Chapter 237: Deterrence

Over the past few days, although the Chu army had already withdrawn, Qin reinforcements had continued to pour into Chanling without cease — some from Jiangling and Ying County, some from upstream Zhijiang, and still more hurrying in from Jingling, Huarong, and other places.

For reasons of his own, Commandant Li You did not send them back either, and so, by the end of the fourth month, the Qin troops at Chanling had reached over seven thousand...

On one hand, this was meant to apply pressure on Chu; on the other, it was to put Hei Fu's "deterrence" strategy into effect.

Watching the Qin army gather in ever greater numbers, the Ba people were undoubtedly astonished. Although all the Ba tribes of Yidao together numbered twenty thousand, they were scattered across the land, dotted among ravines, mountains, and forests, making them very difficult to assemble. At most, they gathered around Wuluo Zhongli Mountain for sacrifices, but such an occasion was not seen once in ten years.

So when, at the start of the fourth month, Fan Qin gathered the able-bodied men of each division and got four thousand, the Ba people of Yidao believed this must be the mightiest army in the world, one that both Qin and Chu would have to court and placate — and they could not help feeling smug and proud...

This was because Yidao was cut off from the outside world, its roads impassable, so the local tribes each regarded themselves as masters of their domain, unaware of the vastness of the Huaxia states with their caps and sashes.

It was not until this day that their worldview was shattered. The Ba people of Yidao had never in their lives seen so many men, horses, and weapons. Watching the Qin troops gather thicker and thicker, their encampments growing larger and larger, the chieftains of several tribes asked a "Xia-zi" who could speak both languages to tentatively ask Hei Fu just how many soldiers there were.

"Though ten thousand men have gathered here, that is no more than a tenth of Nan Commandery's troops!"

Hei Fu had the Xia-zi translate his words exactly as they were, to intimidate these bumpkins who had scarcely ever ventured a hundred li beyond the Yi River.

"And though Nan Commandery has a hundred thousand troops, it is merely one of Qin's twenty-plus commanderies — one of the smaller in territory and sparser in population! Reckon for yourselves: how many soldiers does Qin have in all?"

It was a number beyond the imagination of the Ba chieftains. They looked at one another in blank dismay, utterly terrified.

The Chu envoy had boasted that Chu "held a million halberds"; by that reckoning, Qin was two or three times mightier than Chu!

After being stunned by the sheer numbers, they then experienced firsthand the quality of the Qin army.

The next morning, after eating and drinking their fill, the drowsy Ba chieftains were hastily shaken awake by their followers. When they stepped outside their tents, they were dumbfounded.

They saw that the vast Qin army had already fully assembled outside the city. Gongs, drums, banners, and pennants stood out crisp and clear; officers rode in chariots or on horseback; the soldiers were all fully armored, gripping sharp dagger-axes and spears.

As the general's flag on the city wall waved, the sound of gongs and drums rang out unceasingly across the field. The Qin army's dense black formations began to advance toward the Ba contingent, spears leveled, swords striking shields — scaring the chieftains half to death. They thought the Qin had broken faith and were about to slaughter them!

It was only when Hei Fu, on Li You's orders, came to inform the chieftains that this was the Qin army drilling its battle formations, and when those formations simultaneously wheeled and changed direction, that the chieftains' hearts, which had leapt into their throats, finally settled back down...

The gongs rang crisp, the drums deep and sonorous. The Qin soldiers from every region followed the sounds of gong and drum: at the first drum, they readied their arms; at the second, they practiced the array; at the third, they rushed their meal; at the fourth, they made strict preparations; at the fifth, they marched. When the drum sounded to assemble, they raised their banners... They advanced or halted, struck or withdrew, now and then erupting in battle cries. The sounds converged, surging into the clouds and resounding across the wilds!

The Ba people, long accustomed to laxity, had never witnessed such a spectacle. They stood stupefied, jaws agape. Even if one or two of them managed to mask their astonishment a little better, their hands involuntarily tightened on their willow-leaf swords, terrified that those orderly formations might suddenly charge at them.

When a Ba warrior faced off against a single Qin soldier, he felt he held the advantage — but when the Qin army displayed that terrifying collective discipline, the sight was overwhelming.

The chieftains suddenly felt that what they had done at Wuluo Zhongli Mountain was right. No wonder Ba Zhong had so strenuously urged the tribes to return to Qin; he must have known Qin's true strength...

Watching this scene, Hei Fu was thoroughly satisfied. This martial demonstration had essentially achieved the effect he wanted. In his view, although Qin had pursued a policy of conciliation in Yidao, it had forgotten to teach them one thing: to recognize the gap in strength between the two sides.

The Man, Yi, Rong, and Di peoples grow and thrive in harsh environments, and what they submit to is largely the principle that the strong rule. Now was the time to tell them that in all the world, none was stronger than Qin!

The more awed they were by Qin's power, the more easily they would submit to direction and set aside any thoughts of rebellion.

The first day was thus; the second day's drill was the same as the day before, ceasing only at nightfall.

On the third day, Li You formally summoned the Ba chieftains. By now thoroughly cowed, when the chieftains came up onto the city wall, they all advanced on their knees, not daring to raise their heads and look up at Li You. When Li You sternly ordered them to hand over the culprits who had personally killed Qin officials and soldiers, none dared disobey...

The hundred-odd Ba warriors who had earlier been hailed as heroes were shoved forward just like that. They would be escorted to Yidao and executed by the banks of the Yi River, to placate the spirits of the hundred-plus Qin officials and Qin people who had died in the ambush!

By the start of the fifth month of the Xia calendar, the rainy season arrived. As torrential rains swept both banks of the Great River, the contest between Chu and Qin in Nan Commandery came to a temporary halt. To join battle in such weather — before the enemy could even strike, one's own side would be scattered and broken by the downpour.

The various Ba tribes also dispersed one after another. After leaving three thousand troops to garrison Chanling and dispatching another thousand to hold Yidao, Li You led the rest northward in succession.

Some boarded ships at Youjiang Mouth beside Chanling; others marched thirty li north to Jiangjin Mouth to cross the river — still using the clumsy method of ferrying them slowly across on the Nan Commandery fleet's tower ships and assault vessels.

With few boats and many men, the troops could not avoid a long wait at the crossing point. Observing this cumbersome method of transport, Hei Fu offered Li You a suggestion.

"Commandant, though Jiangling and Chanling are not far apart, the Great River bars the way. Every time the Chu come raiding, we must requisition boats large and small and spend days ferrying the army across — by then, we have often already lost the initiative."

"When I was in Wei last year, I often heard that the armies of the various states build pontoon bridges across the Great River to let soldiers cross quickly. I wonder if anyone has tried building a pontoon bridge across the Yangtze?"

Pontoon bridges were not uncommon in the north. It was said that as far back as the Zhou dynasty, King Wen of Zhou built a pontoon bridge over the Wei River to welcome his new bride from the Central Plains. Now that Qin had established its capital at Xianyang, there was even a permanent pontoon bridge over the Wei, linking Xianyang north of the Wei with the string of new palaces south of it.

There were also many pontoon bridges across the Great River. For example, in the fiftieth year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin (257 BC), a "river bridge" was first built at Pujin, which later became the permanent Pujin Bridge. The story of the Yellow River iron oxen is surely familiar to many.

So Hei Fu was thinking: if a "Yangtze Bridge" could be built on the great river as well, would Qin's military control over the lands south of the river not be greatly strengthened?

Upon hearing this suggestion, a junior clerk standing nearby let out a snort of laughter. Li You and Hei Fu looked over and asked him why he laughed.

The clerk hastily bowed and said, "Your subordinate merely thought that the river near Jiangling is so wide that without a thousand boats, it would be hard to link them into a pontoon bridge. What's more, from ancient times to the present, southerners have excelled with boats. So in the past, when Chu fought Wu and Yue on the Yangtze and Huai rivers, officials and supplies traveled by ship, while ordinary soldiers simply shed their armor and swam across — one rarely hears of them building pontoon bridges..."

"Shortsighted."

Li You rebuked the clerk sharply: "In the future, if the King has already broken Huai-bei and Huai-nan and wishes to send generals to seize the lands of Jiang-dong and Jiang-nan, a hundred thousand men crossing the river would take over half a month to ferry by boat — a pontoon bridge would still be more convenient..."

Li You committed Hei Fu's suggestion to memory, thinking it might prove useful later. Then they too boarded the great ship, and as the oars stroked the water, they slowly made their way toward Jiangling...

During the journey, they also received a dispatch sent by the Commandery Governor.

Hei Fu knew that after the incidents at Yidao and Chanling, Governor Ye's tour of inspection had fallen through. With Li You marching out to relieve the situation, the Governor had to hold the fort at Jiangling and stabilize matters. He wondered what matter had prompted this letter now.

After opening the letter in front of everyone, Li You could not help laughing aloud and said to Hei Fu and the others:

"The Governor writes that now that our army has thwarted the Chu offensive and put down the Yidao rebellion, he will petition for honors and ranks for the officers and men — and will lead the officials and the entire city's populace to welcome our triumphant return at the docks!"

PS: This chapter is a make-up update for an Alliance Leader pledge from last month. Thanks to Alliance Leader "Damo Longcheng Feijiang". I still owe 8 chapters. I'll make up one every other day and aim to finish by April. Tomorrow's update won't be until 4 PM.

(End of chapter)