Might Makes Right
Since ancient times, it has been said that those who wield military might are the ones who seize power. Manners make the man, but might makes right. Only in the modern era has civilian control finally been established, separating military force from political authority. In this age, such a pinnacle of human intellect was nowhere to be found. Consider the name later generations gave this period: the Warring States. Nations locked in endless war. That alone reveals how vital military strength was at this moment in history. Whoever holds military power holds the state. This is separate from the throne itself. It is possible to monopolize national authority through military force, yet seizing the throne is an entirely different matter. No matter how great one's power, the king's authority cannot be lightly challenged.
The Tian clan of the Gui surname, who seized Qi from the Jiang clan of the Lü surname, spent over fifty years consolidating their grip by inheriting the office of chancellor. Only after receiving formal enfeoffment as a feudal lord from King Weilie of Zhou did they finally drive out the Jiang clan and transform Qi from Jiang Qi into Tian Qi. Yet I had no need to concern myself with such complicated processes. All justification and legitimacy had already been granted to me. The only thing I lacked was tangible power. There was no need to assassinate or depose my father, the current King of Yan. If I could seize the state's military authority, the throne would naturally fall into my hands with time. Why risk everything by forcing the issue?
"Indeed… if we can secure the army's support, there would be no need to fixate solely on the central court…"
Having experienced the importance of military power while held hostage in Zhao, Han Jing responded positively to my proposal of securing the military. Jeon Gwang, however, looked somewhat skeptical.
"Military authority ultimately remains under His Majesty's control. For now, the failed invasion of Zhao has forced His Majesty to step back from the front lines—stationing Zhang Ju in the chancellor's office as Zhao demanded and entrusting the army to Lord Changguo. But he is still fully capable of reclaiming the military seals at any moment."
"I have no intention of neglecting the court either. With the Grand Tutor's presence and the merchants under my command, I will continue expanding the circle of those who support me."
Political funds were not a concept limited to the future. Even officials with considerable standing—whether or not they held military titles—maintained retainers and hosted banquets as a matter of course. Their stipends alone were never enough to cover such expenses, so bureaucrats always had to find separate ways to make money. The most common method was accepting patronage from wealthy men in exchange for granting their requests. Those who refused bribes and funded themselves solely through moneylending, like Lord Mengchang, were considered the incorruptible few.
"His Majesty does make miscalculations at times, but he is fundamentally decisive and acts with great swiftness. The goal of obtaining the military is sound, yet it requires a more cautious approach. Even after success, we must remain vigilant and continue to watch carefully."
He was right. Only a man of considerable resolve could have thought to stab an opponent in the back after proposing peace just the day before. The outcome had been a miscalculation, but that alone did not prove the King of Yan was incompetent. I had predicted Zhao's victory because I knew from my previous life how outrageously skilled the Qi generals were. By any ordinary standard, no one would expect defeat when fielding five times the enemy's numbers. I silently acknowledged that I had underestimated the King of Yan and answered Jeon Gwang's advice with sincerity.
"I will keep it in mind."
"In any case, my lord, how do you intend to win over Lord Changguo, General Geuksin, and General Jin Gae? Lord Changguo already shares a connection with the Grand Tutor, so shall we arrange a meeting through that channel?"
"Yes. As you say, I currently have no direct ties to any of the three. Aiming for the military is a grand and worthy goal, but to be frank, we have yet to achieve any concrete results, have we not?"
Jing Ke's blunt words struck deep. Or so it seemed. I was sorry to disappoint her, but while I had survived by using my tongue, I was not the sort of person whose only talent was talking. I had long since moved past the stage of boasting without results.
"No. The plan has already begun."
"Already?"
Jing Ke asked in genuine surprise at my counter. I considered teasing her a little, but seeing even Han Jing and Jeon Gwang waiting for my answer, I gave up on the idea.
"Yes. I have already sent someone to General Geuksin."
"Again?"
"Hm?"
"What about Lord Changguo and General Jin Gae? And sending just one person does not guarantee success. Is that truly all?"
"I will continue working on the other two. The outcome depends entirely on who is sent."
I thought of the person I had dispatched to Geuksin. I had sent them around the time we left Zhao, so perhaps a conclusion had already been reached.
"The world is rather amusing, is it not?"
Chuyeon raised his head at the words of the man seated across from him. The speaker appeared slightly younger than Chuyeon himself, a man who had only recently entered old age. He was one of the talents who had accompanied Chuyeon to seek an audience with King Xiaocheng of Yan—Geuksin.
When Geuksin set down the brush with which he had been writing and turned his attention to Chuyeon, the latter asked in return, "What do you mean?"
"The cycle spoken of by yin-yang scholars like yourself. I once dismissed it as nonsense, but as I grow older, I find myself thinking it may be true after all."
Geuksin spoke while reminiscing about the time he had first crossed into Yan. He had been so young then. Unable to contain his vigor, he had burned with the desire to put his learned skills to use in the world. Looking back now, those days felt nostalgic, yet also faintly embarrassing in their naivety.
"Do you remember the day we all gathered at the Golden Terrace to meet His Majesty the King?"
"Of course. I have never forgotten a single moment."
"Is that so? I am the same. Yet contrary to our memories, after His Majesty passed away, the Golden Terrace was forgotten."
Despite inheriting the worst possible circumstances, King Xiaocheng had possessed outstanding ability and noble character. He gathered talents from across the states and, for a brief moment, made Yan the strongest nation under heaven. His only failing was that he had been so absorbed in governance that he neglected his own son. The heir, King Hui of Yan, was a foolish ruler. He listened to slander, dismissed the virtuous, imprisoned Chuyeon, and relegated Geuksin to a minor post. Had Su Qin still been alive, even he would have been exposed as a spy and executed because of King Hui. In the end, neither Yue Yi nor Chuyeon could endure him and fled to Zhao. If not for King Hui, would not the Golden Terrace King Xiaocheng had raised still be shining brilliantly today?
"But look. Does not the Yan of today seem like the Golden Terrace reborn?"
Geuksin had returned to the heart of the military, and Chuyeon had come seeking him. Yue Yi was dead, yet his son Yue Jian had inherited the title of Lord Changguo. Su Qin was dead, yet his younger brother Su Dai now served in Yan.
"Truthfully, I did not foresee today's events."
"Where in the world is there anyone who knows the future? Even we yin-yang scholars merely use the natural cycle as a guidepost to seek the proper direction for the secular world. We cannot know what lies ahead."
"That is not what I meant. I speak of the realm of military strategy."
Just as Chuyeon was a master of the yin-yang school, Geuksin was a scholar belonging to the Legalist and Militarist schools among the Hundred Schools of Thought, also known as Master Ju. Though he now served as a general in the military, when he first arrived in Yan he had begun not as a military officer but as a civil official. Among all the talents gathered at the Golden Terrace, Yue Yi alone had been a pure general from the start.
"I predicted Yan's crushing defeat in this war."
"A crushing defeat?"
"Yes. Lü Fu and Qing Zhen would die, and Yue Jian would defect to Zhao just as Lord Yue had done before. That was the defeat I foresaw."
Chuyeon thought of another person who had predicted the same outcome as Geuksin—Ji Dan. The young Prince of Yan, once confined to Handan, had seen the same result Geuksin had. And then he had twisted that outcome. It was something even Geuksin, who had spent decades on battlefields and in court accumulating experience, had been unable to accomplish. Setting aside whether Geuksin had possessed the will to change it, Ji Dan's insight alone was equal to his own.
Indeed, my judgment was not mistaken.
In that moment, Chuyeon's trust in Ji Dan grew even firmer.