Great Qin Shi Empress

The Xiongnu county magistrates who first defected to Qin and their herdsmen were very talkative.

The herdsmen of the tribes that Maodun and Han Xin went to at the beginning were already used to buying goods with coins in the process of trading with the Qin people, so the two achieved their goal without much effort, and they smoothly provided for the future. Building the city recruited a lot of labor.

And after they left all the nearby tribes, it was only more than a month.

But before the two of them had time to be proud of it, they heard that Xiao He and Xiao had arrived in Jiuyuan County and Longxi County, and met the sheriffs of the two counties——

When Yingzheng changed the order of city construction, the city that Xiao He and Xiao were responsible for was almost completed, and it was in the final stage of finishing.After receiving the latest order, the two did not dare to waste time, and rushed back to Jiuyuan County and Longxi County respectively after leaving behind their deputy.

Mao Dun, Han Xin, Xiao He, and Xiao are also considered to be in a cooperative relationship. According to their thinking, they should have met each other.

However, before the two of them could find out the information, they learned that after the two came to Jiuyuan County and Longxi County, they had never thought about meeting with each other to discuss the way of doing things, and they chose a city in an unusually tacit understanding. After the site, he did not take much rest before returning to work.

The two teenagers who had never had close contact with workaholics were stunned when they got the news.

But Xiao He and Xiao seemed to be competing for who could do it faster and better. They didn't care about unimportant and irrelevant things at all, and started busy on their own.

Because the city to be built is next to the major counties, the manpower and supplies are quite sufficient, so the two don't have to stay in the same city from beginning to end like before, watching all the details with their own eyes to prevent any accidents ——

In the event of an accident, the nearby counties and towns can provide help in a very timely manner.

This is also the order that Yingzheng issued to the governors of Jiuyuan County, Longxi County and other counties at the same time after changing the order of building the city.

Therefore, Xiao He and Xiao can go directly to the next destination almost as long as they plan the entire city according to their previous experience, properly allocate manpower and materials everywhere, and make various arrangements and personnel dispatches.

Even the most distressing traffic was handled properly by the Mohists who were in charge of the tracks.

Xiao He and Xiao's work was progressing very smoothly, and Mao Dun and Han Xin couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency, especially after discovering that the two of them practiced well, and they could often make the preliminary arrangements for the construction of the city in less than a month, the two even more reluctantly. I can't help feeling flustered.

The two of them have completely given up on meeting their colleagues.

They only think about one thing right now——

Never be caught up by Xiao He or Xiao before completing the task!

What if Xiao He and Xiao completed the previous work arrangements and went directly to the next location, but upon arriving at the destination, they found that the local herdsmen had no idea of ​​helping build the city at all, and there was a serious shortage of manpower, so they had to be transferred from the Central Plains...

When the two teenagers who were in their hot-blooded adolescence thought of this kind of thing, they would feel bad all over.

They didn't dare to delay, and immediately rode to the next destination.

It stands to reason that the two of them should first go to the three cities that have been built or are about to be built to publicize the benefits of using coins, and if they want to settle in the cities after they are built, they must use coins to pay off debts and buy cashmere meat and other things with coins information.

But neither the imperial court nor Meng Tian seemed to have the idea of ​​letting them go to those three cities.

The two teenagers didn't know the reason at first, but when they found out from the merchants in the counties that the three cities were close to the Western Regions and other forces, they soon welcomed many businessmen from various countries and places. Under the urging of those businessmen, they had subtly accepted the existence of coins, and only then did they understand the reason.

Now that they know that the three cities are useless, Mao Dun and Han Xin will naturally stop thinking about them.

only……

Thinking of Xiao He and Xiao's efficiency in doing things, the two looked at each other and subconsciously wanted to separate.

That would have been fine. ,

but……

The first tribe they went to after they separated, they realized that the separation of the two of them would not increase efficiency, but on the contrary might greatly reduce the smooth speed.

The reason lies in their identities and ages.

One is that Han Xin is too young, in the eyes of others, he is just a yellow-mouthed child, and his words and actions are not very trustworthy; When in front of the tribe, although his attitude will be closer, it is inevitable that some people will doubt the authenticity of the court policies he said because of his past status.

After the two encountered a little trouble, they resolutely gave up the idea of ​​parting ways.

……

The gray wolf is now an unusual herdsman of the Xiongnu tribe.

Yes, nowadays.

Before the tribe became a part of the Qin State, he was not a commoner, but was captured by the current tribe because of defeat in the war. From childhood to adulthood, he could only be a slave whose life and death could not be controlled by himself.

Such a life is too painful, and Gray Wolf doesn't even want to continue to remember it.

And the turning point of everything happened after the tribe turned to Qin. Because of Qin's laws, Gray Wolf had a chance to change his life——

Join the army to earn military merits, as long as certain conditions are met, you can change from a slave to a civilian.

Gray Wolf still remembers that their tribe didn't join Qin State directly after driving away the Touman tribe like other tribes allied with Qin State at the beginning, it was because of this Qin law.

Because every Hun nobleman has at least ten slaves under his name.

The higher the status of the noble, the more slaves.

They are used to controlling the life and death of all slaves, they are used to the life of slaves serving them when they eat and drink, and they are also used to showing their wealth and status by the number of slaves...

No one wants to give up such a life.

Therefore, no one is willing to give slaves a chance to leave themselves.

But later, when they discovered that the tribes that had half-abandoned slave ownership were living better than them, the nobles of the tribes couldn't sit still. They gathered together to discuss several times, and finally decided to join Qin.

Gray Wolf also got the chance to join the army.

He knew that he could lose his life at any time on the battlefield.

But as a slave, even if he doesn't go to the battlefield, isn't he likely to lose his life at any time?Furthermore, if he could not change his identity, he would marry and have a child in the future, and the child would live as a slave forever.

Gray Wolf didn't want to do this, so he signed up as a member of Qin Bing almost immediately.

He was lucky, and after several life and death on the battlefield, he finally accumulated enough military merits to exchange his status as a slave for the ordinary Qianshou.

Although still penniless, Gray Wolf was very happy——

Everything owned by slaves is the private property of nobles, but Qianshou can own things of his own.

As soon as Gray Wolf became Qianshou, he went to hunt a rabbit on the grassland.

As long as you have the ability, you will never be hungry.

Now that a few years have passed, Gray Wolf has also accumulated a modest family fortune: although it is not much, it is enough for him to marry a wife and have children, and live an ordinary life.

But Gray Wolf did not take a wife.

Because he had heard that the imperial court would build a city on the grassland.

As a member who was fortunate enough to go to the hinterland of the Central Plains and witness the prosperous life of the people living in the city, Gray Wolf yearns to live in the city more than anyone else.

It’s just that Gray Wolf’s original idea was to earn enough money to settle in a city in the hinterland of the Central Plains, but after knowing that the imperial court would build a city in the grassland, he changed his mind and planned to save money to buy a house in a city in the grassland. settle down.

For this reason, Gray Wolf has planted a lot of grass and raised a lot of cattle and sheep in the past two years.

but……

"Grey Wolf, have you heard? The houses in the city built by the imperial court must be purchased with coins, and barter is not accepted!"

Gray Wolf looked at the clansman, completely stupefied: "What did you say? Who did you hear from?"

The clansmen are the closest people to Gray Wolf, so they are very clear about Gray Wolf's "dream", and when they saw his complexion changed, they quickly spoke to comfort him: "Don't worry, although you can only buy houses in the city with coins, but Buying wool and other things at the post station can also be paid directly in coins, it’s just a little extra, no trouble.”

Gray Wolf was stunned: "The station collects wool?"

The clansman smiled and said, "I said you are a real person. Since you want to buy a house in the city immediately, you should pay more attention to the decree issued by the court, right? A few days ago, two young generals came to our tribe , specifically said these two things..."

"By the way, there is one more thing besides these two things." The clansman smiled and said, "The imperial court is short of manpower to build the city, so I specially posted notices to attract herdsmen to build the city. I heard that the wages are quite good. If you have spare time, you might as well go to help. You can make a lot of money too.”

Gray Wolf grabbed him: "Is what you said true?"

The clansmen laughed: "Of course it's true. I've already found the patriarch and signed up. I just waited for the people sent by the imperial court to start building the city, and then went to build the city immediately."

After hearing the words, Gray Wolf didn't dare to delay, and immediately went to the patriarch's residence after taking his leave.

But it was too late for him to know the news, the patriarch's residence was already crowded with clansmen who wanted to sign up, even if Gray Wolf stepped forward, he couldn't squeeze in.

After thinking about it, he simply turned around and went to the post station.

He wants to see if the post station has added the business of receiving goods in addition to sending and receiving imperial palace newspapers, newspapers and books.

The gray wolf was fast, and soon rode to the post.

It may be that more people went to the patriarch's place, and there was no one outside the station.

He went over immediately after dismounting, and before he could speak, he heard the clansman guarding the inn say with a smile: "The gray wolf also came for the news that the court collected wool and other things? Don't worry, it's all true, and what the court gave is all The market price is no cheaper than when we take things directly to the county town and sell them."

Gray Wolf paused: "City built by the imperial court, can you only use money to buy it? Can't you just drive the cattle and sheep over there?"

The little official was stunned for a moment, and nodded with a smile: "That's true, but it's not troublesome. You can directly kill the cattle and sheep and then sell them to me, or simply sell the whole live sheep to me. I can pay you coins directly, isn't it more convenient for you to save than to raise cattle and sheep?"

Although he didn't know why the imperial court made such an unnecessary move, but it was just a one-off thing, and it wasn't worth his attention.

Gray Wolf hesitated: "Saving money?"

The little official laughed: "Qin Banliang's outer circle is very small and the inner square is very small. If you are worried about losing it, you can use a rope to get in through the hole in the middle armor and string all the coins on your body. It is not as convenient as you keep increasing the number of cattle and sheep. ? You are alone, and you can hardly support yourself now, right?"

The gray wolf really couldn't keep it up——

He has limited time and experience alone, and the number of cattle and sheep he can take care of is also limited. However, in the absence of money, he must constantly increase the number of livestock in order to increase his assets, otherwise he can only exchange some of his own at a loss. It is not used at all, and it does not preserve the value of other items, or simply keep the cattle and sheep without selling them.

So after listening to the little official's words, Gray Wolf felt that what he said was quite reasonable.

He said directly: "Almost half of the cattle and sheep in my place are ready for slaughter. How much can you give me?"

The little official was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes widened: "Are you willing to sell?"

Gray Wolf nodded blankly: "Yes."

The little official immediately rushed to Gray Wolf: "Sell the live ones directly or kill them and sell them again? If they are alive and wait for two days, I will write to Jiuyuan County and ask them to send someone to pull your cattle and sheep. Yes, I..."

"Live."

By the time Gray Wolf left the station and arrived at the patriarch's residence again, everyone else had already left.

He asked the patriarch for the specific situation, and then signed up without hesitation. ,

After that, I will sell livestock, save money, and work...

After the city to which their tribe belonged was built, Gray Wolf found the patriarch almost immediately, bought a house with the money he had accumulated for a long time, and lived in it with all his belongings.

He was even the one who lived in the city faster than the patriarch in the entire tribe.

Although the work of Mao Dun and Han Xin had some twists and turns in the middle, it ended quite smoothly in the end. On the contrary, the work of Xiao He and Xiao, who built the city, still had to temporarily stop the speed of construction due to the shortage of manpower in the later stage. .

When Mao Dun and Han Xin heard about this, they thought it was because they hadn't done their job well.

But after inquiring, I realized that all of this was in the plan of Xiao He and Xiao——

Because there are as many as a dozen cities that need to be built on the grassland, and even if the three that have already been built are excluded, there are as many as ten, so the number of people building the city is destined to be insufficient.

Furthermore, they had to consider the issue of spring plowing and autumn harvest.

Therefore, in order to build the city faster, the two planned to recruit as many people as possible during the non-agricultural season, and at the same time build more cities to accommodate more labor.

During the busy farming season, the people who came to work on the grasslands from the hinterland of the Central Plains stopped the construction of new cities when they went home to farm. At this time, the herdsmen recruited by Mao Dun and Han Xin happened to be in place, and most of them were not as busy as the people in the hinterland of the Central Plains, so they also There will be no delay in the construction period.

Mao Dun and Han Xin: "..."

Didn't expect there to be such a statement.

Because of this, the two became a bit curious about Xiao He and Xiao Sheng: Although the two generals would not feel admiration or inferiority towards Xiao He, they would still think of Xiao He when they faced two colleagues with outstanding abilities. To meet it.

But I just thought about it.

The two of them thought of how busy Xiao and He were, so they had no hope at all.

then……

After they returned to Jiuyuan County, they had just entered the barracks when they heard that Xiao He and Xiao had come to visit.

Mao Dun and Han Xin looked at each other, and their eyes lit up instantly.

They didn't rest anymore, they rushed out of Meng Tian's military tent.

After entering the door, the two were about to open their mouths to salute Meng Tian, ​​but they immediately saw Xiao He and Xiao standing side by side.

Hearing the sound, the two of them turned their heads and looked over.

Xiao He was smiling all over his face, but his expression froze instantly when he saw Mao Dun and Han Xin, and the ice and snow melted after a while: "This is Mao Dun and Han Xin? They really are young talents, which makes people admire in their hearts."

Xiao glanced at Xiao He: "Why are these so sour?"

Xiao He couldn't help laughing: "Seeing someone who has the intelligence and ability not to lose to me at a young age, and he is also smart and ambitious, why is it strange that I feel sour?"

Xiao: "..."

Xiao He admitted freely, but it would have been better if she didn't know what to say.

Xiao He smiled, turned his head to look at Han Xin and Mao Dun: "The two of us came here today mainly to send you wedding invitations."

……

"Wedding invitation?" Ying Zheng looked at Xiao He and Xiao blankly, "You two?"

Xiao He nodded: "Yes, Xiao and I's wedding invitation."

Not to mention Ying Zheng, even Lin Qian was at a loss after hearing this: "I don't seem to have heard of the two of you before..." The news of being together?

The defense between men and women in Qin State is not serious. If the two are really in love with each other, then there will be no rumors about it, right?

Furthermore, as far as the energy of the two people's previous work is concerned, it doesn't seem like they are attracted to each other...

Xiao nodded and admitted: "We were just colleagues before, and we didn't have any other ideas."

Even today, this is still the case.

but……

Xiao He nodded: "But we are both old and have reached the age of starting a family. It's just that we were busy with work and didn't have much time, and we were worried about delaying others, so we never got married. It happened that we met a few days ago. We have all received letters from our family..."

"We think the other party is quite suitable," Xiao explained with a smile, "so after discussing, we decided to take advantage of the fact that we are not busy recently, and directly arrange the marriage with the other party."

The two didn't intend to disturb Ying Zheng and Lin Qian, but...

Why did the news of their upcoming marriage reach Ying Zheng and Lin Qian through the mouth of the minister before the two of them returned to Xianyang and had not yet entered the palace to report the progress and details of the Ming Grassland city construction?