The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 170 Raising Soldiers
Zhang Han nodded, agreeing with Chen Ping's view.

Some of the generals in the main tent nodded, while others were deep in thought.

The meeting in the military tent did not end until night. Chen Ping's residence was at the foot of the snow-capped Qilian Mountains, and he also raised quite a few sheep.

He asked someone to take care of the sheep he was raising at the foot of the snow-capped mountains. After spending some money, he temporarily settled down in Wuwei County.

Ju and Lou Jing also temporarily settled down there, studying together.

Chen Ping is the kind of person who can live comfortably anywhere, especially in the Hexi Corridor. He can drink with the people of the Western Regions without paying for the drinks; he can get drinks just by being eloquent.

Ju Chang stood by the window of his residence, his gaze numb as he watched Chen Ping drinking with the Western Region people.

Chen Ping was the same as always, with his arms around the shoulders of several people from the Western Regions, laughing loudly.

Ju even suspected that it was strange that Brother Chen Ping, who spoke the Guanzhong dialect, and the Western Regions man, who spoke the Western Regions dialect, could both drink the same pot of wine.

"I thought Brother Chen Ping was going to offer advice to General Zhang Han," Ju said softly, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Lou Jing continued reading. He did indeed see something different in the books that Gongzi Gao had given him, especially those related to water conservancy.

There won't always be people like Du Shuichang and Zheng Guo, or Li Bing in this world.

There are things we need to learn, and we need to cultivate more and more people with these skills.

Ju then asked, "I wonder how Brother Mao Heng is doing?"

Lou Jingdao said, "Don't worry, Li Si won't kill him."

Ju sighed, glanced at Chen Ping who was drinking, then looked away and continued reading the book in his hand. Lou Jing and Brother Chen Ping were ultimately not the same kind of people, and their ways of dealing with the world were also different.

Lou Jing added, "Mao Heng and Li Si were fellow students. He has been cursing Li Si for a long time. If Li Si had wanted to kill him earlier, he would have died long ago."

Ju nodded slightly and placed the kettle on the stove. He wouldn't drink water that hadn't been boiled.

This time, Lou Jing seemed to have truly given up drinking, having not consumed a single drop of alcohol for several days.

A few days later, seeing that General Zhang Han no longer discussed border matters, Chen Ping also planned to leave Wuwei County and continue living at the foot of his snow-capped mountain.

Before Brother Chen Ping left, Ju personally saw him off.

At the city gate of Wuwei County, Ju bowed and asked, "Brother Chen Ping, are you really not going to stay in the city?"

Chen Ping let out a burp and said, "Let's go back."

After saying this, Ju only saw Chen Ping wave his hand, get into the carriage, and have a military officer drive it.

Watching the other party's carriage drive further and further away, Ju suspected that what Brother Lou Jing said was true: if Brother Chen Ping continued to act so recklessly in Wuwei County, he would die at the hands of Zhang Han.

Brother Chen Ping is an unconventional person, and Zhang Han is a sword hanging over his head.

No matter how brilliant Chen Ping's wisdom is, once he angers Zhang Han, Zhang Han will definitely punish him according to military law, no matter how clever Chen Ping is.

General Zhang Han was an extremely loyal and impartial official who only followed military law. With such a person stationed in the Northwest, it would be truly unjust if the Hexi Corridor did not prosper.

Chen Ping's residence is not far from Wuwei County, only about half a day's distance.

Rumors circulated in the army that Chen Ping was unwilling to live in Wuwei County like everyone else because he didn't want to see General Zhang Han's sour face.

The steward pulled on the reins, and the horse stopped.

"If the Hexi Corridor hadn't bought so many warhorses, you wouldn't be able to ride in a carriage every day."

Chen Ping stepped down from the carriage, looked at the snow-capped Qilian Mountains in front of him, and exhaled a breath of hot air, saying, "It's so nice and peaceful under these snow-capped mountains."

The steward chuckled and handed him the horse's reins, saying, "I'm going back now, so don't say anything bad about General Zhang Han again."

Chen Ping said, "Don't worry."

Upon hearing this, the steward was taken aback and said, "You don't still hold a grudge against Lou Jing, do you?"

Chen Ping, leading his horse, ignored the stingy man.

The shrew smiled knowingly. Although Chen Ping was currently without official position, the fact that he could enter General Zhang Han's military tent to discuss matters showed that he was not someone to be trifled with.

After bowing politely, the steward left.

Chen Ping returned to his residence, opened the sheep pen, and let the sheep out. These sheep were well-fed, and now that they were out, they would come back as soon as he called out to them.

This is a skill that Chen Ping learned from the herdsmen.

There is a stream behind the house, with clear snowmelt spring water. Sheep gather by the stream, and horses are drinking water.

The valley in the Hexi Corridor is very large, but the population living here is still not enough. Even with 200,000 people living here, the place still feels empty.

As Chen Ping lit some dry grass to prepare food, wisps of smoke rose from the snow-covered rooftop, and he saw no one else around.

Chen Ping can't cook, but he can grill meat. Grilling meat is so simple; it's just a matter of cooking the meat until it's cooked through.

Even though the lamb was roasted until the outside was slightly charred, and the technique was still a bit clumsy, it was still edible.

Chen Ping then trimmed off the charred, blackened edges of the roasted meat, sprinkled it with pepper and salt, and it was ready to eat.

With a bite of mutton, Chen Ping sat down by the stream, picked up a book, and sat there at the foot of the snow-capped mountain, reading and eating meat at the same time.

This book was also sent by Gongzi Gao. It didn't contain academic knowledge, but rather a series of government decrees issued in Xianyang. In the distance, the familiar barking of dogs came again. Chen Ping looked up and saw it was his acquaintance, Li You.

Li You, the military commander, rode up on horseback, followed by a black dog.

Upon reaching him, Li You tossed down a bag of rice and flour, saying, "This is for you."

"Thank you, Commandant Xie."

Li You looked around and then asked, "Do you still harbor resentment towards General Zhang Han?"

Chen Pingli replied politely, "No."

"Do you think that General Zhang Han can manipulate you at will just because you don't hold an official position?"

Chen Ping wanted to say yes, that it was because he had no official position that Zhang Han was able to manipulate him like this, but then he thought... even if he had an official position, so what?
However, one cannot challenge Zhang Han. If one dies under Zhang Han's military law, it would truly be a wasted death.

Chen Ping sighed; he was truly afraid of death.

Li You, still holding his riding whip, walked to the stream and said in a deep voice, "General Zhang Han is mindful of the overall situation in the Northwest. Even if Modu conquers the Donghu, the Northwest is still beyond his reach."

Chen Ping swallowed the mutton in his mouth and said, "There must be a reason why Maodun sent the head of the Donghu Xiongnu king to the Yuezhi king."

"Back then, Maodun was sent to the Yuezhi as a hostage by Touman Chanyu. Later, Touman wanted to kill his son Maodun, but Maodun survived the Yuezhi people's pursuit."

At first, Chen Ping did not know the reason, nor did he know what Maodun meant, because he was unaware of Maodun's past with the Yuezhi king.

As Li You recounted the story, Chen Ping looked at the snow-capped mountains and seemed to see Maodun's past. He was abandoned by Touman, and Touman even wanted to kill this son.

It is rare for a son who was once abandoned by his father to become the Great Khan of the northern grasslands.

The snow-capped mountains seemed very close to the gloomy sky, and the wind gradually picked up, causing the sheep to pace restlessly back and forth.

After listening to Li You's account, Chen Ping understood the cruel past that Maodun had experienced and his current achievements.

Chen Ping said in a low voice, "Modu wants to take revenge on the Yuezhi."

Li You nodded without denying it.

"Does General Zhang Han know about this?" Chen Ping asked again.

"General Zhang Han knew about this matter long before Modu swept away the Donghu."

Chen Ping hesitated and said, "General Zhang Han knew Modu's intentions, so why did he still..."

At this point, Chen Ping calmed down. This was originally a military matter, and Zhang Han had no reason to tell Chen Ping about it.

How did General Zhang Han learn of this matter?

Li You explained, "The King of Loulan in the Western Regions sent General Zhang Han a lot of rare treasures and also brought news about Modu."

Li Youdao said, "If Modu wants to attack the Yuezhi people on the west side of the Hexi Corridor, General Zhang Han will not stand idly by."

"Should we rush to the aid of the Yuezhi?"

"General Zhang Han will not come to the aid of the Yuezhi people. The Qin army only fights for the Qin people, not for the Yuezhi people."

"Then why?"

Li You said, "Back then, when Prince Fusu entrusted this land to General Zhang Han, did you really think that he only coveted the fields here?"

Chen Ping chewed on the meat, his mind racing with each chew.

Li Youdao said, "Without building a strong army, no matter how much grain we have, it will just be someone else's granary."

Now, Chen Ping understood just how remarkable Prince Fusu was; he was a man of such talent that even Chen Ping himself had to look up to him.

And that young master is so young.

The Qin people certainly didn't want to control this valley for these fields.

Li You slowly said, "Prince Fusu allowed Zhang Han to control this valley in order to gain control of the entire Western Regions."

Chen Ping swallowed the meat in his mouth and drank a mouthful of hot water. He made up his mind that he must meet that young master Fusu before he dies.

"This is also why General Zhang Han has been in contact with the people of the Western Regions for so many years. The Qin army will not help the Yuezhi king deal with Modu, but General Zhang Han will severely damage Modu's morale and take a piece of the fat meat when Modu attacks the Yuezhi king."

Li You added, "We don't care about the life or death of the Yuezhi king. We have been raising troops in this valley for many days, and we will have to fight eventually."

After digesting these words, Chen Ping came to the conclusion that the Qin army was about to go to war, and that Zhang Han would definitely join the war between the Yuezhi king and Maodun.

"I know that General Zhang Han imprisoned you for half a month, and you left Wuwei County in a huff. I've come this time hoping that you can also consider the bigger picture. If you have any suggestions or plans, you can send them to my residence. I live in Zhangye County."

Chen Ping bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Commandant."

Two days later, the Hexi Corridor on the north side of the Qilian Mountains was once again hit by a blizzard, with the howling wind and snow making it impossible to open one's eyes.

The city walls of Wuwei County were almost completely buried by the heavy snow, and more and more people came to the city to escape the snow.

The stewards brought people from various counties to the city, and soon the city was crowded with livestock and people. Fortunately, Wuwei County was large enough that there were still many empty houses uninhabited.

(End of this chapter)