Qin Official

"Your Majesty, our garrison period has been extended to four years. When can we return?"

The old soldier with a wrinkled face complained endlessly. Judging from his accent, he was from Jianghuai Chu.

"Of course, my son was only up to my knees when I left. Now when I go back, I'm afraid he's up to my waist. I don't know if he still recognizes me..." The bearded Guanzhong man also resented it.

I wandered around Dongshan, melancholy and never returned; I played the reed pipe somewhere unknown, and spent the whole night conscripting people away from home... Especially after four years of service, there were many nights when soldiers woke up in the middle of the night, secretly wiping tears.

No matter which era, Zhengren's thoughts are the same.

I thought that under the leadership of the Marquis of Changnan, I finally occupied Minyue, conquered South Vietnam, wiped out Xiou, and defeated Luo Yue. Seeing that Baiyue had been wiped out, even the title of the imperial court was handed down. After each victory, it was a great reputation. Returning home, but Qin Shihuang seemed to have forgotten these tens of thousands of people who were far away from the ends of the world. He had not mentioned the matter of returning to his hometown after completing his military service.

Anger and uneasiness lingered in everyone's hearts, and countless pairs of eyes looked at Heifu, hoping that Changnan Hou could give them an answer.

More than a year ago, when Lu Jia told him the story of "taking on a melon when it's too late" in Changsha County, Heifu had expected that such a day would come. He saw that the melons had ripened four times, and the vines withered and fell and grew again. New sprouts, but hundreds of thousands of garrison soldiers in Lingnan are still unable to return, and the succession has become endless.

"Rebellion! I'll take you home!"

If Heifu really said this, he was obviously being ridiculous. The Qin Dynasty was not as good as the late Tang Dynasty, and the court had not yet collapsed. Heifu's family, and even the families of many soldiers, were still in Xianyang, Guanzhong, and Nanyang. In short, it is a place beyond the reach of the Southern Expeditionary Army. Regardless of the complaints of this group of people, if they really want them to abandon their wives and children and follow Heihu at the cost of the whole family, even the old troops of Nanjun will be stunned for a long time. , hesitate for a moment, let alone the rest of the troops.

The melon is not yet ripe and the stem has not yet fallen off, so we have to wait a little longer. It is better to serve Voldemort than to be the first to take the lead. This is Heifu’s life creed.

The process is not important, eating chicken is the most important.

But it was impossible for Heifu to take the blame for the emperor and the court. Jia He, whose head was beheaded by him in Changsha County, was an example. The grudges of the soldiers had to be channeled upwards.

"Two or three sons!"

Heifu stood on the platform with the flag and appealed to everyone: "I have stated my request to the court several times. I believe that Your Majesty will allow you to return home soon! The return date may be this year, or next year!"

It was okay if I didn't say it, but when I said it, the soldiers exploded and complained endlessly.

“Next year after year, so many next years!”

"The imperial court has been dishonest, not just once or twice."

Once upon a time, Shang Yang moved to Mu Lixin and established the Qin government's credibility. With the conferment of military honors for a hundred years, all the people of Qin believed that the Qin Dynasty would be rewarded for its merits and punished for its transgressions. But now, with the endless replacements, the trust of the garrison soldiers and servants in the imperial court gradually wavered, and finally exhausted.

Historically, during the chaos in the Central Plains at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the powerful Southern Army was incited by Zhao Tuo and directly cut off contact with the mother country and refused to return, probably out of disappointment with the government.

Finally, someone had the courage to shout out those words: "We, the soldiers of the Southern Expedition, do not believe in the imperial court, but only in the monarchs!"

"Yes! I only believe in the Marquis of Changnan!"

Heifu smiled and pressed his hand down.

It's useless to say these words now. I just hope they can still remember them after a while.

"Today I have something from the bottom of my heart that I want to tell my second and third sons."

Hei Fu was a little moved: "I also miss home. My mother is nearly seventy years old and has a head full of white hair."

This statement aroused the thoughts of many soldiers, and some raised their heads to prevent tears from flowing out.

But Hei Fu smiled and said: "I also have a wife, with whom I often get together in my dreams."

The soldiers who had wives all laughed, everyone understood, only the single man looked confused.

But for the next words, Heifu did not sing the song "Speak from the Heart" that middle-aged people are familiar with.

"Although I am a prince, like you, I am always looking forward to returning home soon. But as a general, no matter when the imperial court releases the soldiers of the Southern Expedition Army, Heifu will be the last to leave Panyu. The one who walked out of the three levels and finally returned north!"

"I will stand on the last duty, even if it is five years, ten years, or twenty years!"

After saying this, Hei Fu bowed to everyone:

"It's human nature to feel homesick during the winter solstice. I've ordered people to kill pigs and chickens, hammer glutinous rice and rice cakes, so that the two and three sons can have a good meal."

After hearing the sincere words of Marquis Changnan and hearing that there was delicious food, the soldiers' complaints subsided and they dispersed with mutterings.

"The Marquis of Changnan is also homesick, and the Marquis of Changnan can't help it. It's all the fault of the imperial court. I'm afraid there are traitors in the imperial court who won't let us return home."

However, this point has become the consensus of the officers and soldiers of the three armies.

But after the winter solstice, Changnan Hou appeared again with a solemn expression and told everyone the bad news.

"I have just received the order from the imperial court and will send the conscripts back home as soon as possible. However, people must be left to guard Lingnan. Therefore, those with families and wives will return first. Those without wives will probably have to stay in the south temporarily."

That’s right, the country has been so unfriendly to singles since ancient times!

This remark caused a chorus of wailings from the single soldiers.

"But I, my lord, have something very happy to tell you. It is related to the wifeless soldiers who cannot return home."

The singles pricked up their ears, but heard Hei Fu happily say:

"After my persuasion, the imperial court finally agreed to distribute women as wives to single soldiers!"

…

"The country finally agreed to give us wives!"

This was indeed Heifu's request. He applied to Qin Shihuang to send more than ten thousand concubines to Lingnan, saying that they would sew clothes for the soldiers in the north...

After sewing, some people naturally saw each other and lived together.

For single soldiers who are destined to guard the frontier for a long time, they don't really have to choose a wife, as long as they can move around.

After serving in the army for three years, they competed with sows against Diao Chan. Even the local tattooed Yue girls were able to bite their tongues.

But wouldn't it be better if she was a Xia girl who could communicate with her, even if she was a concubine?

But even with this promise, because the return date was postponed from thirty-six to thirty-seven, or even thirty-eight years, the court's credibility among the Lingnan soldiers was once again greatly compromised.

What's even more terrible is that the eight thousand concubines who were expected to arrive in the south in late November were nowhere to be seen until early December, which made the single soldiers who were looking forward to it complain.

Where is the promised wife? fraud!

Hei Fu was even more anxious than them, because Xiao He, who was in Changsha County, reported to him that these women were detained in Jiangling, Nan County, and stayed there for half a month...

This decision was made by Marquis Changwu of the Southern Expedition Supervisory Army.

What is even more puzzling is that after entering December, even the endless flow of deported immigrants has stopped!

Although this pause was quickly restored and the eight thousand women continued on their way to Lingnan in mid-December, Heifu still smelled something.

Heifu stroked the growing bun and thought, "Could it be that something happened in the middle of the court?"

Counting on the fingers, it has been two months since Heifu wrote that letter and went north after the meteor shower night. Even if Ji Ying was slow, he should have sent it to Xianyang and handed it over to Fusu, right?

He is a Qin official, and the elite main force under his command is not the group of Jianghuai Chu people, but "Qin people" in a broad sense.

Once the situation takes a turn for the worst, Heifu needs a flag.

Fusu is undoubtedly the best flag.

Although the thirty-seventh year has come, Heifu doesn't know when Qin Shihuang's deadline will be, so he can only give Fusu the vaccine in advance.

Because of the long distance, no news has come from Xianyang for the time being. After all, no matter how fast the messenger is, he can't deliver the urgent report from the imperial court 600 miles away!

In the middle of December of the thirty-seventh month of Qin Shihuang's thirty-seventh year, a group of timid and restless women set foot on the land of Lingnan and were warmly welcomed by single soldiers. The deputy eunuch, Jun Ziying, also came to Heifu with a letter written by Qin Shihuang. .

"Marquis Changnan, happy event, great happy event!"

Ziying smiled brightly, and there was nothing strange about him. He congratulated Hei Fu first, and then solemnly announced the edict.

"Zhi said: Emperor Xiu Lie, who is in the same palace, is virtuous and slender. For seven years in the thirty-year period, he personally patrolled the world and surveyed the distant places. He wanted to go to Kuaiji to spread the customs of the province and Zhaizhuang, the capital of Guizhou Province."

"Now, Marquis Lun and Heifu are diligent in their work. They conquered Luliang in the south, defeated hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and roped hundreds of Yuejun leaders. They made the territory as far north as possible and established the counties of Minzhong, Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiang. They have accomplished great feats. I am very pleased with them. . On the first day of the second lunar month of the thirty-seventh year, I sent Heifu, together with his meritorious generals, to greet him at Zhucheng, Hengshan County. He was to pay homage to the Marquis of Che, and sing songs to cheer up the troops!"

After reading, Ziying handed the book-making hands to Heifu who bowed down, and said with emotion:

"His majesty's most valued favor, twenty-rank nobles, and thousands of households are waiting for you in Zhu City! Marquis of Changnan, what are you waiting for? Follow me north to see you!"