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CHAPTER CXIX.

FALSE DESERTION; A SUBTLE SCHEME;

A SECOND ABDICATION RESEMBLES THE FIRST.

Asked to say what was the best plan to secure the arrest of

Téng Ai, Chiang Wei said, "Send Wei Kuan: Têng will try to kill him and so manifest the desire of his heart. Then you can destroy him as a traitor."

Hence Wei was sent, with a score or so of men, to effect the arrest. Wei's own men saw the danger of the enterprise and urged him not to go, but he felt confident and heeded them not.

Wei Kuan first wrote a score or two of letters, all in the same terms, saying that he had orders to arrest Têng Ai, but no other persons would be dealt with providing they submitted quickly. On the contrary, they might hope for rewards. However, the laggards and those who were contumacious would be dealt with severely. He sent these letters to various officers who were serving under Têng. He also prepared two cage carts.

Wei and his small party reached the capital about cock-crow and found waiting for him most of the officers to whom he had written. They at once yielded. Têng Ai was still asleep when the party reached his palace, but Wei entered and forced his way into Têng's chamber. He roared out that he had orders to arrest father and son, and the noise awakened the sleeper, who tumbled off his couch in alarm. But before he could do anything to defend himself he was seized, securely bound and huddled into one of the carts. Têng's son rushed in at the noise, but was also made prisoner and thrust into the other cart. Many captains and attendants were in the palace, but before they had recovered from their fright a cry arose that Chung Hui was close at hand, and they scattered.

Chung Hui and Chiang Wei dismounted at the palace gates and entered. The former, seeing both the Têngs prisoners, struck the elder about the head and face with his whip and insulted him, calling him a vile cattle breeder and so on. Nor was Chiang Wei backward.

"You fool! See what your good luck has brought you to-day!" cried he.

And Têng Ai replied in kind. Chung Hui at once sent off both the prisoners to Loyang, and then entered the capital in

state. He added all Têng's army to his own forces, so that he became very formidable.

"To-day I have attained the one desire of my life," cried Chung.

Chiang replied, "Han Hsin hearkened not to K'uai T'ung and so blundered into trouble at the Weiyang Palace; the T'ai-fu Wên Chung would not follow Fan Li into retirement and fell victim to a sword on the lakes. No one would say these two were not brilliant, but they did not scent danger early enough. Now, Sir, your merit is great and your prestige overwhelming, but why do you risk future dangers? Why not sail off in a boat leaving no trace of your going? Why not go to Mount Omi and wander free with Chih Sung-tzu?"

Chung smiled. "I do not think your advice much to the point. I am a young man, not forty yet, and think rather of going on than halting. I could not take up a do-nothing hermit's life."

"If you do not, then take heed and prepare for dangers. Think out a careful course, as you are well able to do. You need not trouble any old fool for advice."

Chung Hui laughed loud and rubbed his hands together with glee.

"How well you know my thoughts, my friend!" said he.

They two became absorbed in the plans for their grand scheme. But Chiang wrote a secret letter to his late lord praying him to be patient and put up with humiliations for a season, for he would be restored in good time. The sun and moon were all the more glorious when they burst through the dark clouds. The House of Han was not yet done.

While these two were planning how best to outwit each other, but both being against Wei, there suddenly arrived a letter from Ssuma Chao saying he was at Ch'angan with an army lest there should be any difficulty in disposing of Têng Ai. Chung Hui divined the real purport at once.

"He suspects," said Chung. "He knows quite well that my army outnumbers that of Têng many times and I could do what he wishes easily. There is more than that in his coming."

He consulted his fellow-conspirator, who said, "When the prince suspects a minister, that minister dies. Have we not seen Têng Ai?”

"This decides me," replied Chung. "Success, and the empire is mine; failure, and I go west into Shu to be another Liu Pei, but without his mistakes."

Chiang said, "The Empress Kuo has just died. You can pretend she left you a command to destroy Ssuma Chao, the real murderer of the Emperor. Your talents are quite suffi

cient to conquer the empire."

"Will you lead the van?" said Chung. ours we will share the spoil."

"When success is

"The little I can do I will do most willingly," said Chiang. "But I am not sure of the support of all our subordinates."

"To-morrow is the Feast of Lanterns, and we can gather in the palace for the congratulations. There will be grand illuminations, and we will prepare a banquet for the officers, whereat we can kill all those who will not follow us."

At this the heart of Chiang Wei leapt with joy. Invitations were sent out in the joint names of the two conspirators, and the feast began. After several courses, suddenly Chung Wei lifted his cup and broke into wailing.

Everyone asked what was the cause of this grief, and Chung replied. "The Empress has just died, but before her death she gave me an edict, which is here, recounting the crimes of Ssuma Chao and charging him with aiming at the Throne. am commissioned to destroy him, and you all must join me in the task."

I

The guests stared at each other in amazement, but no one uttered a word. Then the host suddenly drew his sword, crying, "Here is death for those who oppose!"

Not one was bold enough to refuse, and, one by one, they all signed a promise to help. As further security, they were all kept prisoners in the palace under careful guard.

"They are not really with us," said Chiang Wei. "I venture to request you to bury' them."

"A great pit has been already dug,” replied his brother host. "And I have a lot of clubs ready. We can easily club those who disagree and bury them in the pit."

A certain officer named Ch'iu Chien, a man in the confidence of the conspirators, was present. He had once served under Hu Lieh, who was one of the imprisoned guests, and he found means to warn his former chief.

Hu Lieh wept and said, "My son is in command of a force outside the city. He will never suspect Chung capable of such a crime, and I pray you to tell him. If I am to die it will be with less regret if my son can be told."

"Kind master, have no anxiety; only leave it to me," replied Ch'iu.

He went to Chung Hui, and said, "Sir, you are holding in captivity a large number of officers, and they are suffering from lack of food and water. Will you not appoint an officer to supply their needs?"

Chung Hui was accustomed to yield to the wishes of Ch'iu, and he made no difficulty about this. He told him to see to it himself. Only saying, "I am placing great trust in you, and

you must be loyal."

"My lord, you may be quite content. I know how to keep a strict watch when necessary."

But he allowed to enter into the place of confinement a trusty confidant of Hu Lieh, who gave him a letter to his son Yüan. It told him the whole story.

Hu Yüan told his subordinates, and they were greatly enraged. They came to their commander's tent to say they would rather die than follow a rebel. So Hu Yüan fixed upon the eighteenth day of the month to attempt the rescue. He enlisted the sympathy of Wei Kuan and got his men ready. He bade Ch'iu tell his father what was afoot. Hu Lieh told his fellow-captives.

Now Chung Hui dreamed a dream, that he was bitten by many serpents, and he asked Chiang Wei to expound the vision. Chiang replied that dreams of dragons and snakes and scaly creatures were exceedingly auspicious. Chung was only too ready to accept this interpretation. Then he told Chiang that all was ready and they would put the crucial question to each captive.

"I know they are opposed to us, and you would do well to slay them all, and that right quickly," replied Chiang.

"Good," replied Chung.

He bade Chiang turn in some ruffians among the captives. But just as Chiang was starting to carry out these instructions he was seized with a sudden spasm of the heart, so severe that he fainted. He was raised from the earth and in time revived. Just as he came to, a tremendous hubbub arose outside the palace. Chung at once sent to enquire what was afoot, but the noise waxed louder and louder, sounding like the rush of a multitude.

"The officers must be raging," said Chung. "We had best slay them at once."

But they told him that soldiers were in the palace. Chung bade them close the doors of the Hall of Audience, and he sent his own men upon the roof to pelt the incoming soldiers with tiles. A few were slain on either side.

Then a fire broke out. The assailants broke open the doors. Chung Hui faced them and slew a few, but others shot at him with arrows, and he fell and died. They hacked off his head.

Chiang Wei ran to and fro slaying all he met till another heart spasm seized him.

"Failed!" he shrieked, "But it is the will of Heaven." He put an end to his own life. He was fifty-nine.

Many hundreds were slain within the precincts of the palace. Wei Kuan presently ordered that the soldiers were to be led back to their various camps to await the orders of the king. The soldiers of Wei, burning for revenge, hacked the dead body of Chiang Wei to pieces. They found his gall bladder extraordinarily large, as large as a hen's egg. They also seized and slew all the family of the dead leader.

Seeing that Têng Ai's two enemies on the spot were both dead, his old soldiers bethought themselves of trying to rescue him. When Wei Kuan, who had actually arrested Têng, heard this he feared for his life. Further, he was unwilling to forgo his revenge.

"If he gets free it means my death," said Wei.

Then Tien Hsü spoke out, saying, "When Têng Ai took Chiangyu he wished to put me to death. It was only at the prayer of my friends that he let me off. May I not have my revenge now?"

So at the head of half a company T'ien went in pursuit of the cage-carts. He came up with them at Mienchu and found that the two prisoners had just been released from the carts in which they were being carried to Loyang. When Têng saw that those coming up were men of his own late command, he took no thought for defence. Nor did Tien waste time in preliminaries. He went up to where Têng was standing and cut him down. His men fell upon the son, Têng Chung, and slew him also, and thus father and son met death in the same place.

A poem, pitying Têng Ai, was written:

While yet a boy, Têng loved to sketch and plan;
He was an able leader as a man.

The earth could hide no secrets from his eye,
With equal skill he read the starry sky.

Past every obstacle his way he won,

And onward pressed until his task was done.
But foulest murder closed a great career,
His spirit ranges now a larger sphere.

A poem was also composed in pity for Chung Hui:

Of mother-wit Chung had no scanty share,

And in due time at court did office bear;

His subtle plans shook Ssuma's hold on power,

He was well named the Tzu-fang of the hour.

Chouch'un and Chienko ramparts straight fell down,
When he attacked, and he won great renown.
Ambition beckoned, he would forward press-
His spirit homeward wandered, bodiless.

Another poem, in pity of Chiang Wei, runs :

Tiensui boasts of a hero, talent came forth from
Liangchou,

Chang Liang fathered his spirit, Chuko tutored his
mind,

Valiant he ever pressed forward, nor had a thought

of returning,

Grieved were the soldiers of Han when death rapt

his soul from his body.

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