Qin Official

In the late Yin month (the first lunar month) of the twenty-eighth year of Qin Shihuang, although spring had already begun in the south, in Beidi County, the last frost and snow had just fallen, and farming would not be fully started until February.

The weather suddenly turns warm and cold, and a team of more than a hundred people is walking by the Jingshui River where the ice and snow are gradually melting...

This team had both chariots and horses. First there were two military chariots leading the way. The left and right chariots were fully armed, holding halberds or bows and arrows. Even the charioteer had a long sword on his back and a hand on his side. crossbow.

Then there was a Gaodaxuan car pulled by four-horse horses. The car cover was black and the barriers on both sides of the car were painted red. Heifu, the captain of Beidi County, was sitting in it, and he saw that he was dignified, wearing a crimson robe, a black crown, a long sword, and a green ribbon with a silver seal. He was guarded by officers and soldiers holding halberds in front, back and left.

After the chariot, there were dozens of horsemen and hundreds of soldiers accompanying them. It can be said that the sun is covered by the trains and the road is full of chariots! There are also drum carts beating drums and playing sheng and Xiao.

A warrior with a black scarf on his head and a beard on his lips was riding a horse and cruising in front of and behind the team to the beat of sheng and drums. He looked quite proud.

Finally, he ran to Heifu's car and said excitedly: "In the past, I had only seen the guard of honor for the county governor to go to the spring in Yan County, and I didn't think it was anything at all. But today, I opened the way for the county governor to go to the county. I really feel that Extremely majestic!”

This samurai was Gong Ao who resigned from his position as "Nanchang Fake Captain" the year before last and was idle at home. When he learned that Hei Fu had been promoted to Northland County Lieutenant, he tried to get a talisman and came to Northland, saying that even if he didn't get a grain of grain in return, he would be his staff member!

Regarding the uninvited Gong Ao, Chen Ping, the chief historian under Heifu, had doubts: "After all, you have been a county captain, but you resigned and came to be the county captain's guest. What does this mean to people who are interested?"

Gong Ao always looked at Chen Ping, a pretty boy, and said, "I'm just a white boy now, and I don't have to serve this year. Which law am I violating?"

In the end, after Heifu thought about it for a while, he decided to let Gong Ao be his "guest", who was actually the bodyguard captain. This son was from the south and would not be of much use in fighting in the north, but his loyalty to Hei Fu was unparalleled among the northern officials.

More importantly, although Hei Fu is in the North, he has not forgotten that his roots are still the three thousand children of Nan County. And Gong Ao is the medium for close communication with them. Thinking about it this way, Gong Ao's resignation is really a great thing.

A few days after Gong Ao arrived in Beidi County, Heifu took him, as well as Chief Shi Chen Ping, Guard Wang Wei, Cavalry Commander Yiqu Bailang, etc., on a trip to the county...

When he was in Nanjun, Heifu traveled to the county with his father-in-law Ye Teng and was involved in the rebellion of the Yidaoba people. In fact, not only county guards but also county lieutenants also have the power and obligation to patrol their jurisdictions from time to time. Especially when new officials take office, they must carry out inspections as soon as possible.

The Art of War says: He who knows his enemy and himself can fight a hundred battles without danger. If you don't know the enemy but know yourself, you will win every time; if you don't know the enemy but don't know yourself, you will be destroyed in every battle.

Heifu had ambitions to conquer the North, but he also clearly realized that his enemy this time was not a small tribe of Rong people fighting for a living, but the Huns.

Even at this time, the Xiongnu were still in a three-legged confrontation with the Yueshi and Donghu, and they were not a complete entity. However, all the nomads were soldiers, and the Xiongnu also had hundreds of thousands of bowmen. The territory was thousands of miles vast and should not be underestimated.

Therefore, before taking action, he must first "know himself".

Last fall, when Heifu came to the North to take office, he passed through several counties near Mishui, but he only took a quick look at them without conducting in-depth investigations. So this time, he decided to spend a month and make a thorough tour.

The Qin Dynasty did not allow officials to visit the emperor privately in disguise, except for the emperor himself, so Hei Fushao had to go on the road with great fanfare. Although there were many people, Heifu reduced the entertainment in the counties along the way. He set off from Yiqucheng in mid-January. In late January, he turned back to the middle road and followed the smooth road into Jingyang County...

When I hear the sound of shengxiao in the distance and see the guard of honor approaching, the pedestrians, carriages and horses on the road have to give way, but occasionally I encounter someone who runs into the road and bows down to complain.

Heifu asked someone to stop the complainer and asked him. He found out that he was a resident of a nearby village.

The skinny old farmer held dry wheat in his hands and cried: "The field officials have clearly said that if there are droughts, storms, waterlogging, locusts and other pests that damage the crops, the number of affected hectares must be reported, and the government can reduce or exempt the field rent. Some time ago There was hail as big as a baby's fist, which destroyed a lot of heading wheat. We went to the countryside to ask for a rent reduction, but we were kicked out. The field official said that we should collect rent as usual regardless of the millet disaster and the wheat harvest. …”

After Heifu listened quietly, he asked Wei Shi to come over and ask him to take the old farmer directly to the Jingyang County Prison and hand it over to the county magistrate and jailer in charge of the case, and let Jingyang County handle the case on its own in accordance with the law.

The Heijun Lieutenant also explained to the old farmer: "I shouldn't interfere with the affairs of the county governor and the county magistrate. Father, you'd better appeal according to the procedures of the law!"

After the old farmer was taken away, Gong Ao was a little disappointed: "I thought the county captain would directly interrogate the case at the edge of the field, and then send us to bring the corrupt officials to justice."

Chen Ping was speechless. After all, Gong Ao had been a county captain, so how could he be so "ignorant"?

He said: "How can you use a bull's knife to cut a chicken? This is much smarter than interfering personally. If the county commander personally goes to sue the old farmer, how dare he not enforce the law impartially?"

Chen Ping's opinion is the same as that of Heifu. These are not matters within his scope and should be ignored. The county governor Zhao Hai is not a strong county governor like Ye Teng who is both civil and military. The two carefully maintained the division of authority. Hei Fu did not want to displease Zhao Hai, and Zhao Hai did not want to retire and offend Hei Fu, an upstart who shouldered the mission of the emperor...

How could the two sides working together cautiously and forbearing each other for the sake of the country be ruined by a few acres of Sumai that were damaged by hail?

Chen Ping and Gong Ao looked down upon each other, so they had different concerns for the rest of the trip.

Chen Ping observed the number of fields on the roadside and secretly calculated it. He found that this was the county with the flattest land, the best water conservancy, and the most diligent farmers.

"I heard that all the land to the west of Longkou of Jingyang is pasture land with fertile grass and beautiful water. Only Jingyang is to the east and cultivates a single county, which can provide food for the Wushi, Chaona and Xiaoguan armies. The stability of the North depends on this... …”

In turn, the large number of livestock in Wushi and Chaona also provided assistance for cattle farming in Jingyang. Every household in Jingyang had either cattle or horses, which saved a lot of manpower during spring plowing.

"In the future, when the commander-in-chief will send troops to the north, Jingyang and Qixian will be granaries. The work of planting fields and grain must be started immediately this year!"

Chen Ping was making a lot of calculations in his mind. Although it was still early for him to conquer the world, he still had a sense of accomplishment by helping Heifu manage the military affairs of a county.

But Gong Ao Haowu saw another scene.

He discovered that most of the passers-by and local farmers traveled on horseback! Those young and middle-aged men on the roadside, wearing Rongdi's hakama and pleats, performed the standard mid-summer salute to the black husband. They had short knives and long swords hanging on their waists, and some even carried bows on their backs. They all had strong arms and round waists. , a head taller than a southerner like him...

"The people here are very martial."

Gong Ao sighed to Heifu: "Even the farmers who plow the fields are wearing weapons and can shoot bows and arrows at any time! They are far better than Nanjun!"

"Otherwise, how could the Qin soldiers in Kansai sweep across the six kingdoms in Kanto?"

Heifu smiled and said: "Beidi, Shangjun, and Longxi are all approaching the Rong and Di. Although they are separated by the Great Wall, the local people must also practice war preparations to resist the constant attacks of the Rong and the Di. In addition, Xia Rong's miscellaneous places are contaminated by the Rong and Di. It is customary for people to regard death in battle as bravery and death from illness as shame. Local men are all strong, able to ride horses, like swords, and are good at hunting."

Chen Ping also nodded and said: "Yes, so the ancient chapters of "Qin Feng", "Chariots", "Si Zai", and "Xiao Rong" all talk about chariots, horses and hunting in fields. They are talking about the customs of Longxi. The same is true in the North. Its customs and customs have existed since ancient times, but today's songs are generous and romantic still exist."

Although the people of Yan and Zhao were also generous and tragic, they preferred private fights. The people of Qin in Guanxi were different. They were tamed by Shang Yang's method and were only happy to fight in public and did not dare to fight privately!

This special geographical environment and the quality of the people naturally became an important source of troops for the Qin State.

As the county with the largest number of immigrants from the Central Plains and the largest number of residents registered as households, Jingyang is Heifu's first choice for selecting troops and generals!

He told his two confidants Chen Ping and Gong Ao: "I want to use the naturalized Rong soldiers as hunting dogs to help me get cunning rabbits outside the Great Wall. However, no matter how loyal a dog is, it is still a beast. When its wild nature becomes strong, it will bite people. I We also need some good bows. If you hold them in your hands, you can not only shoot down high-altitude birds, but also aim at the backs of hounds at any time to prevent them from rebelling..."

When he arrived at Jingyang County in the afternoon, the county captain and others were already waiting for him at the door. After a few polite words with them, Heifu gave the order:

"Immediately go to the county and various villages to recruit local good men who are good at riding, shooting, and martial arts!"

The "good bow" that Heifu wants to obtain is exactly a special group among the Qin people in Kansai: good family members!