Chapter 541: The Wise Minister

"Kuaiji is a major commandery, and I appointed you as Commandant of Kuaiji. Now, because of me, you've been transferred to Jiaodong — I truly feel terrible about it."

In early November, the First Emperor of Qin's party concluded their trip to Mount Chengshan and returned to Chui County to rest and regroup. At the same time, they announced a new personnel reassignment: Ren Xiao, Commandant of Kuaiji Commandery, who had led the towered ships north to escort the imperial eastern tour, was reassigned as Commandant of Jiaodong Commandery, serving as Hei Fu's deputy. Together, they were tasked with sweeping away the sea bandits within a year. The naval forces and the Chu-Yue towered-ship soldiers under his command would also serve in Jiaodong...

And so, Hei Fu and this new colleague, nearly twenty years his senior, engaged in a hearty round of mutual flattery.

Ren Xiao, a seasoned veteran of officialdom, repeatedly demurred:

"The Commandery Governor jests. Kuaiji may be large and populous, but in the end, it is a wild, barbaric land of Wu and Yue — how can it compare to Jiaodong, a great commandery of the Central Plains on the Eastern Sea? Moreover, with His Majesty placing such importance on pacifying the sea bandits of Qi, this transfer of mine is truly a promotion, a promotion..."

After their bout of mutual flattery, Hei Fu gained a fair understanding of Ren Xiao's past. This man, like Commandant Tu Sui, had started as a Towership General and had earned no small merit during Wang Jian's conquest of Chu. That campaign to destroy Chu had been so vast in scope that Hei Fu had probably fought in only a tenth of the battles, and had even missed the great campaign into Jiangdong. Thus, officers who had earned merit and risen in rank like him were not few in number.

Ren Xiao was one such man. After a series of campaigns — crossing the Huai, crossing the Yangtze, and more — he had become, among the generals of the Qin dynasty, a seasoned commander of naval warfare second only to Commandant Tu Sui.

"After the old general Wang pacified Jiangdong, he ordered me to lead the captured naval forces across the Zhe River and subdue the various lords of Yue."

This was the achievement Ren Xiao was most proud of. As it turned out, although the Yue kingdom had long ago been destroyed by Chu, Chu had been unable to effectively control the region south of the Qiantang River. They had therefore allowed the descendants of King Goujian of Yue to continue ruling there as the "Lords of Yue."

This was similar to how Qin allowed the Ba people of Ba Commandery and Nan Commandery to retain their tribes, with their chieftains bearing the title of "chieftain-lord." However, those Lords of Yue possessed considerable autonomy, dwelling along the southern rivers and the sea, and paying nominal allegiance to Chu. Apart from the more sinicized Yu-Yue, the Eastern Ou and Min-Yue further south were in a state of complete independence.

"Kuaiji has two commandery commandants — one in charge of land forces, the other of the naval forces. The Yue people are fierce and hard to tame; they often take to the mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes as bandits, some even fleeing to the islands of the Eastern Sea. The two states of Eastern Ou and Min-Yue have old grudges and frequently fight, even slaughtering each other on the water, which sometimes spills over to affect the Yue people of Kuaiji. During my years in Kuaiji, dealing with these bandits, I can say I've become quite adept..."

Hei Fu laughed. "In that case, what Jiaodong lacks is precisely a Towership General like you, Lord Ren. Though I come from the ranks, I'm decent enough at fighting and deploying formations on land. But to ask me to go to sea and fight — that would truly be too difficult for me."

Hei Fu welcomed Ren Xiao's transfer to Jiaodong. War was not child's play; professional matters required professionals to handle them. This had nothing whatsoever to do with possessing knowledge of later ages. Hei Fu knew nothing of naval warfare. Once aboard a ship, he would be nothing but fish meat at the mercy of others. Besides, a commandery governor had no direct authority over military power anyway.

"Then, Lord Ren, in your opinion, how should we begin the extermination of the Jiaodong sea bandits?"

Ren Xiao replied, "It should proceed in three steps. First, let the towered-ship soldiers from Chu-Yue and Kuaiji familiarize themselves with the waters and undergo training. Second, coordinate land and naval forces: when the bandits come ashore to seek provisions, annihilate them in one stroke and weaken their strength. Third, when the time is ripe, dispatch a large force on a long-distance voyage to their lair and sweep them away completely!"

Even the first step could not be implemented until spring. With the weather currently freezing cold, Ren Xiao indicated that all he could do was keep his soldiers well sheltered at the port of Chui County, using it as a base and letting them acclimate to the climate.

The southern Chu-Yue soldiers were unaccustomed to the severe northern cold, so Hei Fu also had to allocate a batch of winter clothing for them, mostly made of hemp cloth, which offered limited protection against the cold.

At times like this, Hei Fu missed the woolen clothes of Beidi Commandery immensely. Unfortunately, production was limited, and for now, it could only meet the needs of the garrisons at Shuofang and Helan. He wondered how those sons of good families he had trained as cavalrymen, and the military-farming colonists, were doing now?

"Livestock breeding and growth takes a very long time. Relying solely on knitting sweaters can't even meet the army's needs, let alone clothe and blanket the whole world..."

Hei Fu was also aware of the limitations of the wool textile industry, and he hoped even more fervently that the envoy and merchant caravan sent by the First Emperor to the Western Regions could soon bring back cotton seeds, allowing them to take root in the Central Plains. Only then could they truly achieve the ideal of "sheltering all the world's shivering scholars and making them beam with joy!"

After finishing his official duties, Hei Fu went to the traveling palace to pay his respects to the First Emperor and explain his and Ren Xiao's plan. When he returned to his own lodgings, he discovered that a large fat man was already there, warming himself by the fire and waiting for him for quite some time.

Closing the door, Zhang Cang's first question was: "What exactly did you do to that Xu Shi?"

"Nothing much."

Hei Fu spoke in a casual, understated manner, but his eyes were fixed on the fragrant goat's milk simmering on the stove. Adding a bit of sugar made it an excellent guard against the cold. This was a habit he had formed during his three-plus years living on the northern frontier. Hei Fu had no regional prejudice when it came to food; whether from the far south or the far north, as long as it tasted good, be it Rong, Di, or various Xia fare, he would toss it all into his mouth.

He also poured a cup for Zhang Cang and said, "I merely had someone intercept Xu Shi on the road and invite him to be a guest in Jiaodong."

"A guest?" Zhang Cang laughed. "The kind of guest who vanishes without a trace, making others think he was captured by sea bandits."

"Wasn't this also to ensure the sorcerers' schemes fell through?"

Zhang Cang was a bosom friend, Hei Fu's "accomplice," so Hei Fu did not hide anything. "Warfare is the way of deception. Since the sorcerers wanted to play 'blossoms on the tree,' I could only give them a move called 'removing the firewood from under the cauldron'!"

Zhang Cang didn't quite understand what "blossoms on the tree" meant, but "removing the firewood from under the cauldron" he grasped. "Is Xu Shi still alive? Could it be you've already killed him?"

"Kill him I did not. This Xu Shi..."

Hei Fu smiled. If the legend was true, this Xu Shi — well, Xu Fu — might be the ancestor of the Japanese? Although the legend was not very reliable, it didn't stop him from amusing himself. He had spared Xu Shi's life to prepare for future plans.

Hmm, perhaps many years from now, he could have him take Liu Ji, who was freeloading under Hei Fu's care, away to the Japanese islands, never to return...

"He is still useful to me."

"You must still be careful."

Zhang Cang leaned closer and said, "If this matter is exposed, yours will be the capital crime of deceiving the sovereign! You might even be accused by the sorcerers of deliberately obstructing His Majesty's quest for immortals and longevity!"

"The sorcerers won't be able to strut around for much longer."

Hei Fu, however, said with certainty, "His Majesty is the least patient of men. After this incident at Mount Chengshan, His Majesty already feels in his heart that the sorcerers are unreliable, mostly glib-tongued and sycophantic sorts. Look, since returning west from Mount Chengshan, has His Majesty summoned Anqi Sheng or any other sorcerer for an in-depth talk?"

"That, he has not..."

Zhang Cang nodded, then sighed. "But what you've done is merely skimming the foam off a boiling pot. His Majesty's desire to seek immortals and longevity has not subsided. Didn't he still order General Ren transferred to Jiaodong to sweep away the bandits with you? Once the sea waves are calmed, sending towered ships east to seek immortals will likely still be unavoidable."

Hei Fu said, "Purging the coastal bandits is not solely for seeking immortals; it also benefits Jiaodong. Consider this a stalling tactic. Let's drag it out. After a year or half a year, His Majesty's enthusiasm for this matter may not be so fervent anymore."

Zhang Cang remained unconvinced. "How can you know that?"

Hei Fu did not explain fully, but smiled. "Just a guess. However, Brother Zihu, that day at Mount Chengshan, you said that you and I were alike, merely remonstrating ministers. Now that you know my methods, what do you think?"

Zhang Cang thought for a moment, then said solemnly, "You are not a remonstrating minister, nor any of the types the Master spoke of."

He pondered further, then pointed at Hei Fu. "You are a wise minister! One who discerns the hidden, perceives success and failure, prevents disaster early and remedies it, guides and restores; blocks its openings, severs its source, turns calamity into blessing, and ensures the ruler is ultimately without worry — such a one is a wise minister! The one who can truly navigate the court to the very end is none other than the wise minister!"

"Thank goodness I stopped you from getting mixed up in this affair!"

At the same time, in another corner of the traveling palace, Zhao Gao and his younger brother, the Guard Officer Zhao Cheng, were also conducting a secret conversation.

Zhao Cheng recalled that it was at Xiami where he himself had let in the sorcerer who tattled on Hei Fu. The enmity between Hei Fu and the sorcerers had also begun there.

But who could have expected that Hei Fu, who had kept completely silent, would, at Mount Chengshan, completely turn the situation around? The sorcerers, who had originally been enjoying renewed favor, were left utterly disgraced and lost the emperor's trust.

"The sorcerers are not worth conspiring with."

But Zhao Cheng still had one point of confusion. "Elder Brother, you had a grudge against Hei Fu early on. Now, why is it that when Hei Fu is at odds with Chancellor Li and the sorcerers, fighting tooth and nail each time, you have not seized the opportunity to step in and stomp on him a few times?"

"Hei Fu is in the full flush of success; why should I stick my neck out?"

Zhao Gao, however, was very clear. "This Hei Fu probably fancies himself a wise minister — one who discerns the hidden, perceives success and failure, and turns back the tide at its crest. He has a hand in every matter, wants to meddle in everything. The dispute over burning and revising the books nearly made him and Chancellor Li sworn enemies. This time at Mount Chengshan, he has also incurred the hatred of the sorcerers. Haven't you noticed? The more he meddles, the more enemies he makes in the court and the provinces. In the end, he will become an isolated minister — an isolated minister like Shang Yang, like Wu Qi..."

If one does not secure a retreat path, an isolated minister will, in the end, die a very miserable death.

"That being the case, why should I intervene further?"

Zhao Gao was most pleased with this. Hei Fu always had countless matters to attend to, countless enemies to fight. He, however, had no such need; he only had to hide behind the scenes, weaving his web like an eight-clawed spider, watch for the right moment, and deliver a single, crushing blow.

"If I contend with him openly, it will displease His Majesty. We... shall simply watch him defeat himself..." Zhao Gao said lightly.

But Zhao Gao had still underestimated the heaven-defying luck of a cheater. Just as the two brothers were talking, a messenger arrived in haste from Xianyang.

As the Prefect of the Palace Chariots, Zhao Gao, due to the deep trust of the First Emperor, also managed the seal affairs. Whenever messages or official documents arrived, they were delivered personally by him and a few ushers.

After they entered the detached palace where Qin Shi Huang rested, Zhao Gao was ordered to open the letter, but he stared at it dumbfounded for a long moment, unable to speak.

"What has happened?" Qin Shi Huang asked.

"It is good news, Your Majesty."

Zhao Gao forced a smile at the corner of his mouth, cursing inwardly: "Hei Fu's luck holds, but the alchemists are finished! With this matter, His Majesty's desire to seek immortals in the Eastern Sea will likely be halved!"

At that moment, the herald also loudly reported: "Your Majesty, this is a letter sent by Wushi Yan and General Li Xin. The first envoys to the Western Regions have returned. The party reached Loulan and paid a visit to the King of Loulan. Loulan is willing to submit to Great Qin, offering tribute and a hostage prince. The mission was blocked by the great desert and sandstorms and could not penetrate deeper into the Western Regions. Yet at the desert's edge, they saw something…"

"What did they see?" Qin Shi Huang raised his eyes curiously.

The herald, holding the letter, said excitedly: "They saw a mirage cast upon the desert by the Kunlun Immortal Realm, the Land of the Queen Mother of the West! Palaces, chambers, towers, and pavilions, complete in every detail!"

PS: Thank you everyone for the recent tips. Also, to answer a reader's question from yesterday: "Ode to Qin" is content within the book, in Chapter 380. The second chapter will be up tonight.

(End of Chapter)