The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 126 Returning to Xianyang

According to them, retrieving the cauldron from the Si River would give the First Emperor greater popularity and more support, making people understand his determination to govern the world.
In Fusu's view, this is actually another self-proving trap; the more one tries to prove oneself, the less people will believe it.

No one wanted to know the truth, nor did anyone want to know how legitimate the First Emperor's rule was.

They just wanted to know if the First Emperor could retrieve the tripod.

If they don't manage to retrieve it, they might leave with a sigh. Even if they do, it won't really mean much, as the anti-Qin sentiment of the former nobles of the six states won't change because of a single bronze cauldron.

Five hundred years ago, how many feudal lords supported the Zhou emperor?
Back then, King Zhuang of Chu was even vying for supremacy over the Central Plains.

Duke Huan of Qi once wanted to climb Mount Tai to replace the Zhou emperor.

In the end, when the Zhou emperor's authority was insufficient to rule the world, the various feudal lords were the least respectful of the Zhou emperor.

Is the Zhou emperor's tripod still important?

They're all cunning old foxes, still talking about serving the Zhou emperor. Who are they trying to impress?

The army marched along the imperial road. It was still the dead of winter, and there were no other pedestrians in sight. Fusu sat on the carriage shaft, gazing at the scenery of the Si River.

Fusu recalled the first time he met Mr. Luli and the words he had spoken with him.

Just then, Fusu heard a message from the cavalry in the distance. It was another order from the First Emperor's entourage, and the entourage headed southwest towards Dongting County.

The next route is through Pengcheng, past Jiujiang, and all the way into Dongting County.

Fusu recalled four years ago, when the southern expedition was nearing its end. Dongting County had paid a heavy price during the expedition, with its population drastically reduced to the point where almost nine out of ten houses were empty.

The First Emperor's desire to personally tour Dongting County is most likely an attempt to appease the people.

Dongting County was closest to the front line of the southern expedition.

Fusu opened a map and roughly understood the route. He traveled south, passed Jiujiang, entered Dongting County, then passed Xiangshan, and then from Nan County, through Nanyang, back to Xianyang.

The First Emperor stayed at Langya Terrace for three months. During these three months, the governor of Qi Commandery, in order to curry favor with Prince Fusu, amassed a great many books.

As a result, Prince Fusu is now famous, and whenever he passes through a county, officials present him with books from various places.

However, Li You would still lead his troops to visit famous scholars along the way, mostly under the pretext of borrowing books, and take them away with him.

Now, Li You is sitting in a carriage filled with books.

But the young master never actually read these books; only Zhang Cang would occasionally come and take a few scrolls.

Li You suspected that after Zhang Cang took the bamboo slips, he might have used them to make a fire for warmth, and that the man had never returned the books.

Pengcheng was formerly known as Pengyi. After Qin unified the Central Plains and implemented the prefecture-county system, Qin gave Pengyi a new name, Pengcheng County. For more than a thousand years thereafter, the name Pengcheng has been used.

Pengcheng was an extremely rich region and a strategic location fought over by both Chu and Qin.

Before the weather had fully warmed up, many farmers were already working in the fields. Qin soldiers, clad in black armor, passed through Pengcheng, and the local people prostrated themselves on the ground.

Fusu had no idea where Xiang Yu was now; he was probably somewhere talking to his uncle about his ambition to overthrow the Qin dynasty.

This is the land of Chu, and most of the people living here are also from Chu. The people of Chu fought so many battles with Qin, and there may still be quite a few anti-Qin people hiding here now.

Tian An said, "Young Master, the Prime Minister has advised the Emperor that there are many anti-Qin and anti-Chu people in this area, and hopes that the Emperor will bypass Pengcheng."

Fusu asked, "Father, do you still want to pass through Pengcheng?"

Tian An nodded.

Fusu looked out of the carriage, his gaze searching through the crowd of kneeling worshippers in Pengcheng, trying to discern who was Xiang Yu and who was Xiang Liang.

Fusu did not discover Xiang Yu and Xiang Liang hiding there until the caravan passed through Pengcheng.

Fusu said to Tian An, "Send the Minister of Justice to come here."

During the winter, when the First Emperor spent the winter at Langya Terrace, the Minister of Justice, Feng Jie, was in Qi who oversaw the demolition of the shrines.

He rejoined the team from Lu County.

Feng Jie hurriedly rode off to see Prince Fusu.

Then, following the young master's instructions, he hurriedly went to see the prime minister.

Feng Jie ran back and forth in the marching procession and finally found Li You. He said, "Li Shiwei, the young master and the prime minister have ordered the search and arrest of the anti-Qin Xiang clan in the city."

Li You received the order and pulled on the reins of his warhorse.

With a neigh from his warhorse, Li You led his cavalry back to Pengcheng County behind him and, without a word, went to find the anti-Qin Xiang clan as ordered by his lord.

Meanwhile, in the First Emperor's carriage, Chancellor Li Si was sitting inside, and Ying Zheng was reading a military report sent from Shangjun.

Li Si said, "This year, the north is bitterly cold, and countless people, cattle, and sheep have frozen to death. Just last month, 50,000 Xiongnu people gathered in the northwest."

Ying Zheng's eyes flashed with anger as he listened.

Li Si continued, “The western regions of the Western Rong and the Gobi Desert have all been captured by the Xiongnu. Three thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen crossed Shangjun and clashed with General Meng Tian’s cavalry, losing three hundred soldiers and beheading more than two thousand Xiongnu. The rest fled north.”

Ying Zheng put away the military report, his expression turning cold.

“In recent years, there has been a severe cold every year. In the north of the Rong territory, people and livestock can hardly survive in the severe cold. When the cold eases up slightly, the Xiongnu will take the opportunity to move south. This has happened every year. The Western Rong people can only live in the Xirong River Valley behind the snow-capped mountains in the southern mountains of the Western Regions.”

"I remember that Fusu always wanted to seize that valley."

Li Si nodded.

"Give this military report to Fusu."

"I accept your order."

After Li Si got out of the carriage, he instructed someone to hand the scroll over to Prince Fusu.

The cavalryman, carrying a military report, arrived beside Prince Fusu's carriage. Fusu was already sitting on the carriage shaft, enjoying the spring breeze of Chu and reading a book in his hands.

"My lord, the Prime Minister has ordered me to deliver a military report from Shangjun."

Fusu put down the bamboo slips in his hand and took the military report that the other party had sent.

Fusu gleaned several pieces of information from this military report: the winters of recent years had been unusually long, large numbers of Xiongnu people were migrating south, and some even wanted to move to the relatively warmer Yinshan Mountains; the war between the Western Rong and the Xiongnu had come to a conclusion, with the Western Rong, who had initially received a large amount of rhinoceros hides as support from Wang Ben, being defeated.

The rhinoceros hide armor did not help the Western Rong people defeat the Xiongnu.

The Western Rong people lost a large amount of land and were trapped in the Hexi Corridor, which became the last settlement for 30,000 Western Rong people.

If the Western Rong people were to stay in the Hexi Corridor and fight the Xiongnu to the death, they would surely wipe out the entire population until the Western Rong people were destroyed.

The Western Rong people had another option: to serve the Qin people behind the Hexi Corridor.

Whether the Qin Dynasty would rush to the aid of the Western Rong people and help them resist the Xiongnu was entirely up to the First Emperor.

This was indeed a great opportunity to gain control of the Hexi Corridor. Fusu wrote a document and sent it to Du Shuichanglu, who was in Longxi.

Pengcheng at this moment.

Han Zhong intended to join the anti-Qin Chu clan, the Xiang family. He came here today to meet Xiang Liang, but he was unlucky. He had originally arranged to meet Xiang Liang here today.

But they happened to run into the First Emperor's army here.

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm; the First Emperor's army was merely passing through. Han Zhong walked through Pengcheng County, heading to the place he had arranged to meet with the Xiang family.

In a mansion in Pengcheng, which looked like that of a wealthy family, a man was looking around at the gate. When he saw the newcomer, he stepped forward and asked, "Is this Han Zhong, recommended by Mr. Chunyu?"

"It's down."

“I am Shenmu. My master ordered me to wait here. The Qin army has turned back. The general is Li You, the son of the Qin prime minister. They have come to search for the Xiang family.”

"Wh...what!" Han Zhong's expression suddenly changed drastically. He looked around but did not find the Qin army.

Canmu was not tall, but he gave off a shrewd feeling. He had calluses on the tiger's mouth and his eyes were wary and suspicious.

Han Zhong then saw two figures passing by in the distance. Could those be Xiang Liang and his nephew?
Upon seeing this, Han Zhong shouted, "Xiang..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a chill in his lower abdomen as a knife pierced his waist.

Canmu stared at the other person expressionlessly, the dagger in his hand still neither loosened nor drawn.

Han Zhong looked down at his bleeding wound and whispered, "I didn't send a message..."

“The sir knows.”

"then you……"

Shenmu pulled out the dagger, drawing a trail of blood.

Han Zhong clutched his lower abdomen and lay on the ground, barely able to breathe, when he heard the other person's words.

"The Qin army's movements are suspicious. You are only suspicious of me, but the anti-Qin plan cannot be lost. For the sake of the overall situation, whether you are a Qin spy or not, you will die today."

Canmu picked up his dagger and stabbed him again, saying, "Master Xiang Liang said that even if you die, you will be considered a righteous man who rebelled against Qin. Regardless of whether you were a Qin spy or not, the Xiang family will hold a memorial service for you in the future."

After saying this, Canmu used Han Zhong's outer garment to wipe the dagger clean and quickly left the place.

Han Zhong didn't know how much blood he had lost. He felt himself getting colder and colder, clutching his lower abdomen and breathing heavily.

Memories kept resurfacing in his mind. The changes in Mount Tai made him realize that the First Emperor would no longer employ the scholars of Qi and Lu. He wanted to seek a new future by serving someone else.

Xu Fu had once advised him to go to Langya Terrace together.

However, Han Zhong refused. Later, when he heard that Chunyu Yue in Lu had died of illness, Han Zhong became even more convinced of his own decision.

Now he wanted to see Xiang Liang. He was certain that he had seen the backs of Xiang Liang and his nephew, but it was just a glimpse of their backs. He was really not a spy for the Qin army, he really had not worked for the Qin army, and he did not know why the Qin army had turned back to search for the Xiang family.

What kind of people are the Xiang family? They are people who dare to rebel against Qin. How can we associate with such people?

In the end, Han Zhong was filled with regret, and he lay on the ground, lifeless.

The Qin army failed to find Xiang Shi in Pengcheng County, but instead discovered the murdered Han Zhong.

Five miles outside Pengcheng County, Fusu listened to Li You's report and asked in confusion, "Han Zhong has been murdered?"

Li You said, "Both blows were fatal."

Fusu thought of Xu Fu's letter, and then thought of Han Zhong's current fate. In fact, the search and arrest in Pengcheng was just a test to see if there was any chance of success.

Because of Pengcheng's special location, historical records state that after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu built his palace in Pengcheng, which was the palace of the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. Xiang Yu had an emotional attachment to this place.

"Have someone investigate the cause of Han Zhong's death."

Li You bowed and said, "I have informed the local magistrate, but it was discovered that Han Zhong had been dead for a long time, and I'm afraid the murderer has also escaped."

Fusu said, "It's alright, continue the investigation and make sure all the prefectures and counties stick to this case."

A month after the First Emperor's entourage left Pengcheng, spring had fully arrived in Lu. The warm spring breeze blew through the mountains and forests, and a figure emerged from the woods.

The figure walked to a grave; it was the grave of Chunyu Yue.

“Mr. Chunyu, it has been more than ten years since we last met. I never expected you to look like this when we meet again.” This person was Zhang Liang.

After leaving Yishui, Zhang Liang lived in seclusion with Cui Huanggong.

Zhang Liang said in a low voice, "Sir, you are too stubborn. The First Emperor is at the height of his power, and Prince Fusu is good at using people's hearts. With someone like Prince Fusu by the First Emperor's side to advise him, you should not have advised him about retrieving the tripod."

Zhang Liang heard about Prince Fusu from Mr. Luli.

The fact that the First Emperor had such a son is both worrying and alarming. This young man is so capable, farsighted, ambitious, and resourceful, and he is also aided by Xunzi's disciples, led by Li Si.

Zhang Liang knew he wouldn't gain any advantage by dealing with such a person, so he dared not easily alarm him.

As he spoke, Zhang Liang coughed twice more. He had been in poor health for the past two years. Gazing at the tombstone, he said, "Now is absolutely not the time to rebel against Qin."

After saying this, Zhang Liang left, coughing lightly as he walked.

Zhang Liang actually knew the cause of Han Zhong's death.

Because of his arrogant personality, he looked down on sorcerers like Han Zhong, while Xiang Liang only wanted to gather people who were willing to obey him.

Furthermore, Xiang Liang's years of hiding made him naturally suspicious.

Therefore, once the Qin army arrives, Han Zhong will die.

At the beginning of spring, the First Emperor's entourage arrived in Dongting County. It was the busy farming season, and every household was working in the fields.

Dongting Prefecture is bordered by Yiling to the north and Cangwu to the south.

It was the best time of year to see the scenery of Xiangshan Mountain, yet the place was particularly desolate.

Fusu looked at the newly sprouted rice seedlings in the field and remained silent.

Just as Zhang Cang was about to inform the prince about the granary he had prepared in three days, he saw the prince and the First Emperor paying homage to the soldiers who died in the southern expedition.

Cheng Miao explained, "The southern expedition nearly emptied the population of Dongting County. The prince advised the emperor to hold a memorial service for the soldiers who died in battle."

"Was it the young master who offered the advice?"

"Hmm." Cheng Miao nodded and said, "Young Master advised the Emperor to offer a grand sacrifice to the soldiers here. You should also go and pay your respects."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cang joined the soldiers in paying their respects.

At the foot of Xiangshan Mountain, a grand sacrificial ceremony is being held.

When the people of Dongting County saw the emperor paying homage to the fallen soldiers, they also knelt down in worship.

Looking at the people who kept coming to kneel and worship, Li Si sighed softly, "Your virtuous name will spread far and wide throughout Chu."

Fusu rejected the advice of some people to allow the First Emperor to tour Dongting County, such as when building boats to tour the lake. On the third day after the Tai Lao ceremony, the procession left Dongting County.

It was probably due to the solar term that Fusu did not encounter the strong winds mentioned in historical records at Xiangshan.

When the First Emperor's army passed through Nanjun and Nanyang, it was already summer when they saw the Guanzhong Plain again.

At the front of the procession was Li You, a cavalry captain. He took several deep breaths, smelling the aroma of ripe wheat.

Wang Ben said, "Once we return to Xianyang, we must devise a plan to deal with the threat from the Xiongnu."

Li You knew about the military report sent from Shangjun, but he couldn't hide his joy at returning home.

(End of this chapter)