Deng Ai Outwits Jiang Wei;
Zhuge Dan Battles Sima Zhao.

Jiang Wei camped at Zhongti. The army of Wei camped outside Didao. Wang Jing welcomed Chen Tai and Deng Ai and prepared a banquet to celebrate the raising of the siege and also rewarded the army with gifts. Then Chen Tai sent up a memorial to the Ruler of Wei, Cao Mao, eulogizing the magnificent services of Deng Ai, who was rewarded with the title General Who Pacifies the West. For the time, Deng Ai was left in the west. He and Chen Tai placed their men in cantonments in Yongzhou, Liangzhou, and the counties round about.

After Deng Ai had rendered his thanks to the Emperor, Chen Tai spread a great feast in his honor, and in congratulating his guest, said, "Jiang Wei slipped off in the night because he was broken, and he will never dare to return."

"I think he will," replied Deng Ai, smiling. "I can give five reasons why he should."

"What are they?"

"First, although the soldiers of Shu have retired, they have the self-possessed and confident look of holding the victory; our soldiers are really weak and broken. Second, the soldiers of Shu were trained and inspirited by Zhuge Liang and are easy to mobilize; our generals are all of different periods of service, and our army indifferently trained. Third, the Shu soldiers often use boats for traveling, and so they move at leisure and the troops arrive fresh; ours do all their journeys on land, and they arrive fatigued with marching. Fourth, again, Didao, Longxi, Nanan, and Qishan are all places suitable for defense or use as battle fields, and thus the army of Shu can conceal their intentions and strike where they will; we have to remain on guard at many points, thus dividing our forces; when they concentrate, they have only to reckon with a part of our force. And fifth, if they come out by way of Longxi and Nanan, they have the grain of the Qiangs to depend upon; and if they choose Qishan, they have the wheat there. These are the five reasons why they should make another expedition."

Chen Tai was overcome with the clear vision of his new colleague.

"Sir, your foresight is godlike. I think we need feel no anxiety about what the enemy can achieve."

The two leaders became the best of friends in spite of the difference of age. Deng Ai spent his time in training the army, and garrisons were placed at all points where surprise attacks seemed possible.

There was feasting also at Zhongti, and the occasion was taken to discuss a new attack on Wei.

But Assistant Fan Jian opposed. "General, your expeditions have partly failed many times; you have never scored a complete victory. But now on River Yao the army of Wei recognize your superiority, and why should you try again? There is small chance of success, and you risk all you have gained."

Jiang Wei replied, "You all regard only the largeness and population of Wei and the time necessary for conquest, but you do not see five reasons for victory."

The assembly asked what these were.

"First, the fighting spirit of the soldiers of Wei has been badly broken on River Yao, while that of our soldiers, although we retired, is unimpaired. If we attack, we shall certainly succeed. Second, our soldiers can travel in boats and so will not be wearied with marching; their soldiers have to march to meet us. Third, our soldiers are thoroughly trained; theirs are recruits, a mere flock of crows, quite undisciplined. Fourth, when we go out by Qishan, we can seize upon the autumn wheat for food. Finally, they are scattered, having to defend various points, while we can concentrate on any point we wish, and they will find it difficult to bring up reinforcements. If we miss this chance, can we hope for a better?"

Xiahou Ba said, "Deng Ai is young, but he is deep and crafty. He has certainly taken great pains to secure the regions under his charge as General Who Pacifies the West. Victory will not be so easy as it was before."

"Why should I fear him?" cried Jiang Wei, angrily. "You should not laud the spirit of the enemy and belittle that of our own soldiers. But in any case I have made up my mind and shall take West Valley Land."

No one dared to offer any further opposition. Jiang Wei himself led the first army; the others followed in due order; and thus the soldiers of Shu marched out of Zhongti to Qishan.

Before they could reach Qishan, the scouts reported the hills already occupied by the armies of Wei. Jiang Wei rode forward to verify this, and, surely enough, he saw the Wei camps, nine in number, stretching over the hills like a huge serpent, and all arranged to give each other support.

"Xiahou Ba spoke only too well," said he. "The plan of those camps is excellent and only our Zhuge Liang could have laid them out with equal skill."

Returning to his own army, he said to his officers, "They must have known of my coming, and I think Deng Ai is here too. Now from this as base you are to send out daily small reconnoitering parties showing my banner, but different flags and uniforms, blue, yellow, red, white, and black, in turns. While you are thus distracting attention, I will lead the main army by Dongting to attack Nanan."

Bao Su was sent to camp at the mouth of the Qishan Mountains Valley while the main army marched.

As soon as Deng Ai had heard that the enemy would come out at Qishan, he had camped there with his colleague Chen Tai. But when days had passed without anyone coming to fling a challenge, he sent out spies to find out where the Shu army was lurking. They could find nothing, and so Deng Ai went to the summit of a hill to look around.

He came to the conclusion, saying, "Jiang Wei must not be in this camp. He must be on his way to capture Nanan. Those soldiers in the Shu camp were nothing but a feint, accentuated by the daily change of uniform. Going to and fro for days, the horses look tired, and their leaders are certainly none of the ablest. Therefore, General, I advise an attack here. If that succeeds, the Dongting road can be occupied, and Jiang Wei will be unable to retreat. I think I ought to try to relieve Nanan. I will go by the Wucheng Mountain, and if I occupy that, the enemy will try to take Shanggui. Near that place is a narrow and precipitous valley called Block Valley, just the place for an ambush, where I shall lie in wait till Jiang Wei comes to take the Wucheng Mountain."

Chen Tai replied, "I have been here over twenty years and have never known so much of the military possibilities of the place. You are very wonderful and must carry out your plan."

So Deng Ai marched toward Nanan by double marches. Soon they came to the Wucheng Mountain, where they camped without opposition. He sent his son Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan, each leading five thousand troops, to lie in wait in the Block Valley and not to betray their presence.

In the meantime Jiang Wei was marching between Dongting and Nanan.

Near the Wucheng Mountain, he turned to Xiahou Ba and said, "That hill is our point, and Nanan is close. I fear lest the artful Deng Ai may seize and fortify it."

They hastened, anxious to reach the hill before the enemy. But it was not to be. Presently they heard the roar of bombs and the beating of drums, and then flags and banners appeared, all of Wei. And among them fluttered the leader's standard, bearing two words Deng Ai.

This was a sad disappointment. The army of Shu halted, and veteran soldiers of Wei came rushing down from various points on the hill, too many for the troops of Shu to drive back. So the advance guard was defeated. Jiang Wei went to their help with his central body, but when he got near, the soldiers of Wei had retreated up to the hill.

Jiang Wei went on to the foot of the hill and challenged, but no one came out to accept. The soldiers of Shu began to shout abuse, and kept it up till late in the day, but they failed to provoke a fight. As the army of Shu began to retire, the Wei drums beat furiously, yet no one appeared. Jiang Wei turned about to ascend the hill, but its defenders prevented that by stones thrown from above. He hung on till the third watch, when he tried again. But he failed. Thereupon he went down the hill and halted, bidding his soldiers build a barricade of wood and boulders. The troops of Wei came on again, and the Shu troops scrambled to run to the old camp.

Next day Jiang Wei brought up many transport wagons and placed them on the slope as the nucleus of a camp. But in the night a number of Wei troops came down with torches and set fire to them. A fight ensued, which lasted till dawn.

Seeing that a camp could not be made there, Jiang Wei retired to consider new plans with Xiahou Ba.

"Since we cannot take Nanan, our next best plan is to try for Shanggui, which is the storehouse of Nanan."

Leaving Xiahou Ba on the hill, Jiang Wei led a force of veteran soldiers and bold officers along the road toward Shanggui. They marched all night, and dawn found them in a deep valley, which the guides said was Block Valley.

"That sounds too much like 'Cut-off Valley'," said Jiang Wei. "And if a force held the mouth, we should be in sorry straits."

While hesitating whether to advance farther or not, the leading troops came back to say: "We have seen a cloud of dust beyond the hills, which seems to indicate a body of soldiers in hiding."

So the order was given to retire. At that moment the armies under Shi Zuan and Deng Zhong came out and attacked. Jiang Wei, alternately fighting and retreating, tried to get away. Then Deng Ai himself appeared, and the Shu army had enemies on three sides. They were in grave danger, but Xiahou Ba came to their rescue, and so Jiang Wei escaped.

Jiang Wei proposed to return to Qishan, but Xiahou Ba said, "We cannot go thither, for Chen Tai has destroyed the force under Bao Su, and he himself was killed. All that was left of that army has gone back into Hanzhong."

It was no longer a ques............