The Envoy's Ambition
The Grand Tutor Guo Wu, the envoy sent by Yan to Qin, was the Minister of the Imperial Household, Yul Bok. He had borrowed passage through Zhao to attend the funeral of King Zhaoxiang of Qin. In the process, Yul Bok also sent five hundred gold pieces as both payment for the passage and a wish for the King of Zhao’s longevity, while simultaneously forging diplomatic ties between the two states. Yul Bok had hoped that by offering such a lavish sum, some reward might fall to him as well. Yet the King of Zhao gave him nothing in return. Nursing a grudge, Yul Bok thereafter prioritized vengeance against Zhao over the original plan of allying with it against Qin. Though time was short and Zhao’s cold reception had prevented him from properly inspecting the capital Handan, Yul Bok had seen enough of Zhao’s true condition. And he thought, ‘If it is the Zhao of today, it can certainly be taken!’ The perfect opportunity had arrived to accomplish the great undertaking that the late King Xiaocheng of Yan had been unable to complete. Convinced of this, Yul Bok urged the present King of Yan to launch a campaign against Zhao.
At first the King of Yan did not receive Yul Bok’s words favorably. Zhao was the screen that shielded the other states from Qin, and, as Su Qin had once said, it was Yan’s own fence. But when Yul Bok argued that Zhao’s adult men had all perished at the Battle of Changping and its children had not yet grown, so that the state could now be overrun in an instant, the King began to waver. Furthermore, if they could expel Lord Yuling, who guarded the border with Yan, success would raise Yan’s prestige and weaken Zhao’s front against them; even failure would provide useful pretext. After hearing Yul Bok’s scheme, the King’s heart leaned toward attacking Zhao. When news arrived that the death of Lord Pingyuan had thrown Zhao into turmoil, the King began to discuss when would be the best time to strike.
Although the attempt to remove Lord Yuling had failed at the last moment due to Feng Ji’s intervention, Yul Bok was not greatly concerned. The next move was already beyond his hands. The chariot of war could no longer be stopped.
§
“We have arrived, Grand Tutor.”
At the coachman’s words, the old man who had been dozing opened his eyes. He was Guo Wu, the Grand Tutor sent by Yan as envoy to mourn Lord Pingyuan. The position of Grand Tutor, the King’s own teacher, had once been held by Zou Yan during the reign of King Xiaocheng of Yan. Unlike the Minister of the Imperial Household who had been dispatched for the funeral of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, the reason a Grand Tutor had been sent this time was simple. A state funeral involving official diplomacy between nations required the Minister of the Imperial Household, who handled practical affairs. Mourning Lord Pingyuan, however, was closer to paying respects to a renowned figure of the realm. Therefore, rather than sending the Minister again, it was more fitting to dispatch Guo Wu, who was equally renowned. Guo Wu himself had volunteered, for he had long admired gentlemen such as Lord Pingyuan. There was one more reason.
“Heh heh. I wonder how young Master Dan is faring.”
It was to see Ji Dan, the prince of Yan whom he had known since childhood. Though he had met the boy only a few times, Guo Wu had recognized his brilliance. It had also been Guo Wu’s judgment to assign Han Jing, the promising young scholar who had studied at Jixia Academy, to serve at his side. Life as a hostage could not have been entirely comfortable, yet Guo Wu believed Han Jing would have done his utmost to support Ji Dan and impart every possible lesson. Even if relations between Zhao and Yan were not the warmest, both were royal houses; surely they would have treated him with due respect. Had Guo Wu known the true nature of Ji Dan and Han Jing’s life in Zhao, he would have moved heaven and earth to protect the two talents who would one day lead Yan. But the letters Han Jing had sent in the early days of their hostage life had all been intercepted and summarized by Yul Bok. After they abandoned hope of aid from their homeland, even those letters ceased. Still, rumors existed. Most of them, however, were favorable. Tales from the household of Lord Pingyuan spread easily, but stories involving Ying Zheng—Zhao’s shame—were kept so tightly under wraps that they never reached Yan. Thus, when Guo Wu finally learned of the humiliations and hardships Ji Dan had endured in Zhao, he was aghast with fury. That Zhao had slighted even the mourning envoys was something he could endure, for they were not official state representatives, but the matter of Ji Dan was different. The moment he grasped the truth, Guo Wu sought an audience with the King of Zhao and lodged a formal protest. Immediately after Yan’s interference in Zhao’s internal affairs, another Yan envoy had come to protest in turn—an incident that, through distortion and exaggeration, spread across all of Handan in an instant.
§
The moment I heard the rumor that Grand Tutor Guo Wu had taken issue with my mistreatment and gone to protest before the King of Zhao, I felt certain this was a pretext being manufactured for war. Perhaps Yan had been planning even this from the moment they sent me as hostage. Could Yan truly have been ignorant of Zhao’s ambitions, which Lord Pingyuan himself had spoken of? With the Marquis of Yan and his son living and breathing right beside them? Of course not. They had known that if they sent me to Zhao, Zhao would trample or even eliminate me. And they had intended to use that very outcome as justification to break the truce and invade once more.
‘Yul Bok, the Minister of the Imperial Household, was it.’
I recalled the intelligence Jing Ke, now established in Yan, had sent me. That Yul Bok was preparing for war was an open secret in the Yan capital of Ji. Since I had never heard of him, he was probably not a figure destined for great historical renown. Yet any official who rose to the pinnacle of a state possessed exceptional qualities in some regard. Yan’s Minister of the Imperial Household, Yul Bok, seemed to be an exceptionally ruthless schemer. And the King of Yan who had accepted his scheme was a truly cold-hearted father.
“Haha… To cast even his own child away as bait for a single stretch of land. Is this the way of a ruler in the Warring States era…?”
If that was the case, then I too would gladly trip my father’s legs.
“Han Jing, it seems I must disguise myself again after so long.”
“Will you go to meet the Grand Tutor?”
“Yes. If things continue like this, I will become the perfect pretext for war. I cannot simply sit still and let it happen.”
“I will send word to Old Lord Changseong as well. He will arrange a meeting place.”
Han Jing’s resourcefulness had grown considerably. Now he understood my intentions at once. I was very pleased.
The meeting with Grand Tutor Guo Wu was thus arranged. The moment he saw me, he bowed deeply and let out an exclamation of emotion.
“Young Master… To have grown so dignified even in such hardship… You are indeed the one who will become Crown Prince and lead Yan. Do you perhaps remember me?”
“Of course I remember. How could I forget that you once taught me?”
In truth, my memory of Guo Wu was little more than “there was such a person,” but one always offered polite words in conversation. The talk began in a warm atmosphere, and I quickly judged that I could persuade Guo Wu to resolve the matter smoothly. Yet Guo Wu proved far more stubborn than I had expected. Separate from his pity for me, he drew a strict line between public and private duty.
“To treat not only a mere envoy like myself but even Your Highness with such contempt… This is a matter that cannot be overlooked. It directly concerns the dignity of our state. I will return and report every detail of the present situation to His Majesty.”
Guo Wu spoke with indignation. I shook my head.
“I am grateful that you are angered on my behalf, Grand Tutor. But if my father were to learn of this, how do you think he would respond?”
“He would naturally raise an army to punish the unrighteous state of Zhao.”
“Would that be possible?”
“They have already lost several hundred thousand men at Changping. If our state were to mobilize several hundred thousand troops and advance, how could they possibly resist?”
“Then, Grand Tutor, may I ask one more question?”
“Of course.”
“Which state among the present feudal lords is the most powerful?”
“Qin.”
“Then why has Qin, which achieved victory at Changping, not attacked Zhao further?”
“That is……”
Guo Wu could not answer at once. I continued.
“It is not because they fear Zhao’s several hundred thousand troops, but because they still fear Lian Po, whose eyes remain fiercely open, is it not?”
“……That is correct.”
“If even Qin dares not raise an army for fear of Lian Po, how could our state possibly defeat him?”
“…I do not know.”
“Therefore, I beg you not to report this matter to my father. I am unharmed. And if you truly wish to serve the state, set today’s events aside and think of the future. I cannot speak of sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall, but waiting for the aged Lian Po to close his eyes is possible.”
Even after Lian Po’s death I had no intention of attacking Zhao, but by then I would have built a proper foundation in Yan and could prevent incidents like this from occurring in the first place. Or I might have already returned to Yan. Until that time, it was crucial to buy time so that no further trouble arose between Yan and Zhao. Yet even though Guo Wu seemed to accept my words, his resolve did not waver.
“Be that as it may, I cannot deceive the King with falsehoods.”
“Grand Tutor……”
I put on a pitiable expression, appealing to Guo Wu’s sympathy. Whether it worked or whether he accepted the truth of my reasoning, Guo Wu smiled kindly, as a grandfather might smile at his grandson, and said,
“Still, I understand Your Highness’s wishes as well. I will speak to His Majesty so that any military action is limited to the minimum necessary for negotiations. If need be, I will even accompany the army myself. Therefore, Your Highness need not worry overmuch.”