صفحة 177 من 266

Ssu-ma's officers came to him and said: "If Meng Ta has leagued

himself with Wu and Shu, the matter should be thoroughly

investigated before we make a move." Ssu-ma I replied: "Meng Ta

is an unprincipled man, and we ought to go and punish him at

once, while he is still wavering and before he has thrown off the

mask." Then, by a series of forced marches, be brought his army

under the walls of Hsin-ch'eng with in a space of eight days. Now

Meng Ta had previously said in a letter to Chu-ko Liang: "Wan is

1200 li from here. When the news of my revolt reaches Ssu-ma I,

he will at once inform his imperial master, but it will be a

whole month before any steps can be taken, and by that time my

city will be well fortified.