The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

Wuluo Zhongli Mountain stands alone and steep, with a dark and damp cave on the north and south sides, called the Red Cave and the Black Cave. It is said that two thousand years ago, the ancestors of the Ba family and the four families of Fan, Xie, Xiang, and Zheng came out of these two caves.

At that time, the ancestors of the Ba people "did not have a ruler, and all served ghosts and gods". They made a living by picking fruits, fishing, and hunting, and also engaged in simple slash-and-burn agriculture. People gathered by the mountains and lived by the water, with villages and villages scattered all over the place. However, since the fruits in the mountains cannot be picked all year round, the hunting in the forest is not stable, and the land for slash-and-burn farming is getting less and less, people often go hungry.

The narrow Wuluo Zhongli Mountain could no longer support the Ba people. As the number of wild animals in the mountain decreased and the fish in the water became smaller, the five Ba people began to gather together to discuss: In order to reproduce and grow the clan, they needed to select a leader who could lead the five clans to lead everyone to leave Wuluo Zhongli Mountain and go to the unknown world outside to find an ideal country where "hundreds of grains gather"!

They called the imaginary fertile land "Lindi".

So under the auspices of the wizard, the five clans selected their most powerful warriors and gathered together. They did not choose to go to the deep mountains to fight tigers or catch fish under the water; the equipment for the competition did not choose the popular carrying of big wood and lifting of stones, but throwing swords and floating boats...

Everything seemed like today.

Fan Qin, Ba Zhong and the leaders of the tribes went up about a mile from the foot of Wuluo Zhongli Mountain along the west side of the mountain, and saw a stone cave. The cave was entangled with vines, and several witches were guarding and holding torches to lead the way.

This stone cave no longer had the simplicity of more than a thousand years ago, but was covered with many murals painted with various colors of pigments: there were legends about the origin of the Ba people, the ancestors of the red and black caves, and the scene of the sons of the five clans throwing swords here many years ago to decide the leader.

The Ba people had no written language, so they relied on this way of telling stories by looking at pictures to pass on the things that happened two thousand years ago from generation to generation, so that people would not forget the things of their ancestors.

The stone cave was wider than it looked from the outside. They walked in for more than a hundred steps and finally reached the innermost part, but saw that it was suddenly open and more than ten feet wide. There were several holes on the top of the cave, letting the sunlight in.

Two large stone moraines, one red and one black, stood side by side, one foot apart.

These were the Yin and Yang stones, which the Ba people regarded as sacred stones. Under the instructions of the witch, everyone went over to touch them with their hands. The Yin stone was moist all year round, and even water could seep out, while the Yang stone was dry all year round, and the blood dripped on it during the sacrifice would dry up quickly.

Between the Yin and Yang stones is a huge wooden target, which is the target for throwing swords.

At this time, the witch spoke: "Descendants of Linjun, the Ba people have always decided the major events of the tribe in the stone cave. This custom has been passed down from countless years ago and it is still the same today. No one dares to disobey."

"In the past, the sons of the five clans threw swords into the stone cave together, and agreed that the one who could hit the target would be regarded as the king of the five clans. In the end, Wuxiang, the son of the Ba clan, hit the target alone, and everyone was amazed. They also ordered everyone to take a clay boat and agreed that the one who could float would be the king. The four of them sank, but Wuxiang floated alone, so everyone made Wuxiang the king, and he was the first generation of Linjun!"

"Now the Lord of Lin is dead, the State of Ba is gone, and the people of Ba are scattered. But we are the only ones who follow the ancient ways. Some of you support joining Qin, some support joining Chu, and you argue endlessly. The Wu Luo Zhongli Mountain has caused disputes, and the blood of the tribesmen has been shed enough. This situation cannot continue! Today, we will decide the fate of the tribes by throwing swords in the stone cave, in front of the Yin and Yang stones, and in front of the ancestors and gods! Those who can hit the target will decide whether the tribes will join Qin or Chu!"

Although it seemed a bit of a childish way, no one objected. Fan Qin laughed loudly when he heard it.

He was a proud warrior of the Ba people. Looking at the tribes hundreds of miles away from the Yishui River, no one was braver than him, and no one's sword throwing was more accurate than him. In his opinion, this was simply a method made for him, and it was a favoritism from the witch and ancestors.

Everyone's weapons were unloaded at the entrance of the stone cave. The witches presented the short swords for throwing, and let all the people who participated in the sword throwing hold one.

"I should be the first!"

As the leader of the largest tribe in the area, Fan Qin picked up a sword without hesitation and bowed to the witch, saying, "I will definitely not let the witch down!"

The witch had watched Fan Qin grow up and was optimistic about him as the leader of the local tribes, but at this moment, she just pursed her lips, and her expression could not be seen through the thick paint on her face.

Fan Qin did not notice anything unusual. He was burly, holding a dagger, aiming at the wooden target between the yin and yang stones, waving his hand and throwing it, hitting the bull's eye!

"Hit!"

Fan Qin laughed triumphantly, but when he turned around, he found that the people behind him did not cheer for him as usual, but looked at him gloomily...

The incident happened suddenly, as if it had been discussed. The leaders of various tribes suddenly rushed forward. Instead of throwing swords, they aimed the daggers in their hands at Fan Qin and stabbed the swords into his chest and abdomen!

Ba Zhong also stepped forward and stabbed with a sword, but before he could hurt Fan Qin, he shouted loudly and kicked Ba Zhong away! The rest of the people who tried to suppress Fan Qin were also pushed to the ground!

This Ba warrior was like a wounded tiger. After repelling the attackers with his bare hands, he retreated to the Yin-Yang Stone, holding the Yang Stone, panting while covering the wounds on his chest and abdomen, and the blood in his hands dyed the dry stone red.

This scene was something Fan Qin had never expected. He had expected that the divided tribes might fight in Wuluo Zhongli Mountain, so he brought a lot of people to prepare for the eventuality. But he never expected that everyone would use a knife on him in a sacred stone cave, next to the Yin-Yang Stone, and under the gaze of the ancestral spirits!

"Great witch..."

Fan Qin looked at the witch who was watching the fire but did not say anything to stop him, as if he understood everything. Everyone could do all this naturally because of the tacit consent of the wizard.

"Why did you break your promise?"

The witch opened her dry lips and murmured, "The first generation of Linjun Wuxiang also broke his promise and shot the Salt Water Goddess. All this was for the tribes and the people."

The Ba people are no longer what they used to be. The population can migrate, but their ancestral land cannot be moved away, so the Yidao Ba people can only choose one between Chu and Qin to rely on in order to continue to stay here.

Previously, the tribes were instigated by Fan Qin to rise up and fight against Qin, but it turned out that this was a rash decision. They couldn't take down the small Yidao City alone, and Qin was not as vulnerable as the Chu envoys had persuaded them to be.

If the Qin people settle accounts later and send a large army to attack, they may force the Ba people to leave Wuluo Zhongli Mountain. In the witch's opinion, this is definitely unacceptable.

Besides, compared with Fan Qin's offerings, the money, silk and treasures that Ba County Widow Qing has people offer every year are much more abundant. It was the witch who informed Ba's cavalry of Fan Qin's rebellion against Qin and asked them to tell Widow Qing to ask her to send someone to intervene.

Although Ba Zhong arrived a step late, the killing of Qin officials and the attack on Yi Road were all done by Fan Qin's troops. It is not too late for others to turn back now...

So with the connection between the witch and Ba Zhong, a conspiracy that could "reduce bloodshed" among the tribes came into being.

Fan Qin suddenly understood that he had misjudged everyone's loyalty to the ancient ancestral road. The Ba people were originally just a small tribe in the lower reaches of the Yi River. In order to find better land, they dug for food in the harsh natural environment, fought with neighboring tribes, and migrated westward and northward unswervingly. It took two thousand years for them to grow and develop.

In this long journey, they experienced unimaginable fierce battles and countless difficulties and obstacles. Conspiracies, tricks, and betrayals were indispensable.

The witches and leaders of the Ba people, in their bravery and recklessness, also had a hint of cunning.

Just like more than 2,000 years ago, in order to annex the tribes of Yanyang and seize that land, Linjun designed to shoot and kill his wife, the Salt Water Goddess, who was devoted to him.

"Linjun... sent someone to take a green thread to the Salt God and said: 'This is suitable for you. It is said that you and I were born together, so you should go.' The Salt God accepted it and took it. Linjun stood on the Yang Stone and shot the green thread. He hit the Salt God, and the Salt God died, and the sky opened up!"

This is exactly what happened to Fan Qin!

Fan Qin was still unwilling: "Didn't the great witch say many years ago that I might be able to integrate the tribes and become the new Linjun?"

With the help of the Chu people, rebuilding the State of Ba was also his purpose of rebelling against Qin. Who would have thought that he would be betrayed nakedly today!

"What is Linjun?"

The witch remained silent, but Ba Zhong said: "Grain storage is called granary, and rice storage is called granary. These are names that our ancestors came up with when they were still hungry and clothed. They hoped that the elected leader could lead them to do something practical, store more food, and avoid the suffering of hunger."

"So the one who can make the Ba people well-fed and live and work in peace is the Linjun! But you will only lead the Yidao Ba people to decline and destruction!"

With the witch's tacit consent, the leaders of the tribes held bloody swords and continued to surround Fan Qin, who was already seriously injured.

Under the illumination of the torches, only their hideous shadows were left on the stone wall. The sharp weapons rose and fell, and Fan Qin's angry roar became weaker and weaker, and finally fell silent...

...

When the Chu envoy was carried into the stone cave by Danhu, he saw that Fan Qin had died between the Yin and Yang stones, and his head had been cut off. The witch, with her hands trembling slightly, presented it to Hei Fu, who was dressed as a Ba person...

The Chu envoy was shocked, and Hei Fu was also amazed.

"It's really not polite at all."

Hei Fu looked at the head of the rebel in front of him, and then looked at the Yin and Yang stone stained with blood. He didn't expect that the Ba people would kill Fan Qin in this way to prove their determination to return to Qin.

However, it was indeed very effective. To capture the thief, you must first capture the king. In this way, the Qin army would not have to spend several months slowly clearing the mountains and forests.

At the same time as Fan Qin's blood splashed in the cave, a fight broke out at the foot of Wuluo Zhongli Mountain. The tribes launched an attack on Fan Qin's men. After a fight, all the Ba warriors brought by Fan Qin were killed, and the Chu envoy named "Qu Yuan" was captured!

Heifu believed that from this person's mouth, he should be able to interrogate the detailed information of Chu's instigation of the Yidao Ba people to rebel and send troops to Chanling.

"Left Military History."

Ba Zhong was also stained with blood, and he bowed his hands and said: "The Great Witch and the Lords asked me to ask, in this way, can it prove the determination of the Yidao Ba people to return to Qin?"

Everyone looked at Heifu. According to the agreement, the condition for the tribes to return to Qin was to kill Fan Qin and help the government to destroy Fan Qin's tribe, and the population and territory could be divided among them.

Heifu asked Ba Zhong to translate his words.

"The county chief and county lieutenant of Yidao were both ambushed and killed. This has never happened before! Although the tribes were only forced to assist Fanqin, they still cannot be completely exonerated."

This statement triggered a discussion among the crowd. Ba Zhong quickly appeased everyone and said, "What exactly do we need for the government to forgive us?"

Hei Fu smiled and stated his final condition: "It's very simple. After destroying Fanqin's tribe, all the tribes will send out all the young and strong, led by their leaders, to follow me eastward. Cooperate with the county lieutenant's army to lift the siege of Chanling! This move can prove that the Ba people are obedient citizens of Qin, not rebels. In this way, I will be able to convince the county governor to let the Ba people continue to thrive in Yidao! The previous oath and agreement will remain the same!"