Chapter 373: Wind Rises in Longxi

Wind is rising in Longxi.

Though it is already high summer in the fifth month, the altitude still lends the Longxi wind a trace of chill. It blows down from the north, howls through the mountain gorges, sweeps all the way to the Great Wall, and rushes into Li Xin's face.

Li Xin, Commandant of Longxi, stands utterly unmoved. Atop the Great Wall at Didao, he gazes westward, letting the wind tousle his half-white hair.

Four hundred years ago, Duke Mu of Qin used Youyu's stratagem to expand westward, forcing the eight states of the Western Rong to submit to Qin. West of the Long slopes, the Mianzhu, Gunrong, and Diyuan Rong were conquered by Qin one after another. By the time of King Zhao of Qin, Yiqu was also destroyed, and Longxi and Beidi commanderies were established, administered locally through counties and circuits. Didao became the westernmost edge of this newly conquered land.

The second Governor of Longxi was Li Chong — Li Xin's own grandfather. Li Xin spent many of his childhood years living in Didao. Though his family's registered origin was Huaili in Guanzhong, he counts as half a Longxi man.

And this Great Wall was built when Li Chong served as Governor. It begins at Lintao in the south, stretches to Shang Commandery in the north, snakes along the hills, and finally vanishes into the horizon. The wall is not tall — just over two zhang — built of rubble and rammed earth, topped with rough-textured tiles. Yet it straddles the pass, flanked by great mountains on both sides, commanding the natural stronghold. Every two li a beacon tower was raised, garrisoned by one squad: five men tend the beacon fire, five patrol the wall-top, guarding against Qiang and Rong from beyond the wall crossing the border to raid the registered households within.

Guarding the frontier — this is the chief duty of the Longxi Commandant.

When Li Xin returned to Longxi as Commandant, his grandfather's former subordinates welcomed him, even as they murmured two words in private.

"Demoted and exiled!"

As early as eight years ago, Li Xin had already served as a Chief Commandant, sortieing from Taiyuan and Yunzhong to campaign jointly against Zhao with Wang Jian. He led his troops over the Xiawu Mountains and seized Zhao's Hengshan Commandery, winning illustrious battle honors.

Seven years ago, in the war to destroy Yan, he campaigned as a Deputy General, routing the Yan army by the Yan River so thoroughly that King Xi of Yan, in terror, cut off Crown Prince Dan's head and offered it in surrender.

At that time, Li Xin enjoyed His Majesty's deepest trust, his standing far above a mere Commandant. Sure enough, when Qin first invaded Chu, he actually replaced Wang Jian and took command of the two-hundred-thousand-strong army.

For a young man of thirty to achieve so much was truly extraordinary.

Pity it proved the truth of that saying: the higher you climb, the harder you fall. The first Chu campaign ended in catastrophic defeat for Li Xin. Seven Chief Commandants were killed, and tens of thousands of troops were annihilated.

From that point on, Li Xin lost His Majesty's trust and regard. His noble rank was stripped, his office revoked, and he was banished to Liaoxi to guard the frontier.

Although Li Xin later won further battle merits in the campaigns to destroy Yan, Dai, and Qi, they could never quite cover the shadow of that year's failure. Meng Tian had returned to the central court, yet Li Xin was still circling the border commanderies — and after a full round, he had come back to Longxi Commandery.

But those in Longxi who knew Li Xin discovered to their shock that not only had his jet-black hair turned fully white, his very character had undergone a tremendous change.

The Li Xin of the past had been a sunny, free-spirited youth, galloping his horse through the mountains, his laughter ringing inside and outside the Great Wall, his approach to affairs fond of sword-edge gambits.

Yet now, Commandant Li was silent and taciturn, never smiling without reason. He arranged the daily official business methodically, issued strict instructions on public order to every county and circuit, and inspected the Great Wall at fixed intervals.

"The trees beyond the Great Wall must be cut down on schedule by assigned men."

During today's wall inspection, Li Xin reprimanded a squad leader at one beacon tower: "They must not be allowed to grow within one li of the wall."

Within the beacon tower's field of vision, a stretch of open ground must be cleared. That way, no enemy could possibly approach and attack without being discovered.

The clerks and officers of the Commandant's staff following behind exchanged glances. Many of them had been Li Xin's companions in his youth, riding light cavalry beyond the frontier together. Back then, when had he ever concerned himself with such trifles?

Besides paying attention to the growth of trees beyond the wall, Li Xin on this inspection also made a point of checking the military readiness of every outpost. He even issued an unprecedented order: from this day forward, the garrison at each beacon tower would be increased to one platoon. Furthermore, mounted scouts were to be added, to patrol and explore the Qiang and Di lands beyond the wall, thoroughly mapping out the roads and the details of the tribes.

This order stirred the Commandant's office staff to excitement.

"Commandant, are we going beyond the wall to gather firewood?"

"Gathering firewood" was the Longxi Qin army's term for sortieing beyond the frontier to exterminate restless Di and Qiang tribes.

The Di, Qiang, and Rong tribes were numerous and prolific. The powerful among them called themselves chieftains. They regarded death in battle as auspicious and death by illness as inauspicious. Thus they delighted in raiding and plundering one another, dominating through violence. They would even risk invading the interior — after all, in their eyes, every Qin village hamlet was dripping with wealth.

So in the eyes of the Longxi Qin army, the Di and Qiang were just like the trees beyond the Great Wall that grew unchecked. If not hewn down on schedule, they would become unmanageable, putting down deep, stubborn roots in the shadow of the wall, and might even cross the Great Wall to raid the towns and hamlets within the frontier.

However, over the past decade, because the focus had been on sweeping away the Six Kingdoms to the east, the Longxi garrison had been greatly reduced, and no one had gone beyond the wall to "gather firewood" for many years.

Faced with his subordinates' questions, Li Xin gave no answer. He merely produced an edict written on paper and let the clerks and senior staff read it.

"A new secret order sent by His Majesty?" Seeing the bright red great seal, the clerks grew somewhat excited.

"It is more than an edict."

Though he could not fully conceal the stirring in his heart, Li Xin still said flatly: "It is a war proclamation!"

The men prostrated themselves before it, and only then began to read.

"King Li of Zhou was without the Way, and the feudal lords rebelled against him. The Western Rong turned against the royal house and destroyed the lineage of Da Luo at Quanqiu. Da Luo was a cadet branch of Qin."

"When King Xuan of Zhou ascended the throne, he appointed Qin Zhong as Grand Master and ordered him to punish the Western Rong. Qin Zhong marched into the Western Rong, but, outnumbered, he died without turning back. Thus Qin and the Rong became sworn enemies for generations."

"Qin Zhong had five sons. The eldest was called Duke Zhuang. He summoned his five brothers, borrowed seven thousand Zhou troops, and attacked the Western Rong, defeating them. He was then made Grand Master of the Western March."

"Duke Zhuang dwelt in Western Quanqiu and had three sons. The eldest was Shifu. Shifu said: 'The Rong killed my grandfather Zhong. I dare not enter the city until I have killed the Rong king.' He therefore yielded the succession to his younger brother Duke Xiang and led the clansmen himself to strike the Rong."

"In the seventh year of Duke Xiang, the Western Rong and the Quanrong joined with the Marquis of Shen to attack Zhou, killing King You at the foot of Mount Li. Duke Xiang led his troops to rescue Zhou, fighting with utmost vigor, and rendered great service."

"Zhou, fleeing the Quanrong calamity, moved its capital east to Luoyi. Duke Xiang escorted King Ping of Zhou with his troops. King Ping enfeoffed Duke Xiang as a feudal lord and granted him the lands west of Mount Qi, saying: 'The Rong are without the Way, seizing our lands of Qi and Feng. If Qin can attack and expel the Rong, it shall possess those lands.' They swore an oath, and he was enfeoffed with noble rank. Duke Xiang thus founded the state and exchanged envoys, tributes, and courtesies with the other feudal lords. In the twelfth year of Duke Xiang, he campaigned against the Rong and reached Mount Qi, but died in the midst of the army. Before his death, he still cried out urgently to his sons: 'You must attack the Rong!'"

"In the sixteenth year of Duke Wen, he attacked the Rong with his troops, and the Rong were defeated and fled. Duke Wen then gathered the remnant Zhou people and took possession of them, his territory reaching Mount Qi."

"In the hundred years that followed, the successive dukes also destroyed the Dangshe, Xiao Guo, Pengxi Clan, Hao, Gui, and Ji Rong, and thus came to possess the lands within the Passes."

"By the time of Duke Mu, from the lands between Mount Qi and Yong, he cultivated virtue and exercised military might. In the east, he quelled the chaos in Jin and made the river the border. In his thirty-seventh year, he used Youyu's stratagem to attack the Rong king, adding twelve states to his domain and opening up a thousand li of land, thus becoming hegemon over the Western Rong. The Son of Heaven bestowed the baton of hegemony, and all the feudal lords offered congratulations. He opened up the enterprise for later generations — most glorious and splendid."

"Yet at that time, Yiqu and Dali were still powerful, building scores of walled cities and each proclaiming themselves kings. Duke Li of Qin divided and destroyed Dali, seizing its territory. King Hui of Qin dispatched the Commoner Leader Cao to lead troops and subdue Yiqu. Yiqu then submitted to Qin, but later rebelled again. King Zhao therefore raised troops and annihilated it, first establishing the commanderies of Longxi and Beidi…"

In this secret order sent to Li Xin and the various officials of Longxi, Qin Shi Huang did not mention a single word about seeking the land of the Queen Mother of the West or pursuing immortality. The entire text spoke of the enmity between Qin and the Western Rong.

Reading through it, one realized that ever since the clan-state of "Qin" emerged, it had been entangled with the Western Rong for seven hundred years…

Right up to this very day!

The men continued reading, and saw the edict state: "Now I, in my insignificant person, have raised troops to punish the violent and chaotic. Relying on the spirits of the ancestral temple, the six kings have all submitted to their punishment, and the realm is greatly settled!"

"Yet in Longxi, Beidi, and Shang Commandery, the Rong menace is not yet pacified. Beyond the Great Wall, all is Di and Qiang. I wish to carry on the lingering ardor of the thirty-five generations of former lords, and uphold Duke Xiang's dying words: 'You must attack the Rong!' To prosper and enlarge the western lands, so that those Di and Qiang dare not fail to come and offer tribute, dare not fail to come and acknowledge our king!"

"His Majesty is going to attack the Rong!?"

At this, the officials were overjoyed. They had no idea that this was merely one small part of Hei Fu's proposed "Great Western Development" plan…

Li Xin, however, did know. He was the frontier general most supportive of the westward expansion strategy.

Though he had been demoted to Longxi to be buffeted by wind and swallow sand, in his heart he had never for a moment forgotten washing away his former disgrace.

But the Six Kingdoms were already destroyed, and he had lost his chance to gallop across the Central Plains…

Now, His Majesty wished to carry on the tradition of over thirty generations of Qin rulers and bring the blade down on the Western Rong, Di, and Qiang. As Commandant of Longxi, as a general renowned for chariot and cavalry warfare, Li Xin was naturally the perfect candidate to command the western expedition!

Standing once more atop the Great Wall, gazing out over the vast western expanse, the wind still tore at Li Xin's clothes like an urgent lover, making them snap and flutter noisily.

"The wind in Longxi has never ceased."

Leaning on his sword, he said to himself: "But this time, it will blow from inside the Great Wall outward. Like the booming roll of thunder, sweeping and surging, fierce and raging, toppling stones and snapping trees, thrashing the forest undergrowth, traveling three thousand li without rest!"

In early May, after the imperial procession left Ji County, the First Emperor of Qin first went to Lintao to see the legendary "Giant's Footprints." They turned out to be real, though Heifu suspected they were another "auspicious omen" cooked up by the Lintao local officials. But no one was foolish enough to puncture that lie — as long as the Emperor was happy.

They did not linger long in Lintao, heading directly north along the Great Wall toward Di Dao...

The Emperor's itinerary was confidential, so by the time Li Xin received word, the imperial procession was already outside Di Dao city.

Upon hearing the news, Li Xin could only hurriedly straighten his attire, mount his steed, and gallop forth with his retinue.

The horse was an old one. It had originally been the wildest and most untamable among the tribute horses from Longxi, sent to Xianyang ten years ago.

His Majesty had waved a hand and told the Gentlemen Guards to tame the horses themselves — if they could break one, it would be granted to them. Li Xin was on duty at Zhangtai Palace at the time. He had no interest in the other gentle-tempered horses and instead picked this one, with its pure white gleaming coat and a temper as violent and stubborn as his own.

Man and horse waged a bitter contest on the training ground. It took half a shichen before the horse exhausted its strength to struggle and reluctantly submitted to Li Xin. (See Chapter 162)

It was also because of Li Xin's superb horsemanship that the First Emperor of Qin first took notice of him, keeping him at his side as a Gentleman Officer and later giving him chances to prove himself on the battlefield...

Now, ten years had passed. The fine steed had grown old, and the youth's hair had turned white.

But the flesh on his thighs had not yet grown back! The blazing fire in his heart had not yet been extinguished!

He still longed to ride his beloved horse, gripping the black Qin banner, galloping across the boundless world, his horse's hooves shattering frozen rivers, his blade sweeping through Di and Qiang tribes one after another, making them submit to Qin like cattle and sheep...

Only on the battlefield could Li Xin feel that he was still alive.

As he pondered, the First Emperor of Qin's imperial procession arrived — still that familiar enormous convoy. But the most favored new power at the Emperor's side was no longer Li Xin; it was Heifu...

"Commandant Li!"

Heifu bowed with clasped hands before his horse. "His Majesty sends this minor official to welcome you, General!"

Li Xin dismounted and returned the salute to Heifu, but for a moment he did not know how to address him.

Eight years ago, when Li Xin had first shown his brilliance as a Commandant, Heifu had been nothing but a commoner in Anlu, struggling to survive from one day to the next.

Seven years ago, when Li Xin routed the Yan army at the Yan River and his name shook the world, Heifu was merely a tiny village chief listening to the tales of his exploits, clicking his tongue in wonder with his companions.

Five years ago, when Li Xin held the tiger tally and commanded two hundred thousand troops to invade Chu, Heifu was still just an obscure centurion. When Li Xin passed by, he could only prostrate himself by the roadside and call him "General."

But in the years that followed, as Li Xin fell like a shooting star, Heifu had been steadily rising...

And now, their status was actually equal.

No — Li Xin knew he was even beneath Heifu. Though his noble rank was one step higher, in His Majesty's heart, that young warrior on the white horse was now a defeated general, not even worth seeing. Yet the dark Heavenly Hound from Anlu could participate in state policy and was deeply trusted...

The old Li Xin might have felt resentment and bitterness, but having weathered such dizzying heights and crushing depths, he had matured.

So Li Xin drew a deep breath and returned Heifu's salute as an equal!

"How dare a minister awaiting punishment presume to be welcomed by the Right Chief of the Masses?"

Heifu repeatedly protested that he dared not accept such deference, then led the way forward, skirting past layers of cavalry mounts and war chariots, Gentlemen Guards and armored soldiers, until they arrived before the imperial carriage.

"Your Majesty, your guilty minister Li Xin is late to welcome the procession — I am guilty!"

The carriage curtain was lifted. The First Emperor of Qin, his face bearing a trace of fatigue after more than a month touring the frontier, stepped out and gazed at Li Xin, who was kowtowing deeply on the ground. For a long time, he said nothing.

Five years. This was the first time the First Emperor of Qin had received Li Xin since he lost his army and disgraced the state.

Looking at the once brave and fierce youth, now with a head full of white hair, seeming even older than himself.

The First Emperor of Qin remained silent, merely clasping his hands behind his back and scrutinizing this former favorite general who had so utterly disappointed him.

He could not help recalling that day ten years ago, on the training ground, when he first noticed Li Xin after he tamed the horse, and the name he had casually bestowed upon him. He suddenly felt that everything seemed like a predestined will of Heaven.

The Emperor moved his steps forward. Li Xin had been quietly sobbing, his head bowed, not daring to look up. The Emperor patted him on the shoulder and said:

"This lad — will he one day be my 'White Horse General'?"

(End of Chapter)