Chapter 568: The Warrior's Role Is to Halt the Blade

"If Linzi City falls into chaos, this rebellion won't just be a matter of a few thousand or ten thousand dead!"

After speaking, Heifu stood on the war chariot and turned to sweep his gaze over the five thousand troops under his command, frowning slightly. He was not satisfied with either their order or their morale.

Heifu leading his forces west to Linzi this time could well be described as "taking command in the face of peril."

Generally speaking, in the Qin dynasty, the Commandery Governor managed civil affairs and finances, the Commandery Commandant controlled the military and bandit suppression, the Commandery Aide handled legal matters and criminal cases, and the Commandery Inspector oversaw the officials — four offices standing separate, checking and balancing one another.

But the post of Commandery Governor was originally a military office established in border regions, so it retained this authority to a large extent. For example, Zhang Ruo, the Governor of Shu during the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, led troops to suppress rebellions and attack Chu on more than one occasion.

Nowadays, such instances are far fewer, but when urgent matters like beacon-fire alarms or rebellions arise, the court still authorizes commandery governors with military experience to take charge of the suppression.

Jiaodong Commandery clearly fit this situation. Although Ren Xiao was the Commandery Commandant, his expertise lay in tower-ship naval warfare. Governor Heifu, on the other hand, was a veteran soldier of over ten years who had climbed step by step to his present position through solid military merit. He was clearly seen by the First Emperor of Qin as the best candidate to swiftly quell the unrest in Qi — by this point, the Emperor could no longer cling tightly to the balance of power. Any clear-eyed person understood that if the Qi rebellion could not be put down quickly, it would very likely send a dangerous signal to the whole realm, allowing the turmoil to spread.

Furthermore, if Heifu and the commanderies like Linzi and Jibei could handle it, there would be no need to dispatch generals and troops from Guanzhong, nor to bring out a butcher's cleaver like Wang Ben.

A few days earlier, Heifu, holding the tiger tally sent by the Emperor, had legitimately summoned the troops of each county and assembled them at Chunyu County, a process that took some ten days. When he watched these rank-and-file soldiers line up before him and saw their crooked, disorderly ranks, he felt a twinge of toothache.

"I've never led such rotten troops!"

The Qin dynasty's army was primarily composed of conscripted peasant soldiers, not professional troops. The sources of commandery soldiers were no more than two. The first was garrison troops from all over — in Jiaodong, for instance, they were mainly commoners from Taoqiu and Dong Commandery sent to serve garrison duty, with very few Qin people from Guanzhong.

The second source was even less reliable: local able-bodied young men who served one month a year as rotating conscripts in the commandery or county. Heifu dared not bring these men out — it would be fortunate if they didn't defect on the battlefield. Expecting Qi people to kill Qi people? A bit difficult. And using the left-alley tenant farmers who already supported the government as cannon fodder — Heifu was loath to do that. He was counting on this class to grow stronger day by day.

In addition, there were three thousand Linzi Commandery troops that Heifu had "borrowed" from Linzi through a little trick to guard the salt fields and gold mines. Among these, a thousand were Qin men from Guanzhong, absolutely trustworthy. The other two thousand were still garrison troops from Liang and Han lands, who would not sell their lives wholeheartedly for the Qin dynasty, and their training was rather lax and slack.

Although before Ren Xiao took office, Heifu had secretly meddled in military affairs — appointing Cao Can to the Military Office and making Gong Ao acting county commandant — and strengthened the screening and training of the Jiaodong garrison, no matter how much they trained, the combat strength of the Guandong commandery troops could never compare with the fierce, brave divisions west of the Pass.

They lacked the wholehearted loyalty of his Nan Commandery fellow provincials, and they lacked the excellent training, courage, and battle prowess of the good sons of Beidi. At best, they were a security force capable of maintaining public order, good for scaring off wandering swordsmen, bandits, and thieves.

The soldiers of Linzi Commandery were the same, or even worse. So when Heifu heard that the Linzi Commandery Commandant had actually been driven back across the Ji River by a banzai charge of Qi rebel troops and returned in defeat, he was not the least bit surprised.

What the Qi people saw as "disciplined order" was, in Heifu's eyes, still below standard! The true strong armies of the realm were north of the Great Wall and west of the Yellow River. The wandering swordsmen's armed bands and the commandery troops were all just competing to see who was less rotten.

But at this point, Heifu could only try to plaster this mud onto the wall. After all, he was just a paperhanger...

At times like this, Heifu felt grateful for his foresight. Over the past half year and more, by relocating the Tian clans and distributing their land, he had granted every garrison soldier temporary ownership of eighty to one hundred mu of public fields.

And as the price for this equal-field land distribution, ten thousand households of Jiaodong left-alley dwellers and tenant farmers worked the public fields for the government without pay, and the harvested grain was used as military rations and rewards for the soldiers.

Thus, these garrison troops were bound to Heifu by shared interests. They were the beneficiaries of the Tian clans' downfall, naturally opposed to the rebels who sought to restore Qi.

As for the left-alley dwellers, tenant farmers, and other propertyless classes who had received land, they became the baggage train, trailing far behind. Jiaodong lacked sufficient labor, so they had no time at all for military training, toiling in the fields all day. Their discipline was far too poor, and they could not yet shoulder great responsibilities.

Watching the ranks grow sparse and ragged after a mere fifty-li march, with nearly a thousand stragglers, Heifu could only sigh inwardly.

He missed his Nan Commandery fellow provincials and the Beidi cavalry terribly, but what could he do? Heifu could only lead this ragtag army under his command to quell a prairie fire that might burn the rich and prosperous Qi lands to white ash!

Right now, Linzi City was already in turmoil. Thick smoke billowed upward, and the sounds of shouting and killing seemed to come from within the city. If they arrived too late, this city would likely no longer belong to Qin.

But before the battle began, Heifu still had to fire up his men.

"Gentlemen!"

Heifu spoke loudly, having officials at different positions use three or four dialects to relay the commander's words to the soldiers from different regions.

"Bandits have risen in revolt, seeking to restore the Qi state. Once Qi is restored, the Tian clans will surely return. When that comes, the reward fields you hold will be yours no more, and you will face the Tian clan's vengeance! But if we can win victory, His Majesty will certainly grant rewards!"

"When Linzi is pacified, this Governor invites you all to taste the fine wine of Zhuangyue Market together!"

When talking to the rank-and-file soldiers, one had to be direct and lay out the benefits plainly. So Heifu's two short sentences, simple and easy to understand, immediately drew a response from the lower ranks. The fatigue of the forced march seemed to ease somewhat, and everyone raised their weapons and shouted in approval.

But for the mid- and high-ranking officers, Heifu had a more refined battle declaration, and he took the opportunity to clarify the nature of this fight.

He summoned Cao Can, Gong Ao, and the others over and said gravely:

"In the past, King Zhuang of Chu said: 'The warrior's role is to halt the blade — to prohibit violence, to sheathe the weapons of war, to preserve the great and secure merit, and to bring peace to the people and harmony to wealth.' I deeply agree. This is what a warrior ought to do, a duty no less than expanding the realm or displaying might beyond the frontier!"

Cao Can nodded in agreement, and Gong Ao straightened his back, listening intently.

"Therefore, this campaign is about quelling rebellion, not taking heads. Kill only the wandering swordsmen and powerful magnates; do not indiscriminately slaughter the common people of Linzi. You must further restrain the troops and strictly forbid looting under cover of chaos!"

"Aye!"

Gong Ao answered with a loud shout, and Cao Can nodded heavily. He greatly admired Heifu's philosophy of "the warrior's role is to halt the blade."

Cao Can could understand this Qi rebellion. His own feelings toward Qin were complex. On one hand, he was a Qin official, well-versed in the laws and ordinances. But on the other hand, he was also a Chu man from Pei County. If his own Cao clan's fields and houses had been treated the same way, Cao Can asked himself honestly — he would probably draw his sword and rise up too...

But unless their lives and interests were at stake, no one truly wanted to rebel. Whether Qi people or Chu people, most common folk, though life was a bit hard, still longed for peace and a settled life. If they made no distinctions and swung the butcher's blade at everyone... never mind whether Cao Can's own conscience could bear it — hah, Linzi had a population of four hundred thousand. Once chaos erupted, the peace of the entire Qi region, a full sixty-year cycle of tranquility, would cease to exist!

After speaking, Heifu called to the newly appointed standard-bearer standing beside the chariot...

"Liu Ji, raise my banner!"

Liu Ji, whose thick whiskers had grown back, had just been gazing at the enormous city of Linzi and the column of smoke above it, lost in thought. Now, called by Heifu, he cursed inwardly, but his hands still raised the great banner bearing the words "Jiaodong Governor-Commandant" high!

Liu Ji, already nearing forty, found this task a bit trying, but when under someone else's roof, one must bow one's head. Liu Ji still reddened his face and shouted:

"Lord Governor, a great wind!"

The wind blew from west to east, causing the banner to slowly unfurl, and making the thick smoke above Linzi's city walls bend in response...

Heifu pointed his sword at Linzi: "Gentlemen, ride this wind and follow me into Linzi! Prohibit the rebel soldiers' violence, sheathe the weapons of this chaotic state, secure this thousand-span city, and settle these ten-thousand-household wards!"

PS: I've found my rhythm again. There'll be more first thing tomorrow morning. How many updates depends on my condition — I'm swearing off advance announcements.

(End of chapter)