Qin Official

"Young Master Cheng Heifu, you are the only one among everyone here who has been to the south of the Yangtze River and to the extreme south of Limen Wuling. What do you think?"

The emperor asked a question in the hall. Hei Fu was so excited that he immediately stood up and walked to the palace to bow.

The elders of the Meng, Xi and Bai tribes did not recognize this young upstart, so they whispered to the people next to them and learned that he was the man who conquered Yuzhang in the south, opened up thousands of miles of land, and made the "Black Fu Paper". They suddenly realized , and then became worried again.

"This person started the garrison of Jiangnan, and he probably strongly supports this move!"

The three patriarchs Meng, Xi, and Bai guessed wrong. Heifu did not object to immigration to enrich Yuzhang and Changsha, but he opposed going further, crossing the Five Ridges, and conquering Baiyue in the south...

If you take too big a step, your eggs will be pulled off.

Heifu vaguely remembered that in history, the Qin army's southern expedition seemed to have mobilized an army of 500,000 and fought for several years and suffered heavy losses before taking over Guangdong and Guangxi. Even without this memory, after personally visiting the Wuling area, Heifu could come to the conclusion that the southern expedition to Baiyue was a big trap!

It's not that Baiyue was more powerful. Nanyue, Xi'ou, and Minyue had at most entered the city-state stage, with small settlements scattered in the jungle. The population was not large, and the weapons and equipment lagged behind those of the Central Plains.

The biggest obstacle to outsiders is the climate.

Although northerners' imagination of the south being full of "miasma poisonous insects" is a bit exaggerated, it is indeed not easy to survive in the Lingnan region these days. Not only is schistosomiasis, for which a cure is difficult to find in this era, there are also many tropical diseases such as malaria waiting for the Qin army. A thousand years later, in the Tang Dynasty, Guangdong and Guangxi were still the places of exile for the Central Plains people. Over 200 BC, if they rushed to conquer without adequate transportation and logistics preparations, they would definitely lose their troops and generals.

And the first to die must be the Yuzhang garrison serving as the vanguard, Heifu's old troops, Xiao Tao, Dongmen Bao, Li Xian, and the three thousand Nanjun soldiers...

Heifu did not want to let his direct relatives and friends die. He believed that the southern expedition was not the time, at least not now.

But he couldn't tell the truth, because there were many signs that Qin Shihuang had regarded the Lingnan area as the next military target. It was as difficult as climbing to the sky to get His Majesty to change his mind...

Moreover, Qin Shihuang threw the ball to Heifu at this time, and his meaning was too obvious: just follow my wishes and shout 666!

So Heifu thought about it and said, "I think the garrison in the south of the Yangtze River cannot be stopped!"

Meng, Xi, and Bai were blowing their beards and staring, while Qin Shihuang showed a smile.

Heifu explained the reason: "I was ordered by Your Majesty to go to the library to read books. Therefore, I learned that during the reign of our late king Huiwen, General Sima Cuo was arguing with Prime Minister Zhang (Zhang Yi) about whether to destroy Bashu or Korea first. General Sima said, Those who make a country rich should expand its territory. I deeply agree!"

"When I asked for the construction of Nanchang City, I said that the land of Chu and Yue in the south of the Yangtze River is rich in products, but the land is vast and popular. The land of Sanjin and Huaihan is just the opposite. The land is small, the people are small, and the acres are insufficient. If we can move three The tycoons of the Jin and Huaihan dynasties and Guizhou tyrants filled up the land of Yuzhang and Changsha in the south of the Yangtze River, and then they could burn forests and clear up wasteland, build cities, and build real ravines and borrow real acres."

"Let cattle plow compost instead of slash-and-burn farming. In hot places, rice can be harvested twice a year. In a few generations, Jiangnan will become a granary, as rich as Nanjun and Huainan. Not only will there be no cold and hungry people in the area, but also Just like the millet from Bashu is sold in Xianyang, it feeds back to China! And rhinoceros horns, elephant tusks, and fragrant wood from the south are also continuously transported into Guanzhong."

"Therefore, His Majesty's actions of sending soldiers to garrison the south of the Yangtze River and filling up Changsha and Yuzhang are just like King Huiwen's opening of Bashu, which will be utilitarian for a long time!"

Qin Shihuang was very satisfied with Heifu's answer: "Your words are very good. This is a utilitarian strategy that will last forever."

He then looked at the chiefs of the Meng, Xi, and Bai clans, and said meaningfully: "It is said in military law that generals forget their homes and relatives when they cross the border. The three clans have been a family for four hundred years. It is understandable to consider the safety of private children, but I am The lord of the world must forget his family and relatives and think about the overall situation and the long term..."

The clan heads of the Meng, Xi, and Bai clans were a little aggrieved, but they were all too shy to say anything.

No one in the government or the public dared to openly oppose the national policy decided by Qin Shihuang.

Everyone in the hall, except Zhao Gao, keenly discovered that when Heifu talked about sending troops to immigrate to the south of the Yangtze River, he mentioned the Central Plains and Huainan, but he did not mention Kansai, which was closely related to Meng, Xi, and Bai.

"Heifu, Heifu, what exactly do you want to say?" Zhao Gao felt that Heifu must have unfinished words.

As he expected, Hei Fu bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, I haven't finished speaking yet!"

Everyone's eyes were focused on Hei Fu again, but they heard him say:

"Opening up wasteland, cultivating, and harvesting are matters of the four seasons and cannot be accomplished overnight. Relocating people, building cities, and widening roads are matters that take years and decades, and cannot be accomplished in a year and a half. Therefore, I believe that making the South prosperous Frontiers can be used as a long-term strategy and we can move slowly. But right now, there are some places where if we can open up, we can make quick profits!"

"Oh? Where is it?"

Hei Fu liked Qin Shihuang's favor and said it "quickly". As expected, the emperor was not disgusted and allowed him to continue talking.

Heifu raised his head and said: "Kansai!"

The so-called Guanxi, opposite to Guandong, is the area west of Hangu Pass. This is the center of Qin and the most densely populated area. Where is there any other place that can be opened up?

Heifu's words made all the officials in the palace laugh. Nei Shiteng, who also accompanied Qin Shihuang on his tour to Yong, coughed lightly and came out to rebuke his son-in-law:

"Shaofu Cheng, the internal history is also sparse. In order to accommodate the 120,000 immigrants from Shandong, a lot of the Five Gardens in Weinan, surrounded by forests, have been opened up, and more than ten cities have been built. You said opening up the customs Xi, does your Majesty still need to open the only remaining royal garden?"

"This is not what I meant." Hei Fu had already been angry with his father-in-law, and now he began to sing in harmony.

"The land of Guanxi is not only for internal history, but also for Longxi, Beidi, and Shangjun. They are also vast and sparsely populated. Instead of sending Meng, Xi, Bai and other Guanxi disciples all the way to the south of the Yangtze River where the climate is unsuitable, why not Let them garrison the three counties nearby?"

After he finished speaking, he looked at the Meng, Xi and Bai clans and said with a smile: "Just now, San Gong also said that as long as the children stay in Kansai, that's fine, right? I wonder if the children of the three clans are willing to go to the three counties?"

The three counties are all close to Rongdi, practicing war preparation, noble strength, and prioritizing hunting. Therefore, Qin's poems are full of chariots, horses, and hunting in fields. Compared with the distant and terrifying Jiangnan, Longxi, Beidi, and Shangjun are just at the doorstep. , Meng, Xi and Bai nodded in succession:

"We people from Guanxi would rather go to the northwest of Longxi than travel far across the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers."

Heifu paid homage to Qin Shihuang again and said, "I would like to give you some advice on the benefits."

Although the emperor was a little surprised that Heifu, who was born and raised in the south, would suddenly talk about developing the three counties, he still nodded and said, "Yes."

"This move has two benefits, one is long-term and the other is immediate."

"Although Yiqu and Baidi have long been destroyed, there are still many Rongdi and Jihuqi people in the three counties. Their power has not been extinguished. Now that the world is unified, there are still hidden dangers in the heart of Guanxi, which must be treated!"

There is basis for what Heifu said. Yiqu State was Qin's great enemy. Two hundred years ago, King Yiqu sent a large army to attack Qin, from Jingbei to Weinan. Later, Yiqu also participated in the Six Kingdoms Alliance and defeated the Qin army in the Battle of Li and Bo. In the end, it was Empress Dowager Xuan who seduced him with female sex, and killed Lord Yiqu in Ganquan Mountain, and Yiqu's hometown became Beidi County.

After Yiqu destroyed the country, the Rong people of Yiqu did not disappear. Their nobles either took "Gongsun" as their surname, or took "Yiqu" as their surname. They enjoyed aristocratic power and were called "Rong Zhai Jun Gong". They were active in the north, Shangjun, Longxi. During the Qinian Palace incident, Lao Ai colluded with some of the "Rong Zhai Lords" to cause chaos.

Afterwards, Qin Shihuang broke up some tribes and assimilated many Yiqu people through immigration and intermarriage. However, the unregistered Rong people in the three counties still accounted for one-third of the population. They worked half-farming and half-grazing, used their furs as taxes, joined the Qin army as cavalry, and also contributed to the unification war.

After Heifu returned to Xianyang, he asked Zhang Cang, a top student, to make up for his lessons. With these cases as a basis, his proposal seemed logical.

"Now that the world is unified, I think it can be filled in by immigrants from Shandong and descendants of the Zong family, so that the Rong and Di people can gradually embrace the splendor of China. This will be a long-term benefit."

Qin Shihuang pondered slightly, and then said: "What are the benefits of close proximity?"

Heifu said: "When I was in Xianyang, I once heard Wu Shiyan, a merchant from the Rong Dynasty, mention that to the west of Longxi and Beidi, there is Hexi, where Yuezhi and Di Qiang live. To the north of Shangjun, there are Henan, Hetao, and Bai Sheep and Xiongnu live there. These three places are vast and sparsely populated, with water and grass suitable for livestock raising. Therefore, the livestock in Hexi and Hetao are the most abundant in the world. The large number of livestock purchased by Wushi every year are obtained from various tribes."

This is the business that Qin Shihuang asked the Wushi Luo brothers to do for more than ten years. The Qin State promoted cattle farming, and there were thousands of chariots and tens of thousands of riders. There was a huge demand for cattle and horses. Breeding in the Central Plains alone was far from enough. It must be from Supplement outside the Great Wall.

"I also heard that the folk customs of various tribes are fierce. Children can ride sheep, draw bows to shoot birds and mice, and when they grow up, they can shoot foxes and rabbits. Adult men can draw strong bows, wear armor, ride war horses, and come and go like the wind. . Their custom is that when there is no war, they are nomadic at will and take hunting birds and animals as their occupation. When the situation is urgent, everyone practices their offensive skills in order to invade and plunder. This is their nature, like evil wolves."

"So every autumn and winter, these Rong and Di tribes would cross the border, invade border counties, burn, kill, loot, and take away the population. During the reign of the late king Zhao, in order to prevent the Huns and other tribes from going south to plunder and cause trouble, they concentrated on heading east to unify the world. , so they built the Great Wall in the three counties to keep out the barbarians."

The ministers in the hall nodded frequently. The northwest border of Qin State was fine, but the two countries of Yan and Zhao were even more disturbed. However, Yan defeated Donghu and expanded its territory thousands of miles away. Zhao also defeated the Xiongnu with Li Mu. Like Qin, the two countries built the Great Wall in border counties in order to focus on competing for dominance in the Central Plains.

"Now that the four seas are unified, in my opinion, Your Majesty is not only the lord of the Central Plains, but also the lord of the barbarians. Our Qin army has strong soldiers and horses. We no longer need to guard within the Great Wall, but can expand outwards! Not only can we avenge the repeated tribulations suffered for hundreds of years, With the pain of plunder, we can directly seize the pastures of Hexi, Henan, and Hetao, and seize tens of thousands of their livestock. This is an urgent advantage. If we can firmly occupy the three areas, we can stock cattle and horses in the north of the river, and have millet and rice in the south of the Yangtze River. For the benefit!”

After saying this, seeing that the emperor still did not express his position, Heifu continued:

"I heard: If you want a tree to grow long, you must strengthen its roots; if you want a stream to flow far, you must dredge up its source. If the roots are not solid, you must seek the growth of a tree; if the source is not deep, you must look to the far flow of the stream. Although I am foolish, I know It's not possible, but what about Mingzhi? Immigration to enrich the three counties of Guanxi is the fundamental way to consolidate Guanzhong, and going out to wipe out all the tribes is an act of opening up the country. Those who make a country rich should expand its territory, and the land of opening the five ridges in the south of the Yangtze River is Guangdong. , the land to expand the Hu Rong in the northwest is also wide, but one is far and the other is close, one is slow and the other is pressing, one is the root, and the other is the end of the branch. I believe that we should first go to the northwest and then to the south of the Lingnan."

"My humble opinion was made for a moment, but I hope your Majesty will look into it!" 8)