The Warring States, Books 1-3

by Greg Strandberg

  “I want everything to go perfectly,” Ximen said to Zhai. “Once the river is breached there will be no controlling the water. Everything has to be perfect along the mile of embankments or the water will punch through or spill over them before it even reaches the city.”

  “What are the men doing over there?” Wen asked, pointing toward the workers that were tying ropes to the large boulders closer to the river.

  “Those are the boulders that will be rolled over the side of the embankment, ripping out the support beams that are holding the dam together,” Ximen replied. “There are four boulders on each side of the dam, two tied to each beam. They’ll need to be rolled at exactly the same time for the dam to break evenly.”

  “And then the water will do the rest of the work, is that it?” Zhai asked.

  “The river is running stronger now than at any other time of the year,” Ximen said. “The spring runoff from the Luliang Mountains is heavy this year, and it’s widely feared that the river will spill its banks and flood the surrounding countryside sometime before summer comes.”

  “But will it have enough force to break through the city walls?” Wu asked as he approached, looking more concerned with his robes than with any thought of the city walls.

  Ximen shook his head at the heir, who was busily wiping at his white robes, dirtied from the embankment during his climb up.

  “The walls will prove too strong for the force of the water, I’m sure, but the gate will most certainly not.”

  Ximen looked at the three men, but each returned his look in a questioning manner.

  “You see,” the engineer continued, “the water will be coming down the trench we’ve dug so quickly and with such force that it’ll slam into the city gate, it’s only obstacle along a mile-long course. There’s a good chance rocks and small boulders, as well as a few of the support beams, will be taken up by the water and slammed right into the wood of the gate, breaking it apart upon first impact. If not, however, I believe that the continued force of so much water and rock will destroy the gate within minutes.”

  “What of the chances of the water overtopping the banks and spilling down onto the soldiers in the trenches?” Zhai asked.

  “I don’t think that will happen,” Ximen said. “We’ve planned for that during the construction, making the embankments near the trenches taller than the rest.”

  “How long will the water flow from the river?” Wen asked. “I’d like the city to be livable again one day.”

  Ximen nodded before he turned and pointed back toward the dam. “Rivers like to flow along their usual course,” he explained. “We’ll put the Fen River back on its course just as soon as word arrives that the city is breached. Hundreds of workers are standing by to begin shoveling rocks and dirt into the trench where the dam is now.”

  “Will that work?” Wu asked, having given up on his robes. “If the river is indeed moving with enough force to shatter the city gate, how will a few shovelfuls of dirt stop it?”

  “Further up the river a mile or so is another large embankment that we’ve constructed,” Ximen explained. “On top of it are dozens of boulders which will be rolled into the river, slowing the rate of flow enough that the river will overflow its banks. This will give us the respite we need to rebuild the riverbank where the dam now stands.”

  Wen nodded. “So when do you plan on breaking the dam?”

  “Just as soon as you give the word,” Ximen answered. “Everything is ready.”

  Wen turned back toward Zhai and Wu, nodded at each, then turned around to face Ximen once again.

  “Is this a good spot to see the action from?” he asked.

  Ximen nodded. “You can see the dam and the city from here. This is where I’d want to be when the dam’s broken.”

  “Alright then, give the word for the workers to push those boulders.”

  Ximen nodded and turned back to the dozen men clustered around each of the two boulders on the embankment ahead of him.

  “Ready?” he shouted out loudly.

  They yelled back at him that they were, so he turned to look at the others across the trench. He waved at them and they returned his wave with a shout that sounded even louder than that from the men closest to them. Ximen nodded, then pulled a bright red cloth from inside his robes and held it tightly in his hand. He looked at the two groups of men once again, then turned back to Wen.

  “Just wave this in the air and the dam will be broken,” he said as he handed the cloth to the Marquis.

  Wen nodded as he took the cloth, then stepped forward past Ximen, looking at each group of men in turn. Their eyes were locked onto him and it seemed that everything around them had stopped, even the sound of the river just a few dozen feet away. At last Wen thrust the cloth up over his head and began to wave it frantically.

  Ximen saw the men on the embankments smile as they began to push at the boulders with all of their might. At first the massive rocks didn’t move, but then they gave way slightly, only inches at first, but then into a slow roll. By the time they were at the edge of the embankments the boulders had picked up speed and the workers let out a loud shout as they gave one last push and sent them toppling over the edge.

  All eyes shot to the ropes holding the dam support beams. They were slack as the boulders passed over the edge of the embankments, but then began to tauten up quickly. Within seconds they’d reached their limits and three of the beams were jerked away from the dam. One stubbornly remained however, despite the obvious force of the water pushing against the earthen dam behind it.

  The men on the embankments held their breath as they stared at that last stubborn beam, silently willing it to break from the increasing pressure. Suddenly a loud snap was heard, then another, and everyone saw that the beam was splintering in the middle, unable to withstand the force of the river behind it. With a last groan-like snap the beam broke in two and fell to the ground – but nothing happened.

  Ximen kept his eyes on the dam, but he could feel countless eyes turning to him for an answer. Then the water began to seep through the earth separating the river from the trench, slowly at first, then faster until huge chunks of earth and rock began to erode away under the increasing force. The trench began to fill with water, which was beginning to gush forth from the dam. Then, all at once, a deafening crash could be heard and the earthen dam gave way and became nothing as the Fen River swallowed it up and surged down along its new course.

  The force was immense and the embankments shuddered as thousands of gallons of water suddenly struck them, causing all the men atop them to take a few cautious steps backward. Ximen turned around quickly so that he could see the water flood down the trench and toward the city. In less than a minute it had the trench halfway filled to the top and was approaching the city rapidly.

  “I didn’t think it would move so fast!” Zhai shouted over the roar of the river now rushing by right next to them.

  Ximen nodded but said nothing, although he agreed with the Minister of War. He had expected the trench to fill up quickly, but not this quickly. Already it was more than halfway to the city and within moments would be rushing by the soldiers atop their embattlements. The anxiety that Ximen had felt about the dam not breaking was quickly replaced with new worries about the city gate doing the same. If that happened the surrounding countryside would be flooded, and Ximen would drown the whole army, saving the city he was trying to destroy.

  * * * * *

  Wei Yang had just climbed to the top of the embankment and brushed the dirt from his robes when he heard the loud crash from further up toward the river and quickly turned his gaze that way. It was impossible to see anything with the earthen embankments obscuring the view, but he was certain that the dam had been breached so he rushed towards the opposite edge of the embankment closest to the trench, sure that within a few minutes the water would reach him.

  To his surprise, Wei saw Liu standing atop the embankment next to General Yue. Both men were surrounded by severa
l soldiers and all their focus was turned in the direction of the river.

  “You almost missed the show!” Liu said as Wei moved up behind him.

  “I thought you went with the Marquis to the river,” Wei said slowly, surprised that his master had heard him over the increasing roar that was getting louder by the second.

  Before Liu could respond, the soldiers around them got the first sight of the rushing water further up the trench and a loud cry of awe went up. Wei’s eyes widened as he saw what appeared to be a wall of water rushing down toward them. It slammed into the turns of the trench where the embankments were forced to adhere to the shape of the land around them and frothed an angry white as it continued on down the artificial path created for it. What he’d expected to take minutes had in fact only taken seconds, and in just moments the trench below them would be filling with water.

  As if sensing this, some of the soldiers began to step further back from the edge of the embankment, although a few brave men actually stepped closer. The roar of the water increased and then it was below them, a fast-moving thing that was growing in size and strength as Wei watched.

  “Move back!” Yue yelled to everyone around him.

  His voice could barely be heard over the tumult of the water, but it didn’t matter. The sense of awe and excitement of the dam breaking and the water beginning to flow was quickly replaced with an instinctual fear, and most of the men stepped as far away from the fast-filling trench as they could, some even going so far as to rush down off the embankment.

  Suddenly from the turn above a great gush of water exploded into the trench below them and the embankments shook with the force. Several of the soldiers were thrown to the ground and Wei barely managed to stay upright by grasping at Liu’s robes as he too started to fall. His master steadied him and the two looked on in horror as two of the soldiers that’d gotten too close to the edge of the embankment were knocked into the swirling mass of water below, their screams of horror quickly swallowed up by the relentless cascade.

  The shaking continued all along the embankment toward the city as the water hit it, and the army of men that manned the trenches below all rose up at once and rushed back from the earthen constructs, their gasps of horror-mingled awe nearly drowning out that of the river’s roar.

  Lie helped Wei regain his footing and the two looked on in silence as the water of the trench rose and rose, threatening to spill right over the top of the embankment and wash them right off the top with it. Their attention was jerked away from the water by a shout from Yue.

  “The gate!” the general shouted, pointing toward the city.

  Wei turned to look and saw that the water had nearly reached the massive wooden gate that had denied entry to Marquis Wen’s army for nearly two years. After one last turn the water entered the final channel, a straight run of nearly one hundred yards that allowed it to pick up force and speed before it slammed into the city gate. All still atop the embankment stared at the water nearing the gate, each wondering if the torrent was indeed strong enough to succeed where they had failed. If not, the consequences would be disastrous for them, as the water would have nowhere to go but up and over the embankments and into their camps below.

  The head of the rushing river completed its run along the channel and slammed into the gate, sending up a white wave that nearly spilled over the top of the gate and into the city below. Even from this distance Wei could hear the screams of the citizens inside the walls, a sound that wrenched at him. The first impact wasn’t strong enough and the gate still stood as the water continued to pound into it, the level rising higher and higher with each second as more and more gallons filled the straight channel. Loud thuds could be heard as large rocks and boulders carried by the force of the water slammed into the gate, but still the stubborn structure held strong. The water was a churning white mass as the river continued to pour its might at the gate to no avail, and the first waves of spray began to fly onto the top of the embankments. The gate and walls of the city were taller than the embankments by a good thirty feet, the construction of anything taller having been impossible that close to the city and its defenses. It wasn’t long before the water began to flow over the top of them as it looked for a release from the trench it’d been forced into.

  Now the screams came from the army camps below as men rushed further back away from the city to avoid the water that looked sure to be coming toward them. The water rose up higher and higher and then reached the top of the embankments and began to spill over the sides, the gate still standing to block its forward momentum. Wei looked on in horror as the water spread out quickly through the no-man’s land between the city and the army camps. General Yue cursed loudly beside him, at the city gate, the water, and Ximen Bao as he stood helplessly and watched his army run from an enemy he could not face. If the water’s flow wasn’t cut off from the river above them then the army’s trenches would begin to fill in less than a minute.

  Wei’s thoughts of disaster were expelled when he heard a loud crack from the direction of the city. He tore his eyes from the camps below and directed them back to the gate. Another loud crack sounded and then another, and Wei watched as the wood of the city gate, the whole lower portion submerged in the deluge, began to splinter under the force confronting it. More cracks sounded, increasing in frequency, until the whole gate and even the walls around it seemed to give one last groan before acquiescing to the elemental barrage. With a shudder the gate fell back in on itself, swallowed almost instantly by the water’s pent-up rage. Wei watched in amazement as the water ceased spilling over the embankments as it’s level fell, the main force now flowing into the city, where the screams of moments before increased in pitch and volume before ceasing altogether.

  * * * * *

  Wen, Wu, Zhai, and Ximen all gasped in relief when they saw the gate finally give way. Wen clapped Ximen on the back and began offering his congratulations before Ximen regained his bearings and grabbed both of the Marquis’ shoulders in a firm hold.

  “The cloth, give it to me quickly!” he nearly shouted in the Marquis’s face.

  Wen looked perplexed for a moment before understanding filled his eyes and he reached into his robes and produced the bright red cloth he’d waved just minutes before to unleash the flood.

  Ximen grabbed it and turned toward the river and the mass of workers standing by. He thrust the cloth up and began waving it frantically over his head. The workers saw and immediately put their shovels to work while further up the embankments near the destroyed dam large boulders were rolled into the mouth of the new river.

  Ximen sighed and turned back to Wen. “Sorry, Sire, but I had to get the men working as soon as possible. It could take some time to stem the flow of water completely, and it was already a close call for our camps below.”

  “I know,” Wen said, his face now serious. “I was beginning to doubt whether the gate would break or not.”

  “I felt the same way,” Ximen admitted, handing the red cloth back to Wen, who again took it and put it back into a fold within his robes.

  “How long will it take to dam the river again?” Zhai asked.

  “Hopefully not too long,” Ximen said. “The water will continue to pour into the city at an alarming rate until it is.”

  “Which will serve as a lesson to them and others not to underestimate Wei,” Wu said.

  “I’m sure that Zhongshan has learned that lesson today,” Ximen said. “I’ve no doubt that by now thousands have already drowned in the flood.”

  “Hopefully not Duke Wu,” Wen said. “And I have a feeling that General Yue feels the same way from his vantage point closer to the city.”

  “We could have a hard time finding him,” Zhai said. “The city will be full of water for weeks at the least, and mobility inside will be difficult.”

  “We’ll breach the walls in key spots, allowing the water to flow out quickly,” Ximen said. “That is, of course, if the populace submits to us.”

  “I’
ve no doubt they will after what they’re experiencing as we speak,” Wen said as he pointed toward the city.

  The four men looked again at the city below them. Even though more than two hundred workers now labored to collapse the embankments back onto the river, the water still flowed unimpeded into the city. All along the mile-long route the water churned white as it slammed into the turns of the trench, the force of the river still running strong. Even from this distance they could see that many of the streets were already several feet deep in water, the level only increasing with each passing moment.

  “It’ll be worse than Jinyang if this continues,” Wen said after a few moments of silence. “It’s only been a few minutes and already the city is inundated.”

  “I’d planned on sending the troops into the city soon after the gates were broken, but now it looks like we won’t need to, or even want to,” Zhai said. “Most people will be clamoring to get out.”

  “The ones that stay won’t have much to look forward to,” Wu said. “With thousands already killed the horrors will soon begin. The bodies, with nowhere dry to be placed, will begin to bloat up with water. Unless already stockpiled, which I doubt considering the length of the siege, food and water will become scarce. Disease will break out in days.” He paused for a moment and shook his head before continuing. “The people will be begging us to take them out of the city before it’s all through.”

  “They had six months to surrender,” Ximen said. “Yue offered them generous terms all-throughout the siege, even after his son was killed. It’s too bad the people have to suffer for the folly of their rulers.”

  Wen nodded. “It’s unfortunate but too often the case. A part of me feels sorry for all the innocents that have perished today, and over the past two years, but a greater part of me knows that it was necessary. The State of Zhongshan and Duke Wu withstood us for too long, scorning our attempts to take them. They had to be taught the price of their insolence. I fully expect the people’s anger at their losses today to be directed at me, but with time I know they will come to love me.”