Chapter 109: Lamb-Fur Robe

The clash of blades in Xinzheng City rang out through the entire night…

This uprising organized by the Lord of Hengyang was extremely hasty and hardly discreet in its execution. With the Qin state's Prefect of Xinzheng having caught wind of it beforehand, the revolt had barely begun when the crowd who bared their right arms and swore to restore Han was suddenly ambushed by Qin troops, followed by close-quarters street fighting in the alleys.

Just as in the two hundred years since Han's founding it had never defeated the Qin army on the battlefield, what the elite crossbowmen of Han could not achieve, the household servants and wandering swordsmen rallied by the remnants of a fallen state still could not accomplish.

In the end, the wandering swordsmen and household servants were methodically slaughtered by the Qin soldiers until only a few dozen remained, holed up in a stronghold north of the city. Amid solemn, tragic songs, these Han men unwilling to live as shattered tiles set their house ablaze. At the end of the ninth month, the weather was dry and the tinder parched; the north wind blew fiercely, and this fire reduced half of the northern city to ruins…

The Zhang family residence east of the city, just as Zhang Liang had said, kept its three hundred household servants out of the uprising, and by sheer luck they also escaped the catastrophe of the great fire.

Standing in his family's three-story tower, Zhang Liang, draped in a lamb-fur robe, gazed at the distant flames. A faint glimmer of tears shone in his eyes, and his fists clenched unconsciously…

This was his favorite tower, with a veranda on every floor. On fine days, one could stand there leaning on the railing and gazing into the distance, taking in the scenery of Zheng and Han. When it rained or snowed, the eaves jutting out over the veranda were enough to shelter from wind and rain, and one could also invite a few close friends to drink around a brazier and talk freely of past and present amid the frost and snow.

If he grew weary of the clamorous social obligations in Xinzheng's noble circles, he could also shut the door, lie down in the little tower, and lose himself for days on end reading the surviving texts and classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought…

That carefree life of a noble scion had come to an abrupt end four years ago. In that very same spot, Zhang Liang had clutched the railing and watched helplessly as the King of Han opened the city gates, stripped himself bare, led a sheep, and groveled on his knees to welcome the Qin army into the city.

The state of Han, which generations of the Zhang family had painstakingly upheld for a hundred years, vanished completely from that moment on. Even the name "Han" was no longer permitted to be spoken, replaced by "Yingchuan Commandery."

From that time on, that carefree youth had died along with the altars of Han, leaving behind only a remnant subject whose heart and mind were consumed by the vendetta for his state and the hatred for his family.

But now, at this very moment, Zhang Liang was forced to stand in the same place and watch helplessly as the restorationist strength he had built up over years was utterly destroyed in the span of a single day.

The moment, the momentum — with not a shred of certainty, why had they acted so rashly?

He hated — hated the Qin men who slaughtered his compatriots, and hated the Lord of Hengyang who refused to heed his painstaking, well-meant counsel. It was these fat-headed, self-important princelings who had ruined Han's governance, and now, they were squandering what little hot-blooded men Han had left.

Zhang Liang sat down and lightly strummed the strings of his zither, playing a mournful tune, as if echoing the raging inferno in the distance.

"The lamb-fur robe, glossy and sleek — truly upright and noble is he. That man of whom I sing — he would lay down his life and never waver!"

Tears slid down his cheeks. The songs of Zheng and Wey were not all decadent strains; they held sorrow, compassion, and heroic grandeur too.

When his piece ended, the old steward appeared behind him and reported respectfully, "Young master, word from outside says that the Lord of Hengyang and Gongsun Xin both escaped at the final moment. Apart from them, nearly everyone in the uprising was killed. Every alley in the city runs red…"

Zhang Liang fell silent for a long while. He could imagine that, at this very moment, the city gate towers were already covered with the heads of the anti-Qin martyrs.

"How grievous!"

In his grief and fury, he actually hurled the zither in his hands straight down from the tower, as if it were Han's hope of restoration, smashed to pieces!

"Young master!"

The old steward was aghast — this was the young master's most beloved zither, one he had treasured for over ten years and could never bear to part with.

Zhang Liang, however, had already closed his eyes and suppressed the indignation in his heart. A moment later, he said calmly, "Old Zhang, once the Qin officials' strict investigation is over, dismiss the three hundred household servants from the residence."

Old Zhang immediately bowed his head. "The servants are all house-born slaves, serving the Zhang family for generations. They wish to attend the young master for life and are unwilling to leave."

Zhang Liang sighed. "The reason I must dismiss them is that after this uprising, the Qin officials will certainly tighten their grip on the Han territories and will not permit any household to retain armed servants. A purge is coming. Thanks to the Lord of Hengyang and his ilk, resisting Qin in the Han lands is no longer possible."

"Since staying here offers no hope, it is time for me to leave Xinzheng as well."

His gaze swept over the pavilions, terraces, towers, and halls here, every flower and every tree. Apart from the time in his youth when he went to Huaiyang (Chenying) in Chu to study ritual, he had scarcely ever left this residence, this city. For a moment, he felt a pang of reluctance, but it could not shake his firm resolve.

The last master was leaving too. The old steward felt utterly desolate, but still asked, "Where does the young master intend to go?"

"Eastward, to the borderlands where Qi, Chu, and Wei meet. I will continue to lie low and await the right moment!"

In these times, dying is not hard; what is hard is living. Zhang Liang had to carry the unfulfilled long-cherished vows and hatred of so many Han martyrs this day, and live on, bearing disgrace and shouldering heavy burdens.

Zhang Liang shed his lamb-fur robe, his single-layer garment flapping loudly in the cold wind, and bowed solemnly with clasped hands in the direction of the blazing fire.

"Gentlemen, rest assured — Zhang Liang will, on your behalf, live to see the day Qin loses the momentum of the age! And when that time comes, I will personally bring about the annihilation of the tyrannical Qin!"

…

Just as Zhang Liang had foreseen, at the end of the ninth month, word of the Han people's revolt had barely arrived from Xinzheng when the King of Han, imprisoned in Yangdi, was killed right on its heels…

The one who killed the King of Han was none other than the former Chancellor of Qin, Lord Changping, Xiong Qi, who was touring the eastern commanderies by the King of Qin's order.

Lord Changping arrived in Xinzheng bearing the King of Han's head, parading it before the Han people. Not a single person in the entire city dared to look up at the Qin officials. Those prominent restorationists had nearly all died in this utterly pointless uprising.

After pacifying Yingchuan Commandery, Lord Changping pressed on eastward without pause. His destination was Huaiyang, where, at that very moment, the great army led by Wang Ben had already surrounded that secondary capital of Chu.

What Lord Changping did not know was that Zhang Liang, travel permit in hand, had also left Xinzheng City. Always cautious and meticulous in his affairs, he had a clean record, and no one would trouble him wherever he went. Sword in hand, walking the road east, watching Lord Changping's awe-inspiring carriage procession, Zhang Liang fell deep in thought…

…

At the same moment, in Anlu County, Nan Commandery, the Qin officials there understood the current situation far less thoroughly than Zhang Liang did. They only knew that Qin and Chu had gone to war, but the fighting was concentrated in the north around Shangcai and Chenying, and had not triggered a direct conflict between Nan Commandery and Chu.

The documents issued by the Governor of Nan Commandery merely ordered Anlu County to heighten its vigilance, strictly guard the border and river defenses, ensure that incidents like the early autumn one — where a few fugitives had thrown an entire township into chaos — did not recur, and above all, not to rashly send troops across the border.

Furthermore, each ting district was ordered to tally the number of able-bodied young men in every li community within its jurisdiction and organize them to go to the township for unified training. The ting chiefs and constables all speculated that if the war continued to expand, Anlu County would inevitably have to conscript garrison soldiers. The atmosphere of war was already intensely thick.

By the beginning of the tenth month, when the Qin calendar turned the page to a new year, new orders finally reached Anlu!

"Uncle, a document has come down from the commandery!"

In the office of the Anlu County Commandant, Yun Xiong, dressed in the black uniform of a minor clerk, hurriedly jogged into the hall and presented the commandery's document with both hands.

Left Commandant Yun Man quickly took it, broke the seal, and carefully removed the now-dry lump of official seal clay — it was indeed from the Commandant of Nan Commandery, no mistake.

"Twenty-second year, first month (tenth month), bingzi day. The Commandant of Nan Commandery addresses the Commandant of Anlu County…"

"Qin is at war with Jing. The transport of supplies, the shifting of loads, the repairing of roads and building of bridges all lack manpower. Therefore, the Great King orders Nan Commandery to mobilize corvée labor."

"The Great King does not wish to raise the common people first. It is decreed that we must first conscript in full: bondservant men and women, wall-builders and grain-pounders, firewood-gatherers, rice-sorters, those laboring to redeem debts or fines, the mutilated officials, live-in sons-in-law, and merchants."

The general meaning of this document was that the logistics work on the Huaiyang front between Qin and Chu was extremely heavy, and there was a shortage of manpower to transport grain and provisions, pave roads, and build bridges. Therefore, every county in Nan Commandery needed to dispatch some laborers north to provide support.

They had no idea that this manpower shortage was a butterfly effect triggered by the Xinzheng rebellion. The corvée laborers from Guanzhong originally scheduled to head to the front were now detained in Yingchuan Commandery on garrison duty, forcing Qin to draw manpower from Nan Commandery, Nanyang, and other areas without active fighting.

Going north to perform corvée labor in the dead of winter — this could be considered bitter toil. So the document required that priority be given to conscripting members of low social status, such as bondservant men and women, wall-builders and grain-pounders, firewood-gatherers, rice-sorters, those laboring to redeem debts or fines, the mutilated officials, live-in sons-in-law, and merchants, and then dispatching one capable clerk to escort them with a contingent of garrison soldiers.

The quota assigned to Anlu County was fifty convict laborers and ten garrison soldiers, to set out in mid-tenth month, with a deadline to assemble at Fangcheng County in Nanyang Commandery by the first day of the twelfth month…

"Uncle! This is a rare opportunity," Yun Xiong said, his eyes gleaming as he urged Yun Man.

Yun Man caught on as well. "You mean…"

"Don't these convict laborers and garrison soldiers need a capable clerk to escort them? Uncle, you must already have someone in mind?"

"My nephew is astute. This is indeed a rare chance for revenge, and one that will leave the county's various clerks with nothing to say!"

Yun Man burst into hearty laughter. He summoned the Commandant Clerk An Pu to the hall and ordered, "Send word at once for the Chief of Huyang Ting, Heifu, to come see me!"

(End of chapter)