Chapter 283: The Victor

Amid the strings and pipes of the victory banquet, Zhang Han raised the rhinoceros-horn cup before him, his face slightly flushed, and toasted Heifu beside him.

"The day before yesterday, when you entered the Chu palace, how much loot did you get?"

At this victory banquet, those seated in the front rows were all generals and commandants; men like Zhang Han and Heifu had only managed to squeeze into the far end of the seats because of their merit, so the two of them made their own amusement, each recounting what they had been up to these past two days inside the vast Chu palace.

The wine was a fine vintage brought out from the Chu king's palace, already deep and richly fragrant, and paired with the precious rhinoceros-horn cup, after drinking it, the wine they had drunk in Nan Commandery truly tasted like horse piss by comparison.

After draining his cup, Heifu replied truthfully in a low voice, "I only got ten yi of gold, and on top of that I let the soldiers under me split up some scattered ant-nose coins from the Chu king's treasury — that's all."

The day before yesterday, Heifu and the others had been ordered to enter the palace and take over its defense; they saw that the Chu palace was a dazzling array of treasures, far beyond the imagination of Anlu bumpkins. But most of the items were to be inventoried by the army judges and then sealed off, forbidden to touch; the men could only scavenge some leftovers and cold scraps. Still, this was enough for over a thousand men to reap a considerable haul, making up for the money they had spent during the half-year campaign away from home — a special perk for these meritorious units.

Heifu himself got ten yi of gold, equivalent to two hundred liang, or a hundred thousand banliang coins. This gold was not heavy; he simply stuffed two slabs of Yingyuan gold into his armor and walked out. The army judges outside the palace gate turned a blind eye — the officers and soldiers had toiled for months, and the Qin army had never had the vile custom of massacring cities, so plundering the palaces and their riches after destroying a state became one of the Qin soldiers' few indulgences.

Of course, even looting had its bottom line; if one went too far, punishment would still follow.

"I'm not greedy," Heifu said.

Zhang Han nodded. "Old General Wang, mindful that everyone has endured half a year away from home on campaign, does not stop officers and soldiers from taking a little money and silk on their persons. But if one is too greedy and starts hauling Yingyuan gold and gold cakes out of the Chu state treasury crate by crate, trouble will follow. I hear that over in the Sanchuan and Hedong armies, they dealt with a company commander. He was far too greedy — after a few men broke open the Chu inner treasury, he had everyone strip off their armor and clothes to bundle up the gold ingots. When they walked out, apart from the bundles on their backs, every man was practically stark naked, and they had taken a full several hundred yi of gold!"

This was going too far, so the army judges ordered them to put some back. That company commander was a coarse fellow; refusing to accept it, he argued with the army judges and ended up being dealt with.

Zhang Han had taken part in the campaigns that destroyed Han and Zhao, so he knew some inside details. He said in a low voice, "Generally speaking, after a state is destroyed, the officers and soldiers get to take one-third of the palace treasury spoils for themselves; the remaining two-thirds go to the public coffers. Officers and soldiers of outstanding merit also receive additional rewards from the king."

Besides money, what the soldiers plundered most were silks and clothing; most of them wore these under their inner robes and waddled out, so that going in and coming out, nearly everyone looked a size fatter.

Moreover, Chu had an eight-hundred-year heritage and possessed many national treasures and important ritual vessels, their style quite different from those of the Central Plains. There was a giant cauldron weighing a thousand jin, so large it took several men to wrap their arms around it; to transport it, they had to reinforce an ox cart. There was also a lacquered wooden drum stand with a tiger base and phoenix birds, exquisitely beautiful.

These were things absolutely not to be touched. Among Heifu's men, a few greedy ones tried to pry the gold foil off a large gold-inlaid bell, and Heifu sternly shouted them down.

When Heifu and the others came out laden with their spoils, they also saw that Wang Jian had dispatched some civil clerks into the Chu palace archive to inventory Chu's historical records and bamboo scrolls. Among them were vital documents like the *Jici Code* and the Chu history *Taowu*. Hauling them all away would require nearly a hundred ox carts — it seemed the Qin Imperial Library's collection was about to grow by a large batch.

"With so many more books to read, Zhang Cang will surely be overjoyed," Zhang Han remarked jokingly.

The Qin army's approach was to cart away everything in the Chu palace that could be moved, and for what couldn't be moved, to draw it.

Zhang Han said that they, the army works officers, had another task: to bring craftsmen up to the highest point of the Chu king's palace and sketch the Chu palace halls and towers.

"This is standard practice."

Zhang Han continued, "Every time the king destroys a feudal lord, he always orders craftsmen to copy and imitate their palaces, and build them on the northern slopes of Xianyang."

Now, under the labor of the captives and convicts from east of the pass that the Lesser Treasury, where Zhang Han served, had put to work, the palaces of Han, Zhao, Yan, and Wei were already under construction on Xianyang's northern slopes, and Chu's would soon follow. It was said that once completed, these six palaces would face the Wei River to the south, stretching from Yong Gate eastward to the Jing and Wei rivers, with halls and covered walkways, encircling pavilions linked to one another.

"A conqueror's collecting habit," Heifu muttered inwardly. With every state destroyed, a new palace was added — it was both the Qin king's reward to himself and a way to flaunt the victor's might.

This was, of course, the victor's privilege. But it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, and hard to go back. One only feared that once the six kings were finished and all under heaven was one, then the Shu mountains would be stripped bare and Epang Palace would rise.

The newly built palaces could not, of course, sit empty. The king also planned to place the captured heavy treasures and precious objects of each state inside them, and they would be filled with beautiful women and palace maids as well.

Chatting up to this point, Heifu could not help glancing at the women dancing gracefully between the two rows of tables crowded with Qin officers and officials.

It was high summer, and these women were all dressed in short, thin clothes, embroidered silk garments that revealed their slender waists. They sang Chu songs and danced Chu dances; the melodies of "Spring Snow" and "White Snow" were lovely, the singing melodious, the dancing gorgeous.

The drunken Qin officers, flushed with wine, inevitably took liberties with them. The women dared not refuse; only in their forced smiles lurked fear and bewilderment, and some even had tear stains on their faces that they had been unable to wipe away.

The women in the palace all belonged to the Qin king, so of course no one dared touch them; they had been placed in a special camp and strictly confined. These women before them were female dependents seized from the households of Chu ministers who had resisted to the death after the city fell, which was why the dancing looked somewhat disordered. The music masters behind them, however, were the Chu king's own music masters.

The women in the palace all belonged to the King of Qin, so of course no one dared touch them; they had been placed in a separate encampment and strictly confined. The women before them now were the female dependents seized from the households of Chu ministers who had resisted to the death after the city fell, which was why the dancing looked somewhat disordered. The music officials behind them were the King of Chu's own music officials.

Amid the music and dance, Zhang Han spoke softly to Heifu.

He had more than heard — Heifu had witnessed that scene from a distance. He could not help sighing and said, "I heard it was the Chu princess Ji Mi. When a squad of soldiers went to escort her out of the palace, she adamantly refused, climbed a high terrace, and leaped off."

At the time, even from over a hundred paces away, Heifu and the others had heard the young princess shout loudly at the Qin soldiers coming to seize her: "Ji Mi would rather be a ghost of Chu than enter Xianyang and become the Qin king's plaything!"

And then, this fierce, unyielding princess jumped straight from the high terrace, her fragrance fading, her life extinguished. It was said that when she killed herself, she was still holding a fat tabby cat in her arms.

And then, that strong-willed princess leaped straight down from the high platform, her fragrance fading and her jade shattered. It is said that when she took her own life, she was still holding a fat raccoon cat in her arms…

Zhang Han revealed a sardonic smile. "I heard that the Chu king, Fuchu, originally wanted to emulate King Zhou of Shang and set himself on fire, but at the final moment his courage failed and he opened the palace and surrendered. This Chu princess, on the other hand, had some of the Mi clan royal mettle."

Just as they were speaking, the sound of strings and pipes at the banquet suddenly fell into chaos.

The two looked up and saw that a music master playing the *se* zither had suddenly stopped playing and thrown himself onto his instrument, weeping.

His action triggered a collective halt among the music masters. Those playing the mouth organ, the *qin* zither, and striking the bells all began to shed tears, and even the women seated in the officers' laps began to sob one after another.

The officers, sitting mixed with women and enjoying the victors' special honors, were instantly greatly displeased. Qin soldiers immediately strode over, ready to drag these spoil-sport music masters out and kill them.

The military officers, who were seated mixed together with women and enjoying the special honors of victors, were instantly greatly displeased. Qin soldiers immediately came over, intending to drag these spoil-sport music officials down and kill them!

From the other end of the banquet rang out Wang Jian's deep, weighty voice.

"Where is Anlu Company Commander Heifu?"

Heifu jolted alert and immediately stepped forward. "This subordinate is here!"

"Use the Chu tongue to ask them for me: why are these people weeping?"

*So he's using me as an interpreter, * Heifu thought, and could only do as he was told and ask.

The *se*-playing Chu music master did not kneel, but raised his head and said in a thick Chu accent, "This humble one is a descendant of the Zhong clan, music masters to the Chu grand ministers for generations. Just now, seeing that we still wear the Chu caps on our heads and the instruments in our hands still play the sounds of Chu, and then thinking that the Chu king has already been taken captive by the general and the state of Chu has been destroyed — this humble one cannot die for his country like the High Pillar of State and Princess Ji Mi, but instead sits here playing the *se* to entertain the Qin people. I cannot help but be overcome with shame. Now I only seek death, and hope the general will grant it."

After Heifu relayed this, the officers seated there flew into a great rage and rose, grasping their swords, ready to kill this music master who could not forget Jing-Chu.

Wang Jian, however, waved his hand. "Chu has just been destroyed; it is only natural that the Chu people's hearts still cling to their former state. If we killed everyone for this, who among the hundred thousand people in this city of Shouchun could not be killed? Who among the millions of souls within Chu's borders could not be killed?"

He waved his hand, ordering these music masters and women to be dispersed. Then he rose and toasted everyone, saying, "Gentlemen, you have toiled on campaign. The army has no other entertainment to offer, and can only reward you with this thin wine."

After drinking, Wang Jian sighed again. "Many years ago, my uncle Wang He, at a banquet held by the Marquis of Rang, met Xunzi, who was visiting Qin. At that time, Xunzi was discussing annexation and consolidation with the Marquis of Rang."

"Xunzi said: Annexation is easy; consolidation alone is difficult. Qi could annex Song but could not consolidate it, so Wei seized it. Yan could annex Qi but could not consolidate it, so Tian Dan seized it. The upper lands of Han, several hundred *li* square, were completely rich and well-populated, yet they turned to Zhao; Zhao could not consolidate them, so Qin seized them. Thus, if one can annex but cannot consolidate, one will surely lose."

"Now Qin has already annexed Han, Wei, Zhao, Yan, and Chu. What comes next is consolidation — to make all under heaven one, the feudal lords into Qin subjects, the hundred surnames into Qin people. That is why, after Xiang Yan died, I issued strict orders forbidding the killing of captives and forbidding wanton plunder and oppression of the Chu people. It is to consolidate the scholars with ritual, and consolidate the people with good governance. When ritual is cultivated, the scholars submit; when governance is equitable, the people are at peace. When the scholars submit and the people are at peace, this is what is called great consolidation."

"Though the Chu king is now captured and Shouchun taken, Chu still has Huainan and Jiangdong unsubdued. You men must not let down your guard. Yet toward the Chu people in the various cities and towns, you must not treat them as people of an enemy state. You must make them submit and attach themselves to us; only then can the Qin army gain a firm foothold north and south of the Huai and thoroughly sweep away the remnants of Chu."

"At least there are still some clear-headed people," Heifu thought, unable to help admiring Wang Jian. At a moment when the other generals were already drunk on victory, he still knew this campaign was not over and told everyone not to mistreat the Chu people and provoke a backlash.

When this speech was finished, the officers all voiced their assent. Just then, a crisp clapping sounded from outside.

"General Wang's words are excellent! Not only does he annex Chu for the king, he also consolidates it for the king. He is not only a general skilled in attack, but also a general skilled in holding what is taken!"

A middle-aged man in the robes of an imperial censor, with a burly frame and a long beard, walked in from outside.

"Who is that?" Heifu looked at Zhang Han.

"Who is this?" Heifu looked toward Zhang Han.

"It's the Assistant Censor-in-Chief, Feng Quji! A Thousand-Bushel high official, and the most trusted minister of the Great King. Shouldn't he be in Xianyang? What's he doing in Shouchun!"

Zhang Han's expression shifted slightly. "Could it be that..."

After Feng Quji and Wang Jian exchanged courtesies, he stated his purpose, drawing from his sleeve a silk document clearly stamped with a bright red official seal.

"General Wang and all officers and soldiers, heed the decree!"

Heifu hurriedly followed Zhang Han's movements. Seeing that everyone from Wang Jian to Li You and Zhang Han merely rose and cupped their hands in a bow, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that in these times, when receiving the King's command in a military camp, one didn't need to thud to one's knees.

Then Feng Quji's loud voice rang out: "In the twenty-fourth year, in the height of midsummer, as the warm sun begins to rise. The King journeys east from Xianyang, having inspected Sanchuan and Yingchuan, arriving at Huaiyang to look upon the new lands. Hearing that the Grand Chief of the Masses has already routed Xiang Yan's army, slain his Pillar of State, and captured his capital, the King's heart is greatly pleased. Now he commands Grand Chief of the Masses Wang Jian and the meritorious officers and soldiers to escort Fuchu and the assembled ministers of the Jing state to Chen, to appear before the King at the Ruins of Shun, to display the might of Yu pacifying the Three Miao, and to enjoy the triumphant glory of the 'Sixth Month'!"

Two more chapters this evening.

PS: "He took the lands south of Chen as far as Pingyu, and captured the King of Jing. The King of Qin traveled as far as Yingchen." — Records of the Grand Historian, Annals of Qin Shi Huang

(End of Chapter)