The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 51 I will definitely pay it back.

The surrounding villagers were still watching curiously and whispering about what these soldiers were doing here.

An elderly man stepped out from the crowd. He immediately spotted the young man standing by the stone tablet and bowed respectfully.

The old man was Hei Fang, who built the Xianyang Bridge. He had caught a glimpse of the young master from afar when the bridge was being built.

Two years have passed, and this young master has grown much taller than before.

The young people who followed also bowed in greeting.

Fusu also spotted the Black Fang in the crowd, but then remembered that they were laborers who had worked on the construction of the Xianyang Bridge. He then said, "General, don't let them bow. Disperse."

Xin Sheng nodded and stepped forward personally, saying, "Go back and plant crops. This is none of your business."

Upon hearing this, the group of villagers dispersed.

Fusu sat by the Yellow River, with a stretch of riverbank in front of him. There were many footprints on the riverbank, which must have been left by the villagers when they were fishing for river delicacies.

This place is very close to Ningqin County, or rather, Huayin County. The two places are very close, and this place is part of Huayin County.

At this moment, Fusu felt that this excellent geographical location should not be wasted and should be properly developed.

After saying this, Fusu instructed the old general to set up camp here and build a few houses for him to stay in.

The once peaceful village was suddenly taken in by a troop of soldiers, which made the villagers afraid to approach.

Although these Qin soldiers did not interfere with their lives, they would unconsciously slow their pace when villagers passed by.

Inside a newly built hut, Fusu looked through the bamboo slips in his hand. These were the accounts sent by Jingye County. The entire county belonged to him, which gave him enough resources to make use of.

Fusu flipped through the records and was surprised to find that Shusun Tong had managed the county so well and that there was a good surplus of grain.

Jingye County has now become a wealthy county in Guanzhong. This is because it was one of the first counties to enjoy the benefits brought by the canals. Back then, Jingye County had the most wasteland, but now it has become one of the counties with the most fertile fields.

Tian An said in a low voice, "Young Master, I've heard some rumors lately."

Fusu continued flipping through the pages under the oil lamp, and asked, "What rumors?"

"Some people in Xianyang want to invite Shusun Tong back to Xianyang."

"People from Xianyang? Who are they?"

"He was said to be an old friend of Shusun Tong."

Fusu nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Tian An added, "Later, word spread that Shusun Tong planned to stay in Jingye County and didn't want to return to Xianyang in the future."

After hearing this, Fusu put down the bamboo slips in his hand and said, "Are Shusun Tong's old friends in Xianyang those scholars who came to Qin with him?"

Tian An nodded: "Yes."

"From now on, don't let them bother Shusun Tong with such matters."

"Yes."

The bamboo scroll in my hand describes the construction progress of the newly established Dali County, which is currently basically non-existent.

It is currently the busy farming season, so the reconstruction of villages and counties can be put on hold for now; farming is the top priority.

Everyone, from the government to the people, was watching to see how much grain could be grown in the fields irrigated by the Longshou Canal.

This is like adding a new granary in Guanzhong, which will make the counties of Weinan major grain-producing areas in the future.

Once this year's grain harvest is complete, with both food and manpower available, Fusu felt that there wouldn't be any more difficulties.

During the busy farming season, people in Guanzhong are very busy, with people working in the fields from morning till night.

Fusu sat by the Yellow River reading a book, and it was Fusu who seemed rather relaxed at that moment.

Thunder rumbled across the sky, and looking up, one could see thick, dark clouds filling the sky. Fusu looked into the distance again, and a gust of wind blew by, bringing a chill. People in the fields were rushing home.

Another bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, the thin bolt seemingly falling straight to the ground.

A few drops of rain fell, and Fusu then walked back to the small house by the Yellow River.

Inside the house, the oil lamp was still lit. As soon as Fusu stepped inside, he heard the sound of rain behind him. A heavy rain poured down, and the large raindrops seemed to be about to shatter the roof.

"Boom!"

Another clap of thunder sounded, and the lightning illuminated the surrounding area.

The sounds of thunder, the Yellow River, and rain mingled together.

The small house by the Yellow River, amidst the thunderstorms and strong winds, added a unique atmosphere.

Inside the room, Fusu sat quietly as always, the oil lamp still burning brightly.

The thunderstorm lasted for half an hour until the rain subsided, the wind calmed down, and even the Yellow River became much calmer.

Another gust of wind blew into the room, and Fusu felt that even the air was much fresher.

The rain intensified from heavy rain to light rain; these thunderstorms come and go quickly.

Footsteps came from outside. Fusu didn't even look up; he knew without even looking that it was Tian An's footsteps.

"Young master, another five thousand people have been relocated from Luoyang."

Fusu looked up and saw Tian An wearing a bamboo hat, which was still dripping with water.

Zhang Cang is still overseeing the relocation of people in Luoyang. Five months have passed since last winter, and the relocation is still not complete.

Fusu put down the bamboo slips in his hand, stood up, took one of the scrolls from the bookshelf next to him, and opened the scroll to see the number of migrants since last year.

"A total of 230,000..."

Fusu muttered something under his breath, then said with a solemn expression, "Only 235,000 people."

Tian An stood there stunned. He had thought it was just the relocation of 200,000 people. Not only was Imperial Censor Zhang relocating people in Luoyang, but the young master also thought it wasn't enough.

Seeing that Tian An was still standing in front of him, Fusu said again, "Hurry up and send him to dig the fields. Every extra day means one more day of food."

Tian An hurriedly went to take care of his business.

The next morning, Fusu was practicing his skills with the old general by the Yellow River. This time, he was practicing swordsmanship.

The bronze sword was wielded with great skill by the old general, but there was nothing fancy about it; it was just simple killing motions used on the battlefield.

Fusu managed to keep up with the old general's movements, albeit with some difficulty.

After finishing the rehearsal, Xin Sheng asked, "What do you think, young master?"

Fusu sheathed his sword and said, "It feels quite easy."

“Young master previously practiced with heavy long spears and halberds, so it will naturally feel much lighter to hold a sword now.”

Fusu subconsciously relaxed his arms. "Young Master, Sima Xin has arrived."

Upon hearing the old general's words, Fusu turned around and saw Sima Xin carrying a bundle on his back.

The man was dressed very thinly, and he must have been very thin. The wind by the Yellow River was quite strong, so when his clothes fluttered behind him, his emaciated figure became visible.

"My lord, I have compiled the county annals of Huayin County for the past few years."

Tian An took the bundle from Sima Xin and stood aside.

The other party changed their mind very quickly, changing Ningqin County to Huayin County so soon, and it even sounds quite natural.

Fusu took the bundle from Tian An's hands and asked, "Why wasn't it the magistrate of Huayin County who delivered these?"

Sima Xin replied, "The magistrate is seriously ill and unable to leave his home. He has been seriously ill ever since Ningqin was renamed Huayin."

Fusu nodded knowingly and said, "If the magistrate of Ningqin County is ill for a long time, I can speak to the Prime Minister and let you temporarily take over as magistrate."

Sima Xin bowed once more, saying, "The county gazetteer has been delivered; I shall take my leave now."

Fusu nodded, and only after everyone had walked away did he ask, "I've met the magistrate of Ningqin County. How come he's so seriously ill?"

When I was going to Hangu Pass to pick up General Wang Jian, I met the magistrate of Ningqin County once.

Tian An whispered, "That magistrate did fall ill, but he has recently recovered. However, he really doesn't want to deal with the affairs of the county anymore. Now, Sima Xin is arranging many things in Huayin County."

Fusu nodded, walked back into the house, and was about to look through these county records when he realized that he had almost finished writing on his bamboo slips.

Tian An handed over a scroll at just the right moment.

Fusu smiled and asked, "You prepared this?"

"It was the old general who gave the grain to the villagers of Tongguan. He said that the grain would not be given away for nothing. He wanted them to make bamboo slips. They only needed to give half a dou of grain to exchange for ten bamboo slips."

Fusu asked, "Where will we find manpower during the busy farming season?"

Tian An said, "We don't have many people. There are only three or five children who are somewhat sensible. The able-bodied men in Tongguan are all farming."

Upon hearing this, Fusu calmed down and continued reading the county annals in his hands.

The old generals Xin Sheng and Tian An stood guard at the door. The two old men would occasionally look into the room and see the young master picking up one scroll and then writing notes on another scroll.

Then the young master will start a new volume and continue reading.

Xin Sheng had read many books since childhood, including military treatises, but at the same age as Prince Fusu, he did not read as quickly.

In just three days, Fusu had finished reading the county annals of Huayin County and had created a clear and detailed table of the county's population, land area, and total grain yield.

Tian An and Xin Sheng stared in astonishment at the huge chart hanging on the wall. The clear and concise chart deeply impressed the two elderly people, as if it were a remarkable display of wisdom to them.

For Fusu, this was a very simple skill; it was simply a matter of finding the relevant data from the scrolls of documents and then listing them in a table.

Tian An sat at the door eating a peach and said, "I heard that even wild vegetables are hard to find in Shangyan Mountain now. Several nearby counties have sent people to guard the county granaries. I also heard that the Prime Minister sent another 100,000 shi of grain to Jingye County."

Fusu picked up a peach from the side, sat down, and took a bite. The peach from Luoyang was still a bit hard and difficult to bite.

Although the peaches from Luoyang are not as delicious or as big as those from the south, they have a subtle sweetness that lingers on the palate. The more you chew, the more flavorful they become.

Fusu took another one from the bucket and handed it to the old general.

Xin Sheng waved his hand and said, "This humble general is too old to eat these peaches. I only have a few teeth left in my mouth, and I dare not bite them and damage them."

Fusu handed over the bucket and instructed, "Distribute it among the brothers in the army."

"Thank you, sir."

"Where did the Prime Minister get so much grain?"

Upon hearing this, Tian An stopped chewing on the peach. So the young master's casual words were just a way to get rid of that old man, Xin Sheng?
Tian An glanced sideways and saw Xin Sheng still smiling as he distributed peaches to the brothers in the army, completely unaware that the young master was actually trying to get rid of him.

The old man even smiled in their direction.

Tian An sighed inwardly, thinking that Wang Jian's assessment of Xin Sheng's reckless and nonsensical approach to warfare was somewhat reasonable.

The young master found an excuse to send him away, and the old man smiled gratefully.

There's nothing we can do about it. The young master is just too clever. He's been intelligent since childhood, and nothing can be hidden from him.

You can find the problem just by hearing a few words.

They can subtly manipulate the other party.

Tian An even felt that before he was too old to walk, the young master's family fortune might already surpass that of Empress Dowager Huayang.

"Where did the Prime Minister get so much grain?"

When the young master pressed him for more information, Tian An put down the half-eaten peach in his hand and explained, "Actually, the Prime Minister visited Wang Jian before sending these grains."

Fusu munched on a peach, his gaze fixed on the Yellow River, as he continued to listen to what he had to say.

Tian An continued, "Afterwards, 100,000 shi of grain were sent from Pinyang, supposedly from the Prime Minister to Jingye County."

At this point, Tian An avoided the young master's gaze, clearly indicating that the young master had not yet heard the answer he wanted to hear. He continued, "This is because of an agreement concerning whether the Jingye Canal can be completed. Once it is completed, 100,000 shi of grain must be provided, and then Wang Jian will lose."

Fusu shook his head and said, "From the very beginning, my teacher was after Wang Jian's 100,000 shi of grain. Only Wang Jian's family could easily produce 100,000 shi. As the prime minister, my teacher can naturally influence the overall situation. My teacher is both acting as the host and setting up the scheme."

Tian An nodded without saying a word.

"Father also knows about this matter. There must have been witnesses to the agreement between the teacher and Wang Jian. That witness is Father. Isn't that right? And Father doesn't want you to tell me."

Tian An finally lowered his head. The young master could glean so much from just a few words; this child was too perceptive.

After listening to what the young master had said, Tian An even wiped his sweat, only to find that there was no sweat on his forehead, just a slight sweat.

Fusu leisurely ate a peach, gazing at the distant scenery, and said in a low voice, "Whether it's Wang Jian, my father, or my teacher, in their eyes I am still just a child. My teacher went to great lengths for my achievements, and afterwards even tried to use my achievements to extort money from General Wang Jian. My father even witnessed this."

“Hehehe…” Fusu smiled helplessly and said, “In their eyes, I am still a child. Even though I am already twenty years old, I am just a slightly older child.”

Hearing the young master's dejected words, Tian An remained standing silently to the side with his head down.

Fusu then said, “Send someone to tell the Prime Minister that I have accepted these 100,000 shi of grain. These grains are not taken for nothing. Fusu will repay these 100,000 shi of grains within three years.”

Tian An walked a few steps away and sent someone to give instructions.

The grain sent by the Prime Minister would naturally not be returned. The 200,000 newly relocated people were both a productive force and a consumer of a large amount of grain.

Most of them may not have enough to eat, but all they need to do is grit their teeth and get through spring and summer. Once the crops in the fields grow, they will have the confidence to face any remaining difficulties, no matter how great they may be.

Xianyang, Zhangtai Palace.

The First Emperor, Wang Jian, and Li Si were sitting together, repeatedly pondering the words that Prince Fusu had sent.

Li Si murmured, "Pay it off within three years?"

(End of this chapter)