Chapter 092: Inviting the Wolf Into the House

Wei Ba leaned against a rough tree trunk, his gaze heavy as he looked toward Fangling City, where flames blazed high into the sky. His heart was weighed down with a crushing sense of foreboding. Sima Yi had not sent anyone to attack him at all; instead, he brazenly—and even more fiercely—continued his assault on Fangling. It was an open display of contempt for the so-called reinforcements. After a day of relentless attacks, the enemy withdrew at dusk, and Wei Ba thought the worst had passed, but within just an hour, the war drums thundered again—the Wei army launched yet another assault.

What, exactly, was Sima Yi intending? Wei Ba thought of countless possibilities. Though he couldn’t be certain if Sima Yi’s intentions were as he suspected, it was clear Sima Yi did not take the reinforcements seriously. He was determined to take Fangling in one decisive effort. This had nothing to do with the arrival of reinforcements; from the start, this had been a surprise attack, and such an attack demanded speed. The longer it dragged on, the more pressure Sima Yi would face with supplies, forcing him to withdraw in vain.

Wei Ba knew that under such relentless attacks, the pressure on Fangling was enormous. Meng Da was likely already crying for help. As reinforcements, they should strike out, to ease the burden on the city and give its defenders hope.

Yet, Wei Ba also understood that with just over a thousand men, they could hold the mountain, but to launch an offensive against an enemy camp of over ten thousand—even if the enemy was currently assaulting the city—was a reckless notion. It sounded heroic, but in truth, it was nothing but folly. The only outcome would be the needless loss of his thousand men, with no real impact on the larger battle.

And if Sima Yi managed to defeat these thousand men, or worse, take their heads and display them beneath the city walls, the defenders’ morale would collapse on the spot. In fact, it would simply help Sima Yi.

Wei Ba would not do something so foolish. He would rather see Meng Da fall to Sima Yi than sacrifice his men in vain.

In truth, the fate of Meng Da and the fall of Fangling were never the real issues. Wei Ba had not ventured through hardship to save Meng Da; he had his own objectives—to prove his abilities to Zhuge Liang and to test Zhuge Liang’s boundaries, to see how much autonomy his subordinates might be allowed for future campaigns, such as the march through Ziwu Valley. As long as he achieved this, what did Meng Da’s fate matter to him?

To antagonize Zhuge Liang for Meng Da’s sake would be unwise; to throw away his own life for Meng Da would be not merely unwise, but utterly foolish—a fool of the first order.

If, at this moment, Wei Ba did not understand Zhuge Liang’s attitude toward Meng Da, then living twice had taught him nothing. Meng Da was fickle, even less reliable than Lü Bu in his day; more troublesome still, Meng Da was deeply tied to the remnants of the Eastern Province faction within Shu Han. If he returned, and the Easterners rose again, Zhuge Liang’s Jing-Xiang faction would be constrained. As a member of Jing-Xiang himself, Wei Ba had no wish to see this. More importantly, if Meng Da became one of their own, the Wei family’s standing in Hanzhong would be greatly threatened—something Wei Ba was even less willing to see.

From Zhuge Liang’s perspective, supporting Meng Da was not truly about saving him, but about keeping him afloat, holding Sima Yi in check for half a year or more, buying time to secure Longyou. From Wei Ba’s own perspective, the journey over mountains to reinforce Meng Da was solely for his own ambition.

With all this, how could he possibly rush down the mountain in a moth-to-flame attack?

“Adviser, if we keep waiting, I fear the city won’t hold,” Zhang Xi said quietly, crouched on a thick branch nearby.

“I know. But if we charge now, there’s no point,” Wei Ba replied, his eyes lingering on the distant Wei encampment. “Zi Wang, have you noticed that the camp facing us hasn’t moved? Judging by its size, there are about two to three thousand men there. If we attack, we’ll face two or three times our number. Retreating afterward would be no easy thing.”

Zhang Xi sniffed, chilled to the bone by the cold night wind at this high perch. He pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe his nose, then tucked it away, muttering, “But if we stand by and do nothing, it won’t be long before the people in the city lose hope.”

“Yes, we must give them some hope,” Wei Ba said, casting another glance at the battlefield below. Then, sliding down the trunk, he landed on the ground.

Zhou Yu had been waiting below, looking up anxiously. When he saw Wei Ba and the others descend, he hurried over. “How is it? Is the fighting fierce?”

Wei Ba nodded, then strode back to his tent and spread out a map. His gaze roved over it, searching for a weak point to strike. Gradually, his eyes drifted to Mulan Pass. He thought for a long time, then shook his head. The pass was more than four hundred li away—too far to quench the city’s immediate thirst. Besides, his elder brother Wei Feng had already gone there with over four thousand men; his own thousand would make little difference. Even if they took Mulan Pass, it would take three or four days to reach here—it was uncertain whether they’d arrive in time.

Wei Ba tapped the map at Mulan Pass and sighed in regret.

“Young master, are you thinking of other reinforcements?” Dun Wu asked quietly.

“Yes. With only our thousand men, we can bluff, but a true attack is pointless. I was thinking, if we had a few thousand more, perhaps we could try.”

Dun Wu hesitated. “What about the Wu army?”

“The Wu army?” Wei Ba was surprised. “Meng Da has ties with the Wu as well?”

Dun Wu looked at him in surprise. “Young master didn’t know?”

Wei Ba’s face darkened. “How would I know? You never mentioned it.”

Dun Wu scratched his head, but did not argue. “Fangling is a strategic location—east to Nanyang, west to Hanzhong, south to Zigui. After he surrendered to Cao Wei, Fangling became a contact point between the Three Kingdoms. Envoys passed through from both sides. After Lord Guan lost the battle, Zigui and Wu County were annexed as Guling Commandery by Wu. General Pan Zhang was stationed at Zigui. According to our information, Meng Da communicated with the Wu as well. In this defection from Wei, he likely sought their aid.”

Wei Ba exhaled deeply. The situation was more serious than he’d imagined. Meng Da was not truly seeking to surrender to Shu Han—he had no such intention—but to dominate the three eastern commanderies, drifting between the three kingdoms like a mountain king. No wonder Zhuge Liang had shown little sincerity in rescuing him; such a man was better dead than alive.

“Then... from where would the Wu army arrive?”

“Anqiao Pass.” Dun Wu pointed to a spot south of Fangling.

Wei Ba’s eyes lit up. “How far from here?”

“Less than a hundred li.”

“You know the way?”

Dun Wu smiled. “Of course. I’ve traveled this route many times to Zigui, gathering intelligence on the Wu.”

Wei Ba grinned and clapped his hands. “Bring Zhang Xi and Zhou Yu—I have a plan.”

Seeing Wei Ba so pleased, Dun Wu beamed as well and hurried out. Soon, Zhou Yu and Zhang Xi arrived, eager and breathless. “Adviser, you have a plan?” they asked.

“Yes, an idea came to me.” Wei Ba motioned for them to sit, then pointed at Anqiao Pass. “Our strength is insufficient, but there is another force close by.”

“The Wu army?” Zhang Xi glanced at the map, startled.

“Exactly. If I’m right, the Wu army is already on its way. Anqiao Pass is the best place to block them. But Sima Yi surely anticipated this, and will have sent troops to hold it, just as at Mulan Pass. The Wu army will find it hard to break through head-on. If we attack Anqiao Pass from the rear, and lead the Wu army in, we’ll have enough strength to threaten Sima Yi.”

“A clever plan!” Zhou Yu exclaimed in admiration.

But Zhang Xi hesitated. “Adviser, inviting the Wu army into Fangling is like letting wolves into the fold.”

Wei Ba laughed. He was not worried. Since Meng Da was playing both sides, Fangling could never be part of Shu Han. If things continued as they were, Sima Yi would surely take the city. Better, then, to let the Wu army in, to muddy the waters even more.

Only in chaos could one fish in troubled waters. Besides, leading a thousand men to assault Anqiao Pass was far safer than attacking Sima Yi’s main camp.

Of course, these deeper motives were not for Zhang Xi and the others to know; it was enough that they obeyed orders. Maintaining a sense of mystery was part of officialdom.

Seeing Wei Ba’s determination, Zhang Xi no longer objected. Wei Ba immediately gave orders to leave a few men to watch the signal lamps, while he led the rest quietly down the mountain toward Anqiao Pass under cover of night.

A moonless, windy night—the perfect time for a strike.