A few days later, good news came from Zhang Han. They had worked with the chief iron officer to make a more durable iron pulley, which greatly improved the efficiency of transporting stone and wood. They also sent someone to deliver the finished pulley. I took a look. Although it is rough and has a little loss, it should be fine to use. Just change it frequently.
I took the pulley, drew a new drawing and instructions for use, and stated that I should find some lubricant to apply on the shaft of the pulley. I asked Zhang Shu to hand it over to Feng Quji, and explained to him the use of Lishan. For promotion. Feng Quji immediately realized the value of the pulley after seeing it, summoned the chief iron officer to start casting it day and night, and gradually applied it to various large-scale construction projects.
On this day, I was studying the "Mo Jing" carefully in the palace. Zhang Shu came in and said that Feng Quji had sent someone to invite me to the Prime Minister's Mansion to talk about it.
"Did you hear clearly? We are going to the Prime Minister's Mansion, not Prime Minister Feng's Mansion?" I asked. Li Si followed Ying Zheng on a tour. The Prime Minister's Mansion should only have some officials who work on a daily basis. Feng Quji was still working in his own mansion. Why did he go to the Prime Minister's Mansion today.
After Zhang Shu confirmed that it was correct, I took Meng He to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
As soon as he entered the door, he saw Feng Quji and another middle-aged man with extraordinary bravery coming over to greet him.
"I have met Your Highness." The two of them saluted in unison.
I supported him slightly and said, "No need to be polite, is this General Meng Tian?"
Another person clasped his fists and said, "General Meng Tian of Shangjun has met His Highness. Today I was ordered to return to Xianyang to discuss with the Prime Minister the Xiongnu invasion of the border area. By the way, I will escort this month's grain and grass to Shangjun."
Because my age is different from that in history, I was 15 years old after the Great Chao Hui, so my relationship with Meng Tian is not that close. Meng Tian has been stationed in Shangjun and rarely visits Xianyang. The last time he saw him was from a distance during the Great Court Meeting.
I smiled and said: "On that day, I only saw the general from a distance. I met Meng Yi several times in Xianyang. For some reasons, and because Meng Yi went on tour with his father, we haven't talked much recently. Today I can take a closer look at General Meng. , as expected, he is similar to Meng Yi, he is really heroic!"
Meng Tian hurriedly saluted and said: "Thank you for your highness's false praise. I really don't dare to accept it. I have lived at the border for a long time and failed to visit your highness often. It is my fault."
Feng Quji also smiled and said: "Your Highness, General Meng, the weather is cold, how about we explain it in detail in the hall?"
Then the three of them entered the lobby of the Prime Minister's Mansion and sat down together. A servant had already served hot tea. There were two people in the hall who were writing something. They bowed and sat down together.
Feng Quji looked at the two men and said: "Your Highness, General Meng returned to Xianyang this time, mainly because the number of Xiongnu harassments at the border has increased. After reporting this to the emperor, the emperor ordered his ministers, His Highness and General Meng to discuss countermeasures. These two people are The officials of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Taicang Commander Zhou Zhi, and Arsenal Commander Meng Xingyuan, are in charge of grain, grass, and ordnance."
Only then did I realize that no wonder Feng Quji wanted to meet here. Now that Ying Zheng is not in Xianyang, the border general has been ordered to return to the capital. The combination of the prime minister, the prince, and the general is enough to make Ying Zheng fearful. Feng Quji was the Right Prime Minister, but he chose the Prime Minister's Mansion of the Left Prime Minister Li Si as the meeting place, and also brought Li Si's subordinates with him. Even if someone wanted to sow discord in front of Ying Zheng, the Prime Minister's Mansion was full of people. Everyone can testify that it is really clever.
Feng Quji did not pause and said to Meng Tian: "Please also ask General Meng to explain the situation in Shangjun to His Highness."
Meng Tian cupped his hands and said: "Yes. The Huns raided the border this time more frequently than before. There are two main reasons.
One is that this winter is cold and the Huns cannot sustain their food supply, so they can only replenish it by looting border crossings. This has happened in previous years and is not surprising;
The most important thing is the second one. According to my investigation, Man Shanyu, the leader of the Huns, successively conquered two tribes at the beginning of this winter, namely the Brown Beggar tribe in the west and the Beiqiang tribe in the southwest. These two tribes have always been outside the control of the Qiang tribe and the Xiongnu royal court. They rarely conflicted with our great Qin. I don’t know how Touman Chanyu persuaded them to join the royal court. As a result, the Huns' military strength was greatly enhanced, and they were able to plunder border passes so frequently.
In addition, I also found out that the Huns have been in frequent contact with the Donghu recently. Not long ago, Titomur, the leader of the Donghu, met Touman Shanyu once at the border between the two barbarians. I suspected that the Huns were planning to collude with Donghu to prepare for a larger offensive in the spring, so I came here to discuss countermeasures with the Prime Minister and His Highness. "
Feng Quji continued: "The Brown Beggar Tribe was originally separated from the Qiang Tribe. The Bei Qiang Tribe was the remnant that fled to the north after Yiqu was destroyed by our Qin Dynasty. Their tribe had no intention after the Yiqu was destroyed. He was also an enemy of Da Qin, so his relations with other tribes in the Qiang tribe were not very good. The leader Dada and the leader of the Qiang tribe Qi Suha had never dealt with them.
I also got some news here, because these two tribes and the Qiang tribe have always been in harmony with each other, but Qisuha has suddenly interrupted trade with these two tribes this year. Both tribes live on the grasslands, and most of the food It depends on trade with the southern Qiang people. After Qisuha interrupted trade, if they wanted to obtain enough food, they had no choice but to look for the Huns, so it was not surprising that they sought refuge with Touman Chanyu. "
I pondered for a while and then said, "Do the Prime Minister and General Meng have any good ideas?"
Feng Quji replied: "Before Your Highness arrived, I had a rough discussion with General Meng. The border raids this winter are not something to worry about. The construction of the Great Wall has provided us with a lot of help. We are just worried that the Huns will launch a larger-scale attack in the spring." In the case of war, we can only prepare the necessary food, grass and weapons in advance, and increase military service to prepare for the war. I am considering increasing military service, what do you think of Your Highness?"
I nodded and said: "If we want to go to war, these preparations are necessary." I changed the topic: "It's just that the Huns have been in trouble for a long time. Have you two considered how to solve this problem once and for all?"
Meng Tian and Feng Quji looked at each other, and Meng Tian said: "Your Highness, do you want us to take the initiative to destroy the Huns? I have been stationed at the border for more than ten years and know the Huns quite well. The Huns come and go without a trace. They dismount their horses and serve the people, and mount their horses. As soldiers, our infantry are not as fast as their cavalry, and since we cannot keep up with the food and grass on the grassland in time, it may be impossible to find the main force of the Huns for a decisive battle."
Feng Quji also added: "What General Meng said is true. If the Huns dared to fight the Great Qin openly, we, the Great Qin, would have defeated the Huns long ago and there would be no need to build the Great Wall."
I waved my hand: "I don't mean just by means of war. War is indispensable. If other means are supplemented on the basis of war, will it play some auxiliary role?"
I then shared some of my later thoughts with a few people.
