The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 270 Men of Yan and Zhao
Winters in Yan are very long, and summers here can be as hot as in the south, as can long winters.

Du Shui Changlu left the house early and heard the county magistrate say that Young Master Gao had indeed taken his men to the north.

"Hmm." Lu nodded and then instructed, "Are there any hunters going to the border this year?"

Upon hearing this, the magistrate knew that Du Shuichang was going to the border again, so he said, "There are many wild beasts at this time of year. Why don't we wait until next spring to go?"

Du Shuichang hung his baggage on the horse's back and said, "The water will rise after winter, how will we be able to watch over the water then?"

The magistrate knew he couldn't stop Du Shuichang, but if something happened to Du Shuichang, he didn't know how to explain it to the Prime Minister's office, not to mention that there was also Gongzi Gao.

The magistrate could only find a dozen or so skilled hunters to accompany him to the border.

"I'm going to live here for another twenty or thirty years. If I'm afraid of this little bit of cold, how will I live here in the future?"

After saying this, Du Shui Changlu led the way toward the north gate of the county town.

The magistrate stood there to see him off. Du Shui Changlu was going to cultivate the fields on the northern border and stay there for twenty or thirty years. Du Shui Changlu now looked to be over fifty years old.

I heard that this Director Du has been to the South, dug the Ling Canal, gone to the Northwest, and now he has come to the Northeast.

He intends to spend the rest of his life in Northeast China, as if this land is worth his staying.

Looking back now, the land in Northeast China is indeed very large. It is impossible for human beings to cultivate all such a vast area into farmland.

The land must be cultivated little by little, even if it's just to try to cultivate more, so that the children can eat stronger and the population can be fed. This is certainly a good thing.

Rumor has it that the Prime Minister's office is currently facing the biggest headaches: population, land, and food.

The hunters from Yan and Du Shui Changlu traveled for two days and finally arrived at the Great Wall.

The hunters, dressed in thick furs, followed Du Shuichang out of the Great Wall. Before them lay a vast plain, and in the distance, snow-capped mountains.

Once you leave the Great Wall, it's like entering a completely different world—desolate and uninhabited.

The warhorses were still breathing out warm air in the cold wind, and a few hunters from Yan exchanged a few words in the Yan language.

Lu understood what they were saying: a few days ago someone saw an eagle, and there were Fuyu people in the mountains.

The mountains and forests of the northern border are dense, with trees that grow extremely tall, seemingly reaching into the clouds. Various wild beasts roam the deep forests, as well as wild men and bears.

The Buyeo people possess a skill in taming eagles; the eagles soaring in the sky help them find prey.

Some people from the Donghu tribes also possess this skill; every time they emerge from the deep mountains of the north, their leader brings an eagle with him.

Hearing the hunter's words, Lu looked at the northern sky with a troubled expression.

Eagles have been seen outside the Great Wall. This time, the Buyeo people have gotten too close to the Great Wall. They may run into the Buyeo people on this trip.

The hunter leading the group had jet-black hair and beard, and rode at the very front. His bright eyes were fixed on the distant mountains and forests. They were covered in thick leather, and even their feet were wrapped in brown fur and tied tightly to their feet with hemp rope.

After traveling for a while, they were further away from the Great Wall. The warhorses were walking on the frozen river, with several hunting dogs following on either side.

Lu took the wine flask handed to him by a young hunter and took a big gulp.

It was freezing cold, and I only felt a little warmer after taking a sip of alcohol.

On the first night, everyone was able to spend the night in the open wilderness, and everything was peaceful.

We need to be more careful once we enter the woods tomorrow.

The forests in the north are vast and deep, and hunters usually travel in groups.

Lu spoke with them in the language of Yan.

Although Prime Minister Li Si had ordered that all regions speak the same language, this decree did not have much effect after it was issued, and people almost forgot about it over time.

Even the government felt it was unlikely to be done, so they didn't force it.

In the north, a man in his twenties who has gone on several hunting trips deep in the mountains and returned alive can be called an old hunter.

The men who brought Lu were five hunters in their forties, whose age indicated they were the strongest and most experienced hunters.

They also brought along several fourteen-year-old boys. These boys looked somewhat inexperienced, wiping their noses in the cold wind, apparently on their first long trip.

Hunters can return home in as little as three to five days, or as long as half a month.

Typically, hunters who travel in groups aim to fill a cart with their prey, sharing the spoils with the villagers.

Many lone hunters go early and return early.

There were fifteen people in the group. The leader of the hunters was named Atan, who was forty-six years old and a man from Yan.

Later, when the Qin army destroyed the Yan state, this man served in the Youbeiping Army of the Great Wall. After leaving the army, he continued his family tradition of hunting.

You can see the boldness and valor of the men of Yan and Zhao from A Tan. Their rough hands are covered with calluses, which are the result of their horsemanship and archery skills. These men of Yan and Zhao are also good at fighting on the battlefield. They can fight several rounds on the battlefield with a bow in one hand and a sword in the other.

After resting for a night, the group continued their journey into the deep mountains before dawn the next day.

After walking for half a day, the group followed a river to the front of a forest. From this forest lay the deep mountains to the north.

Whenever people look up at those towering trees that almost reach the clouds, they can't help but feel awe.

The group entered the forest one by one, with the old hunter leading the way, carefully observing the conditions of the snow.

The furs they wore were also covered with a layer of white frost, making their originally dark brown fur look almost white.

Before long, a loud cry rang out in the sky, and when everyone looked up, they saw an eagle circling overhead.

Upon hearing the sound, the crowd grabbed their bows and arrows, and became alert to their surroundings.

At this point, no one cared why the Fuyu people were releasing eagles so close to the Great Wall. The old hunter was particularly vigilant and led everyone slowly out of the forest.

Fortunately, they hadn't gone too far and were able to get out safely. Then they saw a group of Fuyu people leaving with a cart full of prey, and the eagle followed them away.

They could still see the other party sitting on a cart full of prey, waving from afar; they had passed by with a full load.

Atan cursed a couple of times, basically saying that they had already hunted all the prey, and we needed to go deeper into the forest because they had already hunted all the prey on the outskirts.

After counting their provisions and making some plans, the group continued into the forest once they were sure the Buyeo people had left.

Half a month later, the magistrate of Ji County had also been waiting by the Great Wall for half a month, and finally met Du Shuichang, who had returned alive.

Along with them came a cartload of game. A-Tan said the trip was thrilling but safe. They hadn't brought enough food, otherwise they could have hunted for several more days.

Seeing the cartload of frozen game, the magistrate smiled and allowed them to enter the Great Wall. Back in Ji County, Atan distributed the game to the families who had hunted with him, and each family began to cook meat over a fire.

After everyone shared the food, Lu continued to refine his map. He felt that the map left by the Yan royal family was incomplete, and he needed to go and see it in person to confirm it.

The magistrate then said, "Li Fa, the clerk of Guangyang County, says he wants to see the Chief of Water Conservancy."

Lu simply nodded, keeping his head down as he continued refining his map, without saying another word.

These river maps are the culmination of Lu's hard work; whether or not grain can be grown on the Liaohe Plain depends on these maps.

Seeing that the other party was ignoring him, the magistrate said no more. He only hoped that the young master Gao could bring his troops as soon as possible, otherwise the more times Dushui went to the border, the more dangerous it would be.

Another month passed, and the magistrate did not receive Gongzi Gao's troops, but instead received a scroll. It was a document written by Zhang Cang, the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household Department, instructing people to build heated kang beds for the winter.

This strange and somewhat eerie decree left people momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

It wasn't until the county magistrate actually had a heated kang (a traditional heated bed) built that people began to ponder its deeper meaning.

The clerk of Guangyang County still hadn't seen Chief Du Shui. As long as Chief Du Shui didn't reply, the clerk probably wouldn't dare to come and see him rashly, perhaps because Chief Du Shui didn't want to see him.

Only the county magistrate knew that Du Shuichang didn't not want to see him; he just hadn't had the chance.

Looking at the heated kang, Lu said, "The northern border is bitterly cold, and it is difficult for people to live there. The banks of the Liao River are frozen to the bone in winter. If there were a heated kang that could warm the whole room, people could survive in the north."

"Hmm." Lu looked at him again and said, "Prefect Zhang believes that instead of thinking about developing the north first, it is better to think about keeping people in the north. If people cannot be kept in the north, where will the manpower come from to develop the land? Prefect Zhang's insight is profound, and I admire him."

To be more precise, the Chief of Waterways was an official under the Minister of the Imperial Household, and the Assistant Prefect Zhang was the Chief of Waterways' superior.

Therefore, it is only natural for Du Shuichang to build a heated kang as required by Zhang Fucheng. This thing is easy to build. Except for the chimney, which is difficult to build, once it is built, it can also be used as a stove.

The county magistrate stood before the water steward and whispered, "The Junior Magistrate is planning a major construction project."

Lu Dao: "This is to change the way the North spends the winter."

It should be the winter solstice in Guanzhong at this time of year, but there is still no news of Gongzi Gao from Dushuichang.

In Guanzhong, regarding matters concerning the north, Prince Fusu discussed them several more times with Cheng Miao, Zhang Cang, Right Chancellor Feng Quji, and Chen Ping.

The letter sent by Du Shuichang was read by everyone several times, confirming the direction of development in the North and the future of the Northeast. The Northeast will certainly become a huge granary in the future, but the North needs to undergo a transformation, both in terms of people's lifestyles and the environment.

There are still large areas of forest in the north today. With the current population, these forests could support even more people. However, given the current low productivity, Fusu had no other choice. In an era where people still had to worry about food and clothing, using manpower to cut down trees was already a very small price to pay.

As for the future, just like Baiqu, when people are still struggling to get enough to eat, what else can they care about? Faced with the choice between the future and survival, this choice is all too easy.

Just like the piece of coal that Fusu is looking at right now, this is coal mined from Yanmen County, which is now one of the most important military locations.

This land is honest; the resources that will be discovered in the future already exist today.

Today, people possess a substantial fortune, a fortune unknown to others, but Fusu is well aware of its future importance.

Chen Ping has now been assigned to the Right Chancellor's Office, and he often works with the Minister of Justice, Feng Jie.

Fusu never expected that Chen Ping would play such a significant role after joining the Right Chancellor's staff and working with Feng Jie.

After leaving the Prime Minister's residence, Fusu returned to Gaoquan Palace and met his eleven-year-old son, Li.

Li then said, "Father, my elder brother said he is ready to join the army with my maternal grandfather."

Fusu asked, "Do you also want to join the army?"

Li said, "Of course."

"Study hard, and you'll join the army someday."

"it is good."

After the child agreed, he went to study in Jingye County.

Back in the palace, Fusu asked, "Has Heng'er not returned?"

Tian An packed all the toys in the house into a box, saying, "He hasn't come back yet. He said the teacher is going to test him today."

Fusu nodded, changed into a pair of large boots, and then checked if the water on the stove was boiling.

The wife was looking at the accounts, with three deer nestled beside her.

Life, ah, becomes more and more mundane the longer it goes on.

Fusu had gotten used to this kind of life. He was quite content with the quiet life he led most of the time. Sometimes he would worry about his son, and other times, when he had nothing to do, he would think about what to eat.

Tian An had a box of toys moved away, saying, "The young masters have grown up, so these toys are all over the side and they don't play with them anymore."

A palace attendant hurried over.

Tian An stepped forward and asked a few questions. When he came back, he said, "Young master, a letter from General Meng Tian."

Fusu picked up the letter and looked at it.

Seeing that the water on the stove had boiled, Tian An quickly picked up the kettle and poured a bowl of hot water.

As Fusu read the contents of the letter, he brought up the matter of the Donghu and the situation in the north.

The Wuhuan king and the Linhu king of the Donghu both started out as horse traders for the Xiongnu. After Modu died, the Qin army swept across the northern desert, and the Donghu began to curry favor with the Qin army while trying to expand their territory to the northern desert.

At first, Meng Tian felt there was no need to rush to conquer the Donghu, but when people turned their attention to the north and saw the fertile fields there, how could they not be tempted?

In the letter, Meng Tian mentioned one thing: expanding the Great Wall and extending it to the Liaohe Plain.

This was another massive undertaking. After Meng Tian discussed this matter with his father, the emperor, his father surprisingly did not object and wanted to inquire about the Prime Minister's opinion.

This was the style of the First Emperor, from Xianyang Palace to Lishan Mausoleum or Langya Terrace, even the Epang Palace which only existed in pictures.

Every project that the First Emperor decided to build was a unique and massive undertaking in the world.

The First Emperor never liked delicate and small things; if he was going to make something, he wanted to make the biggest. This was the First Emperor's ambition and style.

The general needs logistical support from Guanzhong while he is away, and the emperor is traveling, unaware of how meticulously his son manages the household.

Expanding the Great Wall and extending it along the Liaohe Plain sounds easy.

Developing the fields of the Liaohe Plain requires manpower and resources from who knows where, not to mention building the Great Wall. It seems easy enough, but ultimately, this matter of state requires the approval of the Prime Minister's office.

(End of this chapter)