Chapter 606: Treacherous

"Chief Clerk Chen."

In late June, several "merchant ships" from the Korean coast docked at Xi'anping at the mouth of the Yalu River. The moment Wei Yangfu disembarked, he spotted Chen Ping standing not far off, smiling broadly, and hurried over to pay his respects.

Chen Ping was, aside from Zhang Cang, the person closest to their family. Wei Yang knew his uncle father held Chen Ping in high regard — staying behind as garrison, going out as envoy, his status far surpassed that of others.

"Tanned a few shades darker out at sea again."

Chen Ping spoke to Wei Yang in a familiar tone as well. He laughed and said, "With the monsoon winds, the new sea route truly is far superior to the old one. I'd barely settled in at Xi'anping for a few days, yet you've already circled this sea twice and come back."

That was right — after the first long voyage in early May, Wei Yang had already completed two more sailings. On the second, their ships had brushed past Chen Ping's grain transports at the Yalu River mouth, only exchanging a greeting. This third time, they had made a point of docking at Xi'anping to deliver news from Jiaodong to Chen Ping.

Wei Yang presented Heifu's personal letter. Chen Ping opened it on the spot and read it. The contents, aside from asking about the situation at Xi'anping and whether Chen Ping had made contact with Fusu's army, recounted the Jiaodong fleet's next plans…

After reading it, Chen Ping burst out laughing. "This is indeed something the Commandery Lord would do. Just don't frighten the Ji clan ruler of Korea to death!"

Tucking the letter into his robes, Chen Ping asked Wei Yang, "These two long voyages — what were the gains?"

"First time raw, second time seasoned."

Wei Yang said confidently, "The first time we went with only three ships, the second time five, and this time it's seven. We've grown more and more familiar with the cross-sea route. Even if Uncle Father ordered the fleet on a long expedition, I could guide the way."

Compared to the first voyage, where a ship had simply vanished, the latter two had been harrowing but without disaster. On the second, a ship had its mast snapped by a gale and was repaired at Lüshun. This time, a ship sprang a leak mid-voyage and stopped at Manfanhan.

"We've also secretly measured the latitudes of each place, and probed out suitable berthing points along the coast one by one. It's just…"

Wei Yang gritted his teeth, unwilling to accept it. "It's just that the missing three-hundred-hu ship, and the hundred-odd comrades whose fate is unknown — we still have no word of them."

On these two sailings, the fleet had deliberately detached two ships to cruise near the coastline where the three-hundred-hu ship might have wrecked. Wei Yang had even volunteered to search. But they had followed Korea's barren coastline for a long time, even landing on several nameless islets to check, and still found nothing — not even wreckage from a sunken ship.

This was highly unusual. Xu Fu guessed that perhaps the ship's mast had snapped and its rudder had failed, and it had been swept further south by that sudden northwest gale.

The Korean coast stretched for hundreds of li, winding and twisting. Further south, after rounding a very large cape, one would reach a vast bay. That was the land of the Huimo, where the shores were full of uncivilized tribes, the scenery much the same as southern Liaodong.

And the city-state of the "Lord of the Vast Sea," whose name had reached the Central Plains, sat on a large island several li offshore within that bay. A walled town had been built, gathering several thousand barbarian inhabitants, and even anti-Qin scholars and knights from the Six Kingdoms had come, drawn by his reputation, making him a hegemon of the Huimo…

That being the case, what they had to worry about was no longer just the life or death of those hundred-odd crewmen, but also the risk that, if captured, the soldiers might not withstand torture and would leak the Qin dynasty's military intentions!

Under these circumstances, there was no alternative but to hasten the pace of war.

"Who can blame us? In this campaign, Jiaodong and the fleet are destined to be the supporting forces — we absolutely must not steal the limelight from the Young Master General."

Chen Ping grumbled inwardly. The Vast Sea was a petty state; if the Jiaodong fleet leveraged the southwesterly winds to launch a sudden seaborne assault, even if they couldn't annihilate them completely, they could still deal a crippling blow. But any intelligent person could see that this battle had to be fought by Young Master Fusu. Anyone rushing to claim credit would simply be tactless.

When it came down to it, it was just tens of thousands of men accompanying the Emperor's son in playing a war game…

"But by the time that Young Master, with his expeditionary force, dawdles his way to Vast Sea City, the Lord of the Vast Sea may well have gotten wind of it and fled with his followers, abandoning the city. An army of tens of thousands, exhausted from a long march, draining the coin and grain of several commanderies, only to find nothing in the end — that would truly be a joke…"

Chen Ping felt somewhat conflicted. On one hand, he hoped this campaign could settle things once and for all, so Jiaodong would never again have to exhaust its troops on distant expeditions. But on the other hand, he also hoped the Lord of the Vast Sea could escape. If that happened, Heifu could "nurture a threat to bolster his own importance" and remain entrenched in Jiaodong for a long time!

It was at this moment that Wei Yang finally saw the changes at Xi'anping. A month ago, when he had first passed through, it had been just an ordinary little coastal settlement. The broad mouth of the Yalu River flowed slowly, and ships could sail upstream into it.

Now, the little settlement had been expanded considerably. The dock had been doubled in size, a crude outer wall had been added, and between the inner and outer walls were mountains of grain stores piled high. From this point on, the army's supplies would be borne solely by Jiaodong.

To the west, laborers from Jiaodong were felling trees to clear open ground for the army to encamp. To the east, craftsmen were gauging the river's width; with the fleet's assistance, a pontoon bridge could be erected at any time.

Under Chen Ping's direction, everything was proceeding in perfect order — he truly was Heifu's chief strategist.

The only blemish was that Fusu's great army had still not arrived…

Chen Ping sighed. "According to the scouts who arrived ahead, the Young Master led his troops out of Xiangping over half a month ago. Now more than twenty days have passed, yet there's still no sign of them."

From Xiangping city to Xi'anping was nearly five hundred li, with no relay roads, only trails trampled by men and beasts, and the undulating "Thousand Mountains" stretching across the middle, their thousand peaks extending from the west bank of the Yalu all the way to southern Liaodong. Liaodong in May and June was also the rainy season. Tens of thousands of men, braving sudden downpours, crossing mountains and ridges, hacking through thorns and brambles — a long delay was to be expected.

Just as they were speaking, a crisp clang of metal rang out from the ramparts!

Drums meant assembly, horns meant enemy attack. The clanging of metal meant friendly forces had arrived.

"The Young Master's great army is here."

Wei Yang was quite pleased. This way, he could return to Jiaodong and report to his uncle father that Fusu's great army had arrived.

"Finally here."

Chen Ping's face seemed to relax as well, but in his heart, there was a trace of regret.

A moment later, when Chen Ping led men out of the city to greet them and saw the distant column, strung out in a long, snake-like line, slowly approaching, a hint of mockery appeared on his face.

"This is the invincible Qin army?"

"This is clearly a ragtag mob, thrown together at the last minute, sent to a foreign land to die!"

…

The moment that army drew near, Chen Ping could tell they had problems.

At the front were solemn Guanzhong soldiers. Though their pace was slow and their faces were etched with exhaustion, their ranks were still fairly orderly, maintaining basic morale.

The rear guard was also composed of Guanzhong troops, equally solemn and orderly. Young Master Fusu's banner was held high with pride. He had been wise enough to bring up the rear, to prevent the soldiers from deserting.

But the nearly ten thousand men sandwiched in the middle were a different story. They must have been troops conscripted on short notice from Yan and Zhao. They were utterly dejected, their clothes and shoes mostly tattered. After all, they had trudged for twenty days through the old-growth forests of Liaodong, where wild boars and black bears roamed, and had truly suffered bitterly. By rough estimate, compared to when they set out, they were short at least a thousand men! Whether dead or deserted, no one knew.

Chen Ping had read the art of war: during a march, soldiers leaning on their weapons, standing listlessly, is a sign the three armies are starving; banners and pennants in disarray is a sign that command has fallen into chaos; scrambling over food when it's served is a sign that order has been shaken…

This expeditionary force, especially the men from Yan and Zhao, hit nearly all three points.

Chen Ping immediately ordered food and water to be distributed, but it triggered a disturbance. The chaos caused by the scramble for water and food only ceased when Young Master Fusu's carriage came forward from the rear guard.

The authority of the Young Master General still held weight. As the orderlies barked commands, the Yan and Zhao soldiers stopped fighting over the food and retreated one after another, leaving a few unlucky ones who had fallen to be seized by the military judges.

Fusu approached on foot. His war chariot had been wrecked long ago while crossing the Thousand Mountains, and along with it, many supply carts and their grain had also been lost.

"Young Master…"

The military judge stepped forward to request instructions. Young Master Fusu looked at the several Yan and Zhao soldiers who had snatched the food, gritted his teeth, and waved his hand.

"According to military law, those who seize food and disrupt the ranks — behead them!"

Amid pleas for mercy, the men were beheaded on the spot, their heads displayed on pikes!

Chen Ping, watching from the side, clicked his tongue in wonder. Compared to his time in the Northern Lands, this Young Master's heart had hardened by more than just a little!

He immediately stepped forward and saluted.

"Chief Clerk Chen Ping of the Jiaodong Commandery Governor's office, under the Army Supervisor's orders, crossed the sea to oversee grain supplies here and welcome the Young Master!"

Fusu had met Chen Ping back in the Northern Lands. He immediately helped him up, saying, "So it is Mister Chen, who infiltrated the Xiongnu and achieved extraordinary merit. It has truly been a long time. Please, rise quickly."

When he raised his head, Chen Ping noticed that compared to their last meeting, Young Master Fusu had grown thinner by a few degrees and tanned considerably. The angles of his face were sharper, and in his eyes was a deep-seated worry, along with traces of bloodshot veins that had not yet faded.

"Greetings, Young Master."

Chen Ping bowed again, glanced sidelong left and right, but apart from Fusu's aides and guards, he saw no other figure, so he asked, "May I ask where Deputy General Yang, the old general, is? Ping wishes to pay his respects to him as well."

Fusu, however, let out a long sigh and said with deep regret:

"Old General Yang Duanhe… ten days ago, while crossing the mountains, he suffered a heart ailment and passed away…"

"That it should be so! Truly a general's star has fallen — Great Qin has lost yet another veteran commander!"

Chen Ping was greatly startled and bowed deeply, saying, "Young Master, restrain your grief!"

But on his lowered face, there was not the slightest trace of sorrow; instead, a sinister smile emerged!

(End of Chapter)