Chapter 597: The Venomous Advisor

There were two roads from Handan to the Yan region. Because Julu Commandery had seen unrest the year before—though the rebels had fled deep into the great marshes and mountain forests, the area was still somewhat unsettled—the main army of Fusu and Yang Duanhe took the western route: northward through Hengshan Commandery.

Hengshan Commandery was roughly the area of later Shijiazhuang. Its customs resembled those of Handan: the land was poor and the people many; local folk were high-strung and impatient, disliked farming, and many lived by their wits and quick profits. Among the common people, men would gather to gamble and game, singing mournful, impassioned songs, and engage in knight-errantry, plunder, grave-robbing, and tomb-raiding.

After Qin took control of Hengshan Commandery, all of this was strictly forbidden, yet the activities of local rowdy, villainous youths remained frequent. This time, when the court forcibly conscripted this group into the army as civilian laborers, it prompted many to flee into the mountains and forests, banding together as bandits. As a result, not many were actually conscripted—law-abiding folk mixed with villainous youths, a mere two or three thousand laborers.

So the ten-thousand-strong army gained little reinforcement here. Troops of Zhao origin still could only eat coarse brown rice, and the civilian laborers had only a little thin gruel to drink. Though everyone had brought their own dry rations at the start, those would eventually run out. Serving as a soldier yet never eating their fill, complaints were naturally many. Every morning, several thousand men woke from hunger, sat listlessly on the ground, faces dark, glaring resentfully at the Qin officials who urged them onward.

It was the commander Fusu taking the lead in drinking gruel, however, that redirected the soldiers' fury. At first they thought he was merely putting on a show, surely eating in secret. But all along the march, each time Fusu came to inspect the camp, he was visibly growing thinner by the day, becoming as hollow-bellied and famished as the Zhao troops and laborers.

"The young master is good; the villains are the Qin officials skimming army provisions."

Many men of Zhao thought so, but this stirring of feeling lasted only a few days, for their condition still did not improve. If this went on, desertions would likely soon occur.

This perilous situation did not begin to ease until the end of the third month, when they reached Fanyang County in Guangyang Commandery.

Guangyang Commandery was the later northern Hebei region. Here lay a famous granary: Dugang.

For the Yan region, which was rather barren compared to the Central Plain, Dugang was truly a fertile, rich land. Back when Jing Ke attempted to assassinate the Qin king, the nominal pretext had been to present a map of Dugang. One could say that gaining Dugang was tantamount to Yan willingly surrendering its granary, leaving it at the mercy of others at every turn.

After Qin destroyed Yan, it also placed great importance on this area, encouraging the local practice of ox-drawn plowing. With the spread of composting and fertilizer-soaking techniques, Dugang saw bumper harvests year after year. Golden millet filled the county granaries nearby to bursting. This was the greatest assurance that allowed the First Emperor of Qin to dare wage war in the northeast.

When the army of over ten thousand reached Fanyang County, they finally no longer had to stave off hunger with watery gruel and could eat steaming hot millet rice.

Fusu, too, was at last able to set aside his gruel bowl and take a mouthful of dry rice, long missed.

"Young master, why go to such lengths?"

Watching the young master Fusu wolf down his food, Yang Duanhe could not help being somewhat moved. Putting on a show once or twice was easy, but to persist for over ten days drinking only thin gruel—this was perhaps true benevolence.

Within these words lay another meaning: was it necessary to treat these Yan and Zhao conscripts—men fit only to fill ditches—so well?

Fusu had his own thoughts: "This journey is a thousand li. Troops from Guanzhong, Zhao, and Yan are jumbled together, along with over ten thousand civilian laborers. If the three forces cannot work together with one heart, I fear that before we even fight, we will fall into chaos ourselves, and few laborers will remain, the rest having fled. If I cannot treat them with sincerity, how can I demand they risk their lives in battle?"

Could harsh laws and severe punishments alone truly be effective?

"The young master's thinking is good, but…"

Yang Duanhe sighed, recalling the First Emperor's private instructions to him. He started to speak, then stopped, and could only shake his head. "Matters… are not as simple as the young master imagines…"

…

The grain of Dugang steadied the somewhat wavering army morale. The seasoned veteran Yang Duanhe further suggested that the army rest and regroup near Fanyang County for two days, and that the troops and laborers, filthy after many days marching on dirt roads, go bathe in the Yi River, lest lice and fleas breed with the coming of summer and spread disease.

Fusu, meanwhile, took his personal attendants and rode along the banks of the Yi River, planted with jujube and chestnut trees. Over ten years before, a momentous event had occurred at this very river: The wind sighs, the Yi River is cold—the hero departs, never to return!

Fusu was not at all unfamiliar with Crown Prince Dan. When Fusu was a child, Crown Prince Dan was still a hostage in Qin and often attended banquets. Fusu had even been told by the First Emperor to address him as "Uncle." It was said he was one of the First Emperor's few good friends in his youth; the two had been together in Handan, both hostages, sharing their plight and sympathizing with each other.

When Crown Prince Dan grew merry with wine and sang the deep, resounding songs of Yan—that was Fusu's first impression of this northern kingdom.

Yet even the best of bonds could not withstand the enmity of nations. Qin was fated to destroy the six kingdoms. Crown Prince Dan and the First Emperor fell out, and Dan wished for nothing more than to kill him.

Crown Prince Dan, Jing Ke, Gao Jianli—these were, after all, the mortal foes of young master Fusu. Though he often remonstrated and was deemed defiant by the Emperor, Fusu loved and revered his imperial father and felt not a shred of sympathy for these men who had sought his father's life.

But was the hatred of the Yan people for Qin as heavy as the hatred Crown Prince Dan and Gao Jianli bore the First Emperor?

Not quite to that degree. The Yan people's resentment toward Qin seemed somewhat lighter than that of the Zhao people. After all, the feud and mutual attacks between the two states had come very late, and the common people of Yan did not much yearn for the Yan royal house. It was just that, to punish Yan, the First Emperor had imposed punitive heavy taxes and corvée on Guangyang Commandery, and the local commoners had many complaints.

After making a circuit along the Yi River and returning to Fanyang County, Fusu asked the county magistrate, a man called "Lord Xu," to help him find some local scholars. Marching through the Yan region, if he had locals as advisors, it would be easier for him to understand the local conditions.

Several men were indeed found, all sons of wealthy local households. Their talk was mostly flattery of Fusu, praising him for loving his soldiers like sons, lauding his benevolence, virtue, heroism, and valor. Fusu grew weary of hearing it, responded casually a couple of times, and then dismissed them.

The last man, however, was an impoverished scholar with his hair in a topknot and no cap, dressed in a plain black cloth robe, his hands tucked into his sleeves. While Fusu conversed with the others, this man had from time to time raised his eyes to study him, stroking his wispy triangular beard with a faint, ambiguous smile. Fusu had noticed him too.

After the others had finished speaking and withdrawn, the scholar finally bowed to Fusu with clasped hands and said, in somewhat awkward Guanzhong speech: "Kuai Che, a commoner of Fanyang, pays his respects to the young master!"

"So Master Kuai can speak the refined tongue."

Fusu returned the courtesy. He had heard from Magistrate Xu that this Kuai Che was one of the few local scholars who had read books, had traveled through Yan and Qi, was widely learned and well-informed, and enjoyed a modest reputation in the county.

Since there was no need for someone to translate the local dialect, matters were simpler. Fusu chatted casually with Kuai Che for a while and found that he did indeed possess some genuine ability. He knew the routes and cities of Yan like the back of his hand, and when speaking of affairs in Joseon, he could tell Fusu things he did not know.

Fusu's interest was piqued, and he was about to converse further when Kuai Che suddenly rose and said: "This commoner has heard that all along the march, the young master has shared clothing and rations with the soldiers, and has not treated the Zhao troops as outsiders, even securing grain for them. Arriving in Yan, you have also gained a name for courteously seeking worthy men. Truly a virtuous young master! Yet this commoner believes that what the young master needs to concern himself with is not the truth or distance of Joseon and the vast sea, but other, far more pressing matters!"

Fusu was somewhat puzzled and asked what matters. But Kuai Che would not speak, his eyes glancing toward the interpreters, personal attendants, and others in the room, implying that this was not something to be spoken of before outsiders.

The captain of the personal guard leaned close to Fusu's ear and said: "Young master, this man is deceitful. He may be an assassin. Better to drive him out, or else arrest him."

"You have already searched him. He is unarmed; what could he do? Let us hear what he has to say."

Fusu had his two most trusted personal guards remain in the room. After everyone else had left, Kuai Che bowed deeply and said:

"This commoner will speak bluntly. I have not come to offer advice on the young master's eastern campaign, but rather because I pity you as a man soon to die, and have come to mourn…"

The two personal guards flew into a rage at these words and drew their swords. "Insolence!"

Fusu, however, stopped them and said with a smile: "By saying this, does the master think my eastern campaign is doomed to defeat?"

Kuai Che said: "The young master has a veteran general as his aide; the eastern campaign is certain to win. But after victory, calamity may follow."

Fusu's brow furrowed deeply. "What do you mean by that?"

Kuai Che wagged his head and said: "Has the young master not heard the story of Jin's Prince Shensheng? Whoever comes will seek to preserve the Crown Prince. When the Crown Prince leads the army, his position is perilous. As the eldest son, you have long been denied appointment as heir, and have repeatedly angered the Emperor and received reprimands. It is clear that the Emperor's heart holds great disdain for you, young master."

"Now you are sent out to the frontier as a general—nominally for tempering, but in truth to be banished afar. This commoner fears that on this journey, the young master may face the same calamity as Shensheng!"

Bang!

Fusu could listen no longer. He slammed the table and rose, his face showing disgust. "His Majesty is in the prime of his years. A son should fear being unfilial, not fear failing to be named heir. I cannot bear to hear the master's words. Please leave!"

The guards moved to seize Kuai Che and drag him away, but Kuai Che continued loudly: "Does the young master truly wish to walk the road to death? You are indeed benevolent, but those who fail in the struggle for succession will likely lose their lives. The young master has always loved the people and roused the warriors—do you wish to abandon the common folk of the realm? Yet there is a plan before you now that can turn the young master's peril to safety."

Fusu, already on his feet, turned back and said coldly: "I permit you one final sentence."

Kuai Che was released. He flicked his sleeves and said with a smile:

"Shensheng stayed within and perished; Chong'er fled abroad and lived in safety. The young master is benevolent and virtuous. Along the journey, you gave your robes to clothe others and your food to feed them, and have greatly won the hearts of the Yan and Zhao warriors. That being so, why not widely gather the scholars of Yan, and after destroying the Lord of the Vast Sea, use the pretext that the rebel bandits east of the sea are still numerous to request to remain and garrison the territory."

"When that time comes, if the Emperor refuses and demands you return to Xianyang, the young master may still have hope of inheriting the great succession. If he permits it, then his intention not to make you heir is clear. At that point, the young master can hold the land east of the sea to protect yourself. In retreat, like Jizi, you would still be a feudal lord of a region! In advance, when the mountain crumbles one day, the young master could raise troops in plain white mourning garb, seize the lands of Yan and Zhao, and then march into the Central Plain to take the throne!"

…

"A venomous advisor—spewing nothing but reckless, divisive, treacherous schemes! Hearing your words, I wish I could be like Xu You and go wash my ears by the river. Throw him out!"

Clamped between two personal guards, Kuai Che was thrown out of young master Fusu's residence and hurled onto the main street, looking utterly disheveled, his clothes torn. Passersby, not knowing what had happened, all laughed at him.

Yet Kuai Che picked himself up, brushed off the dust, raised his head, laughed heartily, and strode away.

"Just as I expected. The so-called benevolent and righteous young master is nothing but a sentimental, indecisive man who cannot accomplish great things—unable even to grip the sword placed in his hand. Since you knew I was a venomous advisor, knew it was a divisive, treacherous scheme, Fusu, the most fitting thing to do after hearing it was not to wash your ears, but to kill me and silence me!"

As he walked, a meaningful smile spread across his face.

"Many thanks for your womanish mercy — Kuai Che's stratagem has succeeded!"

(End of chapter)