Chapter 463: A Fine Son of a Man

"Heifu is a crude fellow; what talent for poetry could he possibly have? It was simply that, seeing the soldiers fight with such devotion, the Chanyu fleeing under cover of night, and General Li leading the light cavalry in pursuit — what a magnificent, stirring sight. Moved by the moment, I composed this as a victory song. I only hope Your Majesty will not laugh at it."

Heifu was being modest, but Li Xin and Fusu remarked, "The song Commandant Wei had the troops sing is actually not far from the truth."

"Simple and easy to understand — that is good."

Qin Shi Huang rather appreciated this victory song. He said, "Though I have only heard these four lines, I can vividly picture the scene."

On that dim moonlit night at the edge of the desert beyond the frontier, the Xiongnu Chanyu fled in defeat, startling the wild geese by the water, while the Qin light cavalry formed ranks and rode out, ready to pursue the victory...

"Only, it should have been around the sixth or seventh month then — where would such heavy snow come from to fill bows and blades?"

The emperor, with his obsessive attention to detail, had noticed this point.

Heifu bowed his head. "'Long ago when I set forth, the millet was in flower. Now as I return, rain and snow fill the road.' That last line came because, as we neared Xianyang, we happened to meet falling snow. The soldiers' bows on their backs and the bronze knife-scrapers tucked in their boot-sides were all covered in frost and snow..."

Qin Shi Huang nodded and did not press the matter further. To be able to sing of the vast, solemn frontier scene, to express the soldiers' soaring morale, and incidentally mock the cowardly Chanyu who fled — that was enough.

"What I hear is the soldiers' devotion unto death, and the courage of their generals."

Qin Shi Huang looked with satisfaction at Meng Tian, Heifu, and Li Xin, then turned to Wang Jian, who sat in attendance, and smiled. "Marquis Wucheng, what do you make of these younger men?"

Marquis Wucheng Wang Jian was old. The old general who had still been vigorous five years ago when destroying Chu was now in his dotage, his teeth and hair loose and failing.

Wang Jian had achieved renown and lived idle at home, so he had far fewer inhibitions. Squinting, he looked at Meng Tian and Li Xin and laughed. "He who back then could not command two hundred thousand men — now he can..."

"Back then" referred to the great defeat Generals Li and Meng suffered on their first campaign against Chu. Though they had won minor merits since, this battle against the Xiongnu was their true redemption. Both generals looked somewhat ashamed and cupped their hands in salute toward Wang Jian. Li Xin even admitted outright that he had been far too arrogant in those days.

Now, his hair was as white as Wang Jian's.

Wang Jian then looked at Heifu. "Commandant Wei is as steady as ever."

Heifu dared not be careless and replied, "Heifu has only learned the barest surface of the old general's art. Unable to adapt on the battlefield or produce a hundred cunning stratagems, I now only dare to fortify hard camps and fight dull battles..."

"Fortify hard camps and fight dull battles?"

Wang Jian burst out laughing. "General, is that an insult aimed at both you and me? The skillful warrior has no reputation for wisdom, no credit for courage; thus his victory is never in doubt. Commandant Wei can truly be called a skillful warrior!"

With that, Wang Jian cupped his hands toward Qin Shi Huang. "General Meng commands the many as if they were the few; General Li can engage with orthodox tactics and win with the unorthodox; Commandant Wei has no illustrious name. With these three generals, Your Majesty, if Meng Wu knew, he could depart in peace, and this old man and Qiang Hui can also retire with easy minds."

Qiang Hui echoed the sentiment, but inwardly sighed. He had originally been the true commander-in-chief of this war, thinking that with the Wang father and son and Meng Wu gone, he could shine brilliantly. Who could have foreseen that, by the turns of fate, the limelight would be completely stolen by these younger men?

In the end, he could only console himself: "Each generation does its own work. We, by Your Majesty's command, swept away the Six States, and now these three generals guard the frontiers for Your Majesty. It is fitting."

Heifu also began to understand. This victory parade ceremony seemed to have become a rite of passage between the old and the new. The heroes of the unification wars were slowly aging. Historically, only Meng Tian could have succeeded them, but because history had changed, Li Xin rose again, and Heifu, inheriting Wang Jian's steady-as-an-old-dog style of warfare, was beginning to make his mark.

Watching this scene, the old generals must surely feel desolation and reluctance in their hearts. Ever since the institutions of the Border-Pacifying Shrine and the Meritorious Temple were established, the life goal of generals, besides being enfeoffed as marquises, had gained one more desire: to "enter the temple." Who would not want their spirit enshrined after death, their name passed down through the ages?

But the thresholds for both were very high. Aside from Wang Jian, no one dared claim their merits were sufficient to enter the Meritorious Temple. Even Meng Wu, who had just recently passed away, did not have that qualification...

According to Qin Shi Huang's vision, from now on the realm would enjoy peace and prosperity, one unbroken line for ten thousand generations, with warfare on the Central Plains forever ended. In the Meritorious Temple honoring the heroes of unification, Wang Jian would be the last inductee — no one else!

But entering the Border-Pacifying Shrine — that was still an opportunity one could strive for.

Li Xin was now brimming with eagerness for battle. As soon as the troops' victory parade ceremony ended, he immediately reported to the emperor:

"Your Majesty, civil strife has broken out among the Xiongnu. Touman was murdered by his son Modu, who has proclaimed himself Chanyu and occupies the Juyan Marsh with thirty thousand followers. The King of the Yuezhi has sent an envoy to report that Modu intends to collude with the Eastern Hu and continue opposing Qin. One must eradicate evil completely; the future calamity of the Xiongnu cannot be left unremoved. Your servant has discussed with the Commandant of Beidi Commandery: perhaps around mid-spring we could launch a raid on Juyan Marsh and annihilate the Xiongnu!"

"Where is Juyan Marsh?"

Qin Shi Huang naturally would not remember such a minor place name. He had Zhao Gao bring a map, and upon seeing that it was extremely remote, isolated at the edge of the shifting-sands desert, he frowned. "To raid this place, how many troops and horses are needed? How many days' march?"

"All the chariots and cavalry of Beidi, Longxi, and Shuofang would be required — twenty thousand riders in total. Setting out from Helan and Gaoque respectively, using surrendered Xiongnu and Yuezhi as guides, at the slowest half a month, at the fastest ten days, we can reach Juyan Marsh!"

After the battle for the Henan lands, one Qin soldier could basically match three Hu. Li Xin was very confident of winning this fight. His only regret before had been that he could not sever the Chanyu's head and hang it above the Qin palace gate!

"This plan seems somewhat risky."

Meng Tian, however, held a different opinion. "At present, the greater part of our army has already returned inside the frontier to winter. To mobilize chariots and cavalry to head north again would be enormously costly. Moreover, a thousand-li raid makes it easy for the Xiongnu to wait at ease for our exhausted troops. If it fails, I fear we would be unable to withdraw!"

Heifu supported Li Xin. "Your Majesty, this plan is somewhat risky, but if it succeeds, the gains would be immense! First, if we eliminate the new Xiongnu Chanyu, the Xiongnu's able-bodied men will be nearly wiped out, so that the multitudes north of the desert will not dare to bend their bows in vengeance. Without three generations, they cannot recover their population."

"Second, Juyan Marsh lies north of the Yuezhi and south of the Xiongnu. Taking it would sever contact between the two states. There are also roads there leading directly to the Wusun and the Western Regions, allowing Qin merchants to bypass the Hexi Corridor and trade directly with the Western Regions, seeking the land of the Queen Mother of the West for Your Majesty. Furthermore, we could establish watch posts, relay stations, and garrison cities. Although the Yuezhi are currently willing to come to court and offer tribute, should Your Majesty ever wish to strike, the garrison at Juyan could sweep southward at any moment, attacking Zhaowu City in a pincer with Longxi!"

Meng Tian still opposed it. "A mere Modu, a patricide — even if he returns north of the desert, I fear he cannot command allegiance. Why worry? It would be better to first consolidate Shuofang and Helan, then gradually plan for Juyan Marsh."

Meng Tian's strategy was one of conservative counterattack, not aimed at destroying the Hu's effective strength, but at first simply claiming and holding territory. He was already planning a grand project to link the long walls of Yan, Zhao, and Qin.

Qin Shi Huang nodded, but then looked toward Fusu, who seemed to want to speak but was hesitating.

"Fusu, what do you think?"

He wanted to know: after going to witness the vast, solemn frontier scene, experiencing the blood-drenched battlefield, and spending long periods in contact with rough, heroic soldiers, had his son changed in any way?

Prince Fusu said, "Generals Li and Wei wish to continue attacking the Xiongnu and eliminate Modu; they naturally have their considerations. The Xiongnu can be struck, and using Juyan Marsh as a trading post and setting up relay stations is also feasible. But to establish agricultural colonies and garrisons, or even station troops there? Juyan Marsh is isolated a thousand li away; transporting grain would be difficult. It also lies between the Xiongnu and the Yuezhi. Once attacked by both, timely relief would be impossible, needlessly costing soldiers their lives. The cost is truly too great — it is inadvisable."

If Fusu had been soft-hearted and directly opposed the war, Qin Shi Huang would certainly have been greatly disgusted. If he had no ideas of his own and simply echoed Heifu, the emperor would not have been pleased either.

As it now appeared, Fusu actually had his own views. This was a good trend. It seemed that sending him to serve as army supervisor for half a year, aside from his face getting a bit darker under the desert and grassland sun, had yielded some results.

Seeing that the light snow in the sky was gradually stopping, but the weather remained dark and gloomy as if heavier frost and snow were still to come, Qin Shi Huang said:

"We shall discuss this matter further later. The victory parade ends here. There is still the drinking-toast grand reward awaiting all the officers and men! Meng Tian, Li Xin, Heifu — you three shall ride your war chariots at the fore and clear the way for me. Return to Zhangtai Palace!"

Heifu remembered the first time he saw Qin Shi Huang's imperial cortege: over five years ago, in the western suburbs of Huaiyang City. The great army had followed Wang Jian to smash the Chu capital of Shouchun and was escorting the captured King of Chu, Fuchu, back. He had led a group of fellow townsmen from Anlu County to maintain order along the roadside. Only after countless cries of acclamation did he finally see the emperor's gold-rooted carriage. Others were so terrified they prostrated themselves on the ground, but he, gazing at the emperor's figure, had been filled with deep emotion.

But it was not until he came to Xianyang, during that year serving as a court gentleman, that Heifu had the chance to see up close just how heavy the crown upon the emperor's head truly was...

And that was Qin Shi Huang, the workaholic. Any other man, under such a crushing load of state affairs, would long ago have had his neck broken or thrown down his burden and neglected governance.

In those days, walking every day amid the emperor's ceremonial procession, the initial novelty had faded. Each outing became ordinary, unremarkable; his attention was entirely on guarding against mishaps.

Now, once again positioned within the imperial cortege, it felt somewhat different from before.

Qin Shi Huang bestowed upon Heifu, Meng Tian, and Li Xin an extremely high honor — as generals returning victorious from pacifying the frontier, they were to clear the way for the imperial chariot, and men were ordered to loudly proclaim their achievements to the populace along the route!

They were traveling from the northern suburbs to Zhangtai Palace in the southern suburbs — they would cross the entire city of Xianyang!

This was the highest honor for a soldier of Great Qin! This year was the thirtieth year of Qin Shi Huang's reign. In thirty years, only Meng Ao, Wang Jian, and Wang Ben had ever enjoyed such treatment.

According to rank of nobility, Meng Tian was at the very front, Li Xin next, and Heifu after him.

Meng Tian was too far away; what he was doing or thinking, Heifu could not quite tell. But Li Xin, just a few paces ahead, Heifu could see clearly: General Li, who appeared to be standing perfectly straight, had both hands gripping the chariot rail tightly, struggling to suppress his agitation.

Back then, Li Xin had boasted that two hundred thousand men would be enough to destroy Chu. He had believed he could achieve it — and enjoy honors just like these.

But Li Xin had waited a full seven years for this triumphal return.

Seven years is not long — the bones of the seventy thousand soldiers buried in Chu have yet to fully whiten.

Seven years is not short — it is enough to turn a youth's hair white.

Now, listening to the cheers of the Xianyang crowds on both sides, Li Xin felt a surge of tangled emotions. This man who, on the frontier, would not even blink as enemy arrows whistled past his ears, now felt on the verge of breaking down in tears.

Heifu did not share Li Xin's churning state of mind; he was simply savoring the moment.

In his past life at the police academy, Heifu had once heard a story: the great Song dynasty general Di Qing had a subordinate who was to be executed for a minor offense. Di Qing pleaded for mercy, saying the man was a fine fellow with military merit. A civil official sneered and said, only those whose names are called out as top scholars outside Donghua Gate are fine fellows — what kind of fine fellow is a mere soldier?

But in Qin, it was exactly the opposite. The Qin people looked down on smooth-talking strategists, detested bombastic Confucian scholars, and held meritorious generals in the highest reverence.

To live in this era is both a soldier's misfortune and his great fortune…

The misfortune lies in fighting without a day of rest, with hardly a chance to beat swords into plowshares. The fortune lies in this: they are the true fine fellows! True men of valor!

And so Heifu smiled as he looked at the cheering commoners and corvée laborers. Once, he too had stood in that very same position.

As the chariot passed North Gate Street, Heifu saw a group of ragged corvée laborers, leaning on the brooms they used to sweep snow, crowding the roadside and gazing with envy at the three generals.

At their head was a man with a high-bridged nose, a handsome beard, and disheveled hair. He stared fixedly at Heifu as if seeing a ghost, his eyes wide with considerable surprise, his mouth slightly agape.

And Heifu could not help giving this man a couple of extra glances.

"Have I seen this big-bearded fellow somewhere before? He looks rather familiar…"

(End of chapter)