The Waterwheel and News from Yan
Although I had been appointed Crown Prince, the fief previously granted to me remained unchanged. Instead, the magistrate of Changseong would be replaced. Naturally, this was under my direction. I planned to select and send someone who would listen to my words better than anyone else.
'Maintaining absolute secrecy about everything that happens in Changseong is essential. In my heart I'd like to leave the reliable Jeon-gwang in place, but a promise is a promise.'
The shipyard and steelworks to be established in Changseong meant a great deal of work. Most of the guidelines were already set and operations were on track, yet maintaining them through constant oversight was no simple task. The steelworks in particular would require steady attention and support to develop the super steel method.
"So you're sending me to Changseong?"
"Yes."
Han Jing stared at me with the face of a man struck by lightning from a clear sky. He was the one person I could trust more than anyone—Han Jing.
"There is no one as capable as you, and no one I trust more. I'm counting on you."
"Ahem. Well, it is true that I am the loyal right-hand man who endured the hardships of hostage life alongside you, my lord."
His mind was sharp, yet he remained naive about schemes—a simplicity befitting a pure scholar.
"Han So is in Changseong as well, so adapting shouldn't be difficult."
"Hmm… if this is your request, my lord, I will of course obey. But do I truly need to go all the way to Changseong?"
"It is a small county now, but I intend to develop Changseong into something greater."
"Develop Changseong?"
Originally I had thought that once I became Crown Prince I would pay Changseong little attention, but my mind had changed. Though it was only a small town, Changseong possessed several distinct advantages that set it apart from other places.
"First, because it is my fief, I need not worry about interference from others."
Even as Crown Prince, I could not yet shape the state of Yan entirely as I wished. If necessary there was nothing I could not do, but such clear overreach would only give others grounds for criticism. Changseong, however, was my own territory. Whatever I did there, I need not mind the eyes of outsiders.
"Above all, its remote location makes it difficult for foreign spies to approach, and thanks to Mao Sui's efforts, security has been firmly established."
"Are the projects you have been pursuing in Changseong so important they must be kept in such strict secrecy? Even traveling just down to Qi, one finds dozens of shipyards of similar scale, and in Chu they build far larger vessels. Our state may lead in iron production, yet other counties also forge iron, so is there truly cause for such concern about leaks? Besides, the steelworks in Changseong is a small operation with only a handful of oxen and horses, is it not?"
Extracting iron from ore required intense heat. To sustain that heat, a steady flow of air into the furnace was necessary, and the tool that made it possible was the bellows—one I had encountered even in the future. The Warring States era was a transitional period in which bronze and iron coexisted. Bronze, refined over centuries, held the advantage over primitive ironworking, yet in Yan, where securing raw materials for bronze proved difficult, iron had become the dominant choice. Yan had even constructed large-scale ironworks, and the bellows for those enormous furnaces had been built to a correspondingly massive scale. Human power alone could not operate them, so hundreds of horses or oxen were mobilized to drive the bellows. Changseong's operation was small enough that a few horses would suffice, so my heavy emphasis on security might well appear excessive.
Yet that judgment came from those who did not know what I intended to do next.
"That is true. Counties such as Wujong and Lingzhi operate on a far larger scale."
"Precisely. Iron ore is usually brought from Galseok Mountain, after all."
Galseok Mountain, situated north of the capital Gye—what could be called the head of Yan—was also known as the Great Yan Mountains. From my hazy memories, I believed it would still be called the Yanshan range in the future, named after Yan. In any case, while Changseong was not extremely distant from Galseok Mountain, it was not close enough to enjoy the same advantages as Wujong or Lingzhi, which inevitably limited the scale of its iron production. Simply transporting the heavy ore demanded enormous labor; there was no reason to haul it all the way to Changseong when facilities could be built closer to the source.
But that would change. The device I planned to introduce was one of the revolutionary innovations in steelmaking, comparable to the super steel method itself.
"You know that the Gusu River flows slightly west of Changseong County, yes?"
"Of course."
"I intend to make use of it."
I brought out the wooden panel on which I had drawn the device Han Jing would need to install and spread it across the floor. A round wheel positioned atop flowing water.
"It's called a waterwheel."
Together with the super steel method, this wheel would lead Yan into an age of steel.
A new year had begun, and it was already the first lunar month. According to the Zhuanxu calendar, the first month merely contained the solar term of Beginning of Spring; the new year itself began in the tenth month. Thus in the Qin capital of Xianyang there was no particular festive atmosphere for the new year. Yet the first month held its own significance for Qin beyond the solar term. Those who understood this appeared even busier than they would have been for the actual New Year.
It was the month of the Crown Princess's birth—the next in line for the throne. For Qin's nobility and officials, the first month carried that meaning. Moreover, unlike the previous year, a proper banquet was scheduled this time. The year before last it had been omitted due to the mourning period for the late King Xiaowen of Qin. Last year the newly enthroned King of Qin had launched another war of conquest, pushing the celebration aside. This year, however, there was neither mourning nor war. Above all, the King's health had recently begun to look ominous. The King of Qin had lived a life of considerable hardship. Though he could not yet be called old, worldly affairs were unpredictable. In preparation for any eventuality, Xianyang was filled with people seeking to curry favor with the Crown Princess. For that reason, even those rarely seen were lifting their heavy backsides and showing their esteemed faces.
The old man was one of them.
"It has been a long time. To see the Crown Princess grown so tall, time truly flows like a river."
Ying Zheng, the Crown Princess of Qin, received the old man's greeting with courteous dignity.
"Lord Gangseong. Have you been well?"
"Indeed. It seems Heaven still has work for this old man; it refuses to take me away just yet."
Lord Gangseong, Cai Ze. He had served as a Qin official since the reign of King Zhaoxiang, faithfully attending three generations of rulers through King Xiaowen and into the present reign. Currently Chancellor Lu Buwei dominated the court of Xianyang, but until King Zhaoxiang's final days Cai Ze had occupied the position of Chancellor—a seat Lu Buwei had not dared approach. Cai Ze's insight and eloquence, which had induced the previous Chancellor Fan Ju to step down and recommend him as successor, could truly be called the finest in Qin. Though he had now withdrawn from the Chancellorship to avoid the envy and schemes around him, retaining only the title of Lord Gangseong, the authority carried by a former Chancellor was by no means light. As the architect of the plan to extinguish the Zhou dynasty, Cai Ze's presence and influence still lingered powerfully in the Qin court. Even Lu Buwei showed him respect. Such was the stature of this political giant.
"It is a little early, but allow me to congratulate you on your birthday."
"…Thank you."
"I shall make up for the neglect of the past two years this time. His Majesty intends to erase the sting of last year's defeat at Taiyuan and restore the pride of the civil and military officials. The celebratory banquet will surely be more magnificent than any we have seen before."
As Cai Ze observed, the unusual attention given to Ying Zheng's birthday feast this year stemmed from deliberate political intent to enlarge its scale. Upon his formal ascension, the current King of Qin had immediately prepared to invade Zhao as if to repay the humiliations he had suffered while a hostage there. Yet rather than striking Eastern Zhou—the brother state that still maintained its sovereignty and had been detected plotting revenge—he first attacked it. Chancellor Lu Buwei personally oversaw the destruction of Eastern Zhou, while General Meng Ao seized Xingyang from Han, which had aided the fallen state. The King of Qin claimed Han territory and established the Samcheon Commandery. Emboldened by victory, he raised another army last year, finally opening the curtain on his long-awaited revenge against Zhao. Meng Ao, promoted to General-in-Chief for his previous merits, led a great host that captured dozens of Zhao cities in a single sweep. Just before Taiyuan could be pacified, however, a shocking defeat occurred: a general appearing from northern Zhao routed Meng Ao and rescued the city.
"It was Zhao's general Li Mu, wasn't it? The Xiongnu who foolishly invaded Yan and were crushed allowed him to send reinforcements to Taiyuan."
In the original history, Li Mu would have remained at Yanmen. Taiyuan would have fallen to Meng Ao and become Qin territory. But the world twisted by Ji Dan's intervention had drawn Li Mu out of Yanmen earlier than fate intended. The Xiongnu he once held back were gone, and the threat of a Yan rear attack had vanished. Freed from the shackles on both feet, Li Mu had raced unhindered to Taiyuan and halted the Qin advance.
"Zhao is a fascinating country. Lin Xiangru, Lian Po, Zhao She… and now Li Mu. Famous generals never cease to appear. If you wish to crush Zhao, you must first deal with them."
At Cai Ze's advice—which seemed to know that she too intended to destroy Zhao—Ying Zheng's already expressionless face hardened further.
"…What is your purpose in saying this to me rather than to my father?"
"Purpose, you say… Is that not for the Crown Princess to interpret as she sees fit?"
Before Cai Ze's inscrutable smile, Ying Zheng felt as though every secret in her heart lay exposed. This was the man whose three-inch tongue had forced Fan Ju, who once manipulated all of Qin, to step down. In the ferocious court of Qin—more savage than any other—his insight had reached a level even Ying Zheng found difficult to measure, despite the handicap of being an outsider.
Ying Zheng opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, the eunuch's voice announced another visitor. She swallowed the words she had been about to utter and closed her lips once more.
"Oh dear, I have detained you far too long when both state and personal affairs demand your attention. Please forgive me."
"…Not at all. I shall see you again at the banquet, then."
"Yes, I look forward to it."
Because of his age, Cai Ze moved with slow steps toward the door. Just as he was about to open it and leave, he paused.
"Now that I think of it."
Cai Ze turned his head slightly to look at Ying Zheng.
"You know that I am originally from Yan, yes?"
"Of course."
"I have someone who brings me news from my homeland. He told me something interesting happened recently."
"Interesting…?"
At the mention of news from Yan, Ying Zheng's interest became plainly visible. Cai Ze smiled in a way that differed subtly from before.
"They say the King of Yan has appointed his son Ji Dan as Crown Prince."
"Dan……."
A name she longed for. A name she recalled every night. Hearing it from Cai Ze's lips, Ying Zheng momentarily froze and repeated it in a daze.
'Dan, you…'
This time she did not even properly register Cai Ze's departure after his farewell. Ying Zheng remained lost in old memories of Ji Dan and the painful recollection of their parting.
'Are you truly trying to stop me?'