Daqin: My weak and virtuous minister

What could be done to increase the amount of food? To make it taste better? This couldn't be a divine solution, could it? Could the Duke of Qin be a god? But they were ordinary people from Han. Would the Qin people really take them in?

"Father, don't hesitate any longer. Let's go to Qin. Maybe there's still a chance to survive. If we stay here and wait for the Lord to come and take away the food tomorrow, I'm afraid we'll all starve to death."

Before the village chief could say anything, a villager stood up, looked at the village chief's son and asked, "Is what you just said true? Is the Qin Kingdom really that good?"

"Of course it's true. I heard those merchants say this when I went to the city. They envied the Qin people when they said it."

The man nodded and said, "I'll go."

"Village Chief, I'm willing to go too."

"Village chief, don't hesitate. If it's too late, we won't be able to leave."

The village chief helped his son to his feet. He watched as most people fled to Qin State. He looked at his son again and finally nodded. "Now everyone, hurry back and pack your things. Take food and clothes with you. Don't take anything else. It's important to hurry. If we get caught, we'll all die."

"When the evening comes, we'll gather at the end of the village and leave at night. The adults said they'd come to collect the grain tomorrow afternoon, but we'll have already left."

Although he had never been to Qin, he still knew the direction. He went into the mountains. As long as he entered the mountains, it would not be easy for the officials to find them.

Everyone left the village chief's house one after another. Soon every household was busy. The women took out all the cloth they could find at home, and even took apart the moldy thin quilts to make simple clothes. There was no other way. It was too cold outside. If they didn't wear something thicker, they would probably freeze to death at night.

At dinner time that day, every household had a full meal, and even the children were urged to sleep a little longer during the day.

Before the hour of You, people from various villages had already gathered at the end of the village, including some from neighboring villages.

"Village chief, my uncle's village is even worse than ours, and they are willing to flee with us."

The man spoke in a low voice, not even daring to raise his head, for fear that everyone would blame him for telling others about the matter.

"Village chief, my uncle's family can't survive anymore. Please take them with you."

A clatter of people knelt down, and the village chief sighed helplessly, "Everyone, get up quickly. If you're willing to follow us, then let's go together. But we can't cause any trouble on the way. We need to walk more distance, and we can't let the police catch up."

"Yes Yes Yes,"

"Thank you, village chief."

"We will definitely obey."

The original team of more than 300 people grew to more than 600 people. The village chief and his family took the lead and walked in front. The children either followed or were carried. No one dared to stop.

Xitou Village was not the only village that chose to flee; the same thing was happening in other villages as well.

"General, the rumors are getting more and more intense, and officials in many places are taking advantage of this to confiscate food from the people, causing public sentiment to become unstable."

The deputy general walked in covered in snow, and the more Ning Teng listened, the angrier his face became.

"The king hasn't issued an edict to collect taxes yet, how dare they do this!"

Since being sent to Nanyang, Ning Teng had made ample preparations. However, the Qin people were cunning, spreading malicious messages in Nanyang to disrupt the army's morale. Coupled with the fact that they had suffered more defeats than victories in several battles, the situation was not optimistic. Who would have thought that those parasites would not only try to stabilize the people's morale, but would also forcibly collect grain.

"General,"

"Send someone to report the situation here to the king immediately. Please order the execution of the treacherous minister."

"promise."

The deputy general left quickly. Ning Teng slammed his palm on the table, and a dagger on the table jumped a few times, making a noise.

Ning Teng quickly picked up the dagger and wiped the blade carefully.

This dagger was given to him three days ago by Yao Jia from the State of Qin.

Recalling that day

"It's a shame to have such a talented general like General Ning Teng in South Korea."

In the room, Yao Jia leisurely drank the tea he brought from Qin, and poured a cup for Ning Teng.

"General, please try it. How does our Qin tea taste?"

Tea tasting is not popular nowadays, but Qin merchants started selling tea a month ago, and the aroma of tea is everywhere. He tasted it when he was in Xinzheng.

However, tea was expensive. Although he was a general, he was not given an important position and his salary was not much, so he was reluctant to buy it.

Ning Teng looked up at the teacup, then at Yao Jia. Seeing that the other party looked calm, he picked up the teacup, sniffed the tea fragrance, took a sip, and tasted the sweetness with a lingering bitterness.

"Good tea."

"General Ning Teng, I have arranged to meet you today to convey a message from my king. My king values ​​your talents very much. If you can serve my king, I will honor you."

While speaking, Yao Jia kept an eye on Ning Teng.

Ning Teng's expression remained unchanged after hearing this. He glanced at Yao Jia. He knew how powerful this man was. On a previous diplomatic mission to Han, he had argued with the court officials, proving that Han had sent someone to assassinate a senior Qin official. Oh, I heard he was now a Marquis of Guannei. Even leaving without him would have made Han bear the accusation of murdering an envoy.

This person is very cunning and must be guarded against.

"I am a general of Han, how can I serve the King of Qin?"

"Why not? The kings of our Qin State have always been eager to seek talents and have employed people without any restrictions. In our Qin State, talented people will be promoted to higher positions and become dukes and generals in no time."

"But, will the general's talents be valued by the King of Han?"

"In our Qin State, the king is wise and the ministers are loyal. The king and his ministers are of one mind and of one purpose. But is it possible for the King of Han to do the same?"

Yao Jia spoke slowly and steadily, each word striking Ning Teng's heart, each word drawing blood and piercing the heart.

Ning Teng's face changed slightly, Yao Jia laughed in his heart, but did not show it on his face.

"Of the seven kingdoms in the world today, Qin has the wisest ruler and the strongest national power. Unification is only a matter of time. Han has an inactive ruler and its ministers are mostly sycophants and greedy. How can such a Han Dynasty last long?"

"General, you should know that even if you defend Nanyang to the death, you will not be able to stop the Qin cavalry."

At this moment, Yao Jia fully demonstrated the demeanor of a great country and the confidence of a strong country.

Ning Teng clenched his fists under the table. Yao Jia didn't need Ning Teng to say anything and continued, "My king truly values ​​General Ning Teng's military talent, so he sent me here to persuade you. You should consider this carefully."

Afterwards, he casually poured Ning Teng a cup of tea and pushed the box he brought in front of Ning Teng: "This is a test of my king's sincerity. I will give it to General Ning Teng first."

Afterwards, Yao Jia drank a cup of tea and stood up to leave.

Ning Teng sat for a long time before drinking the cold cup of tea. Then he opened the box and found an antique dagger inside.

Ning Teng was so engrossed in his thoughts that his hand was cut and blood flowed out instantly.

Ning Teng wiped the blood off his hands without caring, then stood up and took a clean handkerchief to wipe the dagger clean.