sung,And on the high plateau a shrine to honor him has sprung.

Chief Clerk Fei Yi entered and remonstrated: “The Prime Minister has personally led the soldiers deep into this barren wilderness and brought the barbarian regions to submission. Now that the barbarian king has yielded, why not appoint officials and administrators to guard the land together with Meng Huo?” Kongming replied, “There are three difficulties in doing so. If outsiders are left here, troops must be left to protect them, but there is no food for those troops. That is the first difficulty. The barbarians have suffered wounds and ruin, and their fathers and elder brothers have died. If outsiders are left here without troops to protect them, disaster will certainly follow. That is the second difficulty. The barbarians have repeatedly committed crimes deserving dismissal and death, and so they naturally harbor suspicions. If outsiders are left among them, they will never trust them. That is the third difficulty. Therefore I shall leave no men behind and transport no grain here. We need only allow both sides to remain at peace, with nothing further to trouble them.” All were fully persuaded. The barbarian regions were deeply moved by Kongming’s benevolence and virtue. They built shrines to him while he yet lived, offered sacrifices in all four seasons, and called him their loving father. Each tribe sent pearls, gold, precious objects, red lacquer, medicinal herbs, plow oxen, and warhorses to supply the army, and all swore never to rebel again. Thus the south was pacified.

After Kongming had rewarded the army, he withdrew his forces and returned to Shu, ordering Wei Yan to lead his own troops as the vanguard. Wei Yan had just reached the Lu River when dark clouds suddenly closed in from every side. A furious wind swept over the surface of the water, flinging sand and rolling stones, and the army could advance no farther. Wei Yan withdrew his troops and reported the matter to Kongming. Kongming therefore summoned Meng Huo and questioned him. Indeed:

Beyond the frontier, the southern tribes had just been brought to peace;Beside the river, ghostly soldiers now renewed their wild increase.

What Meng Huo said remains unknown. Read the next chapter to learn what followed.

Giant Beasts Are Driven Forth, Yet the Man Army Is Routed a Sixth Time; the Rattan Armor Is Burned and Meng Huo Captured a Seventh Time

Now Kongming released Meng Huo and all the others. Yang Feng and his sons were each granted official rank and title, and the tribal soldiers were richly rewarded. Yang Feng and the others bowed in thanks and departed. Meng Huo and his men fled through the night back to Silver Pit Cave. Outside the cave were three rivers: the Lu River, the Gannan River, and the Xicheng River. Because the three waterways converged there, the place was called Three Rivers. For more than three hundred miles north of the cave, the land was mostly level and produced all manner of things. Two hundred miles west of the cave was a salt well. Two hundred miles to the southwest, the territory extended directly to the Lu and Gan Rivers. Three hundred miles due south was Liangdu Cave. A mountain encircled the cave, and silver was mined from it, so it was called Silver Pit Mountain. Palaces and towers had been built in the mountain as the barbarian king’s stronghold. Within it stood an ancestral temple called the “Household Spirits.” Cattle and horses were slaughtered as offerings there in every season, in rites called “Divining the Spirits.” Every year, people from Shu and other regions were regularly sacrificed. When anyone fell ill, the people refused medicine and prayed only to shamans and sorcerers, calling this “Healing by Spirits.” There were no written laws or punishments there; anyone who committed a crime was simply beheaded. When a girl came of age, she bathed in the streams, where men and women mingled freely and chose their own mates without parental interference. This was called “Learning the Art.” In years when the rains came regularly and in proper measure, the people planted rice and grain. If the crops failed, they killed snakes for stew and cooked elephants for food. In each district, the head of the foremost household was called the “Cave Lord,” and the next in rank was called the “Chieftain.” On the first and fifteenth days of every month, everyone gathered in Three Rivers City to buy, sell, and exchange goods. Such were their customs.

Now Meng Huo assembled more than a thousand members of his clan and faction in the cave and said to them, “I have repeatedly suffered humiliation at the hands of the Shu army, and I have sworn to avenge myself. What wise counsel can you offer?” Before he had finished, one man replied, “I can recommend someone who can defeat Zhuge Liang.” Everyone looked at him. He was Meng Huo’s wife’s younger brother, presently the chief of the Eight Tribes, and was known as Cave Lord Dailai. Meng Huo was delighted and quickly asked whom he meant. Cave Lord Dailai said, “Southwest of here lies Bana Cave. Its lord, King Mulu, is deeply versed in magic. When he goes out, he rides an elephant and can summon the wind and call down rain. Tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, venomous snakes, and vicious scorpions always follow him. He also commands thirty thousand divine warriors, all exceedingly brave. Your Majesty may write him a letter and prepare gifts, and I will personally go to ask his aid. If he agrees, why should we fear the Shu army?” Meng Huo gladly ordered his brother-in-law to write the letter and depart. He then ordered King Duosi to hold Three Rivers City as the forward barrier.

Now Kongming led his army straight to Three Rivers City. From a distance he saw that the city bordered rivers on three sides, while only one side opened onto dry land. He therefore sent Wei Yan and Zhao Yun to lead an army against the city by the landward route. When the troops reached the walls, bows and crossbows fired all at once from above. The cave people were mostly skilled with crossbows, and each crossbow could discharge ten bolts at once. Every arrowhead was coated with poison. Anyone struck by one suffered such decay of flesh and skin that the internal organs were exposed, and then died. Zhao Yun and Wei Yan could not prevail, so they returned to Kongming and reported the poisoned arrows. Kongming rode his small carriage to the front to inspect the situation for himself. After returning to camp, he ordered the army to withdraw several miles and establish a new camp. When the barbarian soldiers saw the Shu army retreating into the distance, they all laughed and celebrated, assuming that the Shu troops had withdrawn out of fear. That night they slept securely and made no effort to send out scouts.

After Kongming had ordered the army to withdraw, he closed the camp and did not come out. For five days straight, he issued no orders. Around dusk on the fifth day, a light breeze suddenly arose. Kongming gave an order: “Every soldier must provide a piece cut from the front of his tunic. It must be ready for inspection by the first watch. Anyone without one will be beheaded at once.” None of the commanders understood his purpose, but the troops prepared the cloth as ordered. At the first watch, another order came: “Every soldier is to use his piece of cloth to wrap one bundle of earth. Anyone without one will be beheaded at once.” The troops still did not understand his purpose, but they had no choice except to obey. Kongming then ordered, “All troops are to deliver their bundles of earth beneath the walls of Three Rivers City. Those who arrive first will be rewarded.” On hearing the order, all the soldiers wrapped up clean earth and raced toward the city. Kongming ordered the earth piled into an ascending ramp and declared that the first man onto the wall would receive the highest merit. Thus more than a hundred thousand Shu soldiers, together with over ten thousand surrendered troops, all dumped their bundles of earth beneath the wall. In moments, the piled earth formed a mountain reaching to the top of the walls. At a secret signal, the Shu troops all charged onto the city wall. By the time the barbarian soldiers hastily fired their crossbows, more than half had already been seized and dragged down. The rest abandoned the city and fled. King Duosi died amid the chaos. The Shu generals directed their troops along separate routes to hunt down and kill the fugitives. Kongming captured Three Rivers City and distributed all the treasure found there among the army. The surviving barbarian soldiers fled back to Meng Huo and reported, “King Duosi is dead, and Three Rivers City has been lost.” Meng Huo was greatly alarmed.

While Meng Huo was anxiously considering what to do, a messenger reported that the Shu army had already crossed the river and was now camped before his own cave. Meng Huo was thrown into a panic. Suddenly, someone emerged from behind a screen, laughing loudly, and said, “You call yourself a man, yet why are you so lacking in wisdom? Though I am only a woman, I am willing to go out and fight for you.” Meng Huo looked and saw that it was his wife, Lady Zhurong. Her family had lived for generations among the southern tribes, and she was a descendant of the Zhurong clan. She was skilled in throwing knives and could strike the mark with every cast. Meng Huo rose and thanked her. Lady Zhurong happily mounted her horse and led several hundred fierce clan generals and fifty thousand fresh cave troops out from the palaces of Silver Pit to confront the Shu army. They had only just rounded the cave entrance when a body of troops blocked their way. The Shu general at their head was Zhang Ni. At the sight of him, the barbarian troops immediately spread into two wings. Lady Zhurong carried five throwing knives behind her back and held an eighteen-foot spear in her hand. She rode a red, curly-haired horse. Zhang Ni marveled inwardly when he saw her. The two spurred their horses and met in combat. After only a few exchanges, Lady Zhurong wheeled her horse and fled. Zhang Ni pursued her, but a throwing knife suddenly came flying through the air. He hastily raised his hand to deflect it, but it struck him squarely in the left arm, and he toppled from his horse. With a shout, the barbarian soldiers rushed forward, seized Zhang Ni, and bound him. When Ma Zhong heard that Zhang Ni had been captured, he hurried out to rescue him, but the barbarian troops soon surrounded him. Seeing Lady Zhurong reining in her horse with her spear held upright, Ma Zhong charged forward in fury to fight her. His horse was tripped and fell, and he too was captured. Both generals were taken into the cave to Meng Huo. Meng Huo laid out a feast to celebrate. Lady Zhurong ordered the executioners to drag Zhang Ni and Ma Zhong out and behead them. Meng Huo stopped her, saying, “Zhuge Liang has released me five times. If we kill his generals now, it would be dishonorable. Imprison them in the cave for the present. Once we have captured Zhuge Liang, it will not be too late to kill them.” Lady Zhurong followed his advice, then laughed, drank, and made merry.

The defeated survivors returned to Kongming and told him what had happened. Kongming immediately summoned Ma Dai, Zhao Yun, and Wei Yan, gave each of them secret instructions, and sent them out with their own forces. The next day, the barbarian soldiers reported inside the cave that Zhao Yun was challenging them to battle. Lady Zhurong mounted her horse at once and rode out to meet him. The two fought only a few exchanges before Zhao Yun wheeled his horse and fled. Fearing an ambush, Lady Zhurong restrained her troops and returned. Wei Yan then led an army forward and issued another challenge. Lady Zhurong spurred out to meet him. When the fighting had grown intense, Wei Yan feigned defeat and fled, but she refused to pursue him. The next day, Zhao Yun again brought troops to challenge her, and Lady Zhurong led out the cave soldiers to meet him. After only a few exchanges, Zhao Yun pretended to be defeated and fled. Lady Zhurong kept her spear lowered and did not pursue. Just as she was about to withdraw into the cave, Wei Yan led his soldiers forward and had them all shout insults at her. Enraged, Lady Zhurong leveled her spear and charged at Wei Yan. He wheeled his horse and fled. In her fury, she pursued him. Wei Yan galloped into a remote mountain path. Suddenly there was a loud crash behind him. He turned and saw Lady Zhurong falling backward over her saddle. Ma Dai had been lying in ambush there and had brought down her horse with a trip rope. She was immediately captured, bound, and taken to the main camp. When the barbarian generals and cave soldiers came to rescue her, Zhao Yun charged them and scattered them in a single assault.

Kongming was seated upright in his command tent when Ma Dai brought in Lady Zhurong. Kongming immediately ordered the guards to remove her bonds. He invited her to a separate tent and gave her wine to settle her fright, then sent an envoy to Meng Huo proposing to exchange her for the two generals Zhang Ni and Ma Zhong. Meng Huo agreed and released Zhang Ni and Ma Zhong, returning them to Kongming. Kongming then sent Lady Zhurong back into the cave. Meng Huo received her with mingled delight and irritation. Suddenly it was reported that the Lord of Bana Cave had arrived. Meng Huo went out of the cave to welcome him. He saw the man riding a white elephant, wearing ornaments of gold, pearls, and tasseled cords, and carrying two great sabers at his waist. He was escorted by a group of men who tended tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves. Meng Huo bowed twice, pleaded sorrowfully for aid, and recounted all that had happened. King Mulu promised to avenge him. Meng Huo was overjoyed and held a banquet in his honor. The next day, King Mulu led out his cave soldiers together with his wild beasts. When Zhao Yun and Wei Yan learned that the barbarian army was advancing, they deployed their troops in battle formation. The two generals rode side by side before the lines and looked out. They saw that the barbarian banners and weapons were all unusual. Most of the men wore neither clothes nor armor, but were completely naked, with hideous faces. Each carried four sharp knives. The army used neither drums nor horns, but sounded metal gongs as signals. King Mulu came out from beneath the great standard with two precious sabers hanging from his waist, a handbell in his hand, and a white elephant beneath him. When Zhao Yun saw him, he said to Wei Yan, “We have spent our lives on battlefields, but we have never seen anyone like this.” While the two were still wondering, King Mulu began muttering some unknown incantation and shaking his handbell. Suddenly a violent wind arose, sending sand and stones flying like a driving rain. At the blast of a painted war horn, tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, venomous snakes, and savage beasts rushed out with the wind, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws as they charged. The Shu troops had no way to resist and began to retreat. The barbarian soldiers pursued and slaughtered them, chasing them all the way to the road at the border of Three Rivers before turning back.

Zhao Yun and Wei Yan gathered the defeated troops and went before Kongming’s command tent to ask punishment, giving him a detailed account of what had happened. Kongming laughed and said, “This was not the fault of either of you. Before I ever left my thatched cottage, I knew that the southern tribes possessed a method for driving tigers and leopards. While in Shu, I already prepared the means to break this formation. There are twenty sealed wagons traveling with the army. Today we will use half of them and reserve the other half for another purpose later.” He ordered his attendants to bring ten red-lacquered cabinet wagons before the tent, leaving ten black-lacquered cabinet wagons behind. No one understood what he intended. Kongming had the cabinets opened. Inside were enormous carved and painted wooden beasts, each covered in multicolored wool to resemble fur and fitted with iron and steel teeth and claws. Each one could carry ten men. Kongming selected more than a thousand strong, able soldiers, assigned one hundred to them, and had their mouths packed with materials that produced fire and smoke before concealing them within the army. The next day, Kongming advanced in force and deployed his troops at the mouth of the cave. When the barbarian scouts learned of this, they went inside and reported to the barbarian kings. Believing himself invincible, King Mulu joined Meng Huo and led the cave troops out. Kongming wore a silk headcloth, held a feather fan, and was dressed in a Daoist robe as he sat upright in his carriage. Meng Huo pointed and said, “The man seated in that carriage is Zhuge Liang! If we capture him, the whole matter will be settled!” King Mulu recited his incantation and shook his handbell. In moments, a violent wind arose and the savage beasts charged out. Kongming waved his feather fan once, and the wind reversed direction and blew back into the enemy formation. The Shu army’s false beasts then surged forward. When the real beasts from the barbarian caves saw the enormous Shu beasts approaching with flames pouring from their mouths, black smoke streaming from their nostrils, bronze bells ringing from their bodies, and teeth and claws bared, none of the vicious animals dared advance. They all fled back toward the barbarian caves, trampling countless barbarian soldiers in their retreat. Kongming drove his army forward. Drums and horns sounded together as the Shu soldiers pursued and slaughtered the enemy. King Mulu died amid the chaos. Meng Huo’s clansmen and followers abandoned the palaces in the cave and fled over mountains and ridges. Kongming’s great army occupied Silver Pit Cave.

The next day, just as Kongming was preparing to divide his troops and hunt down Meng Huo, a report came: “Cave Lord Dailai, the barbarian king Meng Huo’s brother-in-law, urged Meng Huo to surrender, but Meng Huo refused. He has now captured Meng Huo, Lady Zhurong, and several hundred of their clansmen and followers, and is bringing them all to present to the Prime Minister.” When Kongming heard this, he summoned Zhang Ni and Ma Zhong and gave them detailed secret instructions. The two generals accepted the plan and led two thousand strong soldiers into ambush along the two side galleries. Kongming then ordered the gate guards to admit everyone. Cave Lord Dailai led in armed executioners escorting Meng Huo and several hundred others, and bowed below the hall. Kongming shouted, “Seize them!” The strong soldiers rushed out from both galleries, two men taking hold of each enemy, and bound them all. Kongming laughed loudly and said, “How could such a petty trick deceive me? Twice before, men from your own caves captured you and brought you to surrender, and I did not harm you. You assumed I trusted you completely, so now you came to make a false surrender, intending to kill me here inside the cave!” He ordered the guards to search them, and sure enough, every one of them carried a sharp knife. Kongming asked Meng Huo, “You originally said you would submit only if I captured you in your own home. What do you say today?” Meng Huo replied, “We came here of our own accord to throw away our lives. This was not due to your ability. My heart is still unconvinced.” Kongming said, “I have captured you six times, and you still refuse to submit. How long do you intend to wait?” Meng Huo said, “If you capture me a seventh time, only then will I submit to you wholeheartedly and swear never to rebel again.” Kongming said, “Your stronghold is already destroyed. What do I have to fear?” He ordered the guards to remove all their bonds, then rebuked them: “If I capture you again and you still make evasive excuses, I will show no mercy!” Meng Huo and the others clutched their heads and scurried away like rats.

More than a thousand defeated barbarian soldiers had escaped, most of them wounded, and they now happened to encounter the barbarian king Meng Huo. Meng Huo gathered in the remnants and felt somewhat encouraged. He then consulted Cave Lord Dailai, saying, “My cave stronghold has now been occupied by the Shu army. Where can we go to find refuge?” Cave Lord Dailai said, “There is only one kingdom capable of defeating Shu.” Meng Huo delightedly asked, “Where can we go?” Cave Lord Dailai replied, “Seven hundred miles southeast of here is a kingdom called Wuge. Its ruler, Wutugu, stands twelve feet tall. He does not eat grain but lives on raw snakes and savage beasts. His body is covered in scales, so blades and arrows cannot harm him. All the soldiers under him wear rattan armor. The rattan grows in mountain ravines, twining over stone cliffs. The people gather it and soak it in oil, leaving it there for half a year before taking it out to dry. Once dry, it is soaked again. Only after this has been done more than ten times is the armor made. A man wearing it can cross a river without sinking, and the armor will not become wet in water. Neither blades nor arrows can penetrate it. For this reason, his troops are called the Rattan-Armored Army. Your Majesty may go and ask his aid. If he assists us, capturing Zhuge Liang will be as easy as a sharp knife splitting bamboo.” Meng Huo was overjoyed and immediately went to the kingdom of Wuge to see Wutugu. There were no houses in his cave territory; everyone lived in earthen pits. Meng Huo entered the cave, bowed twice, pleaded sorrowfully for help, and recounted all that had happened. Wutugu said, “I will raise the troops of my cave and avenge you.” Meng Huo gladly bowed in thanks. Wutugu then summoned two troop-commanding chiefs, one named Tu’an and the other Xini. They raised thirty thousand soldiers, all wearing rattan armor, and left the kingdom of Wuge heading northeast. They came to a river called Peach Blossom Water. Peach trees grew on both banks, and their leaves had fallen into the water year after year. Anyone from another kingdom who drank the water would die, but when people of Wuge drank it, their strength and spirits were doubled. Wutugu’s army encamped at Peach Blossom Ford to await the Shu army.

Kongming sent barbarian scouts to discover Meng Huo’s whereabouts. They returned and reported, “Meng Huo has invited the ruler of Wuge to bring thirty thousand rattan-armored troops, who are now stationed at Peach Blossom Ford. Meng Huo is also gathering barbarian soldiers from all the tribes to combine their strength and resist us.” On hearing this, Kongming led his army forward until it reached Peach Blossom Ford. Looking across the river, he saw barbarian troops so hideous that they scarcely resembled human beings. He questioned the local people, who told him that the peach leaves were presently falling and the water must not be drunk. Kongming withdrew five miles and established camp, leaving Wei Yan to defend it.

The next day, the ruler of Wuge led a large body of rattan-armored troops across the river, with gongs and drums sounding thunderously. Wei Yan led his troops out to meet them. The barbarian soldiers swept forward across the ground. The Shu troops shot crossbow bolts at their rattan armor, but none could penetrate, and all fell to the earth. Neither saber blows nor spear thrusts could pierce it. The barbarian soldiers wielded sharp sabers and steel forks. Unable to resist, the Shu troops were completely defeated and fled. The barbarian soldiers did not pursue, but turned back. Wei Yan then returned and followed them to Peach Blossom Ford, where he saw the barbarian soldiers crossing the water in their armor. Those who were exhausted took off their armor, laid it on the surface, sat upon it, and floated across. Wei Yan hurried back to the main camp and gave Kongming a detailed report. Kongming summoned Lü Kai and some local people and questioned them. Lü Kai said, “I have long heard that among the southern tribes there is a kingdom called Wuge, whose people have no human morality. They also have rattan armor to protect their bodies and cannot easily be harmed. Then there is the poisonous Peach Blossom Water. When the people of that kingdom drink it, their strength and spirits increase, but anyone from another kingdom who drinks it dies. Even if we completely conquer such a barbarous region, what benefit would it bring? It would be better to withdraw the army and return at once.” Kongming laughed and said, “I did not come all this way easily. How can I simply leave? Tomorrow I will have a strategy for pacifying these barbarians.” He then ordered Zhao Yun to assist Wei Yan in defending the camp and warned them not to venture out recklessly.

The next day, Kongming had local people guide him and rode in his small carriage to a remote place among the mountains on the northern bank of Peach Blossom Ford, where he surveyed the entire terrain. When the mountains and ridges became so steep that the carriage could go no farther, Kongming left it behind and continued on foot. Suddenly he came to a mountain from which he saw a valley shaped like a long snake. On both sides were smooth, sheer stone walls without a single tree, and a broad road ran through the middle. Kongming asked the local people, “What is the name of this valley?” They replied, “This place is called Coiled Serpent Valley. The road emerging from it is the main route to Three Rivers City, and the plain before the valley is called Talang Plain.” Kongming was delighted and said, “Heaven has granted me the means to succeed here!” He returned by the same route, mounted his carriage, and went back to camp. He summoned Ma Dai and instructed him, “I give you the ten black-lacquered cabinet wagons. You will also need a thousand bamboo poles. As for what is inside the cabinets, you are to proceed in precisely this way. Take your own troops and secure both ends of Coiled Serpent Valley, then act according to my instructions. I give you half a month to prepare everything. When the time comes, arrange matters exactly as directed. If anyone escapes, you will be punished under military law.” Ma Dai accepted the plan and departed. Kongming then summoned Zhao Yun and instructed him, “Go behind Coiled Serpent Valley and guard the main road to Three Rivers in precisely this way. Everything required must be ready by the appointed day.” Zhao Yun accepted the plan and departed. Kongming then summoned Wei Yan and instructed him, “Take your own troops and establish camp at Peach Blossom Ford. If the barbarian troops cross the water to attack, abandon the camp and flee toward the white flags. Within half a month, you must lose fifteen battles in succession and abandon seven fortified camps. If you lose only fourteen battles, do not come back to see me.” Wei Yan accepted the order, but was displeased and left in a sullen mood. Kongming also summoned Zhang Yi and sent him with another army to build fortified camps at the designated places. He then ordered Zhang Ni and Ma Zhong to take a thousand surrendered cave troops and proceed according to his instructions. Each man acted in accordance with the plan.

Meng Huo said to Wutugu, ruler of Wuge, “Zhuge Liang has many cunning schemes, but they all involve ambushes. In future battles, order the whole army not to advance recklessly whenever they see a mountain valley thick with trees.” Wutugu replied, “Your Majesty speaks wisely. I already know that the people of the Central Plains often use deceitful schemes. From now on, I will act as you say. I will fight at the front, while you remain behind to guide me.” The two finished making their plans. Suddenly a report came that the Shu army had established a camp on the northern bank of Peach Blossom Ford. Wutugu immediately sent the two chiefs to lead the rattan-armored troops across the river and fight the Shu army. After only a few exchanges, Wei Yan fled in defeat. Fearing an ambush, the barbarian soldiers did not pursue but turned back. The next day, Wei Yan established another camp. When the barbarian scouts discovered it, they again led their troops across the river to fight. Wei Yan came out to meet them, but after only a few exchanges, he fled in defeat. The barbarian soldiers pursued him for more than ten miles. When they saw no movement anywhere around them, they occupied the abandoned Shu camp. The next day, the two chiefs invited Wutugu to the camp and told him what had happened. Wutugu immediately led his army forward and pursued Wei Yan for a time. The Shu soldiers threw away their armor and weapons as they fled. Then a white flag appeared ahead. Wei Yan led his defeated troops rapidly toward it, where a fortified camp had already been built, and occupied it. Wutugu drove his troops forward in pursuit. When he arrived, Wei Yan led his men out, abandoned the camp, and fled. The barbarian troops took possession of the Shu camp. The next day, they continued the pursuit. Wei Yan turned back and fought them, but after fewer than three exchanges, he was defeated again. Looking only for the next white flag, he fled toward it and found another camp, which he occupied. The next day, the barbarian troops arrived once more. Wei Yan fought briefly, then fled again. The barbarian soldiers occupied the Shu camp.

There is no need to recount every detail. Wei Yan fought and retreated until he had lost fifteen battles and abandoned seven camps in succession. The barbarian troops advanced in force, pursuing and killing as they went. Wutugu personally led the army in defeating the enemy. Whenever he saw a place thick with trees along the road, he refused to advance. Instead, he sent men to look from a distance, and sure enough, they saw standards and banners fluttering among the trees. Wutugu said to Meng Huo, “Everything has happened exactly as Your Majesty predicted.” Meng Huo laughed loudly and said, “This time I have seen through Zhuge Liang’s plan! Your Majesty has defeated him in fifteen battles over the past several days and captured seven of his camps. The Shu soldiers flee at the mere sight of you. Zhuge Liang has exhausted his schemes. One more advance, and the whole matter will be settled!” Wutugu was delighted and no longer regarded the Shu army as a threat.

On the sixteenth day, Wei Yan led his defeated remnants out to confront the Rattan-Armored Army. Wutugu rode an elephant at the front. On his head was a sun-and-moon cap fringed with wolf whiskers, and his body was draped with ornaments of gold, pearls, and tasseled cords. Living scales showed beneath both his ribs, and a faint light shone from his eyes. He pointed at Wei Yan and cursed him loudly. Wei Yan wheeled his horse and fled, and the barbarian troops behind Wutugu advanced in force. Wei Yan led his troops around Coiled Serpent Valley and fled toward the white flags. Wutugu led his entire army in pursuit. Seeing no grass or trees on the mountains, he assumed there could be no ambush and pursued without concern. When he reached the valley, he saw several dozen black-lacquered cabinet wagons blocking the road. The barbarian soldiers reported, “These are Shu grain wagons. When Your Majesty’s army arrived, the enemy abandoned them and fled.” Wutugu was overjoyed and urged his troops onward. As they approached the exit of the valley, no Shu troops could be seen. Suddenly logs and rocks came rolling down across the passage, piling up and blocking the mouth of the valley. Wutugu ordered his soldiers to clear the road and advance, but then he saw carts of all sizes ahead, loaded with dry firewood, burst into flames. Wutugu hurriedly ordered a retreat, only to hear shouts from the rear. A report came that the entrance to the valley had also been blocked with piles of dry wood and that the wagons there had all contained gunpowder, which had ignited at once. Seeing no vegetation around him, Wutugu still did not panic, but ordered his men to search for another way out. Then torches came raining down from both sides of the mountains. Wherever they landed, powder fuses buried in the ground caught fire and iron bombs erupted from the earth. Flames danced wildly throughout the valley, and every suit of rattan armor caught fire. Wutugu and all thirty thousand troops of the Rattan-Armored Army burned as they clutched one another and died in Coiled Serpent Valley. Looking down from the mountain, Kongming saw the barbarian soldiers writhing in the flames, their arms and legs stretched out. Most had their heads and faces smashed to pieces by the iron bombs. All died in the valley, and the stench was unbearable. Kongming shed tears and sighed, “Though this will count as a service to the state, it will surely shorten my life!” Every officer and soldier around him sighed with emotion.

Meanwhile, Meng Huo remained in his camp, waiting for the barbarian army to send word. Suddenly more than a thousand men came laughing and bowed before the camp, saying, “The army of Wuge has fought a great battle with the Shu troops and has surrounded Zhuge Liang in Coiled Serpent Valley. Your Majesty is urgently requested to go and assist them. We are all men of your own caves who were forced by circumstances to surrender to Shu. Now that we know Your Majesty has arrived, we have come especially to help you fight.” Meng Huo was delighted. He immediately mounted with his clansmen and followers and the tribesmen he had gathered, ordering the barbarian soldiers to guide them through the night. When they reached Coiled Serpent Valley, they saw flames rising fiercely and smelled an unbearable stench. Meng Huo realized that he had fallen into a trap and hurriedly tried to withdraw. Zhang Ni charged out on the left and Ma Zhong on the right, each leading a body of troops. Just as Meng Huo was about to resist, a great shout arose. More than half the barbarian soldiers among his own ranks were actually Shu troops. They captured the barbarian king’s clansmen and followers, together with all the tribesmen he had assembled.

Meng Huo fought his way out of the encirclement alone and fled along a mountain path. As he rode, a body of troops suddenly emerged from fields in a mountain hollow, escorting a small carriage. A man sat upright within it, wearing a silk headcloth, holding a feather fan, and dressed in a Daoist robe. It was Kongming. Kongming shouted, “Rebel Meng Huo! What do you say this time?” Meng Huo hurriedly turned his horse and fled. A general suddenly came out from the side and blocked his path. It was Ma Dai. Meng Huo was caught unprepared, and Ma Dai captured him alive. By this time, Wang Ping and Zhang Yi had led another army to the barbarian camp, where they captured Lady Zhurong and all the old and young members of their households and brought them back alive.

Kongming returned to camp, took his seat in the command tent, and said to the generals, “I used this plan only because I had no other choice, but it has greatly damaged my hidden virtue. I knew the enemy would expect me to place ambushes wherever the woods were thick, so I displayed empty standards and banners there without actually stationing any soldiers, thereby filling them with suspicion. I ordered Wei Wenchang to lose fifteen battles in succession in order to strengthen their confidence. I saw that Coiled Serpent Valley had only one road, that its two walls were bare stone without any trees, and that the ground below was all sand. I therefore ordered Ma Dai to arrange the black-lacquered cabinet wagons inside the valley. The oil cabinets in those wagons contained fire-bombs prepared in advance, called ‘earth-thunder.’ Each main bomb held nine smaller bombs. They were buried thirty paces apart, with hollowed bamboo poles connecting them to carry the powder fuses. The moment one was ignited, mountains would crumble and rocks would split. I also ordered Zhao Zilong to prepare carts of dry grass and arrange them within the valley, and to prepare great logs and rocks on the mountains above. Then I had Wei Yan lure Wutugu and the Rattan-Armored Army into the valley. Once Wei Yan had been allowed out, their escape route was cut off, and they were burned. I have heard it said, ‘What is effective against water must be vulnerable to fire.’ Though blades and arrows could not penetrate the rattan armor, it had been soaked in oil and was certain to ignite when exposed to flame. These barbarian soldiers were so fierce and intractable that without a fire attack, how could we have defeated them? Yet causing the people of Wuge to leave no descendants is a grave sin of mine!” The generals bowed low and said, “The Prime Minister’s divine calculations are beyond the understanding of ghosts and gods!” Kongming ordered Meng Huo brought before him. Meng Huo knelt below the command tent. Kongming had his bonds removed and ordered that he be taken to a separate tent and given food and wine to settle his fright. He then summoned the officer in charge of food and wine to the front of his couch, gave him detailed secret instructions, and sent him away.

Meng Huo, Lady Zhurong, Meng You, Cave Lord Dailai, and all their clansmen and followers were drinking in the separate tent when a man suddenly entered and said to Meng Huo, “The Prime Minister is ashamed to face you and does not wish to meet with you. He has specially ordered me to release you so that you may return, recruit more soldiers and horses, and decide victory or defeat once more. You should leave at once.” Meng Huo shed tears and said, “Seven captures and seven releases—nothing like this has ever happened since ancient times. Though I am a man from beyond the bounds of civilization, I still understand something of propriety and honor. Could I truly be so shameless?” He then went with his brothers, wife, children, clansmen, and followers. They all crawled forward and knelt below the command tent, baring their shoulders as they confessed their guilt, and said, “The Prime Minister’s heavenly might is supreme. The people of the south will never rebel again!” Kongming asked, “Do you submit now?” Meng Huo wept and replied, “My children and my children’s children will all be grateful for your life-giving grace, as vast as heaven covering us and earth sustaining us. How could we fail to submit?” Kongming then invited Meng Huo into the command tent, held a banquet in celebration, and appointed him hereditary lord of the caves. All the territory that had been taken was returned. Meng Huo’s clansmen and followers and all the barbarian soldiers were deeply grateful. They leaped for joy and departed. A later poet praised Kongming:

With feather fan and silk headcloth beneath blue banners bright,Seven ingenious captures subdued the barbarian king.To this day, the mountain caves proclaim his might and grace,And on the highlands chose a place to raise his sacred hall.

Senior Clerk Fei Yi entered and remonstrated, “The Prime Minister personally led the officers and soldiers deep into this barren wilderness and brought the barbarian regions into submission. Now that the barbarian king has submitted, why not appoint officials and administrators to guard the region together with Meng Huo?” Kongming replied, “There are three difficulties in doing so. If we leave outsiders here, we must also leave troops, but the troops would have no food. That is the first difficulty. The barbarian people have suffered destruction, and their fathers and elder brothers have died. If we leave outsiders but no troops to protect them, disaster is certain to follow. That is the second difficulty. The barbarian people have repeatedly committed crimes punishable by dismissal and death and naturally harbor suspicions. If outsiders remain here, they will never trust them. That is the third difficulty. Now I will leave no men behind and transport no grain here. We will simply live at peace with one another and cause no trouble.” Everyone was fully convinced. All the people of the barbarian regions were grateful for Kongming’s kindness and virtue. They built shrines to him while he was still alive, offered sacrifices in every season, and all called him their loving father. Each tribe presented pearls, gold, precious objects, cinnabar, lacquer, medicinal materials, plow oxen, and warhorses to support the army, and swore never to rebel again. The south was pacified.

After Kongming had finished rewarding the army, he withdrew his forces and returned to Shu, ordering Wei Yan to lead his own troops as the vanguard. Wei Yan had only just reached the Lu River when dark clouds suddenly closed in from every direction and a violent wind arose over the water, sending sand and stones flying so fiercely that the army could not advance. Wei Yan withdrew and reported the matter to Kongming. Kongming then summoned Meng Huo and questioned him. Thus:

Beyond the frontier, the tribes had only just submitted,When ghostly troops beside the river began raging again.

What Meng Huo said remains unknown; read on to learn what follows.