The Forty Thousand
I had been named Crown Prince of Yan, yet I chose not to reside in the royal palace. Instead, I prepared a separate residence outside and stayed there. For one thing, I still held the title of Lord Changseong, and with the many retainers who had gathered under me, it seemed wiser to maintain my own estate rather than live in the palace. After my investiture as Crown Prince, countless people came seeking to become my retainers, and housing them all made a separate mansion absolutely necessary.
Even among the hundreds of retainers now under my roof, the original members still stood out clearly. There was Jeon Gwang, once called the wisest tactician in Yan. Yeo Hong-seong, who possessed the single greatest martial prowess among those around me. Sima Shang, an all-around genius equally skilled in combat, strategy, and nearly every other field. And finally, Mao Sui, the living legend whose reputation needed no explanation. These four were widely regarded as the finest among my retainers and had earned the collective title of the Crown Prince’s Four Friends.
I had also asked Choo Yeon, the man who once persuaded even the God of Death, to join me as a retainer. He refused, saying that while his loyalty to me was no less than that of the Four Friends, he had his own duties to fulfill. He promised to keep in touch through the merchant guild, but contact had grown rare lately, and I was beginning to worry. The last time he sent word, he had said he would be out of touch for a while, yet how could a single line of explanation truly put a person’s heart at ease?
“Master Choo is getting on in years, after all.”
“The last place he sent a message from was Wei.”
“Yes. He apparently met Jang Yi in person and even praised him as an outstanding talent.”
“In my opinion, he is most likely heading to Chu.”
“Chu?”
Mao Sui and Choo Yeon had once served together under Lord Pingyuan and shared the same meals. There must be something only the two of them knew. I mentioned the first name that came to mind when Chu was brought up.
“Could he be going to see Lord Chunshingun?”
Along with Lord Pingyuan and Lord Xinling, Chunshingun was one of the Four Gentlemen whose fame echoed across the feudal states. Though called the least of the four, it was not because his ability fell short, but simply because he alone was not of royal blood. Since Choo Yeon knew I aimed for a grand alliance, it made sense that he might go ahead and lay the groundwork by meeting Chunshingun first.
“That is certainly plausible. Qin has once again begun revealing its ambitions. If we are to form a coalition, it is best to begin moving now.”
Last year, Qin had destroyed Western Zhou, seized territory from Han, and invaded Zhao. Had it not been for Li Mu, the region of Taiyuan west of the Taihang Mountains would have fallen completely into Qin’s hands. Thanks to that campaign, Li Mu—who had been somewhat forgotten after his victory over the Xiongnu—once again drew the world’s attention.
The man once expected to succeed the great general Lian Po as Zhao’s second-in-command had been Yue Sheng, but after this latest conflict, Li Mu had firmly established himself as the next great general after Lian Po. Yet victory and defeat were not the only important matters. What truly mattered was the clear confirmation of the current King of Qin’s will: he would not follow the peaceful path laid out by his predecessor, King Xiaowen of Qin.
The brief peace brought about by the successive deaths of King Zhaoxiang and King Xiaowen of Qin had finally come to an end. From now on, the Central Plains would be swept into an endless vortex of war until the question of unification was decided. The current King of Qin waged war without hesitation, but the one who would succeed him—Zheng—would be the man to end this long Spring and Autumn and Warring States period and ascend as Emperor.
If you truly choose that path, Zheng…
It seemed some lingering attachment still remained in my heart. There was still a part of me that hoped Zheng might make a different choice from the Qin Shi Huang I remembered. If he sought to destroy the feudal states and unify the world, I would stand against him. I had made that resolution, yet complex emotions still swirled within me.
Mao Sui’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“However, the person Choo Yeon wishes to meet does not seem to be Lord Chunshingun.”
“…Someone else? Another acquaintance of Master Choo in Chu… I heard that Xunzi recently accepted an invitation from Lord Chunshingun and traveled to Chu.”
Xunzi had served three times as the head of the Jixia Academy, the very place I had once hoped to visit. Naturally, he and Choo Yeon, both alumni of the academy, were acquainted.
“He will probably meet Xun Huang while he is there. But the person I have in mind is someone else.”
Not Chunshingun, not Xunzi… I could think of no one else. When I failed to offer another name, Mao Sui opened his mouth to give the answer.
Had a third party not interrupted at that exact moment, Mao Sui would have given a clear reply.
“My lord…”
“Dan! You’re in there, aren’t you? I’m coming in!”
The voice that suddenly cut off Mao Sui’s words was filled with absolute determination and urgency that brooked no argument. The door slid open with a rattle. The third party who entered—Sima Shang—flinched slightly when she realized Mao Sui was also present, but she clearly had no time to worry about such things. After offering only the briefest bow, she strode past Mao Sui, her eyes locking directly onto me.
No matter how free-spirited and willful Sima Shang was, she normally observed basic etiquette. For her to act this way meant there had to be an extremely compelling reason. Rather than scold her, I decided to first understand the situation.
“Calm down and explain. What’s going on?”
“…War.”
War had been ongoing since the year before last. Last year, even her own master, Li Mu, had taken the field as the main commander. It was strange to see Sima Shang so rattled, but I held back my curiosity and listened.
“Qin has raised another army.”
“So the extravagant celebrations for the Princess Royal’s birthday were indeed meant to mask the scent of defeat and rally the troops. The speculation was correct.”
The King of Qin’s grudge against Zhao was well known. Even during my time as a hostage in Zhao, I had heard a few things. The previous Qin hostage had lived in such wretched conditions that he could barely sustain himself, yet I was told to be grateful that at least food, clothing, and shelter were provided. Even I, who had received help from Lord Pingyuan, felt anger toward Zhao when recalling those memories. How much deeper must the King of Qin’s hatred run? He had barely escaped with his life after the King of Zhao tried to kill him, abandoning his wife and children in the process. The depth of his resentment was immeasurable.
It was obvious that a single failure would not stop him. Unless it was a catastrophic defeat on the scale of the Battle of Changping that shook the very foundations of the state, he would continue to wage war. War was inevitable. But—
“Four hundred thousand.”
That number was simply too enormous.
“What?”
“Qin has mobilized an army of four hundred thousand this time. Uncle gave me the information himself, so it’s reliable.”
“Four hundred thousand…”
It was said that four hundred thousand died at the Battle of Changping, but that figure included every last civilian who had cooperated with Zhao. It did not refer purely to elite soldiers. If four hundred thousand genuine elite troops had been lost, Zhao would have collapsed from within. That was how massive the number was.
An army of four hundred thousand was something only the strongest powers among the Seven States could field before the Battle of Changping—Zhao at its peak, Chu before it lost its capital, or Qi before King Yan’s reign. Qin was undoubtedly the current hegemon, but its population was not overwhelmingly superior. To gather four hundred thousand elite soldiers meant…
“He is determined. The King of Qin has resolved to exact revenge.”
“How many troops did Qin mobilize during the previous invasion of Taiyuan?”
“One hundred thousand. Zhao responded with thirty thousand under Li Mu and twenty thousand under Jing She, for a total of fifty thousand.”
“Then four hundred thousand would mean…”
“Indeed. It is safe to assume that every available elite soldier has been mobilized, leaving behind only the absolute minimum required for homeland defense.”
Even for Qin, which practiced universal conscription and maintained a militaristic system, this was scraping the bottom of the barrel.
“A reenactment of Changping,” Mao Sui murmured gravely.
During the Battle of Changping, King Zhaoxiang of Qin had supposedly conscripted every man over fifteen capable of fighting and thrown them into the meat grinder. However, Sima Shang corrected the premise we had been operating under.
“Wrong. The target of Qin’s attack is not Zhao. It’s Wei.”
“Wei… Those Qin jackals. Their heads work quickly.”
Though I considered myself fairly adapted to this era, tactics and strategy still felt vague and difficult to me. When I failed to follow their conversation, Mao Sui offered a more detailed explanation.
“Consider the geography. It is difficult for Qin to attack Zhao directly.”
“Because of the Taihang Mountains.”
“Correct. From Zhao’s perspective, if they build fortresses at the narrow passes through the Taihang Mountains and defend only those points, the interior can be protected with ease. Much like Qin’s own Hangu Pass.”
“But Taiyuan, which lies on the other side of the mountains, does not require such defense. That is why Qin targeted Taiyuan first.”
Crossing the Taihang Mountains without securing Taiyuan would be extremely dangerous. If an army marched through the mountains only to be struck in the flank or rear by Zhao forces coming out of Taiyuan, it would be a catastrophe.
“They have already taken the southern commandery of Shangdang. If they can seize Taiyuan as well, the route across the Taihang Mountains becomes secure. Of course, they were blocked by my uncle. To strike at Zhao’s heart, they had no choice but to target Taiyuan first. Li Mu understood this perfectly, which is why he stationed his forces at Yanmen instead of Taiyuan, waiting for the right moment to strike. To Qin, Li Mu’s sudden appearance must have been like a bolt from the blue. Although there was a fortress at Yanmen north of Taiyuan, it had a small population and was fully occupied with defending against the northern nomads, so they likely thought it posed no threat to the south. Of course, after Li Mu stabilized the region and the Xiongnu were swept away in the previous campaign, the situation at Yanmen changed drastically. Qin’s failure to recognize Li Mu’s true worth was their fatal mistake.”
Having suffered an unexpected blow from Li Mu, Qin changed the direction of its advance.
“The reason they are attacking Wei this time is not the objective itself, but a means to an end.”
“The corridor between the Taihang Mountains and the Yellow River. They intend to seize it in order to march straight into Zhao’s heartland.”
The corridor Sima Shang spoke of was, in terms more familiar to me from the Three Kingdoms period, the Henei Commandery. It was a route that allowed one to reach Zhao’s capital of Handan using only flat terrain, without needing to cross the Taihang Mountains. Yet it was said that while it was easy to fight and die for a road, it was difficult to lend one. Wei would not easily hand over to Qin the very path that could plunge a blade into the soft belly of their ally Zhao.
“In other words, this war is not aimed solely at Zhao. It is a war waged against the Zhao-Wei alliance.”