General Qin

This royal dinner in the 31st year was a pure family gathering, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

"May your Majesty live forever!"

The princes, princesses, Zhao Tuo and others stood up and offered their blessings to the First Emperor.

The First Emperor couldn't help laughing.

The current situation of the empire is indeed worthy of his happiness.

The army of Qin conquered the east and west, and was invincible. It defeated the three great powers of the grassland, suppressed the countries in the east of the sea, and conquered the king of Dongou in the south. The territory of the country became increasingly vast.

The eldest son Fusu is becoming more and more calm, and has long since shed the influence of the Chu clan in the past and has become a qualified prince. His son-in-law Zhao Tuo also made outstanding achievements after serving as the Shaofu. During this year, he produced many good things that he praised.

The hundred-forged steel knife that can cut off bronze swords, new agricultural tools that are popular in the world, woolen clothes that help keep warm, as well as various stir-fried vegetables, brown sugar and other good things that can nourish the mouth and tongue, all made the First Emperor very satisfied.

He smiled at Zhao Tuo and said: "Wugong Hou's political achievements last year were good, and he did a lot of good things for our country. At the beginning of this year, you should work harder and bring out for me all the treasures left by your father-in-law. , in the future I may not be able to use this merit to make you a prince of Great Qin."

Liehou?

Zhao Tuo's eyelids twitched. The First Emperor had started his trick again, trying to use his position as a prince to lure Zhao Tuo's wealth.

But this is exactly what Zhao Tuo wanted. He wanted to use technology to change the times, and the First Emperor wanted to use this to strengthen the country and the army.

It was Zhao Tuo who met the First Emperor and won!

He stood up and cupped his hands and said, "I will live up to His Majesty's expectations and contribute to the prosperity of our Great Qin."

Seeing that his son-in-law was very wise, the First Emperor became even more happy.

His country is becoming more and more prosperous, his grandchildren and eldest grandchildren are born and grow up healthily, and his family is harmonious and happy. How can he not be happy?

But amidst this happiness, he still had a hint of regret.

He also has a dream.

The sound of tinkling musical instruments and solemn carols were played in the hall.

"The heaven protects you, and the hole is solid. If you are single and thick, why not eliminate your blessings? If you are blessed with many benefits, you will not be a commoner."

This is the "Tianbao" chapter in "Poetry·Xiaoya". It is a song of praise dedicated to King Xuan of Zhou Dynasty by the former ministers of Zhou Dynasty. The meaning of the whole poem is that God will bless you, the monarch will be on the throne forever, the country will be prosperous, and wealth will be abundant. It is a hymn that is very suitable for this scene.

The First Emperor liked this poem very much. The reason is that the phrase "Longevity without Borders" that he wanted most came from this poem.

He sat on the imperial couch, looking at his children and grandchildren, while gently reciting the last words along with the music officials.

"Like the perseverance of the moon, like the rising of the sun. Like the longevity of Nanshan Mountain, which never rises or collapses. Like the luxuriance of pines and cypresses, everything is sustained."

Strong desire appeared in the eyes of the First Emperor. He liked life like this and wanted to live like this forever.

Even though he asked Zhao Tuo to build a glorious underground army for the imperial mausoleum, in his heart, he still didn't want to face death.

"I want to live as long as Nanshan, as eternal as the sun and the moon!"

…

The dinner ended happily.

It's just that Zhao Tuo's good mood disappeared after returning to the mansion.

He thought of how little Zhao Che behaved at the family banquet today, especially what he secretly said about Qiming, and he couldn't help but get angry, and this time he punished his son severely.

Perhaps because he was afraid that his son's words would cause trouble, this time Zhao Tuo taught his son a lesson, but Ying Yinman did not stop him, but turned away with heartache.

After a lecture, Xiao Zhaoche cried and shouted, "Not next time." Zhao Tuo then gave up and left angrily.

As a mother, Ying Yinman felt very distressed. She held her son in her arms and asked him why he said that at the family banquet today.

"Because my uncle and the others all went to see Qiming. They obviously played with me first, but when he came, no one paid attention to me."

Xiao Zhaoche's face was full of tears and he spoke angrily.

Ying Yinman didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It turned out that calling the other party ugly was caused by the jealousy of a three-year-old child.

She comforted her son in a low voice and told him that Qiming was the prince's son and the emperor's eldest grandson. He needed to treat each other respectfully in the future and could not be so rude again.

Etiquette, hierarchy, and hierarchy are exactly what this era is like.

After Zhao Che was beaten by his father, he only responded to his mother's words.

But that little heart was filled with intense emotions.

"They are all my grandsons. Why should he be taller than me? I was obviously here first!"

"I don't like him, I hate him!"

…

October passed by in a flash, and after entering November, Xianyang City, which had just fallen silent, fell into excitement again.

The reason is that the expeditionary army from Hexi has returned.

Qin general Wang Li led an army of 100,000, together with Guiyi Yueshi, Nan Xiongnu and other vassal armies, on an expedition to Hexi. Now he conquered Yuezhi Zhaowucheng and returned with the beheading of the Yuezhi king. It can be said to be a great victory.

This battle was fruitful. It not only eliminated Qin's great enemy Yuezhi in the west and expanded the territory of Qin thousands of miles, but also extended Qin's power to the Wusun area. Going further west, you can reach the countries in the Western Regions and open up a new world. New world.

The First Emperor was delighted and held a grand triumphal ceremony for Wang Li in Xianyang.

Empty rooms for thousands of people, huge crowds of people.

Countless people came to cheer General Wang's victory.

Wang Li rode on a white horse, surrounded and cheered by the crowd. Behind him were mighty warriors wearing armor, as well as a large number of Yuezhi prisoners who were escorted into Xianyang.

Han Xin, who came to watch, showed envy.

He secretly said: "The prince said that the emperor will attack the Western Region again in the future, and I will have the opportunity to go to the battlefield. When I grow up a little bit, I will also gallop outside the fortress, just like the prince, General Ren, and General Wang, in foreign lands I have accomplished great feats, come back on a white horse, be admired and cheered by thousands of people, and let the world know my name, General Han Xin of the Qin Dynasty!"

When Han Xin looked at it, his face was full of excitement, and he was imagining his glorious triumph in the future.

Zhao Tuo secretly analyzed the situation in Hexi at the moment.

In the Battle of Hexi, the Qin army used Su Jiasha to lure the Xihou of Xiumi and Gaofu Xihou to rebel. Finally, they cleverly captured Zhaowu City, destroyed the Yuezhi Royal Court, killed the Yuezhi King and the Godun Xihou, and returned.

But this victory was ultimately a coincidence and did not completely overwhelm the Yuezhi people, especially since the Yuezhi prince escaped from the pursuit of the Qin general Qiang Yu and fled westward to Wusun, leaving a lot of hidden dangers.

When Wang Li returned home in triumph, he left his lieutenant general Yang Yuan and led 20,000 Qin soldiers to guard the newly established Zhangye County with Sujiasha to stabilize this newly developed land.

"Yang Yuan is old and prudent, and is far more suitable for guarding Zhangye than Qiang Yu. In addition, Su Jiasha is very resourceful and is assisting and comforting the Yuezhi people. There should be no need to worry. Wang Li has done a good job with this arrangement."

"After that, it took seven or eight years to digest Zhangye and build it into a logistics place, repair roads, and reserve grain and grass. When the caravan returns and brings back the intelligence of the countries in the Western Regions, a small number of troops can be sent to slowly encroach on the Western Regions and control the access to the Western Regions. Trade Routes from Central Asia to Europe.”

Zhao Tuo had a solid plan for this. It would only take more than ten years for the Qin army to conquer the Western Regions without excessive expenditure of national power.

Although the countries in the Western Regions are numerous in number, they are basically weak. To the east of Dawan are small countries. Fighting is not difficult. Even 10,000 Qin troops can sweep across the Western Regions.

The real difficulty lies in the long distance and a series of logistical problems, so this matter needs to be done slowly and steadily.

Zhao Tuo is not in a hurry about this. He is only twenty-six years old and has plenty of time to do these things.

He only hoped that the First Emperor could also bear his temper.

In January, Li Xin, who had been on an expedition to Haidong, led his army back to Xianyang after traveling thousands of miles.

It was just compared to the warm cheers of the Qin people when Wang Li led the Western Expedition army in triumph.

Facing Li Xin's return, the attitude of the old Qin people in Guanzhong was very complicated.

In the twenty-third year of the Qin Dynasty, the Qin army attacked Chu.

General Li Xin insisted on going his own way and wanted to raid Shouchun, the capital of Chu, with a surprise force. As a result, he was defeated miserably. Most of the 200,000 Qin army lost their lives, including tens of thousands of Guanzhong disciples.

The city of Xianyang was deserted, and many fathers, husbands, and sons died because of Li Xin.

Now, General Li, who was once called the shame of Qin generals, has returned with a great victory in destroying the country and expanding the territory.