Chapter 263: A Game in the Army Camp?

When Xiang Yan learned that his son Xiang Rong had repeatedly feigned attacks to lure the enemy, and that the Qin army, though signaling warnings with flags and drums, still turtled up behind their ramparts and refused to come out, he merely sighed and spoke to Zhao Hua inside the command tent of a seemingly unrelated matter.

"In Shouchun there is a Tortoise Chamber, where the shell of a divine tortoise is enshrined. It is said to have been born in the age of the Yellow Emperor and the Divine Farmer, living for three thousand years. Every tortoise and turtle in the Jianghuai region is its descendant. A pity it was killed in the time of King Yuan of Song, but its shell remained uncorrupted for a hundred years. After Chu destroyed Song, it was wrapped in the finest brocade and silk and stored away in the ancestral temple."

"Zihua, your fief lies in Jiangdong. You must have seen many tortoises yourself, I imagine?"

"I see them often."

Zhao Hua replied, "The elders of Jiangdong often say that a thousand-year-old tortoise will roam upon the lotus leaves. Where it dwells, beasts have no tigers or wolves, and grasses bear no sting or poison. Riverside households often raise large tortoises with food and drink, and when they grow to a foot in size, they present them to the Divination Overseer. On an auspicious day, the tortoise's plastron is excised and used for divination."

Xiang Yan said, "Indeed. When the king dispatches troops and assigns generals, he must first drill the tortoise shell and divine the outcome in the ancestral temple. This time was no exception. Yet on this occasion, the shell cracked and scorched three times in a row. To steady everyone's hearts, this old man could only imitate Dou Lian of old: 'Divination resolves doubt; when there is no doubt, why divine?' I overturned the shell to calm the soldiers' spirits, but as for the result of that divination, I dared not breathe a single word of it to the troops."

He gave a helpless, bitter smile. The unfavorable divination had cast yet another shadow over the hearts of the King of Chu and his ministers.

"It would have been one thing if the tortoise merely opposed me in divination, but having come to the front lines, I find myself once again ramming headfirst into a hard, unyielding tortoise shell."

The tortoise shell Xiang Yan spoke of was the rampart that Wang Jian, with the labor of hundreds of thousands, had pounded into place on the front line. No matter how the Chu army provoked them, they simply turtled up and refused to come out and fight. By the look of it, they were utterly determined to winter right here.

"That old tortoise Wang Jian."

Xiang Yan could not help but curse. He knew full well what his opponent was thinking. The Chu army's sole advantage was the psychological confidence gained from their great victory over Qin the previous year. But troops, once roused, see their spirit flag; a second time, it wanes; a third time, it is spent. That confidence would fade as time wore on.

This was not the first time Wang Jian had used this tactic. Years ago, when Wang Jian led the Qin army against Zhao, he had failed to achieve anything because the Zhao general Li Mu used troops with divine skill. And so Wang Jian turtled up with his soldiers for half a year, locked in a standoff with Li Mu, until finally suspicion arose within the Zhao court and he used a stratagem of sowing discord to bring about Li Mu's death. Only then did he lead the Qin troops—who had been bottling up their fury for half a year—to sweep away all resistance and take Handan in a single stroke.

Now, he had brought out the same move against Chu. Xiang Yan asked himself and felt he would not meet Li Mu's fate, but the trouble was, a tortoise's shell is incomparably hard—spears and halberds cannot pierce it—and it also has a sharp beak. One careless moment, and it will tear off a chunk of your flesh.

Had he known it would come to this, he would have launched an offensive earlier, even before his own great army had fully assembled, to prevent the Qin troops from building their ramparts in peace.

"There are, in fact, quite a few ways to kill a tortoise."

Zhao Hua said, "If you cannot smash its shell from the front, why not try cutting in through the seam between the carapace and the plastron?"

Xiang Yan looked thoughtful. "Zihua's plan—could it be to cut off its provisions?"

"Exactly!"

Zhao Hua pointed to several routes on the map, discovered at mortal risk by Chu scouts, and said:

"When great armies face off, baggage and provisions come first. The Qin army's hundreds of thousands of soldiers and laborers consume thirty thousand dan of grain each day!"

"Their grain comes by three routes: the Ru River, the Ying River, and the Hong Canal—all waterways. This is why their grain transport is more convenient and swift than our own. Grain is shipped downstream in succession from Yangzhai, Xinzheng, and Xiangcheng in Qin's Yingchuan Commandery, and from Ao Granary in Dang Commandery, then put ashore at Shangcai and Ruyang, and from there transported by cart, horse, and manpowered pushcart to the rampart encampments on the front line..."

"Against the Qin army's rear-area grain stores and waterborne grain ships, we can do nothing. But if the Supreme Pillar of State can press forward with the great army as if seeking a decisive battle, and then dispatch chariots and cavalry to circle behind and destroy their docks and granaries at Shangcai and Ruyang, then within half a month, the Qin army will surely fall into chaos! If our troops seize the moment to attack, though I dare not say we could utterly rout the Qin army, we could at least wreck their ramparts and force them to retreat!"

Xiang Yan and Zhao Hua settled on a plan to strike the baggage train first. But when, in the first third of the eleventh month, Zhao Hua and others led over ten thousand Chu chariots and cavalry on a wide flanking maneuver, they discovered that they had been far too naive.

They made a long detour and approached the opposite shore from the Shangcai docks via the south bank of the Ru River, which had no rampart protection. Only then did they realize, to their shock, that the docks too were protected by ramparts and corner towers, sealed tight without a single gap. When the Chu troops were spotted from afar arriving on the opposite bank, several thousand Qin soldiers filed out from the barracks in succession and stood in strict formation, ready for battle!

What astonished the Chu men even more was that, aside from the docks where the grain ships berthed being heavily defended, the roads from the docks to the city granaries, and from the granaries to the rampart encampments over ten li away, had also been lined with ramparts on both sides.

These rampart-protected roads were called "corridor paths." It was precisely after the forward ramparts and corner towers were completed that Zhang Han and the other Army Superintendents led the laborers in a rearward withdrawal to hastily construct them, precisely to secure the grain supply route.

"I never imagined Wang Jian would place such importance on the grain route, leaving not the slightest opening..."

Zhao Hua gazed at the river and sighed in despair, while in his mind flashed Xiang Yan's assessment of Wang Jian: an old tortoise.

Watching the Chu troops once again slowly withdraw, Dongmen Bao dejectedly lowered his halberd-holding hand and said in disappointment, "These Chu soldiers truly have no guts. Why have they pulled back again?"

When they had been on garrison duty at the forward ramparts, they had encountered several Chu attacks, but each time it was merely a provocation. When the Qin troops refused to come out, the Chu forces simply withdrew on their own.

Ten days ago, the Southern Commandery Corps had received new orders. Li You was ordered back to Shangcai to take charge of guarding the docks, granaries, and grain route. As the Qin army's rampart encampments had advanced forward, this area was now in the rear. Dongmen Bao had thought he would never see another Chu soldier, yet unexpectedly, today a seemingly elite force of Chu chariots and cavalry had charged to the opposite bank!

But before he could even get excited, the Chu troops had left again. How could he not be furious?

Heifu, however, said, "If they cross, they'll be struck mid-river. Even if they were lucky enough to gain a foothold, these docks have been built up like a fortress, and the corner towers are pounded from tabia earth—how could they be breached? A reckless assault would likely see their entire force wiped out. The Chu army dare not take that gamble."

Another Five-Hundred-Man Commander, Li Xian, also came over and said, "Commander, our army does not attack, and the Chu army is cautious. When will this battle truly begin?"

"It began long ago."

Heifu said, "The contest between the two commanding generals is already raging like wildfire!"

Unlike his subordinates' slight impatience, Heifu took it in stride. In a standoff of hundreds of thousands like this, the thousand-odd men under his command did not even count as a single black pawn on the board. If the old generals on both sides refused to cross the river, what could a common soldier do about it?

That said, Heifu gave the order: "Have Cavalry Clerk Yu lead the mounted scouts to patrol along the river. We must guard against the Chu troops not having truly withdrawn and attempting a night crossing!"

Though Heifu was exceedingly cautious, the Chu army ultimately did not dare to take the risk.

Over the next half month, although the weather grew colder by the day, the grain ships on the Ru River still came in an unending stream, and the grain carts traveled safely back and forth within the corridor paths, transporting twenty thousand dan of grain each day to supply the one hundred fifty thousand soldiers and laborers of the southern army. The surplus was stored in the Shangcai granaries, because in another month or so, when the heavy snow fell, the Ru River might partially freeze, making boat travel difficult.

In the twelfth month, rain and snow fell in flurries, and outdoor activity essentially ceased. On the Chu side, the pointless harassments also stopped.

Unknowingly, the Qin and Chu armies had been locked in a standoff on the front line for over two months. During this time, the Qin soldiers had it fairly good. Protected by ramparts, they had no fear of a rash Chu attack. Food was ample, and winter clothing and bedding kept them from suffering the bitter cold. Every few days they could bathe and wash, maintaining personal hygiene to prevent disease from breeding.

The only problem was that they were idle to the point of restlessness. Aside from guard duty and training each day, they had huge amounts of time with nothing to fill it.

Others were all right, but restless types like Dongmen Bao and Ji Ying were already on pins and needles. They complained to Heifu, "It just doesn't feel like we're at war—more like we're loafing about. If we were at home, we'd probably be convicted of the crime of 'pretending to be on official duty'!"

Heifu had no solution either, and simply told everyone to find something to do on their own.

In the twelfth month it was cold outside, so the men could only play pitch-pot inside the tents or arm-wrestle. Whoever lost had to take off an outer garment and run a lap outside. For a time, the Qin army camp was filled with a philosophical air.

By the first month, the ice melted and the snow thawed; all living things revived, and the sun shone brightly. The men began calling out to each other to go outside and move around. But the recreational games of this age were truly too few—nothing more than archery practice or playing "stone-throwing and distance-leaping"...

"Stone-throwing and distance-leaping," in Heifu's view, was simply competitions of throwing stone balls and standing long jump. It was somewhat interesting for the first few days, but after several days, everyone grew tired of it.

One day, after finishing the daily training, Dongmen Bao and the others were sunning themselves in utter boredom when suddenly, something slammed hard into the back of his head!

"Who did that?"

Dongmen Bao thought someone was messing with him. Cursing, he turned his head and found Heifu watching him with a grin from a distance.

"So it's the Commander..."

Dongmen Bao's anger instantly dissipated. He looked again at what was rolling on the ground—it was a ball-shaped object.

"Isn't this a ju!"

Seeing the leather ju, Dongmen Bao, Ji Ying, and the others showed no particular interest. In this age, cuju was mostly a solo pastime, akin to later generations' ball-juggling or shuttlecock kicking. It was said that the people of Qi were quite fond of it; performers were often seen on the streets of Linzi, and the best could keep it up continuously for an entire hour, performing technical moves like foot-kicks, knee-bumps, both legs flying, single-foot stops, and leaping back-heel flicks. But this sport was not very popular in Qin—perhaps because the Qin people were blunt by nature and disliked such tricks requiring too much skill.

"This is no ordinary cuju."

Heifu planted the ju firmly under his foot, looked at his listless subordinates, and broke into a grin. "Weren't you lot complaining that you have nothing to do all day? Today, I'll teach you a new way to play!"

"It's a spell of late spring cold these few days, yet the old general still comes to inspect the camp. Truly, it must be exhausting!"

At the great camp of Qin's "Southern Army," the Southern Army Deputy General Meng Wu, nearing fifty, smiled as he went forward to greet him, wanting to help the grey-haired, grey-bearded Wang Jian—draped in a heavy fur cloak—down from the carriage, but the old general gripped his hand with a palm as hard and icy-cold as wrought iron.

"General Meng, have I really grown that old and decrepit?"

Wang Jian was all hearty laughter, showing not a trace of the aged frailty from his convalescence in Pinyang a year ago; on the contrary, he was brimming with vigor. He looked at the tall, powerfully built Meng Wu before him—a man even taller than himself—exchanged a few pleasantries, and then walked hand in hand with him toward the army camp.

The officers and clerks along the way bowed to Wang Jian one after another. Unlike the warm, affectionate reception he had received when inspecting the Northern and Central Armies, the respectful and solemn expressions of this group revealed not the slightest hint of old friendship.

Indeed, Meng Wu's subordinates were different from the old followers of Wang Jian like Qiang Hui and Yang Duanhe. The Meng clan formed its own independent system and, alongside the Wang clan, could be called Qin's two most prestigious and illustrious military houses.

The Wang clan's ascent to the pinnacle, though it would have to wait until Wang Jian and his son extinguished several states in succession, had already begun as early as his uncle Wang He's time, when he was already heavily employed by King Zhao of Qin, stalemating Lian Po at Changping with neither gaining the upper hand.

But in Wang He's later years, his prominence was completely overshadowed by another man—Meng Ao, who came from Qi.

After the death of Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi, Meng Ao became the general most relied upon by King Zhao of Qin and King Zhuangxiang of Qin. He successively crushed Han, Zhao, and Wei, established the Sanchuan Commandery, and also seized twenty cities from Wei, establishing the Dong Commandery. By the time King Zheng of Qin succeeded to the throne, Meng Ao already ranked above Wang Yi and Lord Biao, plainly the foremost great general of Qin.

After his passing, his son Meng Wu inherited his father's noble title. Because Meng Wu carried old wounds, the Meng clan gradually fell behind the Wang clan.

But King Zheng of Qin had always cultivated the Meng clan as a force to check and balance Wang Jian and his son. He was especially appreciative of Meng Wu's son, Meng Tian, making him a Deputy General in the previous campaign against Chu. Unfortunately, Li Xin and Meng Tian's efforts failed on the verge of success. Faced with the humiliation of losing troops and territory, Meng Wu had no choice but to shoulder his injuries and illness and step forward to salvage the situation for his son.

With a force of one hundred thousand, he confronted the Chu army at Shangcai and Yangcheng for a year, preventing the Chu forces from further expanding their gains, and held on until Wang Jian arrived with the grand army.

Thus, the relationship between Wang and Meng was a subtle one. Meng Wu was a junior, a subordinate, yet also a competitor—and furthermore, a contingency arranged by the King of Qin at the front lines to check and balance Wang Jian...

However, both men were old hands who had steeped for decades in the battlefields and bureaucratic circles. They actually seemed like close old friends, with cheerful talk and laughter flowing unceasingly along the way.

On this inspection tour of the camp, Wang Jian, as was his custom, still ordered the cooks to provide the soldiers with an extra meal, letting them have a taste of meat and improving their diet. He also went deep into their barracks to offer comfort and converse, personally sharing meals with the common soldiers.

Although the officers treated him with respectful, cool detachment, the rank-and-file soldiers worshipped this old general. Every camp Wang Jian entered would erupt in enormous cheers.

And at every place he stopped, Wang Jian would ask the local Deputy Generals and Commandants a single question.

"Are the troops playing games?"

Meng Wu was taken aback for a moment, then replied: "Recently I have indeed often seen the soldiers playing games in camp, mostly stone-throwing and long-jumping, but..."

Wang Jian raised his head: "But what?"

"But I have heard that the Southern Commandery troops assigned to garrison the Shangcai granary are quite different. Every camp there likes to play a new game, called football!"

PS: Two more chapters tonight. The second chapter at 10:30, the third chapter may not be until 1:00.

The "Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Xiang Yu" states: "Zhang Han ordered Wang Li and She Jian to besiege Julu. Zhang Han encamped his army to the south and built a walled corridor to transport grain to them." The "Collected Commentaries" quotes Ying Shao: "Fearing the enemy might raid the supply train, they built walls and ramparts like streets and alleyways."

(End of Chapter)