Wangdong City, which once belonged to Xiqiang, is now renamed Liangzhou and is also the seat of Liangzhou's state capital.
(Liangzhou, later renamed Wuwei)
After Ying Zheng sent Xu Wan to Jiayuguan and then named the Hexi Corridor Liangzhou, he did not send an actual governor. The place was managed by Zeng Wei Liao's companion Chen Li.
Thinking back on the time when Cao Liao and Chen Li sneaked into Lao Ai's mansion and passed on internal information to Ying Zheng, they were considered to have made a great contribution.
Later, the King of Qin took Cao Liao back to Xianyang to build the "our army" using "our weapons", which is now the Huben Army. However, he sent Chen Li to Liangzhou. However, the organization was not complete at the time, so he did not give him any practical experience. The official position is only to exercise the power of the prefect.
Ying Zheng had never entered Wangdong City after passing here several times. Now when he came here again, he found that the scale of the city was several times larger than before. Although it was not as prosperous as Jincheng, the area was similar to that of the previous one.
When Ying Zheng was overjoyed, he saw that Chen Li had come out with a group of subordinates.
After greeting the emperor, Chen Li welcomed King Qin into the city and entered his mansion.
"Haha, not bad, not bad." Ying Zheng praised from the bottom of his heart, "This city has been renovated well. I didn't expect you to do such a thing under such an environment."
Speaking of the environment, it's really not that good.
In the past few years, Lord Changping had been in control of the Qin court's temples, so he did not favor any new policies in the Hexi Corridor outside the Qin territory.
The official personnel were all transferred by Chen Li, and the civilians were also victims of disasters from various places, and there were also many former prisoners of war or slaves.
Although he did not pay any taxes to the temple, he did not receive much financial support.
Fortunately, the constant flow of caravans allowed Liangzhou City, which was under renovation, to develop.
Chen Li cupped his hands and said, "Although the environment here is a bit harsh, the officials have no complaints, and the people have their own land. We all work hard to manage it, and finally we have lived up to the king's good intentions."
Having said this, Ying Zheng couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.
He just won by gambling with the King of Xiqiang. How could he have any good intentions?
Although the King of Xiqiang did it intentionally at the time, he still owed favor to others. What's more, he was busy running around in the past few years and didn't pay much attention to the development of the Hexi Corridor.
For this territory, he is an out-and-out hands-off shopkeeper.
"Uh..." Ying Zheng said, "The development here is beyond everyone's expectations. I thought Jincheng was already good, but I didn't expect you to be as good as Shen Jun."
Chen Lidao: "The king has been walking all the way. It can be seen that the official road has been rebuilt and leads directly to Jiayuguan."
"Directly to Jiayuguan?" Ying Zheng was shocked. He didn't expect that he had even completed the official road.
Chen Li nodded and said: "Wei Chen knew that the king would take this road again, so he rebuilt the entire official road and built two new cities on the way, but it was not fully formed yet."
Not only did the official roads be rebuilt, but two cities were also built?
Ying Zheng was not only surprised, he was simply unimaginable. Does this guy want to be a county guard?
Chen Li continued: "Your Majesty, you should remember that halfway to Jiayuguan, there is a small city built by the Yuezhi in the past. That city has also been renovated, and the minister named it Ganzhou."
"After Master Xu Wan renovated Jiayuguan Pass, he built a city inside the pass to stay and named it Suzhou. After the king arrives, he can rest in these two places."
(Ganzhou was later renamed Zhangye, and Suzhou was renamed Jiuquan, which is also the origin of the name Gansu)
"Haha, good, good!" Ying Zheng praised repeatedly, and then said, "Chen Li listens to the seal."
Chen Li knelt down on one knee and bowed his hands.
"Chen Li rebuilt Liangzhou and made great contributions to repairing the official system. He is hereby named the Grand Administrator of Liangzhou, and all his subordinate officials have been promoted to one level." Ying Zheng said seriously, "Although Liangzhou is under the jurisdiction of Longxi County, it is directly under the jurisdiction of the court. It has its own power. It was presented to Li Si, the Prime Minister of the Left."
"Order the temple to allocate ten thousand taels of silver to the Liangzhou government office to continue accelerating the transformation of the city and farmland without slacking off." Chen Li's heart trembled and he quickly kowtowed and accepted the order.
All the officials behind him also kowtowed and accepted the order.
That night, Ying Zheng took the Meng brothers around the city and then had a big drink.
The next day, the team continued to move forward.
When he arrived in Ganzhou and Suzhou, Ying Zheng led people on a tour and rested for the night.
These two cities are somewhat different from Liangzhou and Jincheng.
Jincheng was originally in the Qin territory, but it was just built along the Yellow River. Of course, all the people in the city were Qin people.
Although Liangzhou is located in the west of Hexi, after the Western Qiang gave way, the Qin people were still in control.
But in Ganzhou and Suzhou, about half of the Western Qiang people live here.
The original agreement with the King of Xiqiang was to take the center line of the Hexi Corridor as the axis, with the north going to Da Qin to resist the Xiongnu raids, and the south going to Xiqiang so that they could better trade goods with Da Qin.
It is estimated that King Xiqiang did not expect that King Qin would take down Touman Shanyu so quickly, causing all Xiongnu tribes to move north collectively. Therefore, in the past few years, the people living in the Hexi Corridor have lived a very comfortable life and devoted themselves to development. local farming and commerce.
Most of the Qiang people living in the plateau areas are also willing to accept the products and culture of the Qin people, so there are not a few people who immigrated here.
Ying Zheng was happy to see this blending of different ethnic groups, so he was more confident in the development of the Hexi Corridor.
Along the way, he often sent Meng Yi to exchange some goods with local herdsmen, and the cattle and sheep in exchange were slaughtered on the spot to improve the food for the Huben army.
It has long been a law in the army to follow the King of Qin to have meat to eat.
After passing Suzhou, the front is Jiayuguan.
Xu Wan, the commander-in-chief, had already received the news and lined up outside the pass to greet him.
What surprised Ying Zheng was that there was also a group of Qiang soldiers surrounded by a half-hundred man in slightly more luxurious clothes following the Qin army.
King of Xiqiang!
"Haha, how are you doing, uncle?" Ying Zheng greeted him with a big smile.
After becoming brothers with Qiang Yu, his relationship with King Xiqiang naturally became closer. Now that they meet each other many years later, they naturally feel cordial.
King Xiqiang also laughed: "I've heard that you have come to the Western Regions. I happen to be not far away, so I am waiting for you here."
Ying Zheng hurriedly came to the King of Western Qiang and said, "I am leaving in a hurry this time. I wanted to visit my uncle, but I am afraid that it will be difficult to leave in winter. I just want to go over when I come back."
"Why bother? I will accompany you on this trip to the Western Region."
Ying Zheng said happily: "Seriously?"
The King of Xiqiang nodded: "Qiang You wrote a letter a long time ago saying that you are going to Jingjue to do something important, so let me accompany you."
"That's great, let's go have a drink." Ying Zheng pulled him and walked towards the pass.
At this time, Xu Wan had already come over, cupped his hands and said: "Xu Wan has met the king, please come here."
The sergeants at the back lined up on both sides, and then the true appearance of Jiayuguan was revealed.
What a magnificent pass!
The city walls are high, blocking thousands of troops and horses, and the towers stand tall, giving a bird's eye view of all living things.
After entering the city gate, more defenders lined up on both sides to greet King Qin respectfully.
What he saw and heard along the way was beyond Ying Zheng's imagination. Previously there were several newly built cities, the rebuilt Silk Road, and now this majestic pass, which seemed to have faintly surpassed Hangu Pass.
The banquet has been prepared and is just waiting for everyone to sit down.
Ying Zheng and King Xiqiang sat at the same table, with Xu Wan accompanying them, and the others sat at the bottom.
After a few drinks of greetings, the three of them had a drink and opened up the conversation.
"Uncle, how is the situation in Xiqiang recently?" Ying Zheng asked.
King Xiqiang said: "No one has ever been willing to invade the plateau. Apart from internal disputes, Xiqiang is relatively safe."
"Internal disputes?" Ying Zheng asked, "Is there some problem within the clan?"
"It's not a big deal." King Xiqiang said, "There are two old guys who don't agree with integrating with you because of trade. They are afraid that in the end the girls will marry to Da Qin, and Xiqiang will lose their incest in the future."
Ying Zheng really didn't expect this. Regardless of the girls of any country or ethnic group, who doesn't want to live a stable and comfortable life, and the men of Da Qin can obviously give Qiang girls a more superior life.
"They are worried for a reason." Ying Zheng thought for a moment and said, "How about I issue a decree to prevent men from Da Qin from marrying girls from foreign races?"
The King of Xiqiang was pondering his proposal, and then he heard Xu Wan say: "I think this should be the case. After all, for the relatively small number of Qiang people, protecting the bloodline is also a top priority."
"If Da Qin alone promulgates regulations, some people will inevitably take risks and violate them." King Xiqiang said, "Why don't I also stipulate that the two tribes will not intermarry with each other, but Qiang couples can move to Qin and settle down. Is that okay?"
"Of course there is no problem." Ying Zheng said, "Let alone ordinary people, even if you, uncle, go to settle in Xianyang, there will be no problem at all."
The three of them laughed.
Seeing that the whole of Hexi was developing so well, Ying Zheng was extremely happy. He was so happy that he kept urging him to drink. Finally, he drank Xu Wan under the table and drank the King of Xiqiang until he talked nonsense.
Brothers Meng Tian and Meng Yi, along with Li Xin, Zhang Yong and others, mingled with the generals in Guanzhong and the Xiqiang soldiers as well, all drinking enthusiastically.
The King of Xiqiang and these soldiers are all his close ministers. They all speak Chinese very fluently and have long been accustomed to the culture and customs of the Central Plains, so it is easy to get along with others.
Besides, we have to stay together when we go to Jingjue, so we should get acquainted with them in advance.
After relaxing for a night, they got ready and set out the next day. Ying Zheng and King Xiqiang each led their troops out of Jiayuguan and embarked on the road to Jingjue again.
"Time flies so fast." King Xiqiang seemed to have not sobered up yet, shaking his head and said, "I accompanied you to Jingjue a few years ago, and it was the same scene. It feels like yesterday."
"Yes." Ying Zheng also said with emotion, "At that time, I was really worried. I didn't know whether the road ahead was good or bad, and whether there was any danger. Thanks to you, uncle, by your side, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to understand what they said. .”
King Xiqiang laughed and said: "The first time I saw you, I knew you were no ordinary king, so I gave you this half of the land west of Hexi. Sure enough, even the Xiongnu returned defeated in front of you. "
"Touman Chanyu, have you seen him?" Ying Zheng asked.
King Xiqiang shook his head: "We are always fighting with the Xiongnu. If we want to meet, unless one of us is captured."
Ying Zheng thought: The first time he and Touman met, one of them was really captured.
"Actually, he is quite loyal. At least he keeps his promise." Ying Zheng said, "I just saw that he valued his trustworthiness, so I didn't kill him. He promised me that he would not invade the Central Plains again during my lifetime, and he also gave me a gift. A piece of He's jade was made into a national jade seal."
"Haha, with this guarantee, the hidden danger in the north has been eliminated, and you can finally give it a try." King Xiqiang said with a smile.
"We are already making preparations," Ying Zheng said. "I feel a little ashamed of my uncle. Qiang Yu helped Thorin build the Tiger and Ben Army in Longxi, and he failed to come back this time."
"No matter where." King Xiqiang said nonchalantly, "I asked him to follow you, just to train him more. As long as he keeps his life, he can do whatever he wants with you."
Ying Zheng said: "He and Solin are building Yiqu's Tiger and Ben Army. Why don't you also send some Qiang warriors to train with them? He has long wanted to have an army of his own."
How could the King of Xiqiang not know the bravery of the Hu Ben Army? After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said: "I will send someone back right now and let the Great Elder make arrangements."
At this moment, the exploration horse in front ran over quickly.
"Report...!!" Tan Ma flew off his horse and said with his hands in his hands, "Your Majesty, we have seen an enemy situation ahead, suspected to be the Yuezhi's team."
