Episode 87
Three Kingdoms
It seems like an empty city.
Convey my orders: switch the rearguard with the van.
We shall retreat.
The food supplies are all in the city. Why are we withdrawing?
Zhuge Liang has prepared an ambush in the city!
Xicheng
This is a tiny city. Even if they had an ambush, they wouldn't have many soldiers.
Sir, please give me permission to charge into the city
True, the troops within the city may be few.
But what about those in the hills around the city?
Zhuge Liang is careful by nature. He will never take risks.
Hurry and retreat!
If were too late, the army in the mountains will ambush us.
Retreat!
Retreat now!
Retreat!
Your Excellency, Sima Yi has withdrawn.
Heaven has aided me.
Your Excellency, why was it that, with a piece of music,
you could scare away Sima Yi's host of a hundred thousand?
He knows that I'm careful by nature,
and will not make risky moves.
When he saw the city gate wide open and me sitting alone playing the zither,
he was convinced that there were soldiers waiting in ambush inside the city.
Good heavens...
Had Your Excellency played a wrong note,
they would charge in and raze this city to the ground!
Sima Yi...
He truly knows me well.
Truly knows you?
If I were Sima Yi, l would not have retreated.
We must not stay here for long.
Pack up the food supplies. We must leave quickly.
Yes, sir.
Grand Commander,
we caught a woodcutter outside the city.
After interrogating him, we found out that... that...
Found out what?
That Xicheng only had Zhuge Liang and 1,000 to 2,000 weak soldiers.
We have been tricked.
Zhuge Liang...
and only 1,000 to 2,000 weak soldiers?
After we retreated,
Zhuge Liang fled in great haste.
Son...
Zhuge Liang's foresight is phenomenal.
Your father is not his match!
Don't be sad.,Father.
This is just the will of Heaven.
Heaven is what saddens me most.
Why is Heaven not on my side?
What divine foresight, Your Excellency!
As soon as my men were ready with logs and boulders.
Xu Huang arrived with 30,000 cavalry to attack us.
We let loose a volley of arrows on them, and killed almost a thousand enemy soldiers on the spot.
Supposedly, Xu Huang himself was hit by several arrows.
He is probably dead now.
Thank you for your efforts, Wenchang.
If it weren't for you defending Yangping Pass,
our army would not have returned to Shu unscathed.
I wonder if Zilong is all right.
General Zhao has returned to camp!
Your Excellency, I have returned.
Zilong, you're injured
This is just the blood of Wei soldiers on me.
our Excellency, you might not know
but General Zilong had me lead the army to retreat while he defended the rear.
He killed three Wei generals in the process,
and terrified the enemies so much that they dared not come near.
Your Excellency,
we did not lose a single man or horse,
and neither did our soldiers lose a single weapon during the retreat.
My deepest thanks, Zilong.
Your Excellency.
Men,
grant Zilong five hundred taels of gold and ten thousand bolts of silk.
Your Excellency, our army remain untriumphant.
I cannot accept any reward in good conscience.
If Your Excellency insists.
It goes to show that you are unfair in meting out rewards and punishment.
Please keep the gold and silk in the coffers.
and reward them to the others in the future.
When His Late Majesty was still alive.
he often praised Zilong for his loyalty and valor.
From what I see today,
not only are you loyal and valiant.
but you also have virtue that moves the very Heavens!
Ma Su and Wang Ping have returned to camp!
Summon Wang Ping to see me.
Yes, sir.
His Excellency summons Wang Ring!
Fetch a rope and bind me.
My respects to Your Excellency!
Wang Ping, as you are careful by nature.
I ordered you to aid Ma Su.
But why did you not remonstrate with him regarding how the camps were set?
Your Excellency,
I had tried many times to persuade the Advisor
to set up camp at the five-way intersection.
However, he refused angrily.
After that, when the Wei army laid siege to the hill,
I tried to charge through the enemy a dozen times.
but was unfortunately outnumbered.
I await Your Excellency's punishment.
You may leave.
Summon Ma Su!
Your Excellency.
Youchang,
you have studied military stratagems since your youth, and are well acquainted with the ways of war.
I have also cautioned you many times that
Jieting is a key stronghold for our army.
However, when you reached the front line,
you became arrogant and craved success.
Thus you rejected Wang Ping's remonstrations and lost Jieting!
Your actions nearly drove our entire army to annihilation!
Say for yourself, what punishment do you deserve?
The fault for losing Jieting
is entirely mine.
As I had made a formal pledge,
I deserve to be punished by death.
Your Excellency,
though Ma Su is guilty,
he has served His Late Majesty and Your Excellency for over 20 years.
I think, based on his past merit,
he may be spared death and allowed to atone for his transgression through good service in the future.
Your Excellency, you must not be lenient with Ma Su.
How do we hold together our army of several hundred thousands?
By fair rewards and punishment.
By taking every word seriously.
If one may make a military pledge yet not abide by it,
then who will obey military orders in the future?
Your Excellency, if you are lenient with him,
then what would be left of our military dignity?
Your Excellency, the world is still in chaos, and Shu-Han is lacking in both land and people.
We do not have many strategists among us.
Ma Su has always been diligent in his duties and is well-versed in-military strategies.
Jieting's loss was due to the enemy outnumbering us.
Lt was not Ma Su's fault alone.
Your Excellency, please have mercy. Please spare Ma Su this once!
I have failed Your Excellency.
I am ashamed to stand before the 20,000 men who died fighting at Jieting.
I am unworthy and have failed to live up to your expectations.
Unfit to handle the great responsibilities you gave me. I caused the loss of Jieting.
Not even with ten thousand deaths can I atone for my crimes.
Your Excellency, please issue the order to have me executed before all
so that the military law may be upheld!
Drag him out arid execute him at midday!
Your Excellency!'
Thank you. Your Excellency. Your Excellency!
Sir, you have been a kind mentor to me.
I... can only repay this debt in my next life!
Stay where you are, Youchang.
Youchang, drink this bowl of wine.
Thank you, Wenchang.
I will no longer be able to fight by your side in this life to exterminate the rebels.
But after I die, my spirit shall watch over our army.
and ensure that we blaze through our obstacles and be ever-victorious.
And on the day when my fellow generals score victories in the Northern Expedition
when our goals are achieved
I shall be overjoyed even in the other world.
Your Excellency, Ma Su bids you farewell!
Execute!
Being a person of mediocre talents / was unable to clarify and enforce the laws.
My indecisiveness led to the loss of Jieting.
The fault was all mine.
Failing to delegate authority wisely
appointed the wrong man to the task and did not foresee the danger therein.
My mistakes cannot go unpunished.
implore Your Majesty to remove me from office
so that Your imperial dignity may be upheld.
Kneeling with my head bowed low / humbly await Your decree on my fate.
Has Li Yan arrived yet?
The Chief Secretary is waiting outside.
Hurry and summon him in! Yes, Sire.
This way.
I'm here by Your Majesty's order.
Sir, it's good that you're here.
Come, come, dispense with the formalities.
Thank you. Sire
I received the Prime Minister's memorial of apology.
He asked me to remove him from office.
Li Yan, in your opinion,
how should I handle this matter?
May I ask what is Your Majesty's wish?
I'm at a loss.
Say, if I remove him from office,
who else in the country could take over such an important position?
But if I do not dismiss him, how can I uphold the laws?
You know, these laws were drafted by the Prime Minister himself.
With the failure of the northern conquest. all officers in our state became frantic.
Tell me, what should I do?
In my humble opinion, Zhuge Liang's authority must not be revoked.
This is because no one in the imperial court could replace him.
However, punishments have to be meted out for the failure of the northern expedition.
Your Majesty, why don't we make a compromise?
What kind of compromise?
Demote him to General of the Right,
but let him keep the authority of the Prime Minister's office.
Allow him continued control of the nations military forces. and jurisdiction over all military affairs.
That's great! Excellent! Fabulous!
How well-thought out!
Thank you. Your Majesty.
Sir, what brilliant accomplishments you have achieved in securing this victory!
Thank you for your hard work.
Look, you've become thinner too.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
The two Late Emperors have both said that
you are the most well-versed in military stratagems among all officers.
This great victory is proof that the Late Emperor was an excellent judge of character.
The Late Emperor was truly sagacious.
If not for his teachings and Your Majesty's magnanimity,
we would not have achieved this victory.
Look at this.
I am unworthy of this imperial favor. Your Majesty.
As you can see.
this is the edict I drafted three days ago.
I intended to promote you to Regent-General, with the authority of the General of the Elite Cavalry.
However... guess what happened?
I do not know.
Many officials memorialized that
when you led 150J000 soldiers to Xicheng,
the city was occupied by only Zhuge Liang and 1,000 Shu soldiers.
However, during a piece of zither music, you allowed Zhuge Liang to escape.
thus leaving Wei with a future threat.
I mistakenly thought that there was an ambush in the city.
I am at fault.
Also, some ministers said that you purposely let Zhuge Liang escape
in order to elevate your own importance.
If Zhuge Liang is not around as a threat,
you, Sima Yi, would not be placed in an important position.
Your Majesty, this is not true.
There is more!
Someone reported that, prior to Meng Da's rebellion,
Shen Yl had advised you
to allow the enemy to capture me and let Wei be destroyed.
This way, you could take over the military and the throne.
and seek hegemony over the realm.
This is definitely untrue!
I... I... I beg Your Majesty to discern the truth in the matter!
Dear sir,
those are baseless speculations.
I would not believe them. Id rather die than to believe them!
Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is wise!
Your Majesty is wise!
However, they are forcing me to punish you for the mistake at Xicheng.
Look.
So many memorandums of impeachment are piled here.
Hence, I dare not reward you for the time being.
I am guilty.
Your Majesty, please revoke my military authority,
and remove me from all my ranks and titles.
Out of my concern for you and my desire to protect you,
I can only revoke your military authority temporarily,
You should go take a good rest too.
Don't worry about the military for the time being.
Your Majesty has shown me great mercy by not executing me.
I humbly beg for your permission to return to my home in Wancheng,
where I can live out the rest of my days surrounded by nature.
No.
Don't go anywhere.
Stay in the capital, Luoyang.
shall grant you a large estate.
It will be even bigger than your old home in Wancheng.
I obey your command.
Master, the soup is ready.
Father, Father.
The house is completely surrounded by Tiger Guards.
We're under house arrest!
Jingshu,
is there any more soup?
Go get Zhao a bowl.
I don't want any!
Father, how could His Majesty treat you like this?
Do you know?
For the defeat at Hanzhong,
Liu Shan merely revoked Zhuge Liang's rank, but not his authority!
And he still lets him control the military!
But what about you, huh?
You returned to court triumphant and received nothing,
except for a prison sentence!
This is not His Majesty's fault.
It was my fault for letting Zhuge Liang escape at Xicheng.
Cao Zhen lost an army and brought shame on the country!
He was defeated time and again!
Yet he is still the commander-in-chief!
Cao Xiu lost three commanderies in Longxi and over a hundred thousand soldiers,
and yet there was no consequence for him.
He was even dispatched to Yangzhou to be the Grand Commander there!
You only committed a tiny mistake.
but His Majesty would not let it pass.
What does he really want?
Hold your tongue
The emperor is muddleheaded!
The court is full of treacherous officers!
If... if... if you continue to put up with all this,
you may die a horrible death. Father!
Unfilial son! Listen!
One more word of disloyalty from you.
and I will hand you over to His Majesty!
Father, you have never hit me before...
Young Master.
Get lost!
Jingshu!
Are you hurt?
Are you badly hurt?
I am fine.
The pain in your heart hurts more, Master.
Did you not know, Young Master?
Master has not gone out for three days.
He has been sitting there all day.
and only today did he permit me to bring him a bowl of soup.
Misfortune generates happiness, and happiness breeds misfortune.
I have lived for over fifty years.
Would there be anything that I have not encountered before?
Would there be any hardship that I have not endured before?
Let us just enjoy life now...
Just you wait!
One day, the court will come look for>me again!
Sima Yi's prediction came true very soon.
Grand Commander Cao Xiu
fell for the fake surrender ploy of Zhou Fang Governor of Fanyang
and was completely routed by Lu Xun at Shiting.
Cao Xiu, defeated, died soon after.
Halt, halt, halt. Here, bring it over. Bring it over.
Goodness, Sir Sima,
you're finally here, Sir Sima!
Here, here; here. Sir, please alight.
Here, here, here.
Sir, His Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time.
This way, please.
Ever since the time of Martial Emperor,
no court official was permitted to ride a carriage straight to the stairs of the imperial court.
Only you, Sir Sima, have received such a royal favor.
I'm getting old.
These old bones aren't what they were before.
Sir,
you may be old, but you are still strong.
Come, come. Slowly, slowly.
I'm almost unable to climb this flight of stairs!
Sir Sima, it's just that you've caught the chills.
Don't worry so much.
Sir, let's keep going.
Go, go, all right.
Your servant Sima Yi pays respects to Your Majesty.
Please take a seat, Sir.
Thank you. Your Majesty.
Sir,
Cao Xiu died after his defeat.
The nations navy lost over half its men.
I intend to lead a force of 500,000 personally on a campaign against Wu.
Do you really intend to attack Wu, Your Majesty?
I was just putting it out there,
I wish to hear your opinion on it.
I see. Your Majesty was only putting it out there.
So it means you have no intention of attacking Wu.
All matters should be considered carefully, right?
Well said. Your Majesty.
We should consider it carefully.
Forgive me for being blunt,
but Lu Xun of Wu is not our biggest threat.
The biggest threat to our state remains Zhuge Liang of Shu.
You're right Sir.
According to the reports, after Zhuge Liang retreated back to Hanzhong,
He busied himself with reorganizing the army and stock piling food, funds, and weaponry.
See?
He is still adamant about attacking Wei.
He will come back eventually.
Sir, between Shu and Wu,
which one should I treat as our main enemy?
What military policy should I adopt?
Please enlighten me, Sir.
I dare not claim to be enlightening.
However, I can speak from the facts.
As I mentioned,
Shu-Han is our mortal enemy.
The court should command our southeastern divisions to defend our borders and make no moves.
and concentrate the main forces in the Central Plains,
ready to engage Zhuge Liang in battle any time.
The Central Plains stretch over 2,000 miles.
but the most critical spot will be Chencang.
It has to be heavily defended.
Why is Chencang so important?
This is because Chencang is the key to entering the Central Plains.
It is a place which the enemy will fight us over.
Over four hundred years ago,
Han Xin used the repair of the plank roads as a diversion. and attacked Chencang in secret.
And from there he launched his conquest.
Sir,
I'd like to give you an army of 200,000,
and ask you to serve as the Grand Commander of Yong-Liang once more.
You shall also take charge of the defense at Chencang.
Your Majesty,
I'm now old and sickly.
Though I desire to serve on the front lines.
age does not permit me to do so.
When fall arrived^l'cameidown with lung problems.
I have been coughing up blood daily.
When I was climbing up the steps earlier.
I would have fallen down if it were not for the internal attendants assistance.
If that's the case.
recommend someone to me instead.
Commander-in-Chief Cao Zhen!
Third Uncle may be all right in administrative matters. but as for leading armies in battle...
To tell you honestly, he is not a general who wins wars. and is no match for Zhuge Liang.
Sir, please recommend another person to me.
Then what about the Commander-in-chiefs eldest son. General of the Rear Cao Shuang?
Too green! Too green! He is still-a child.
That doesn't matter. With some experience,
he will become as shrewd as his father, Cao Zhen.
As the common saying goes, the younger generation will surpass the old.
Zhongda, you have commanded troops for many years
Can you really riot think of anyone else who is skilled in warfare?
You exaggerate. Your Majesty.
For all my years, I have only spent two of them commanding troops.
In contrast, all my idle years put together
would amount to over 20 years!
However, even when you were not in office, your mind was not idle.
Moreover, you have a keen ability to distinguish talents.
Your former students and proteges can be found everywhere in court.
When you were leading the expedition, the generals serving you would fight to the death for you.
You were ever-victorious.
You exaggerated again, Your Majesty.
The generals were not fighting hard for my sake,
but were fighting for you, Your Majesty.
Moreover, I am not ever-victorious.
In the battle of Xicheng, I fell for Zhuge Liang's "empty city ruse".
When think of it now, I still feel very ashamed.
That was just a small matter.
Why don't you look at things this way?
Who else in this world could defeat Zhuge Liang as badly as you did.
and force him to flee to Xicheng with just a thousand who were either too old or too young to fight?
Your Majesty is wise.
comparing that with the rest of your contributions put together,
it is really insignificant.
Was it really that insignificant?
It was that insignificant. I would never fault you for that again.
Thank you for your great kindness.
However, even if you may let it pass,
I will still continue to fault myself for that.
I still feel ashamed.
Zhongda, the enemy draws near.
Why do you still refuse to recommend talented people to serve the state?
General Hao Zhao can be entrusted with this great responsibility.
Hao Zhao?
He has been a soldier since his youth.
He is a veteran of many wars, and is well-versed in military tactics.
He does not panic in times of crisis. He also has another strength.
What is it?
He is the exact opposite of your imperial kin Cao Zhen.
He never makes boastful claims. nor is he overly fond of grandiose achievements.
Good.
I shall appoint Hao Zhao as the General Who Conquers the West.
He will be stationed at Chencang, and tasked with defending it.
A wise decision. Your Majesty!
If you wish to say something, say it and leave.
Don't scare away the fish.
Father, there are rumors in court saying that
to defend the Yong-Liang region.
His Majesty assigned you 200,000 elite soldiers
But you feigned illness and turned down the appointment.
That's right.
Do you not wish to take up a post?
The time is not ripe.
The task to defend Yong-Liang is not as simple as it looks.
In what way?
His Majesty was«going to appoint me as Grand Cbmmander of Yong-Liang.
At the same time, he appointed Cao Zhen as Commander-in-Chief, in charge of the entire nation's military.
In other words, he would be my superior.
His Majesty wanted to have you deal with Zhuge Liang,
and have Cao Zhen deal with you, Father?
If you win, the credit goes to Cao Zhen entirely.
But if you lose, you will bear all the fault.
Its enough to just understand it. There's no need to say it out loud!
Over the past half-year, the Riverlands army has increased by 150,000.
Hanzhong's, too, increased by 120,000.
Moreover, we have bought an additional 20,000 war horses as well as various equipment and weaponry.
Every camp is being resupplied.
All newly-recruited cavalry shall be in your charge, Wei Yan.
Your unit shall also have the priority in being resupplied.
Thank you. Your Excellency.
You forgot. I'm no longer the prime minister.
I merely cover for the prime minister's duties.
It's the same.
The Riverlands enjoyed a great harvest this fall.
The grain we obtained is two to three times more than last year's.
Chief Secretary Li Yan has ordered me to transport 500,000 bushels of grain
to be stored at Xiegu as reserves in case of need.
In case of need?
If Your Excellency is marching north again.
would the grain not have to be transported ahead of you?
That's right.
It's truly the good fortune of Shu-Han that all you officers are»so diligent.
Anyway,
hows the battle between Wei and Wu going?
Any military reports lately?
There is news from Fancheng
that Cao Xiu, Grand Commander of Wei, fell for a fake surrender plot.
Thus he was,badly defeated by Lu Xun near6Hiting,.north of the River.
The Wei navy was almost wiped out.
Cao Xiu was so ashamed of his defeat that he died of grief.
If that's really the case, it is good news for Shu-Han.
I only wonder about the accuracy of this piece of news.
I think this must be accurate.
Why so?
That's because I, too, received news
that Wei is redeploying its army to the Central Plains, and tightening their defenses there.
Your Excellency, please consider. Why did Cao Rui redeploy his army to strengthen their defenses?
That's because he's afraid that you-may take advantage of Wei's recent loss
and launch a northern campaign.
Is Cao Zhen still in charge of the defenses at Yong-Liang?
He is.
But there's another Wei general called Hao Zhao.
Cao Rui has appointed him as General who Defends the West,
and sent him to defend Chencang.
Hao Zhao?
His style name is Bodao. A native.of Taiyuan, about 30 years of age.
Early in his career he was Xu Huang's subordinate. and later he served under Sima Yi.
Your Excellency, if we are to launch a northern expedition again,
will you be planning to march through Chencang?