Chapter 260: Zhang Han

"I've long heard of Minister of Works Zhang's great name."

Hearing that the visitor was called Zhang Han, Heifu froze for a moment, and these words slipped out before he could stop himself...

Yet he could not speak of the Zhang Han deeds he had long admired, because none of those events had yet occurred.

Li You would never imagine it, and Zhang Han himself probably never foresaw it either — that he, now merely a Military Director of Works with a modest post, would, over ten years later, become the Qin army's last famed general, the man bearing the heaviest burden in the late Qin. He single-handedly crushed the rebel armies of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, becoming the greatest enemy of the newly restored Six Kingdoms. Had Xiang Yu not staked everything at the Battle of Julu and routed the allied forces, the final outcome would still be unknown.

But before all that, what deeds did Junior Treasurer Zhang have? Heifu knew nothing at all. It seemed he had fared only moderately well, yet he had already caught Li Si's eye — his future prospects were boundless.

Zhang Han took it merely as Heifu being modest and thought nothing of it. He also smiled and said, "I, too, have long heard of the Company Commander's great name."

When this man smiled, he gave off an easy, approachable air. What was surprising was that Zhang Han was not merely speaking pleasantries — he truly knew a great deal about Heifu's deeds. As a member of the "Li Si faction," Zhang Han was close in age to Li You and on good terms with him, so he had heard of Heifu's performance in the last war and even remembered that Heifu's brother-in-law was called "Yuan."

"All commandery and county master artisans fall under the jurisdiction of the Lesser Treasury. The treadle-operated tilt hammer submitted by Anlu County passed through my hands, and now it can be seen everywhere in Guanzhong. I hear that a linked water-powered trip-hammer has recently been devised. On the Ru River, I saw craftsmen from Nan Commandery setting one up. It deploys ingenious mechanisms, using water to drive the pounding, and its efficiency is ten times that of the treadle hammer — truly a marvel to behold. With this device, before the soldiers eat their meals, they no longer need to spend half a shichen pounding grain and husking rice..."

After half a year of use, the water-powered trip-hammer had matured. Besides spreading widely through Nan Commandery, it had also been brought into the army, set up along the streams where the troops pitched camp. In the Central Plains, this thing was still a novelty and drew much attention.

Zhang Han was a perceptive and wise man. Heifu might be only a minor Company Commander, but he was someone whom the King of Qin himself had praised with the words, "Among thorny oaks, can there not also be timber for catalpa?" — someone whom Li Si's son Li You trusted and valued. How could Zhang Han afford to slight him? So he, too, was unstinting with his words of praise.

After a round of pleasantries, Li You had the two of them enter the tent with him and sent someone to summon Clerk Feng Jing as well, so that he could record Nan Commandery troops' plans for the rampart and fortification works and the allocation of manpower. While waiting for Feng Jing to arrive, the three of them began chatting first about military affairs.

Li You said, "Shaorong is a man of Guanzhong. As early as several years ago, he was already serving in the army. He took part in Governor Ye's campaign to destroy Han, and later followed the old general Wang to conquer Zhao with distinction, earning the rank of Grand Duke."

"Oh?"

Heifu was somewhat surprised. Zhang Han looked not yet thirty, yet it turned out his army seniority was that deep, and his rank equal to his own. He wondered why Zhang Han had instead entered the Lesser Treasury as a clerk, and why, during this conscription, he had not directly been made a military officer.

Though sturdily built, Zhang Han had a refined appearance and spoke unhurriedly, without haste or agitation. He explained, "For three generations, my family has served in the Lesser Treasury. You could say I am continuing my father's and grandfather's occupation. During conscription, there was also a shortage of Military Directors of Works adept at handling earthworks and timber construction, so old General Wang selected me."

Li You, however, lamented on Zhang Han's behalf: "Shaorong is also well-versed in military affairs. When we were in Xianyang, I often discussed the art of war and military strategy with him. It truly is a pity that he is not serving as a military officer..."

At this, his eyes shifted and he said, "Shaorong, old General Wang has now ordered the three armies to build high ramparts. In your view, how will the general fight this battle next?"

Zhang Han smiled. "It would not be proper for the Military Director of Works to presumptuously discuss military matters."

"There are no outsiders here — speak freely!"

Li You's manner made it clear he already regarded Heifu as one of his own, so Zhang Han could hardly refuse. After pondering a moment, he said, "The art of war states: Invincibility lies in defense; the ability to conquer lies in attack. Defend when forces are insufficient; attack when forces are abundant. Those skilled in defense hide beneath the ninefold earth; those skilled in attack move above the ninefold heavens — thus they can preserve themselves and achieve total victory... I believe this is also the old general's intent. Qin matches yi against zhu and holds every advantage, so this campaign needs no flashy military maneuvers. It only requires patience — seek battle only after ensuring victory, and total victory will be assured!"

Li You heard this and burst out laughing, pointing at Heifu. "Shaorong, your insight coincides exactly with Company Commander Heifu's view. As early as a month ago, back in Nan Commandery, he predicted that in this campaign, a hasty victory would be inferior — old General Wang would certainly act with caution, advancing slowly and steadily, engaging with orthodox tactics and winning with unorthodox ones. He even called it... defensive counterattack!"

Zhang Han looked at Heifu with a little more interest in his eyes. Heifu, however, said modestly, "I lived through the great defeat of Generals Li Xin and Meng Tian a year ago, so I believe one must not seek battle rashly. This year, Nan Commandery had a bumper harvest, producing an extra six hundred thousand dan of unhusked and husked rice for army provisions. The other commanderies are likewise well-supplied with fodder and grain. Moreover, we have rivers like the Ru for transporting provisions by boat. The priority is to first secure a firm foothold at the front."

Thus, the victories of those skilled in war bring neither fame for wisdom nor merit for courage. Yet last time, Li Xin had precisely and desperately pursued those two things — his flashy maneuvers were turned against him by Xiang Yan, making him the laughingstock of all under heaven.

Wang Jian was far steadier. The old man planned to use the most shameless yet most effective tactic: crushing you with the sheer weight of national power!

Heifu knew the general course and outcome of this war. Zhang Han, for his part, was deeply influenced by the Wang family's method of waging war. All the battles he would fight in the future — whether the Battle of Xi River or the Battle of Dingtao — would be cases of defending first and attacking later, with extreme emphasis placed on army provisions and baggage.

Different reasons, yet they had arrived at the same conclusion. After this conversation, Zhang Han felt, toward Heifu, a distinct sense that "their views happened to coincide"...

Ever since that day when Li You introduced them to each other, Heifu and Zhang Han could be considered acquainted.

In any case, Wang Jian was dead set on building high walls and stockpiling ample grain, and the Chu army dared not attack rashly. This war would not break out any time soon, so Heifu asked Li You for the assignment of supervising the civilian laborers, gaining more opportunities to deal with Zhang Han.

During this time, Heifu discovered that although Zhang Han did not command troops, his work was intimately tied to waging war, and he had his own unique insights on the matter.

The next day, when Heifu once again remarked what a pity it was that Zhang Han was not serving as a military officer, Zhang Han instead said:

"Appointing military officers, managing soldiers and their arms and armor, organizing squads and companies of five and ten, clarifying signals of gongs, drums, and banners, leading troops to charge battle formations and storm enemy camps — these are the duties of a Commandant."

"Knowing the terrain's difficulty for a hundred li ahead and behind, and ascertaining the enemy's actual strength and weakness — these are the duties of an Army Scout."

"Ensuring fair distribution of military levies and clear rewards and punishments — these are the duties of a Judge Advocate."

"Keeping roads clear and unobstructed, encampments secure, ramparts sturdy, and army stoves and wells all in order — these are the duties of a Director of Works."

"Ensuring timely transport of baggage and supplies, assisting the main army in regrouping and rear-guard actions, seeing that during transfers and encampments no one strays and no military assets are lost — these are the duties of an Army Transport Officer."

With that one speech, he clearly laid out the responsibilities of all five offices within a Qin army division: the Commandant, the Army Scout, the Judge Advocate, the Military Director of Works, and the Army Transport Officer.

After saying all this, Zhang Han gestured toward Heifu. "A Company Commander falls under the Commandant's category, while I am a Director of Works officer. To a general, these five offices are like the body's relationship to its eyes, throat, tongue, thighs, arms, hands, and feet — not one can be dispensed with."

These five offices each had their own specific duties, roughly equivalent to later eras' division commander, reconnaissance battalion commander, judge advocate, engineer battalion, and logistics department — a division of labor already quite refined and appropriate. Only thus could the normal functioning of an army of over ten thousand be ensured.

Hearing this, Heifu instead praised him: "To possess such an overall grasp — Shaorong, as the Commandant said, you truly have the talent of a general!"

No wonder that over ten years later, Zhang Han would amaze the world the moment he acted, nearly reversing the Qin dynasty's collapse single-handedly!

But at present, Zhang Han was still just a Military Director of Works who ran around the construction site all day, his body constantly covered in dust and dirt. His duties were all related to earthwork operations: when the great army marched, he had to lead the civilian laborers in paving roads and building bridges, ensuring good road conditions and smooth transport.

Then, he had to determine the camp's scale based on terrain and troop numbers, erecting a sturdy stockade as a foothold for the main army.

Next, digging wells and setting up stoves to guarantee the garrison's food and water supply — after all, in this era, the rule was "only after the ramparts are joined dare they settle; only after wells and stoves are ready dare they eat."

At this time, Zhang Han seemed to have no particularly lofty ambitions either. After becoming well-acquainted with Heifu, he even pointed at the civilian laborers living in crude little tents beside the army camp and said, with some self-satisfaction, "Besides, don't think that just because the Military Director of Works doesn't command troops, he has no authority. With a general's order, these ten-thousand-plus civilian laborers must obey my commands!"

Heifu found this a bit amusing. It seemed Zhang Han was set on working his way to the top of the Lesser Treasury. He thought to himself, "Ten thousand men? That's nothing. In the future, you'll be managing seven hundred thousand convict laborers and civilian workers, building the tomb for the First Emperor — the biggest labor contractor in the entire Qin dynasty!"

PS: For Zhang Han's early deeds, see Ma Feibai's Collected History of Qin, Biographies of Figures, Volume Four: Zhang Han — Zhang Han, courtesy name Shaorong, achieved merit in conquering Zhao and destroying Han.

(End of chapter)