Qin Official

In early December, the thirty-fifth year of the First Emperor of Qin, outside Jimo City, a group of officials were bidding farewell to their colleagues.

The leaders are the newly appointed Chief Zuo Shu, Chen Ping, the meritorious officer, and Cao Shen, the military officer. The person who is about to leave is Xiao He, the "little official" who was dragged into the water by Hei Fu...

The farewell banquet has been eaten, and Xiao He's luggage has been filled with money several times that of the time of reunification.

Finally it was time to say goodbye, and everyone stepped forward to say goodbye one by one. When it was Cao Shen's turn, he looked at Xiao He and hesitated to speak...

When he was an official in Pei County, Xiao He was the first in everything, while Cao Shen was the second in command, so it was inevitable that he would have thoughts in his mind. But during the four years he served as an official in Jiaodong, it was Cao Shen who won the title of Heifu Zhuoba, always beating Xiao He, which can be regarded as a feeling of pride!

Now, when Heifu left Jiaodong, he neither took his confidant Chen Ping nor let Cao Shen, who was both civil and military, go south, but only ordered Xiao He to go with him. Many people were puzzled.

Cao Shen was not envious of Lao Xiao's new job at all. He heard that there were many vipers and ferocious beasts in the Baiyue Forest, and the weather was hot and rainy. During the summer and summer months, cholera occurred frequently. Most of the soldiers who fought in the southern expedition died not from fighting in battles, but from bad diseases and miasma. Xiao He was forty For a man of many years old, this trip is really unlucky...

Although the two have competition, they are old friends from the same hometown after all. Cao Shen is worried about Xiao He from the bottom of his heart.

Xiao He also had a worried look on his face, and took the initiative to bow to Cao Shen: "If Xiao He dies in the south, my three useless sons, Xiao Lu, Xiao Tong, and Xiao Yan, I hope Brother Cao will teach them, and the Xiao clan will also ask Cao's help..."

Chu people believe that in the south of the Five Ridges, in addition to the barbarians with tattoos and cannibalism, there are countless demons and ghosts. Huge foxes are everywhere, and male snakes with nine heads devour people's hearts. Even if you die, your soul should not go south. Not to mention living people! Xiao He also felt that he would probably be in bad luck if he left, so he was so pessimistic that he had to settle his funeral arrangements in advance.

A thousand years later in the Tang Dynasty, most people who were thrown to Lingnan to serve as officials had to shed tears in pain, say their last goodbyes to relatives and friends, and write countless poems to complain. It was like entering the gates of hell, not to mention the Qin Dynasty.

"sure!"

Cao Shen nodded heavily, with tears in his eyes. The friendship between the two was indeed to the extent that he could trust his wife.

Chen Ping laughed out loud from the side.

"This is a journey of making great achievements, how come the two of you are separated by life and death? As the daughter of the Marquis of Changnan, he does not avoid danger and goes south first. Isn't he afraid of the epidemic? There is always a way to solve things, Brother Xiao doesn't have to Worry, since you are afraid of the miasma ghosts in the south, then..."

With that said, Chen Ping ran to the side of the road, broke off a willow branch from a bare tree, pretended to walk around Xiao He, muttered something, and held the willow branch in both hands to give it to him.

"This Liu will definitely be able to protect Brother Xiao! Ghosts and miasma will not come close to me!"

At that time, people regarded the willow tree as a tree that warded off evil spirits and expelled ghosts. Pedestrians who brought willow branches could at least scare away ghosts and keep them away, ensuring a safe journey. Breaking the willow tree to say goodbye was a wish for a safe journey for travelers...

This move was humorous, and the sad farewell atmosphere suddenly disappeared. Xiao He and Cao Shen were both a little embarrassed. Their actions just now did show a bit of cowardice.

Xiao He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he had to cross the willow branch and said: "Thank you Chen Jun for your willow. Xiao He will be like this willow, no matter how hot or cold it is, no matter how hot or cold it is, wherever it is inserted, it will live wherever it is! Let's say goodbye, I just hope we can meet again one day!"

Chen Ping, Cao Shen and others also bowed their hands to him: "Take care!"

…

After seeing off Xiao He, Chen Ping returned home. Four years after coming to Jiaodong, Chen Ping's family also moved to Jimo. As his title and position continued to rise, he no longer had to live in Heifu's family like he did in the north. Walking up to the Gaomen Courtyard, it's very impressive.

After entering the door, Chen Ping found that his wife Zhang had set up a statue in the yard and was worshiping and offering sacrifices. The whole house was in a mess...

Chen Ping frowned. He was the person who least believed in evil. Otherwise, he would not have happily accepted his wife Zhang's marriage to five husbands, all of whom died. Isn’t it okay in the end? His career is skyrocketing, fame and wealth are rolling in, and all the ghosts and destinies are illusory.

He believes that everything depends on man-made efforts!

So Chen Ping was quite unhappy and scolded: "What is this?"

Zhang turned her head. She was slightly older than Chen Ping, and the years had left traces on her face. The former most beautiful woman in Yangwu County now had crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.

Chen Ping's love for her gradually faded away. After returning from Jieshi last month, he took in two concubines at a very fast speed. Unknown to Zhang, this was Chen Ping's desire to stay in Jiaodong and find a suitable one for him. excuse.

Although Mrs. Zhang was angry, she had nothing to do. The middle-aged woman who lost her husband's love could only turn her interest to praying to gods and worshiping ghosts, and she worshiped the god of Qi Di...

When Chen Ping asked, she said confidently: "This is the Yin Lord of the Three Mountains. It can protect people and bring fortunes. I once prayed to the Yin Lord for my husband's safety. Now my husband has been promoted to Zuo Shuchang. He is a high official in the county and is no longer a guest. , and there is no need to go to the dangerous Lingnan. I think my prayers will come true, so I offer sacrifices here to fulfill my wishes. My dear, you also come to pay your respects..."

"absurd."

Chen Ping scolded his wife and asked her to quickly remove these messy things.

Mrs. Zhang was very aggrieved and cried. After taking away the statue of the god, she muttered: "Others were very happy to be free from being diners, but my husband was unhappy. Could it be that he still wanted to follow the Marquis of Changnan? Isn't he going to the south?" You take care of your beloved for the sake of your beloved and to protect you. Everyone can see that the south is dangerous and there is a narrow escape from death..."

"enough!"

The more his wife spoke, the more crooked she became. When Chen Ping returned to the study, he was both annoyed and helpless.

Of course he understood that his wife was doing it for his own good. Like Cao Shen, Zhang thought that most people who went to the south would die there, and he was glad that Chen Ping had avoided this disaster.

But he was also angry with this woman for talking nonsense.

"What does she know? The reason why Junhou left me in Jiaodong is to guard this cave!"

Only the two of them knew this series of plans. Hei Fu felt that Chen Ping's reputation was too great. If Chen Ping was transferred and followed three times, even if Qin Shihuang was not suspicious, he would give the lie to him.

Therefore, after Qin Shihuang promoted Chen Pingjue, he was asked to step down, end his relationship with Heifu, and stay in Jiaodong as a meritorious official, equivalent to the provincial party committee organization minister in later generations.

The new Jiaodong County Sheriff will soon take up his post, but no matter who comes, he will have to rely heavily on Chen Ping. As Heifu's agent, Chen Ping controlled everything about the New Deal in Jiaodong. In Haidong trading companies, farmers, and Qingdao Port, his words were much more useful than those of local officials. This was a network of contacts accumulated through four years of hard work.

Hei Fu took Xiao He away and kept Cao Shen for this reason: Cao Shen had completely surrendered to Hei Fu and served as a soldier and in charge of military affairs. With Chen Ping, who was in charge of personnel, Jiaodong's military and political affairs could not avoid him. People, once the situation changes, Chen Ping will have helpers for whatever he wants to do.

Chen Ping decided to sleep in the study tonight. He turned on the lamp and wrote a poem on a piece of linen paper with a pen.

That was "Compassion for the Farmers" written by Heifu in order to win the favor of the farmer leader Ye Lao when he welcomed the farmers to Jiaodong three years ago.

"It's noon on the day of hoeing, and the sweat is dripping from the soil

Who knows dishes on the menu, A Journey. "

At that time, this poem won great praise from farmers. They believed that Jiaodong County Sheriff was worthy of being from the capital of Guizhou and understood the hardships of farmers, so he took root in Jiaodong. A few years later, at Heifu's suggestion, the farmer grew cabbage, ground soy milk and tofu, and grew excess beans into bean sprouts. These foods greatly improved the army's food, and gradually began to enter the civilian population. The dishes on the table began to become more colorful...

But in October, when Chen Ping left Jieshi, Heifu told him: "There is actually a second half of "Compassion for the Farmers", and I am only showing it to you."

Thinking of the unreserved trust of the monarchs, Chen Ping became more vigorous in writing and no longer used Qin seals. Twenty Wei characters jumped on the paper!

“Sow a grain of millet in spring and harvest ten thousand grains in autumn.

There is no idle land in the world, and farmers are still starving to death! "

Heifu's poem gave Chen Ping a complete understanding of Junhou's intentions and determination! Farmers are dying of hunger. This is the current situation in the world!

I thought that after the world was unified, we could stop the war and turn swords into plowshares. However, Qin Shihuang deceived everyone!

Chen Ping said to himself: "The stone carvings say that the common people are innocent, that men enjoy their jobs, and women practice their professions. They are all lies... In fact, in the past ten years, they have been fighting every year!"

Even though Heifu and others encouraged mulberry farming and commodity farming in Jiaodong, the benefits of these new policies to the head of Guizhou were not worth the heavy corvee and taxes. On the contrary, the wealth created by Jiaodong for the court was continuously invested by Qin Shihuang into new projects. In battle.

Chen Ping only felt that what Heifu did in Jiaodong was like putting out a fire with a salary. If the salary is not exhausted, the fire will never be extinguished!

He read the whole poem several times, and then immediately threw it into the charcoal pot and burned it to ashes. Watching it being swallowed up by the tongues of fire, Chen Ping's eyes also reflected the flames.

"This fire that keeps licking the world is not the land and fields, the nobles of the six countries, the frivolous and evil young men, and it is not the garrison soldiers who fled into the mountains and forests to avoid the harsh government."

"This fire is the Qin Dynasty's own harsh rule and the endless desires of Qin Shi Huangdi!"

The heart of a single man is becoming more and more arrogant, and the entire world, with thirty million people, must revolve around him: 300,000 people garrison the Great Wall in the north, 100,000 people open in the west, and 200,000 people march south, but they are not as good as The palaces and mausoleums in Guanzhong and Lishan contained 700,000 prisoners...

Almost all the young and strong laborers of the right age are running on the road, and there is no time to farm properly. After more than ten years of continuous work, everyone is tired.

Chen Ping was certain that soon, this fire would burn the entire Jiuzhou to a white ground.

"The Southern Expedition is a quagmire. I am afraid that another two to three hundred thousand will be added to it. As the years go by, the soldiers are tired and the food is exhausted. The men are not allowed to cultivate crops and trees, the women are not allowed to spin and weave, and the old and the weak are not allowed to join the army. If the wages are changed, those who live there will have no food, and those who travel will have no food. The people will suffer from the war, and those who flee will be numerous."

"At that time, there will be turmoil both inside and outside, and the people will be in dire straits. Those who have gone will not return, and those who have gone will not turn back. No one will live in peace. They will flee and follow each other, and they will become thieves. In the end, they will be out of control. When Emperor Qin dies, the Central Plains will surely chaos……"

That fire will also spread to the seven temples of the Qin Dynasty. The pillars will be crooked and the buildings will collapse!

Just like what Chen Ping saw more than ten years ago, Daliang City collapsed!

The paper was burned to ashes in the charcoal basin, and Chen Ping also showed a smile full of hope.

Sure enough, compared to Taoist Huang Lao, conspiracy is more suitable for him.

"And the princes will return home with hundreds of thousands of people who are eager to return home. Whoever dares to stop the expedition will be their enemy! Changnanhou, he will be the one who saves the world after this fire. Sweet rain!"

…

At the same time, Heifu and his party, who traveled south all night, also arrived at Ye County, Nanyang County.

In the biting cold wind, Gong Ao was ordered to hold a banner in front and shout, "The Marquis of Changnan is coming, everyone should stay away!"

The black husband was behind and galloped wildly, causing a lot of excitement in the streets! Very much like the villain in the novel.

Snowflakes fell from the dark sky, falling all over the people and horses.

Heifu's hand holding the bridle was so cold that he even lost consciousness.

But he had no intention of slowing down at all. He was in a hurry. The hills in the distance seemed to be the rickety figure of Uncle Ghost. It had the same destination as Hei Fu, which was Ye's old house.

We must catch up with it and surpass it!

For the first time, Heifu prayed to the gods in his heart, begging Da Si Ming, could he stop to rest and have a cigarette?

"Old man Ye, old man Ye."

Heifu gritted his teeth and kicked his mount with the spurs on his boots: "You have to hold on, my son-in-law, I have something important to say to you!"