Qin Official

In the same early January, Xiangping, the capital of Liaodong County, was located on the south bank of Yanshui (Taizi River) in the later Liaoyang City.

Fusu had been here for more than a month. In November, he gathered 3,000 garrison soldiers from Haidong. Because Jiaodong stopped the ships bound for Haidong, everyone could only turn around and head north, passing through the hills of Liaodong, before the heavy snow fell. before arriving at Xiangping City.

At that time, the Liaodong County Sheriff, facing this group of dusty garrison soldiers with their coats covered with frost and snow, repeatedly hesitated that the Yuyang and Youbei Ping garrison troops had rebelled. Although nothing happened in Liaodong and Liaoxi, who could say for sure. What will a group of soldiers who have endured in the bitter cold for many years do when they enter the city?

Until Fusu came forward and asked the army to retreat ten miles, and invited the county governor to meet him out of the city and reveal his identity.

Liaodong Shou met Fusu several times a few years ago. Fusu repeatedly assured that he could control these garrison soldiers. Liaodong Shou turned his worries into joy and opened the city to welcome Haidong soldiers.

"The prince is still here, so the subordinates will feel at ease. With these thousands of soldiers, when spring comes, Liaodong will no longer need to fear the Donghu invaders!"

Unfortunately, the county governor was still too optimistic.

Donghu's invasion this time is more violent than in previous years!

At this moment, Fusu stood on the rammed earth city wall that was more than two feet high and had an unobstructed view of the Liaohe Plain: the vast land in early spring had some greenery. Unlike later generations, the forests on both sides of Yanshui were still dense, and its edges were Farmland and grassland, and some villages can be vaguely seen, but they are all empty.

The people north of Yanshui were dragging their families, cattle, sheep, dogs and pigs across the pontoon bridge built by Fusu people and took refuge under Xiangping City.

"Seventeen years ago, it must have been a similar situation." Fusu muttered to himself as he looked at this scene.

In the 21st year of the First Emperor of Qin, Wang Jian had conquered the capital of Yan, and King Xi of Yan moved the capital to Xiangping. At that time, in order to buy time for King Xi of Yan, Prince Dan of Yan and a group of guest soldiers went to the rear and fought. When they fled to Yanshui, Qin general Li Xin also pursued here with thousands of cavalry and showed off his power by the water, so the King of Yan was delighted and frightened. After Prince Dan of Yan crossed the Yanshui, what greeted him was not the cheers of the Yan people, but the cold dagger of his father... …

King Yan sent people to kill Prince Dan and presented his head to Li Xin, begging the great King Qin to calm down his anger and forgive Yan.

Fusuyou remembered his father’s expression when he opened the box when the deformed head was delivered to Xianyang.

No longer the sneer when seeing Fan Yuqi's head, but joy, sadness, and hatred!

Later, Fusu understood this feeling. Prince Dan was the only friend Qin Shi Huang had in Handan when he was young...

The relationship between them is hard to describe.

Today, Fusu is in Xiangping, and like Yan Wangxi, he has to face the precarious situation of Liaodong with large troops approaching the city.

After all the people north of Yanshui evacuated to Xiangping, beams of smoke rose straight from the beacon tower more than ten miles north of Yanshui, which was so eye-catching in the blue sky!

"The barbarians are coming!"

Half a year ago, with the news of the death of the First Emperor, Great Qin's rule in Guandong counties was on the verge of collapse.

And Donghu was like a hungry wolf locked outside the fence. He saw the right opportunity and began to invade the border fortress!

Last autumn, when Fusu passed through Liaodong, Donghu had already begun to invade the Great Wall and fell into Gaoxian Fortress (Tieling, Liaoning). The commander of Liaodong County led half of the army to station in Houcheng on the Wai Liao River (south of Shenyang, Liaoning Province), hoping to regain the Great Wall and drive out the Donghu people.

In the Northeast in winter, no one dared to stay outside at will, let alone use troops, and the Donghu people also stayed quiet for several months.

But it was just the beginning of spring, and the snow had just melted a little, but Donghu launched a surprise attack again. Kouhou City and Liaodong Lieutenant fought with him, but they fell into the Hu's plan and were surrounded by thousands of horsemen. They died in battle!

Houcheng fell immediately. At this point, the Donghu people attacked and plundered southward along the Liaohe River. They went to Qionglu in the morning and arrived at the city walls in the evening. The Liaohe River envied the people. Almost every family was plundered by them, their wives and daughters were taken away, and the old and the weak were killed...

At present, the news of Houcheng's defeat has just reached Xiangping, and Hu Qi's vanguard has already arrived on the north bank of Yanshui!

"Master!"

The governor of Liaodong was shocked when he learned that the county captain had died in the battle, and told Fusu worriedly: "Yuyang, Youbeiping, Liaoxi, Liaodong and Jindonghu, but you should know that the terrain of Liaodong is different from that of the three counties."

"Yuyang and Youbeiping are blocked by Yanshan Mountain, and there is also Yiwulu Mountain in western Liaoning. When the Hu invaders invade the east, even if the three counties abandon the counties in the north, they can still rely on the mountains to delay the trampling of Hu cavalry and retreat to the inner counties."

"But in Liaodong, there are no big mountains in the northeast of Liaoning. Instead, there is a large and spacious river. The Donghu people call it Raole River. The camp of King Donghu is located in Chishan (Chifeng) on ​​the bank of Raole River. The Hu people make looting and plundering along the Liaohe River. And below, there is a flat river, so the only thing that can protect Liaodong is the Great Wall!"

Because of this, after the Donghu people plundered three counties but were blocked by mountains, they naturally turned to Liaodong, which had no natural dangers, and regarded it as the main target of their attack.

"Now that the Great Wall has been destroyed, the Hou City guarding the north of the county has also been lost. There are no more dangerous passes in Liaodong. The only thing standing in front of the more than 100,000 people in the county is this Yanshui River and the wall of Xiangping City!"

Liaodong Shou had no choice but to avoid and abandon him. He was helpless and could only bow his head: "I hope you will save Liaodong, sir!"

Fusu did not answer. At this time, his subordinate Sima Gaocheng and a group of military officials also climbed onto the tower and reported to Fusu:

"Sir, three thousand soldiers have been gathered, and Liu Ji has also gone to count them. The food in the treasury is enough for us to reach Liaoxi County. As long as we recruit the chariots and horses in the city and carry the food up, we can leave at any time!"

Hearing this, Liaodong Shou stood up abruptly: "Master, you want to leave? You...how can you leave!"

Gao Cheng suddenly became unhappy: "Prefect, sir, he wants to take the Haidong garrison home and inherit the legacy of the First Emperor. If you don't leave, what are you doing in this remote place?"

The Liaodong garrison felt cold. After the entire army of the county commanders was wiped out, there were only two thousand garrison soldiers in Xiangping City. However, it was said that the Donghu people who went south had ten thousand riders!

Without Fusu's soldiers, he could not imagine how the county could resist.

So Liaodong Shou said in a hoarse voice:

"If you leave at this time, aren't you afraid of being chased and attacked by the Donghu people?"

Gao Cheng smiled and said: "The governor's words are wrong. The Donghu people bully the weak and fear the strong. To them, we are like porcupines covered with thorns. They are afraid that they will be more interested in the plump Xiangping. Our army can take it easy." Cross the Liao River and go to Liaoxi County..."

Once you get there, you'll be one step closer to "home"!

Liaodong Shou suddenly became desperate.

Indeed, for Gao Cheng, Liu Ji, and the three thousand garrison soldiers in Yanzhao, Central Plains, and Guanzhong, Liaodong was just a reverse journey for them to spend the winter, and it was not worth lingering on. They could not find any reason to stay here.

But Fusu does!

After a long silence, staring at the billowing smoke in the distance, Fusu finally spoke.

"More than ten years ago, the First Emperor brought fire and blood to Liaodong, destroyed the Yan Kingdom and massacred the Yan clan."

"But at the same time, the First Emperor also sent Li Xin and other generals to expel the Hu Rong, repair the Great Wall, move people from the interior to fill the vast land, and give Liaodong peace, prosperity and law."

He turned around and looked at Gao Cheng and the leaders and Five Hundred Lords behind him.

"I heard a saying, officials are the people's life hangers-on!"

"Since we are still in the Qin army, as Qin officials, we have the responsibility to defend the territory of Qin and the head of Guizhou. Instead of eating the food of the Liaodong people for more than a month and wearing warm clothes woven by local women, when the Hu invaders entered the fortress, When they were burning, killing and looting..."

"Slap your butt and leave!"

Liaodong Shou was overjoyed, but Gao Cheng was anxious. He stepped forward and cupped his hands and said:

"My lord, have you forgotten? You have to return to the Central Plains to wash away your grievances, inherit the legacy of the First Emperor, and save the world...Liaodong is not Xianyang!"

"But Liaodong is also part of the mountains and rivers under the rule of my father!"

Fusu rarely got angry, and his voice was extremely stern.

He pointed to the war-filled land of Liaodong outside: "If Fusu can't even defend a border county, how can it defend the world?"

He then pointed to the terrified people inside and outside Xiangping City who had been displaced by the Donghu invaders and said:

"If Fusu can't save even 100,000 people, how can we talk about saving millions of people in the future? Tens of millions of people will be in danger!"

Gao Cheng was silent, but behind him, a leader from Guanzhong muttered: "The people in Liaodong are all Yan people. The Yan people regard Hu as a bandit and Qin as a bandit. In the past month, they have never been nice to us. Mouth, if it weren't for the young master, they might have killed the officials and made trouble long ago. Even if the young master saved them, they wouldn't be grateful!"

"So, they deserved to die at the hands of the barbarians?" Fusu asked rhetorically, and the commander did not answer, which was regarded as acquiescence. Almost all military officials from Guanzhong held this view.

"You were wrong." Fusu shook his head.

"In the Haidong garrison, there were not only people from Guanzhong, but also people from Yanzhao, and even a person from Chu. But in order to go home, they all twisted into a rope, withstood the frost and snow, and supported each other to cross thousands of mountains. , walked to Xiangping."

"And when we face the Hu invaders, the Donghu people will not be merciful just because you speak with a Qinchuan accent, nor will they let someone go just because they are not Yan people."

In front of the horse whips and scimitars of the barbarians, all living beings are equal.

"Therefore, in Liaodong, when we are against the Hu people, there is no longer any distinction between Yan people, Qin people, and Zhao people. As long as we raise troops to resist the Hu barbarians, they are all people in uniforms, and all Chinese people are brothers in robes and robes." !”

After Fusu's words, everyone looked at each other in shock, but the young master who seemed to have realized the truth continued to make more shocking remarks.

"Furthermore, I believe that the country and the people are united by righteousness."

"If a country treats its people like brothers and sisters, then the people will treat the country like their hearts; if a country treats its people like dogs and horses, then the people will treat the ruler like a passerby; if a country treats its people like grass and grass, then the people will treat the ruler like enemies and bandits!"

Fusu sighed: "In the past, my father treated the people like dogs and horses. Now, Hu Hai treats the people like grass and grass..."

"This is the reason why people all over the world are swarming against Qin, and Jiuzhou is in chaos, with endless attacks and killings."

"However, if we want to restore order, we should not continue the mistakes of the past, but make changes from the first step we take!"

He said categorically: "How the people of Liaodong treat us cannot be determined by the past."

"And from now on, I'm waiting to see how they decide!"

Fusu held Liaodong Shou's excited hand and promised: "I will not leave, and I will not sit back and watch Xiangping turn into scorched earth, and more than 100,000 people will be displaced, plundered by barbarians, and live as slaves on the grassland. A miserable life..."

"This time, Fusu, I will not let them down!"

…

In the afternoon, Liu Dabeard, who had been ordered to guard the Xiangping treasury, waiting for the food to be brought out, learned of Fusu's military order to stay in Xiangping and help Liaodong repel the Hu people.

"This young man is smarter than I expected."

Old Liu scratched his lice-infested head, feeling regretful that he could not return as soon as possible, but he also smacked his lips and said:

"If Fusu really wants to return to the Central Plains, he will encounter countless heroes in Yan and Zhao. Any force can eat him alive! Is it enough to just rely on these three thousand people?"

"On the contrary, there are more than 100,000 people in Liaodong. Because there are many invaders nearby, the people are accustomed to fighting. Almost every young and strong man can shoot a bow and mount a horse. Now he is helping Liaodong repel Donghu, and the people of Liaodong are against him. We are so determined that our team returning to the Central Plains will be twice as strong!"

"If Nai Gong makes the decision, Nai Gong won't leave!"

Speaking of this, Liu Ji couldn't help but spit on the ground:

"However, Nai Gong doesn't make the decision, he is just a small military official! He Fusu only sells Liaodong a favor, but we have to sacrifice our lives!"

He, Old Liu, would never be a dog for anyone, he just wanted to take a ride home...

Liu Ji was praising and scolding here, but at the other end of Xiangping City, in a courtyard for the families of the garrison soldiers, Liu Ji's wife Lu Pheasant also heard the shouts of the soldiers outside.

"General, tell the Haidong garrison soldiers and the people in the city!"

"The people of Liaodong accept me, clothe me, and feed me, and we have nothing to repay. Fusu will definitely take them back home, but before leaving, they must stay here to help Liaodong repel the Hulu!"

First he said it in elegant dialect, then in Liaodong dialect, so that the whole city could hear it, and then he called on all the young men and women in Xiangping city to join the army and resist the Hu invaders...

Lu Pheasant stopped the spinning wheel in his hand, nodded slightly, his eyes flashed, and for a moment, he felt a little yearning.

"Master Fusu, not only is he of noble birth, young and promising, he is also a responsible man!"