The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 228 New County Magistrate

Recalling what happened back then, the magistrate grasped Zhang Liang's hand and said, "This place is what it is today, all thanks to you, Master Han."

Sometimes Zhang Liang didn't know where his kindness came from to help the county magistrate. Perhaps he didn't want to see children crying and adults making a fuss, and he also wanted to gain some popular support in the county.

Now, Zhang Liang's three years of teaching in rural areas have helped the county magistrate a lot and won him the hearts of the people.

To be honest, the identity of Master Han was borrowed to impersonate someone else. His help to the county magistrate was for personal gain, to secure his own position.

But some things, once you help someone, you'll do it again, and you'll become a great person in the county.

Magistrate Chen said, "I am going to Guanzhong. From now on, I will serve as an official in Weibei County of Guanzhong."

"North of Wei?"

"It's a new prefecture established in Guanzhong. I heard that there are only three counties in Weibei."

Magistrate Chen continued, "I will go to Chengdu Prefecture tomorrow to make arrangements for the succession."

Seeing that the magistrate was about to leave, Zhang Liang stood up and bowed to see him off.

As Magistrate Chen left the study, his clerk said, "This Master Han is so skilled; his background must be extraordinary. Shall we go to Guanzhong and inquire about him?"

Magistrate Chen glared at the clerk behind him.

The clerk immediately fell silent.

Magistrate Chen certainly knew the background of this Master Han. He was from Sanchuan County. As the magistrate, he was able to obtain the household registration of the teacher, but that was all he could do.

As for his experiences or what those experiences were, it was a mystery to Magistrate Chen.

But Master Han was a good person, a truly good person.

Therefore, Magistrate Chen did not inquire about Master Han's past, and allowed Master Han to remain quietly in the area.

But as those around him said, this Mr. Han's talent was truly outstanding; a person like him shouldn't just be a rural teacher.

A man like him should be appointed as a prefect of a region.

Magistrate Chen knew his own limited knowledge and could only think of the prefect, whom he considered to be a very important person.

As for entering Xianyang or the Prime Minister's residence, I wouldn't even dare to dream of it.

There are still many things happening in Shu. Before the southern expedition, the Five-Foot Road in Shu was often robbed by bandits. But now, after the southern expedition, the Five-Foot Road has not been disturbed by the southwestern barbarians for a long time.

If someone like Master Han wanted to rise in rank, his talent should have made it easy for him to become an official, but he only wanted to teach.

Magistrate Chen knew he owed Master Han too many favors, so he would not bother him again or mention Master Han to anyone else, as if he had never known this master.

Three days later, Zhang Liang sat alone by the river eating rice, while the panda drank river water beside him.

A young man was walking towards Zhang Liang. He bowed and said, "Master Han?"

Upon hearing this, before Zhang Liang could even look behind him, the panda beside him wriggled its chubby body, glanced back, and then walked away leisurely.

Zhang Liang was still holding his bowl and chopsticks when he turned around and saw a young man.

The young man smiled and said, "I am Wu Sang, the newly appointed magistrate of Jiangyuan County. I am from Jingye County, Weinan, Guanzhong."

Upon hearing the other person's words, Zhang Liang stopped chewing. Looking at the young face, he was surprised to find that the new county magistrate was so young, appearing to be only about twenty years old.

Prince Fusu's policy of selecting officials through examinations finally had an impact on Shu, and new officials were continuously being sent to various parts of the Central Plains.

This day would eventually come, but Zhang Liang never expected that Prince Fusu's policies would be implemented so quickly.

"Greetings, Magistrate Wu."

The magistrate of Wu County then said, “I met Magistrate Chen of this county at the Chengdu Prefectural Governor’s Office. He did not mention you, but as soon as I arrived in this county, all the township heads told me to come and see you first.”

Zhang Liang was surprised, but his expression remained humble.

“I also taught in rural areas for three years, served in the army for two years, and now I have passed the exam to become an official and served as an official in Guanzhong for two years. Now I am here in Shu for rotation. I have read about your experience. You have been teaching in rural areas for so many years. On behalf of the Academy, I thank Master Han.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang bowed again and said, "Magistrate Wu, no need to thank me."

For today's volunteer teachers, the Academy is a very important place. All the books printed there bear the Academy's seal, and only after being stamped can these books be printed on a large scale.

Papermaking and paper books were the greatest help to Prince Fusu, and books were an indispensable support for the cause of supporting education in rural areas.

Prince Fusu was well aware that the power to print books must be in the hands of the Qin court.

As the Academy grew in power, Zhang Liang felt immense pressure; the more successfully the prince educated the people of the world, the greater his power became.

It is said that the current Xianyang Academy of Scholars was the former Academy of Doctors, and now the Academy of Doctors has become the Academy of Scholars.

Although the Academy was empty and had no one there, it did not diminish its status and power. The more teachers who came to teach in rural areas, the stronger its power became.

Printing and papermaking were the best tools for Prince Fusu to collect books from all over the country and educate the people after the emperor's eastern tour.

Prince Fusu seems to be... about to succeed.

Living in Sichuan, I often hear about things in Guanzhong.

Almost every year, we hear some new rumors, and things change every year.

As a righteous man against the Qin dynasty, Zhang Liang felt immense pressure whenever he realized that Prince Fusu's power was growing, and this pressure was increasing year by year.

The magistrate of Wu County asked, "Master Han?"

Zhang Liang came to his senses and said, "I've always heard about Jingye County and the many things that the young master did to build up Weinan back then." Magistrate Wu smiled and said, "Those of my age are all disciples of Shusun Tong. Sometimes we feel that we are disciples of Prince Fusu."

Zhang Liang maintained a calm expression and said, "I think so too."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Wu smiled, reached out and took Zhang Liang's hand, saying, "Yes, our ideals are the same."

Seeing the other person's smile, Zhang Liang was deeply shaken. This person standing in front of him gave him an unprecedented sense of determination and confidence.

This confidence and determination are different from those who grew up in Tongguan.

Rather, it stems from a purer sense of mission and passion.

He was the most supporter of Prince Fusu.

This was Zhang Liang's immediate feeling.

The two got to know each other. Since the other party also started as a volunteer teacher, they naturally had a lot to talk about. Zhang Liang was able to handle it easily, as it was not difficult for him. Moreover, he spoke flawlessly, maintaining the integrity of his identity.

When the time came, Zhang Liang bid farewell to the new county magistrate and went to teach at the academy.

The new magistrate began his plans for Gangwon County. Instead of disturbing the lives of the local people, he started building workshops.

For the rest of the month, Zhang Liang kept an eye on the magistrate of Wu County.

There was no need to observe secretly; even if he stood next to the magistrate, Magistrate Wu would not suspect anything.

At the same time, the magistrate of Wu County was very knowledgeable. He had someone bring jacquard looms from Laoguanshan in Chengdu Prefecture so that the women could work and weave cloth.

During his tenure, Magistrate Wu was a decisive and efficient man who never hesitated to act.

This was indeed a very capable magistrate, so much so that he built two workshops in the past two months, allowing people to work during the off-season and exchange the cloth woven on looms for more household income.

They also mobilized laborers to build cableways and excavate grain storage pits.

The magistrate was so capable that Zhang Liang could concentrate on teaching without being disturbed.

Prince Fusu's disciple is very capable. Compared with the previous county magistrate, this magistrate is more powerful and bolder.

Zhang Liang was eating dried peaches and pondering how to cook the fish. It wasn't that the fish was bad; it was that he really didn't know how to cook it. Born into a noble family in the Han region, he had no idea how to kill or cook a fish.

But if he doesn't eat fish today, he really doesn't know what to eat.

The simplest way is to grill it, but grilled fish is very fishy.

If all else fails, Zhang Liang will have to eat more dried peaches to fill his stomach; this is Zhang Liang's worst-case scenario.

The panda, which had been nestled elegantly to one side, suddenly stirred. Usually extremely lazy, it rarely moved during the winter, but this time it actually took the initiative to move.

It took two steps toward the door, and Zhang Liang looked up and saw two figures. The newcomers were Ju and the magistrate of Wu County.

Both of them were from Weinan, so they naturally got along well.

The cheerful Ju picked up the live fish and said, "Good fish, it should be cooked."

Ju grew up in Tongguan City, so handling river delicacies was not difficult for him.

Watching Ju busily lighting the stove and cleaning the fish, Zhang Liang felt that his food problem was finally solved.

The magistrate of Wu County said, "I need to take the laborers to the territory of the Western Qiang people."

"Aren't you afraid of the Western Qiang people?"

“I’m not afraid.” Magistrate Wu said again, “I plan to work with several surrounding counties to take over the ancient road connecting the Western Qiang and Sichuan and rename it Ya’an.”

Zhang Liang was shocked by the young magistrate's audacious idea, and thought to himself, "So this is how a magistrate can be?"

After thinking it over again, Zhang Liang considered it for a moment based on the Qin laws he had memorized, and came to a conclusion: a county magistrate could indeed serve in this capacity, and would not only be able to do so, but would also gain military merit.

Zhang Liang asked, "Could we unite the various counties?"

The magistrate of Wu County said, "Everyone says that Master Han is exceptionally talented. Would you be willing to help me?"

Seeing Zhang Liang's troubled expression, Magistrate Wu changed his tune, saying, "Just kidding, Master Han, don't let this interfere with your teaching. I can handle this."

Ju served fish soup and rice.

Magistrate Wu loved scallions, so he always carried scallions with him. He would sprinkle them on the fish soup, and the taste would be very delicious.

For the remaining days, the magistrate indeed united with the two surrounding counties and led a group of laborers to the border area between the Western Qiang people and the Shu region.

After Magistrate Chen left, Zhang Liang became good friends with the new magistrate.

Half a month later, the magistrate of Wu County achieved great success and captured the Western Qiang and the ancient road in Shu, which was named Ya'an. The governor of Chengdu Prefecture wrote the document and sent the good news to Guanzhong as soon as possible.

Zhang Liang continued to teach in Jiangyuan County, telling the children, "Don't drink raw water; drinking cooked water will make you stronger."

Whenever Zhang Liang and Ju saw these children about to drink untreated water, they would warn them.

After drinking boiled water for a long time, Zhang Liang also found that his health seemed to be much better than before.

After speaking with the children, Zhang Liang stepped into the mud and inspected the winter wheat that had grown with the villagers. He listened to the villagers around him talk about the difference between raw and cooked water. They thought that Master Han was just coaxing the children.

"This is how you coax a child," Zhang Liang thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)