The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 329 Ordinary People
It was the windy season in the Western Regions again. Liu Fei remembered that it was around this time last year that he came here with his fellow villagers who were serving in the military.

Liu Fei had grown accustomed to the sandstorms here. He sat in the county government office of Wuwei County, helping General Zhang Jing handle miscellaneous matters.

The Prime Minister's office has been slow to appoint a magistrate for Zhangye County, probably because the Prime Minister's office is really short of manpower. They don't even have enough manpower to go around to other counties, let alone this remote and remote county.

After Liu Feigang finished reading a scroll of documents, he saw General Zhang Jing walk into the county government building from outside.

Yesterday, the general visited Wuwei County. The development of Wuwei County is getting better and better. I heard that the population of Wuwei County this year is close to 100,000.

This is an extremely dramatic change. At the height of the Western Rong's power, the entire Hexi Corridor had a population of less than 100,000.

It has been proven that an agricultural lifestyle is more likely to support a larger population than a nomadic lifestyle.

Developing agriculture is one of the most important ways to increase the population today.

Liu Fei believes that's the case at present.

However, this method is not so applicable outside of Wuwei County; the further west you go, the more desolate it becomes.

Liu Fei had heard that there were fertile grasslands and endless fruits at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, a place that was incredibly prosperous.

However, we cannot ignore the fact that traveling from the Hexi Corridor to the Tianshan Mountains requires crossing the Western Regions, which is almost an insurmountable barrier.

"Liu Fei".

Upon hearing the general's call, Liu Fei stood up, saluted, and replied, "Yes, sir."

"A new team of recruits has arrived. Go and greet them."

"Yes"

Liu Fei put down his pen and hurriedly left the county government.

Outside Zhangye County, Liu Fei saw a group of young people, about the same age as himself, but he spotted Gongzi Li among them.

Gongzi Li also saw himself, but just smiled and didn't say anything.

Facing the crowd, Liu Fei calmly accepted the roster handed to him by the accompanying soldiers, opened it, and began to look at it.

Naturally, the name "Young Master Li" wouldn't be written on it. Liu Fei maintained a calm expression as he explained matters to these newly arrived young men at the border.

As Liu Fei called out names, he accepted the certificates and documents handed to him by each person.

It's windy season again this year, and Liu Fei recalled that when he came here years ago, the mulberries in the Hexi Corridor were at their darkest.

Not only that, but this year is no different. Even the grape trellis in the city only has one bunch of grapes growing at this time of year.

Liu Fei organized everyone's records and verified their identities.

After everyone else had left, only the young master and Li Zuoche remained.

Having served at the Imperial Academy for some time, Liu Fei was quite familiar with Gongzi Li and Li Zuoche.

I had only thought that Gongzi Li would come to guard the border, but I didn't expect Li Zuoche to come as well.

Li Zuoche handed over a scroll of documents, saying, "This is a transfer order."

Liu Fei took the document, glanced at it, and said, "Come with me."

Gongzi Li and Li Zuoche walked through the city of Zhangye County with their bundles on their backs. The city was not tall and was built entirely of loess. The city walls were rather low and there were only two city gates. Moreover, soldiers could not stand on the earthen walls.

There were only a few platforms made of wooden ladders, large enough for soldiers to stand on...

As they walked through the city, Gongzi Li and Li Zuoche had already taken in the entire situation.

Liu Fei led the two men to the county government building.

When Zhang Jing saw Gongzi Li and Li Zuoche, he didn't know what to say for a moment and remained silent for a long time.

"Brother Zhang Jing?"

When Gongzi Li spoke again, Zhang Jing came back to his senses and said, "Since there is a transfer order from the Grand Commandant's Office, then you shall stay here from now on. Liu Fei, please take good care of the young master."

Liu Fei bowed and said, "Yes."

Li followed Liu Fei to the backyard of the county government. The house here was the best in Zhangye County. It was now vacant for Young Master Li. In the past, it was the residence of General Shejian.

Currently living here are Zhang Jing, Liu Fei, Li Zuoche, and Gongzi Li.

Liu Fei scooped some water from the well in the courtyard and used it to wash the young master and Li Zuoche.

Gongzi Li changed into a set of coarse cloth clothes, just like he used to wear when he was working in Jingye County.

After sitting down, the group had a simple meal.

In their leisure time after the meal, they could boil water to drink. Gongzi Li had brought tea leaves, so everyone could share the tea.

In the afternoon, the four of them had nothing to do.

Zhang Jing listlessly picked up a ceramic basin and casually scattered some wheat bran on the ground, whereupon several chickens gathered around.

The chickens raised in the county government were carefully selected by Zhang Jing; they were the ones that could lay eggs.

Liu Fei said, "Young master, you've come at the right time. We can use the eggs we've saved to make tea eggs."

The eggs varied in size and were covered in mud and grass.

After washing them, Liu Fei put them into an earthenware pot to cook.

Li was still looking at the book his father had given him.

Li Zuoche looked up and saw Liu Fei lighting the stove to boil tea eggs, while Zhang Jing listlessly sprinkled wheat bran to feed the chickens. However, while feeding the chickens, Zhang Jing's eyes were vacant, clearly thinking about something else.

It seems that Liu Fei is the most diligent person here. Li Zuoche sat down and chatted with him for a few words.

Liu Fei said, "Life here is very different from that in Guanzhong."

Li Zuoche thought to himself: Isn't it obvious?

Liu Fei said in a low voice, "It was the same last year, and it's still the same this year. Unlike Guanzhong, where people have changed their faces and villages and counties have also changed in the past year."

The four of them knew each other before, so they didn't feel awkward around each other and there was no need to worry about formalities.

Li Zuoche picked up a palm-leaf fan and fanned himself while listening to Liu Fei's story.

In Zhangye County during the summer, it is still quite hot near dusk, and you can't hear any insects chirping.

At this point, Liu Fei said in a low voice, "It's better not to say anything more."

Li Zuoche understood somewhat. According to Liu Fei, life here was dull, extremely dull.

Liu Fei then added, "I can grind tofu to celebrate your arrival, young master and General Li. We'll have some tofu tonight."

Upon hearing this, Li Zuoche asked in surprise, "You can cook tea eggs and make tofu?"

Liu Fei nodded and said, "None of these are difficult."

Zhang Jingxin said that Liu Fei could also approve documents, organize accounts, clean the yard, and was even proficient in some numerology.

In short, Liu Fei is very diligent.

Therefore, Zhang Jing was usually very free, and he could spend an entire afternoon feeding the chickens.

Because Liu Fei was so useful, Zhang Jing often had nothing to do.

Li continued reading the book his father had given him, pondering as he read. He realized that uniting the people of the Western Regions was paramount, and that the emperor should be supported by all of them, so that they could find common ground.

Li then recalled the Analects, which says that people should be harmonious yet different, and the concept of universal love from Mozi.

My father often said that if I wanted this country to be better, I had to tie the fate of all its people together, including the people of the Western Regions.

In fact, the hearts of the people in the Western Regions can be won over; all that is needed is to standardize the written language and the gauge of carts.

Perhaps Confucius, Mencius, Mozi, and Xunzi all held this view long ago.

In other words, Li believed that it was necessary to dismantle the royal families of the Western Regions in order to enable more people in the Western Regions to practice universal love.

As long as there is no war, there is not much to do besides regular military training.

This month, another lot of books were delivered. Seeing the truckloads of books, Li asked, "Do you always send this many books every month?"

These are all old books, but they are still books.

Liu Fei said, "I want to send these books to Mazong Mountain."

Upon hearing that they were going to Mazong Mountain, which was the northwestern border of Qin, Li Zuoche, who usually had nothing to do, perked up.

Li said, "I'll go too."

Liu Fei looked at Zhang Jing, and after Zhang Jing nodded, he said, "General Li, why don't you come along too?"

Li Zuoche nodded.

Liu Fei looked at Gongzi Li again and said, "The journey here will be difficult."

Li said, "My brother went to Mazong Mountain back then, so naturally I should go too. Are there still Yuezhi ashes at the foot of Mazong Mountain now?"

Liu Fei said, "Yes."

Speaking of the ashes of the Yuezhi people, we must recount another story.

That was the story of how Modu killed the Yuezhi king at the foot of Mazong Mountain. When General Zhang Han arrived at Mazong Mountain, Modu had already taken the Yuezhi king's head. General Zhang Han burned the Yuezhi corpses there with a great fire, and their ashes were mixed with the soil.

However, even after the Northern Expedition, the wine vessel made from the head of the Yuezhi king was not found.

After the brutal Modu died, the northern desert was almost completely wiped out. It has been almost ten years since then, and the northern desert has only begun to recover some vitality. But it is only a vitality, and there is not a single herdsman to be seen for thousands of miles.

Some say that the grasslands of northern Mongolia are now fertile, but no Xiongnu people dare to graze their horses there anymore.

The Qin army slaughtered so many that the Xiongnu dared not graze their livestock in the northern desert and instead went to even more harsh and cold lands.

Now, the Xiongnu people are returning one after another, and the Qin army in Helan Mountain is asking them to compile household registers.

This is what's happening in the North.

Sitting in the carriage on the way to Mazong Mountain, Liu Fei said again, "My teacher, Master Jing, is doing these things in the north."

The car had traveled a long way from Zhangye County, and the further west it went, the more desolate the scenery became. Compared to the lush and fertile Wuwei County, this place was like another world.

A gust of wind blew through the night, stirring up a cloud of yellow sand.

Liu Fei stopped the car and let everyone rest in the Gobi Desert. He explained, "We still have a day's journey to reach Mazong Mountain."

Everyone was busy with their own things, and Li took out a few flatbreads and put them to bake by the fire.

Li Zuoche came carrying a bundle of dry branches and explained, "There's a grove of trees over there."

Liu Fei said, "There are quite a few poplar forests like this here, but not many after Mazong Mountain. However, the Qin army has been planting trees on Mazong Mountain. As more and more trees are planted, things will improve in the future."

After a long day of travel, everyone was exhausted. After eating, they gathered around the fire and went to sleep.

The howling of wolves came again in the night. Li woke up and saw that Liu Fei was still asleep, with several Qin soldiers on guard around him.

Seeing Li Zuoche looking around warily, Li stood up and said, "It's really cold here at night."

Li Zuoche frowned and nodded, his gaze fixed on the direction from which the wolf howls came.

Li then said, "Don't be afraid. These Qin soldiers who have been guarding the border for many years are not worried. It seems we don't need to be afraid of the wolf pack."

Li Zuoche nodded and sat down again.

Just as Gongzi Li had said, the wolves did not approach overnight.

It is likely that the bandits and wolves in this area were wiped out by the Qin army.

After another day of travel, as evening approached, they saw a red sun slowly setting below the distant horizon. The scene was beautiful; it was the first time Li and Li Zuoche had ever seen such a magnificent sunset.

As the sun gradually set, the cold wind blew again, and the group stopped to rest, exhausted. There were no howls of wolves tonight, but it was exceptionally cold.

When we set off again, we will be able to see Mazong Mountain.

The group first arrived at a house in the desert. The house was located next to a poplar forest, and there was a stream. There were newly grown saplings by the stream, and there were even traces of watering under the saplings, which showed that someone had been taking care of them.

The sound of barking dogs came from outside the house, and soon a man dressed in Qin army armor came running up. When he came closer, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Master Liu."

Liu Fei had books, food, clothing, armor, and weapons brought up—a whole cartload of supplies.

Afterwards, Liu Fei asked a few more questions, which the other party answered one by one.

Upon hearing the other party's reply, Li realized that this Qin soldier had been guarding this place alone for three years, planting trees all along.

Along the way, the group went to several different encampments, and the situations were all similar.

Some of these places are guarded by two or three people, while others are guarded by a single person.

They would stay there for two or three years, sometimes alone, and there wouldn't be a single living person for miles around. If anything seemed amiss, they would light the beacon fire.

Li dared not imagine how difficult it was to guard a piece of land all by himself, alone on the frontier, where there wasn't a single living person within several miles.

No wonder there are so many books; they were originally for the soldiers guarding the frontier.

The books sent from the Qin court were a way for them to relieve the monotony of their lives, and some of the soldiers guarding the border even wrote their own books.

How difficult must their lives be? How can they stay in one place for two or three years without leaving?

Only once a month, when supplies were delivered, were they able to exchange a few words with people.

As Li watched Mazong Mountain draw closer, he realized that guarding the border here was a very long, arduous, and ordinary task.

In Li Xiang's opinion, this kind of ordinary border defense is actually a very remarkable thing.

The extraordinary things in this world are all created by ordinary people like these.

Yes, that's probably how most things in this world are.

Some things are not as impressive as they seem at first glance; there aren't that many invincible heroes in this world.

In reality, they are all simple and ordinary people who are guarding this frontier.

When the group arrived at Mazong Mountain, the wind picked up again in the Western Regions.

At the foot of Mazong Mountain, there was a large Qin army camp, guarded by two hundred Qin soldiers.

The soil and water environment here are not good, so we can't garrison too many troops. The only way to maintain a certain degree of self-sufficiency and keep an eye on this area is with these two hundred Qin soldiers.

Most of these two hundred Qin soldiers were around the same age as Liu Fei.

After delivering the supplies and exchanging documents, they stayed here for one night before leaving.

Li walked up Mazong Mountain, looked at the distant Gobi Desert, and asked, "General Li, is this the first time you've traveled this far?"

Li Zuoche nodded.

Although Li Zuoche's grandfather, Li Mu, was a renowned general, he had never seen the scenery here or been to such a remote place.

As dawn broke and a caravan of camels entered the territory of Mazong Mountain, it was a merchant caravan from the Western Regions.

"Son!"

Hearing Liu Fei calling from down the mountain, Li knew it was time to go back.

When they returned, Liu Fei said again, "General Shejian sent word that the young master will be stationed at Mazong Mountain for three months this winter."

Looking at Li Zuoche behind him, Liu Fei added, "General Li as well."

Li Zuoche replied, "Yes."

With the windy season finally over, the road from Mazong Mountain to Wuwei County became lively again, with people from the Western Regions hawking their grape wine along the way.

When Liu Fei was seen talking to the Western Regions man who was selling felt, he was all smiles. The man spoke in broken Guanzhong dialect.

Li heard this man from the Western Regions say that he had twenty-six sons and he wanted to send them all to study in Wuwei County.

Liu Fei did not immediately agree to the matter, and the Qin army and the group of Western Region merchants parted ways at the foot of Jiayu Mountain in Zhangye County.

After resting here, we'll head back to Zhangye County.

Li asked, "Did he really have twenty-six sons?"

Liu Fei said, "It might be true, but if there were an opportunity for children to study in Wuwei County, many children from the Western Regions would become his children."

Upon hearing this, Li nodded.

In contrast to the tranquility within Zhangye County, construction is in full swing at the foot of Jiayu Mountain.

Previously, this place wasn't called Jiayushan. It was part of the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains, and because jade was produced here, it was also known as Jade Mountain.

The emperor renamed this place Jiayushan.

At the foot of Jiayu Mountain, a group of laborers are working. Some are compacting the ground, while others are carrying stones. Last year, the emperor ordered the construction of Jiayu Pass here.

Construction has begun, and the city wall is beginning to take shape. This Jiayuguan Pass will be a very large city and the largest pass in the entire Hexi Corridor.

Huan Chu was resting on a pile of stones. He looked at the city under construction. There were thousands of laborers here. In order to build this city, the Qin army even went to the Western Regions to plunder many people.

Some say that the emperor wanted to extend the Great Wall all the way to Jiayuguan. This rumor became more and more believable as it spread. If the emperor hadn't wanted to extend the Great Wall to Jiayuguan, he wouldn't have built such a huge fortress here.

If the emperor wanted Wuwei County to prosper for a long time and remain so prosperous, he had to protect the Hexi Corridor. This made Jiayuguan particularly important.

Upon returning to the county government of Zhangye County, Liu Fei went to Wuwei County to report to General Shejian.

Sitting inside the county government office, Li saw a decree from the Prime Minister's residence. The decree described a medicine for treating malaria: Artemisia annua should be soaked in water, the juice squeezed out, and consumed.

When Zhang Jing saw that the prince was looking at the decrees, he said, "In the past, when Suirenshi invented fire to cook food, people became stronger after eating cooked food. The same is true for medicine. The emperor has ordered that the medical classics for treating diseases be spread throughout the world, so that fewer people will die from illness."

Generally speaking, this was because the war had ended, and the emperor was most concerned about the population, hoping that the population would increase and achieve prosperity.

After the war ended, natural disasters and diseases became the biggest obstacles to population growth.

The emperor naturally hoped that there would be more people practicing medicine and fewer diseases in the world.

Li put down the documents in his hand, feeling somewhat worried that it would be difficult to govern this country well, as it lacked everything.

……

P.S.: It's the weekend again, so I'll go to bed early and only update one chapter today. I'll update as usual tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)