The Warring States, Books 1-3

by Greg Strandberg

  “I hope that the ceremony was to your liking,” King Weilie said after a few moments, his eyes on the plates of food still sitting in the center of the table.

  All of the men nodded.

  “Never in my life did I think I’d see all nine of the tripod cauldrons assembled in one place,” Marquis Jing said, echoing his earlier comment.

  King Weilie smiled and looked at Jing. “I never thought that I’d come to see them all together, myself. I’d like to thank you all for bringing them as I asked.”

  Duke Jian, Duke Dao, and Duke Kang all shook their heads as if it had been no bother at all, and King Weilie nodded his thanks.

  “We were just commenting on the fact that all nine of the tripod cauldrons were present at the ceremony, but only eight rulers,” Duke Dao said. “Was Marquis Lie of Jin not invited to the ceremony?”

  King Weilie stared at the table for several moments, moments in which the other men tensed up, expecting some grave announcement. Instead he just shook his head and smiled slightly as he looked again at them.

  “No, Marquis Lie was not invited, although he was gracious enough to have his three tripod cauldrons sent from Quwo.”

  “And why was Marquis Lie not invited?” Duke Bei was presumptuous enough to ask.

  “Because Marquis Lie is no longer a ruler of any consequence,” King Weilie said quickly, “as you all know.”

  The men around the table looked at one another, not sure how to take the comment.

  “Jin has been nothing more than two cities for nearly fifty years,” King Weilie continued. “Two cities is certainly not a state, so as far as I’m concerned the State of Jin is no more.” He paused to look at each of them before continuing. “Three states have risen in its place, states that were little more than family clans a mere century ago. But what a century it has been! In that time Wei, Han, and Zhao have risen to become three of the strongest States in the whole country, and they’ve changed the way that we address ourselves.”

  “The Seven States,” Duke Jian said quietly.

  “Exactly,” King Weilie exclaimed, his voice full of energy, more so than his frail body looked able to contain. “The Seven States have been in existence for fifty years now, yet the three that allowed that title to come into existence have remained unrecognized by the Zhou Family for that time. That changes tonight.”

  Marquis’ Wen, Lie, and Jing glanced at one another in anticipation as they eagerly awaited King Weilie’s words.

  “For too long now Wen of Wei, Lie of Zhao, and Jing of Han have been without title. I now declare before you all that these three men will now be addressed as Marquis, and that their three states will now take the place of Jin.”

  King Weilie paused as he grabbed the cup of wine in front of him and raised it up.

  “The Three Jins,” he said.

  The fifteen men around the table each grabbed up the nearest cup of wine and raised them high in the air.

  “The Three Jins,” they each said loudly before taking a sip, or drink, or draining the cup entirely in the case of a few.

  “Now that we officially have Seven States,” King Weilie said after a moment and over the mumblings of congratulation being heard around the table, “let us talk of what I deem to be the matter that’s of the most importance, and the real reason why I’ve called you all here to Luoyang. I’m talking about the constant fighting that’s been taking place between us for generations now.”

  “If it’s peace that you want to talk about,” Duke Chu said, “then that is what we’ve had for fifty years now, ever since Zhi was eliminated by Wei, Han, and Zhao.”

  King Weilie shook his head. “It is peace I’m talking about, but we’ve not had it as it should be.”

  “I’m not sure I understand,” Marquis Jing said.

  “It isn’t peace when three of the Seven States conspire with your enemies to overthrow you,” Duke Kang said angrily, his eyes boring into Wen. “That is what King Weilie is talking about.”

  “I think my father is quite capable of deciding exactly what it is he is or isn’t talking about,” Prince An said sharply and with a cold look.

  Duke Kang shrank back into his chair and King Weilie continued.

  “There’s some truth in what Duke Kang says,” he admitted with a conciliatory look at Kang, “but that’s all in the past now, isn’t it? The time of these childish behind-the-back games of intrigue have passed, gentleman. I desire peace in the realm, and I want each of you to assure to me here tonight that that’ll be carried out.”

  “What of the smaller states?” Marquis Lie asked. “Surely you don’t expect us to stop waging war against them?”

  “The smaller states, and what each of you does in regard to them, is of no concern to me,” King Weilie replied. “I know that many of you need an outlet for your excess population, and conquering the smaller states is a good way to gain land to do that. What concerns me is how you act in regard to each other.”

  “So we don’t fight one another,” Duke Bei said with a smile. “Sounds easy enough.”

  “I hope that proves to be the case,” King Weilie said, “but I’m sure it will prove to be more difficult in the long-run. Many of you will find it easy to be friends tonight and for many nights after this, but I’m worried about what happens months and years from now. I don’t want a superficial peace between us that only lasts a few seasons – I want peace for generations.”

  “That is a hard thing to guarantee between Seven States, each of which is hungry for power,” Marquis Wen said.

  “And none of us can say what the situation will be in twenty or thirty years, let alone one hundred,” Duke Dao said. “What happens during the reign of my son, and his son after, could be beyond any of our imaginings here tonight.”

  “If we agree to peace tonight then there shouldn’t be any unexpected occurrence which would make it impossible for your heirs to continue the peace,” King Weilie said.

  “And what of the smaller states?” Duke Kang asked. “Any one of them could grow larger over the coming years, perhaps even large enough to seriously threaten, or even overwhelm, one of the Seven.”

  “Already the State of Yue is nearly as large as some of us,” Marquis Jing said.

  King Weilie shook his head and let out a deep sigh. The men grew quiet and waited for their king to speak.

  “I grow old gentlemen, and I don’t have much time left,” he said slowly, almost resignedly, after a minute. “My son will inherit the throne after me, much as I did from my father. I don’t want him to inherit the same situation I did, where any day a full-fledged war could break out amongst two of the states, a war that could possibly pull in a few more, eventually engulfing the entire country. I want peace, gentleman, and I want that to be my legacy.”

  He stopped to look at each of them in turn, pausing a moment longer on each of the heirs at the table.

  “When people speak of King Weilie of Zhou I want them to remember that he was the king that brought peace to the Seven States, a peace that lasted for centuries.” He paused again and looked down at the table. “Is that too much to ask?”

  The fourteen men looked at one another and at the table, nearly everywhere but at King Weilie and Prince An. Finally Marquis Wen broke the silence.

  “I don’t think so,” he said in answer to his king’s question. “I don’t think that peace between us is too much to ask at all. In fact, I think it’s just what we need.”

  The men stared at Wen as he paused and waited until he had their full attention.

  “For too long we’ve been fighting amongst ourselves while we’ve neglected what is truly important. For hundreds of years we’ve fought, and where has it gotten us? Sitting here around this table, wondering who will attack next.” Wen shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a very good position to be in all the time, wondering where the next attack will come from.”

  He looked at King Weilie for the first time since speaking. “I for one agree and welcome King Weilie�
��s words, and I’ll be the first to pledge to this peace that’s been suggested.”

  “Go on,” King Weilie said.

  Wen stared back at him for several moments before looking at the other men. “I pledge that no attacks will come from Wei against any of the other States for as long as I or my son lives.”

  Several gasps of surprise rose from the table at the declaration, but Wen rose up his hand for silence.

  “It is not such a surprising thing to say, and it’s something that can happen if we all make the same pledge here tonight.”

  “Wen is right,” Marquis Jing said suddenly. “If we all pledge, then it will happen.” He paused to look at each of the men. “I pledge that Han will not attack any other State for as long as I or my son lives.”

  “I too make the pledge,” Duke Bei said. “Yan will not attack any other State for as long as I or my son lives.”

  A short snort of laughter issued from Kang at that declaration, but he quickly grew silent as all eyes around the table turned coldly upon him.

  “I too make the pledge,” Duke Jian said. “Qin will attack no other State for as long as I or my grandson lives.”

  “That is a very long time,” Kang said, “are you sure that he’s up to it?”

  Jian nodded gravely and placed his hand on his grandson’s shoulder. “It is something that we are more than up to,” he said, and Xian nodded his agreement.

  “That is four of us,” Wen said after the table grew silent. “We require all of the Seven States to agree.”

  “You have my agreement,” Duke Dao said after another moment. “Chu will attack no other State for as long as I or my son lives.”

  “Lie?” Wen asked.

  Lie reluctantly nodded. “My son is not even born yet, nor do I have his mother picked out.” The others looked at him as he paused, realizing how long of a time they were talking about for some. Finally he shrugged his shoulders. “I agree that Zhao will not attack another State for as long as I or my son lives.”

  “That just leaves you, Kang,” Wen said. “What will it be?”

  “And what if another state somehow becomes one of the Seven in the coming years, then what?” Kang asked angrily. “Any one of us could be replaced by some upstart with a lot of ambition and an even greater amount of luck.”

  “He will not be declared one of the Seven States until he agrees to the peace agreement that we are all agreeing to here tonight,” King Weilie said.

  “We’ve all made the pledge,” Duke Dao said sharply, anger edging into his voice. “You’ve nothing to fear from any of us!”

  “Those are just words, easily forgotten tomorrow!” Kang argued.

  “We’ll have it written up and sealed with each of the states’ official mark,” King Weilie said. “I’ll have my advisors begin writing the scrolls tonight. Within a week there will be copies hanging in every major city of the country.”

  Kang shook his head. “Something will happen; you all realize that, don’t you? Someone will come to the throne, either your sons or their sons, and they will go back on the deal. War will come to the Seven States, it must.”

  The men around the table shook their heads and stared down at their cups in silence.

  “There can be only one state!” Kang continued, pleading now with the men. “We will fight until there is only one, don’t you see that?”

  He stared at them all, but none would meet his eyes. He sat back in his chair dejectedly and stared at his own now empty wine cup and the empty decanter next to it.

  “I pledge,” he said quietly.

  “What’s that?” Wen asked. “I can’t hear you from across the table.”

  Kang shot him an angry look. “I pledge,” he said.

  “All of it,” Marquis Jing said.

  “I pledge that Qi will attack no other state for as long as I or my son shall live,” Kang said quickly.

  “Then it is settled,” King Weilie said with a smile. “There is peace between us at last!”

  “You will begin drawing up the scrolls tomorrow?” Duke Jian asked.

  “This very night,” King Weilie replied, and he began to push himself up from his chair.

  Prince An rose beside him and offered steadying hands on his shoulders. When he was up he paused to look at each of the men in turn once again.

  “The scrolls will be drawn up gentlemen, but what is most important is your word, which each of you has freely given here this night. Remember the words that you have spoken, for no words on a scroll can truly match the words that you’ve uttered here amongst your peers.”

  The men nodded back at him but no one spoke. King Weilie smiled and nodded again, then turned and let his son help him. The servants threw open the doors for him but he turned once more when he reached them.

  “I thank you, gentlemen, for making the last wish of a very old man come true,” he said, and then left the room, the servants closing the doors behind him.

  The table was silent as the men pondered King Weilie’s words. After a minute had passed Duke Kang rose from the table, grabbed a full decanter of wine from one of the nearby serving tables and proceeded to move around the table pouring everyone a full cup.

  “It is growing late, and I’ve had a bit too much to drink,” Kang said as he circled the table filling the cups. “Please excuse my earlier reticence to make the pledge; I’m sure many of you can understand how I feel about peace, having not experienced it once during my whole life.”

  The men were silent as he moved around them, although several nodded at his words.

  “No one desires peace more so in this room than I,” he continued as he filled the last two cups, those of Marquis Wen and his son Wu, “and I hope that what we’ve agreed on here tonight can truly come about.”

  He put the empty decanter down on the table and looked at each of the men once more. No one who entered the room at that moment would think for a second that Duke Kang had been drinking heavily by looking at him, the way he held himself up and met their eyes. Finally, after several moments had passed in silence, Kang gave a slight bow and backed toward the doors, which were thrown open for him.

  “Goodnight, gentlemen,” he said one last time before turning and leaving the room.

  Duke Dao let out a low whistle when the servants closed the doors again, and many of the other men sank down into their chairs, relief visible on their faces.

  “I thought he’d never leave,” Duke Jian said with a laugh.

  “Do you think he’s running down the corridor after King Weilie?” Duke Bei asked with a chuckle.

  “Like a faithful dog?” Wen asked with a sly smile, bringing a laugh from the whole table.

  “In all seriousness,” Marquis Jing said after the laughter died down, “do you really think that Kang will honor the pledge?”

  “I don’t see how he can’t, not at this point,” Marquis Lie said. “If anyone of us attacks the others then I’d think that we’d all swiftly join together in retribution.”

  Several of the men nodded, but Duke Jian shook his head.

  “That’s what is so dangerous about this peace agreement,” he said. “If one state does break the pledge and attacks another, other states could do nothing. In effect they’d be allying themselves with the attacker, justifying their inaction because of the peace agreement.”

  “I disagree,” Marquis Lie said. “If one attack does occur then the whole peace agreement is void, in my opinion. If once state moves against another I see the others coming to its aid, utterly destroying the transgressor.”

  “I think it would be folly to end the peace between all Seven States just because one broke the agreement,” Marquis Jing said. “I agree that the offending state should be dealt with swiftly and unmercifully, but the others should then do their best to carry on as before.”

  “We all have an agreement, lasting for two generations, to not attack one another,” Wen said. “I think that all of us sitting here, our heirs included,” he said with a glance at Wu
, “understand the implications of that and the implications of not abiding by it. If Wen were to attack another state I would fully expect to feel the wrath of the other six states. Such an action could only result in the downfall of Wei.”

  The men around the table nodded at Wen’s words and he sat back and took a sip of the full wine cup in front of him. Kang’s reluctance to go along with the peace agreement concerned him, but he tried to shake off the ill-feeling that it had left with him. Qi had been beset by war for a century, so talks of peace weren’t something that could be considered lightly. While everyone else around the table could now sit a little easier knowing they were safe from their powerful neighbors, Kang had to constantly sit on his throne in Linzi and worry about the House of Tian, an upstart family within Qi that would not be affected by the agreement pledged to in Luoyang. And Wen wasn’t quite sure how much room to maneuver there was within the peace agreement. Would Wei, for instance, be able to come to Qi’s aid in case House Tian truly was on the cusp of overthrowing House Jiang? And what if similar problems began to crop up in the other states? Would rival states begin fomenting rebellions among their neighbors in the hopes that they could use those incidents as an excuse for invasion, secretly throwing their support behind the rebels while all the while acting as if they were supporting the ruling house?

  Wen shook his head and took another, larger sip of wine. There were too many possibilities to think of, too many problems that the peace agreement left unanswered. It was an agreement for peace, after all, Wen reminded himself. The men had agreed not to fight, so why was he looking at all the cracks in the wording that would invite attacks in the future while the agreement protected the perpetrators?

  “Are you alright, father?” Wu asked quietly beside him, concern on his face.

  “What?” Wen asked, thrown back into the present by his son’s comment.

  “Your face was all knotted up as if you were in pain,” Wu said, leaning toward his father.

  Wen furrowed his brows and glanced down at the table. There was a slight pain in his left shoulder, he now realized. He moved his hand up and began massaging the troubling spot, but the pain remained.