The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

Qin Yi and the other two followed Pang Qing to the camp. The camp was built on the mountain and hidden in a valley not far away. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the camp was embedded in it. In the autumn and winter in the north, there was little rain and much wind, and the temperature difference between day and night was large, but there was sufficient water in the valley, which could effectively keep warm. There were many watchtowers on the surrounding mountains to guard the camp.

Pang Qing looked at Han Xin's flushed face, smiled slightly, and said softly to Qin Yi: "Brothers, you must be exhausted after traveling all the way. Why don't we find a place to rest for a while? It's also a good opportunity for me to introduce you to the situation here."

He pointed to a camp area ahead and continued, "That's the garrison at Yanmen Pass. The garrison commander is the General you just saw—Pang Bo. There are currently 6,000 corvée laborers here, tasked with building a section of the Great Wall that stretches about 20 miles from east to west. Winter is approaching, and the project is only three-fifths complete. It's a real headache!"

Pang Qing then gave a detailed introduction to the garrison: "The current garrison has a total of 3,000 troops, who are responsible for guarding Yanmen Pass, patrolling the surrounding area, and supervising the construction. The garrison consists of a Vanguard Battalion of approximately 700 people, primarily responsible for mobile operations and support; the Left and Right Guard Battalions, each with 500 people, are primarily responsible for supervising the progress of the project; and the Central Guard Battalion, with 1,000 people, is primarily responsible for guarding the camp and patrolling the surrounding area. In addition, there is a 300-man Supply Battalion, specifically responsible for logistical support and material allocation."

When Qin Yi heard Pangbo's name, his suspicions were confirmed, and he involuntarily looked at Ying Bu. Ying Bu seemed to sense something, turned his head, met Qin Yi's gaze, nodded slightly, and both of them simultaneously revealed a smile that only they understood.

Qin Yi was relieved that he had said at the beginning that the reason he went north was because the defending commander was his brother Pangbo. But now he had just met Pangbo, and Ying Bu did not show any doubt or dissatisfaction. It seemed that he had completely believed in him.

Pang Qing's expression straightened, and his tone became serious. "You all may not know, but the reason I, Pang Qing, was able to take on the position of commander of the vanguard battalion wasn't just because Pang Bo is my cousin. Back then, when the foreign tribes were invading Jiuyuan, I followed General Meng in his northern expedition, engaging in a thrilling battle with the Xiongnu. During that time, I fought bravely and made numerous military achievements, which led to my current position."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yi and the other three hurriedly bowed and said in unison, "We are deeply impressed and have absolutely no intention of disrespect."

In a moment, the group arrived at the camp. Pang Qing sent his men to fetch three sets of clothing and plate armor. Qin Yi and Ying Bu's clothing were perfectly sized, but Han Xin's was a bit too large.

After chatting with Pang Qing, Qin Yi learned that the deputy general also belonged to the personal guard battalion, shouldering the responsibility of delivering orders, checking posts and patrolling the surrounding areas. After saying this, Pang Qing left immediately.

The three of them sat together, discussed for a while, and then began to pack their bags. Originally, each group of five shared a small tent, but the other tents were full, so the three of them had their own space.

At dawn the next day, the three men dressed in military uniforms. Qin Yi led Han Xin to join the patrol team, while Ying Bu followed another team to the surrounding watchtowers to inspect the post conditions.

Qin Yi and his group passed by the construction site and saw laborers carrying rocks up the hillside. Regardless of size, they carried them on their shoulders and hands, which was both physically demanding and time-consuming. An idea struck him, and he decided to go find Pang Bo and explain the matter after his inspection.

In the evening, Qin Yi brought with him several small wheel models, wooden sticks, and a foot-long string, and arrived outside the main tent. After the guards informed him, Qin Yi finally saw Pang Bo.

Qin Yi bowed and clenched his fists, saying, "Greetings, General!"

Pang Bo secretly observed Qin Yi. He saw that he was wearing a military uniform and plate armor, which gave him a certain air of a general. Furthermore, his attire and appearance made him look even more like a general. Pang Bo sighed inwardly and said, "What do you want?"

Qin Yi replied, "I have something I'd like to have a look at, General."

"Oh?" Pangbo said bluntly, "Show it up."

Qin Yi pulled out a wooden stick, a thin rope, and a small wheel and fiddled with them. In a moment, two small wooden wheels, one large and one small, appeared on the table. Their surfaces had protrusions resembling gears, and the edges of the wheels extended outward, with two small handles on each side. A wooden frame secured them nearby. There were similar wheels on the ground, with ropes running from the two wheels on the table to the wheels on the ground. Several stones, tied to the ropes, hung from a thin rope on one side.

After everything was ready, Qin Yi cranked the small handle of the wheel on the ground and asked Pang Bo to crank the small handle of the wheel on the table. The stone, tied to a thin rope below, moved slowly from below to the table like a snail.

Pang Bo was overjoyed, instantly understanding Qin Yi's intention. When building the Great Wall, since the stone was quarried at the foot of the mountain, they could place scaled-up wooden wheels on the hillside and at the foot of the mountain. They could select strong, thick hemp ropes, load the stone into baskets, tie the ropes tightly, and hang them on the thick hemp ropes. The workers on both sides would work together to turn the wooden wheels. The stone would then be slowly transported from the bottom of the mountain to the top, like a tortoise. This would save both time and labor, giving the workers more time to build the wall and significantly shortening the construction period.

Pangbo immediately summoned all the generals to watch the demonstration of this means of transport. The generals were amazed at this novel invention.

Pang Bo thought to himself: "This Qin Yi is really a rare talent. Such an exquisite design will definitely greatly improve transportation efficiency." He made a prompt decision and ordered the craftsmen to make a large number of wooden wheels according to Qin Yi's design, and organized laborers to be trained.

A few days later, the wooden wheel was officially put into use, greatly improving transportation efficiency and making the originally difficult project easier.

The civilians were filled with gratitude and praised Qin Yi and others highly. Qin Yi was also appreciated by Pang Bo.

Listening to everyone's admiration, Ying Bu was already immune to it. He thought to himself: "I have long seen how powerful Brother Qin is. It's not surprising, it's not surprising." But Han Xin was different. He looked at Qin Yi with eyes full of admiration, and secretly sighed in his heart: "Mr. Qin's talent is really impressive. I must ask him more for advice and follow in his footsteps." Han Xin became even more convinced of Qin Yi.

Under Qin Yi's suggestion, the progress of the project was greatly accelerated, and the construction of this section of the Great Wall was gradually completed by 4/5.

One day, Qin Yi and Han Xin were patrolling outside the city walls with a team of ten men, gazing into the distance. Han Xin couldn't help but sigh, "Mr. Qin has made an invaluable contribution to this city's construction. Without his brilliant ideas, I wonder how long this city would have been completed."

Qin Yi smiled, patted Han Xin on the shoulder, and said, "Brother Han, you are too kind. This achievement is only possible because of our concerted efforts. However, although the Great Wall has been built, the security of the border remains dangerous, and we must remain vigilant."

As the two were talking, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from afar. A spy came running over, breathlessly reporting, "Lieutenant General Qin, there are four or five Xiongnu-looking spies to our northeast."

Qin Yi's heart tightened. He turned to look at Han Xin and said in a deep voice, "How dare the Xiongnu spies get so close? We must capture them as soon as possible."

Han Xin bowed and said, "I am willing to obey Mr. Qin's orders."

Qin Yi immediately ordered: "You lead five people to encircle them from the left, and I will lead people to encircle them from the right. Make sure no one escapes."

Han Xin took the order and quickly led his soldiers to rush to the left.

Qin Yi led the remaining soldiers to detour to the right.

Soon, the two sides formed an encirclement, trapping the Hun spies in the middle.

Seeing the situation was not good, the Xiongnu spies tried to break out and escape. Although they were few in number, they were very agile and difficult to subdue.

Qin Yi frowned slightly, holding a spear in his hand, and when the time was right, he suddenly jumped up, and the spear, like a dragon, pierced the throat of the Hun spy leader.

The leader of the Xiongnu spies screamed and fell to the ground, dying. Seeing this, the morale of the other spies was greatly crushed.

Han Xin took the opportunity to lead his soldiers to attack and captured all the Hun spies.

After interrogation, it was learned that the Xiongnu Left Chanyu had sent several people to unite several nearby tribes to besiege Yanmen Pass and raid the Caogu.

Qin Yi and Han Xin reported the intelligence to Pang Bo, who decided to strengthen the defense and send more spies to investigate the enemy situation.