The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 150 Reunion
Xiang Liang stood in the crowd, listening to the surrounding discussions, and staring intently at the wooden board hanging on the city wall. The words written on the board seemed to be a declaration of war by Prince Fusu against the anti-Qin people.

According to legend, Prince Fusu was a wise and virtuous man who loved reading, cared for the people, was honest, and always kept his word.

No matter how wise this young master was, Xiang Liang still considered Fusu to be Ying Zheng's son, while his father Xiang Yan died under the Qin army's spears.

After all the famous Chu officials who had accompanied him left, only Huan Chu remained by Xiang Liang's side.

Huan Chu, dressed in coarse cloth and wearing a bamboo hat, said in a low voice, "This Yin Tong is probably unreliable."

Hearing Huan Chu's words, Xiang Liang continued walking through the bustling city and said, "Huan Chu, don't worry."

Huan Chu lagged behind Xiang Liang by one step and bowed again, saying, "Was it Yin Tong who refused the Qin people's offer to send a tutor to Kuaiji?"

Xiang Liang said with a sullen face: "There are many famous people from Chu who have lobbied on this matter. Yin Tong is the prefect of this county. He is the one who had the famous people from Chu drive away the Qin teachers who were sent to teach in the area. He accepted my money and pretended to be covering for us. But in private, he told those Qin officials that it was us Chu people who drove away the teachers on our own and that it had nothing to do with him, Yin Tong... He is a two-faced person."

As Huan Chu walked, he glanced at the pedestrians on both sides and said, "Regarding the murder case in Pengcheng, the Qin officials have been relentlessly pursuing it. I'm worried about Yin Tonghui..."

Xiang Liang said in a deep voice, "Huan Chu, how about you stay and join us in planning something important?"

"I don't trust Yin Tong." After saying this, he bowed to Xiang Liang again and quickly left the place.

Huan Chu left just like that, and Xiang Liang stood there to see him off.

Although the Qin teachers who volunteered to teach did not enter Kuaiji Commandery, many teachers still volunteered to teach in other commanderies and counties of Chu this year.

Inside the county government office in Zhongyangli, Fengyi, Pei County, Chu Province, a middle-aged man was looking at the documents in front of him.

This document was sent from Xianyang, along with more than twenty volunteer teachers. This person was none other than Xiao He, the chief clerk of Zhongyang Village.

As a county official in the Chu region, Xiao He would hear some rumors about Prince Fusu.

Xiao He had no authority to arrange the teaching assignments; he was merely a chief clerk who helped the county magistrate entertain the teachers. Moreover, one of the teachers was an acquaintance of Xiao He.

But when Xiao He met those volunteer teachers, he still admired them greatly.

These teachers are all very young, yet they are able to travel thousands of miles to teach in the Chu region.

The local magistrate very politely invited the volunteer teacher to come to the county to teach.

The local customs and atmosphere here are harmonious, quite different from those of Kuaiji County.

The people of Zhongyangli strongly supported Prince Fusu's order to send students to teach in rural areas.

That night, Xiao He went to see a teacher who was teaching in a rural area.

This person was none other than the leader of these masters, Lang.

Lang said, "It's been a long time."

Xiao He said, “Last year you came to teach in the rural area, but you left in a hurry. This year you have brought so many teachers with you. I felt that we in Zhongyang Village had not taken good care of you. I am really ashamed.”

Lang continued, "Originally, there weren't many teachers who wanted to come to Chu to teach, but knowing that some people in Chu refused to teach, they all wanted to come to Chu first to see. They were clearly there to teach and never thought of using it for personal gain, but some people refused them. They were all young people... They were very resentful."

Sitting to the side, Cao Can hurriedly said, "You must not go to Kuaiji County. I heard that the Chu people there are very hostile to the Qin people."

Lang nodded and said, "I know my limits. Actually, I'm going to Langya County tomorrow."

Lang then took out a scroll and handed it to Xiao He, saying, "This contains recent policies for governing Guanzhong. You can take a look at it."

Xiao He said, "Thank you."

After nightfall, Lang took his volunteer teacher to rest.

Xiao He opened the bamboo scroll, and what came into view was the Guanzhong New Calendar and the twenty-four solar terms.

Cao Can said, "Why don't we stay a few more days?"

Xiao He put away the book, looked at the street in the night, and said in a low voice, "No need."

Cao Shen nodded.

In the county, Xiao He was always prudent in his actions; as long as he said something was unnecessary, Cao Shen would not say anything more.

As for Guanzhong or other places, they were completely in the dark. They had only heard about the situation in the outside world and had never seen it with their own eyes.

Cao Shen always listened to Xiao He; whatever Xiao He said went.

Lang stayed overnight in Zhongyangli and left the place the next morning, heading to Langya County.

Zhongyangli was a village in Fengyi, under the jurisdiction of Feng County, Pei County.

Lang sat in his carriage, writing down his observations of Zhongyangli. After finishing, he had it sent to Prince Fusu in Xianyang. The sweltering heat of the year had just ended, and as the first frost arrived, the rice harvest in Chu began.

Two years later, Lang came to the seaside again. Behind the former Langya Terrace was a wasteland, and apart from the fishermen who lived there, there were not many people living there.

Now, Langya County has been officially established, with more than 30,000 people living there. Most of them are boatmen who build ships or boatmen who go out to sea and make a living by fishing.

Lang walked through the bustling town of Langya and headed towards Langya Terrace. On the south side of Langya Terrace, there was a beach where the oldest Yue people lived, and they were also some of the most unique people in Langya County.

Prime Minister Li Si wanted to weaken the bloodline of the Yue people and to govern the area according to Qin laws.

However, Prince Fusu loved his people, so he allowed the Yue people to retain their identities, but their household registrations remained those of Qin people. They could still call themselves Yue people.

The people here may still have some grievances about the relocation policy of Prime Minister Li Si back then, but now they live here, and future generations will take root here. As long as they can live in peace, then this is home.

After the migrants arrived, Qin did indeed provide them with a place to settle down, and Prince Fusu also promised that the fishermen in this area would no longer need to offer pearls to the Qin court in exchange for the conditions of settling down here.

These conditions were all granted to them by the emperor and Prince Fusu. Lang remembered that Prince Fusu had agreed to the conditions of the old Yue chieftain.

Lang did not know how Prince Fusu persuaded the emperor to preserve the customs of the Yue people, but the prince did indeed keep his promise.

The Yue people here may not trust the emperor or the Qin court, but Lang believes they certainly trust Prince Fusu and are willing to believe in him.

After passing through the bustling county town, Lang led his horse eastward, hearing the sound of the waves and feeling the sea breeze.

Lang was still dressed in a somewhat shabby cloth robe, his clothes were very old and different from when he first came here alone. Now he was leading a horse.

When they reached the seaside, the warhorse, which came from the grasslands, seemed a little out of place and kept snorting.

Lang met Xu Fu standing below Langya Terrace.

Xu Fu bowed and said, "The magistrate of Langya County greets the centurion."

Lang laughed and said, "You don't need to do that."

Xu Fu stepped forward and said, "You've changed in the two years I haven't seen you."

"You haven't changed at all."

"This horse..."

Lang patted the warhorse's neck and whispered, "This is a warhorse that General Meng Tian gave me. My family has three, but this one accompanied me from the battlefield outside the Great Wall back to Guanzhong, and then from Guanzhong all the way to Nanjun to Chu. After going around in circles, it has come here again."

Xu Fu looked much more resolute now. Back then, Lang was indeed just a boy, but now he looked more like a man.

War is the best way to temper a person. Lang talked with Xu Fu about the battlefield and the all-night march, when their hair and beard froze from the cold. It was a memory he would never forget.

Xu Fu asked, "Will there be another major battle in the north in the future?"

Lang said in a low voice, "When we left Guanzhong, someone said that the Qin army had taken the Hetao region and that the Xiongnu would come south again. The winter is still so cold now. General Meng Tian said that in less than five years, the Xiongnu would definitely come south again."

Xu Fu's expression also showed some worry. He said, "I have heard that there will be another large-scale relocation of people in Guanzhong this time."

Lang nodded and said, "This world is indeed difficult, but that's how the Qin court is. No matter how difficult or painful it is, we must continue to carry out the great task of building the country. If we don't fight the Xiongnu now, our wives and children will suffer in the future. Prince Fusu hopes that Qin officials will be dedicated to their work by digging the Jingye Canal. In fact, it is a responsibility and a mission."

“When I was studying at the foot of Shangyan Mountain, I never knew what responsibility and mission were. It wasn’t until I saw the endless Xiongnu cavalry on the battlefield, and I also saw unarmed women and children behind the Great Wall, that I rushed to the battlefield to kill the enemy. Suddenly I understood what I was doing. Protecting the people behind the Great Wall on the battlefield was my responsibility and my mission.”

Lang stood on the beach and whispered, "Xu Fu, have you ever felt this way?"

Xu Fu replied, "I have seen the Jingye Canal, but I don't think about it as much as you do."

"How is the place now?"

On another note, Xu Fu introduced the changes in Langya County to Lang. On Langya Terrace, there were many bronze artifacts, all of which were to be cast into an armillary sphere.

Prince Fusu said he wanted to build an armillary sphere, but Xu Fu didn't know how to begin.

"I only know a little about celestial phenomena. How could I possibly build such a magnificent structure as an armillary sphere? I just heard that Prince Fusu is going to build an armillary sphere in Guanzhong and will also build one at Langya Terrace in the future. So I'll stay here and wait for the prince to deliver the completed armillary sphere to Langya Terrace."

At this point, Xu Fu continued, "I will help you guard this place, young master, and wait for the day when the armillary sphere can be built and placed on Langya Terrace. After that, I want to go to the distant seas to see the world."

Langya County was a very special place in Qi. Xu Fu was in charge of all affairs in Langya County, but his power in Langya County was almost as great as that of the governor of Qi.

Moreover, the governor of Qi Commandery could not interfere in the affairs of Langya County. Xu Fu could decide many things in Langya County on his own, and he always reported directly to Prince Fusu in Xianyang without going through the governor.

Upon hearing Xu Fu say that Langya County now has a population of nearly 30,000 households, Lang hesitated and said, "In the future, this place can be developed into a prefecture."

(End of this chapter)