Chapter 314: Deep Waters

"A year apart, and Heifu has already carved out a thousand li of territory and risen to the rank of minister. Impressive, truly impressive."

Li You, who had returned to Jiangling several months before Heifu, had put on considerable weight. Wrapped in a thick fox-fur coat in this eleventh-month chill, he looked all the more ruddy and well-fed.

Yet there was something slightly off in his tone.

Although Heifu had operated independently for a year, grown accustomed to being the one in charge, and even been promoted to Left Chief of the Masses, he knew full well that compared to Li Si and his son, he was still just a small fish.

So after returning to Jiangling from Nanchang, the very first thing he did was pay a visit to Li You, who was soon to be promoted. Hearing the barbed teasing in Li You's voice and sensing that something was amiss, Heifu hurriedly bowed with clasped hands and said:

"When I was in Shanggan, I passed a small mountain called Jinggang Mountain and heard a saying from the local Yue people: 'When drinking water, do not forget who dug the well.' If even the Yue understand this, how could a subordinate like me drink from the stream and not think of its source? I will never forget the grace of the Left Geng who raised me up!"

Li You did not answer. Instead, he glanced at the worn fur coat Heifu was wearing and smiled. "Heifu, you've received dozens of gold pieces in rewards from the Great King — why is your coat still so shabby? Far too frugal, isn't it?"

Heifu normally wore new clothes. That he had put on an old coat today was precisely for this moment. He immediately replied, "General, have you forgotten? This bearskin coat is the one you gave me more than three years ago, after the first Chu campaign. Though it's been through eastern expeditions and southern campaigns, washed until the fur is falling out, it's still the one I most love to wear."

With deep meaning, he added, "Old clothes… are warm enough."

Li You was thoroughly satisfied. He shot a glance at the advisor who had earlier whispered warnings to him. That advisor had told him that Heifu acted arbitrarily in Nanchang, and that after being appointed Left Chief of the Masses, he no longer routed his memorials to the King of Qin through Li You — proof, the advisor claimed, that Heifu had grown arrogant and no longer regarded Li You as his superior.

Although Li You had immediately rebuked the advisor, saying that everyone was a subject of the Great King and that there was no such thing as master and subordinate, a small knot of resentment had inevitably formed in his heart.

Li You's current rank was Left Geng. Although he and Heifu were two steps apart, both belonged to the "lower ministers" and held black jade tablets. That was why he had deliberately teased Heifu just now, to test him.

Seeing that Heifu had not forgotten past kindness and was even wearing the very coat he had given him, Li You's misgivings vanished. He rose and helped Heifu up, saying, "As the proverb goes, 'No garment like the new, no friend like the old.' You are no longer my subordinate, but you are still an old friend…"

After that, Li You had Heifu seated at the place of honor just below his own, above all other officials and advisors, and engaged him in warm conversation.

Heifu's greatest skill was flattery. Without batting an eye, he belittled himself and fawned over Li You: "Heifu is incompetent. I spent an entire year and only managed to take a few small counties, while you, General, seized two entire commanderies in succession!"

It turned out that around this time last year, after Li You and Heifu parted ways at Echeng, Li You had led his forces southwest, reached the Miluo River, and joined up with troops from Ba Commandery, confronting the Chu Qu clan across the river.

In the end, Li You employed a tactic similar to the Battle of Chuisha: instead of choosing a shallow crossing, he forced a crossing at a deep point, catching the Chu army completely off guard. Thousands of Chu corpses floated on the Miluo River. Another great victory followed at Wujia Pass, and from there he advanced triumphantly, seizing the city of Changsha. Over the next few months, he took the entire Chu Dongting Commandery, and the Qu clan fled south to Cangwu.

At almost the exact same moment that Heifu was pushing up the Gan River to attack Shanggan, Li You also launched his forces from Changsha, striking up along the Xiang River. The southern part of Hunan and a portion of Guangxi was the "Cangwu Commandery" established back in Wu Qi's time. Li You entered Cangwu, killed the head of the Qu clan at Chen, and dispatched a detached force to capture Jiuyi Fortress.

Jiuyi Fortress, like Limen Fortress in Jiangxi, marked the extreme southern limit known to the people of the Central Plains. The difference was that south of Limen Fortress lay Southern Yue — what would later be Guangdong — while south of Jiuyi Fortress lay Western Ou, also called Western Yue, the area around what would later be Guilin in Guangxi…

After this, the King of Qin ordered Li You to merge the Chu commanderies of Dongting and Cangwu into Changsha Commandery.

With lingering unease, Li You said, "Last year, in the height of summer, the army had just returned to Changsha when we encountered a vile water-blight disease. We were at a loss for what to do when, fortunately, Heifu sent a letter explaining the cause of the illness. I implemented the preventive measures you described throughout the army, restraining the soldiers from entering the water, and only then did the spread of the disease slow somewhat…"

By now, schistosomiasis had become a major scourge for the Qin armies stationed in the three Jiangnan regions of Changsha, Nanchang, and Kuaiji. Unfortunately, physicians like Chen Wujiu had only just arrived in the south, and it was unknown whether they could devise a cure.

The King of Qin had also carried out military colonization in Changsha Commandery, just as in Nanchang, ordering Li You to leave several thousand men behind to garrison and farm the land. At the same time, he summoned Li You back to Xianyang to report on the southern situation, after which he formally appointed him Governor of Changsha Commandery.

Changsha was low-lying and sweltering. Li You had little desire to go, but he had no choice — his rank was just sufficient for governing a frontier commandery. And the King of Qin showed not the slightest favoritism toward his own son-in-law; he even ordered his eldest daughter, Li You's wife, to accompany him south. Li You could only hope to endure a few peaceful years, build up his record, and then secure a transfer back to Xianyang or an inner commandery.

Now Li You was on his way to take up the post. He had fallen ill upon reaching Jiangling, catching a chill and running a fever, and was forced to halt for a few days at his former residence to recover…

After Li You had kept Heifu for a meal, he drew him aside and said quietly, "When I returned to Xianyang, the Great King praised you again. He said you handle everything thoroughly in Nanchang, and that in time, you too could serve as a senior official in a frontier commandery, expanding Qin's territory."

"However, according to the Great King's intent, he still wants to summon you to Xianyang to serve as a Lang Officer for a time, keeping you at his side for guidance and tempering…"

Heifu knew that serving as a Lang Officer was an essential step for high-ranking Qin officials. The Lang Officers were described as "entering to serve as night guards, leaving to govern a hundred li" — they were both the King of Qin's close attendants and guards, and the primary source of central and local officials at every level. Wang Ben, Li Xin, Meng Tian, Li You — all of them had entered service through the Lang ranks, which was why they enjoyed the King of Qin's deep trust.

There were also those, like Heifu, who became Lang Officers from outside the usual path; Li Si was one such case.

Li You spoke as if reciting from a treasured list: "In Xianyang, the Lang Officers number over seven hundred — not a small figure. They are divided into Inner Lang, Palace Lang, and Outer Lang, known as the Three Lang. The Inner Lang await edicts within the forbidden precincts, spending every moment with the King. The Palace Lang stand guard within the palace and can see the Great King frequently. The Outer Lang keep watch outside the palace and have the most distant relationship with the King."

These three types of Lang Officers were subordinate respectively to the General of the Inner Lang, General of the Palace Lang, and General of the Outer Lang. The superior of these three generals was the Prefect of the Lang.

Heifu's rank was high within a commandery, but once in Xianyang, compared to those noble houses that had passed down their titles for generations, it would instantly become worthless. The Prefect of the Lang was one of the Nine Ministers — even Li You couldn't land that post, so Heifu could forget it. The General of the Inner Lang had a rank equivalent to two thousand dan, a prominent and vital position, currently held by Meng Tian's younger brother Meng Yi — no chance there. The General of the Palace Lang was ranked at one thousand dan, and the General of the Outer Lang at the equivalent of one thousand dan. For those, he might have an opportunity…

At this point, Li You had told Heifu everything he knew. By now slightly tipsy, he began to grumble about how difficult the King of Qin's princess was to serve, hinting at some marital discord. Then, realizing he had spoken out of turn, he fell silent for a moment before waving his hand and dismissing Heifu.

Heifu seized the chance to ask, "Once I am in Xianyang, might this subordinate have the honor of paying a visit to the Commandant of Justice?"

He had been raised up step by step by Li You; the mark of Li Si's faction was already stamped on him. That was why Zhang Han, who belonged to the same Li Si faction, had grown so close to Heifu. Once in Xianyang, how could he not pay his respects at the mountain stronghold?

Li You, however, seemed to sober up at once. He pulled Heifu close and warned him in a low voice, "When you reach Xianyang and see my father at court, you absolutely must not show excessive eagerness. Act as you normally would, nothing more. As for visiting his residence and offering gifts… that is even more forbidden!"

Li You's breath reeked of alcohol, but the words he spoke were colder than the depths of the twelfth month.

"Remember this! A Qin official does not form cliques or collude in factions. Letting things slide a little in the provinces is one thing, but in Xianyang, right under the Great King's nose, forming factions for private gain and surrounding the sovereign with scheming ministers is absolutely forbidden!"

That single sentence made Heifu realize just how deep — and treacherous — the waters of Xianyang truly were.

PS: Lots of dinner engagements these past few days, so just two chapters today. Will start making up for the missed updates tomorrow.

PS: Records of the Grand Historian, Annals of Qin Shi Huang: "The Second Emperor of Qin then proceeded to execute the great ministers and the various princes, implicating and arresting the junior attendants and the Three Lang on charges of wrongdoing, so that none could stand."

Regarding the Three Lang, the Collected Commentaries on the Records of the Grand Historian cites Shen Jiaben's annotation: "The Book of Han, Annals of Emperor Hui: 'Inner Lang and Palace Lang who complete six years of service receive three steps of rank; four years, two steps. Outer Lang who complete six years receive two steps.' It also cites Su Lin's annotation: 'Thus, the Three Lang are the Inner Lang, the Palace Lang, and the Outer Lang.'"

(End of Chapter)