The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 276 Transporting Grain North
On the third day after Cao Shen left Jingyang County, it started snowing heavily again along the way.

Standing on the imperial road and looking ahead, one could not see any pedestrians; even the passing troops were few and far between at this time of year.

Watching the snow fall in waves carried by the wind, Cao Can turned to the grain transport team and asked loudly to the steward beside him, "Is there anywhere nearby to take shelter from the snow?"

The miser said, "There are still ten li to go."

Upon hearing this, Cao Can looked ahead again. Let alone ten miles, the snow was getting heavier and heavier, making the road even more difficult to travel. Even if these laborers were to freeze to death, or even if they were to suffer frostbite, it would still delay the transport of grain.

Cao Shen then said, "It's too far."

“County Magistrate Cao.” Another villager stepped forward quickly and said, “I know a village three miles away where we can go to take shelter from the snow.”

Cao Shen nodded and said, "Alright, let's go take shelter from the snow."

The group drove their livestock, pulling the grain, and followed the foreman in front.

Cao Shen's idea was correct. Even if everyone risked their lives and froze to death, once there was snow, the carts would be unable to move.

After walking for half an hour, the group finally came to a village, which was actually less than three miles away.

When Cao Can's entourage arrived, the local village head came to greet them and welcomed the grain transport team into the village.

When the group arrived at a house, they discovered that it was actually a large warehouse, housing not only Cao Can and his men, but also a Qin army.

Cao Can first had the grain carts transported into the warehouse. He saw his brothers panting heavily, some holding their backs, and others sitting down because their legs were uncomfortable.

Transporting grain is hard work, not only for the people involved, but also for the livestock who are constantly drinking water.

Cao Can looked at the Qin army opposite him, which was sitting around the fire in groups of three or five.

Noticing Cao Can's gaze, a man from the Qin army stepped forward and asked, "Which troops are you transporting grain to?"

Cao Shen replied, "I am the county magistrate of Jingyang County, responsible for transporting grain to Shangjun."

"My name is Hei Yuan, and I am their squad leader."

Cao Can nodded knowingly and then asked, "Are you all heading back to Xianyang, sir?"

Hei Yuan said, "We were rotated out; we've only been guarding the Great Wall for two years."

Looking at the group of laborers behind Cao Can, they were in a sorry state, frozen and some of their shoes were soaked. If they continued to walk around outside, their feet would most likely freeze.

Cao Shen looked at his laborers and said, "If we had known it would snow today, we would have prepared earlier and wouldn't be in such a mess."

"So are we."

Upon hearing Hei Yuan's words, Cao Can found the squad leader to be quite easygoing and began to talk to him.

After several conversations, Cao Can discovered that this squad leader was quite insightful, especially when he said that he would reduce the number of troops in various counties and prefectures in the future, so that more people could return to farming.

After a large-scale reduction in troops, the number of troops in several important cities and border areas was increased.

As a county magistrate, Cao Can thought he had considerable insight, but he never expected that this squad leader could see even further ahead.

Cao Can continued, “Our magistrate Xiao He of Jingyang County is also a very insightful person. You will pass through Jingyang County on your way to Xianyang. If you need anything, you can speak to Magistrate Xiao.”

Even now, Cao Shen and the laborers still call Xiao He "Magistrate Xiao," even though Xiao He is now the Prefectural Assistant of the three counties north of the Wei River. Everyone is used to calling him that, and it will take some time to change their way of addressing him.

Hei Yuan said, "Alright, if we need anything, we will definitely go see Magistrate Xiao."

Cao Shen was just saying it casually, trying to get on the other party's good side, and didn't really think that this squad leader would go to Jingyang.

After talking for a while, Cao Can learned that this Qin army sergeant was originally a rural teacher, and that he had fought alongside General Meng Tian against the Xiongnu in the north.

Cao Shen didn't know why he said that some Qin troops would definitely have fewer soldiers. This man's insight was so profound that only Magistrate Xiao could understand it.

After speaking with him, Cao Can sat down and looked at the laborers.

The group lit a fire and placed the bread they had brought by the fire to roast. Once the bread was hot, they could share it.

The wind and snow outside were getting heavier. Seeing someone having difficulty walking, Cao Can stepped forward and asked, "Are you alright?"

"My legs are still sore from pulling the cart all day."

Cao Shen knew this man because there weren't enough animals to pull the cart, so he had to walk alongside on foot. It was normal for his legs to ache after walking so strenuously all day.

Cao Can patted him on the shoulder and said, "Tomorrow you can rest in the carriage and have someone else pull it."

"Thank you, County Lieutenant."

The night grew darker and darker, and the wind grew stronger and stronger. You could even clearly hear the sound of the wind and snow hitting the eaves.

The laborers, exhausted from a long day, all went to sleep, leaving only ten men to take turns guarding the grain carts.

Cao Shen sat by the fire, listening to the snoring of the crowd. Looking at the fire, he thought of Liu Ji, who was now the magistrate of Pei County. He must be living a very happy life.

The thought of Liu Ji living happily in Pei County, coupled with Cao Can's own need to continue transporting grain, filled him with even greater displeasure. The next day, as dawn broke, fortunately, the snow was not deep enough to hinder the grain transport.

Cao Shen led the group to pull out the grain carts, tied the grain sacks together with ropes, and breathed out a warm breath in the cold wind. Cao Shen looked at the group and saw that they had recovered well.

After a night's rest, everyone felt much better.

The wind was still cold on my skin, and I could feel the chill of the snow as I stepped on the ground with my boots.

The most uncomfortable thing about transporting grain in the snow is that snow leaks into your boots. Your body heat melts the snow, and the inside of your boots gets wet, which is very uncomfortable. Moreover, once the weather starts to warm up and the snow begins to melt, the road becomes even more muddy.

Transporting grain was a very tiring and difficult task. Although Cao Can felt sorry for everyone, he still said to them, "Hurry up and keep going."

Just then, Hei Yuan had his armored soldiers bring over several warhorses, saying, "These warhorses are for you."

Cao Can said, "How can this be?"

“These warhorses belong to the northern army. When we go to Xianyang, we will have to ask someone to send the warhorses back. Since you are going to the north, we will trouble you to send them back.”

Hei Yuan added, “I spoke with the township head here. Although he said he didn’t know you, he did know Xiao He, the magistrate of Jingyang. He is indeed a good man.”

While traveling, Cao Can never expected that he would be able to get help in Guanzhong by taking advantage of Magistrate Xiao's reputation.

Hei Yuan added, "Don't waste any more time."

Time, time... Cao Shen couldn't stand this anymore, as if a fire was burning him from behind, and he dared not delay the important task of transporting grain.

Although this was the most arduous and tiring task, it was because Magistrate Xiao trusted Cao Can the most that he was asked to escort him.

Cao Can parted ways with this Qin army and continued his journey north.

Just as we had feared at the beginning, the road ahead became muddy. When we passed through muddy areas, several laborers had to push the carts to get the grain carts over the obstacles.

The ground was slippery and muddy after the snow. As soon as the grain carts went over the ridge, the laborers pushing them slipped and fell to the ground in a sorry state. The cold wind made them even colder.

Cao Shen walked at the front of the group, looking around for the next place to rest.

At noon, the group ate a simple meal and then continued on their way.

Having transported grain once, I never wanted to do it again. This is probably the worst kind of hard labor I could do on the frontier.

It took Cao Shen ten days to travel from the northern suburbs of Xianyang all the way to Shangjun, and those ten days were almost the most difficult.

Upon arriving at the city of Shangjun, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Cao Can explained his purpose to the garrison and handed over the necessary documents, after which the grain carts were brought into the city.

Cao Can and the remaining laborers rested under the city wall. Some had blisters on their feet and were pricking them with a knife, wincing in pain. Others had bloody marks on their shoulders, marks from scabs that had been broken again.

He told them to wait there for the reply, while Cao Can went into the city of Shangjun, bought some clean cloth and food, and returned to the city. The governor of Shangjun had already given him the reply.

The laborers were eating pancakes, their eyes fixed on County Magistrate Cao, who was reading documents.

Cao Shen noticed everyone's gaze and said, "The grain and fodder have all been delivered. We can return to Jingyang now. Let's have a hot meal of mutton first."

The crowd cheered.

When they arrived, Cao Shen had brought some money with him, and they ate together at a restaurant down in the city.

There are many pedestrians coming and going in this place, but the majority are Qin soldiers.

When Cao Can was having a meal with the laborers, he noticed that two Qin army units were also eating.

The group drank mutton soup and ate flatbread, occasionally adding a few bites of mutton to their mouths. Cao Can listened quietly to the conversation of the Qin soldiers, who talked about their campaign against the Donghu and that the emperor was at the foot of Helan Mountain.

It was also mentioned that Prince Gao was currently campaigning against the Wuhuan King of the Donghu and had already won several battles.

However, the soldiers also started talking about reading. Cao Shen noticed that there was half a scroll of books on the outside of the bundles on the soldiers' waists. He then realized that there were indeed people teaching in the army. However, they also talked about coal and stones, but only for a few words.

Without venturing out, one cannot know the situation at the border. Cao Can only saw armored soldiers standing on the city walls and troops coming and going from Shangjun.

Most of these soldiers were very young; some looked to be only about the same age as Liu Fei. They would serve as garrison soldiers on the border for two years before returning home.

Cao Can pondered in his heart, if what the black circle said was true, that the number of Qin troops in various places would be reduced, but the Qin people's military service would still continue, then most of the troops would be stationed at the border in the future.
The Qin army is currently attacking the Donghu, which means that by the time Liu Fei joins the army, the Donghu will definitely be defeated. If the boy goes to the army in two more years, he might not have to fight anymore.

After Cao Shen treated the laborers to a good meal, he had the innkeeper tidy up the stables in the backyard, where they slept for the night.

The following day, Cao Can, who was preparing to return to Jingyang, saw a funeral outside Shangjun City. It seemed that an old man had passed away.

The old man's children were leading the way, carrying the coffin. Ahead of them, young people were carrying the clothes and headbands. Cao Can noticed that the clothes and headbands were almost worn out; they were the distinctive armor and headbands of the Qin army.

Cao Can fastened the reins to the horse, and then the rest of the laborers came out as well.

At this moment, the Qin army that came from Shangjun on the imperial road saw the funeral, dismounted, and paid their respects to the coffin.

(End of this chapter)