The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 47 Poor People Entering the Pass
Fusu was very curious about Tian An's past. When Empress Dowager Huayang was still alive, he was already in Gaoquan Palace. In Fusu's memory, Tian An had never talked about his past, such as when he met General Xin Sheng.

Whenever asked about his past, the old man would only talk about his time at Takasen-gu Shrine, and would not mention his youth.

From as far back as he could remember, Fusu always remembered this old man as having white hair in the palace.

Fusu put down the book in his hand, looked suspiciously at the backs of the two old people, then looked away and continued to deal with the matter at hand.

After the whipping ended, the construction work resumed for the day.

Whether it was General Zhang Han or General Xin Sheng, they were both military commanders, but their military orders were not strict and they were unable to govern their troops.

Therefore, the two used roughly the same methods to maintain order.

Compared to the old general's methods of governing the army, Tian An's methods were actually quite good. It was easy for him to know Sima Xin's current situation; someone would personally deliver the news to him.

After considering all this, Fusu picked up his pen and sat upright, needing to write down the details of tomorrow's repair work and report it to the Prime Minister.

The construction of Xianyang Bridge initially involved only a few hundred laborers.

Fusu looked grim, but there were over 30,000 people in front of him, and the division of labor, management, and logistics were all extremely heavy tasks.

Therefore, Fusu recalled the Prime Minister's arrangement.

As night fell, the laborers who had worked all day rested, especially those sleeping under the wooden sheds, whose snores rose and fell.

As Fusu walked along the newly dug canal, he pondered the words the Prime Minister had once spoken: to cultivate guests.

If Prince Fusu had been like Lü Buwei back then, able to maintain three thousand retainers to assist him, perhaps he wouldn't have needed to personally oversee the construction of this canal.

With so many laborers, the workload becomes very heavy, and only then do we realize that we are really short-handed.

Fusu frowned in thought. Standing under the moonlight, he thought that the Prime Minister was probably also anxious at this moment. He probably also thought that the current Prince Fusu needed manpower.

Hearing footsteps approaching from afar, Fusu looked up and saw the old general Xin Sheng, who was also on patrol.

Xin Sheng stepped forward and said, "Young Master."

Fusu said, "Thank you for your trouble, General."

"It's alright, it's all part of my duty."

"Fusu should learn more about military administration from the old general."

Xin Sheng chuckled and said, "To learn how to govern an army, you should look to Wang Jian. My skills are nothing special. It's just a matter of tens of thousands of laborers. I once led hundreds of thousands of troops. These few laborers are not a problem for me."

"Did the old general know Tian An before?"

"Ah."

Xin Sheng nodded and said, "That was during the attack on the Yan Kingdom. Tian An helped transport provisions to the army, and that's how I got to know him..."

Fusu sat down by the fire by the canal to warm himself, and then asked Tian An to boil water.

While the old general recounted the past, Tian An was pulling noodles, preparing dinner for the evening.

Fusu noticed that Tian An's expression was more serious than usual, probably because he was worried that Xin Sheng would say something he shouldn't.

Before long, a bowl of noodles was cooked. Fusu ate the noodles while continuing to listen to the old general's story.

That happened after Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin. Xin Sheng followed Wang Jian to conquer the State of Yan. Later, due to insufficient food supplies in the rear, Tian An gave Xin Sheng 100,000 shi of grain, and the two became acquainted.

During the recounting, Xin Sheng had no idea where Tian An had obtained the 100,000 shi of grain.

The story ended, and Xin Sheng happily ate his noodles.

Fusu pondered the old general's words, then glanced at Tian An, who stood to the side with a smile on his face.

Tian An was certainly loyal and very capable.

Fusu sat to the side, looking at the fire and thinking. There were many things worth exploring in the old general's account of his deeds. Why did Tian An suddenly appear in Yan?
And why was Tian An, a mere eunuch, able to transport 100,000 shi of grain to Yan?
There are serious flaws here.

Fusu glanced at the old general beside him, then at Tian An beside him who was smiling and looking up at the moon.

Fusu suddenly asked, "Tian An, have you been handling all the arrangements for your great-grandmother's funeral?"

Tian An nodded slowly.

Fusu received a satisfactory answer and then left.

By the fire, Xin Sheng was still eating noodles. He glanced at the retreating figure and whispered, "Did you really see through it, young master?"

Tian An said, "Young Master is an extremely intelligent child."

"That……"

"Don't worry, General. When I'm too old to take care of you, I will give you everything that Empress Dowager Huayang left behind."

Xin Sheng nodded and said, "This young master is amazing."

Having a successor who can observe things meticulously is a huge pressure for all ministers.

In particular, this heir is able to observe through meticulous details whether the other party is lying or concealing something.

It's difficult to pretend in front of someone in power.

In other words, you can't fake it at all; those in power will tear away all your pretenses and then ridicule you.

Becoming a subject of such a person would be incredibly stressful.

But a strange sadness welled up in Xin Sheng's heart. This sadness was not because he felt old; on the contrary, he was glad that he was old.

What saddened him was that such a monarch would have no friends or confidants, and he would most likely live a lonely and miserable life.

When the world is in a state of confusion, he alone remains clear-headed.

He worried that Prince Fusu would live a lonely and miserable life in the future.

"Have you seen it a long time ago?"

"Back then, the young master was still young, not even ten years old, yet he was frighteningly precocious. At that time, Empress Dowager Huayang was worried that the young master would be persecuted because he was too intelligent. Fortunately, the young master was indeed too intelligent. This child was very cautious and only told the truth to this old servant and Empress Dowager Huayang."

Xin Sheng choked on a mouthful of noodles, so he picked up a bowl of soup and poured it into his mouth.

Tian An still looked up, as if he could see the scene from back then.

It was in a bright and warm hall. Prince Fusu was playing with a small cart he had made himself. Empress Dowager Huayang stood in the sunlight. She sat beside the prince in a magnificent dress and gently patted his back. Despite suffering from illness, she laughed with the prince.

The scene gradually blurred, and even the starry sky in front of him began to blur. Only then did Tian An realize that he was crying again.

Xin Sheng finally swallowed the food he was choking on and asked, "What did Empress Dowager Huayang leave for Prince Fusu?"

Tian An exhaled a breath of warm air into the cold air and said, "In the future, this old servant will hand over everything left behind by Empress Dowager Huayang to you, young master."

How much of an inheritance did Empress Dowager Huayang leave to Prince Fusu?

What is now certain, and has already happened, and is open to discussion, is that Lü Buwei's entire estate was handed over to Prince Fusu, except for his three thousand retainers who were dismissed.

The First Emperor entrusted everything to Prince Fusu.

Since the matter involved many secrets of the Qin Palace back then, Xin Sheng felt that he had a very good relationship with Tian An, so he dared not ask any more questions.

Even if Tian Anken were to say more, would he be alive to listen?

Tian An was extremely loyal to the First Emperor, who was busy with state affairs and conquering the six states at that time.

Prince Fusu was practically raised by Tian An and Empress Dowager Huayang since he was old enough to understand things.

In fact, which of the kings and nobles back then didn't have property?

The states of Wei and Qin fought for many years. The princes of Wei had businesses in Qin, and Qin also had businesses in Chu.

Was Empress Dowager Huayang's wealth solely due to the continued support from the State of Chu, or was it a gift from the King of Qin?

Just as princes and nobles of various states each had their own businesses in those states, Empress Dowager Huayang also had businesses in those states before Qin unified them.

Moreover, it was the Empress Dowager's private property.

It was quite common for the sons or wives of the feudal lords of various states to have several private properties.

So, Empress Dowager Huayang's private property has remained in Tian An's hands until now.

Furthermore, Tian An managed all of Empress Dowager Huayang's private property during her lifetime.

That makes sense. It wasn't that Tian An brought 100,000 shi of grain from Qin to Yan back then. Rather, the 100,000 shi of grain was already in Yan, and it was grain that Empress Dowager Huayang had bought and stored in advance.

Tian An simply took out the provisions prepared by Empress Dowager Huayang.

Back then, Empress Dowager Huayang could even produce 100,000 shi of grain. Heaven knows how much more wealth she left behind, and where she is hidden in the six kingdoms.

The next morning, before dawn, the clerk arrived at the small hut by the canal and whispered, "Young master, the Prime Minister has ordered me to retrieve the canal records." After calling out, the clerk stood outside the door.

After a long while, the door opened, and Fusu, seeing the person who came in, said, "Wait a moment."

The official was standing outside the door.

Inside the room, Fusu put the dozen or so bamboo scrolls on the table into a bundle. These were all written yesterday. He wrapped them up and took them out.

The minor official took the heavy bundle, hung it on the horse's back, and then mounted the horse and returned to Xianyang City.

The surroundings were still dim, with only the stove burning by the house, as Tian An was preparing breakfast. Groups of armored soldiers had already begun their patrols along the canal.

Fusu picked up the earthenware pot beside him. The water was warm. After washing his face, he felt much more awake.

There were strict rules and regulations for officials in Qin, so Fusu had to write down the progress of the canal construction every day and report to the prime minister every day. He could not leave his post without an order to transfer.

Just like when the Xianyang Bridge was being built, we had to stay by the bridge until it was completed before we could leave.

"Young master, would you like noodles or porridge?"

"It will be all right."

"Young master will be busy again today, and may have to walk around along the canal. So let's have noodles. Eating porridge will make you hungry easily, and you will probably run out of energy before noon."

Fusu nodded, indicating that he could make arrangements as he pleased.

Before long, smoke rose from chimneys in the distance, where women were preparing food for the laborers.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Tian An scooped out the noodles, then added some shredded ginger and mixed them.

Then he scooped out a flatbread from the stove next to him, and poured mutton soup into a bowl of noodles, which he then served to the young master.

Fusu took the bowl and chopsticks, ate a couple of bites of noodles, and asked, "Is there any celery?"

"Yes, there is." Tian An served the blanched celery.

"You can eat too."

"Hey."

The master and servant sat in front of the house eating.

Fusu gazed at the distant Shangyan Mountain and asked, "How much celery is left?"

Tian An said, "Many of them froze to death earlier, but after half a month of warm weather, a lot of tender celery sprouted again, so they brought it to you, young master."

Loud shouts echoed from the canal bank, and the laborers began digging the canal again. Soon after, cartloads of grain were transported here from Xianyang.

Fusu also received a reply from the Prime Minister sent from Xianyang.

The letter was simple: before spring plowing, dig canals to irrigate the fields. How much grain could be grown from these vast fields was crucial to the situation in the north. Fortunately, the war in the south had provisions from Sichuan.

Fusu put down the scroll of letters, his expression becoming more serious.

It hasn't snowed in Guanzhong for half a month, and the same is true for the north.

Meng Tian was very worried about the situation in the north.

Therefore, whether the grain harvest along the Jingye Canal can be bountiful is a matter of great concern to the people of Shangjun.

After reading the letter, Fusu looked at the canal that was being dug.

Xin Sheng came over carrying a long spear and said with a smile, "This humble general is not good at using your new weapon, young master. This humble general is skilled at using a long spear and can teach you."

Fusu said, "Alright, thank you for your trouble, General."

By the canal, Fusu imitated the old general's movements, wielding a long spear. In fact, the key to wielding a long spear is very simple: as long as you are strong enough, you can cut down the other side first.

Fusu swung his spear downwards, and the long spear crashed heavily to the ground, creating a small crater.

As the cold wind blew, Fusu felt the sweat on his back.

Xin Sheng said, "This humble general still has to oversee the construction of the canals, so shall we stop here for today?"

"Thank you for your guidance, General."

The long spear was heavy, and Fusu felt that his arms would probably be sore when he woke up tomorrow morning. He stretched his shoulders and began his work for the day.

Fusu held a book in one hand and a pen in the other, taking notes on how many people were involved in transporting soil, digging wells, and digging ditches.

Another fast horse arrived, and the messenger handed over a scroll of bamboo slips, saying, "Young master, this was sent by Imperial Censor Zhang."

Fusu took the bamboo slip and opened it. There were many records on it. His teacher, Zhang Cang, believed that it would take at least six months to complete the excavation of the Jingye Canal, and even if they dug day and night, it would still take four months.

Having received the bamboo slip from his teacher, Fusu looked at the fields in the distance. Although it was not yet the spring plowing season and it was still the dead of winter, some people were already turning over the soil in the fields.

Fusu instructed Tian An beside him: "Have Zhang Han bring two thousand men to this place to assist in the digging of the canal."

After thinking for a moment, Fusu said again: "Issue Zhang Han to supervise the construction of the canal in Linjin County, replace the censor Zhang Cang, and order Zhang Cang to move the people into the pass now."

The excavation of the Jingye Canal is still underway. The number of laborers involved has increased from 30,000 at the beginning to 50,000 after several rounds of mobilization.

Fifty thousand farmers are digging along a three-hundred-mile-long irrigation canal, swinging their wooden hoes again and again as they pull baskets of soil from the shafts.

A month has passed, and the Jingye Canal is still being dug. It is February in Guanzhong, and the weather is still chilly despite the change in temperature. The temperature difference between day and night is huge, and people are still wearing thick clothes in the morning.

This morning, Sima Xin woke up early, humming an unknown tune. He opened the sheepfold and let the sheep out. There was green grass now, and he let the sheep out to exercise. These sheepfolds were kept in the sheepfold during the winter.

Then Sima Xin took out a lot of fodder and walked to the other side of the county government building. This was the county government's stable, which housed three warhorses. These warhorses were used when necessary to deliver urgent reports or pull carriages.

The horses are usually kept here, so there's no need to use them.

After finishing all that, Sima Xin exhaled a breath of warm air in the cold wind, swept the ground inside the county government building, then opened the door, walked to a small river, scooped up some water, and patted it on his face.

The air was cold, the thick fog lingered, and the river was steaming.

"County Magistrate! County Magistrate!" The county official ran up, saying, "A lot of people have come from the east."

Upon hearing this, Sima Xin wiped the water off his face with his sleeve and ran along the stream. After running for a while, he arrived at the Yellow River. There, he saw groups of people being escorted by soldiers and horses, coming from the direction of Hangu Pass.

"County Magistrate, what are they doing...?"

Sima Xin said, "The people have been relocated."

The stingy man looked shocked.

Relocation was not unfamiliar to Sima Xin; in fact, it was quite common.

In recent years, there have been many migrations, which Sima Xin is not unfamiliar with.

Prince Fusu is currently overseeing the construction of canals, and large tracts of land need to be reclaimed. The families who have moved here provide manpower, and with manpower, land can be reclaimed. The people who have moved to Guanzhong will all receive the reclaimed grain, or at least they will all have land to cultivate.

Sima Xin stood guard at the main entrance of Ningqin County, watching the long procession, and he noticed that most of these people were poor.

The long queue stretched as far as the eye could see. From morning till evening, the queue continued to march from Hangu Pass. A whole day had passed, and the queue still hadn't finished.

The counties behind Hangu Pass became tense. They had seen similar scenes before, when the Qin state marched eastward. However, the situation was reversed back then. In those days, the Qin army marched out of Hangu Pass in an endless stream, and the procession was so long that it took several days and nights to complete.

Now, people who don't know the situation... might think that some large army has invaded Hangu Pass. How can this not make people nervous?

In the following days, every morning, groups of poor people would walk from Hangu Pass to Guanzhong, and this continued for more than ten days.

The steward asked in a low voice, "County Magistrate, why are there still so many people?"

Sima Xin would count and calculate every day, and by now he had roughly estimated that nearly 50,000 people had entered the pass.

"County Magistrate?"

The steward beside him called out again, and Sima Xin replied, "Where did Zhang Cang find so many poor people?"

Seeing that the county magistrate's answer was irrelevant, the steward wisely squatted down to the side and remained silent.

The people in front of me are all poor. Some of them are wearing straw sandals, some don't even have straw sandals, and some are barely clothed.

After observing for a while, Sima Xin came to understand why Zhang Cang had relocated so many poor people into the pass.

Because Zhang Cang was a disciple of Xunzi, Sima Xin had also read Xunzi's classics. As a native of Liyang, Sima Xin had often heard about Li Si's actions.

It was precisely because Li Si was a Legalist and Zhang Cang was a student of Xunzi that they chose to relocate poor people to Guanzhong. They knew that only the poor could better cultivate the land and were willing to serve the Qin Dynasty.

As for wealthy households, or even middle-class households, Zhang Cang never even considered them.

Back then, Lü Buwei, who presided over the compilation of Lüshi Chunqiu, said: "If you use boiling water to stop boiling, the boiling will only continue. If you remove the fire, it will stop. This is called removing the firewood from under the cauldron."

Sima Xin thought about the relationship between the wealthy and the common people, and then he thought of the Lüshi Chunqiu, feeling that Lü Buwei seemed to be a persistent ghost.

(End of this chapter)