While the chariots were taking up their positions, thirty thousand soldiers were ordered to prepare wagons and sickles to cut and carry away the grain.
Next Zhuge Liang selected twenty-four good soldiers, whom he dressed and armed like those sent away with the three chariots. These were to push his own chariot. Guan Xing was told to dress up as the God of Clouds and to walk in front of Zhuge Liang's chariot holding a black seven-starred flag. These preparations complete, Zhuge Liang mounted, and the chariot took the road toward the Wei camp.
The appearance of a chariot with such attendants more than startled the enemy's scouts, who did not know whether the apparition was that of a human or a demon. They hastened to their general and told him.
Sima Yi came out himself and saw the cavalcade, and its central figure being Zhuge Liang, dressed as a Taoist mystic, with head-dress, white robe and a feather fan. Around the chariot were twenty-four hair-loosened beings, each with a sword in hand; and leading was a being as a heaven-sent god with the seven-starred flag.
“Some of Zhuge Liang's odd doings,” said he.
And Sima Yi ordered two thousand troops, saying, “Chase as fast as you can, and bring in the chariot, escort, and the seated figure.”
The soldiers went out to do their bidding; but as soon as they appeared, the chariot retired and took a road leading to the rear of the Shu camp. Although the Wei soldiers were mounted, they could not come up with the cavalcade. What they did meet with was a chilly breeze and a cold mist that rolled about them.
They found it uncanny and halted, saying one to another, “How extraordinary it is that we have been pressing on and yet we got no nearer. What does it mean?”
When Zhuge Liang saw that the pursuit had ceased, he had his chariot pushed out again to the front and passed within sight of the halted troops. At first they hesitated, but presently took up the pursuit once more. Whereupon the chariot again retired, proceeding slowly, but always keeping out of reach. And thus more than seven miles were covered and the chariot was still not captured. Again the soldiers halted, puzzled and perplexed at this incomprehensible chase. But as soon as they stopped, the chariot came again toward them and they retook pursuit.
Sima Yi now came up with a strong force. But he also halted, and said to his generals, “This Zhuge Liang is a master in the arts of necromancy and juggling and Eight Gates and knows how to call up the Deities of Six Layers to his aid. I know this trick of his; it is the 'Ground Rolling' in the 'Book of Six Layers Deities,' and it is vain to pursue.”
So they ceased following. But then a roll of drums came from the left side as if a body of troops were approaching. Sima Yi told off some companies to repel them, but there only came into view a small force, and in their midst was a party of men dressed in black, the exact counterpart of the cavalcade he had first sent to pursue. In the chariot sat another Zhuge Liang just like the one that had just disappeared.
“But just now he was sitting in that other chariot, which we chased for fifteen miles; how can he be here?” said Sima Yi.
Shortly after they heard another roll of the drums, and as the sound died away there appeared another body of men, with a chariot in the midst, exactly like the last and also carrying a sitting figure of Zhuge Liang.
“They must be heaven-sent soldiers,” said Sima Yi.
The soldiers were now feeling the strain of these weird appearances and began to get out of hand. They dared not stay to fight such beings, and some ran away. But before they had gone far, lo! another roll of drums, another cohort and another chariot with a similar figure seated therein.
The soldiers of Wei were now thoroughly frightened, and even Sima Yi himself began to feel doubtful whether these appearances should be ascribed to humans or devils. He realized, however, that he was in the midst of dangers as he did not know the number of the Shu soldiers, and he and his troops ran away helter-skelter, never stopping till they reached Shanggui. They entered the city and closed the gates.
Having thus driven off the Wei soldiers, Zhuge Liang proceeded to reap and gather the wheat, which was carried into Lucheng and laid out to dry.
Sima Yi remained shut up within the walls for three days. Then, as he saw his enemies retiring, he sent out some scouts, who presently returned with a Shu soldier they had captured. The prisoner was questioned.
“I was of the reaping party,” said the man. “They caught me when I was looking for some horses that had strayed.”
“What wonderful soldiers were they of yours that one saw here lately?” asked the general.
The man replied, “Zhuge Liang was with one party of them, the others were led by Jiang Wei, Ma Dai, and Wei Yan. There was a thousand of fighting soldiers with each chariot and five hundred drummers. Zhuge Liang was with the first party.”
“His comings and goings are not human,” said Sima Yi sadly.
