The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 129 War Warning
Three bonfires were lit here, and everyone sat around them; it was windy there.

But Fusu didn't know where the wind was coming from. There must be a passage here. Apart from the fire in front of him, he could see the rubble on the ground and the people sitting around the fire.

You can't actually see anything around here.

The air here is fine, but Fusu knows that everything here will be sealed off in the future, and not only will the wind be blocked, but even the air will be blocked.

Wu Yang whispered, "Young master, there are no more craftsmen if we go any further."

Fusu asked, "Is the interior finished?"

The black sheep nodded.

After a short nap, the group continued their journey. The Qin Emperor's Mausoleum was so vast that it was unimaginable. Unable to discern directions, Fusu had no idea how far he had traveled.

Fusu saw rows of copper rails and walked a long way.

Wu Yang added, "The stone slab under your feet can be flipped over. Once it's sealed off, the support beneath it will collapse."

Fusu saw a light in the distance again, which was quite frightening at first glance. But the further he went, the more firelight appeared ahead. When he got closer, Fusu realized that the firelight in front of him was actually the reflection of firelight in bronze mirrors.

Whenever Wu Yang saw these ingenious gadgets, he always wore a happy and proud expression.

After everyone walked out of a passage, at the end of which was a cliff, Fusu walked to the edge of the cliff.

Wu Yang extended his torch downwards and said, "Young master, let's stop here."

In the distance, there was darkness, and nothing could be seen clearly; it looked like a black mist.

Fusu said, "I can't go any further down the road, can I?"

Wu Yang added, "You can only go in, not out. Once you go down, you can't come back."

Fusu hesitated and said, "Then..."

Wu Yang smiled and said, "Young master, rest assured, after I bring the First Emperor in, I will not come out again. I will stay here and accompany the First Emperor."

Seeing the young master's expression, Wu Yang sighed, took the torch from the person behind him, and threw it downwards.

The torch fell downwards, and as it landed below, it suddenly burst into flames.

The flame was initially blue, then the flames grew smaller and smaller, slowly turning yellow, and then gradually red.

Fusu knew that this change would occur when the flames encountered insufficient oxygen during combustion.

It seems the oxygen below is extremely thin. This cliff, which looks five or six feet deep, could be a real possibility if you went down and never came back up, or you might even die from lack of oxygen.

Even standing on the edge of the cliff, Fusu could smell something strange, a faint scent of mercury.

"Sir, please look."

In the distance, some light slowly appeared. Looking up, a dome-like structure, like stars, could be faintly seen high above, appearing and disappearing intermittently and very weakly.

It was probably caused by the flames that started when the torch was dropped.

Then, a faint light appeared in this space, as if the black mist in front of him had dissipated somewhat. Fusu saw a huge space with a large number of buildings looming below. Fusu could even see Zhangtai Palace in the distance. Xianyang City seemed to be about this size.

The space below is so vast that it resembles a real city, like another Xianyang city, and it's a scaled-down replica.

When the light completely disappeared and darkness returned, Fusu looked at Wuyang again.

Wu Yang simply smiled and said, "Young master, it's time to go back."

The group returned along the same route. Fusu was unaware of the specific construction details, and Wuyang would not reveal them.

As for why the air is thin in the core area, Fusu knew it was because it was too deep there, and the area where oxygen could penetrate was very limited. The deeper underground one went, the thinner the oxygen became.

The journey back was difficult, as everyone was walking uphill.

When I reached that valley again, it was already late at night.

After seeing the stars and the moon, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The night wind blew and they heard the rustling of the trees in the mountains, as if they had just returned to the human world and finally heard some sounds of nature.

On the way back, Fusu thought about how to tell his father about the construction of the mausoleum. The underground buildings he could see were actually very limited, especially the long passageway, which made everyone feel like they were climbing a mountain.

After returning to Liyi, Fusu looked at the black sheep behind him and Tian An behind him.

They all seemed to be people connected to the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum, except for myself.

Fusu returned to the residence, where his father, the Emperor, was sitting and drinking tea.

This was the first time Fusu had seen his father, the Emperor, drinking tea.

Tian An and Old Wu Yang stood respectfully outside the courtyard, leaving space for the father and son.

Ying Zheng put down his teacup and asked, "Have you gone to see it?"

Fusu sat down to the side, picked up the kettle to refill his father's teacup, and then put the kettle back on the stove.

The kettle was small but exquisite. Although Tian An didn't like drinking tea, he had a very high level of skill in pottery making.

Fusu said, "Some of the pottery bowls and pots in Gaoquan Palace were also made by Tian An."

“There is a large pottery workshop in Pinyang. He used to fire pottery in Pinyang.”

After a pause, Ying Zheng continued, "Tell me about the situation inside."

Fusu pondered for a moment, intending to organize his thoughts to describe what he had seen and heard in a better way, or even embellish it a bit.

But upon further reflection, Fusu felt that he had told the truth, and he recounted the specific details of what he had seen clearly and what he had not.

After saying this, Fusu felt much more relaxed.

No matter how well he said it, Old Wuyang would tell his father the same thing again, and Old Wuyang would explain it in more detail, including what he saw and what he didn't see.

At this time, you must tell the truth, and not exaggerate or imagine.

"it is good."

With his father's response, Fusu was relieved.

Ying Zheng took another sip of tea and said, "I will go to see Gao and Yinman tomorrow. You should get some rest."

Fusu was led by an attendant to a side room, supposedly to rest, but he sat there gazing at the moon outside the window. Anyone who saw such a grand mausoleum would be unable to sleep.

The next morning, the Emperor was no longer there.

Only Tian An stood alone in the courtyard.

He said, "The carriages and horses for returning to Xianyang are all ready."

Fusu then said, "Father also said that state affairs are too important to stay here for long."

Tian An said in a low voice, "Young Master shouldn't stay here any longer. The people here are not good." "I know. They all want to go down to the mausoleum, but Qin law prohibits human sacrifice."

In fact, after a sleepless night, and with the mansion not being very big, Fusu heard his father give instructions to Tian An just before dawn, and then his father and the old black sheep left.

Everyone dies eventually. After Grand Commandant Meng was buried, the Emperor must have had some thoughts, probably about what would happen after his death.

The old Grand Commandant was such a loyal general, who fought for Qin in its conquest of other states and was one of the generals who attacked Chu.

Such a meritorious and loyal general has passed away. Everyone in Guanzhong, the Qin court, and the world knows how much grief the First Emperor felt.

Sitting in the carriage on the way back, Fusu pondered that even Wang Ben had gone to Pinyang County, saying he was visiting the Duke of Pinyang. Wang Ben was currently living in the old house in Pinyang and had not returned to Xianyang.

Wang Jian was an extremely intelligent and cautious man, and he certainly knew that it was the worst thing to disturb the First Emperor at this time.

Wang Ben continued to live in the old house in Pinyang, never venturing out.

Before his eastern tour, the First Emperor had always wanted to know how the people of the six former states were doing.

Now that the eastern tour has ended, it seems to have gone smoothly, but in the eyes of the First Emperor, the people of the world and their opinions are not satisfactory.

Xianyang City remained unchanged, and Fusu always felt that it was always the same.

Prince Fusu alighted from the carriage and entered the city gate of Xianyang.

Tian An, standing beside him, said, "A market has been built west of Xianyang Bridge, and it's getting more and more lively now."

"Do you want me to go out and clear my head?"

Tian An smiled and nodded.

Fusu did not go to Xianyang Bridge, but went straight back to Gaoquan Palace.

Tian An stopped outside Gaoquan Palace. He took out a roll of cloth and handed it to the eunuch in front of the palace gate, saying, "This is what the palace is currently lacking. I have written down the list. Go and buy it."

The eunuch nodded with a smile.

He had only taken two steps when Tian An instructed again, "Go to the market west of Xianyang Bridge to buy it."

"it is good."

The other party responded twice, and Tian An watched the eunuch walk away before returning to the palace with satisfaction.

Seeing the young master holding the child and seeing his smile, Tian An knew that the young master really didn't need to go to Xianyang Bridge to relax.

Half a month after the death of the old Grand Commandant, the Qin court finally resumed its deliberations.

Today's court discussion touched upon the matter of the northern expedition against the Xiongnu. On the grasslands today, there is a group of Xiongnu people who came from further north. The Xiongnu people in the north have occupied the West Liao River and joined forces with the Xiongnu King of Chifeng to cut off the connection between the Donghu and the Great Wall.

The second military report sent by Meng Tian from the army indicated that a large number of Xiongnu troops were about to advance into the Hetao region. If the Xiongnu occupied the Hetao region and broke through Meng Tian's Great Wall defenses, the Xiongnu cavalry could reach the gates of Xianyang in just three days.

Once the Xiongnu army besieges Xianyang, the entire Guanzhong Plain will be reduced to scorched earth, rendering the current prosperity and population growth meaningless.

This military report was an early warning from Meng Tian.

During the court meeting today, Fusu discovered that his two teachers, Prime Minister Li Si and Zhang Cang, were in good spirits, since the Qilu Doctor was no longer in the court.

This should have been a good thing, but Meng Tian's two military reports filled Prime Minister Li Si and the other ministers of the Qin court with worry.

After one volume of military reports was finished being read, another volume was brought out, and the eunuch was reading it aloud.

In the Western Regions, there was a Xiongnu king named Modun. He drove the Yuezhi people out of their original homeland. The Yuezhi people scattered and fled, some to the west, and others to the Western Rong people.

Maodun was planning to conquer the various tribes of the Western Regions and was advancing his troops into the Western Rong River Valley.

In the north today, there are not only Modu and Chifeng Xiongnu kings, but anyone leading a large tribe can call themselves Xiongnu king, and they constantly annex and unite with each other.

According to Meng Tian's military report, he felt that the greatest threat at present was the Xiongnu King of Chifeng, who occupied the Xiliao River.

In fact, Fusu felt that among the many Xiongnu kings, the one posed the greatest threat was Modu, who should be called Chanyu by the Xiongnu people.

The Xiongnu army that was marching south had been identified as numbering at least 150,000.

The court discussion lasted from morning until afternoon, until it ended and everyone left the main hall.

As Fusu walked toward the Prime Minister's residence, Cheng Miao kept chattering beside him.

"I heard that when Grand Commandant Wang learned that there would be a court meeting today, he rushed to the outskirts of Xianyang overnight. He arrived at the city gates late at night, and as soon as the city gates opened at dawn, he rode at full speed to attend the court meeting, not daring to delay even a moment."

Cheng Miao said worriedly, "Grand Commandant Wang has gone back now, most likely to rest."

As Fusu walked along, he asked, "How do you know all this?"

Cheng Miao replied, "That's what Master Wu said."

"This..." Fusu pressed, "The Prime Minister's office is so busy, with the summer harvest, the reclamation of fields in Longxi, the need to reinforce troops in the north, and the critical situation in the Western Rong... How can Lord Wu still have the leisure to inquire about Grand Commandant Wang's affairs?"

“Not exactly,” Cheng Miao explained. “Yesterday, Lord Wu was busy until late at night. The Prime Minister asked him to deliver a message to Grand Commandant Wang, saying that there would be a court meeting today.”

Cheng Miao then added, "It's not that Master Wu is idle; it's that Master Wu has been so busy that he hasn't slept for two days and one night."

The two walked into the Prime Minister's residence while talking, and Fusu officially began his work.

As long as Prince Fusu was in the Prime Minister's residence, the work progressed much faster. Scroll after scroll of documents were sent out of the Prime Minister's residence after Prince Fusu's approval.

Fusu opened a scroll of maps; it was a newly sent map of the Great Wall by Meng Tian.

Eight years have passed, and Meng Tian has connected the Great Wall that the various states built in the north.

According to Fusu's understanding in later generations, after measuring the locations and geographical positions on the land, the newly built Great Wall by Meng Tian was more than 1,300 li long, and the Great Wall defense line in the northern frontier totaled 5,000 kilometers.

This is the Great Wall that the First Emperor conscripted 200,000 convicts to build.

During these eight years, Prime Minister Li Si relocated people from 44 counties, totaling 120,000 households, to protect the northern border. This was three times the scale of the relocation of people to Weinan that year.

Wu Gong rushed over, panting heavily, and said, "There's news about the young master."

Fusu was thinking of using the towers of the Great Wall to build beacon towers, trenches and crossbow platforms to strengthen the Great Wall's defenses. As the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, he could mobilize the craftsmen.

Upon seeing Wu Gong rushing over, Fusu asked, "What's wrong?"

After catching his breath, Wu Gong said, "The emperor has granted Meng Tian's request to re-establish Yunzhong County, tame warhorses to expand the cavalry, and appoint Wuyuan Gongcheng to oversee the manufacture of weapons, and unite with the Western Rong to resist the Xiongnu."

Fusu sat silently in the Prime Minister's residence, for only he knew that when Modu Chanyu annexed the remaining Xiongnu forces and integrated the grasslands, the Xiongnu at their peak had more than 400,000 cavalry.

More than a thousand years ago, the agricultural civilization that emerged in Mesopotamia became increasingly prosperous, and later this civilization repeatedly engaged in wars with the Xiongnu people in the north.

Now that the First Emperor has unified the Central Plains and consolidated the nation's power, the first large-scale war between agricultural and nomadic civilizations is truly about to begin.

(End of this chapter)