Chapter 430: Three Hundred Thousand Men Campaigning in the Desert

Inside the Forest Light Palace hall, a huge map was spread out in the center — specially made thick paper from the Privy Treasurer's Office, not only heavy but also sturdy. The First Emperor's two inspection tours the year before last and last year were not merely sightseeing; they also aimed to re-verify maps and registers. He had craftsmen draw his empire's northwestern frontier upon it, all the border commanderies. As for the lands beyond the frontier, they were copied from the Xiongnu maps submitted by Heifu and Chen Ping the previous year.

On both sides of this enormous map, the generals gathered in full attendance. The First Emperor sat facing south, with his eldest son, Fusu, positioned at the lower end.

Heifu pretended to study the map intently, but inwardly he was wondering: what was the First Emperor's intention in having Fusu sit in on the military council?

The first thought that came to mind was: "Is His Majesty already beginning to groom an heir?"

Though Heifu was stationed in Beidi, he had kept a constant eye on the court. As the eldest son Fusu came of age, there were faint calls within the court to establish him as Crown Prince.

But Heifu felt that those stirring up such voices were either malicious or foolish!

The First Emperor was forty-one this year. Though he showed symptoms of partial deafness in his left ear and his vitality was far from what it once was, he still stubbornly believed he could live to a hundred, or even achieve immortality. Establish a Crown Prince? He had not the slightest such thought. Moreover, the First Emperor was, in truth, not entirely satisfied with Fusu...

Not only because Fusu was the last remaining fruit of the Chu-affiliated maternal relatives' faction that the First Emperor had spent ten years slowly toppling, and thus had countless ties to the betrayer, Lord Changping.

But also because Fusu was deeply influenced by Confucianism and Mohism, inherently inclined toward benevolence, and his political views often ran counter to the First Emperor's pursuit of quick success and instant gains. Earlier, when the First Emperor cast the Twelve Metal Colossi and built detached palaces and lodges, Fusu had bluntly remonstrated, petitioning to halt these "labor-wasting and wealth-draining" projects, and had incurred the First Emperor's displeasure and cold shoulder.

Such a Fusu inevitably left the impression in the Emperor's mind that he "does not resemble me." When going out on inspection tours, the Emperor would rather bring his pleasing youngest son, Huhai, than this eldest son who always irked him.

However, Fusu had just come of age; his character and insight could still be slowly molded. Thus, the First Emperor had invested considerable effort in Fusu's education.

He first ordered Fusu to enter the schoolroom and study laws and ordinances alongside the various legal officers, distancing him from Confucians and Mohists. Now, after his capping ceremony, he had Fusu sit in on military affairs.

This was an old tradition since the Spring and Autumn period: noble men took military service as their profession, possessing the right to command the commoners and the duty to bear arms in defense of the altars of state. Since Shang Yang's reforms, the Qin nobility's education of their descendants roughly followed two stages. Before capping, they studied laws and ordinances, as well as swordsmanship, archery, and charioteering. Once grown, they were made to understand military affairs and finally sent to the battlefield.

Because the law stipulated: "A member of the royal house without military merit for assessment shall not be entered in the clan register." Even the First Emperor's own sons, though they could enjoy brocade robes and fine food, would become ordinary commoners after two generations if they earned no military merit.

The First Emperor having Fusu sit in on the war council against the Xiongnu, even if not paving the way for an heir, was at least meant to temper and train him through it.

Of course, there was also an element of testing him in this.

At this moment, Qiang Hui had finished outlining the military situation between Qin and Xiongnu, and added: "As for understanding the Xiongnu, Beidi Commandery once dispatched spies disguised as merchants deep into the Xiongnu heartland, and they even met the Xiongnu Chanyu. Let the Commandant of Beidi elaborate for Your Majesty."

Heifu immediately ceased his reverie, rose, and cupped his hands toward the First Emperor, Fusu, and the assembled generals: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the true state of the Xiongnu has largely been ascertained by our side. Their territory spans five to six thousand li, yet their tribal population is merely three hundred thousand, equivalent only to one of Qin's border commanderies. But because all their people can ride horses and draw bows to hunt, after deducting the old, weak, women, and children, they have a total of one hundred thousand bowstring warriors."

"The Xiongnu lands are roughly divided into three parts: the first is Beijia, the second is the Henan Lands, and the third is Mobei."

"The situation in Mobei is unknown, only that the land is vast and sparsely populated, with many sand and gravel deserts; it can perhaps field twenty thousand men. Beijia is the Xiongnu center, where Touman Chanyu's royal court is located; with the fertility of the Hetao, it can field fifty thousand men. The Henan Lands can be divided into five parts. Below the Helan Mountains, the riverbanks on both sides have lush water and grass and can field ten thousand men. There are also four vassal tribes, called Loufan, Baiyang, Linhu, and Xuyan; the four combined can field twenty thousand men. Now Linhu and Xuyan have already surrendered to Qin. The Helan Xiongnu lost a thousand heads to Beidi, and south of Qingshan Gorge they were heavily mauled by General Li. The Xiongnu troops in the Henan Lands have already been reduced by a third!"

"One hundred thousand men." The First Emperor understood clearly and looked toward the generals.

"To defeat the Xiongnu and seize the Henan and Beijia lands, how many men are needed?"

As the generals were discussing, the young and impetuous Wang Li was the first to rise: "Your servant requests one hundred thousand men to rampage through the Xiongnu!"

At these words, the entire hall was astonished.

Feng Jie inwardly sneered: You callow youth, lowest in seniority and rank — when was it your turn to speak?

Qiang Hui also looked at this young man and could not help feeling somewhat disappointed. Though Wang Li had studied military affairs from childhood, he fell far short of his grandfather and father.

Heifu understood clearly as well: although the First Emperor would let Wang Li go on this campaign, he would absolutely not let him command independently. The reasoning was simple: you, Wang Li, lack the ability and might lose the army and disgrace the generals, harming the state's affairs. And if you truly had ability and swiftly rose to prominence, achieving great merit, did you intend to make the Wang family one of three marquises?

Perhaps it was the pressure of a military lineage — Wang Li had always wanted to earn merit on his own, to prove he did not rely on his father's and grandfather's sheltering shade, to prove a fierce father begets no cowardly son. In his eagerness, he had forgotten the wisdom of Wang Jian seeking fields — his grandfather's wisdom, which this grandson had let slip.

Sure enough, the First Emperor smiled: "This young General Wang is certainly full of spirit." But he neither approved nor disapproved of his request to fight, and instead looked toward the white-haired general, Li Xin.

"Minister Li, what is your opinion?"

Li Xin rose and said tactfully: "Beyond the frontier is not like the inner commanderies. Too many troops make supply difficult; too few are disadvantageous for dividing forces to seize territory. Therefore, one hundred fifty thousand soldiers and one hundred fifty thousand civilian laborers — a total of three hundred thousand on campaign — would be appropriate."

It was as if the debate on attacking Chu from several years ago was repeating itself exactly, only this time it was the Wangs who were aggressive and the Lis who were prudent.

The First Emperor cast an inquiring gaze toward Qiang Hui. The old Qiang Hui said slowly: "Excellent — the words of Commandant Li."

Wang Li sat down in shame. Thus, the mobilization of three hundred thousand for the northern campaign was settled. Next came the details: how many routes to advance, and how many troops for each?

Qiang Hui, who had commanded large-scale army operations, had long since calculated:

"The forces should be divided into three routes. The main force will set out from Shang Commandery. Shang Commandery has the straight road built by Zhang Han, which will be largely completed after the spring thaw. The capital region's main army will march north along the straight road, using the Linhu as guides, and can smash Loufan, cross the river, and threaten Jiuyuan!"

"The second route is the northern Dai region — Yunzhong, Yanmen, and Dai commanderies. From Yunzhong to Touman City, it is all grassland with no mountain pass obstructions. Chariots and cavalry should be the main force, to pin down the Xiongnu Chanyu. Once the Shang Commandery main force crosses the river, together they will force a decisive battle with the Xiongnu!"

"The third route is Beidi and Longxi. These two commanderies are closest to Helan. Longxi can follow the river downstream and again block Qingshan Gorge. Beidi will use Xuyan as a base, advancing step by step and securing each position, continuously pressing westward toward the riverbank, then joining with the Longxi army to seize Helan together!"

"In this way, both the Xiongnu's Henan and Beijia lands can be secured!"

To fight the Xiongnu, dividing forces was unavoidable — one only had to calculate the distance from Longxi to Dai Commandery to understand.

"A battle line spanning two thousand li..."

Even in the war to destroy Chu, the battlefield had been confined between Huainan and Huaibei, within a thousand li.

"Only a unified empire has the resolve and the capacity to fight such a war!"

Afterward, they deliberated the distribution of troops and civilian laborers for the three main theaters. Generally, soldiers would come from the border commanderies, and civilian laborers would be conscripted from the interior.

Shang Commandery was the main axis of advance. Soldiers and laborers, at a one-to-one ratio, made up one hundred fifty thousand men, with Qiang Hui as commander-in-chief and Feng Jie as deputy general.

The northern Dai region was the flank. Meng Tian would be deputy general, commanding one hundred thousand men; Wang Li would be commandant, leading only ten thousand men.

Hearing this, Wang Li could not help showing a trace of disappointment.

Longxi and Beidi were the secondary theater. Li Xin and Heifu would each be deputy generals — Li Xin commanding forty thousand men, Heifu commanding thirty thousand men.

"Your servant accepts the command!"

Heifu rose to receive his orders, then wore an expression as if a great weight had been lifted.

This detail, however, was noticed by the First Emperor, who asked: "Heifu, why do you look pleased?"

Heifu put on an honest and simple demeanor and replied: "Your servant was afraid Your Majesty would give me too many troops..."

The eldest son Fusu, who had been listening silently and attentively, showed surprise. The First Emperor found it amusing: "Oh? Other generals only complain that the troops they receive are too few and it will be hard to achieve merit. Why do you, Minister, rejoice at few and fear many?"

Heifu said: "The capability of generals varies by degree. There is the talent of a commander-in-chief, the talent of a deputy general, the talent of a commandant, the talent of a chiliarch, a centurion, a squad leader. I ask myself and know I am no prodigy of military learning — merely of middling ability. I can only learn as I fight on the battlefield. I believe that wood, when shaped by the string, becomes straight; metal, when honed on the whetstone, becomes sharp. I somehow rose from platoon chief to detached-brigade major, and the troops I led grew from fifty men to three thousand."

"In the tenth month, I led eight thousand men beyond the frontier and, by luck, suffered no mishap. At that time, I already realized: leading three thousand men in the past, I still felt at ease; commanding over ten thousand, I barely managed; with tens of thousands, I fear I would struggle. Now, though tempered by the frontier battlefield, I am still only a talent fit to command tens of thousands. If Your Majesty entrusted too many troops to my hands, I fear I could not control them and would ruin the state's affairs."

Hearing these words, Qiang Hui, who had years of experience leading troops, could not help praising: "Heifu knows his own measure." Indeed, the ability to command troops must be slowly cultivated — he had never heard of anyone born able to command hundreds of thousands.

Li Xin was also deeply moved and sighed: "If Xin, in former days, had possessed the Commandant of Beidi's self-knowledge, I would not have used the methods for commanding tens of thousands to command two hundred thousand, and thus lost the army and the territory."

Feng Jie nodded, but inwardly he felt some disdain.

As for Wang Li, who had obtained the post of commandant yet still felt it insufficient, he was rather embarrassed.

This was openly admitting one's own shortcomings before the Emperor. The eldest son Fusu could not help casting a few more glances at Heifu, his impression of him slightly revised.

Xunzi said: "Without accumulating tiny steps, you cannot travel a thousand li; without gathering small streams, you cannot form a river or sea. A fine steed's single leap cannot cover ten paces; a nag's ten-day journey succeeds through perseverance."

"Everyone understands this principle, but few are willing to admit that they themselves are the nag."

In Fusu's eyes before now, Heifu had always seemed very much like Li Si.

Both were men of Jing-Chu who had climbed into the court system of Qin. Each knew how to read the Emperor's mind and propose ideas that pleased his father, yet each also possessed genuine ability and could offer counsel on state affairs.

But today, Heifu had made Fusu see the difference between him and Li Si.

Li Si would never reveal his weaknesses. He never spoke of his humble past as a minor clerk in Chu, and he was deeply guarded about the old days when he served Lü Buwei.

Heifu, however, was not like that. Though he now held high office, he had not busied himself with changing his name. He still used the name "Heifu" from his commoner days, and to this day he had not even adopted a clan surname. It was as if he felt no shame in his lowly origins, but rather took pride in them — and he was not embarrassed to admit his own limitations.

"No wonder Father Emperor is so fond of him. Perhaps it is because Heifu, in his conduct and work, can make people feel a certain sincerity…"

Fusu looked toward Qin Shi Huang, and at that very moment, Qin Shi Huang, moved by Heifu's words, made a decision.

"Each army shall have its army supervisor. Let the Commandant of Justice Li Si supervise the Shang Commandery army; the Privy Treasurer's Assistant Zhang Han supervise the Dai-North army; and the General of the Palace Gentlemen Meng Yi supervise the Longxi army…"

He turned his gaze to his son: "Prince Fusu shall supervise the Beidi army! 'Wood, when shaped by the line, becomes straight; metal, when put to the whetstone, becomes sharp' — well said! The Prince is refined in manner; make him an army supervisor to follow the Beidi army in attacking the Xiongnu, to witness the hardships of war, and to learn from Commandant Heifu's talent for self-sharpening!"

(End of chapter)