In the late lunar month of Mengchun in the thirty-fifth year of Qin Shihuang, Anlu County was bustling with activity. The Marquis of Changnan, who had returned to his hometown after being wealthy, hosted a banquet for the county people today. Although only officials and three elders could enter the main banquet, there were many people on the street outside the official temple. A low table with a length of a hundred steps was set up, and all the nobles of Anlu County, young and old, could sit down and eat as much fish and meat as they wanted, and drinks could be refilled.
This long street banquet was so grand that people in Anlu couldn't help but raise their thumbs and praised Chang Nanhou for his wealth and honor.
When the lanterns first came on, the protagonists had not yet arrived, but the supporting actors had already filled the main seats. There were a total of seventy-two tables in the hall. The main seat in the middle must be reserved for the Marquis of Changnan, and the seat next to it should be for Anlu County. However, Anlu Ling did not dare to sit down and kept inviting an elderly man over.
"Master Yan, please take a seat."
Yan Zheng, who came from Yunmengxiang Banli, waved his hand: "I am just one of the three elders in the district and county. How dare I sit at the bottom of the chair? This seat should be filled by the county king."
Anlu Ling was a man who knew what was going on. He humbly said: "In Anlu, there is only one king, and that is the prince of Changnan! Yan Gong is the master of the princes. We all know that after the prince of Changnan comes back, he will not see any guests. , the gate of the Wei Mansion is only open to two guests as an exception, one is Xi Jun, and the other is Yan Gong!"
Others agreed one after another. When it came to this matter, Yan Zheng stopped giving in and slowly took his seat at the bottom of the right table. He felt that he was very dignified.
More than ten years ago, a black man from Guizhou Province went to Banli to ask Yan Zheng for help in order to study the laws and regulations and take the examination as an official. Yan Zheng heard that he became a civil servant at the age of 18 and was praised by the county captain. He felt that this In the future, I might be able to make a name for myself, so I lent my family's criminal laws and other laws to Hei Fu.
Who would have thought that for this loan, I would lend a Guannei Marquis!
As Heifu's title rose, Yan Zheng's status in Anlu County also rose step by step. He had been retired for many years and was recently elected as the "Three Elders of the County". He was responsible for the education of the county and encouraged the people to do good. Participate in political affairs.
His family also prospered, and his granddaughter married Heifu's younger brother Wei Jing and became a high-ranking official.
If the Wei family is the most wealthy family in Anlu, and the Li family is the second, then the Yan family can at least be ranked third in the county...
Just when Yan Zheng was enjoying this kind of treatment, a shout came from outside.
"The Marquis of Changnan is here!"
Yan Zheng also stood up quickly. The seventy-two people in the hall, whether they were county magistrates, lieutenants, prime ministers, or the three rich and powerful elders in the village, all tilted their heads and looked out the door.
At the end of the Baibu Long Street, the carriage of Marquis Changnan was parked at the end of the street. He was riding in a carriage specially made by the imperial court. The horses and horses were all red. The carriage was decorated with hanging curtains and a wide canopy on the roof. The driver was Sang Mu, Heifu's confidant who had been with him for more than ten years.
Heifu could have driven across the street, but he didn't. After getting off the car at the end of the street, he took his brother Zhong, his attendant Li Cang, his charioteer Sang Mu and others and walked over step by step.
This caused an uproar. On this long street, there were at least two hundred table tables, and four to five hundred noble people were sitting there. They stood up one after another and bowed to Hei Fu. Hei Fu bowed his head to the left and right with every step he took. .
The people in the county were really flattered. After the Marquis of Changnan walked forward, a man dressed as a small official began to brag to others with a bright face:
"When Changnan was appointed county captain, I led his horse for him!"
He was immediately ridiculed by the villagers opposite, saying, "What are you doing?" Their friendship with the Marquis of Changnan can be traced back to when he was the pavilion chief at Huyang Pavilion.
The visitor in the sunset in Yunmeng Township watched their argument with a smile, and then said in a leisurely manner that he grew up watching Changnan Hou...
Everyone argued with each other, but they were all proud of you. After all, in the entire Nan County, there was only one marquis in the past hundred years. The most important thing is that he was generous and courteous to the villagers, even if they only met them once.
.
In fact, those who really have friendship with Hei Fu have long been invited to the main banquet in the county temple courtyard...
…
"Meet Changnanhou!"
When he walked into the courtyard of the county temple, a crowd of people came up to salute him. Hei Fu glanced around and saw that they were all acquaintances.
"Master Yan, how dare I accept your worship? Get up quickly, get up quickly!"
In addition to Lao Yan Zheng, whom he respected as his "master", most of Heifu's colleagues and subordinates in his later years were invited to come in and make up the numbers.
There was a man named Yuliang who was the servant of Huyang Pavilion when he was a pavilion. Judging from his clothes, he was doing well, although he could not compare with the other people in the pavilion.
Yuliang mentioned the people who had gone to the accident and said that the father of the pavilion, Pu Zhang, was dead, but his son was sitting outside.
Hei Fu didn't take offense to this man's verbose words. It wasn't until the people next to him reminded Yu Liang that he realized he had lost his temper, apologized and retreated.
Next is Hei Fu's colleague when he was on watch, a short and fat pig. He is now a toilet clerk and is responsible for the public toilets in the county.
As an official, he spoke in a more organized manner: "I dare to tell you that the emperor is no longer there. After all, he is old and has not escaped the epidemic. My younger brother Mu followed the prince in his early years, carried the flag and performed meritorious services, and stayed here
Yuzhang, he got sick during the Southern Expedition and almost died. By the way, I don’t know if the king still remembers it, but the two brothers are so powerful now that they were also recruited to go to the Southern Expedition."
It was so long ago that Hei Fu couldn't remember it. He only had a vague impression that the brothers were greedy and timid, and he didn't like it very much.
In fact, it is possible that most of the colleagues, subordinates and even fellow villagers at that time became famous. Not to mention Xiaotao, Dongmen Bao, Li Xian, Ji Ying and other top-notch ones, even if they were able to cure diseases, male diseases, anger, etc.
, Le and others have now become county magistrates in Yuzhang.
"Do you still remember me, Lord?"
A middle-aged man with a shiny face and a big belly came over to salute. Heifu looked at him for a few times, thought about it and then smiled:
"Isn't this Yuan Bai? Isn't it possible that he wants to get back those thousands of dollars?"
Yuan Bai hurriedly said: "How dare you? You dare? Yuan Bai was young and ignorant at that time. Fortunately, the king was generous and did not blame me. Then he also gave food and clothing to the officials. The money my family earned from sugarcane fields and sugar pressing was more than 100,000?"
The reason why he is called a subordinate is because during the second attack on Chu, Yuan Bai was also in Heifu's army.
It turned out that after the war to destroy Chu, Yuan Bai returned to Anlu because of his injuries. His family was originally a merchant, so he took advantage of the trend of growing cane and pressing sugar and opened a workshop. Over the past few years, his family accumulated hundreds of gold.
Now he is the largest plantation owner in the county, second only to Heifu and the Liham family.
"I didn't give you this money. You got it from legal transactions based on your own skills."
He chatted with Yuan Bai for a few words, and the old friend of Heifu came over to salute, and everyone was finally able to sit down.
Today's banquet was paid for by Heifu, who arranged everything sincerely and with Li Cang. Countless people from the county volunteered to help. The dishes and drinks were served in order, all of which were hometown dishes, pork from the countryside, and Yunmeng Zeli.
Fresh fish, as well as rice cakes and rice noodles, which are gradually becoming popular in Anlu, the county magistrate even said very shamelessly that after Heifu became a marquis, everyone called rice cakes "Changnan cake".
Hei Fu nodded, and after tasting a few mouthfuls each, he raised his wine and said with a smile:
"Although the fish in Jiaodong sea are beautiful, and the banquet in Xianyang Palace is grand, they are still not as good as the taste of my hometown. The soil and water support a person, and Hei Fu was raised by Anlu. Dear brothers and sisters, please drink this cup to the full! Let's have fun tonight.
Drinking is extremely joyful, and the old way is the joy of laughter!"
He spoke the earthy Anlu dialect. Everyone was overjoyed and raised their glasses, and the banquet was filled with laughter and laughter.
While waiting for the second glass of wine, Heifu prayed that next month's spring plowing would go smoothly and Anlu would continue to have a good harvest.
On the third glass of wine, Heifu's voice became a little lower: "This glass, I would like to toast to Pao Ze, who has accompanied me in two expeditions to Chu and died on the battlefield in the past ten years, and to this southern expedition to Baiyue, where he died.
The Anlu disciples in a foreign land..."
This sentence made everyone feel a little sad, and many people wiped their tears together. Some people drank too much and couldn't bear it anymore, so they started to cry loudly, but their faces were full of snot and tears.
Zhi explained for him: "The prince, the son of Yuliang, died in the dense forest in the south, and only one hand was sent back. It's so miserable."
"This is happening!"
Heifu was solemn. He got down from the table and comforted the fish beams. He then asked everyone present that many of their nephews had also been sent to the south. Although they were not dead, they had not returned for two years...
Everyone looked at each other and finally settled on Yan Zheng. Old Yan Zheng stood up tremblingly and said to Hei Fu:
"We are very happy that the prince is nostalgic for the past and has not forgotten the hometown party. However, the people of Anlu also have a merciless request to report to the prince."
…
Hei Fu knew what he was asking for, so he nodded and said, "Master Yan, please tell me."
Yan Zheng said: "Yan Zheng was a minor official and once heard that the emperor's righteousness towards the barbarians and the Di was just a matter of restraint. But now, in order to conquer Yue, the Huaihan counties are exhausted. It has been two years since the war started.
, but failed, the general died, the soldiers were tired, and the people could not support him."
"Now, the Emperor has ordered the Marquis of Changnan to take charge as the general to continue the southern expedition. He may overwhelm the people and still be unable to win. This is also a burden for the ruler. He is harming the interests of the people and seizing the useless land in Lingnan. I am stubborn.
I don’t know what it means, so we are in trouble for you and your princes..."
After Yan Zheng finished speaking, the three elders from each township also stood up and said a few words, with the general meaning being the same:
The Southern Expedition has devastated Anlu County, and the interests of every class have been harmed. Everyone hopes to end the war and let their children come back!
They hoped that Heifu could persuade Qin Shi Huang again for the benefit of the Anlu people.
After Heifu was silent for a while, he slowly said:
"There must be extraordinary people in the world, and then there are extraordinary things; there are extraordinary things, and then there are extraordinary achievements."
"Ah?" Yan Zheng was dumbfounded. What are you talking about?
Hei Fu didn’t know what he was talking about, so he just blew it off.
"Your Majesty is an extraordinary person today. When the Holy King is in power, how can you only focus on trivial matters, shrink your hands, stick to routines, be restrained by common opinions, obey public opinion, imitate popular customs, and cater to the world? No! Your Majesty is far-sighted and has created great achievements.
, is a model for all generations. Therefore, His Majesty’s ambition is not understood by ordinary people.”
What he said was completely wrong, and everyone looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what to say.
Heifu originally planned to clear the emperor's name in this matter, so he directly followed:
"The Southern Expedition is your Majesty's wish. As a general, I was entrusted with a defeated army and was ordered to be in danger. I must succeed before I can return. Therefore, even in my hometown, the soldiers who should be recruited must still be recruited. Today
In addition to reminiscing about old times, I just hope that all of you, brothers and sisters, can help me!"
He added: "I have also told your Majesty the hardships of the southern expedition, so your majesty has granted permission that all soldiers and civilians in the southern expedition can be given a first-level title!"
More than ten years ago, if I heard that there was such a good thing as conferring a title, the Anlu people would definitely jump up and encourage their children to join the army.
But now, they just look at each other. Patriotism, loyalty to the emperor, title, and the land of Lingnan are no longer attractive to everyone.
The enthusiasm for war has long been exhausted, and everyone discovered that they had paid too much for this war, not only in economic losses, but also in the lives of their children...
They complained: "Junhou, two years ago, we sent away a group of disciples. We thought we would get some care when we went to Yuzhang. Unexpectedly, we were sent to Changsha County, crossed the Five Ridges, and were stationed in
Guilin, Cangwu, now twenty-three have died, and they still haven't returned for a long time, and some have even been lost in foreign lands, and their lives and deaths are unknown..."
Hei Fu nodded: "I understand, I understand."
He understood that the recruitment of troops in Nanjun this time was no longer like in the past. He could not simply use the law to rope them in or lure them with merit and honors.
"Heifu all knows the difficulties of the villagers. As my father and brothers said, many of my brothers are trapped in the south, including my old subordinate Xiaotao. Three thousand people are trapped in Longchuan Village and have not been able to withdraw from Yuzhang. So far,
It’s been half a year and there’s been no news.”
Heifu's words were no longer businesslike, but filled with emotion.
"After hearing the news, I was extremely anxious. Every time I thought about the deaths and injuries of my children in my hometown, and the worries of their parents, wives and children, I couldn't bear to eat and couldn't sleep at night. I only regretted that Your Majesty did not regard me as a general and could not protect everyone."
"But now, I am finally the commander-in-chief of the southern expedition. Others say that the south is a mess and are worried about me, but I am extremely happy, because in addition to the public intention to share your worries, Hei Fu also has a selfish intention."
He walked to the edge of the courtyard and faced the more than seventy people at the main table, as well as the hundreds of people on the long street who had stopped drinking and eating meat and listened quietly to his words.
All eyes were focused on this monarch who came out of Anlu hundreds of years ago. They were proud to have spoken to him. They pointed at Heifu's car and asked their children to follow it as an example...
"More than ten years ago, hundreds of Nanjun's children were trapped in Chu territory and trapped in Xiaoyi. They were in danger. However, Hei Fu promised everyone that I would take them home! If you dare to ask your elder brother, Kundi, or your second or third son, Hei Fu did it.
What?"
After a moment of silence, someone stood up on the long street and said loudly: "Your Majesty is true to his word, and he does not hesitate to take risks. He pretends to surrender and breaks out. He leads everyone to kill him and returns after fighting thousands of miles. My brother, and that
Hundreds of people from Nanjun County live because of their king!"
But it was a relative of Heifu's former subordinate. This incident was very famous and became a household name in Anlu. There was a constant stream of praise. Heifu smiled and said loudly:
"It's the same today. Hei Fu went to Lingnan not to make achievements, let alone to gain land. He just wanted to rescue the old tribe lost in the dense forest and the Anlu disciples left in the isolated city one by one, so that others could
go home!"
This statement is sincere and touching.
But this great hero of the Anlu people showed a hint of helplessness.
"But Heifu alone, the prisoners, the exiled officials, the Northerners, and the defeated soldiers cannot do it, because they are outsiders!"
"Heifu needs help from his own people, and from the children in his hometown!"
Heifu held up his hands, turned around, and bowed to everyone.
"If the township party trusts Hei Fu and is willing to hand over his son to me, Hei Fu will definitely regard him as a brother, nephew, and will never be disobedient!"
Everyone looked at each other with a bit of emotion. Even those whose sons died in the battle wiped their tears and nodded.
Keeping talking about the Dharma is the formula of the world and the way of everything. But when things come to an end, when the national and military laws no longer apply, Heifu can only use personal friendship and connections with the township and party to deceive people into joining the army. This is probably a step back.
Bar.
In order to move forward in the future, he must take a big step back here!
It is no longer a trust in the court that meritorious service will be rewarded, but a trust in Heifu personally.
It is no longer an official legal guarantee, but a personal commitment made by his lips.
So, how many people is the promise of Marquis Changnan worth?
The answer is, eight hundred!
…
"Eight hundred people."
In February of February, after a trip to Jiangling, Heifu returned to Anlu and learned about the number of people in the county who had volunteered to join the army.
Heifu was very satisfied: "That's right. After all, Anlu is only a county with 5,000 households. Two years ago, more than a thousand people were recruited. Now, knowing that it is very dangerous to go to the south, there are still 800 people who voluntarily join the army. It seems that the people from home are
Brothers and sisters, Father Kun, have given me enough trust, and I will live up to it!"
What is gratifying is that the veterans who participated in the Unification War and the enthusiastic recruits are equally divided. With the old leading the new, they will soon have combat effectiveness...
Including the manpower recruited from the remaining twelve counties of Nanjun, Heifu obtained a total of 4,000 men in this recruitment.
"Military regulations: The leader of five hundred, the leader of generals, has fifty soldiers; the commander of two to five hundred generals, has one hundred soldiers; the captain, the leader has one thousand soldiers; the general, four thousand soldiers."
The short soldier is the last card beside the general, and it is also the direct lineage that shares life and death with him. When the checkmate dies, the short soldier also dies.
Heifu said to Gong Ao: "These four thousand soldiers from Nanjun will be trained by you. They will be my short-term soldiers! They will be my wings!"
"promise!"
Gong Ao took the order and left, gearing up to organize these four thousand people into a powerful force that would only obey Heifu's orders.
Heifu also walked out of the camp and looked at the soldiers from Nanjun who were gathering one after another. He took a long breath and seemed to have regained his old feeling.