Qin Official

"After having a concubine, how can a nobleman of the Tian family marry a dog without a surname?"

Two days later, when the letter written by Xiami County Magistrate Zhou Zhi on behalf of Heifu was delivered to Yeyi City, a burst of angry shouts suddenly sounded deep in the Tian family's mansion!

"This is an insult to my family!"

Tian Du, the eldest son of the Tian family in Yeyi, looked angry and wanted to tear up the letter, but his father Tian Gu stopped him.

"No hurries!"

Tian Yu was about forty years old. He was the grandson of Tian Dan, Lord Anping of Qi State, and the de facto owner of Yeyi City. He had a thin face and a few strands of long beard hanging down to his chest.

"Father, do you really want to marry your little sister to that black husband's nephew?" Tian Dou was indignant and felt very humiliated.

It’s no wonder that Tian Du thinks highly of himself. A few decades ago, the Yan Kingdom almost destroyed Qi. His great-grandfather Tian Dan stood firm in Jimo, defeated the Yan army with the Fire Ox Formation, recovered more than 70 cities, and saved the destroyed country, but was completely defeated. country. Because of his meritorious service, he was appointed as the prime minister and given the title of Lord Anping. He also received Yeyi as his territory and enjoyed the food of ten thousand households.

Although Tian Dan was later jealous of the King of Qi and left the State of Zhao, he still had the State of Qi in his heart. When he led the Zhao army to attack Yan, he deliberately kept the Zhao army out for a long time, wasting Zhao's money, food and energy, so that Yan and Zhao would fight and Qi would be safe.

Qi State also treated Tian Dan's descendants with great tacit understanding. When Tian Du was sensible, the Tian family in Yeyi was at its peak. There was Yeyi's support in the east and Shangzhi in the west. The golden horizontal belt ran as far as Zi. Between Mian and Mian, I traveled with the princes and grandsons.

But the days when people were superior to others ended after Qi surrendered without a fight. The Tian family lost their position as king. The Qin Dynasty sent local officials to Yeyi. The sea salt business that their family originally ran also disappeared. Deprived by the government...

Tian Du, who deeply felt that he and the Qin army were enemies of the country, was very angry. He tried to resist several times, but was stopped by his father Tian Gu.

"The arm can't twist the thigh. The King of Qi has hundreds of thousands of armored men who have fallen, let alone my family? It's better not to trigger it and wait and see what happens."

Tian Gu's choice was wise. After most of the Qin army withdrew, Qi became the domain of Zhutian again. By bribing local officials, he corrupted all the county magistrates, lieutenants, and prime ministers in Yeyi. Those who liked beauty would give maids and concubines, and those who liked silk would give money. After these three officials were settled, the subordinate officials below were originally natives. Of course, only the Tian family followed suit.

Bribery tactics worked repeatedly. In the next few years, Tian Yuyou took back most of the salt industry that belonged to his family. There were fewer people working in the government-run salt fields and more people working for Tian. The people returned like running water. All of this , seems to be the reappearance of the Tian family on behalf of Qi.

He also asked his son Tian Du to collude with some anti-Qin forces who had fled overseas, and taught them to pretend to be pirates and harass the coast, making it difficult for the salt fields controlled by the government to continue. As a result, the official salt production became less and less, while the private salt increased. Come more and more.

The number of Qin officials in Jiaodong was small, and the county guard was mediocre and old. He could only turn a blind eye to matters within and outside the walls of Jimo.

As long as this is maintained, when the world changes, Tian Gu only needs to follow the example of Wang Sunjia who entered Ju City to support the right, and raise his arms, and thousands of people will naturally respond. Coupled with the anti-Qin knights brought by Tian Du from overseas, as well as the Jimo Tian family and other powerful men, to kill Qin officials and seize the city, Jiaodong can become a leader overnight!

But just last winter, Zhang Liang, a Korean who had used Yeyi to return to the inland from Canghaijun, passed by this place again and told Tian Gu some bad news.

"There is a Qin official named Heifu who will be appointed as the county governor of Jimo in the future!"

At that time, Heifu was not well-known in Qidi, so Zhang Liang introduced him to Tian Gu, Tian Du and his son.

Zhang Liang disguised himself as a merchant and traveled around Guandong. He often heard about Heifu's deeds. Here are the following points:

He is a traitor who has forgotten his identity as Jingchu, the most loyal black dog around Qin Shihuang, and the executioner who killed countless anti-Qin people!

After criticizing Hei Fu's crimes, Zhang Liang had to admit: "But this man is also a capable minister and official. He has repeatedly made great achievements and won the trust of the tyrant. He is one of the three young generals along with Meng Tian and Li Xin. If he is allowed to serve in Jiaodong Gaining a foothold may put the Jiaodong Zhutians in a difficult situation, and in the long run, Heifu will also become the biggest obstacle to Qi's desire to restore the country!"

Therefore, at Zhang Liang's initiative, Tian Yu and Tian Du planned an assassination against Heifu.

From beginning to end, Zhang Liang only made a suggestion and lobbied the Jimo Tian family for their family. After seeing that the matter failed, he quickly left Jiaodong with the warriors around him.

Before leaving, he left behind a sentence: "If you kill a snake, you will be harmed. I am afraid that the world in Jiaodong will change. How can I stay long?"

After Zhang Liang disappeared, his prediction came true. Although the government would not be able to find any results for a while because of the meticulousness of the assassination, Heifu also showed his interests: Chunyu was severely punished and killed. After arriving in Jimo, he established his prestige and passed an examination with bonuses to establish his trust. He recruited talkative intellectuals and invited farmers to return to Jiaodong, which stabilized the people around Jimo and gave them a little hope of improving their lives.

After a set of combined punches, the Jimo Tian clan was extremely uncomfortable, and Tian Gu felt as if he was facing a formidable enemy, fearing that Heifu would start to attack other counties after he gained a foothold in Jimo.

However, at this time, things also changed. Although Heifu did a lot of things, the results were not as great as expected. After all, Zhutian's power in Jiaodong was accumulated over time and could not be eliminated for a while. The governor recognized After this point, their attitude began to change from confrontation to cooperation...

Before Heifu went to the county, Tian Gu received a message from the Tian family in Jimo. When he learned that Heifu invited Tian Jiao to have a banquet, his words softened. He hoped that the Tian family could send their children to a public school and give them official positions in half a year. , participate in the construction of new county governance.

"I want to rule Jiaodong together with the scholar-bureaucrats from various fields." Sheriff Heifu said to Tian Jiao.

Later, there was news that Heifu had solved the assassination case in Chunyu County, which was like breaking Tian Gu's heart.

At that time, he was already ready to contact Governor Heifu, but what he received was this letter ghostwritten by Zhou Zhen...

Zhou Zhen had already boarded their ship after eating a lot of beauties and money and silk sent by Tian Yu. Heifu asked Zhou Zhen to send a message, so he undoubtedly knew what was going on between them.

"But instead of pursuing the investigation, he actually wanted to discuss with me the mining in Pingdu, and even wanted to marry my daughter for his nephew?"

Marriage is a way for local officials to show their goodwill to the powerful. Only with the marriage tie can cooperation between the two parties be achieved.

"But why did Governor Heifu want to marry and cooperate with my family for no reason? You know, we also had people stab him on the Weishui River." Tian Du was suspicious.

"But didn't he find out? Therefore, in the eyes of the governor, the Yeyitian family is just a slightly larger local powerful family. If I guessed correctly, he has changed his tune recently and frequently showed his favor to the local government, probably to deal with the emperor. Let’s go on an eastward tour..."

This is the information provided by Zhang Liang, but he doesn't know the specific route. Tian Yu suspects that the anti-Qin people are well-informed. Is there someone in Xianyang who tipped them off?

After thinking about it, Tian Yu decided to go to the meeting. Seeing his son's unwillingness, Tian Yu told him a story:

"When Gou Jian was trapped in Kuaiji, he asked King Wu Fu Cha to surrender. Fu Cha wanted Gou Jian to serve as a slave in Gusu, but Gou Jian didn't want to. Fan Li Wenzhong persuaded him that at that time, Shang Tang was imprisoned in Xiatai by Jie, and King Wen of Zhou was imprisoned by Zhou. The king was imprisoned in Youli, Duke Wen of Jin Chong'er fled to Beizhai, Duke Huan of Qi Xiaobai fled to Ju, and finally they all dominated the world. From this point of view, what is this grievance?"

"Gou Jian suffered all the humiliation in Wu. He was a slave and his wife was a maid. Every time Fu Chai went out, Gou Jian prepared a car for him, knelt down to be Fu Chai's stepping stone, and even tasted feces for him."

"So Fu Chai did not doubt Gou Jian and released him to return to his country. Gou Jian endured ten years of hardships, ten years of living, ten years of lessons, and finally destroyed Wu and took revenge!"

After telling the story of Gou Jian's restoration of the country, Tian Yu said to Tian Du:

“My great father, Lord Anping, once left a message to his descendants: Those who maintain fullness will be with heaven; those who are determined will be with people; those who are disciplined will be with the earth.

"Gou Jian was able to overturn the overthrowers because he understood the way of humanity."

"The Yeyitian family can maintain their wealth and wealth for a long time because the great father understands the way of heaven that is full but not overflowing."

"Tian's ability to represent Qi is because he understands how to adapt to local conditions!"

"If we want to restore our country, we must learn from the three ways of heaven, earth and man. Since the assassination of the black man failed, we cannot openly confront him. Again, the arm cannot twist the thigh. Once the Qin army is suppressed, My family! Since he is determined to cooperate with Zhuda, why not just pretend to fulfill his wish..."

Tian Yu read the letter in his hand again and said with difficulty:

"As for my daughter, why not marry his nephew? This will also prevent him from touching my house while he is running the county!"

Tian Du was anxious: "This is pushing my little sister into a pit of fire. What will she do when the world changes and my family is in trouble?"

Tian Huang opened the window, glanced at his daughter who was flapping butterflies with her companion in the yard, and sighed: "The three generations of the Tian family in Yeyi have always been loyal to Qi. I believe that my daughter will also be able to understand people by that day." As long as the husband is the best, the father is the only one!"

"That's it. To be on the safe side, I will go to the meeting alone, and you will stay in Yeyi. If anything changes... don't hesitate, just act according to the plan proposed by that ovary!"

…

Early the next morning, Tian Yu picked a not-so-luxurious carriage and embarked on the journey with dozens of servants and guests.

Leaving Yeyi and heading southwest, we passed through the two townships of Yangle and Dangli. This place is close to the seaside, and fishermen often fish on the seaside. However, the land is salty, making it difficult to cultivate and cultivate it.

However, due to the management of three generations of the Tian family, Yeyi has developed very well. The former salt brine land has been transformed into patches of farmland. This year's weather is very good. There has been enough rain since the beginning of summer, and the millet seedlings in the ground are growing well. It fluctuates when the wind blows. In those bare fields, hemp and bean sprouts have also been planted. The busy farming period has come to an end. There are only farmers in twos and threes hoeing in the fields. While hoeing, they sing simple folk songs. They still have the energy to sing, which shows that they can eat enough on weekdays. of.

As for the rugged areas where grains cannot be grown, there are also some grown-up economic trees such as elm, mulberry, chestnut, and peach, which are lush and lush.

And the field roads they took were no worse than the roads that Governor Heifu had recently built, and could accommodate two cars running parallel to each other. In addition, the ditches beside the fields are also well-proportioned, diverting the water flowing from the hills to irrigate crops. Farmers do not do these things spontaneously. They were all repaired by people organized by Tian Gu and his family when they were still feudal lords.

Tian Yuan and his son contributed a lot to making Yeyi so prosperous, and the local people also thought of their good deeds. When they see Tian Gu passing by, even the old farmers who are resting on the edge of the fields will walk to the roadside, salute Tian Gu respectfully, and say: "Tian Jun."

Although he was deprived of his noble status, in the eyes of the Yeyi people, Tian Gu was the lord who cared about their life and death, not some bullshit Yeyi County Magistrate or Jiaodong County Sheriff!

Tian Huang also nodded humbly to them. This was because he had inherited the temperament of his eldest father Tian Dan. When Tian Dan was the prime minister, he once rescued people from his fur during a snowy day, and his reputation has been passed down to this day.

"People's hearts, this is what my family relies on to establish a foothold in Jiaodong. The Jiaodong County Sheriff must have found that he can't do anything to my family, so he can only seek cooperation."

On the second day, the group arrived at Pingdu Township. Compared with half a year ago, it was much more lively after the discovery of a gold mine. With the arrival of the county guard, all the buildings were vacated, and the township temple was crowded. But the road was not heavily guarded.

After Tian Yu and his party reported the news, someone immediately took them in. Most of Tian Yu's followers were stopped and only a few people were allowed in.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard a burst of hearty laughter.

"I have always admired Mr. Anping, and I am really lucky to see his grandson today."

A black-faced Qin official walked out, wearing a light official uniform. This should be the Heifu County Sheriff...

"Tian Gu, a grassroots citizen of Yeyi, has met the commander of the county."

Hei Fu hurriedly stepped forward to help Tian Yu up, and invited him into the room to talk in detail. At the same time, he asked one of his subordinates, Liu Ji, to take Tian Yu and the other disciples who were following him to the next door to drink and entertain him.

Seeing how enthusiastic the county guard was, Tian Huang dispelled half of his doubts. He nodded to the few talented disciples who were selected from a hundred, and then followed Hei Fu into the hall of the rural temple.

"I have many important matters, and I need to have a good talk with Mr. Tian..."

Two people who both want to kill each other are acting like old friends they haven't seen for many years.

Heifu was polite, but after entering the hall, Tian Yu found something was wrong!

In the hall, from the door to the inside, there were more than a dozen fully armed warriors standing, looking at him as if they were looking at a prey that had stepped into a trap!

"No, I was deceived!"

Tian Yu was shocked and was about to run away when the door behind him slammed shut. Cao Shen led several county soldiers to cut off his retreat. At the same time, there were faint sounds of fighting coming from outside!

He was rooted under his feet and could not move a step further. He also knew that everything today was a trap, a trap to lure him into a trap.

When he turned back, Hei Fu had already sat down on his own. With a wave of his hand, his men, who had been preparing for a long time, immediately stepped forward, caught Tian Gu, and pushed him to the ground with his backhand!

Tian Yu was desperate and could only sneer: "Didn't the Sheriff say in the letter that he wanted to talk to me about his nephew's marriage? What does this mean? Everyone said that the Sheriff is a meritorious minister and a hero in the world, so I believed in the Sheriff Who would have thought that he would turn out to be a villain who has no faith in his word and has a shameless conspiracy!"

But Heifu smiled and said: "My loyalty is to my friends and the people, not to the enemies who want my life. Tian Yu, your father and son sent people to assassinate me on the Weishui River. Isn't this considered a conspiracy?" "

Furthermore, it seems that the deceitful tactics of soldiers were also invented by the people of Qi...

He deliberately let Chunyu's assassination case be closed just to confuse Tian Gu and his son and make them think that he had found nothing...

After saying that, Heifu spread his hands again: "Besides, just think about it with your brain and you will know..."

"How can two thousand sons of the Shi family marry the daughter of a traitor who is plotting rebellion?"