HCT – Chapter 260 Another Strategy from Zhang Liang

After assisting Lian Po and Zhu Xiang in Zhao for a period of time, Li Mu returned to Southern Qin to take up his post again.

When Wang Jian campaigned against Yan, Li Mu also took over the defensive region originally under Wang Jian’s command.

Li Mu had already been granted a marquisate, and no longer cared much about military achievements. He understood Wang Jian’s intentions, so when Qin King Zheng issued a decree summoning him to conquer Yan, he instead recommended Wang Jian.

Li Mu advised Qin King Zheng that now that Lord Bai had passed away, the two highest-ranking generals in the court were Lord Lian and himself. Both he and Lian Po had come from Zhao. Although they had rendered great service and were close to the Qin king, the old Qin aristocracy might still feel uneasy about it.

Wang Jian, however, was highly capable and came from a long lineage of native Qin people. He should be given opportunities to earn more merits and be quickly ennobled, forming a balance of power among the generals.

“Of course,” Li Mu said, “Your Majesty does not truly need such a balance. But the appearance of it matters, and besides, Wang Jian is indeed excellent.”

When Qin King Zheng received Li Mu’s memorial, he mischievously set it aside.

“When the old general Wang is finally enfeoffed, I shall present this memorial to him,” Qin King Zheng said to the attendants. “The old general will surely be deeply moved.”

Lin Zhi replied, “He will be overwhelmed, Your Majesty. You’ve done well!”

Cai Ze sighed, “Ah…”

One summer it was King Qin who vexed people; now it was King Zheng. This truly was the meaning of inheriting one’s father’s mantle—one lineage, same temperament!

Wang Jian, hang in there.

Li Mu, whose status was already extraordinarily high, treated military merit lightly. His attention was fixed on Chu, tied to the lifelong ambition of Qin King Zheng to unify the world.

Chu was indeed immensely powerful.

Li Mu had spent nearly twenty years gradually dissecting and consuming Chu territory. Even with only one-third its original land remaining, Chu was still the second-strongest among the Seven Warring States.

If Crown Prince Qi had not been deposed back then, if Lord Chunshen had not died, and if two generations of Chu kings had transitioned smoothly—if a young and clear-headed Chu king had both Lord Chunshen as chancellor and Xiang Yan as grand general—perhaps Chu could have recreated Zhao’s era of “general and minister in harmony” under King Huiwen.

A Chu of that caliber—even if Qin won—would force Qin to pay a massive price and would hardly yield a populace willing to submit.

Now, although Crown Prince Qi had nevertheless become king, Lord Chunshen was gone, and Xiang Yan clashed fiercely with other nobles of the Mi clan. Chu was already at sunset, beyond rescue.

Yet even a declining Chu was still far stronger than Wei, Han, Zhao, Yan, and Qi. It was Qin’s greatest obstacle to unifying the realm. Qin would treat Chu with the grandest and most cautious preparations.

Li Mu did not strike when conflict arose between Xiang Yan and the Chu king. He patiently waited for the tension between them to intensify, intending to attack only after their reconciliation—because reconciliation meant both sides were exhausted, not that the issue had been solved. Beneath the calm surface, the hidden dangers would remain.

Thus, the longer the tug-of-war, the better.

Li Mu originally expected that when Chu saw Qin attacking Yan, the Chu king and Xiang Yan would hastily reconcile. Even if Chu dared not send troops to assist Yan, they should at least prepare defenses against Qin.

Therefore, as Wang Jian and the Yan army faced off at the Yishui River, Li Mu began arranging logistics, mobilizing troops, and adjusting battle lines.

The stubborn forces resisting in Qi became increasingly resentful of the Qi king, who repeatedly visited them personally to persuade surrender. Their resentment extended to the entire Qi royal clan.

Li Mu even ordered novelists accompanying the army to craft storybooks and pose as storytellers throughout Qi, spreading tales of the Qi king’s “glorious deeds.”

The novelists were one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, descended from the petty officials who collected folk tales and public sentiment for the Zhou kings.

There were countless legends around Zhu Xiang, attracting many novelists to seek material from him. Zhu Xiang kept them by his side and organized them into “propaganda staff.”

Because they lacked a defined philosophy, novelists occupied a low position among the Hundred Schools, deemed unrefined by Confucians, Mohists, Legalists, and other top schools.

Zhu Xiang, however, valued them highly, recognized their usefulness, and helped them systematize a doctrine—“the novelist’s pursuit of truth and political ideals.” As a result, novelists gained formal academic recognition and became a required subject at the Xianyang Academy.

Thus, the novelists regarded Zhu Xiang as their scholarly leader, calling him “Master Zhu Xiang.”

But so many branches of the Hundred Schools claimed Zhu Xiang that people hardly took notice.

Inspired by Zhu Xiang’s ideas, Li Mu adopted his proposal: novelists joined the army as clerks, forming a new office of “propaganda,” responsible for calming civilian resentment after cities were occupied and spreading popular stories portraying Qin positively.

It worked remarkably well. Li Mu had already memorialized Qin King Zheng to promote this nationwide. Novelists were now present in the armies of Lian Po and Wang Jian as well.

With their efforts in Qi territory, even rural farmers now spit at the mention of the Qi king.

Combined with Qi’s good harvests and Qin’s lighter corvée and taxes, Qi could now sustain itself without Southern Qin’s continued shipment of grain and manpower.

Novelists also played a key role in worsening Chu’s internal conflict. Their stories, drawn from folklore and historical records, spread more vividly than ordinary rumors.

Chu King Qi and the Mi-clan nobles, after hearing tales of generals threatening kings and usurping power, grew fearful of Xiang Yan. Xiang Yan, hearing stories of meritorious generals executed like hunting dogs once the rabbit is dead, increasingly distrusted the Chu king.

Even though Chu was Qin’s obvious next target after Yan, their mutual suspicion persisted and prevented reconciliation.

Thus Li Mu steadily withdrew from eastern Chu.

He left only a small garrison to maintain the illusion of Qin’s continued presence.

When evacuating, Li Mu relocated the civilians as well.

During the locust plague, the coastal salt-alkali lands suffered most. Chu’s eastern coastal corridor had already become barren, with only a tenth of its population remaining.

Southern Qin’s wealth was already famous across Chu. When Li Mu resettled the eastern Chu civilians south of the Huai River to cultivate new land, none complained.

Mass migration in ancient times was a road of death. Even when officials provided rations, countless died along the way—every such journey paved with the people’s blood and bones.

The Chu people eagerly left their devastated homes, showing just how desperate they had become.

Because they cooperated fully, Li Mu relocated them quietly and smoothly.

Chu’s heartland and eastern plain had vast population voids due to the locusts and famine. Coupled with political turmoil, Chu had no capacity to send spies, so even a full evacuation went unnoticed.

Li Mu chose the timing precisely. Once he received intel that Wang Jian had surrounded the Yan capital, Jicheng, he ordered the army to march and secretly maneuvered toward the upper Huai River.

After reconciling with the Chu king, Xiang Yan’s first action would surely be to drive Qin out of the east to avoid enemies on all sides.

When Xiang Yan mustered troops eastward, Li Mu would then sail down the Huai River and strike directly at Chu’s heartland.

But Li Mu did not expect that although neither Chu King Qi nor Xiang Yan were fools, their reconciliation was far slower than anticipated.

Nor did he expect Qin to suffer a great flood of the Yellow River.

The slow reconciliation meant additional months of wasted provisions; the flood severely damaged grain production in Guanzhong and east Qin.

Human plans could not overcome heaven’s will. Li Mu had miscalculated.

Li Mu requested permission to withdraw, but Qin King Zheng refused. He decisively ordered Li Mu to remain in place regardless of the cost. Even if the army had to camp for an entire year, he would ensure their supplies.

He ordered Southern Qin to supply Li Mu directly, while the national disaster relief effort used only Qin’s original reserves.

Li Mu reported that the army could not consume so much grain and took only what they needed, sending the rest to Xianyang.

But Qin had enjoyed only a few years of good weather, and King Zheng had fought multiple campaigns since ascending the throne. In the disaster relief effort, grain shortage soon appeared.

Thus Zhang Liang stepped in. Using the fury of the starving populace, he wiped out many corrupt nobles and hoarding landlords in the Three Jin region, seizing their stockpiled grain—and also reducing the number and anger of refugees, helping Qin survive the crisis.

Once grain arrived from Shu and other unaffected regions harvested well, the shortage was resolved. Qin weathered the disaster.

Li Mu’s army camped at the upper Huai River without trouble. Because Qin was preoccupied with the flood, Li Mu’s 100,000 soldiers—excluding laborers—remained hidden by storms and chaos. They even helped with water control and farming, drawing no attention from Chu.

This concealment also relied on Zhang Liang’s strategies.

After becoming an internal official, Zhang Liang took the king’s decree and ostentatiously traveled to Southern Qin to mobilize troops northward for flood control, further confusing Chu’s intelligence.

Upon learning that Chu King Qi and Xiang Yan had finally reconciled and moved the capital to Xiangcheng, Li Mu finally sighed with relief.

He had waited so long.

Fortunately, Zheng’er was competent. Otherwise, Li Mu would have had to withdraw early due to grain shortages, achieving nothing and alerting the enemy—all while wasting significant resources.

Hearing the news of Chu relocating its capital, Li Mu was in high spirits.

Although Xiangcheng was sturdy, it was inferior to the former capital Chen. A royal capital required careful planning and renovation to house the nobles. Xiangcheng had never been designed as a capital; the hasty relocation would surely result in chaos in its defenses.

Chu King Qi was not foolish, but he lacked experience in governing. The senior ministers once capable of managing the realm had long been purged during the political strife since Li Yuan’s dominance. Coupled with their overwhelming fear of Qin and desire to flee to safer places, none noticed the hidden danger.

“General, after wasting half a year’s worth of grain, can we finally fight?” Meng Tian asked, sounding aggrieved.

During Qin’s Yellow River flood, they had consumed vast stores of provisions while doing almost nothing. Meng Tian felt ashamed.

The Qin soldiers felt the same…

Although getting free provisions was great, the general couldn’t help but have people in the army constantly talk about how hard times were in Qin, and how much effort the King of Qin had to make just to ensure that they could eat and drink for free while waiting for the right moment to fight.

Most of the commanding officers were veteran generals and soldiers who had followed Li Mu for nearly twenty years. When King Zheng was in southern Chu, he had often played in Li Mu’s army and even chased after the fleeing troops of Xiang Yan alongside Li Mu. Most of them had seen King Zheng as a child.

Though King Zheng had grown up now, in their memories, he was still that chubby little boy—lively and full of spirit.

It shouldn’t have been this way, but because King Zheng had spent so much time with Zhu Xiang and Li Mu, he had been down-to-earth and approachable. They had unconsciously come to treat him like a cherished junior family member.

They watched as the chubby young Master Zheng grew into the spirited Crown Prince Zheng. Then the Crown Prince left them for Xianyang and became King Zheng.

The child had finally become king, yet these uncles and elder officers, who had watched him grow, hadn’t really done anything for him and had even held him back. The old generals who had followed Li Mu felt bitter about it.

Why was Chu so slow to act? Why didn’t Heaven help, letting the Yellow River flood?

Remembering how the previous king had died after years of natural disasters and famine disrupted the unification of the realm, their bitterness deepened, and they cursed that treacherous old Heaven.

Now, finally, they could march out. Their frustration of more than half a year had solidified into real morale, so Li Mu didn’t even need to give a pre-battle speech.

Seeing the effect, Li Mu had people further emphasize in the army how sensible and clever King Zheng had been as a child, especially highlighting how he had mingled freely with the generals and ordinary soldiers, never caring about his noble birth, and how even common veterans had affectionately called him “Uncle.”

King Zheng was a good child. Had it been another Qin king, he surely would have resented any mistakes made by Lord Wu Cheng and complained about wasted provisions. But King Zheng understood their hardships and tightened his belt to support them.

Qin was in difficulty, having to both provide disaster relief and supply the troops. King Zheng reduced his daily meals from three to one, losing even the plumpness of his face from hunger.

Could they not swear loyalty to their king with their lives?

“Kill!”

…

“Ah?” King Zheng lost his composure. “This was the teacher’s idea?!”

Zhang Liang’s face was expressionless. “Yes.”

King Zheng looked skeptical. “The teacher is cautious. Even if he knows I won’t be angry, he would never actively involve me in his military plans.”

Zhang Liang said flatly, “Lord Wu Cheng had no choice.”

King Zheng took a deep breath and slammed the table. “It was definitely your idea! Even if the teacher takes all the credit, I know him well. Whenever he takes responsibility for someone else’s mistake, he talks a lot!”

The teacher loved taking the blame for Uncle. But when it really was his responsibility, he hardly spoke, mostly tacitly accepting it. But when taking the blame, he would speak passionately and convincingly.

This was the little trick that Grandfather Zeng had secretly taught King Zheng over the years: how to tell when Li Mu was lying.

Now, the teacher explained in detail why he had done this in his memorial. It was all his idea. He was clearly taking the blame for someone else!

With Uncle not around, there was only one suspect: Zhang Liang, who often personally transported provisions to the teacher’s army.

Zhang Liang first continued to deny it. After several failed denials, his “expressionless” mask disappeared, and he said irritably, “What do you mean by taking the blame? Is this a mistake? Isn’t this making your name shine, King of Qin? Look at the morale of the soldiers—they are ready to die for the chubby King Zheng. Aren’t you moved?”

“Moved my foot! When was I ever fat?” King Zheng shouted. “When I first met you, I trampled you underfoot!”

A flicker of anger appeared on Zhang Liang’s face. “You didn’t trample me. You just scared me with your sword! Lord Zhu Xiang and Lady Wu often called you fat! The teacher also said you were fat! The veteran soldiers frequently mention you were a chubby child, a fat child!”

King Zheng said, “I was just well-fed!”

Zhang Liang: “A well-fed fat child!”

King Zheng sneered, “You admit it, you deliberately slandered me?”

Zhang Liang also sneered, “The soldiers in Lord Wu Cheng’s army all praised you, ready to die for you. How is that slander? This is promoting your reputation.”

Flawless logic.

But Zhang Liang did deliberately annoy King Zheng. Not because he was looking for trouble, but because King Zheng had humiliated him first.

When Zhang Liang arrived in Xianyang, King Zheng trusted him and adopted his strategies, giving him ample authority.

After Zhang Liang succeeded, King Zheng not only insisted that the young Zhang Liang become an internal officer but also granted him the position of Chief of the Chariot Office, overseeing the king’s carriage and travel, allowing him free access to the palace.

Overseeing the king’s carriages meant controlling the king’s movements—a position that could only be entrusted to a confidant.

Zhang Liang had been quite satisfied.

Though King Zheng could be verbally harsh and moody, he treated his ministers fairly.

Later, King Zheng played a joke he found hilarious: “Minister Zhang, I had originally intended to make Zhao Gao Chief of the Chariot Office.”

Zhang Liang: “?”

Zhang Liang had first been sent by Han Fei to serve under Zhu Xiang, arriving in Xianyang only after repeated urging. He naturally knew who Zhao Gao was when Zhu Xiang murmured for a long time after Zhao Gao was killed.

Palace servant, sycophant, treacherous man.

Ying Zheng! What do you mean?! You compare me to Zhao Gao?! You humiliate me!!

Seeing Zhang Liang’s face turn pale, King Zheng added, “At the time, I was short-sighted and trusted Zhao Gao completely, thinking that promoting him from palace servant to court minister would ensure his loyalty. Yet Zhao Gao betrayed me. But Minister Zhang, you, when I first met you, I scared you into tears and even locked you up, yet you remained loyal.”

He held Zhang Liang’s hand and shook it.

“Minister Zhang, you are truly my Chief of the Chariot Office!”

Sincere eyes!

Zhang Liang: “…Should I be moved?”

King Zheng laughed heartily.

Zhang Liang gritted his teeth: “Ying Zheng!”

King Zheng laughed: “Zhang Liang, how dare you call your king by name! That’s a grave offense! Hahaha!”

After joking, King Zheng swept his sleeves and left, leaving Zhang Liang with a huge pile of work, completely unconcerned that Zhang Liang might slack off out of anger.

Zhang Liang noted this slight in his little notebook and immediately plotted revenge.

He adjusted his plan, changing the propaganda from highlighting King Zheng’s brilliance and military prowess to portraying him as the lovable “Little Chubby Ying.”

The result was the same, wasn’t it?

Seeing King Zheng’s annoyed expression, Zhang Liang felt triumphant.

Victory reclaimed!

“Hmph,” King Zheng snorted at Zhang Liang’s smugness but didn’t truly get angry.

To boost morale, whether it was spreading stories of him as a lovable little chubby child or having him interact with the frontline soldiers and call them “Uncle,” he didn’t mind at all.

Zhang Liang’s scheme actually worked better than the previous one.

Before, morale could be raised, but the King was aloof. For most soldiers, “loyalty to the king” was an abstract concept.

But making “loyalty to the king” concrete in the form of a “young master they had watched grow up” strengthened their loyalty to the person Ying Zheng rather than the abstract title of King.

This was what Li Mu had been doing all along.

He had led the chubby child through the army, telling soldiers that this boy was their “master,” and that all military orders required his approval.

In the Warring States, armies often became private forces for generals, more loyal to them than to the king.

With the approval of three generations of Qin kings—Zhao Xiang, Ren Wen, and Zi Chu—Li Mu emphasized that Little Ying Zheng was the true “commander” in his army, acting as “housekeeper.”

This was another safeguard for Ying Zheng’s succession granted by the three kings.

The King was suspicious. Their worst fear was that Ying Zheng wouldn’t return in time to ascend. Then, Li Mu’s private army could at least ensure he controlled southern Qin and could later compete for the throne.

Once Ying Zheng became king, this “army structure” was no longer necessary.

Zhang Liang repurposed it, emphasizing Ying Zheng’s control over the southern Qin army.

After leaving southern Qin, the region became remote. Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji had to leave at least one person there to prevent a morale gap among scholars and generals.

Zhang Liang reasoned that even if the king wasn’t in southern Qin, the locals could still be told that Ying Zheng was their master, keeping them close to him.

King Zheng was the king of Qin, while “Ying Zheng” was their king. They were different from other Qin people.

For example, the army. Other armies answered to generals, but southern Qin’s army had grown up alongside Ying Zheng from chubby child to heroic young king—they were his most trusted troops.

With this understanding, the southern Qin army’s morale would soar in battle and remain loyal to King Ying Zheng even in the future. Though remote, they would never betray him.

Li Mu initially thought Zhang Liang’s plan was ridiculous.

What was this “Little Chubby Ying”? Did he listen too much to Zhu Xiang’s nonsense? Surely, if King Zheng heard of this, though he wouldn’t punish him officially, he would chase him with a sword and beat him for a month!

After Zhang Liang’s explanation, Li Mu was convinced.

Southern Qin was far from Xianyang. He could ensure it remained under King Zheng’s control while stationed there, but what about the future? Could future commanders seize power because it was remote?

Being older than King Zheng, he would always precede him, unable to guard southern Qin forever.

Zhang Liang’s scheme eased these worries.

By instilling the concept of Ying Zheng’s private army in the southern Qin troops, they would view him as “master” rather than merely “king,” ensuring loyalty even if a general rebelled.

Once Fusu grew older, he could also train in southern Qin, passing on the concept of the “king’s private army” through generations. Southern Qin’s troops would become the king’s strongest foundation.

Would King Zheng be embarrassed and protest, “When was I ever fat? I’ve never been coquettish or foolish!”? Yes. Compared to the army’s loyalty, he could tolerate this minor cost.

Zhang Liang truly was recognized by both Zhu Xiang and King Zheng as clever. Li Mu’s prejudice against him from the “Han ministerial family” finally vanished.

As Li Mu predicted, King Zheng, though somewhat embarrassed and angry, considered the benefits and willingly accepted it.

When Xiang Yan’s army advanced east, Li Mu’s forces took warships down the north bank of the Huai River, just as he had captured the southern bank of the Yangtze during the reign of King Zhao Xiang. In a month, all cities along the north bank of the Huai were taken.

At the same time, King Zheng went to see Zhang Liang’s elder brother, Zhang Sheng, to inform him about Zhang Liang’s promotion of his childhood deeds in the southern Qin army.

Zhang Liang went home and got a severe beating from his elder brother.

King Zheng sent a pile of medicines as consolation.

Lying in bed, unable to get up, Zhang Liang grumbled: “Damn Ying Zheng! I’m resigning!”