Qin Official

The wind is blowing in Longxi.

Although it was midsummer in May, the wind in Longxi still had a hint of coolness due to the altitude. The wind blew from the north, roared through the mountain canyons, and rushed to the Great Wall, blowing in front of Li Xin.

However, Li Xin, the captain of Longxi County, remained unmoved. He stood on the top of the Didao Great Wall and looked to the west, letting half of his white hair blow in the wind.

Four hundred years ago, Duke Mu of Qin used Yu Yu's plan to expand westward and made the eight kingdoms of Xirong surrender to Qin. The armies of Mianzhu, Nirong, and Zhaibi to the west of Longdi were successively conquered by Qin. When King Zhao of Qin was overthrown, Yiqu had been destroyed, so Longxi and Beidi were established, and "counties" and "roads" were set up to manage them. Didao was the westernmost end of these newly conquered lands.

The second governor of Longxi County was named Li Chong, who was Li Xin's grandfather. Li Xin had lived in Didao for many years when he was young. Although his family was originally from Huaili, Guanzhong, he was half Longxi.

This Great Wall was built when Li Chong was the governor. It starts from Lintao in the south and reaches Shangjun in the north. It winds along the hills and finally disappears into the horizon. The Great Wall is not very high, just over two feet, and is made of rough stone and earth with coarse cloth and patterned tiles. However, it stretches across the pass, with mountains on both sides, occupying the natural danger. A beacon tower was built every two miles, and one person was stationed there, five people guarded the fire, and five people patrolled the city head to prevent the Qiang and Rong outside the Great Wall from crossing the border and invading the people living in the territory.

Guarding the border is the main responsibility of the Longxi County Lieutenant.

When Li Xin returned to Longxi to serve as a county captain, his grandfather's former officials welcomed Li Xin, but they also secretly discussed the two words.

"denounce!"

As early as eight years ago, Li Xin had already served as a captain and left Taiyuan and Yunzhong to join Wang Jian in the attack on Zhao. He led his army across Xiawu Mountain and captured Zhao Hengshan County, making great military exploits.

In the battle to destroy Yan seven years ago, he even went out as a general and defeated the Yan army at the Yanshui River. The King of Yan was so frightened that he cut off the head of Prince Dan and presented it to him.

At that time, Li Xin was highly trusted by His Majesty and his status was much higher than that of a county lieutenant. Sure enough, during the first attack on Chu, he actually replaced Wang Jian and led an army of 200,000.

It is truly remarkable that a thirty-year-old young man can achieve such an achievement.

Unfortunately, as the saying goes, the higher you rise, the harder you fall. The first attack on Chu ended in a disastrous defeat for Li Xin. Seven captains were killed and tens of thousands of troops were destroyed.

From then on, Li Xin lost His Majesty's trust, his title was reduced, his position was stripped away, and he was driven to guard the border in western Liaoning.

Although Li Xin made some military exploits in the war to destroy Yan, Dai, and Qi, he still could not hide his failure. Meng Tian had returned to the center, but he was still wandering around the border counties. After going around in a circle, he returned Arrive at Longxi County.

But people who knew Li Xin in Longxi County were surprised to find that not only did Li Xin's hair turn gray, but his personality also changed dramatically.

In the past, Li Xin was a sunny and carefree young man, galloping in the mountains, laughing both inside and outside the Great Wall, and he also liked to go off the beaten path when doing things.

But today, Lieutenant Li is taciturn and serious in words. He arranges his daily official duties step by step, gives orders to counties and roads for public security, and regularly inspects the Great Wall.

"The trees outside the Great Wall must be cut down on time."

While inspecting the Great Wall today, Li Xin gave a lesson to the leader of a beacon tower: "It must not be extended to within one mile of the Great Wall."

A wide open space must be created within the beacon's field of vision, so that no enemy can attack without being discovered.

The officials and officials who followed him looked at each other in confusion. Many of them were Li Xin's companions when he was young and rode out of the fortress together. How could he care about such trivial matters at that time?

In addition to caring about the growth of the trees outside the Great Wall, Li Xin also focused on checking the armaments of each outpost during this inspection, and also ordered for the first time that from now on, the number of troops stationed at each beacon tower will be increased to one tun! And we need to increase the number of rangers to patrol and explore the Qiang and Di lands outside the Great Wall to find out the details of the roads and tribes.

This order made the officials in the county captain's mansion excited.

"Jun Lieutenant, are you going out to the Great Wall to collect firewood?"

Drawing firewood is the name given to the Qin army in Longxi who went out to suppress the restless Di and Qiang tribes.

There are many types of Diqiang Rong tribes, and the powerful call themselves "chiefs". They regard death in battle as auspicious, while death from illness is considered unlucky. Therefore, they like to plunder and invade each other, dominate with violence, and even risk internal invasion. After all, in their eyes, the Qin people are extremely rich.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Longxi Qin Army, the Diqiang were like the trees that kept growing wildly outside the Great Wall. If they were not chopped down on time, they would get out of control and become entrenched in the shadow of the city wall, even crossing the Great Wall and invading the people inside the wall. City and village.

However, in the past ten years, due to focusing on wiping out the Six Kingdoms to the east, the garrison in Longxi has been greatly reduced, and no one has gone to "gather firewood" outside the Great Wall for many years.

Facing the inquiries from his subordinates, Li Xin did not answer. He only took out an edict written on paper and showed it to the Wei Shi and Chang Shi.

"Is this a new secret order from His Majesty?" Seeing the bright red seal, the officers and historians were a little excited.

"More than an edict."

Li Xin couldn't hide his excitement, but he still said calmly: "It's a message!"

Everyone bowed down and then started reading.

"King Li of Zhou is immoral, and the princes may rebel against him. The Xirong rebel against the royal family and destroy the Daluo clan in Quanqiu. The Daluo clan is also a separate sect of Qin."

"When King Xuan of Zhou came to the throne, he appointed Qin Zhong as his official to punish the Xirong. Qin Zhong entered the Xirong and was outnumbered. He could not fight to the death. Qin and the Rong became a feud for the world."

"Qin Zhong has five sons. The elder is called Zhuang Gong. He summons five Kun brothers and borrows seven thousand Zhou soldiers to attack Xirong. After defeating them, he becomes the official of Xicui."

"Zhuang Gong lived in Quanqiu in the west and had three sons. His eldest son was Shifu. Shifu said: 'The Rong killed my eldest father Zhong. I dare not enter the city unless I kill the Rong king.' So he asked his younger brother Xiang Gong to take charge of the city. The tribesmen attack the Rong."

"In the seventh year of Duke Xiang, Quan Rong of Xirong and the Marquis of Shen attacked Zhou and killed King You at the foot of Lishan Mountain. But Duke Xiang sent his troops to rescue Zhou. He fought vigorously and had meritorious service."

"The Zhou Dynasty fled to Luoyi in the east to avoid the dog army. Duke Xiang sent troops to King Ping of Zhou. King Ping made Duke Xiang a prince and granted him the land to the west of Qi. He said: 'The Rong has no way and invades and seizes our land of Qi and Feng. Qin can attack When you drive away Rong, you will have your own land.' He made an oath and granted him a title. Xianggong was the founder of the country, and he shared the gifts of envoys with the princes. In the twelfth year of Xianggong, he attacked Rong and came to Qi. He died in the army. He was still ill before his death. Call the disciples: 'We must defeat the Rong!'"

"In the sixteenth year of Duke Wen, he sent troops to attack the Rong, but the Rong were defeated and fled. So Duke Wen took over the remaining Zhou people and brought them to Qi."

"In the next hundred years, the princes also destroyed the Dangshe, Xiaoguo, Pengxishi, Hao, Gui, and Ji armies, and then the Guanzhong land was established."

"As for Mu Gong, he practiced virtue and martial arts from Qiyong, and suppressed the chaos of Jin in the east, with the river as the boundary. In the thirty-seventh year, he used Yu Yu to attack the Rong king, benefited the country twelve, opened up thousands of miles of land, and then dominated Xirong. The emperor Zhibo, the princes have congratulated each other and opened a business for future generations. It is very glorious."

"However, at that time, Yiqu and Dali were still strong, and they built dozens of cities, and they all claimed to be kings. Duke Li of Qin destroyed Dali and took its land. King Qin Hui sent his concubine Chang Cao to generals to define the canal, and Yiqu then submitted to Qin. Later, they rebelled again, and King Zhao raised an army to destroy them, and then established the counties of Longxi and Beidiyan..."

In this secret order sent to Li Xin and the officials in Longxi, Qin Shihuang did not mention the search for the kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West or the pursuit of immortality. The whole article was about the enmity between Qin and Xirong.

After reading, you will know that since the emergence of the "Qin" nation, it has been entangled with Xirong for seven hundred years...

Until today!

Everyone continued to look down, only to see the edict written: "Now I use my own body to raise troops to kill the rioters, relying on the spirit of the ancestral temple, and the six kings will betray them, and the world will be settled!"

"However, the military troubles in Longxi, Beidi, and Shangjun have not been subdued. Outside the Great Wall, everything is inhabited by the Di and Qiang. I want to succeed my thirty-fifth ancestor, Yu Lie, and follow the last words of Duke Xiang: 'We must defeat the Rong!' We will prosper the western land and make them Di Qiang, no one dares not to come and enjoy it, no one dares not to come to the king!"

"Your Majesty will conquer the Rong!?"

The officials were extremely happy now. They didn't know that this was only a small part of Heifu Jinyan's "Western Development" plan...

Li Xin knew it, and he was the general who supported the westward expansion strategy the most.

Although he was demoted to Longxi to enjoy the wind and eat sand, he never forgot the shame in his heart.

But the Six Kingdoms have been destroyed, and he has lost the opportunity to gallop in the Central Plains...

Now, His Majesty wants to inherit the tradition of more than thirty generations of Qin monarchs and attack the Western Rong and Di Qiang. As a Longxi commandery and a general good at chariots and cavalry, Li Xin is naturally the best choice to lead the Western Expedition!

Standing at the head of the Great Wall again, looking at the vast west, the wind still tore at Li Xin's clothes like an eager lover, making them rustle.

"The wind in Longxi never stops."

He held his sword and said secretly: "But this time, it will blow outward from within the Great Wall. It will be like the sound of thunder, floating in waves, arousing anger, tearing down rocks and felling trees, killing the trees, and traveling for three thousand miles without stopping. interest!"

…

In early May, after the emperor left Ji County, Qin Shihuang first went to Lintao to see the legendary "giant footprints". It was indeed true. Although Heifu guessed that this was also an "auspicious sign" created by the local officials in Lintao, no one was confused. As long as this lie is exposed, the emperor will be happy.

They did not stay in Lintao for too long and went directly north along the Great Wall to Didao...

The emperor's itinerary was kept secret, so when Li Xin received the news, the imperial chariot was already outside Didao City.

After Li Xin heard the news, he could only dress up in a hurry, get on his mount, and gallop with his entourage.

The horse is an old horse. It was originally one of the most wild and untamed horses in Longxi. It was sent to Xianyang ten years ago.

With a wave of his hand, His Majesty asked his men and women to tame the horses themselves. If they could tame the horses, he would give them to them. Li Xin was in charge of the Zhangtai Palace at the time. He didn't like other horses with docile personalities, but he chose this guy with pure white hair and a temper as violent and untamable as himself.

One person and one horse experienced a difficult game in the school field. It took half an hour, but the horse lost the strength to fight and reluctantly obeyed Li Xin. (See Chapter 162)

It was also because of Li Xin's superb riding skills that Qin Shihuang noticed him for the first time, so he made him a lieutenant by his side, and gave him a chance to express himself on the battlefield...

Now, ten years have passed, the horse is old and the boy is old.

But his flesh has not yet resurrected! The fire in my heart has not been extinguished yet!

He also wanted to ride his favorite horse, holding the black Qin flag in his hand, galloping across the vast sky and earth, crushing the glaciers with his horse's hoofs, and cutting through the Di and Qiang tribes with swords, making them surrender to Qin like cattle and sheep...

Only on the battlefield can Li Xin feel that he is still alive.

While thinking about it, Qin Shihuang's chariot has arrived. It is still the familiar huge motorcade, but the most valued upstart around the emperor is no longer Li Xin, but Hei Fu...

"Lijun Lieutenant!"

Hei Fu bowed in front of his horse: "Your Majesty asked his subordinates to come and greet the general!"

Li Xin got off his horse and returned the salute to Hei Fu, but he didn't know how to address him.

Eight years ago, when Li Xin first showed his talents as a captain, Heifu was just a Guizhou leader in Anlu, and his life was precarious.

Seven years ago, when Li Xin defeated the Yan army at Yanshui and became famous all over the world, Hei Fu just listened to his legend and marveled at the little pavilion chief with his companions.

Five years ago, when Li Xin held a tiger talisman and commanded an army of 200,000 to attack Chu, Hei Fu was still just a little-known general. When Li Xin passed by, he could only crawl on the side of the road and call himself a general.

But in the following years, when Li Xin fell like a meteor, Hei Fu was rising...

Now, their status is actually equal.

No, Li Xin knew that he was not even as good as Hei Fu. Although his title was one level higher than his, in His Majesty's heart, the young warrior on the white horse was already the defeated general, and he didn't even want to see him. However, the Xuanhei Tengu from Anlu can participate in national policies and is highly trusted...

The Li Xin of the past might not be willing to accept it, but he has experienced ups and downs and has reached maturity.

So, Li Xin took a deep breath and bowed to Hei Fu with a flat salute!

"How dare you let your concubine chief come to greet a minister who has committed a crime?"

Heifu didn't dare to say anything, so he led the way, and Li Xin bypassed the heavy cavalry, military chariots, and Lang Wei's armored soldiers, and came to the imperial chariot.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty of being late to welcome you, Li Xin!"

The curtain of the car was opened. Qin Shihuang, who had been out on tour for more than a month, walked out with a tired look on his face. He looked at Li Xin, who was bowing his head on the ground, and was speechless for a long time.

Five years ago, this was the first time Qin Shihuang received Li Xin after he lost his master and humiliated his country.

Looking at the brave young man in the past, he is now full of white hair and seems to be older than himself.

Qin Shihuang didn't say anything, he just put his hands behind his hands and looked at his former favorite general who had greatly disappointed him.

He couldn't help but remember that ten years ago, when he was training horses at the school yard, he casually gave him his name after noticing Li Xin for the first time, and he suddenly felt that everything seemed to have been destined by God.

The emperor moved forward and walked forward. Li Xin, who had been choking and sobbing, bowed his head and did not dare to raise his head, patted him on the shoulder and said:

"Is this son going to be my 'White Horse General' one day?"