Chapter 461: A Knack for Judging Character

In the first month of the thirtieth year of Qin Shi Huang (the tenth month of the lunar calendar), Heifu had already returned to Yiqu City in Beidi Commandery. To play the part of a good Great Qin bureaucrat and a good commandery commandant for the soldiers, he put public duty before private matters and insisted on settling the troops and civilian laborers properly before going home.

During this time, the commandery commandant's chief clerk, Chen Ping, came to report to Heifu on the state of public order in Beidi Commandery over the past several months.

Chen Ping said with a smile, "While the commandery commandant was away, Beidi had only a few petty thieves and everyday burglaries, with no major conflicts. People all say the root of Beidi Commandery's troubles is the restlessness of the local Rong people, whose private feuds are nearly impossible to stamp out, even sparking disputes between the Hua and the Rong. But this year is different. The able-bodied Rong men were all conscripted to go beyond the frontier as cavalry, so the remaining elderly and weak are content with their lot. The five divisions of the Dayuan Rong also heard that next year they can relocate to the lush pastures of the Helan Mountains, so they no longer start large-scale conflicts over those bits of water sources and grazing lands."

Heifu nodded. "I finally understand what Lord Shang meant by 'channeling poison outward'!"

Shang Yang believed that every state has its "poisons." These poisons can be understood as the restless elements within society, such as the Rong people of Beidi Commandery or the wandering swordsmen east of the passes. If left unchecked, they will pick quarrels and stir up trouble, and private feuds will become the norm.

These restless internal populations are difficult to eliminate, but there is a simple solution: external war. Make the Rong people the vanguard against the Hu, make the wandering swordsmen serve as civilian laborers hauling grain a thousand li, and let them go wreak havoc on foreign enemies—channeling poison outward...

A state strong but not at war channels poison inward; rites, music, and parasitic officials are born, and it will surely be weakened. This is one of the reasons the Legalist empire constantly wages external wars.

The next thing to guard against is that the conscripted soldiers and civilian laborers from the interior, stationed in places like Yiqu City and Xiao Pass, will have idle men who can't sit still and will harass the farming households.

Hearing that Heifu planned to launch a surprise attack to wipe out the remaining Xiongnu forces, Chen Ping began offering ideas.

"Since the commandery commandant intends to raid Juyan Marsh at the start of spring, this subordinate believes the time for the Yuezhi prince to come to court should be set around the La month. We must ensure that the Yuezhi king's son has entered Qin territory before our chariots and cavalry strike out!"

Heifu looked at Chen Ping. The man was full of crafty ideas and also liked to think of things in the worst possible light. "Are you worried that the Yuezhi's pledge of allegiance to Great Qin is false, and that when our chariots and cavalry advance west, the Yuezhi will make a move? You want to take their prince as a hostage?"

Chen Ping said, "The Hu people have no credibility. They negotiate peace today and rebel tomorrow—such cases are not few. We must take precautions."

Heifu pondered. "What if the Yuezhi send a fake prince?"

Chen Ping smiled. "The merchants the Wu clan sent to Hexi have seen the Yuezhi king and his eldest son in Zhaowu City. We only need to specify that the eldest son enter the court. If the Yuezhi try to pass off a fake, it shows their heart is not sincere in sending envoys and paying tribute, and the battle at Juyan Marsh must be undertaken with caution..."

He then offered another suggestion. "Furthermore, the Yuezhi envoys and prince should not enter Qin via Helan and Beidi, but should travel through Longxi."

"Why?"

Chen Ping explained his reasoning. "In the previous campaign against the Xiongnu, Beidi sent out fifteen thousand troops and Longxi sent out twenty thousand. Most have now been withdrawn. Longxi has left only three thousand troops south of Qingshan Gorge to build Xuanjuan City, and Beidi has left only five thousand troops, along with two thousand garrison laborers, stationed at places like Helan."

"If the Yuezhi people pass through Helan and see that our forces beyond the frontier are not large, they might harbor treacherous thoughts. It would be better to have them enter from Jincheng, traveling all the way through Longxi and Yong. The people there are numerous and wealthy, the defenses are strict, and the city walls and roads are all in place. Only in this way can the Yuezhi know Qin's strength and prosperity and not dare to waver between two sides."

"You've considered this thoroughly."

Heifu praised Chen Ping and entrusted this matter to him and Wu Shiyan, the commandery residence chief clerk who specifically managed Beidi Commandery's dependent states and foreign relations, to handle together. They were to first report the reasons to Qin Shi Huang, then coordinate with Longxi Commandery.

After fighting a battle together, the soldiers of the Beidi and Longxi armies had an excellent relationship, reaching the level of "brother units." The two sides had cooperated many times and could trust each other.

After that came the most vexing problem: supplying the forces beyond the frontier...

The most important reason Heifu had left only five thousand soldiers and two thousand civilian laborers at Helan was that if he left any more people, some would likely freeze or starve to death!

Through Meng Yi's grain transport on the Great River, the food problem was basically solved. But the temperature on the Helan grasslands was even colder than Yiqu City by several degrees. They had just entered the tenth month of the Xia calendar, and the nighttime temperature had already dropped below zero!

After driving the Xiongnu north, during the three months Heifu stayed at the Helan Mountains, besides having people try planting winter wheat, the most important task was building cities and constructing houses that could shelter the garrison personnel from wind and rain...

Three small cities rose from the ground on the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains. From north to south, they were named Hunhuai, Lingwu, and Fuping. Hunhuai was directly across the river from where the Qin army fought its decisive battle with the Xiongnu; Lingwu was the former Xiongnu grazing ground; and Fuping was where Heifu and Li Xin first joined forces.

Only the inner cities of the three settlements had been built in time; there were no outer walls yet. The houses inside could only cram in seven thousand people. Any more would have to camp outside the city. In the La month, with heavy snow blanketing the mountains and temperatures over ten degrees below zero, this was not stationing troops—it was forcing people to flee back to the interior.

Thinking of this, Heifu asked again, "How many woolen garments did Beidi produce last year?"

Chen Ping said, "Wu Shiluo purchased many Qiang sheep from the Qiang people in Huangzhong and had the Rong people domesticate them. Under the Madam's initiative, the Xia women also began learning wool-spinning techniques, and weaving workshops opened in every county. Over the year, a total of three thousand garments were made, and Longxi Commandery allocated another five hundred to Beidi. All were sent to Helan first, as per the General's instructions."

There were seven thousand garrison troops, but only three thousand five hundred woolen garments—one garment for every two men. Whoever went out to stand guard wore it. This could be considered a case of "How can you say you have no garment? I will share my robe with you." The hardship involved was known only to the low-ranking soldiers and civilians.

Heifu's wife, Lady Ye, led by example, sitting at the doorstep every day with the wives and daughters of officials, knitting wool, encouraging the common people to follow suit. This tripled Beidi's woolen garment output, far exceeding Qin Shi Huang's requirements.

But it was still not enough. If they wanted to increase the garrison next year and fully control the newly conquered lands, they first had to raise woolen garment production even higher...

"Since we've already tinkered out water-powered tilt hammers and water mills, I wonder if we could make a water-powered large spinning wheel."

The thought had just surfaced in Heifu's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. The main reason garment output couldn't rise right now was not the slow spinning speed, but the lack of wool!

There was no way around that. Concentrating human labor was easy, but making sheep breed faster was a difficult matter.

Having finally finished his work, Heifu hurried home. As soon as he entered the door, he saw his son crawling all over the mat.

The little boy Heifu had named "Polu" was half a year old. Heifu had gone out on campaign shortly after the birth, and upon returning home, the child did not recognize him at all. Held in Heifu's arms, he was uncomfortable no matter what and kept wailing. No matter how Heifu tried to soothe him, he wouldn't settle. Seeing his flustered state, Ye Zijin was both exasperated and amused.

"Husband, take off your armor first. You're hurting your son with its hardness."

"Forgot, forgot."

Heifu quickly handed his son to his wife, changed out of his armor, and put on a set of everyday clothes Ye Zijin had newly made for him. Then, beaming with joy, he wanted to hold the child again.

This time, little Polu behaved. He lay against Heifu's chest as if about to fall asleep, sucking on his fingers and humming softly.

But before Heifu could feel happy, he suddenly felt a surge of warmth spreading across his chest...

Commandant Polu had drenched his old man's new clothes with a stream of hot, steaming boy's urine.

The time spent enjoying domestic bliss at home was always short. Not long after returning to Beidi Commandery and dealing with the backlog of administrative affairs, Heifu had to go out again. The Qin army had won a great victory over the Xiongnu, and Qin Shi Huang summoned the three generals who had achieved the greatest merit—Li Xin, Heifu, and Meng Tian—to Xianyang to celebrate their achievements and simultaneously discuss the future garrisoning of the northern frontier and the next military operations...

The Prince Fusu had also completed his duty as army supervisor and was to return to Xianyang with Heifu to report.

As Ye Zijin straightened Heifu's collar to see him off, she mentioned that the daughters of Beidi Commandery's officials, hearing of Fusu's arrival, all lined the roads to watch, hoping to be noticed by the handsome prince and soar to a high branch overnight. But Prince Fusu, when entering or leaving his residence, sat upright and formal in his carriage, never glancing at them. The sachets and other items the girls boldly sent were all returned.

"I get the feeling this prince is very aloof," she remarked casually.

Heifu, however, laughed. "The Prince is not aloof; he is strictly observing propriety."

Ye Zijin glanced at him and said with some worry, "Husband seems to understand the Eldest Prince very well."

She was afraid her husband would develop a liking for Fusu and get drawn into the deep, dangerous waters.

Heifu comforted his wife. "Rest assured, I am merely fulfilling His Majesty's instructions and will not casually meddle in murky waters. Before the campaign, didn't you say that I had only met the Eldest Prince a few times, our friendship was shallow, our words not deep, and I couldn't be certain what kind of person he was? But over this past half-year, in the army and beyond the frontier, observing his words and examining his actions, I have come to understand what kind of man he is..." (See Chapter 434)

"Oh? I would like to hear about my husband's ability to judge character."

Heifu pondered for a moment, then said, "He is the kind of Spring and Autumn gentleman described in the Zuo Commentary: gentle, kind, courteous, temperate, and deferential—possessing all five virtues—and also loyal, righteous, benevolent, and generous."

All this was not a deliberate act to win hearts; it was indeed his true nature. No wonder the Confucian and Mohist scholars, who were as incompatible as fire and water, both appreciated him. This humble and courteous attitude toward subordinates earned Fusu a high reputation among the soldiers and people. No wonder in history, after his death, everyone under heaven felt it was a pity, and even Chen Sheng and Wu Guang of Chu had to raise their rebellion in Fusu's name...

"In that case, isn't he a perfect man? Husband's evaluation of the Prince is getting higher and higher," Ye Zijin said, somewhat unconvinced.

But there was a second half to Heifu's words that he did not tell his wife.

"The more flawless the jade, the easier it shatters!"

If he had to find someone in history most like Fusu, Heifu searched and searched and could only think of Qu Yuan.

His purpose was pure, so he likened things to fragrance; his conduct was incorruptible, so he died and was not tolerated!

Qu Yuan possessed all five virtues, Qu Yuan was gentle and refined, Qu Yuan was brimming with ideals, Qu Yuan spoke without reserve, Qu Yuan would rather break than bend…

Qu Yuan died a murky, unexplained death!

In history, Fusu was the same!

…

In mid-October, as they journeyed south, outside Yiqu City, Heifu and Fusu bowed to each other and each boarded his carriage.

Amid a skyful of frosty rain, Fusu still stood ramrod-straight in his carriage, like a green pine, the jade pendants at his waist chiming softly.

Watching him, Heifu's mind was turning over thoughts of a different kind.

"Had Fusu lived in the Spring and Autumn period, he could have shone brilliantly at the hegemony conferences, reciting odes and elegantly becoming a model for the nobility."

"But in this era, from the power struggles at the central court, to the regional warlords biding their time, and even the barbarian chieftains beyond the frontier — every man pursues nothing but profit, each one schemes and deceives, locked in a life-and-death struggle!"

"The gentlemen of rites, music, poetry, and books have forever become a thing of the past. Like a jade pendant pure in purpose and lofty in character, amid wrought iron and fierce flames — clink! — it shatters into fragments!"

Blind loyalty, righteousness, benevolence, and a soft heart — in this era, there is no path to survival.

Gazing into the distance, Heifu stroked his beard, a deeply meaningful smile flickering across his face. "This is an age of heroes, shameless and profit-driven!"

"Those who can struggle through these treacherous, ever-shifting currents to the very end — either they are thick-skinned and black-hearted to the extreme, or so ruthless they can murder their own father without blinking."

"Or else, they're like me — playing with cheats on!"

PS: Sudden update! Got home and hurried to make it up.

(End of chapter)