ATPnovel Chapter 49: The First Emperor's Tour, His Death at Shaqiu
Chapter 49: The First Emperor's Tour, His Death at Shaqiu
Because of Zhang Jujiu's great achievements, which were seen as a threat to the emperor, after Zhang Ling pacified the six kingdoms and unified the country, he asked the First Emperor for a thousand taels of gold and a large area of land in order to tarnish his reputation.
The First Emperor agreed, but not long after, Zhang Ling submitted another memorial, saying, "My family has repeatedly made military achievements since my grandfather, but we have never been granted the title of marquis. I beg Your Majesty to grant me the title of marquis, so as to comfort the spirits of my ancestors and provide for my descendants."
When this book was presented to the emperor, the entire court was in uproar.
Whispers filled the court, and several censors immediately turned pale.
Some people whispered that he was greedy and insatiable. Just a few days ago, he had asked for a thousand taels of gold and a hundred acres of fertile land, and now he was asking for a marquisate. He was simply pushing his luck.
Some people were worried for him, thinking that this Lord Jingning might have lost his mind from fighting. The First Emperor was not the previous king. After conquering the six kingdoms, he was worried about where to establish his authority. But you, on the contrary, stick your neck out.
Zhang Ling knelt in the hall, his expression unchanged, neither arguing nor retracting his statement.
The First Emperor sat on his throne, his gaze falling upon this descendant of the Zhang family, whose three generations had served as generals. He remained silent for a moment, then smiled faintly and uttered only four words: "I understand."
After the court session ended, Zhang Ling walked out of the palace gate and had just returned to the Jingning Jun residence when Zhang Sili grabbed him.
Zhang Sili's face flushed red, and he said in a low voice, "Brother, have you gone mad? A few days ago you were asking for gold and land, and today you're asking for a marquisate, what are you doing..."
"Let's go inside and talk." Zhang Ling shook off his hand and walked calmly into the mansion.
Back in his study, Zhang Ling unfastened his sword and placed it on the desk before turning around to look at Zhang Sili and Li Zuogeng, who had followed him in.
Both of them looked anxious, and Li Zuo seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
"Do you all think I'm crazy?" Zhang Ling sat down, picked up his ceramic cup, took a sip, and spoke in a calm tone, as if he were just saying that the weather was nice today.
"I don't think so, you've just gone mad!" Zhang Sili slammed his hand on the table and said, "The entire court is watching! The censor has already impeached you, saying that you are greedy and arrogant because of your achievements."
Zhang Ling put down the pottery cup, looked into Zhang Sili's eyes, and said, "I want His Majesty to hear this. I want him to think that Zhang Ling is greedy, profit-driven, and has no great ambitions. He's content with conquering the six kingdoms and only wants to accumulate more wealth for his descendants."
Zhang Sili was stunned, and Li Zuogeng was also stunned.
The two men stared at each other, and after a long while, Li Zuo suddenly slapped his thigh: "I understand! Your Majesty is defaming yourself!"
Zhang Ling nodded calmly: "It's nothing more than the saying, 'When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away.'"
"Lord Wu'an was highly meritorious, but he died. My father was highly meritorious, but his title was stripped and he was confined to his home. How many battles has the Zhang family won over four generations? I destroyed Zhao and swallowed Yan, and subdued the enemy without defeat, thus annexing Qi. These achievements are simply too great!"
"In times of great chaos, these are all merits, but what about after the world is at peace? Rather than letting His Majesty think that the Zhang family is deeply loved by the army and has too much merit to threaten the emperor, it's better to let him think that I, Zhang Ling, am nothing more than a greedy and uncouth man. A greedy person is easy to deal with, but a person who wants nothing is the most terrifying!"
Zhang Sili opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
He stood there stunned for a while before plopping back down at the desk and muttering, "Well, you can't just smother yourself like that. You know what those people in the court are saying. Today they'll say you're greedy, tomorrow they'll say you're up to no good."
"Let them talk." Zhang Ling placed the pottery cup on the table, his tone indifferent. "The harsher the better. Even if the censor impeaches me, His Majesty won't touch me. What threat can someone who's been denounced as a greedy villain by the entire court pose?"
A few days later, the First Emperor issued an edict, in recognition of the Zhang family's generations of hard work and meritorious service, and conferred upon Zhang Ling, the Lord of Jingning, the title of Marquis of Che, with a fief of ten thousand households. He also bestowed upon him precious treasures and gold to appease his heart.
Zhang Ling accepted the imperial decree, kowtowed in gratitude for the emperor's boundless grace, and then withdrew from court affairs, spending his days drinking and making merry, living a carefree life!
After all, as our ancestors said, "The Qin Emperor is tyrannical and distrustful. Since you have destroyed the three kingdoms and returned to Qin, the only way to secure your family's stability and dispel the Qin Emperor's suspicions about the Zhang family is to request more land and houses as a foundation for your descendants."
However, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. Although Zhang Ling retired after achieving his goals and no longer concerned himself with worldly affairs, the number of memorials impeaching him increased every day.
The First Emperor was inherently suspicious, so naturally he would not trust Lady Zhang because of this.
In the second year after unification, Qin Shi Huang began to build "Chidao" (imperial highways) for use during his imperial tours.
In order to "demonstrate his power and subdue the world," Qin Shi Huang toured the country five times. His travels took him from Qinhuangdao in the north to the Jiangnan, Zhejiang, Hubei and Hunan regions in the south, and the Shandong coast in the east. He left inscriptions on stones in places such as Zouyi Mountain (in present-day Zoucheng, Shandong), Mount Tai, Zhifu Mountain, Langya, Kuaiji, and Jieshi (in present-day Changli, Hebei) to commemorate his achievements.
He always took Zhang Ling with him on his tours, claiming it was an unparalleled honor for the emperor to accompany him.
In reality, he was genuinely afraid that Zhang Ling harbored rebellious intentions. After all, Zhang Ling's military talent was too formidable, and the veteran general Wang Jian bluntly stated that he was not a talent fit for pacifying the country and dared not be called a general!
However, the younger generation of generals, such as the Meng brothers Meng Tian and Meng Yi, were too young, which forced him to bring Zhang Ling with him on every tour.
Sometimes he would even bitterly curse in secret: "The strength of a military strategist lies entirely in the unquestioned trust they have. If not for this, why would a ruler fear his ministers?"
Despite the criticism, if Zhang Buyi hadn't written "Buyi's Military Strategy," which is hailed as a comprehensive compilation of military strategies and unparalleled throughout history, how many military stars of this era would have faded into obscurity?
Qin Shi Huang's first inspection tour was in 220 BC, the year after the unification of China.
"The First Emperor toured Longxi and Beidi, passed through Jitou Mountain, and then went through Huizhong."
This marked the beginning of Qin Shi Huang's tour, with the aim of consolidating the rear.
The emperor toured Kunlun Commandery, passed through Longxi, and arrived at Tianshui and Lixian, the ancestral homeland of the Qin people. He then returned along the ancestral eastward route, passing through Chencang, Qishan, and Fengxiang, before finally returning to Xianyang. This eastward route of the Qin people spanned 34 generations of emperors and lasted for over 600 years.
The second time was in 219 BC, when Qin Shi Huang mainly toured the eastern prefectures and counties.
This is because the East was originally the territory of the six states, and the counties in the East were newly established during the war of unification.
Qin Shi Huang's inspection tours were arduous and the conditions were quite harsh. The saying that building imperial roads was "the way of the Son of Heaven" probably means that Qin Shi Huang did not enjoy much during his tours.
On the contrary, when he went on tours, he encountered strong winds, turbulent waters, and even sudden storms, and had to rest under trees. He also had to bear the risk of being frightened by thieves.
The "bandits" mentioned here refer to the resistance of the old forces of the six states, which was a very serious issue at the time and was also related to the purpose of his tour.
During his tour, he also engaged in various activities, including performing the Fengshan ceremony and offering sacrifices to famous mountains and rivers.
This was his first trip eastward, during which he climbed Mount Yi and Mount Tai, sealed the mountains with inscriptions, and praised the Qin army and his own merits.
Qin Shi Huang went to Yantai and Jiaonan, then along the East China Sea to Haizhou and Xuzhou, then south across the Huai River to Henan. His cart tracks passed through Jingzhou, and on his return journey, he went back to Xianyang from Shang County.
The third time was in 218 BC, when "Emperor Qin Shi Huang traveled east to Yangwu and reached Bolangsha, where he was startled by bandits. Unable to find them, he ordered a ten-day nationwide search. He ascended Zhifu, inscribed a stone, and then went to Langya, entering Shangdang on the way."
This tour was short-lived due to an encounter with assassins. The large entourage toured the coastal areas of the Shandong Peninsula. In order to seek the elixir of immortality on the fairy islands at sea, Xu Fu was sent with 500 boys and girls to sail out to sea, which is said to be the beginning of Japan.
The fourth tour was in 215 BC. After a two-year break, Qin Shi Huang began another tour. This time, Zhang Ling claimed to be ill and bedridden, saying, "Your Majesty is old and fears I will have to follow the late emperor in death. Please allow this old minister to commit suicide in Xianyang!"
The First Emperor sent someone to deliver medicine and express his condolences. Seeing that it did not seem fake, he allowed Zhang Ling to recuperate in Xianyang and not to accompany him on his tour.
This was his first northern tour, and he also "ordered General Meng Tian to lead 300,000 troops to attack the Hu in the north and seize the land in Henan".
The First Emperor's fifth tour was in 214 BC. He conscripted those who had escaped, pawned them as slaves to the rich, those who had been married off by their masters, and merchants, to seize the Luliang region. He established Guilin, Xiangjun, Nanhai and other prefectures, and sent exiled people to defend them.
He also drove out the Xiongnu in the northwest. From Yuzhong, he traveled east along the Yellow River all the way to the Yin Mountains, dividing the area into forty-four counties. City walls were built along the river, and fortresses were established. He also dispatched Meng Tian across the Yellow River to seize the areas of Gaoque, Yangshan, and Beijia, building fortifications to drive out the Rong and Di tribes. He relocated exiled people to populate the newly established counties.
That year, Zhang Ling continued to claim illness and stay away from home. The First Emperor personally came to visit the Marquis of Jingning's residence. When the imperial carriage stopped outside the gate, Zhang Sili was so flustered that he didn't even have time to put on his armor. He ran out to greet the emperor, but was stopped at the foot of the steps by the emperor's attendants.
The First Emperor, accompanied only by two close attendants, went straight into the inner chamber of the Marquis of Jingning's residence.
Zhang Ling lay slumped on the couch, his face sallow, a damp cloth on his forehead, and his lips cracked and peeling.
When he saw the First Emperor enter, he struggled to get up and pay his respects, but the First Emperor pressed him back down.
"Marquis Jingning, there's no need for such formalities."
The First Emperor sat down by the couch, his gaze lingering on Zhang Ling's face for a moment before sweeping over the furnishings in the room. On the table were several well-worn military books, on the windowsill was a black lacquered wooden box, and in the corner stood a dusty sword.
Everything in the room exuded an air of decay, as if it hadn't been tended to in a long time.
"In my current state, I am truly unable to accompany Your Majesty on your tour," Zhang Ling coughed twice, his voice hoarse and weak. "This ailment has plagued me for over a year, yet it shows no signs of improvement. I fear this is the will of Heaven. I am deeply ashamed that Your Majesty has gone to such lengths to alleviate my suffering!"
"Lord Jingning, please rest assured and recover. When you are fully recovered, I will climb Mount Tai with you, erect a stone tablet to commemorate your achievements, and have your name engraved next to mine."
Zhang Ling forced a smile and said gratefully, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness. However, I'm afraid my illness won't be cured anytime soon. My son, Zhang Bi, is currently a captain in the Lantian Camp. If Your Majesty is willing, he can accompany you as a bodyguard. Although that boy is not as good as I was back then, he has learned some archery and horsemanship skills, which are better than my old bones."
The First Emperor's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then he stood up, said gently, "Jingning Marquis, take good care of yourself," and turned to leave.
"Your Majesty, this old minister respectfully bids farewell." Zhang Ling lay slumped on his sickbed, listening to the sound of the carriage disappear into the distance, motionless.
Only after the sound of horses' hooves completely disappeared at the end of the street did he slowly raise his eyelids, and a very faint glint of light flashed in his cloudy old eyes.
Qin Shi Huang's sixth tour took place in October of 210 BC. During this tour, he fell ill at Pingyuanjin. Because he disliked talking about death, none of his ministers dared to mention it.
On the day of Bing Shen in the seventh month, Qin Shi Huang died at the Shaqiu Platform. Prince Fusu should have succeeded him, but Zhao Gao, harboring treacherous intentions, kept Qin Shi Huang's death a secret. He used the trick of "distinguishing between fish and dragon's stench," placing a rotten fish on Qin Shi Huang's hearse to prevent suspicion. He then forged an imperial edict and will, causing Hu Hai to replace Prince Fusu and become the Second Emperor of Qin.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ling had secretly returned to Hanzhong, awaiting any change in the political landscape.