The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 174 Entering Hangu Pass
Just three miles outside Huaiyin County, the group encountered another group of people, who were also quite numerous and consisted of young people around fifteen or sixteen years old.

The leader of the other party was also a volunteer teacher. When Han Xin saw this long-lost friend, he wanted to reach out and greet him, but he was afraid that the other party would not recognize him after so long.

"Han Xin!"

While Han Xin was still hesitating, the other party called his name first.

The young man in front of me was dressed more casually, with a dirty yellow linen shirt draped over his body, which made his eyes look even clearer.

Han Xin remembered him; his name was Hei Yuan.

Hei Yuan is not round at all; in fact, he is rather thin. This is because his great-grandfather was named Hei Fang, and so he is called Hei Yuan.

With a smile on his face, Han Xin stepped forward and said, "I'm going to Guanzhong."

Hei Yuan reached out and put her hand on Li Mi's shoulder. The two volunteer teachers walked and talked.

So the group of children gathered together, and their numbers exceeded sixty.

Han Xin became the oldest among them, and he was able to talk to Hei Yuan along the way, as if they were sightseeing. Everyone else was also in a leisurely mood.

In fact, everyone was quite lightly dressed and didn't carry any heavy luggage.

After walking for three days, everyone ran out of food. Li Mi went to the county, and then a county magistrate came out with food.

As Han Xin ate his cakes, he listened to the county magistrate talking to them and learned that they had arrived in Chen County. The county had suffered a drought last summer, with no rain for two months and the rivers dried up.

The county magistrate looked at the volunteer teacher with difficulty and said, "Two years ago, our county suffered from drought. Last autumn, many people left, saying they had all moved to Guanzhong. This year, there are hardly any people farming in the county, and the grain supply is already low."

Han Xin ate his pancakes without a care in the world. He thought that everyone was just going to rest for a day and leave after eating the pancakes. He didn't expect that the two volunteer teachers would also help the county magistrate solve the problem of farmland.

However, everyone does need to rest here for a while.

A group of children traveling outside did not cause trouble or show any fear. Han Xin stood by the field with his sword in his arms, and his gaze fell upon Li Mi and the county magistrate arguing about something in the field.

The group stayed there for half a month. It seemed that Li Mi had solved the water shortage problem in Chen County, and the local officials even escorted them for a part of the journey.

Han Xin didn't know what they had done for the county magistrate, but it must have been something good, because the county residents all saw them off with smiles.

Even though he hadn't done anything, he received a bundle of dry rations. Han Xin followed behind the children with a suspicious expression.

The group arrived at the Yi River. Following the Yi River westward would lead them to Guanzhong.

We've been out for almost two months now, and everyone has been enjoying the journey, stopping and starting as they please, though our clothes are getting increasingly worn out.

Han Xin walked to the riverbank, scooped up some water and vigorously washed his face. He looked up and saw a group of people carrying bundles on their backs, also heading west on the opposite bank.

There seemed to be an even larger crowd behind them. Han Xin wiped his face with his sleeve and ran along the mountain path. When he reached the mountainside, he looked out and saw a group of people in the distance.

Among these people were men pulling carts, women carrying bags, and groups of teenagers dressed in coarse cloth, all heading west.

Looking from afar, there were about six hundred people. Hearing footsteps behind him, Han Xin saw Li Mi and asked, "What are these people doing?"

"Go to Guanzhong."

"They're all going to Guanzhong?"

“Yes.” Li Mi replied with a smile, his hands behind his back. “In the past, the migration of people required Qin soldiers to lead or escort them, but now that’s no longer necessary. People will spontaneously go to Guanzhong.”

Han Xin looked at all of this with bewilderment.

Li Mi noticed that although Han Xin didn't talk much, he was mostly silent. Unlike others who were numb when they were daydreaming, Han Xin's eyes were always thoughtful. He was always thinking, and no one knew what he was thinking about, as he always had a pensive look on his face.

The next day, the group continued their journey. It was the warm month of May, and they traveled westward from Yishui to Sanchuan County, where Hangu Pass was in sight.

Sanchuan County was a very prosperous city. I heard from people in the past that the population here was all moved to Guanzhong. At its most desolate, only two counties and a thousand households remained.

The local prefect was a disciple of Prime Minister Li Si, and it is said that every student who came here to teach was treated kindly.

As Han Xin followed the others into the resting room, he relaxed and let out a long sigh of relief as he soaked in a wooden tub filled with hot water.

It was only then that I realized they really came from Huaiyin County, that the people here really treat the students who come to teach in rural areas well, and that Guanzhong really does have exams.

The group had traveled a long and arduous journey from Huaiyin to Sanchuan County, and they were all quite dirty. Now that they had washed, they were much cleaner.

"Han Xin!"

Upon hearing this, Han Xin looked up and saw Li Mi calling him, so he stepped forward and said, "Master Li."

Li Mi asked, "Are you planning to take the exam to enter officialdom?"

Han Xin nodded.

Li Mi noticed that the other party didn't respond immediately after nodding; his eyes still held a thoughtful look. This Han Xin seemed like someone who kept everything to himself. This person must have many things hidden in his heart, but he just didn't want to say them.

However, it's not surprising that Han Xin was not good at communicating. Li Mi had taught many children and had come into contact with all sorts of people.

These experiences taught Li Mi how to communicate with such people. Li Mi pointed to the room behind him and said, "These days you will stay in this room. The room is full of books sent from Guanzhong. People will borrow books these days, and you must register every person who borrows a book."

Han Xin then asked, "Isn't this the prefect's house?"

Li Mi said, "The prefect is a good man. You will live and eat here from now on, but you must keep it clean. After I have settled things here, we will go to Hangu Pass together."

Han Xin nodded in agreement, and the other party left.

The room was large, with rows of bookshelves filled with letters. I had just finished washing and now felt a chill again. I had left Huaiyin County in early spring and was now in Sanchuan County, which was almost summer.

Han Xin looked at the rows of books. Many of them were made of paper, and each page had a lot of writing on it.

The books here were ones Han Xin had never read before. After just one glance, Han Xin was captivated, especially by the book's discussion of mission and responsibility, which inspired everyone to participate in the nation's development.

At first, Han Xin was not used to living here, but being poor and destitute, he couldn't really be picky.

Having food and shelter is enough for him.

When summer arrived, Han Xin had completely adapted to life in Sanchuan County and his job guarding the library. Although he was not paid, Han Xin felt that as long as he could read more books and had food to eat so that he wouldn't go hungry, that was enough.

In Huaiyin County, Han Xin might only be able to eat one meal a day, and sometimes he would even go hungry.

After leaving Huaiyin County, Han Xin always carried his bundle with him, because the bundle contained dry food. However, after being away for so long, he actually felt that he was doing better after leaving Huaiyin County.

"Today's meal is noodles."

The cook chuckled and served Han Xin a bowl of noodles, saying, "I put too much salt in today; it's a bit too salty."

Han Xin took the bowl and chopsticks and said, "I'm not afraid of it being salty."

The cook left with a smile on his face, carrying the food box. Han Xin sat in front of the house, eating his noodles heartily, watching as the cook delivered the noodles to the next person guarding the library.

The noodles here are really delicious. Han Xin ate the noodles along with the vegetables, and even drank the soup. Afterwards, he continued reading the books here.

Han Xin didn't know when the cook had cleared away the dishes, but he continued reading, turning on the lamp to read at night.

Han Xin, who only slept for one or two hours a day, spent almost every day reading.

Just when Han Xin thought this kind of life would continue, Li Mi arrived.

Han Xin ate his first tea egg in his life. The egg was very fragrant; he had never eaten such a fragrant egg before.

Only then did Han Xin hear from Li Mi that these tea eggs were very expensive in Guanzhong.

After savoring the taste of the tea eggs, Han Xin's life of studying in Sanchuan County came to an end. He was about to follow these volunteer teachers into Hangu Pass.

When Han Xin followed the students out of the city of Sanchuan County and onto the road leading to Hangu Pass, he saw a continuous line of pedestrians stretching all the way to Hangu Pass at the end of the road.

As long as you have household registration, are not a criminal, and have proof from the respective county, you can enter the country.

Those closer to Hangu Pass were repeatedly looking ahead to see how quickly the entry inspection was going, while those further back were even standing on their vehicles.

The reason why people can come to Guanzhong and establish themselves there is because they can find a way to make a living once they enter Guanzhong. It is said that Guanzhong is full of land reclamation, house building, and city construction.

I also heard that Weinan needs to maintain the Jingye Canal every year, which requires manpower each year.

As the first stop for sending people to Guanzhong, Sanchuan County never had to worry about a lack of people. As long as the prefect and the two counties within the county were diligent in their governance, it would naturally prosper.

Han Xin watched the procession entering the pass from afar. Anyone who didn't know better would think that another large army was coming to attack Hangu Pass.

Han Xin waited in line from morning till night before finally entering Hangu Pass, reaching the heavily fortified city walls.

After entering Hangu Pass, the group was not allowed to move around freely.

Li Mi said, "We can't leave Hangu Pass tonight. Our documents have been sent to Tongguan, and I'm going to Weinan afterward."

Han Xin nodded and bowed, saying, "Thank you."

Li Mi looked in the direction of Xianyang and said, "No one has starved to death in Guanzhong for many years."

"Is there plenty of grain in Guanzhong?"

"Yes, they said there's an endless supply of food."

Han Xin knew that there couldn't possibly be an inexhaustible supply of grain in Guanzhong, which must be related to the allocation of grain.

Therefore, Han Xin was convinced that there must be a very capable person in Guanzhong who was managing the food supply for nearly a million people.

As for why I came to Guanzhong, it was probably on a whim.

Lying beneath the walls of Hangu Pass, Han Xin tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

(End of this chapter)