Chapter 124: The Price Required by the Iron Cavalry

(The second update will be posted tonight.)

Liu Che summoned Qin Cheng to the palace again on the third day after Qin Cheng and Wei Qing had left.

If their previous audience had concerned matters that could be discussed openly, with no disagreement or controversy, and had proceeded in a pleasant atmosphere, then neither Liu Che nor Qin Cheng would find this conversation so easy.

Qin Cheng knew that this would most likely be his final audience during his stay in Chang’an. Therefore, everything he had left unsaid the last time had to be made clear today. Even certain risky matters that could never be brought into the open had to be laid before Liu Che.

To forge the cavalry at the Shanggu garrison into an iron force, to train ten thousand battle-hardened horsemen who would triumph in every engagement, would require no less than ten times the wealth and resources needed to build a ten-thousand-strong infantry army. The demands of such cavalry upon warhorses, soldiers, and equipment were almost impossibly exacting, while maintaining the force from day to day would constitute an enormous expense.

Qin Cheng admitted that his idea was somewhat naive, even presumptuous. Yet after careful consideration, it was not impossible that Liu Che might support it. Liu Che’s gaze extended to the imperial Northern and Southern Armies, to the military strength of the entire realm, but for a project of such magnitude, he would first need Qin Cheng to test it and see how each stage worked and what results it produced. Only then could he decide whether, or how, to institute an iron-cavalry system in the Northern and Southern Armies.

To defeat the Xiongnu, cavalry was indispensable. Everyone understood that.

This time, only Qin Cheng and Liu Che were present in Xuan Chamber Hall. Even Wei Qing was not at the emperor’s side.

The great hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The atmosphere was heavy, and even the sunlight streaming through the windows seemed to tread carefully.

Liu Che sat upon the Dragon Throne, his elbow resting on his knee. His sharply defined face was expressionless. Qin Cheng sat to one side in the hall, his face resolute.

“Sometimes I truly wonder what has given you such enormous courage!” Liu Che looked at Qin Cheng, his voice ringing with power. “When you dared to ride north for a thousand miles with a mere two thousand light horsemen, I was already deeply shocked. Yet that shock was nothing compared with the treasonous words you have spoken today! The court has strictly forbidden the frontier commanderies from trading with the Xiongnu, and you actually dare suggest to me that we establish a merchant guild for the purpose of legal smuggling?! Do you truly understand nothing of politics, or do you simply have no regard for your own life?”

Liu Che had spoken thus after hearing Qin Cheng’s memorial concerning how to solve the problem of funding the iron cavalry in Shanggu Commandery.

Qin Cheng knew that if he truly carried out the plan he had discussed with Nangong Shang, there was no way he could conceal it from Liu Che. He had therefore never intended to hide it. By raising the matter of his own accord today, he wanted to see Liu Che’s reaction. If there was room for negotiation, Qin Cheng would naturally strive to secure it. If there was not, he would not hang himself from a single tree. If one road was blocked, there would always be another; at worst, the results would be less effective.

Besides, the undertaking would be far more difficult without Liu Che’s support.

Seeing the keen interest in Liu Che’s eyes, Qin Cheng knew there was hope. He said, “Shanggu lies on the frontier. Agricultural produce and handicrafts are scarce to begin with, and the Xiongnu frequently raid southward. These past two years in particular, the common people have suffered terribly, and the harvests have been poor. For Shanggu Commandery to forge an iron cavalry through its own strength alone, I can think of no other solution. That is why I arrived at this proposal.”

“Are you saying that I have not given Shanggu sufficient support?”

“The whole empire belongs to Your Majesty. How could Your Majesty ever be said to have done too little for it? Your Majesty is a ruler of extraordinary genius and greatness; no ordinary man can presume to fathom the breadth of Your Majesty’s mind. Though I am unworthy, I have ventured to share a small part of Your Majesty’s burdens. The forging of an iron cavalry is a vast undertaking. Shanggu is willing to take the lead, asking only to carve out a viable path for Your Majesty, not to create trouble for You.”

Qin Cheng knew that Liu Che could not allocate too much money or too many supplies from the central government to build Shanggu’s iron cavalry. If he did, it would no longer be an experiment, but an official expansion. Thus, if Shanggu was to be the first to raise such a force, it would have to contribute its own strength.

But there was no such thing as a free meal. If Liu Che wanted an iron cavalry to emerge from the imperial armies ahead of all others, how could he pay nothing in return?

What Liu Che had to weigh now was whether granting this authority or obtaining the cavalry would demand the greater price, and which would bring him the greater benefit. All of it rested upon Qin Cheng—in other words, whether Qin Cheng could inspire Liu Che with enough confidence to persuade him to release such sweeping authority.

Liu Che smiled at Qin Cheng’s words. There was a profound meaning in that smile, though he neither agreed nor disagreed. Instead, he asked, “Tell me your plan.”

“My plan is as follows…”

Qin Cheng knew that the crucial moment had arrived. He slowly laid out the scheme he had devised with Nangong Shang, a plan he had spent a long time refining and weighing from every angle.

When Qin Cheng had finished, Liu Che did not answer at once. He merely lowered his gaze and pondered for a long while.

“In extraordinary times, one must employ extraordinary men and undertake extraordinary measures. When accomplishing great things, one must be even less constrained by worldly conventions. Qin Cheng, do you agree with me?”

Liu Che’s eyes flashed like lightning as he looked at him.

“Every word Your Majesty speaks is a pearl of wisdom.” Qin Cheng inclined his head and slowly uttered the eight words. Then he raised his gaze. “I await Your Majesty’s decision in all things.”

Liu Che gave his sleeve a slight shake and said, word by word, “But do you understand that should such an undertaking fail, the price to be paid would be one of blood?!”

Qin Cheng’s heart stirred violently. He knew that Liu Che was asking him to stake his life upon a military pledge. It seemed that the two victorious battles Shanggu’s defenders had fought against the Xiongnu were still not enough of a token of loyalty.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Cheng borrowed a famous saying from a later age.

“If reform must be paid for in blood before it can succeed, then let that blood begin with Qin Cheng.”

When he finished speaking, Qin Cheng lifted his head and met Liu Che’s gaze directly. An aura of righteousness radiated from him.

He thought of the meaningless life he had led in his former existence, drifting through the criminal underworld, and of the many things he had been forced to do for his own survival and for the sake of his brothers—things that had violated his conscience. He remembered the pain in his mother’s heart and how she had refused to forgive him, no matter what he did. He remembered the hatred with which people spoke of him.

Then he thought of this life: of himself and his comrades shedding blood upon the battlefield for the people and the state; of the soldiers who, even in death, had maintained their posture of charging forward; of the frontiers ravaged by the Xiongnu and the civilians they had slaughtered; of the pride and glory he had felt when returning victorious at the head of his army; of the respect his name now commanded in the streets and marketplaces.

For one fleeting moment, Qin Cheng felt dazed. For the sake of this, it seemed that everything else no longer mattered.

For a time, Liu Che said nothing, and Qin Cheng said nothing either.

After a long while, Liu Che smiled faintly and rose to his feet.

“The weather is fine today. It has been a long time since I have gone out to stretch my limbs. Qin Cheng, will you accompany me to Shanglin Park for a hunt?”

His tone was phrased as a question, but there was no question in his meaning.

“I obey Your Majesty’s command.”

Qin Cheng rose as well, and a smile appeared upon his face.

The moment he stepped out of Xuan Chamber Hall with Liu Che, Qin Cheng felt utterly relaxed. It was not because Liu Che seemed to have accepted his proposal, but because in that instant, a great many things had suddenly become clear to him.

The day was fair and mild, and spring had clothed every tree in Shanglin Park.

Liu Che and Qin Cheng arrived at Shanglin Park. Under the protection of a detachment of Imperial Forest Guards, they rode through the wild hills, freely pursuing game and loosing their arrows.

As a ruler of uncommon greatness, Liu Che had achieved remarkable things in both civil governance and military affairs. His horsemanship and archery were likewise outstanding. Qin Cheng suddenly thought that, from ancient times to the present, nearly every emperor who had achieved extraordinary military accomplishments had first been a formidable warrior himself.

Qin Cheng’s own horsemanship and archery were merely ordinary. He followed at Liu Che’s side, playing little more than a supporting role, and could only admire this emperor of the ages when he saw that Liu Che’s skill was scarcely inferior to Wei Qing’s.

Before long, the horses of the Imperial Forest Guards following behind them were hung with all manner of game. Liu Che seemed to be in high spirits and continued pursuing one quarry after another.

Although Qin Cheng’s skill with bow and horse was nothing remarkable, he had no intention of concealing this weakness. Nor was there anything restrained about his shooting. Whenever he encountered game he was confident he could hit, he loosed his arrow decisively. Some found their mark; others did not.

After witnessing Qin Cheng’s mediocre skill with bow and horse, Liu Che merely laughed twice and said nothing more.

Qin Cheng did not take it to heart. To him, missing the target was no great matter. What mattered was never losing the courage to shoot.

“Qin Cheng, why does a man become a general?” After a round of hunting, the party slowed their horses and began to proceed at a leisurely pace. Liu Che spoke to Qin Cheng with an air of casualness.

“A general must possess wisdom, trustworthiness, benevolence, courage, and discipline. He must uphold the will of the Sage Sovereign above, protect the common people below, and lead his army to victory. Such is a general.”

Liu Che nodded, then said no more.

After half a day of hunting, they were nearing sunset when they left Shanglin Park. The horizon was ablaze with evening clouds, and the earth seemed draped in golden robes.

“Today I have granted your memorial. Do not disappoint me.”

Clad in military dress, Liu Che appeared stern and mysterious beneath the golden light of the setting sun. The sunlight traced the outline of his body, lending him an aura of immense strength.

“I receive Your Majesty’s command!”

Having secured Liu Che’s approval, Qin Cheng immediately clasped his fist from horseback and gave his solemn promise.

Liu Che raised his head and glanced at the setting sun, then shifted his gaze northward. His impassive face revealed nothing of what he was thinking.

Liu Che. Qin Cheng. The Imperial Forest Guards.

Dozens of horsemen rode beneath the setting sun, heading toward the crimson clouds.

…

It was not until Qin Cheng returned alone to the post station that he suddenly understood why Liu Che had earlier demanded that he stake himself upon a military pledge.

The emperor had not truly intended for Qin Cheng to bear all responsibility should the undertaking fail. What he wanted was Qin Cheng’s resolve, his attitude, and his confidence!

War was the great affair of the state, the realm of life and death, the path to survival or destruction. Liu Che could not possibly fail to consider every consequence.

This could also be regarded as a test from the emperor. If Qin Cheng had answered evasively or shown the slightest hesitation, the undertaking would probably have fallen through. If even one other detail had been mishandled, the iron cavalry of Shanggu Commandery might never have been born. Qin Cheng himself might even have spent the rest of his life confined to the Shanggu garrison.

Before an emperor, reason was always backed by force. The things an emperor had to consider were not matters ordinary people could easily understand.

Fortunately, Qin Cheng had succeeded today.

And that meant only that everything had just begun.

“This is an age of heroes!”

Qin Cheng raised his head to the sky and slowly exhaled. His eyes were solemn.