Chapter Forty-Six: Grand General Zhao Zheng
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“I have decided to establish the office of Grand General. Its holder shall enjoy special authority and command all military forces within Qin!”
Ying Quliang surveyed the assembled ministers before rising and speaking slowly.
The court erupted in astonishment. This so-called Grand General’s authority had once belonged exclusively to Ying Qian.
Quite a few gazes fell upon Zhao Zheng. Ying Quliang had only decided yesterday to strike against the Western Rong, and today he had established the office of Grand General.
Zhao Zheng, who had been absent from court for three days, had also arrived. If the position was not intended for him, then whom else could it be?
“My lord! With the new laws about to be implemented, I believe this is inappropriate!”
Jing Jian stepped forward and addressed Ying Quliang.
At his words, all the ministers present were taken aback.
“Jing Jian?”
Meng Yun stared at him in disbelief.
Wei Yang stepped forward and bowed. “My lord, if the Grand Minister wishes to lead an expedition, the Supreme General, Jing Jian, can be entrusted with gathering the troops.”
“Such authority may prove detrimental to the reforms…”
Zhao Zheng narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. The Records of the Grand Historian had not been wrong after all… Wei Yang truly was a harsh man, incapable of gratitude or mercy.
As for Jing Jian, he had no great aristocratic clan behind him and had therefore thrown himself wholeheartedly behind Wei Yang.
Note: The Shang Yang portrayed in this book is not based on the Great Qin trilogy, but on the Records of the Grand Historian and extensive research from various sources.
Ying Qian gave a cold snort and bowed toward Ying Quliang. “Quliang, I think this decision of yours is excellent.”
Hmph. He had only just begun overseeing the reforms, and already he dared to kick down the nest that sheltered him? Who knew how arrogant he would become later?
Ying Qian had never held much affection for Wei Yang, and today’s display only deepened his dislike.
“My lord’s proposal is truly marvelous! Aside from Master Guigu, there is no one else in all of Qin qualified to serve as Grand General.”
Seeing this, Du Zhi stepped forward and cupped his hands.
Fight… Go ahead and fight. It would be best if you all tore one another apart.
Du Zhi secretly rejoiced.
“Enough. This matter is not to be debated any further. The office of Grand General is settled.”
Ying Quliang frowned and cut off the ministers’ discussion.
“I have decided that Master will command the army, with Ying Qian as his deputy. March west, recover our lost territories, and punish the Western Rong.”
With that, Ying Quliang rose and held the Duke of Qin’s sword high in his hand.
“Punish the Western Rong! Punish the Western Rong!” the ministers shouted.
After the court was dismissed, Zhao Zheng and Ying Qian immediately selected their troops and hurried west.
Ying Quliang had intended to assign Zhao Zheng the only three thousand chariots in central Qin, but Zhao Zheng refused.
For one thing, the central region already had to withstand pressure from Zhao, Wei, Han, and Chu.
Moreover, the northwest was not a central plain. Chariots would be unable to maneuver there.
And most importantly, chariot troops would have no advantage whatsoever against the Western Rong cavalry.
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The most urgent problem they faced was still their inability to determine the enemy’s exact location.
Take Yiqu, for example. Ying Si later defeated them twice, but because he could not locate them precisely, he was unable to wipe them out completely.
It was not until the reign of Ying Ji that the Queen Mother of Xuan lured the King of Yiqu to his death. Ying Ji then took advantage of the opportunity to annihilate all the elite troops the Yiqu king had brought with him. After finding several traitors to serve as guides, he finally eradicated Yiqu altogether.
The twenty thousand soldiers accompanying Zhao Zheng on this expedition were all infantry. One quarter of them were ranged troops: two thousand crossbowmen and three thousand archers.
As the mighty army streamed out of the city, Zhao Zheng caught sight of a familiar figure among those gathered to see them off.
Indeed, it was Ying Shu.
Zhao Zheng sighed helplessly, then lashed his horse twice and vanished from Ying Shu’s view at full speed.
After they had left the city, Ying Qian asked Zhao Zheng, who was riding beside him, “Boy, how do you intend to fight?”
Zhao Zheng took the map and studied it carefully before answering. “Chencang has been occupied, threatening the four surrounding commanderies. As for Mount Qi, it is not particularly important.”
“You mean to retake Chencang?” Ying Qian asked.
Zhao Zheng shook his head. “No. Once the Western Rong have captured Chencang, they will certainly strengthen its defenses. To attack it, we would need siege equipment. If we wait for that equipment to arrive, we will be placed at a serious disadvantage.”
He paused, then pointed to Yuan King City, some distance from Chencang.
“Strike there? Isn’t that too risky?” Ying Qian asked with a frown.
To attack Yuan King City, they would have to pass through Shanggui. If the enemy at Chencang took the opportunity to circle around and attack them from behind…
Wouldn’t that spell disaster?
Zhao Zheng shook his head. “It will be fine. We must win a swift victory. We will seize Yuan King City before they have time to react, then construct fortifications on the spot.”
As he spoke, Zhao Zheng pointed toward Shanggui. “Notify the magistrate of Shanggui in advance. If the enemy at Chencang dares come to Yuan King City, we will close the trap and crush them.”
Shanggui and Yuan King City lay less than fifty miles apart, forming mutually supporting positions.
“Excellent! Let’s go tear those bastards apart. I want to kill to my heart’s content!”
Zhao Zheng’s words immediately stirred Ying Qian’s fighting spirit. He rubbed his palms together, eager for slaughter.
Traveling from Liyang along the Longxi Road, the twenty-thousand-man army still needed ten days of forced marching to reach Shanggui.
The people of Shanggui had already calculated that Zhao Zheng would arrive that day, and had been waiting beneath the city walls since early morning.
“I am Li Ping, Magistrate of Shanggui. I pay my respects to the Grand Tutor and the Grand General.”
When Zhao Zheng and Ying Qian came within sight, Li Ping hurried toward them and bowed.
“How is the situation?” Zhao Zheng asked, dispensing with pleasantries and going straight to the matter at hand.
Li Ping’s expression was grim. “The Western Rong are using Mount Qi and Chencang as their bases, raiding the surrounding areas without restraint. It has caused us no end of trouble.”
The Western Rong had now adopted an infuriating tactic. They raided the surrounding settlements, and whenever Qin troops pursued them, they fled back into the cities and refused to come out.
This strategy… Could it be one of Sun Bin’s schemes?
Was Sun Bin testing him?
Zhao Zheng’s brows drew together. In this era, only that old schemer Sun Bin could have devised such a devious tactic.
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It seemed his identity had reached Qi, and Sun Bin was preparing to make trouble.
“Pass down my order. The army will rest for one day. Tomorrow, march with me and take Yuan King City by force.”
At Zhao Zheng’s command, the twenty thousand soldiers entered the city in orderly fashion.
This time, however, Zhao Zheng did not dare go personally to the front lines. Western Rong cavalry was no laughing matter.
If they suddenly charged straight at him, even his formidable regenerative abilities would not prevent his head from rolling across the ground.
Li Ping invited Zhao Zheng and Ying Qian to the Magistrate’s Residence.
The residence was exceedingly plain, and the people of Shanggui lived in deep poverty.
Here, eating two meals a day was considered the greatest of wishes. Even Li Hua, the magistrate of Shanggui, could manage no more than one and a half meals of vegetables a day.
But that would soon change. Better days were on their way.
“A frontier market? But… wasn’t the Left Chief Minister—”
Li Hua was stunned. The Land-Reclamation Edict had only recently arrived in Shanggui, and he knew its contents by heart…
Ying Qian gave a cold snort. “Why should we care what he says? Whatever Zhao Zheng says goes. The lord will not object.”
Hearing Ying Qian declare his support, Li Hua finally let out a breath of relief.
The matter of establishing frontier markets had already been discussed with Ying Quliang over drinks some time ago. Ying Quliang naturally gave Zhao Zheng’s proposal his unconditional support.
Of course, the frontier trade would not be conducted by the common people, nor by merchants. Specially appointed officials would oversee it, and all profits would belong to the Qin royal house.
After resting for a day, Zhao Zheng ordered ten thousand troops out of the city at dawn the following morning. They headed straight for Yuan King City.
Before departing, Li Hua placed Shanggui’s eight hundred cavalry under Zhao Zheng’s command. These eight hundred horsemen possessed little actual combat strength and were primarily used for reconnaissance.
At this time, Qi was the only state in the realm with an established cavalry corps: the Martial Specialists.
The histories recorded that the Martial Specialists were inferior to Wei’s Warrior Soldiers.
Yet the Martial Specialists had a significant weakness: they were ill-suited to fighting on horseback.
The fundamental reason was that King Wuling of Zhao had not yet appeared to institute the reform of adopting nomadic dress and mounted archery. Once mounted archery was introduced into Qi, the Martial Specialists would no longer be inferior to Zhao’s frontier cavalry.
Zhao Zheng, however, understood the importance of cavalry all too well. He selected a batch of lightweight crossbows, gave the horsemen some basic instruction, and equipped all eight hundred of them. The simple, easy-to-use crossbows amounted to a form of mounted archery in their own right.
At the same time, Zhao Zheng altered the cavalry’s uniforms, greatly improving their mobility.
Shanggui and Yuan King City were fifty miles apart. The ten-thousand-man army marched through the entire day and night. At dawn on the second day, Zhao Zheng personally led the eight hundred cavalry and reached the walls of Yuan King City first.
The infantry commanded by Ying Qian was slower than the cavalry and had yet to catch up.
The gates of Yuan King City stood open.
A troop of Yuan Rong cavalry was riding out through them. At its center, surrounded by layers of guards, was a burly man dressed differently from the other Yuan Rong horsemen. He was most likely their commander.
At the sight of him, a bold idea suddenly took shape in Zhao Zheng’s mind.
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