Qin Official

(The punctuation has not been changed yet)

There are two roads from Handan to Yandi. Because there was unrest in Julu County last year, although the rebels fled into the mountains and forests of Daze, the place was still a little uneasy, so the armies of Fusu and Yang Duanhe took the western route: Head north from Hengshan County.

Hengshan County is the area around Shijiazhuang in later generations. Its customs are similar to those of Handan. The land is sparse and the people are impatient. The folk customs are impatient and do not like farming. There are many people who rely on opportunities to eat. Among the people, there are even husbands who gather together to play games, sing tragic songs and engage in activities such as chivalry, robbery, and grave digging.

After the Qin Dynasty ruled Hengshan County, all these were banned, but the activities of local light knights and evil teenagers were still frequent. This time, the imperial court forced this group to enlist in the army as civilian husbands, which also caused many people to flee into the mountains and forests and gather as bandits, so it was also Not many were recruited. There was a mixture of good people and bad young men, only two or three thousand people.

Therefore, the 10,000-strong army did not receive much reinforcement here. The soldiers from Zhao's hometown could still only eat brown rice, and the civilians only had some gruel to drink. Although everyone brought their own dry food at the beginning, one day they ran out of food. When serving in the army, they didn’t have enough to eat, so they naturally complained a lot. Every morning, thousands of people woke up from hunger and sat weakly on the ground, sullenly looking at the Qin officials who urged them forward.

However, it was General Fusu who took the lead in eating porridge, which diverted the anger of the soldiers. At first, they thought he was putting on a show and must be eating secretly. But along the way, every time Fusu came to inspect the camp, he saw that he was getting thinner and thinner, becoming as hungry as the soldiers and civilians in Zhao.

"The young master is good, but the bad ones are the Qin officials who deduct military rations."

Many Zhao people think so, but this feeling only lasts for a few days, because their situation has not improved yet, and if this continues, there may be escapes.

This dangerous situation did not improve until the end of March, when they arrived in Fanyang County, Guangyang County.

Guangyang County is the northern Hebei region in later generations. There is a famous granary here: Dukang.

In the relatively barren land of Yan in the Central Plains, Dukang is really a blessed place. When Jing Ke attacked Qin, the name was to present the map of Dukang. It can be said that winning Dukang means that the State of Yan has given up. Granary, everything is controlled by others.

After Qin destroyed Yan, it also attached great importance to this area and encouraged the local people to practice cattle farming. With the introduction of the technique of compost retting, Dukang had continuous bumper harvests. Golden millet slowly piled up the warehouses of several nearby counties. This was also Qin Shihuang's biggest support for daring to use troops in the Northeast.

When more than ten thousand troops arrived in Fanyang County, they finally no longer had to eat thin porridge to satisfy their hunger, but instead ate hot corn rice.

Fusu was finally able to put down his porridge bowl and take a bite of the long-lost dry rice.

"Master, why are you doing this?"

Yang Duanhe couldn't help but feel a little moved when he saw Young Master Fusu wolfing down the food. It was easy to put on a show once or twice, but if he could persist in drinking only gruel for more than ten days, he was probably truly benevolent.

There is another meaning in this sentence: Do we need to be so kind to these conscripted soldiers from Yan and Zhao who can only be used to fill ravines?

Fusu had his own idea: "We have traveled thousands of miles here, and there are mixed soldiers from Guanzhong, Zhao, and Yan, and there are more than ten thousand civilians. If the three armies cannot work together, I am afraid that they will be in chaos before the war begins, and the civilians will not be able to escape." There are only a few left. If I can't treat them with sincerity, how can I ask them to serve in front of the battle?"

Are severe punishments really effective?

"Young Master has a good idea, but..."

Yang Duanhe sighed, remembering Qin Shihuang's instructions to him, he hesitated to speak, and could only shake his head and said: "Things are not as simple as the young master thought..."

…

The food from Dukang stabilized the somewhat shaken morale of the army. The experienced Yang Duanhe suggested that the army rest near Fanyang County for two days, so that the dirty soldiers and civilians who had been marching on the dirt road for many days could take a wash in Yishui. Take a bath to prevent lice and fleas from reproducing and spreading diseases after summer.

Fusu and his entourage rode on horseback by the Yishui River, which was full of jujube and chestnut trees. More than ten years ago, an important event happened in this river: the wind was rustling and the Yishui River was cold. Go and never return!

Fusu was no stranger to Prince Dan. When he was a child, Prince Dan was still a hostage of the Qin State and often attended banquets. Fusu was even asked by Qin Shihuang to call him "uncle". It is said that he was one of the few friends of Emperor Qin Shihuang when he was young. The two were in Handan together, were hostages together, and suffered from the same illness.

When Prince Dan was drunk, he sang a deep and powerful Yan song, which was Fusu's first impression of this northern country.

However, no matter how good the relationship is, it is no match for national hatred. Qin will destroy the six kingdoms. Prince Dan and Qin Shihuang have broken up, and they want to kill him quickly!

Prince Dan, Jing Ke, and Gao Jianli can be regarded as the enemies of Prince Fusu. Although he often gave advice and was regarded as rebellious by the emperor, Fusu loved his father and would not tolerate these people who wanted to harm his father's life. No sympathy whatsoever.

However, does the Yan people hate Qin as much as Prince Dan and Gao Jianli hate Qin Shihuang?

This does not mean that the Yan people's resentment towards the Qin people seems to be lighter than that of the Zhao people. After all, it was already very late for the two countries to become enemies and attack each other, and the people of Yan State did not miss the Yan royal family much. However, in order to punish the Yan State, Qin Shihuang imposed punitive heavy taxes and heavy labor on Guangyang County, which caused many complaints from the local Guizhou leaders.

After walking around the Yishui River and returning to Fanyang County, Fusu asked the local magistrate named "Xu Gong" to help him find some local scholars. The army was walking in Yandi. If there were local people as staff, It is also easier for him to understand the local situation.

A few people were found, and they were all children of local wealthy families. They mostly praised Fusu, praising him for loving soldiers like a son, and praising him for his benevolence, virtue, and prowess. Fusu got tired after listening too much, so he responded casually. , and let them leave.

The last person was a poor scholar with a bun on his head and no crown. He was wearing a soap-colored cloth with his hands in his sleeves. When Fusu was chatting with others, he would look up at him from time to time, stroking his triangular beard, half-smiling but not smiling. , Fusu also noticed him.

After the others had finished speaking and retired, the scholar bowed to Fusu and said in a somewhat awkward Guanzhong dialect: "Fan Yang is clothed in cloth, and I have seen the young master!"

"It turns out that Mr. Kuai can speak elegant language." Fusu returned the gift. He heard from County Magistrate Xu that this Kuai Che was a rare scholar in the local area. He had traveled to Yanqi and was erudite. Have a reputation.

Since there is no need for people who can speak dialects to act as translators, things are simple. Fusu casually chatted with Kuai Che for a few words and found that he did have some real skills. He knew the transportation and cities of Yan well. When talking about Korea, He can also tell something that Fusu doesn't know.

Fusu became interested and was about to chat more when Kuai Che suddenly stood up and said: "The grassroots heard that the young master shared food and clothing with the soldiers along the way. He did not regard the soldiers of Zhao as outsiders and raised food for them. When he came to Yan, , and he is known as a courteous and virtuous corporal, so he is really a virtuous young master! However, the common people think that what the young master needs to care about is not North Korea and the vast sea, but other, more important things! "

Fusu was a little strange and asked him what was going on? But Kuai Che remained silent and looked at the translator, personal attendants and others in the room, implying that this matter was not worthy of comment by outsiders.

The captain of the personal guard said to Fusu: "Sir, this person is a deceiver or an assassin. It's better to chase him away or arrest him."

"You've already searched him and he's unarmed, so what can you do? You'd better listen to what he has to say."

Fusu asked his two most trusted guards to stay in the room. After the others left, Kuai Che bowed and said:

"The grassroots people said frankly, I am not here to offer advice for the young master's eastward expedition, but to pity you as a dying person and come to mourn..."

The two guards were furious when they heard this, drew their swords and said: "Bold!"

But Fusu stopped them and said with a smile: "Mr. said this, does he think that Fusu's Eastern Expedition will be defeated?"

Kuai Che said: "Young master has a long-term general to help you, so you will definitely win the Eastern Campaign, but there may be disaster after victory."

Fusu frowned: "What do you mean by this?"

Kuai Che shook his head and said: "Young master, haven't you heard about Jin Gongzi Shensheng? Anyone who comes will be the prince. The prince is in charge of the army, and the situation is dangerous. As the eldest son, the prince has not been established as an heir for a long time. What's more, He has repeatedly angered the emperor and been reprimanded. It is clear that the emperor dislikes the young master very much."

"Now I am released as a general again. It is called experience, but it is actually a far-off banishment. The common people are worried that the young master may have difficulty in his career during this trip!"

Snapped!

Fusu couldn't listen anymore and stood up with a slap in the face, showing disgust: "Your Majesty is in the prime of life. A son should be afraid of being unfilial and should not be afraid of not being able to become an heir. Fusu can't bear to hear what you say anymore. Please go back." !”

The guards came to take Kuai Che away, but Kuai Che continued loudly: "Does the young master really want to go to the road of death? He is really kind, but the loser in the fight for the position may not save his life. The young master has always loved people and fought hard, and wants to abandon the world. Don’t you care about the people? Now there is a plan that can help the young master turn the danger into peace."

Fusu, who had already stood up, turned back and said coldly: "I'll let you say the last word."

Kuai Che was put down, he flicked his sleeves and said with a smile:

"Shen Sheng died inside, and Chong'er was safe outside. The son's kindness, pushing clothes and food along the way, won the hearts of the people of Yan and Zhao. In this case, it is better to recruit people from Yan and destroy Canghai Jun and Queen , in the name of the large number of rebels in Haidong, please continue to guard."

"At that time, if the emperor does not agree and wants you to return to Xianyang, the prince may still be able to inherit the throne. If he agrees, he will clearly not want to make the prince his heir. At that time, the prince will protect himself in Haidong. Retreat. , then just like Ji Zi, he can still be regarded as a prince! Go ahead, the mountains will collapse one day, and the young master will be able to surrender and raise troops, take over the land of Yan and Zhao, and then take over the Central Plains!"

…

"You're a poisonous man who is full of nonsense and plotting against you. After listening to your words, I wish I could be like Xu You and go to the river to clean my ears and blast him out!"

Kuai Che was sandwiched between two personal guards, blasted out of Prince Fusu's residence, and thrown into the street. He looked embarrassed and his clothes were torn. Passers-by didn't know what happened and laughed.

However, Kuai Che got up, dusted himself off, raised his head, laughed, and walked away.

"As I expected, the so-called benevolent and righteous young master is just a compassionate, indecisive person who can't achieve anything. He can't even hold the sword handed to his hand. Since he knows that I am a poisonous person and knows that he is a treacherous person, help him. Su, the most important thing you should do after hearing this is not to wash your ears, but to kill me and silence me!"

A meaningful smile appeared on one side.

"Thank you for your kindness as a woman, Kuai Che's plan is done!"