Chapter 9: The Old Friend's Canal

If the First Emperor had been able to kill all those who opposed him, perhaps there would not have been so many subsequent events.

Actually, the brutal Qin was still not brutal enough.

Fusu got back onto the carriage and had Tian An follow the river channel upstream; from here, one could go all the way to the canal mouth, which was the mouth of the Longshou Canal and also its starting point.

Digging a connecting trench between the Luo River and the Wei River, and having this trench pass beneath Shangyan Mountain—this was the full scope of the Longshou Canal.

Ever since the water cellars were built previously, the problem of water usage for the household servants had been solved.

Now, Zhang Han had also led the household servants to drive away wild beasts in the mountain forest, and had built a row of houses at the foot of the mountain, thus solving the housing problem for the household servants as well.

Moreover, Zhang Han had personally taken charge, running to two counties to give this piece of land a name, calling it Shangshan Township.

Therefore, there was a village called Shangshan in Guanzhong, and the people here had a new identity: they were household servants who had come out of Shangshan.

This was what Zhang Han had been doing these days, and he had carried out every task thoroughly.

This man was reliable in his work, low-key and unpretentious, and furthermore, he knew when to stop; he would not do more than necessary and was always self-effacing.

Tian An pointed into the distance and said, "Previously, these household servants wanted to build a residence for the Prince at the foot of the mountain; they were also grateful to the Prince. After Zhang Han learned of this last night, not only did he forbid them from building it, but those who were going to build the residence for the Prince were also punished by Zhang Han with the loss of a meal."

Fusu combed through Tian An's words; it was basically that these household servants wanted to build a residence for their "benefactor," were stopped by Zhang Han, and those household servants were even punished.

Fusu hesitated and asked, "Why did Zhang Han stop them?"

Tian An said in a low voice, "It was because Zhang Han learned they wanted to build a residence for the Prince, so Zhang Han had someone send the news to the Prime Minister."

"And then?"

"Afterward, the Prime Minister gave Zhang Han a reply, telling him to punish these household servants."

Fusu asked back, "Why?"

Tian An sat on the carriage shaft, squinting his eyes toward the sunlight, and replied, "How could the Prince be burdened by external things? Although the Qin Prince has three thousand household servants, he never seeks pleasure for himself."

"The teacher has put in much painstaking effort."

Hearing the Prince's words from inside the carriage, Tian An said in a low voice, "If it were someone else, I fear these household servants would have already been beaten to death."

It did not sound like a major matter.

It stood to reason that such a person would not attract attention in the army, and now with the help of Prime Minister Li Si, he still remained diligent and conscientious.

Zhang Han sought out the Prime Minister whenever he encountered an issue, drawing a very clear line between the Prime Minister's responsibilities and his own duties.

Fusu remained seated inside the carriage, looking at the *Lushi Spring and Autumn Annals* that Lv Buwei had once had three thousand retainers compile; during the Warring States period, writing a book was a matter that brought great honor to one's ancestors.

The book *Lushi Spring and Autumn Annals* blended many ancient viewpoints from the Warring States period.

It contained many Legalist and Daoist concepts; perhaps Lv Buwei was also more inclined toward the philosophy of Laozi, but upon closer inspection, the content of this volume had more exposition on Mohism.

Fusu put down the scroll in his hand and rubbed the space between his brows to relax his eyes, suddenly feeling that Lv Buwei, a figure at the ceiling level of the merchant class, was truly not sloppy when it came to writing books; on the contrary, the talents he employed were all quite famous retainers from the Hundred Schools of Thought.

With such a massive team of three thousand people, and being able to pick out the top few, Lv Buwei's eye for talent was just like his eye for business—he could always discover gold.

Tian An said, "Prince, back then the Prime Minister said this volume was too abstruse to read, and there were also people who advised the Chancellor not to write the book."

"Then why was this *Lushi Spring and Autumn Annals* written?"

Tian An replied again, "Back then, Qin had formidable generals, there was Great General Wei Ran, and there was Great General Bai Qi, but Qin lacked scholars. Back then, King Zhaoxiang of Qin hoped so much that Qin would also have someone like Lin Xiangru, but this Qin was always lacking in famous scholars; even those of Zhang Yi's ilk were not Qin people."

Fusu listened quietly to Tian An's narration, quietly watching the scenery outside the carriage.

"At that time, Wei had Lord Xinling Wei Wuji, Chu had Chunshen Jun Huang Xie, and even the traditionally rough Zhao had Lord Pingyuan, or Qi had Lord Mengchang, but Qin did not yet have such famous scholars."

Hearing Tian An speak so much, one would feel that Tian An's knowledge was actually very broad; he could even name several of the people who had compiled the *Lushi Spring and Autumn Annals* back then.

And these matters were precisely what Huayang Taihou was concerned with.

Tian An suddenly wiped his tears with his sleeve, "These matters were all things Huayang Taihou had us inquire about. After Huayang Taihou had the Emperor ascend the throne, Lv Buwei became the Chancellor, but at that time Lv Buwei's power in Qin was heaven-defying; only Huayang Taihou could keep Lv Buwei in check."

"Lv Buwei dared not be disrespectful to Huayang Taihou; without the Empress Dowager, there would be no Qin Chancellor Lv Buwei. As long as the Empress Dowager was there for a day, he, Lv Buwei, dared not act presumptuously. Later, when the Emperor grew up, Lv Buwei was monitored by the Empress Dowager's people until he died; this old slave personally watched Lv Buwei die."

After weeping, Tian An suddenly smiled again and said, "It is good now that Lv Buwei is dead; Huayang Taihou can also leave this world in peace."

Fusu listened to these words; Tian An was a man of few words on ordinary days, but once this old man spoke too much, he would become erratic in his sorrow and joy.

Fusu simply sat on the carriage shaft, gazing at Shangyan Mountain; he was being treated like a child by his teacher again.

The matter of building the residence had never been inquired about at Gaoquan Palace.

The teacher had taken it upon himself to punish the household servants; was this not being treated like a child?

Not being able to make decisions for one's own affairs, but having them held in the teacher's hands, meant being treated like a child.

Perhaps the teacher was also afraid that the Prince of Qin would bear some responsibility; maintaining the Prince's reputation was one of the teacher's duties.

If outsiders knew that the Prince of Qin had household servants build a residence for pleasure, it would be a different matter if it spread.

One must not be misunderstood by outsiders due to one's own or others' kindness; as a disciple of Legalism, this was something that must be guarded against.

Come to think of it, whether it was the teacher, Zhang Han, or Meng Tian, Fusu found this Great Qin to be very beautiful.

Haha! The Great Qin of today was full of loyal ministers everywhere.

The carriage arrived at the south side of Shangyan Mountain, and with Tian An's permission, Zhang Han walked forward. He bowed and said, "Prince, this subordinate will have people plow the land overnight and plant crops on all the fields here."

Fusu looked up at the clear sky, like a piece of blue jade, and said, "Is it still in time to plant at this season?"

Zhang Han added, "It is in time; harvesting a month late in the autumn and winter season is also fine."

"Mm, you make the arrangements."

"This subordinate accepts the order."

Fusu truly did not understand how the Qin people of this time farmed; plowing fields required both water and protection against pests, as well as weeding.

Reading the knowledge in books countless times was not as good as the half-lifetime of farming experience of an Old Qin Person; they understood the land beneath their feet the best, and they even knew the difference in taste between the soil of Guandong and the soil of Guanxi.

The soil and water of Guanxi and Guandong were different, and the grain grown was also different.

The Prince generally did not like being in the palace.

He would leave the palace as soon as the day broke and would not return until dusk; occasionally on rainy days, the Prince would stay in Gaoquan Palace.

The fish raised in Gaoquan Palace were getting fatter and fatter. Fusu personally selected two, removed the scales, and after killing them, stewed a bowl of soup, instructing, "Tian An, send this to the teacher and the Father Emperor."

Tian An left, holding the pottery bowl with both hands.

Inside Zhangtai Palace, Ying Zheng was still looking at the documents; Standardization of Writing was not something that could be accomplished with a single edict, and he still needed to look at the replies submitted by the various commanderies and counties.

After watching for a moment, a bowl of fish soup was placed before him.

Ying Zheng's gaze fell upon this white fish soup; the soup was somewhat cloudy, and some shredded ginger and scallion segments floated on top.

The eunuch at his side explained, "Prince says the fish raised were too fat, so he stewed them into fish soup, and another fish was sent to the Prime Minister."

Ying Zheng nodded, his gaze still on the Bamboo Slip in his hand, and picked up the wooden spoon at his side to drink a mouthful of the fish soup; he frowned slightly, as this bowl of fish soup was unexpectedly delicious.

In Xianyang City, across from the old residence of Lv Buwei, there was a mansion, which was the new residence of the current Prime Minister, Li Si.

This mansion was the closest to Xianyang Palace, and within the courtyard were pavilions and waterside structures, with over a hundred rooms.

Every day when the Prime Minister went out, he would look at Lv Buwei's residence, and then go to attend the morning court in a very solemn manner.

It was likely that he took Lv Buwei as a warning, using this to stay alert.

Li Si sat in one of the rooms, busy dealing with the remaining files and documents.

"Prime Minister, the Prince has sent someone to deliver fish soup."

Li Si looked up and saw Tian An standing at the doorway, saying, "Thank the Prince for the gift."

Tian An carried the still-warm pottery bowl and placed it before Li Si's desk, then added, "The Prince said that this fish soup would not be good to eat once it turned cold."

Li Si set down the Bamboo Slip in his hand, lifted the lid on the pottery bowl, and smiled, "Good soup."

Tian An wore a smile and said, "The Prince cooked it himself."

Li Si drank a mouthful and could not stop nodding, then began to eat heartily; he not only finished the fish soup but also ate the fish meat, leaving only a bowl of fish bones.

Li Si spread out the Bamboo Slip before him, picked up a brush, and asked, "Who are the people currently by the Prince's side?"

"Replying to the Prime Minister," Tian An pondered for a moment and replied, "The only ones close to the Prince are Zhang Han and Meng Tian."

Meng Tian goes without saying, but as for this person Zhang Han...

Li Si asked, "What is this person Zhang Han like?"

Tian An replied, "I can't tell anything else, but he is very diligent at farming."

Li Si continued writing, and after his name, he wrote: skilled at farming.

Thus, among the talents recommended by the Prime Minister, there was a Zhang Han who was skilled at farming.

Until autumn, Li Si could not forget the taste of that bowl of fish soup the Prince had sent in the summer.

This year, the autumn rain in Guanzhong came later than in previous years, and the crops on the north and south sides of Shangyan Mountain finally ushered in a harvest.

Before this autumn rain fell, Zhang Han led three thousand servants to harvest the last batch of wheat in the fields.

The sky was overcast, and the bleak autumn wind blew past, bringing a few drops of rain.

First, two or three drops of rain dampened the ground; Zhang Han was running while carrying a bundle of wheat straw in a disheveled state, when a drop of rain landed on his face.

Zhang Han wiped the cold rain from his face and looked up at the sky full of dark clouds; immediately after, a heavy rain poured down, and the autumn rain arrived as expected.

Zhang Han turned his head and shouted at the servants lagging behind; several people wrapped the wheat in their clothes and ran quickly into the warehouse where the grain was stored.

A row of soldiers stood under Shangyan Mountain; they were there to protect Prince Fusu and Prime Minister Li Si.

And on the mountain, there was a pavilion; Fusu sat inside the pavilion, roasting a cake by the fire, with a few pieces of mutton placed to the side.

Mutton with cake was very filling; Li Si ate one cake and a few pieces of mutton and was full. He bowed and said, "Six hundred qing of land were reclaimed, and now there is a harvest; it is truly a good thing."

Fusu added some firewood to the fire, "Now, my servants have finally solved the problem of eating, and there is surplus grain that can be given to the army. Every year from now on will be like this; Shangshan will only keep enough grain to eat."

Some autumn rain blew into the pavilion with the wind; Li Si sat upright at the side, not caring about the rain falling on him, and said, "Your subject, on behalf of the soldiers in the army, thanks the Prince."

Fusu said, "From the beginning of spring this year until now, the Longshou Canal has not yet been finished; I have let my teacher see a joke."

Hearing this, Li Si stood up and looked from the mountain down to the foot of the mountain, where he could see some vertical shafts appearing on the edge of the former wasteland.

In a trance, Li Si felt that the Zheng Guo of the past was still alive, and that Zheng Guo, who built the Zheng Guo Canal, should still be alive in Great Qin.

A gust of cold wind blew, making Li Si realize that the Zheng Guo he saw when he first entered Qin had already died of old age in Qin, having met a peaceful end.

Zheng Guo died of old age in Xianyang City, and the Zheng Guo Canal would make his name spread for thousands of years.

At first, he thought the Prince only wanted to build a canal to open up wasteland, but now it seemed that the geographical location of this canal was no less than that of the Zheng Guo Canal.

It could also turn ten thousand qing of land into fertile fields. Li Si said, "It is a pity that Zheng Guo cannot see this canal. Your subject can remonstrate to the Emperor to conscript laborers to help the Prince dig and complete the canal. I do not know how many people the Prince needs?"

"If there are too many people, it is hard to manage." Fusu hesitated for a moment and then said, "I do not know if Teacher has a candidate to organize the manpower to build the river canal."

Li Si nodded, looking at the thousand li of fertile fields, and suddenly his eyes became moist.

Seeing his teacher wiping away tears, Fusu called out, "Teacher..."

Li Si wiped his tears again and said, "It is nothing; I thought of an old man who has passed away. His name was Zheng Guo. When your subject first came to Qin, he was repairing the river canal."

Fusu doubted whether the Grand Historian had remembered it wrong back then; in the records of the Grand Historian Sima Qian, fossils were dug up during the excavation of the Longshou Canal in the Han Wudi period.

He did not know if he had chosen the wrong location based on his own deductions from later ruins?

To this day, no fossils had been dug up.

Back then, Han Wudi used tens of thousands of people to dig this canal, while he only had three thousand servants; he did not know how long it would take to dig this canal of over a hundred kilometers.

Since the Prime Minister was willing to help, Fusu naturally would not refuse.

The next day, at Gaoquan Palace, Fusu paid respects to Huayang Taihou and saw another person.

His teacher said he had sent someone to organize the manpower to build the Longshou Canal; at first, he thought it was an expert related to water conservancy.

But after hearing his self-introduction, and the fact that the other party very affectionately called him Prince.

Fusu then understood that the person his teacher had sent was his son, Li You.

His teacher was truly practical; he let his son handle a matter that benefited the country and was harmless to people and livestock.

At this moment, with Li You, who was about the same age as himself, standing before him, Fusu held his temple with one hand and said, "How many people did Teacher give?"

Li You said, "Two thousand people."

"Has Great General Wang Jian returned?"

"Great General Wang Jian has not yet returned, and the main army has not returned either."

Fusu hesitated and said, "Then... where did Teacher get the manpower?"

Li You explained, "There are quite a few prisoners held in the various counties of Guanzhong. My father selected some, brought them out, and has already handed them over to General Zhang Han, totaling two thousand men."

"Guanzhong, are there really that many prisoners?"

Li You looked exactly like the Prime Minister, almost like a younger version of Li Si. He wore a kind smile and said, "I hope you will forgive my bluntness, Prince. Many were captured during the wars of the past, and we did not know how to settle them until now; it is just that fewer have been captured in recent years."

(End of chapter)