Chapter Thirty-Three: Remembering Jiang Wei (4k)

After speaking so much in one breath, Zhang Ximiao’s face grew increasingly pale. She coughed slightly and gestured toward the water pot by her pillow: "Piji, I am thirsty..."

Liu Xian, as if waking from a dream, hurriedly rose to fetch the pot. He poured a cup of water, sat down beside her, and with one hand supporting his mother’s back, brought the cup to her lips. After she had finished, he helped her slowly lie back down.

Unlike her icy palms, her back was searingly hot. This heat reminded Liu Xian of fire—a consumption of her very life.

Once she was lying down, Zhang Ximiao’s coughing did not cease. It took a long while for her to settle, and her face was etched with the agony of discomfort. Concerned, Liu Xian asked, "Mother, would you like to rest for a while?"

Ximiao shook her head. "It is nothing serious; you need not worry."

"But..."

"Even if it were serious, would resting for a while make it better?"

These words left Liu Xian silent. He could only sit by the couch, gripping his mother’s hand tightly.

Seeing the heartbroken expression on Liu Xian’s face, Zhang Ximiao smiled, reached out to smooth her child’s brow, and whispered, "Since ancient times, there has never been a man who does not die, nor a state that does not perish. Your teacher must have taught you this."

Liu Xian nodded. That had been the final lesson before he began studying history. Chen Shou had taken him to visit ancient tombs and told him those words, and from them, he had realized the greatness of humanity’s attempt to transcend mortality. Yet, only when his mother fell gravely ill did he realize that such wisdom could not console the human heart; one still feels sorrow and sheds tears. But now, he had to restrain his grief, for he had to prove to his mother that he was the strong person capable of shouldering burdens, just as she had said.

Ximiao could sense this effort. Greatly comforted, she continued along the same thread: "Then your teacher must have also taught you why the former state perished?"

"He has."

"Then tell me."

Liu Xian gathered his thoughts, recalling the teachings of Chen Shou from that period and the books left behind. He said slowly, "Teacher said that the fall of Shu Han was primarily the responsibility of Great General Jiang Wei. He committed two major faults."

"The first fault was his militarism. He engaged in Northern Expeditions year after year despite lacking the talent of a supreme commander. While his military prowess surpassed Guo Huai and Chen Ta, he was no match for Deng Ai. Not only was he unable to make progress, but he also suffered disastrous defeats at Dangu and Houhe. The livelihoods of the people withered, and the national strength was exhausted."

"The second fault was his selfishness. He knew that the court officials were dissatisfied with him, yet he refused to relinquish power. He led troops to Tazhong on his own initiative, leaving Hanzhong empty and causing distrust between the sovereign and his ministers. It was this that gave Zhong Hui the opportunity to lead an army and extinguish Shu."

Hearing this, Zhang Ximiao seemed momentarily dazed. She murmured, "That is what your teacher said?"

"Yes."

"And Piji, what is your own view?"

Liu Xian pondered for a moment before saying, "Mother, in my opinion, my teacher is partially right and partially wrong. At the very least, in military matters, he was too harsh."

He paused, and seeing the encouraging look in Ximiao’s eyes, he continued: "Looking through history, the reason some disparage Jiang Wei for militarism is simply because they believe that if a small state is the enemy of a large one, it should play for time, wait for the great power to show a flaw, and then deliver a fatal blow. There are historical precedents for this, such as King Wu’s campaign against King Zhou, Goujian’s annexation of Wu, or Yue Yi’s defeat of Yan."

"But this does not apply to the conflict between Han and Wei. The two states were locked in a struggle for the survival of their respective regimes. As the saying goes, the Han and the rebels cannot coexist, and the royal cause cannot find peace in mere survival. Jiang Wei viewed Cao Wei as a mortal enemy, and Cao Wei viewed him the same way; thus, if he did not take the initiative to attack, the Wei army would eventually have come to invade the Western Chuan. The fact that Emperor Wen of Jin began planning the invasion of Shu immediately after the Northern Expeditions ceased is proof of this. By comparison, rather than fighting within the borders, it is better to repel the enemy outside the gates. This does not deserve such heavy criticism."

"As for Jiang Wei crossing mountains and ridges, using the small to challenge the big, he often fought three against one. Although there were crushing defeats like Dangu, there were also brilliant victories like Taoxi, where he beheaded tens of thousands. So much so that Cao Wei once considered abandoning Liangzhou. Even if it did not ultimately succeed, it was merely due to the disparity in national strength—what more could be expected of him? Looking at Jiang Wei’s several defeats, all were constrained by a lack of troops and provisions, forcing him to seek quick, decisive battles. It was not that he was inferior to Deng Ai or lacked strategic sense; he simply had no other choice."

When Liu Xian finished, Zhang Ximiao was silent for a moment. Instead of evaluating his views, she continued: "So, you do not believe the Great General was militaristic, but you do agree that he abused his power and acted out of selfishness?"

Liu Xian thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes, Mother, that is indeed what I believe."

"Why?"

"It is quite clear. In a war between a small state and a large one, military affairs may have their ups and downs, but internally, there must be unity."

"The reason the political situation in Shu deteriorated was because of the factional strife between Jiang Wei, Huang Hao, and Zhuge Zhan. As the leader of the entire army, Jiang Wei could not unite his colleagues, nor was he willing to relinquish his authority. This led to discord from top to bottom and resentment both inside and outside the court. In the end, he went so far as to lead the troops away from Hanzhong to garrison Tazhong, leaving the Hanzhong defense line empty. That is what created the dire situation where Zhong Hui’s army could march south and press directly upon Jiange."

"As the Great General and a man hailed as an unparalleled talent of the nation, Jiang Wei must have understood this principle. Yet he acted as he did—if that is not selfishness, what could it be?"

At this point, Liu Xian felt his throat go dry. He picked up the pot, poured himself a cup of water, and waited for his mother’s assessment.

Zhang Ximiao nodded slightly and said, "Piji, you have spoken very well." But she immediately countered, "However, there are things you have not experienced personally, and your teacher did not tell you. Because you are still young, your understanding is not yet comprehensive."

"Not comprehensive?" Liu Xian was startled, then bowed his head to listen to his mother’s instruction.

"I said you spoke well," Zhang Ximiao squeezed Liu Xian’s hand and sighed. "It is good because you know that in times of national crisis, one should act in unison and consider the greater good."

"But these eight characters cannot be decided by one person alone. Each person has only one heart and a pair of eyes; they can only think what they think and see what they see. It is difficult to truly grasp the emotions of others. This is a layer of karmic obstruction inherent to humanity. Because of this obstruction, people can only harbor mutual suspicion."

"You say General Jiang Wei should have united his colleagues—how could he not have known that? But how does one unite them? Unity comes at a price."

"Among the officials who advocated for peace at the time, there were upright men like Zhuge Zhan, son of Prime Minister Zhuge; there were power-hungry eunuchs like Huang Hao; and there was Qiao Zhou, who wrote the 'Discourse on the Enemy State' and secretly spread the word that the state was doomed and Cao Wei would flourish. They all advocated abandoning the Northern Expeditions to rest and recover. Piji, tell me, if it were you, what would you do?"

This... the question his mother posed suddenly cornered Liu Xian, leaving him unsure how to answer. When he was an observer, he could see through a person’s thoughts and plans at a glance, but he rarely put himself in their shoes to think. Now, his mother had presented him with this dilemma, challenging him to find a better solution.

After long and careful deliberation, Liu Xian finally answered: "Since the political situation was as it was, one should have emulated Zi Chan—combining kindness with severity and governing through differentiation, rather than applying a single standard to all. Regarding Zhuge Zhan, one should have appropriately suspended the fighting to ease relations; regarding Huang Hao, one should have forcefully petitioned the Emperor to rectify the source; regarding Qiao Zhou, one should have publicly refuted him and ousted him from the court."

Zhang Ximiao looked at Liu Xian for a moment, then beamed. "You speak very well, and that is exactly what the Great General did back then."

"After the defeat at Dangu, the Great General did not use troops for four consecutive years, solely to reorganize defenses in Hanzhong and attempt to mend relations with Zhuge Zhan. But Zhuge Zhan would not let it go and insisted that the Great General relinquish his power and retire."

"As for Huang Hao, the Great General spoke directly to your grandfather, painfully and earnestly urging him to execute Huang Hao and restore order to the government, but your grandfather would not permit it."

"The refutation of Qiao Zhou had been ongoing for a long time, but Qiao Zhou had many disciples, deep seniority, and was a great master of Confucian classics in Shu. Without your grandfather’s support, even if one won the argument in the moment, one could never drive him out."

Hearing his mother’s explanation, Liu Xian was stunned. So, Jiang Wei had already done these things—then how did things end up the way they did? Which link had broken? As he began to reflect, he noticed a question he had never considered before: the attitude of his grandfather, Liu Shan. He asked, "Was it that Grandfather harbored suspicions of the Great General?"

"It was not suspicion." Zhang Ximiao shook her head, feeling equally helpless about this issue. "It was... the art of imperial rule. For decades, your grandfather had grown weary of the reality of excessive ministerial power. Since the death of Prime Minister Zhuge, he had been constantly weakening the power of the chancellery, from Jiang Wan to Fei Yi, without exception. By the time the Great General took charge, your grandfather had fully grasped the reins of government. But he had no heart for governing the nation; he only sought to maintain his own authority, blindly manipulating the political balance. The result was an escalation of factional strife."

"The Great General was, after all, only a subject. Without the Emperor’s support, how could he unite his colleagues? Yet, as a subject, he was not like Prime Minister Zhuge—he lacked the deathbed edict and absolute trust of your great-grandfather, the Zhaolie Emperor, and thus could not admonish the Emperor. To put it plainly, this was the responsibility and burden of the Son of Heaven, but your grandfather was unwilling to bear it, and the court officials were all too happy to fight for power. Piji, if you were faced with such a situation, how would you act so as to have no 'selfish motives'?"

Liu Xian was left speechless. From this perspective, the Emperor was so muddled that if Jiang Wei had relinquished his power, the government would likely not have improved and might even have fallen into greater chaos. If he truly acted with the public interest at heart, he had to ensure that he held power to protect the army from being plagued by factional strife.

In that case, when everyone else acts out of selfishness, does even a selfless act become a selfish one?

"And so, that is how it was. Even without a shred of selfishness, the Great General had to do things that seemed absurd." Zhang Ximiao reached a very tragic conclusion:

"In this life, to have impeccable private virtues like Prime Minister Zhuge, one must not only do well oneself but also have good luck—to meet an emperor like your great-grandfather who entrusts his life and state to you. Piji, you must not only see what people do, but also learn to recognize which actions are forced by their environment and which are their true intentions."

"Yes." Liu Xian knew this was his mother once again urging him to forgive his father, but a new question arose in his mind. "But I still don’t understand, why didn’t Teacher say these things? Even if he wanted to avoid suspicion, it didn’t have to go this far, did it?"

"It was not just simple avoidance. Firstly, as a subject, he had to observe the taboo of 'concealing for the honorable,' so he could not blame your grandfather too much. Secondly, he wanted to rely on historical writing to achieve fame and advance his career, which required him to cater to the Sima clan. The Great General’s final act of exploiting the mistrust between the Sima clan’s lords and ministers to cause chaos was something that had to be criticized. Thirdly, it was indeed to avoid suspicion, for he had served as the Great General’s registrar for six years. He had to demonstrate twice, or even thrice, the loyalty of others to be trusted by the Sima clan. There is nothing to be overly critical of there."

The teacher had been Jiang Wei’s registrar? Liu Xian remembered that when he first became his student, his mother had asked Chen Shou to take him on, and she had indeed mentioned that.

But at the time, he did not understand what "Great General" and "registrar" meant. Now he knew: a registrar was a confidential staff member of the幕府 (military headquarters), a position that could only be held by a trusted confidant. In that sense, many of the military strategies during Jiang Wei’s Northern Expeditions might have passed through his teacher’s hands. Yet, as his mother said, that part of his life had been discarded, and he was unwilling to mention it at all.

What kind of experience is it to completely hide one’s own past? Liu Xian could hardly imagine.

Zhang Ximiao took a more detached view. She said, "It is not just him. I, your father, and everyone who lived through the chaos of Chengdu—none of us wish to recall those events. But the very fact that we do not wish to remember is proof of how deeply it is etched into our souls."

Ximiao brought the conversation back to the beginning and asked, "Now tell me again, after the Great General avoided the disaster, how did the Wei army act?"

Liu Xian knew the relevant details by heart. This time, he did not need to ponder, but said directly, "I remember that when news of the internal factional strife and the emptiness of Hanzhong reached Luoyang, Zhong Hui believed it was a golden opportunity to destroy the state. He persuaded the Emperor of Jin to urgently mobilize an army of 180,000, splitting into five routes—two to surround Jiang Wei, and three to attack Hanzhong. In the end, Jiang Wei broke through the blockade and arrived in Hanzhong, but Zhong Hui had already occupied most of the strategic points, leaving the Han army with no defenses to hold. They were forced to retreat and defend Jiange."

"Mm." Zhang Ximiao’s expression turned reminiscent again. "Your father told me that on the eve of the great battle, the Great General had actually perceived the Wei army’s movements and requested reinforcements from the court. But the officials believed that since the Wei army had not attacked Hanzhong in ten years, it was likely just a pretext for Jiang Wei to hold onto his military power, so they did not send reinforcements."

"When they learned that Zhong Hui’s 200,000 troops had marched south and successively broken through the Hanzhong defense lines, the court officials were almost paralyzed with fear. They all said this was a hopeless situation, that the Great General would likely surrender to the Wei army, and the state was on the brink of collapse. Nobody expected that, although Hanzhong was lost, the Great General would kill his way through the heavy encirclement! When Chengdu received news that he had arrived at Jiange, they could hardly believe it!"

Hearing this, Liu Xian began to imagine the scene of Jiang Wei racing through rugged mountains and heavy encirclements, fighting field battles along the way. He could not help but exclaim, "Truly remarkable."

But he immediately sighed. "However, when the Wei army could not break through Jiange and thoughts of retreat were emerging, Deng Ai took a desperate gamble. He took an unexpected route, leading 30,000 soldiers through the Yinping trail, breaking through the natural barrier of Jiangyou, and suddenly appearing on the Chengdu plain. General of the Guard Zhuge Zhan led 10,000 men to resist, but he hesitated, causing the passes to be lost. He was forced to fight the Wei army in the field. After consecutive defeats, the entire army was wiped out."

"General of the Guard Zhuge Siyuan..." Zhang Ximiao closed her eyes and lamented, "He was a good man, but he had no talent. Not only was he far inferior to his father, Prime Minister Zhuge, but he was not even as clear-sighted as your father. Yet, he stepped into officialdom and became the blade your grandfather used to check the Great General. But he was indeed a good man. To be able to die for his country alongside his father and reunite with his ancestors in the underworld, he could be said to have had a clear conscience."

"This defeat of Zhuge Siyuan effectively sacrificed the last of the nation’s elite, including my brother Zhang Zun, Huang Quan’s son Huang Chong, and Li Hui’s nephew Li Qiu... Only ten thousand or so remained in Chengdu, but they were all weak and feeble, incapable of battle."

"When the news of Zhuge Siyuan’s failure arrived, your father and the other uncles were forced to return to Chengdu. According to custom, except for your eldest uncle, everyone else had to wait in the Orange and Pomelo Garden of the palace. Once the court made a decision, we had to accept it. While waiting, your father and the fifth uncle, Liu Chen, were filled with righteous indignation. They had already prepared themselves to die for the country, saying that if there was even a glimmer of hope, they could never be slaves of a lost state. But such men are always the minority."

At this point, Zhang Ximiao fell silent. When she opened her eyes again and looked back at Liu Xian, she said slowly:

"Piji, I am not afraid for you to laugh at me, but at that time, I was afraid of death. I had thought that my simple life as a wife would last until the end of time, but suddenly I was faced with the choice between life and death. I was completely at a loss."

"At that time, I saw the golden osmanthus flowers blooming in the corridors of the Orange and Pomelo Garden, the heavy fruits about to ripen in the orchard, and smelling the faint, distant fragrance among them, I realized for the first time how beautiful it is to be alive. The reason people often belittle life and death is simply because they are too far from death."

"And looking at the eyes of my other relatives, I knew that everyone actually felt the same way. Even an ant clings to life; how much more so for those who have enjoyed a happy life?"

"Many things that seem important are simply not important when faced with the choice of living. So, after your grandfather decided to surrender, although I shared the same sorrow as the others and could not help but cover my face and weep, I actually felt a sense of relief. I thought, let it just pass. Being a slave of a lost state is shameful, but the division and unification of the world is a normal occurrence. Perhaps the days ahead will not be so bad."

After a brief pause here, Zhang Ximiao, with a rare expression of bitter hatred, gripped her child’s hand, looked up at the ceiling, and finally said:

"But soon, I understood a truth: living is not inherently happy; it is destined to be painful. And this kind of pain has completely changed your father..."