The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 56: As if born that way

After speaking, Xin Sheng continued reading the book he was holding without putting it down.

While living in Tongguan, Xin Sheng could read the books that the young master Fusu wrote in his spare time, and the young master Fusu could learn military skills.

Tian An said in a low voice, "Your thoughts and considerations are too far ahead. I'm getting old."

Xin Sheng said, "Read more books, and you won't feel old."

Tian An smiled and said, "Okay, then read more books."

The sun was shining brightly, and Xin Sheng, sitting outside the fence, felt the sunlight was a bit too bright, so he used the book in his hand to block the sunlight and continued reading.

Xin Sheng knew that even if Tian An said that, he would rather build another wall here than choose to read books.

On an April afternoon, the sun always shines warmly, and even though it's late April, the craftsmen still haven't returned to Tongguan.

Fusu did not urge them. Today, he rode his horse to the other side of the Yellow River. This was the land being cultivated in Weinan, where countless people were still busy.

People lived together in close proximity, while the fields stretched out in a continuous expanse, almost as far as the eye could see.

Cheng Miao, dressed in coarse cloth and barefoot, ran briskly along the ridges of the fields. His loose linen clothes were still damp with sweat on the back. He said, "Young master, we have built the houses as well."

The direction Cheng Miao pointed to was the newly established county. He explained, "Zhang Cang divided Dali into two parts, east and west. Dali West County was the original Linjin County, and the east side is the newly established Dali East County. The two parts share a county government. Zhang Cang also plans to set up ten pavilions and thirty townships in this area."

As he spoke, Cheng Miao's face was full of smiles; he had never done anything so big in his life.

He added, “The Right Chancellor came here in person to visit you and said that you have excellent judgment. This place is located at the confluence of the Wei and Luo Rivers and borders Huayin, Tongguan, and Liyi. Now that the canal is being dug, this place will become even more prosperous.”

Before the Jingye Canal was built, this place was relatively barren because the Luo River could not irrigate it, but it happened to be a vast plain in eastern Qin.

A fine plain without water is like a beautiful woman who grows thin and weak due to lack of food, wasting such a good foundation.

Therefore, the excavated canals provided a water source for this area, allowing it to fully utilize the advantages of the plains.

Fusu followed Cheng Miao, observing the changes in the area. His gaze fell upon a newly built village with a beautiful name: Xin'an.

"New" means new, while "peace" means tranquility.

There were few people in the village; most of them had gone to work in the fields.

Cheng Miao held the reins in one hand as he led the horse for the young master, saying, "Zhang Cang moved these people into Guanzhong. If they want to live well in Guanzhong, they will have to work much harder than the original Qin people. They need to pay taxes. If they don't work, they will go hungry. If they don't pay taxes, they will be sent back..."

Fusu knew that there were some things his teacher wouldn't say to him, the young master.

The teacher still held back when speaking to the prince of Qin, just as he held back when speaking to Prime Minister Li Si.

Zhang Cang may have seemed dull all along, but he is actually a very cautious person who doesn't do or say anything unnecessary.

Just like when the Prime Minister led his teacher to Gaoquan Palace, Zhang Cang probably wouldn't have said a word if the Prime Minister hadn't reminded him.

From Cheng Miao, Fusu heard some things that Zhang Cang would not tell outsiders.

This was all because Zhang Cang knew that Cheng Miao had almost no friends in the Qin court.

Therefore, Cheng Miao would not tell other outsiders.

Zhang Cang probably didn't expect that Cheng Miao would say these words to him, the young master, and that Cheng Miao trusted the young master Fusu in front of him immensely.

When Zhang Cang was relocating people from Luoyang, he encountered tremendous resistance. He faced resistance from farmers in various counties, and the two sides almost came to blows several times.

Fortunately, Zhang Cang could still mobilize the troops in Luoyang. In this land where the land was dozens of times larger than the population, the Central Plains had been fighting for so many years that the population was almost wiped out.

Many fields were left uncultivated, and large farmers in each county almost all had their own hidden households, which were the labor force for cultivating the land.

Zhang Cang values ​​these people; in the eyes of others they may be hidden households, but in Zhang Cang's eyes they are the poor.

Cheng Miao said, "I asked Zhang Cang, and he said that it would have been better if he had asked for fewer people."

Fusu continued walking through the quiet village. Every simple house was empty. He asked again, "What did Zhang Cang say?"

Cheng Miao said, "Zhang Cang encountered someone."

"who?"

"That man was named Lou Jing. Originally, Lou Jing often drank with Mao Heng and they were close friends. Mao Heng said that Lou Jing was very talented but could not become an official in Qin. Lou Jing said that he was not born well. Now that the First Emperor has unified the six kingdoms, if the kingdoms still existed, Lou Jing would most likely have a place among the famous officials of the kingdoms."

Cheng Miao continued, "Zhang Cang's relocation of the people did not go smoothly. Lou Jing advised him not to be tolerant, and then Zhang Cang really killed a few people. After that, the relocation of the people was also completed by killing some people. Only then did the relocation go smoothly. When it was time to return to Guanzhong, Zhang Cang wanted Lou Jing to come back with him. Zhang Cang said that Prince Fusu was wise and virtuous. Lou Jing had heard of the prince's deeds, but felt that Prince Fusu was such a person that he did not need his assistance."

Fusu, also dressed in straw sandals with the hem tied to his belt and his trousers rolled up high, wearing coarse cloth clothes and looking like a farmer, laughed and said, "So, Master intends to bring Lou Jing to Qin?"

“Well, Lou Jing is still spending his days drinking and eating with Mao Heng.” At this point, Cheng Miao pondered for a moment and said, “If we want Lou Jing to enter Qin, I think we must cut off his drinking and eating.”

Fusu smiled in surprise.

Cheng Miao spoke frankly, saying, "Wine and meat corrupt people's minds and should be stopped. If Lou Jing still wants wine and meat, you can use this to blackmail him and force him to do things for you."

"This person is very arrogant."

Cheng Miao nodded.

This is probably a legacy from the Warring States period, just like Zhang Yi, Han Fei, and Lin Xiangru, who were all incredibly arrogant.

Fusu beckoned to a guard.

The guards who were protecting Prince Fusu following behind quickly stepped forward and said, "Your subordinate is here."

"Go to Luoyang and tell Mao Heng to treat Lou Jing well. Lou Jing helped my teacher complete the relocation of people, and Fusu will definitely repay him."

Fusu then instructed, "Go now."

The adjutant quickly ran to the edge of the village, mounted his warhorse, and headed towards Luoyang.

Cheng Miao said, "Young Master, you can have someone bring Lou Jing here."

Fusu sighed, “Governing the world… is so difficult. How can one Lou Jing be enough?”

Cheng Miao nodded and bowed, saying, "Young Master has lofty aspirations..."

"Ah!" Fusu interrupted him, adding, "It's really difficult."

Cheng Miao smiled helplessly.

As the two were walking from the entrance of one village to another, they saw an old man struggling to pull a cart loaded with beans.

Three large bags of beans weighed down the cart, causing it to tip to one side. The other wheel slid into the ditch. The old man was pulling the cart with all his might, but the wheel kept bobbing up and down on the edge of the field, and he couldn't pull it up no matter what he did.

Fusu rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward to help the old man push the cart.

Seeing this, Cheng Miao also helped push the cart.

The old man saw the force behind him ease, and the car moved forward two steps.

The old man stumbled a few steps before finally coming to a steady stop, and the wheels were pulled up from the ditch.

He turned around and saw a young man and some shorter middle-aged men. He smiled and said, "Thank you."

Fusu asked, "Brother, are we just about to plant beans?"

The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained, "I moved here late. Everyone else had already finished cultivating their fields before I arrived. They planted crops before I finished cultivating my land."

Fusu asked, "Are you all planting beans?" The old man simply sat down by the field and replied, "The people in the county told us to plant more wheat. Back then, there was fighting everywhere. When I was young, I fled from Qi to Zhao. Then I heard that people were being relocated to Guanzhong and given land. So I entrusted my family to my brothers and came to Guanzhong."

“Dali County allocated me ten mu of land. I’m taking advantage of the early season to plant more beans, as beans grow quickly.” The old man laughed again, “If I had known that Guanzhong was so good, I wouldn’t have needed to travel around so much before. After this year’s harvest, I will bring my family here.”

This man's Guanzhong dialect was not fluent and had some local accent; he was humming a folk song as he pulled his cart.

Fusu followed the old man from a distance and saw him arrive at the edge of a newly cultivated field. He opened a bag, grabbed a handful of beans, and sowed the bean seeds on the cultivated land.

It was already dusk when Fusu said, "I'm going back too."

Cheng Miao also came to his senses, bowed to the young master to say goodbye, and then he was about to head towards Dali County. He wondered if Shusun Tong would send noodles tonight. If there were noodles to eat tonight, he would add more mutton.

As he was thinking this, Cheng Miao looked up towards the newly built Dali County, where groups of people were walking into the villages.

Then he looked toward the fields, where groups of people stretched out in the twilight glow, heading home.

The scene was spectacular. There were so many people that Cheng Miao stood there stunned as he watched the once empty village come alive with rising smoke, the sounds of people talking and laughing, and children playing around.

For some reason, Cheng Miao felt a sense of fulfillment upon seeing this scene, a feeling he had never experienced before in the Censorate.

At night, Cheng Miao returned to his residence, which was the county government office of Dali County. At that time, no county magistrate had been appointed yet, and Zhang Cang had full authority to handle the affairs of the entire county.

As expected, Shusun Tong had noodles brought over. Cheng Miao cooked the noodles himself and then cut some mutton, asking, "How did you manage to cook that glossy, clear mutton soup, young master?"

Zhang Cang, while eating noodles, said, "I don't know."

Cheng Miao found that he couldn't cook that kind of oily and clear soup no matter what he tried, so he gave up, took out the cooked mutton and noodles, mixed them together and ate them.

The next day, it was dawn.

On the banks of the Yellow River in Tongguan, Tian An was washing clothes when he looked up and saw a group of people walking towards him.

Upon seeing this, a guard immediately stepped forward to inquire.

Then, the guard came back and reported, "They are all the craftsmen who went back earlier."

Fusu happened to step outside and saw the craftsmen walking towards him.

Xin Sheng was eating a pancake when he saw the craftsmen arrive. He swallowed the pancake and laughed, "Haha! I knew they would come."

Qingbi stepped forward quickly, bowed, and said, "Young Master."

Fusu took the bowl of millet porridge that Tian An brought him and sat down at the door, asking, "Have things been settled at home?"

Qingbi waved for his family members to come forward, pointing to his youngest granddaughter and saying, "This is my youngest granddaughter, this is my eldest grandson, that is my son, my son's wife, and my wife."

The family of six, Fusu, noticed that most of the craftsmen behind him also brought their families while eating porridge. Fusu asked loudly, "Have you all settled your family affairs?"

The people behind answered one by one, some in unison, some in whispers, and some in loud voices.

Tian An watched this scene with a smile. The young master was usually very frugal and didn't even have a single toy to amuse him. All he had around him were books.

What pleased Tian An the most was that he discovered a certain aura about the young master.

This kind of aura is not afraid of any suspicion or external opinions.

It seems that as long as the young master sits here, people will serve him.

Tian An couldn't recall when the young master had changed like this; perhaps it started when Li Si became prime minister?

After thinking for a moment, Tian An shook his head and rejected the idea. It should have started from when the young master brought Wang Jian into the pass.

Fusu said, “I heard from the old farmers here that the riverbanks are submerged every year when the floods come, and the riverbanks at Tongguan are not high enough.”

Qingbi glanced at the Yellow River and said, "We are willing to obey your orders, young master."

Fusu still held the bowl, picked up some pickled radish and put it in his mouth to chew. The pickled radish made a crisp sound in his mouth. After chewing for a while, he said, "After the busy farming season, we should repair the river embankment first."

"I accept your order."

Fusu said, "The house has been prepared for you. It's in the village. You can stay here for now."

"Thank you, sir."

Fusu nodded, signaling them to enter the village.

The Yellow River is flowing very gently this year. Xin Sheng looked up at the sky and said, "Young master, it may rain today."

Fusu looked at the clouds in the sky and asked, "General, do all of you who lead troops have this ability?"

"It's not really a skill," Xin Sheng said. "I just guess. After observing the weather in Guanzhong a lot, I'll have a better grasp of it."

In the afternoon, Fusu was still discussing with Qingbi how to build Tongguan City. While they were discussing the construction matters, a rumbling thunder came from the horizon.

Tian An hurriedly carried the stove to the eaves.

Looking up again, I saw that a thunderstorm was indeed starting outside.

He stroked his white beard and said, "Such rain is a good thing."

The dry season in Guanzhong lasts only three months. The rains that came just before May indicate that this year's dry season is over.

Fusu pondered, deciding to repair the river embankment at Tongguan before the flood season, and then assess the water level during the flood season before constructing the embankment. He whispered, "The water flow of the Luo River upstream should be much smaller this year, so Tongguan shouldn't be flooded."

According to the county annals of Huayin County, flooding of Tongguan during the annual flood season was a common occurrence.

Before the Jingye Canal was built, the fields upstream could not be irrigated, and Tongguan downstream was frequently flooded.

This has led to Tongguan being neglected for so many years.

The Jingye Canal is now repaired.

Once the problems of drought and flood are solved, Tongguan will be a blessed land. People will naturally build up the area once they realize its advantages.

When the thunderstorm stopped, Qingbi walked to the Yellow River: "Fu'er, let's go down to the river!"

Upon hearing this, Qingbi's son, with a hemp rope tied around his waist and a pole in his hand, immediately jumped into the Yellow River.

There had just been a thunderstorm, and the river water was very murky.

Qingbi's son was named Fu, which means roadside weed. This was also the name of a native Qin person.

Fu carried the pole and swam up every now and then to catch his breath. Then Fusu saw a pole standing upright in the middle of the river with markings on it.

Fu's son, who was also Qingbi's grandson, was always holding the rope.

He swam to the shore, picked up another pole, and set it up in various positions in the river.

After all this was done, and Fu walked ashore, Qingbi said, "Young master, do you now know how deep the river is?"

Several eunuchs walked to the fence. Tian An looked at the young master who was still standing by the Yellow River, took the bundle from the eunuchs, and opened it to find it full of tea leaves.

"Were these all picked from Nanshan?"

Several eunuchs nodded.

Tian An said, "Let's go back. When we return to Nanshan, we'll bring back even more tea next year."

(End of this chapter)