The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 337 A Treasure Land Full of Wealth

Zhang Cang led the two generals to the palace gate and first stood and spoke with the guards in front of the hall.

"By order of the Emperor, the two generals may proceed directly into the palace."

Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju exchanged a glance and then walked into the palace gate together.

Then, Zhang Cang watched as the convoy almost filled the streets of Xianyang, and the fruits of victory in the war were finally delivered to the Qin Dynasty.

This puts people at ease, since the Qin Dynasty had practically gritted its teeth to muster the troops needed for that battle.

The costs have already been invested, and now it's time to recoup them.

"Prefect Zhang".

As Zhang Cang was thinking, he turned around and saw Chen Ping.

Chen Ping still had a smile on his face as he looked at the endless convoy of transport vehicles.

The convoy carrying treasures stretched from the palace gates of Xianyang all the way to the outskirts of the city.

Chen Ping remarked with emotion, "Even fighting the Cheshi and the Xiongnu didn't yield such results. It seems that the Cheshi and the Xiongnu weren't that wealthy after all."

Looking at Zhang Cang's expression, Chen Ping knew that he was usually a man of few words, so he decided to speak his mind and bowed, saying, "Prefect Zhang, the Emperor has ordered that these treasures be sent to Mount Li."

Zhang Cang said, "The emperor doesn't care about these treasures; all he cares about is the population and the land."

Chen Ping bowed and said, "I will escort these treasures to Mount Li first."

Zhang Cang nodded and entered the palace gate.

In the short time it took Zhang Cang to talk to Chen Ping, he noticed that Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju had already gone some distance ahead.

It rained yesterday, and the wind is quite cold today, especially when the cold wind blows.

Having spent so long in the south, the two generals were still somewhat unaccustomed to the climate here upon returning.

Upon arriving at the palace, the two generals removed their shoes and entered to pay their respects.

Right Chancellor Feng Quji and Grand Commandant Meng Tian are standing here.

"This humble general, Zhao Tuo, pays his respects to the Emperor."

"This humble general, Tu Ju, pays his respects to the Emperor."

The two men bowed simultaneously, presenting their tiger tally and a scroll. Tian An held the wooden tray, watching as the two generals placed the tally and scroll into it.

The main hall was quiet. Fusu took the two tiger tallies, which were still a little cool to the touch.

Fusu didn't know what material the tiger tally was made of. He took out the other half of the tiger tally, put it back together, and it was complete. Even the cut marks were perfectly aligned.

Fusu put down the tiger tally and had Tian An take it to Grand Commandant Meng Tian.

When the tiger tally was in the emperor's hands, Zhao Tuo finally felt a sense of relief. The pressure on him vanished instantly. With the tiger tally returned, his mission was over. The southern expedition had taken almost half his life, and his hard work had finally paid off.

Fusu stood up and walked to the two men, reaching out to help Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju up, saying, "Generals, you have suffered for more than ten years leading troops in the field."

Tu Ju said loudly, "This humble general is not suffering. This humble general's heart is set on returning to Great Qin and to the Emperor's command."

Fusu patted Tuju on the shoulder.

Zhao Tuo said, "Your Majesty, I also..."

Fusu said, “Now the lands acquired by the two generals all belong to the Great Qin. When you came, I considered whether to send someone to replace you, but no matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t think of anyone better.”

“When your offspring grow up, they can go south and inherit your marquisate, and live a life of wealth and honor forever.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju bowed and paid their respects once again.

Right Chancellor Feng Quji stepped forward at the opportune moment and said loudly: "General Zhao Tuo, who conquered Yue, and General Tu Ju, who conquered Yue, have guarded Nanyue for sixteen years, built salt fields, reclaimed land and dug canals, smelted iron and made plows, built cities and towns, and implemented Qin laws. They are hereby specially granted the title of Grand Master, with a fief of three hundred households, a bronze yoke, and a jade-hilted sword."

"Let Zhao Tuo's descendants guard the Dongjiang Road, and let them guard the Dongjiang Road for generations, making it their profession."

“The son of Tuju is appointed as the governor of Xiangjun County in the South China Sea, and will be in charge of the military seal of the South China Sea County. He will be able to lead three thousand Yue cavalry to guard the South China Sea and make it his livelihood for generations.”

The reason Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju's child were sent to Guanzhong was to control them.

Now that these two generals have returned, the emperor can bestow wealth and honor upon their descendants.

They would remain in Guanzhong, and their descendants could choose one to return to the south, one to guard the Dongjiang River and the other to guard the South China Sea.

Looking at the two generals who were bowing down with excited expressions, Feng Quji thought to himself, "Isn't all I've ever wanted in my life of fighting for peace and wealth?"

The emperor gave them what they deserved and promised them wealth and honor for their descendants, allowing the two generals to make a living in the south for generations.

The land under heaven still belongs to the Great Qin, which still governs the country with the concept of unification, maintaining unity and not allowing the feudal system to be revived.

Therefore, Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju's mission came to an end, and the emperor bestowed rewards upon them. This meant that Qin's prefecture-county system, along with the land and territory, expanded from the south to the South China Sea, from the north to the northern desert, from the east to the end of the Great Wall, and from the west to Cheshi.

This country was so big that many people never imagined that the territory of the Qin Dynasty could be so vast.

The emperor hosted a banquet for the two generals at Zhangtai Palace.

Rumor has it that the banquet that night was very lively. Zhao Tuo got drunk, and Tu Ju drank until he cried bitterly. It didn't end until late at night.

The following day, when Prince Heng arrived with the court officials to attend the meeting, the aroma of wine could still be smelled in the hall.

Today, Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju will certainly not come to the court meeting, but the emperor has arranged positions for the two generals under the command of Zhang Han, the Grand Secretary, two positions that will allow them to enjoy their retirement in peace.

Listening to the surrounding conversation, Prince Heng glanced at Zhang Han, who was standing among the assembled officials.

Zhang Han stood ramrod straight, closing his eyes and ignoring the surrounding chatter.

The ministers may be absent, but the emperor will not.

Regardless of wind, rain, frost, or severe cold, the emperor would appear at Zhangtai Palace on time every day, and he almost never missed a meeting unless there were special circumstances. Today's court meeting was still about the dispatch of officials from the south.

Even before Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju returned, the ministers in the Prime Minister's office had already discussed matters in the south.

It must be said that the South is rich in resources, has a warm climate, and abundant rainfall, resulting in plentiful grains and fisheries.

Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju did indeed make great contributions, conquering a land full of wealth for the Qin Dynasty.

The ministers once again discussed matters concerning the governance of the south at Zhangtai Palace.

After the court meeting ended, Prince Heng left Xianyang City to visit his grandfather at Mount Li, as ordered by his father and mother.

We rode swiftly from Xianyang to Lishan, arriving here at night.

The treasures transported from the south were still piled up at the foot of the mountain. Heng discovered a lot of ivory, jade artifacts, and rhinoceros leather under the black cloth covering them.

Li Si said, "Young Master."

"Prime Minister."

"This old minister is no longer the prime minister; he has retired."

Prince Heng added, "In Father's heart, no one can replace the Prime Minister."

Li Si sighed, "The emperor should appoint another prime minister."

An emperor's exceptional abilities are also a problem; it's just that the current emperor is too capable.

An emperor who is so capable and yet so harsh and critical of his ministers is likely to be dissatisfied with everyone.

Yes, the emperor had high standards for himself and his ministers, and this had been true since his youth, without ever changing.

Li Si said, "Young master, you've come here to..."

“I’ve come to visit Grandpa,” Gongzi Heng replied immediately.

Li Si looked up at the mountaintop and said, "Young master, please follow me."

Just as he was about to walk up the mountain, Gongzi Heng saw the person standing behind Li Si.

Li Si noticed the gaze and replied, "This is Ren Xiao, who came back with Zhao Tuo."

"Is he not going to see the Emperor?"

Ren Xiao said, "I have received the emperor's decree and will go to see him tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Gongzi Heng continued walking upwards.

Li Si inquired, "This old minister has heard that the emperor bestowed a jade-hilted sword upon Zhao Tuo?"

Gongzi Heng nodded and asked, "Is this object very special?"

Li Si nodded and said, "When the Qin army marched east and unified the six kingdoms, they obtained many rare treasures from the royal palaces of the six kingdoms, including the jade-hilted sword, which was a royal item from the Chu region."

Gongzi Heng continued walking up the mountain and asked, "Is this an accessory for royalty?"

Li Si continued, "The emperor's intentions are all in the rewards. Although he did not confer titles of kings or marquises, he did give them the ceremonial objects for those who were conferred titles of marquises."

Prince Heng understood that Qin would never grant fiefdoms, nor would his father allow them to establish their own states. The land must be reclaimed and returned to the state. For so many years, both his grandfather and father had been doing just that.

Gongzi Heng continued walking up the mountain, thinking about the shared obsession between his grandfather and father, their almost mission-like dedication to unification.

Future generations will surely follow the same path.

Gongzi Heng continued walking uphill, thinking about the treasures at the foot of the mountain. He wondered if they might be buried with his grandfather after he passed away.

This was the Emperor's arrangement. Prince Heng knew his father's preferences well. His father was only interested in governing the country and only cared about land, population, and taxes.

As for those treasures, the emperor would not take them for himself, so he simply buried them underground, out of sight and out of mind.

Heng had read and heard about the luxurious lives of the royal families of the past in books, and from childhood he had received the best teachers' guidance.

I don't have any particular feelings about those luxurious lifestyles; at least my current life is pretty good.

Gongzi Heng arrived at the mountain and saw his grandfather looking at honeycomb briquettes.

"grandfather?"

Hearing the call, Ying Zheng's gaze was still fixed on the honeycomb briquettes that had burned and crumbled, and he said, "Did your father bestow this upon his ministers?"

Heng explained, "It was bestowed upon the officials on the day of the full moon."

Ying Zheng said in a deep voice, "With this, your father can collect more taxes."

Gongzi Heng stood aside, hesitatingly asking, "Grandpa, do you mean this item will become part of the tax?"

Ying Zheng chuckled and snorted, "Salt and iron are what the country and its people need most. In the future, there will be another one: coal."

Gongzi Heng said, "That's great. Father Emperor often talks about taxes, but I don't know if more taxes are better or if we should reduce the taxes on people. However, with coal, the problem should be solved."

Li Si said, "We should think more about national policies..."

Even today, Li Si remains a political master when it comes to governing the country.

Heng kept every word the old prime minister said in his heart.

As he descended the mountain, he continued to repeat the old prime minister's words, hoping they would be of use to his father, the emperor.

When Gongzi Heng left Lishan, he arrived in Jingyang County carrying a basket of honeycomb briquettes.

Liu Ying was reading a book when he saw the visitor and bowed, saying, "Young Master."

(End of this chapter)