Chapter 64: The Dawn of the Warring States

As Wuxie tossed and turned, unable to sleep due to the worsening situation, Zhi Yao’s days were filled with bright sunshine and high spirits. On this particular day, he summoned Han Kangzi and Wei Huanzi to his side, and together the three of them walked to the banks of the Fen River. Gazing at the rolling, turbulent waters, Zhi Yao felt a surge of great joy.

At that moment, Zhi Yao let out a sigh of deep emotion: "Only today do I realize that water can destroy a state!" Stroking his handsome beard, he looked immensely pleased with himself.

Yet, upon hearing these words, Han Kangzi and Wei Huanzi felt a sudden twitch in their hearts, for the capitals of their respective clans faced the exact same danger of being flooded. Thus, the *Zizhi Tongjian* recorded this profound and suggestive couplet: "Huanzi nudged Kangzi with his elbow, and Kangzi stepped on Huanzi's toes."

Such subtle gestures by Han Kangzi and Wei Huanzi naturally escaped Zhi Yao’s notice, as both men were standing behind him, while the most powerful hegemon was utterly intoxicated by his own foolproof strategy.

However, Zhi's retainer, Bi, who followed behind the three men, managed to read between the lines. On their way back to their own camp, Bi said to Zhi Yao, "The Han and Wei clans are certain to rebel!"

Zhi Yao asked in astonishment, "How can you possibly know that?"

"It is the classic case of the lips being gone and the teeth feeling the cold," Bi replied with absolute certainty. "Now that victory is seemingly within our grasp, and we are about to divide the lands of the Zhao clan amongst ourselves, neither Han Kangzi nor Wei Huanzi shows the slightest trace of joy on his face; instead, they are filled with anxiety and sorrow. If this is not a sign of impending rebellion, what is?"

To Bi's utter disbelief, the shallow-minded Zhi Yao summoned the leaders of the Han and Wei clans the very next day and repeated Bi's words to them word for word, demanding, "Are you truly planning to rebel?" This move by Zhi Yao was hardly a display of wisdom. If the two clans harbored no disloyal intentions, they would naturally deny it flatly, and such a rash and naked suspicion would merely create unnecessary friction among the three families. Conversely, if the Han and Wei clans were indeed plotting rebellion, would they ever admit it to his face?

True to expectation, upon hearing Zhi Yao's interrogation, Han and Wei felt as though they had been struck by lightning. They shook their heads in unison and cried out in protest, how could such a thing be? Zhi Yao smiled with satisfaction, acting as though he truly believed their denials, and sent them away. When Bi heard about this, he stood frozen in place. He quickly understood his own predicament: Zhi Yao would certainly not be the ultimate victor of this war, and if he continued to serve under him, he would inevitably share the fate of a slave whose clan and family were destroyed. Even if Zhi Yao were to defeat Wuxie, his own role in the process would be nothing more than that of a petty villain who sowed discord among the Zhi, Han, and Wei clans, leaving him with no future standing in the state of Jin. Therefore, seizing the opportunity of a diplomatic mission to the Qi state, he left Zhi Yao and never returned.

Meanwhile, back in their camp, Han Kangzi and Wei Huanzi remained deeply torn and still unable to make up their minds. As it happened, Zhang Mengtan arrived at their camp at this very juncture and bluntly laid the cards on the table: "I have come here at the risk of my life in the hope of persuading the two generals to break away from Zhi Yao, join forces with my general to crush him, and then divide his territory among us to jointly rule the state of Jin!"

The Han and Wei leaders looked at each other in silence.

"Do the two generals still not understand?" Zhang Mengtan continued. "Given Zhi Yao's greed and cruelty, the day the walls of Jinyang fall will be the day your Han and Wei clans march toward destruction. The cries of the women and children throughout the city will be the swan song of your two clans!"

These words struck precisely at the anxieties that had plagued Han and Wei for days. Weighing the options, the two men resolutely decided to join the Zhao camp.

Yet matters were not so simple, and another twist arose. This complication came in the form of Fu Guo, a former member of the Zhi clan who had changed his surname to Fu. Although he had broken away from the Zhi family, the blood of the Zhi clan still flowed in his veins, and so he had hurried over to assist Zhi Yao. As luck would have it, Zhang Mengtan, while sneaking out of the city to lobby the Han and Wei clans, was spotted by Fu Guo. Fu Guo naturally did not recognize Zhang Mengtan, and perhaps he did not even know what Zhang Mengtan looked like; he merely noticed that a man moving about in the Han and Wei camps was dressed strangely, constantly looking around with a nervous expression, and could tell at a glance that some conspiracy was afoot. Consequently, Fu Guo rushed to Zhi Yao and reported that the Han and Wei clans intended to rebel.

Perhaps because he was already thoroughly annoyed by Bi's earlier warnings, Fu Guo's caution produced no effect whatsoever on Zhi Yao. An impatient Zhi Yao waved his hand and told Fu Guo to withdraw, but the persistent Fu Guo pushed further, requesting permission to bribe the servants of the Han and Wei leaders in order to uncover the truth.

At this, the stubborn Zhi Yao flew into a rage, pointing at Fu Guo and cursing him vehemently. Realizing at last that no amount of persuasion would make any difference, Fu Guo followed Bi's example, left the camp, and returned home.

Not long after, Han Kangzi, having coordinated with Wuxie, sent men to kill the Zhi clan soldiers guarding the dam and breached it. The mighty waters of the Fen River instantly surged into the Zhi clan's camp, scattering the Zhi army to the winds. Zhi Yao, still fast asleep, met his end just like that. One can only imagine that until the day he died, he never knew how his soul had departed for the netherworld.

***

Gazing at the mountains of bloated corpses of the Zhi army soaked in the floodwaters, Wuxie must have been struck by a profound sense of the impermanence of life. Who could have foreseen that at the very moment he was about to give up, the scales of victory would undergo such a dramatic reversal? Wuxie was naturally resolute by nature, and through this campaign, his ambition and aspirations grew fiercer than ever.

It goes without saying that the Han, Zhao, and Wei clans partitioned the lands of the Zhi family. What is worth noting, however, was Wuxie's distribution of rewards after the war. Zhang Mengtan, whose contributions were paramount, was not placed at the top of the list of meritorious officials. Instead, Gao Gong, an ordinary man who had quietly shouldered burdens without a single complaint throughout, became the foremost person under Wuxie's command. Perhaps Wuxie remembered those terror-filled days and nights, realizing that only this steadfast and honest man was his true reliance.

Conventionally, the partition of Jin by the three families has always been regarded as the dawn of the Warring States period—a grand and roaring drama signaling the arrival of a magnificent era!

***

The Price of Vengeance

豫让 (Yu Rang), of the Ji clan and the Bi lineage, counted among his ancestors the great Jin knight-errant Bi Yang. Through his veins pulsed the passionate blood of knights who could sing tragic battle songs and march proudly toward death. Yu Rang had originally served the Fan and Zhonghang clans, but receiving no significant recognition, he later switched his allegiance to the Zhi clan. He won the appreciation of Zhi Yao, who treated him with the utmost courtesy due to a man of exceptional talent.

After the Han, Zhao, and Wei clans eradicated the Zhi clan, Wuxie, wishing to eliminate future troubles, slaughtered the entire Zhi household down to the last chicken and dog. Furthermore, he turned Zhi Yao's skull into a drinking vessel, bringing it out to pour wine and carouse at every banquet. With nowhere left to turn, Yu Rang fled deep into the mountains, harboring a day-and-night obsession with avenging Zhi Yao.

"A knight dies for one who truly knows him, as a woman adorns herself for one who delights in her," Yu Rang reflected. "Cast adrift in the ends of the earth, only Zhi Yao valued and appreciated me. Now he is dead, yet his skull is toyed with like a plaything. How can his spirit rest in peace beneath the earth? I must kill Zhao Wuxie to avenge him; even if I fail and die in the attempt, I will have justified his faith in me, and when we meet beneath the earth, I shall feel no regret or shame!"

Had it been anyone else, faced with such a massive upheaval, they would likely have calculated their own interests and considered their next career move. Yet men of Yu Rang's ilk were not cut from this cloth. In their hearts, self-preservation was not the highest priority; certain principles and creeds far outweighed their own lives, and for these principles, they were willing to sacrifice anything—even their very existence!

Thus, Yu Rang disguised himself, changed his name, and posed as a mutilated convict, managing to enter Wuxie's mansion to mend the latrines. Yu Rang reasoned that the Zhao estate was so vast that he might be captured before ever finding Wuxie, so waiting by the latrine like a stump waiting for a hare was his best course of action.

Yet history often unfolds with a theatrical flair. On this particular day, dagger hidden in his robes, Yu Rang crouched in the latrine, waiting for Wuxie to deliver himself to death. To his surprise, just as Wuxie reached the outer threshold of the latrine, he suddenly experienced an inexplicable premonition of danger. Suspecting that someone intended to harm him, he ordered his guards to thoroughly search the latrine. Yu Rang could not escape; with his hands bound behind his back, he was dragged before Wuxie, and the dagger hidden in his robes was pulled out and thrown to the ground.

After a round of interrogation, Wuxie already knew Yu Rang's identity. Looking at him, he hesitated, standing in silence for a long while. At that moment, Yu Rang shouted, "I am here to avenge my master!"

The guards all pressed their hands against the hilts of their swords, waiting only for Wuxie's command to send Yu Rang's head rolling. One guard even drew his blade, and the tension reached a breaking point. Then Wuxie sighed: "Zhi Yao left behind no descendants, yet Yu Rang, a mere outsider, seeks to avenge him. He is a man of rare righteousness under heaven. I truly cannot bear to harm him; set him free." The guards wanted to argue, but seeing Wuxie wave his hand with his eyes closed, they had no choice but to obey.

Logically speaking, Yu Rang had already put his intentions into action, and even though he failed to kill Wuxie, he should have laid the grudge to rest. Who could have known that this man possessed an iron will and would not stop until he achieved his goal? However, following this unsuccessful assassination attempt, Wuxie was now on his guard, making any future attempt far more difficult than before. Yu Rang had become a prime target of suspicion for the guards of the Zhao estate, and if he wished to approach Wuxie again, he had to make it impossible for anyone to recognize him.

Yu Rang chose self-mutilation. He smeared lacquer over his entire body; while the lacquer was still wet, it was poisonous, causing his skin to break out in festering sores and ulcers until he looked like a mass of pustules. In this way, Yu Rang completely disfigured his appearance. Fearing that his voice might still betray him, he swallowed glowing charcoal, burning and ruining his throat until he was permanently hoarse and mute. Not stopping there, he disguised himself as a beggar and went to beg at his own doorstep to see if his own wife could recognize him. The result was that his wife merely pitied him, sending him away with a bowl of coarse gruel.

Overjoyed, Yu Rang believed that not a single soul on earth could now recognize him, and he happily set about preparing for his second assassination attempt. Yet, as he was walking down the street, a familiar voice suddenly called out his ear: "Yu Rang!" Turning his head, he saw an old friend of many years. A person's appearance might be altered, and their voice disguised, but in their everyday gestures, the habits and mannerisms of a lifetime would inevitably betray their identity. While disguised as a beggar, Yu Rang had constantly kept up the proper demeanor of a beggar, thus avoiding suspicion even from his wife, who knew him best. This time, however, walking proudly down the street, he had forgotten to maintain his disguise, and was instantly recognized by his friend.

His old friend stepped up to him, tugged at his sleeve, looked him up and down, and wept, saying, "Why must you torture yourself so?"

***

"When a wall is about to collapse, everyone pushes it; when a drum is broken, everyone beats it," Yu Rang replied, his will as resolute as ever. "Right now, the whole world is reviling Zhi Yao, calling him greedy and arrogant—and perhaps that is true. Yet Zhi Yao treated me with the utmost respect and courtesy as an honored scholar. No matter what the world says of him, and no matter whether I ruin my own reputation, my sole purpose is to avenge him!"

Wiping away his tears, his old friend asked, "Even so, with your talent, you could easily cause Zhao Wuxie to treat you as an honored guest, draw you close, and favor you. When that happens, opportunities for assassination will arise at any time. Why resort to such self-mutilation?"

Yu Rang straightened his posture and said with a solemn expression, "If I were to serve the Zhao clan, I would naturally attain high office and generous emoluments, and it would indeed be easy to assassinate Wuxie. But to plot against a new master merely to avenge an old one—is that something an upright man of honor would do? I know that by choosing this path, my road to vengeance will be far more arduous, rugged, and agonizing. Yet I do this precisely to shame all the disloyal subjects under heaven who harbor two hearts toward their rulers, letting them know that loyalty and righteousness still exist in this world!"

With that, Yu Rang turned and walked away without looking back. His old friend stood frozen, watching his figure vanish around the street corner, feeling a lingering sense of profound loss before finally turning to go home.

In truth, what Yu Rang articulated touches upon a deeply significant ethical dilemma: whether we may use any means necessary to achieve a noble end. Utilitarians argue that if the outcome is the same, the process can naturally be discounted, and furthermore, that without resorting to all possible means, a noble end might never be attained at all. Yet another voice counters: if every step of the process is evil, how can we hope for a truly good outcome in the end? Just as walking south with every step can never lead to a destination in the north.

Compared to the utilitarian view, this latter voice is clearly more persuasive. Yet in real life, people often choose utilitarianism as the guide for their actions. From an economic standpoint, demanding absolute justice at every single step entails a cost and a price so high that people can rarely bear it. Thus, many people develop a dual personality: they become giants in thought, but dwarfs in action.

Yu Rang may not have been a towering figure of perfection, but every step of his practice was governed by strict self-discipline. Through his concrete actions, he showed the world what it truly means to stand upright between heaven and earth!

***

After a long and meticulous period of observation, Yu Rang became intimately familiar with every movement of Zhao Wuxie.

On this day, learning that Wuxie was scheduled to cross the Jinyang Bridge, Yu Rang went early the previous night to lie in ambush beneath the arch, waiting to deliver the fatal blow to Wuxie. The moon climbed to the zenith of the sky, casting its light generously upon the earth and treating every living creature equally. Yet beneath the vast canopy of heaven, only this fierce warrior, bent solely on death, could feel the chilling sorrow and desolation of the moonlight so acutely. Yu Rang thought of his wife at home: was she asleep, or was she lying awake unable to rest, longing for the husband who had fled their home, passing the long and lonely night with needle and thread? At that thought, Yu Rang longed to return home just to take a glance, but the step he had started to take was quickly pulled back; he feared that once he stepped through his doorway, he would never be able to leave again.

Ah, why must there be so much suffering in the human world? And how could the heavy burden on his shoulders be so easily laid down? Enough, he would think no more; excessive rumination only dulls a warrior's fighting spirit! Closing his eyes, Yu Rang gathered his strength, resting and sharpening his resolve for Wuxie's arrival.

The next day, Wuxie arrived on the bridge precisely as expected. Suddenly, however, the horse he was riding reared up on its hind legs, nearly unseating him. Startled, Wuxie cried out, "The horse senses a murderous aura and has bolted! Could Yu Rang be lying in ambush nearby?"

He immediately ordered his guards to search the area thoroughly. Before long, his guards dragged a man forward. Though the man was covered in festering sores and spoke with a harsh, raspy whisper, Wuxie recognized him instantly from his eyes: it was Yu Rang.

Furious at the realization that Yu Rang had mutilated himself to such an extent simply to kill him, Wuxie berated him bitterly: "You were once a retainer of the Fan and Zhonghang clans. When Zhi Yao defeated and destroyed those two clans, you did not avenge your former masters, but instead threw your lot in with Zhi Yao. Now that Zhi Yao is dead, why is it that you alone are so insistent upon avenging him?"

Yu Rang sighed and replied, "When the Fan and Zhonghang clans treated me no differently from any ordinary man, I naturally behaved like ordinary men and scattered like birds into the woods when their clan fell. But Zhi Yao was different; he treated me as an unparalleled scholar of the realm, and so I must repay him with the absolute loyalty and integrity due to an unparalleled scholar."

Hearing this, Wuxie burst into tears, weeping openly as he sighed: "Master Yu Rang, your loyalty to Zhi Yao and your repeated attempts to avenge him have already made your name legendary. I spared your life once, but this time, no matter what, I cannot let you go again."

"A wise ruler's virtue lies in ensuring that others do not have their noble reputations buried in obscurity, which is why loyal subjects and righteous martyrs willingly step forward one after another to march toward death for the sake of honor," Yu Rang said. "When you spared me previously, who under heaven did not respect and admire your magnanimity? Now, before I die, I ask only one small favor: please take off your outer garment so I may strike it with my sword several times. In doing so, it will be as if I have accomplished my great revenge, and even in death, I shall close my eyes in peace. I am already a condemned man and do not dare hope you will grant this, but I cannot restrain myself from speaking the wish in my heart."

Wuxie removed his coat and handed it to Yu Rang. Yu Rang leaped into the air several times, hacking fiercely with his sharp blade at the garment as if venting all the hatred in his heart, the agonizing pain of his revenge mission, and the helplessness of parting from his wife. Then, raising his head to the heavens, he roared, "Now I can report back to Zhi Yao in the depths of the earth!" With that, he fell upon his sword and died.

When the news spread, not a single brave and passionate soul in the state of Zhao failed to sigh with profound grief and admiration.