The Warring States, Books 1-3

by Greg Strandberg

  “Pai Fen says that we will not be pushed any further, and Dao An says that we are at war,” Fei began in a loud voice so that he could be heard over the hum of voices. “But what I ask you is this: how are we to stop those changes from happening and how are we to win this war that we suddenly find ourselves in?”

  He stared out at the gallery of men, but no one called out an answer to his question.

  “I’ll tell you’ll how we’ll stop it,” Fei said, pausing to make sure he had each man’s attention, “by doing nothing.”

  The gallery erupted in murmurs as men talked to themselves and shook their heads at what Fei was saying. Fei held up his arms to silence them, which he managed after a few moments.

  “The history of Chu has been a history of war,” Fei said, “and once again Chu is heading toward war. Sure,” he said with a glance and a raised hand toward both Pai and Dao, “some of you think that that war is being fought against us, the nobles, but I assure you, it is not. It is being fought against the slothful nature that Chu has found itself mired in for these past fifty years. That proud military tradition which many of you so fondly reminisce on, and which I have spoken out against more times than I can remember, is once again coming back to Chu. And it is coming, gentlemen, not at the urging of those of you gathered here today that spoke so lovingly about it, and yearned for its return, but by a disgraced general from another state who, just two years ago, was a lowly clerk in some lowly government office.”

  Several of the men in the gallery began nodding at Fei’s words, and they emboldened him to continue.

  “As we speak, the money that was taken from us and from countless other government officials is being used to grow a larger, better-trained, and more powerful army. The commanders of this army, our beloved General Min being the foremost among them, are already planning a campaign against the State of Yue, a State which only grew to such heights of power through our support. Unfortunately, we cannot control or even hope of defeating Yue because of our own corruption and inefficiencies.

  “I tell you, we will change what many of you feel are injustices being perpetrated against you not by shouting out our disproval and vowing to go to war with the throne, but by doing nothing, by waiting, and letting the plans that have been carefully laid take their course. When our army completes its task against the State of Yue, then all will return to normal.”

  “And if it doesn’t?” a voice called out somewhere from the gallery above.

  “And if it doesn’t, then perhaps that would be the time to listen to the more…forceful plans that we heard here today.”

  Fei waited a few more moments before bowing slightly and walking back to his seat, receiving neither the applause nor the claps on the back that his two peers received after their speeches.

  Pai Fen rose from his seat and raised his arms to draw the hall’s attention.

  “Gentlemen,” he began. “We’ve discussed much here today, and time is needed to allow those thoughts and ideas to settle in our minds. Let us adjourn for the day.”

  Nearly all of the men in the gallery rose from their seats before the last words were out of Pai’s mouth. Pai turned and clapped a few men on the back while shaking the hands of others, assuring each that he would give another speech saying much the same thing when the Council next met. After a few moments a hand fell on his shoulder and he turned to thank yet another man, but stopped when he saw who it was, his eyes widening and his brows rising.

  “I never thought that I’d see the day that we agree on an issue,” Dao said, his dark eyes narrowed from the lines around them.

  “Nor I,” Pai admitted as he put his own hand on Dao’s shoulder, “nor I.”

  “Now if we would have had Fei on the same page as us, well, then I think that I would have dropped dead from surprise,” Dao chuckled.

  Pai smiled. “Trying to discern where his sympathies lie is like trying to divine the truth from a blind hag of a seer: costly, time-consuming, and not at all worth the effort.”

  “And once divined you’ll find that the opinion has changed to the opposite the next day,” Dao said.

  Pai laughed and clapped Dao on the back, turning him so that they were standing side-by-side.

  “I for one will not be wasting my time trying to discern that one’s views,” Pai said. “It would be a waste of my time. No one cares much for what he has to say anyway.”

  “But he does have support,” Dao said. “You don’t become the most powerful Daoist in Chu, and one of the leading Daoists in all of the Seven States, without friends.”

  “True enough,” Pai said, “but did you truly come over to me to speak about Fei?’

  Dao stopped and turned to face Pai. “No, I did not. I came because I hoped that we could speak in private.”

  Pai’s eyes narrowed. “About agreeing more often?”

  Dao shook his head. “About the troubles that are plaguing us, and about a certain outcast general in particular.”

  Pai nodded. “For that I am all ears.”

  “That’s what I was hoping to hear,” Dao said as he turned and began walking with Pai once again.

  SEVEN

  General Min opened the door and was immediately assaulted by the noxious odors of both wood and kitchen smoke, neither of which was afforded much of a chance to escape the stuffy common room with its windows and doors closed tight. He waved his arm in front of his face in an attempt to disperse some of the cloud that engulfed him upon entering. It was a futile gesture and Min was forced to move slowly through the haze toward the bar.

  “Min,” a voice called out to him from somewhere to his left. He stopped and turned in that direction, narrowing his eyes to get a better look. He widened them a moment later when he saw Wu Qi sitting at one of the tables near the far wall, and started toward him.

  “You’re early,” Wu said when Min reached the table. “I didn’t expect you so soon.”

  “Duke Dao was not in the palace but out viewing the troops,” Min said as he pulled out the chair across the table from Wu and sat down.

  “He’s been doing that quite often these days.

  Min nodded. “That he has. Ever since the first time he rode out to take a look at what your changes had wrought in the army. He’s come to realize that the Chu Army of yesteryear is once again coming together.”

  “All I hear him talking about when I meet with him is how Yue will be crushed underfoot when the army is ready,” Wu said as he raised his arm and waved toward the bar.

  “That’s still some time away,” Min said with a frown, his eyes on the table.

  “Not the way I’m hearing it.”

  Min was about to argue against whatever it was that Wu had heard when the barkeep appeared at the table.

  “Sa, bring another pot of tea and a cup for General Min,” Wu said, then glanced over at Min. “Unless you’d like something stronger.”

  Min waved his hand dismissively. “Tea is fine.”

  Sa nodded and hurried back to the bar. Wu watched him go, remembering the times that he had paid rent to the man for the small room upstairs. He hadn’t done that in more than two years, not since he had been invited to live in a room in the palace, itself much more spacious than his former accommodations, but not by much. Still, he dined at Sa’s establishment, The Barracks, at least twice a month, and tried to have any meetings with important government officials within its common room. Both Sa’s business and clientele had improved because of those visits, and each time Wu walked through the doors he was greeted with a warm smile, something that still looked out of place on the usually surly proprietor.

  “It’s true that the army has improved by leaps and bounds over the past two years, but they’re still green,” Min said, his words drawing Wu’s eyes back to him.

  “I’m just saying what others are saying,” Wu said. “I could really care less if Chu were to attack Yue, and in fact would prefer if they didn’t. There is no real need to do it, and I think it’s more to assuage Chu’s v
anity that an invasion is even being planned, not for any practical reasons.”

  “Be that as it may, the invasion has already been planned and has the full support of Duke Dao. In fact,” Min continued as he stroked his small beard, “Duke Dao has a mind to take part in the battle directly, as the lead in one of the chariot wings.”

  Wu shook his head but held his tongue as Sa returned and put another pot of tea and cup in front of Min before hurrying away.

  “Not the best idea, in my opinion,” Wu said as he reached across the table to fill Min’s cup from the fresh pot.

  “Nor mine,” Min said as he reached for the tea and blew onto it before taking a sip. “But there’s little that can be done to convince him otherwise.”

  “And his son? He’ll surely want to command his own division of the army if his father’s doing the same.”

  “I’m not sure yet what part Su will play in the invasion, but you’re probably correct. Su will most likely be given a small command under his father, if not a greater role.”

  Wu leaned back in his chair, a frown coming to his face. “Why is it that when changes are made within the government, changes that could do so much to lift up the peasantry, they’re instead steered directly toward the military?”

  “You expected something different?’ Min said with a smirk. “Chu has always been a warrior state. If you wanted to do good for the common people perhaps you should have taken your ideas to Qin or Yan.”

  “Still,” Min continued, his smirk disappearing as he leaned forward, “the changes that you advocated to Duke Dao and then brought forth have not been popular with all the segments of society.”

  Wu sighed. “I’m well aware of that.”

  “Did you hear what was discussed in the Noble’s Council yesterday?”

  Wu shook his head. “I rarely pay attention to what they complain about, although I can well imagine what it was.” He leaned forward and fixed Min with his eyes. “When I first arrived in Chu there were more than three hundred nobles residing in the city and less than half of that in all the rest of the state. What are there now? A hundred?”

  “One hundred and three,” Min said.

  “There you go,” Wu said, sitting back in his chair. “A third of their original number.”

  “That doesn’t make you any safer,” Min said quietly. “The things they were saying yesterday-”

  “I don’t want to hear it,” Wu interrupted sharply. “For two years I’ve been hearing of how unhappy the nobles are with my changes. Each month they level new threats against me from within the safety of their Council. And what they’ve managed to convince the rest of the state to say about me…” Wu shook his head angrily and gritted his teeth. “I’m sick of hearing about them and their problems. They do nothing for the state but bleed it dry.”

  “They’re sworn to the Duke,” Min said. “If ever the Duke needs them they’ll come.”

  “The Duke needed them dearly for years before I came,” Wu said angrily, “needed them to curb their wasteful ways and think of that state they were sworn to protect, not how much they could enrich themselves.”

  Min held up his hands in concession. “Alright, Wu. I agree with you. The nobles were a leech upon the heart of Chu for many years, but that does not mean that they aren’t dangerous. And even with two-thirds of them now residing in smaller towns and cities throughout the state, it doesn’t mean that they still can’t strike against you.”

  “Why?” Wu said forcefully, drawing a few looks from the other patrons scattered about the common room. “Why would they come against me, Min? What could they possibly hope to accomplish? Already for two years the changes that I suggested have been carried out, to the betterment of Chu most would agree. And even if they did come against me, killing me perhaps, those changes wouldn’t be reversed.”

  Min shrugged. “I’m just saying what I hear, Wu. Yesterday in the Council Pai Fen and Dao An agreed for the first time in as long as anyone can remember. And do you know what they agreed about, Wu? They agreed how much they hate you, and how something should be done about it.”

  “So two nobles see eye-to-eye for once; I’m not impressed.”

  “Not just two nobles, Wu. Pai and Dao are the two most powerful nobles in all of Chu. When they speak things get done, and now that both of them are in agreement you can be sure that something will get done.”

  “So what are you telling me, Min? That I should go into hiding? Leave the state altogether?”

  Min shook his head. “No, I’m just saying that you should be careful is all, perhaps scale back the changes that you’re making, or at least some of them.”

  Wu shook his head. “The changes are already in motion; nothing can stop them now.”

  Min frowned and leaned back in his chair. Wu Qi had always been a stubborn man, even when he was a lowly soldier rising through the ranks in the Wei Army, as Min had come to learn. Still, it seemed that his reluctance to listen to others had only increased since he had gotten a firm hold on the Duke’s ear and his ideas of what would be good for the state were put into action.

  And his ideas were good, Min thought as he stared into his tea, thinking on all of the changes that had taken place in such a short time. The nobles had been forced to other areas of the state, something which lessened their stranglehold on the government in Ying and allowed things to actually get done. What’s more, government workers, himself, Wu, and the nobles, had all taken significant pay cuts. That had been the most unpopular move, and the first, but when people saw how the saved money was spent, on improving the look of Ying and then the others cities, the grumbling had lessened. When countless peasants began to be lifted up out of a bare subsistence living, the grumbling had ceased altogether. The increased revenue that was generated from so many more people now making a taxable income more than offset what was taken from the government workers, and there was already talk of restoring some of their lost salary, although not by nearly as much as was taken away.

  But perhaps the most significant change, the one that played on the consciousness and sense of history of all of Chu’s citizens was the lifting up of the army from the sorry state it had been in to one that reminiscent of the glory days of Chu centuries before. At that time Chu had been one of the most powerful states, and people felt pride in its return to that level. The force, which had numbered only a few thousand, now numbered in the tens of thousands. While it was true that nobles still led certain wings and divisions of the army, the majority of the forces were common peasants. Wu Qi had been adamant on that. He had argued vociferously with both Duke Dao and Min about the need to have substantial amounts of foot soldiers. That was the new way of warfare, he had argued, for he had seen it up north. No longer would nobles in chariots be the vanguard of the army; the day of massing forces had arrived, and Chu could either go along with it or be left behind.

  Min took another sip of tea. Chu had gone along with it, after much arguing back and forth between the various army commanders, nobles, Duke Dao, and Wu Qi. In the end Wu got his way and the noble army of Chu became a thing of the past.

  “Pai and Dao, you say,” Wu said as he stared into his tea. “I’ll have to remember those two the next time we move some nobles to the borders.”

  Min shook his head and chuckled. “You’ll never get those two out of Ying.”

  “No?” Wu peered at Min with narrowed eyes.

  “They’re too entrenched in the politics of the city, and besides, their families go back for centuries, right here in Ying.”

  “Anything is possible,” Wu said.

  Min leaned forward and grabbed hold of Wu’s hand.

  “Listen Wu, I’m just telling you to be careful is all. These are powerful men that you’ve angered, and they’re used to getting their way.”

  Wu nodded. “I understand your concern, Min. You’ve become a good friend to me over the past two years, but you have to understand my position as well. I made a promise to Duke Dao, and more importantly, to myself
, that I would change Chu into a state that could be looked upon as an example of what could be done, and example that I hope the other states will follow.”

  “And you’ve done that, Wu,” Min said, squeezing Wu’s hand tighter. “Your place in history is assured. You’ve proven that a famous general can become a famous administrator. You’ve thrown your dismissal right back in Marquis Wu’s face. What else do you have to prove?”

  “Much,” Wu said, pulling his hand back and putting it under the table. “Much.”

  Min shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand you, Wu Qi.”

  “That’s not a great burden,” Wu said with a smile.

  Min gave a half-smile as Wu stood up.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to the palace. There’s always work to be done.”

  Min nodded and watched as Wu walked toward the door, the haze of smoke enveloping him.

  EIGHT

  Pai burst through the door, a servant fast on his heels.

  “Sir, you cannot just barge in here like this…”

  “They’re moving against Yue in two days,” Pai said quickly as he reached the desk Dao was sitting behind. He leaned his weight upon it, his hands balled into fists on its smooth surface.

  Dai peered up into Pai’s eyes then past them to the servant just behind him.

  “It’s alright, Rai. Pai and I have some important matters to discuss.”

  The servant bowed his head and stepped backwards to the door, pulling it shut behind him.

  “Two days!” Pai cried as he pushed himself off the desk and started pacing the room. “In two days General Min’s army will move against Yue. It’s our best chance to strike against Wu Qi.”

  Dai leaned forward in his chair and folded his arms onto the desk. “Slow down. What have you learned?”