THE RISING TUMULT
What's that carriage doing here?
M-Minister of the Left, sir! What brings you to a place like this?
Unofficial business. This remains between us.
Send the guard down below outside, too.
The two of us are going to have a little chat.
Oh, Cai Ze... Cai Ze...
This could be a state funeral, it's so grand.
I suppose it's only fitting, given his accomplishments...
All six nations have sent their condolences.
Cai Ze sensed his impending death,
and managed to bring His Highness and the king of Qi together
before he breathed his last.
What's more...
Laws.
Laws will be given the highest power,
and laws will rule over the people!
Tell me, Si Shi...
This perception of you as Qin's leading law authority--is it correct?
It is.
Rather, I wish it were. But it's very much mistaken.
So it is him after all.
Yes.
They don't call him "guardian of the law" for nothing.
Li Si...
He truly is a beast when it comes to the law.
What do you want?
This foul-smelling underground cell is no place for a minister.
Cai Ze has passed away.
So I heard.
If you're done here, leave.
I have less time to spare than you think.
What are you doing, Li Si?
My position as one of Lü's Four Pillars has vanished.
Now I'm just a pure legalist.
Legalists read legal texts and think up drafts of new laws.
And you think you'll see the day when those new laws are enacted?
I don't need to.
You or I may die, but the law will live on.
Live on, and mature. That's its nature.
Cai Ze left me with a difficult assignment at the end.
I wager he knew all along
that that meeting would turn to that kind of talk!
That's why he kept me there...
What kind of talk?
About law!
Once Qin conquers the other six nations, laws will rule,
and we'll create a nation of laws to govern the entire Middle Kingdom!
Is that what Cai Ze said?
No: His Highness.
What?!
I know that what His Highness speaks of must be a monumental solution.
And yet...
Ponder as I might, I cannot catch the slightest glimpse
of what shape these governing laws may take!
Well, no.
That touches on the very essence of legalism.
It's nothing someone like you would comprehend.
Are you saying you can see it, then--
what kind of laws would govern this Middle Kingdom?
Yes, I can... though only faintly.
Tell me, then! Whatever shape will these laws take?
Have I any obligation to tell you?
None! But tell me anyway!
You just said you're a pure legalist, did you not?
Supposing the Middle Kingdom has been unified,
making laws based simply on your awareness that the population has grown
will end in great failure.
Do you know why that is?
W-Well...
Because the new citizens are from enemy nations that had been at odds.
Wrong. It's because their cultures differ.
Each of the six nations has different systems of writing, of measurement.
Their currency and their ideologies differ as well.
Ideologies...
Confucian thought is especially dangerous.
In Wei, Zhao, and Han, it comes before the law.
But that's not the only obstacle.
A law that would govern the Middle Kingdom
QIN
ZHAO
YAN
QI
CHU
HAN
WEI
must take these people from six nations of disparate cultures and make them one.
Now let me ask you one thing:
What is "law"?
Answer me that, Lord Changwen.
Law... uses punishment...
to control people and govern them.
Ridiculous! Punishment is a tool, not the true character of law!
Th-Then...
what is "law," Li Si?!
"Law" is an aspiration!
It is the ideal of human behavior which a nation seeks from its citizens,
given form in words.
You must consider how you want the people of this unified nation to be,
how you want them to live, where you want them to be headed!
If you can do that, the laws will come into shape on their own.
This is Li Si, guardian of the law!
That's where it gets difficult, of course. But start there.
So it's true.
Be bold. Foolish laws sow misfortune among the people.
This is why Cai Ze had me join them at that meeting.
The whole point
was to make me realize:
this man is essential for a post-unification world!
Li Si!
Please! Lend us your might!
Li Si, formerly of Lü's Four Pillars, has arrived.
What is the meaning of this, Minister of the Left?!
Lord Changwen!
Calm yourselves!
Although I acted of my own accord,
I do have His Highness's approval.
B-But this man did the most to support Lü's faction--
and pulled the most strings behind the scenes!
How many casualties have we suffered thanks to him?
He's one man we must never forgive!
I agree.
Then get back in your cell!
That won't work.
I heard about this unification business.
And about the system of laws to be established in its wake.
It is far too much for any of you here to handle.
The only ones in the Middle Kingdom capable of the task
are me and Master Han Fei.
I know well how you all must feel.
But our post-unification laws will show everyone in the Middle Kingdom
the very reason for the unification itself!
What does our history with each other matter
in the face of drafting such momentous laws?
We all had our grudges in the past political infighting!
But know that those days are behind us!
If Qin cannot face this issue as one,
the long-held dream of unification will surely crumble away into nothing!
Your Highness!
A wise decision.
Jie Yi, sir!
Minister of the Right!
Li Si's aptitude for government is also extraordinary.
We'll no doubt have need of his skills soon enough.
Enough about me.
One seldom sees that expression on the high commander's face.
He seems to be dealing with a difficult issue.
Your Highness.
May I ask the others to leave the hall?
I wish to seek your advice in private.
This is unusual.
No--
this is a first.
What is it, Lord Changping?
What problem is not meant for others' ears?
We're deploying a large army to Zhao next year.
HEIYONG
I know: A conquest of western Zhao, with Heiyong as our base.
Yes. However...
As it stands, I simply cannot see how to begin.
What do you mean, Lord Changping?
Wasn't Heiyong to be the linchpin of your strategy?
HEIYONG
Heiyong will fulfill that role, yes.
But Li Mu has suddenly begun building multiple castles
over a large swath of western Zhao.
Castles?
He's putting defensive bases where there had been nothing,
building a complex defense network to guard against a Qin invasion.
I assume the individual forts in this hastily built defensive line aren't robust,
HEIYONG
but the Qin army will still have to destroy every new fort that pops up.
The western campaign will be a drawn-out war.
Drawn-out...
How many years?
At the very least...
ten.
But that's far too--
I know.
It well exceeds the timeline of destroying six nations in 15 years.
Li Mu must have realized Qin only has enough stamina for a short period
and is intentionally trying to prolong the fight in the west.
Unfortunately, with fair tactics, even 15 years may not be enough to destroy Zhao...
Meaning our dream of conquering six nations goes up in smoke.
That can't be...
"With fair tactics"?
Then... are there unfair tactics?
Lord Changping.
Yes.
Just one: the mother of all cunning schemes, leading to great casualties.
And what is this cunning scheme,
Lord Changping?
Of course.
I'll be concise, so please listen carefully.
Handan, the royal capital of Zhao.
HANDAN
Handan?
HANDAN
YÈ
To the west are the Taihang Mountains, to the south the Yellow River.
HANDAN
YÈ
TAIHANG MOUNTAINS
and guarding its banks is Zhao's second largest city, Yè--
HANDAN
YÈ
YELLOW RIVER
from behind impregnable walls.
I'm very familiar, of course.
HANDAN
YÈ
Right now, Li Mu is focusing his efforts on
HANDAN
YÈ
HEIYONG
fortifying western Zhao's defenses along these mountains.
JIN'AN
Another way of looking at is that he's distracted.
So what we'll do
is use the western campaign as a decoy,
HANDAN
YÈ
pass quickly through the south,
and go straight for Handan's throat
HANDAN
YÈ
by storming Yè!
Yè?!
You'd attack Yè?
A sudden strike at the very heart of Zhao
is something out of a child's daydream.
But such an outlandish strategy is the only way
we'll ever manage to outmaneuver Li Mu.
Still, the very idea...
If we manage to take Yè, Your Highness,
we can conquer the royal capital Handan in three years--
and Zhao along with it.
In three years...!
Of course, as you have gathered, even if we make it to Yè,
HANDAN
YÈ
we'll inevitably be besieged by the powerful security forces around Handan.
We're likely to suffer an unparalleled number of casualties,
and if we are defeated,
we must be prepared for total annihilation.
Still, as your military leader,
I believe we must embark on this battle if we're to conquer all six nations.
Please, Your Highness...
With full knowledge of the risks,
command me to make preparations to attack Yè!
After a succession of quiet winter days,
the incandescent 11th year of the future Shi Huangdi's reign began.
Dammit--it's no good!
Every simulation ends in the Handan security forces
burying us before we get past Yè's walls!
Lord Changwen! Are you all right?
I-I'm fine.
We've called in Meng Yi, who's matured much over these past few years,
and to prevent leaks, we four are hashing out our Yè tactics alone...
But we can't find a single way in.
If no strategy has presented itself after all this time spent,
YÈ
does that mean storming Yè is simply too reckless?
Lord Changping.
I know you're confronting an arduous battle.
But until your strategy is fully in place,
I cannot issue any orders to attack Yè.
I am aware.
Meng Yi, what do you think is our greatest issue right now?
Our supply lines--provisions for our troops.
Building a line to Yè will take a lot of time.
Which means the Zhao army will catch on to our plans far in advance.
Then let's start without the supply lines in place.
That's too dangerous!
I'm saying we should find out just how dangerous it is.
Teacher!
We're looking for a path no one can see.
There has to be a way in somewhere--to a path that leads to an answer.
YÈ
FEI XIN FORCE TRAINING GROUNDS
Take that!
Didn't I tell you to leave no gaps?
Aim carefully at the target, pull back smoothly, and fire!
See?
"See," he says.
Man, I don't get it at all.
Still no word from Lord Changping?
No--despite telling us at year's end to get our recruits trained quickly.
What could my teacher be thinking?
Captain!
Message from the high commander!
"Come to Xianyang tomorrow"!
Hiya!
Wang Ben! Meng Tian! You guys got summoned here, too?
Tch.
Looks that way.
H-He went to the trouble of calling you two back from the front? What--
You're all here.
We need to talk. Come with me.
Huh?
We--
we're storming Yè?!
Y-Yè?
Where is that?
I thought you'd say that.
Yè is...
HANDAN
YÈ
right here.
And Handan up there, isn't that...
The royal capital of Zhao.
Pretty close, ain't it?
Maybe two days for an army on foot?
Storming Yè...
Say what?!
Right?
What's going on here, Meng Yi?!
No one in their right mind would consider going straight for Yè!
HANDAN
YÈ
What do you think, brother?
Mmm.
It's utter insanity, but it could be fun.
Huh? What's that supposed to--
Look, the offensive routes into western Zhao are pretty much blocked off.
Wh-What the hell, Meng Tian!
Didn't we work our asses off to take Heiyong just last year?!
Yeah! And isn't Heiyong all set up to be our big base for attacking western Zhao?
Li Mu's been building up defenses faster--and stronger.
We saw with our own eyes
what lay beyond Heiyong.
But our teacher's already worked out a solution to that problem.
Setting aside the Yè attack's advisability,
HANDAN
YÈ
his strategy of using a western invasion as a decoy
HANDAN
to topple Yè in one fell swoop and put the Zhao king in check in Handan
is likely the one killer move that'll fool even Li Mu.
Still...
Don't be "setting aside" anything.
The advisability of storming Yè is of the utmost importance here.
What's this? Wang Ben, a pessimist?
Of course I am.
HANDAN
YÈ
Not only is Yè itself a big city,
it's in a capital zone that's packed with powerful military cities.
No matter how you look at it, storming Yè would be suicide.
He's right.
We would never send you on a suicide mission.
You have to trust us--the ones who worked out this strategy!
Oh?
Say we got the Zhao army focused on the west and made it to Yè.
I take it your strategy addresses the worst-case scenario
of being trapped between huge capital armies and Yè
with our provisions and escape route cut off?
W-Well...
Go easy on my little brother, eh, Wang Ben?
I get the feeling you called Meng Tian and me here
because you lack confidence in your strategy.
They called me, too.
I summoned you three because your squads will be crucial to our strategy.
We've obviously run mock battles to see how the security forces could move
and planned accordingly.
But we're up against Li Mu.
It's reasonable to assume he has more fighting potential than meets the eye.
In short, we must expect the unexpected.
And that
is what makes precise, moment-by-moment decisions in the field so vital.
Decisions in the field...
What's more,
in order to foster and hone their abilities,
your three squads have been specially designated
as independent reserves ever since they were tiny platoons.
But you can only make your own decisions if you understand the entire strategy--
otherwise you'll make fatal errors instead.
That's why you're having us learn this strategy ahead of time.
You three may only command 50 thousand troops each,
but honestly, we have higher hopes for you than for our other generals.
It's not a hope--it's an absolute requirement.
Without your squads in action, storming Yè will end in failure.
Before you get into the nitty-gritty of our strategy,
I'd like to add one thing.
Hey, it's Zheng!
No need to kneel. Stand, so you can look at me as I speak.
The siege of Yè is of unprecedented importance,
YÈ
and the battle will be a demanding one.
Still, it is but one hurdle on the road to a unified Middle Kingdom!
The three of you--your might--is needed for what's to come.
Hear this:
Accomplish great things in this war
and you three shall take the rank of general!
Stay alive. No screw-ups.
With gratitude, sire.
Don't you fret, Zheng!
The three of us'll give 'em one hell of a thrashing!
Indeed. I'm counting on you, Xin.
Get your hands off me!
Ow! Damn!
Wang Ben, you're seriously--
I can see how these three squads are more important than the bigger units.
But most important is the commanding general, with their full authority!
This is a challenging battle.
Who on earth will you put in charge of it, Teacher?
The commanding general will be...
THE QIN ARMY LINEUP
Next on Kingdom: "The Qin Army Lineup."