The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 350 The people are very important to Qin

After today's court meeting concluded, the emperor kept Zhang Cang behind.

As the three were walking, Feng Jie looked back at Zhangtai Palace. By this time, most of the ministers had already left. He whispered, "The emperor still trusts Zhang Cang."

At this point, Feng Jie sighed and continued, "When the emperor was still a young boy, Zhang Cang followed him closely. None of us can compare to him."

How can this be compared? When the young master was fifteen or sixteen years old, Zhang Cang was already helping him with his affairs and had accomplished quite a few things.

In other words, if Zhang Cang were to become the Prime Minister of Qin one day, no one would be surprised.

Looking at Chen Ping and Lou Jing again, Feng Jie said, "Chen Ping, I advise you not to think about profiting from the Xiongnu envoy."

Chen Ping bowed and asked, "Please enlighten me, Minister of Justice."

Feng Jie stroked his beard and said again: "Thirty years ago, the war between the Xiongnu and Qin was almost non-stop. Qin built the Great Wall to defend against the Xiongnu, but the ideal in the hearts of the Qin army was to build the Great Wall in the territory of the Xiongnu."

“From that time on, Qin never thought of coexisting with the Xiongnu. Now the emperor is arranging the construction of counties in the north, including Chifeng County and Beiyi County.”

Lou Jing was slightly surprised and asked, "Could it be that Qin intends to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Feng Jie said, "Qin unified the six states and established prefectures and counties, and standardized the written language. It was only natural to establish counties in the Xiongnu territory. There was nothing difficult about it. Only by placing the prefectures and counties within the pastures of the Xiongnu could we truly build the Great Wall within the Rong territory."

This was the ideal of the First Emperor and Li Si, and the new emperor has been working towards this goal, doing everything he can to build the empire that the First Emperor had not yet completed.

This is precisely why Li Si often sighed; the ideals of his generation had not yet been realized, the country had not yet been built, and yet they themselves had grown old.

The new emperor inherited the achievements of the past and continues to build the empire in the footsteps of the First Emperor and Li Si.

The emperor wanted his father and teacher to see that the world they envisioned had truly been built.

It was at this moment that Feng Jie reminded Chen Ping.

"Although the emperor has not given you any instructions, I can remind you, Chen Ping, that there can be herdsmen on this grassland, but there can be no more Xiongnu kings. Any Xiongnu king who establishes himself will die, and this one will not live much longer."

After hearing these words, Chen Ping felt a sense of respect and suddenly felt ashamed of his own abilities, which were limited to using schemes and tricks.

Some things cannot be accomplished in one generation. For example, it took several generations for Qin to unify the six kingdoms, and it will take several more generations to build this country.

There are some things that the First Emperor and Li Si alone could not accomplish.

The emperor and Zhang Cang also walked out of Zhangtai Palace. The two walked to the bronze armillary sphere. Zhang Cang said, "I have thought about the previous calculation. Now, on the original track, two more tracks have been added as the reference."

Dressed in a black robe, Fusu gazed at the enormous armillary sphere, which was almost complete, and said, "Give it a new name."

Zhang Cang said, "Your Majesty, I request that you bestow a name upon me."

Fusu said, "Then let's call it the Zodiac Armillary Sphere."

"Yes."

At this point, Fusu sat down to the side.

Zhang Cang remained standing to the side; if the emperor could sit, he dared not sit casually.

"I've heard that you've been getting quite close to the Duke of Pinyang lately?"

The current Duke of Pinyang is Wang Ben, who inherited the title of Wang Jian.

Zhang Cang said, "Yes."

Listening to his methodical reply, Fusu looked up at the clear blue sky and said again, "Among all the people in the Prime Minister's residence, you and Cheng Miao are the closest to me. It has been like this since we were children. You can speak frankly with me."

Before Zhang Cang could speak again, Fusu patted him on the shoulder and said, "Sometimes I wish we could talk like we used to, like Father and Teacher, people with the same ideals."

Zhang Cang said, "Your subject understands."

Fusu remained seated, but Zhang Cang remained silent. It was true that he was usually a man of few words, and even after becoming the Shaofu Ling, one of the Nine Ministers, he continued to do his own thing.

Zhang Cang would not comment on national affairs; he always did his own thing.

Fusu said, "I will send the Xiongnu envoys to Xianyang. Once they arrive, we will capture them. After General Meng Tian's secret letter reaches the Great Wall, a force will be sent to assassinate the new Chanyu. There can be no more Xiongnu kings on the grasslands."

Zhang Cang stood up and finally bowed; he had finally heard what he wanted to hear.

Instead of the emperor sitting in Zhangtai Palace, listening to the affairs of state without saying a word.

Fusu said, "These are my true feelings, really."

Zhang Cang said, "The Emperor is wise and sagacious."

Fusu nodded and said, "State affairs are busy, you should go back first."

"My minister retire."

After Zhang Cang left, Tian An saw that the emperor was still looking at the armillary sphere, so he stepped forward and said, "Lunch is ready."

Upon hearing this, Fusu returned to Zhangtai Palace.

Along the way, Fusu slowed his pace as much as possible, because Tian An was too old to walk fast.

In fact, from childhood to adulthood, Fusu never knew how old Tianan was. Even if he asked Tianan, he would say that he didn't remember either.

Fusu thought to himself that the old man must be eighty years old.

However, Tian An's eyes were still very bright.

The city of Xianyang remained bustling. No matter how busy the affairs of state were, the people of Xianyang continued to live the same lives.

After three days of waiting, Chen Ping finally met the Xiongnu envoy who had come from the grasslands.

The Xiongnu envoy was an old man. He wore a sheepskin coat, had a white beard, and spoke fluent Guanzhong dialect.

Chen Ping was puzzled; how could the current Xiongnu king still have such a person assisting him?

The old man was led to Chen Ping by several clerks.

Seemingly aware of Chen Ping's identity, the old man bowed and said, "Greetings, Director Chen."

Currently, Chen Ping serves as the Director of Foreign Affairs in the Qin court.

Some even suspect that the turmoil in Cheshi Kingdom back then must have been related to Chen Ping.

However, those are all unfounded speculations, without any actual evidence.

Besides, even if an old fox like Chen Ping were to interfere, no one would be able to find any evidence against him.

This Xiongnu envoy must know these things, for he was bowing very respectfully.

Chen Ping led his men into the city, while a group of Xiongnu people followed behind the old man.

The Xiongnu king wanted a pasture on the grassland to feed his people, but then he thought of the other party's purpose. Chen Ping suddenly smiled and thought to himself: He is really too arrogant. The emperor has even abolished the enfeoffment system. Cheshi has become a county. How could the emperor allow a Xiongnu king to live?

Thinking of this, as soon as the Xiongnu king entered the city, a Qin army surrounded them and captured them all.

"What are you doing!" the Xiongnu envoy shouted. "Is this how you treat your envoys?"

Chen Ping came to his senses and looked at the old man, saying, "The emperor has never allowed any more Xiongnu kings. All the territories conquered by Qin belong to Qin. Without the emperor's edict, who would dare to proclaim themselves as the Xiongnu king?"

The old man's face turned deathly pale, and he trembled as if he truly realized he was about to die.

Chen Ping continued walking forward, while these Xiongnu people were escorted all the way through the main streets of Xianyang.

Someone had a colorful gift on their body, and then cheers erupted from both sides of the street.

Such actions won the hearts of the people. Simple people know right from wrong. The Xiongnu king once led his troops to attack the Great Wall border. How long has it been since that incident? The blood under the Great Wall has not yet been washed away. Daring to proclaim himself the Xiongnu king is tantamount to courting death.

Chen Ping led this group of Xiongnu people to the dungeon.

The braziers in the dungeon were lit, and one by one, the Huns were led into the dungeon.

Chen Ping looked at the jailer beside him and asked, "Who are you?"

The Xiongnu envoy recounted his past in detail. This man was named Danqi. He was originally a servant of the Loulan prince and also engaged in human trafficking.

Such human trafficking was common in the Western Regions; even Danqi was sold to Loulan by other people from the Western Regions.

Over the years, Danqi has started doing the same thing, and with the help of the Loulan prince, his business has grown bigger and bigger.

Afterwards, turmoil broke out within Loulan. The Loulan prince was killed by the usurper, and Danqi was forced to flee north.

After years of wandering and hardship, he finally resumed his business, only to encounter the killing of Modu and the Qin army's entry into the Western Regions. Thereupon, he met Modu's son.

Furthermore, Modu's son bought all of Danqi's slaves and formed a simple army. With this army, he could call himself the King of the Xiongnu.

"As long as the emperor allows the Xiongnu king to be granted the title of Chanyu, they are willing to submit to the emperor."

As Chen Ping listened to the screams of the Huns being whipped, he said calmly, "Great Qin doesn't need another Hun king. You're mistaken. You don't understand Great Qin."

Danqi stared blankly at the Qin people before him.

Chen Ping slowly stood up, unwilling to continue the interrogation, nor did he want to hear about their past or their current pleas for mercy. He didn't want to know their origins.

As they approached the dungeon, a jailer rushed over, bowed, and said, "The Court of Justice says these people should be kept until the Xiongnu King is captured before they are executed."

Chen Ping then said, "Yes, I will naturally follow the Court of Justice's arrangements."

The jailer returned to the dungeon.

Chen Ping stood there for a moment, pondering. He had finally managed to get a day off on the day of the Autumn Equinox before going to Weibei to see Gongzi Heng.

The Weibei region is currently undergoing large-scale construction. After the busy farming season, most of the local manpower has been brought here to build houses.

Chen Ping arrived outside the busiest workshop and saw a young man sitting there.

The young man, who looked to be around twenty years old, was looking at a pile of files, and the wind blew the pages of the files around him.

Chen Ping stepped forward and asked, "May I ask...?"

"Chen Sizheng..." The other party bowed first and said, "I am Zhang Feng, and my father is Zhang Cang."

Chen Ping asked, "Where is the young master?"

"They're here." Zhang Feng looked behind him.

Chen Ping also turned around and saw Gongzi Heng, who was wearing a short coat.

"Son."

Gongzi Heng strode over, took the accounts and looked at them before saying, "Imperial Censor Chen."

Compared to others calling him Chen Sizheng, Gongzi Heng preferred to call him Chen Ping Yushi, as Chen Ping was not only a diplomat but also an imperial censor.

It wasn't until dusk that the workshop quieted down, and Chen Ping finally spoke to the young master about the Xiongnu.

"The herdsmen on the grasslands can also be subjects of Qin. Although it is still a pasture, it can still be divided into counties. It is just a place name, which is not important. Then, the yield per mu and the boundaries are set, and the land is re-governed. This is what Father Emperor is worried about now."

Gongzi Heng continued, “The Xiongnu king is not important; what is important is the people on the grasslands. Just like when Qin unified the six states, my father abandoned the nobles and favored the common people. In this way, the re-establishment of the six states was prevented. The common people benefited while the six states ceased to exist. When Qin unified the six states, it had to standardize writing and cart tracks, and it was bound to follow Xunzi’s way of being close to the people.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Ping sighed deeply. Despite his youth, Gongzi Heng's level of cultivation was indeed high.

Only by connecting these values ​​with the construction of the Qin Dynasty over the previous decades can we understand them.

Chen Ping listened to what Gongzi Heng said, such as building for the people and taking the people as the foundation of the country.

“They all say that Father Emperor values ​​land, including this land survey. But some people are mistaken. The land survey is to establish arable land, protect arable land to protect food, and protect food for the benefit of the people.”

Heng poured Chen Ping a bowl of tea and said, "Everything Father Emperor did was for the people. Land has value only when there are people. Land without people has no value."

Different values ​​lead to different ways of dealing with the world.

That night, on his way back, Chen Ping kept thinking about Gongzi Heng's words. Upon reflection, he felt as if those words were cleansing his soul.

Yes, this country has finally established the abolition of feudalism, the establishment of prefectures and counties, and the standardization of writing, so it should have a new look.

The emperor controlled the printing and dissemination of books, thus establishing a unified ideology.

After what Gongzi Heng said today, Chen Ping seemed to finally understand that this country was different from the vassal states of the past, and the country that the emperor wanted to build was unprecedented.

This led to stricter requirements from the emperor for officials and increased oversight.

Qin already had its first batch of officials who had risen from commoners through education.

Chen Ping then recalled a saying that Gongzi Heng had once said: production and creation are complementary. People can learn to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, and can learn to govern the country and enter officialdom by reading books, but reading cannot only have these uses.

Reading should also teach people how to survive, how to acquire a skill, and how to become someone who can create wealth and value.

This is what Prince Heng is currently searching for.

This country is truly changing the world.

After the holiday, at the court meeting the following day, Chen Ping spoke in the court officials about the origin and identity of the Xiongnu envoy.

Chen Ping had already written down these words in a dossier after the interrogation and submitted it to the Prime Minister's office. The Emperor should have seen it, but when the Right Prime Minister asked about it, Chen Ping repeated it in the main hall.

Grand Commandant Meng Tian also stepped out of the court and spoke of news sent by the northern border troops. He said that a few days ago, a letter had been sent to the Great Wall in the north, and several cavalry units had been dispatched to search for this Xiongnu king.

It won't be long before news arrives, and there are other arrangements for the teacher who went to teach in the northern grasslands.

Today, Qin has become accustomed to using volunteer teachers to educate and cultivate people, and in addition to teaching, it also instills the necessity of unification and the value of opposing the feudal system of enfeoffment.

Any attempt to establish fiefdoms and kingships is wrong and must be eliminated.

Therefore, supporting education in rural areas was the most powerful governance measure Qin implemented after standardizing writing and cart axles.

(End of this chapter)