"I dare to tell you, the commander, ten miles ahead is Wuguan!"
The director of the small pavilion was respectful. Hei Fu nodded and asked him to boil some water and wash his face. He looked at the bronze mirror he carried and found that he finally didn't look dusty anymore.
It is now the first ten days of spring in the twenty-sixth year of the Qin Dynasty. After more than half a month of trekking, Heifu and his party, consisting of more than ten people and six carriages, finally left Nanjun and Nanyang County and arrived at the last pavilion before entering the customs.
The so-called Guanzhong refers to the "four passes", namely Hangu Pass, Sanguan, Wuguan and Xiaoguan. Although Hangu Pass is the main passage into Guanzhong from Shandong, Wuguan is more convenient from Nanjun
.If Heifu remembers correctly, in history, Liu Bang also took this route to enter the customs.
Heifu asked his charioteer Sangmu to feed the horses, and asked his cousin Yanze to check the customs clearance again. It was revealed that in addition to luggage, several of the carriages were pulling two thousand kilograms of brown sugar...
Yan took out all the necessary things and checked them again, then smiled and said: "With the talisman of Zuo Shuchang, do the soldiers guarding the gate dare to stop us?"
Heifu put on a serious face and said solemnly: "Not to mention that I, Zuo Shu, was a high lord in Nanjun. After entering the customs, it is nothing. Furthermore, entering the customs is not a trivial matter. The guards will check it later.
Be strict and I won't care about you if you make any mistakes!"
"What should I do?"
Yan's face instantly turned pale when he was frightened by Hei Fu. He only did some small business in Anlu and could speak eloquently in front of the township party, but he had never left Anlu, let alone entered Xianyang.
Heifu patted him: "You are not transporting gold or iron weapons or other prohibited items, so what are you afraid of? Just tell the truth later."
After a short rest, the group set off again. They took the "Wuguan East Road". This is a road opened along the Danshui River Valley and connected to the Xiong'er Mountains in the east. From the Nanyang Basin to here, the road becomes more and more difficult as you go west.
Narrow, within hundreds of miles, there are generally mountains and long valleys, which are narrow and difficult to navigate.
Not long after, after crossing a mountain pass, Wuguan suddenly appeared in front of everyone.
But it turns out that Guancheng was built on a relatively flat highland in the canyon, with the tall Shaoxi Mountain to the north and Danshui to the south. The Guancheng was built of earth, with bricks and stones as the foundation, and the wall was two miles long, extending up the mountainside.
It winds and twists and turns, almost completely blocking the road into the customs!
In order to guard this place, the Qin State specially set up a "Wuguan Duwei" to guard it, with five thousand soldiers.
Looking up at Wuguan at this time, Heifu couldn't help but secretly praise: "Strangle the junction between Qin and Chu, and rely on the dangers of mountains and rivers. Pass Nanyang and move to the east, enter Lantian, and pass the dangers on the right. Wuguan's huge defenses can be distinguished in one fell swoop. It's true.
Si Yan!”
They were not lonely travelers. The nearly one mile road ahead was filled with business travelers and officials waiting to cross the border. They were sweating to death, and their carriages and horses were raising dust.
Among them, the left side is the civilian road, the right side is the official road, and the middle channel is reserved for postal officials to enter and exit. Just while waiting on the side of the official road, Heifu has seen more than ten horses galloping in and out continuously.
Probably delivering documents and military information from various counties.
Guanzhong is equivalent to the heart of Qin, and these roads are like blood vessels.
Although Hei Fu looked like he didn't care about Yan's life or death, he still asked him to enter the customs at the same time as him. When it was their turn, Hei Fu stepped forward and showed him the talisman issued to him by Nanjun, the test, the biography, and the King of Qin's order.
The edict to enter Xianyang.
Although he had the title of Zuo Shuzhang and the edict from King Qin, Heifu was still under strict investigation. A hundred generals who came to inquire first said sorry to him, and then began to divide his subordinates into several teams to inspect them separately.
The inspection of Heifu's entourage, as well as the cargo being pulled in the car.
"What is this?"
Lifting the mat on the carriage, the official picked up a piece of brown sugar shaped like a horseshoe and asked.
"It's a specialty of Anlu County, Nanjun. It's called brown sugar! It's similar to glutinous rice."
After Yan finished explaining with a smile, he followed Heifu's instructions and added: "This is the tribute presented to the king by Chief Zuo!"
The hundred generals nodded, looked at Hei Fu and said with a smile: "Chief Zuo, can I test it?"
"Please."
Heifu wanted to take this opportunity to see if Yan could afford this million-dollar business. After saying a few words, he stepped forward to chat with the leader who was on duty today.
Therefore, Yan could only deal with the guards by himself.
But when he saw the general stuffing the horseshoe-shaped brown sugar into his mouth and biting a piece, his eyes widened. He thought it was as sweet as glutinous rice, but unexpectedly it turned out to be so sweet that it made people salivate...
…
"So sweet!" he couldn't help but say.
The other hundred generals and the village chief also came over and asked with a shy smile if they could try it too.
At this time, Yan didn't seem to be nervous anymore, and smiled as if he were dealing with county officials: "This brown sugar is in Xianyang. A small piece can be sold for hundreds of dollars. Gentlemen, is this considered asking for a bribe?"
Everyone was shocked when they heard that it was so expensive. The general even wanted to put the brown sugar back after taking a bite, but was stopped by Yan:
"This is a gift to the king. If it is brought to the palace and it is found that there is a bite on it and there are teeth marks, what kind of crime is this? If you want to taste it, please eat this piece of candy!"
After Yan came over smoothly, Heifu looked at him with admiration: "Although this is your first time entering the customs, you handled it well."
He also praised: "I also learned Guanzhong dialect well."
"When I was a small businessman, things like this were not uncommon."
Yan rubbed the back of his head and said: "Qin officials are afraid of the law and dare to take advantage secretly, but they dare not openly ask for bribes. As for Guanzhong dialect, Chief Zuo asked me to find someone to learn it a year ago."
He couldn't help but admire Heifu's foresight.
They were not required to pay taxes, not only because Heifu said it was "a tribute to the king", but also because in the first month (October), Xianyang issued an order saying that those entering the customs from outside the customs this year would be exempted from customs duties!
Probably because he wanted to set an example for the country-wide border system, which rarely imposed any restrictions on people coming and going.
However, Heifu and the others were fine, but the horses were still lagging behind and were being smoked everywhere by a group of guards holding mugwort and other objects. The smell was very unpleasant.
"This is a routine inspection."
The leader guarding the pass said to Heifu: "The law states that visitors from outside the pass must use fire to weigh their yoke, and inspect the cattle and horses, and do not allow unruly horses to enter the pass..."
Heifu knew that the so-called "saucy horse" was a parasite on horses. In order to prevent the carriages and horses outside the customs from bringing in this livestock disease, all carriages and horses entering the customs must use fire to smoke the scales, yokes and driving belts.
.
The same goes for people. There are dedicated doctors at Wuguan, Hangu and other passes. Anyone entering the pass who appears to be sick at first sight, even if they have a headache or fever, will be stopped to avoid bringing infectious diseases into the capital.
"So strict?"
Heifu couldn't help but sigh: "If you enter the customs these days, you will have to compete with those who will go through customs quarantine in future generations!"
Fortunately, Heifu's horses were well taken care of by Sangmu and there were no problems.
After going through this strict quarantine, Heifu felt like he had actually entered the capital area, instead of just going somewhere casually.
Guanzhong is the heartland of the Qin State, the land of Yongzhou, the territory of Weihan, and the 800-mile Qinchuan River. It is the true "Land of Abundance" in this era.
I wonder what kind of wonders he will see there?
"Please come in, Chief Zuo."
Everything was fine. The guard leader bowed to Heifu. Immediately, the soldiers behind him also moved out of the way, and two heavy doors were closed in front of Heifu.
Heifu sat in the car, and as the wheels rolled, he entered the shadow of the Wuguan City Gate. As the front became brighter and brighter, he secretly expected in his heart: "Guanzhong..."
"I am coming!"
…
At the same time that Heifu stepped into the land of Guanzhong, thousands of miles away, in Xiaxiang County at the junction of Sishui County and Donghai County, in the Xiang Family Manor hidden among the mountains and forests, Xiang Liang, dressed in Chu clothes, angrily
After taking pictures of the crime, he shouted to the young man in front of him:
"I asked you to study in the study room. If you didn't learn, you stopped studying. I even beat the master severely. I thought you were tired of literature and liked martial arts, so I asked a famous swordsman from Yanzhao to teach you to learn swordsmanship. You were lazy all day long, and I heard that you even
Broken the swordsman’s blade!”
"Is it possible that the eldest grandson of my Xiang family is incompetent in literature and martial arts? Have you forgotten how the Chu Kingdom perished and how your ancestors and father were killed by Qin?"
“Don’t forget your membership!”
At a young age, the young man, who no longer had his hair tied into a bun, but instead wore a bun, knelt on the ground, lowered his head, paused, and said to his father Ji:
"I just think that books are enough to memorize names and surnames. Why do I need to become a Confucian scholar who can write first-hand articles? A sword can be defeated by one person. Although Ji is weak in talent, he can defeat three people. One day he can defeat ten or hundreds of people. He is also
Not enough to learn!”
Xiang Liang didn't expect him to answer like this. He was stunned for a while and then asked: "Then what do you want to learn?"
The young man raised his head suddenly. Although he was only twelve years old, he had a tiger-like head and a strong head. Under a pair of heroic eyebrows, there were eyes full of hatred!
That is the hatred for the Qin State and Qin officials! The hatred for the destruction of the country and the destruction of the family!
With burning hatred, the young Xiang Yu said word by word: "Husband, you should learn from the example of being an enemy of ten thousand people!"
…
Leaving Xiaxiang, we walked upstream along the meandering Surabaya River, passing through Xiapi, passing through Pengcheng, and finally arriving near Peixian County. On the east bank of the river, at the main traffic thoroughfare, there is a small pavilion called "Sishui Pavilion".
Different from the Huyang Pavilion in Anlu County, Nan County, which has no village in front and no store in the back, here is not only adjacent to the village, but also two restaurants, opened by Wang Lao and Wu Fu. Due to competition, the two women usually
They have cold eyebrows and are quite unkind to each other.
However, on this day, in Wang La's restaurant, Aunt Wang was busy preparing food, while the pretty Wu Fu across the street closed the shop and ran over to help.
It turns out that today, both restaurants were booked by the newly appointed Sishui pavilion chief...
The new pavilion chief is named Liu Ji.
Liu Ji, who has a beautiful beard and beard, is different from the abjection he used to be when he was a ranger. Today, he is wearing a bare headband, armor and a sword. He is sitting on the table with a slender belly. He is also holding his newly met lover, the pretty widow Cao, in his arms.
After accepting the request for robbery from his subordinates, the father of the pavilion, the soldiers of the pavilion, and his good brothers Ren Ao, Lu Wan and others congratulated him, with faces full of pride.
"Unexpectedly, I, Liu Ji, was only chased away by officials in the past, but I will one day become an official!"
In the past year or so, Peixian County has experienced earth-shaking changes.
In accordance with Qin's policy over the years, the Qin army destroyed the old local government of Chu and set up Sishui County to manage it. Sishui County and Pei County quickly reorganized the rural society according to Qin's Shiwu system, with five families, one wu, and ten families.
First, register people and property, collect taxes and military service. Everyone is fixed on the land where their household registration is located. Neighbors supervise each other and sit together, and are not allowed to move around at will.
Under this new system, the most affected people are the homeless people, especially the rangers, who have been brutally attacked and have almost lost their chance of survival.
As the current situation changes, Ranger Liu Ji faces a major choice, either to join the new system in public, have a fixed residence and occupation, and start a new life.
Either flee and become a fugitive criminal outside the law of Qin. For example, Zhang Er, a county knight in Wei who Liu Ji followed in the past, immediately became a wanted target of the Qin government after the Qin army captured Wei. He fled invisibly and disappeared without a trace.
Liu Ji had already anticipated this day since the Battle of Waihuang, and without any hesitation, this man who knew current affairs chose to turn back.
But he was too lazy to listen to his parents and worked hard as a farmer. He actually had the courage to think of becoming an official!
"Are you the only one who can be an official?" That was the tone of my father, Taigong Liu, at that time. He would not believe that mud could get on the wall.
However, Liu Ji made the right bet again. He had no chance of becoming an official during the rule of Chu State, and finally caught up with the good times!
According to the official system of the Qin State, the new county magistrates, county magistrates, and county lieutenants were transferred from the Qin State from the mainland. However, local minor officials were mostly held by locals.
There are many ways to recruit local petty officials into official positions. They can be transferred from military officials, recommended by the local government based on certain property and behavioral standards, or selected through "trial officials".
Liu Ji is thirty-five years old this year. He is an old bachelor with a bad reputation in his hometown of Fengyi. He is recommended to become an official, which requires virtue and reputation in the village. He cannot succeed, so he can only choose to take the exam to become an official.
Relying on his relationship with Ren Ao, who was the jailer in the county, he found some Qin rules to excerpt and recite.
Liu Ji had high hopes from his parents when he was a child and had learned to read. It took him half a year to finally master the "Rules of Thieves", "Rules of Thieves", "Rules of Arrest", "Rules of Prisoners" and "Miscellaneous Rules" that Heifu had memorized many years ago.
” and “Gu Lv”, as well as “Shi Lv” and “Xing Shu Lv” were read at 7788. I also took the Lulu exam in Peixian County in October. Although there were some mistakes, I barely passed.
As a military official, the chief of the pavilion was also required to be proficient in swordsmanship and five soldiers. This was Liu Jizhangxiang.
So, in January, he was appointed as the head of the Sishui Pavilion.
The chief of the Sishui pavilion was as big as the leader of the land. He held a slip of orders in one hand and a rope to tie people up in the other. He also had two or three subordinates at his command. Within ten miles, everyone respected him. He was not a majestic person!
After everyone chatted for a while, a loud voice sounded outside the door of the wine shop.
"Brother Ji, the second and third sons, the meat is here!"
A butcher about twenty years old with a beard and greasy hands came in, carrying two freshly roasted dog legs.
His name is Fan Kuai, a dog butcher from Peixian County, and a little brother Liu Ji met when he was a ranger.
"Ah Kuai, sit down quickly, I'm going to leave you!"
Liu Ji was the boss of the group. After he asked Fan Kuai to sit down, he took Widow Cao with one hand, kissed her, then laughed loudly and raised the pottery wine cup high!
"The second and third son, Liu Ji before he became an official, was a rural ranger. A ranger traveled around the world, made friends, and paid attention to loyalty!"
"Now that I have become a minor official in the government, I have to accept the way of being an official and the many restrictions of Qin's laws and regulations, and I am no longer allowed to act recklessly. It is no longer okay to wander around when I am busy with official duties..."
After saying a few serious words, the old gangster couldn't help it anymore, showed his true colors again, and said with a playful smile: "But you still have to drink wine, and you still have to make friends!"
"Well said! Congratulations to Liu Ting!"
Qiu Pi, the father of the pavilion, the soldiers of the pavilion, as well as Ren Ao, Lu Wan, Fan Kuai and others also raised their wine cups, drank with Liu Ji, and laughed.
Although the wine was rough and bad, it was refreshing when it went down into his stomach. After Liu Jiman drank several cups, he let Widow Cao help him wipe the wine from his thick beard, stretched out his hand to touch his scarf, and said with emotion.