Since the Yiqu tribe was resettled in Longxi, the role of the county guard in Longxi has weakened. The year before last, he was sent to Jincheng by Ying Zheng to govern the Hexi Corridor with Xu Wan, the commander-in-chief.
Today's Longxi is more like a vassal state, with a high degree of autonomy from the Yiqu tribe.
In the past, Yu Tu and the Yiqu people were wandering among the Xiongnu, Yuezhi, and Xiqiang. It could be said that they were dependent on others and had no sense of belonging.
Today, the Yiqu tribe not only has enough food and clothing, but also does not have to pay much taxes. They are also protected by the most powerful empire and live an extremely comfortable life.
Along the way, Ying Zheng still followed Ji Fa to survey the terrain. In his spare time, he discussed the world situation with Yu Tu and other elders.
On this day, I finally returned to Didao.
In the Yiqu Palace, Yu Tu and the elders held a banquet to entertain the King of Qin and all his ministers.
Ji Fa usually didn't get involved in such occasions. He ate something alone in a study room and then began to sort out the route map he had drawn these days.
Ying Zheng's side was quite lively, with the older generation chatting around him and the younger ones mingling even more.
"Mr. Yiqu, since I rescued you, I have always been concerned about your health. Has it really happened that you haven't relapsed in the past few years?" Ying Zheng asked with concern.
Yu Tu laughed: "I was suffering from an acute illness at that time. According to Mr. Li Si, the qi and blood attacked the heart and blocked the heart veins. Since it was opened at that time, how could it relapse?"
The third elder on the side joked: "Not only has he not relapsed, but he has become more and more hale and hearty in the past few years. We old guys are gradually getting older. Only the patriarch seems to be getting younger and younger with each passing year."
"That's not what happened." The fourth elder said from the side, "Give him a spear, and he will definitely be able to go into battle and kill the enemy. I say you don't want to send Thorin, just let the clan leader help you fight against other countries. "
Yu Tu laughed again: "You old guys, you know how to make fun of me. Sigh, it's hard to fight on horseback, but it should be no problem to be a warlord and transport food and other things."
Ying Zheng said: "If you are really allowed to go into battle, you will really be laughed at by all the countries. I have no one in Daqin. How can I ask those younger generations to raise their heads? You can just stay at Didao and prepare the armaments for Thorin and the others. .”
"Okay, okay, listen to your Majesty." Yu Tu nodded in agreement and turned to ask, "By the way, the King said before that the Great Wall will be built in Didao, but is it true?"
Ying Zheng nodded: "Master said that the tail of the dragon vein is here, and it should be built along the dragon vein. First build our beacon tower in Qin, and then connect it."
"The tail of the dragon vein?" asked the third elder, "Where is the head of the dragon vein?"
"It's in the territory of Yan State, in a place called Laolongkou near the Bohai Sea." Ying Zheng replied, "But we can't go there now. We have to conquer Yan State no matter what."
Yu Tu said: "It seems that the plan to build the Great Wall still has a long way to go."
"That's why we have to seize the time." Ying Zheng said, "I received a letter from Thumb earlier, saying that I can arrive here probably tomorrow. When he arrives, we will be on our way immediately."
"There's no need to be in such a hurry." Yu Tu said, "You might as well stay a few more days."
Ying Zheng shook his head and said, "It's late autumn now. I want to get to Jingjue before the snow falls. If it's too cold, it will be difficult to rush."
Seeing that he couldn't stay any longer, Yu Tu persuaded him to have a few more drinks.
The next day, Thumb led a team of troops to Didao.
This team brought a change of clothes for winter, clothing to keep the horses warm from the cold, food and grass, as well as silk, pottery, tea, etc. that were very popular in the Western Regions.
The teams on both sides began to reorganize, but Thumb pulled Ying Zheng aside and handed him a letter saying: "Li Xiangbang asked me to bring a letter to the king, saying that the prince Yan Dan of the Yan Kingdom has arrived in Xianyang, and he is the hostage. I came here to express Yan Guo’s attitude and ask the king if he would like to go back.”
Ying Zheng quickly read the content of the letter, and then said: "I already know about this matter. If I go back, there is no need. I will write a letter and ask Li Si to settle him down."
Immediately, the King of Qin took out the imperial seal, wrote a letter to Li Si, stamped it, handed it to the messenger, and quickly sent it back to Xianyang.
In the afternoon, all the teams dressed in businessmen's clothes were ready to go. Under the leadership of Ying Zheng, they started again (this chapter is not over yet!)
Chapter 391 Go to Jingjue Again
For the first time, he embarked on the road to the west.
Ji Fa led a group of ghost hands brought by Thumb, and began to search for the Fire Eye, using magma to create dense stones, with Didao as the temporary core, to make the best preparations for building the Great Wall.
Yu Tu led the people of Yiqu and led the Qin King's troops to the banks of the Yellow River.
The bank of the Yellow River directly north of Didao was originally a large ferry. Later, after Ying Zheng went to the Western Regions, he decided to build a new city here and named it "Jincheng", which means a place with lots of gold and wealth.
(Jincheng, later renamed Lanzhou)
A few years later, this place turned out to be just as expected. People from various countries and regions were extremely densely populated, and commerce was highly accessible. Businessmen who made money stayed here either for a long time or intermittently. Naturally, they spent a lot of money, which also boosted the economy.
"I can't believe that although this golden city is not big, it is so prosperous." Ying Zheng sighed as he looked at the brand new city.
"It's all a blessing from the king." Yu Tu said with a smile, "After the Yellow River, there is the Hexi Corridor, which is also the connection between the Central Plains and the Western Regions. Therefore, this Golden City has become the hub of the Hexi Corridor."
The fourth elder said from the side: "Yes, almost all caravans set out for the Western Regions after reorganizing here. Some merchants who do not want to go to the Western Regions in person also transfer their goods to other caravans here. .”
The third elder added: "Moreover, most of the caravans coming from the Western Regions completed their transactions here and went back without going deep into the hinterland, so they sold their own goods here and stayed for a few more days to wait for the goods. There are also many merchants here."
Since ancient times, where there is trade, there is profit. Where there is profit, development will definitely not be slow.
This can be seen from the annual tax increase in Longxi County.
Longxi County Governor Shen Jun, after ceding Didao's mansion to Yu Tu, came to Jincheng and began to focus on building city defenses and docks, and also built the County Governor's Mansion in Jincheng.
Shen Jun had already known that King Qin was leading his troops here, and Shen Jun had prepared ships in the past few days, preparing to ferry the team to the Western Regions.
After meeting with Wang Jia with the state officials, Shen Jun stood aside and reported all the supplies and supplies that Ying Zheng had prepared for his trip.
"Chief Shen is busy." Facing this veteran of the previous dynasty, Ying Zheng seemed quite respectful. Although he didn't communicate much, he obviously valued Longxi County very much.
Shen Jun cupped his hands and said, "May I ask, Your Majesty, if there is anything else you need? I will prepare it immediately."
Ying Zheng smiled and waved his hand: "That's enough. We are traveling by land, not by water, so we won't bring any useless items. However, I really didn't expect that this golden city was so well built. "
"I have been looking forward to it day and night, and finally the king is here." Shen Jun said, "I hope the king will stay for a few more days to see the shortcomings in the city, so that I can improve it."
"It's not enough to stay here for a few days. Why not show me around now?"
Immediately, Shen Jun took King Qin and a group of courtiers to visit the entire Jincheng. They encountered snack stalls and restaurants along the way and ate at them all.
The vendors along the street were still wondering where the merchants came with such a large team and actually asked the county governor to accompany them in person, and they were so respectful.
Ying Zheng was also afraid that his identity would be exposed, so he dispersed the team long ago and asked the Huben army to go to the stalls and pay for everything they wanted to eat.
After walking around for a long time, King Qin was extremely satisfied and praised Shen Jun and the state officials of Longxi. "When I sent General Xu Wan to Jiayuguan, I gave the Hexi Corridor a name, Liangzhou." Ying Zheng said to Shen Jun, "We can see the construction there this time. However, the Liangzhou area Although it is large, the population is very small, so why not formally merge it into Longxi and become a state of Longxi County, what do you think?"
King Qin's intention was to hand over the entire Hexi Corridor to Shen Jun for control.
Shen Jun was slightly startled, then bowed and said: "If the king does not give up, I will definitely live up to the king's high expectations."
"Hahaha, then it's settled." Ying Zheng smiled and said, "I'll tell them all when we go all the way west."
In this way, the Hexi Corridor on the other side of the Yellow River was officially named Liangzhou and was merged into Longxi County.
(Later, Li Xin led the Li family to take root in Longxi, laying a solid family foundation for future generations of descendants, Li Yuan, to establish the Tang Dynasty. This is a story later)
(This chapter is not finished yet!)
Chapter 391 Go to Jingjue Again
The sky was getting dark, and the autumn wind was also cool. The group set up camp and slept in the south of Jincheng.
The next day, Ying Zheng and his team boarded several cargo ships and sailed to the other side.
Looking at the not turbulent river, King Qin frowned slightly, seeming thoughtful.
"Uncle Thumb, do you feel that the Yellow River seems a little turbid again?" Ying Zheng looked at Thumb.
Thumb looked at the river and nodded: "I can see it too, the color of the river is darker."
Ying Zheng said worriedly: "I heard from Master that the Yellow River was originally extremely clear. With the control of the dragon veins, the huge energy at the bottom of the Kunlun Mountains backfired, causing the Yellow River to become muddy and the sand in the north to be clear." The millstone gradually expanded.”
"The river water is now more turbid, which means that the sand millstone should also be changing. Maybe in a few years, the desert will accelerate its expansion."
Thumb sighed and said: "Although I don't understand this principle very well, what the teacher and the master said is definitely true. Fortunately, I met the master at this time. If it had been a little later, I'm afraid I would have never been able to..."
Thumb didn't say the terrible consequences, but the image floated in front of the two of them.
A withered city, filled with yellow sand, devoid of life and hope.
The once prosperous ancient city in the Western Region seemed to have swayed and sunk into the mighty river in front of us, never to see the light of day again.
Ying Zheng shivered and couldn't bear to imagine the horrific scene, but found that the boat was not far from the shore.
It is said that Hexi is Hexi, but in fact the opposite bank of Jincheng Port is the North Bank. Setting foot on this land again, Ying Zheng couldn't help but cheer up and dust himself off.
This fertile land is not uncultivable, nor is it much different from the land of China, but it is always sparsely populated and deserted.
From the beginning to the end, it was not included in the Chinese land and has been occupied by nomadic peoples such as Xiqiang and Xiongnu.
Ying Zheng understood that what he had to do was not only to permanently add this land to Chinese territory, but also to completely change the living habits and way of life that had lasted for thousands of years.
Reclaiming wasteland and allowing this land to grow food permanently seems easy to say, but it is not easy to achieve.
The first thing is that someone has to do it.
The biggest advantage of Jincheng now is that it has gathered people from all walks of life, and they can all live and work here without worrying about invading enemies.
Because the enemy has been blocked at Jiayuguan, thousands of miles away.
The so-called enemies are nothing more than the Xiqiang in the west and the Xiongnu in the north.
By coincidence, these two former rivals had formed an alliance with Da Qin.
As long as you are strong, your opponents will naturally be afraid of you.
Now that the Hexi Corridor is safe, quickly head to Jiayuguan!
Ying Zheng made some adjustments and led the team straight to the Western Region Fortress.
Chapter 391 Go to Jingjue Again
