The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 55 Those who study Xunzi

No sooner had Zhang Han left than Tian An arrived in a hurry, taking away the celery and radishes he had brought.

After placing the radishes and celery beside the bucket, Tian An returned. He had just picked up a basket of eggs when he glanced sideways at the young master.

The young master's gaze was fixed on the direction of Xianyang.

Tian An felt that the young master was probably still waiting for the Prime Minister to send craftsmen to Tongguan.

The young master has been waiting for a long time, starting last month for the craftsman to arrive.

Tian An knew that it was actually very difficult to hire craftsmen in Xianyang. Almost all of them were making tools for the Qin Dynasty. Whether before or after the unification of the six kingdoms, the First Emperor valued craftsmen highly.

Since the conquest of the six states, almost all the best craftsmen from those states have been gathered in Xianyang.

Tian Anxin thought that even if the young master kept looking like this, he would not be able to wait for the craftsman. He looked in the direction the young master was looking and was about to speak to persuade him.

Before the words could even be uttered, a troop of soldiers appeared in the distance, marching along the Wei River towards Tongguan.

Xin Sheng immediately mounted his horse and rode towards the army. After exchanging a few words, Xin Sheng returned and said, "Young master, it is the Prime Minister who has sent craftsmen."

Seeing the young master smile, Tian An also smiled easily, picked up the basket and went to prepare the meal.

Fusu asked, "General Xin, how many craftsmen have come?"

Xin Sheng replied, "Fifteen people."

The soldiers escorted the craftsmen to the Tongguan Pass, leaving the craftsmen behind before returning to Xianyang.

Fusu stepped forward and looked at the craftsmen. Most of them were about the same age as General Xin, and they varied in height, weight, and build. The youngest was middle-aged, around forty years old.

These people were all dressed in coarse linen clothes and cloth shoes, highlighting their roughness and old age.

Each of them carried a bundle and a wooden box on their back, presumably containing various tools.

Fusu bowed and said, "Thank you all for coming."

An elderly man with white hair and beard, and somewhat thin, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "We have been ordered by the Prime Minister to come and assist the young master."

Fusu bowed and asked, "May I ask how I should address you?"

"Your subject, Qingbi, is a craftsman in the Imperial Household Department." Then, Qingbi looked at the people behind him and explained, "They, like me, are all craftsmen in the Imperial Household Department."

Fusu was naturally pleased to see them come. Qingbi was an old craftsman over fifty years old, with white hair and beard, and somewhat thin.

But Fusu could sense that there was still strength hidden in this thin body, because his solid and somewhat low-fat muscles showed that the craftsman must have had a pair of very strong shoulders when he was young.

Perhaps his parents named him with the hope that he would have strong arms, hence the name Qingbi (青臂).

The naming system of the Qin people was very simple, and many Qin people had names like Qingbi (青臂).

In some cases, people simply name their children based on their appearance.

Some names are just a single character.

Qingbi followed the young master and took two steps forward, followed by the fourteen craftsmen behind him.

As they walked, Qingbi began introducing the craftsmen behind him. Their names were simple: Zhong Zhuang, Lü Hu, Tui, Zhou...

They can also be addressed according to their different positions, such as Gongli Tui, Si Gong Zhou.

These are all titles for artisans.

The man with the green arm asked, "What does the young master intend to build?"

Looking at the still desolate Tongguan Pass before him, Fusu reached out and patted the stone tablet beside him, saying, "Build a city."

The voice was calm, and Qingbi was speechless for a moment. When the Prime Minister first sent them here, he thought that at most they would just make some farm tools for the young master, which should be an easy job.

Unexpectedly, the young master's first request was to build a city.

Is this appropriate?

Qingbi frowned, looking troubled. It was certainly reasonable for Prince Fusu to hold the position of Vice Minister of the Imperial Household.

"Sir?"

"what happened?"

Qingbi pressed further, "What kind of city does the young master intend to build?"

Fusu said, "A large city that can accommodate 300,000 people."

Qingbi frowned and lowered his head again, muttering to himself, "The Prime Minister didn't say anything."

Fusu asked, "Is there any difficulty?"

Qingbi bowed and said, "To be honest, young master, the Prime Minister didn't mention anything about building a city before we came. There are only about ten of us..."

"It doesn't matter."

Fusu interrupted the other person.

Qingbi added, "But we don't have enough manpower."

Fusu looked north of the Yellow River and said, "Once this year's harvest is complete, I will have neither a shortage of manpower nor a shortage of grain."

Qingbi smiled again and bowed once more, saying, "I have heard that the Xianyang Bridge and the Jingye Canal were built by you, my lord."

Fusu nodded and said, "Yes, I have some construction experience, but I still need to ask you more questions."

The main idea and proposition of the Qin law is to advocate that professional tasks should be done by professionals, and the construction of city walls should also be done by professionals.

Fusu certainly didn't think that just because he built a bridge, he could build a city.

Even the Jingye Canal was built with the help of Zhang Han and Zhang Cang.

"Fusu still has many things to ask you. You may stay here and bring your families with you to stay in Tongguan for the time being."

The men looked at each other in bewilderment. As craftsmen, they often spent days away from home while forging weapons or other objects. Now that the young master had asked them to bring their families over and live in Tongguan, and if the city's construction went smoothly, they could also take care of their families. This was certainly the perfect solution.

Some craftsmen were even whispering among themselves, saying that Prince Fusu was indeed wise.

Qingbi didn't even think twice before agreeing on the spot; he was willing to bring his family to live with him in Tongguan.

Tian An was by the stove, preparing today's meal. He sat on a stool next to Xin Sheng, and the two of them silently picked celery leaves.

The warm sunshine and gentle breeze made the two elderly people's white hair even more disheveled.

The two elderly people were picking leaves when they looked up and watched the young master talking with the craftsmen. It seemed that the discussion was going quite smoothly.

Except for a few who were a little embarrassed, the rest were quite happy.

Then, they did nothing and just left.

When the young master approached again, Xin Sheng asked, "Is it because these craftsmen are bad?"

Fusu drank the cooled boiled water and replied, "I'll have them bring their families too. I want to build a city in Tongguan, a fortified city that can accommodate 300,000 troops."

Tian An still had a smile on his face.

Xin Sheng was somewhat surprised. He had previously thought that the young master wanted to build a county. How big could a county be? It would be no different from the counties in Guanzhong. But the young master wanted to build a city.

Xin Sheng was only slightly surprised, but his expression quickly returned to normal.

Tonight's meal is rice again. The bag of rice that Li You sent is enough to last me and the two elderly people for almost half a month.

Besides, these two elderly people didn't eat much. Smoke was rising from the village not far away, as people began to cook and eat.

Xin Sheng said, "In a few more days, the seedlings in this field will all grow taller."

Upon hearing this, Fusu looked at the fields in the distance, where he could already see scattered rice seedlings. The sight was so pleasing to the eye.

After dinner, night fell.

At night, Tian An and Xin Sheng continued to build here. Previously, there was only a small house here, but later Tian An built a fence around it and planted a lot of garlic in front of the house. Now the garlic that was planted has started to sprout.

However, even though it was dark, it didn't stop Tian An from working by the moonlight until late at night before he finally went to sleep.

The next day, when Fusu woke up, he saw a wall built next to the house. The wall was three feet long and five feet high, and it was built by Tian An the night before.

Fusu sat by the fence, picked some scallions, and then used some mutton fat to fry a few scallion-fried eggs.

I glanced into Tian An's room; the old man was still asleep.

Fusu took some rice, cooked porridge, and then took some wheat bran to the chicken coop at the back, where he fed the chickens and found a few eggs.

When General Xin Sheng pushed open the door, he was carrying a rabbit in his hand and said, "Haha, young master, you'll have rabbit meat to eat."

Fusu sat by the stove, frying food, and said, "General, let's eat together."

The eggs were sizzling in the earthenware pot, and soon Tian An woke up.

On an April morning, the sun was shining brightly, and there was still a chill in the air in Guanzhong at this time of year.

Fusu and the two elderly people were having breakfast, while the rabbit stayed in the yard to be eaten later.

After having breakfast, Fusu wanted to find something to do, so he continued the work Tian An had done the night before and began building the wall here.

Before long, a mansion will be built here.

Tian An was very skilled. Fu Su found that his wall construction was always crooked, so he simply dismantled part of his own construction and looked at Tian An's construction, which was very neat.

There was no way around it; Tian An was a meticulous person to the point of being obsessive-compulsive, and he had been like that for decades.

Tongguan was once a village. After the establishment of Tong County, there was no county magistrate here. Now, all affairs in the county are handled by General Xin.

It's just a small village, so there's really nothing going on.

When Xin Sheng had nothing to do, he would go and read the young master's books. The young master not only allowed others to read his books, but also encouraged them to read them more often.

However, the only people here who would read the young master's books are Xin Sheng and Tian An.

As for the people of Tongguan County, the vast majority of them are illiterate.

Xin Sheng sat in front of the door, engrossed in reading a book.

The soldiers patrolling the area saw the old general sitting upright in front of the small house inside the fence, looking intently at a book.

This piqued the curiosity of a group of soldiers, especially the gray-haired old Qin soldiers who were even more curious. They were curious that the old general was still reading books at his advanced age.

Xin Sheng got a little tired from sitting and reading, so he stood up and walked around while reading. He had to admit that the methods of governance described in the young master's book were quite interesting.

For example, Xunzi once said that if you persevere, you can carve even metal and stone.

However, the young master interpreted it as a struggle for the people and the country.

Just looking at these ideas, Xin Sheng thought he was also a learned man, and that his knowledge was no less than that of those PhDs from Shandong University.

In the Qin Dynasty, a general who wasn't extremely learned was considered too embarrassed to lead an army.

In the Qin state of that time, those who could lead large armies, such as Wang Jian, Meng Wu, Meng Tian, ​​and Wei Ran, were all highly learned.

Xin Sheng felt that Pang Juan, Sun Bin, and Li Mu were all outstanding scholars in their time.

But lately I've been reading your books quite often...

Xin Sheng always felt that his values ​​were being elevated time and time again.

As Xin Sheng walked out of the courtyard, several soldiers quickly stood at attention. The old general was so diligent in reading at his age. Could it be that the Qin Dynasty was about to start another war?

Xin Sheng read books not for the purpose of fighting, but to enrich his mind.

This is why Xin Sheng, despite his advanced age, can maintain such a vibrant spirit and sharp eyes. It's because even at his advanced age, he insists on reading more. Although he may never be able to compare to Wang Jian, Sun Bin, or Li Mu even if he studies for a lifetime, at least he is learning.

Fusu sat by the Yellow River, holding a longbow in his hand, and released an arrow into the distance. The arrow landed on the target, but his archery skills were not very good, and the arrow did not hit the bullseye.

In his spare time, Fusu practiced almost every weapon used by the Qin army.

Xin Sheng also picked up a longbow and fired an arrow at a distant target, the arrow landing precisely on the bullseye.

Fusu said, "Meng Tian has sent a letter."

Upon hearing this, Xin Sheng asked, "Is there news from the north?"

Fusu said, "Last year, many Xiongnu people and livestock froze to death in the north. Now that the weather is warm, Meng Tian has a force that went to investigate the Xiongnu. They encountered a group of Xiongnu people and fought a skirmish on the grassland. Both sides lost some men. Meng Tian said that he should have the troops in Shangjun practice riding and archery more.

"The Prime Minister said that we are currently only building the Great Wall in Shangjun, but one day we will definitely sweep away the northern border and build the Great Wall in the Rong territory."

The one speaking was Zhang Cang, who was walking over.

Fusu released another arrow, the bowstring still vibrating.

The teacher meant that the Xiongnu should be wiped out.

Not only that, but building the Great Wall in the Rong territory meant extending the Great Wall into the homes of the Xiongnu people.

Zhang Cang waved behind him, and someone pushed a cart over, which was loaded with loquats and various fruits.

Zhang Cang picked up a plum, took a bite, and said, "It was sent from Shu. I gave half to General Zhang Han, and we can't finish the rest."

Xin Sheng sighed, "Even I can't finish it all."

Zhang Cang had someone put down a basket, and then said, "I will send this to Huayin County."

Fusu bowed and said, "Thank you for your trouble, teacher."

Zhang Cang waved his hand and said, "When summer arrives, there will still be mulberries to eat in Jingye County."

As he spoke, Zhang Cang headed towards Huayin County, with several eleven or twelve-year-old children pushing the cart behind him.

These are all children raised in Jingye County in the earliest period. These children studied for four years and were able to recognize characters and read some articles with difficulty.

Now, they are all able to help Zhang Han, Shusun Tong, and Zhang Cang.

Five days ago, the craftsmen who were returning home had not yet arrived in Tongguan.

Fusu was not worried that they would go back on their word; as craftsmen working in Qin, they had no way to escape.

Since their families were involved, Fusu was willing to give them time to handle their family matters before they could move to Tongguan in a down-to-earth manner.

Therefore, when Tian An wanted to send someone to inquire why the craftsmen were so late, Fu Su stopped him.

While digging for garlic, Tian An could only whisper his confusion to Xin Sheng, who was sitting outside the fence.

Xin Sheng said, "Since the young master has allowed them to go home and handle their family affairs, giving them time instead of urging them, it is because of the young master's magnanimity and his trustworthiness. One must first establish trust before more people will be loyal to the young master Fusu."

Tian An was still pondering those words.

Xin Sheng muttered to himself, "Those who study Xunzi should be learned, discerning, and diligent in practice."

(End of this chapter)