Chapter 115: In Yan

During this half-day stopover in Yan County, Heifu not only used the "fish-belly cinnabar letter" to settle the convict laborers desperate to flee, but also found time to enter the county seat, intending to pay respects to his old superior, the former Right Commandant of Anlu, Du Xian, who was now the Right Commandant of Yan County.

The layout of Yan County was similar to Anlu County town, only its area was over three times larger — after all, this place had been a secondary capital of the Chu state over fifty years ago. The Jiang-Han region had always paired Yan and Ying together in name; the Yan County Right Commandant ranked only slightly below the Jiangling County Commandant. Du Xian's transfer here from Anlu County could be considered a promotion.

The office compound of the Yan County Commandant was also considerably larger and grander than the one in Anlu. After Heifu arrived and stated his purpose, he was questioned by the guards at the gate. Following the report, they said the Commandant was handling official business and asked him to wait a while in the waiting area by the entrance.

Du Xian did not neglect his old subordinate, and even specially sent a Commandant Clerk out to keep him company.

"Master Du often mentions Bailiff Heifu, saying that during his tenure in Anlu County, among all the county bailiffs, you were the most capable and astute."

The Commandant Clerk was named Gong Shi, from the local Gong clan of the Mi lineage. Yet he had none of the airs of a clan scion, chatting amiably with Heifu and occasionally praising him a few times.

"That is undue praise from Master Du. The reason I was able to become a bailiff was all thanks to Master Du's recognition. During the last bandit-catching operation under Master Du's tenure, I even let a criminal slip through my grasp, a blunder I still feel deeply ashamed of to this day. How dare I claim a name for capability? I was fortunate it did not affect Master Du's service record and reputation; otherwise, Heifu could not atone for it even with a hundred deaths."

The two men went back and forth, one extolling, the other deflecting. After a while, Du Xian finally had a free moment, and only then did Gong Shi lead Heifu inside to pay his respects.

As soon as Heifu entered, he bowed and said, "I never imagined I would be able to see the Right Commandant again so soon. This humble clerk is truly overjoyed."

"Heifu, get up, quickly." Du Xian's face was also wreathed in smiles, though he was much thinner than when he was in Anlu, and the circles under his eyes were dark. After the two were seated, he sighed with emotion:

"Having been in Yan County for over a month, I now deeply feel that without a capable subordinate like Heifu, being a County Commandant is truly not easy."

Du Xian first complained at length about how difficult Yan County was to govern. Although there were fewer fugitives and bandits than in Anlu, the common people and officials here were mostly descendants of Chu nobility, so the implementation of laws and ordinances was very inadequate. The power of the clans was stronger than in Anlu, and his orders were sometimes very difficult to carry out.

Then, Du Xian brought up past matters, confiding that although others thought he trusted Captain Chen the most during his time in Anlu, the one he relied on most heavily was actually Heifu. His promotion was not unrelated to the two major cases Heifu had cracked in succession — the tomb robbing and the human trafficking.

As for the third homicide case, though it went unsolved, because Heifu deliberately concealed the fact that Zhongli Mei was a Chu spy, it did not attract sufficient attention from the commandery. Moreover, by that time the promotion evaluation period had already passed, so it did not affect Du Xian's career path either.

Heifu nodded continuously, but inwardly he thought: "So that's why you and I can meet on such amicable terms. If it weren't for that, I'd surely be eating a closed-door rejection right now..."

When he heard that Heifu had been assigned this bitter errand by the County Left Commandant Yun Man, Du Xian's face darkened. He slapped the table and said, "Using public office to settle private grudges — this Yun Man is truly despicable. I must impeach him to the Commandery Commandant!"

Immediately after, he asked Heifu with concern whether he had encountered any convict escapes on the journey, and how he had handled it.

Heifu had no need to hide it, so he recounted how he had used the "fish-belly cinnabar letter" to trick the convict laborers into settling down. Du Xian roared with laughter upon hearing this, saying that only Heifu could come up with such an idea. Though Qin law was strict, it was not rigid; Heifu's ability to use his wits to solve problems that laws and ordinances could not address was praiseworthy.

"Although the convict laborers have settled down, the road to Nanyang is still long, and with the freezing weather, you must still be extra cautious."

As he spoke, Du Xian seemed to suddenly remember something. He had someone fetch a wooden tablet and wrote a letter.

"This conscription of convict laborers and garrison soldiers to the north is by the King's will. Qin and Chu are at war in Huaiyang, and there is a shortage of men to transport provisions and fodder. Therefore, it's not just Nan Commandery; Hanzhong Commandery and Nanyang Commandery are also under conscription orders. The convict laborers and garrison soldiers from the three commanderies are all to assemble in Fangcheng County of Nanyang Commandery, then be led jointly by the Nanyang Commandery Governor and the Fangcheng County Commandant. I once served in Nanyang Commandery and have an old connection with the Fangcheng County Commandant. This letter might help you secure a good assignment after you arrive in the army."

This was an unexpected delight. Heifu took it and looked; the wooden tablet stated that Heifu was proficient in military matters, skilled at training troops, and so on, and was stamped with Du Xian's personal seal.

He quickly expressed his thanks. Although the Qin state had largely eliminated factionalism, it could not eliminate personal connections. Having a recommendation versus not having one could mean a world of difference in one's circumstances. This wooden tablet would serve as Heifu's stepping stone after heading north!

As they talked, Du Xian's official business arrived again. The household registrations in Yan County were twice those of Anlu, and correspondingly, the matters to attend to had multiplied invisibly. Du Xian then asked Gong Shi to escort Heifu out of the city on his behalf.

"Yan County's four hundred garrison soldiers and convict laborers are also heading north for service. Gong Shi, take Heifu over and hand him over to the Left Commandant. You can set out together tomorrow, and look after each other on the road..."

Heifu followed Gong Shi out of the government temple. As the two rode toward the city gate, his gaze was drawn to the city wall beside them.

To save labor and materials, the "government temple" in many Qin county seats was built in the northwest or northeast corner of the county town. This way, utilizing the pre-existing city wall, one only needed to extend two additional wall sections outward to enclose the "government temple" within.

Yan County's "government temple" was precisely in the northeast corner of the city. But Heifu noticed that the city wall here was much newer than the adjacent sections. Looking out, for a full several hundred paces, the color of the earthen wall differed from the rest — it was a newly piled yellow earthen rampart, unlike the others, which were old, ochre-red walls.

He pointed at that clearly newly repaired section of the city wall and said, "Could this be where Lord Wu'an breached the city back then..."

Gong Shi's expression became somewhat complicated. "Indeed. This is the section of the city wall that was soaked and collapsed when Lord Wu'an attacked Yan City with water during his campaign against Chu."

Heifu had long heard of this event. It was said that over fifty years ago, Nan Commandery was still the royal domain of the Chu state, its core heartland. No one could have imagined that it would suddenly be occupied by Qin within a single year...

The one who created this military miracle was Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi. At that time, during the great war between Qin and Chu, Bai Qi led only a force of several tens of thousands, advancing east along the Han River, catching the enemy off guard and penetrating deep into Chu territory.

The situation then was that the Qin army was isolated deep in enemy land and could only forage for provisions from the enemy. The Chu army, fighting on home ground, boasted a million polearm-wielders, with reinforcements flowing in endlessly.

But the Qin soldiers dismantled bridges, burned their boats, and cut off their own path of retreat to show their determination to fight to the death. The Chu army, fighting on home ground, was burdened with worries about their homes; the nobles clung to life and feared death, the officers and soldiers cared only about their own families and lacked fighting spirit. They ultimately could not withstand the fierce assaults of the Qin elite soldiers and thus suffered defeat after retreat.

With the coordination of a diversionary force under Sima Cuo, Bai Qi led tens of thousands of Qin troops on an unimpeded drive straight to Yan City, the secondary capital of Chu at the time.

Yan City was a critical military stronghold guarding the capital, Ying. The Chu forces had long concentrated heavy troops there, attempting to stop the Qin army's southward advance.

Bai Qi exploited the favorable condition of the Yi River rushing out from the long western mountain valleys and flowing southeast. He built a dike a hundred li west of Yan City to store water, and dug a long canal leading directly to Yan City. Then he opened the canal to flood the city. The northeast corner of Yan City, under the impact and soaking of the river water, soon broke open. The great flood entered the city, turning it into a deep abyss...

"After that battle, the entire Nan Commandery fell to the Qin state."

Gong Shi laughed. "Lord Wu'an's residual might still lingers today. The mere mention of his name can stop the infants of Yan City from crying..."

"Residual might? I'd say residual stench!"

At that moment, a young man standing right by the city wall with his arms crossed overheard Gong Shi's words. He flew into a rage, immediately came over and grabbed the reins of Gong Shi's horse, looked up, and whispered to him: "Uncle, have you forgotten? When the water breached the northeast corner back then, the soldiers and civilians of Yan City who perished in the current numbered over a hundred thousand! The entire east of the city reeked of death! Our Gong clan of the Mi lineage was nearly wiped out to the last in that battle!"

"Shut your mouth! Of course I remember, I don't need you to remind me!"

The young man spoke recklessly; Gong Shi's expression changed drastically. He lowered his voice and rebuked him harshly: "You brat, if you spout such nonsense again, you'll truly bring doom upon the entire Gong clan!"

He hurriedly looked back and saw that Heifu was still behind them, tilting his head to look at the city wall as if he hadn't heard their conversation. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. He glared at the young man, then turned and called out to Heifu: "Bailiff Heifu, this is my nephew, Gong Ao. He just became a lowly Thief-Catcher in the tenth month and also has to escort garrison soldiers north for service. On this journey, I hope the Bailiff will look after him!"

PS: Another notice, this book goes on sale March 1st (the day after tomorrow). I hope everyone can at least give a first subscription then. Updates will speed up after going on sale.

(End of Chapter)