The Long Tongue's Praise
Lord Chunshin's lavish praise was the highest possible commendation he could offer—the absolute pinnacle of flattery. "I was only half convinced at first, but this settles it. Lord Pingyuan truly accomplished something magnificent before he left us."
Indeed. Lord Pingyuan had played a pivotal role. The goal I now pursued—to prevent Qin's unification—had grown far beyond a single cause. It now rested on multiple foundations. Among them, the greatest was what I had told Zheng during our conversation beneath the solar eclipse: it was all for Zheng. I would not stand idly by and allow the girl I had taken in, the one who simply wished to be happy, to become Qin Shi Huang. My resolve was to stop her from being consumed by the very cycle of hatred, vengeance, and ambition she had ignited, only to become another link in that endless chain.
Yet at the very root, beneath it all, lay the promise I had made to Lord Pingyuan. Without him, none of these thoughts would have ever taken shape.
"From now on, I shall no longer treat Your Highness as a mere child to be gently guided. Instead, I wish to hear your true thoughts. Would you share your esteemed opinion with this old Huang Mo? If the coalition army is to be led by Han, who do you have in mind as its grand commander?"
Lord Chunshin's tone had shifted. He was now acknowledging me as an equal, someone worthy of openly discussing grand strategy. From his earlier comment about being half convinced, it seemed he had been testing me—verifying the truth of what he had heard from others. I would be lying if I said it didn't sting at all, but I understood. Lord Chunshin had never met me in person before. Unlike the modern era with its radios and televisions, he had no choice but to rely solely on the testimony of others. It was only natural that he wouldn't accept such accounts without scrutiny. Even if the guarantor was Lord Xinling, as one of Chu's pillars of state, Lord Chunshin would have doubted and questioned relentlessly. After all, Mao Sui had once assessed him as someone who thought too much, which made his decisions slow—though his vast knowledge and silver tongue more than compensated for that flaw.
Mao Sui's character assessment had proven far more accurate than even my own historical knowledge. As the saying goes, hiding one's true nature is far harder than revealing it. It was like needing the ability to score a perfect hundred just to deliberately score zero. Having perfectly concealed his own depths, Mao Sui's judgments were as sharp as they were infallible.
Enough with the commentary. I answered Lord Chunshin's question directly.
"Since Han currently lacks any heroes on the level of Lord Chunshin or Lord Xinling, placing the King of Han himself as the nominal grand commander would be the most appropriate choice, would it not?"
"Nominal, you say…."
Even if the King of Han were nominally appointed as the coalition's representative, he would never personally take the field to command the army. Having a king present would skyrocket the troops' morale, but the risk was simply too great. Beyond the obvious dangers of death or capture in battle, the battlefield was a place where anything could happen at any moment. Soldiers died from endemic diseases all the time, and who was to say the king wouldn't suffer a heart attack while crossing a river? Therefore, even if the King of Han were named grand commander, it would be in name only. The actual duties would fall to someone beneath him.
"I heard that Chancellor Han Xi led the army last time. If the King of Han is put forward as the coalition's representative, the chances are high that he would serve as the proxy."
"Chancellor Han Xi is certainly a possibility, but is there not someone even higher?"
"Ah, Zhang Ping, the Minister of the Upper Chamber."
Zhang Ping served as Han's Minister of the Upper Chamber, having inherited the position from his father, Zhang Kaizhi, making it a hereditary post across two generations. Yet calling them powerful ministers would be inaccurate—their family was renowned for its unwavering loyalty to Han. With Han's territory having shrunk so dramatically, the number of capable noble houses had naturally dwindled as well. Moreover, the Zhang clan originally stemmed from a cadet branch of the Han royal family, which meant the royal house rarely kept them in check.
The reason I knew so much about them wasn't because they were particularly extraordinary figures, nor because I had taken a special interest in Han from the beginning. In fact, I had only learned the details of the Zhang family's history quite recently. Both the former Minister Zhang Kaizhi and the current Minister Zhang Ping were reasonably well-known loyal officials, but my interest in them had a different origin.
I didn't have to look far. It was because of Zhang Ping's child that I had come to notice them at all.
I never expected Zhang Liang to already be born.
Zhang Liang. Courtesy name Zifang, posthumous title Marquis of Liu. He was one of the Three Heroes of Han who helped Liu Bang found the Han dynasty. Even thousands of years later, in the modern era, the name Zhang Zifang remained synonymous with the ideal strategist. The famous anecdote of Cao Cao calling Xun Yu "my Zhang Zifang" was legendary, and in our own history, one could say Jeong Do-jeon was to Yi Seong-gye what Zhang Zifang was to Liu Bang. While Zhuge Liang of the Three Kingdoms might be more widely recognized by name, in terms of raw ability and achievements, Zhang Liang was an unparalleled genius without equal.
Just as it's only natural to recruit Zhuge Liang if you're born into the Three Kingdoms world, it's only right to secure Zhang Zifang in this era.
Strictly speaking, I was about a generation ahead of Zhang Liang. And while history recorded that Zhang Ping had only daughters rather than sons, the name was the same, so it had to be the same person.
She's still just a little kid, but I should at least get familiar with her face while she's young.
Unaware of my inner thoughts, Lord Chunshin nodded repeatedly, saying that Zhang Ping wasn't a bad choice at all.
"Raising the King of Han as the nominal leader of the coalition while having Zhang Ping serve as the actual grand commander. That's quite an excellent proposal. Although the main forces will come from Yan and Chu, the world will see Han as the central pillar. Even if we raise the banner of righteousness for all under heaven, no one will be able to call it unjust."
Lord Chunshin kept offering words of admiration, calling it clear and decisive. However, I could tell his reaction was somewhat feigned. To be precise, while he habitually let out exclamations of praise, his mind seemed to be elsewhere, lost in other calculations. He hid it so skillfully that I nearly missed it, but because I had a similar habit myself, I managed to catch on.
"What do you think? Wouldn't that align well with the plan you have in mind, Lord Chunshin?"
"…The plan I have in mind? What do you mean by that?"
"It's a bluff, isn't it? The coalition army."
Lord Chunshin spoke of raising a coalition army, but he had no actual intention of waging war. That was the conclusion I had reached after conversing with him.
"It shows, does it?"
Realizing there was no point in hiding it any longer, Lord Chunshin smiled wryly instead of denying it. "Somewhat."
"It seems I've become quite the relic. There was a time when I could deceive even King Zhaoxiang of Qin with this three-inch tongue of mine."
"Was seeking me out part of showing your hand from the beginning?"
"That is correct as well."
"And raising the coalition army was true?"
"Indeed. The coalition army will be raised. But there will be no war."
Lord Chunshin's true objective was not to fight a war through the coalition, but to deliberately reveal the card known as the coalition army in order to intimidate his opponent—a kind of grand bluff.
"My goal is to drag Qi into a negotiation hall."
It was a battlefield fought not with blades but with tongues. His words carried absolute confidence that if he could simply lure his opponent there, victory was assured.
Suddenly, I recalled that he had invited Shun Huang—who had once served as an advisor to the King of Qi and as the sacrificial officiant at Jixia Academy—to Chu as a guest.
With the sensation of gears clicking perfectly into place in my mind, I saw through the full scope of Lord Chunshin's scheme.
"You are a frightening man, Lord Chunshin. Was even accepting Shun Huang as a retainer and sending him to serve as the county magistrate of Nanling part of your plan?"
"Shun Huang. That man possesses even greater learning than I, and he honed his eloquence by teaching countless scholars at Jixia Academy. My long experience has taught me that it is best to eliminate as many variables as possible."
By removing Shun Huang—the only person in Qi capable of matching him in debate—he would raise the coalition army to make Qi panic and proactively seek negotiations. Then, in the negotiation hall he had created, he would use his silver tongue to extract concessions from Qi and sever their vertical alliance with Qin. That was Lord Chunshin's plan.
"However, I had not considered that the great cause of the coalition must still be upheld. I have learned a new lesson from Your Highness's insight. This is sincere."
So the earlier lavish praise had come from the fact that I had shown him an angle he hadn't anticipated. This sly old snake of a man had woven a plan so meticulous that his somewhat indecisive nature barely showed. His flaw of hesitating before major decisions became irrelevant if he simply followed the blueprint he had prepared in advance. When I considered that I had added one missing stroke to Lord Chunshin's grand painting, I could somewhat understand the surprise he must have felt.
"It was good that I came in person. Next time, I must seek out Your Highness even faster than this."
By mentioning a next time, it was clear that Lord Chunshin was also considering a coalition against Qin. As he rose from his seat, signaling the end of our meeting, I stood up as well.
"Are you leaving already?"
"There is no need to give Qin time to prepare countermeasures. If I am to visit Han as Your Highness advised, I must hurry."
Originally, if Yan and Chu had raised the coalition army according to Lord Chunshin's initial plan, he could have simply returned to Chu. However, my suggestion to use Han as the figurehead had altered his itinerary. He would need to move even more briskly to keep the schedule.
"I will be sure to convey your words to Zhang Ping as well."
"Ah, so I was found out after all."
"Heh. For all appearances, I am still a man with three thousand retainers."
Realizing it was truly time to depart, Lord Chunshin immediately offered a polite farewell with clasped hands. I responded in kind, bringing my own hands together.
"Have a safe journey."
"And to you as well, Your Highness. Take care of yourself until we meet again."
That was the brief encounter with Lord Chunshin—a meeting that had swept through like a sudden gale before vanishing just as quickly.