Now Wei Yan, Zhang Ni, Chen Shi, and Du Qiong, with twenty thousand troops, entered the Chi Valley. As they were marching, Adviser Deng Zhi came.
“I bear an order from the Prime Minister. As you go out of the valley, beware of the enemy,” said Deng Zhi.
Chen Shi said, “Why is the Prime Minister so full of doubts? We know the soldiers of Wei have suffered severely from the rain and must hasten home. They will not lay any ambush. We are doing double marches and shall gain a great victory. Why are we to delay?”
Deng Zhi replied, “You know the Prime Minister's plans always succeed. How dare you disobey his orders?”
Chen Shi smiled, saying, “If he was really so resourceful, we should not have lost Jieting.”
Wei Yan, recalling that Zhuge Liang had rejected his plan, also laughed, and said, “If he had listened to me and gone out through Ziwu Valley, not only Changan but Luoyang too would be ours. Now he is bent on taking Qishan; what is the good of it? He gave us the order to advance and now he stops us. Truly the orders are confusing.”
Then said Chen Shi, “I will tell you what I will do. I shall take only five thousand troops, get through the Chi Valley, and camp at Qishan. Then you will see how ashamed the Prime Minister will look.” Deng Zhi argued and persuaded, but to no avail; the willful leader hurried on to get out of the valley. Deng Zhi could only return as quickly as possible and report.
Chen Shi proceeded. He had gone a few miles when he heard a bomb, and he was in an ambush. He tried to withdraw, but the valley was full of the enemy and he was surrounded as in an iron cask. All his efforts to get out failed. Then there was a shout, and Wei Yan came to the rescue. Wei Yan saved his comrade, but Chen Shi's five thousand troops was reduced to about five hundred, and these wounded. The Wei soldiers pursued, but two other divisions of Zhang Ni and Du Qiong prevented the pursuit, and finally the army of Wei retired.
Chen Shi and Wei Yan who had criticized Zhuge Liang's powers of prevision no longer doubted that he saw very clearly. They regretted their own shortsightedness.
When Deng Zhi told his chief of the bad behavior of Chen Shi and Wei Yan, Zhuge Liang only laughed.
Said he, “That fellow Wei Yan has never been quite true; he has always been disposed to disobey and is unsteady. However, he is valiant, and so I have saved him for our use, but he will do real harm some day.”
Then came a messenger with news of Chen Shi's defeat and loss of troops. Zhuge Liang sent Deng Zhi back again to Chi Valley to console with Chen Shi and so keep him from actual mutiny.
Then Zhuge Liang called to his tent Ma Dai and Wang Ping, and said, “If there are any troops of Wei in the Xie Valley, you are to go across the mountains, marching by night and concealing yourselves by day, and make for the east of Qishan. When you arrive, make a fire as a signal.”
Ma Zhong and Zhang Ni were told to go in similar fashion to the west of Qishan and join up with the other two. Then they were to make a joint attack on Cao Zhen's camp. Zhuge Liang would also attack in the center. Guan Xing and Liao Hua also received secret orders.
The armies marched rapidly. Not long after starting, two other detachments led by Wu Ban and Wu Yi received secret orders and left the main body.
The doubts about the coming of the Shu army made Cao Zhen careless, and he allowed his soldiers to become slack and rest. He only thought of getting through the allotted ten days, when he would have the laugh against his colleague.
Seven of the days had passed, when a scout reported a few odd men of Shu in the valley. Cao Zhen sent Qin Liang with five thousand troops to reconnoiter and keep them at a distance. Qin Liang he led his troops to the entrance of the valley. As soon as he arrived, the enemy retired. Qin Liang went after them, but they had disappeared. He was perplexed and puzzled, and while trying to decide, he told the troops to dismount and rest.
But almost immediately he heard a shout, and ambushing troops appeared in front of him. He jumped on his horse to look about him, and saw a great cloud of dust rising among the hills. He disposed his troops for defense, but the shouting quickly came nearer, and then Wu Ban and Wu Yi appeared advancing towards him. Retreat was impossible for Guan Xing and Liao Hua had blocked the road. The hills were on both sides, and from the hill-tops came shouts of “Dismount and yield!”
More than half did surrender. Qin Liang rode out to fight, but he was slain by Liao Hua.
