Meng Da 孟達

Meng Da was a native of Fufeng. His original courtesy name was Zijing, but he changed it to Zidu to avoid 'Jing,' the name of the First Sovereign's uncle. Early in the Jian'an era, when famine struck the realm, he entered Shu together with Fa Zheng of the same commandery and placed himself under Liu Zhang. Records, Shu 10 §3 · 17Records, Shu 7 §14

After Cao Cao's army fared badly at Chibi, Liu Zhang accepted Zhang Song's advice and sent Fa Zheng to establish friendly relations with the First Sovereign, and then had Fa Zheng and Meng Da take several thousand soldiers to help the First Sovereign in his defense. According to Liu Feng's biography, Meng Da, as Fa Zheng's deputy, welcomed the First Sovereign with Fa Zheng, each leading 2,000 soldiers, and the First Sovereign took this opportunity to have Meng Da lead both contingents and left him stationed at Jiangling. After Shu was pacified, Meng Da became Administrator of Yidu. Records, Shu 1 §15Records, Shu 10 §3

In the 24th year of Jian'an (219), on orders, Meng Da attacked Fangling northward from Zigui, and Kuai Qi, Administrator of Fangling, was killed by Meng Da's soldiers. When Meng Da was about to advance on Shangyong, the First Sovereign, privately worried that Meng Da might find it hard to handle the task alone, sent his adopted son Liu Feng down the Mian River from Hanzhong to take command of Meng Da's army. Shen Dan, Administrator of Shangyong, surrendered with his followers. Records, Shu 10 §2–4Records, Shu 2 §39

After Guan Yu laid siege to Fancheng and Xiangyang, he repeatedly called on Liu Feng and Meng Da to send troops to help him, but the two declined, saying that the mountain commanderies had only just submitted and could not be unsettled, and they did not carry out Guan Yu's orders. When Guan Yu was defeated and destroyed, the First Sovereign resented them. Liu Feng had also quarrelled angrily with Meng Da and was on bad terms with him, and before long Liu Feng took away Meng Da's drum-and-wind band. Fearing punishment and furious with Liu Feng, Meng Da submitted a memorial taking leave of the First Sovereign and led the men under his command to surrender to Wei. The Annals of Emperor Wen in the Records of Wei date this surrender to the 1st year of Yankang (220). Xi Yi, the commander (dudu) under Meng Da, also followed him in surrendering to Wei. Records, Shu 10 §4–5Records, Wei 2 §10Records, Shu 12 §81

Emperor Wen of Wei thought highly of Meng Da's qualities, talent and bearing; he made him Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary (sanqi changshi) and General Who Establishes Martial Might (jianwu jiangjun), enfeoffed him as Marquis of Pingyang Precinct, combined the three commanderies of Fangling, Shangyong and Xicheng into Xincheng Commandery, and put Meng Da in charge as Administrator of Xincheng. Liu Ye said that Meng Da had a heart set on gain by any means and relied on his talent and loved intrigue, so he would never be moved by kindness or hold to righteousness, and that Xincheng bordered Wu and Shu, so that if anything went wrong it would become a source of trouble for the state. Emperor Wen in the end did not change his decision. Records, Shu 10 §5Records, Wei 14 §97

Wei sent Xiahou Shang, General Who Conquers the South, and Xu Huang, General of the Right, to attack Liu Feng together with Meng Da. Meng Da wrote to Liu Feng saying that he and the King of Hanzhong were no more than strangers met on the road, that since A Dou had been made Crown Prince men of discernment had felt chilled on his behalf, and urging him to come east and become heir to the Marquis of Luo. Liu Feng did not follow this. When Shen Yi turned against Liu Feng, Liu Feng was defeated and returned to Chengdu, and the First Sovereign, rebuking him for having encroached on and slighted Meng Da and for failing to rescue Guan Yu, had him take his own life. Liu Feng sighed, 'I regret not following the words of Meng Zidu!' Records, Shu 10 §6 · 8 · 11 · 14–15

Li Yan of Shu wrote to Meng Da, 'Kongming and I together received the charge of the late sovereign's affairs; my worries are deep and my responsibility heavy, and I long to find a good companion,' and Zhuge Liang, in a letter to Meng Da as well, praised Li Yan's character. In the 3rd year of Jianxing (225), on his way back from the south, Zhuge Liang met Li Hong, who had come over in surrender at Hanyang County. Li Hong reported that Wang Chong (王沖), who had come from the south, had told Meng Da that Zhuge Liang had wanted to kill Meng Da's wife and children but the First Sovereign had not allowed it, whereas Meng Da, saying that Zhuge Liang treated him consistently from beginning to end, did not believe a word of it. Records, Shu 10 §44Records, Shu 11 §44–45

Fei Shi said, 'A petty man like Meng Da was disloyal when he served the General Who Spreads Awe (Liu Zhang) in the past, and later betrayed the First Sovereign as well; why write a letter to a man who turns this way and that?' But Zhuge Liang, wishing to lure Meng Da into becoming an outside ally, sent him a letter. In it Zhuge Liang said that what had happened before was truly a matter of Liu Feng's slighting Meng Da and so harming the righteousness with which the First Sovereign treated his men. On receiving the letter, Meng Da corresponded several times and hinted at his intention to turn against Wei. The table of contents of the Collected Works of Zhuge Liang also includes a piece titled 'Letter to Meng Da.' Records, Shu 11 §45–46Records, Shu 5 §44

In the 12th month of the 1st year of Taihe (early 228 CE), when Meng Da, Administrator of Xincheng, rebelled, Emperor Ming issued an edict ordering Sima Yi, General of Agile Cavalry, to suppress him. In the spring, 1st month, of the 2nd year of Taihe (228), Sima Yi attacked and broke Xincheng, beheaded Meng Da, and sent his head on to the capital. Because Zhuge Liang considered that Meng Da had no sincere intention, he did not come to his aid. Wei split off Shangyong, Wuling and Wu County from Xincheng Commandery to form Shangyong Commandery, and made Xi County into Xi Commandery. Later, in the edict appointing Sima Yi Grand Tutor, the Wei court counted 'capturing Meng Da in the south' among his achievements. Records, Wei 3 §6–7Records, Shu 11 §46–47Records, Wei 4 §5

In his assessment of this volume, Chen Shou said only that Liu Feng, though in a position open to suspicion, made insufficient provision to protect himself; he did not assess Meng Da. Records, Shu 10 §74