The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 59 The Long, Scorching Heat

After saying this, the old general jumped into the river and swam in the water.

Tian An was also listless from the heat. He said, "This year's heatwave came early and is also very intense."

Fusu sat under the eaves, fanning himself, but felt no breeze in the sweltering heat. He then asked, "I've heard that quite a few people have left Xianyang."

Tian An nodded and said, "They've all gone to escape the summer heat. Quite a few have gone to Huayin County. People in the north of Guanzhong are all heading south. Once this sweltering heat is over, they'll return to Xianyang."

In the distance, the farmland was deserted, with only stalks of wheat, each bearing an ear of grain, standing tall under the scorching sun.

Summers in Guanzhong are always long, but Fusu didn't expect this summer to be even hotter than usual.

General Xin didn't catch any Yellow River carp after going into the water, but he did manage to catch a large river clam. He sat by the riverbank with his feet soaking in the water and didn't want to come back, enjoying the coolness of the river.

As evening approached, a few gusts of wind finally blew in, and after dark clouds filled the sky, thunder rumbled.

Although the heat is unbearable, the sweltering days of late July are also the flood season in Guanzhong, with torrential rains that create a misty spray on the ground.

A chill suddenly returned to the air.

Fusu saw Qingbi wearing a bamboo hat and looking at the newly repaired river embankment.

When General Xin Sheng returned, Fu Su asked, "What is Qingbi looking at in the rain?"

"He said he wanted to check if there were any cracks in the river embankment. If there were cracks, water would seep in and the entire embankment would collapse. He said he would go back after checking."

Fusu sat under the eaves as the rain intensified, the sound of the raindrops hitting the ground almost becoming a roar, truly like the heavens pouring water.

The view was very limited, and the rain gradually intensified until only the ground a few steps away could be seen.

The roar of the rain even drowned out the thunder at one point.

Inside the house, Tian An was holding an oil lamp and looking at the roof. Fortunately, the roof did not show any signs of leaking.

Xin Sheng said, "Don't worry, young master, this heavy rain comes quickly and goes quickly."

Fusu nodded, sat under the eaves and continued to watch the rain, occasionally taking a sip of hot tea.

The tea leaves that Tian An roasted were indeed not very good. After the two elderly people drank them once, they did not want to drink them again.

The remaining tea leaves were consumed by myself.

The tea leaves tasted different from when they were first roasted in April, and even the brewed tea water had started to turn yellowish, not as good as it was in early April.

Fusu discovered that storing tea was also a major problem.

As Fusu drank his tea, he noticed that General Xin Sheng was reading a book again, and the rain gradually subsided, turning into a normal moderate rain.

The river not far away is turbulent and muddy. This is the flood season in Guanzhong, which is concentrated in July and August. If the autumn flood is included, this flood season may continue intermittently until October.

Seeing many villagers running towards their homes in the rain, Fusu asked curiously, "What are they doing?"

Xin Sheng glanced at it, then continued reading his book. He explained, "In the past, with such heavy rain, Tongguan and Huayin County would usually be flooded. This year, it's unusual that they weren't flooded, so naturally I came back to take a look."

Fusu nodded in understanding.

At this point, Xin Sheng looked into the distance and hesitated, saying, "With such heavy rain this year, it should be flooded again, but since you are in a high place, you can rest assured."

Xin Sheng was suspicious, and despite the rain still falling, he put on a straw hat and went to the riverbank to observe.

Qingbi was also observing from the riverbank.

"General."

When the other person greeted him, Xin Sheng smiled back.

Although Qingbi was a craftsman, he often followed the army to fight in battles when he was young.

Looking at the river flowing eastward, Qingbi said again, "The Jingye Canal diverted a lot of the river water, preventing Tongguan and Huayin County from being flooded."

Xin Sheng said, "That's really a good thing."

"In this way, Tongguan can be built in a down-to-earth manner."

Without the Jingye Canal diverting so much river water, the lower reaches of the Wei River could not be stable; without the vast expanse of fertile land reclaimed to divert a large amount of river water, the conditions for building Tongguan would not have been met.

Tian An once said that Prince Fusu's thoughts and considerations were extremely far-sighted.

Who could have imagined that the Jingye Canal would bring such benefits to the entire Weinan region, and that Weinan would truly become the granary of Guanzhong in the future?

As night fell, the villagers who had left Tongguan before the heavy rain returned one after another. They carried the only valuable clothes in their homes, held their children, and walked home in disbelief. They had originally thought that the flood would come as expected this year, but the flood did not come this year, and even the river embankment was not flooded.

The heavy rain didn't stop until night fell.

The next day, the sun finally appeared on the horizon, illuminating this damp land of Guanzhong.

On the east side of Shangyan Mountain, there is a mansion. This mansion is not spacious and is even somewhat simple. This is the mansion built by General Zhang Han.

Zhang Han used surplus timber and bricks from Shangyan Mountain to build this mansion, which contained only a few rooms and two thatched huts.

As dawn broke, Zhang Han was repairing several leaks on his roof from the previous night.

He looked down and saw his wife feeding the child porridge. He smiled to himself, then went down from the roof and said to his wife, Dong, "It's fixed. It probably won't leak next time."

"lady!"

A woman's voice called from outside the door. Dong handed the child to Zhang Han and hurriedly went to open the door. Several women from the village came, carrying bundles of silk.

Madam Dong chatted and laughed with them. The women here did not need to weave clothes with silk, but Madam Dong came from the Dong family in Xianyang.

Even though they were daughters of wealthy families, the silk trade here was handled by people from the Dong family arranged by the Dong family, who traded with women in Xianyang.

"Oh dear!" Another woman hurried over and said, "General Zhang Han, the flood has damaged the culvert. Please go and take a look."

While Dong and a group of women were still carefully sorting the silk, Zhang Han took a mouthful of hot porridge and hurriedly left home with his sword.

Along the way, from the east side of Shangyan Mountain to the south side, a number of people stood by the riverbank, discussing the matter.

“General Zhang Han.” The somewhat short-statured Shusun Tong squeezed out from the crowd and called out loudly, “Come this way.”

Zhang Han strode forward to the front of the crowd, walked to the canal, and saw that the wooden frames had been washed out and were stuck at the exit of the culvert.

Zhang Han reached out and tested the water flow again, saying, "The water is still flowing very fast. The wooden frame has been washed away, but the culvert is still flowing and has not been blocked."

It's good news that the blockage wasn't blocked; if it had been blocked, the fields upstream might have been flooded.

Zhang Han looked towards the fields and saw that many people were already walking around there, all checking on the condition of the wheat.

After standing there for a while, Zhang Han replied, "Go back now. We'll repair the culvert once the water level has receded."

Everyone nodded and left.

Another adjutant rushed over and reported, "General, the canal upstream is somewhat damaged."

Zhang Han said in a deep voice, "Take this old man to see."

Zhang Han and Shusun Tong led a group of laborers and a group of soldiers towards the upper reaches of the Jingye Canal. There was a collapsed vertical shaft and the entrance of the Luo River into the Jingye Canal was also partially collapsed, and water was still flowing out.

Zhang Han pointed to a group of laborers and ordered, "Go and bring the sandbags prepared by the county."

Then, Zhang Han instructed another team: "Go and clean up the collapsed shaft."

Everyone received their orders and went about their tasks. Shusun Tong watched from the side. Zhang Han's influence in this area was still quite good. Although the underground channels of the canal had collapsed, several vertical shafts were damaged, and the canal's inlet had also collapsed.

Despite having so many things piled up before him, Zhang Han was still able to calmly and methodically give instructions one by one.

There was nothing that could be done about it. The previous underground channels had never experienced such a large flood. Prince Fusu had said before that just because the canals were dug doesn't mean they could be abandoned. Rather, maintaining the canals after they were dug would require a lot of effort.

Sandbags were piled up at the collapsed part of the inlet, which finally managed to block the river water.

It was the height of summer, and while the mornings were still somewhat cool, the heat returned around noon, with waves of heat hitting you in the face.

In the blink of an eye, summer arrived in Guanzhong, and even the sky was a clear blue without any clouds.

You can feel the heat of the air with every breath.

Zhang Han stepped on the muddy ground and piled up the last sandbag to stop the water from flowing out.

The sun was shining brightly, and even the muddy ground underfoot was hot. The muddy ground was slippery and hot, making it very uncomfortable to walk on.

Zhang Han then led the remaining men to repair the collapsed shafts.

The collapse of the shaft is not too bad and can be repaired.

If it can't be repaired, the wellhead will have to be sealed to prevent people from falling in at night. "General, I heard that many sections of the canal under the supervision of Imperial Censor Zhang have also collapsed."

Zhang Han wiped away his sweat, some mud clinging to his temples, but he didn't bother to clean it off. His feet still shod in the mud, he asked again, "Has anyone made repairs on Imperial Censor Zhang's side?"

Seeing that the general was still busy and even thinking about whether Imperial Censor Zhang needed help, the laborers felt admiration for him.

As everyone was busy, another group of soldiers arrived. Zhang Han looked at them with suspicion and asked, "Who are you...?"

Leading the group was the county magistrate of Huayin County, who arrived with three hundred laborers. The magistrate stepped forward and explained, "We have heard that the flood has washed away many sections of the canals. We have been ordered by the county magistrate to come and assist General Zhang Han in repairing the canals."

Zhang Han was curious.

The laborers in the county were also confused. Previously, people from Huayin County had caused trouble, saying that the digging of the canal had reduced their water supply downstream. At the time, they thought that the two counties had become enemies.

Unexpectedly, the other party took the initiative to send people to assist in the construction of the canal today.

One of the laborers muttered, "That's really strange."

The county magistrate said with a smile, "Young master once said that for Weinan to prosper, all counties in Weinan need to work together and help each other. That's why our county magistrate ordered us to come and repair it. General Zhang Han, please rest assured that the surrounding counties have also sent people to repair the canals."

This was truly astonishing. Shusun Tong went downstream to confirm, and indeed, there were quite a few people from other counties coming to assist Imperial Censor Zhang in building the canals.

When it was time to eat in the village, Zhang Han, holding a bowl of noodles and a flatbread in his hand, asked, "Old Master."

Shusun Tong nodded and said, "General, please speak."

"You mean the young master really said those kinds of things?"

Shusun Tong, holding chopsticks, nodded and said, "That's how it is. I remember two months ago, you were taking Sima Xin around to various counties."

Zhang Han understood immediately, and then began to vigorously slurp up the noodles.

However, when he slurped the noodles, a lot of soup splashed out.

Shusun Tong noticed that a lot of soup from Zhang Han's bowl had splashed into his own bowl, and for a moment he was in a dilemma holding his chopsticks.

He remembered something; whenever he ate with Zhang Han, it seemed he never ate a proper meal, and suddenly he didn't want to eat anymore.

After thinking for a moment, Shusun Tong saw that Zhang Han's bowl of noodles was empty, so he poured all the noodles from his own bowl into Zhang Han's bowl.

Before Zhang Han could ask, Shusun Tong spoke first, saying, "I am old and cannot eat so much."

Zhang Han, still chewing on a biscuit, nodded, indicating that he would finish it.

Actually, it wasn't that he had no appetite; Shusun Tong took another pancake from the basket next to him and ate it while sitting there alone.

In Huayin County, ever since Prince Fusu gave him his instructions, Sima Xin has kept his words in mind. Lately, he has been working hard and eating well.

Sima Xin was peeling a hard-boiled duck egg with a bowl of millet porridge in front of her. She took a bite of the egg, the egg white and yolk going into her mouth, half an egg in one bite.

"The county magistrate."

Someone hurried in and reported, "Magistrate, all the men have been sent out."

Sima Xin chewed on an egg, signaling that the person could leave. Then he picked up the bowl, drank a mouthful of porridge, and let out a comfortable sigh.

Three days later, Fusu stood by the river and watched as the water level returned to its original mark, which meant that the flood had passed.

The Guanzhong Plain remains calm, with no large-scale flooding, and this year is another bumper harvest.

"Young master, a letter has arrived from Shu, along with peaches from Shu."

Fusu took a peach, took a bite, and looked at the letter while holding it.

The letter was sent by Li You, who said that the peaches were brought from a place called Lingchi in Shu.

Upon seeing this, Fusu frowned, never expecting that Li You could still travel and enjoy the scenery in Shu.

Looking at the contents of the letter, Li You specifically mentioned that this peach was very special, the best-tasting peach in Sichuan, and also said that this year would be a bumper harvest year in Sichuan.

This reminded Fusu of a saying: "When Sichuan is bountiful, the whole world is well-fed."

Once the grain in Shu is ripe, there will be enough grain for the whole country.

Of course, Fusu felt that this statement still needed to be considered, and it might have been a metaphor used by people in later generations.

However, the current situation is that Shu is indeed a huge granary for Qin.

However, Fusu also saw something else in the letter: Li You had fallen in love with a girl in Shu and had even secretly married her there. The girl was pregnant with his child. This happened last year.

Fusu took a deep breath, and almost dropped the peach he was holding.

No wonder the Prime Minister repeatedly sent people to inquire when Li You would be able to return to Xianyang, but there was no news, only correspondence.

In his letter, Li You also said that if the Prime Minister did not agree to his marriage proposal, he would stay in Shu and not return.

After reading it, Fusu sat on the riverbank, holding his forehead in pain.

Tian An was also eating the peaches sent from Shu. He thought to himself that the peaches were sweet and easy to eat. But looking at the young master's expression, he wondered if the peaches were not good.
Fusu pondered how to explain this matter to the Prime Minister, wondering if the Prime Minister would be devastated if he found out.

Furthermore, judging from Li You's demeanor... if the Prime Minister doesn't accept, he will definitely stay in Shu and never return.

Fusu asked in a low voice, "Does the Prime Minister have any other sons?"

Tian An replied in a low voice, "As far as this old servant knows, there is only Li You."

Li You was the prime minister's son, which was the only thing he knew.

As for whether the prime minister had other sons hidden away, that remains unknown.

“I know Li You is a kind-hearted child, he…” At this point, Fusu sighed and said, “Well, the truth will eventually come out.”

Fusu didn't want to get involved in these matters. Perhaps in a few years, Li You would return to Xianyang with a big, fat child. Who knows what the Prime Minister would think then?

Anyway, the truth will eventually come out; the Prime Minister will find out sooner or later.

Oh right... Fusu suddenly remembered that there was no such thing as paper now.

Fusu said, "General, we have peaches from Shu to eat."

Upon hearing this, Xin Sheng, who was reading a book, strode over, took two peaches from the basket with his large hands, and sat back down.

Another young official rode up on horseback, bowed at the riverbank, and said, "Young master, the Prime Minister has sent me with documents from Zhangtai Palace."

Fusu then asked, "Does the Prime Minister have any other words to say?"

"No."

"Ah."

The official suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is there anyone named Li You...?"

Fusu said, "There is no news of him."

"My minister retire."

The man rode away.

Tian An said, "Young master, this young man is the Prime Minister's student. He grew up in the same town as the Prime Minister. His name is Wu Gong."

Fusu nodded without replying, and continued to look at the documents sent from Zhangtai Palace. These were battle reports from the southwest. Tuju was expanding into the southwest, and the military reports indicated that everything was going smoothly.

One can even imagine the scene of the valiant General Tuju subduing a large herd of live rhinoceroses in the southwest.

This battle report is probably not the original one sent by Tu Ju. It looks like it was a copy made by the Emperor and then sent over.

As Fusu looked around, he walked back to the courtyard. Among the sights was the progress of the Lingqu Canal's construction; the canal was almost ready to be dug to the point of leaving the water.

The courtyard now has a wall, but it's not very high; Fusu can see outside the courtyard by standing on tiptoe.

Tian Anbi was older than Qingbi, but the two of them joined forces and managed to smuggle a lot of bricks and stones from the palace, which were used to build the palace.

However, Tian An explained that these were palaces from various countries that were dismantled and transported to Xianyang.

Fusu still harbored doubts about Tian An's explanation.

After looking around, Fusu looked out of the courtyard. From there, he could see the fields on the other side of the river. Despite the unbearable heat, people were all looking forward to the day when the grain would ripen.

Fusu was also looking forward to it. After the summer harvest, he would most likely return to the palace to report on the land reclamation and then petition for more laborers to build Tongguan.

(End of this chapter)