Chapter 24: The Prince Who Follows the Rules

Tian An hurried forward and took the military order.

Wang Bi stepped forward and said, "Please report back; this subordinate will personally escort the Prince to Hangu Pass."

The messenger soldier nodded, turned his horse around, and rode back toward Xianyang.

Fusu took the token; it had an aged, black color, but from the gold on the edges, it was likely a copper token.

After the meal, Tian An had already had people bring over the items needed for the journey.

Hangu Pass is not too far from Xianyang; if one rides at full speed and travels through the night, it takes only two or three days to go and return.

Even if one travels slowly, ten days or so is enough for a round trip.

Fusu waited for the one thousand Iron Cavalry to arrive, taking the opportunity to sit on a newly made bamboo chair and close his eyes for a nap.

The sound of children reading came from the village again; it was Mao Heng teaching the children to read once more.

Mao Heng is well-versed in the Classic of Poetry that has circulated among the various states for a long time; he is indeed a man of profound learning.

A few puppies were lying under the Prince's lounge chair, fast asleep.

The midday sun felt very comfortable on the body; in this Late Spring Cold weather, one can only feel warm for a moment at midday.

Fusu lay on the bamboo chair with his eyes closed for a midday rest, with Zhang Cang and Shusun Tong standing to the side; the two were silent, like two statues.

In his ears was the sound of Zhang Han's voice.

Fusu opened his eyes slightly and saw Zhang Han and Wang Bi talking.

Under Wang Bi's repeated questioning, Zhang Han was talking about his childhood.

"Since I can remember, I lived in my uncle's house. I also had a younger brother named Zhang Ping. My uncle was a centurion in the Qin Army. He said I could only join the army, so I followed the great army to fight battles back then..."

As he spoke, Zhang Han looked up at the sky, as if trying to find the scene from back then in the air above his head.

"I remember that at that time, General Wang Bi was attacking Wei, and I was also in the army. I saw with my own eyes the flooding of Daliang in Wei."

Speaking to this point, Zhang Han became a bit agitated, clenching one fist and saying with a spirited expression, "That battle, General Wang fought it beautifully!"

"Hahaha!" Wang Bi reached out and patted Zhang Han on the back, having the air of an old general in the army caring for a junior, and also caring for his own subordinate.

Zhang Han did not want to talk about what happened later, and Wang Bi also knew about those later events; Zhang Han's uncle had died in battle.

In fact, the battle for Qin to destroy Chu was truly not easy.

Li You was still digging wells and water channels with those villagers.

Fusu felt that the people around him included both scholars and warriors; he had Zhang Cang for scholarship and Zhang Han for martial arts. What kind of person was he missing at the moment?

Tian An poured the boiled water into a waterskin and went to prepare the stove the Prince would need for the journey; he even had people bring some books from the palace so it would be convenient for the Prince to read on the road.

The one thousand Iron Cavalry arrived very quickly; Fusu had not even napped for half an hour when a troop of soldiers and horses appeared before his eyes.

One thousand soldiers and horses were actually quite a lot. Fusu looked up and saw these Qin Army soldiers, all wearing black iron armor, sitting on horseback and waiting for orders.

Wang Bi walked forward and said in a loud voice, "Zhang Han, don your armor and follow this old man to escort the Prince to Hangu Pass."

"Zhang Han accepts the order."

The warhorses were breathing through their nostrils; the horses were very strong, giving one a sense of great power.

And after this troop of soldiers and horses arrived at this place, they were very quiet, waiting for orders.

When Tian An drove the carriage over, Fusu felt that the horses for the carriage were a head shorter than the warhorses.

Zhang Han usually did not wear armor because it was very heavy; he only wore it when necessary. The stitching on the armor was intact; it seemed he cherished it very much.

The Qin Army is just like this; once they receive an order, they absolutely cannot delay and must set off immediately.

Wang Bi and Zhang Han led the troop from the left and right, having already made preparations to set out.

Before leaving, Fusu said to Zhang Cang, "I leave this village to you, Teacher."

Zhang Cang bowed and said, "Rest assured, Prince."

Having said this, Fusu sat on the carriage and said, "Let's go."

Tian An drove the carriage forward, and the one thousand black-armored Iron Cavalry of the Qin Army protected Prince Fusu's carriage.

Zhang Cang stood where he was, watching the escort troop and the Prince's carriage go into the distance.

Shusun Tong stood to the side, also remaining silent for a long time.

Hearing the sound of children playing behind him again, Shusun Tong asked in confusion, "Why must Prince Fusu be sent to welcome Great General Wang Jian at this time?"

Zhang Cang held a bamboo slip behind his back with one hand and said, "Actually, the First Emperor really loves this son. The First Emperor values the Prince highly and has placed great hopes in him."

Shusun Tong stroked his beard for a moment, watching the Great Qin cavalry ride further and further away.

Zhang Cang added, "Among the First Emperor's children, only Prince Fusu can take the Prime Minister as his teacher, only Prince Fusu can come into contact with court affairs and approach generals, and he even lets General Wang Bi get along with the Prince like this without suspicion. What the First Emperor can give, he has actually given to the Prince. And as for the First Emperor's other children, they can only watch Prince Fusu from afar."

The facts before his eyes were indeed so; Shusun Tong had not seen the First Emperor's other offspring, and besides, the First Emperor's other offspring were still very young; in any case, he had not seen them.

Shusun Tong did not like Zhang Cang's way of speaking; this person spoke too calmly.

Zhang Cang added, "I still have worries, but I hope I am just overthinking it again."

Sometimes he felt very emotional; Xunzi had a disciple like Zhang Cang, and this disciple was profoundly learned. Shusun Tong felt he was not as good and said in a low voice, "Zhang Cang, take this old man's advice: the more a person learns, the more worries they will have."

Zhang Cang nodded and left the place.

As the Prince's teacher, he still needed to build this village for the Prince. In the remaining few days, rushing to catch the Spring Ploughing and the Grain Rain season, once the Late Spring Cold passed, it would be very busy.

Near dusk, the wind in Guanzhong grew a bit stronger; this season is always like this, always windy at night.

Fusu sat inside the carriage, looking at a scroll of the Book of Changes in his hand, his body swaying with the jolting of the carriage, the sound of horse hooves fast and slow in his ears.

The warhorses that walked slowly were the majority; they were the ones guarding the side of the carriage.

And the sound of fast horse hooves mostly belonged to the Qin Army scouts traveling back and forth; they needed to ensure the safety within a radius of several miles, ensuring there were no ambushes ahead and no one following behind.

Fusu felt that the Qin Army must be the most loyal army in the world, because their Military Merit is directly converted into wealth.

In this era where food is still scarce, whoever can earn a few more acres of land for their family and earn a title is a good man.

Therefore, compared to the various states that carried out reforms one after another back then, the Great Qin army can be considered the most loyal.

"Prince, it is about to be night; shall we set up camp?"

"General Wang, please make the arrangements."

Hearing the Prince's reply, Wang Bi loudly informed the vanguard, and the troop rested southeast of the Luo River.

Fusu stepped down from the carriage and, in the fading light of the sunset, saw the tight defenses of the Qin Army.

Zhang Han was patrolling back and forth in the surroundings.

The Qin Army still had lingering trauma regarding assassinations; successive Qin kings had experienced many, especially Jing Ke back in the day, or Gao Jianli a few years prior.

Tian An had caught a live fish at some point; the fish was the size of a palm. Holding a wooden stick in one hand and pressing the constantly wriggling fish body with the other, he raised the stick and skillfully tapped it with a precise force, and the fish went still. Afterward, humming an unknown tune, he expertly cleaned the fish.

Fusu gazed at the rising cooking smoke from a distant village. After a moment, he looked back and saw that Tian An had already lit two stoves, and the boiled water was already rolling in an earthenware pot.

Sitting by the campfire again, lost in thought while watching the sunset for a moment, he looked back once more; the fish had already been placed into the pot by Tian An, and the scallions and ginger were already chopped.

The soldiers around them who had finished their watch also sat down in twos and threes; they gathered together, lit fires, and prepared to keep warm for the night.

Before long, Tian An had prepared a bowl of fish soup and a bowl of millet rice.

The millet rice was also topped with a layer of bitter greens.

Tian An said with a smile, "Prince, the Old Qin People love a bite of bitter greens best."

Fusu ate a mouthful of bitter greens; the greens, mixed with the pale yellow rice grains, entered his mouth, and he chewed.

Although they were bitter greens, after chewing twice, he no longer felt they were bitter.

Zhang Han was eating roasted rabbit meat, his gaze falling upon the Prince sitting not far away; the Prince's meal was very simple.

Wang Bi walked over and sat down on the side, saying, "The Prince is different from the princes of the other states."

"How is it different?"

As Wang Bi spoke, there were still vegetable leaves on his teeth. He said, "Even children from noble families, when they come out to travel, will think about playing everywhere, walking everywhere, even if it's just to go to other places to take a look. Look at Prince Fusu; he just sits there, under the protection of the great army, and won't wander around."

Hearing Wang Bi put it this way, Zhang Han realized it really was like that. They had walked all day, and the Prince had never once said he wanted to go to other places to take a look or walk around.

Even if the Prince said he wanted to go to other counties, the great army could escort him there; arriving at Hangu Pass a day or two late would be no matter.

Zhang Han nodded, saying nothing, but in his heart, he felt that such a Prince made one feel steady and at ease.

In truth, Fusu hadn't thought that much at all. Having traveled all this way, the scenery along the road wasn't even enough for him to look at; how could he think about going to other places to wander around?

This Eight Hundred Li Qinchuan could not be seen in a single glance.

Fusu sat by the fire, holding a piece of cloth in both hands; what was drawn on the cloth was a map of Guanzhong. The Yellow River had not yet changed its course, and Hangu Pass remained the gateway to Guanzhong, as well as the greatest strategic pass of the Warring States period.

The troop set out from the upper reaches of the Luo River, traveled all the way down along the Luo River, and then heading east, they could only reach Hangu Pass directly.

The journey was not far; along the way, one could eat the river delicacies of the Yellow River and watch the beautiful scenery—how delightful.

These one thousand Iron Cavalry all brought their own dry rations; they ate one flatbread a day, eating one flatbread over two meals, and would replenish their dry rations upon reaching Hangu Pass.

After Fusu finished calculating the route ahead, he went to sleep early after dark.

Even when away from home, this Prince ate well and slept well, going to bed early and rising early.

The next day, in the morning, the weather was just as cold.

The Late Spring Cold in Guanzhong was very peculiar; it was volatile.

Generally speaking, the Late Spring Cold ended by mid-March, but for Guanzhong, extreme Late Spring Cold would still appear until April, and there might even be heavy snow in April.

The troop marched for three days and arrived at Ningqin County, which was the Tongguan of later generations.

It was already very close to Hangu Pass from here. Fusu stayed directly in the county office here and was conversing with the County Magistrate.

And today, a heavy rain unexpectedly began to fall outside the house.

Rainwater fell continuously into the Yellow River. The soldiers seeking shelter fled one after another under the eaves, and there were soldiers leading warhorses to the stables to feed them fodder.

Tian An stood under the eaves, looking at the rain filling the sky with a smile on his face. This rain had come at just the right time. He said to Wang Bi, "The Prince has been hoping that this year's Grain Rain would arrive a little earlier, and now this Grain Rain has come."

Wang Bi sat on a bench, gnawing on a flatbread, and said, "Can what the Prince thinks of come to pass?"

Tian An smiled again and said, "The Prince said he wanted to see a few more snowfalls; this year's snow fell for a long time."

Zhang Han sat on the side, looking straight ahead, chewing the flatbread vigorously, focused and undistracted.

This man was very focused on whatever he did; when eating, he focused on eating.

Inside the county office, Fusu looked at the document records of this county; through these documents, one could see the merchant traffic and population movement here.

The County Magistrate stood to the side, standing respectfully and not daring to be the least bit negligent.

Fusu said, "In the last two years, more and more people have entered Guanzhong, while fewer people have left Guanzhong."

The incoming and outgoing population were all recorded in the documents, detailed even to which county and which household.

The County Magistrate replied, "In the past few years, there was fighting everywhere; more people left because of the fighting, and fewer returned."

From this short sentence, Fusu could hear many meanings.

The County Magistrate added, "Reporting to the Prince, the chaos of war has ended, so more people have entered Guanzhong than before."

In recent years, Guanzhong had been continuously supplementing its population. People all said that the chaos of war had ended, that they should plant more grain and raise more children. The great armies returning one after another from the Chu lands brought back many people, giving the originally desolate Guanzhong much more vitality.

"Report!"

Hearing this outside, a soldier ran over.

Wang Bi barked, "What is it?"

This person arrived drenched in the rain, his armor still dripping with water. He held a bamboo tube in both hands and said loudly, "A letter from Great General Wang Jian, to be delivered to the Prince."

Wang Bi first took the bamboo tube and handed it over with both hands, saying, "Prince, a letter from my father."

Fusu took the bamboo tube, pinched open the sealing wax on the tube, removed the lid, and took out a scroll of thin cloth from inside.

The surroundings fell silent, with only the rustling sound of rain outside.

After reading it, Fusu looked at Wang Bi standing to the side and said, "The Grand General says he wants Wang Li to go to the north to assist Meng Tian in defending against the Xiongnu and building the Great Wall."

Wang Bi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Li'er?"

Fusu handed the letter to Wang Bi; this should be the family business of the Grand General's house, letting his grandson go to the north. Wang Li was Wang Bi's son.

Although the Grand General did not explicitly say it, if Wang Li did not go to the north, he would not return.

Yet Fusu guessed that the old man had grand designs.

"This general will write a letter to inform my father; Prince, rest assured."

Fusu gazed at the Grain Rain outside, hoping that welcoming the Grand General would not have any twists and turns, so that everyone could be at ease once he was brought back early.

As for the family affairs of the Grand General, Fusu naturally did not wish to participate.

Wang Bi was writing a letter home, and Fusu said to Zhang Han outside, "We shall set off for Hangu Pass once the rain stops; it is better to be early than late, so have everyone prepare dry rations and water."

Zhang Han cupped his hands heavily in a salute, "This general acknowledges the order."

This rain fell for two days and two nights, and the water level of the Yellow River rose quite a bit.

Fusu was able to witness the scene of the Yellow River surging past.

But Zhang Han's expression was worried, and he reported, "Prince, this year's Late Spring Cold has been long and late, and this Grain Rain has come early; with the cold and warmth alternating, I fear... this year's Peach Blossom Flood is coming."

Fusu said, "I will write a letter to inform the Emperor, so that the imperial court can prepare in advance."

Zhang Han said, "This general will prepare a fast horse and have someone travel day and night to deliver it to Xianyang."

(End of this chapter)