The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 133 The Last Elder

Li Si took the roster and went to Zhangtai Palace.

After the prime minister met with the emperor, the commander-in-chief of the western army was confirmed.

Li Si returned to the Prime Minister's residence. He first glanced at Prince Fusu, who was busy instructing several officials on state affairs, and then looked at Wang Ben, who was dozing off in the seat of honor.

Whether Wang Ben was serving as the Junior Minister of the Imperial Household Department before or as the Grand Commandant now, he always seemed relaxed in his work, which was understandable given the high level of achievement his entire family had made.

This Grand Commandant Wang clearly has his own Grand Commandant's residence, but he insists on staying at the Prime Minister's residence instead.

Li Si placed an imperial edict in front of Wang Ben and said, "Let Zhang Han lead the army."

Wang Ben picked up the silk scroll with the imperial edict written on it with suspicion. He took out the military tally he had prepared beforehand and left the Prime Minister's residence.

A month has passed since the summer harvest in Guanzhong, and a month has also passed since the reinforcements following the summer harvest.

That day, Qingbi walked out of the workshop next to the forging furnace, carrying a basket of ironware.

Despite having half a head of white hair, Qingbi still possessed strong arms. He said, "General Zhang Han, these are the ironwares that the young master asked us to forge."

Zhang Han picked up one of them and asked, "Is this a spear?"

Qingbi said, "When I was young, I forged weapons in the army. It has been more than 30 years now, and this is the first time I have forged such powerful ironware. I can only make these twenty spearheads in a month. Young master, you say this is a spear."

More than a hundred craftsmen were needed to cast only twenty of them; the difficulty of casting this item was indeed something they had not anticipated.

Qingbi said, "This item is lacquered with cinnabar and polished with sand and stone powder on the outside, making it extremely resistant to rust."

As he spoke, Qingbi joined the handle with a tenon and mortise joint, then fixed the joint with a beautiful copper hoop, and made the handle with fine wood.

Qingbi handed the complete lance to Zhang Han. The lance was made of excellent materials and was worth several thousand coins among weapons.

Zhang Han brandished the long spear. Qingbi's craftsmanship was exceptional. As expected of an old craftsman who had been forging weapons in the army for decades, his craftsmanship was first-rate. Among all the craftsmen in the Imperial Household Department, Qingbi's craftsmanship was second to none.

Zhang Han admired the beautiful long spear. Whether it was its weight or its length, he felt that the spear was excellent, even perfect, as if it were tailor-made for him.

Every weapon made required inscriptions and registration in the Imperial Household Department. Even the craftsmen were subject to a meticulous accountability system under Qin law.

Craftsmen were required to inscribe words on weapons, ensuring both quality and quantity. This reflected the Qin law's emphasis on a refined system of responsibility, where craftsmen had to guarantee the quality of every weapon they forged.

Zhang Han looked at the inscription on the tip of the spear: "Made in the 29th year by Fusu, son of the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, craftsman Cheng Cang, craftsman Qingbi."

Arriving at an empty training ground, Zhang Han thrust his long spear into a wooden stake clad in leather armor, piercing through the armor with a single thrust.

Zhang Cang walked over slowly and said, "This is a good weapon, and Weinan will continue to forge more."

Zhang Han held the long spear with burning eyes, as if he were holding a priceless treasure.

Zhang Cang calmly took out a scroll of silk and a scroll of documents, and handed them to him, saying: "Imperial decree, Zhang Han, the prefect of Weinan, is appointed as the commander-in-chief of the western army, leading 5,000 soldiers from Didaokou to advance to Wushaoling and take Rongxihe Valley."

"Your humble servant Zhang Han obeys the order."

"Prince Fusu also instructed that there is a snow-capped mountain in that river valley. In the past, the Yiqu and the people of the Western Regions called it Qilian. In their language, Qilian means heaven or the sky. The Qilian Mountains lie across the Xirong River Valley, controlling the throat of the Western Regions. It is also necessary to build a city gate at the western end of the Qilian Mountains."

At this point, Zhang Cang sighed and said, "That place is still the horse breeding ground of the Western Regions. You will have to fight and build city gates there. You will not be able to return for several years. Young Master, you are allowed to take your wife and children to Longxi to train troops first."

Zhang Han said, "This subordinate obeys the order."

He only knows how to obey orders and doesn't say anything else. As long as you give him an instruction, he can do it with all his might.

Zhang Cang knew that ever since the southern expedition, Zhang Han had been holding back a grudge. He wanted to go on an expedition and wanted their ancestors' glory to continue.

“Prefect Zhang, the Xiongnu also want to seize this snow mountain. News from Longxi says that there is a Xiongnu king in the west who wants to set up an altar on the Qilian Snow Mountain, then worship the Qilian Snow Mountain, and lead the Xiongnu cavalry into Guanzhong.”

Zhang Han, holding a long spear in one hand, said loudly, "This man has quite the audacity."

Zhang Cang said with some distress, "The Yuezhi people used to worship the Qilian Snow Mountain, but there is a place called Heihe in the Qilian Snow Mountain. Young Master said that a million acres of land can be cultivated there. It is a very good place. It can raise horses and cultivate land."

"This humble general will surely take it."

Zhang Cang then said, "General, you should set off tomorrow. I will take care of everything in Weinan."

Zhang Han bowed and then left.

The following day, Zhang Han, accompanied by cartloads of military equipment and escorted by more than ten cavalrymen, set off for Longxi with his wife and children.

This time, Zhang Han not only brought long spears, but also newly made stirrups.

Zhang Cang and Shusun Tong saw Zhang Han off all the way until they crossed the Xianyang Bridge, at which point they stopped.

The Qin court was still sending reinforcements to the north and west. There were many people seeing off their families at the Xianyang Bridge. Almost every few days, a group of people would come to the Xianyang Bridge to bid farewell to their families who were going to fight.

This bridge was built by Prince Fusu. Perhaps when people bid farewell to their family members who are about to go to war here, they will think of Prince Fusu, who is now in the Prime Minister's Mansion in Xianyang and in charge of building the country, as they walk on this bridge.

As Zhang Han's troops marched further and further away, Shusun Tong walked on the sturdy Xianyang Bridge and said, "This bridge looks really good; it seems like it should have been here."

"Ah."

Zhang Cang responded.

Shusun Tong then said, "I heard that you helped Prince Fusu build this bridge."

Zhang Cang said in a low voice, "Back then, the young master guarded that small house on the West Wei River for a year in order to build this bridge... Look, it's that small house, it's still there today."

Following Zhang Cang's gaze, Shusun Tong saw the room.

Zhang Cang said, "Young Master, you are strict with yourself. Don't you think that this kind of behavior is changing some people? When I met you at Jixia Academy when my teacher was still alive, you were just a person who did nothing. Now you are so worried about those children not being able to study well that you can't sleep or eat properly."

This refers to the time when Xunzi was still alive, when Zhang Cang left the Jixia Academy with Xunzi.

Shusun Tong still remembers that year, when many students of Jixia Academy and other famous philosophers were preparing to flee. They were afraid that the Qin army would come and destroy everything at Jixia Academy.

Later, the Qin army did arrive. They drove away the people from the Jixia Academy and took away the books from the academy.

Shusun Tong recalled that he had met Xunzi at the Jixia Academy, but unfortunately he did not become Xunzi's disciple, but instead became a disciple of Confucius.

Shusun Tong did not want to tell Zhang Cang that when he was studying under Kong Fu, he also greatly admired Xunzi. It was just a pity that he could only read Xunzi's books but could not become Xunzi's disciple.

Shusun Tong spent half his life studying. In his middle age, he went to great lengths to make friends and associate with others. It was only through his years of hard work and learning that he caught the eye of Kong Fu, and only then did he become Kong Fu's disciple.

"The Emperor appointed Zhang Han as the commander-in-chief of the western army so easily. Doesn't he suspect the Prime Minister and the Grand Commandant?" Zhang Cang said, "Are you worried about the young master?"

Shusun Tong nodded without saying a word.

"You're overthinking it. The young master is willing to dedicate all his strength in Weinan to the war in the north, and he will do his utmost to build the country in the future. With such a young master, the emperor will surely trust him."

After returning to Jingye County, Shusun Tong began to tell Prince Gao about the Qilian Mountains. He said that during the Zhou Dynasty, King Mu of Zhou had brought the Spring Mountain Jade to see the Queen Mother of the West. Later, the area became a horse-breeding ground for the Yuezhi people. Now it seems that Prince Fusu intends to use the Qilian Snow Mountains as a barrier in the northwest.

When the autumn rain fell again, an old man arrived in Xianyang by horse-drawn carriage.

When this elderly man came to Xianyang, he was carried in his sickbed.

This man was none other than the young master's great-grandfather, Ying Xi.

Before the memorial tablets of the Qin kings of past dynasties in Xianyang Palace, the great-grandfather, who was already showing signs of a final burst of energy, kept staring at one of the tablets. Fusu watched as his father, the emperor, brought the tablet to the great-grandfather.

The great-grandfather looked at the memorial tablet, tears welling up in his eyes. He stared at it silently, his eyes filled with self-reproach.

And this memorial tablet belongs to the great-grandfather's father, King Xiaowen of Qin.

Fusu stood not far away watching. His great-grandfather probably felt that he had not been a good son. He may have made mistakes, corrected them, and blamed himself and been arrogant. This seemed to be an experience that every child would have.

Now Grandpa is going to see Qin Xiaowen, to see his father.

Until, when the great-grandfather's hand fell limply to his side, the last close elder whom the First Emperor left in this world also passed away.

Fusu turned around and saw the autumn rain falling continuously from the eaves, with people crying behind him.

The funeral began at Xianyang Palace the following day, with Fusu presiding over the proceedings on behalf of his father, the emperor.

This summer, Grand Commandant Meng passed away, and this autumn, my great-grandfather also passed away. The grieving emperor and Meng Tian will carry their lingering regrets on a northern expedition.

Fusu stood quietly in front of the coffin, watching each person who came to pay their respects.

The coffin of the great-grandfather was placed in Xianyang Palace for a day and a night. Then Fusu led the way and let the old Qin people of the royal family take the coffin out of Xianyang City.

The cold autumn wind swept across the desolate Guanzhong Plain. The young master led his entourage along the Wei River and arrived at Liyi.

Afterwards, Fusu personally came to a mausoleum. His great-grandfather's mausoleum was very simple, even plain.

Fusu personally placed the last terracotta warrior in front of his great-grandfather's tomb and covered it with the last handful of soil.

After doing all this, Fusu felt that he would eventually do the same thing for his father, and that in the future, he would end up in the same situation.

There's no need to be too sad about this. In the grand scheme of life, it's just a matter of who comes first and who comes later.

After ensuring the mausoleum was properly arranged, Fusu made another trip to Pinyang on his way back to Xianyang, where he met with Duke Wang Jian of Pinyang.

Wang Jian was sitting at his doorstep playing chess with another young man.

When Fusu approached, he saw the black and white pieces arranged on the chessboard. It seemed that Duke Pinyang was not very good at chess, but he and this young man were evenly matched.

"This old man greets you, young master."

Fusu quickly helped the old man up, saying, "Lord Pinyang, there's no need for such formalities."

Wang Jian, whose face was covered in wrinkles, pointed to the young man beside him and said, "This is my other grandson."

The other party immediately bowed again and said, "Wang Wu greets the young master."

Fusu had no recollection of this young man, nor was he familiar with Wang Li or any of his other grandsons.

In other words, this is precisely where Wang Jian's wisdom lies. Although he may seem to have treated his grandsons poorly, he actually hid and protected them very well.

Wang Jian was an extremely intelligent and shrewd man, and he remained shrewd his entire life.

“Once a person becomes wealthy, their descendants will continue to multiply. I am old and can’t even remember how many grandchildren I have, or whose children they are.” Wang Jian bowed, leaning on his cane, and said, “Alas, I’m sorry to have made you laugh, young master.”

Fusu said, "How could I laugh at you? I'm sure you'll live to be a hundred years old."

Wang Jian sat on the steps in front of his house, his hands on his cane, and said, "This kid often goes to Weinan and is close to Zhang Han."

“I have dealings with Prefect Zhang.”

He looked at his grandson with disdain and said, "You're the one who's so eager to please Zhang Han and become the prince's close advisor. You have the desire, but you don't have the guts to say it in front of the prince."

After saying this, Wang Jian made a move to strike his good-for-nothing grandson.

Wang Wu stood to the side with his head down, not daring to say a word.

Fusu inquired about the health of the Duke of Pinyang, and then left.

At night, autumn rain fell again in Guanzhong.

Inside the residence of the Duke of Pinyang, Wang Wu knelt outside his grandfather's door and said loudly, "Grandson wishes to join the army. Please grant me permission, Grandfather."

The rain kept pelting the young man; the autumn night rain was very cold, and he could be seen shivering in the rain.

Wang Jian knew about every grandson in the Wang family; he only said that in front of the young master.

Wang Li is in the north, Wang Yuan went to Langya County, and Wang Wei went to the south with Zhao Tuo and has not returned yet.

Now there is a grandson named Wang Wu, but now even this grandson wants to leave.

A servant came out of Wang Jian's house. The servant tried several times to pull up Wang Wu, who was kneeling, but the boy remained kneeling, his knees unwilling to leave the ground.

Finally, a sigh came from the cabin, and Wang Jian relented.

The next day, after the court meeting ended, Fusu learned from Tian An that Wang Wu, the grandson of the Duke of Pinyang, had left Pinyang and ridden a fast horse to catch up with Zhang Han, intending to go to war with Zhang Han.

They also learned that Wang Wu was kneeling in the rain, pleading with his grandfather, Duke Pinyang.

Fu Su said in a low voice, "I never thought that the passion of a young man could move this old man."

The old Qin soldiers were probably like Wang Jian. They had fought for most of their lives, and their sons were also warriors. Wang Jian knew how much blood the old Qin soldiers had shed on the battlefield, which is why he was wholeheartedly protecting his grandsons.

(End of this chapter)