The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

At noon on August 18, the 23rd year of the reign of Qin Wangzheng, the weather was clear and sunny. After breakfast, Heifu had someone hammer down a wooden pole at the gate of the military camp outside the southern suburbs of Anlu County.

This was one of the timekeeping methods in ancient times. A wooden stake was erected in the sun and its shadow was observed to determine the time, but it could only be inferred to the hour. For more precise minutes, a "clepsydra" must be used to measure. So a hole pot was used as a clepsydra, and floating arrows were used as minutes. The clepsydra was used to measure several minutes.

It is said that at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Qi was invaded by Jin and Yan. King Jing of Qi promoted Sima Rangju to general and his favorite minister Zhuang Jia to military supervisor. Sima Rangju and Jia agreed to meet at the military gate. Rangju arrived first and waited with a watch and a clepsydra. Jia was arrogant and missed the time, so Rangju beheaded Jia as a warning to the others. The three armies were frightened and inspired, and then they repelled the Jin-Yan army, and Sima Rangju became a famous general.

Heifu heard this story from Li You, and today he made a big fuss here to imitate it.

For this reason, Heifu had a couch set up, and he sat in front of the camp gate and waited in person.

While waiting, he was thinking about things.

In addition to the points he talked about with his brother Jing last night, there was another reason why Heifu released the soldiers and asked them to regroup today.

He wanted to get the soldiers to be close to him!

Marching and fighting depends on the soldiers' dedication, and to get the soldiers to obey, you have to rely on rewards and punishments. This is what Wei Liaozi said: "Victory depends on establishing prestige, establishing prestige depends on working hard, working hard depends on fair punishment, and fair punishment is the way to make rewards clear."

In terms of rewards, in addition to the rewards stipulated by military law, there must also be the general's favor.

"Treat the soldiers like babies, so you can go to the deep stream with them; treat the soldiers like beloved sons, so you can die with them."

But the trouble is that the Qin army directly stipulates the clothing and food of each rank. The soldiers share the same clothing and food with the lowest soldiers, sleep without a mat, walk without riding, personally pack the food, and share the hard work with the soldiers. This kind of thing is okay once in a while, but if you do it every day, you will be criticized by the military law officers. Hei Fu can't do things like sucking sores, and it will seem too deliberate...

So he simply let the soldiers go home for the autumn harvest to show his favor to the general public, so that the soldiers feel that Hei Fu County Lieutenant is really their fellow villager and will really consider them.

Copying the military tactics and relying on the rigid regulations of Qin law alone cannot completely integrate an army. It is also necessary to make full use of the natural advantages of the fellow villager to make the Anlu army one, share weal and woe, and be of one mind.

But, if, as he was worried, someone really betrayed his trust, never came back, or was late...

Heifu glanced at the short-soldier guards beside him. Today, they were all wearing armor and standing solemnly with swords. Military law officer Le was also beside him. Even the documents were ready. If someone really wanted to die, he would have to learn from Sima Rangju and kill people to establish his authority!

As the shadow of the wooden stake gradually turned into a dot, it slowly shifted and stretched, and every hour, the water in the clepsydra dripped dry and refilled, everyone could feel the change of time.

Heifu and everyone discussed the "Chongri" gathering, that is, from 17:00 to 19:00 in the afternoon, before dark, but from noon on, people began to report to the military camp one after another.

The first to arrive were those who lived in the county town. They did not show any worries about the expedition on their faces. They came over with laughter and chatter. When they saw Heifu County Lieutenant waiting outside the gate, they bowed to him in awe.

Heifu nodded: "You two arrived early, let's go to the camp and rest first."

Then came the people from Beijiao Township and Yushui Township. They all gathered at the pavilion and came together. Although they went home to rest for a few days, they did not abandon the training in the past month. When they approached the barracks, they began to line up in an orderly manner.

Heifu also saw his flag-bearing soldier Mu, a loyal big man. He handed the bag to his comrade and took it into the barracks, then ran to Heifu and took over the flag of the leader.

"Is everything okay at home?"

Heifu asked him kindly.

Mu held the flag and nodded: "Everything is fine, the grain production has increased a lot, and the granary is full!"

The last place to arrive was Yunmeng Township, the farthest from the county town. These soldiers had walked for two days to arrive. They all carried heavy bags filled with shoes and winter clothes, and were dusty. However, after meeting Heifu at the camp gate, he smiled and offered the food he brought from home. Although Heifu's family had moved away, he was still the pride and role model of the people in Yunmeng Township, so the hundreds of people in Yunmeng Township were closest to him.

When the sun set, the shadow of the benchmark had stretched long, and the clepsydra leaked again...

The spring sun had passed!

No one came on the road anymore, Heifu breathed a sigh of relief, and asked Li Xian and Dongmen Bao, the two 500 masters, to go to the camp and bring out the soldiers who had arrived one after another!

A moment later, under the last rays of autumn, all the soldiers stood neatly in the open space, and each garrison began to report the number of people.

"Report to the county lieutenant, the 500 people in the back song are all here!" Not long after, Li Xian, who was the first to finish the roll, came to answer the order.

"The 500 people in the front song have also arrived!" Dongmen Bao was not to be outdone, and shouted loudly.

In addition to the two groups, the short-soldier guards, baggage, cavalry, and medical and emergency personnel directly under Heifu's jurisdiction have also been counted!

Looking at the red faces of the soldiers reflected by the setting sun, Heifu was a little moved, and his hand holding the hilt of the sword loosened. He even planned that several or even dozens of people would be late. Unexpectedly, more than 1,200 soldiers from Anlu County regrouped here after returning home for seven days without missing a single one! No one was absent!

"Good! Very good!"

Heifu could only praise loudly to hide his emotions.

"I tell you the truth. This expedition under the king's order may take a long time, maybe half a year, or a year. But the final result will be that the Qin army will be well-positioned, well-defended, and victorious! I will keep my word and make clear rewards and punishments. Those who fight bravely will never be short of titles!"

Everyone proudly puffed up their chests. The miracles created by Heifu County Lieutenant in the last war were widely circulated in the county. Of course, he had the confidence to say these words! This is also one of the reasons why everyone in Anlu trusts him. Who would not want to follow a general with great military exploits?

After cheering up the soldiers, Hei Fu waved his hand and said, "Let's have dinner right away. Let's have another practice tomorrow and set off the day after tomorrow!"

Such a scene was rare. The officials who watched the excitement on the city wall after get off work were also very moved. The county magistrate Yong He felt relieved and smiled while stroking his beard, saying, "The county lieutenant is really amazing. After only a month of training, he can make the generals trust the soldiers and the soldiers respect the generals. Such an army can be called a sharp soldier!"

After nightfall, Hei Fu's trusted military officers Li Xian, Dongmen Bao, Xiao Tao, and Ji Ying also secretly discussed during dinner, "The last time we attacked Chu, the army was defeated, but the county lieutenant was able to lead us to earn so many merits in the defeat. This time, with such a group of elite soldiers from the village, why worry about not making great achievements?"

"Yes!"

Li Xian glanced at everyone, "Do you still remember the ambitions mentioned by the county lieutenant that day?"

"Of course I remember!" Everyone nodded. Hei Fu's ambition to be a marquis suddenly woke them up from their satisfaction with the status quo, and they actively participated in the training.

After a brief period of confusion, this small group now has a clear goal. When this goal is achieved, how can they lose benefits?

Several people took a talisman in the camp and swore: "Helping the county lieutenant to realize his ambition to be a marquis is also our wish!"

At this time, they did not know how difficult it was to realize this wish...

...

Two days later, under the leadership of Hei Fu, more than a thousand soldiers of Anlu County were escorted ten miles away by the county magistrate, county magistrate and the elders in the city, and slowly headed north and embarked on the journey...

Some people looked back frequently, reluctant to leave their hometown and family.

Some people looked forward, looking forward to the glory and merit that they were about to obtain.

The magnificent splendor is in the plains.

The soldiers were so numerous that they could not catch up with the others...

In Xianyang, the capital of Qin, which was more than a thousand miles away, the number of soldiers was two hundred times larger than that of the small county of Anlu!

On the Bashang Plain, the Wei River surged. One hundred thousand soldiers and civilians from the four counties of Guanzhong, Beidi, Shangjun, and Longxi gathered here. The flags covered the entire Bashui floating bridge. The forest of spears and halberds seemed to be more numerous than the withered autumn grass by the Wei River...

Qin Wang Zheng personally led all the officials and ministers to Bashang to see General Wang Jian off!

Imperial Censor Wang Wan announced the decree on behalf of the king. This high-ranking official who was deeply influenced by Confucianism quoted classics and even praised Wang Jian, saying: "You are my teacher, and you are the eagle of the time!"

At that time, Li Xin returned with a great defeat in his first attack on Chu, and seven lieutenants died. He lost his army and humiliated the country. If he could not succeed this time, it would be difficult to deal with.

At this time, among the veteran generals in the court, only Wang Jian could stand up and preside over the war. With an army of 600,000 to attack Chu, the King of Qin almost emptied the entire country's troops and entrusted them to one person. It is not an exaggeration to compare Wang Jian with Taigong Wang of the Zhou Dynasty.

"How dare I compare myself with my master? I'm more like a hawk than a chicken."

However, General Wang Jian, who should have been full of vigor and vitality and promised to destroy the State of Chu in a short time, did not have the ambition and vigor before the expedition. Instead, he was like an ignorant and stingy old farmer, speaking vulgarly, bowing to the King of Qin again, and asking for beautiful fields, gardens, ponds and many other things for his family...

The officials accompanying him all looked strange, and the imperial physician Xia Wuqi standing outside even heard the helpless voice of the king coming from the carriage.

"General, you are leaving, why worry about poverty?"

Then, Xia Wuqi heard Wang Jian say something very bold with a smile!

"As a general of the king, even if you have made contributions, it is difficult to get the reward of being a marquis, so while the king is particularly concerned about the old minister, I can also ask the king to grant me gardens and ponds in time to buy a family property for future generations..."

What does this mean? Resentment?

Everyone present was terrified. The expedition was imminent, so what was General Wang Jian doing? They all looked at the carriage with six horses.

The King of Qin was talking to Wang Jian in front of the carriage. His back, with the crown on his head, was nearly nine feet tall, making him even more unattainable. He had a long Tai'a sword hanging on his waist, and he was standing silently with his hand on the hilt.

The silent king was the most terrifying and frightening. Xia Wuqi was a little frightened and lowered his head. Wang Wan, who was standing beside the king and Wang Jian, was sweating profusely...

However, after a moment of silence, the King of Qin laughed loudly, as if he didn't take it as an offense.

"General Wang, you are still so straightforward when you speak!"

After the laughter stopped, Xia Wuqie looked up and saw the back of the King of Qin coming forward, helping Wang Jian up, holding his hand, and said in a very sincere tone: "General, don't worry, if you can destroy Jing, the title of Marquis will be vacant and waiting for you!"