Romance, Chapter 89

Chapter 89. The Marquis of Wuxiang Employs His Fourth Stratagem; The King of the Southern Man Is Captured for the Fifth Time

Now Kongming drove out in person in a small carriage, with several hundred horsemen, to scout the road ahead. Before them lay a river called the Xier River. Its current was slow, but there was not a single boat or raft to be had. Kongming ordered trees felled to make rafts for the crossing, but the timber sank as soon as it touched the water. Kongming then asked Lü Kai, who said, “I have heard that on the upper reaches of the Xier River there is a mountain covered with bamboo, the biggest stems several spans round. Men could be sent to cut it, and a bamboo bridge could be built across the river to take the army over.”

卻說孔明自駕小車，引數百騎前來探路。前有一河，名曰西洱河，水勢雖慢，並無一隻船筏。孔明令伐木爲筏而渡，其木到水皆沉。孔明遂問呂凱，凱曰：“聞西洱河上流有一山，其山多竹，大者數圍。可令人伐之，於河上搭起竹橋，以渡軍馬。”

Kongming at once sent thirty thousand men into the mountain. They cut several hundred thousand bamboos and floated them down on the current, and at a narrow point of the river they built a bamboo bridge more than ten zhang wide. Then he had the main army pitch camp in a single line along the north bank, using the river as a moat, the floating bridge as a gate and banked-up earth as a wall. Across the bridge on the south bank he set up three large camps in a line to await the Man troops.

孔明即調三萬人入山，伐竹數十萬根，順水放下，於河面狹處，搭起竹橋，闊十餘丈。乃調大軍於河北岸一字兒下寨，便以河爲壕塹，以浮橋爲門，壘土爲城；過橋南岸，一字下三個大營，以待蠻兵。

Now Meng Huo came on, full of rage and hatred, at the head of several hundred thousand Man troops. As he drew near the Xier River, he led his vanguard of ten thousand Liao warriors armed with swords and shields straight up to the forward camp and challenged it to battle. Kongming came out in a carriage drawn by four horses, a silk kerchief on his head, a crane-feather cloak about him and a feather fan in his hand, with his generals thronging around him on either side. He saw Meng Huo in armor of rhinoceros hide with a vermilion helmet on his head, a shield on his left arm and a sword in his right hand, riding a red-haired ox and shouting insults, while more than ten thousand cave warriors under him brandished their swords and shields and dashed back and forth.

卻說孟獲引數十萬蠻兵，恨怒而來。將近西洱河，孟獲引前部一萬刀牌獠丁，直扣前寨搦戰。孔明頭戴綸巾，身披鶴氅，手執羽扇，乘駟馬車，左右衆將簇擁而出。孔明見孟獲身穿犀皮甲，頭頂硃紅盔，左手挽牌，右手執刀，騎赤毛牛，口中辱罵；手下萬餘洞丁，各舞刀牌，往來衝突。

Kongming hastily ordered a withdrawal into the camp, had it shut tight on all four sides, and forbade anyone to go out and fight. The Man soldiers, all stripped naked, came right up to the camp gate yelling abuse. The generals were furious and all came to Kongming, saying, “We beg to go out of the camp and fight to the death!” Kongming would not allow it. When they pressed again and again to fight, he stopped them, saying, “The people of the Man lands do not follow the civilizing rule of the sovereign. Coming here now, their fury is at its height, and we must not meet them head on. For a few days we should hold fast, until their wildness abates a little; then I have a clever plan of my own to crush them.”

孔明急令退回本寨，四面緊閉，不許出戰。蠻兵皆裸衣赤身，直到寨門前叫罵。諸將大怒，皆來稟孔明曰：“某等情願出寨決一死戰！”孔明不許。諸將再三欲戰，孔明止曰：“蠻方之人，不遵王化，今此一來，狂惡正盛，不可迎也；且宜堅守數日，待其猖獗少懈，吾自有妙計破之。”

So the Shu troops held fast for several days. Kongming watched from a height and saw that the Man troops had grown very slack. He gathered his generals and said, “Do you dare go out and fight?” They were eager to go. Kongming first called Zhao Yun and Wei Yan into his tent and whispered his instructions into their ears. The two took the plan and went ahead. Then he called Wang Ping and Ma Zhong into the tent, and they too received their plan and left.

於是蜀兵堅守數日。孔明在高阜處探之，窺見蠻兵已多懈怠，乃聚諸將曰：“汝等敢出戰否？”衆將欣然要出。孔明先喚趙雲、魏延入帳，向耳畔低言，分付如此如此。二人受了計策先進。卻喚王平、馬忠入帳，受計去了。

He also called Ma Dai and instructed him: “I shall now abandon these three camps and fall back north of the river. As soon as our army has withdrawn, you are to take down the floating bridge, move it downstream, and ferry Zhao Yun’s and Wei Yan’s troops across the river to support us.” Ma Dai received his orders and left. Next he called Zhang Yi and said, “When our army withdraws, leave plenty of lamps and fires burning in the camps. When Meng Huo learns of it he is sure to give chase; you are then to cut off his rear.” Zhang Yi received his plan and withdrew.

又喚馬岱分付曰：“吾今棄此三寨，退過河北；吾軍一退，汝可便拆浮橋，移於下流，卻渡趙雲、魏延軍馬過河來接應。”岱受計而去。又喚張翼曰：“吾軍退去，寨中多設燈火。孟獲知之，必來追趕，汝卻斷其後。”張翼受計而退。

Kongming kept only Guan Suo to guard his carriage. The army withdrew, leaving many lamps and fires burning in the camps. The Man troops saw them and dared not charge in.

孔明只教關索護車。衆軍退去，寨中多設燈火。蠻兵望見，不敢衝突。

At dawn the next day, when Meng Huo arrived at the Shu camps at the head of his main body of Man troops, he found all three great camps empty of men and horses, with several hundred carts of grain and fodder left behind inside. Meng You said, “Zhuge has abandoned his camps and run. Could there be some trick in it?” Meng Huo said, “My guess is that Zhuge Liang has left his baggage behind because something urgent has happened at home. If Wu has not invaded, then surely Wei has attacked.

次日平明，孟獲引大隊蠻兵徑到蜀寨之時，只見三個大寨，皆無人馬，於內棄下糧草車仗數百餘輛。孟優曰：“諸葛棄寨而走，莫非有計否？”孟獲曰：“吾料諸葛亮棄輜重而去，必因國中有緊急之事：若非吳侵，定是魏伐。

So he has made a false show of lamps and fires to make us suspect a trap, and left his carts behind. We must pursue him at once and not let him slip away.” So Meng Huo drove his vanguard on himself, straight to the bank of the Xier River. Looking across, he saw that in the camps on the north bank the flags stood in good order as before, as bright as cloud-patterned brocade, and that along the river a brocade wall had also been set up. When the Man scouts saw this, none of them dared advance. Meng Huo said to Meng You, “This is Zhuge Liang stopping a while on the north bank because he fears our pursuit. Within two days he will surely be gone.”

故虛張燈火以爲疑兵，棄車仗而去也。可速追之，不可錯過。”於是孟獲自驅前部，直到西洱河邊。望見河北岸上，寨中旗幟整齊如故，燦若雲錦；沿河一帶，又設錦城。蠻兵哨見，皆不敢進。獲謂優曰：“此是諸葛亮懼吾追趕，故就河北岸少住，不二日必走矣。”

So he stationed the Man troops along the river bank and sent men up the mountain to cut bamboo for rafts in readiness to cross, while all his boldest fighting men were moved to the front of the camp. What he did not know was that the Shu troops had long since entered his own territory. That day a fierce gale sprang up. On every side fires blazed and drums sounded as the Shu troops fell upon them. The Man soldiers and Liao warriors trampled one another in the confusion. Meng Huo, greatly alarmed, hastily led the cave warriors of his own clan to cut a way out and fled straight for the old camps.

遂將蠻兵屯於河岸；又使人去山上砍竹爲筏，以備渡河；卻將敢戰之兵，皆移於寨前面。卻不知蜀兵早已入自己之境。是日，狂風大起。四壁廂火明鼓響，蜀兵殺到。蠻兵獠丁，自相沖突，孟獲大驚，急引宗族洞丁殺開條路，徑奔舊寨。

Suddenly a body of troops came charging out of the camp: it was Zhao Yun. Meng Huo turned back in a panic toward the Xier River and fled for the remote hills. Another body of troops came charging out: it was Ma Dai. With only a few dozen beaten survivors left, Meng Huo fled into a mountain valley. Seeing dust and the glare of fire in three directions, south, north and west, he dared not go on, and had no choice but to run east. He had only just rounded the mouth of a pass when he saw, in front of a large wood, a few dozen attendants drawing a small carriage. In the carriage sat Kongming, upright, laughing heartily. “Man king Meng Huo!” he cried.

忽一彪軍從寨中殺出，乃是趙雲。獲慌忙回西洱河，望山僻處而走。又一彪軍殺出，乃是馬岱。孟獲只剩得數十個敗殘兵，望山谷中而逃。見南、北、西三處塵頭火光，因此不敢前進，只得望東奔走，方纔轉過山口，見一大林之前，數十從人，引一輛小車；車上端坐孔明，呵呵大笑曰：“蠻王孟獲！

“Heaven has brought you down to this. I have been waiting for you a long time!” Meng Huo, in a fury, turned to those about him and said, “I have fallen into this man’s tricks and been disgraced three times. Now by good luck we meet him here. Go at him with all your strength and hack man and carriage to pieces!” A few Man horsemen rushed forward with all their might. Meng Huo, shouting in the lead, dashed up to the front of the wood, when with a thud they trod on a pitfall and all went crashing down together.

天敗至此，吾已等候多時也！”獲大怒，回顧左右曰：“吾遭此人詭計！受辱三次；今幸得這裏相遇。汝等奮力前去，連人帶車砍爲粉碎！”數騎蠻兵，猛力向前。孟獲當先吶喊，搶到大林之前，趷踏一聲，踏了陷坑，一齊塌倒。

From within the wood Wei Yan came round with a few hundred men, who dragged them out one by one and bound them fast with ropes. Kongming went back to camp first and called in the Man soldiers along with the chieftains and cave warriors of the various districts to win them over. By this time most of them had already gone home; apart from the dead and wounded, all the rest surrendered. Kongming entertained them with wine and meat, comforted them with kind words, and let them all go home. The Man soldiers all went away full of wonder and gratitude.

大林之內，轉出魏延，引數百軍來，一個個拖出，用索縛定。孔明先到寨中，招安蠻兵，並諸甸酋長洞丁——此時大半皆歸本鄉去了——除死傷外，其餘盡皆歸降。孔明以酒肉相待，以好言撫慰，盡令放回。蠻兵皆感嘆而去。

Shortly afterwards Zhang Yi brought in Meng You as a prisoner. Kongming admonished him: “Your brother is foolish and deluded, and you ought to have remonstrated with him. Now you have been captured by me four times; how can you face anyone again?” Meng You’s face was covered with shame. He threw himself on the ground and begged to be spared. Kongming said, “Today is not the day I kill you. For now I spare your life, so that you may reason with your brother.” He ordered the guards to untie his ropes and raise him up. Meng You bowed in tears and left.

少頃，張翼解孟優至。孔明誨之曰：“汝兄愚迷，汝當諫之。今被吾擒了四番，有何面目再見人耶！”孟優羞慚滿面。伏地告求免死。孔明曰：“吾殺汝不在今日。吾且饒汝性命，勸諭汝兄。”令武士解其繩索，放起孟優。優泣拜而去。

Before long Wei Yan brought in Meng Huo as a prisoner. Kongming said in great anger, “Once again you have been captured by me. What have you to say?” Meng Huo said, “This time I fell into your tricks by mistake. I shall die with my eyes open!” Kongming shouted to the guards to take him out and behead him. Meng Huo showed not the least sign of fear. He turned to Kongming and said, “If you dare let me go once more, I will surely avenge the wrong of these four defeats!” Kongming laughed aloud and told those about him to undo his bonds. He gave him wine to calm his nerves and had him sit down in the tent.

不一時，魏延解孟獲至。孔明大怒曰：“你今番又被吾擒了，有何理說！”獲曰：“吾今誤中詭計，死不瞑目！”孔明叱武士推出斬之。獲全無懼色，回顧孔明曰：“若敢再放吾回去，必然報四番之恨！”孔明大笑，令左右去其縛，賜酒壓驚，就坐於帳中。

Kongming asked, “Four times now I have treated you with courtesy, and still you will not submit. Why is that?” Meng Huo said, “I may be a man from beyond the reach of civilization, but I do not deal only in tricks as you do, Chancellor. How could I submit?” Kongming said, “If I let you go once more, can you fight again?” Meng Huo said, “If you catch me again, Chancellor, then I will surrender with all my heart, offer up all the goods of my cave to reward your army, and swear never to rebel again.”

孔明問曰：“吾今四次以禮相待，汝尚然不服，何也？”獲曰：“吾雖是化外之人，不似丞相專施詭計，吾如何肯服？”孔明曰：“吾再放汝回去，復能戰乎？”獲曰：“丞相若再拿住吾，吾那時傾心降服，盡獻本洞之物犒軍，誓不反亂。”

Kongming laughed and sent him off at once. Meng Huo bowed his thanks with delight and left. He then gathered several thousand able-bodied men from the various caves and marched off southward in a long winding column. Soon he saw a cloud of dust rising and a body of troops approaching: it was his brother Meng You, who had regrouped the remnants of his army and was coming to avenge his brother. The two brothers wept in each other’s arms and told each other what had happened. Meng You said, “Our troops have been beaten again and again and the Shu troops keep winning. We cannot stand against them.

孔明即笑而遣之。獲忻然拜謝而去。於是聚得諸洞壯丁數千人，望南迤邐而行。早望見塵頭起處，一隊兵到；乃是兄弟孟優，重整殘兵，來與兄報仇。兄弟二人，抱頭相哭，訴說前事。優曰：“我兵屢敗，蜀兵屢勝，難以抵當。

The only thing is to withdraw into a cave on the shady side of the mountains and not come out. The Shu troops will not be able to bear the heat and will retreat of their own accord.” Meng Huo asked, “Where can we take refuge?” Meng You said, “Southwest of here there is a cave called Tulong Cave. The Tulong Cave Chief, King Duosi, is a close friend of mine. We can go to him.” So Meng Huo first sent Meng You to Tulong Cave to see King Duosi. Duosi hurried out with his cave troops to welcome them. Meng Huo entered the cave and, when the courtesies were over, told him all that had happened.

只可就山陰洞中，退避不出。蜀兵受不過暑氣，自然退矣。”獲問曰：“何處可避？”優曰：“此去西南有一洞，名曰禿龍洞。洞主朵思大王，與弟甚厚，可投之。”於是孟獲先教孟優到禿龍洞，見了朵思大王。朵思慌引洞兵出迎，孟獲入洞，禮畢，訴說前事。

Duosi said, “Set your mind at rest, Great King. If the Shu troops come, I will see to it that not a single man or horse of theirs returns home; they will all die here along with Zhuge Liang!” Meng Huo was delighted and asked Duosi for his plan. Duosi said, “There are only two roads into this cave. One, to the northeast, is the road by which you came, Great King. The ground there is level, the soil deep and the water sweet, and men and horses can travel it. If we block the mouth of the cave with timber and stones, then even a million men could not get in.

朵思曰：“大王寬心。若蜀兵到來，令他一人一騎不得還鄉，與諸葛亮皆死於此處！”獲大喜，問計於朵思。朵思曰：“此洞中止有兩條路：東北上一路，就是大王所來之路，地勢平坦，土厚水甜，人馬可行；若以木石壘斷洞口，雖有百萬之衆，不能進也。

The other, to the northwest, runs through steep hills and forbidding ridges along a narrow track. There are small paths through it, but they swarm with venomous snakes and scorpions. At dusk a noxious miasma rises thickly and does not lift until the hours of the Snake and the Horse; only in the three hours of the Goat, the Monkey and the Rooster can one pass. The water there is undrinkable and the going is hard for men and horses. What is more, there are four poisonous springs there. The first is called the Mute Spring. Its water is rather sweet, but whoever drinks it loses the power of speech and dies within ten days. The second is called the Destroying Spring. Its water is no different from boiling water; whoever bathes in it has his skin and flesh rot away until the bones show, and he surely dies. The third is called the Black Spring. Its water is fairly clear, but if it so much as splashes on a man, his hands and feet all turn black and he dies. The fourth is called the Soft Spring. Its water is like ice; whoever drinks it has no warmth left in his throat, and his body grows as limp as cotton floss and he dies.

西北上有一條路，山險嶺惡，道路窄狹；其中雖有小路，多藏毒蛇惡蠍；黃昏時分，煙瘴大起，直至巳，午時方收，惟未、申、酉三時，可以往來；水不可飲，人馬難行。此處更有四個毒泉：一名啞泉，其水頗甜，人若飲之，則不能言，不過旬日必死；二曰滅泉，此水與湯無異，人若沐浴，則皮肉皆爛，見骨必死；三曰黑泉，其水微清，人若濺之在身，則手足皆黑而死；四曰柔泉，其水如冰，人若飲之，咽喉無暖氣，身軀軟弱如綿而死。

No insects or birds live there. Only the General Who Calms the Waves of the Han ever came there, and since then not a single person has come. Now if we block the great road to the northeast and you, Great King, stay safely in my humble cave, the Shu troops, finding the eastern road cut, are bound to come in by the western road. There is no water on the way, so when they see these four springs they will surely drink, and then even a million men will never go home. What need is there for swords and spears!”

此處蟲鳥皆無，惟有漢伏波將軍曾到；自此以後，更無一人到此。今壘斷東北大路，令大王穩居敝洞，若蜀兵見東路截斷，必從西路而入；於路無水，若見此四泉，定然飲水，雖百萬之衆，皆無歸矣。何用刀兵耶！”

Meng Huo, overjoyed, raised his hand to his forehead and said, “Today at last I have a place to stand!” Then, pointing north, he said, “Let Zhuge have all the divine schemes and clever calculations he likes; he will find no way to use them! The water of the four springs will be enough to avenge my defeated army!” From then on Meng Huo and Meng You feasted all day long with King Duosi.

孟獲大喜，以手加額曰：“今日方有容身之地！”又望北指曰：“任諸葛神機妙算，難以施設！四泉之水，足以報敗兵之恨也！”自此，孟獲、孟優終日與朵思大王筵宴。

Meanwhile Kongming, seeing day after day that Meng Huo’s troops did not come out, issued orders for the main army to leave the Xier River and march south. It was then the sixth month, the height of summer, and the heat was like fire. A later poet wrote of the bitter heat of the south:
The hills and marshes are all but scorched dry;
The glare of fire covers the whole sky.
Beyond heaven and earth, who can say
How much fiercer still the heat may be!
And another poem runs:
The Red Emperor wields his power;
The rain clouds dare not rise.

卻說孔明連日不見孟獲兵出，遂傳號令教大軍離西洱河，望南進發。此時正當六月炎天，其熱如火。有後人詠南方苦熱詩曰：“山澤欲焦枯，火光覆太虛。不知天地外，暑氣更何如！”又有詩曰：“赤帝施權柄，陰雲不敢生。

Clouds steam, and the lone crane pants;
The sea boils, and the great turtle starts in fear.
Who could bear to leave his seat beside the stream?
Too languid even to stroll among the bamboo.
Why then must the traveller of the sandy frontier
Don his armor and set out again on a distant march!
While Kongming was on the march at the head of the main army, a mounted scout came flying with a report: “Meng Huo has withdrawn into Tulong Cave and will not come out. He has blocked the main road at the mouth of the cave and has troops inside holding it. The hills are forbidding and the ridges steep; we cannot advance.” Kongming sent for Lü Kai and asked him about it. Lü Kai said, “I once heard that there is a road to this cave, but I really do not know the details.”

雲蒸孤鶴喘，海熱巨鰲驚。忍舍溪邊坐？慵拋竹裏行。如何沙塞客，擐甲復長征！”孔明統領大軍，正行之際，忽哨馬飛報：“孟獲退往禿龍洞中不出，將洞口要路壘斷，內有兵把守；山惡嶺峻，不能前進。”孔明請呂凱問之，凱曰：“某曾聞此洞有條路，實不知詳細。”

Jiang Wan said, “Meng Huo has been captured four times and has lost his nerve. How would he dare come out again? Besides, the weather is now scorching and our men and horses are worn out. There is nothing to be gained by pursuing this campaign. We would do better to withdraw and return home.” Kongming said, “If we did that, we should fall right into Meng Huo’s trap. The moment our army withdraws, he will seize the chance to pursue us. Now that we have come this far, how could we possibly turn back!” So he ordered Wang Ping to lead a few hundred men as the vanguard, with newly surrendered Man soldiers to guide them, and seek out the small path to the northwest and go in.

蔣琬曰：“孟獲四次遭擒，既已喪膽，安敢再出？況今天氣炎熱，軍馬疲乏，徵之無益；不如班師回國。”孔明曰：“若如此，正中孟獲之計也。吾軍一退，彼必乘勢追之。今已到此，安有復回之理！”遂令王平領數百軍爲前部；卻教新降蠻兵引路，尋西北小徑而入。

Going ahead, they came to a spring. Men and horses were all thirsty and scrambled to drink its water. Wang Ping, having found that the path existed, went back to report to Kongming. But by the time they reached the main camp, none of them could speak; they could only point at their mouths. Kongming was greatly alarmed. Knowing that they had been poisoned, he drove out in his small carriage with a few dozen men to have a look. He found a pool of clear water so deep that its bottom could not be seen, with a chill rising from it; the soldiers dared not try it. Kongming got down from his carriage and climbed a height to look about. On all sides rose peaks and ridges, and not even the chirp of a bird could be heard. He grew deeply suspicious.

前到一泉，人馬皆渴，爭飲此水。王平探有此路，回報孔明。比及到大寨之時，皆不能言，但指口而已。孔明大驚，知是中毒，遂自駕小車，引數十人前來看時，見一潭清水，深不見底，水氣凜凜，軍不敢試。孔明下車，登高望之，四壁峯嶺，鳥雀不聞，心中大疑。

Suddenly he saw an old temple far off on a hilltop. Kongming clambered up, clinging to vines and creepers, and found in a stone chamber the clay figure of a general seated upright, with a stone tablet beside it. It was the temple of Ma Yuan, General Who Calms the Waves under the Han: he had come here to subdue the Man, and the local people had built a temple to offer him sacrifice. Kongming bowed twice and said, “I, Liang, received from the late Emperor the heavy charge of his orphan son. Now, bearing the sacred edict, I have come here to subdue the Man. Once the Man lands are pacified, I mean to attack Wei, swallow up Wu and restore peace to the house of Han.

忽望見遠遠山岡之上，有一古廟。孔明攀藤附葛而到，見一石屋之中，塑一將軍端坐，旁有石碑，乃漢伏波將軍馬援之廟：因平蠻到此，土人立廟祀之。孔明再拜曰：“亮受先帝託孤之重，今承聖旨，到此平蠻；欲待蠻方既平，然後伐魏吞吳，重安漢室。

But now my soldiers, not knowing the lie of the land, have drunk poisoned water by mistake and cannot utter a sound. I earnestly pray that you, venerable spirit, mindful of the bond of kindness between you and this dynasty, will show your divine power and protect the whole army!” When he had finished his prayer he came out of the temple to look for a local man to ask. Dimly he saw an old man coming toward him from the hill opposite, leaning on a staff, of most unusual appearance. Kongming invited the old man into the temple, and after they had exchanged courtesies they sat facing each other on stones. Kongming asked, “May I ask your honorable surname, venerable sir?”

今軍士不識地理，誤飲毒水，不能出聲。萬望尊神，念本朝恩義，通靈顯聖，護佑三軍！”祈禱已畢，出廟尋土人問之。隱隱望見對山一老叟扶杖而來，形容甚異。孔明請老叟入廟，禮畢，對坐於石上。孔明問曰：“丈者高姓？”

The old man said, “I have long heard the great name of the Chancellor of the great state, and I am fortunate to meet you. Many of the Man people owe their lives to you, Chancellor, and all are deeply grateful.” Kongming asked him about the spring water, and the old man replied, “The water your soldiers drank comes from the Mute Spring. Those who drink it can hardly speak and die within a few days. Besides this spring there are three others. To the southeast is a spring whose water is bitterly cold; whoever drinks it has no warmth left in his throat, his body goes limp and he dies. It is called the Soft Spring. Due south is a spring that, if it splashes on a man, turns his hands and feet black, and he dies. It is called the Black Spring. To the southwest is a spring that bubbles like boiling water; whoever bathes in it has all his skin and flesh peel away, and he dies. It is called the Destroying Spring.

老叟曰：“老夫久聞大國丞相隆名，幸得拜見。蠻方之人，多蒙丞相活命，皆感恩不淺。”孔明問泉水之故，老叟答曰：“軍所飲水，乃啞泉之水也，飲之難言，數日而死。此泉之外，又有三泉：東南有一泉，其水至冷，人若飲水，咽喉無暖氣，身軀軟弱而死，名曰柔泉；正南有一泉，人若濺之在身，手足皆黑而死，名曰黑泉；西南有一泉，沸如熱湯，人若浴之，皮肉盡脫而死，名曰滅泉。

These four springs in our parts are where poisonous vapors gather, and no medicine can cure them. Besides, the miasma rises very thickly, and only in the three hours of the Goat, the Monkey and the Rooster can one come and go. At all other hours the pestilential vapors lie thick, and whoever meets them dies at once.”

敝處有此四泉，毒氣所聚，無藥可治，又煙瘴甚起，惟未、申、酉三個時辰可往來；餘者時辰，皆瘴氣密佈，觸之即死。”

Kongming said, “In that case the Man lands can never be pacified. And if the Man lands are not pacified, how can I swallow up Wu and Wei and revive the house of Han? I shall have failed the heavy charge of the orphan son entrusted to me by the late Emperor, and life will be worse than death!” The old man said, “Do not worry, Chancellor. I will direct you to a place where this can be remedied.” Kongming said, “If you have some good counsel, venerable sir, I beg you to instruct me.” The old man said, “A few li due west of here there is a valley. Twenty li into it there is a stream called the Wan’an Stream.

孔明曰：“如此則蠻方不可平矣。蠻方不平，安能併吞吳、魏，再興漢室？有負先帝託孤之重，生不如死也！”老叟曰：“丞相勿憂。老夫指引一處，可以解之。”孔明曰：“老丈有何高見，望乞指教。”老叟曰：“此去正西數里，有一山谷，入內行二十里，有一溪名曰萬安溪。

Up there lives a recluse of great virtue who calls himself the Hermit of Wan’an. He has not come out of that stream valley for several decades. Behind his thatched hut is a spring called the Anle Spring. When anyone is poisoned, drinking its water cures him at once. Those who suffer from scabies or leprosy, or who have caught the miasma, are made whole simply by bathing in the Wan’an Stream. Moreover, in front of his hut grows a herb called scallion-leaf rue. Whoever holds one leaf in his mouth is untouched by the miasma.

上有一高士，號爲萬安隱者；此人不出溪有數十餘年矣。其草菴後有一泉，名安樂泉。人若中毒，汲其水飲之即愈。有人或生疥癩，或感瘴氣，於萬安溪內浴之，自然無事，更兼庵前有一等草，名曰薤葉芸香。人若口含一葉，則瘴氣不染。

You should go and seek him out at once, Chancellor.” Kongming bowed his thanks and asked, “You have done me the kindness of saving our lives in this way, venerable sir, and I cannot express my gratitude. May I know your surname?” The old man went into the temple, saying, “I am the mountain spirit of this place. By order of the General Who Calms the Waves I have come expressly to show you the way.” With that he shouted open the stone wall at the back of the temple and went in. Kongming, amazed beyond words, bowed again to the spirit of the temple, found his way back to his carriage and returned to the main camp.

丞相可速往求之。”孔明拜謝，問曰：“承丈者如此活命之德，感刻不勝。願聞高姓。”老叟入廟曰：“吾乃本處山神，奉伏波將軍之命，特來指引。”言訖，喝開廟後石壁而入。孔明驚訝不已，再拜廟神，尋舊路上車，回到大寨。

The next day Kongming prepared incense and gifts and, taking Wang Ping and the soldiers who had lost their voices, set out through the night toward the place the mountain spirit had spoken of, winding his way onward. They entered the valley by a narrow path, and after some twenty li they saw tall pines and great cypresses, lush bamboo and rare flowers ringing a farmstead. Within the fence stood a few thatched huts, and a rich fragrance filled their nostrils. Kongming was delighted. He went up and knocked at the gate, and a boy came out.

次日，孔明備信香、禮物，引王平及衆啞軍，連夜望山神所言去處，迤邐而進。入山谷小徑，約行二十餘里，但見長松大柏，茂竹奇花，環繞一莊；籬落之中，有數間茅屋，聞得馨香噴鼻。孔明大喜，到莊前扣戶，有一小童出。

Before Kongming could announce his name, a man had already come out, wearing a bamboo hat and straw sandals, a white robe and a black sash, with green eyes and yellow hair. He came out gladly and said, “Is not my visitor the Chancellor of Han?” Kongming smiled and said, “How did you know, worthy sir?” The hermit said, “I have long heard that the Chancellor was marching south under his great standard. How could I not know!” He invited Kongming into his thatched hall. When they had exchanged courtesies, they sat down in the places of guest and host. Kongming told him, “I, Liang, received from Emperor Zhaolie the heavy charge of his orphan son. Now, bearing the sacred edict of his successor, I have led a great army here to bring the Man lands to submission and return them to the civilizing rule of the sovereign.

孔明方欲通姓名，早有一人，竹冠草履，白袍皁絛，碧眼黃髮，忻然出曰：“來者莫非漢丞相否？”孔明笑曰：“高士何以知之？”隱者曰：“久聞丞相大纛南征，安得不知！”遂邀孔明入草堂。禮畢，分賓主坐定。孔明告曰：“亮受昭烈皇帝託孤之重，今承嗣君聖旨，領大軍至此，欲服蠻邦，使歸王化。

But unexpectedly Meng Huo has slipped away into his cave, and my soldiers drank the water of the Mute Spring by mistake. Last night the General Who Calms the Waves showed his divine power and told me that you, worthy sir, have a healing spring that can cure them. I beg you to take pity on us and grant us the sacred water to save what life is left in my men.” The hermit said, “I am only a useless old man of the hills and wilds. There was no need for the Chancellor to trouble himself to come. The spring is right behind my hut.” And he had water brought for them to drink. The boy then led Wang Ping and the band of mute soldiers to the stream to draw water and drink. At once they vomited up foul spittle and could speak again. The boy also took the soldiers to bathe in the Wan’an Stream.

不期孟獲潛入洞中，軍士誤飲啞泉之水。夜來蒙伏波將軍顯聖，言高士有藥泉，可以治之。望乞矜念，賜神水以救衆兵殘生。”隱者曰：“量老夫山野廢人，何勞丞相枉駕。此泉就在庵後。”教取來飲。於是童子引王平等一起啞軍，來到溪邊，汲水飲之；隨即吐出惡涎，便能言語。童子又引衆軍到萬安溪中沐浴。

The hermit served Kongming cypress-seed tea and pine-pollen greens in his hut. The hermit told him, “In the Man caves around here there are many venomous snakes and scorpions, and willow catkins drift into the streams and springs, so the water is not fit to drink. You must dig into the ground to make wells and draw water from them to drink.” Kongming asked for some scallion-leaf rue, and the hermit let the soldiers pick as much as they wanted, saying, “If each man holds one leaf in his mouth, the miasma will not harm him.”

隱者於庵中進柏子茶、松花菜，以待孔明。隱者告曰：“此間蠻洞多毒蛇惡蠍，柳花飄入溪泉之間，水不可飲；但掘地爲泉，汲水飲之方可。”孔明求薤葉芸香，隱者令衆軍盡意採取：“各人口含一葉，自然瘴氣不侵。”

Kongming bowed and begged to know the hermit’s name. The hermit laughed and said, “I am Meng Jie, the elder brother of Meng Huo.” Kongming was astonished. The hermit went on, “Do not be suspicious, Chancellor; allow me to say a few words. We are three brothers born of the same parents. The eldest is I, Meng Jie; next comes Meng Huo, and after him Meng You. Our parents are both dead. My two younger brothers are violent and wicked and would not submit to the civilizing rule of the sovereign. I remonstrated with them time and again, but they would not listen, so I changed my name and have lived here in hiding.

孔明拜求隱者姓名，隱者笑曰：“某乃孟獲之兄孟節是也。”孔明愕然。隱者又曰：“丞相休疑，容伸片言：某一父母所生三人：長即老夫孟節，次孟獲，又次孟優。父母皆亡。二弟強惡，不歸王化。某屢諫不從，故更名改姓，隱居於此。

Now my unworthy brother has rebelled and put you, Chancellor, to the toil of marching deep into this barren land and suffering such hardship. I, Meng Jie, deserve ten thousand deaths, and so I come first before you to beg pardon for my offense.” Kongming sighed and said, “Now at last I believe that the story of Robber Zhi and Liuxia Hui still happens today.” Then he said to Meng Jie, “I shall memorialize the Son of Heaven and have you made a king. Would that suit you?” Meng Jie said, “It was because I disliked fame and office that I fled here. How could I now have any desire for wealth and rank!”

今辱弟造反，又勞丞相深入不毛之地，如此生受，孟節合該萬死，故先於丞相之前請罪。”孔明嘆曰：“方信盜蹠、下惠之事，今亦有之。”遂與孟節曰：“吾申奏天子，立公爲王，可乎？”節曰：“爲嫌功名而逃於此，豈復有貪富貴之意！”

Kongming then offered him gold and silk, but Meng Jie firmly declined to accept them. Kongming sighed in admiration again and again, bowed farewell and went back.

孔明乃具金帛贈之。孟節堅辭不受。孔明嗟嘆不已，拜別而回。

A later poet wrote:
The lofty recluse dwelt in seclusion, his gate shut alone;
Here the Martial Marquis once broke the tribes of the Man.
To this day, in a land of ancient trees and no men,
A cold mist still lies locked about the old hills.

後人有詩曰：“高士幽棲獨閉關，武侯曾此破諸蠻。
至今古木無人境，猶有寒煙鎖舊山。
”

When Kongming got back to the main camp, he had the soldiers dig for water. They dug down more than twenty zhang without finding a single drop, and in more than ten places they dug, it was the same. The army grew alarmed. At midnight Kongming burned incense and addressed Heaven: “I, your servant Liang, though without talent, have been blessed by the fortune of the great Han and have received the command to subdue the Man. Now on the way we are short of water, and our men and horses are parched with thirst. If Heaven above does not mean to cut off the great Han, then grant us sweet springs at once!

孔明回到大寨之中，令軍士掘地取水。掘下二十餘丈，並無滴水；凡掘十餘處，皆是如此。軍心驚慌。孔明夜半焚香告天曰：“臣亮不才，仰承大漢之福，受命平蠻。今途中乏水，軍馬枯渴。倘上天不絕大漢，即賜甘泉！

But if its destiny is already at an end, then I, your servant Liang, and my men are ready to die here!” That night, when he had finished his prayer, they looked at dawn and found every well brimming with sweet water.

若氣運已終，臣亮等願死於此處！”是夜祝罷，平明視之，皆得滿井甘泉。

A later poet wrote:
To subdue the Man for his country he led a great host;
His heart held to the right way, in harmony with the gods.
Geng Gong bowed to the well, and sweet water sprang forth;
Zhuge prayed in earnest, and by night the water came.

後人有詩曰：“爲國平蠻統大兵，心存正道合神明。
耿恭拜井甘泉出，諸葛虔誠水夜生。
”

Once Kongming’s army had sweet water, it marched safely along the narrow path straight up to Tulong Cave and pitched camp in front of it. Man scouts found out and reported to Meng Huo: “The Shu troops are untouched by the pestilential miasma and suffer no thirst. None of the springs has had any effect.” King Duosi would not believe it when he heard, and went up a high hill with Meng Huo to see for himself. There were the Shu troops, safe and sound, carrying water in big buckets and small loads on shoulder poles, watering their horses and cooking their meals.

孔明軍馬既得甘泉，遂安然由小徑直入禿龍洞前下寨。蠻兵探知，來報孟獲曰：“蜀兵不染瘴疫之氣，又無枯渴之患，諸泉皆不應。”朵思大王聞知不信，自與孟獲來高山望之。只見蜀兵安然無事，大桶小擔，搬運水漿，飲馬造飯。

At the sight, Duosi’s hair stood on end. He turned to Meng Huo and said, “These are divine soldiers!” Meng Huo said, “We two brothers will fight the Shu troops to the death and fall before their ranks if need be. How could we fold our hands and let ourselves be bound!” Duosi said, “If your army is beaten, Great King, then my wife and children are finished too. We must slaughter oxen and horses and reward the cave warriors handsomely; then, braving fire and water, charge straight into the Shu camp. That is the only way to win.” So they rewarded the Man soldiers handsomely.

朵思見之，毛髮聳然，回顧孟獲曰：“此乃神兵也！”獲曰：“吾兄弟二人與蜀兵決一死戰，就殞于軍前，安肯束手受縛！”朵思曰：“若大王兵敗，吾妻子亦休矣。當殺牛宰馬，大賞洞丁，不避水火，直衝蜀寨，方可得勝。”於是大賞蠻兵。

They were just about to set out when word came that Yang Feng, Cave Chief of the twenty-one caves of Yinye Cave, west of them behind the cave, was coming with thirty thousand troops to help in the fight. Meng Huo was overjoyed. “With our neighbors’ troops to help me, I am sure to win!” he said, and at once went out of the cave with King Duosi to welcome him. Yang Feng led his troops in and said, “I have thirty thousand picked troops, all in iron armor, who can fly over mountains and cross ridges, enough to take on a million Shu soldiers. And I have five sons, all fully skilled in the martial arts.

正欲起程，忽報洞後迤西銀冶洞二十一洞主楊鋒引三萬兵來助戰。孟獲大喜曰：“鄰兵助我，我必勝矣！”即與朵思大王出洞迎接。楊鋒引兵入曰：“吾有精兵三萬，皆披鐵甲，能飛山越嶺，足以敵蜀兵百萬；我有五子，皆武藝足備。

I wish to help you, Great King.” Yang Feng had his five sons come in and bow; they were all burly and built like tigers, a fine and imposing sight. Meng Huo, delighted, at once laid on a feast for Yang Feng and his sons. When the wine had gone halfway round, Yang Feng said, “There is little entertainment in camp. I have brought along some Man women who are skilled at the sword-and-shield dance; let them give us some amusement.” Meng Huo gladly agreed. A moment later several dozen Man women, all with hair flowing loose and feet bare, came dancing and leaping in from outside the tent, while the assembled Man clapped their hands and sang along.

願助大王。”鋒令五子入拜，皆彪軀虎體，威風抖擻。孟獲大喜，遂設席相待楊鋒父子。酒至半酣，鋒曰：“軍中少樂，吾隨軍有蠻姑，善舞刀牌，以助一笑。”獲忻然從之。須臾，數十蠻姑，皆披髮跣足，從帳外舞跳而入，羣蠻拍手以歌和之。

Yang Feng told two of his sons to serve the wine. The two sons raised their cups and went up to Meng Huo and Meng You. Just as the two took the cups and were about to drink, Yang Feng gave a great shout, and in a flash his two sons had seized Meng Huo and Meng You and dragged them from their seats. King Duosi tried to run, but Yang Feng had already caught him. The Man women blocked the way across the tent, and no one dared come near. Meng Huo said, “When the hare dies, the fox grieves; all creatures mourn the hurt of their own kind. You and I are both lords of our caves, and there has never been any enmity between us. Why do you do me this harm?”

楊鋒令二子把盞。二子舉杯詣孟獲、孟優前。二人接杯，方欲飲酒，鋒大喝一聲，二子早將孟獲、孟優執下座來。朵思大王卻待要走，已被楊鋒擒了。蠻姑橫截於帳上，誰敢近前。獲曰：“兔死狐悲，物傷其類。吾與汝皆是各洞之主，往日無冤，何故害我？”

Yang Feng said, “My brothers, sons and nephews are all grateful to Chancellor Zhuge for sparing their lives, and have had no way to repay him. Now that you have rebelled, why should we not seize you and hand you over!”

鋒曰：“吾兄弟子侄皆感諸葛丞相活命之恩，無可以報。今汝反叛，何不擒獻！”

At that the Man troops of the various caves all ran off home. Yang Feng brought Meng Huo, Meng You, Duosi and the rest as prisoners to Kongming’s camp. Kongming had them brought in, and Yang Feng and his men bowed below the tent and said, “Our sons and nephews are all grateful for your kindness, Chancellor, and so we have seized Meng Huo, Meng You and the others and present them to you.” Kongming rewarded them generously and ordered Meng Huo driven in. Kongming laughed and said, “Do you submit with all your heart this time?” Meng Huo said, “This was not your doing. It is because the men of my own caves turned on one another that it came to this.

於是各洞蠻兵，皆走回本鄉。楊鋒將孟獲、孟優、朵思等解赴孔明寨來。孔明令入，楊鋒等拜於帳下曰：“某等子侄皆感丞相恩德，故擒孟獲、孟優等呈獻。”孔明重賞之，令驅孟獲入。孔明笑曰：“汝今番心服乎？”獲曰：“非汝之能，乃吾洞中之人，自相殘害，以致如此。

Kill me if you want to kill me, but I will not submit!” Kongming said, “You lured me into a waterless land, and used on top of that such deadly poisons as the Mute Spring, the Destroying Spring, the Black Spring and the Soft Spring. Yet my army came to no harm. Is that not the will of Heaven? Why do you persist so stubbornly in your delusion?” Meng Huo said again, “My forefathers have lived on Mount Yinkeng, protected by the hazards of three rivers and the strength of double barriers. If you capture me there, then I and my sons and grandsons, generation after generation, will submit and serve you with all our hearts.”

要殺便殺，只是不服！”孔明曰：“汝賺吾入無水之地，更以啞泉、滅泉、黑泉、柔泉如此之毒，吾軍無恙，豈非天意乎？汝何如此執迷？”獲又曰：“吾祖居銀坑山中，有三江之險，重關之固。汝若就彼擒之，吾當子子孫孫，傾心服事。”

Kongming said, “I shall let you go once more. Put your army in order again and fight it out with me. But if I capture you then and you still will not submit, I will wipe out your clan to the ninth degree.” He shouted to his attendants to untie Meng Huo and raise him up. Meng Huo bowed twice and left. Kongming also had Meng You and King Duosi freed from their bonds and given wine and food to calm their nerves. The two were so terrified they dared not look him in the face. Kongming had them sent home on saddled horses.

孔明曰：“吾再放汝回去，重整兵馬，與吾共決勝負；如那時擒住，汝再不服，當滅九族。”叱左右去其縛，放起孟獲。獲再拜而去。孔明又將孟優並朵思大王皆釋其縛，賜酒食壓驚。二人悚懼，不敢正視。孔明令鞍馬送回。

Indeed:
To march deep into perilous ground is no easy thing;
To unfold still more wondrous schemes is no mere chance!
How the contest went when Meng Huo mustered his troops and came again will be told in the next chapter.

正是：深臨險地非容易，更展奇謀豈偶然！
未知孟獲整兵再來，勝負如何，且看下文分解。