Chapter 304: Only When All the Wild Sand Is Blown Away Does the Gold Appear

Heifu raised his hand high above his head, lining it up with the winter sun. Between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand he held a glittering gold ring. After squinting at it a few times, he broke into a satisfied grin, his eyes brimming with greedy light.

"Treasure!"

He tossed the gold ring to one of his men. Standing on the riverbank and gazing out, all along the gently flowing Fan River were sandbars and islets. Here lay a small gold mine where gold dust was washed, named "Gold Works," situated midway between Pengli Marsh and Poyang City.

On the first day of the twelfth month, after Heifu had become "brothers" with Wu Rui according to Yue custom, he led the Qin army and the Gan-Yue people to break camp. Three days later, when they arrived here, Dongmen Bao had already taken control of the area with five hundred vanguard troops.

The Chu lands south of the Yangtze were vast and rich, especially in metal deposits. Changsha produced lead and tin; Yuzhang produced gold. As soon as Heifu arrived, Dongmen Bao came bearing gold cakes and gold plates to present as tribute, among which were mixed a few gold rings.

He also brought with him a gaunt, ragged mine slave.

Dongmen Bao reported: "Commandant, this mine slave claims to be a Qin soldier captured by Chu. When we reached this place, he led the mine slaves to kill the Chu mine overseers and welcome our army."

Though it was the twelfth-month season, the man wore only a coarse hemp garment that barely covered his body. He bowed to Heifu and gave his name as Wu Yang, a man of Longxi Commandery in Qin. During Li Xin's last campaign against Chu, he had been a platoon chief in the army and was captured by Xiang Yan. He had then passed through several hands until he ended up with the Lord of Poyang, who brought him back and threw him into Gold Works as a mine slave.

Together with him were seven or eight other Qin men. When they saw the Qin army banners and drums arrayed in neat order by the Fan River, they all broke down sobbing loudly.

Taking pity on them, Heifu immediately ordered winter clothes brought to ward off the cold.

After thanking him, Wu Yang said bitterly: "There were originally twenty of us, but most were northerners. Coming to this southern, low-lying, sweltering place, over half fell ill and died. The gold-washing labor was grueling. Whether in scorching heat or bitter cold, they drove us to work, and the food was terrible. A few more died, and now only we remain..."

The few men who had fought at the Battle of Tongyang could not help but sigh. Had they been captured by the Chu people back then, they would likely have met the same fate.

Because they had suffered so much, after Wu Yang and the others succeeded in their uprising, they dismembered the Chu mine overseers to vent their rage. So for everything concerning this small gold mine, Heifu could only question him.

"Gold Works is roughly divided into two parts. One is the gold-washing site by the water. The Fan River, Daxi Stream, and other rivers often carry gold dust, and this stretch has the richest deposits. Normally, the mine slaves dig sand by the water's edge, place it on gold-washing pans, and wash it in the water..."

Wu Yang showed Heifu the so-called gold-washing pans — simply wooden trays. Placed in the water, the mud and sand were carried away by the current, while the heavier gold dust settled in the tray. This method required great effort and yielded very little, hence the later verse: "A thousand washes, ten thousand rinses, though toilsome and hard; only when all the wild sand is blown away does the gold appear."

Although Yuzhang lay in the south, in this twelfth month of the Xia calendar it was still somewhat cold. According to Wu Yang, even in such weather, the mine slaves were forced into the water to wash for gold.

Heifu ordered the army officers to set the troops to pitching camp and cooking, while he himself went to inspect the gold-casting workshop not far away.

Wu Yang and his men had at least spared the lives of the gold-casting artisans. The washed gold dust was brought here, placed into fire-resistant crucibles, and heated on charcoal furnaces blazing with fierce flames.

Gold has a low melting point. Before long, the gold dust inside melted into gleaming, bright molten gold, boiling and churning. It was poured into a conical settling vat, wide at the mouth and pointed at the base, to cool. The contents of the vat would separate into layers by specific gravity. Poured out, the slag on top was knocked away with a small mallet, yielding lower-grade gold ingots. A second smelting by the same method produced finished gold cakes...

"The ornaments of beauties and the seals of lords and kings — all come from the sand and the depths of the sea." These words are no empty saying.

Under the threat of swords, the gold-casting artisans completed the process in fear and trepidation. Seeing that no mishap had occurred, they could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

They used iron blades to cut the still-hot gold ingots, then pressed them into gold plates. Just as they were about to habitually stamp them with the copper seal bearing the characters "Fan Yuan," Heifu stopped them.

"From now on, no more gold yuan will be made. Switch to making small gold cakes, each weighing one liang."

The artisans hastily assented. Heifu then had Xu Shu ask them: "How many yi of gold can Gold Works produce in a month?"

The gold-casting artisan replied: "At the least, ten yi; at the most, twenty yi..."

"That being the case, two hundred yi of gold a year is achievable."

Heifu was thoroughly satisfied. From the Warring States era into the Han dynasty, gold circulated widely as a superior currency. This was thanks to the vast mineral deposits of the Chu region, which produced large quantities of gold that then circulated northward through trade.

Now that the five other states had been swept away, their gold and treasures had all flowed into the Qin state treasuries. The gold that Li Si and Wei Liao had once used to bribe the ministers of the feudal lords had also returned to its original owners. Thus the King of Qin at this moment boasted "ten thousand yi of gold at my disposal."

However, the Ru River and Han River, which had abounded in gold over a century ago, could no longer yield any. The main gold-producing areas had shifted to the lands south of the Yangtze, and even as far as the Li River (Jinsha River).

According to Xu Shu, the Lord of Poyang held the right to mint coinage and was the wealthiest man south of the Yangtze, second only to the Lord of E. This gold mine should still be able to sustain production for some years. Come the Han dynasty, the vast quantities of gold unearthed from the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun, also in Jiangxi, might well have been transported from Gold Works.

But for now, this money tree had fallen into Heifu's hands and become his "treasure."

Well, at least until the southern campaign was over.

He immediately appointed Wu Yang as the local overseer. His younger brother Jing also remained stationed here with a platoon. After Poyang was taken, Heifu would capture some of the Lord of Poyang's family members and retainers and send them here to get Gold Works operating again.

Heifu did not want to take Jing further south; it was safer for him to stay here. Seeing his brother's slight disappointment, he emphasized with a stern expression: "During this southern campaign, our army's military funds will likely depend on you to raise! This is of the utmost importance. Wu Yang and the others will maintain order, but you must keep a close eye on the daily amount of gold cast!"

Only then did Jing accept the order. But just at that moment, Ji Ying, who was responsible for communications between the Qin army, the levied troops, and the rear, came hurrying over and presented a wooden tablet to Commandant Heifu.

"Commandant, an urgent report sent by water from young Tao of Pengze City!"

Heifu read the hastily written message, his brow furrowing. He gave a cold laugh. "The Lord of Poyang has no small amount of nerve."

Heifu then had Ji Ying summon the scout who had brought the report back for questioning. Once he had a clear picture, he returned to his already-pitched command tent and summoned the army officers for a brief meeting...

He passed the wooden tablet around for everyone to read, while saying with a smile: "Learning that I have allied with the Gan-Yue to attack, the Lord of Poyang has not simply holed up in his city waiting to die. Relying on his familiarity with the local roads, mountains, and rivers, he has sent over a thousand men up the streams, over the mountain ridges and through the forests, to appear near Pengze. He means to strike at my rear!"

At this sudden news, the army officers looked at one another. Heifu's advisor Xu Shu's expression changed drastically.

He had analyzed this possibility for Heifu, but had not taken it too seriously, because that route was extremely treacherous. Normally only hunters and woodcutters passed through occasionally; a large force would find it very difficult to traverse. So Heifu had left only a hundred men to guard the pass.

But what they had not expected was that the Lord of Poyang had made the choice they deemed least likely.

"The Xu clan has not escaped the calamity of war after all..."

Xu Shu could not help sighing inwardly. Now, Poyang was taking advantage of the Qin army's all-out deployment to send troops against Pengze. The entire Xu clan lived outside the town walls. If the whole clan took refuge inside the town and resisted together with the five hundred Qin garrison troops, the worst they would suffer would be their houses being burned.

But if Pengze fell, because Xu Shu had killed the Lord of Pengze and surrendered, they would certainly face brutal retaliation — perhaps even the annihilation of the entire clan!

Concern clouding his judgment, Xu Shu immediately rose and said: "Commandant, the Lord of Poyang has sent over a thousand raiders to strike our rear. Poyang should still have the remnants of the Lord of E's forces, one or two thousand men, left to defend it."

"For over three thousand men to attack a city two li across, while contending with two thousand defenders, a swift victory will be difficult. If Pengze falls and our provisions are burned, our army will be bogged down beneath the enemy's walls, unable to seize Chu grain supplies. Morale will likely plummet, and we will be vulnerable to a pincer attack. Our army will be in grave danger."

At these words, Dongmen Bao immediately slammed the table. "Master Xu, to speak of defeat before battle is a grave taboo!" They were now only a hundred li from Poyang — how could they abandon the near to seek the far?

Gong Ao added coldly: "I recall that praising the enemy and frightening the troops is a violation of military law!"

Xu Shu, however, stood his ground. "I am not extolling the Chu army. I merely believe that for the sake of prudence, it would be better to first turn the army back, destroy that thousand-man force, and then proceed slowly..."

"Master is worried about his clan and family property outside Pengze Town."

Li Xian hit the nail on the head, exposing Xu Shu's deepest concern. Like Zhao Tuo, Xu Shu, as a surrendered man, was excluded by their small clique. Lately, Heifu had been seeking Xu Shu's counsel more and more often, which made Li Xian feel threatened.

Seeing his subordinates about to quarrel, Heifu slammed the table to stop their argument.

His view was no different from that of Dongmen Bao, Gong Ao, and the others.

After pondering, Heifu said: "Turning the army back now would likely play right into the Lord of Poyang's scheme of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao. Not only would Poyang remain untaken, but we might not even catch the Chu men at Pengze. Our army would march several hundred li back and forth, wasting provisions for nothing. As the proverb says, morale is highest at the first drum roll, flags by the second, and is exhausted by the third. If we attack again later, morale will not be this high."

"Furthermore, if we stop halfway, the Gan-Yue people will take note of the situation. Though they won't necessarily turn against us, it will increase Wu Rui and his son's bargaining chips."

"But, Commandant..."

Seeing Xu Shu's anxiety, Heifu asked him in return: "Master Xu, what do you think of young Tao, whom I appointed as Pengze's Patrol Officer?"

"That..."

Xu Shu froze. Among Hei Fu's subordinates, each had a distinct temperament and their own striking traits: the two Five Hundred Lords, Man and Anpu, were steady and proper; Dongmen Bao and Gong Ao, one fierce and one brave; Li Xian was quite resourceful, able to devise urgent stratagems.

Only Xiao Tao, usually a man of few words, had no chance to stand out and rarely voiced his own opinions during military councils. So Xu Shu, who had only met him a few times and was merely a nodding acquaintance, did not understand this man. He simply felt Xiao Tao was a nobody, without much ability.

Seeing Xu Shu somewhat at a loss for an answer, Hei Fu laughed. "Among all the Five Hundred Lords under my command, Xiao Tao alone is the most steady and reliable. That is precisely why I chose him to hold Pengze with the crossbow and bow conscripts. With Xiao Tao there, the rear is as secure as a boulder!"

The men all nodded; everyone felt the same.

In successive campaigns, perhaps Dongmen Bao and Gong Ao leading their troops in the vanguard charge were the most dazzling. In day-to-day matters, perhaps Li Xian's stratagems one after another drew sidelong admiration. But Xiao Tao and his subordinates were forever the most stable corner of the battle formation — truly fitting the saying: "No fame for wisdom, no merit for valor, yet his victories are never in doubt."

That was why Hei Fu trusted Xiao Tao and chose to entrust his own back to him. He believed Xiao Tao would not let him down.

"Besides,"

Hei Fu's laughter faded. He looked at the location of Pengli Marsh on the map and said, "Although Xiao Tao has only five hundred soldiers under him, by now Zhao Tuo's fleet must have already gotten word of the raid on Pengze and returned to the vicinity of Pengze!"

On this southern campaign, not only did Hei Fu take sole command of a front, but his subordinates also each had the chance to lead troops independently and think for themselves.

In gold-panning, only when all the sand is blown away does the gold appear. In employing men, is it any different?

Hei Fu was still full of expectation for this little brother he had just sworn an oath of brotherhood with.

"Zhao Tuo, if you truly are no ordinary grain of river sand — then shine!"

(End of Chapter)