Chapter 474: The Great Fish of the Sea

The night was deep, the banquet had dispersed, and the County Magistrate, the County Lieutenant, and the County Clerk clustered around Heifu to escort him to the guest quarters to rest. Cao Can and Xiao He also returned to their homes.

Although Cao Can was a man of no small ability, skilled in both civil and military affairs, his renown and standing in the county had always been beneath Xiao He's, and he could only lament his ill fortune. Yet today he had encountered an opportunity he would never have dreamed of. Elated, he had drunk a great deal of wine, his face glowing red. As Xiao He supported him to the gate of the Cao residence, Cao Can suddenly grabbed hold of Xiao He and, his breath reeking of alcohol, said:

"Brother Xiao, just now at the banquet, the Governor of Jiaodong Commandery's words carried a hint of recruiting you. Why did you firmly and politely refuse, just as you did the last time when the Supervising Censor recommended you to enter Xianyang?"

Xiao He had only sipped his wine in small cups, unlike Cao Can, who in his excitement had toasted Heifu cup after cup, and so his eyes remained clear and sober. He said, "Did I not say? I have an elderly mother at home…"

"Truly?" Cao Can tilted his head and looked at Xiao He.

"Absolutely true."

Xiao He said solemnly, "Furthermore, I am the patriarch of the Xiao clan. Over ten branch families, several hundred souls in the entire clan, all depend on me. How could I rashly leave Pei County and go elsewhere? If I did, who would protect them?"

This reason was plausible enough, but Cao Can remained puzzled at heart and thought to himself, "Though the Xiao clan is large, it is still only a county magnate. If one could gain the Governor of Jiaodong's esteem and, like that Chen Ping, ascend to a high position, in the long run, would that not be even more beneficial to the clan?"

This was also the reason Cao Can had agreed to Heifu's recruitment in a single breath. This was an era that chased after profit and achievement; everyone wanted to leap onto a higher branch, to transform from a rat in the latrine into a rat in the granary. Xiao He was a man wiser than him — how could he not see this point clearly?

The drunkenness surged over his head again. Cao Can shook his head, no longer dwelling on these complicated matters. Only when Xiao He handed him over to the servants of the Cao residence and was about to head home did Cao Can, borrowing the courage of the wine, suddenly shout loudly at Xiao He: "Brother Xiao, when Cao Can returns to Pei from Jiaodong, I will certainly no longer be beneath you!"

Xiao He turned his head and smiled. "Naturally so. I wish you a prosperous official career, Brother Cao."

Cao Can felt his earlier words had been rash, as if he had always been unwilling to accept Xiao He's superiority, and he was somewhat embarrassed. He could only pretend he was truly drunk and shout again: "Tell Liu Ji for me — for his wedding banquet, Cao Can cannot go!"

"Certainly!"

When he returned to the Xiao residence and shut the gate behind him, Xiao He looked up at the winter moon and let out a breath.

A year ago he had refused to go to Xianyang to serve as an official, and this time he had politely declined the Jiaodong Governor's recruitment. It was indeed out of consideration for his elderly mother and his clan, but the more primary reason was a personal realization within Xiao He's heart…

A hundred li northeast of Pei County, on the essential route to Xue Commandery, Jibei, and Linzi, there was a place called Xue County. The customs of Xue County differed greatly from those of Zou and Lu, but were similar to Pei County's — the common quarters were full of violent and unruly youths, because it had been the fief of Lord Mengchang's family for two generations. Lord Mengchang and his father had recruited a great number of wandering knights to Xue City.

Xiao He had been to Xue County and heard a story: Lord Mengchang's father, Lord Jingguo, Tian Ying, out of selfish motives, prepared to reinforce the walls of Xue County, making their height rival that of Linzi. This was a posture of breaking with the Qi homeland. His retainers all urged him against it, but Lord Jingguo was set on his course and strictly forbade his retainers from speaking of the matter again — those who spoke further would be killed!

Only one bold retainer sought an audience with Tian Ying and said, "I shall speak only three words. One word more, and I willingly submit to the punishment of being boiled alive."

Tian Ying thus granted him an audience. The man strode swiftly in and said, "Sea, great fish!" Then he turned on his heel and left.

Truly the death of a man with obsessive compulsion! Tian Ying did not understand what this meant and could only detain the retainer, agreeing to let him speak freely and at least explain those three words clearly.

The retainer then said: "Has my lord not heard of the great fish of the sea? Nets cannot seize it, hooks cannot catch it, and in the sea it has no natural enemies. Yet once the great fish leaves the water, even the tiniest ants can do as they please upon its body. The state of Qi is precisely my lord's water. That you can wield power over all under heaven and treat with the feudal lords as an equal is not because Xue City is sturdy or your soldiers and armor are numerous, but because my lord is the Prime Minister of Qi. If my lord breaks with Qi and no longer enjoys its protection, then even if you build the walls of Xue County as high as the heavens, could they still hold back a hundred thousand troops from Chu or Wei?"

Tian Ying suddenly saw the light and ceased the construction of the Xue walls.

The principle was universal. In Xiao He's view, he himself was also a sea fish, and Pei County was the water upon which his survival depended. Here he had his local fellows, his clan kin, his colleagues, his friends. The County Magistrate followed his every word of counsel. Xiao He and the Xiao clan, in Pei County, could summon the wind and call forth the rain as they pleased!

Leaving Pei County, for him, was a kind of gamble.

If a fish leaves its familiar waters, though it may not die immediately, from that moment on, your life and death rest in the hands of the one who netted you and carried you away…

When you are of use, you are kept in a tank, honored and favored. The slightest displeasure, and calamity awaits at the cleaver and the chopping board.

Xiao He was cautious by nature. He did not wish to leave the water too soon, entrusting his future and his very life to a stranger he was meeting for the first time!

Beyond this point, Xiao He's repeated refusals of promotion — not going to Xianyang, nor to Jiaodong — were also due to a deep misgiving in his heart…

"Flashing and blazing the thunder and lightning, no peace, no goodness. A hundred rivers boil and surge, the mountain peaks collapse and crumble. The high banks become valleys, the deep valleys become hills!"

This was the judgment Xiao He had made of the current age, based on forty years of his own experience and learning.

The affairs of the world were changing far too quickly. The Six States had been abruptly destroyed, and Qin, which seemed mighty and peerless, how long could it endure?

As a functionary, Xiao He silently observed many things: the court's forcible imposition of Qin law had caused great discomfort among the people east of the Passes; the Qin officials parachuted in did not win the hearts of the people; the campaigns against the Xiongnu and the garrisoning of the frontier fortresses, though not yet causing the people's grievances to boil over, still left the common folk gasping for breath under the heavy corvée. In the lands east of the Passes these past few years, disasters and anomalies had been erratic; wandering knights and remnants of the fallen states still moved in the shadows, difficult for the authorities to control…

When the moon is eclipsed, it is but its norm; when this sun is eclipsed, what misfortune does it not portend? Who could say clearly what the future would bring?

Rather than being tempted by immediate profit like Cao Can, rushing to gain promotion and wealth, Xiao He would rather remain in Pei County and quietly observe the changes of the times.

Should the day ever truly come when the great edifice is about to topple and the mountains and rivers boil over, Xiao He's first duty would be to preserve himself, and preserve his clan…

Relying on himself alone, a mere petty scrivener, was clearly not enough. Therefore, while moving in the circles of the lawful, Xiao He also maintained close contact with three figures of Pei County's underworld.

One was a prominent Pei County householder, Wang Ling. One was a Feng Town magnate, Yong Chi.

And the third was a man who had thrown himself into the system, the Sishui Village Head, Liu Ji…

To an outsider, the three men were not comparable: Wang Ling was the boss of all the county's wandering knights; though he no longer dared openly act as a knight-errant these days, he was still a great landlord. Yong Chi's family was wealthy, worth several hundred gold, and he dominated Feng Town, such that even the Xiao clan had to yield to him three parts.

Liu Ji, however, was merely a minor village head, nearly forty years of age, who had only recently stumbled into good fortune and gained a fine wife.

But among the three, Xiao He felt that if trouble ever arose in the future, the one most likely to be able to help him was Liu Ji alone.

In his youth, Liu Ji had been a dissolute wandering knight, disliked by the village folk. After becoming the Sishui Village Head, he showed absolutely no tendency to follow rules and regulations; he was still fond of wine and women, wild and insolent, speaking madly and acting recklessly.

Xiao He had originally also disapproved of this man, but in the occasional conversations when they shared a mat, Xiao He discovered that beneath Liu Ji's surface arrogance and rudeness, he was inwardly astute and magnanimous. Even when dead drunk, if he heard a reasonable word, he could immediately awaken to it, apologize, and ask to follow it, abruptly becoming a different person entirely.

With Xiao He's keen eye for people, he gradually discerned some of Liu Ji's merits. Liu Ji dared to act and to take responsibility. On the lower end, he could command men by force of spirit, moving deep in the world of knights-errant and gathering a band of die-hard brothers around him. On the higher end, he could humble himself and bow his head, following Zhang Er from afar and serving Wang Ling as an elder brother. Since entering official service, among the various functionaries of Pei County, he was a figure who could not be ignored, moving smoothly in both the lawful and the underworld circles.

This was the reason Xiao He extended considerable protection to Liu Ji, giving him two hundred coins more than others when gifting money, and why tonight he was hurrying to Feng Town to serve as the master of ceremonies at Liu Ji's wedding…

He was not the only one who had discerned Liu Ji's potential; the renowned gentleman Lü Gong had as well. Even setting Liu Ji aside, for the sake of the Lü family's formidable eldest son, Lü Ze, Xiao He also had to show them face.

Speaking of which, at last night's banquet, the various functionaries had recounted this matter as a joke to the Governor of Jiaodong. They said that when Liu Ji went to Lü Gong's house as a guest, the rule was clear: those with congratulatory money under a thousand coins were to be seated below the hall. Yet Liu Ji, without a single coin on his person, shouted out the boast: "I, Liu Ji, offer ten thousand coins in congratulations!" In the end, not only was Lü Gong not angry, he even took Liu Ji as a son-in-law…

Taking advantage of the County Magistrate's departure to change his robes, the County Clerk whispered this gossip to Heifu: "Lü Gong's daughter is exceedingly beautiful, so much so that even the Pei County Magistrate wished to marry her. Lü Gong refused the Pei Magistrate, yet took a liking to that Liu Ji, who is full of grand boasts and achieves little. How strange indeed."

Upon hearing this matter, Heifu was extremely interested. He had them recount the whole story from beginning to end, then burst into hearty laughter.

"This Sishui Village Head is rather interesting! I am passing through Pei County and happen upon his wedding feast. Though I cannot attend, I must still offer my congratulations!"

And so, with a grand wave of his hand, Heifu arranged for two of his retainers to accompany Xiao He to Feng Town the next day. He too would "offer ten thousand coins in congratulations!"

"This Governor of Jiaodong, his every action and deed is truly unfathomable…"

The more unfathomable a person was, the less Xiao He dared to pledge himself lightly.

Thinking thus, Xiao He drank some hot soup to sober up, slept in a daze for a spell, then hurried out the door. Just after the cockcrow, he galloped away from the western gate. Heifu's two retainers also drove a cart, carrying the heavy load of ten thousand coins they had exchanged, following close behind…

At the same time, Heifu's party had already exited the eastern gate and was heading in the direction of Xue Commandery…

…

Qin officials were not private servants; the transfer of officers followed a set procedure. Cao Can had to wait for the transfer order from Sishui Commandery and would only be able to chase after Heifu in a few days. Heifu thus left one of his retainers to wait for him, and during the farewell at the eastern gate, he told Cao Can, with an air of seeming casualness:

"If there are any brave and mighty talents in Pei County, you may bring them along to Jiaodong."

"Brave and mighty talents?"

Cao Can rubbed his head and thought for a moment. For the time being, he could only recall one archer, Zhou Bo. A pity that he had already been left behind in Shuofang City as a garrison soldier and would never return in this lifetime.

Once Pei County had been left far behind, Chen Ping, who was sharing the carriage, smiled and said: "The Commandery Governor's time is pressing — he must take up his post in Jiaodong by month's end — yet all along the way he seeks capable officials and visits able talents. Truly, he yearns for the worthy as one thirsts."

Heifu merely replied flatly: "We should reach Xue City by tomorrow, yes?"

Chen Ping grew solemn: "Yes. We stop tonight at Qi County; by tomorrow we can reach Xue."

Heifu began speaking of a seemingly unrelated matter: "Before leaving Xianyang, my father-in-law sought me out and told me a story about Xue City, called 'The Great Fish of the Sea'!"

He recounted the tale of the great sea fish, then laughed: "My father-in-law's meaning was clear — I am like a fish of the sea, and the institutions of Great Qin are the water. In Nan Commandery and Guanxi, I had the Qin laws at my back, His Majesty's trust, and the cooperation of colleagues, so I could move like a fish in water, exerting myself to the fullest."

"But now, going to Jiaodong, it is the place farthest from Xianyang. The common people are not yet gathered, the people's hearts are not yet settled, and the many Tian clan magnates stand like a forest. I seem close to the sea, but in truth I am a fish stranded on shore. A tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs; a dragon swimming in shallow waters is mocked by shrimp. If I do not wish to fall into isolation, dry out on the shoals, and be devoured by ants and petty wretches, I must draw in some talents to become the aid of hands and feet..."

This was the reason he had recruited Cao Shen and the others.

With Chen Ping for strategy, Gong Ao for valor, and then Xiao He, skilled in domestic administration, and Cao Shen, accomplished in both civil and martial affairs, his hands and feet would be complete.

It was a pity that, unlike Cao Shen, Xiao He had his own plans. Clever people always have too many thoughts.

And so Heifu employed a feint of wanting to catch yet letting go, taking away Cao Shen, who had always been ranked beneath Xiao He. If Xiao He truly cared little for fame and profit, then when he saw Cao Shen rise swiftly in a few years' time and return home in brocade robes, would he still have no second thoughts?

As for the other people of Pei County, Heifu was in no hurry. He was merely a Commandery Governor; the more subordinates, the better was not the rule. Three visits to a thatched cottage? That would be far too beneath him. A provincial party secretary must have the self-awareness of a provincial party secretary, not rush to fawn and kneel the moment he sees some famous ancient figure, regardless of their present status and position, and suddenly promote them. What would old subordinates like Chen Ping and Gong Ao think of that?

Besides, this was Great Qin, not the Three Kingdoms. Unless they were private retainers, an official transferring posts could not even take former subordinate officers with him. To humble oneself so to worthy scholars and cultivate a reputation among the common folk — what are you trying to do?

If he truly imitated Wei Wuji, driving the carriage for an old gatekeeper or seeking out a dog butcher in the market, he feared it would be trying to paint a tiger and ending up with a dog. Word reaching Xianyang, it might truly make Qin Shi Huang think his intentions were unsound and his designs far too grand...

Heifu was merely passing through, pressed for time. He would catch a big fish to take along, and leave the small fry to be raised for now.

The nature of retainer politics is that when one man achieves his ambition, he can draw in his village fellows to join him. With Cao Shen as an example, within half a year or a year, if he proved capable and received Heifu's patronage, he would naturally stand out. When that time came, why worry that those in Pei County with ambitions for official rank and renown would not fall into his snare? A slow, gradual plan would also hardly draw attention.

Heifu was also well aware that, however famous in history, the people of Pei County were merely a bonus. Those he could truly trust were still his Nan Commandery village fellows like Gong Ao, or people like Chen Ping who had invested early and whose roots and background he knew thoroughly.

As for those ten thousand coins?

Chen Ping was also curious, but did not dare ask.

Heifu, however, tapped the carriage rail. He very much wanted to know the expression on the big-bearded Chief Liu's face when he received this congratulatory gift.

"This is a probe, a bait cast to make Liu Ji, the core figure of the Pei County clique, uneasy and anxious."

Heifu sighed and thought to himself: "It is also compensation for his never being able to become the Han Emperor Gaozu in this life. After all, his dynastic name became the eternal name of a people! A pity... history has already changed."

A lifelong nemesis? Heifu did not have the slightest such notion.

Unlike Modu, who was beyond his reach, the moment Heifu found him, Liu Bang — this child of destiny in history — no matter what choice he made or how he struggled, had already been declared out of the game!

Full map vision against no vision, twenty minutes of farming for a three-item build against a level-one account with straw sandals — what the hell is there even to fight!

(End of Chapter)