Qin Official

During the entire month of May in the thirty-eighth year of the First Emperor of Qin, the evil-doer Hei Fu in Liu Ji's eyes was preparing for the battle to enter the Pass.

Everyone in the Northern Expedition knows that Heifu is famous for attaching great importance to logistics when fighting. Whether he is conquering the Huns or conquering Baiyue, the troops and horses are not moved, and the food and grass go first.

After capturing Nanyang County and approaching Wuguan, Heifu did not rush to attack. Instead, he asked the army to repair roads, set up warehouses in Danyang area to stock up on grain and grass, and also asked Nanjun in the rear to mobilize to the maximum extent. Support the war with all possible forces!

War is fought by people, not just the soldiers fighting on the front line. The food transportation and arrows used by these people all need to be transported by manpower. Therefore, when an army of 100,000 is lifted, there must be at least the same number of people behind it. Civilian husband...

In Heifu's plan, the number of troops to carry out entry operations in Wuguan was about one hundred thousand, while the number of civilians was about fifteen.

Among them, 50,000 were prisoners, 50,000 from Nanyang, and 50,000 from Nanjun. The reason why Nanjun, with a smaller population, had to bear the same service force was because Nanyang had initially decided that the power of the Northern Expedition had not yet reached the grassroots and could only be through surrendered officials or The local clans are recruiting, but the efficiency is too low. Fifty thousand is already the amount of forced recruitment. If it is more, something will happen.

Nanjun is different. This place is Heifu's hometown. The Northern Expeditionary Army has been in charge of the area for more than a year, and its control over the grassroots is almost back to the time when the world was not divided, or even worse.

But Heifu frowned when he looked at the news fed back from the rear and said to himself:

"It seems that even among the people in the old revolutionary base areas, not everyone has a high level of ideological consciousness..."

This is a thick report, with neat handwriting, and the diction is not at all gorgeous and quoting scriptures like Lu Jia and other Confucian scholars, but it reveals the rigor and sophistication of an old Qin official from the inside out!

According to the summary of the report, the people in Nanjun are not very willing to serve in the military, mainly for the following three reasons:

First, military service delays the busy farming season. For example, there are people who serve in the military all year round in Jingling County. As a result, their own land is barren and they starve in spring. Near Jiangling, in a township called Ximen Township, 36 horses were born in the spring. During a shower, 7 died, 6 became sick, and 8 were injured. The loss was too great.

However, these losses were not compensated in time. Therefore, when officials mobilized the frontline again in the summer, in many places, there was a phenomenon of who was asked to go and who was not.

Not only farmers, but also small merchants and hawkers in the cities were even more reluctant to serve because once they went out to serve, their family life could no longer be maintained. At that time, some people incurred debts because of their service, and some ate up all their savings because of their service. Therefore, these People think that going to war is a critical matter.

Secondly, the head of Guizhou went to war but no officials came out, which also caused widespread dissatisfaction.

No regime can guarantee that it will always be clean. In just one year, corruption and depravity are also growing within the Northern Expeditionary Army.

In order to maintain order in various places, officials, big and small, can be exempted from service, and even if they go, only a small number will be redeployed.

At the same time, because these grassroots officials have the power to control the people's military service, their relatives and friends have the opportunity to avoid working.

The magistrate of Yundu County reported a common phenomenon at the grassroots level: "Those who are related to officials and are rich and noble in the countryside should go to war, so they bring wine and money to the officials to find a solution. The officials collect the wine and money. So he postponed it and asked someone else to serve on his behalf."

The head of Guizhou naturally hated this kind of favoritism, so he was even more resistant to military service.

Reason three: The treatment of migrant workers before the support is poor. After all, this is not the information age. Communication basically depends on shouting, and transportation basically relies on walking. Because of the lack of timely communication, it often happened that when civilians arrived at the same place, food was not provided in time at the pavilion and post station. As a result, they could not have enough to eat or even drink boiled water. They could only sleep in haystacks at night and were bitten by mosquitoes, which was unspeakable misery.

In addition to food and accommodation, there are also serious problems with clothing. Heifu knows this very well. During the Battle of Xiangyang last year, when many civilians went north, the weather was not too cold and they did not bring many winter clothes. As a result, they all fell ill from the cold. In the end, The problem was solved by seizing the clothing of the Northern Army.

If there is a problem with food and accommodation, people will get sick easily. In the battle of Xiangyang last year, 23 out of 10 civilians got sick, including gastrointestinal diarrhea, cold and heat, and freezing. Although the Northern Expeditionary Army has a medical corps system, there are not enough doctors and medicines for even the soldiers. It is even rarer to spread it to civilian husbands. Many people died outside, and their bodies were buried on the spot. News of their deaths came back through the postal system, and their relatives cried and screamed. The locals regarded military service as a dangerous journey.

What's more, the motivation to defend one's home in Nanjun is completely different from that of traveling thousands of miles north to an unfamiliar area.

Different counties have different handling methods for Qian Shou's unwillingness to serve.

For example, in the spring, Heifu launched the Nanyang Campaign. Nanjun wanted to send civilians to transport grain to the front line, with a thousand people in each county.

In order to fulfill the amount arranged by the county, the Zhijiang county lieutenant resorted to deception. He first talked about the county's three-to-five-day mission and deceived thousands of people into going on the road. Then he talked about the county town and the Han River. Everywhere, Among a group of people who fled, less than 30% made it to the front.

This case caused a sensation in Nan County. According to the "Corporate Laws", a person who fails to meet the deadline will not be executed, but he will still be severely punished. It's just that there are too many people involved, seven to eight hundred people, and improper handling will trigger the anger of the people of the county.

In the end, Jun Chengle ruled that the consequences of the Zhijiang County Lieutenant's conscription were deceitful. Since it was the government that broke trust first, those who were deceived and fled should not be punished, and instead Zhijiang County Lieutenant was imprisoned!

"I have led horses for you!"

"I went to Lingnan and bled!"

"I have made great contributions in Anlu!"

It is said that when the county captain who was born in the military was put in shackles, he cried out that he was wronged and opened his clothes, revealing scars all over his body.

After all, he was the captain of a county or Heifu's old subordinate. Nanjun sent a letter to the front line asking Heifu how to deal with it.

"I remember this man. What he said is true. I am hiding in Yunmeng. He is one of my personal guards. In the battle of Anlu, it was a hundred soldiers. He charged forward and was hit by several blades. Jiangling In the battle, there were already five hundred warriors, and they thrust their spears across the military chariots and charged into the enemy's formation, one against ten."

Heifu was very helpless. If he had not made great contributions and gained his trust, how could he have become a dignified county captain?

But Heifu knows better. The law is ruthless. This is the bottom line and must not be broken! Although he carried the red flag to oppose the red flag, Heifu never abolished the Qin laws and regulations, let alone made any "three chapters of the law".

The way to relieve heavy pressure is to gradually relax rather than suddenly cancel it. Without the protection of laws and regulations, society will fall into more terrifying turmoil. The Han Dynasty, which did this in history, was praised at first, but in the end when faced with the out-of-control social order, it could only cover its swollen face, pick up the Qin Law, and change it casually or not at all, and then Continue to use it.

Therefore, Heifu regards "the legal construction of armed struggle" as the two weapons of the Northern Expedition, but only makes slight gains and losses on those unkind terms.

Heifu has always believed that there is no big problem with the Qin Law itself. The real problem that caused the world to be doomed was His Majesty the First Emperor, who had endless desires and could not distinguish between what was public and what was private, what was urgent and what was slow. , he really thought that everyone could do 996, 997...

Of course, what goes wrong is also the executors whose upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is crooked! Cadres’ thinking needs to be strengthened!

So Heifu sent Nanjun's love letter back unchanged, meaning clearly: "This is something Nanjun can handle according to the law. You don't need to ask me!"

The love letter was sent back, but Hei Fu couldn't sleep at night. The Zhijiang County Captain was also the son of a poor Guizhou leader. He was a strong-willed man a year ago, but he was corrupted in just one year.

Hei Fu shuddered, as if he had seen the warriors of the Qin Dynasty who had conquered the Six Kingdoms in the past, and began to gain weight and decline after becoming officials in the Six Kingdoms. Will that scene be repeated in the Northern Expedition?

Therefore, he wrote in an open letter to the old troops of Nanjun: "There may be some Northern Expeditionary officers who have not been defeated by daggers or poisons, and are worthy of being called men when they go into battle; but they cannot withstand the sugar-coated arrows of local nobles. Fall under it..."

"Officials know the law and break it, accept bribes, use deception, and create difficulties for themselves. They destroy the victory on the front line and the foundation of the Northern Expedition!"

Marquis Wu Zhong also made an analogy: "The elders of Nanjun are the foundation of the Northern Expedition. They are like water and a boat. Xunzi once said, water can carry a boat, and water can overturn it!"

Isn't it because of the current northern court's betrayal of trust and heavy servitude that has caused the world to become alienated? The Northern Expeditionary Army keeps saying that it wants to bring order to the chaos, but is it going to make the same mistake again?

"The mistakes made by those who have gone before us will draw lessons from those behind us!"

So the Nanjun side began to impose sentences confidently and boldly. It was found out that the Zhijiang county captain had accepted a huge amount of bribes, and was exempted from serving in the right department of the county, and instead distributed them to the poor people in the left department. Now he was completely hopeless. , several old Nanjun officials who interceded for him also shut up.

Finally, the county captain was beheaded in Zhijiang County, and his head was circulated to all counties. The people of Zhijiang County clapped their hands and applauded, and county officials everywhere also took warning.

After this incident, Heifu also decided to study the last magic weapon, while the scholar studied the laws and regulations to eliminate the ban!

"Learning makes me happy."

After muttering such incomprehensible words, Heifu sent an order to Xiao He, the governor of Nan County, to lead the county officials to re-study Ye Teng's masterpiece, "The Way of Being an Official," a compulsory textbook for the Northern Expedition officer examination, and to understand what is good. Officials, what is a bad official and what are the five virtues of an official?

Heifu also named this event: "Learning to Strengthen the Army"!

The intensive study activities ordered to all counties in Nanjun and the vigorous crackdown on corruption and maladministration may make officials more honest, but they cannot solve the reality that the people are unwilling to serve.

All the people of Anlu, who had put all their wealth and lives on Hei Fu, were soldiers. Even the younger or older men, when it was their turn to serve, threw down their hoes, raised their heads and said, "It's time for us to go, we can't be cowardly." !”

But in the eyes of more ordinary people, serving in the military is definitely a bargain.

"I would rather work locally for an extra month than serve on the front line."

"The work has been missed and the burden is heavy. It would be better not to reduce the rent at all!"

These voices reached Heifu's ears through various channels. At this time, we can't just blame the masses for their low consciousness. The official work of the Northern Expeditionary Army also has shortcomings.

"This battle is not easy."

After reading the thick stack of documents, Heifu sighed with emotion.

"Although I have to face the enemies of Hu Hai and the Six Kingdoms at the front, for example, the conflict with outsiders is simple and violent, involving battles on the battlefield and scheming, but I will win anyway."

"But what we are facing later are more complicated situations, such as problems in the human body, either in the body tissues or in the skin. Sometimes even a piece of good meat suddenly rots from the inside. A little carelessness can affect the health of the whole body. .”

But no matter how the fellow villagers complain, they still have to serve. Heifu needs the power of the people to help him win this civil war that should end long ago!

"Even if you tighten your belt, you still have to finish the battle!"

"Fortunately, for the battle that follows, I can just give you some guidance. I don't need to go back to direct it myself..."

"There is a person who is more suitable to be the coach of that battle than me."

Heifu flicked the signature on the document in his hand:

"South Commander Xiao He!"

Heifu is now extremely grateful for his wise decision to go to Peixian County many years ago.

He destroyed one man and gained two more.

Xiao He's petition is divided into upper and lower parts. The first part talks about the problem. Turning to the next part, it is the solution that he has already started to implement...

Scanning those measures one by one, Heifu's worries disappeared, and he gradually smiled and said sincerely:

"To govern the country, care for the people, provide salaries and food, and never cut off the food supply, I am not as good as Xiao He!"

…

ps: Chapter 2 is at night.