Zhao Tuo was shocked when he heard this.
Silently, he reached out and took the imperial edict handed over by Meng Tian.
He has no right to refuse.
Moreover, there is nothing wrong with this edict.
The three Lingnan counties, Nanhai County, Guilin County, and Xiang County, although they are vast in territory, do not have the official governors that were common in the Qin Dynasty. Instead, "wei" is the highest officer of a county, not only commanding the troops. , and also in charge of civil affairs.
The authority is extremely large, somewhat similar to the Jiedushi in the later period of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
The first county captain of Nanhai County was Ren Xiao, with Zhao Tuo as his assistant.
Now, Ren Xiao has left office. He failed to become a full-time official. Instead, a highly decorated general Meng Tian was parachuted in. As a result, he became the second in command again.
No matter how unwilling he was, he could not change this fact.
Now, he is the deputy general of Nanhai County.
Now that the imperial court has discovered a rice seed under the rule of Nanhai County that can be harvested three times a year, a good grain that is enough to change the food status of the Qin Dynasty, it is only normal to assign him, the deputy general, to personally take charge.
Is it possible to let the general go out to run errands while one of his lieutenants sits at home?
There is no such reason in the world.
"promise!"
Zhao Tuo bowed solemnly.
"The general will set off immediately to ensure the completion of the mission..."
"General Zhao is worthy of being the leader of the country. He is loyal to state affairs and acts vigorously and resolutely..."
Meng Tian was like a kind-hearted elder, and gave a few words of encouragement with a gentle smile. Zhao Tuo really couldn't show much affection to General Meng who had usurped his position as a county lieutenant and continued to encroach on the power in his hands. interest.
"General, you are ridiculous. As a minister, you are only dedicated to your heart—"
After Zhao Tuo finished speaking, he cupped his hands.
"The general is leaving now..."
Since there was no room for resistance, Zhao Tuo simply turned around and left.
It is related to the promotion of new grains in Daqin. If it can be completed beautifully, it will be a great achievement, and it can even leave a mark in the history of the world.
For me, it may not be a turning point.
Looking at Zhao Tuo who took the edict and strode away without hesitation, Meng Tian couldn't help but nod secretly in his heart.
Not to mention that this person is familiar with the art of war. He has repeatedly made military exploits in pacifying Lingnan and has outstanding abilities. He is also quite capable of dealing with various tribes in Baiyue. This decisiveness alone is different from ordinary people.
He is indeed a person who can be personally named by His Royal Highness the Emperor.
However, to this day, he still can't figure out why His Royal Highness the Emperor Changsun is so wary of this person. He needs to specifically remind himself to weaken this person's influence in Lingnan as soon as possible.
Arrangements have even been made for extreme situations.
However, not understanding it did not affect him from doing it - even if His Royal Highness the Emperor Changsun did not tell him, he might not not do it. As the commander-in-chief of the three armies and the lieutenant of a county, he had no habit of being ignored.
Although, speaking from his heart, he still admired this person very much.
Have ambition, ability, and means.
Who wouldn't like this subordinate?
But His Highness the Emperor Changsun was afraid. He even suspected that there might not be His Highness the Emperor Changsun behind this edict.
But it doesn't matter anymore.
The important thing is that he must seize this opportunity to unify the entire power of Hainan County in his own hands as soon as possible and completely strip away Zhao Tuo's influence here, especially in the military.
This army already has too many marks of Zhao Tuo.
Without the constraints of Zhao Tuo, these things have become easy for him. In fact, if he had not considered Zhao Tuo's influence in Lingnan and the army, and he did not want to do anything too extreme and cause criticism, he would have been able to do it long ago. Made it this far.
Zhao Tuo left immediately, and on the same day he gathered a group of troops and went straight to Xianglin County.
After running Lingnan for several years, he and Ren Xiao focused their energy on stabilizing the situation in Lingnan, and they really didn't pay much attention to a small place like Lin County.
In such a remote place, are there rice seeds that can withstand drought, produce three crops a year?
…
The changes in Lingnan and Zhao Tuo's reaction were not beyond Zhao Ying's expectations.
After all, now that the First Emperor is still here, even if Zhao Tuo is ambitious, at this point in time, he may not dare to have such treacherous thoughts. As long as he does not want to die, he should naturally know what to do.
In fact, if the First Emperor had not died, there might not have been so many careerists in history, and there might not have been so many people who would have dared to rise up and resist the so-called violent Qin.
At least, Chief Liu Dating, who was prosperous in Sishui County, might not dare to seek death.
But there are no ifs in history.
There are only results.
And all Zhao Ying is doing now is trying to change this fruit before it bears fruit.
In the past few days, the city of Xianyang has been changing.
After a storm, countless heads fell to the ground, and Hu Hai, the eighteenth son who was once the most favored by the First Emperor, also ended sadly. His Royal Highness the Emperor's Grandson, who was at the center of the whirlpool, not only escaped unscathed, but also gained momentum.
Countless resources are pouring in.
Although he tried to refuse, he could not change everyone's enthusiasm.
As soon as the Eighteenth Young Master fell, the once treacherous situation suddenly became clear. No one in the entire Qin Dynasty could stop the rise of His Highness the Emperor's Grandson. Now either the eldest son who was driven to Shangjun by the First Emperor was recalled to Xianyang, or the emperor's eldest grandson directly stepped over the eldest son and stepped onto the stage.
No matter which of these two possibilities it is, the rise of Emperor Changsun is already certain.
Therefore, under the conscious or unconscious promotion of the First Emperor, many forces that originally belonged to the eighteenth son Hu Hai began to quickly move closer to Zhao Ying. For this reason, Zhang Liang was very busy.
The group of people under the Eighteenth Young Master are a mixed bag.
Zhao Ying naturally did not have the intention to accept it completely.
He is familiar with history and clearly knows that grace sometimes runs out. No matter how much favor his great father shows to him, he cannot touch the bottom line of an emperor.
Therefore, except for a few talents that he liked, most of them reluctantly accepted the filial piety, said a few words of comfort and then sent people away.
As for who is available and who is not available, who can choose and who cannot choose, this is the responsibility of Zhang Liang, who is the champion general's prime minister.
And he is only responsible for collecting money.
At this moment, he suddenly understood what it meant to be lenient when receiving money.
That was really a soft touch.
To say that every day makes a fortune is to be modest.
In just a few days, he actually received hundreds of thousands of dollars, which was almost equal to the entire year of Great Qin's taxes.
It's simply shocking.
This was Da Qin, which was always known for its strict laws and clear administration.
Of course, not all people who give gifts have problems. Some people have been rich for generations and have great wealth. It is a humble expression. To express a little to His Royal Highness the Emperor's Grandson is just to express one's own attitude.
Regardless of the purpose, Zhao Ying had no special reaction and accepted it with a smile.
"Your Highness, this money is really too much..."
Having said this, Zhang Liang hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but respectfully remind him.
"We'd better deal with it as soon as possible..."
Even though Zhang Liang was born in the late Han Xiangguo's family, he had been accustomed to seeing big money since he was a child. Looking at the account book in front of him, he couldn't help breathing heavily. If he collected so much money in one breath, even His Highness the Emperor's Grandson, if he didn't deal with it quickly, I'm afraid That's the way to bring disaster.
Looking at Zhang Liang who looked a little nervous, Zhao Ying couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't worry, I have my own arrangements for the money..."
Zhang Liang immediately gave up. Seeing that Zhao Ying had already made up his mind, he stopped talking and started to report other affairs in the house. Regarding the results of Zhang Liang's handling, Zhao Ying usually did not interrupt and just spoke quietly. listen.
Many times, even from his current perspective, Zhang Liang's handling was remarkable, even better than he expected. However, he would still stop occasionally to ask a few questions or make some adjustments.
Even these adjustments are actually not necessary.
"Your Highness, there was an accident at the Liuli Workshop today. Manager Chen He and Manager Bai Rong were seriously injured on the spot..."
When Zhao Ying heard this, he immediately raised his eyebrows.
Chen He and Bai Rong were one of the four magicians who originally developed transparent glass, and are now the well-deserved pillars of his glass workshop.
It is not only the most important source of income for his staff, but also one of the talent reserves he focuses on cultivating.
After all, these people who like to study strange and weird things every day and learn a lot of miscellaneous knowledge are basically natural chemists.
Don't underestimate these people just because of their godly actions and their current embarrassing situation. In fact, these people are the most capable of learning, exploring and willing in this era.
If we say that in this era, who can learn the knowledge of chemistry, biology, and even physics brought from later generations the fastest, it must be them.
Especially Bai Rong, who is the youngest and most spiritual among them.
Now that he heard that something happened between the two of them, he naturally had no reason not to intervene.
"What happened to the accident? How could I be seriously injured..."
When Zhao Ying asked about this, Zhang Liang couldn't help but hesitated slightly, but he still said in a deep voice.
"It is said that two stewards were secretly refining the elixir in their room..."
Having said this, I couldn't help but secretly glance at Zhao Ying's face. Seeing that Zhao Ying didn't have much reaction to this, I continued.
"Then, I don't know why it exploded..."
Zhao Ying:......
This is how you develop explosives!
Zhao Ying thought for a while and simply stood up.
"Take me to see—"
…
When Zhao Ying arrived at the Liuli Workshop, the panic caused by the explosion had not yet dissipated. Especially in the room where Bai Rong lived, it could be seen that the alchemy furnace had exploded for a long time.
Even the doors and windows haven't been repaired yet.
Looking at the messy room, Zhao Ying couldn't help but secretly sighed.
These two people are so brave.
It was okay to hide in the room secretly refining the elixir behind his back, but he actually made improvements and innovations, adding random things to it - just the power of the explosion, the two of them didn't die on the spot, they were all tough enough. There is someone over there with Lord Yama.
Looking at His Royal Highness the Emperor's Grandson, whose expression was as usual, there was no hint of joy or anger.
Gong Xue and Lu Yi, who felt they were in the wrong, did not dare to take a breath. After all, it was because of alchemy that they were in this situation. What's more, alchemy is now taboo in Great Qin.
Who knows whether His Highness the Emperor's Grandson will anger everyone because of this.
"Where are the two stewards now——"
After watching the scene, Zhao Ying turned to look at Gong Xue and Lu Yi who looked anxious.
"Here, in the bedroom at the back..."
Gong Xue nervously twitched his Adam's apple and secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Take me to see..."
Zhao Ying remained calm.
Although he was mentally prepared for Bai Rong, Chen He and the others to toss around the explosives, it was an undeniable fact that the two of them secretly made elixirs behind his back. If they didn't work hard, there would be no rules in the future.
Gong Xue and Lu Yi led His Royal Highness the Emperor Changsun to Chen He and Bai Rong's dormitory in an uneasy mood.
Taking a few steps ahead, he stepped forward and opened the door.
As soon as the door opened, there was a strong smell of Chinese medicine. Apparently, the two people had received emergency treatment before he came. Seeing Zhao Ying come in, Chen He and Bai Rong, who had already woken up, immediately struggled to salute.
Zhao Ying sighed and stretched out his hand to stop them.
"Tell me, what materials did you add, how did you refine yourself into this virtue..."
Chen He and Bai Rong were already mentally prepared to be questioned by Zhao Ying. Unexpectedly, Zhao Ying did not pursue their private alchemy matters, but directly asked about the process of alchemy.
His expression suddenly became sarcastic.
After all, as a master of alchemy, it is a bit embarrassing to almost send him away when he makes an elixir.
Although, blowing up a furnace or something like that is nothing new to people like me - who doesn't blow up a furnace for alchemy? If you don't blow up a furnace, you would be embarrassed to say that you are a senior alchemist...
"Cinnabar, realgar, amalgam, vetch, sulfur..."
Listening to the two people's narration, Zhao Ying couldn't help but take a breath.
He is indeed a ruthless person!
This thing, after being refined, can actually kill people on the spot, which is considered a skill.
Zhao Ying listened calmly and nodded slightly.
"Yes, if I provide you with materials, are you sure you can blow up the furnace again..."
Chen He and Bai Rong:...
Gong Xue and Lu Yi couldn't help but be stunned.
"The villain knows his crime..."
Chen He and Bai Rong thought that Zhao Ying wanted to confess his guilt, so they were so frightened that they quickly struggled to get up to plead guilty. Gong Xue and Lu Yi also knelt on the ground with a thud.
"Your Highness, please show your noble hand..."
Nowadays, the situation of the warlocks is not easy. If His Highness the Emperor Changsun had not shown mercy and fished them out and protected them, they might have disappeared long ago.
Today, Chen He and Bai Rong are secretly refining elixirs. Not only are they complicit, at least one of them is guilty of not telling the truth!
If the crime is to be punished, none of them can escape.
Looking at the four people with frightened expressions, Zhao Ying was startled for a moment, then understood their little thoughts and shook his head in confusion.
"Let's put the matter of punishment aside for now. I was just talking about business - if I provide you with materials, do you have any way to train something that can make the stove explode..."
Having said this, Zhao Ying glanced at them.
"If you can refine it again, I can forgive you for secretly refining the elixir..."
(End of chapter)
