Chapter 91: Stillness Over Motion

In the central tent of the Wei camp, Sima Yi sat behind a desk, leisurely reviewing official dispatches in his hands. His eldest son, Sima Shi, stood to one side with a hand on his sword, silent, though the corner of his eye kept twitching as he glanced at his father now and then.

He was worried about what he had just witnessed. Ever since that strange sign had appeared in the night sky, he had clearly felt the uncanny atmosphere that hung over the camp. Countless soldiers craned their necks to stare at it, their faces full of fear. From the walls of Fangling, meanwhile, a cheer had risen like a gale, like a breaking wave, making the mood in the camp even heavier. The army's already waning morale had fallen sharply.

The Sima family of Wen County had long practiced the Confucian teachings, and did not place much trust in such ghostly and uncanny matters. But his own disbelief did not mean others shared it. The army had marched more than a thousand li without pause; what they needed was a single burst of momentum. After more than ten days of siege, they were just on the verge of success, and now the forces of Shu Han had come to relieve the city. This was no good news for them.

Once more he turned hopeful eyes toward his father. He could guess his father's discouragement at this moment, but he still hoped his father would stand up and say something, even if those words might not be of much use.

"Ziyuan, do you have something to say?" Sima Yi gently closed the dispatches, rolled his neck slightly, lifted a hand to rub his brow, and asked in an indifferent tone.

"Yes, Father. The camp is somewhat in panic now. Father, should we..."

Sima Yi cut him off. "Panic over what? Just because of that so-called relief force?"

Sima Shi nodded heavily. "Yes. Many people are saying that now that the Shu army has arrived, we are threatened from front and rear, with a fortified city before us and a strong enemy behind. It would be unwise to prolong the fighting, and we should..."

"And we should immediately draw back our forces, set up camp, and make plans for the long term?"

Sima Shi fell silent. Since his father already knew everything, there was no point in saying more.

"Short-sighted fools, not worth a second thought." Sima Yi lowered his hand, tilted his head, and studied Sima Shi. "Ziyuan, what is your own view?"

Sima Shi thought for a moment. "Father, these men came over Bamboo Mountain. They must be an elite detachment, and their numbers cannot be large. We can certainly drive them off."

"Since their numbers cannot be large, why trouble ourselves over them?" Sima Yi stood and began pacing slowly with his hands behind his back. "They have come a thousand li to reinforce Fangling, yet they only raised the news from the mountain ridge instead of launching a surprise attack on our army. Their intent is quite clear. They merely wish to stiffen Meng Da's spine; they would never dare to attack us themselves. So our true enemy is still Meng Da inside the city, not those cowards hiding in the shadows."

"But if they are there, Meng Da will believe reinforcements have truly arrived, and that is bad for our morale."

"Meng Da is already a fish on the chopping block, with only one breath left." Sima Yi waved a sleeve dismissively. "Seeing reinforcements may brighten his spirits a little, but it is no different from a dying man's final flush of life. Our army has marched day and night, and supplies are running low. We can only seek a swift decision. The longer this drags on, the greater the danger. To send troops against those people now would only waste time and effort. We should gather all our strength and destroy Meng Da completely."

He lifted his head and looked through the tent opening toward the distant city of Fangling, giving a soft sigh. "What I fear most is that their arrival will make those already wavering inside the city change their minds again and hesitate to act against Meng Da. If we force an assault on the city, it will be extremely unfavorable to our army. Their timing could not have been worse. I had not expected that Zhuge Liang still had such commanders under him. Ziyuan, who do you think it might be?"

Sima Shi shook his head. "I cannot guess. As far as I know, among the Shu army there are only a handful of generals bold enough and familiar enough with the terrain of Hanzhong. But with their rank and standing, they should not be serving under Zhuge Qiao. As for those willing to accept Zhuge Qiao as their commander, it seems none of them have any real talent."

"Exactly. That is what concerns me most." Sima Yi slowly withdrew his gaze. "The division of the realm into three has already become a settled fact. I estimate that it will be difficult for the world to be unified again for at least twenty years. What will determine the future outcome is not only power, but talent. Not only the talent of the present, but also the talent that will emerge in years to come. If Shu Han produces one talented man, the threat to Wei grows by one measure."

Sima Shi remained silent.

...

Inside Fangling City, however, the scene was entirely different.

Meng Da had seen that miraculous sphere of light, and he was overjoyed beyond words. He immediately ordered the news spread throughout the city: reinforcements had arrived. To make it more convincing, he also declared with utter confidence that this had been arranged between him and the Chancellor, Zhuge. The force coming to their aid was a main army, most skilled in mountain warfare, and at its head was none other than Wei Yan, the most renowned general in Hanzhong.

This was originally nothing more than a lie Meng Da had made up on the spot, but to his surprise he soon saw the glow high in the sky turn, revealing a single character that sent a jolt through him, while also filling him with secret relief. Though he did not truly believe Wei Yan would come to rescue him, he hoped his subordinates would believe it. After all, Wei Yan was one of the few major commanders in the Shu Han army; if he came personally, then it was certainly a main force.

Though Meng Da did not wish for this to become reality, at this moment he first had to steady hearts and ensure that Fangling would not be breached by Sima Yi. Only then would any other consideration have meaning.

Without the slightest hesitation, Meng Da immediately summoned all his generals and solemnly told them the good news that Wei Yan had come to relieve them, urging them to hurry and rebuild their defenses. He spoke with excitement: "Sima Yi does not understand warfare. He has driven his troops deep in with reckless speed, and after days of fierce battle, he has not been able to do anything to us. Our supplies are nearly exhausted, and reinforcements have now arrived. Can he still hope to take Fangling from us?"

He strode about with high spirits, the gloom of before swept away without a trace. He waved his hand forcefully. "I dare say that in no more than three to five days, Sima Yi will certainly withdraw in disgrace. All of you must not only hurry to strengthen the city's defenses, but also prepare the means for a counterattack. Sima Yi has come with great momentum and pressed us hard for so long. Surely we cannot fail to strike back at least once or twice?"

The general Li Fu stood and said loudly, "The General speaks truly. As the saying goes, return a favor when one is received. We must show Sima Yi some of our edge and let him know that our Eastern Province troops are no easy meat. We should also let Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun see us, lest they look down on us and later harbor wicked designs on Xincheng."

Meng Da smiled and nodded, very pleased with Li Fu's thoughtfulness. He coughed and continued, "Zikang speaks reasonably. We cannot rely on reinforcements alone; we must bring out our own finest skills. Otherwise the commandery of Xincheng will become a fat morsel, and who knows how many eyes will be fixed on it, drooling over us."

He paused, then changed tone and went on, "Of course, at a time like this, it is good to let them bear some of the burden so that we may catch our breath. Otherwise, after driving off that vicious dog Sima Yi, where would we find the strength to deal with those two hungry wolves? Don't you agree?"

The generals laughed.

They were all old subordinates who had followed Meng Da for many years, following him when he surrendered to Liu Bei, following him when he surrendered to Cao Pi, and now following him again as he prepared to betray Cao Wei. They had long since ceased to know who their true master was. To them there was only Meng Da. Since Meng Da dared to speak so boldly here, he naturally trusted that they would not betray him. He was also winning hearts, so that later he might rely on this power to dominate a region alone.

Li Fu's eyes flickered. He raised his arm and cried out loudly, "The General is wise. We swear to follow the General unto death!"

The others rose in turn, shouting their slogans all at once.

Meng Da laughed heartily.

...

The night passed without incident.

At dawn the next day, Sima Yi left only three thousand men in the rear to watch the hills, and once again launched a fierce assault on Fangling. The Wei army, braving arrow storms pouring down from the city walls, crossed the Zhu River and fought their way to the base of the walls. After a bitter struggle, they completely destroyed the wooden palisades Meng Da had erected outside the city, killed their way up to the walls, and swarmed up like ants.

Sima Yi had come too hastily to bring large siege engines, and in order to gain time, he had attacked continuously these past days without any chance to build them. Relying only on crude scaling ladders and mass assaults, the casualties were enormous, yet the effect was gratifying. After more than ten days of repeated attacks, the defensive works outside Fangling had essentially lost their function, and the people inside the city were in a state of alarm.

Sima Yi was not simply throwing men at the walls. His relentless assaults, like his all-consuming dash to the foot of Fangling's walls, had a practical tactical purpose, but more than that, they were a kind of psychological warfare. He wanted to use unexpected movements and ceaseless attacks to leave Meng Da and his subordinates unable to react, and thus to shake them.

Only once their minds had begun to falter would he have a chance to strike into the breach. Not long before, someone from inside the city had come to make contact, hinting at surrender. In order to seize the upper hand in negotiations, Sima Yi had deliberately not answered too quickly, intending to wait a couple more days so that the talks might proceed more favorably. Never had he imagined that Shu Han's reinforcements would actually arrive.

Though it was only a small force too afraid to show itself, it had a tremendous psychological effect on both sides, especially that character of Han that had drifted through the night sky for a full night yesterday, making people begin to think of Heaven's will.

What worried Sima Yi even more was that those who had originally been eager to surrender were now silent, while the counterattacks from Fangling's walls had become even more tenacious. The Wei army had paid a heavy price in casualties, yet had failed to achieve the expected results.

Looking out over the battlefield where cries of killing shook the heavens, Sima Yi pondered for a long while, then ordered the assault halted.

"Rest for one hour, then prepare for night fighting!"