Chapter 390: Honoring Strength Above All

"That year, our army and the Zhao army were locked in stalemate at Changping. The Lord of Wu'an feigned retreat, luring that Zhao general—a mere boy—to give chase. When they reached the Qin ramparts, they could not break in. The Lord of Wu'an then dispatched twenty-five thousand crack troops to cut off the Zhao army's rear, and also ordered our five thousand cavalry from Beidi, Shangjun, and Longxi to sever the link between the Zhao ramparts, splitting the Zhao army in two and cutting their supply lines. At that time, every last one of the hundred and more sons of my Ox-Slaughter Tribe was in the battle line; half of them died in the fighting."

In late September of the twenty-seventh year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, within Pengyang Town—the only town on the Great Plain—the five tribal chieftains of the Great Plain Rong gathered. They were mostly old fellows in their forties and fifties, and there was even one white-haired Rong chieftain past sixty. After paying his respects to Heifu, he began recounting the meritorious deeds his tribe had performed over the years.

You would never have known if he hadn't said it, but once he did, it was startling. It turned out that this Rong chieftain, named Ox-Slaughter Hamlet, had been a cavalryman in the Qin army during the Battle of Changping—a man of the most venerable seniority. Forty years had passed in a flash, and that once-green young rider had become a slick and wily tribal chief. His hair was grizzled, his thick beard like a blanket cascading from his cheeks down to his thighs. Seeing how young Heifu was, he immediately began flaunting his own seniority.

"Ox-Slaughter clansman, the way you talk, it's as if the rest of us never rendered any meritorious service for Great Qin!"

Before Heifu could reply, another Rong chieftain in his fifties, standing nearby, was having none of it. This was the chieftain of the Tiger-Fall Tribe, named Tiger-Fall Luo. Tiger-Fall Luo was draped in a voluminous tiger-skin cloak. But then the man threw off the tiger cloak, revealing a body covered in scars.

"I may not have your seniority, but I've fought no fewer battles than you! At the Battle of Handan, I was in the army. When the Qin forces were struggling, my body was pierced by several wounds. After that, in a dozen or more campaigns great and small, I too was conscripted, serving under General Meng Ao, General Wang Jian, and others. Commandery Commandant, have someone count my scars, and you will know how much I have done for Great Qin."

With those two old fellows taking the lead, the remaining chieftains all began speaking up as well. The Penglu clan, the Wild Fox clan, and the Pengyang clan each started bringing up their own meritorious deeds, and even tried to cozy up to Heifu.

The Wild Fox clan chief said that the young men of his tribe had earlier been placed under Li Xin's command. During the first campaign against Chu, they had followed him on the distant expedition, only to be defeated by Xiang Yan. Several of his clansmen were taken south of the Yangtze as slaves to mine ore, and as it happened, they were rescued by Heifu...

The Penglu clan chief said he knew Heifu. At the Battle of Qinan, he and his clansmen had fought the chariots and cavalry of Chu. From afar, he saw Heifu lead his troops onto the hilltop and spread out a vast array of banners, which instantly boosted their morale. Later, he learned that Heifu had seized Xiang Yan's commander's banner and received commendation from Wang Jian.

In short, the five tribal chieftains had but one message: I have rendered battle merit for Great Qin; I have bled at Changping; I have been wounded at Qinan!

Everything they said was true. Just like the registered commoner households, the Rong cavalry of Beidi had contributed their strength to Qin's unification of the realm. Over the decades, their identification with Qin had grown very strong. This was also the reason why the Qin authorities had long turned a blind eye to the Great Plain Rong: there was no need to shout "kill, kill" at a well-trained hunting dog.

As far as Heifu knew, the Qin authorities gave Rong people who had rendered meritorious service two choices: first, after receiving a noble rank, be granted land and settle elsewhere; second, exchange the rank for gold and return to the tribe.

Most Rong people had little interest in farming. They all took the reward money and went home, either living a life of heavy drinking and feasting on meat, or buying up large numbers of cattle, sheep, and livestock—to the Rong, these were the true symbols of wealth.

As a result, the population of the Rong tribes on the Great Plain grew day by day, and their herds of cattle, sheep, and horses formed into vast droves.

No matter how vast the Great Plain was, its land was limited. Thus, conflicts over pastureland and water sources arose. However, the five tribal chieftains were well aware that squabbling among themselves was one thing, but if they went beyond the Great Plain to wreak havoc on the registered commoner households, the authorities would not be lenient...

After listening to their accounts, Heifu paid no heed to how senior the various tribal chieftains were or how much merit they had rendered for Qin. He simply said, "The five tribes fought over pasture and water, engaging in several armed brawls, with dozens dead."

"A life for a life—this is not only Qin law, but also an unwritten rule among the Qiang and Rong. Three days ago, I ordered Gongsun Bailu to deliver a proclamation to each tribe, demanding that you bring the murderers here together and hand them over to the authorities for judgment. Where are they now?"

The five men deflated at once. They could tell that Heifu was utterly unmoved by the seniority they flaunted and the connections they tried to forge; he meant to handle this strictly by the book. They could only answer weakly, "Those sons who accidentally caused deaths are all outside."

"Take them into the town temporarily and hold them in custody. It is growing dark; the five chieftains should go and rest first. Tomorrow morning, come back to discuss the matter of redrawing the boundaries."

After the five chieftains had withdrawn, Heifu summoned Zhai Chong, Gongsun Bailang, and Yiqu Bailang, who was garrisoned at Pengyang Town, and asked them:

"Private feuding brings no benefit. Not only are they punished by the authorities, but the young men who injure others also suffer penalties; what they lose far outweighs what they fight for. Moreover, the five tribes are evenly matched in strength—no single one can monopolize the advantages. Why, then, do these brawls among the five tribes persist despite repeated bans? Can any of you tell me the reason?"

Gongsun Bailu was the first to step forward. "Although the five tribes have settled down, they still depend on their herds for their livelihood. Their livestock easily number in the tens of thousands. On this Great Plain, cattle and sheep are nearly more numerous than people. Livestock crossing boundaries to graze happens all the time, and the five tribes constantly bicker over this. With winter approaching, fodder is in short supply, so the contention grows ever more intense."

He was the sheriff of Yuzhi County and managed the county's pastoral office, so he was keenly aware of the importance of winter fodder.

Heifu nodded. Gongsun Bailu had touched on one key point. The cake was not big enough to go around—that was the root cause of the Great Plain Rong's repeated internal strife.

He then looked toward the other two.

Zhai Chong bowed and said, "Though I, your humble officer, am not from Beidi Commandery, the White Di of Shangjun have also seen frequent brawls over the past two years. Investigating the reason, it lies in the very nature of the Rong and Di people. The strong branch off to become chieftains and magnates; the weak become subordinates and followers. They perpetually raid and plunder one another, honoring strength above all. Their character is hard and fierce; they consider death in battle auspicious, and dying of illness an ill omen."

"In the past, the authorities frequently recruited Rong and Di riders to campaign east against the Six States. They were permitted to bring the spoils of sieges and plunder back to their tribes. But these past two years, the realm has been unified, and there is no war within the seas. Public warfare has just ceased, so private feuds have arisen. Such is the nature of the Rong and Di; the so-called struggle over pasture and water is merely a pretext."

Heifu nodded. "Lord Shang also said: When a state is strong but does not wage war, its poison is vented internally; when a state wages war, the poison is vented upon the enemy..."

When the Rong people's warlike nature was directed against the Six States, the poison was vented upon the enemy. Now, with no war for two years, they could only turn to harming one another.

In the end, only Yiqu Bailang had not spoken. As the person most familiar with local conditions, he had long failed to give Heifu an answer, and instead posed him a question in return:

"Left Scribe Zhai is correct. The five tribes have always honored strength above all. The authorities have ordered them to reconcile and redraw boundaries before, but it was useless. Come next year, the five tribes will still be killing each other."

Yiqu Bailang said that the brawls among the five tribes were not simply chaotic melees; they followed certain rules. They would array themselves at the disputed pasture or water source, each side sending out ten warriors. Wearing no armor and wielding blades, they would begin to fight. The winning side would earn the right to the pasture or water source, and the losing tribe would have not a word of complaint.

But the following year, this agreement would be overturned, and they would fight again.

It was just that this year, tempers among the five tribes had run especially high, and small skirmishes had turned into a great chaotic battle, resulting in heavy casualties.

"In that case."

Heifu understood in his heart. After pondering for a long moment, he said, "Then I shall let them settle it in the way they like best!"

Zhai Chong, thinking Heifu intended to legalize the five tribes' practice of deciding victory through combat, hastily stepped forward to dissuade him. "Commandery Commandant, the ban on private feuding must not be lifted!"

"Private feuding?"

Heifu laughed. "Rest assured. The method I have in mind, though it will exhaust the Rong warriors to the point of collapse, will not cost a single life!"

The next morning, when the five tribal chieftains returned to Pengyang Town, they discovered that on the open ground outside the town, the weeds and rubble had been cleared away. A shallow trench had been dug down the middle, and the soldiers were busy braiding a long, thick hemp rope...

The five men looked at each other, baffled as to what this was for. Together, they entered the town to pay their respects to Heifu, then began once more to lay out the disputed pasturelands and water sources among the tribes.

Heifu listened to each one, instructing the aide-de-camp to mark every location on the map and dispatching mounted scouts to investigate on the ground. Then he added, "I have heard that among the tribes, you honor strength above all. When contending for pasture and water, you invariably send out ten warriors to fight one another. The victor gains the prize, and the loser has nothing to say. Is this true?"

The five tribal chieftains all confirmed that it was indeed so.

Heifu sighed. "If that is truly the case, then even if I, the Commandant, redraw the boundaries, you will not be sincerely convinced. Since that is so, I shall arrange a contest. As before, the strong in strength shall win, and the weak in strength shall lose. The outcome will be decided in half a ke, and there will be no casualties. In this way, we can respect the traditions of the five tribes without violating Qin law or lifting the ban on private feuding. What do you gentlemen think?"

The five tribal chieftains were taken aback. They had dealt with many successive Beidi Commandery Commandants, but Heifu's way of doing things was vastly different from his predecessors'! Yet, on careful reflection, given how far the matter had escalated, Heifu's proposal was not unacceptable.

Ox-Slaughter Hamlet and Tiger-Fall Luo rose and asked, "May we ask the Commandery Commandant, what manner of contest?"

"It is an old custom from my home in Southern Commandery, called the hook-pulling game, also known as..."

Heifu smiled. "Tug-of-war!"

(End of chapter)