Chapter 299: A Worthy Left Undiscovered in the Wilds

The Xu clan of Pengze claimed descent from the ancient Xu kingdom.

The Xu clan patriarch was a doddering old man of seventy, his teeth nearly all gone and his speech maddeningly long-winded; compounded by his thick local accent, more than half of what he said had to be repeated by the scholar Xu Shu — the very man who had personally carried the head of the Lord of Pengze when he came to surrender.

As it turned out, Xu had been a great power along the Huai and Si rivers several centuries ago. At its zenith, King Xu Yan had stood as an equal rival to the Zhou royal house. Later, Xu was conquered and pushed aside by the Hua-Xia states, declining day by day and migrating ever southward, until it finally reached the lower Huai River region. There it absorbed the various Shu city-states, who were kin to Xu, and at last managed to gain a firm foothold.

But the good days did not last long. As Wu and Chu launched their fierce struggle for control of Huainan, Xu's territory became a battlefield crisscrossed by the boats and chariots of both states. In the end, Xu chose to throw in its lot with Chu, which seemed the stronger power. Wu retaliated: Wu Zixu and Sun Wu led troops against Xu, flooding the Xu capital and destroying the kingdom. The Lord of Xu and his wife surrendered and eventually made their way to Chu. From that point on, the Xu people vanished without a trace from the historical record…

Yet the history of the Xu people did not end there. Chu ordered the Xu people who had submitted to cross the Yangtze and migrate south, both to populate the southern lands and to have these people — who bore a mortal hatred for Wu — develop the region on Chu's behalf.

After crossing the Yangtze, the Xu people landed at Pengze. Some, drawn by the dense forests and tall bamboo nearby and the abundant fish and shrimp in the rivers and lakes, chose to stay and rebuild their homes there. The greater number, however, skirted Lake Pengli, followed the Xiu River upstream, and eventually reached Ai Settlement in northwestern Yuzhang — the area that later generations would know as Jing'an, Gao'an, and the surrounding scattered settlements.

Three hundred years had passed. The Xu people's language and customs had long since become thoroughly Chu-ified. Only their memory of their origins remained indelible: they not only kept "Xu" as their clan name, but stubbornly passed down from generation to generation the story of Xu's destruction and the Xu people's flight south to Chu.

Heifu had no interest in this clan's ancient history. What he wanted was their willing submission.

After the Xu patriarch finally finished his rambling account of the clan's history and declared that the Xu clan was ready to submit to Qin rule, Heifu immediately rose to his feet and had Li Xian bring out a letter of appointment and a set of bamboo slips personally signed by Teng, the Governor of Nan Commandery.

"The Xu clan aided our army in taking Pengze Town — a deed of no small merit. The Xu patriarch shall serve as the Township Thrice Venerable of this town."

In Qin, a township had three officers: the Bailiff heard lawsuits and collected taxes; the Patrolman patrolled and suppressed bandits and thieves; the Thrice Venerable oversaw moral edification. A temporary appointment was prefixed with the word "Acting."

The Thrice Venerable oversaw moral edification but held no real authority, so it was merely an empty title, meant to give the Xu clan a moment of satisfaction. For the post of Acting Patrolman, Heifu had the Five Hundred Leader Anpu hold it concurrently. He expected that once he captured Poyang, he would move the main force there, leaving only a few hundred men in Pengze.

As for the post of Acting Bailiff, Heifu intended to leave it vacant for now. In the short term, their rule could not possibly penetrate down to the village lanes and hamlets anyway, and rapidly enforcing Qin law was even more of a fool's dream.

Heifu thought to himself, "Once the fighting is over and the new commanderies and counties are established, we can wait for the higher-ups to dispatch Qin officials and bring settlers here to serve as Bailiff. If I hand out too many posts to locals now, stripping them away later will breed resentment — they'll feel Qin tore down the bridge after crossing the river. Leaving them in place will let local powers grow too entrenched to govern. Although my job is only conquest, I mustn't leave too many problems for my successors."

He had not expected that someone within the Xu clan would also see through his intentions. As night fell, the scholar Xu Shu — who had earlier supported the Xu patriarch as he left — returned, saying he had an important matter to discuss with Heifu…

…

"Sir, why have you gone and come back again?"

Seated in the main hall of the Lord of Pengze's residence, Heifu questioned the scholar before him.

Xu Shu wore a splayed mustache above his lip, his robes loose-sleeved and his manner indistinguishable from any ordinary Chu scholar. He bowed courteously to Heifu and said with a smile, "The patriarch sent me back to express his thanks to the General."

"Is that all?"

Heifu did not believe him, for in this scholar's eyes he could see a burning gaze — the look of a man passionately devoted to rank and renown.

Xu Shu bowed again. "I, Shu, have had the good fortune to travel to the counties and districts of Nan Commandery and observe the customs of Qin. I have also roamed the shores of Lake Pengli and am quite familiar with the rivers, geography, walled towns, and Yue tribes of Yuzhang. So I was thinking — the General may have use for me in his campaign to seize all of Yuzhang!"

That Qin intended to pacify Jing and turn it into commanderies and counties, and that the Qin army's conquering march would not stop at Pengze, was no secret. Heifu smiled. "Go on, then — try telling me something I don't already know."

Heifu had someone give Xu Shu a sitting mat. Xu Shu began, "Yuzhang is originally a land of the Man and Yue, desolate from ancient times. For that reason, the Chu kingdom enfeoffed only four lords here: the Lord of Xun, the Lord of Pengze, the Lord of Poyang, and the Lord of Shanggan."

As he spoke, he picked up some liubo game pieces set nearby and arranged them on the low table between them, using a bronze platter as Lake Pengli and the pieces as towns and cities, laying them out with convincing precision.

Xu Shu pointed at the pieces on the table. "The Lord of Xun and the Lord of Pengze dwell on the western and eastern sides of Lake Pengli. Now one has surrendered and the other is dead; their towns have all fallen to Qin. But the General has only secured the line along the rivers and lakes. The thousand-li interior of Yuzhang remains untouched."

"The Lord of Poyang is entrenched along the middle reaches of the Po River. His walled town is larger and taller than Pengze Town, his people many and his troops widespread — it is said he has a force of two thousand…"

A feudal lord's force of two thousand was not something Heifu took to heart, but Xu Shu's next sentence put him on alert.

"Before the General arrived, the Chu Lord of E had already led his remnant troops to Pengze. Seeing that Pengze's walls were too small to withstand Qin's heaven-sent soldiers, he took over a thousand retainers and fled to Poyang. If he joins forces with Poyang, their combined numbers may well rival the General's own."

Now this was a bit troublesome. Poyang had suddenly become a bone that would not be easy to gnaw.

Heifu's dismissive smile vanished. He extended a hand. "Sir, please move your mat closer!"

Once Xu Shu had moved his mat, the two were very close — barely a pace apart.

Xu Shu's account grew more detailed. "Besides Poyang, there is also the Lord of Shanggan. His territory lies far to the south. From Tai Ridge to Pengze, the north-south distance spans over one thousand three hundred li. Even if the General can capture Poyang and then lead his troops on to Shanggan, the journey is a thousand li of dense forests and difficult roads; at the fastest pace, it would take a month and a half. And once you arrive beneath his walls, the enemy holds the walled town of Nanye and the formidable pass of Limen — it will not be easy to take in a short time…"

"Apart from the Chu enfeoffed lords, there are also countless Yue tribes within Yuzhang's borders — the Gan Yue along the Yugan River, the Yang Yue around the Gan River and Lake Pengli. Although many have gradually become acculturated and have small walled settlements, there are still many Yue who gather in the mountain forests, migrating and raiding unpredictably. If the General marches south to do battle with the Chu lords at Poyang and Shanggan, and these Yue cut your rear supply lines, then the General will be in grave danger!"

This account made Heifu see the man in a new light. Not only was his speech highly logical, but he also possessed an intimate knowledge of every power in the entirety of Jiangxi. His claim to have "roamed Lake Pengli and the Gan River, observing the customs of every town and tribe" was clearly no empty boast.

"Here is a man of talent. A worthy left undiscovered in the wilds."

Heifu silently praised him, then cupped his hands in salute. "It is exactly as you say, sir. The Qin army has never before set foot in Yuzhang, so our understanding of the local situation has remained murky. Hearing your words, this Commander feels as if a veil has been lifted from before my eyes!"

Heifu had no shortage of officers who could storm cities and seize territory, nor did he lack adaptable aides like Li Xian. What he lacked was a strategic advisor — someone who knew the local geography, rivers, and defenses, and who could help him formulate a plan of conquest!

So he smiled. "My army still lacks a staff officer. Would you be willing, sir?"

Heifu cast out his bait. "With that on your record, the still-vacant post of Bailiff in Pengze Town after the war — sir, you could reach out and take it…"

Xu Shu had some talent, but he was not of the Xu main lineage and was destined never to inherit the family estate. What he sought was perhaps somewhat similar to what Li Xian sought, so Heifu tempted him with an official post.

But Xu Shu showed no great eagerness. He merely smiled and said, "Pengze is too small a place. I have long wished to go out and see the wider world."

The words carried a double meaning. Hearing them, Heifu understood that his ambitions likely reached far beyond a mere township Bailiff's post. He raised his stakes. "Qin is pacifying Jing and establishing commanderies and counties everywhere. There is an urgent shortage of officials. If you can help me take Poyang and Shanggan and win over the Yue people, I will personally ensure your deeds are reported for reward!"

This was exactly what Xu Shu had wanted when he urged the patriarch to kill the Lord of Pengze and surrender to Qin, and what had brought him here late at night to seek an audience with Heifu. He immediately prostrated himself and knocked his head to the floor. "How could I dare not give my life in service to the General?"

Heifu helped Xu Shu to his feet, then yielded his own mat and asked for his counsel on the strategy for taking Poyang.

"Earlier, you mentioned that along the Yugan River there is a branch of the Gan Yue, settled in walled towns, with considerable strength?"

Xu Shu nodded. "Indeed. A hundred-odd li south of Poyang, there is a town called Yugan, built by the Gan Yue. It is about the size of Pengze, and several thousand Gan Yue dwell there. They already have a chieftain."

Heifu understood. Northern Yuzhang at this moment was essentially a three-way standoff between Qin, the Lord of Poyang, and the Yue. If the Lord of Poyang and the Gan Yue joined forces to resist Qin, then the Qin army, unfamiliar with the roads and terrain, would find it no easy task to seize this land. But if the Yue could be persuaded to submit to Qin as the Xu clan had done, the situation would be entirely different!

The idea of establishing contact with the Gan Yue of Yugan immediately took root in his mind, and this task, he feared, would have to fall on Xu Shu's shoulders.

At that moment, Xu Shu added, "But their chieftain is not a Yue man. He is a Chu man who came to the Yugan River twenty years ago."

"Oh?"

Intrigued, Heifu pressed him for the story.

"Twenty years ago, a Chu official named Wu Shen was demoted and banished to Yugan. He married the daughter of a local chieftain, built a settlement on the Yugan River, and was acclaimed as chieftain…"

"Several years ago, on my travels south to the Yugan River, I met Wu Shen once. He is old now, and the Gan Yue of Yugan are mostly led by his son, Wu Rui…"

Xu Shu was, after all, a man bold enough to carry the Lord of Pengze's head into the Qin camp to offer his allegiance. He immediately cupped his hands. "This humble officer is willing to go on the Commander's behalf and establish contact with Wu Shen and his son!"

PS: Two more chapters coming tonight.

Recommending a new book, *Rise of the Demon*, by the famously outrageous author Dugong — the old hands in the reader group all know him. Go show some support:

Sprites and monsters poke their heads out from every nook and cranny; corn kernels sprout from millet fields; incidents of ghost possession grow more frequent; a certain female celebrity sheds a layer of human skin in public… Demons and monsters, a hundred ghosts parading by night — the myths are about to return, and the great earth is slowly awakening.

— Sir, the wind is rising.

(End of chapter)