Qin Official

Winding and undulating mountains, endless rivers, sometimes open and sometimes narrow river valleys, and high and raised loess plateaus on both sides. In the past half month, Qin Shihuang's chariot has been driving along the Great Wall in such terrain. Only after putting himself in his shoes and inspecting it, did he understand: "Oh, so my northwest territory looks like this."

It was empty and barbaric, but full of vitality. Standing on the Great Wall and looking out, the emperor discovered that there was such a vast land in the west, waiting for him to conquer...

The Great Wall of Qin, which stretches northeast from Lintao, had to avoid its edge when it reached the towering Jitou Mountain (Liupan Mountain) and took a long detour, passing through the southern foot of the mountain to reach the key point of the western section of the Great Wall: Wushi Sai.

After arriving here, the terrain suddenly became clearer. In the midsummer, among the pastures filled with orioles, there was also a new palace: Huizhong Palace.

This is a unique palace that combines Qin and Rong styles. It is completely modeled after the Linguang Palace in Ganquan Mountain. The utensils placed inside are all exquisite and valuable. In addition to the Central Plains ritual utensils, there are also exotic-style gold cups and silver cups. In addition to the main building Outside, the rest of the houses were Hu Rong's felt tents, which were enough for the emperor's two thousand entourage to move in.

"Wu Shiluo is really attentive."

The emperor verbally praised the sponsor of this palace, but Wu Shiluo said he didn't dare. He had taken off his usual military uniform and put on a royal court uniform, holding a jade and a gui, as if he were a court official.

"It is our great fortune that Your Majesty can come to the North and come to the remote small county of Wushi!"

Wushi County is the westernmost county in Beidi County. It is the hub of east-west transportation. It passes through the Jing River Valley in the southeast, passes through the "Huizhong Road" and goes straight to Guanzhong. It runs from Boluo Valley to the Jitou Mountain in the west and goes straight to the land of Hu Rong in the northwest. It is the Qin Dynasty. The largest gateway for North Korea’s foreign trade.

Although Wushi Luo were Rong people, they took advantage of the unique geographical advantages of Wushi County to raise cattle and horses, trade silk and silk in the pass, and then transferred to the Rong. At that time, the Qin Dynasty wiped out the six kingdoms and needed a large number of cattle, horses and livestock, so Dianke and the Shaofu recruited the Wushiruo into the government's control. They became officials and merchants protected by the imperial court, responsible for the transit trade between Qin and Hu Rong. There are ten years. While Wushiluo accumulated a lot of wealth, he also bought countless cattle and horses for Qin.

Wu Shiluo was also a good person, and he knew that although Qin Shihuang treated great merchants favorably, the essence of Qin's laws was still to emphasize agriculture and suppress merchants. The wealth in his hands might in turn kill him. After the fall of the Six Kingdoms, he began to continuously contribute money to widen the Hui Zhong Road and build the Hui Zhong Palace for Qin Shihuang, just to show his loyalty.

While complimenting the emperor, Wu Shiluo asked people to bring the rare and exotic objects obtained from trade with the Yueshi, Rong kings, Qiang chiefs, and even the Xiongnu Chanyu in the spring to Qin Shihuang for inspection.

The beautiful jade from Khotan, the famous horses from Hexi, the white wolves and white deer from the Qiang Rong, and the juéti from the Xiongnu, but Qin Shihuang only looked at them briefly and then asked about the things that concerned him most.

"Your Majesty led the caravan out of the fortress and traveled through the Qiang and Rong states, reaching Hetao in the north and Hexi in the west. If you are the person who is most familiar with the terrain of the Xiongnu and Yuezhi, you are none other than you. Do you have any suggestions for the strategy of expanding to the west?"

Since Wushiluo had the status of being "compared to a lord" and could pay homage to the emperor with the courtiers, he was naturally qualified to discuss politics. What's more, it was the situation outside the Great Wall that he was most familiar with.

He was well-informed and had also heard about the proposal made by Heifu, the concubine of the right concubine, in Qinian Palace last month.

Compared with usual, this spring, a new product called "brown sugar" was added to the cargo of the Ushiluo caravan. Unlike honey and sweetmeats that are difficult to carry and preserve, brown sugar is in the shape of a horseshoe, dry and easy to preserve. Two thousand kilograms of brown sugar were transported across mountains and rivers to the Yuezhi in Hexi who loved sweets. It was greatly loved by the Yuezhi King and the five princes of the five tribes. They bought it at a high price and bought many cattle and horses for Wushi Luoduo.

Because of the brown sugar, Wu Shiluo had a good impression of Heifu.

However, after thinking carefully about Heifu's proposal of "expanding to the west", Wu Shiluo felt that if this proposal was implemented, it would be like digging up the roots of his own family!

The reason why he was able to become rich with tens of thousands of gold and gifted with thousands of gifts was because he was good at dancing between Qin and Hu Rong, doing resale trade and making profits. The Shaofu and Dianke did not strictly control him.

But now, once the westward expansion strategy is implemented, many immigrants from the mainland will first flow into Beidi and Wuzhi to compete with the Wuzhi Rong people for profit. Secondly, Qin Ruo sent troops to attack the Hu and Rong, wiped out the Qiang, Xiongnu, and Yuezhi outside the Great Wall, and took the rich grasslands such as Hetao in Hexi as his own, and the government directly raised cattle and horses that year.

In that case, what use would he have as a transit merchant? I'm afraid that within a generation, the family will decline.

Therefore, when the emperor ordered the ministers to discuss this policy, Wushi Luocai clearly expressed his opposition.

But things went beyond his expectation. Based on the idea of ​​"choosing the lesser of two evils", the Guanzhong Laoqin family who did not want their children to go to the swampy land in the south to get moldy almost all supported the westward expansion.

What's even more terrible is that the emperor actually had a strange dream in Longshan. Chen Baowu interpreted the dream and thought it was a sign of western expansion. He strengthened his determination and made it a national policy to vigorously implement it in the next few years. Implement.

Therefore, the emperor's question at this time was not about Wu Shiluo's opinion, but to see what role he could play in the national policy of westward expansion...

Wu Shiluo did not dare to object outright anymore, and could only talk in a roundabout way about the many difficulties in conquering the Huluo Land.

First, military conquest is not easy.

After Wu Shiluo thought about it, he said in fluent Xia dialect: "I dare to tell you that the Qiang and Rong people outside the Great Wall are weak and there is nothing to worry about. However, the Xiongnu and Yuezhi are both large kingdoms in the grassland, with a population of dozens Ten thousand, one hundred thousand string controllers..."

"People of the Xiongnu and Yuezhi, children can ride sheep, use bows to shoot birds and mice, and when they grow up, they can shoot foxes and rabbits for food. Adult men can shoot strong bows, all wear leather armor, and ride war horses. Their custom is that when there is no war, they are nomadic at will and make a living by shooting birds and animals; when the situation is urgent, everyone practices their offensive skills in order to invade and plunder. This is the nature of their people. Their long weapons include bows and Arrows, short weapons with knives and collars, if they are good, they will advance, if they are not good, they will retreat, they will not be shy to escape, they will come and go like the wind."

At this time, a voice behind him sounded: "More than twenty years ago, Zhao general Li Mu not only had thousands of chariots, but also had thirteen thousand horses, fifty thousand men with a hundred gold, and one hundred thousand gou. People, can we defeat hundreds of thousands of Xiongnu invaders?"

When he turned around, he came all the way from Jingyang County to see Qin Shihuang’s grand master, Qiang Xu (lěi)...

Although he was nearly sixty years old, Qiang Yu was a militant. He took a year's rest after destroying the Six Kingdoms, and he felt uncomfortable all over. He was also in favor of the proposal to expand to the west: Hei Fu was not the only one who wanted to be granted a title of marquis, the old man also wanted to go one step further and earn the title of Marquis of Guannei!

After bowing to Qin Shihuang, he looked at Wushi Luo and said: "In this battle, Li Mu not only defeated the Xiongnu, but also destroyed Xiuzhao, defeated Donghu, surrendered Linhu, and the Xiongnu chanyu ran away. After more than ten years, he did not dare to approach Zhao. border town."

Although Li Mu was once the opponent of Wang Jian and Qiang Yu, Qiang Yu still respected him.

"Li Mu can defeat the Xiongnu with only Zhao's troops. Now that your Majesty has combined the power of the world and has soldiers who have swept through the six countries, why worry about not being able to capture Hexi and Hetao?"

Although they are both Qiang Rong lords in the north, the Wushi and Qiang clans are not in harmony. Before the Qin Dynasty ruled this area, their tribes were enemies. Now, although they are ministers in the same dynasty, their opinions often go to the left.

Wu Shiluo knew that Qin Shihuang deliberately maintained the balance of power between the two powerful families in the north, and would never sit back and let any one overwhelm the other. Therefore, he had his own confidence, and his status as a "Biongjun" was no less than that of Da Shangzao. ,sidewalk:

"Otherwise, Li Mu relied on the border pass to lure the Huns to invade, and then fought back. But now His Majesty wants to take the initiative, which is completely different from the situation at that time. The Xiongnu and Yueshi are both grassland and vast areas, which is conducive to Where cavalry fights, infantry encounters them, and they are totally different..."

Qiang He was a little disdainful: "The Yueshi of the Xiongnu have cavalry, but Qin has no cavalry? The cavalry of Longxi, Beidi, Shangjun, Yunzhong, Yanmen, and Shanggu, added together, are no less than tens of thousands! I, General, and Li I believe they are all good at riding and fighting!"

Wu Shiluo still shook his head and said: "The Chinese cavalry is probably not as good as the Hu raccoon cavalry. The horses in Hetao and Hexi can go up and down mountains and rivers, go in and out of streams, and gallop. This is not the case with Chinese horses. The cavalry of Xiongnu and Yuezhi are dangerous. The road is tilted, galloping and shooting, which is unmatched by the Chinese cavalry. The Xiongnu and Yuezhi people are tired from wind and rain, but are not tired of hunger and thirst. The Chinese people are unmatched. The Xiongnu and Yuezhi's skills are as good as those in the Hu territory. , is tantamount to using one's own shortcomings to attack others' strong points, do you dare to say that Dashangzao will definitely win?"

Although what he said was true, Qiang Yu got angry and immediately dropped his words and asked Qin Shihuang to let him lead the army. He would surely capture the Xiongnu Chanyu and the Yueshi King.

Qin Shihuang said: "Old generals are naturally indispensable for military affairs in the north. However, before the Xiongnu and Yuezhi, we should first wipe out the Quyan (quyǎn) army north of Jitou Mountain for me."

Quyan is a tribe outside the Northland and later in Ningxia. Although Qin Shihuang liked haste, in the final analysis, he was still a mature politician and knew that the expansion of the west would be done step by step. Within three years, the country will first be bordered by the Xiongnu and Yueshi. He also already knew the Xiongnu and Yuezhi's ability to control hundreds of thousands of strings, so he had the idea of ​​going south first and then north.

The emperor looked at Wu Shiluo again and asked him to continue.

Relying on the fact that he was the person who knew the Xiongnu and Yueshi the best, Wu Shiluo kept up his efforts and continued:

"I have also said that the Hu people eat meat, drink cheese, wear fur, and do not have cities, fields, or houses to live in. They are like birds and beasts in the open fields. The beautiful grass and sweet water will stop, and the grass will move when the water is exhausted. So look at it. , come and go as disciples, come and go as they come, this is the karma of the barbarians."

"But Chinese people are not like that. They must build a city and cultivate acres of land as their occupation. When they get to Hetao and Hexi, what will they do as their occupation?"

"Furthermore, I have been to Hetao and Hexi, and the biggest feeling I felt was...cold!"

He raised his head and said: "The land of wild raccoon dogs is also a place where there is accumulated shade. The bark of wood is three inches and the ice is six feet thick. You must eat meat, drink cheese, and wear thick furs of birds and animals to keep out the cold. Chinese people go there in spring and summer. It’s okay, but if you overwinter locally and cannot adapt to the soil and water, you will probably die..."

"I believe that there is no problem in consolidating the three counties, seizing the land of the Qiang and Rong, and opening up new territories. However, the use of troops against the Xiongnu and Yuezhi needs to be negotiated. It is not easy to defeat the two countries, and it will be difficult to garrison them after capturing Hexi and Hetao. , then the garrison will die on the sidelines, and the loser will follow the path, which will not be beautiful."

After talking about Datong's difficulties in using troops against the Xiongnu and Yueshi, Wu Shiluo also lost no time in putting forward his own suggestions:

"I thought that I could use the food that the Xiongnu lacked and the silk and brown sugar that the Yuezhi lacked to lure them, so I sent a caravan deep into Hexi and across the quicksand to find the Kunlun Mountains where their ancestors are hard to find. I will wait until I find the land of the Queen Mother of the West. Finally, the caravan has also mastered the dangerous transportation points in Hexi, and it will not be too late to use troops at that time!"

Since there is no way to stop it, let yourself be useful in this expansion to the west. This is the only way Wu Shiluo can think of...

So he preferred to use caravans to solve the problem, while Qiang Su just rolled up his sleeves and wanted to use force!

However, Qin Shihuang did not make a decision immediately. When Wu Shiluo and Qiang Yu were arguing, he had been reading the memorial just handed over by the visitor.

The memorial comes from outside Longxi, a thick pile, and is signed by Heifu and Li Xin...

When Wu Shiluo and Qiang You were arguing and their mouths were dry, Qin Shihuang said: "Everything the two ministers said is reasonable, there is no need to argue, because..."

He held up three memorials and said with a smile: "My black dog and white horse, while praying for me in the river, they also don't forget to worry about state affairs. These three memorials have taken care of the cavalry, garrison, and guards that Wu Shiluo was worried about. The three issues of keeping out the cold are all solved!”

Wu Shiluo and Qiang You looked at each other. With Qin Shihuang's permission, they were able to read three memorials respectively.

Among them, the one they were able to read together was "Tuntian Shu", which was related to military secrets, and the one only allowed Qiang Yu to read was "High Saddle and Stirrups".

As for the memorial related to foreign trade, it was only read by Wu Shiluo, and it was called "Shearing Wool for Clothes"!

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