Qin Official

"My name is Han Xin. I am from Huaiyin, Donghai County. I have been ordered by Captain Sosu. Why am I here?"

In a corner of Wuchang Zuoying, Han Xin, who was promoted to "chief" by Xiao He, saw the ten soldiers assigned to him.

Most of these soldiers were from Nanjun and Hengshan counties, and belonged to Western Chu and Nanchu geographically. However, Han Xin spoke with a Dongchu accent, which made them feel strange and strange, but they still responded calmly. They each reported their names, most of them had no words. Among the people of the clan, only the corps leader named "Zhu Man" was named.

Zhu Zao looked Han Xin up and down with a pair of triangular eyes. He saw that he was tall and looked majestic in the standard armor. However, there was no bow or crown on his head. He didn't even have a bun on the right side, but tilted to the left...

He suddenly laughed, showing his yellow teeth.

"What, don't you have a title?"

Han Xin knew that this was his biggest weakness, but it was a serious crime to pretend to be a nobleman in the army, so he nodded: "Nothing."

"How can a soldier without a title be a commander?"

Zhu Zao suddenly became proud, thanks to the blessing of his father who died in the battle to destroy Chu. He was also a "public servant" after all.

Han Xin did not panic at all, and said with a smile: "In our Donghai County and Hengshan County, let alone the number of soldiers, there are quite a few who are the commanders of the villages. Why is it so strange?"

It was a rule in the past that those who served as officials must have nobility, but with the Qin Dynasty unifying the world, there were not many people with nobility in the Six Kingdoms area, but there must be some garrison commanders and chiefs who escort the garrison soldiers to do their labor. , so the policy was liberalized, and those without a title under a hundred years of rank could also serve temporarily.

Na Zhu Zao muttered: "This is not the case in our Nan County."

When he mentioned Nanjun, he had a show-off look on his face. Who didn't know that Chang Nanhou, the general of the Southern Expedition, was from Nanjun, and the children of Nanjun were equivalent to direct descendants in the army. They were superior to others wherever they went! So he looked down upon this airborne commander at all.

But there is no way. The thousand of them are placed under the jurisdiction of Xiao He, the commander of Sosu. They will definitely install some close followers, and any cat or dog can be an official.

Han Xin did not want to argue with Zhu Zao, and said: "No matter what, the appointment has been made, and I hope that the second and third sons can obey it!"

He had a majestic face, and even though Zhu Zao still wanted to find trouble, he finally shrank his head and could only scold him behind his back.

Four months ago, Han Xin would definitely not be so confident in what he said.

In early January, after leaving his hometown Huaiyin, which gave him countless looks of disdain, Han Xin took a boat with Xiao He and went south along Hangou, passing through Kuaiji and Yuzhang, and came to Wuchangying.

Along the way, Han Xin, who had never left home, gained more knowledge. Xiao He visited all the important arterial roads and waterways in the entire Nanchu region, learned about the conditions of granaries in various places, and also stopped at countless military camps.

But no military camp had ever shocked him as much as Wuchang Camp.

The first is the scale. There are already 20,000 soldiers and 20,000 civilians gathered here. The camp is three or four times larger than Huaiyin County, and it is well planned.

Secondly, there was spirit. The soldiers in Kuaiji and Yuzhang had worked hard for a long time and had lost their energy. In addition, they were constantly being sent back with injuries from the front lines. Their eyes were empty, as if they had just escaped from a ghost.

But Wuchang Camp is different. This place is filled with this kind of vitality, especially the Nanjun soldiers. During training, the slogans are shouted so loudly that the entire camp can be heard.

In addition, when Han Xin first arrived, the "Common Sense" written by Changnan Hou happened to be delivered. Hundreds of copies were printed and distributed to each camp, so that the centenarians and village chiefs could teach the soldiers and civilians to learn. Han Xin promulgated the order sent to him by the mysterious old man. In the Art of War, there are new rules that are unheard of: such as uniform disposal of feces in the military, and no drinking of suspicious raw water while stationed...

But while walking in the camp, Han Xin also noticed something.

For example, when the village chiefs preached "Common Sense", they would emphasize that this was because the Marquis of Changnan loved his soldiers as innocent children and thought about the diseases and sufferings of the party members in the counties and villages. The implication was that the soldiers would love Changnan. Nanhou is grateful.

The soldiers of Nanjun also regarded themselves as the direct descendants of the Marquis of Changnan and were superior to others, and regarded the soldiers of other counties as miscellaneous.

Han Xin thoughtfully reported these things to Xiao He, but Xiao He said after thinking: "This is not something you should care about!"

Perhaps because he thought Han Xin was too idle, Xiao He, who was the logistics minister of the army, also arranged a job for him: as the commander, he would lead ten soldiers and supervise the work of one hundred corvettes.

Han Xinxin was a little disappointed, but he also knew that in the Qin army, nothing could be achieved overnight. The prime minister must start from the state headquarters, and the fierce generals must be sent to the soldiers.

"The Marquis of Changnan also started from the rank of commander, and eventually established a reputation and was able to command an army of hundreds of thousands."

Han Xin could only comfort himself in this way. Although he could not catch up with the wave of Qin destroying the six kingdoms, Han Xin always felt that the world would never be peaceful forever, and sooner or later he would have a chance to perform.

Fortunately, it was already late April and the land had been planted. Han Xin and the others did not have to plow the acres all day long. They only had to go to the nearby forest to cut firewood and logs to provide the daily needs of the army of 40,000 people with two meals a day. A lot of firewood was needed to burn, so the Marquis of Changnan ordered his soldiers to drink boiled water, which would consume even more firewood.

But for the ancients who had to make fire twice a day to make rice, it only took half a moment to boil another cauldron of water with the residual heat of the stove. If you insist on using this as an excuse to drink raw water, to put it bluntly , still ignorant, still afraid of trouble.

This logging work seems simple, but in fact it is not easy.

Han Xin needs to get up early in the morning and take people to the arsenal to collect dozens of copper and iron axes. Then he leaves the camp and gathers civilians at the edge of the forest to distribute the tools.

You must be alert at all times while working. If these people carry axes and make trouble, or escape into the woods, they must be caught immediately. If one or two people are let go, Han Xin will be in trouble.

In the evening, the axes had to be recovered one by one, and no less than one was needed. If there was any damage or damage, it should be reported to the arsenal officer immediately. If the report was not made in time, Han Xin would still have to bear the responsibility.

Han Xin did not dare to relax at all. Fortunately, he had a talent for organizing large-scale activities. On the way here, Han Xin, who was withdrawn by nature, endured and tried his best to chat with Pao Ze. He got a little familiar with him and knew who was honest, who was cunning, and who was cunning. Reliable.

After arriving at the place, arrange the soldiers to be divided into five groups and stand separately so that they can take care of every corner and see each other. If something happens, they can rush to help from all directions.

Han Xin himself stood on a hill overlooking the entire forest farm. His eyes were alert, and his eyes kept jumping on the corvees and soldiers.

The ax was raised and dropped, and the sound of "dong-dong" was endless, accompanied by the chirping of birds.

Han Xin couldn't help but think of the old man who taught him the art of war. Sometimes, when he was fishing by the Huai River, he would sing songs behind him.

"The trees are tinkling, and the birds are chirping. They come from the deep valley and move to the trees. They are chirping, and I ask for their friends' voices..."

Why do birds chirp? It is just for seeking knowledge.

The old man's singing was full of loneliness. Han Xin didn't understand it at the time, but later he suddenly realized that it was probably because he had never met a confidant in his life, and he had no stage for his secret plans.

In comparison, Han Xin feels that he is lucky. Although he suffered great humiliation in his hometown, he also met a close friend.

Xiao He was his close friend, and Han Xin would remember this kindness forever.

But Xiao He is not Han Xin's parasol tree, because he is also inferior to others and cannot make the decision.

"When can I become famous and stand out?"

After sighing, Han Xin decided to take care of the immediate things first. This woodland turned out to be the first battlefield for the Soldier Immortal...

He knew very well that he needed to stand out in Xiao He's small pocket in order to enter the larger pocket.

Changnanhou’s pocket!

At this time, he discovered that Wu Commander Zhu Zao was sitting under the tree chatting with others, not even looking at the corvettes around him.

Han Xin frowned, but thinking that he had just arrived, he still held back and just made adjustments and went over to stare.

Fortunately, the food in Wuchang camp was better, and Heifu's promise of "never going south before winter" was reassuring. No corvee escaped today.

Time passed quickly, and the whole day passed like this. Seeing that the sun was getting dusk, and it was time for the evening meal, Han Xin asked the soldiers to gather the corvettes, move the last batch of firewood outside the camp, and prepare for everyone to eat.

The hot rice was put in big wooden barrels and brought out by the soldiers who were responsible for the food. There were also cold boiled rice in clay pots. I heard that dozens of earthen stoves in the camp were boiling water all night long.

Although Han Xin was hungry, he still let the soldiers and civilians eat first. After everyone had served, he wiped his sweat, rinsed his muddy hands, broke off two thin wooden sticks, and prepared to sit down. Food.

But at this moment, Wu Zhang Zhu Zao, who had just come back and was chatting with people in the next village, and kept glancing at Han Xin, came back.

Zhu Zao looked at Han Xin with amusement in his eyes. He said loudly in front of hundreds of people:

"Han Xin, I heard someone say that when you were in Donghai County, you were poor and homeless. You once went everywhere begging for food, and even got into people's crotches just for a bite to eat! Is it true or false?"