Chapter 385: Commandery Commandant

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, though the Qin people did not celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, they still followed the custom of "nourishing the aged in the mid-autumn month, serving them congee and food." Heifu had his own kitchen prepare round crisp pastries, and early in the morning he and his wife went to the residence of the Intendant of the Capital, Teng, to pay their respects.

The women busied themselves with women's affairs, while Heifu and the Intendant of the Capital, Teng, sat in the main hall playing weiqi. But both were like that unworthy disciple of the master Yi Qiu — the game was merely a pretense, their minds fixed on the swans high in the sky, thinking of drawing their bows and shooting them down…

"Does Father-in-law believe I will certainly be transferred out of the capital?"

When he heard the Intendant of the Capital, Teng, mention that, generally speaking, once one's rank rose to the three grades of "Left Geng, Middle Geng, Right Geng," it was time to be sent out as a senior commandery official, Heifu immediately pricked up his ears — this was a matter that would determine his future choices.

Unfortunately, the power of choice did not lie in his hands, but in the Emperor's.

"That may be so, but as for your post and where you will go, this old man can still make a fair guess."

As a wily old hand in officialdom, the Intendant of the Capital, Teng, began tirelessly lecturing Heifu.

"Before the unification, it was an unwritten rule that Left and Right Shuzhang served as Commandery Commandants, and Left, Middle, and Right Geng served as Commandery Governors. But ever since His Majesty swept through the six kingdoms, officers and soldiers have amassed battle merits, and there have been several collective bestowals of rank. Old General Wang became a Full Marquis, and Meng Wu, Wang Ben, and Feng Wuze have successively become Marquis of Guannei — even marquises have multiplied this much, so the lower ranks are no longer as valuable as before. Nowadays, the ranks of Left, Middle, and Right Geng can only serve as Commandery Commandants, or as Commandery Governors in the remote, border commanderies of the south."

Heifu thought it over — it was true. His old superior Li You had led the troops of Changsha Commandery last year to suppress a Yue rebellion in Dongting Commandery and was promoted to Middle Geng, now equal in rank to himself, while Li You's deputy, the Commandant of Changsha Commandery, Tu Sui, was a Left Geng…

"I've heard whispers at court that a new commandery will be established in the Yuzhang region south of Jiujiang, governing seven counties including Nanchang. Could I be transferred to Yuzhang?"

But as soon as he asked, Heifu dismissed the idea himself: "Impossible. The senior officials of the various counties in Yuzhang are all my old subordinates and fellow townsmen. Even if I have rendered the merit of saving the imperial carriage, His Majesty would not commit the taboo of allowing local factions to proliferate."

If the First Emperor intended to attack the Hundred Yue in the south, Heifu might be sent south to command troops, but for now, westward expansion took priority…

However, after the Gao Jianli incident, the First Emperor had again displayed his fury toward the "remnant scum of the six kingdoms." Over the past month, there had already been several major personnel appointments. The Governor and Commandant of Julu Commandery had both been replaced, and the Emperor had issued an edict reprimanding the governors and commandants of all commanderies, ordering them not to be too lenient with the former subjects of the six kingdoms under their jurisdiction. The pace of script unification must be accelerated, and the migration of people to expand the frontiers in the commanderies east of the passes must be tightly grasped. The First Emperor was determined to intensify the policy of "weakening the branches and strengthening the trunk." It was not impossible that Heifu would be sent east of the passes.

The Intendant of the Capital, Teng, told Heifu to set his mind at ease: "Although Meng Tian, Qiang Hui, Li Xin, and others have all, to varying degrees, put forward proposals to open up the northwest, it was you, Heifu, who synthesized them into a unified whole. Now that His Majesty intends to open up territory in the west, to transfer you far away to the east or south would hardly be the way to honor a meritorious official. His Majesty would not do so."

He speculated: "The place you will serve will not be beyond these four: Longxi, Beidi, Shang Commandery, or Yunzhong!"

"Longxi already has Li Xin."

Heifu murmured thoughtfully, "Li Xin was always the general His Majesty trusted most. Although he fell out of favor for a few years, when His Majesty toured the west, he still regarded him as a beloved commander. Li Xin, knowing shame, found courage thereafter. He is familiar with the conditions in Longxi, beloved by his subordinates, has opened up Taoxi, built the Fortress of Fuhan, and commands the Qiang and Rong tribes. Last month, His Majesty rewarded his achievements and promoted him to Middle Geng. It seems there is no place for me in Longxi."

But aside from Longxi, personnel changes had recently occurred in the other locations: the old governors and commandants had been ordered to step down in the tenth month, but the new candidates had yet to be decided.

This gave Heifu hope.

"Could it be… Shang Commandery?" he asked.

Shang Commandery lay north of the Intendant's territory, corresponding to the later northern Shaanxi region. It was originally the pastureland of the White Di people. During the Warring States period, Wu Qi seized the Western River region for Marquis Wen of Wei, then subjugated the White Di in the north and established Shang Commandery.

Due to its strategic location, Shang Commandery had long been contested by the states of Wei and Qin. In the tenth year of King Huiwen of Qin, a military conflict broke out between Qin and Wei; Qin decisively defeated Wei, and Wei ceded fifteen counties of Shang Commandery to Qin. From then on, Shang Commandery belonged to the Qin state. Currently, the administrative seat of Shang Commandery was at Fushi, which is the later Yulin and Suide area.

At the mention of Shang Commandery, Heifu's eyes lit up. In his view, Shang Commandery was undoubtedly the best place for him. First, Shang Commandery was not far from Xianyang; if anything happened, light cavalry could race back in a few days, so he would not be too far from the center of power.

Second, Shang Commandery would be the very front line of the Qin war against the Xiongnu over the next three years, making it relatively easy to earn military merit.

Third, and most importantly, what later generations often called the Qin dynasty's "Northern Army Corps" would be primarily composed of the garrison troops of Shang Commandery. If he could go to Shang Commandery and lay a foundation in the northern army early on, combined with his previous base among his fellow townsmen in Nan Commandery, even if the realm fell into turmoil in the future, the power of choice would fall back into Heifu's hands. At the very least, self-preservation would not be a problem.

However, the Intendant of the Capital, Teng, merely chuckled lightly, and a few words deflated Heifu entirely.

"Shang Commandery? You're not yet qualified!"

He lectured his son-in-law: "Shang Commandery is a strategically vital terrain, a critical military juncture for the state. Should trouble arise there, Xianyang would lose its largest and strongest defensive barrier. His Majesty would only entrust it to a veteran minister or seasoned general. How could he let a young man like you take charge?"

Heifu was indeed very young — he would only turn twenty-six in the eleventh month.

Rank and ability did not decide everything; there was also seniority. At a time when the First Emperor was resolved to use military force against the Xiongnu, only someone of the Intendant of the Capital, Teng's caliber could serve as the Governor of Shang Commandery.

"Among the current veteran generals, Wang Jian has retired in old age, his rank and merit already at their peak — he cannot be given another major role. Meng Wu is plagued by illness and recuperating at home — also impossible. Wang Ben must garrison several commanderies in the Qi region and cannot be spared. Feng Wuze must defend Huainan and Jiangdong and cannot take up the post. Meng Tian has a chance, but he is still considered too lacking in seniority."

If even Meng Tian was considered lacking, Heifu would have to stand even further aside.

After all the calculations, only the Grand Superior Qiang Hui remained.

"Qiang Hui is a native of Jingyang in Beidi Commandery. He cannot serve in his home territory, so it is highly likely that Qiang Hui will be the Governor of Shang Commandery!"

"Then what about the Commandant of Shang Commandery…" Heifu still could not quite let the idea go.

The Intendant of the Capital, Teng, shot him a glare: "Even if you went to be the Commandant of Shang Commandery, you would still have to dance to old Qiang Hui's tune. What could you possibly accomplish?"

Ye Teng had served as a senior official in the provinces and understood one principle very well: one mountain cannot contain two tigers! Although nominally the Commandery Governor was the chief, in charge of law and civil affairs, and the Commandery Commandant was the deputy, in charge of military matters, the Governor's authority was too great, especially in border commanderies, where it was not uncommon for the Governor to personally lead troops on campaign.

"A civil-servant-turned-Governor of Longxi is one thing — he had no choice but to let Li Xin lead troops to expand the frontier. But Qiang Hui is different. He comes from a military background, has a strong and unyielding character, and will certainly monopolize power, pushing the Commandery Commandant aside. The person His Majesty selects to be the Commandant of Shang Commandery will be there purely for gilding… But you — His Majesty expects you to get things done!"

Gilding would be quite nice too, Heifu thought helplessly. At the rank of minister, being young had actually become a disadvantage.

He cupped his hands: "May I ask who the Commandant of Shang Commandery will be?"

The Intendant of the Capital, Teng, said with certainty: "The son of the Imperial Secretary Feng Quji — Feng Jie!"

…

A few days later, the new candidates for the various commandery governors and commandants, deliberated by the Chancellor and the Imperial Secretary on the First Emperor's orders, were announced. They were almost exactly as the Intendant of the Capital, Teng, had predicted:

"The Grand Superior Qiang Hui is promoted to Governor of Shang Commandery; Middle Geng Feng Jing is appointed Commandant of Shang Commandery; Junior Superior Meng Tian is to take overall command of military affairs in the three commanderies of Yunzhong, Dai, and Yanmen…"

And Heifu was placed in the only remaining vacancy:

"Middle Geng Heifu, appointed Commandant of Beidi Commandery!"

After receiving the order and withdrawing from court, the Intendant of the Capital, Teng, said to Heifu regarding this outcome:

"Though Beidi cannot compare to Longxi or Shang Commandery, it is still one of the three commanderies west of the passes. According to your proposal for westward expansion, whether you move west or north, there is much to be accomplished. This is His Majesty's hope that you can produce results…"

"Heifu understands."

Heifu was actually quite satisfied. Commandery Commandant was a high official with a salary of two thousand dan, which fulfilled the promise he had made when he came to Xianyang the year before last.

Beidi Commandery was not far from Xianyang, connected by the Huizhong Road, so travel was no worse than to Shang Commandery, where the direct road had yet to be built. However, even in later times, the junction of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia was an economically backward region, let alone during the Qin dynasty. The area was a mixed settlement of Hua and Rong peoples, and life there would not be easy. This time, he had to bring his family to his post, which would likely mean hardship for his wife.

With this thought, he again sought advice from the Intendant of the Capital, Teng: "What must I pay attention to as the Commandant of Beidi? I beg Father-in-law for your instruction!"

The Intendant of the Capital, Teng, stroked his increasingly white beard: "I have nothing material to give you, so I shall give you three phrases instead."

With that, he spread hemp paper on the desk, dipped his brush, and wrote.

The first phrase was "Hua and Rong."

The second phrase was "Wushi."

For the third phrase, he hesitated to write it down. He dismissed all the serving maids and, only after the door was shut, set his brush down.

Heifu looked — it was the two characters "Imperial Heart"…

Both father-in-law and son-in-law were intelligent men. The meaning of the three phrases was understood without needing elaboration.

"Heifu will engrave them upon his memory!"

Heifu said this and was about to take the three sheets of paper, planning to study them carefully on the way.

Who would have thought, the Interior Minister Teng would press his palm down on the sheet marked "The Emperor's Heart," raise his head, fix his eyes on Heifu, and say abruptly:

"My son-in-law, could it be that the forbidden palace close minister you bear a grudge against is the Prefect of the Imperial Chariots, Zhao Gao?"

(End of Chapter)