Chapter 292: Desire to Assassinate

In Chen County, the Qin soldiers were ordered not to move about alone — for their safety, without question.

Although this city was the old territory of the Chen state, it had been assimilated by Chu culture as early as the Spring and Autumn period. After King Qingxiang moved the capital east, it served as the royal seat for over thirty years, branded deep with the mark of Chu.

It is said that the year before last, when Lord Changping rebelled, he entered the Chen marketplace with a hundred personal followers, raised his arm and gave a shout — and thousands of Chu people bared their left arms, rose up as one to follow him, and drove the Qin army out of the city.

Even now, walking these streets and lanes with his soldiers, Heifu could still feel hostile stares cast at him from every direction…

This was a city utterly unfriendly to the Qin people and the Qin army. Yet, intriguingly, despite the hostility, incidents of resistance were few. Perhaps the awe of the Qin King's eastern tour had crushed the rebels' spirit; perhaps the Chu King's groveling surrender days before had left them in despair?

But when Heifu was ordered to clear the road for the Qin King's departure from the city, he dared not be the slightest bit careless. After all, history showed that assassination attempts on Qin Shi Huang came one after another. From Jing Ke's attempt to assassinate the Qin King at the very beginning of his arrival in this era, to Zhang Liang's yet-to-happen attack at Bolangsha — perhaps that man was even now hiding somewhere in Chen County. Right there, beneath the dense rooftops of the wards and lanes, restorationists were gathering, plotting an assassination aimed at the Qin King.

The assassination of Commandery Governor Teng in Jiangling City a year ago was still fresh in Heifu's memory. He would not let a similar incident happen again. Unlike last time, if anything went wrong, he too would bear responsibility.

However, even though Heifu had his men search meticulously along the route the Qin King was certain to take out of the city, they discovered nothing suspicious.

Time and again they pushed open the doors of houses along the street, but they found no fully armed villains.

All they saw were men and women embracing, fumbling clumsily at each other's clothes with hungry hands, only to be interrupted by Qin soldiers shoving the door open — the men rising with dark expressions, the women shrieking.

All they saw, in a certain thatched hut, was a starving infant crying for milk while its mother, sallow and emaciated, could squeeze out not a single drop. When she saw the Qin soldiers push through the door, the mother rose trembling and asked, in a tone both shamed and desperate, whether she might trade her body for some grain or coin.

In the next house, an old man with no one to tend him lay on a mat at death's door, flies buzzing around his head as if they had already caught the scent of death. The men covered their mouths and noses and left, shaking their heads…

The adults were all toiling for their livelihood, struggling on the line between life and death. Only the children, who knew no sorrow, still played in their tattered clothes by the filthy roadside. When Heifu and his men approached, the children all stopped at once and stared blankly at these people clad in black armor. In some children's eyes was fear, but in others the gaze was hollow and cold.

They were about the same age as Heifu's own nephews and nieces. Feeling some pity for them, Heifu searched his person. He still had the last small pouch of brown sugar he had brought from his home in Nan Commandery. Back in camp, he had cut the whole block of brown sugar into tiny pieces, eating one to replenish his energy after a forced march. Now he took it out, poured a dozen or so pieces into his palm, and smiled at the children of Chen County.

"Want a taste?"

A few little girls, their faces smeared with dirt from playing at cooking with mud and grass leaves, timidly edged closer. Each took one piece, then scampered far away and popped it into her mouth. Their originally dull eyes suddenly lit up, and one by one they broke into happy smiles.

To be able to eat something sweet in an age of war — what tremendous happiness.

The boys playing at riding-horse war, however, were different. They only watched this scene from a distance, their eyes angry. One boy of about ten even strode over, snatched the brown sugar from his little sister's hand, and flung it hard back at Heifu's feet! When he raised his head, his eyes were full of pride.

"These little brats." Ji Ying grew angry and was about to go over and give the children a beating, but Heifu stopped him.

"Why stoop to the level of a bunch of snot-nosed kids?"

He shook his head helplessly. The people of Chen were mostly of stubborn bone — their customs fierce and rash, quick to anger. Historically, in another dozen or so years, this place would still be the main stronghold of anti-Qin resistance. Perhaps these very boys would then be among the ranks of the anti-Qin army…

After having the children driven elsewhere, Heifu led his soldiers on to inspect the next street.

Years of continuous war had wrought enormous destruction on Chen County. The fields outside the city were ripening poorly, and the people within the walls lived in deep misery. Although, because of the Qin King's arrival, several gruel stations had been set up inside and outside the city — to demonstrate the King's benevolence, relieving the refugees displaced by war and stripped of food and clothing — it was still a mere drop in the bucket.

The war was not yet over; the Qin state could not possibly use all its military grain for relief. The people of Chen County would likely have to endure, one meal of hunger to one meal of fullness, until the autumn harvest. Moreover, the Qin King had remitted next year's taxes for Xue, Sishui, and Donghai commanderies — yet Chen County alone was excluded from this…

"Perhaps it is punishment for supporting Lord Changping's rebellion against Qin. I heard from Li You that the Qin King hates most those who betray him."

Heifu thought to himself. The Qin King's mind was always unfathomable — sometimes magnanimous and forgiving to an unbelievable degree, other times deeply vengeful.

He could let bygones be bygones with Wei Liao, who had wanted to flee his side, and still employ him heavily. He could accept a foreign traitor like Ye Teng, whose moral failings were widely criticized.

Yet he showed no mercy to the Handan nobles who had bullied and humiliated his mother's family in his childhood — hundreds of them were buried alive without exception.

So Heifu too was very cautious. He did not take advantage of his escort duty to put forward any bold counsel. He was now only a minor peripheral official; before opening his mouth, he first had to be clear about his own station.

Heifu was not the governor of Chen Commandery, so looking at all he saw before him, he could only hope that the methods for raising productivity in Nan Commandery could be applied next year to the newly conquered commanderies north of the Huai River. Once trade along the Hong Canal recovered and flourished, surely Chen County could prosper as it once had?

"Getting in and out again is truly no easy task. Fortunately, His Majesty is leaving Chen County today."

Having finished searching yet another street, Li Xian emerged and let out a breath of relief. This task, though glorious, was also nerve-wracking. If any slip-up occurred, they would be held responsible.

"Will the platoon leader accompany His Majesty to Xianyang?"

Ji Ying asked with concern from the side. In the eyes of the Anlu soldiers, Heifu had already received the King's special favor and might go directly to serve as a high official at the King's side!

Heifu, however, shook his head. "That day in the King's tent, I said I wished to be His Majesty's general and officer, to suppress rebellion and earn merit. The remnant Chu still exists, and our comrades are still at the front — how could I run off to Xianyang?"

This attitude of Heifu's moved the men deeply. And as they spoke, the group had made their inspection rounds to the marketplace located in the north of the city…

Heifu looked left and right. Today was market day; the Chen marketplace was bustling, with quite a crowd at every stall. It was the focal point of their inspection.

"I heard this is the place — where Xiong Qi raised his arm and gave a shout, and thousands bared their left arms to answer him."

"Why did His Majesty have to choose this very road?" Li Xian sighed.

However, the Qin King's itinerary was set by the Central Chariot Office and only announced temporarily that very morning, with orders for the Superintendent of the Palace Guard and the garrison to clear the road. It would not be altered to show closeness to the people.

So Heifu had the market overseer summoned and ordered him to shut down the market at once! He also dispatched Dongmen Bao, Li Xian, and others to go and scatter all the vendors in the marketplace — those selling silks, weaving straw sandals, and butchering dogs — every last one of them!

For a moment, it was like city inspectors descending on a street in later ages — the whole Chen marketplace was thrown into chaos, chickens squawking and dogs leaping. Though some voices of discontent rose, at least no one fought back desperately. After all, the Qin soldiers only ordered people to pack up their stalls and leave; they did not confiscate the tools of their trade.

What Heifu did not know, however, was that amid the chaos in the Chen marketplace, beside a butcher's stall that had drawn quite a crowd, several pairs of hostile eyes were watching him coldly…

…

Chen Yu had been in Chen County for over a year. He knew every street and lane like the back of his hand, and had at his disposal quite a few men who had received Zhang Er's favors. So when he learned that Heifu had led his men from the Chu King's palace inside the city, searching and clearing the road all the way north, he guessed the Qin King's travel route for the day.

However, after Shusun Tong's barrage of arguments, Chen Yu too felt that the Qin King's guard was too tight and their own manpower insufficient to achieve anything. He thus abandoned the plan to assassinate the Qin King and turned his target toward Heifu instead…

Now, seeing that Heifu had indeed come personally to the Chen marketplace, dispatching his subordinates to chase off the market vendors while he himself stood by the market flag talking with the overseer, accompanied only by a few personal guards armed with crossbows and short swords — Chen Yu felt his chance had come…

He glanced at the dog butcher inside the stall, a big, burly man with hands slick with grease, and at the three or five men scattered among the protesting crowd. According to Chen Yu's plan, with these men's extraordinary fighting skills, a sudden explosive strike would surely catch Heifu off guard. He himself might get close enough to kill him, and then, amid the chaos of a thousand people in the marketplace, they could still escape unscathed.

This was the perfect moment to wipe away past shame!

"When that time comes, I can take Heifu's head, go and beg my elder brother's forgiveness, and console the spirits of the departed in heaven!"

Chen Yu stared fixedly at Heifu's back, felt the short sword in his sleeve, abruptly rose, and was about to make his move!

But just at that moment, a broad, powerful hand suddenly reached out and gripped the arm he was about to draw his sword with!

"Don't move."

The voice was low and brooked no dispute. Turning his head, Chen Yu could see the man's black robe, his red headscarf fluttering in the wind, and the bronze tube-key hanging from his belt…

The one restraining him was a middle-aged Qin clerk, a man who looked honest and unremarkable, an ordinary ward gatekeeper…

It was his elder brother, Zhang Er, who had come!

(End of chapter)