In early December of the thirty-fifth year of the First Emperor of Qin, outside Jimo City, a group of officials were bidding farewell to their colleagues.
The leaders are the newly appointed Chief Zuo Shu, Chen Ping, the meritorious officer, and Cao Shen, the military officer. The person who is about to leave is Xiao He, the "little official" who was dragged into the water by Hei Fu...
The farewell banquet has been eaten, and Xiao He's luggage has been filled with money several times that of the time of reunification.
Finally it was time to say goodbye, and everyone stepped forward to say goodbye one by one. When it was Cao Shen's turn, he looked at Xiao He and hesitated to speak...
When he was an official in Peixian County, Xiao He was the first in everything, and Cao Shen was the second oldest in ten thousand years, so it was inevitable that he would have some thoughts in his mind. But during the four years he was an official in Jiaodong, it was Cao Shen who had the best reputation and always overpowered Xiao He.
, it’s also quite proud!
Now, when Heifu left Jiaodong, he neither took his confidant Chen Ping nor let Cao Shen, who was both civil and military, go south, but only asked Xiao He to go with him. Many people were puzzled.
Cao Shen did not envy Lao Xiao's new job at all. He heard that there were many vipers and ferocious beasts in the Baiyue Forest. The weather was hot and rainy, and cholera occurred frequently during the summer months. Most of those who died in the southern expedition were not killed in battles.
He took the sword, but died of a vicious disease and miasma. Xiao He was in his forties, and his death was really unlucky...
Although the two had competition, they were old friends from the same hometown after all. Cao Shen was worried about Xiao He from the bottom of his heart.
Xiao He also had a worried look on his face, and took the initiative to bow to Cao Shen: "If Xiao He dies in the south, my three useless sons, Xiao Lu, Xiao Tong, and Xiao Yan, I hope Brother Cao will teach them, and the Xiao clan will also ask
Cao's help..."
Chu people believe that in the south of the Five Ridges, in addition to tattooed barbarians who cannibalize human flesh, there are countless demons and ghosts. Huge foxes are everywhere, and male snakes with nine heads devour people's hearts. Even if you die, your soul should not go south.
Not to mention the living! Xiao He also felt that he might be in bad luck if he left, and he was so pessimistic that he had to settle his funeral arrangements in advance.
A thousand years later, in the Tang Dynasty, most people who were thrown to Lingnan to serve as officials had to shed tears in pain, say their last goodbyes to relatives and friends, and write countless poems to complain. It was like entering the gates of hell, let alone the Qin Dynasty.
"sure!"
Cao Shen nodded heavily, with tears in his eyes. The friendship between the two was indeed to the point where he could be entrusted to his wife.
Chen Ping laughed out loud from the side.
"This is a journey of making great achievements, how come the two of you are separated by life and death? As the daughter of the Marquis of Changnan, he does not avoid danger and goes south first. Isn't he afraid of the epidemic? There is always a way to solve things, Brother Xiao doesn't have to
Worry, since you are afraid of the miasma ghosts in the south, then..."
With that said, Chen Ping ran to the side of the road, broke off a willow branch from a bare tree, pretended to walk around Xiao He, murmured some words, and held the willow branch in both hands to give it to him.
"This Liu will definitely be able to protect Brother Xiao! Ghosts, monsters, and miasma will not come close to me!"
At that time, people regarded the willow tree as a tree that warded off evil spirits and expelled ghosts. Pedestrians who brought willow branches could at least scare away the ghosts and keep them away, ensuring a safe journey. Breaking the willow tree to say goodbye was a wish for a safe journey for travelers...
This move was humorous, but the sad farewell atmosphere suddenly disappeared. Xiao He and Cao Shen were both a little embarrassed. Their actions just now did show a bit of cowardice.
Xiao He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he had to cross the willow branch and said: "Thank you Chen Jun for your willow. Xiao He will definitely be like this willow, no matter how hot or cold it is, wherever it is inserted, it will live wherever it is inserted! Let's say goodbye, I just hope we can meet again one day!"
Chen Ping, Cao Shen and others also bowed their hands to him: "Take care!"
…
After seeing off Xiao He, Chen Ping returned home. Four years after coming to Jiaodong, Chen Ping's family also moved to Jimo. With his title and position rising, he no longer had to live in Heifu's family like he did in the north.
When I walked up to the Gaomen Courtyard, it was very majestic.
After entering the door, Chen Ping discovered that his wife Zhang had set up a statue in the yard and was worshiping her, making the whole house a mess...
Chen Ping frowned. He is the person who least believes in evil. Otherwise, he would not have happily accepted his wife Zhang's marriage to five husbands, and all five husbands died. Wouldn't it be okay in the end? His career has skyrocketed.
, fame and wealth come rolling in, and all the ghosts and gods, destiny, are all illusory.
He believes that everything depends on man-made efforts!
So Chen Ping was quite unhappy and scolded: "What is this?"
Zhang turned her head. She was slightly older than Chen Ping, and the years had left traces on her face. The former most beautiful woman in Yangwu County now had crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.
Chen Ping's love for her also gradually faded away. After returning from Jieshi last month, he took in two concubines at a very fast speed - Zhang didn't know that this was Chen Ping's search for a suitable one for him to stay in Jiaodong.
excuse.
Although Mrs. Zhang was angry, she had nothing to do. The middle-aged woman who lost her husband's love could only turn her interest to praying to gods and worshiping ghosts, and she worshiped the god of Qi Di...
Chen Ping asked, and she said confidently: "This is the Yin Lord of the Three Mountains, which can protect people's fortunes. I once prayed to the Yin Lord for my husband's safety. Now my husband has been promoted to Zuo Shuchang, and he is a high official in the county. He is no longer a guest.
, and there is no need to go to the dangerous Lingnan. I think my prayers will come true, so I offer sacrifices here to fulfill my wishes. My dear, you also come to pay your respects..."
"absurd."
Chen Ping scolded his wife and asked her to quickly remove these messy things.
Mrs. Zhang was very aggrieved and cried. After taking away the statue of the god, she muttered: "Others were very happy to be free from being diners, but my husband was unhappy. Could it be that he still wanted to follow the Marquis of Changnan? Isn't he going to the south?"
You take care of your beloved for the sake of your beloved and to protect you. Everyone can see that the south is dangerous and there is a narrow escape from death..."
"enough!"
The more his wife spoke, the more crooked she became. When Chen Ping returned to the study, he was angry and helpless.
Of course he understood that his wife was doing it for his own good. Like Cao Shen, Zhang thought that most people who went to the south would die there, and Chen Ping was thankful that he had been spared this disaster.
But he was also angry with this woman for talking nonsense.
"What does she know? The reason why Junhou left me in Jiaodong is to guard this cave!"
Only the two of them knew this series of plans. Heifu felt that Chen Ping's reputation was too great. If he was transferred and followed three times, even if Qin Shihuang was not suspicious, he would give the lie to him.
Therefore, after Qin Shihuang promoted Chen Pingjue, he was asked to quit his job, end his relationship with Heifu, and stay in Jiaodong as a meritorious official, equivalent to the provincial party committee organization minister in later generations.
The new Jiaodong County Sheriff will soon take office, but no matter who comes, he will have to rely on Chen Ping. As Heifu's agent, Chen Ping controls everything about Jiaodong's New Deal.
, his words are much more useful than those of local officials. These are the connections accumulated through four years of hard work.
Hei Fu took Xiao He away and kept Cao Shen for this reason: Cao Shen had completely surrendered to Hei Fu and served as a military officer, in charge of military affairs. With the cooperation of Chen Ping, who was in charge of personnel affairs, Jiaodong's military and political affairs could not avoid him.
People, once the situation changes, Chen Ping will have helpers for whatever he wants to do.
Chen Ping decided to sleep in the study tonight. He turned on the lamp and wrote a poem on a piece of linen paper with a pen.
It was "Compassion for the Farmers" that Heifu wrote in order to win the favor of the farmer leader Ye Lao when he welcomed the farmers to Jiaodong three years ago.
"It's noon on the day of hoeing, and the sweat is dripping from the soil
Who knows dishes on the menu, A Journey."
At that time, this poem won great praise from the farmers. They believed that the Jiaodong County Sheriff was worthy of being from the capital of Guizhou and understood the difficulties of farmers, so he took root in Jiaodong. After several years of hard work, at the suggestion of Heifu, the farmers planted cabbage.
Grinding soybean milk and tofu, and growing the excess beans into bean sprouts, these foods greatly improved the army's food, and gradually began to enter the civilian population. The dishes on the Jiaodong people's tables began to become more colorful...
But in October, when Chen Ping left Jieshi, Heifu told him: "There is actually a second half of "Compassion for the Farmers", and I'm only showing it to you."
Thinking of the unreserved trust of the monarchs, Chen Ping became more vigorous in writing and no longer used Qin seals. Twenty Wei characters jumped onto the paper!
“Sow a grain of millet in spring and harvest ten thousand grains in autumn.
There is no idle land everywhere, and farmers are still starving to death!”
Heifu's poem gave Chen Ping a complete understanding of the monarch's intentions and determination! Farmers especially starve to death. This is the current situation in the world!
I thought that after the world was unified, we could cease wars and turn swords into plowshares. However, Qin Shihuang deceived everyone!
Chen Ping said to himself: "What is said on the stone carvings is that the common people are innocent, the men are happy in their fields, and the women are in their professions. They are all lies... In fact, in the past ten years, they have been fighting every year!"
Even though Heifu and others encouraged mulberry farming and commodity farming in Jiaodong, the benefits of these new policies to the head of Guizhou were not worth the heavy corvee and taxes. On the contrary, the wealth created by Jiaodong for the court was continuously invested by Qin Shihuang into new projects.
In battle.
Chen Ping only felt that what Heifu did in Jiaodong was like putting out a fire with a salary. The fire will never be extinguished if the salary is not exhausted!
He read the whole poem several times, and then immediately threw it into the charcoal pot and burned it to ashes. Watching it being swallowed up by the tongues of fire, Chen Ping's eyes also reflected the flames.
"This fire that keeps licking the world is not the land and fields, the nobles of the Six Kingdoms, the frivolous and evil young men, and it is not the garrison soldiers who fled into the mountains and forests to avoid the harsh government."
"This fire is the Qin Dynasty's own harsh rule and the endless desires of Qin Shi Huangdi!"
The heart of a single man is becoming increasingly arrogant, and the entire world, with 30 million people, has to revolve around him: 300,000 people garrisoned the Great Wall in the north, 100,000 people opened in the west, and 200,000 people marched in the south, but they are not as good as
There are 700,000 prisoners in the palaces and mausoleums of Guanzhong and Lishan...
Almost all the young and strong laborers of the right age are running on the road, and there is no time to farm properly. After more than ten years of continuous work, everyone is tired.
Chen Ping was certain that soon, this fire would burn the entire Kyushu to a white ground.
"The Southern Expedition is a quagmire. I am afraid that another two to three hundred thousand people will be added to it. As the years go by, the soldiers are tired and the food is exhausted. The men are not allowed to cultivate trees and the women are not allowed to spin and weave. The strong men join the army and the old and weak are exhausted.
If the wages are changed, those who live there will have no food, and those who travel will have no food. The people will be forced to fight, and those who flee will be numerous."
"At that time, there will be turmoil both inside and outside, and the people will be in dire straits. Those who have gone will not return, and those who have gone will not turn back. Everyone will have no chance of living. They will flee and follow each other. They will become thieves. In the end, they will be out of control. When Emperor Qin dies, the Central Plains will be destroyed.
chaos……"
That fire will also spread to the seven temples of the Qin Dynasty. The pillars will be crooked and the buildings will collapse!
Just like what Chen Ping saw more than ten years ago, Daliang City collapsed!
The paper was burned to ashes in the charcoal basin, and Chen Ping also showed a smile full of hope.
Sure enough, compared to Taoist Huang Lao, conspiracy is more suitable for him.
"And the princes will return home with hundreds of thousands of people who are eager to return home. Whoever dares to stop the conquerors from returning will be their enemy! Changnanhou, he will be the one who saves the world after this fire.
Sweet rain!"
…
At the same time, Heifu and his party, who traveled south all night, also arrived at Ye County, Nanyang County.
In the biting cold wind, Gong Ao was ordered to hold a banner in front and shouted, "The Marquis of Changnan is coming, everyone should stay away!"
Heihu was riding behind and galloping wildly, causing a lot of excitement in the streets! He looked very much like the villain in the novel.
Snowflakes fell from the pitch-black sky, falling all over the people and horses.
Heifu's hand holding the bridle was so cold that he even lost consciousness.
But he had no intention of slowing down at all. He was in a hurry. The hills in the distance seemed to be the hunched back of the ghost uncle. It had the same destination as Hei Fu, which was the old house of the Ye family.
We must catch up with it and surpass it!
For the first time, Heifu prayed to the gods in his heart and begged Da Si Ming, could he stop to rest and have a cigarette?
"Old man Ye, old man Ye."
Heifu gritted his teeth and kicked his mount with the spurs on his boots: "You have to hold on. I, my son-in-law, have something important to say to you!"
