Chapter Thirty-One: Dian Qing

Amidst the shifting borders and constant strife of the warring nations, the seven great powers that have dominated since the beginning of the Warring States period have remained largely unchanged. The State of Qin, occupying the regions of Hedong and Hexi, and possessing the lands of Hanzhong and Ba-Shu, has been transformed from a territory spanning merely dozens of miles into a formidable power through the efforts of dozens of generations.

The State of Chu spans both banks of the Yangtze River, reaching westward to Hanzhong and Ba Commandery. Following the annexation of Wu, Yue, and Lu, it expanded eastward to the sea, connecting with Wei and Qi to the north, encompassing the Honggou, Jushui, and Yishui regions, and extending south to the source of the Xiang River and the heart of the Baiyue territories. Its vast expanse makes it the largest of all the nations.

The State of Wei occupies much of the Henan region, with the Rushi, Yingshui, Jushui, and Honggou waterways flowing through its heart. It borders Zhao and Wei to the north, Qi and Chu to the east, and Qi and Han to the west, with the vast territories of Chu to its south. Its capital is Daliang. Over the past century, however, the state has been in steady decline.

The State of Han also occupies lands in Henan, though it remains tucked away in a corner. Over the centuries, its national strength has withered; through constant territorial cessions, it now possesses little more than its capital, Xinzheng, having lost the majority of its ancestral foundations.

The State of Zhao borders the Eastern Hu and the State of Yan to the northeast, Zhongshan and Qi to the east, and is intertwined with Wei, Wei, and Han to the south. To the north, it borders the Loufan and Linhu tribes, while to the west, it is interspersed with the lands of Han and Wei. After much upheaval, it established its capital at Handan. Following the devastating battles of Changping and Handan, its power waned; although it experienced a brief resurgence, the State of Qin would ultimately not grant it the time to recover.

The State of Qi faces the endless sea to the east, borders Zhao and Yan to the north, and connects with Wei and Chu to the south. After the State of Lu was conquered by Chu, Qi annexed the majority of its territory, becoming known as the land of Qi-Lu. With its capital at Linzi, it claims much of the world’s luxury and wealth.

The State of Yan occupies Liaoxi, Jibei, Liaodong, and Shanggu. Situated far to the north, its climate is harsh and cold. Having existed for centuries, it has never seen a significant rise in power. In the past two years of conflict with Zhao, Yan has suffered continuous losses of cities and land under the relentless campaigns of Li Mu.

According to the plan laid out by Zhou Qing, the "Heavenly Abode" and the "Library Pavilion" were to be established throughout the Xia lands before Qin began its wars of annexation—specifically, before the fall of Han. Zhou Qing had also carefully considered whether these establishments would be affected by the coming wars.

He chose Chu as the starting point. As the nation with the deepest foundations, building the Heavenly Abode and the Library Pavilion there would provide a continuous source of wealth for further expansion into other regions.

Zong Quan followed this strategy. After spending about half a year stabilizing operations in Yingdu, the capital of Chu, he led several junior disciples and merchants trained in Chu to the city of Daliang in Wei. They traveled upstream along the Yingshui, merged into the Honggou, and passed through countless hills and dense forests, all while being constantly shadowed by spies and those with ulterior motives from Chu.

What were they after? Zong Quan knew well. Fortunately, they did not encounter any warriors at the Huashen level of cultivation. With his fellow disciples at the Xiantian level, they were capable of handling threats, and besides, there were other major events unfolding within the Chu capital at the time.

Seven days later, Zong Quan’s party arrived in Daliang. The city stands at the confluence of the Honggou and Jushui rivers, a place of beautiful water and mountain scenery. Compared to Yingdu, Daliang’s population and opulence paled in comparison.

As they traveled through the city, they noted that the martial spirit of Daliang remained relatively robust; the Wei Wu Soldiers had once been a formidable force, and the war led by Lord Xinling of Wei years ago had secured the state's reputation. Unfortunately, only a few years later, Lord Xinling had fallen victim to the King of Wei’s suspicions and died in sorrow, leaving the remaining Wei Wu Soldiers to be depleted in the upcoming coalition led by Lord Chunshen of Chu.

Seven days later, having secured a prime location with gold, they began to replicate the Heavenly Abode and the Library Pavilion of Chu. As for the paper-making and the movable type printing methods, those remained hidden deep within Ba Commandery. While building workshops near Yingdu and Daliang would have been more convenient, Zhou Qing and Zong Quan ultimately abandoned the idea. The Tianzong sect, unlike the Nongjia, had a limited number of disciples and was not suited for managing multiple bases.

Moreover, their targets were always the nobility and the scholar-officials. If any books were damaged during transit, the cost was simply passed on to the clients. It was a unique business, and prices were naturally set at their discretion. Compared to bamboo slips, once one grew accustomed to the convenience of books, returning to the old ways was difficult. Furthermore, Zong Quan prepared to introduce a "killer product" that he was certain would make the nobles flock to them.

Day after day, month after month passed. Two months later, the Heavenly Abode in Daliang opened its doors, with the Library Pavilion operating within. At the same time, news arrived from the south: Lord Chunshen of Chu had officially united the armies of the six states, appointing Pang Nuan as the commander-in-chief of the coalition.

Pang Nuan was no ordinary man; his ancestors were illustrious. The great general of Wei from a century ago, Pang Juan—a disciple who had ventured out from the Guiguzi school—was his ancestor. Although Pang Juan had been defeated in the battles of Guiling and Maling by Sun Bin, another descendant of Guiguzi, and the family had since fallen into decline, they still possessed much of the Guiguzi martial heritage. He was, in his own right, a successor to the Guiguzi school of coalition strategy.

As a participating state, Wei naturally joined the fray. Since the reforms of Shang Yang, Wei had been consistently crushed by Qin, losing vast swaths of territory including the regions of Hexi, Hedong, and Yique. Seven years prior, outside Hangu Pass, Lord Xinling had defeated Qin, greatly boosting the morale of Wei. This had given the King of Wei the illusion that the former glory and strength of Wei still remained, leading him to alienate Lord Xinling and take personal control of the Wei Wu Soldiers.

With the coalition of the six states, Daliang was in a fervor. This time, the entire state of Wei took it seriously, and factions both large and small within the capital joined in—disciples from the Pijia School, the Lianti School, the Hutou School, and others eagerly enlisted in the army.

"Fellow brothers and sisters, our master's final wish was that we must not squander the former glory of the Wei Wu Soldiers. Now that Lord Chunshen of Chu has united the six states to attack Qin, it is the time for us disciples of the Pijia School to show our worth!"

"Those willing to join the army to resist Qin with me, follow me! Dian Qing will not blame those who stay!"

In the western quarter of Daliang, where the commoners and many small factions gathered, one could look down and see muscular men brimming with vitality, roaring with confidence, cheering each other on as they raced toward the recruitment centers.

The Pijia School was a well-known sect in Daliang. They did not cultivate internal energy or nurture an aura of righteousness; instead, they focused entirely on tempering the physical body to achieve the ultimate in hard-body techniques. Their elite disciples were said to be impervious to blades and unaffected by fire.

Dian Qing was the elite among the elites of this generation of the Pijia School. His hard-body cultivation was nearly perfected; even the blades of a Hunyuan Xiantian warrior could not harm him. If brought to completion, he would be capable of resisting attacks from the Huashen level—a truly formidable strength.