Qin Official

"I am afraid that my old minister will not be able to go on an expedition due to his illness, but your Majesty will choose more capable generals."

As expected by Zhao Gao, when Hu Haiyan asked Taiwei Wang Ben to take command in the crusade against the rebellion, Wang Ben used his health as an excuse to decline the post.

"There are no other good generals. Feng Wuze has humiliated his army in the south, and Meng Tian and Li Xin are both unavailable. Only the late emperor conferred the title of Taiwei on his wife before his death. Didn't he just hope that the Taiwei could control the world for me? ? Even though I am sick, can I bear to abandon Hu Hai and the Queen?"

Following what Zhao Gao taught him, Hu Hai actually put aside his dignity as an emperor and begged Wang Ben as a son-in-law.

Qin Shihuang never had a queen or queen throughout his life.

But the second emperor Hu Hai was different. After he succeeded to the throne, he listened to Zhao Gao's suggestion and immediately named his wife Wang the queen!

This queen is actually the young daughter of Tongwuhou Wang Ben...

The Wang family has been firmly tied to the second emperor Hu Hai. After Hu Hai showed affection, moved with reason, and even a bit of coercion, Tongwu Hou Wang Bi could no longer ride a horse due to an old injury. , had no choice but to sigh and reluctantly agreed to the matter.

After the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, although the prime minister, the imperial censor, and the Taiwei were appointed as the three princes, who were responsible for assisting the government, supervising, and running the army respectively, but from the beginning to the end, Qin Shihuang never appointed anyone as the Taiwei, and there was always a vacancy. Keep military power firmly in your own hands.

Although Wei Liao made a strategy for Qin Shihuang to unify the world, he was still just a state captain.

Wang Jian, the greatest contributor to the unification of China, never got this post.

It happened that his son Wang Ben got this honor. Emperor Qin Shi Huang had pushed him to the position of entrusting him to assist the government. In both public and private matters, Wang Ben had no choice but to devote himself to death like Prime Minister Zhuge in later generations. already.

But just like when Wang Jian attacked Chu, after Wang Ben agreed to take command to suppress the rebellion, he made his own demands.

"Your Majesty must use your ministers as a last resort, and you need to do one thing first!"

Hu Hai was overjoyed: "As long as the Taiwei can defeat Hei Ni, don't say one thing, even ten!"

Wang Ben said: "Does your Majesty know that after Heifu captured Jiangling, he ordered his captain's subordinates to capture all the counties in Nanjun? Every time they visited a county, they tried their best to publicize one thing?"

Hu Hai's face turned gloomy: "What the traitors are preaching are all slander. The late emperor personally made me the prince and ordered me to inherit the ancestral temple. Wang Li can testify to this..."

Wang Ben smiled and said: "This is natural. What I am saying is that the rent reduction and coupon burning implemented by the Southern Expedition Army in the counties it occupied will make it easier to impose strict orders."

Hu Hai gritted his teeth: "The gangster dared to change the laws without consulting me, the prime minister, and the imperial censor. He is really worthy of death!"

Wang Ben stroked his gray beard and said, "I think your Majesty should also make a similar promise in the succession edict..."

Hu Hai was shocked: "As the emperor, how can I imitate the traitor's actions?"

Wang Ben disagreed: "But these measures of Heifu can indeed win people's hearts. In his later years, the emperor used the law more and more profoundly, rents and taxes remained high, corvee labor was frequent, and there were many complaints in the world. The people were poor and the master was unable to receive charity, and he was bound to be general. Treachery and hypocrisy arise together.”

"It is precisely because of this that Heifu dared to lead the Southern Expeditionary Army to cause chaos. The people in Guizhou only look at the few acres of land outside their houses and how much rent they have to pay every year. If they pay more, it will be bad governance, and if they pay less, they will It is a virtuous government, but it does not know how to be loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and it is easy to be tempted and deceived by it, and many people follow the rule."

"As the ancients said, those who have gained the right will get more help, while those who have lost the right will have less help. In this battle to win the hearts and minds of the people, the court must not be at a disadvantage! Since the black man criticized the court's harsh administration, Your Majesty might as well take advantage of his new accession to the throne to renew the government's affairs and do some good work. Make some changes to conform to the wishes of the world!"

"Let me think about it..." In addition to building the Lishan Mausoleum, Hu Hai also has many things he wants to do. Once the rent is reduced, he may not have the money to continue those major projects.

Seeing that Hu Hai was still hesitant, Wang Bensui said forcefully:

"If you want to put down the rebels, you must not only use military skills, but also political skills. Your Majesty, please do this first, so that Wang Ben can offer strategies to defeat the thieves!"

…

On April 22nd, a few days after Hu Hai succeeded to the throne, a decree was issued in Xianyang, announcing to the world:

"The whole world has lost its first emperor, and everyone is deeply saddened. I have issued a posthumous edict that the officials of the ancestral temple and the chopsticks who have made great contributions to the rule of law are all here. The laws and regulations should be eliminated, and all the crimes of exile are eliminated. I have issued them now. We will be self-governing the world, and the first year will be the beginning of the new year with the head of Guizhou. The officials and the head of Guizhou have their own actions, and they are divided into counties to provide aid to the head of Guizhou. Don't impeach the county officials with small things. Urgent (ji) notice!"

The main content is nothing more than to lift some of the crimes of exile and grant amnesty to the world. At the same time, he promised to use part of the county tax to help poor people, which is equivalent to a disguised rent reduction. The last step is to stop the court's pressure on county officials to pay more money and food every year and reduce their pressure. In this way, county officials may not force the people under their rule to have their families destroyed in order to fulfill the requirements of the plan.

Of course, except for the amnesty order, which took effect immediately, the other three decrees would not be officially implemented until the "First Year of the Second World" five or six months later.

As soon as this order came out, Guanzhong was in an uproar. Everyone thought they had heard it wrong, but after confirming that it was correct, they all exclaimed:

"The sun is really coming out in the west!"

Some people feel that they should not be credulous and cannot see the real chapter until the "First Year of the Second World", but some people can't wait and start singing praises for this "merciful" new emperor.

"Only in this way can the people of Qin not be biased towards the rebels in the south."

The three assistant ministers Wang Bi, Li Si, and Feng Quji all believed that this move would definitely produce excellent results and unite the people of Guanzhong again.

Hu Hai, however, only cared about when Wang Ben would go on an expedition: "I have granted amnesty to the world as the Taiwei said. When will the Taiwei lead his army south?"

Wang Ben shook his head and said: "The portion of the Weiwei and Lieutenant armies that Feng Wuze took to Jianghan suffered heavy losses. The remaining tens of thousands of people in Guanzhong are to guard Xianyang and must not be used again! This time, the main force went south to quell the rebellion. There are others. If His Majesty allows it, I will have to wait for them in Xianyang for the rest of the month."

Hu Hai was so anxious that he almost got angry: "Please tell me quickly which army the Taiwei wants to use!"

Wang Ben took his time: "After the First Emperor unified the world, the two biggest battles were the expulsion of the Xiongnu in the north and the conquest of Baiyue in the south. To this day, there are two largest armies in the world, both with more than 100,000 soldiers. The army has rebelled, and I think it’s time to use the Shangjun troops guarding the Great Wall!”

"There are 150,000 soldiers in Shangjun, Shuofang, and Yunzhong, and there are 150,000 new immigrants. Now that the Huns have fled far away, and there are no guards at the border, the old minister thought that 50,000 people should be left to guard the passes, and the remaining 100,000 soldiers should be left. You can order Feng Jie to take him south and join him in Guanzhong, they will be the main force in conquering the rebels!"

"But before Shangjun's army goes south, be careful and beware of the rebel army going north to take Nanyang."

Seeing that Hu Hai still looked confused when it came to this matter, Wang Ben sighed secretly:

"When the First Emperor was at this age, he already knew the world's atlas like the back of his hand, and he was as good as our generals..."

He had no choice but to have someone fetch the map and tell Hu Hai his plan by pointing out every detail.

"Nanyang County covers Jianghan in the south, Ruluo in the north, and connects Wuguan and Yunguan in the west. It is also the city of Wanyi and the North and South Confucius that enters Guanzhong and Hanzhong. This is the must-win place between the north and the south!"

Wang Ben determined that Heifu's ultimate goal was to go north to capture Xianyang, so the future Civil War between the South and the South would definitely take Nanyang County as the main battlefield!

"The rebels have recently won a great victory and their morale is high. Nanyang County is not equipped with troops to defend it. Your Majesty will immediately send out 100,000 soldiers according to the military registration, including 50,000 old soldiers. You can ask the senior generals to take them to Wuguan and Wancheng to support them. . Even if the bandits go north to seize territory and seize small counties and towns, don't pay attention to them, just defend the two places."

"The fifty thousand new soldiers in Guanzhong will be stationed in Xianyang. The veterans will personally train them and teach them how to shoot dogs, horses, and beasts. After the army from the superior county has arrived, they will go south to Wuguan together. At the same time, if the rebels are attacking Wancheng, then You will be attacked by my army!"

Wang Ben's plan seemed to be flawless. Hu Hai seemed to have actually seen the day when Hei Fu was beheaded. He raised his hand and said: "If this is the case, the rebellion can be put down!"

Wang Ben shook his head: "Hei Fu is cunning. He may not go to Nanyang but take a side road. Your Majesty, please take a look..."

He pointed to Bajun and Shujun to the west of Nanjun and said: "Nanjun and Bajun are bounded by Wu County Defense Pass. Now Nanjun has been lost. We must be prepared for the rebels to attack Bashu. Please also ask your Majesty to order Shujun to recruit 10,000 soldiers. Bajun and Hanzhong each recruited five thousand soldiers. Don't rush to attack and quell the rebellion. First support the county soldiers, guard the narrow passes, prevent the bandits from advancing westward, and steal the Bashu land. This will be a great achievement. Then build ships in the cities and towns along the river. For future use…”

Wang Ben wanted to imitate the story of Sima Cuo and Bai Qi's attack on Chu. After deciding the outcome in Nanyang, they would advance by land and water and attack Jiangling!

Hu Hai applauded repeatedly and felt confident, but after careful calculation, Wang Ben's army was only over 200,000. He still felt it was insufficient and asked: "Captain, aren't there any soldiers from Guandong?"

Wang Ben said: "Fighting against the rebels, the people of Guandong can't count on it. Just recruit some labor from various counties and serve as civilian laborers to transport grain, and..."

Seeing that Wang Ben was about to speak but stopped, Hu Hai hurriedly said: "Please tell me everything you know."

Wang Ben bowed to Hu Hai: "In order to allow the Northern Army to put aside its doubts and fight vigorously, I would like to ask your Majesty to release one person."

"Who?"

"Meng Tian!"

…

"Father."

When Wang Ben came out of Xianyang Palace, he saw his son Wang Li waiting outside.

After calling "Father" several times and Wang Bi ignored him, Wang Li changed his voice and shouted: "Wang Taiwei? Tongwuhou?"

The car stopped. Wang Ben opened the curtain and looked at his eldest son, who had grown a beard: "It turns out he is the Marquis of Wucheng..."

"Father, don't be ashamed to kill your child." Wang Li got into the car directly, cupped his hands towards Wang Ben and said:

"When the First Emperor was alive, he repeatedly used the Meng family to suppress the Wang family. But today I heard that my father actually persuaded Your Majesty to release Meng Tian?"

He was a little puzzled: "I tried my best to anger His Majesty, let go of the Fusu Party members, and had a grudge against my family. Why would my father do such a thankless thing?"

Seeing that his son, who was in his thirties, acted as impatient and unwise as he did ten years ago, completely unlike his grandfather and father, Wang Ben felt very headache and wanted to ignore it, but this was his son again, and finally sighed. He took a breath and said:

"Meng Tian has been in the north for nearly ten years and has won the hearts of the people. Although Feng Jie has replaced the generals in the Shangjun army, the ordinary soldiers have been greatly favored by Meng Tian. If he has been imprisoned or even executed, the morale of the Shangjun army will be low and they will not try their best. Fight.”

"Although Meng Tian committed a serious crime and let Fusu leave privately, the First Emperor never executed him, and he has been repenting recently. It would be better to use the name of amnesty to release him and put him under house arrest in Xianyang, so that he can be settled in the county. Military heart."

"So that's it." Wang Li finally understood.

Wang Ben said: "Not only that, I also propose that Feng Jie be my deputy general. I'm afraid you will be transferred north by His Majesty to command the remaining 50,000 Northern troops."

This time Xiao Xiaowang reacted:

"Feng is about to lose His Majesty's trust. Father is giving them a hand..."

He really couldn't figure it out. After being suppressed for many years, the Wang family was about to be revived. Her daughter was the queen, her father and son were both Chehou, and they controlled the world's troops. However, Wang Ben began to desperately save the two rivals, Meng and Feng.

"In the face of a powerful enemy, we can only tolerate each other for the sake of the country."

Wang Ben said: "Due to the defeat of Feng Wuze, Feng Jing and his son, Feng Quji resigned from the post of right prime minister, and was retained by your majesty as left prime minister. Li Si became right prime minister again."

"But there are rumors that the First Emperor once wanted to make the young master Gao the prince, and the Feng family is his maternal family, so His Majesty is not at ease with the Feng family. If Feng Jie still holds the Northern Army in his hands, I am afraid that he will bring death to the Feng family. The misfortune even implicated a group of young masters, but caused great chaos in Guanzhong, so I gave His Majesty an excuse to transfer Feng Jie to my command, and I will look after him to reassure His Majesty..."

"The father has good intentions, and the son understands."

Wang Li bowed again, but still said optimistically: "Although the country is now divided into north and south, and gangsters are in chaos, even if the five counties of Jingzhou are added together, the number of registered soldiers is still less than half of Guanzhong! This is to fight against the world with one corner, and with my father as my father. Handsome, Hei Fu will definitely lose!"

"If it is just a war between the north and the south, it is indeed what you said."

Wang Ben could not hide his worry:

"But do you know why I insisted not to send troops from Guandong County when I was dispatching troops?"

Wang Lidao: "Could it be because Feng Wuze had previously mobilized soldiers from Jiujiang County to Nanjun, which led to rebellions in several counties in Jiujiang County? My father was worried that once the defenses in other counties were empty, traitors would follow suit and betray the Qin Dynasty?"

Wang Ben nodded: "It is well said in the edict today. The world has lost the First Emperor... The Great Qin with the First Emperor is different from the Great Qin without the First Emperor. The people in the world are not only suddenly fearful and sad, but also secretly happy. Compared with the rebellion in the south, what I am more worried about is the rebellion of all the six kingdoms in Kanto..."

He once guarded Qi and knew how difficult it was for dozens of Qin officials to manage hundreds of thousands of Qi people. Qi has already rebelled once, but the same is true for the hometowns of Yan, Zhao, Wei, Chu, and Han. No one dared to rebel during the time of the First Emperor. Now that the First Emperor has passed away, those who have been hiding for a long time may be ready to rebel.

Wang Li still didn't know about Xiang Ji and others' siege of Shouchun, so he sneered and said: "It's just a group of thieves, not enough to accomplish anything."

"Group of thieves? Do the thieves know that the slogan is to restore Chu?"

Wang Ben looked at his son and reprimanded: "The book says, if the fire is burning in the original place, don't go any closer. If there is a rebellion in the south, I can still concentrate my troops and try my best to defend it. If the whole world is on fire and there is fire everywhere, Can it still be extinguished?"

"If things really come to that point, this battle will no longer be a battle between the north and the south, but will return to the time when the Six Kingdoms conquered Qin! Is it the Hei Fu or us who are fighting against the world with one corner?"

The eyes of the best generals in the world are full of nostalgia for that magnificent history. Under the banner of the First Emperor, they are invincible!

"There was a time when we could fight one against six, and we had nothing to fear."

"What now?"

…

ps: Chapter 2 is at night

The "Announcement of the First Year of Qin II" unearthed from the Rabbit Mountain site: "The world has lost its first emperor, and everyone is suddenly very sad. I have issued a posthumous edict that the officials of the ancestral temple and the chopsticks who have great merits in governing from the Ming Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty are all here. The law and order should be removed from the Ding Dynasty." . In the first year of the year and the beginning of the reform of the head of Guizhou, all the crimes of exile have been released. Now I will take care of the world. The officials and the head of Guizhou have their own actions. They are divided into counties to assist the head of Guizhou. Do not impeach the county officials with small things. Urgent notice .”