“He looked as though he held a poor opinion of what you had said, General, and disagreed with you, although his words were fair enough.”
“He thinks I cannot take Chengdu; and so I will take it.”
He was received at his own camp by Shi Zuan and his son Deng Zhong, and a party of others of his generals, and they asked what the conversation had been about.
“I told Zhong Hui simple truth, but he thinks I am just a common person of no ability to speak of. He regards the capture of Hanzhong as an incomparable feat of arms. Where would he have been if I had not held up Jiang Wei? But I think the capture of Chengdu will beat that of Hanzhong.”
That night the camp was broken up, and they set out upon a long march along the mountainous paths. At a distance from Saber Pass they were to make a camp. Zhong Hui laughed at the attempt.
From his camp Deng Ai sent a letter to Sima Zhao. Then he called his officers to his tent and asked them, saying, “I am going to make a dash for Chengdu while it is still undefended, and success will mean unfading glory for us all. Will you follow me?”
“We will follow you and obey your orders,” cried they all.
So the final dispositions were made. Deng Zhong and three thousand troops went first to improve the road. His troops wore no armor, but they had axes and boring tools. They were to level roads and build bridges.
Next went thirty thousand troops furnished with dry grain and ropes. At every one hundred miles they were to make a post of three thousand.
In autumn of that year, they left Yinping, and in the tenth month they were in most precipitous country of the Yinping Mountains. They had taken twenty-seven days to travel two hundred and fifty miles. They were in an uninhabited country. After garrisoning the various posts on the way, they had only two thousand soldiers left. Before them stood a range named Heaven Cliffs, which no horse could ascend. Deng Ai climbed up on foot to see his son and the troops with him opening up a road. They were exhausted with fatigue and weeping.
Deng Ai asked why they were so sad, and his son replied, “We have found an impassable precipice away to the northwest which we cannot get through. All our labor has been in vain.”
Deng Ai said, “We have got over two hundred and fifty miles, and just beyond is Jiangyou. We cannot go back. How can one get tiger cubs except by going into tiger caves? Here we are, and it will be a very great feat to capture Chengdu.”
They all said they would go on. So they came to the precipice. First they threw over their weapons; then the leader wrapped himself in blankets and rolled over the edge, next the generals followed him, also wrapped in blankets. Those who had not blankets were let down by cords round the waist, and others clinging to trees followed one after another till all had descended and the Heaven Cliffs was passed. Then they retook their armor and weapons and went on their way.
They came across a stone by the roadside. It bore a mysterious inscription, translated literally it read:
“Two fires were just founded; armies pass by here. Two soldiers compete; both soon die.”
(Two Lius were just founded, armies pass by here. Deng Ai and Zhong Hui compete; both soon die).
Deng Ai was astonished. Presently he bowed before the stone and prayed to the spirit of Zhuge Liang.
“O Martial Lord, immortal. I grieve that I am not thy worthy disciple.”
Having crossed this great range of mountains without discovery, Deng Ai marched forward. Presently he came to a roomy camp, empty and deserted. He was told that while Zhuge Liang lived, a thousand troops had been kept in garrison at this point of danger, but the Latter Ruler had withdrawn them. Deng Ai sighed at the thought.
He said to his troops, “Now retreat is impossible, there is no road back. Before you lies Jiangyou with stores in abundance. Advance and you live, retreat and you die. You must fight with all your strength.”
“We will fight to the death!” they cried.
The leader was now afoot, doing double marches with his two thousand troops toward Jiangyou.
