Qin Official

In March of the 27th year of Qin Shihuang, Heifu didn't know what happened in his hometown. He was following Qin Shihuang's imperial chariot along the Chi Road out of Xianyang and heading west.

Even from the perspective of Heifu, a later generation, this highway is extremely exaggerated, especially within ten miles of the west gate of Xianyang, the road is as wide as fifty paces and can accommodate ten carriages running in parallel! A straight green pine was planted every three feet. The road was based on loess and thickly rammed with gravel. In the middle of the road was a special passage for the emperor to make inspections. On both sides were official roads, and on the far edge were the common people's vehicles. The area where horses and pedestrians walk.

This road alone is extremely luxurious. According to Heifu's guess, he probably wanted the rulers of the Yiqu and Diqiang tribes in the west to come for pilgrimage. They would be distracted by this road as spacious as a square before entering Xianyang. Shock……

Ten miles out of Xianyang, after arriving at Duting, the width of the road has shrunk a bit, but it is still very spacious and flat, comparable to the township roads of later generations. The Shaofu Cheng Heifu, who no longer has to serve as a guard, can rely on the carriage. I dozed off and went to Yongcheng, the ancient capital of Qin State, comfortably.

Yongdi is sandwiched between the north and south banks of the Wei River, and is a hundred miles of fertile wilderness. It is the place where King Wen and King Wu of Zhou established their royal remains. The Book of Songs praises it as "the original land of Zhou is fertile, and the pansy tea is as sweet as wine." It's a pity that the Zhou people abandoned this land to the Quan Rong long ago and ran to the safety of Chengzhou to survive. They promised that "the Quan Rong are unruly and have invaded the land of Qi and Feng in Zhou Dynasty. There are princes and officials who can drive them away." Quanrong has its place! "

For this promise, a group of descendants named "Qin", regardless of death, sacrificed their lives and blood for several generations to restore the land of Zhouyuan near Qishan inch by inch and expel the troops. For this land that they could no longer control, the Zhou royal family fulfilled their promise and gave it to the Qin people with a wave of their hands.

The Qin people then built a city here. By the time of Qin Degong, they migrated from their remote hometown in the west and established their first real capital city "Yong". It has been twenty-six generations...

The planning of Yongcheng is very distinctive. It is a typical "Old Qin" style, straight and straight, horizontal and vertical, even and stable. The buildings with simple shapes, against the surrounding loess plateau, look a bit old and lack the vitality of Xianyang.

Qin Shihuang liked this city very much, because this was the place where he first took power and tasted the taste of "power".

Therefore, after the emperor went to worship at the temple of Qin Mugong and other ancestors, he did not choose the "Dazheng Palace" where his ancestors always lived, but stayed in the "Qinian Palace" located on the loess plateau in the south of the city.

This palace is also quite old. It was built by Duke Hui of Qin three hundred years ago and has been renovated several times. It covers an area of ​​nearly 1,000 acres, with more than 20 courtyards, more than 600 houses, pavilions, stone pavilions and high platforms. Underdrains lead into Yongshui River to form a large pool. Between the winding hilly courtyards, it is early summer and the trees are lush and flowers are luxuriant.

But Heifu noticed that the palace walls here were built according to war standards and were as strong as a fortress. On the walls, there were traces of gold, iron and fire, which were left by a rebellion eighteen years ago.

That night, the emperor held a banquet in the Qinian Palace. In addition to the accompanying ministers, he also invited many meritorious soldiers who participated in the "Qinian Palace Incident".

Since it was a banquet for old friends and honorable men, as a newly rich man, Hei Fu could only sit at the end of the palace. However, Zhao Gao, the usually very low-key commander of CRRC, was summoned to the front seat by the emperor this time.

The emperor revisited his hometown and felt a little emotional. He raised his lamp and said: "I remember that it was April, I was twenty-two years old, and I stayed in Yongcheng, performing a crown ceremony and carrying a sword. However, the traitor Lao Ai actually corrected my imperial seal. The county soldiers and guards, officers and cavalry, Rong Zhai Lord, and Sheren want to attack Qinian Palace and cause chaos!"

He gestured with his hands, pointed at Zhao Gao, who had a low eyebrow, and said: "It was Zhao Gao, Lang Wei at that time, who was shocked by this incident and went to the palace overnight to report it. Only then could I prepare in advance and send troops to put down the rebellion."

"Your Majesty is blessed by Haotian. How dare I take credit?" Zhao Gaocheng was frightened.

However, the emperor refused to let him refuse the merit and ordered the courtesy officer to give him wine. After Zhao Gao drank it all in one gulp, he bowed his head to the ground with tears streaming down his face.

"The acting is really good."

Hei Fu watched this scene at the end of the palace and was amazed.

"The change in Qinian Palace, this must be Zhao Gao's greatest political qualification..." Heifu thought to himself, then he counted on his fingers and discovered an astonishing fact.

Chang Wenjun, the hero of the Qinian Palace Incident, died early. Changping Jun Xiong Qi, General Huanjue, and Sima Fan Yuqi successively rebelled against the country. Their names became taboo, and the emperor did not allow anyone to mention them...

Only Zhao Gao remained standing. Although his title and position were not high, he was always trusted by Qin Shihuang.

Heifu suddenly had a bold idea: "Wait a minute, Xiong Qi, Huan Jue, and Fan Yuqi, these three unlucky ghosts rebelled one after another. Although they all had their own reasons, they were too neat and they couldn't all be successful. You fell into Zhao Gao’s trap and went on the road of no return, right?”

Based on this calculation, this guy's government and scheming are really terrifying. Heifu has already raised his vigilance towards Zhao Gao to the highest level.

While Heifu was thinking there, Qin Shihuang began to reminisce.

On the day of Jiyou Day, I, wearing the crown, stood on the palace gate with a long sword, looking down at the Lao'ai rebels who were ambushed and caught off guard. Under the clear blue sky in the distance, a thick column of wolf smoke rose straight from the Qinian Palace. , ordered the loyal people in the old capital to gather under the king's banner and kill the rebels!

With the joint efforts of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Yongcheng, the battle ended and Lao Ai was defeated. Qin Shihuang then launched an attack on Ai, fought in Xianyang, and beheaded hundreds of people! The chaos is over!

That was Qin Shihuang's first triumph with pride after nine years of suffering in the shadow of his mother, Lao Ai, and Lu Buwei.

But after the victory, Qin Shihuang also broke out in a cold sweat, because in addition to Zuo Yiji, Zhongdafu Lingqi and other Lao'ai party members, Wei Weijie, who was in charge of Xianyang's military power, and the internal history department in charge of the defense of Guanzhong were all involved. Into a rebellion! There are more than 4,000 members of the Lao Ai Party who have been implicated and punished.

If not for the victory of Qinian Palace, Qin Shihuang would have been kidnapped as a puppet or killed, let alone unifying the world!

Therefore, on this occasion of national reunification, the clan elders who contributed to suppressing the rebellion that day must be generously rewarded!

"Meng, Xi and Bai Sangong."

Qin Shihuang ordered the praisers to buy wine again and sent the wine cups to the three old men sitting at the table.

Heifu pricked up his ears. These three clans were the only surviving clans in the Qin Kingdom. The ancestors of the Meng people are Meng Mingshi, the son of Baili Xi, a famous official in Mu Gong's time. The ancestors of the Xibai people are Xiqishu and Bai Yibing, the two sons of Uncle Jian, a famous official at the same time of Baili Xi. They once attacked the Jin State together and were defeated repeatedly. However, they were forgiven by Duke Mu of Qin. After repeated defeats and repeated defeats, they finally succeeded in avenging their humiliation.

The emperor gave him wine, and the three elders quickly stood up tremblingly. Qin Shihuang ordered them to avoid courtesy and said: "The three families have lived in Yi County for generations since their ancestor Mu Gong. They have been loyal and protective of the country for more than 400 years..."

Although there was considerable opposition from the three tribes during the first few years of Shang Yang's reform, in the end, they, who had been martial artists for generations, adapted to the military merit system. Although there were no high-ranking officials or generals in the tribe, they contributed many mid-level officers to the Qin State.

Especially during the incident in Qinian Palace, after observing the smoke in Qinian Palace, the three clans immediately mobilized all their clan troops to rescue them, and then used them as the main force to counterattack the Lao Ai group who fled back to Xianyang.

However, after the rebellion was put down, the Mengxibai tribe, which had always been very xenophobic, together with the Guanzhong military nobles and clan ministers, made a request to Qin Shihuang.

"Evict guests!"

They believe that all the problems in Qin are caused by the guests from the princes. If they drive them away and let the old Qin clan take power, they can focus on dealing with the outside world.

Qin Shihuang relied on the clan ministers to quell the rebellion. Under the political situation at that time, he had no choice but to adopt this strategy. However, this was stopped by Li Si's "Remonstrance and Expulsion of Guests". Li Si, Changping Jun, Changwen Jun, and Wang Wan were enabled by Qin Shihuang. They relied on them. To balance the local forces, the local forces that had just risen fell silent again... "We shed blood and sweat to put down the rebellion, but the ones in power in Xianyang are the princes and guests from Guandong!"

The children of Meng, Xi and Bai complained about this, but they were all suppressed by the clan leader. The emperor's will was unpredictable. Ever since Duke Xiao of Qin sacrificed the interests of their three clans for the reform, the three clans have understood this truth. But what can you do? The blood of the Qin family is flowing in your body. No matter the kindness, shame, honor or disgrace, you have to bear it silently.

But today, the three elders were summoned to the table and given wine by the emperor. Thinking that the great wish of the ancestors of Qin to unify the world had been realized, and seeing that the emperor had not forgotten their past achievements, the three elders couldn't help but feel excited. After a little hesitation, , had the courage to make a request to Qin Shihuang.

The leader of the Meng clan said: "Jiujiu is a warrior, Sheji Qiancheng. As a member of the public clan, being loyal to the king and to the country is a matter of duty. How dare you take credit?"

The head of the Xi clan continued: "But today, there is only one thing that the old men want to plead with Your Majesty!"

The chief of the Bai clan was responsible for the final words of advice: "Your Majesty, please don't let your children go to the south of the Yangtze River to farm and garrison. Let them stay in Kansai!"

What the three clan chiefs were talking about was that in January, Wei Tusui and Zhao Tuo led their troops south to garrison Changsha and Cangwu. The "water poisonous disease" that occurred in Penglize and Zhenze two years ago and last year had already wiped out all the people. As we all know, after Heifu explained the cause of the disease, it immediately caused panic among the northerners.

In their eyes, the south of the Yangtze River is a terrible place, where forests are densely covered and poisonous snakes are as dense as grass. It is said that every time when the pepper flowers fall in summer and autumn, miasma smoke rises and schistosomiasis breeds in the water. People who wade in the water are like wading in boiling water, and twenty-three out of ten will die! And there are also barbarians with black teeth and carved inscriptions, who kill people, eat meat, and grind bones into pulp to make sauce...

In short, it is not a place for people to stay. A healthy husband will die early if he goes there.

With fear of the southern climate, Meng, Xi and Bai were very resistant to Wei Tu Sui's expedition to the south of Guanzhong's sons. They also learned from some channels that the emperor might recruit more soldiers to Changsha and Yuzhang next year, so they took this opportunity to send their troops to Changsha and Yuzhang. The emperor complained and hoped that he would stop sending troops to Jiangnan.

Qin Shihuang held the golden bottle in his hand and remained silent.

The southern expedition to the land of Baiyue was one of the new goals he found after unifying the world. He was tolerating the three tribes of Mengxi and Bai, but this did not mean that they could be allowed to go against the national policy!

But the emperor did not directly express his opinion. He glanced at the ministers in the palace and said with a smile: "Meng, Xi, and Bai are asking to stop the garrison in the south of the Yangtze River. What do you think?"

He glanced at everyone in the hall, especially looking at the black husband at the end who was thinking about everything. "Master Cheng Heifu, you are the only one among the people here who has been to the south of the Yangtze River and to the extreme south of Limen Wuling. What do you think?"