Qin Official

"It's really hot. This place in Yuzhang in the south of the Yangtze River is much hotter than Shouchun."

When the ship sailed past the garrison at the mouth of the lake, Zhang Han immediately regretted wearing a wide robe and long sleeves. It was June, and the sun was extremely hot. Even if I was hiding in the cabin, I was still sweating. I wanted to go up to the deck to enjoy the breeze, but I felt that the whole Penglize was about to boil...

"Is Jun Sikong from Guanzhong?"

Zhao Tuo, an official on the side who has already adapted to the climate here, smiled and said: "I am also from Hengshan County. When I first came to Yuzhang, I was not used to the hot and humid climate here. Would you like Sikong to change into short clothes?"

Although Zhang Han wanted to take into account his status as an official, he couldn't bear it anymore, so he asked Zhao Tuo to find him a light short coat, which made him feel better.

While standing on the bow of the boat blowing the wind, he pointed to the crude wooden camp building at Hukou and asked, "Is this a new checkpoint?"

Zhao Tuo said: "However, half a year ago, I and other commanders visited Penglize. When we saw that this place was the throat of Penglize, where we were defeated, we sent a garrison commander to set up a camp post here to control the entry and exit of ships."

"Good taste."

Zhang Han nodded and asked, "Where will we land tomorrow?"

"Fu Qianyuan." Zhao Tuo reported an interesting place name.

Zhang Han said: "There is a saying in "Yu Gong" that the sun of Minshan reaches Hengshan. When you cross Jiujiang, you reach Fuqianyuan. Could it be this place?"

"Sikong is really knowledgeable."

Zhao Tuo did not hesitate to compliment and explained: "Fuqianyuan is a dock that docks. Next to it is Luyi. There is Lushan Mountain in the area and the scenery is wonderful."

Zhang Han didn't take it to heart until they landed at Fu Qianyuan and looked from a distance, only to realize that Zhao Tuo's compliment of "wonderful scenery" was too frivolous.

Looking from a distance, this mountain has seven ridges. It is covered by wind and clouds, carried by rivers and lakes, high cliffs reflect the sky, and there are thousands of cliffs. It is about to rain at this time, and there is white air concentrated on the ridge. It suddenly gathers and spits out clouds when it touches the rocks. Combined with the greenery of pines and cypresses on the mountains, people can't help but have the idea of ​​​​climbing to take a look.

Seeing Zhang Han staring at the distant view of Mount Lu, Zhao Tuo told an interesting story.

"Last month, after returning from the southern expedition to Jiangxi, Sima of the other department inspected various towns within the jurisdiction of Fanyang County. He invited me to join him in Fuqianyuan, climb its peak and have a great view, overlooking the three lakes in the south and Jiujiang in the north."

Although Hei Fu insisted that Zhao Tuo should be commensurate with his brother, Zhao Tuo still respectfully called Hei Fu by his official name except when the two got along privately.

Zhang Han and Hei Fu were also acquaintances, and he immediately said happily: "This Hei Fu is really happy."

"Sima also specially asked the locals to take him to the Xianglu Peak in the southeast. Here, a solitary peak rises. When the air travels above it, the air is like purple smoke. There is a thousand-foot waterfall rushing down below. It is extremely spectacular."

Zhao Tuo recalled: "I saw Sima looking at the Lushan Waterfall, thoughtfully, as if he was about to recite something, but he opened his mouth several times but stopped. In the end, he just sighed and said that this kid has no talent in his belly. I couldn't bear to read this poem and so on, so I went down the mountain in low spirits."

In Zhang Han's impression, Heifu was from a humble background and had never been known for his literary talent. He just thought that he wanted to express something after seeing the beautiful scenery, but he couldn't make it up and didn't take it seriously.

…

The group rested for the night in Luyi, and Zhao Tuo said goodbye to Zhang Han the next day. The person who came to greet Zhang Han was a local named "Xu Shu". He is now Heifu's staff and was granted a title by Jiujiang County for his merits. As a doctor, after seeing Zhang Han, he said that Hei Fu was going south for inspection and asked him to come and greet him.

"I know."

Zhang Han did not feel dissatisfied and said with a smile: "The Fanyang County under his rule is the largest county in the world. It is called a county and has a small population, but its vast area is comparable to a county in the Central Plains."

Xu Shu said: "Sikong is right. Sima is also suffering from the fact that the scope of Fanyang's governance is too large. He has proposed to the governor of Jiujiang County to divide it into several counties."

At present, Jiujiang County only has one county, Fanyang, in Jiangxi. Jiujiang County has no room for it, so it simply leaves it all to Heifu.

Heifu then suggested to subdivide it: with Pengli Ze as the boundary, Jiujiang County should be established in Xunyi, with jurisdiction over the areas on the west bank of the lake such as Lushan, Luyi and Fuqianyuan. Then use the Daxi River as the boundary, and build a new Yugan Road in the south area to allow the Wu family in Qianyue to maintain their autonomy. The vast area in the upper reaches of the Gan River was located in Luling County (today's Ji'an). The upper reaches of Shanggan and Limensai are under the jurisdiction of Gan County.

Including the reserved Fanyang County, there are five counties in Jiangxi.

But Heifu was still not satisfied. After returning from the distant Shanggan, he suggested to Jiujiang County that a city should be built in the lower reaches of the Gan River composed solely of Qin immigrants. It would take advantage of the rivers, lakes, mountains and rivers, and be able to command the five counties and command the authority. Shocked Yuzhang.

His suggestion was recognized by the Jiujiang County Governor, so he sent Zhang Han, who had stayed in Shouchun as the county magistrate after the conquest of Chu, to assist Fanling Heifu in selecting the city site and planning the new city. This was how Zhang Han's southward journey began. trip……

Under the guidance of Xu Shu, Zhang Han followed him across Aiyi, crossed the Xiushui River, and walked on the muddy lakeside road for several days. Finally, he saw the green flowing Gan River. After ten miles upstream, he saw it on the east bank. A campsite.

Heifu asked Zhao Tuo to patrol between Xunyi and Pengze, and sent his three thousand men to guard Fanyang, Shanggan, Luling and other small towns respectively. Therefore, there were only a thousand soldiers around him, which was small but orderly. , you must know that they have just braved the hot climate and traveled thousands of miles deep into the south. After only a month of rest, they no longer look embarrassed and depressed. It is really not easy.

"Heifu is really good at leading troops."

Zhang Han couldn't help but sigh. Although he was in charge of civil engineering, he was also very interested in using and leading troops. During the battle against Chu, he often stole troops from Wang Jian and Meng Wu.

He felt that Heifu also had shining points that he could learn from. For example, the use of small details such as light salt water and leggings, and the love for the soldiers in his hometown like a brother. The soldiers also regard him as a father and brother and are willing to die for him.

When Hei Fu heard that Zhang Han had arrived, he ran to the waterside to greet him. Only when Zhang Han's boat reached the east bank, the black man with two sagittal beards on his lips came over with a big smile and greeted Zhang Han kindly. Give me a bear hug...

"Shaorong, it's been such a long time!"

Zhang Han also smiled and said: "I was detained in Shouchun to draw plans and calculate business achievements, but you conquered thousands of miles of land in the south. I led people to pass through the mountains and rivers in Huainan, but you have to build a new city here. I'm really envious. .”

"Thousands of miles away, it is all wild jungle. At present, in the entire jurisdiction, there are only a few thousand Qi people who can register households. The rest are Yangyue, Ganyue tribes, and Chu people who are absconding in the mountains and forests."

Thinking of the horoscope "Although Chu has three households, Chu will definitely die if Qin is destroyed" that he saw in Limensai a few months ago, Hei Fu couldn't help but sigh: "Some Chu people are really stubborn. The Chu Kingdom has been dead for a year, and Xiong Qi, who finally claimed the title of King of Jing, has also died. After half a year, they are still unwilling to surrender, so they can only be captured as vassals, but that’s fine, we have the manpower to build the city for you and me.”

During this southern expedition, Heifu captured a large number of recalcitrant Chu people, more than a thousand in total. Most of them were members of Fan Yangjun, Ejun, and Pengzejun. They were unruly and unruly, and they were just used for hard labor.

Zhang Han is not worried about manpower. Even if Heifu's side is short of men, he can still send them from Jiujiang County. After the Chu was destroyed, there were countless Chu people who became vassals. Jiangdong and Kuaiji were also conquered by Wang Jian and Mengwu. in this way.

He was more interested in why Heifu chose this place as the site of the new city.

"To be honest with Shaorong, I took a fancy to it as early as February when the southern expedition passed through this place!"

Heifu asked Ji Ying to present the map, and the two got down to business: "First of all, this place takes advantage of the Gan River and is connected by water and land."

"Build a wharf here and go down the river to reach Pengli Lake in one day. From Luling and Shanggan, you can also come here from the upper reaches. Water transportation is several times more convenient than land transportation! If you take the land route, whether you are going to Xunyang or Fanyang and Yugan are both at a suitable distance."

"Secondly, the land here is flat and broad. You can build a big city, open up fertile farmland, and move criminals and common people to fill it. In less than ten years, it will be a fertile land with hundreds of miles of wilderness. By then, there will be no need to travel thousands of miles from Jiujiang County Under the jurisdiction, this city can be used as the county seat of the new county!"

"New County?"

Zhang Han's heart moved. Indeed, he had traveled nearly a month from Shouchun to this place, let alone Shanggan in the south. Unless the population is too small to form a county, the land of Yuzhang in the south of the Yangtze River is indeed large enough to be a county. Heifu's idea is indeed feasible, so that any changes in the south can be dealt with easily.

Heifu pointed to the location of the city that had not yet laid the foundation and imagined: "Shaorong, what you and I built today may be just a small city, but in two or three generations, maybe this barbaric land will become the same as Nanjun and Huainan." A prosperous city. By then, there will no longer be distinctions between Qin people and Chu people. Yangyue, Qianyue, and barbarians will all flock to this city to learn Xia Yan and bathe in the splendor of China."

"Well said, this is the real pioneering industry!"

Zhang Han was a little excited and felt that his time in Shouchun for the past year was a waste of time.

He rubbed his hands with some excitement and said: "What we are going to do is like taking over the orders of the Zhou Dynasty and going to the border to accept the feudal princes from the city!"

Zhang Han, who was both civilized and military, remembered a poem he had read, which told the story of hundreds of years ago, when the Marquis of Han was ordered by the King of Zhou to go to the north to build Hancheng and open up territory.

Pubi Hancheng was completed by Master Yan. The ancestors were ordered to do so, and hundreds of barbarians were born at that time.

Wang Xi and Han Hou, he chased his 貊(mo). He was about to receive the Northern Kingdom because of his uncle.

Building new cities, colonizing and developing in barbaric frontier lands is what China has been doing for thousands of years. Eight hundred years ago, the descendants of the Zhou family, spurred by the great Zhou Gongdan, set out from Zongzhou one after another, bringing their own industrial and commercial people with them to the vast east, south, and north where the language was not clear, and interacted with the Yi people, Barbarians, Rong and Di coexisted.

They began to build new cities along the rivers and on the hills. The hard-working farmers drained the muddy swamps and burned the dense forests to turn them into fertile farmland. Through the efforts of dozens of generations, the rule was expanded bit by bit from dot-like cities to linear roads, and finally became a vast connected territory.

The entire Central Plains was not truly connected until the late Spring and Autumn Period. There were no longer Rong, Di, or barbarians among the countries. They were either assimilated or eliminated, and there were no longer distinctions between Chinese and barbarians. They were all organized into households and unified the people. The more powerful Only then can the Seven Crowns and Belts come into being.

Nowadays, Qin is about to complete the unification of China, but the development inherited from Yin, Zhou and even Chu will not stop...

All of a sudden, Heifu suddenly understood why Qin Shihuang would paranoidly launch a war to conquer Baiyue in a few years.

Maybe it’s not just the endless desire to conquer, but also the tradition that lasts for thousands of years?

China these days is not an old dynasty that has no interest in foreign lands and is stuck in its ways. But the young and high-spirited rising sun regards expansion and development as manifest destiny!

As for Heifu and Zhang Han, although they are not princes, what they are doing is the same as that of Han Hou and Yanshi hundreds of years ago.

"A real harvest is a real harvest, and a real acre is a real loan. Offering his brave skin, a red leopard and a yellow scorpion... I really hope that the foundation we laid today can be like this!"

After Zhang Han sighed with emotion, he asked Heifu: "How does Heifu plan to name this city?"

"When I came up with the idea of ​​building a city in February, I had already drafted a name and asked Captain Li to submit it to Xianyang on my behalf. I just got a reply from the king the day before yesterday."

While talking, he picked up a silk book that was respectfully placed on the case. After opening it, he saw Heifu's proposal for building the city and the words of King Qin's instructions on it.

"The king said: This name is very good. The new city should be built as you said, to prosper the southern border!"

Moving his eyes upward, Zhang Han also saw the name of the new city that King Qin praised as good.

"Nanchang!"