Chapter 579: The Weight of the Cauldrons

Heifu led the commandery commandants to suppress the Qi rebellion, besieging Gaotang City in a furious battle. Meanwhile, hundreds of li to the south, in Pengcheng of Sishui Commandery, fifty thousand troops had already assembled. They were forces from Guanzhong, placed under the command of Wang Ben — nominally, he was the supreme commander for this pacification of the Qi rebellion…

Yet Qin Shi Huang did not hurry to dispatch the army into Qi to quell the rebellion. Instead, he ordered them to encamp at Pengcheng and drill daily. Every day there was a grand military exercise, and the emperor would occasionally appear to inspect them. The tiger guards surged with valor, their battle cries shaking the heavens. This made the people of Chu in Pengcheng, who had harbored certain thoughts upon hearing of the Qi rebellion, immediately abandon any notion of rising in revolt.

It was not only Pengcheng; the surrounding lands of Chu and Liang also received this signal. Qin Shi Huang was still here, and the Qin dynasty's army that had swept away the six kingdoms was encamped at the pivotal crossroads of Pengcheng. Wherever dared rebel, they would immediately advance by both water and land to encircle and annihilate them.

Anyone with clear eyes could see that the emperor was deliberately holding the army back, and would not even send a single soldier to Qi territory. He wanted all under heaven to see: the various Tian clans of Qi who dared rebel, that so-called "Qi Kingdom" they had restored — it did not even require the court's battle-hardened divisions to act. The local, motley commandery troops alone could easily crush them!

Sure enough, at the end of the fifth month, Heifu, the deputy commander and "Deputy General" of this campaign, sent word to report: the Tian rebels' retreat had been cut off, they could no longer reach Julu Commandery, and were now trapped at Gaotang. They could be broken any day, and the Qi rebellion could be pacified!

"Good."

Qin Shi Huang merely nodded faintly. This was within expectations. At the same time, he smiled to his assembled ministers:

"The chicken-slaughtering knife may be small, but it is sharp enough. It suffices for dealing with that rabble of clay chickens and tile dogs. It seems the ox-cleaving blade of the Marquis of Tongwu need not be drawn."

Now that the Qi rebellion was no longer a concern, perhaps to ensure the Pengcheng army had not made a wasted trip, or perhaps to demonstrate the court's leisurely ease in quelling unrest, the emperor decreed: on the first day of the sixth month, the fifty thousand troops would assemble on the banks of the Sishui River outside Pengcheng. They spread out over ten li along both banks, banners and drums resounding to the heavens. From among them, over a thousand men skilled in swimming were selected to take boats to the river's center, dive into the water, and search for the Zhou cauldrons that had sunk there decades ago…

The Three Dynasties held that "the great affairs of the state lie in sacrifice and war," and among sacrificial vessels, none was more important than the cauldron. According to ritual protocol, the number of cauldrons a person could use was strictly limited by rank: a shi used three cauldrons, a grandee five, a feudal lord seven, and only the Son of Heaven was worthy of using nine cauldrons!

Legend had it that Yu the Great of Xia collected tribute metal from the nine provinces and cast nine cauldrons, symbolizing the Nine Provinces. From then on, the Nine Cauldrons became the emblem of authority over all under heaven and the orthodox treasure of the realm.

When the virtue of Xia declined, the cauldrons passed to Yin; when the virtue of Yin declined, the cauldrons passed to Zhou, and were placed in the eastern capital of Luoyi. They survived the cataclysm of the Western Zhou's fall, but after the Zhou royal house grew weak, they did not escape the covetous eyes of the feudal lords.

In the Spring and Autumn period, King Zhuang of Chu inquired about the weight of the cauldrons — a story familiar to all, needless to elaborate. As for Qin, from the time King Hui of Qin declared himself king, he too harbored the desire to seize the cauldrons.

As Qin Shi Huang knew, back then Sima Cuo and Zhang Yi debated before King Hui of Qin. Sima Cuo wished to attack Shu, while Zhang Yi said: "Better to attack Han." One of Zhang Yi's reasons was that after destroying Han, the road to the Zhou house would be open. At that point, "Zhou, knowing it cannot be saved, will surely bring out the Nine Cauldrons and precious vessels. Seize the Nine Cauldrons, take the maps and registers, hold the Son of Heaven to command all under heaven, and none under heaven will dare disobey — this is the work of a true king."

In the end, King Hui of Qin adopted Sima Cuo's proposal and attacked Ba and Shu, but Qin's moment to inquire about the cauldrons was merely delayed by a dozen or so years.

King Wu of Qin employed Gan Mao, and after seizing Yiyang, personally led a group of strongmen to the Zhou house, proposing to "take a look around." This "look around" proved fateful. The powerfully built King Wu of Qin, borrowing the Zhou king's grounds and the Nine Cauldrons, staged a cauldron-lifting contest, with every intention of having his strongmen carry all the Nine Cauldrons back to Xianyang.

Regrettably, the weightlifting contest met with an accident. While lifting the Yong Province Cauldron, King Wu of Qin lost his grip and crushed his leg. The Qin men had to retreat in haste, and not long after, King Wu of Qin died…

By the time of King Wu of Qin's younger brother, Qin Shi Huang's great-grandfather King Zhao of Qin, the obsession with inquiring about the cauldrons had not ceased. After the Battle of Yique, Qin mobilized its forces to press upon the Zhou capital, intent on seizing the Nine Cauldrons. Just as the Nine Cauldrons seemed lost, it was the Zhou grandee Yan Shuai who spurred King Min of Qi — who competed with Qin at every turn — to aid Zhou and drive off Qin, promising to present the Nine Cauldrons to Qi afterward. Only then did the Qin troops withdraw. But in the end, the Nine Cauldrons were never given to King Min of Qi.

It was not until the eve of King Zhao of Qin's death that he dispatched troops to destroy the Western Zhou Duke, who had joined the feudal lords' vertical alliance against Qin. He then seized the Nine Cauldrons and precious vessels, and moved the Nine Cauldrons that generations of Qin kings had yearned for into the Xianyang Palace…

Qin Shi Huang remembered that after he ascended the throne at thirteen, he asked to see the Nine Cauldrons. And so the long-sealed Cauldron Pavilion was opened once more, and the Nine Cauldrons appeared before his eyes.

To his young self then, the Nine Cauldrons were truly colossal objects. Each cauldron had a distinct hue, and the strange, varied patterns upon them added to their ancient simplicity and mystery. Some bore auspicious beasts like the tortoise, snake, vermilion bird, azure dragon, and white tiger; others featured hideous, nameless monsters from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, each representing the mountain gods and spirit beast legends of the province it symbolized…

Qin Shi Huang remembered his thirteen-year-old self stroking those patterns one by one, then turning to ask the Chancellor Lü Buwei: "Uncle, does obtaining the Nine Cauldrons truly mean the kingly enterprise is accomplished? If so, why do the six kingdoms still not pay court to Qin? If not, why have the hegemons and former rulers of every age pursued them so tirelessly?"

Lü Buwei merely gave a light smile: "The Nine Cauldrons? The kingly enterprise? Your Majesty, they are merely a few rabbits."

"Rabbits?" Qin Shi Huang was quite astonished at the time. What did he mean?

Lü Buwei gave Qin Shi Huang an answer that left a deep impression.

"One rabbit runs ahead, and a hundred men chase behind — not because the rabbit can be divided into many portions, but because its ownership is not yet settled."

In Lü Buwei's eyes, the strife among the feudal lords over these five hundred-plus years, when all was said and done, was nothing more than a group of men chasing a few rabbits whose rightful ownership was undecided…

This notion of "heroes chasing the rabbit" made the young Qin Shi Huang laugh for a long time, but Lü Buwei immediately grew serious again.

"Thus, to govern all under heaven and the state, it lies solely in settling claims and fixing what belongs to whom!"

He crouched down and said to Qin Shi Huang:

"Your Majesty, the people of the six kingdoms will not honor Your Majesty as the Son of Heaven simply because the Nine Cauldrons have entered Qin. Only when Your Majesty has become the true Son of Heaven, when claims are settled, will they acknowledge this!"

Lü Buwei was a good teacher; he taught Qin Shi Huang much. But Qin Shi Huang also used what he had learned to bring Lü Buwei down, to send him to his death…

The past was vivid before his eyes. Thinking of this, Qin Shi Huang shook his head again:

"No, Lü Buwei, you were still wrong… Settling claims cannot completely stop strife. Even though I am already the Son of Heaven, even though my achievements have surpassed the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, surpassed Tang of Shang and Wu of Zhou, even though I performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices on Mount Tai, there are still those who refuse to acknowledge this, who still wish to restore the old order!"

So Qin Shi Huang would use facts to tell them.

"Dream on!"

His recollections ended. After fasting and ritual bathing, Qin Shi Huang stood by the surging Sishui River. His warships formed a bridge across the Sishui, his soldiers filled the riverbanks, roaring the cry that had suddenly become popular ever since it was first shouted in Ye County, Jiaodong: "Long live, long live, long, long live!"

A thousand brave men bowed to the emperor, drained a cup of wine, and then leaped into the water to search for the Zhou cauldron.

Back when King Zhao of Qin destroyed the Western Zhou Duke, the cauldrons moved to Xianyang were nominally nine, but in truth, one was a fake.

The Qin people soon discovered this. Upon interrogation, it turned out that the son of the Western Zhou Duke had secretly sent the Yu Province Cauldron to the Eastern Zhou state. King Zhao of Qin was furious and sent men to demand it. The Western Zhou Duke's son had already fled the Eastern Zhou state, hauling the cauldron with him, and fled to the border between Wei and Chu. At that time, Qin alone was supreme under heaven. Though Wei and Chu coveted the precious cauldron, neither dared give him refuge. In despair, the Western Zhou Duke's son scuttled the boat transporting the great cauldron on the Sishui River at Pengcheng, and then drowned himself…

At that stage, the Qin people could not cross the border to retrieve the cauldron and had to let the matter rest. But now, Qin Shi Huang possessed all within the four seas. Since he had come to Pengcheng with ample manpower at his disposal, it was only natural to try to fish up this great cauldron.

Though in the end it was merely one of the "rabbits" Lü Buwei had spoken of, it was, after all, an obsession of successive former rulers since King Hui of Qin. If it could reappear in the world at this critical juncture, it would greatly aid the court in "settling claims and stopping strife."

Regrettably, despite deploying countless hands and fishing for a full seven days, scouring dozens of li of river channel, they hauled up plenty of fish and shrimp, and even caught a giant tortoise with the words "Duke Song Cha, Year Thirty" carved on its shell.

The emperor summoned the erudite Zhang Cang to inquire, and learned that this "Duke Song Cha" was Duke Yuan of Song, a contemporary of Confucius, over two hundred years ago. Thereupon, the assembled ministers and local officials declared the giant tortoise an "auspicious omen" — the tortoise oracle emerging from the Sishui was a sign of the Great Qin's zenith.

But Qin Shi Huang still furrowed his brow. The lost great cauldron was still nowhere to be seen.

Having searched everywhere to no avail, they could only give up. Qin Shi Huang was somewhat disappointed, but fortunately, good news arrived from the north:

"Thanks to Your Majesty's brilliance, Gaotang City has fallen. The Tian clan rebels are all dead. Tian Jia and ten thousand rebels have been captured!"

…

By the middle of the sixth month, that "King of Qi," Tian Jia, along with the heads of Tian Dan, Tian Heng, and Tian Rong, were all sent by Heifu to Pengcheng for Qin Shi Huang to inspect.

Tian Jia was the younger brother of King Jian of Qi. He defended himself, saying he had been coerced by Tian Dan and Tian Rong and had never intended to rebel, pleading for his life.

But Qin Shi Huang, who back in the day could not even be bothered to meet the real King of Qi, cared even less for this "pretender king." With a wave of his hand, he decreed that Tian Jia be granted the same death as his elder brother: placed among pines and cypresses and starved to death!

After Gaotang was breached, aside from the Tian brothers and their diehard retainers and partisans who all perished, nearly everyone else was captured. Those directly involved in the rebellion numbered over ten thousand, and the common people from various counties who had followed the rebels numbered in the tens of thousands.

As for how to deal with this group, some proposed making no distinctions and burying them all alive. Others believed they should be screened: those who deserved death should be killed, and those who deserved punishment as convict laborers should be sent to do hard labor — Mount Li, the Great Wall, the Hexi Expressway, there were plenty of places where the Great Qin needed hands.

Heifu, however, put forward a suggestion in his memorial.

"The hundred ringleaders may be executed by being torn apart by chariots. The next two thousand or so should have five-cun wooden spikes driven through their hands and feet onto wooden frames, and be placed beside the roads at every relay station and post house across the four commanderies of Qi territory, to overawe the land of Qi. All the rest should be tattooed on the face, have their toes cut off, and be sent to the Great Wall, Mount Li, and Hexi as wall-building convict laborers…"

The Commandant of Justice, Ye Teng, praised this method. These people who directly participated in the rebellion deserved death for their crimes. It would just suffice to have a rebel nailed up before each of the two thousand-plus relay stations and post houses in the four Qi commanderies, so that all locals and passersby would know the fate of rebels. The timid would naturally be stricken with fear and never again dare harbor rebellious thoughts. If any malcontents attempted to rescue them, it would be a perfect opportunity for the post soldiers to wait by the stump for the hare and catch them all in one net!

Qin Shi Huang also thought this idea was good, but what he appreciated even more was Heifu's awareness.

Han Fei had once told Qin Shi Huang that there were five kinds of treacherous ministers.

The first kind uses wealth and goods to bribe the ruler and the ruler's attendants, making the attendants speak well of them and pass on information, in order to discern the ruler's movements and thoughts.

The second kind uses rewards to buy people's hearts, strengthening their own power and expanding their own influence.

The third is those who present themselves as befriending worthy men, building up their own image, gathering trusted followers, and forming cliques for private gain.

The fourth is those who privately pardon criminals to expand their own power, making others utterly devoted to them.

The fifth is those who delude and stir the hearts of the people, using strange talk and bizarre arguments to draw attention, wearing outlandish dress to unsettle minds and confound right and wrong.

All five types above are wicked and vile — a wise ruler must discern them!

Regarding high frontier officials, one must especially watch for the second, third, and fourth types. These officials are stationed in the regions and often collude with local powers. When there is good work that wins people's hearts, they take the credit themselves; when there is bad work that offends, they claim it is the will of the court or the emperor. Slowly, the tail grows too big to wag, and they treat the region as their private fief.

Earlier, after Heifu relieved the siege of Linzi, the First Emperor ordered him to personally oversee the execution of several thousand rebel family members. This was not because he distrusted Heifu, but merely a warning and a rap on the knuckles — because Heifu's conduct in Jiaodong Commandery, while delighting the emperor, had also caused a little dissatisfaction.

His reputation seemed a little too positive...

A good official in the eyes of the gentry and common folk is not necessarily a "good official" in the eyes of the emperor.

Heifu, perceptive as he was, grasped the emperor's meaning. After quelling the Qi rebellion this time, he took the initiative to shoulder the infamy, putting forward this proposal that would make the people of Qi point at his spine and curse him.

The implication was clear: "I, Heifu, am utterly loyal to Your Majesty and do not fear offending anyone!"

"This is how a loyal subject ought to be!"

The First Emperor silently praised him, and his foul mood from failing to find the Zhou Cauldrons lifted considerably. But then he immediately asked Li Si and Ye Teng another question.

"Is it only the Qi region that needs to be awed?"

As soon as the First Emperor spoke these words, Li Si and Ye Teng understood his meaning at once, and changed the number of those to be executed to a full 10,000!

Nearly everyone who had directly participated in the rebellion was nailed to death without exception! The scope of the pavilion stations where those wooden crosses were to be erected was also expanded from the four commanderies of Qi to the regions of Zhao, Wei, Han, Chu, and Yan...

At every pavilion station, a wooden cross would be raised, with a rebel nailed to it. Wooden spikes would pierce through his hands and feet. The pavilion soldiers would feed him a little water each day. Flies would lay eggs on his body. Crows would peck at his flesh and blood. Every day would be torment of pain and itching, until his blood ran dry, until maggots gnawed and wriggled through his skin and organs — only then would he die!

This is the price of rebellion!

The entire Six Kingdoms, two-thirds of all under heaven, every road would be shrouded in stench and terror.

And Heifu, who proposed this utterly brutal measure — his infamous name would spread from Liaodong to Kuaiji, known to every soul under heaven!

Heifu had returned his "unwavering loyalty" to the First Emperor, and the First Emperor, with pleasure, gave him the corresponding reward!

"Heifu, Governor of Jiaodong, led the Jiaodong troops into Linzi, checked the violence of the rebel soldiers, quelled the arms of a realm in chaos, secured a city of a thousand zhang, and settled a town of ten thousand households. He also combined the troops of various commanderies, crushed the rebels at Gaotang, executed the chief villains, captured the false king, and quelled the Qi rebellion. For Heifu's merit, he may be promoted two noble ranks and appointed Grand Superior of the Masses!"

PS: A big chapter of four thousand characters, a bit late.

(End of chapter)