The Coalition Council
Jixing, the gathering point of the coalition army, had been reached, but on that very day the generals from the various states who had assembled for the coalition did not all convene for a meeting. The Wei forces and Chu forces were stationed at Gong, some sixty li—roughly twenty-four kilometers—from Jixing, while only the Zhao and Yan forces were present in Jixing itself. Lord Xinling was in Jixing both because she had led the Zhao army there and because she wished to welcome me, who had yet to join. With so many troops involved, it was simply impossible for the entire coalition to gather in one place at once.
Since the distances were not great, after a day or two of rest the representatives of each state began to converge on Jixing. As the representative of Yan, I made my way to the council chamber together with Ji Xin, the actual field commander of our forces. Though I had accumulated a wide range of experiences in this life, this was my first time directly participating in a war, and the tension was immense. Lord Xinling and Ji Xin would stand by me, yet the others would not. The pressure to present myself as a worthy crown prince of Yan before these renowned generals from foreign lands was overwhelming. Even so, if that were all, I could have endured by thinking of Lian Po or Jin Gai. But considering that I might one day succeed Lord Xinling as the central figure of the coalition, that alone would not suffice.
“If you tense up like that, it will only make your nervousness more obvious. Think of yourself as being back at the Yan court.”
“…I shall try.”
The Yan court… the Yan court… I repeated Ji Xin’s advice silently in my mind as I entered the chamber. I was not the last to arrive; only three people were present. The first to catch my eye was Lord Xinling, seated at the head of the table in her capacity as supreme commander. Flanking her were one man and one woman.
“Crown Prince of Yan, take the seat here. It has been prepared for you.”
Because this was an official occasion, Lord Xinling addressed me with formal courtesy for the first time in a long while and kindly indicated my place. It was not first-come, first-served; the seats had been assigned. Yet in an age that still favored sitting on the floor rather than chairs, only cushions had been laid out.
“The Chu contingent has not arrived yet. Lord Fang Nan, have you heard anything?”
The elderly man seated to Lord Xinling’s left, who appeared roughly the same age as Lian Po, answered with a hearty laugh.
“Those fellows from Chu do not go around announcing their affairs to others. Even to you, Lord Xinling, they merely cooperate because you are the supreme commander of this coalition.”
While replying to Lord Xinling, Fang Nan’s gaze openly turned toward me. For a moment I thought he was looking at me, but his eyes were fixed more intently on Ji Xin beside me.
‘Ji Xin mentioned it himself. He has an old connection with General Fang Nan of Zhao.’
Although Ji Xin was now a general of Yan, he had originally been a man of Zhao. That was precisely why the King of Yan had refused to employ him during the previous invasion of Zhao. Lord Xinling, aware that Ji Xin and Fang Nan were conscious of each other, made no move to intervene. Instead, she steered the conversation toward Chu, which had still not arrived.
“It seems Chu remains as proud as ever, even at Gong.”
Like the other states, Chu had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Qi in its prime and had endured countless humiliations from Qin over the past decades, yet their arrogance was said to remain undiminished. Though they were now clearly outmatched by the overwhelmingly powerful Qin, they still took pride in being the second-strongest among the Seven Great States.
“Yet thanks to that pride, they have been most cooperative with the coalition, have they not?”
Fang Nan was right. Chu behaved as though they alone could stand against Qin, and they cooperated enthusiastically with the coalition. Of course, one could not overlook the fact that Lord Chunshingun, one of the Four Gentlemen of the Warring States and the man who had raised the coalition in the first place, was also of Chu. Everyone praised Lord Xinling as the foremost among the gentlemen, but Lord Chunshingun was likewise one of the Four who stood shoulder to shoulder with her.
“Hmm. They are running a little late. In that case, I had intended to make introductions once everyone had gathered, but it would be better to exchange greetings in advance.”
After waiting a little longer with no sign of the Chu party, Lord Xinling announced that she would alter the order of proceedings. She first gestured toward Fang Nan.
“This is General Fang Nan of Zhao. Lord Fang Nan?”
“Fang Nan of the School of Diplomacy, at your service.”
Just as I had brought Ji Xin with me, Lord Xinling had needed a commander who could actually lead the Zhao forces. It seemed Fang Nan had been chosen for that role.
“I am Ji Dan, Crown Prince of Yan.”
“A man already famous even in Zhao. I have heard much of the Crown Prince from Lord Xinping as well.”
From Lian Po? That was news to me. I had never heard that Lian Po spoke of me, not even from Feng Ji, who served as a guest minister in Zhao.
“I do not know how you managed to tame that arrogant fellow of the Ji clan, but I hold the Crown Prince in high regard. I look forward to working with you during this campaign.”
Ji Xin was arrogant? That, too, was difficult to believe. The Ji Xin I knew was not arrogant; if anything, he had been kind. He had taught me, as a grandfather teaches his grandson, how high and grand one’s goals should be and what was required to reach them. Yet the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was not entirely incomprehensible.
‘It has been decades since Ji Xin left Zhao. People can change.’
Just as I was about to let the matter rest with that thought, Ji Xin could no longer hold his tongue.
“The brat who could never beat me even once when we studied together has grown quite a lot.”
“That was ages ago. If we fought now, you would not defeat me.”
“You have become insolent. You, who have never even properly taken the field, claim you can defeat me—the man who subdued the State of Qi and conquered the army of Lord Changguo?”
“Lord Changguo’s Yi was formidable, but Lord Xinping Lian Po is even more so. I read the treatise you wrote, Ji Zi. It was nothing special.”
“Hah. I do not even remember the writings you produced.”
The exchange was reminiscent of the debates between Zou Yan and Gongsun Long that I had witnessed long ago in the mansion of Lord Pingyuan while he was a hostage in Zhao. It seemed the saying that old age brings childishness was true after all. Zou Yan and Gongsun Long had been unable to meet without arguing; now Ji Xin and Fang Nan, even older than they had been then, were behaving the same way.
As if I were not the only one who felt this way, the woman who had remained silent at Lord Xinling’s right spoke with a somewhat sharp tone.
“Have the two of you forgotten where we are? Please maintain some decorum.”
Both Ji Xin and Fang Nan were renowned figures who had built their reputations from the previous generation to the present, yet she addressed them with such authority. This woman was clearly no ordinary person either. While I was inwardly admiring her and wondering who she might be, she introduced herself without waiting for me to ask.
“I am General Xin Yuan Yan of Wei. It is an honor to meet the Crown Prince of Yan.”
Xin Yuan Yan appeared to be roughly the same age as Lord Xinling or perhaps a few years older, already past thirty and approaching the middle of her fourth decade. Unlike the businesslike manner she had shown while rebuking Fang Nan and Ji Xin, she exuded a distinctly friendly air toward me.
‘Just as Fang Nan had heard of me from Lian Po, perhaps she heard something from Lord Xinling? Yet the atmosphere between the two of them does not seem particularly warm.’
The two women treated each other as though the other were barely present. Unlike the way Lord Xinling had personally introduced Fang Nan, she did not step forward this time, allowing Xin Yuan Yan to speak of herself alone. That alone made their distant relationship obvious. Even Lord Xinling could not be on good terms with everyone in the world. Just as the King of Wei had viewed her with suspicion and the retainers of the late Prince Jin Bi had hated her for the necessary evil of his death, there were those who did not get along with Lord Xinling. Perhaps the King of Wei, while appointing her Supreme General, had planted Xin Yuan Yan as a final check because he could not entirely set aside his doubts.
Just as I finished exchanging greetings with everyone present, the tardy arrival who had kept us all waiting finally appeared.
Drurrrrrk.
Despite arriving later than the appointed time, there was not a trace of servility or embarrassment on her face—only bold confidence. Shoulders squared, back perfectly straight, she strode in with a posture so upright that the phrase “straight as an arrow” came to mind. Her build was every bit as imposing as Yeo Hong-seong’s. A valiant spirit and a powerful physique—she was the very embodiment of the martial ideal. Her jet-black hair, as dark as mine, fell long and thick, while her fierce eyes, like those of a beast of prey, gleamed with a crimson light. It was the same aura of a commander who surveyed the world that I had sensed from Lian Po and Jin Gai.
“Oh? Fang Nan and Ji Xin as well. So the old men managed to drag their heavy bodies all the way here. You have come quite a distance.”
While Xin Yuan Yan’s rebuke of Fang Nan and Ji Xin had still carried a minimum of respect, this woman showed none at all. Yet even she could not behave so freely toward Lord Xinling; when her gaze met the supreme commander’s, she clasped her hands and bowed her head.
“My apologies for being late, Supreme Commander. A problem arose within my own forces.”
“It is all right. But you must take care that this does not happen again.”
“Of course.”
“Take your seat and introduce yourself. This is the Crown Prince of Yan, who has joined our coalition.”
At Lord Xinling’s mention of me, the woman’s eyes settled on my face.
“Ah, so this is the one…”
She seemed to recognize the title of Crown Prince of Yan, suggesting I was something of a known figure. Yet there was a different quality to her reaction compared to Fang Nan’s or Xin Yuan Yan’s—a subtle sense of dissonance. I had no time to ponder its source. She quickly composed her expression and introduced herself.
“A pleasure. I am Xiang Yan, Grand General of Chu.”
Xiang Yan. A name I knew.