The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 187 Descendants of Li Mu
Sima Xin discovered that Xiao He shared the same idea as himself: a country cannot only have strict systems, but also needs powerful ministers. What Prince Fusu needs now is just such a person, and the more such people the better.

Sima Xin greatly admired Xiao He, who shared his ideas, and felt that someone like him should serve as an official in Guanzhong.

In the remaining days, Sima Xin began to put Xiao He and Cao Shen in charge of some affairs at Tongguan, although they were not formal officials.

With Sima Xin's appreciation, Xiao He was able to freely enter and leave the prefectural governor's residence.

Xiao He also learned a lot about the governance philosophy of Guanzhong from Sima Xin. These philosophies were of great help to him in his later examinations. The prince loved the people.

Therefore, if one wants to serve as an official in Guanzhong, one must also be a person who cares about the people.

But Xiao He didn't need to change his attitude. He came to Guanzhong to build up the Chu region in the future and make it a place like Guanzhong.

Xiao He liked the people of Weinan very much; they were hardworking and frugal.

Today, Sima Xin encountered a difficult problem.

Xiao He also heard about this while he was organizing the files.

What troubled Sima Xin was a person who had been brought into the prefectural governor's mansion. Xiao He glanced at the words the man had given him. This person was named Li Zuoche, the grandson of Li Mu, a general of the Zhao state.

Xiao He observed the person standing in the hall with surprise and suspicion. This person was actually the grandson of Li Mu, a general of the Zhao state.

This person was there to take the exam.

Speaking of famous generals of the Zhao state, one cannot help but think of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru. The Zhao state at that time was indeed full of talented people.

However, the State of Zhao no longer exists. The former site of the Zhao royal palace has been replaced by the residence of the Qin governor.

Sima Xin reviewed the submitted documents and records from various counties along the route, and announced loudly, "You are eligible to take the exam."

Li Zuoche bowed and said, "Thank you, Prefect."

Sima Xin nodded again, indicating that the person could leave.

Qin has always treated the former nobles of the six states well. Since Li Zuoche was a descendant of the former nobles of Zhao, he naturally stayed in Zhao territory. Guanzhong could not be nervous just because he was Li Mu's grandson.

Li Mu had only been dead for a little over ten years, but the Qin soldiers still remembered him.

Li Zuoche left the prefectural governor's office just like that. Although Xiao He hesitated, he didn't think much of it. Prince Fusu had said that as long as they were not criminals, merchants, or anti-Qin people, they could participate in the exam.

According to the records of Zhao, Li Zuoche had never committed a crime, nor was he a merchant. He made a living by his family business and even used it to help the former royal family of Zhao, namely Prince Xie of Zhao.

Although the Qin people still had some fear of Li Zuoche's grandfather, he was dead, and it was not a bad thing that Li Mu's grandson was willing to serve Prince Fusu.

After a moment's thought, Xiao He concluded that Li Zuoche met all the requirements for the exam.

After the prefectural magistrate sent the document to Guanzhong, Xiao He waited for news.

The next day, news came from Xianyang, along with a list of students eligible to take the exam. There were a total of 500 people taking the exam, more than expected.

Xiao He saw his own name on the roster, as well as Cao Can's name.

Both of them qualified for the exam.

This is also what Sima Xin of Tongguan has been busy with recently. He needs to compile a list of people who come to take the exam, including their place of origin and records of each prefecture and county, to ensure that these people and their fathers have no criminal record before they can participate in the exam.

Xiao He also saw Li Zuoche's name; he was indeed able to take the exam.

Therefore, it is clear that Prince Fusu has always kept his word, clearly listing who can and cannot participate in the examination, and even providing the reasons.

Han Xin walked through the crowded throng and finally squeezed to the front, where he saw the notice posted on the wall. Following the order of counties on the huge notice, he found Huaiyin County and his name among the dozen or so people in Huaiyin County.

Han Xin suddenly smiled, feeling relieved; this trip had not been in vain.

The State of Zhao was a powerful state in the Warring States period, and the people of Zhao always held a certain arrogance towards Qin.

He was Li Mu's grandson, and in the eyes of the Qin people today, Li Mu was a general they were wary of.

Unfortunately, Li Mu eventually died at the hands of King Qian of Zhao, and many people in Zhao believed that this was a counter-espionage plot by the Qin state.

Li Zuoche settled down in Tongguan and was assigned to do odd jobs.

Han Xin, who served as the librarian in Tongguan City, was always alone and had almost no friends during these six months.

In the early morning, Han Xin sat in front of the library, counting the books to be delivered that day. While he was busy, he saw Li Zuoche sweeping outside the library.

Li Zuoche was also all alone, and was doing odd jobs in Tongguan City.

Because many students studied in Tongguan City, it was also the place with the most demand for odd jobs. Not all the people who traveled to and from Tongguan every day came to the city to do odd jobs.

Working as a handyman in Tongguan City was very hard. I heard that some people who washed rice bowls couldn't lift their arms for three days afterward.

Li Mu's grandson, Li Zuoche, despite his noble status, could only do the hardest and most tiring work here.

Tongguan City does not support idlers. If you want to live here, you have to work in order to have food, otherwise you will be kicked out.

Han Xin greatly envied the man named Xiao He. They had arrived at Tongguan almost at the same time, but Xiao He had taken a job in the prefectural governor's office. This man was sure to become an official in Xianyang. Leaning against the door, Han Xin frowned as he observed the disheveled Li Zuoche. In truth, he greatly admired people like Li Mu and envied Li Mu's grandson.

"Stop looking, hurry up and pack up."

Seeing the other guards urging him on, Han Xin had no choice but to lower his head again and continue tidying up the books.

Organizing books is also hard and tiring work. There are just too many books here. After finishing my shift each day, I feel like my back is about to give way.

Han Xin felt that working here for so long would eventually cause him to develop back problems.

Tongguan should hire more menial laborers, as the daily tasks are heavy and tiring.

When Han Xin looked up again, Li Zuoche was no longer at the door; he must have gone elsewhere to do odd jobs.

Springtime in Guanzhong is relatively warm. These days, Han Xin eats pancakes while visiting Li Zuoche, who is sweeping the floor.

Li Zuoche only swept the floor for two days before disappearing. Han Xin didn't know where he went either; he was probably going to work somewhere else.

In his spare time, Han Xin would also study the situation in Tongguan City, which was built around the students' studies.

The entire city was dedicated to teaching and did not engage in production, so all of its supplies came from outside.

In Han Xin's view, Sima Xin, who governed the city, was a capable person. He had stockpiled enough food for the people in the city to eat for two months, and it was replenished every day.

Even if war breaks out outside, there will be no shortage of food in the city for two months.

There were many books and maps in the library. Han Xin opened a map scroll, which was a map of Tongguan City.

The knowledge of Guanzhong is never kept secret; this is the style of Prince Fusu. Moreover, any student can read the books here.

Han Xin, carrying an oil lamp, frowned as he looked at the map. He saw Hangu Pass and Tong Pass.

Tongguan is very close to Hangu Pass, which is already known as the First Pass Under Heaven. So why was Tongguan built?
As he was thinking, Han Xin suddenly remembered what the farmers outside had said: every year when the irrigation canals were dug, the river level would drop, causing many people to go fishing.

Recalling this incident, Han Xin looked at the river at Hangu Pass, wondering what would happen if the river course changed...

Han Xin reached out and covered Hangu Pass, then looked at Tong Pass. He immediately understood the purpose of building Tong Pass: Qin could not only defend Hangu Pass.

Qin could even cut off the river and abandon Hangu Pass. As long as Tong Pass was held, even if hundreds of thousands of troops came to attack, Tong Pass would remain secure.

Compared to Hangu Pass, Tongguan Pass was built more on its strategic importance and natural defenses.

"Actually, Tongguan is the most important pass in Guanzhong, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Han Xin held up his oil lamp and looked up, where he saw Li Zuoche.

Li Zuoche explained, "I am allowed to come here to read books; the prefect has permitted it."

Han Xin stood up and said, "My name is Han Xin."

"Ah."

Li Zuoche responded and left with his book.

When Han Xin finished his shift at night, he closed the door of the library. Just as Li Zuoche had said, he shared the same view: Tongguan was more important than Hangu Pass. In fact, if the river were to be blocked, Hangu Pass could be abandoned, and even a million troops defending Tongguan would not be able to break into Guanzhong.

This is not an exaggeration. Han Xin traveled from Hangu Pass to Tong Pass, and all the way there was only a narrow path that could only accommodate one cart or one horse.

As long as we hold this path, we can stop even a thousand troops.

From this perspective, the foresight in building Tongguan was truly remarkable.

Han Xin left Tongguan City and came to the river. He looked at the muddy river, which flowed eastward. During the busy farming season in Guanzhong, a lot of water was needed for irrigation.

It seems that the water level of the Yellow River has indeed dropped considerably.

While eating his pancake, Han Xin swatted a mosquito that had no sense of its own mortality. Suddenly, he realized that Tongguan was another huge granary, and this newly built city gate was truly a treasure trove.

More importantly, this is also an academic city, where one can feel the atmosphere of knowledge as soon as they enter Guanzhong.

Generally speaking... the Qin state was known for its tigers and wolves, and the Qin people were supposed to be warlike and barbaric. Moreover, the Qin people did not have many cultured people. Looking at the cultured people in Qin, most of them were guests of famous scholars from other states, and there were no particularly outstanding scholars... well, it should be said that there were none.

People like Fan Ju and Zhang Yi came to Qin from outside the country.

Now, Guanzhong is about to become the place with the most students studying, and they can even go out to teach.

Han Xin scratched his head, realizing that he was thinking about something he wasn't good at, and decisively stopped thinking about it.

He swatted another mosquito, finished the pancake in his hand, and returned to the city.

As Han Xin entered the city, thunder began to rumble again, and rain poured down as if from the heavens, its roar echoing across the land, as if the world had fallen silent.

(End of this chapter)