Chapter 3: Establishing the Three Palaces, Rectifying the Army and Government, Casting New Swords to Conquer Shu and Pacify Ba

  In 329 BC (the eleventh year of King Wei of Chu), King Wei of Chu suddenly fell ill and died at the age of fifty-six. His son, King Hui of Chu, succeeded him at the age of thirty-two. King Hui was 1.78 meters tall, and from a young age, he enjoyed dancing with spears and swords, had extraordinary arm strength, and a majestic physique. He also received good education in the royal school of Chu State, knew books and characters, and had both a domineering air and a heroic appearance.

  At the age of twenty, he married Qu Yuan's sister-in-law, Qu Ying (Qu Yuan's sister), as ordered by his father. At the age of twenty-eight, which was also the seventh year of King Wei of Chu, Chu and Qin formed an alliance through marriage, and King Hui married Qin's princess, Yingying, while Qin's king married King Hui's younger sister, Ai Xiu.

  At the age of thirty-one, which was also the tenth year of King Wei of Chu, Chu and Qi formed an alliance, and King Hui married Qi's princess, Tian Hui. During his time as crown prince, he often rode horses, shot arrows, and practiced military tactics with four friends: Zhao Yi (from Fan City), Zhao Yang (from Jingmen), Tang Mi (from Xiangyang), and they got along very well.

  Just after King Wei of Chu's death, when the whole country was mourning, King Hui of Wei ignored moral principles and took advantage of the situation to send his general, Xi Shou, with a hundred thousand troops to attack Chu and retake the land that had been lost to Chu in previous wars. King Hui was furious but could not fight back as he was still in mourning, so he endured the humiliation and anger, and waited until after the funeral rites were over.

  After the funeral, King Hui immediately began to familiarize himself with state affairs and reorganize his troops. He ordered new swords and spears to be forged, appointed Zhao Yu as prime minister, Jing Shang as chief official, Qu Wu as commander-in-chief (the highest military rank, second only to the king), and made Zhao Yi, Zhao Yang, Qu Jue (Qu Wu's son and Qu Ying's younger brother), Qu Zhuang (Qu Yuan's older cousin), Tang Mi, Jing Cui, Jing Kui, and Liu Xiang (later renamed as Liu Xiang due to the same pronunciation) as generals.

  Day and night, they trained their troops, preparing to take revenge on Wei State, which was still considered the overlord of the world at that time. They wanted to compete with King Hui of Wei and decide who was superior.

  At that time, the Chu state had a territory of 5,000 miles and a population of over 30 million people with an army of one million. King Hui of Chu adjusted his military department and ordered Zhaoyang to lead 200,000 troops to garrison Xu State, Huai North, Lin Yi, and Zaozhuang; Jing Cui led 100,000 Chu soldiers to guard Xuchang, Fangxian, Ye County, Zhoukou, and Haozhou; Qu Xi led 100,000 Chu soldiers to guard Shangnan, Xixia, and Zhechuan. Zhaoying led 200,000 troops to garrison Nanyang, guarding the southern part of Nanyang, including Nanxian, Xinyang, Xiangfan, and Jingmen; Tang Mi led 100,000 Chu soldiers to guard Jiangling and Hankou; Liu Xiang led 100,000 Chu soldiers to guard Yongjun's Fang County, Ankang, Xunyang, and Yunxi; Qu Zhuang led 100,000 Chu soldiers to guard the southern part of the Yangtze River, with 50,000 Chu soldiers guarding each of the two counties of Changsha and Qianzhong. In addition, there were also 50,000 elite palace guards in Jingzhou.

  This year, King Hui of Chu established one capital (Jingzhou) and seven counties with 40 counties. The seven counties are:

  1. Xuzhou County, governing the northern Anhui, northern Huai, and upper Sui regions.

  2. Jiangnan County, governing central Anhui and northern Jiangxi.

  3. Qianzhong County, governing northern Guizhou to Bazhong.

  4. Cangwu County, governing southwestern Hunan, southeastern Guizhou, and northeastern Guangxi.

  5. Yong County, governing the area from Fangxian to Ankang, over 300 miles to Xunyang, Yunxi, and Shanyang.

  6. Renamed Yuan County as Nanyang County, governing Dengzhou, NanZhao, Shangnan, Xinyang, Fangxian, Ye county, Luhe, Zhoukou, Xuchang, Yuzhou, Ruzhou regions.

  7. Renamed Dongting as Changsha County, governing northern and central Hunan.

  One capital is Jingzhou, governing Jiangling, Zigui, Ezhou, Hankou, Suizhou.

  At the same time, established three palaces:

  - Qiū Niáng (屈娘) as Beigong (North Palace)

  - Qín Niáng (秦娘) as Xigong (West Palace)

  - Qí Niáng (齐娘) as Donggong (East Palace)

  Among the three palaces, Beigong Qiū was the largest. Unfortunately, none of the three palace ladies gave birth to a prince for King Hui of Chu; they only had princesses.

  In 327 BC (the second year of King Hui of Chu), King Hui of Chu was about to lead his army northward to attack the State of Wei and reclaim justice for Chu when an urgent report arrived from the western border: The Shu state (present-day Mianyang and Chengdu in Sichuan province) had mobilized 150,000 troops to march southward, capturing Bazhong and approaching Wushan and Qincheng. It turned out that Hou Hui, the Marquis of Shu, had taken advantage of the recent death of King Wu of Chu and the young age of King Hui, who was still unfamiliar with state and military affairs, and the instability of the army and people's hearts, to launch a surprise attack on Chu. He led an army of 150,000 soldiers, including 30,000 cavalrymen and 120,000 infantrymen, to invade Wushan and Bazhong, intending to annex Qincheng from Chu as well. Upon receiving the report, King Hui immediately put aside his plan to attack Wei and ordered Zuo Yu to lead a large army to defend against potential invasions by Wei and Han states. He personally led an army of 200,000 soldiers (60,000 cavalrymen and 140,000 infantrymen) westward, accompanied by the great general Tang Mei. The 200,000-strong Chu army set out from Jingzhou, marched through Yichang, Zigui, Badong, and entered Wushan to attack the Shu army. This battle was not only King Hui's first war since his accession but also his first opportunity to establish his authority throughout the country.

  The Chu army marched from Ba Dong, entered Wu Gorge, and met the Shu Kingdom's 100,000-strong army at Fengjie County. Both sides formed their battle arrays, and King Hui of Chu rode his horse forward, saying: "Are you the Marquis of Shu?" The Marquis of Shu replied: "I am." King Hui asked: "Why have you raised an army to invade our territory?" The Marquis of Shu said: "When did Wu Ba become part of Chu's territory? I've never heard of it before." King Hui said: "Why do you invade my Qianzhong?" The Marquis of Shu said: "Qianzhong was taken by your ancestors from others, and there is no clear boundary. How can you say I invaded your Qianzhong?"

  King Hui became enraged, drew his sword, and felt a cold glow emanating from it. This was not an ordinary sword but a heavy one-meter-long sword made of high-quality steel, extremely sharp.

  The Marquis of Shu saw that the Chu army's formation was too strong, and the chaotic battle would be disadvantageous to the Shu army. He said to King Hui: "If you want to kill me, let us have a one-on-one duel. Don't use your numerical superiority to bully me." King Hui listened and put his sword back into its scabbard, saying: "Tang Mei, take command of 30,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry, retreat behind, and do not come to support me. If you disobey, I will behead you!" Tang Mei led the 50,000 Chu soldiers to retreat and formed an array to watch the battle.

  King Hui waved his hand, and the Chu army's 30,000 cavalry and 120,000 infantry formed three routes: left, center, and right. The infantry formed three ten-layer square arrays, while the cavalry formed a horizontal line and two vertical lines. King Hui held a long spear, which was 2.5 meters long, much thicker and heavier than ordinary spears, made of high-quality steel, and had a glossy black finish.

  After both sides finished forming their arrays, King Hui shouted: "Beat the drums!" The war drums in the Chu camp sounded, and King Hui rode his horse forward, holding his spear. He charged straight at the Marquis of Shu. This king was riding an excellent black stallion that could travel 900 li per day, running like the wind.

  The Marquis of Shu saw this and hastily urged his horse to move forward, meeting King Hui in battle. The Marquis of Shu wielded two steel spears, similar to those used by hunters, and was known for his bravery among the three armies. No one in the Shu army could match him, and he was only 38 years old, with a strong build and dark complexion.

  As King Hui's spear approached, the Marquis of Shu raised his two spears to block it hastily. A loud "Dang" sound was heard! The steel spear in the Marquis of Shu's left hand was knocked to the ground, and his tiger mouth was shattered. His right-hand spear almost flew out of his hand as well, and both hands were numbed from the shock.

  The Marquis of Shu never expected King Hui to have such divine strength and shouted: "Not good!" He turned his horse around and hastily retreated back to his array. King Hui yelled: "Where are you going?" He urged his horse forward, chasing after the Marquis of Shu. The black stallion ran like the wind, and in an instant, it reached the front of the Shu army's array.

  King Hui pursued the Marquis of Shu, who cried out: "I'm done for!" He hastily flipped over and lay on his horse's back. King Hui saw this and raised his spear to strike. Just as he was about to hit the Marquis of Shu's back, two Shu generals, one holding a long spear and the other a long pike, rode forward from the array and blocked King Hui's attack.

  A loud "Ka" sound was heard! One of the steel spears was broken, and the tip of the other general's spear was shattered. The Marquis of Shu took this opportunity to escape back into his array.

  King Hui swept his spear horizontally, and the two generals hastily raised their spears to block it. A loud "Dang" sound was heard! Both generals' spears were knocked out of their hands. King Hui raised his spear at an angle, and one of the generals cried out as he fell off his horse, dead.

  The other general saw this and became frightened, hastily turning his horse around and fleeing in disarray.

  King Huai of Chu held a spear in his left hand and drew the sword of the King of Chu with his right, and the Chu army suddenly killed the sky. The 30,000 cavalry and 120,000 infantry rushed to the Shu army. First, it was the 10,000 Chu cavalry, who charged horizontally, and the Shu cavalry saw that they were in a hurry. The horse rushed to meet the battle, but the other 20,000 Chu cavalry formed two vertical teams, rushing to the left and right wings. The Shu cavalry rushed to intercept, but the 10,000 Chu cavalry in front formed a horizontal row, almost running on the same line, while the Shu cavalry who came to meet the battle was uneven. Only saw the Chu army's 10,000 horses galloping together, 10,000 guns raised together, and the thousands of Shu riders who came up unevenly could not withstand the power of this 10,000-gun strike; suddenly, the Shu cavalry fell down 5,000. The Shu riders who intercepted the left and right 20,000 Chu cavalry were disorderly charging, just intercepting the first ride of the Chu army, the second ride, the third ride had already rushed past, and with a knife or a gun, they killed the Shu riders who were fighting, and at the same time, they took advantage of the speed and impact of the war horse's rush to kill the Shu infantry from the side wings. The Shu infantry was in chaos, and the casualties were heavy. At this time, the 120,000 Chu infantry had already rushed to the front with three large ten-layer square arrays. This ten-layer square array is an attacking method that combines attack and defense. When the Shu army wanted to use cavalry to impact the Chu infantry array, the first layer of the Chu army held up their shields with their left hands and swung their knives with their right hands. The first and second layers of the Chu army opened their bows and shot arrows in turn, so the Shu cavalry could not approach the Chu infantry array. A few who rushed to the front had already fallen off their horses, and the first layer of the Chu army cut them down with a knife. When the Chu infantry array met the Shu infantry, the Chu army was holding shields with their left hands and swinging knives with their right hands in the first layer, grasping long guns in the second layer, and holding shields and knives in the third layer. Each layer of soldiers took turns attacking and defending, beating the Shu infantry back, killing and wounding countless people. Although the Shu generals were brave, they had never practiced the formation of 10,000 people, and their overall strength was not as strong as that of the Chu army. Moreover, King Huai of Chu was invincible, with one defeat, one branch of the long gun, sweeping across thousands of troops, no one in the Shu army could resist. The morale of the Shu army had already been low, while the Chu army saw the king's bravery and morale rose instantly, becoming more courageous as they fought. Therefore, the Shu army was able to resist for a long time at first, but later became a touch-and-run defeat. The Chu army took advantage of the situation to kill, pursuing closely without letting go. The Marquis of Shu led his 70,000 defeated soldiers and fled desperately from Fengjie to Yunyang, and then from Yunyang to Liangping, and finally escaped back to the capital of Shu (Chengdu) in one breath, not even daring to look back. After this battle, the Marquis of Shu was indeed frightened by King Huai of Chu.

  The Chu and Shu armies clashed in Fuling County, Sichuan. The Chu army killed 80,000 Shu soldiers (10,000 cavalry and 70,000 infantry), captured nearly 10,000 war horses, and seized 80,000 sets of armor and weapons, as well as a large quantity of grain and fodder. As a result, the Chu army's cavalry increased by 10,000 men, becoming a force of 70,000 horsemen.

  The Chu army then marched from Badong County, Wushan County, through Fuling County, to Yunyang County, before dividing into two routes. One route was led by Tang Mi with an army of 100,000 men, marching from Yunyang County to Liangping County, Dianjiang County, Yucheng (Chongqing), Luzhou City, Yibin City, Neijiang City, and advancing all the way to Ziyang City, nearing Chengdu City. The other route was led by King Hui of Chu with an army of 100,000 men, marching from Yunyang County to Dazhou City, Bazhong City, Guang'an City, Nanchong City, Suining City, and approaching Mianyang.

  Six months later, the two armies of King Hui of Chu and Tang Mi converged in Jianyang City. Along the way, the Chu army recruited local militia, gaining 50,000 soldiers, with 20,000 stationed at Wushan, and 30,000 stationed at Yucheng (Chongqing).

  The Lord of Shu saw that the Chu army was approaching in two routes and was about to reach Chengdu, so he urgently sent a letter to Duke Huiwen of Qin (who had not yet been declared king) for help. After receiving the letter from the Lord of Shu, Duke Huiwen of Qin summoned his officials to discuss the matter: "Now King Huai of Chu is leading an army of 200,000 to attack Shu and has reached Chengdu. The Lord of Shu has asked me for help. If I send troops to rescue him, Qin and Chu will inevitably become enemies, and one day they will go to war. If I don't rescue him, Chu will destroy Shu and move north to take over the land up to Nanzheng. What do you think, should we rescue or not?" Gan Long said: "If Chu destroys Shu, it will certainly move north to take Hanzhong. At that time, if we send troops to resist the Chu army, it will become a confrontation between Qin and Chu. The Chu army is powerful, and based on the current strength of the two countries, I fear that Qin cannot withstand Chu. It's better to take advantage of the fact that the Lord of Shu still has tens of thousands of soldiers in Chengdu, and order a general to lead 100,000 elite troops south to enter Chengdu, under the pretext of helping Shu, but actually taking control of Guangyuan as preparation for taking over Shu in the future. King Huai of Chu may have a large army of 200,000, but after a year of continuous fighting, he is already exhausted. Chengdu is far from the capital of Chu, and the Chu army's reinforcements are weak. The combined forces of Qin and Shu will be able to withstand the 200,000-strong Chu army, and with time, the Chu army's food and grass will not last, and King Huai will naturally retreat. Your Majesty can then control Shu without shedding blood." Duke Huiwen of Qin listened and said: "Good!" He then ordered General Sima Cuo to lead 100,000 elite Qin troops to rush to Chengdu to resist the Chu army. The Lord of Shu knew that Qin was a country of tigers and wolves, and inviting the Qin army into Shu to protect the country was like inviting a wolf into one's home. But he had no other choice, because if he didn't do so, King Huai of Chu would not spare Shu, and the Chu army would certainly annihilate the Shu army. He had no way out, and his hope for survival forced him to invite the wolf to resist the tiger. As a result, the Qin army finally arrived in Shu, and Chengdu was temporarily preserved. However, from then on, Shu owed a debt of gratitude to Qin that could never be repaid, and Shu became a puppet state of Qin, with its army becoming a puppet army of Qin as well. Sima Cuo's 100,000-strong Qin army occupied Guangyuan, and then took control of Mianzhu, Deyang, and the outskirts of Chengdu, tightly controlling the Lord of Shu's army.

  The army of King Huai of Chu marched from Badong and Wushan to Chengdu and Mianyang, swallowing the entire Chongqing area, northwestern Guizhou, and eastern Sichuan in one go. After nearly a year of running and continuous battles, the soldiers and horses were already very tired. At this time, the Shu state still had 150,000 troops in Chengdu, along with the 100,000 Qin troops led by Sima Cuo, totaling 250,000 soldiers. King Huai of Chu saw that Sima Cuo led 100,000 Qin troops to rescue the capital of Shu, and the combined forces of Qin and Shu only defended without attacking, so he had to temporarily give up his plan to destroy Shu and led his army back to the Chu capital of Jingzhou in 324 BC (the third year of King Huai of Chu). He also set up Wuguan County, which governed a vast area including Baxi, Chongqing, and eastern Sichuan. Later, he changed Wuguan County to Bayu County, moving its administrative center from Wushan to Yucheng (now Chongqing), with a jurisdiction equivalent to the current areas of Bazhong, Nanchong, Suining, Ziyang, Yibin in eastern Sichuan Province and the entire city of Chongqing. Qianzhong County was no longer just a small part of northeastern Guizhou during the time of King Wu of Chu but expanded to cover the entire province of Guizhou. In just over a year, King Huai of Chu had expanded his territory by 1,500 miles and gained new lands twice as large as Qianzhong County established during the time of King Wu of Chu. When news arrived in the capital of Chu, the whole nation was jubilant, morale soared, and soldiers' spirits were high. On the way back, another 50,000 troops were recruited to garrison Bayu.

  King Hui of Chu led the great army back to Jingzhou, and ordered the generals Qu Wan and Tang Mao to lead 100,000 troops each from Jiujiang and Changsha, marching south to capture Xiangtan, Zhuzhou, Hengyang, Chenzhou, Yuzhang (Nanchang), Yichun, Fuzhou, Ji'an, and Ganzhou in Hunan and Jiangxi provinces. The territory expanded by a thousand miles, and six new counties were established. At this time, the territory of Chu had reached 7,500 miles, with a population of over 38 million people, occupying the entire area of present-day Hunan, Jiangxi, and Guizhou provinces. The administrative region was divided into eight prefectures and 54 counties, with an army of 1.1 million soldiers. In these two years, Qin expanded its territory without making any progress, but increased its military strength by 100,000 troops, basically controlling Shu state militarily. At this time, the population of Qin was still over 7 million, but it had a military force of 700,000, with a ratio of soldiers to civilians three times that of Chu, which can be described as exhausting the army and being militaristic. However, in terms of overall strength, Qin was still far behind Chu. If King Hui of Chu also expanded his military like Duke Huiwen of Qin, regardless of the people's livelihood, then the Chu army would have become 38 million strong.

  The King of Qin, Huiwen, ordered the great general Sima Cuo to lead 100,000 troops to rescue Shu, which was a blatant provocation to Chu's King Huai. For the proud and overbearing King Huai, it was hard to swallow this insult. However, the Western Palace of Chu was the younger sister of Qin's Huiwen, and the Southern Palace, Mi Xiu, was also the aunt of King Huai, so how could they become enemies? From then on, the relationship between Qin and Chu deteriorated from friendly to hostile, eventually leading to the famous Battle of Han Yin in 325 BC, where 200,000 troops from Chu clashed with over 200,000 allied troops from Qin and Shu at Pingchuan in Hanyin.