The Warring States, Books 1-3

by Greg Strandberg

  “It’s true that their ruler was named Ba and that they were declared one of the five leading states, but that was more than two hundred years ago.”

  “And why were they so important then?” Liu asked.

  Wei let out a deep sigh, not sure if he wanted to get into yet another history of one of the Seven States, but he quickly realized that Liu would give him little choice in the matter.

  “Qin and Jin always had good relations, even arranging marriages between one another’s families. When, nearly three centuries ago, Duke Xian of Jin died and his sons began fighting over the succession, Duke Mu of Qin was thrown into the turmoil. Duke Hui eventually assumed the throne of Jin and invaded Qin shortly afterwards. Duke Mu, not eager for another fight with Jin and looking for a diplomatic way out, learned that another of Xian’s sons was in exile in Chu. Using his vast network of contacts, Duke Mu managed to get the man back to Jin where he proved successful in overthrowing Duke Hui to become Duke Wen. Cordial relations between the two states resumed, allowing Qin to continue its expansion to the west now that the eastern border was secure.”

  “Did that security last?” Liu asked.

  “Not for long,” Wei said. “Several years later Duke Wen died and his son decided to lure Qin into a trap by attacking the small state of Zheng. Qin, believing Jin to be secretly in league with Zheng in order to get back at Qin for meddling in its affairs, retreated at the last moment. Jin, however, was ready for such a move and went in pursuit, defeating the retreating forces at the Battle of Yao where Qin suffered heavy losses. Jin was lulled into complacency by the near-route of the Qin forces, but Duke Mu didn’t forget the insult. It took three years to gather a force large enough to attack Jin, but when it was assembled the western Jin border was overrun. Duke Mu could easily have continued further into Jin, but he stopped where the Battle of Yao had taken place and held funeral services for those lost there three years earlier before sending his forces back to continue expanding Qin’s borders westward.”

  “It’s because of Duke Mu’s successful handling of foreign relations and his campaigns in the west that he was afforded such a place of honor among the other states,” Wei finished.

  “So Qin is not as weak as you’d lead me to believe,” Liu said.

  “But all of those things occurred more than two hundred years ago now,” Wei protested. “Qin has done nothing since then except have its eastern borders continually chipped away at, first by Jin and now by us.”

  “Their position within the passes precludes any serious invasion of their vast western holdings,” Liu pointed out.

  “I can’t have much respect for a state that lets others take away its territory one small piece at a time for more than two centuries without a word of protest or even a hint of action,” Wei said.

  They stopped at another bridge, the last before they were again at the compounds housing the men.

  “I sometimes think that Qin is the smartest of all the Seven States,” Liu said after a few minutes of staring into the water.

  Wei cocked his eyebrow at him. “Oh? And why is that?”

  “They do nothing while the other states play their political games, constantly maneuvering to gain the greatest advantage. Friends become enemies and enemies become friends and still the jockeying for position continues without end. Qin has remained outside of that for more than two hundred years, a rare thing indeed, and something the other states must learn if we truly wish to attain the kind of peace the King Weilie desires.”

  “But they have no respect,” Wei said.

  “From the other Seven States, yes,” Liu conceded, “but then they don’t have much respect for anyone but themselves anyway.”

  “I’m surprised that Duke Jian is even coming to Luoyang,” Wei said, “especially with the large tracts of land that’ve just been taken away from him by General Wu Qi.”

  “I don’t think Duke Jian cares much about the Xihe Corridor that we’ve been fighting over for the past five years. While it’s true that Qin might be the weakest of the Seven States, their territory has grown large over the years, now second only to Chu.”

  Wei shook his head. “Perhaps I’ll never understand Qin,” he said in exasperation.

  Liu laughed. “Now you’re learning!”

  He clapped Wei on the back and steered him toward the path once again.

  “Come, we’ve been walking for several hours now through these gardens. Let’s get back to the others – I’ve a feeling this will be our last day of waiting.”

  NINETEEN

  Marquis Wen was sitting in one of the gardens near the compound when Wu approached.

  “The others have arrived,” he began. “King Weilie has called all of us together tonight for a banquet.”

  Wen rose from his chair and began walking toward the compound. “It’s about time, we’ve only been waiting for a week.”

  “They’ve just arrived this afternoon,” Wu said as his father walked past.

  “The others know?”

  Wu nodded as he fell in beside his father. “Marquis’ Lie and Jing were informed by messengers from King Weilie just as I was, not more than ten minutes ago.”

  Wen glanced up at the sky through the trees. “We’ve got a few hours before the sun sets. I want you to find out where the others are being housed and what size retinues they have with them.”

  “Zhai has already taken that task upon himself,” Wu said.

  “I want you with him as well,” Wen said. “Find out as much as you can without approaching them. We’ve been here a week and the contacts you’ve made among the palace servants should aid you. Also, find Liu and that apprentice of his and send them to me at once.”

  They reached the compound that housed their small contingent and Wen turned to look at Wu.

  “Do well in this task, Wu. What we learn before the others could make all the difference in the coming days.”

  “I’ll not disappoint you father.”

  Wen nodded. “Now go.”

  * * * * *

  It was dusk when the official palace representative knocked on the door and summoned Marquis Wen and his entourage. The men stepped out onto the darkening palace grounds, already alight with tree lanterns, and immediately noticed the men from Han and Zhao assembling as well. The palace representatives ushered the three groups toward the front gates of the palace where nine large chariots were waiting.

  “We’re leaving the palace?” Wen asked when they reached the stone square that marked the boundary between the palace and the city.

  “King Weilie would like you all to accompany him to the Great Temple of Heaven within the city,” the man that had been assigned to their group for the past week told Wen as he held his arm out toward three chariots.

  “The Great Temple of Heaven,” Wei said quietly to Liu, echoing the man. “King Weilie plans to make a ritual sacrifice to Shangdi.”

  Zhai overheard the younger man. “Nonsense. Worshipping Shangdi went out of fashion when the Zhou defeated the Shang six centuries ago.”

  “We’ll not be worshipping Shangdi tonight,” Liu said, “but Tian.”

  “Shangdi, Tian; what’s the difference?” Zhai said impatiently.

  “A great deal,” Liu replied, unperturbed. “Shangdi is the Supreme God, while Tian is simply Heaven.”

  “Bah!” Zhai spat, but Wen held up his hand.

  “I’ve never quite understood the distinction,” he said, looking at Liu.

  “Worship of Shangdi was heavily dependent upon idols during the Shang Dynasty and before,” Liu said. “Since the Zhou Kings began their reign the worship of Shangdi and idols depicting him has steadily been replaced by the worship of one’s ancestors.”

  “Heaven is what gives the Zhou Kings the mandate to rule,” Liu continued. “While in the past it was believed that one Supreme God oversaw the affairs of men, it’s now believed that one’s ancestors are the ones most likely to take notice. They decide if those who are ruling are doing so fairly and b
eneficially, and grant their favor or disfavor accordingly.”

  “The Mandate of Heaven,” Wen said.

  Liu nodded. “That’s correct. It’s that Mandate which is the overriding concern for all rulers, but especially the Zhou King. It is for that reason that we’ll be going to the Great Temple of Heaven this evening to take part in the ceremony. The presence of all the rulers of the Seven States will, I’ve no doubt, make King Weilie believe that his prayers to his ancestors will be looked on in an especially favorable light.”

  “Nothing but show,” Zhai said.

  “As if I haven’t seen you pray to family members in the past,” Wen said with a slight smile. He turned back to the other five men. “We’re all worshipping men here; it’d be folly to be anything but. If King Weilie wants us to join him in that worship then we’ll gladly do so.”

  Their attendant smiled, no doubt happy to see the conversation coming to an end, and once again raised his arm for the men to step onto the chariots.

  “Couldn’t decide who would drive?” Marquis Jing yelled out with a smile as his three chariots sped past the still huddled men.

  Wen smiled back and waved his arm, but then turned and cast a glance at his men that was all business. They were in the chariots within moments and Wen cracked the whip hard against the horse’s flanks, causing it and the chariot to jump as they got underway.

  * * * * *

  The Great Temple of Heaven in Luoyang was the largest such temple in all of the Seven States. Instead of just being a single large building, the Great Temple of Heaven was in fact several smaller temples, or halls, built close together. Even in the darkening night the large gable-roofed spire of the largest of those Halls could be made out when the chariots were still a great distance from the temple grounds. Sticking out above the surrounding trees and buildings, the hall had several square levels which rose one atop the other seven times. Each level was constructed with a gabled-roof of blue wood that stuck out from the base so that the whole temple gave the appearance of flying in the sky. The next level would rise atop that wooden roof until the seventh and last level ended the ascent to heaven with the largest of the roofs, and the most ornate.

  Wen had seen it several times during his trips into the city while waiting for the other rulers to show up, and he’d stood marveling at its construction for several silent minutes each time. Now he would be under those wooden eaves, inside the larger hall of the main temple below.

  The other rulers must have left the palace before the other three groups, for Wen didn’t see any indication of them on the road. Marquis Jing’s men rode ahead in three chariots while behind their own three came those carrying Marquis Lie’s men. No matter, Wen thought to himself. Wu and Zhai had both seen the men as they’d arrived in the palace a few hours earlier, and Wen had been briefed fully as they’d waited for their summons. There would be no surprises tonight, of that Wen was sure.

  The chariots rounded the last bend in the road that brought them on the straight tree-lined boulevard that led to the entrance of the temple grounds. All along the route red lanterns hung from trees and burned brightly, casting a red glow on the men below. Their pace slowed as they got closer to the large stone gateway that marked the temple boundaries, and within moments they were passing under it. The road continued on for several hundred yards with large tree-filled gardens on either side while the stone wall rose up behind them and continued on to either side. An eerie silence descended on them as they drove down the now dirt road toward the main halls of the temple, even the chariots seemingly under the structure’s spell.

  Ahead Marquis Jing steered his men’s chariots around in a circle as they reached the end of the road and then brought them to a stop. All around them were other chariots, each being pulled or steered off the main road by temple attendants. Wen counted more than a dozen, and it was obvious that the men from Chu, Qin, and Yan had brought more men than those from Wei, Han, and Zhao.

  The men from the three states all gathered together.

  “Appears we’re the last to arrive,” Lie said.

  “Looks that way,” Wen replied.

  Jing gestured toward the other chariots that were still being driven away. “And we’re outnumbered, too.”

  “How many men did the others bring with them?” Lie asked.

  “Too many,” Wen said quickly before anyone else could answer. He knew full well how many men each group had brought, but he didn’t want to give that information out freely. Beside, he told himself as the palace attendants again gestured for them to move up the large stone staircase that led toward the first temple hall, the others would know soon enough, if they didn’t already.

  The stairs were long and tapered, just as those in the palace had been, and it took the group more than a minute to ascend to the top. Once there the first hall of the temple, the Hall of the Sun, rose up to meet them. Carved all along its stone exterior were large sunbursts, many dyed yellow and orange. The group walked toward the open doorway and was soon making its way through. The temple was nearly empty, the only noticeable features being the large painted ceiling that depicted the sun moving through each of the four seasons. It took them less time to walk through the Hall than it did for them to ascend the stairs leading to it.

  Once they’d exited through the back doors they were again in a large gardened area with a long dirt road in front of them. Trees rose on either side, but unlike the entrance to the Temple grounds they’d passed over earlier, this area was much smaller. Fifty yards ahead of them was a crossroads leading to each point of the compass. To the left they could reach the Hall of the Moon, Wen knew, while the path to the right would lead them to the Hall of the Earth, each as splendid as that they’d just passed through. In the center of the crossroads, in the middle of the road actually, was the Imperial Vault of Heaven. This stone structure was smaller than any of the four halls that led away from it, but it was arguably the most important. Only the size of a large mausoleum, the Vault housed the Spirit Tablets, ancient clay markers that had been used during the time of the Shang Kings and the Xia Kings before them when they’d worshipped Shangdi.

  The group walked silently down the large road, up to and then around the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and toward the last and most important hall, the Hall of Good Harvests.

  The Hall of Good Harvests was circular, unlike the square shapes of the other Halls, and had been constructed that way to depict the cyclical nature of the seasons, the source of all food and the lifeblood of the people. The hall was a magnificent triple-gabled building, more than thirty meters in diameter and nearly forty meters tall, built on three levels of marble stone base. The building was completely wooden, not a single nail having been used in its construction. The hall had four inner pillars which represented the four seasons; twelve middle pillars which represented the twelve months of the year; and twelve outer pillars which represented the twelve traditional hours of the day. The gabled-roofs were constructed with blue tiles, depicting the heavens above.

  The hall was fully alight, unlike the others they’d passed through and by, and as they drew nearer they could make out voices within. A few stone steps rose from the dirt road toward the entrance and within moments the men were staring at several dozen people milling about within.

  The voices hushed as those within saw the newest arrivals, and many of the men turned to get a better look at the silhouetted men standing before them.

  “Suddenly we’re the center of attention,” Jing said quietly to Wen next to him.

  Wen nodded but continued to stare into the sea of people within the temple. Finally, after several moments of tense silence, Wen stepped forward and the others slowly followed. The voices inside the Hall resumed and the tense moment passed.

  There was no real way to differentiate one group of people from another. All wore the same style of robes, and different colors could be seen on people all about the Hall. The Hall was well-lighted, however, and Wen easily scanned the crowd, looking for famili
ar faces. Which state to single out first for an initial conversation would prove important and would set the tone for relations with the other States, Wen knew. He was spared from making that choice, however, when a voice called out to him.

  “Wen! Marquis Wen.”

  Wen turned about, looking for whomever it was that was calling his name, when Wu put his arm on his shoulder and pointed to his left.

  “Marquis Bei of Yan,” Wu said, nodding toward the man that was moving through the crowd toward them.

  Wen nodded and smiled as Marquis Bei approached, although he couldn’t have been more upset with this first meeting. Yan was a weak state, second only to Qin, and Wen would never have chosen to speak with its marquis first. There was nothing to do for that now, however, so Wen did the best he could to make an unfortunate situation work to his advantage.

  “Marquis Bei,” he said as cheerfully as he could while Bei approached, bowing low when the man was only a few feet away.

  Bei smiled even more at the gesture and returned the bow. His long black hair, tied back in a braid, was offset by the dark red robes and even darker red sash he used to tie them. His eyes were small and unassuming and Wen noticed immediately that there was nothing particularly noticeable about this man who’d been ruling the State of Yan for the past five years.

  “It’s an honor to meet you at last,” Bei said when he reached Wen, clasping his hand in his own.

  Wen gritted his teeth at the sudden handshake but smiled despite the sudden and unwanted intrusion.

  “It is I who am honored,” Wen replied, while thinking of a way to get away from this man as quickly as possible.

  Bei continued to shake Wen’s hand for another few moments before releasing his grip and taking a step back so as to better size Wen up. Wen noticed that Bei didn’t appear to be much older than his son Wu, but he knew in truth that the man was little more than ten years younger than himself. Whatever dyes and creams the man was using on his hair and face were working wonders, and Wen made a mental note to procure some for a few of his women at court.