[In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Meng Da is a figure most readers are at least somewhat familiar with.
After Liu Bei took Chengdu, Meng Da surrendered and entered Shu service alongside Fa Zheng, Li Yan, and Deng Zhi. Later, when Guan Yu was trapped at the Mian River, Meng Da persuaded Liu Feng to refuse Guan Yu's request for reinforcements. That decision directly led to Guan Yu's defeat at Maicheng, where he and his eldest son Guan Ping were captured and executed.
Guan Yu's status within Shu Han needs no explanation. Fearing Liu Bei's punishment, Meng Da defected to Cao Wei with four thousand of his personal troops. Liu Feng refused Meng Da's earlier attempt to recruit him as well; after returning to Chengdu, Liu Feng was sentenced to death by Liu Bei.]
"Liu Feng?" Liu Bei blinked in confusion. "Why would my son stand by and watch his own uncle die?"
Back when Liu Bei was staying in Jing Province, he had no biological sons and adopted Liu Feng. The boy was hot-blooded and loved martial training, often boasting that one day he would lead armies and shoulder his father's burdens.
"Could it be," Liu Bei mused, "that after A-Dou was born, I paid less attention to Feng'er… and resentment took root?"
Guan Yu patted Liu Bei on the shoulder. "That's ten years in the future—who can say for sure? Besides, the light curtain says Meng Da was whispering in his ear. Elder Brother, don't blame yourself too much."
Zhang Fei snorted. "That Meng Da played both sides like a snake. If you disobey orders, then face the punishment—what kind of man runs away instead? Even if he fled to Cao Cao, he'd just be laughed at! And later he even tried to betray Cao Wei again—bah! Another three-surname turncoat!"
Everyone in the hall turned to look at him.
Huang Zhong instinctively covered his face in embarrassment. Strictly speaking, even if he wasn't particularly valued, he was a former subordinate of Liu Biao.
[After defecting to Cao Wei, Meng Da was treated generously. That wasn't just because of his four thousand troops—it also had to do with when he defected.
Remember Wei Feng? His uprising was carried out under the banner of "Restoring the Han." In that same year, Meng Da's betrayal of the Han made him an excellent propaganda example.
The following March, Cao Cao fell ill and died. Whether out of genuine goodwill or the classic "thousand gold to buy a horse's bones" strategy, Meng Da lived quite comfortably in Wei. After Cao Pi ascended the throne as Emperor Wen of Wei, Meng Da was granted the title Marquis of Pingyang Pavilion. The three commanderies of Fangling, Shangyong, and Xicheng were merged into Xincheng, and Meng Da was appointed its Grand Administrator.]
Zhao Yun burst out laughing. "Third Brother, looks like you guessed wrong—spectacularly wrong."
Zhang Fei stared, dumbfounded. He muttered, "If that Wei Feng wanted to kill Cao Cao and seize power himself, why shout about restoring the Han? The Han's right here with my big brother! Why not just defect directly?"
Liu Bei recalled his time in Jing Province. Under pressure from the great Jing clans, Liu Jingzhou had deposed his elder son in favor of a younger one, ultimately destroying a lifetime of effort. The light curtain had also mentioned Pang Tong's circuitous path—first to Zhou Yu, then to himself.
The Jing aristocracy had truly taught Liu Bei a painful lesson.
"Wei Feng probably didn't care about the Han at all," Liu Bei said quietly. "Jing men are very good at banding together. In the end, he was stirred up by Wei Feng and took a desperate gamble for his own future."
Native Jingzhou man Huang Zhong felt personally attacked.
Half-Jingzhou man Kongming also felt personally attacked.
But when the light curtain mentioned Cao Cao's death—and the defensive reorganization of cities—Zhuge Liang felt a vague realization forming in his mind.
No wonder later generations lamented that once General Guan fell at Maicheng, Shu Han never again had a true chance.
Perhaps before Maicheng… they had been so close to success.
[When Meng Da defected to Wei, he joined Xiahou Shang in attacking Liu Feng, and the two gradually became close. He later befriended Huan Jie as well, earning a clear association with the Qiao–Pei faction.
In 226 CE, Cao Pi died in Luoyang. Meng Da lost his greatest patron. The Qiao–Pei faction had already declined completely, and Meng Da knew his position was becoming precarious.
After careful consideration, he made a major decision:
Why not defect back to Han?]
"Only six years after surrendering, and he flips again?" Liu Bei was genuinely shocked. "Isn't that a bit… fast?"
Meng Da had received such generous treatment—yet he was ready to run at the drop of a hat. Was Wei's 'thousand gold to buy horse bones' really that worthless?
Or was Wei's internal power struggle truly that vicious?
"Ha! Three-surname turncoat!" Zhang Fei scoffed.
Huang Zhong, however, noticed something else. "Cao Pi only ruled for six years before dying? That's… early."
It reminded him of his own only son, long since deceased.
"Six years…?" Zhuge Liang quickly ran the numbers. "So Cao Pi died at forty?"
Forty wasn't exactly dying young by late-Han standards—but a reign of only six years, with the throne barely warmed, certainly counted as premature.
Zhang Fei began pointing around the room as he counted.
"Big Brother was pissed to death by Lu Xun's fire attack—sixty-three when he died. Without that, who knows how long he might've lived."
"Second Brother had rotten luck—died around sixty. Should've lived longer too."
"The Military Advisor passed at fifty-four—not even sixty! You really need to take care of yourself!"
"Hey—Old Zhang here is seventeen years older than the Strategist…" He stopped to count on his fingers.
"So that means I definitely lived to at least seventy, same as General Huang!"
No—why are you suddenly this competitive about lifespan?!
Zhuge Liang looked at Zhang Fei with indulgent pity. Off the battlefield, the Third General was either charmingly childlike—or hopelessly off the rails.
And sure enough—
Liu Bei was done having a headache. He nudged his chin.
Guan Yu stood up without a word, grabbed Zhang Fei by the back of the neck, and started dragging him away.
"Third Brother, the kitchen hasn't prepared food or wine yet—but you can go take a look."
"I don't want to drink!"
"No, you do want to drink. And after drinking, you'll want to go to the training grounds and work on your martial arts. Be good. Second Brother will beat you up after we're done watching the light curtain."
For a time, host and guests alike were filled with warmth and laughter.
[Meng Da's decision, however, fell squarely within the Chancellor's fine-grained manipulation.
Whether because Shu's intelligence network was extraordinarily strong, or because the Chancellor had a keen eye for human hearts, he detected Meng Da's internal conflict and gave it a push.
He exchanged letters and gifts with Meng Da—then immediately sent a man named Guo Mo to feign defection and leak Meng Da's plan to return to Shu… directly to Shen Yi.
Shen Yi is barely recorded in history. Along with his brother Shen Dan, he had been appointed Administrator of Shangyong by Cao Cao. After Liu Feng and Meng Da captured Shangyong, the brothers surrendered and served under Liu Feng. Later, when Liu Feng was attacked by Xiahou Shang and Meng Da, Shen Yi instantly surrendered again—becoming Meng Da's colleague.
After defecting, Shen Yi was appointed Administrator of Weixing. It was a peaceful post, and with little to do, Shen Yi devoted himself wholeheartedly to one hobby:
Writing snitch reports on Meng Da.
So while the Chancellor's maneuver might not have been blatantly obvious… it was at least as obvious as Sima Zhao's ambitions—clear to everyone.]
"Shen Yi… Shen Dan…" Zhuge Liang searched his memory and finally found them tucked away in a dusty corner.
"They appeared in memorials during the Chuping era. Local strongmen, close to Zhang Lu. After those petitions, Cao Cao appointed Shen Dan as Administrator of Shangyong."
"First befriend him," Liu Bei said, instantly seeing through it.
"Then send a fake defector… leak it to a hostile rival…"
"Borrowed knives to kill?" Liu Bei concluded.
There isn't much scholarship on Wei Feng, so later historians largely follow Chen Yinke's research—a native of Pei County himself. Many of the stories omitted from Romance of the Three Kingdoms are, in fact, remarkably fascinating.