Several people in the hall were waiting for the news. Although everyone's expression was very calm, there was still a little impatience in their eyes.
Suddenly there was the sound of soldiers' footsteps and the sound of armors clashing outside the door. The four people looked up hurriedly, and the soldiers' voices sounded outside the door.
"Reporting to your Majesty, three cavalrymen outside the palace gate are holding the king's order and requesting entry!"
"Bring them here!" Ying Zheng stood up and said.
"promise!"
The footsteps of the soldiers faded away, and Ying Zheng sat on the throne, no longer as calm as before. He held one hand on the edge of the table and looked at the palace door with a gleam in his eyes. Ziyou tried his best to calm down the mood. Although he had already prepared for any outcome, he still felt uneasy while waiting. On the one hand, he hoped to bring back cotton and Champa rice seeds, but on the other hand, he was afraid that everyone would be empty-handed. And return.
As the door of the main hall opened, everyone looked out. Two chamberlains led three teams towards the main hall. Although they were said to be three teams, there were actually only eight people. Among them were three flags. When they left, the three teams took away flags proving their identity. The leader of the three teams was Gongsun Bai. When he originally arranged for manpower to explore outside, considering the problem of language communication, Gongsun Bai personally led a team to set off west.
Gongsun Bai led three teams to the main hall and saluted Ying Zheng.
"I pay my respects to the king. I, Gongsun Bai, pay my respects to the king."
"Meet the King!"
"No courtesy! Thank you for your hard work," Ying Zheng said while looking at the people below.
When he left Xianyang, Gongsun Bai still had the image of a handsome young man from a noble family. Now Gongsun Bai has darkened his face countless times. His face is covered with traces of wind and rain, and there is a large scar under his cheek. The same is true for the other people in the team. Their faces are covered with traces of going through many hardships and dangers, but everyone's eyes are full of sparkle.
"This is the cotton and seeds I brought back from the Western Regions. It was obtained from the transaction between me and the merchants in Dashi." Gongsun Bai took out a package from his arms.
"Zhao Gao, present it." Ying Zheng said.
"promise!"
Zhao Gao went down and took the messy package. The white cloth had been stained black at this time, and it was only possible to tell that it was white cloth through some edges. Zhao Gao placed the package in front of Ying Zheng. When he was about to reach out and open it, Ying Zheng stopped him.
Although the package was dirty, Ying Zheng did not hesitate at all and opened the package himself. After opening the packages, the box inside was revealed. Ying Zheng took a deep breath and opened the box, revealing the small black seeds inside. Ying Zheng Carefully pinch the seeds.
Ziyou, Lu Buwei and Wei Liao also looked at the seed excitedly.
"Gongsun Aiqing, thank you for your hard work. This thing is to protect our people in the Qin Dynasty from being afraid of the severe cold in the future." Ying Zheng said excitedly.
"This is just one of them. The team that went south to look for Champa rice also brought Champa rice back. Please take a look at it, your Majesty." Gongsun Bai said.
Gongsun Bai's hair was disheveled and the man in rags carefully took out a box from his arms.
"Your Majesty, Chief Ying, I'd like to pay my respects to the King. I've lived up to the King's command and I've brought back the seeds." Chief Ying said to Ying Zheng.
He raised the box in his hand. The seeds of the Champa rice were exchanged for the lives of eight of their teams. Their route south was Chu State, Baiyue, and further down was the barbaric land, full of miasma, mosquitoes, and wild beasts. , poisons, unknown diseases, etc., they are always in danger of death, and at the same time they are secretly attacked by savages. Eight teams, 64 people, only five people came back in the end.
These seeds were obtained with the lives of sixty-four of them, and Ying Chang cherished them very much. After getting the seeds, they did not dare to stop at all. When they entered the Chu State, they happened to encounter a civil strife in Chu State. The people under Lord Changping discovered their identities. They had no choice but to wander back to Xianyang in detours. Originally, the servants asked them to wash up and change clothes first, but they refused. Only by handing over the seeds to Ying Zheng can their mission be completed and the sacrifices of the fifty-nine people not be in vain.
"Are you Ying Chang!?" Ying Zheng looked at the barbarian-like Ying Chang below in surprise.
Ying Chang is the son of Lord Anchang in the Ying clan. He was also the dandy in Ying Han's gang at the time, and the most trouble-making figure among the noble children. But today's Ying Chang doesn't look like a dandy at all. His dark body and strong arms are covered with scars.
"Your Majesty, this is Ying Zhang, who is now a pedestrian under the command of Xing Xing Ling." Ying Zhang said. When the Ying family clan went out to practice, although he was not as good at both civil and military skills as Ying Han, he was also not as weak as others. Although he had no military strength and no deep knowledge, he lived a comfortable life with his eloquent mouth. After returning to Xianyang, he went to Dianke Mansion and became a pedestrian under Xing Xing Ling.
"Thank you for your hard work. You and Ying Han are the mainstays of my Great Qin clan." Ying Zheng said in a deep voice.
After the clan went to the private sector to gain experience, among the clan who went to the local areas, Yinghan was the most capable. He managed the Yan and Nine Cities that he had captured in an orderly manner, and he already had the ability to govern a county. The other Ying clan members have not shown any good abilities, but Ying Chang who has returned now proves that there is not only Ying Han in the clan who can take on important responsibilities.
Zhao Gao hunched over and took the box and handed it to Ying Zheng. Compared with cotton, Ying Zheng valued Champa rice more. He relied on other things to cope with the severe cold, but food was irreplaceable. Food was the most important thing for the people, and food was related to the stability of Qin.
Ying Zheng opened the box, which also contained well-preserved seeds.
"Ying Chang, have you seen the yield of rice in Champa?" Ying Zheng asked.
"I have seen that in the uncivilized land south of Baiyue, there are mostly barbarians, but there are also savages who form tribes and start farming. They grow rice like this. As for the yield, I have seen it once. Compared with Hanzhong If the same acres of land are planted, the yield will indeed be much higher, but whether it is as Master Wang said, I don’t know." Ying Chang said.
Ying Chang had seen the rice production in Champa City. It was not enough to feed the entire Qin State as Zi Lu had said, but the yield was indeed much higher than the rice currently grown in Hanzhong, Qin State.
Ying Zheng looked at Zi You.
"I should have predicted the high yield of rice in Champa City. I proposed to set up another department under the control of millet to specifically look for people who are proficient in farming and devote themselves to studying the cultivation of crops and how to increase the yield per mu." Ziyou said.
Ying Zheng thought for a while and said
"When it comes to farming, no one knows it better than a farmer among hundreds of families. However, the farmer has never had any contact with the Qin Dynasty. I am afraid that he is not willing to enter the Qin court."
It’s no wonder that Ying Zheng was worried about this. Among the hundreds of schools, only Qin Mo and Taoism could look up to Qin. After Ziyou was born, Confucians and famous scholars also joined Qin, which made Qin rank among the hundreds of schools. His reputation has improved a lot, but it is still unknown whether the farmer can agree to join the Qin State as an official.
"Zhang Zi said: The world is bustling, everyone comes here for fame, and the world is bustling, all for the sake of benefit. Most of the farm disciples are ordinary people. If they are granted a title and a salary, there should be people who are proficient in farming to come to join us. Moreover, within our territory of Qin It’s not like there aren’t people who are proficient in farming. If we gather them together, we can let them cultivate them first.” Chen Ping, who had been standing aside for a long time, stood up and said to Ying Zheng.
"What Ziping said makes sense. Nowadays, the Taicang Ling and Taicang Cheng under the internal history of millet administration are in charge of the storage of grain in the national treasury. There are Pingzhun Ling and Pingzhun Cheng, who are in charge of the prices of the capital and counties. Another position can be set up to specialize in this task. The farming position is responsible for nurturing farming and farming, and is responsible for cultivating and supervising farming under its subordinates." Lu Buwei said.
"In this case, Father Zhong discussed this matter with Ziping and Zhisu Neishi and came up with a charter." Ying Zheng said.
"No!" Lu Buwei said.
"As for the dispatch of the Yulin Army, the Taiwei will be responsible for the arrangements. At the same time, the Taiwei convened the army generals to discuss how to guard against the Huns." Ying Zheng said.
"promise!"
"Zhao Gao, hereby order, all the sixty-four people who went out to look for cotton and rice in Champa City. Those who unfortunately died will be rewarded with titles and a hundred golds and their families. Those who came back will be given the title of Marquis of Guannei, while Gongsun Bai and Yingchang will be given the title of Marquis of Che. The position will be announced in front of the court three days later!"
"No!" "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Ying Zheng then dismissed everyone, and only Ying Zheng and Gai Nie, who was secretly protecting Ying Zheng, were left in the room. Gai Nie, who was standing behind the pillar, noticed Ying Zheng's eyes and looked at Ying Zheng's eyes with a little guilt. Nie knew what Ying Zheng was thinking. He just felt that he was not being reused and was dissatisfied.
"Thank you for your hard work, teacher." Ying Zheng watched Gai Nie open his mouth and finally said this.
"This is what I should do. I am content to be able to protect the king's safety. My goals are not too high, and I don't seek much fame or fortune." Gai Nie said with his hands in hand.
"What does the teacher want?" Ying Zheng asked.
"What I ask for is my true heart, and I should act according to my heart. As for fame and fortune, I don't ask for much," Gai Nie said.
Of course, when he first entered the Qin State, he had the intention of competing with Wei Zhuang, but the longer he stayed in the Qin State, Gai Nie found that his own light was completely obscured by Zi You. He was not conceited, thinking that he was studying in Guigu. It is enough to deal with national affairs, but there are so many famous ministers in the Qin Dynasty, and any minister is a mainstay in other countries. At the beginning, Gai Nie also felt a gap and confusion in his heart. He also asked himself whether it was still necessary for him to stay in Qin.
In the end, he gave his answer. It was necessary. Maybe he could not display his talents in the court, but he was enough to protect Ying Zheng by his side. Although he could not directly participate in court affairs, Ying Zheng would also ask questions about his affairs. His original intention was not to take on important responsibilities in the Qin State, but to display his talents, and his swordsmanship was also one of his talents.
With his mind improved, Genie suddenly felt the vastness of the world and his strength also improved by a big step, and he was no longer obsessed with the slightest gain or loss in his heart.
"What is the teacher's original intention?" Ying Zheng asked curiously.
"My original intention is my original intention. My current intention is to assist the king to unify the world, end centuries of disputes, and create a world where people can live and work in peace and contentment," Gai Nie said.
"What happens after that?" Ying Zheng looked at Gai Nie and asked.
Gai Nie looked at Ying Zheng and didn't reply. He didn't know what he would do next after he finished this.
"That's all, we may not be able to see a world where we can live and work in peace and contentment." Ying Zheng waved his hand and said.
(End of chapter)
