"Kuiji is a large county. I appointed you as the captain of Kuaiji, but now you are transferred to Jiaodong because of me. I really feel sorry for you."
At the beginning of November, Qin Shihuang and his party finished their journey to Chengshan and returned to Xiuxian County to rest and recuperate. At the same time, they announced a new personnel transfer: Ren Xiao, the captain of Kuaiji County who took the building ship north to escort the eastward patrol, was changed to the captain of Jiaodong County.
, as Heifu's deputy, he is jointly responsible for clearing out the pirates within one year. The boat division under his jurisdiction and the men of the Chuyue building ship also serve in Jiaodong...
As a result, Heifu and his new colleague, who was nearly twenty years older than him, had a good business exchange.
Ren Xiao is also an old man in the officialdom. He doesn't even dare to say:
"The county governor was joking. Although Kuaiji is large and has a large population, it is still a barbaric place of Wu and Yue. How can it be compared with the large county of Haidong in the Central Plains of Jiaodong? Not to mention that His Majesty attaches so much importance to pacifying the Qidi pirates. Ren Xiao this time
A transfer is actually a promotion, a promotion..."
After the two exchanged blows, Heifu finally understood Ren Xiao's past. Like Yu Tu Sui, he started out as a building general. In the process of Wang Jian's destruction of Chu, he made great achievements in the battle to destroy Chu.
The scope of the battle was so large that Heifu only fought about one-tenth of the battle, and even missed the battle to the east of the Yangtze River. Therefore, there were many generals like him who achieved meritorious service and were promoted to high rank.
This is the case for Ren Xiao. After a series of battles such as crossing the Huaihe River and crossing the Yangtze River, he has become a senior general in the Qin Dynasty who plays water warfare, second only to Wei Tu Sui.
"After General Wang leveled the east of the Yangtze River, he ordered the captured boatmen to cross Zhejiang and surrender to the Yue kings."
This is Ren Xiao's most proud achievement. It turns out that although the Yue State was long ago destroyed by Chu, the Chu State was unable to effectively control the area south of the Qiantang River, so it allowed the descendants of Yue King Gou Jian to continue to be "Yue Kings" there.
.
This is just like Qin allowing the Ba people in Ba County and Nan County to retain their tribes, and their leaders are called kings. However, those Yuejun have greater autonomy, are on the coast of Jiangnan and the sea, and serve the Chu Dynasty. Except for the more civilized Yu
Beyond the border, Dongou and Minyue further south are in a completely independent state.
"There are two lieutenants in Kuaiji, one is in charge of the land and the other is in charge of the boat division. The Yue people are fierce and untamable. They often go into the mountains and forests to commit robberies, and some even escape to the islands in the East China Sea. There are old feuds between the two states of East Ou, Fujian and Yue.
We fight with weapons and fight on the water, which sometimes affects the Yue people in Kuaiji. I have been in Kuaiji for several years, and I am pretty good at dealing with these bandits..."
Heifu smiled and said: "In this case, what Jiaodong lacks is generals like Ren Jun. Although I am from the army, I can fight and form formations on the shore. It is really difficult for me to go into the sea to fight with others."
Heifu still welcomes Ren Xiao's transfer to Jiaodong. Warfare is not just playing house, and professional things must be done by professional people. This has nothing to do with having half a dime of knowledge about future generations. Heifu knows nothing about water warfare.
If you get out of the boat, you are just a fish belly at the mercy of others. Furthermore, the county guard is not qualified to directly control the military.
"Where do you think we should start to eliminate the Jiaodong pirates?"
Ren Xiao said: "We should take three steps. First, let the people of Chu Yue and Kuaiji know the hydrology and train them. Second, combine water and land. When the bandits land in search of food, they can be wiped out in one fell swoop and weaken their power. Third,
, when the time is right, we will send a large number of troops to sail to its lair and completely wipe it out!"
Even the first step has to be implemented in the spring. It's freezing now. Ren Xiao said that he can only take his soldiers to hide in the port of Yuxian County and use it as a base to let them adapt to the soil and water.
The Chu and Yue people in the south were not used to the severe cold in the north, so Hei Fu had to bring over a batch of winter clothes, most of which were made of linen and had limited protection against the cold.
At this time, Heifu misses Beidi County's woolen sweaters very much. Unfortunately, the output is limited. Now it can only meet the needs of the Shuofang and Helan garrisons. He doesn't know how well the good knights and farmers he has trained can live.
how was it?
"It takes a long time for livestock to reproduce and grow. Just knitting sweaters can't even meet the needs of the army, let alone clothing and quilts for the world..."
Heifu also realized the limitations of the wool spinning industry, and hoped that the envoy caravan sent by Qin Shihuang to the Western Regions could bring back cotton seeds as soon as possible so that they can take root in the Central Plains. Only then can the true "great refuge" be achieved.
All the poor men in the world are happy!"
After finishing his official duties, Hei Fu went to the palace to pay homage to Qin Shihuang and explained his plans with Ren Xiao. When he returned to his residence, he found that a fat man had been warming himself by the fire and had been waiting for him for a long time.
After closing the door, the first thing Zhang Cang asked was: "What exactly did you do to Xu Shi?"
…
"It's nothing."
Heifu spoke in an understatement, but his eyes were fixed on the fragrant goat milk that was boiling on the stove. He put some sugar in it to keep out the cold. This was a habit he had formed after living in Saibei for more than three years.
There is no regional discrimination when it comes to food. As long as it tastes good, anything from all over the world can be thrown into your mouth, no matter Rong Di or Zhu Xia.
He also poured a glass for Zhang Cang and said: "It's just that someone stopped Xu Shi on the way and invited him to come to Jiaodong as a guest."
"A guest?" Zhang Cang smiled: "There was no news about him, and others thought he was a guest who was captured by pirates."
"Isn't this also to make Warlock Fang's plan fail?"
Zhang Cang is a close friend and Hei Fu's "accomplice", and he doesn't hide it: "Soldiers are also deceitful. Since the warlocks want to make trees bloom, I can only give them a trick to drain the fire!"
"
Zhang Cang didn't quite understand what the flowers blooming on the trees meant, but he understood: "Xu Shi is still alive, could you have killed him?"
"Killed but not killed, this Xu City..."
Heifu smiled, if the legend is true, this Xu Shi, um, is Xu Fu, or the ancestor of the Japanese? Although this legend is not reliable, it does not prevent him from enjoying himself and saving Xu Shi's life.
Prepare for future plans.
Well, maybe after many years, he can be asked to take Liu Ji, who was eating and drinking freely under Heifu, to the Japanese island and never come back...
"He is still useful to me."
"Still be careful."
Zhang Cang came closer and said: "If this matter is exposed, you will be guilty of deceiving the emperor! You will even be said by the magicians to deliberately obstruct His Majesty's search for immortality!"
"The Alchemist won't be able to dance for much longer."
But Heifu said firmly: "Your Majesty is the most impatient. After this incident at Chengshanjiao, Your Majesty has already felt in his heart that the Alchemist is unreliable and a man of clever words and tricks. You see, after returning from Chengshanjiao to the west, Your Majesty still has
Can Zhao'an Qisheng or any alchemist talk about it in depth?"
"That's not true..."
Zhang Cang nodded and sighed: "But if you do this, you are just letting the boiling water stop. Your Majesty's desire to seek immortality is still unquenched. Doesn't this also require General Ren to be transferred to Jiaodong to work with you to clear out the bandits? Wait until the sea
After the wave subsides, I'm afraid it's still unavoidable to sail eastward to find immortals."
Heifu said: "The purpose of clearing out the pirates along the coast is not only for seeking immortality, but also for Jiaodong. I think this is just a temporary measure, so I'll put it off for now. After a year and a half, your Majesty may not be so enthusiastic about this matter."
"
Zhang Cang still didn't believe it: "How could you know?"
Heifu didn't say anything clearly, but said with a smile: "It's just a guess, but brother Zihu, you said in Chengshanjiao that I was just the same as you, just a critic. Now that you know my methods, what do you think?"
After Zhang Cang thought for a while, he solemnly said: "You are not a critic, nor are you any of the things the Master said."
After thinking for a while, he pointed at Heifu and said: "You are a wise minister! You are a wise minister! You can discern the secrets, see the success or failure, prevent and rescue them early, lead them to recover; block their leisure, cut off their sources, turn misfortunes into blessings, and make the king
A wise minister is the one who has no worries in the end! The one who can truly stay in the court to the end is a wise minister!"
…
"Fortunately, I stopped you and didn't let you get involved in this matter!"
At the same time, in another corner of the palace, Zhao Gao and his younger brother, Lang Wei Zhao Cheng, were also having a secret conversation.
Zhao Cheng recalled that he was the one who brought in Xia Mi, the magician Fang who accused Hei Fu of being unreasonable, and the grudge between Hei Fu and the magicians started from there.
But who could have expected that Heifu, who had been silent for a long time, would completely reverse the situation in Chengshanjiao. The sorcerers who had been criticized were disgraced and lost the trust of the emperor.
"A magician is not enough to strategize with him."
But Zhao Cheng is still a little puzzled: "My brother had a rift with Hei Fu earlier. Now why Hei Fu and Prime Minister Li are enemies of Fang Warlock. They fight hard every time. Why doesn't my brother take the opportunity to step on me?"
How many kicks does he have?"
"Heifu is in the limelight, why should I stand out?"
However, Zhao Gao knew very well: "This black man probably thinks of himself as a wise minister, who can see clearly, see success or failure, and turn the tide from collapse. He is involved in everything, and wants to have a hand in everything. He burns books and repairs them."
He almost turned against Li Cheng, and this time in Chengshanjiao, he also had a grudge against Warlock Fang. Haven't you noticed that the more he takes care of, the more enemies he will have in both the government and the public? In the end, he will become a lonely person.
Ministers, lonely ministers like Shang Yang and Wu Qi..."
If you don't find a good retreat, the lonely minister will die miserably in the end.
"In that case, why should I interfere again?"
Zhao Gao was most happy like this. Heifu always had countless things to take care of and countless enemies to fight, but he didn't need it. He could just hide behind it, spin a web like an eight-clawed spider, and watch the opportunity.
, just give him a hard blow.
"If we openly argue with him, His Majesty will be unhappy. We can just watch him lose..." Zhao Gao said lightly.
But Zhao Gao still underestimated the cheater's incredible luck. While the two brothers were talking, a messenger hurriedly came from Xianyang.
As the magistrate of the Zhongche Mansion, Zhao Gao was trusted by Qin Shihuang and was also in charge of the seal affairs. Whenever news and official documents arrived, he and several visitors would personally deliver them.
After entering the palace where Qin Shihuang rested, Zhao Gao was ordered to open the envelope, but he was stunned for a long time and could not speak.
"What happened?" Qin Shihuang asked.
"It's a good thing, Your Majesty."
Zhao Gao forced a smile and cursed in his heart: "It's lucky for Mr. Hei, Warlock Fang is dead! If this happens, His Majesty's desire to seek immortals in the East China Sea will probably be reduced by half!"
At this time, the visitor also replied loudly: "Your Majesty, this is the letter sent by General Wu Shiyan and Li Xin. The first batch of envoys to the Western Regions have returned. They have been to Loulan to pay a visit to King Loulan. Loulan wishes to
They professed themselves to the Qin Dynasty and offered tribute and protons. The mission was blocked by the desert and sandstorms and failed to penetrate deep into the Western Regions. But on the edge of the desert, they saw something..."
"What did you see?" Qin Shihuang raised his eyes curiously.
The visitor held the letter and said excitedly: "They saw the Kunlun Wonderland and the Queen Mother State of the West cast their shadows on the desert! Palaces and pavilions are all there!"
