A Thousand Pieces of Gold

by Adeline Yen Mah

  In the second month of the year 207 B.C.E., Liu Bang had reached the outskirts of Chenliu on his westward trek. Recognizing the city’s importance and its unique location, he made camp a little way outside to study the terrain.

  Mad Master had a friend from his home village who worked as a cavalry officer in Liu Bang’s army. While billeted nearby, the officer came home to visit his relatives. Mad Master approached him and asked for an introduction to Liu Bang. “Many nobles and generals have passed through this area,” he said, “but the way I see it, Liu Bang is the best of them all and has the brightest future. Put in a good word for me and tell him that I’m coming to visit him at his camp.”

  “Whatever you do,” the officer warned, “don’t call yourself a Confucian scholar in front of Liu Bang. I once saw him remove the headgear from a Confucian scholar’s head and piss in it. He thinks all Confucian scholars are useless!”

  A few evenings later Mad Master appeared at Liu Bang’s camp. Even though he had been forewarned, Mad Master dressed in his Confucian costume just to be contrary. At the door he greeted the guard and requested an audience with Liu Bang.

  Inside his tent Liu Bang was lying on his bed and relaxing, with two maids washing his feet in preparation for bed. He asked the guard, “Who is it?”

  The guard replied, “Looks like a Confucian scholar. He’s dressed in the full regalia of Confucian robe and hat.”

  Liu Bang was less than impressed. “Go tell him that I have no time to chat with scholars. I’m too busy handling important affairs of state.”

  When the guard related Liu Bang’s message, Mad Master became angry. Placing his right hand on the handle of his sword as if to unsheathe the blade, he glared at the guard and shouted, “Get back in there and tell His Lordship that I’m not a Confucian scholar but a lover of wine!”

  The guard rushed back and reported to Liu Bang, “The visitor is a warrior.”

  Having overheard the commotion outside, Liu Bang wiped his feet, picked up his spear, and said, “Bring him in!”

  Mad Master swaggered in, raised his folded hands up and down in greeting, but did not prostrate himself. Then he asked, “Is it Your Lordship’s intention to help Qin defeat the revolutionary army, or is it to help the revolutionary army defeat Qin?”

  Liu Bang was annoyed and said, “What a stupid question! All Under Heaven have suffered for far too long under Qin’s inhuman regime. That is why the nobles from the six other states have united and formed the revolutionary army against Qin. How can you ask whether I wish to help Qin?”

  Mad Master replied without fear, “Since it is your intention to defeat Qin and perform great deeds, then you must not yi mu pi xiang, ‘judge my ability by my appearance.’ If you persist in doing so, you might miss meeting some truly talented people. The way I see it, you are not as intelligent as I nor as brave. You would also have made a big mistake this evening if you had not seen me. Besides, is it fitting for Your Lordship to be behaving so disrespectfully when interviewing someone so much older than you?”

  Hearing this, Liu Bang rose, dismissed the maids, wiped his feet thoroughly, begged Mad Master’s pardon several times, and invited him to sit in the place of honor at the head of the table. He ordered food and wine, and the two men conversed deep into the night.

  Mad Master began by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the two warring parties. “At present, Your Lordship has a force of fewer than 10,000 men. Though called an army, it really consists of stragglers from other armies and wu he zhi zhong, ‘an assortment of rough and untrained ruffians.’ The eunuch Zhao Gao has selected Qin’s best troops to defend the capital city, professional soldiers who are disciplined and well armed. If you should attempt to dash into the pass now with your unruly mob, it will be akin to zi tou hu kou, ‘voluntarily stepping into the tiger’s mouth.’

  “What you need is a safe and secure base from which to plan your maneuvers and train your forces. The city of Chenliu will be ideal for these purposes. Because of its strategic location, it is one of the best hub cities under Heaven. Si tong ba da, ‘Many highways radiate from it in every direction,’ linking all parts of the empire. In addition, the city is rich with a huge depository of grain and other essentials.

  “We are lucky because I’m acquainted with the mayor of Chenliu. If you wish, I can try to persuade him to surrender to you. Should he refuse, then I suggest that we take the city by force. With your soldiers attacking from outside and me influencing the city gatekeepers from within, we should be able to take the city without any problem.”

  Liu Bang was bowled over. He agreed and immediately dispatched Mad Master to Chenliu with a few soldiers. However, the mayor of Chenliu refused to turn against the Qin government. No matter how hard Mad Master tried, the mayor would not change his mind. Mad Master felt he had no choice but to adopt Plan B and take the city by force.

  Following Mad Master’s plan to the letter, Liu Bang was able to take possession of the hub city of Chenliu and its rich stores of grain without losing a single soldier or even shooting one arrow. For this, Liu Bang rewarded Mad Master with the title of guang yeh jun (baronet of territorial enlargement). He also sent for Mad Master’s younger brother to come to Chenliu and appointed him as officer in charge of defense of this newly acquired city.

  After replenishing his provisions, Liu Bang continued westward from Chenliu. He fought and won a few minor skirmishes against Qin forces along the way, taking some cities and enlarging his force by incorporating stragglers from other armies. In the third month of 207 B.C.E., Liu Bang was proceeding cautiously in the direction of the capital when he was hailed on the road by his great friend, the brilliant military strategist Zhang Liang.

  Military strategists were scholars who specialized in advising rulers on the planning and conduct of war. Their role is similar to that provided nowadays by the secretary of defense and political scientists in think tanks. Because the Chinese revere their ancestors and venerate intelligence, stories of battles won as a result of ploys devised by clever strategists are much appreciated. Some tales become immortalized into folklore and are passed from generation to generation for thousands of years.

  Zhang Liang was descended from a renowned and learned family in the state of Haan. His father and grandfather had both been prime ministers, having served continuously under five generations of Haan monarchs. Before Haan was annexed by Qin, Zhang’s aristocratic family used to own three hundred slaves.

  In 218 B.C.E., as we have seen, he tried to assassinate the First Emperor by hurling a specially designed metal cone at the royal coach. When his missile wu zhong fu che, “accidentally struck the wrong vehicle,” Zhang Liang escaped to Chu and became a fugitive. Knowing that there was a price on his head, Zhang Liang changed his name and hid in a small remote village. There he lived quietly and anonymously for the next ten years.

  One day he went for a walk and passed a bridge. While he was standing there, an old man dressed in a short jacket made of rough cloth sauntered by, deliberately dropped his shoe below, then turned and said to Zhang Liang, “Young man! Go down and get my shoe for me!”

  Surprised, Zhang Liang was at first tempted to give the oldster a beating. But seeing that the man was old and feeble, he restrained himself, went below, and retrieved the shoe.

  The old man now extended his foot and said, “Put it on for me.” Since he had already taken the trouble to reclaim the shoe, Zhang Liang thought he might as well help him put it on. So he knelt on the ground and put on his shoe for him. The old man smiled at him and left.

  Wondering if he had been recognized, Zhang Liang suddenly felt afraid and anxiously eyed the stranger. Then the old man turned back and muttered, almost to himself, “Ru zi ke jiao! ‘This boy is worth teaching!’ Meet me here early in the morning five days from now.” Zhang Liang knelt and said, “I will.”

  Five days later Zhang Liang came in the early morning and found the old man already on the bridge waiting for him. The old man scolded him for being l
ate and told Zhang Liang to meet him again five days later.

  As soon as the cock crowed this second time, Zhang Liang sprang out of bed and rushed to the bridge. Again the old man was already waiting. He reprimanded Zhang Liang again and told him to return five days later.

  This time Zhang Liang was up and standing on the bridge shortly before midnight. A little while later the old man arrived. He smiled and said, “That’s the way you should behave!” Then he took out a book, gave it to him, and said, “If you study this book carefully, you will one day become the teacher of kings. I predict that in ten years’ time there will be radical changes and you will find the material here very useful.”

  The next morning Zhang Liang examined the book. It was titled The Art of War, by Tai Gong. This book is now lost. Zhang Liang was delighted with his gift and considered it a rare treasure. Over the years he read the book over and over and was able to impart much of its wisdom to Liu Bang when the two met.

  Liu Bang and Zhang Liang first met in February 208 B.C.E., two years after the death of the First Emperor. Although he had a frail physique and was frequently ill, Zhang Liang finally felt secure enough to emerge from his self-imposed exile. He gathered about a hundred followers and was wandering around in search of a king to whom he could attach himself when he met Liu Bang by chance while he was passing through the city of Pei.

  The two became friends, and Zhang Liang imparted to Liu Bang much of what he had learned from the old man’s book. Meanwhile, Liu Bang became increasingly impressed by Zhang Liang’s incisive mind and broad vision.

  Perhaps because of his heritage, Zhang was determined to restore the monarchy in his native state of Haan. So he left Liu Bang and spent the next year living a hand-to-mouth existence while fighting a guerrilla war. No sooner did he take a city than the Qin forces would retrieve it a few weeks later.

  When Zhang Liang heard that Liu Bang was in the area and had just taken the nearby city of Chenliu, he went to congratulate him. The two friends met again in May 207 B.C.E. and decided to join forces. With Zhang Liang planning the strategy and Liu Bang making overall decisions, they thought they would make a good team.

  Almost immediately they won a major victory against the Qin general Yang Xiong, routing him and sending him fleeing. The Second Emperor was so irate that he sent a special messenger to behead Yang Xiong as an example to others. This did not endear the monarch to the other generals in the Qin army.

  Following this breakthrough, Liu Bang conquered more than ten cities with ease and seized the entire former state of Haan for Zhang Liang. The two friends established the ancient capital of Haan as their base of operations and left the newly installed King Cheng of Haan in charge. After that Zhang accompanied Liu Bang, and the duo continued westward toward Xianyang.

  In August 207 B.C.E. Liu Bang reached the city of Wan (present-day Nanyang in Henan Province). He saw the sturdy ramparts and row upon row of archers standing in position with their crossbows above the city walls. Recognizing that the city was well defended, he bypassed Wan and had moved some miles west of the city when Zhang Liang said to him, “Your Lordship is naturally anxious to be the first to enter the pass and take the capital. But we must be aware that Qin’s strongest defensive force is still ahead, holding the most strategic positions. Now that we have bypassed the city of Wan, what if the army of Wan should follow and attack from the back while we are fighting the Second Emperor’s troops in front? Would that not make us highly vulnerable? This is a dangerous policy.”

  Liu Bang agreed. The two friends conferred and drew up a plan. They waited till nightfall then returned to Wan quietly by an alternate route. Liu Bang ordered that all the flags and banners be rolled up and the horses’ tongues be tied so that they would not neigh. As a final precaution, he issued small sticks for the soldiers to bite between their teeth so that they would not converse with each other.

  When dawn broke Liu Bang’s soldiers had surrounded Wan and stood three deep in the early morning silence. The chief administrator of Wan took one look over the wall and wanted to slit his own throat. But one of his retainers, named Chen Hui, said to him, “You have a lot of time to cut your throat if that’s what you want to do. But why be in such a hurry? Please allow me to speak to Liu Bang first.”

  Retainer Chen climbed over the wall and was admitted into Liu Bang’s tent. “I have heard that Your Lordship has made a covenant with Xiang Yu that the man who first enters the capital city of Xianyang will be made king of the Land Within the Passes,” Chen began. “But at present Your Lordship is detained here in Wan and unable to move on. Everyone in Wan believes that you will kill us if we surrender. That is why we are mounting such a strong defense. If you decide to attack us it will doubtless take you many days and delay you further. The battle will also inflict heavy casualties on both sides.

  “Should you abandon the siege and bypass us, our troops will probably pursue you and attack you from the back. Thus you run the risk of losing the covenant by attacking us, but you run the risk of an assault from the back if you bypass us.

  “From your vantage point, there is nothing better than accepting a conditional surrender from us. Appoint our chief administrator as an official in your new government, elevate his status and grant him a noble title, order him to go on defending the city of Wan, and take some of his troops into your army.

  “When the other cities hear of this, they will bend themselves backward to open their gates and welcome you. From then on, Your Lordship will have tong xing wu zhu, ‘free passage without hindrance,’ all the way to the capital.” Liu Bang was pleased and replied, “Excellent!”

  Toward the beginning of September 207 B.C.E., the two parties signed an agreement. Liu Bang accepted the formal surrender of Wan, conferred on the administrator the noble title of marquis of Yin, and rewarded the retainer Chen with an income of one thousand households. After that all cities yielded to him.

  Discipline in Liu Bang’s army was strict. His soldiers were orderly and polite. Pillage and plunder were forbidden. As a result the people were delighted with him. More and more rebelled against Qin to follow him. His army swelled to 100,000 men as he climbed the mountains surrounding the capital city of Xianyang.

  Instead of approaching Xianyang from the heavily guarded Hangu Pass, Liu Bang avoided it altogether and took the southern Wu Pass instead. By then he was impatient. He wanted to attack the defensive forces head-on and take the pass by storm. But strategist Zhang Liang restrained him.

  “Never underestimate your enemy!” Zhang Liang advised. “The Qin forces are still strong. However, I have heard that the local commander is the son of a butcher. Coming from that type of family, he probably has a tradesman’s mentality and may be susceptible to bribery.

  “I suggest that Your Lordship send some men to the highest mountaintop. Put up as many flags as possible with your name, Liu Bang, prominently displayed so as to be visible for miles around. This way, the enemy will believe that there are enormous numbers of troops awaiting them. Meanwhile, send Mad Master to meet with the Qin commander. Order him to wag his san cun bu lan zhi she, ‘three inches of immortal tongue,’ and lure the Qin generals to surrender with promises of gain.”

  The Qin generals proved amenable to Mad Master’s “immortal tongue,” but Zhang now said, “This just means that the top generals wish to rebel. Their juniors may not follow. However, it proves that they are not motivated to fight and are off their guard. We must attack right now and finish them off.”

  Liu Bang therefore made a surprise attack and routed the Qin troops completely. He then entered the Land Within the Passes. The prime minister, Zhao Gao, became fearful. He had the Second Emperor murdered and sent a messenger to Liu Bang suggesting that they divide the kingdom of Qin between them. But Liu Bang distrusted the eunuch and would not consent. The eunuch then, as we have seen, set up an uncle of the Second Emperor, Zi Ying, as King of Qin but was himself murdered.

  After a series of further defeats, King Zi Ying surren
dered to Liu Bang. Some of Liu Bang’s followers wanted to execute King Zi Ying. His brother-in-law and bodyguard, the powerfully built former butcher, Fan Kuai, whipped out his sword and begged for permission to behead Zi Ying on the spot. But Liu Bang said, “His Majesty, the King of Chu, selected me to come west and capture the capital city for one reason and one reason only. He had heard of my reputation for generosity and kindness. Besides, when a man has made an unconditional surrender and thrown himself at our mercy, it is neither right nor auspicious to execute him.” So he turned to the terrified Zi Ying lying prostrate at his feet and proclaimed, “Your life and the life of your family will be spared. The past is past. My officials will protect you.”

  Liu Bang continued west and finally entered Xianyang in triumph. It was an exhilarating moment. To the peasant leader, the capital city was both familiar and strange. As chief of a ting, he used to escort conscripts occasionally from Pei to work on the palaces and tomb of the First Emperor. In those days, while not working, he would stay at minor hostels and frequent cheap wineshops. Sometimes he caught a glimpse of the First Emperor’s imperial carriage, surrounded by pomp and circumstance. As an ordinary man, however, he had no chance of ever speaking to the emperor or visiting any of his palaces.

  Now, in front of his eyes, lay the splendid sight of the greatest city under Heaven: two hundred and seventy magnificent palaces, gardens extending for miles and miles, massive highways lined by trees, all at his mercy and under his command.

  Xianyang, striding both banks of the River Wei, was China’s largest city as well as its financial and political center. The First Emperor had conscripted the most skillful workers from all over China to build a model city that was unparalleled in its grandeur, beauty, and orderliness. Waste-water, for instance, was carried away by two separate waterways: one above ground and one underground. Spanning the Wei River and connecting the two banks was a massive stone bridge sixty feet wide and a thousand feet long, probably the longest bridge existing at that time anywhere in the world.