Next the besiegers set to work to bring up earth and fill the moat, and Liao Hua led three thousand soldiers to excavate a tunnel under the ramparts. But Hao Zhao cut a counter-trench within the city and turned that device.
So the struggle went on for near a month, and still the city was not taken. Zhuge Liang was very depressed.
That was not all. The scouts reported the coming of a relief force of Wei, the flags of which bore the name of Wang Shuang. Some one had to try to turn him back, and Wei Yan offered himself. “No,” said Zhuge Liang, “you are too valuable as Leader of the Van.”
General Xie Xiong offered his services; they were accepted, and Xie Xiong was given three thousand troops. After he had gone, Zhuge Liang decided to send a second force, and for command of this General Gong Qi volunteered and was accepted. Gong Qi also had three thousand troops.
Then Zhuge Liang feared lest there would be a sortie from the city to aid the relief force just arriving, so he led off the army seven miles and made a camp.
The first body sent against Wang Shuang had no success; Xie Xiong fell almost immediately under Wang Shuang's great sword. The men fled and Wang Shuang pursued, and so came upon Gong Qi, who had come to support his colleague. Gong Qi met a similar fate, being slain in the third bout.
When the defeated parties returned, Zhuge Liang was anxious and called up Liao Hua, Wang Ping, and Zhang Ni to go out to check this Wang Shuang, They went and drew up in formal array, and then Zhang Ni rode to the front. Wang Shuang rode to meet him, and they two fought several bouts. Then Wang Shuang ran away and Zhang Ni followed.
His colleague, Wang Ping, suspected this flight was but a ruse, so he called to Zhang Ni, “Do not follow the fleeing general!”
Wang Shuang then turned and hurled one of his meteor hammers, which hit Zhang Ni in the back, so that he fell forward and lay over the saddle. Wang Shuang rode on to follow up this advantage, but Liao Hua and Wang Ping poured out and checked him. Wang Shuang's whole force then came on and slew many of the troops of Shu.
Zhang Ni was hurt internally and vomited blood at times. He came back and told Zhuge Liang, saying, “Wang Shuang is very terrible and no one can stand up to him. Beside there is a strong camp at the city with double walls and a deep moat.”
Having lost two generals, and a third being wounded, Zhuge Liang called up Jiang Wei and said, “We are stopped this way; can you suggest another road?”
“Yes,” said Jiang Wei, “Chencang is too well protected and, with Hao Zhao as defender and Wang Shuang as supporter, cannot be taken. I would propose to move away to some suitable place and make a strong camp. Then try to hold the roads so that the attack on Jieting may be prevented. Then if you will send a strong force against Qishan, I can do something which will capture Cao Zhen.”
Zhuge Liang agreed. He sent Wang Ping and Li Hui to hold the narrow road to Jieting, and Wei Yan was sent to guard the way from Chencang. And then the army marched out of the Xie Valley by a small road and made for Qishan.
Now Cao Zhen still remembered bitterly that in the last campaign Sima Yi had filched from him the credit he hoped to obtain. So when he received the commission of defending the capitals against the invading forces, he detached Guo Huai and Sun Li and sent them to hold positions east and west. Then he had heard that Chencang was threatened, so had sent Wang Shuang to its relief, and now to his joy he heard of his henchman's success. He placed Grand Commander Fei Yao in command of the van and stationed other generals at strategic and commanding points.
Then they caught a spy. He was taken into the presence of the Commander-in-Chief to be questioned. The man knelt down and said, “I am not really a spy in the bad sense. I was bringing a secret communication for you, Sir, but I was captured by one of the parties in ambush. Pray send away your attendants.”
The man's bonds were loosed and the tent cleared. The captive said, “I am a confidant of Jiang Wei, who has entrusted me with a secret letter.”
“Where is the letter?”
The man took it from among his garments and presented it to Cao Zhen, who read:
