Chapter 259: Zhu Against Yi

In the tenth month of the fourth year of King Fuchu of Chu, as he watched the black markers representing the Qin army creep ever closer to the Chu border on the map, Xiang Yan felt as if a mass of black clouds were pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Over the past half-month, the intelligence sent back by frontline scouts had been constantly revised upward — the Qin army's numbers, initially two hundred thousand, then three hundred thousand, had climbed steadily until recently reaching "an estimated five to six hundred thousand"!

"Over six hundred thousand men..."

Just hearing that figure, Xiang Yan's son Xiang Rong let out a gasp of shock.

"All of Chu — Huaibei, Lu, Huainan, Jiangdong, Jiangnan — combined, amounts to little more than six hundred thousand households..."

That figure was of course somewhat inflated; many Yue barbarian settlements in the Jiangnan and Jiangdong regions could not be registered for census, and noble houses like the Xiang, Zhao, Jing, and Qu also had large dependent populations, but overall, the total population of Chu was no more than five million.

"Qin is throwing the entire strength of its nation into this attack on Chu; Chu likewise has no choice but to commit all the troops in its realm to resist Qin."

If they wanted to match the Qin army with equal numbers, then every household would have to provide one conscript — meaning Chu would have to pull at least one-tenth of its population away from labor and send them to the front. In Qin, that might not be difficult, but in Chu, it was absolutely impossible!

Because Chu's system was vastly different from Qin's. Its army was composed of three parts: the elite core was the "Left and Right Guang" stationed at the capital. This twenty-thousand-man force was Chu's standing army, and the King of Chu had only allocated the Right Guang to Xiang Yan's command.

Beyond that were the county divisions, Chu's local troops, primarily deployed in the border regions and commanded by the county dukes, mostly concentrated in Huainan and Huaibei. These county divisions formed the main strength of the Chu army.

But the largest portion consisted of the private troops of nobles from various regions. When the enfiefed nobles received the King of Chu's call to arms, they would gather with the temporarily conscripted armed forces of their domains. Although the troops of the Xiang, Zhao, Jing, and Qu clans were no less combat-effective than the county divisions, most private troops were of mixed composition and dubious fighting ability. Moreover, since the nobles' enthusiasm for the war varied — some threw their entire clan's support behind it, while others hid away half their armed forces.

Thus, at present, Xiang Yan had only a little over a hundred thousand soldiers and two hundred thousand laborers at his disposal — this was already the absolute limit of what Chu could bear.

Just then, with an announcement, the tent flap was lifted, and a middle-aged nobleman in his thirties entered the command tent and bowed to Xiang Yan.

"Zhao Hua, by royal command, has arrived with his private troops! It has been half a year, and the Supreme Pillar of State remains as spirited as ever!"

Xiang Yan hurriedly helped him up. "Zihua, you've worked hard! How many men have you brought from Jiangdong?"

Zhao Hua replied, "Thirty thousand!"

"Thirty thousand..."

Xiang Yan nodded. Of Chu's three great ducal houses — Zhao, Jing, and Qu — the Zhao clan was descended from Ziliang, son of King Zhao of Chu. Many of Chu's renowned ministers, such as Zhao Xixu, Zhao Yu, Zhao Ju, and Zhao Yang, had come from the Zhao clan, which had now endured for three hundred years. But after the eastward relocation, it had declined somewhat, no longer as prosperous as the Jing clan, and its domains were not as large as the Qu clan's. Yet the men Zhao Hua had brought were even more than what the Jing clan had contributed.

Zhao Hua was versed in military matters and a young commander Xiang Yan thought highly of, so he took him by the hand and led him to the map, pointing at the situation laid out upon it. "Looking at this situation, Zihua, which great battle does it bring to mind?"

Gazing at the interlocking, jagged positions of the two armies on the map, Zhao Hua grew somewhat worried. "It closely resembles the Battle of Changping between Qin and Zhao..."

Both were decisive battles that would determine the fate of a kingdom; both involved massive armies massing at the border, with fierce fighting liable to erupt at any moment.

"Indeed. But when Qin and Zhao fought at Changping, the Qin army's strength was far less than it is today, and yet Chu cannot even scrape together four hundred fifty thousand men," Xiang Yan said, shaking his head helplessly.

Qin and Chu had been linked by marriage alliances for eighteen generations and had originally been evenly matched. But over the past century, as one waned and the other waxed, the disparity in national power — in strength and weakness — was now plainly evident just from the numbers of troops.

The art of war says: first, measurement; second, estimation; third, calculation; fourth, comparison; fifth, victory. Measurement arises from the breadth of territory; the breadth of territory determines the quantity of resources; the quantity of military levies determines the number of soldiers; the number of soldiers determines the army's combat strength; the army's combat strength determines superiority in victory and defeat. Thus, a victorious army is like pitting a yi against a zhu — using overwhelming military might to attack a weak enemy; a defeated army is like pitting a zhu against a yi — using feeble military strength to resist a powerful foe.

The last time Qin had hastily attacked Chu, both sides could still be considered zhu against zhu. Now, however, it was zhu against yi...

The past could not be changed. Xiang Yan could only pin his hopes on this battle somehow repeating the miracle of the previous year, giving Chu a chance to revive and slowly reverse its disadvantage!

So he smiled and asked the two juniors, Zhao Hua and Xiang Rong, "In your opinion, how should our army respond now? Should we emulate Lian Po and defend, or emulate Zhao Kuo and attack?"

Xiang Rong answered, "At present, the Qin army is numerous and the Chu army is few. In my humble view, we should concentrate our forces at key locations like Chenying and hold defensively. If we endure for several months until the snows fall, the Qin army will withdraw on its own..."

Zhao Hua, however, disagreed. "The Shangdang-Changping region is crisscrossed by mountain ranges, riddled with ravines, and dotted with many passes and strongholds. That is why Lian Po could build ramparts and hold out stubbornly for months. But Qin and Chu are facing off in Huaibei — a vast, flat plain where boats and carts travel freely. If the Qin army wishes, it can drive straight in at any time, just as it did last time. Therefore, the Supreme Pillar of State cannot emulate Lian Po; there is simply no defensible position to hold!"

"Furthermore, the Supreme Pillar of State ordered me to oversee the kingdom's grain supplies. If we calculate based on four hundred thousand men, the grain stored in Huainan, Huaibei, and Jiangdong will only feed four hundred thousand soldiers until the second or third month of next year. Perhaps before the Qin army even retreats, our own army will run out of provisions first..."

This was also one of the reasons for Xiang Yan's distress. Vast amounts of land and population were concentrated in the hands of the various ducal houses, and not much was turned over to the state treasury. Coupled with the extravagance of Chu's ruler and ministers, grain reserves were never very large. For this campaign, each clan had to provide its own troops' provisions and equipment.

"In contrast, look at Qin. They use oxen to till the fields, transport grain by water, enforce strict laws and efficient administration, and after a year of rest and recovery, they only dispatched their troops after the domestic harvest was secured. If this turns into a protracted war, it will be Chu that cannot hold out first!"

Xiang Yan fell into deep thought, while Xiang Rong asked, "Then does Zihua think we should attack?"

"There is no defensible position to hold, and no viable attack to make. Although the Qin army's battle line is long, its head and tail can support each other. If we attack Shangcai, Yangcheng can come to its relief. And no matter which point we strike, the Qin army outnumbers us. A rash attack would only make things worse."

"Then what should we do?"

Given the current situation, Zhao Hua had no good solution either. "We can only hope that the Qin army takes the initiative to attack. Our army's advantage lies in waiting at ease for the exhausted enemy..."

To put it bluntly, the initiative in this war did not lie with Chu.

"Zihua is right."

Xiang Yan first affirmed Zhao Hua's suggestion, but then shook his head. "It's a pity, though, that Wang Jian is no Li Xin! He will never make a rash move!"

Xiang Yan's prediction was soon confirmed. Several days later, scouts came to report that Wang Jian had split his six hundred thousand troops and stationed them along a two-hundred-li battle line stretching from Yangxia to Shangcai. After those forces arrived, they did not immediately launch an attack on Chu. Instead, day after day, outside the cities and camps along the Qin-Chu border, they were busily constructing massive ramparts — looking for all the world as if they intended to stay for a long while...

"As expected."

Though Xiang Yan had seen through Wang Jian's plan, he was powerless to do anything about it and could only say bitterly:

"It seems that old man Wang Jian has no intention of competing with me this time over whose military maneuvers are more brilliant. What he wants to compete with me on is the national strength of Qin and Chu — and our respective patience!"

In the first month of the twenty-fourth year of King Zheng of Qin (the tenth month), after several days of frantic construction, the Qin army camp outside Shangcai had begun to take shape.

Heifu's men, who had all been itching and raring to enter Chu territory and start fighting, were surprised when Li You once again relayed an order from the old general Wang Jian: "Each unit is to supervise the laborers and construct ramparts in front of the camp..."

"Ramparts" referred to defensive walls. Upon hearing this order, the hotheaded Dongmen Bao was somewhat beside himself. "Did we come to attack Chu or to defend against an enemy? Why, before we've even seen a shadow of the Chu army, must we first build ramparts? Isn't this showing weakness?"

"The art of war says: invincibility lies in defense."

Heifu, however, looked as if he had anticipated everything all along, and said with a smile, "Choosing to defend first when the opportunity for battle is not yet ripe is a prudent approach. It's far better than the last campaign, when General Li Xin rashly split his forces to attack, only to end up with his army destroyed and his generals killed."

The order to construct ramparts did not apply only to the Southern Commandery troops. The entire "Southern Army" of one hundred fifty thousand soldiers and laborers under Meng Wu's command had to complete over ten li of ramparts within the month, forming a pincer-like defensive posture with the ramparts of the "Central Army" stationed at Yangcheng and Ruyang, and the "Northern Army" stationed at Yangxia.

Such matters naturally had specialized officials to direct them. The chief engineer in overall charge was an "Inspecting Censor" from Xianyang named Ling Lu. Under him were the "Superintendents of Works," Qin officials specifically responsible for civil engineering projects. The ten thousand soldiers of Southern Commandery, tasked with protecting ten thousand laborers at work, also had a military Superintendent of Works to oversee them...

Heifu was no stranger to the position of Superintendent of Works, as the county Superintendent of Works fell under the jurisdiction of the County Commandant's office and was considered his subordinate. In the army, there was also the post of "military Superintendent of Works," responsible for setting up camps on the march and for earthwork operations during sieges and defensive battles.

The Qin army's efficiency was very high. Wang Jian's order had only been issued in the morning, and by evening, a military Superintendent of Works had already arrived at the camp.

It was growing dark outside. Heifu was in Li You's tent delivering a military report when a personal guard entered, whispered a few words in Li You's ear, and Commandant Li promptly tossed aside the small playing pieces he had been using to mark friendly and enemy troop positions. He smiled and said, "I never expected to run into an old acquaintance here. Heifu, come with me to welcome this military Superintendent of Works!"

As they left the tent, Heifu smiled and asked, "Could it be that the man who has come is an old friend of the Commandant's?"

"More than just an old friend."

To a trusted confidant like Heifu, Li You had no need to hide anything, and he said in a low voice, "He is a talent my father discovered and recommended to the Lesser Treasury to serve as a clerk. When I was in Xianyang, he frequently visited our home..."

As they spoke, a man arrived before them, escorted by personal guards. Heifu observed that although he was tall, burly, and rather resembled a military man, his bearing was very refined, almost like a civil clerk. He wore a double-plank cap, indicating his rank was at least that of Official Grandee. His black official robes were dusty and grimy from days of supervising earthworks and setting up camp.

The man stepped forward, clasped his hands and bowed to Li You, and said in a pure Guanzhong accent, "Your subordinate greets the Commandant!"

"Shaorong, given our relationship, why call yourself a subordinate?"

Li You laughed heartily, helped the Military Supervisor to his feet, then pointed at Heifu and introduced the two to each other.

"This is my most capable centurion, Heifu!"

"This is Military Supervisor Zhang Han, from the Privy Treasury in Xianyang!"

PS: Tonight's chapter will be very, very late, probably not until midnight.

(End of chapter)