The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 336 The Tiger Tally Returning to Xianyang
As the first autumn rain fell in Guanzhong this year, Fusu was standing in front of Zhangtai Palace.

The guards watched as the emperor, dressed in a black robe, stood under the eaves in front of the palace, gazing ahead as he took a sip of tea.

The emperor frowned and remained silent, his face seemingly filled with worries.

A palace guard braved the autumn rain and hurried over, bowing and saying, "Reporting, General Zhao Tuo has passed Zhongnan Mountain."

The emperor simply put down his teacup, waved for the guard to leave, and said nothing more.

Zhao Tuo, who had just entered Guanzhong, was setting up camp at the foot of a mountain to avoid the rain. Since last year, Zhao Tuo had been unable to sleep or eat well, and his temper had been getting worse and worse.

Because of the various pressures brought by the Prime Minister's office, Zhao Tuo's hair turned quite white.

Another team was approaching from behind; this team was small, with only about a hundred people.

The newcomers were none other than Tu Ju's procession.

After meeting in Guilin County, the two sides set off again and met once more in Guanzhong.

Tu Ju's procession arrived in the rain, and they were quite disheveled along the way.

When the other party approached, Zhao Tuo stood up to greet him, saying, "General Tu."

Upon approaching, Tu Ju dismounted. His warhorse was soaking wet, as were his entire body, including his exaggeratedly large beard.

Zhao Tuo glanced at the empty space behind the shed and said, "Let the brothers rest for a bit."

Tu Ju waved his hand, signaling his brothers behind him to go into the shed to rest.

Zhao Tuo stood under the eaves without speaking, eating a pear and gazing at the distant rain scene.

As the hundreds of brothers in the shed began to cook, Tu Ju, who had taken off his raincoat, stepped forward and said, "General Zhao."

Zhao Tuo glanced at Tu Ju's large beard and frowned, saying, "You're going to see the emperor like this?"

"Haha!" Tu Ju laughed, "Let's clean up before we enter Xianyang City."

Both of them had gray hair and were over fifty years old.

Zhao Tuo handed him a pear.

Tu Ju took the pear, slurped up the juice, ate a few bites, chewed a couple of times, and swallowed, saying, "I haven't had autumn pears from Guanzhong in a long time."

Zhao Tuo said, "If we're talking about autumn pears, those from Sanchuan County are the best."

"I used to think of you, General Zhao, as a fierce warrior in the army. How come you've become like this?"

Before they finished speaking, Tu Ju had finished the pear in a few bites. Zhao Tuo then took another one out of the basket and handed it to him.

The two generals sat together, eating pears.

Behind them, the soldiers from both sides gathered together and talked in hushed tones.

"Everyone says that you, Tu Ju, slaughtered the barbarians in the southwest, leaving no one alive. How come you only have so few people when you return to Xianyang?"

Tu Ju said, "This number of soldiers is enough. The brothers along the way have all dispersed. What do we need so many soldiers for?"

Zhao Tuo continued chewing the autumn pear in his mouth.

Tu Ju then said, "What? Can you beat Meng Tian? Can you beat Zhang Han? With a single imperial edict, all the militia in Guanzhong could tear us apart and devour us alive."

"I'm afraid." Tu Ju let out a long, dejected sigh, his voice lowering considerably. "The older I get, the more afraid I become of death. Twenty years ago, I faced over a hundred men alone without taking a single step back. Now, a few officials have come to the south..."

Tu Ju used the rainwater dripping from the eaves to wash away the sweetness from his hands and mouth. Actually, there was still some pear juice clinging to his beard, but he was too lazy to clean it. He then said, "I was thinking of staying in the south and never coming back. The south is quite nice."

Zhao Tuo remained silent again.

Tu Ju pointed at Zhao Tuo and whispered, "Two years ago, I heard that you, Zhao Tuo, wanted to declare yourself king. At that time, I even thought about helping the emperor to destroy you."

Tu Ju really talked more and more as he ate. Zhao Tuo was annoyed by him. He picked up his water bag, took a swig of wine, and frowned, saying, "The emperor summoned you here because he was afraid you would establish yourself as emperor."

Tu Ju sighed, "The South is good too. Many of my brothers have settled down there and never come back. They are all doing very well."

As he spoke, he took Zhao Tuo's water pouch and poured himself a sip of wine, then continued, "The emperor has been very good to us. It's been almost twenty years before he let us come back. Both emperors have been very good."

Tu Ju's tone grew lower and lower, "They even let my wife and children come to Guanzhong. The Qin court will support us for life. How wonderful... If it were anyone else, you and I would probably be dead long ago."

Zhao Tuo: "How many troops did you leave in the south?"

"I don't remember." Tu Ju shook his head and said, "There are as many soldiers as there are able-bodied men. How would I know how many there are now? I just wrote it down casually on the document: 100,000 soldiers. Anyway, the Prime Minister's office won't go to the south to see for themselves. Even if they did go to the south, they wouldn't be able to count them."

Judging from Tu Ju's words, it seems that he has gathered a large population in the south, to the point that he doesn't even know how many soldiers he has.

Zhao Tuo felt that he was about the same as him, and he didn't know how many soldiers he had.

However, he felt that he was much better than Tu Ju, at least he had Ren Xiao by his side. This time, the Prime Minister's Office asked him to come back, and Ren Xiao went to Lishan as soon as he arrived in Guanzhong, eager to see Li Si.

Zhao Tuo suddenly chuckled, thinking to himself that once they arrived in Guanzhong... Ren Xiao really didn't bother to pretend anymore.

It was Li Si who sent Ren Xiao to the south, and Zhao Tuo knew from the beginning that he was Li Si's man.

Now it's much better, things are actually much easier.

"General Zhao, we must now return our military power to the Qin court. From now on, matters in the south will no longer concern us."

Zhao Tuo replied, "You and I are merely warriors; those who govern a country are ministers of the emperor."

Both generals looked worried, and there was even a sense of mutual sympathy between them.

Judging from their current condition, neither of them is in much better shape than the other; both have had a tough time.

After the rain stopped, night fell. Zhao Tuo remained outside, and soon a troop of horses arrived.

Tu Ju walked outside the shed and asked, "Who's here?"

Zhao Tuo was relieved to see that the other party was carrying a torch.

If the other side isn't carrying torches, they're most likely coming to ambush and kill them.

When the visitors arrived, there were more than ten people in total. One of them handed over a basket and said, "I am Zhang Ye from Jingye County. I have come on my father's orders to bring food to you soldiers."

After he finished speaking, the people behind him dismounted and handed him baskets one after another. The baskets were covered with cloth, and when the cloth was lifted, you could see hot flatbread and steaming chunks of mutton inside.

These days they've been eating dry rations, and it's rare to have hot food. Tu Ju picked up a golden-brown, warm pancake, took a bite, and said, "Good pancake, so delicious."

Zhang Ye bowed once more, then led his troops away.

Tu Ju, while eating a pancake, asked, "Who is this person's father?"

“Zhang Ye… must be Zhang Han’s son.” Zhao Tuo finally understood; the emperor definitely wouldn’t kill the two of them.

The soldiers behind him were sharing cakes and meat. Zhao Tuo felt the tiger tally inside his armor. Once he returned the tiger tally to the emperor, he and Tu Ju would have no more worries in their lives.

When they set off on their expedition, the emperor bestowed upon them the tiger tally.

The tiger tally must naturally be returned to the emperor; this is essential. Even if more than ten or twenty years have passed, as long as the tiger tally remains, they will still be generals of the Great Qin.

It is both an honor and a form of trust.

The next morning, after everyone woke up, they continued on their journey.

The fields were still covered with wheat stubble after the autumn harvest, and some farmers were still working in the fields. Zhao Tuo remembered that there used to be a village there, but it was no longer there.

Even the previously uncultivated wasteland showed signs of being cultivated. This Guanzhong region was truly different, to the point that Zhao Tuo felt he didn't recognize it anymore.

Tu Ju returned from the front of the procession and said, "I asked the local people, and they said that Tongguan City is to the east. The former Ningqin County became Huayin County, and Tongguan was built next to Huayin County."

Huayin County?

Tu Ju then said, "Yes, our children are there."

Zhao Tuo looked towards Xianyang, then at the newly built road beneath his feet. There were ruts on the road, and it was heading towards Xianyang.

"Go see the emperor first."

Tuju nodded.

The group traveled for another day, leaving Zhongnan Mountain and passing through Lantian County. They continued northwest to Xianyang.

The group was resting there, and Tu Ju was grooming his long beard, trying his best to make himself look less like a savage.

Zhao Tuo sat beside him and could hear the sound of his knife rubbing against his skin.

Before long, Tu Ju washed his face thoroughly with the clear water from the river to make sure his face looked like a human face.

After they were tidied up, everyone seemed more energetic.

Zhao Tuo still hadn't seen Ren Xiao return; he was most likely still at Mount Li.

As you walk from here toward Xianyang, the number of pedestrians on the streets increases, and many passersby whisper and talk to each other when they see each other.

Zhao Tuo took a deep breath and looked at Tu Ju beside him, who looked calm.

When we arrived at the city of Xianyang, it was already afternoon.

Zhang Cang had been waiting there for a long time. When the group arrived, he saluted and said, "General Zhao, General Tu."

Zhao Tuo recognized the man before him and asked, "Are you Zhang Cang, who followed the Prime Minister back then?"

"Exactly."

After arriving in Guanzhong, Zhao Tuo finally met an acquaintance and sighed, "Now in Xianyang, you are the only person I recognize."

Zhang Cang said, "There are still many old friends in Xianyang. General Zhao and General Tu, come into the city with me."

The two dismounted and entered the city.

At the city gate, Zhao Tuo met an unfamiliar general.

Back then, Zhang Han was just an unknown figure among the Qin generals, but now he has become the Prefect of Guanzhong.

The reason Zhao Tuo recognized Zhang Han was because he had seen Zhang Ye earlier.

As the group entered the city, Zhao Tuo asked, "Will we be able to see the old prime minister again?"

"The Prime Minister is still at Mount Li. The Emperor has sent people to inquire several times, and they say that the old Prime Minister has no intention of returning."

Zhao Tuo sighed.

As Zhao Tuo walked through the bustling city of Xianyang, he smelled the aroma of wine and mutton, and saw an endless stream of pedestrians.

Zhao Tuo was shocked to see the crowded city of Xianyang. How could Xianyang be so crowded and so prosperous?

Xianyang City is still the same Xianyang City, but there are definitely more people here now.

To the people of Xianyang, behind the two generals were carts of treasures, including dozens of carts filled with silk and tea, several carts filled with gold and silver, and even countless pearls.

(End of this chapter)