Chapter 56: Two Years of Southern Expeditions

Fusu conversed with Qingbi at great length once more, touching again upon the various implements brought by the craftsmen.

This time, the artisans had not only brought their wives and children from home, but also their full expertise and an array of tools. Consequently, these craftsmen would be able to settle down steadfastly in Tongguan.

Fusu inspected a measuring rule handed over by Qingbi. It was made of wood and marked with graduation lines; the timber was of superior quality, though somewhat darkened by age.

Qingbi also displayed various other instruments, including meticulously polished stones of differing weights.

Qingbi recounted events of recent years, mentioning that a good number of craftsmen had arrived from the former lands of the Six States a few years prior, all coming to Xianyang. After their arrival, Qingbi had learned skills from them as well; though it was merely a matter of adopting others' strengths to make up for one's own shortcomings, the harvest had been substantial.

Fusu offered several suggestions regarding the various measuring devices and matters of construction.

To build a fortified city, a comprehensive plan was naturally essential.

By dusk, Qingbi returned home with his son and grandson, projecting the distinct impression of three generations—father, son, and grandson—committing themselves together to the construction of Tongguan, which rendered the workforce even more abundant. Furthermore, Qingbi intended to pass his skills down to his son, and thence to his grandson.

In this era where occupational distinctions were simple and one's vocation dictated the upper limit of one's life, possessing even a modest skill ensured a decent livelihood. Much like Qingbi's household: he owned fields and was a craftsman, and neither military campaigns nor the construction of palaces and mansions could do without craftsmen. Therefore, an artisan like him held promising prospects, far superior to those of ordinary peasant households.

Craftsmen were craftsmen, but building the fortified city still required the massive recruitment of corvée laborers, which in turn demanded vast quantities of grain and supplies.

Standing by the banks of the turbulent Yellow River, Fusu gazed at the rushing current and fell into deep thought, his brow furrowed. After pondering for a long while, he dismissed the matter of supplies; the Chancellor and Zhang Cang would be able to resolve that trouble.

Fusu returned to the small courtyard enclosed by wattle fences and found Tian An sorting through tea leaves.

"Where did these tea leaves come from?" Fusu asked.

Tian An replied, "They were all brought from Nanshan."

As he spoke, Tian An used his calloused fingers to pick out the inferior leaves. The Nanshan mentioned by Tian An was Zhongnan Mountain, situated south of Guanzhong. Tea trees were not hard to find; they grew in the vicinity of Zhongnan Mountain, though not cultivated on a large scale.

Tian An glanced at the fading light and said, "Your Highness should dine."

With that, Tian An hurried off to prepare the evening meal.

Fusu glanced at the unfinished tea leaves, pulled over a nomadic stool nearby, and sat down to continue sorting them.

The next morning, Tian An sat beside the stove and began roasting the tea leaves according to the method the Prince had described.

Fusu had risen early to practice archery by the river with General Xin Sheng. In truth, Fusu himself was not deeply versed in the art of tea-roasting. By the afternoon, however, Tian An looked upon the newly roasted tea leaves as if facing a formidable enemy.

Just as Fusu reached out to take some of the tea leaves, Tian An swiftly whisked the plate away, explaining, "Your Highness, this old servant has no idea whether the things I roasted are fit to be brewed and drunk."

Fusu remarked, "It's just roasting some tea leaves."

Seeing that Tian An maintained his stubborn expression, Fusu pressed the matter no further.

As it happened, documents had arrived from the various counties of Weinan: Huayin, Dali, Liyi, and Xiabi. These counties had grown accustomed to entrusting many of Weinan's affairs to Prince Fusu.

No matter how busy one might be on ordinary days, county administration could not be neglected. Fusu sat in the courtyard and began handling the day's official business, while the veteran General Xin sat as usual by the doorway, reading a book.

Meanwhile, Tian An was repeatedly tasting the tea he had brewed, taking sip after sip. Perhaps Tian An feared that the tea leaves he had roasted might be poisonous, terrified of fatal consequences should anything go wrong. The entire first batch of roasted tea leaves had been brewed by Tian An and consumed by him alone.

Normally, Tian An took a nap at noon. When veteran General Xin's snores reverberated loudly, it was usually time for Tian An's nap; today, however, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Fusu's gaze remained fixed on the official dispatches. Some of the farmland in Huayin County had indeed been affected, as the excavation of the Jingye Canal had lowered the water level of the Luo River. Originally, the water level of the Luo River had been sufficiently high to irrigate the fields west of Huayin County, but now, with reduced upstream flow, downstream water had diminished as well.

Fusu also noted Sima Xin's solution: he had reassigned fields to the troublemakers, moving their land to the west of the Wei River, and only then was the matter laid to rest.

Previously in the Xianyang Palace, the documents Fusu read were sent from all corners of the empire, and those matters were invariably major ones—major from certain perspectives, such as the repair of commandery capitals or the deployment of troops. During those times, Fusu had occasionally caught sight of trivial matters from various counties.

Fusu felt that within the Great Qin, the county was the level of administration closest to the grassroots. Leaving other places aside for the moment, Fusu believed that since he was tasked with developing Weinan, its constituent counties must be thoroughly and properly built.

Compared to reading those documents in the Imperial Secretariat, reviewing these county-level dispatches allowed Fusu to perceive that the townships and hamlets beneath the county level had troubles of their own, and every household within each township faced its own hardships.

Compared to Jingye County, which had been established for less than three years, the situations in Huayin, Dali, and Liyi counties were far more complex. Shaking up Dali County by constructing an additional canal affected the surrounding townships, which in turn brought their grievances to the county seat, causing further turbulence in the counties. At the time, factions from various parts of Dali had even engaged in physical brawls on several occasions.

The reason these matters had not yet escalated directly to him was simply that the person presiding over the region was Prince Fusu, whom they dared not defy. Yet problems could not be left unresolved. For instance, what of the townships in Huayin County affected by the drop in riverbed water levels? Could their farmlands simply be ignored?

Holding a brush in one hand, Fusu raised his eyes to study the map and jotted down his line of thought: certain townships could be relocated appropriately.

The administrative hierarchy of the Great Qin descended from the county down to the township, the hamlet, and finally the household.

The reason Dali County remained orderly and its two hundred thousand resettled migrants peaceful was that the administration was overseen by Zhang Cang and Cheng Miao, backed by the thirty thousand troops commanded by Zhang Han and veteran General Xin. If the officials at the county and township levels could all match Zhang Cang's governance capabilities, most counties would no doubt enjoy greater stability.

Fusu laid down his brush, gazed out the window at the moon, and pondered what was currently lacking.

Deep into the night, Fusu caught sight of an aged figure pacing back and forth outside the door—a sudden glimpse that felt rather eerie.

Holding an oil lamp in one hand, Fusu looked out the window and asked, "What is the matter?"

Tian An paced back and forth with a conflicted expression, muttering, "I cannot sleep. Why can I not sleep?"

"You drank so much tea during the day; naturally you cannot sleep."

Tian An stroked his chest and said, "My heart is fluttering anxiously."

"At your age, drinking too much tea will certainly cause that," Fusu said, setting down the oil lamp and stepping out of the room.

Under the moonlight, Fusu had Tian An sit on the stone steps, took his pulse, and instructed, "Take a deep breath. Does it feel better?"

Tian An took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and nodded.

Fusu stood up again and said, "It is nothing. Drink more water and try to sleep again in the morning."

Tian An murmured, "I shall heed Your Highness's advice henceforth and never drink tea in such a manner again."

Fusu nodded and re-entered the house.

The Prince's medical skills were actually exceptional; even the Chief Physician of former years had frequently praised him. Tian An stood up, picked up a nearby water pitcher, and gulped down cold water.

"Walk about a bit. If you cannot drink any more, stop," the Prince's voice drifted from inside.

Tian An put down the pitcher and resumed walking circles around the wattle fence.

Tonight, the guards protecting Prince Fusu and patrolling the perimeter caught sight of a figure wandering about in the dead of night. When they drew closer and discovered it was the old chamberlain attending the Prince, they dared not question him.

As dawn began to break, Tian An finally drifted off to sleep, plunging into a profound slumber.

Fusu rose early to prepare pulled noodles.

Seeing this upon waking, Xin Sheng asked, "Where is he?"

"Asleep," Fusu replied. "He lay awake the entire night, having drunk too much tea."

Xin Sheng nodded.

"Would the old General care for some noodles?" Fusu asked.

Normally, Tian An prepared the meals, and one simply ate without a second thought. But seeing that it was the Prince himself pulling the noodles, Xin Sheng gave an awkward smile and hesitated instead.

"It is quite all right. Many people have eaten my noodles and declared them delicious. The old General may rest assured."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The noodles Fusu pulled were wide and somewhat thick—the kind that thoroughly satisfied one's hunger.

Sitting at the doorway eating his noodles, Fusu watched Qingbi lead a group of craftsmen, stretching out measuring cords and bustling about. They needed to survey the terrain first.

Tongguan was built against the Yellow River; it had to maintain a proper distance from the river embankments while ensuring the city walls were sufficiently high.

"These men are fine craftsmen, meticulous in their work," observed veteran General Xin. His eye sockets were deep-set, but his eyes shone bright like a pair of bronze bells; merely glaring with them lent him an imposing aura.

Fusu said, "They were equally meticulous when working on the imperial palaces in the past."

Xin Sheng shook his head. "This old soldier has often seen the craftsmen of those palaces, yet none were so solid and meticulous in their craft."

A minor official hurried over, bowed, and said, "Your Highness."

Seeing that the man had come to collect the approved documents, Fusu said, "The dispatches have all been reviewed. They are inside the room; go and fetch them."

The official hurried inside. In truth, the furnishings in the Prince's quarters were remarkably simple—surprisingly so, even simpler than the official residence of Sima Xin, the local magistrate.

A chest of documents was carried out of the house and placed outside the courtyard. Inspecting the label on each roll of parchment, the official announced, "Five rolls for Liyi."

At this call, an official stepped forward to receive the five rolls of documents.

Following this, the remaining dispatches were distributed to the officials of each county in turn. These men had to wake up before dawn, rush to Tongguan County, and gallop back to their respective counties before noon so that the magistrates could execute the various decrees.

Once those men departed with their respective documents, Fusu and veteran General Xin finished their meal.

Tian An was still asleep, unlikely to wake for some time yet. Fusu said, "Old General, accompany me to Huayin County to have a look."

Xin Sheng beckoned into the distance, and soldiers immediately led forward mounts.

Huayin County was the closest to Tongguan, and Xin Sheng temporarily mobilized a force of three hundred men, leaving the remaining three thousand at Tongguan.

Fusu felt a three-hundred-strong escort was more than sufficient. Had there only been three or five guards, the old General would likely have been unwilling; after all, Jing Ke's attempted assassination of the King of Qin had occurred only a few years ago, leaving deep psychological shadows.

Fusu rode in the middle of the formation, neither lagging at the rear nor riding conspicuously at the front.

In Xin Sheng's eyes, this Prince was exceedingly obedient, keeping safely within the protection of the troops.

"Several years ago, I had Zhang Han invite the county officials around Jingye County to a meal," Fusu recalled an event from the past, back when Jingye County was in its initial construction phase—or rather, before construction had even truly begun.

Back then, however, the county officials invited were solely from the northern foot of Mount Shangyan, with none from the southern side; the areas now receiving prioritized development were precisely those parts of Weinan.

When the villagers of Huayin County caught sight of this procession, a peasant laboring in the fields paused in a daze for a moment. Seized with terror, he dropped his wooden hoe and bolted wildly toward the county seat, shouting all the way, "Magistrate! Magis—"

Fusu held his mount's reins, feeling a momentary hesitation. His original intention was merely to inspect the condition of the various counties; since Huayin was closest to Tongguan, it was naturally the first stop.

Then he recalled what the documents had stated the previous night regarding the drop in the Luo River's water level. Since the Jingye Canal had been constructed by Prince Fusu, these villagers likely suspected that he had come in person to settle accounts over the matter.

In truth, Fusu harbored no such thoughts; he was merely making an inspection.

Sima Xin hurried over with a retinue of county officers and bowed, saying, "Your Highness."

Sima Xin appeared even gaunter than when Fusu had last seen him.

Fusu asked, "Has the magistrate been eating properly of late?"

"I..." Taken aback by the inquiry, Sima Xin stammered for a moment, at a loss for how to respond.

Fusu said, "While serving the county and the people, you must also preserve your own health. Remember to eat well on ordinary days."

Xin Sheng also felt the Prince's words made complete sense and chimed in, "Sima Xin, did you hear what His Highness said?"

Bowing deeply with lowered head, Sima Xin proclaimed in a ringing voice, "This subject obeys the command!"

Xin Sheng continued, "A man must first cherish himself before he can care for the people of a county. If your health fails, how can you govern the populace? You are a county magistrate; if you do not cherish yourself, how can you cherish the people of an entire county?"

Though the old General's words were harsh, the reasoning was unassailable.

Fusu said, "I merely came here to take a look. You may lead your men back."

Sima Xin bowed once more and prepared to take his leave with his subordinates.

"Wait," Fusu called out.

Hearing the Prince speak again, Sima Xin halted, stepped forward once more, and bowed. "This subject is here."

"Recently, I intend to inspect the various counties. Tomorrow at this hour, accompany me to Liyi. How does that sound?"

"This subject obeys."

Fusu nodded.

Sima Xin lingered on the spot for a long while, confirming that the Prince truly had no further instructions, before finally taking his leave.

Huayin County occupied a considerable territory, and its population made it a medium-sized county among those in Guanzhong.

As they rode along, a single rider galloped toward them. Saluting, the messenger reported, "General, a great victory!"

Xin Sheng, who had been dozing while on horseback accompanying the Prince through Huayin County, instantly peroused with spirit at the words and demanded, "What victory?"

"Tu Ju, commander of the southern expeditionary army, has slain the chieftain of the Xiou tribe, secured the lands of Jiuyi and Nanye, and relocated fifty thousand Xiou people into Shu."

The veteran General laughed heartily. "Splendid! The imperial court and the capital should celebrate!"

The army had been campaigning in the south for two years, and after two years, they finally had a proper victory. Fusu thought that if Tu Ju could survive this triumph, it would certainly be for the best.

After touring Huayin County, Fusu returned to Tongguan.

Tian An had awakened and was once again busy roasting tea leaves.