Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Gao Yao had just returned to Sishui County when he was called to Li Shou's side. Gao Yao did not come empty-handed. Gao Yao knew very well that what was more important now was not money, but power. A large part of the remaining money after the Lu family was sealed off had already gone into Li Shou's hands. Otherwise, how could Li Shou speak on Gao Yao's behalf in front of the county governor?

"Sir, Gao Yao has delayed this trip, please punish me."

After Gao Yao entered the big tent, he immediately confessed his crime. As for the gift, he put it aside seemingly unintentionally without mentioning it at all. It was this performance that made Li Shou very satisfied. In Li Shou's eyes, Gao Yao was smart, quick-witted, and had good fighting skills. The most important thing was that he had saved his life, which was precious.

He was usually so good at handling things, and compared to the other generals under his command, Gao Yao was undoubtedly ahead by more than a little bit.

"It's okay. I'm in a hurry to find you this time because I have something important to do. Now the labor service in Sishui County is almost ready. The counties have sent people to the northern border one after another. However, there have been countless escapees over the years. After discussing with the county governor, I decided to kill one to warn the rest. I plan to let you supervise these people to go to the northern border."

Hearing what Li Shou said, Gao Yao's eyebrows jumped slightly. He never thought that it would be such a thing. To be honest, this kind of work is definitely a thankless job. It is the typical kind of job where if you do well, you will not get any credit, and if you do not do well, you will most likely be blamed. Is this called a good job? Could it be that he has offended Li Shou? This shouldn't be right.

Li Shou seemed to have noticed Gao Yao's hesitation and deliberately asked again,

"Why, Gao Yao, you don't want to take on this job?"

"I dare not. Since you have said so, I will certainly do it without hesitation."

Although Gao Yao was very confused, he immediately agreed considering the current situation. After hearing Gao Yao's response, Li Shou nodded with satisfaction, and then came directly to Gao Yao and patted Gao Yao's shoulder heavily.

"Gao Yao, are you thinking, this is a job that has no meaning if done well, and you will be blamed if not done well, so why would I let you handle it?"

"Your Excellency has your reasons for entrusting me with this task. Normally, this kind of matter should be handled by the local officials in charge. If Your Excellency intervenes, I am mainly worried about whether it will have an impact on Your Excellency. If Your Excellency is entrusted by someone, I will do my best."

Gao Yao knew very well that the higher the status of a person, the more recognition they needed when they spoke. However, Gao Yao had already hesitated just now. If he didn't make it clear, it would only make Li Shou feel resentful. Now Gao Yao had already figured out about 70% of Li Shou's personality.

"Hahahaha...you're right, but this incident was just a coincidence. I might as well tell you straight, I'm about to take over as the commander of Sishui County."

"Congratulations, sir"

"Don't be too quick to congratulate me. I was promoted to captain, and the position of captain of this department became vacant. I wanted to recommend you as captain, but your military experience is not enough. It just so happens that the county governor is also worried about corvée labor, so this matter came up."

"Thank you for your training, I am very grateful and will definitely follow your lead."

"Well, there is no need to do that. In the past years, when the corvée was being forced to do labor service, there were always a large number of corvées who would escape. The county magistrate specially asked for permission from above to have people from Sishui County escort the corvées on the road. In the end, we will not ask about the process but only the result. The more people there are, the greater your contribution will be. Do you understand?"

After hearing this, Gao Yao thought about it for a while and understood what Li Shou meant. To put it bluntly, this was all for political achievements. It was true that the corvée labor of the Qin Dynasty was unpopular. Whether it was the construction of the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang or the construction of the Great Wall, hundreds of thousands of farmers were involved. From the perspective of the Qin Dynasty, it was understandable. After all, as a victorious country, it was very merciful not to directly set everyone as slaves.

Moreover, Qin Shi Huang actually had corresponding policies to deal with these corvées. The elderly, the youngest, and the very young were all exempted from corvées, and corvées were provided with food. It was not as inhumane as many people thought. What really caused the public outrage was the personnel who carried out the corvées in various places.

The people who actually did the construction also embezzled a lot of money and grain. Where did the money come from? Naturally, it was from the rations of these corvées. Over time, corvées in various places began to die in large numbers. They had to do physical labor and did not have enough food. The death toll increased, the project was slack, and corvée labor had to be issued again. This cycle led to the large-scale escape of corvée labor in various places once corvée labor appeared.

In the eyes of ordinary people, participating in corvée labor is basically the same as committing suicide. In this case, how could anyone be willing to die directly? It is better to escape and maybe survive. However, as the number of people who escape increases, it will naturally lead to the county governors in charge of various places being held accountable. After all, if there is no corvée labor, doesn't it mean that you, the county governor, have done nothing?

"Here..."

"Okay, go ahead and get ready. We'll set off in a few days. You can take your troops with you."

"Well, sir, I will take my leave first."

After Gao Yao left the tent, he also heaved a long sigh. No matter how nicely he spoke, the essence of the matter had not changed at all, and Li Shou's meaning was very clear. To put it nicely, he was responsible for escorting corvées, but in essence, he was responsible for catching corvées and sending them to the northern border, only caring about the heads and not the process. After completing this task, he would naturally have the recommendation of the county governor and Li Shou, who was about to be promoted to captain. It was not difficult for him to serve as a captain of a department, which was indeed a path to promotion.

However, this road is not the best solution for Gao Yao. His ultimate goal is the northern border. Although this conflicts with Gao Yao's original plan to go to the northern border, it is not unacceptable. Originally, Gao Yao wanted to transfer to the northern border through normal means. Now it seems that this method is not unacceptable. Gao Yao also sighed a little. Is he doing the job that Liu Bang did before?

But this is not a bad thing. Since he has received the military order, Gao Yao might as well take a longer detour. If there is any place that is most likely to have traces of Yi Xiaochuan, it must be Tang Wushan. After returning to the camp, Gao Yao immediately took out the map and studied it carefully, so as to determine the location of Tang Wushan as much as possible.