Chapter 139: Ritual and Sword (Part 2)

(Chapter 3 posted early, nothing more today)

Though the Zhang clan prided itself on being a house of ritual, music, poetry, and letters, they were only local gentry after all and kept no dedicated dancing girls. Those green-robed maidservants, after finishing the serving of wine and food, still had to come up and perform dances for entertainment.

It was late spring, the weather growing warm and hearts heating up along with it. Dressed in short, thin, colorfully embroidered silk robes, they knelt and saluted the guests on the east and west sides, then began to whirl and dance to the accompaniment of two musicians playing the qin and se.

The Wei countrymen and gentlemen on the east mat were all cultured men; they remained refined and courteous as they watched the dance. Whatever their eyes and hearts were dwelling on, on the surface they could only nod gently. The Qin soldiers on the west mat were far more direct — every one of them stared with eyes gone rigid, pointing and gesturing at the pretty girls among them, even habitually letting loose foul and lewd remarks.

After three years as a soldier, a sow looks like Xi Shi. Had Heifu not kept them in check, they would have long since rushed up, each grabbing one to dance with...

The people of the Warring States were not far removed from antiquity. No matter the state, whether barbarian or central-plains Hua Xia, regardless of gender or rank, all could sing and dance well. Especially after feasting and drinking, they could dance the whole night through.

Once the maidservants finished their dance and withdrew, Zhang Bo saw how those unsophisticated Qin soldiers were staring dumbstruck, drool dripping, and he swelled up again.

He had Zhongming ask Heifu, "This is central-plains dance music. I imagine you stout fellows have never seen the like before?"

This time, Heifu did not boast. He shook his head and said, "Army life is dull. There are no women, no song and dance."

Just as Zhang Bo was about to grow smug again, Heifu smiled and said, "However, for today's visit, I too have prepared a bit of dance to share in the merriment with you gentlemen."

With that, paying no heed to whether the host consented or not, he nodded toward Gong Ao.

"Men, rise!"

At Gong Ao's command, the ten Qin soldiers instantly cast the wine, food, and women from moments before to the back of their minds. Hands on their swords, they rose, at the same time hefting the heavy shields they had brought in with them.

For a moment, the countrymen on the east mat, host included, all showed startled expressions.

Though inwardly they scorned the Qin men's lack of manners, they dared not laugh loudly or mock them — precisely because the Qin soldiers across from them had all come to the feast bearing weapons...

Stop them? They dared not stop them. They could only let them do as they pleased while keeping a wary guard.

A moment ago, perhaps feeling that the sight of swords and armor was too harsh on the eyes and spoiled the banquet atmosphere, Zhang Fu had forced a dry laugh and said to Heifu and the others that armor and weapons were cumbersome — why not remove armor and swords and drink with unbuttoned cheer?

But Heifu had refused, saying something like "By the general's command, until Wei is destroyed, we sleep with our heads on our spears and dare not remove our armor!" — leaving Zhang Fu rebuffed.

Only now, at this moment, did his purpose in having the men wear armor, carry shields, and bear swords become apparent.

"You shall perform a sword dance to enliven the mood for the host and the gentlemen of the east mat!"

"Aye!"

After a spirited answering cry, the ten Qin soldiers, led by Gong Ao, strode to the center of the hall. Sword in one hand, shield in the other, they formed ranks and stood towering and erect, every man ramrod straight!

A somber, lethal atmosphere descended. For a moment, no one in the hall dared make another sound.

Heifu picked up a chopstick and began striking it against a bronze wine vessel, producing a clinking, clanging sound that rang out piercingly in the silent hall...

To the ears of those on the east mat, this was the beat of music and dance. In truth, it was nothing more than the drumbeat rhythm of Qin troops on the march. Every time Heifu marched, he would stand to the side, beating a pottery shard or bamboo clapper. This skill of his had long been honed to perfection.

As Heifu's striking grew ever more urgent, the dance shifted from stillness to motion, transitioning into a heated battle atmosphere. The armored soldiers ran in place, dividing into two lines, advancing as they danced!

At times they faced the west mat, saluting Heifu with sword and shield, their gazes filled with reverence.

At times they suddenly charged toward the east mat, executing fierce thrusting and stabbing motions. The sharp swords nearly stabbed into the faces of the east-mat guests, frightening several of them so badly that they abandoned all pretense of dining etiquette, crying out in alarm and stumbling backward in panic, even knocking over precious lacquerware...

These armored soldiers were all Gongshi and Shangzao who had earned their ranks by taking heads at the Battle of Waihuang. They had weathered bloody combat, and after severing heads, they had absorbed a fierce, murderous edge. In an instant, the hall was filled with the flash of blades and the shadow of swords; the cheerful atmosphere of the feast had long since been utterly shattered.

Seeing this, Heifu smiled.

In truth, this was just the drill routine the Qin soldiers practiced daily. It was only that army life was dull, and their commander Yang Xiong, besides being deep and calculating, was also a man who knew how to amuse himself. Whenever he had a mind to, he would have the soldiers perform sword dances for entertainment, and so Heifu had picked up this trick as well.

He had never expected to put it to use today...

He had no other choice. Since he could not make others respect and acknowledge him through ritual, music, and refinement, he could only make a show of military force.

You have ritual; we have swords.

Ritual and music must, after all, bow their heads beneath the sword's edge — until the day they imperceptibly soften even the finest steel.

Inside the hall, the armored Qin soldiers, just as they did in their usual training, methodically shifted through various intricate and complex formations, now sitting, now rising. Under the accompaniment of Heifu's beat, it faintly began to resemble an actual dance...

After they had danced for a while and worked up a bit of sweat, Heifu struck down hard! At the sound, the armored soldiers instantly regrouped, the ten of them arrayed in perfect order, solemn and awe-inspiring!

With a great roaring cry, they raised their swords high and brought the blades crashing down heavily upon the leather-faced wooden shields with a tremendous noise!

"Clang!"

As if a thousand horsemen were charging forth! As if a great river had burst its banks! As if the walls of Daliang were crumbling! As if the altars of state were collapsing!

That single sound shook the very hearts and livers of every Wei man present.

That single sound brought back to them the memories of the past hundred-odd years, of being slaughtered on the battlefield by the Qin army.

The Battle of Anmen, the Battle of Hexi, the Battle of Anyi, the Battle of Yique, the Battle of Huayang...

Hundreds of thousands of Wei people had died wretchedly beneath Qin swords just like that.

Hexi, Shangjun, Hewai, Hedong, Henei, Dongjun — one piece of Wei territory after another had been ceded to Qin, yet it could never fill the maw of those tigers and wolves. They would barely secure a single night's peaceful sleep, then rise to look to their borders, and the Qin soldiers would already be at the city walls again.

And today, Qin swords were dancing right here in their own hall!

Thinking of this, how could it not make one's gall tremble and heart quake with fear?

The sword dance was finished. Now everyone at the mats, the Zhang brothers included, wore faces the color of ash. The maidservants who had just finished dancing were also pale with terror, their legs trembling.

In the vast Zhang residence, there was no longer a single person who dared to slight or look down upon the Qin soldiers!

Zhang Bo was dazzled by those gleaming sword blades and round shields, and the final roaring crash had set his scalp tingling and numb.

Flustered, he looked toward his clansman Zhang Fu, who returned a look of lingering fear.

From that sword dance alone, one could see their strict discipline and instant obedience — it seemed each could fight ten. The Eastern Zhang and Western Zhang combined could muster over two hundred armed servants, but how could they compare to these Qin soldiers, who had trained every year since being registered on the conscription rolls and had been tempered on the battlefield? If a conflict truly broke out, the heads of everyone at these mats would likely not be enough for the Qin soldiers to harvest.

Both men inwardly congratulated themselves: "Thankfully, we did not treat the Qin men too rudely today!"

At this moment, Heifu smiled and asked, "What do you gentlemen think of this army dance?"

And so, for the first time, Zhang Bo put on a strained smile and offered insincere praise: "Fine... a fine sword dance. Truly imposing!"

The men on the east mat hurriedly chimed in, the flattery and fear in their words now plain to see. Was it not precisely out of fear of Qin's military might that they had willingly surrendered?

Heifu laughed heartily, had the Qin soldiers return to their seats, and rose to toast them, saying, "We here are the same as two hundred thousand Qin troops being here!"

By now, the Wei countrymen in the hall could only manage sounds of meek and cowering assent.

Only Zhang Fu lowered his head and sank into thought.

"After this sword dance, this banquet where we were the hosts has been turned around by this Qin official — the guest has become the host. If this round of the contest is a crushing defeat, then for the next several months, the Zhang clan will have to live at his mercy and will not easily turn the tables..."

Qin was destroying Wei — their nephew had predicted it years ago. Rebellion was impossible; the only path was to cooperate with them.

Zhang Fu was far shrewder than Zhang Bo. Though he had played the peacemaker, when the family's interests were at stake, he still had to step forward when the moment called for it.

At the very least, he had to salvage this awkward situation a little — he couldn't let the Zhang clan lose too disgracefully.

So Zhang Fu suddenly spoke up and asked, "Patrol Officer, could the dance your soldiers just performed be the music of the Great Wu?"

……

"The music of the Great Wu?"

Heifu looked utterly baffled and shook his head. He was uneducated and had no idea what the Great Wu was.

Zhang Fu seized the chance and said to the equally bewildered Zhang Bo, "My younger brother, do you recall? Zihu once told us about this — the Great Wu celebrates King Wu's illustrious martial achievement in overthrowing Zhou. It has six sections, and is likewise danced with swords, shields, and armor. It is a Zhou-dynasty piece, used for ancestral sacrifices in the ancestral temple or to rouse morale before setting out on campaign."

As he spoke, he even winked at Zhang Bo.

Although Zhang Bo was the biological uncle of that "Zihu," whenever his nephew returned from his study tours and enthusiastically told them about the new Confucian arts he had learned, Zhang Bo would doze right off.

Though the Eastern Zhangs called themselves a house of rites and music, he himself was not particularly versed in Confucian arts — he merely treated them as a veneer to decorate the family façade.

The Western Zhangs' Zhang Fu, by contrast, not only had a better eye for talent but also possessed a bit more cultural depth.

At this point, Zhang Bo finally grasped Zhang Fu's hint and hurriedly nodded, "That's right, Zihu did indeed say that."

He smacked his lips and said insincerely, "Who would have thought that the Qin army's sword dance actually embodies the rites and music of King Wu's overthrow of Zhou? No wonder they sweep all before them... hahaha."

Zhongming translated this for Heifu as usual, and added that this "Zihu" was a son of the Zhang clan serving as a minor official in Xianyang.

Heifu, momentarily curious, had Zhongming ask, "May I ask what official post the Zhang clan gentleman holds in Xianyang?"

The Zhang brothers had been waiting for exactly that question.

Zhang Fu immediately stroked his beard and said with a beaming smile, "Speaking of this clan nephew of mine, he is truly no ordinary man. He loves books like his very life — there is nothing he has not read, nothing he does not comprehend. He is a genius versed in both ancient and modern learning!"

Zhang Bo picked up, "I watched him grow up. At three he could read and write, at five he knew the Odes and Documents, at ten he had read every book in the family collection, and at twelve he went to study under the Confucian scholars of the county... By the time he was fifteen, believing he had exhausted all the books in Wei, he shouldered his pack, took only a single servant, and journeyed to Chu to travel and study..."

Listening to the two brothers put on this double act, Heifu's expression gradually turned to one of astonishment.

"He traveled to Lanling in Chu and called upon the great Confucian Master Xunzi, becoming the very last disciple Xunzi accepted before his death!"

"After Master Xunzi passed, he observed the three-year mourning vigil for him. When he returned, he shut his door for another three years, never once stepping out of his room, and thoroughly integrated everything he had previously learned..."

"Three years later, he suddenly emerged. He left home directly, went to the river to bathe and wash his hair, stood in the water pondering for a long while, and then declared: he had originally wished to read all the books of the Six States, but Han had already fallen, and he supposed that before long, the books, records, and statutes of all Six States would all end up in Qin. He therefore resolved to follow in his late teacher's footsteps and journey west into Qin, to observe Qin governance."

"After entering Qin, his learning caused a sensation in Xianyang, and he was summoned to serve as a Scribe in the Censor's Office, in charge of charts, books, and records. It is said he is highly trusted by the Imperial Secretary and the Commandant of Justice..."

At this point, the Zhang brothers had expected the minor official Heifu to grow more and more terrified upon learning of their clan's profound foundations and that they had someone serving as an official in Xianyang — yet Heifu only listened with mounting excitement.

In the end, he could not restrain himself and slammed the table as he rose, regretting only that the gap between their dialects was too great for him to press questions directly. He could only have Zhongming relay: "That Zhang clan gentleman, that Zihu — what is his given name!?"

Zhang Bo and Zhang Fu looked at each other in dismay. It seemed they had not achieved the effect they had hoped for, but at this point, the two could only steel themselves and see the boast through to the end.

"His name — is Zhang Cang!"

(End of chapter)