Chapter 598: Vertical and Horizontal

"Well, well, Kuai Che."

Kuai Che's home stood alone on the outskirts of Fanyang City. The moment he stepped through the door, an aged voice said coldly, "You've violated the Edict on Proscribed Books, hoarding so many banned texts in secret."

Under the pear tree in his courtyard, a white-haired old man sat cross-legged on the ground. The wooden chest buried beneath the tree had been dug up, revealing dozens of bamboo scrolls inside, and the old man was leafing through them with keen interest...

"Anqi Sheng, you old fossil."

Yet Kuai Che was not angry, but laughed instead. "You call it taking refuge as a guest; in truth, you're a thief. You actually managed to find these."

The old man sitting in the courtyard was none other than Anqi Sheng — the very same who had spoken to the First Emperor of Qin about seeking immortals on Zhifu Island in Jiaodong Commandery, and who was later listed as a wanted fugitive when the fangshi were buried alive...

Anqi Sheng and Kuai Che were old acquaintances. Over a decade ago, when Kuai Che was traveling through the Qi region, he had, by chance, saved Anqi Sheng from enemies pursuing him. He alone knew that this figure hailed as a "divine immortal" was in truth just a frail old fossil. Never mind immortality — when an enemy stabbed him with a sword, he bled without end and desperately begged Kuai Che to save his life. Only afterward did he change his tune, putting on mystical airs and claiming that neither sword nor halberd could pierce him.

Now that the fangshi had met with disaster, Anqi Sheng was implicated as well. He could no longer stay in Qi territory and could only flee to the Yan region, taking temporary shelter with his old friend Kuai Che. Most of what Kuai Che knew about the upper echelons of the Qin dynasty had come from Anqi Sheng.

During the past few days while Kuai Che was away, Anqi Sheng, bored to death at his house, had wandered to the pear tree. After brushing aside the years of accumulated fallen leaves, he noticed the soil underneath had been freshly turned. A thought stirred in his mind; he tried digging a few times and indeed unearthed Kuai Che's little secret.

These books were, without exception, absolutely proscribed. Some were called "Strategies of the States," some "Affairs of the States," some "The Long and Short," some "Discourses on Affairs," some "The Extended Documents," some "The Revised Documents" — all recounting the stratagems and schemes of the political strategists over the past several hundred years. Unlike the Odes and Documents, which were merely collected, redacted, and altered, these writings of the School of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances, which taught men to wield power and deceit, would, once exposed, mean not only the burning of the books but also utter ruin for Kuai Che himself!

Kuai Che walked over, picked up the books one by one and leafed through them, sighing with regret. "Born into the wrong age. These texts could have shone with dazzling brilliance. Now they can only be sealed in a chest, buried underground, unknown to the world."

"And you, Kuai Che — are you, like these books, born into the wrong age? Is that why you went to offer counsel to the Young Master Fusu?"

Leaning back against the pear tree, Anqi Sheng laughed. "But I don't believe you truly wish to assist that Fusu, to make him your parasol tree. Tell me, you cunning strategist — what is your real scheme?"

Although Kuai Che had only said he was "visiting a friend" when he went out, with the Young Master Fusu recently leading troops to garrison Fanyang, Anqi Sheng could guess with his eyes closed what he had been up to.

The only thing he could not fathom was the true purpose behind all of Kuai Che's actions.

And also — for whom exactly he was working.

Kuai Che did not answer immediately. He brought out a jar of pear wine from the house, filled Anqi Sheng's cup, and sat down opposite him with a smile. "A trade goes both ways — each takes what he needs. If you tell me what you fangshi were plotting, I'll tell you my purpose."

"Me?"

Anqi Sheng looked nothing like the divine immortal of Zhifu Island. He gave a helpless, bitter smile. "You've seen me at death's door. I'm just an old fossil who puts on a mystifying act, pretending to be an immortal to scrape by. But the lie grew bigger and bigger, until in the end I had no choice but to keep playing the part."

"Not just you."

Kuai Che pressed for the full truth.

"Lu Ao, Han Zhong, Hou Sheng, Xu Fu, and the rest — when they approached the First Emperor of Qin, what were their aims?"

Anqi Sheng fell silent for a moment. The fangshi plot had failed; some were killed, others fled. At this point, there was nothing left to hide.

"Hou Sheng was single-mindedly obsessed with immortality, coveting the Emperor's patronage and wealth so he could refine a true elixir. Han Zhong was of the Han royal line — like Zheng Guo, he was a Han spy, seeking revenge for Han, though he never found the right moment to strike. Xu Fu was a man who looked after himself alone; he hoped to swindle the Emperor into letting him sail away overseas with boys and girls, so that one day he might become a feudal lord in his own right..."

Though this group had gathered together to scheme, their purposes were each different.

"And Lu Ao?"

Anqi Sheng took a sip of wine and laughed. "That Lu Ao — his ambitions were not small. He hoped to use the Way of Fangxian to beguile the Emperor, and through that, control his words and deeds, isolating him from his ministers until he became a true solitary ruler who listened only to the fangshi. In this way, he could transform himself into the Grand Shaman of the state, wielding power and manipulating the realm under the pretext of seeking immortality for the Emperor!"

"Cut off the Emperor from his ministers and profit from the gap? Ambitions indeed not small. A pity your scheme fell one move short, and came to naught in Jiaodong."

Kuai Che did not hide his mockery of the fangshi. Anqi Sheng fixed his eyes on him. "I've spoken. Now you — your plot, I suspect, is no small thing either!"

Kuai Che sighed. "What conspiracy do I have? I merely heard that along his journey, the Young Master Fusu shared food and clothing with the common soldiers, deeply winning their hearts. Even the people of Zhao, who hate Qin to the marrow, had to admit that this young master is quite benevolent."

"I thought Fusu possessed strategic vision and ambition, that he was deliberately winning popular support. So I went to see him. If he proved worthy of counsel, I would offer military strategies, gain his trust, stay by his side, and become his chief advisor. Using the unorthodox stratagems and singular wisdom I have studied — adapting to circumstances as capital, seizing the moment to devise plans — that is the art of the Horizontal Alliance. To support the imperiled, to turn danger into safety, to transform ruin into survival — that is the art of the Vertical Alliance. By using the arts of Vertical and Horizontal, I would help him stand out in the succession struggle and become emperor — thus not wasting my life's learning."

What Kuai Che had studied was the art of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances, a school of thought once illustrious, but after Qin's unification, utterly useless and fading day by day.

"But when I met him in person and heard him speak, I realized — this man is truly rotten wood and dung, unfit to be carved into a vessel, unfit to be plastered on a wall! Sharing food and clothing with the soldiers was not winning hearts — it was the soft kindness of a woman. It did little to win over the Zhao troops, but it deeply embarrassed the Qin soldiers."

"Even more foolish — he holds a sword, yet hands the hilt to others and points the tip at himself, pinning his hopes on filial piety and brotherly love. How lamentable! That First Emperor of Qin, with the heart of a tiger and wolf, somehow sired such a cowardly son. He has an empty reputation for benevolence, but cannot accomplish anything. We strategists of the Vertical and Horizontal despise and hate that kind of man above all!"

"And so."

Kuai Che raised his head, his smile venomous. "Since he is destined never to take flight, unworthy of my counsel, I might as well give him a terrible piece of advice — and nudge him a little closer to the cliff's edge."

After hearing Kuai Che's scheme, Anqi Sheng burst into roaring laughter. "You truly wish to push Fusu to his death! Whether he accepts your advice or not, as long as word of today's events spreads and reaches the Emperor's ears, your stratagem of sowing discord will have succeeded."

Kuai Che shook his head. "A foot of ice is not formed in a single day. To drive a wedge between ruler and minister, father and son — of course it's not so simple. But the Emperor and the Young Master are father and son in name, yet ruler and minister in truth; they cannot be compared to an ordinary family. As the proverb says, nearness breeds closeness, distance breeds estrangement. The Emperor tours constantly and never brings Fusu along. Now Fusu campaigns far away in foreign lands, unable to return for a year or more. Do you think that without me, Xianyang has no slanderous rumors and libelous letters? Do you think the other young masters have no desire to contend for that throne? I am merely adding a little fuel to the fire."

"When the Emperor hears that his eldest son, serving as a general abroad, is widely winning the hearts of the Yan and Zhao scholar-gentry, and that strategists have flocked to his side to offer counsel and devise plans — will there not be a knot of suspicion in his heart? Day after day, month after month, perhaps they will grow estranged in heart and mind..."

If, at the very beginning, Kuai Che had indeed simply wanted to see what kind of man Fusu was and assist him if possible, then after Fusu threw him out, Kuai Che had swiftly changed his mind.

Anqi Sheng still could not quite wrap his head around it. Hadn't Kuai Che, just moments ago, been swearing with conviction that he wanted to assist Fusu, to turn his danger into safety, to transform his ruin into survival? How had he suddenly changed his mind and decided to put him to death instead!

Little did he know that these political strategists were the opposite of ordinary people — it was not the head that followed the seat, but the seat that followed the head...

"You really are itching for Qin to descend into chaos."

Anqi Sheng sighed. "Speak honestly — for whom are you scheming? Some Yan prince hiding among the common folk, plotting to restore his state? The bold hero Lu Goujian, who has risen in rebellion in Julu Commandery? Or perhaps the Lord of Canghai, teetering on the brink across the sea?"

"None of them!"

Kuai Che spread his hands. "Gongsun Yan first served as Chancellor of Qin, seizing the lands west of the Yellow River from Wei for Qin. Then he became Chancellor of Wei and Han, orchestrating the five-state Vertical Alliance against Qin, and even contacted the Yiqu, making King Hui of Qin face enemies on both front and rear — how humiliating. For whom was he scheming? Qin? Wei? Han?"

"And Chen Zhen — he served as Envoy of Qin, then Envoy of Chu, and later Envoy of Qi. Truly, he served Qin in the morning and Chu in the evening. For whom was he working? Qin? Chu? Qi?"

Without waiting for Anqi Sheng to answer, Kuai Che declared with resounding conviction:

"None of them. They were all strategists of the Vertical and Horizontal, working only for themselves!"

Kuai Che rose proudly to his feet. "For the strategist, without the Horizontal there is no Vertical, and without the Vertical there is no Horizontal. The Horizontal can in an instant become the Vertical, and the Vertical can in an instant become the Horizontal! This is the true essence of the Vertical and Horizontal!"

"I, Kuai Che, have studied the Vertical and Horizontal arts of the Three Su — can I not, then, work for myself?"

Anqi Sheng understood. Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, most longed for peace under heaven, hoping their teachings could bring about a well-ordered world. Only the School of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances sought no such order. Those men could only ride the waves in an age of chaos!

In particular, Kuai Che's brand of Vertical and Horizontal art leaned heavily toward subversion and conspiracy. Its concrete method of implementation was to throw the situation into turmoil, then seize victory and profit from within the chaos. It was a terrifying field of study — one misstep and utter ruin awaited. Without courage far beyond the ordinary, without the ability to remain calm amidst the storm, one could never hope to master it.

Yet Kuai Che was utterly intoxicated by this supremely thrilling discipline, to the point of obsession.

But the cruel irony was that by the time he had completed his studies, the five hundred and fifty years of turmoil were drawing to a close. Qin swept through and united the six states; the momentum was unstoppable. The situation grew clearer by the day, the age of chaos had ended, and the era of Great Unity had arrived.

In a peaceful environment, perhaps the most useless of all were the political strategists — not to mention that the Qin dynasty strictly restricted traveling persuaders, listing the discourses of the Vertical and Horizontal as proscribed books and burning them all.

His talents unrecognized, Kuai Che had no choice but to till the fields, wasting his years away. He longed to be like Zhang Yi, Su Qin, or Gongsun Yan — to maneuver vertically and horizontally, to achieve great deeds and establish his legacy. He did not seek a noble title or a minister's seal, only to leave a dazzling glimpse of himself upon this world!

But if the realm did not descend into chaos, how could a strategist of the Vertical and Horizontal rise to prominence?

Fusu's arrival was an opportunity. To urge him to seize the succession, and later to contend for the throne — the arts of Vertical and Horizontal would surely find their use.

But since he had determined that Fusu was unworthy of counsel, Kuai Che resolved instead to use him to plunge the realm into chaos!

Kuai Che said, "The various Tian clans of Qi rose up — it looked thunderous and imposing, but what was the result? They were crushed in less than three months. This alone proves that as long as the First Emperor lives and the imperial court remains stable, trying to topple the mighty Qin from the outside is far easier said than done."

"But the First Emperor is far too arrogant, still clinging to the hope of immortality, and has delayed naming an heir. If Fusu, the most likely successor, is also suspected, exiled, or even forced to take his own life... then once the emperor dies, the court will surely descend into chaos. The heroes of the realm will rise up in droves, and this world will be thrown into turmoil once more!"

Some hope for peace under heaven; others fear only that the world is not chaotic enough!

For the School of Diplomacy, the best era is not one where swords are turned into plowshares, where war is absent, and where the old and young observe proper order.

For them, the best era is one that discards ritual and deference in favor of warfare, that abandons benevolence and righteousness in favor of cunning and deceit.

It is an era where usurpers and thieves are ranked as lords and kings; where states built on treachery rise and grow mighty!

Where there is no Son of Heaven above, no regional overlord below; where strength and merit contend, and the victor is supreme! Where warfare never ceases, and fraud and deceit arise together!

That is the stage upon which the diplomats shine their brightest!

A single word can raise a state, a single word can ruin it; where they dwell, the state is honored; where they depart, the state is diminished. One fit of their anger terrifies the feudal lords; their peaceful residence brings calm to the realm! This is the work of a true man!

Just thinking about it excited him.

As for the consequences of war — armies exposed for years on end, blood soaking the fields, fathers and sons estranged, brothers at odds, husbands and wives scattered, none able to preserve their lives?

Those are worries for Fusu and Heifu. What do they have to do with a diplomat like him!

Kuai Che drained the jar of pear wine, tossed it aside carelessly, then re-buried the dozens of diplomatic strategy scrolls, covering them with stalks and leaves before walking into the house.

When he emerged again, he had changed his appearance. His beard was gone, his hairstyle altered, and he carried a traveling pack slung over his shoulder — the very picture of a man setting out on a long journey.

"Leaving so soon?"

An Qisheng opened his eyes.

"That's right. I'm leaving."

Though Kuai Che seemed mad, fearing only that the world was not chaotic enough, his mind was in fact extremely calm and clear.

"Fusu is muddled, but if someone by his side comes to their senses and sends men to kill me, I'll lose my life at the hands of some minor official."

An Qisheng rose, leaning on his staff. If Kuai Che was leaving, he had to leave too, to seek refuge with someone else. "Where do you intend to go?"

Kuai Che, however, answered with a question of his own.

"Tell me, where is that fangshi Han Zhong — the one descended from the Han royal line, who seeks to destroy Qin and avenge his homeland?"

An Qisheng pondered for a moment, then said, "In Shanggu Commandery."

"Then I shall go to Shanggu Commandery!"

Kuai Che laughed. "I have a plan. If we want to throw the world into chaos, this man is indispensable!"

PS: Chapter 2 will be in the evening.

(End of chapter)