A Thousand Pieces of Gold (27 page)

Liu Bang retired to his bed to nurse his wound. But Strategist Zhang Liang urged him to rise, go among his soldiers, and allay their fear over his injury to prevent Xiang Yu from taking advantage of his weakness. Liu Bang did so but suffered greatly. So he went to Chengkao to recuperate.

While he was ill and in pain, a messenger came with a letter from General Hahn that said,

On reading this, Liu Bang became enraged and said to General Hahn’s messenger, “Here I am, stranded in this awful place and afflicted with a deadly wound! Day and night I am hoping that Hahn Xin will come and
rescue me. What do I get instead? A letter from him declaring that he would be King of Qi!”

Hearing this, both Zhang Liang and Chen Ping immediately kicked Liu Bang’s foot as a warning and whispered in his ear, “Our soldiers here are not doing too well against Xiang Yu. Besides, how are you going to stop General Hahn from crowning himself King of Qi if he insists? Why not let the situation take care of itself and set him up as king in earnest? Treat him well and congratulate him. Let him rule and defend Qi for his own sake. Otherwise, he might turn on you and rebel.”

By then, Liu Bang realized his error himself. Without missing a beat, he continued in the same tone of voice, “Since General Hahn has the ability to vanquish those nobles that cause trouble, then he deserves to be crowned as a proper king. Why does he even bother about wanting to be a ‘provisional king temporarily’?”

Liu Bang, therefore, dispatched Strategist Zhang Liang to Qi with the appropriate seals. While officially conferring the title of King of Qi to Hahn Xin on Liu Bang’s behalf, Zhang Liang tactfully instructed Hahn Xin to prepare his army for a major assault against Xiang Yu in the near future.

Xiang Yu, meanwhile, was brooding over the death of Officer Long. With him gone and many others defecting, Xiang Yu began to worry for the first time about his own prospects. He sent Diplomat Wu to Qi in an attempt to persuade the newly crowned King of Qi, Hahn Xin, to turn away from Liu Bang.

Diplomat Wu said to Hahn Xin, “The world was burdened by the harsh rule of Qin for a long time. All the nobles then came together and defeated the Second Emperor. Afterward, Xiang Yu divided the Qin Empire and awarded everyone according to his merits. Unfortunately, Liu Bang began to expand eastward to invade the kingdoms of others. After annexing the Land Within the Passes, he organized a combined force against Xiang Yu’s kingdom of Chu.

“Liu Bang is an ambitious man. He will never be satisfied until he has taken exclusive possession of All Under Heaven. He is also someone who cannot be trusted. My Lord Xiang Yu held Liu Bang’s life in his hands on several occasions but let him go each time out of pity. As soon as Liu Bang was freed he would betray Xiang Yu’s trust and turn around to attack him. Faithless! That’s what he is!

“Although you consider yourself to be an intimate friend of Liu Bang’s, and try your best to fight and scheme constantly on his behalf, you will end up eventually as his captive. The reason Liu Bang treats you well is only because my Lord Xiang Yu is alive and still powerful.

“At present, the struggle for dominance between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu depends to a large extent on you. If you lean toward Liu Bang, then Liu Bang will win. If you lean toward Xiang Yu, then Xiang Yu will win. Should Xiang Yu be destroyed today, then it will be your turn next.

“You and my Lord Xiang Yu knew each other well from the past. In fact, you used to work for Xiang Yu before Liu Bang. Why not declare your independence and enter into an alliance with Xiang Yu? The three of you will control the world with each of you ruling one third.

“If you should ignore this critical moment and continue to help Liu Bang against Xiang Yu, your opportunity will pass and the consequences will not be pleasant for you.”

But Hahn Xin replied to Diplomat Wu, “I used to work for Xiang Yu. At that time, I was merely one of his many security guards, holding a spear and standing watch. Xiang Yu neither listened to my advice nor adopted any of my strategies. So I left and joined the ranks of Liu Bang. Not long afterward, I was made general in chief of the Han army and authorized to command tens of thousands of troops. Liu Bang took the clothes off his back to dress me, shared his meals with me, and
yan ting ji cong,
‘listened carefully to all my suggestions.’ That is how I reached my present position. Since Liu Bang trusts me so much and treats me so well, it would not be auspicious for me to betray him. I will remain loyal to him until death. Please thank your Lord Xiang Yu on my behalf for his advice.”

Political Strategist Kuai independently came to the same conclusion as Diplomat Wu. He also felt that Hahn Xin held the fate of the world in his hands at that moment. Hoping to convince Hahn Xin by means of an unconventional approach, he said to him, “I am well schooled in telling a person’s fortune by his physiognomy.”

Hahn Xin asked, “How do you do it?”

Kuai replied, “From his bone structure, I can tell whether he is of noble or humble birth. From his expression, I can tell whether he is happy or sad. From his decisiveness or lack thereof, I can tell whether he will succeed or fail. Following these three principles, I have never been wrong.”

“Good! Will you please tell me my fortune?”

“It should be done in private.”

“I have sent all my attendants away and we are now alone,” Hahn said. “Please begin.”

“From viewing your face, I predict that you will continue to be only a noble lord. On top of that, the frontal view shows that you will soon run into grave danger. However, from viewing your back, I predict a
gui bu ke yan,
‘limitless and indescribably brilliant life.’”

“How is that?” Hahn asked.

“When the nobles from the various states first revolted against Qin, many declared themselves as kings and raised their own armies. They congregated together from all over the land with the common goal of destroying Qin. Although only two contestants are left, the power struggle between Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Yu of Chu continues to cause countless casualties and numerous deaths. The people of Chu began their rebellion in Pengcheng. After many years of bitter battles and earthshaking heroism, they advanced only as far as Jungyang. Now the Chu army has been tied down in the same area for almost three years and is still unable to advance. Liu Bang’s army fights them constantly, sometimes several battles a day. Yet Liu Bang has not been able to win any spectacular victories either. In fact, when he was besieged by Xiang Yu in Jungyang recently, no one came to his rescue. After getting wounded near Chenkao, he had to withdraw west to nurse his injury. From this we can conclude that the brave and resourceful are all exhausted.

“Officers and soldiers have had their dash and drive destroyed by years of stalemate. Food is scarce, and people everywhere are tired and resentful, having been kept in a constant state of anxiety. The way I see it, unless an outstanding hero appears in our midst, there will be no way of solving the present dilemma. The fate of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu rests entirely within your hands. If you side with Han, Liu Bang will win. If you side with Chu, Xiang Yu will triumph.

“Because your decision is so very crucial, therefore, I have dared to reveal to you my innermost thoughts. My only worry is that you will not consider my strategies worthy enough.

“My opinion is that you should side with neither Liu Bang nor Xiang Yu but divide the world into three like the three legs of a tripod, with
each of you ruling a third. Of course, once that is done, you should not be the one to initiate military actions against the other two.

“At present you are known throughout the world as a hero of outstanding ability, with hundreds of thousands of troops under your command, governing the strong and rich state of Qi. You should now go north and take over the states of Yan and Zhao. Then proceed to capture the weakly defended back areas of Han and Chu while Liu Bang and Xiang Yu are occupied with each other. After that, advance westward and demand that Chu and Han cease their hostilities since that is the people’s wish. By then, all the people under Heaven will rise up in support of you. Who would dare object or go against your wishes?

“Pare down the size and might of the most powerful states. Transfer some of their land into newly created kingdoms. Once the new kings are in place, they will be indebted to you and obey you. Meanwhile, you have as your base the land of Qi with which you can grace the nobles with favors, teaching them the art of kindness and courtesy. They will learn to respect and honor you as their leader. Then All Under Heaven will be at peace.

“I have heard it said that
tian yu bu qu, fan shou qi jiu,
‘when gifts from Heaven are spurned, intended recipients will be censured.’
Shi zhi bu xing, fan shou qi yang,
‘when opportunities from Heaven are rejected, calamity will occur.’ I hope Your Majesty will consider my words carefully.”

Hahn Xin replied, “But Liu Bang treats me so magnificently! He lets me drive around in his chariot, dresses me in his robes, shares his food with me. Would it not be wrong to be ungrateful for the sake of gain?”

Kuai said, “You are of the opinion that Liu Bang is your friend. Hence you are trying to create glorious achievements that will last ten thousand generations on his behalf. I’m afraid I don’t agree and consider your thinking erroneous.

“Do you recall the two Scholar-Generals Chen Yu and Zhang Er? The friendship between them was most certainly sincere at the beginning. Yet at the end they tried to kill each other. Do you know why?

“Because
huan sheng yu duo yu,
‘calamity arises from greed,’ and
ren xin nan ce,
‘the human heart is difficult to fathom.’

“At present, you are basing your relationship with Liu Bang on loyalty and trust. However close that connection may be, surely it does not exceed the intimacy that used to exist between Chen Yu and Zhang Er. But greed
increases as the stakes get higher, and the possibility of change is ever present. Hence I feel that you are wrong in thinking Liu Bang will never turn against you. When the prey gets caught and the hunt is over, the hunting dog gets cooked for supper.

“At present, although you are nominally Liu Bang’s prime minister, your renown actually exceeds that of either Liu Bang or Xiang Yu. The two of them must both be feeling very much threatened by your fame. You are in a dangerous position, and I am seriously worried on your behalf.”

Hahn Xin thanked him and said, “I shall think about it.”

When Hahn Xin remained silent on the subject after a few days, Kuai approached him again and urged, “Accepting sound advice is the beginning of good omen. The wise are decisive at the right moment. He who vacillates accomplishes nothing.

“It has been said, ‘A fierce tiger that hesitates to attack causes less damage than a direct bee sting. A thoroughbred taking stuttering steps arrives later than a plodding jade. A brave warrior full of misgivings cannot compare with a determined mediocre fighter. A wise man who is silent imparts less knowledge than the deaf and dumb using sign language.’

“Therefore, everything depends on the deed being carried out at the right moment. Great opportunities seldom arise and, if neglected, are easily lost forever. Once this particular time passes, it will never return. I beg Your Majesty to ponder my advice very carefully.”

Remembering all that Liu Bang had done for him, Hahn Xin simply did not have the heart to rebel. He remained undecided and irresolute, thinking that the many services he had already rendered on Liu Bang’s behalf would protect him from harm. He gave his thanks to Kuai, turned down his advice, and remained loyal.

Ever since my primary school days in Shanghai, I have dreamt of becoming a writer. In later years while working as a physician, I did attempt to write my story on several occasions but invariably stopped after a few pages, unable to continue. As soon as my parents died, however, everything changed. A floodgate opened, and the words began pouring out of me.

Even today, I cringe whenever I remember those awful days in Hong Kong immediately following my stepmother’s funeral. Charles Dickens once wrote, “To a
child, there is nothing worse than discrimination.” No matter how old you eventually become or how wise, when you go home to attend your mother’s interment and face your siblings again, you revert to the same hierarchy that you were in before the age of ten.

As events unfolded in Hong Kong and one blow followed another in quick succession, I had a sense of déjà vu. Emotionally, we were back in Shanghai and I was once more the solitary seven-year-old standing up to my stepmother and fighting against all odds. But my situation in one sense was now worse: my lone ally, James, had succumbed and gone over to their side.

For over a year afterward I had difficulty eating and sleeping. Then one night I had a dream. In the dream it was Chinese New Year, and we children were lined up to get our
ya sui qian
from Niang. (
Ya sui qian
is a traditional Chinese New Year’s gift of money inserted in a red envelope.) Before receiving our present, however, we had to spit on a certain mysterious object lying on the floor of a cupboard. As usual, I was last in line.

I watched my siblings as they went around the room one by one, collecting their red packages. Niang’s two children were first, followed by Lydia and my three older brothers. Finally, it was my turn. I ran eagerly to the cupboard. It was dark and filled with odds and ends. Then I saw it. Amid a pile of old books, newspapers, and magazines was the large photo of my grandfather Ye Ye that I had just retrieved from Niang’s flat in Hong Kong, his face covered by streaks of spittle from the mouths of my brothers and sisters.