A Most Unexpected Visitor
Lord Chunshin Huang Heol had come as a guest. A guest I had not anticipated in the slightest. At the same time, he was a guest of tremendous significance who would bring enormous repercussions. Even though it had been quite some time since they last met, Chuyeon had yielded this audience with me to the visitor, which showed just how exceptional the man’s value truly was. One of the only two remaining Four Lords under heaven. The Chancellor of Chu, the Yingyin. The name of the man sitting before me was Chunshingun Huang Heol.
Quite the handsome man. If Lord Xinling Wei Muji was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, then Lord Chunshin Huang Heol could be called the most handsome among men. Given his age, he could not entirely hide the aura of middle age, yet he overflowed with the unique charm born of the confidence and easy grace that came with being a successful man in his prime.
“I hope you will forgive any shortcomings in my hospitality. I never dreamed, not for an instant, that Lord Chunshin would come in person.”
Had Lord Chunshin arrived as Chu’s official envoy, I would have received him with full state honors. Instead, he had slipped into Yan hidden among Chuyeon’s party. He had not announced his presence, had secured no separate lodgings, and had come straight to me. His every action spoke of a deliberate intent to conceal his identity.
Just what was this man thinking, committing such a risky and outlandish act? What did he hope to gain from a secret meeting with me?
“Of course, of course. To welcome an uninvited guest who arrived without so much as a letter—how could I not be grateful for such warmth?”
Lord Chunshin spoke lightly, but to me, who already possessed information about him, the words sounded like confirmation that my reports had been accurate.
The Four Lords each commanded enough renown to keep thousands of retainers, yet each possessed slightly different traits and therefore carried two or three nicknames. The grand, glittering ones were well known: Lord Mengchang the Avenger, Lord Pingyuan the Noble Son, Lord Xinling the Great Hero, Lord Chunshin the Wise One. But there were also mocking nicknames meant to belittle them. Lord Mengchang, short and slight of build, was called Juyu—Dwarf. Lord Pingyuan was labeled Sangwu—Fool Above—for his supposed inability to see the larger picture. Lord Xinling bore the indelible tag of Traitor for killing the King of Jin in the name of righteousness. And the nickname attached to Lord Chunshin was…
Long Tongue. A chatterbox with a silver tongue.
In this age, no one could defeat him in debate. At best, Su Dai, younger brother of Su Qin, or Lu Zhonglian—who had once astonished Lord Pingyuan—might have stood a chance. Even the fearsome King Zhaoxiang of Qin had often been swayed as if enchanted by Lord Chunshin’s eloquence. To stop that tongue, one would probably need to summon the very legends of the Vertical and Horizontal Alliance, Su Qin and Zhang Yi themselves.
Lord Chunshin was indeed a master of words. He controlled the pitch and speed of his voice with perfection, along with every non-verbal cue—expression, gesture, posture. The way he naturally unfurled the vast knowledge gleaned from countless books and the wisdom tempered by life’s hardships was so skillful that, despite my wariness, I felt myself being drawn in. I could not yet judge his administrative ability, but from this eloquence alone I understood why a man who was not of royal blood could still claim one of the Four Lords’ seats.
The conversation had been brief, yet long enough to reveal his caliber. Had I not set a mental time limit and kept careful count, I might have been swept away by his silver tongue.
But the moment the limit I had preset was reached, I cut off his voice with the words I had prepared.
“The distance from Geyang, the capital of Chu, to this place Ji is roughly two thousand li.”
Even a straight line on the map exceeded seven hundred kilometers. Slightly exaggerated, it was comparable to the stretch from Busan to Baekdu Mountain. Naturally, no one could travel in a straight line; following the winding roads would make two thousand li feel almost short. Even at the fastest pace, one could cover only about forty kilometers a day. The journey here must have taken no less than a full month.
“To have devoted so much time and come all this way, Lord Chunshin must have business of equal weight. As the saying goes, time is gold. Let us stop testing one another. After all, both you and I already share the single goal of preserving the coalition that will stop Qin.”
“Hoo. You strike straight at the vital point. Now I understand why Mao Sui chose to follow you. How refreshing. Very well! I shall speak openly.” Lord Chunshin slapped both knees and leaned subtly toward me. “I believe we need to raise another coalition army.”
Because he carried true righteousness in his heart, he had become one of the Four Lords. Had he pursued only personal gain, he might have become the greatest swindler in history. Every small gesture, every indirect revelation calculated to feel all the more genuine, was deliberate.
I sharpened my focus and listened intently to Lord Chunshin’s words.
“But the opponent this time is not Qin! Dragging that turtle back out of Hangu Pass after it has sealed itself inside is an exhausting task. Therefore, I propose we strike Qi.”
Lord Chunshin condensed the objectives of a new coalition against Qi into two points. The first was punishment for Qi having sided with Qin rather than the other states in the previous war. The second was a lure: by attacking Qi, Qin’s only remaining ally, we would draw the Qin army out beyond Hangu Pass. Both reasons were sound.
With his fluent, theatrical eloquence, he expounded on how vital and how just this coalition would be. Then, as though finally taking pity on his overworked tongue, he granted it a brief rest. He studied my face in silence before speaking again, his voice more serious than at any point before.
“I would like you, Crown Prince, to serve as commander-in-chief of that coalition.”
There was genuine sincerity in Lord Chunshin’s words. He had revealed his true heart from the very beginning. Like clothes slowly soaked by a fine drizzle, even the most guarded person would gradually be moved by him. Upon hearing that final invitation, most would have nodded at once, clasped his hand, and cried out in emotion that they would gladly burn their own body for the great cause of the world.
But it did not work on me.
“You are testing me.”
“Oh?”
The fleeting spark of amusement in his reaction. That, I suspected, was Lord Chunshin’s true face. Having glimpsed the man’s real intent in that instant, I spoke with complete confidence.
“I do not oppose a coalition against Qi. However, the leader must never be Yan or Chu.”
“Why?”
“Because Yan and Chu share too deep a grudge with Qi.”
“Is that not precisely why Yan and Chu should take the lead?”
“From now on, every coalition must rise on the foundation of righteousness. If Yan and Chu stand at the forefront and march against Qi, the world will see it not as a righteous cause but as the settling of old scores between nations.”
Even if the two states took neither territory nor people from Qi and moved solely in pursuit of cooperation among the states, the world would perceive it exactly as I described. Qin’s countless spies already scattered across the land would ensure it. It is easy to disguise a lie as truth, but explaining the truth is difficult. No matter how hard Lord Xinling’s and Lord Chunshin’s retainers worked, no matter if I mobilized the Mubi Trading Company, the odds of correcting that perception were slim.
“Therefore, Lord Chunshin, you must not become the standard-bearer who raises the banner of a coalition against Qi.”
One might be encouraged by recent success and mistakenly believe the coalition’s foundation was now solid, but those who would form its core could not afford such misjudgment. The coalition was a sandcastle barely holding together. It rested on a floor of righteousness already riddled with cracks, precariously glued together by the personal fame of individuals such as Lord Xinling and Lord Chunshin.
Beneath it lay countless latent dangers: the differing desires of each state, the Qin spies and pro-Qin factions embedded in their hearts, the terror of Qin planted in the soldiers’ minds that would shatter morale after even a single defeat. The coalition was a miracle that had only just managed to form after overcoming all those obstacles.
“Therefore, the coalition against Qi must be raised by a country other than Yan or Chu. If there is one most suited to the task… Han, which like Qi once stood on Qin’s side yet rose up in the name of righteousness, would be the fitting choice.”
I had laid out all my thoughts on the coalition. Now it was Lord Chunshin’s turn to respond. He shed the mask-like expression he had worn until then and revealed a subtle, complex look—satisfied yet regretful, a contradictory blend of emotions.
“What a shame.”
Had there been a flaw in my reasoning? Had my argument sounded like the delusion of a clumsy novice to a towering figure of the age like Lord Chunshin? As I tried to push down the anxiety rising within me, Lord Chunshin spoke in a hollow voice.
“I should have met the Crown Prince before Lord Pingyuan did.”