Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 287, Section 286: The Big Fish and the Millet
Qin Shi had changed his clothes and was wandering around the nearby mountains.

She changed into leather boots with soles made of cork, thick linen, and leather, and her skirt was much shorter than usual.

Although it was not respectable, the poor had no respectability at all these days, so no one commented on the queen's clothing.

They could only carefully send guards, and then a large group of people followed her up the mountain.

He was strong and imposing, tall and robust. He was wearing a suit of armor that jingled as he walked beside Qin Shi, without even breathing heavily.

Qin Shi couldn't help but glance at him again: he was so strong, and he didn't seem annoyed at all by being by her side for so long.

With such qualities, if he were to engage in battle, he would certainly have the opportunity to become an unparalleled overlord!

She paused, then asked, "Strong?"

"The villain is here."

Although he serves the Queen, he does not yet hold an official position.

After all, he had attempted assassination before. Although he had only hidden and hadn't actually done it, he couldn't be exonerated without having performed a great service.

Otherwise, how can we appease the loyal crowd?

Qin Shi then asked, "Which are you better at: galloping through the mountains and forests or charging with heavy cavalry?"

The implication behind these words is quite clear.

The servants following behind him all pricked up their ears.

Zhuang remained silent for a moment.

He had assisted Lord Xin in making stirrups at the Imperial Stud and had also demonstrated them to the King with Danpu, so he was naturally aware of the Queen's plan for heavy cavalry.

Tall, spirited horses, heavily armored, charged forward, invincible.

The Queen once said that heavy cavalry were battlefield reapers!
He recalled the scene of farmers wielding sickles and flails to harvest wheat, and how could this grown man not be moved to tears?
But at this moment——

"Your Majesty, we have experience in mountain and forest charges, but we can only boast about heavy cavalry charges after our equipment is fully completed."

"However, if Your Majesty requires anything, I am confident that I can provide both!"

Being able to demonstrate his horsemanship before the king, his skills must be exceptional. Furthermore, the special training he received from the Wei elite infantry excelled at long-distance raids through mountains and forests.

Otherwise, how could his Wei citizen, who had already been torn apart by chariots and beheaded, have carved words after the meteor fell from the sky and then immediately fled?
This answer demonstrated both confidence and composure.

Qin Shi also liked it very much.

In later generations, matters of state and family, as long as they did not involve sensitive topics, could be discussed openly and openly.

Furthermore, since they were all now under Ji Heng's command, she made no attempt to conceal her presence despite the diverse group of people present.
"The Rong, Di, Qiang and Hu tribes of the Western Regions are unlikely to engage in a major war in the short term, thanks to General Yan Lang guarding the border."

But once they rise up, they must be completely subdued.

Unfortunately, the Qin state's current national strength does not support multi-front warfare, and it is likely that the next few years will be spent in the preparation phase.

“But you are in the prime of your life, and you should not waste too much of your energy in Xianyang. Therefore, I intend to recommend you to the King to go to the Baiyue region.”

There were two commanders, Yan Ying and Yan Xuan, there. The Baiyue Mountains and forests were complex and the climate was hot and humid. The local wolf soldiers would often hide in the mountains and forests, which was difficult for ordinary soldiers to resist.

"If you have the courage to venture here, you will surely achieve great things."

These words stirred the hearts of not only Zhuang, who was already skilled in this area, but also the guards around them!
There is only one path to advancement: risk your life, and you might earn some land for your family and be exempt from corvée labor...

Nowadays, all families born into poverty have only two words on their minds:

You've done a great service!

The training of the Wei Wu soldiers involved many aspects, and they could not have any emotional fluctuations when they were in hiding. If he had not discovered the truth, he would not have been able to roll out from under the carriage shaft on his own initiative.

Now, Qin Shi only noticed that his expression remained unchanged, but his body stiffened when he cupped his hands, clearly indicating that he was very tense:
"I am willing to die for the Queen!"

Qin Shi nodded, accepting his loyalty.

"Upon returning to Xianyang, I will take this opportunity to organize various matters concerning Baiyue. You will also need to undergo some basic training and discuss with the Imperial Physician the medicines to be brought back..."

"Zhuang, you should know the king's ambition."

I hope you return victorious.

Zhuang bowed deeply, then straightened up, placed his hand on the long sword at his waist, and continued to look around warily.

Looking at his equipment, Qin Shi suddenly remembered that Qin longswords were not advantageous in the mountains and forests; they used spears and halberds more often, as well as some short swords.

Now that we have enough coal and iron, it's time to build a batch of weapons specifically for the Baiyue region.

Ugh.

She felt ashamed and thought: I am really not a warmonger.

But those are Guangxi and Guangdong!
……

Qin Shi walked forward on his own, while the crowd behind him were beaming with excitement, their eyes shining, as if they wanted to shout:

Queen, look at me!

Heaven knows, the Queen would ask the person what they would prefer to do before sending them!
Waaah... Of course, they'd much rather stay at home, retain their noble titles, tend a hundred acres of prime farmland, and hire a few farmers...

In short, the Queen and the King were completely different in style, but the Queen was clearly more approachable and tolerant, which put everyone at ease, and they became more relaxed in their actions.

The low hill in front of us soon reached its top.

Ahead lay a series of rolling mountains, but with Wangzhuang nearby, even if there were wild animals in the mountains, they were only small ones.

"What does the Queen want to see?" Wu Zi asked.

It also voiced everyone's thoughts.

Qin Shi observed the nearby vegetation. Although it was winter, the temperature in the mountains was not low, and the humidity was also good.

She then said, "I'll see if this place is suitable for cultivation into fields, or for planting medicinal herbs."

Mushrooms and wood ear fungus are also options, but we haven't had time to research those yet due to a shortage of manpower.

Wow, what a talent!

With only one black eye, it relies on instant memory to copy its own data. The rest of the time it has to hibernate or shut down, so its efficiency is simply not up to par!

The Qin state is so large, yet there are so few people with insight. Couldn't we send her more humanoid replica machines?
Her mind raced with ideas, considering everything from free-range chickens and mushrooms to free-range ginseng and herbs, as well as early land reclamation.

In the end, they abandoned the idea of ​​large-scale land reclamation.

Without excavators, the tree roots and shrubs here are intertwined, making clearing them extremely difficult.

Moreover, during the summer rainy season, it's hard to say whether the soft, reclaimed soil here will cause landslides and mudslides.

Susu Village has stood here peacefully for many years, with a very stable climate; let this stability continue.

The Qin state was in a rare period of stable prosperity. In the history she knew, the Qin state had been plagued by war for countless years after its disintegration, which was a real waste!

After all, every mini ice age inevitably brings war and the overthrow of dynasties, which is an inevitable law caused by insufficient resources.

But that's not the case now!

There are elephants in the Central Plains region!
But it would be a real shame to waste such a good year on a civil war!
Wu Zi then looked at the continuous mountains ahead: "Should we go to the front?"

They served in the palace, and if they didn't offend the nobles, their physical strength was actually no less than others; their only concern was that the Queen might get tired. Qin Shi didn't think much of it, but still shook his head:

"No need."

She had the physical strength to manage, but climbing up the mountain with those hard wooden soles was quite difficult.

Next time, I'll wear layered soles.

Cotton, oh cotton!
She used to complain that cotton fabric wrinkled too easily, but now she realizes she was really ungrateful!

Unaware of the Queen's thirst for resources, Wu Zi merely watched her closely before following her down the mountain from the other side.

However, just as they reached the foot of the mountain, a servant came to report:

"Your Majesty, some people outside the manor have already received the recruitment notice and come to apply!"

"However, we are unaware of the selection criteria for this talent, so we will have to keep them out for the time being..."

But the Queen also gave instructions, so even though everyone was outside, each person was given a bamboo tube of hot water with a little salt in it.

Thus, the poor people, after taking a sip, were reluctant to drink it, but were overjoyed, feeling that their trip today was worthwhile just for this cup of water!
This lightly salted water is neither bitter nor astringent. When you take it home, you can dilute it with water again to make soup or rice, and the whole family can taste the saltiness!
The Queen is wonderful!

They're already so generous before even being selected; if they are selected, they'll be able to eat their fill several times a month!
Qin Shi was taken aback: "So fast?"

She knew that giving everyone a bowl of millet would be attractive, but did they come over so quickly without even hesitating?
Actually, it’s not.

The earliest batch to arrive were all from Qishui Wharf.

Their propaganda campaign began as soon as the queen left.

Arriving at this hour, he rushed back to inform his relatives and friends, and then hurried along on his own two legs.

Because if they could get home before nightfall, their journey would be considered a violation of the law, even if they failed to recruit anyone.

……

Recruiting talent was naturally not something Qin Shi would do personally.

After all, even the most skilled HR person can't interview hundreds of people a day.

Fortunately, the servants around him were all very ambitious, and they would try their best not to miss anyone, even if it was for future rewards.

Qin Shi handed Wu Zi a form: "Go and see how many people there are. If you can't finish looking at it in a short time, tell them to stay at the farm for the night."

"Hot water, outhouse, millet, soup, and bedding all need to be prepared."

Wu Zi took the form and quickly handed it to a maid, instructing her to make several hundred more.

He replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I have learned these things these days, and I will certainly not make any mistakes."

"I understand the Queen's meaning. Even if we don't use it, we will do our best to record all the information clearly. If there is a need in the future, we can still recruit such talents."

Qin Shi immediately laughed: "Good."

……

There were quite a few people who came to sign up.

Some genuinely wanted to seize an opportunity, but most were simply after that bowl of millet.

However, I couldn't help feeling apprehensive when I arrived.

For them, making a wasted trip is nothing, but what if they offend the important person and get beaten or scolded?
Most importantly, what if the millet isn't given out again...?

Oh dear! Everyone was filled with both anticipation and apprehension, yet their feet kept moving.

But as I saw more and more pedestrians on the road, my anxiety gradually subsided.

In the end, everyone huddled together in twos and threes, thinking that if they were going to get beaten up, they would all get beaten up together and then they wouldn't be afraid of anything!

With so many people here, what if I get all the grain and there's none left?

In short, the core issue revolves around that bowl of grain.

Whether they're talented or not, they've spent their lives either serving in the military or farming; how would they know what their special skills are?
Does being particularly good at throwing bricks count?
The men discussed and compared loudly, afraid that they were not outstanding enough and would not be appreciated by the important people.

Although the group was open to both men and women, there were clearly more men than women among the participants.

Twelve-year-old Da Yu followed closely behind the two women. One of them was still thinking about the hemp she was weaving at home, while the other wanted to take a bowl of millet home and call the child over to get another bowl...

Therefore, they hurried along.

The big fish was small and had short legs, so it hurriedly followed behind and only then did it feel a little safe.

Seeing how thin and small she was, the two men couldn't help but ask, "You're so small, won't the nobleman think you're causing trouble?"

The big fish clenched its fist.

Even in the cold winter, my mother still had to wade barefoot in the water to catch fish, managing to catch a few each day to earn enough to pay taxes, so she could have clothes and coal.

Unfortunately, there was another woman in the house who, despite her frail physique, had a surprisingly large appetite and always seemed to be hungry...

My father died of a serious illness while serving in the army in his early years. After my mother remarried, her husband also died after being drafted into the army.

Now she's struggling to raise herself alone; life is just too hard for her.

Now that she has the opportunity, she wants to give it a try.

If all else fails, a bowl of millet will be enough for the mother and daughter to drink for several days.

If it succeeds, she can do whatever the Queen asks her to do, whether it's ramming earth or building walls.

Without me as a burden, my mother can quickly remarry into a family with a strong man, so that the fields will be cultivated and she will have enough to eat...

Thinking of this, the big fish gritted its teeth, looked up, and said:
“My mother asked at the market, and that official said it was possible!”

She pursed her lips, a hint of stubbornness on her face, her large, deer-like eyes sparkling with life.

The two women had only asked casually, but seeing her thin and frail appearance, which made her head look particularly large, they said with pity, "It's good that you came to see her. Perhaps the nobleman will take pity on you and give you even more."

So, does that mean they should also make themselves look a bit disheveled?
But then I looked at the nail crevices that I had carefully cleaned before leaving. Although there were some old yellow marks and black lines that I couldn't remove, I had heard that important people are all very clean.

If you make it dirty, you might be driven away from far away...

Oh dear, this is so difficult.

Everyone had their own ideas, and their own thoughts were constantly tangled up, but in the end, most people still didn't have enough to eat.

As for learned scholars like Bai Qiusha, upon receiving the news, they did not immediately set out, but instead went home to report the matter, which is why they would not be coming today.

But the fact that so many people had arrived in such a short time made Qin Shi realize—

Is it really true that the credibility of the Qin state, or rather, the credibility of King Ji Heng of Qin, has reached such a level?

For the Qin people, who are now cautious and always at risk of breaking the strict laws, it is better to remain still than to take action.

The fact that they rushed to the scene upon hearing the news, for the sake of grain, also shows that the government is indeed trusted!
This is so rare! With such trust, everything we do in the future will be twice as effective!
She sighed, and felt comforted as she watched Wu Zi methodically arrange all the tasks assigned to her.

　I've been so busy lately, so I decided to resort to some mystical methods—I bought some pomelo leaves!

　　I'll water it thoroughly when it arrives!

　　(End of this chapter)