The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 158 Autumn Hunting
After the First Emperor and Prime Minister Li Si rode away, Prince Fusu's side fell silent. Several times, the soldiers tried to offer him warhorses, hoping that Prince Fusu would ride them hunting, but he smiled and refused each time.

The young master simply sat in the camp, ignoring the commotion around him.

When traveling, Prince Fusu was naturally in the safest environment, with Qin soldiers guarding the entire camp.

It should be said that Prince Fusu did not like hunting, and perhaps he felt that his archery skills were not good enough.

Tian An sat to the side simmering soup. He knew that the young master's archery skills were actually quite good, but the young master had never said so to others. Perhaps the young master felt that his archery skills were not good enough and that it was not appropriate to show them off in front of others.

As he was thinking, Tian An lifted the lid of the earthenware pot again, smelled the aroma of the soup, and then put the lid back on. He continued to think... Even if the young master went hunting, so what? In the end... people would just scramble to flatter him.

Prince Fusu was such a person; sometimes he was unwilling to participate in people's celebrations and always stood aside to observe.

Before long, a man dressed in a pure white sheepskin cloak came. Wu Shi Luo had come to Xianyang once again, this time bringing a thousand warhorses, which were also provided by him for the autumn hunt.

At the border, Wu Shi Luo also gave Zhang Han and Meng Tian three thousand warhorses each.

And all of this was given voluntarily by Wu Shilu, without any mention of compensation.

If we only consider the success of the horse administration, the addition of 7,000 warhorses to the Qin Dynasty this year is undoubtedly a success.

Fusu said in a low voice, "Wouldn't seven thousand warhorses be too few?"

Wu Shi Luo stood to the side, bowing as he explained, "Young master, the number of warhorses cannot be judged solely by their quantity. Warhorses need to be raised. If new warhorses can be produced, these seven thousand warhorses can bring Qin tens of thousands of warhorses."

Upon hearing this, Fusu looked at him suspiciously and asked again, "Did you also sell warhorses to the Xiongnu?"

Knowing that the Xiongnu and Qin people were irreconcilable enemies, and that after Meng Tian's northern expedition, the Xiongnu and Qin people had long been sworn enemies, Wu Shi Luo was so flustered that he almost knelt down. He replied tremblingly, "I will never sell to the Xiongnu, not even a single sheep."

"Well, you'd better believe it's true."

Wu Shilu forced a smile and said in a low voice, "I recently heard some news that after Modu in the north proclaimed himself Great Chanyu, he received a very beautiful golden crown."

Fusu chewed on a walnut, his gaze fixed on the soldiers returning with their prey in the distance.

Wu Shi Luo said to herself, "I heard that there is a very beautiful turquoise on that golden crown."

Tian An asked, "Turquoise?"

Wu Shilu explained, "I heard that it is the most beautiful turquoise from the Western Regions, which came from the far west."

He deliberately used an exaggerated tone, trying to attract Prince Fusu's attention.

But the young master remained indifferent, and even if the description of the beautiful turquoise crown was exaggerated, he was not interested.

The young master loves reading most of all, and has never liked things like golden crowns.

All the wealth in the world is concentrated in Xianyang, and Xianyang can produce countless golden crowns.

Wu Shi Luo lowered her head, took two steps back, and stood aside.

Tian An looked at the earthenware pot again, watching the soup boiling inside. By the time the emperor and the prime minister's autumn hunting party returned, the mutton soup would be ready.

Which tribes has Maodun gathered now?

Upon hearing this, Wu Shi Luo was stunned for a moment before replying, "I heard that Maodun set up a commander of ten thousand cavalry to lead the Xiongnu troops of various tribes, and that he would grant military power based on military merit. He also established the Golden Tent, and all tribes must obey Maodun's orders."

Fusu said, "In other words, Modu set up the Ten Thousand Cavalry Commander, awarded pastures for military merits, and built the Golden Tent. In reality, it was a way to centralize power, control the army, and award military merits."

After the prince said that, Wu Shi Luo came to his senses. The prince had summarized what Modu Chanyu had done in the past three years in just one sentence. It was very brief... but it was indeed true.

Wu Shi Luo bowed respectfully again.

Fusu believed that Modu was currently developing in the northern desert region, and might also be moving around in Siberia. Upon hearing the news of Touman Chanyu's death, he could roughly guess Modu's location.

Because in later generations, people found the bronze arrowhead that Modu used to kill his father in the permafrost of Siberia.

"What happened to the Western Rong people who migrated to Longxi?"

Upon hearing the young master's sudden question, Wu Shi Luo replied, "All my clansmen are well."

Fusu put another piece of walnut kernel into his mouth and said, "There aren't many goods coming and going at the border these days. In the future, I can entrust you with selling silk, cloth, salt, and iron. In the past, these things were handled by Grand Commandant Wang."

Wu Shi Luo hesitated for a moment. Talking with Prince Fusu was a painful process. He needed to make sure that what he said was correct and that he could not displease Prince Fusu.

Wu Shi Luo originally thought that Prince Fusu would directly reward him with a pasture, which was also Wu Shi Luo's original plan, but he did not dare to negotiate with Prince Fusu.

"I originally intended to set aside a pasture in the Hexi Corridor as a reward for you."

Wu Shi Luo still wore a smile, but there was a hint of fear in his smile; his thoughts had been revealed by the young master.

Fusu continued, “But land is too valuable. I can give you fifty acres of land in Longxi. Anyway, your clansmen all farm in the fields of Longxi, so this is quite good.”

Wu Shilu hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you, young master."

Fusu said no more, gazing at the hunting grounds of Longshou Plain. After a while, he waited until his father and the prime minister returned with their entourage. Tian An also stood up and bowed to greet them.

If Wu Shiluo were given a pasture, his descendants could also make a living by herding. But if Wu Shiluo were given a field, his descendants could only make a living by farming. Farming meant they couldn't herd horses, and therefore there would be no military rebellion.

Wu Shi Luo stood with his head down in the procession welcoming the emperor. He knew very well how cunning Prince Fusu was, and he was afraid that even offering ten thousand warhorses to the Qin Dynasty every year would not dispel the prince's doubts.

Wu Shi Luo felt that it was unnecessary for him to inform the prince about Modu Chanyu. Didn't General Meng Tian in the north inquire about the Xiongnu? Didn't the general know what Modu was doing?

While his father, the prime minister, and many other officials were celebrating the year's harvest and hunting haul at the camp, Fusu left the camp without a word.

To the north of Longshouyuan lies the Wei River.

Three years later, the Baiqu Canal, which Zhang Cang had dug with the manpower of tens of thousands of people, was completed.

Fusu arrived at the Baiqu Canal in a carriage, escorted by a thousand armored soldiers and three hundred cavalry.

Today is a very important day for the people of Xinmin in Weibei. Prince Fusu has come to inspect the Baiqu Canal, and the canal will be opened to water today.

Prince Fusu promised that as long as people could move to Guanzhong, each household would be given thirty mu of land. Once the water was connected, the land here would be thriving.

Xianyang City had a population of 300,000 and consumed 2 million shi of grain a year, which was a huge burden for Guanzhong.

In the Weibei region, 30% of the farmland is saline-alkali, and even if grain is grown, the annual yield is only one shi (a unit of dry measure).

A normal acre of farmland can produce around four shi of wheat.

Guanzhong needs population, but even more so, it needs food.

Zhang Cang, carrying a ledger, said, "There were originally 400,000 mu of farmland in Weibei. After the Baiqu irrigation canal is completed, it will increase to 700,000 mu."

Fusu took the accounts and flipped through them page by page.

Each sheet of paper was over a foot long, making it somewhat difficult to flip through, and Zhang Cang had also written dense text on the paper.

According to Zhang Cang's calculations, 300,000 mu of farmland could be improved through the excavation of wells and irrigation ditches.

According to the original plan, 200,000 households should have been relocated to Weibei, but now only 50,000 households have been relocated, far fewer than expected.

These hundreds of thousands of acres of land cannot be cultivated by just 50,000 households.

There was nothing that could be done. The relocation of people was already the maximum that Prime Minister Li Si could do. If the relocation continued, there would be concerns about the spring planting the following year.

The relocation of people was not a simple move; it was a long process involving groups of people moving their entire families.

Last year, the relocation of people from Shandong and Qilu took half a year.

Zhang Cang realized the problem of population, and he said in a low voice, "Should we discuss this with the Prime Minister again?"

Fusu shook his head and said, "No need, take your time."

Zhang Cang continued, "What should be done with these extra fields...?"

According to household registration, Xinmin in northern Wei is now divided into three counties: Jingyang County, Sanyuan County, and Gaoling County, which are located along the Baiqu Canal.

All three counties were relocated after their populations had gathered.

Fusu handed the account book back to Zhang Cang and said, "Open the floodgates."

Zhang Cang turned and spoke a few words to a Qin general not far away. Then, a military flag was waved on a high platform, and laborers in the distance opened the sluice gates. The river water poured into the canals and flowed along the small ditches into the fields. The muddy and silty Jing River flowed into the cracked saline-alkali land, irrigating it.

It's like a dried-up blood vessel. Water enters from the head and then flows into the main channel, spreading outwards, just like blood flowing through capillaries, delivering water to fields everywhere.

Fusu looked at the cheering crowd in the distance and quietly left.

The construction site along the Baiqu Canal will now be redeveloped into a series of interconnected houses forming a county, with main roads linking the different counties.

A bridge will be built between the Zheng Guo Canal and the Bai Canal to connect the north and south.

Fusu knew that for the next few hundred years, the fertile fields north of the Wei River would sustain generations of people. As for the issue of rising groundwater levels two thousand years from now, that could only be left to future generations.

The Baiqu Canal has been completed, but the construction of the village and county has only just begun.

Fusu really liked the jade melons that were unique to Weibei. These melons were most abundant in spring and summer, and they were juicy and sweet. He secretly thought that Weibei should plant more jade melons in the future.

During the sweltering summer, children in Weinan would place these melons in the water of an underground ditch. Once the cool ditch water chilled the melons, they could enjoy them to their heart's content.

Upon returning to the Longshouyuan camp, Fusu met with the Minister of Justice, Feng Jie.

When the autumn hunt had just begun, Feng Jie was not on the list, so his sudden appearance was quite strange.

(End of this chapter)