The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 262 Letter
It was late autumn in the fortieth year of the First Emperor's reign.

Zhang Liang had almost forgotten how many years he had been teaching in Sichuan. The time he spent teaching there made him feel that time had flown by.

This feeling is built on the child's growth, from teaching a child to read and write, to watching him grow up from ten to seventeen years old.

Looking at another group of children aged ten to fifteen, Zhang Liang knew all the children in Jiangyuan County.

These children were all taught by Zhang Liang and Ju.

Their way of being and their values ​​were all taught by themselves.

From the occasional documents exchanged between the county officials, Zhang Liang could barely discern the changes in the current state of affairs. Since the emperor unified the country, he and Prime Minister Li Si had begun to standardize writing and the gauge of carts.

After the emperor's eastern tour, Li Si's control over books across the land became even stronger.

Now, more than a decade after his time teaching in rural areas, insightful people around the world are discussing what to believe in during this era after Qin unified China and the decline of the philosophies of the Warring States and the Hundred Schools of Thought.

The critique of the numerous statements in the teaching support books published in Guanzhong that advocate maintaining unity and opposing the division of territory has become an outlet for the venting of the nobles of the former six states.

They can only express their dissatisfaction with Qin by judging the ideas in the current volunteer teaching books.

The children were taught to uphold the unity of the state and oppose the granting of fiefdoms, and these children supported the abolition of the Zhou emperor's enfeoffment system.

These are mostly external matters. For Zhang Liang, who was in Shu, those matters were external and not directly related to Shu.

Shu was still peaceful and leisurely. Zhang Liang also heard that Guanzhong had started a second migration of people. This time, the population of Guanzhong was concentrated. Originally there were forty-two counties, but after the migration, there were only twenty-four counties.

The ancient capitals of Yongcheng and Liyang were preserved as they were, while all counties in arid and barren areas were merged into the more prosperous counties.

"Why do you think the Prime Minister's residence did this?"

Upon hearing Magistrate Wu's words, Ju, who was chopping bamboo, replied, "Of course, it's for easier management."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Wu tossed him another cooled rice dumpling and said, "You've been to Longxi and studied at Shangyan Mountain, yet all you've seen so far is a bunch of good pipes?"

Ju picked up the rice dumpling from the ground, peeled off the bamboo leaves, took a bite, chewed it a few times, and then said, "I'm the dumbest. If I studied hard, I could become a county magistrate just like you."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Wu smiled again.

Zhang Liang watched the two young men chatting and laughing, and he laughed along with them.

The magistrate of Wu County continued, “In the past, the various villages and towns in Guanzhong were very scattered, which made them difficult to manage and even more troublesome to coordinate. Now, by concentrating the population in Guandong and moving the scattered villages and towns away, we can free up more farmland.”

“In the future, the places where people gather in Guanzhong will be connected by roads, while the rest of the land will be vast fields that stretch as far as the eye can see. The fields and the dwellings will be separated, but not too far apart.”

Magistrate Wu continued, saying, "Think about it, behind you are rows of houses, and in front of you are fields that stretch as far as the eye can see. The Prime Minister's Office is doing this to cultivate more land, gather more people, and make the household registration and population records clearer."

Listening to Magistrate Wu's words, the Prime Minister's relocation order was like comparing Guanzhong to a messy house. Now the Prime Minister's mansion was going to tidy up the house, move out all the messy and useless furniture, and once it was tidy, there would be plenty of clean space and the house would be neat and tidy.

The magistrate of Wu County meant this, and Ju asked, "Can we do the same in Sichuan?"

Zhang Liang shook his head.

Ju pressed on, "Can't people in Shu move their houses and cultivate more land?"

"I've got enough bamboo, I'm going to feed the bears."

After saying this, Zhang Liang carried a bundle of tender bamboo and a basket of bamboo shoots home, with Ju and the magistrate of Wu County arguing behind him.

Listening to their words, Zhang Liang smiled helplessly. Ju had a very deep affection for Shu and felt that Shu should be better, but he did not have the ability to govern it, so he naturally hoped that the magistrate of Wu County could do a better job.

However, the magistrate of Wu County believed that this matter should be handled according to local conditions. The reason why the Prime Minister's Office could do this was because Guanzhong was a vast plain. Only Guanzhong, with its vast plains, could carry out such a large-scale relocation and reclamation.

The situation in Sichuan is different. Although Sichuan is a plain, it is surrounded by mountains. These 800-li (400 km) of mountains in Sichuan form a natural barrier. There are often several mountains between villages and counties, and between counties, you have to cross three or five mountains to get from one county to another.

In the eyes of the magistrate of Wu County, it was already good enough for Shu to remain as it was. What was wrong with such a leisurely life? Shu was not suitable for large-scale construction unless the people could conquer the 800-li Bashu Mountains. However, with the current manpower of Qin, it was impossible to conquer the Bashu Mountains.

At least for now, building a passage between mountains seems like a dream for people today.

Zhang Liang returned to his residence and fed the bamboo and bamboo shoots to the panda lying at his door. Seeing that the panda was getting fatter and fatter, he cut off the branches of the bamboo he had brought and used it to make a stool.

The next day, Zhang Liang came to the school to teach as usual.

As Ju packed up the books to distribute to the children that day, he said, "Master Han, I really did dream about it."

Zhang Liang asked, "What did you dream about?"

“I dreamed that we actually dug many tunnels in the mountains and built bridges between the mountains.”

Zhang Liang smiled and said, "That's a wonderful dream." Ju said, "The magistrate of Wu County is right. Not to mention that the mountains of Sichuan are difficult to conquer, there are also the Hundred Thousand Mountains in Guilin County. This world is really too big."

"Master Han, are there really 100,000 mountains in Guilin Prefecture?"

Zhang Liang said, "I heard Lü Matong mention it before; he said it existed."

Ju Xiangwang said, "I really want to go and see it."

Zhang Liang laughed again, "Lu Matong went to the southwest of Xiangjun with General Tuju. People there still eat people. You might get eaten if you go."

“Then I won’t go.” As he spoke, Ju took out another piece of paper and said, “The letter from Master Wang of Tongguan was delivered to the county government last night. I was having dinner at Magistrate Wu’s house, and he asked me to bring it here.”

Zhang Liang accepted the letter and said, "Thank you."

Ju is a very good person, and his simplicity and kindness have led him to meet many good people, such as Brother Chen Ping and Brother Lou Jing, whom he mentioned. These people have all treated him very well.

In Sichuan, he also met many kind people.

Ju is also a very lucky person; he only meets good people.

Once all the children had arrived, Ju began to teach them.

After many years, Zhang Liang finally received a letter from Master Wang. It was because the first batch of children he had taught in the rural area had gone to Guanzhong, and Guanzhong must have known about his achievements as Master Han.

There were fifty children in total. Three of them took up positions in Guanzhong, ten were assigned to various places, and twenty continued their teaching careers. The remaining children either returned to Sichuan or stayed in Guanzhong.

Children from various counties in Sichuan performed the best in last year's exams, and the number of those who were admitted to universities was also the highest.

Many scholars in Guanzhong witnessed Zhang Liang's abilities and achievements.

Only after seeing the letter sent by Wang Yu could Zhang Liang recall his identity and why he had not been exposed until now.

Wang Yu is now the Vice Director of the Imperial Academy, and his official position in the cause of supporting education in rural areas is getting higher and higher.

"...Master Han, it's been a long time. If you have time, I hope you'll come to Guanzhong for a get-together. I'll welcome you anytime. The wine from Guanzhong on the winter solstice is the most fragrant..."

Even in their correspondence, Wang Yu did not mention his true identity. After reading the letter, Zhang Liang put it away, returned to his study, wrote a reply, refused his offer, and expressed his willingness to remain in Shu.

Then, the students here were instructed to hand it over to Magistrate Wu, who would then send someone to pass it on to Master Wang of Tongguan.

In his letter, Wang Yu expressed his wish to visit Guanzhong, preferably Tongguan around the winter solstice when the wine is at its best. That was roughly the gist of his message.

But looking into the children's eyes and smiles, Zhang Liang felt unsure how to leave. If he left, who would teach them to read, especially the older children?

Half a month later...

Zhang Liang completely forgot about Wang Yu's letter. He lived alone in the bamboo house, relying on the panda for companionship. In his spare time, Zhang Liang would drive the panda into the river and give it a good wash.

As dusk fell, Zhang Liang wandered aimlessly through the village, followed by the panda.

Sometimes, because Zhang Liang was handsome and thin, his appearance was very attractive to women. Girls often expressed their feelings to Zhang Liang and were even willing to take care of him and help him farm.

Zhang Liang also refused.

When autumn rains fall in Guanzhong, rain also falls in Sichuan.

Today, Zhang Liang, wearing straw sandals and a bamboo hat, arrived at the county government. He saw Magistrate Wu cutting salted fish and said, "Fish from the Wei River in Guanzhong, salted with salt from Shu, are the best. Master Han, shall we drink together?"

Zhang Liang said, "I won't drink today. Has there been any reply from Guanzhong?"

"No," Magistrate Wu replied, as if he were discussing something insignificant, knowing that Zhang Liang was unwilling to drink and even somewhat displeased.

Zhang Liang had no choice but to take his leave of the county government and return home, still wearing his bamboo hat.

There was some extra food at home; on the table was a plate of eggs and some cured meat.

Cured pork, eggs, and rice are the most popular dishes among people in Sichuan. It would be even better if some fruits and vegetables were also included.

While Zhang Liang was eating, the panda nestled beside him, its big black eyes gazing outside. It could leave at any time, but it could also come back at any time.

This bear has gotten used to living here. If we release it back into the mountains, it probably won't survive.

Once you enter someone's home, you can't leave.

After the meal, Zhang Liang took a sip of tea and muttered to himself, "When I go to Guanzhong, you should come with me."

(End of this chapter)