The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 58 Two Years of Southern Expedition (Part 2)

Seeing that it was the young master returning, Tian An hurriedly stepped forward to help lead the horse. He then explained, "This tea is really not good, but we can't waste so much tea, so I thought I'd stir-fry it all."

Upon entering the courtyard, Fusu returned to his small house and began writing down the various situations he had witnessed in Huayin County that day.

After finishing writing, he took out the scroll and had someone deliver it to the Prime Minister.

Turning around, I saw two elderly people sitting opposite each other, with Tian An pulling General Xin to drink tea.

Xin Sheng was clearly unwilling to drink and repeatedly refused.

However, tonight, although Tian An fried all the tea leaves, he did not drink a single drop.

The next day, after breakfast, Fusu took a few roasted tea leaves, put them in a small bowl, poured in boiling water, and let it cool for a while.

Seeing the craftsmen begin to compact the foundation, indicating that they were preparing to build the city wall, Fusu took a sip of tea. He frowned as soon as the tea entered his mouth; it was indeed quite bitter. No wonder the two old men refused to drink it a second time.

Tian An will most likely never drink tea again.

Fusu drank the tea on his own. The aroma was indeed quite good. He hadn't really savored tea in his previous life. He probably thought all the teas he drank tasted the same.

It has a bitter taste with a hint of tea aroma, and it's not bad as you drink it; it's better than nothing.

After Fusu finished drinking the tea in his bowl, he saw that Sima Xin had arrived early.

Xin Sheng summoned an escort team, and Fusu traveled towards Liyi under their escort.

Xin Sheng explained, "My lord, there was a saying among the people of Qin back then: south of the Wei River is Liyi, and north of the Wei River is Xiagui."

Fusu asked, "Is Liyi also a newly established county?"

Xin Sheng rode his horse to the side and said, "The place name Liyi has existed before. A few years ago, the First Emperor established Liyi County here. The many counties surrounding Weinan were also established in recent years."

Tian An said, "In earlier times, the Qin people came from the Li Rong tribe. Successive Qin kings regarded this place as their ancestral home, and the vast majority of the people in Liyi County are old Qin people who maintain the Qin royal family."

Fusu felt that the people of Liyi County mentioned by Tian An were like the tomb guardians who had been passed down through generations in the Qin state.

Liyi was very small, much smaller than Huayin County. When Fusu arrived, he found the place to be quite desolate.

No wonder the taxes in Liyi County are so low. There are only a few acres of barren land, a sparse population, mostly elderly people, and few children.

Fusu was escorted by Qin cavalry, so when the people here saw the Qin army, they all stood up and saluted, their expressions neither humble nor arrogant.

They should be the oldest branch of the Qin people, just like the Qin people of Liyang.

As we passed through Liyi, it was unusually quiet. Even the children there didn't cry or make a fuss. When they saw cavalrymen passing by, they all stood respectfully to the side.

The line stopped in front of an elderly person.

Tian An stepped forward and exchanged a few words with the other party.

Fusu noticed that the old man was quite old, but the cane he was using was made of very good material.

After exchanging a few words with Tian An, Fu Su noticed that the old man's gaze was also looking in their direction. There was no hostility in his eyes, but it wasn't exactly friendly either.

It seems that my own troops shouldn't have come here, nor should we have disturbed them.

Fusu then saw several women wiping a stone statue of a Qin soldier, and then he thought, isn't that a Terracotta Army?
After Tian An returned to the group, Xin Sheng led the group away from there.

Did we disturb them?

Tian An looked back at the village behind him. The group had already gone far away before he spoke: "They have seen too many dead members of the Qin royal family and do not welcome outsiders. Once everyone here has died, please, young master, change the name of this place and allow new people to move here in the future."

What will happen to the children and young people there?

Tian An explained, "The young people will leave that place. This is what the old man asked of you, young master, that this place be demolished in the future."

Fusu found it strange that anyone would not want development and would even request the demolition of their hometown.

However, the only possibility that Fusu could think of was this matter... It concerns the mausoleums of the Qin kings of past dynasties, as well as the mausoleum of the First Emperor. Not all places in Guanzhong can be entered at will.

Tian An said in a low voice, "They think it would be best to entrust the affairs of the Qin kings after their deaths to you, my lord."

Li You, the military commander from Shu, once again sent a military report to Xianyang.

Inside the Prime Minister's residence, Li Si received the military report and looked at its contents. The report was all about military affairs, and there was still not a single word about his biological father.

There wasn't even a letter from home, but at least he knew his son was still alive and continuing to supply the southward-bound army with grain from Sichuan.

When Li Si saw the name Lingqu, the supervising official Lu, on the orders of Prince Fusu, named the canal Lingqu.

Today, the excavation of the Lingqu Canal mobilized 100,000 soldiers and civilians, 60,000 of whom were captured villagers from the south. The Lingqu Canal is currently over 20 li long, but it has not yet been completed.

It took two years and tens of thousands of people to build up this half of the Lingqu Canal, which was enough for the Qin army to transport grain and fodder.

"Prime Minister, this is the young master's recent behavior."

Li Si took a few scrolls of documents and quickly left the Prime Minister's residence.

In Zhangtai Palace, Ying Zheng was reading the battle report sent from the north.

A palace attendant hurried over and whispered a few words to the First Emperor.

Ying Zheng continued reading the battle report, nodding slightly.

After understanding, the eunuch hurriedly walked out of the palace.

Inside the spacious yet somewhat dimly lit main hall of Zhangtai Palace, it remained quiet.

Li Si entered the main hall carrying the documents and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, these are the documents for the construction of the Lingqu Canal sent from the south."

Ying Zheng continued to look at the battle report without raising his head.

"And also the recent behavior of Prince Fusu."

Ying Zheng said, "Put it aside."

Li Si placed the several scrolls of documents he had brought on the table.

Ying Zheng put away the military report from the north, looked at the documents brought by Li Si, and asked, "The steep gate?"

Li Si replied, "The rivers in the south are different from those in Guanzhong. They are mostly mountainous, so we need to use sluice gates to divert the water, and then use steep gates to store and release water to regulate the water level so that boats can cross the river surfaces of different elevations."

As he spoke, Li Si demonstrated the changes in water level with his hands.

Ying Zheng exclaimed, "What wisdom!"

Li Si bowed and said, "I agree. Du Shui Changlu, who oversaw the construction of the Lingqu Canal, possesses great wisdom and ensured the smooth transportation of the army's provisions."

The eunuch brought in today's meal, which was noodles again.

Ying Zheng ate his noodles, chewed a mouthful, and said, "I remember, this Du Shui Changlu was with Fusu when he built the Xianyang Bridge?"

"I remember that when His Majesty asked you to build the Xianyang Bridge, you went to the Imperial Censorate to review the records of water conservancy in Guanzhong throughout the ages. That's when you discovered this craftsman and worked with him to build the Xianyang Bridge."

Ying Zheng nodded and said, "I remember that it was Feng Quji who recommended me for the project of building the canal in the south."

Li Si replied, "That's right."

"If you had known that Fusu had such a person in his service, why didn't you introduce him?"

Li Si smiled awkwardly. If Jian Lu was a craftsman under Prince Fusu, then it should have been Prince Fusu who recommended him. It was not his turn at all. Moreover, in the early years, it was Feng Quji who did all sorts of work for Jian Lu.

Seeing Li Si's troubled expression, Ying Zheng added, "The construction of the Lingqu Canal cannot be stopped. As for the construction of prefectures and counties, Shu will provide full assistance for all the necessary resources."

Li Si bowed and said, "Your subject will make the arrangements immediately."

After saying this, Li Si hurriedly walked out of Zhangtai Palace. He had just put on his shoes when he encountered Gongzi Gao, who had come here.

"Gao greets the Prime Minister."

The young man bowed very respectfully.

Li Si also bowed and said, "Si greets the young master."

Holding a food box high, he asked, "Has the Prime Minister come to report on state affairs to the Emperor?"

Li Si nodded.

Gao said again, "Father is still dealing with state affairs, so I won't disturb you. I'll give you the roasted meat after you've finished your business."

Li Si smiled and said, "Young master, please come into the palace. His Majesty is having a meal."

Gao then looked at the eunuchs in front of the hall.

The eunuch greeted the young master with a smile and ushered him inside.

Li Si put on his shoes, straightened his clothes, and hurried down the stone steps.

Inside the main hall, Ying Zheng was still observing Fu Su's recent behavior when he saw a small figure approaching him.

Gao put down the food box and said with a smile, "Gao and my sister Yinman roasted some meat and brought it to Father Emperor."

Ying Zheng was eating noodles when he said, "Bring it here."

Gao brought some roasted meat to his father, the emperor, and said, "I heard that you used to often bring food to your father, but now that you are not in the palace, I think of your past and bring it to you."

Ying Zheng ate the roasted meat sent by his son, Gongzi Gao. The meat was roasted very thinly and had a hint of scallion and ginger flavor.

Seeing his father chewing meat, Gao's face was full of anticipation.

Ying Zheng nodded slowly and said, "Delicious."

Gao grinned and said, "I'm afraid Father Emperor won't be pleased."

Seeing his father looking at documents, Gao asked again, "Father, when will my brother return to the palace?"

Ying Zheng paused his chewing for a moment, then said, "After autumn, or perhaps next year."

Gao tidied up the bowls and chopsticks and said, "Father and brother have worked so hard."

After saying this, Gao stood up again and said, "Your subject will return first."

Ying Zheng was still looking at the documents, and slowly nodded.

Gao walked out of Zhangtai Palace, looked back at the main hall, then looked towards Weinan, and then walked down the steps one by one.

Yin Man waited outside the palace. When she saw her elder brother Gao return, she stepped forward and asked, "Has Father eaten?"

Gao replied, "Father has already eaten. Let's go to Jingye County first thing tomorrow morning." Yin Man said, "Okay."

Gao said, "I want to learn more. Once I have acquired the skills, I will also help my father and brother govern the country."

The Guanzhong Plain enters summer in April, and the long summer is about to begin. There are still many people working in the fields.

South of Guanzhong, after crossing the Zhongnan Mountains and continuing south through Sichuan, Zhao Tuo arrived at a riverbank after passing through a dense forest and asked, "Where is this?"

The guide beside him replied, "People from the Chu region call this place the Xiang River."

Zhao Tuo looked up at the blazing sun with displeasure and continued leading his troops along the river. His attack direction was different from Tu Ju's; he had been fighting from the southeast all the way to the southwest, and it had taken him almost half a year to get here.

After traveling for a while, the scenery in front of them became much more open and flat, with large areas of paddy fields in front of them, and rice seedlings had already been planted in the fields.

Zhao Tuo exclaimed in surprise, "There are such fertile fields here!"

The Chu guide replied, "This place has always been rich in provisions."

As they were talking, a group of Qin soldiers came forward to inquire. After Zhao Tuo introduced himself, he was led to the riverbank.

Zhao Tuo asked, "Where are Tu Ju and Du Shui Changlu?"

"Reporting to General Zhao, it should be at Lishui."

The Lingqu Canal was designed to connect the Xiang River and the Li River, forming a waterway.

The Li River is also the Li River, and the Xiang River is the Xiang River. The two rivers are connected and run through the north and south water systems. Zhao Tuo looked at the map in his hand, frowned and said, "Let's go to the Li River."

On a summer day in July, by the Lishui River, Jianlu washed his face with the river water and looked at the mountains before him that resembled bamboo shoots.

Under the blue sky and white clouds, these towering bamboo shoot mountains are especially beautiful, as is the clear Lishui River at our feet.

Jianlu exclaimed, "The scenery here is truly beautiful."

The soldiers in the rear killed a mosquito.

The escort team that brought Jianlu to Lishui was not very well organized, and most of them were not fully armored, because the sporadic battles fought in the south over the past two years had been too annoying.

Furthermore, after two years of traveling and constantly on the go, it's already a miracle if you still have a complete set of clothes. After two years of walking through the mountains and forests of the south, the calluses on your feet have been broken and healed repeatedly.

When this army left Sichuan, it was still very imposing.

After two years away, the mountains, the water, and the forests had worn me down to the point where I was practically a wild man. I didn't even have a clean, intact piece of cloth left on me.

Even Jianlu was dressed in tattered rags layered upon tattered rags, barely able to get by.

The group went into a wooded area by the river to cool off. Jianlu listened to the sound of the soldiers swatting mosquitoes around him. He took out a scroll and examined it carefully. This place was very close to Xi'ou. The Yue people called this place Guilin. This place was very beautiful, with beautiful peaks and winding rivers. It made people want to stay here.

Jianlu lay down to rest, listening to the conversations of the soldiers around him.

"Do you think you'll go back?"

"This journey has been too difficult. I don't want to go back. I want to find a woman here to stay and live with. Since the army needs people to stay and cultivate the land, then we can stay here. It would be perfect if the few of us stayed. That's it. I don't want to go back."

"I still have my parents at home..."

Another person spoke up.

Another person said, "Your parents have more than one child. Once the Lingqu Canal is completed, if you miss home, you can walk up the Lingqu Canal to Dujiangyan and then return to Guanzhong."

Jianlu smiled. The five hundred soldiers under his command had all followed him in digging canals. They were not very good at fighting, and one of them was even a novice who had never killed anyone.

However, by following them in digging the canal, they didn't have to kill anyone. Along the way, they would occasionally travel and occasionally lead people in digging the canal.

However, along the way, digging canals and traveling long distances from Sichuan to Guilin, these young people suffered a lot.

Guilin is a beautiful name. Jianlu opened his eyes slightly and looked at the distant mountains and rivers. For a moment, he also wanted to stay here.

However, Jianlu recalled the faint sobs he could hear when he left home. Two and a half years had passed, but he had not forgotten them, and he missed home too.

After a brief moment of sadness, Jianlu was amused by the boys' crude words.

"I've heard that the Yue women are very wild."

"You just like wild things!"

"Damn it!" The two teenagers started fighting as they were talking.

“Dushui is too long!” A young man approached Jianlu and asked, “How much longer do we have to dig this canal?”

Jian Lu said, "If you continue to be so lazy, we'll have to dig for another two years."

Upon hearing this, the boy's face showed a bitter expression.

Jianlu turned around and looked at the faces behind him, and said in a low voice, "If you were more diligent and recruited more people, you might have already returned home by this time next year."

Upon hearing this, the young man shouted to the people behind him, "Du Shuichang said! We can go home next year!"

A cheer erupted from the woods. Jianlu sat leaning against a tree trunk, ready to go home next year... He hadn't realized how long he'd been away. Even if he went home next year, it would still take three years to dig this canal.

While everyone was resting, a troop of cavalry was approaching. They had a small number of warhorses but a considerable number of armored soldiers.

Jianlu strode to the riverbank and called out loudly, "Commander Lu of the Waterways is here. May I ask which army you are?"

The leader dismounted and said, "A letter has come from Shu, ordering the Chief of Water Conservancy to dedicate himself to the construction of the Lingqu Canal. Shu will provide full assistance in terms of manpower and resources. The First Emperor has issued an edict ordering the Chief of Water Conservancy to oversee the affairs of this area and to build Guilin Prefecture."

"I accept your order."

After he finished speaking, cartloads of grain and fodder were brought to him.

At present, the Lingqu Canal has not yet reached the Lishui River. Jianlu came here first to dig northward from the Lishui River to connect with the Lingqu Canal which is being excavated southward, and to excavate from both ends simultaneously.

Upon receiving the document, Jianlu bowed and bid farewell.

This group from Sichuan traveled south along the Li River, most likely to deliver a document to Tu Ju.

Jianlu instructed the local youths to build a few thatched huts and settle down there first. Then, Jianlu looked at the documents sent by the Prime Minister.

"Du Shuichang, when do we start digging to get out of the water?"

Jianlu said in a low voice, "Stay here for now."

"Du Shuichang, didn't you say that the more diligent we are, the sooner we can go back?"

Jianlu looked at the First Emperor's document, in which the First Emperor named this place Guilin Prefecture, and then looked at the young man beside him.

As the chief waterworks official of the Great Qin Dynasty, and as an official, he was naturally responsible for the Lingqu Canal project. Jianlu said solemnly, "These two months are the rainy season. We will start digging after the rainy season is over."

As expected, heavy rain fell in the area over the next two days. A group of teenagers sat under a reed, and the wind blew rain down on the riverbank. The sound of frogs croaking came from the woods behind them.

These past few nights, everyone has been falling asleep to the sound of frogs croaking.

At night, Jianlu looked at the boys who had just fallen asleep. These children had followed him south when they were fifteen or sixteen years old, and in the blink of an eye they were all seventeen or eighteen. Two years of their youth had passed just like that. He covered them with dry grass to keep them from catching a cold.

The past two years of the southern expedition have been truly tough on these children. Unlike the Central Plains, where you can find houses to live in after conquering a place, there are hardly any houses or good food in the mountains and forests of the south.

Jianlu felt that his son should be about their age by now. The children in his family were fifteen years old, and when he left home, they were only thirteen.

Half a month later, the rain stopped, and after five consecutive sunny days, groups of young people, following the instructions of the water chief, jumped into the Li River and swam, testing its depth.

Another army arrived at the riverbank; the newcomer was none other than Zhao Tuo, a general of the Qin army.

Jian Lu stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Lu greets the General."

"This humble general has finally found Chief Du Shui." As he spoke, Zhao Tuo had several sick soldiers brought in, and added, "I've heard that Chief Du Shui can cure diseases, thank you for your trouble."

Jian Lu stepped forward and examined the condition of the patients, saying, "When we left Xianyang, Prince Fusu gave me several scrolls of books. They are medical texts for treating acclimatization problems, diarrhea, and fever. I can cure them."

Zhao Tuo patted him heavily on the back, and suddenly realized that Du Shuichang was actually very thin and weak. He said, "Thank you for your trouble, Du Shuichang."

Jian Lu took a bundle from the thatched hut. Inside the bundle were some dried herbs. He said, "Since the southern expedition, all the soldiers have suffered. My little matter is nothing."

Zhao Tuo asked, "Where is Tu Ju?"

"In Xi'ou."

"He has pacified many places with his army. Where shall I go to attack?"

"Tu Ju intends to go southwest, General, you may go southeast."

"southeast?"

Jianlu hurriedly went to Caolu again and returned with a scroll of map. He pointed to a river on the map and said, "This is the Yu River. The latter half of the Yu River is the Xi River. The Xi River flows into the sea in the southeast. General, you can reach the southeast by following the river."

Zhao Tuo saw that the other party's map was very detailed; it was the most detailed map he had seen since he went south. Seeing that the other party was about to put the map away...

Where did this picture come from?

“It was given to me by the young master, and Lu also painted a scroll for General Tuju.”

Noticing Zhao Tuo's eager gaze, Jian Lu said, "I'll also draw one for the General."

Zhao Tuo bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you."

"The map that the young master gave to Lu is mainly for identifying the course of the river. As for whether there are any settlements along the way, Lu does not know. General, you should still be cautious."

"This subordinate understands, thank you for your trouble, Du Shuichang."

……

At this time in Guanzhong, the scorching sun almost bakes the earth.

The small courtyard that was once fenced off now has a wall, but the construction of Tongguan City is still not progressing much. Qingbi is still leading people to build the river embankment. In his words, Tongguan cannot be built without building the river embankment.

Fusu waved the palm-leaf fan in his hand and said in a low voice, "In this sweltering heat, only an endless supply of food can relieve the heat in my heart."

Tian Anye, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, said, "I heard that people from Jingye County and Dali County have gone to the vertical shaft to escape the summer heat, saying it's quite cool there."

Xin Sheng said, "The shaft was crowded with people, and all sorts of smells were mixed together; it was too pungent."

Fusu nodded and said, "It would be better to wash in the river."

"Yes, I also think it would be better to wash in the river. I'll go and catch two carp for you now."

(End of this chapter)