HCT – Chapter 146 The Empty Wine Flask

Ba Commandery now covered a vast territory but had a sparse population and limited farmland. So, after Qin set up counties along the Yangtze River’s waterway and key transport routes, the rest of the region remained under the control of powerful native Ba chieftains.

Among the Ba tribes, the most prominent group was the Banshǔn Barbarians, known for their skill in using wooden shields and famed as mercenaries. Due to the scarcity of farmland, joining the military was an important source of income for the Banshǔn Barbarians.

Zichu had gone to Ba Commandery specifically to recruit troops from the Banshǔn tribe’s leader.

To pacify the Ba people, the Qin court had granted their tribal leaders the noble title of Bugeng, and had also reduced taxes for the common Ba people.

These tribal chieftains gradually came down from the mountains to reside in the counties, becoming the first group of local gentry in Ba Commandery. Their customs slowly assimilated into those of the Qin and Han people.

This trend was already taking shape.

Zichu had originally gone just to recruit soldiers, but unexpectedly encountered a local uprising.

On the road, Zichu explained the situation to Zhu Xiang.

“Because the Banshǔn tribal leaders still had autonomous control, the commandery governor of Ba had limited authority. So when it came to things like conscription, corvée labor, or tax collection, they usually relied on the local leaders. Communication was poor, so orders were often delayed in transmission.”

“The King of Qin ordered the construction of roads to connect Ba Commandery with Guanzhong. Though the commandery governor did inform the Ba chieftains that Qin’s standardized system of weights and measures should be used, he failed to properly communicate this to the laborers. Now the road is finished but unusable, and the governor is demanding it be rebuilt.”

“Some wealthy Ba merchants also supplied carts to the Qin army and government, but because the axles didn’t conform to standard sizes, they were all rejected.”

“No one knows where it started—but everything fell into chaos.”

As Zichu recounted all this, his expression remained calm: “Still, the rebellion was swiftly suppressed.”

Li Bing, who had been forced to join the two men and had handed his administrative duties to his son and subordinates, added, “There were likely deliberate actions involved.”

Zhu Xiang stayed silent.

Zichu said, “Someone was probably testing Qin’s response. Even so, the commandery governor is guilty for failing to detect it in time. Though he quelled the unrest, he must still return to Xianyang to face punishment. Until a new governor is appointed, he will temporarily continue in the role to atone through merit.”

Li Bing asked, “Zhu Xiang, why do you remain silent?”

Zhu Xiang shook his head and replied, “The standardization of weights and measures was something the late king pushed for just before his death. After the current monarch succeeded the throne, it was gradually implemented across all of Qin’s territory, including regions beyond Guanzhong. The road in Ba Commandery wasn’t a major state-funded project, so it was built using only local labor. It’s normal for a road like that to take five or ten years. So once standards were unified, it was inevitable that earlier roads and carts would no longer meet the new specifications.”

Zichu immediately furrowed his brows.

After all, his time in the field had been limited. Everything he’d learned about the situation in Ba came from the governor’s reports, so he hadn’t thought about it this deeply.

But the moment Zhu Xiang mentioned it, he understood—and anger simmered beneath his expression: “The Ba governor deliberately hid this from me!”

Li Bing thought for a moment, then sighed. “If he hadn’t concealed it, would he have said the policy from above was wrong? If he dared say that, what would’ve merely been grounds for dismissal might have turned into a capital offense.”

In Qin, no one could challenge the king’s decrees. Once the King of Qin issued an order, local officials had no choice but to comply. If they failed to carry it out, they bore the blame. But to suggest that the king’s policies were flawed? That was worse than incompetence—it was rebellion.

So the governor of Ba had no way to speak out. He could only lie to Zichu—claiming his own stupidity had led to the unrest—rather than suggest anything was wrong with the king’s policies.

Zichu looked at Zhu Xiang. “Perhaps others around me have also figured this out. But aside from you, I doubt anyone would dare tell me.”

Zhu Xiang merely gave a brief grunt of acknowledgment. He didn’t comfort Zichu, but kept frowning, deep in thought.

Seeing this, Zichu didn’t disturb him. He closed his eyes to rest while reflecting quietly.

Li Bing sighed inwardly again and looked out the carriage window.

The problems now facing the Ba governor—he had experienced them too.

However, Shu Commandery had been developed earlier. Not only did it benefit from the far-reaching impact of Zhu Xiang’s land-reclamation efforts, but Li Bing’s canals and dams were now yielding results. In recent years, Shu had enjoyed several bountiful harvests and was flush with money and grain.

With money in hand, Li Bing had taken the initiative to compensate the laborers, managing to pacify popular resentment—barely.

Ba Commandery, however, lacked these financial resources. It could only stir up civil discontent and then suppress it with the Qin army, using bloodshed and fear to force continued compliance with labor demands.

The roads ordered by the King of Qin had to be completed. The carts requisitioned from the people also had to meet specifications.

And so, the commoners had to suffer.

Li Bing didn’t say any of this out loud, but Zhu Xiang—who had served as acting governor for many years, walked from Qin’s heartland to Shu, and now journeyed along the southern bank of the Yangtze all the way to its mouth—naturally understood the underlying causes.

Ba Commandery was the most critical part of Zhu Xiang’s strategy to sow chaos in Chu. If Ba descended into unrest, it meant chaos in the rear lines of Wang Jian’s army. For the success of the Chu campaign, Zhu Xiang had to go see it for himself—to find out whether there was any way to pacify the region.

Moreover, this was a civilian uprising, and Zhu Xiang just happened to encounter it. He had no choice but to investigate—to consider whether there might be a universally applicable solution, something that could later be extended to other parts of Qin.

Even though he knew the chances were slim.

The Ba Commandery and Shu Commandery were already connected by roads—steep and rugged ones, but after so many trips by the Qin army, even if there had been no path before, one had been trodden into existence.

Crown Prince Zichu once again returned to Jiangzhou County, the administrative seat of Ba Commandery. The Governor of Ba Commandery was in utter despair.

But upon seeing the white-haired young man beside the prince, his anguish eased considerably.

“Lord Zhu Xiang!” The Governor of Ba grasped Zhu Xiang’s hands tightly, tears nearly falling. “It’s an honor to finally meet you!”

Lord Zhu Xiang had come to Ba Commandery—could he perhaps help improve the grain production here?

Though Ba Commandery didn’t have much arable land, if the yield could be doubled, then upon returning to Xianyang, he might only be demoted rather than dismissed.

“I’ll first take a look at the accounts of Ba Commandery,” Zhu Xiang said bluntly, skipping any pleasantries and clearly identifying himself as a fire-fighter on an emergency mission. “Please summon a few locals as well—one from each county. I need to inquire about the land conditions in Ba Commandery.”

The Governor of Ba looked toward Crown Prince Zichu.

Zichu said, “Whatever Lord Changping requests is to be treated as a command from the King of Qin.”

He didn’t claim authority himself, instead invoking the name of the King.

The Governor immediately understood and jogged off personally to make arrangements.

Zhu Xiang remarked, “The Governor of Ba is a capable official.”

Zichu’s lips twitched as he said irritably, “He certainly is.”

If not for Zichu happening to visit Ba Commandery, this minor local uprising would never have made it to the ears of the capital, Xianyang.

Who knows how many such rebellions had broken out across Qin, all suppressed directly by their respective governors.

Such small matters didn’t need to concern the King—they were considered part of a governor’s basic duties.

In fact, by stirring up a minor rebellion and then quelling it swiftly, the Governor had effectively completed the mission assigned by the King of Qin. That was already quite a feat. A more ordinary official might have stirred greater unrest—or failed to handle it at all.

Now, the roads in Ba Commandery were being rebuilt in an orderly fashion, with barely any traces left of the prior bloodshed.

The truth was, the heavy labor levies imposed by Qin would inevitably provoke resistance.

As long as local officials could suppress it, it wasn’t considered an issue.

Unfortunately, Crown Prince Zichu happened to witness it—so now it was an issue.

The Governor of Ba Commandery was likely crying out in grievance in his heart.

Zichu asked, “Given your personality, you wouldn’t normally praise him.”

Zhu Xiang replied, “Forcing reforms will inevitably lead to unrest. I merely said he’s a capable official—I didn’t say I approve of him.”

But he didn’t voice disapproval either, because all officials of this era operated this way. Even someone like Li Bing would’ve done the same.

So while Zhu Xiang didn’t approve, he said nothing. He understood that everyone of this era behaved this way, and compared to others, the Governor of Ba performed decently enough. His own words carried significant weight—if he so much as criticized the governor, that man’s career would be over.

The Governor of Ba quickly fulfilled all the instructions Zhu Xiang had given.

Zichu and Li Bing also helped him go through the ledgers and organize the data. The Governor was so terrified his back was drenched in sweat.

Even though he’d long known Lord Changping’s status in Qin, seeing it with his own eyes still left him in disbelief.

Lord Zhu Xiang might not be the Chancellor, but even the Chancellor likely didn’t wield as much influence as him.

What Chancellor would dare have the Crown Prince serve as an assistant?

He had misunderstood Zhu Xiang—for Cai Ze would dare.

Zhu Xiang quickly compiled the civil data for Ba Commandery.

It was disastrous.

Ba Commandery was located in what is now Chongqing and the mountainous border regions between Chongqing and Sichuan.

In modern times, after the Three Gorges were developed, Chongqing thrived through industry, tourism, and transportation. But in the feudal era, being unable to farm essentially condemned the region to poverty.

Though the Yangtze River did serve a transport function, the Three Gorges stretch was treacherous, limiting its throughput well below what was needed to sustain Ba Commandery.

Moreover, the internal transportation within Ba was poor, with stark disparities between riverfront and mountainous areas.

Qin’s control only extended along the Yangtze and the plank roads.

“Some of Ba’s mountain terrain can be terraced, but most areas remain very difficult,” Zhu Xiang said as he sketched a rough topographic map of Ba. “Commerce should be expanded along the river—even if merchant ships sink, as long as Shu and Wu Commanderies at both ends of the Yangtze continue developing, this trade route will thrive despite the losses.”

“That will probably require Qin’s unification of the realm before commercial taxes and regulations can be reassessed, but we can begin preparations now,” he continued. “As for mountain farming—pumpkins, potatoes, and soybeans are not picky crops and should be promoted. Scattered plains along the river should focus on high-yield rice, aiming for two harvests a year.”

“Bamboo and fruit trees can also be grown in the mountains. Especially bamboo—it has enormous economic potential. As long as trade routes remain open, it can generate significant income.” Zhu Xiang then asked, “Has papermaking not yet been promoted in Ba?”

The Governor wiped sweat from his brow and replied, “Ba has plenty of bamboo and wood, so we still primarily use bamboo slips and wooden tablets.”

Zhu Xiang shook his head. “Paper will completely replace bamboo and wood slips. Ba is rich in bamboo, making it ideal for developing premium paper products. If Ba’s bamboo paper earns a reputation, just the paper industry alone could sustain a large population. Papermaking techniques have improved significantly—I’ll share the updated process with you. Have someone study it thoroughly.”

He looked into the Governor’s eyes. “Don’t be greedy. If you can make up for your mistakes, I can petition the King of Qin on your behalf to spare you punishment.”

The Governor was stunned. “Does Lord Changping truly mean that?”

Zhu Xiang answered calmly, “I know there are uprisings everywhere. Ba’s people are fierce, yet the scale of the rebellion and how quickly it was quelled—your handling was commendable. If a capable official is punished merely for being ‘caught by the Crown Prince,’ that’s an unjust rule of reward and punishment. This idea wasn’t mine—the Prince had already planned to speak on your behalf.”

Zichu hadn’t thought that far ahead, but he followed suit: “Yes. You did well. But this is the unspoken rule of the bureaucracy. If you wish to remain in office, you’ll have to work even harder.”

The Governor wept with gratitude, bowing repeatedly without rising.

He had thought his official career was over, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better. Li Bing felt much more at ease. Although he didn’t get along particularly well with the Prefect of Ba Commandery, it was hard not to feel a pang of sympathy for someone in the same boat.

After calming the Prefect of Ba Commandery and reigniting his motivation to work, Zhu Xiang began instructing him on how to quickly restore public order and repair the disruptions to civilian life caused by the corvée labor.

When the village elders from various counties—summoned by the Prefect—learned that the man before them was the legendary Lord Zhu Xiang, many of them were practically in tears as they answered his questions.

If they didn’t know the answers to Zhu Xiang’s questions, they would immediately fall to their knees and beg him to give them some time to go back and ask others. They were determined to find the answers no matter what.

It was as if answering Zhu Xiang’s questions correctly would somehow improve their lives.

While Zhu Xiang was conversing with the elders, Wang Jian secretly arrived in Ba Commandery under the orders of the King of Qin. The moment he saw Zhu Xiang, he punched him on the shoulder.

Zhu Xiang clutched his shoulder. “Are you trying to kill me?!”

Wang Jian said with a stern face, “I held back. It’ll hurt for a while, but you won’t be injured. Don’t worry.”

Zhu Xiang pointed at Crown Prince Zichu. “Why didn’t you hit Xia Tong? Isn’t he even more deserving of a beating?”

Wang Jian remained expressionless. “You’re my friend, so I can hit you. The Crown Prince is my sovereign, so I can’t.”

Crown Prince Zichu turned his face away, letting out a dry cough, his expression full of schadenfreude. Zhu Xiang rubbed his shoulder and sneered, “This has got to be something Li Mu taught you.”

Wang Jian could no longer maintain his stern expression. He sighed helplessly, “Li Mu was so anxious he almost came to Ba Commandery himself and asked to swap roles with me.”

When Li Mu threw the Tiger Tally at him and said he was going to Ba Commandery, Wang Jian had barely managed to stop him.

Thankfully, Prince Zheng had been there. He launched himself onto Li Mu’s back and clung to him, finally managing to talk him into staying in Wu Commandery.

“Prince Zheng was furious too,” Wang Jian added. “He said, ‘One is a father, one is an uncle, and neither of you are behaving responsibly.’”

Crown Prince Zichu coughed again. “How could Zheng’er speak like that about his elders?”

Zhu Xiang said, “Zheng’er’s right. Neither of us are reliable. Reflect on your actions!”

Crown Prince Zichu: “…” He cursed silently in his heart.

Li Bing stifled a laugh. “He’s not wrong.”

Zhu Xiang said, “Now that Wang Jian is here, we can move on to the next task.”

Wang Jian raised an eyebrow. “Somewhere that needs military action?”

Zhu Xiang replied, “Bandit suppression.”

Wang Jian asked, “Are they really bandits?”

Zhu Xiang answered, “The Crown Prince and Lord Changping both say they are. So they are.” 

Crown Prince Zichu nodded. “Exactly. Zhu Xiang, who are we suppressing?”

Wang Jian: “…”

Was this really the Crown Prince’s true nature? Or, like Prime Minister Lin, did being around Zhu Xiang make people act weird?

Zhu Xiang explained, “Some powerful local clans have taken over county seats, built their own militias, and refuse to follow the prefect’s orders. Although the Prefect of Ba Commandery suffers because of them, wiping them out would be extremely troublesome, and even if we succeeded, the aftermath would be difficult to manage.”

Zhu Xiang tapped the map. “I want to take back a few county seats along the Yangtze River and major transport routes. If they refuse to hand over power, we attack. No matter who they are—if a county town in Qin refuses to let Qin’s army in, that’s rebellion.”

Zhu Xiang had reviewed the records of labor conscriptions linked to the recent uprisings. The layers of exploitation and abuse had been a major cause. Currently, Ba Commandery’s labor system was equivalent to a modern-day labor subcontracting model.

The Prefect, knowing the Ba people were fierce and that the Qin government had torn up newly built roads to rebuild them again—an unreasonable act—gritted his teeth and barely managed to provide adequate funding and provisions this time. But with the money and grain passing through many hands, by the time it reached the laborers, even having enough to eat was difficult.

Commoners can endure much, but when they rebel, it means life has truly become unbearable, and they’d rather risk death than go on. Because the people know even if they risk their lives, they likely won’t gain anything—so if death is coming anyway, they’d rather take others down with them.

Now, the roads in Ba Commandery must be built. Even Zhu Xiang and Zichu couldn’t allow Qin’s projects to fail. So Zhu Xiang needed to crush a few powerful clans and squeeze the money out of them.

With Wang Jian’s presence, eliminating those clans would be effortless. And with Zhu Xiang and Crown Prince Zichu both stationed in Ba Commandery, no one would question the use of force.

“I never thought Zhu Xiang would personally take action,” Li Bing remarked. “Though… this isn’t the first time.”

The group fell silent.

Zhu Xiang’s first act of personal force had been in Chengdu.

The second had been in Yunmeng Marsh.

This was the third.

Crown Prince Zichu said, “This is the first time I’ve seen Zhu Xiang talk about taking up a blade against others. Quite an eye-opener. I’ll be sure to tell His Majesty when we return to Xianyang—he’ll find it fascinating.”

Wang Jian said, “Tell me which towns to hit. Leave it to me.”

Zhu Xiang nodded. “They’re all yours.”

He circled the county towns that needed to be “occupied.”

If the local powers were willing to relocate peacefully, they could keep their wealth and status.  Zhu Xiang was even willing to send them to Qianzhong Commandery or Wu Commandery and grant them fertile land in the plains, allowing them to bring their retainers and open new territory.  

But if they refused and insisted on staying in Ba Commandery, then their entire families would not be spared.

Zhu Xiang had once again resorted to brutal means.

“One leads to two, two leads to three.”

After making the arrangements, Zhu Xiang informed the Prefect of Ba Commandery.

The Prefect turned pale with fright. “If we do this, won’t the Ba people rebel?” he asked. “Those powerful clans aren’t ordinary folk—they were once the leaders of the Ba tribes. If they unite…”

Zhu Xiang replied calmly, “They won’t. We’ll start with courtesy, and follow with force if needed.”

The Prefect shook his head vigorously. “Even with courtesy first and force later, they might not comply.”

Zhu Xiang said, “If it comes to force, General Wang Jian will lead the troops. Even if they rebel, it will be no issue.”

The Prefect fell silent and looked toward Wang Jian, whose reputation wasn’t particularly outstanding.

Wang Jian himself felt a bit lacking in confidence, but he still gave the Prefect a calm, indifferent glance. Yes, as long as I’m here, a rebellion in Ba won’t matter.

Zhu Xiang offered reassurance: “Ba Commandery won’t rebel. With the Crown Prince and me here, rebelling means going against the entire Qin state. They’ve lived in wealth and luxury for years—they won’t want to return to the mountains and live as savages again.”

He paused, then continued: “Besides, I’ve given them a chance to leave the barren, mountainous lands of Ba and move to the fertile regions of Qianzhong and Wu. Anyone with foresight will know which to choose. Once some are willing to leave, the rest will have even less reason to rebel. Those who want to go will resent the ones blocking their path to prosperity. They’ll split from within—they’ll never unite to rise against Qin.”

The Crown Prince Zichu added: “With my status and Zhu Xiang’s reputation, they’ll believe that moving to Qianzhong and Wu really means a better life. And we do genuinely intend for them to live better lives there.”

The Prefect of Ba finally let out a breath of relief and cupped his hands respectfully. “I will give my full cooperation.”

Li Bing said, “Should I return to Shu Commandery now?”

He couldn’t shake the feeling that his future would be in jeopardy if he stayed. He was the Prefect of Shu—why was he involved in Ba’s affairs?

The Crown Prince said, “Won’t you serve as General Wang’s deputy? He doesn’t have a deputy yet.”

Wang Jian nodded. Since he was Zhu Xiang’s friend, he’d make a decent deputy—better than someone unknown from Ba.

Li Bing: “…”

He sighed. “Fine.”

The Crown Prince had spoken. What else could he do—refuse? He should never have come to Ba in the first place!

The Prefect of Ba looked at Li Bing’s helpless expression with a pang of bitterness. If he’d had the chance to befriend Zhu Xiang, he’d never hesitate like Li Bing.

Zhu Xiang remained stationed in Jiangzhou County. The Crown Prince and the Prefect of Ba personally went to persuade the powerful clans of several smaller towns to relocate.

Originally, this should’ve been Zhu Xiang’s job, but the Crown Prince didn’t trust his eloquence and had him handle logistics instead.

Zhu Xiang protested, “It’s too dangerous for you to go!”

The Crown Prince retorted irritably, “It’s not dangerous at all. Who would dare harm the Qin Crown Prince—already once targeted in an assassination and still injured? Besides, with your lack of eloquence, how could you persuade them? All you can do is offer benefits and try to hold some upright discussion with them. But those barbarians aren’t upright men. To make this succeed, you should do what you’re best at.”

Zhu Xiang wanted to say more, but the Crown Prince continued persuading him: “If we can convince them to leave willingly, it will save countless lives.”

Zhu Xiang moved his lips but said nothing more. He could only agree.

The Prefect of Ba and his allies departed to handle their respective tasks, while Zhu Xiang stayed in Jiangzhou County to deal with the Prefect’s affairs.

The remaining rebel leaders—those still alive and awaiting execution—also fell under Zhu Xiang’s responsibility.

His friends had all overlooked this matter. In everyone’s eyes, executing rebels wasn’t something worth much thought. Even if Zhu Xiang loved the people, he wouldn’t sympathize with rebels.

Before their execution, the condemned would receive their last meal. Zhu Xiang personally carried a jug of wine to visit two of the rebel leaders. It wasn’t the first time he’d met them.

Earlier, when gathering intelligence on the rebellion and local conditions, Zhu Xiang had interrogated them in prison himself. At that time, he had treated their injuries, helped them wash, and given them clean clothes—to preserve their dignity in exchange for their confessions.

“General Wang Jian has already set out with his troops,” Zhu Xiang said as he poured them wine. “We should have news in a few days.”

There was a flicker of hope in the men’s eyes, but it faded quickly.

Facing death, people often became talkative. They asked if Zhu Xiang wanted to hear their stories.

He didn’t—but still said he did.

One was a small-time merchant. The Qin army’s “orders” were barely profitable to begin with, but after painstakingly fulfilling one, he was told to redo everything without pay. He immediately went bankrupt. His parents, devastated, hanged themselves. His pregnant wife went into shock, had a miscarriage, and died. His family was gone—so he rebelled.

The other had been a laborer. His parents had starved to death long ago. He lived with his wife and two daughters, barely surviving. After receiving some farmland and using his swimming skills to fish, their lives finally improved. His wife, though frail, could no longer bear children. They had already decided—one daughter would marry out, the other would bring in a husband to carry on the family line. That would be their life.

Then came the forced conscription. With him gone, the family had no support. He prayed every day to return soon. But the term kept getting extended, while food and money ran low—he had nothing left to send home. Desperate, he secretly ran back, only to find his wife’s corpse, bloated and stinking, her womb still swollen. His daughters’ remains were incomplete.

“The entire village was gone,” the laborer said, expression blank. “All the men and able-bodied women had been conscripted. The old, weak, and sick couldn’t survive. The government still demanded taxes. There was no way to live.”

The merchant glanced at him, then looked down, face full of pity, tears falling silently. He had already suffered so much—and still felt sympathy for others.

“Lord Zhu Xiang, if only you had come earlier,” they both said. Then added, “But now is better than never. Now that you’re here, Ba might change.”

Zhu Xiang left the prison with the now-empty wine jug, carried a ladder up to the roof, and sat on the eaves in silence, staring at the bright full moon for a long, long time.