The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

In Chen County, Qin soldiers were required not to act alone, no doubt for safety.

Although this city was the former site of the State of Chen, it was assimilated into the Chu state as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. After King Qingxiang moved east, it served as the capital for more than 30 years and was deeply imprinted with the mark of Chu.

It is said that when Changping Jun rebelled the year before last, he brought a hundred of his followers into Chen City and raised his arms to call for help. Thousands of Chu people bared their left arms and followed him, driving the Qin army out of the city.

Until now, walking in the streets with his soldiers, Hei Fu can still feel some unfriendly eyes cast at him from all directions...

This is a city that is not friendly to the Qin people and the Qin army, but it is worth pondering that although it is unfriendly, there are not many incidents of resistance. Perhaps the power of the King of Qin's eastern tour suppressed the arrogance of the rebels, or perhaps the day before yesterday, the King of Chu's humble surrender made them feel desperate?

But when Heifu was ordered to clear the way for the King of Qin to leave the city, he did not dare to be careless at all. You know, in history, there were many assassinations against Qin Shihuang. From Jing Ke's assassination of Qin at the beginning of his era to Zhang Liang's assassination at Bolangsha, perhaps this person is hiding in Chen County now. Somewhere under the roofs of the densely packed Lilu, the restorers were gathering to plan an assassination against the King of Qin.

Heifu still remembered the assassination of County Magistrate Teng in Jiangling City a year ago, and he was not willing to let something similar happen again.

However, even though Heifu asked his men to search carefully, he did not find any suspicious points on the road that the King of Qin had to take to leave the city.

Every time they pushed open the houses on the street, they did not find the fully armed villains.

They only saw a man and a woman hugging each other, clumsily unbuttoning each other's clothes with their hungry hands, but they were interrupted by the Qin soldiers who pushed the door in. The man stood up with a dark face, and the woman screamed.

In a hut, a hungry baby was crying for milk, but his mother was pale and skinny and couldn't squeeze out milk. When she saw the Qin soldiers pushing the door in, the mother stood up tremblingly and asked in a shameful but urgent tone whether she could use her body to exchange for some food or money?

In the next house, an old man who was unattended was lying on a mat and dying, flies buzzing around his head, as if they smelled the breath of death in advance. Everyone covered their mouths and noses, shook their heads and left...

The adults were busy making a living and struggling on the line between life and death. Only the children who knew no sorrow were wearing tattered clothes and still playing on the dirty roadside. When Heifu and his men came over, the children all stopped and stared at the group of Qin people in black armor. Some of the children had fear in their eyes, but some had empty and cold eyes.

They were about the same age as Heifu's nephews and nieces. Heifu felt sorry for them. He searched his body and found the last small bag of brown sugar he brought from his home in Nanjun. When he was in the camp, he cut a whole block of brown sugar into small pieces and ate one to replenish blood sugar after the rapid march. He took it out now, poured a dozen into his palm, and smiled at the children from Chen County.

"Would you like to try it?"

Several little girls with dirty faces who were learning to cook on the ground with mud and grass came over carefully. Each of them took a piece and ran away, stuffing it into their mouths. Their originally gray eyes suddenly shone, and they all laughed happily.

It was a great happiness to be able to eat sweets in the war years.

However, the boys who were playing horseback fighting were different. They just watched the scene from a distance with angry eyes. There was even a boy about ten years old who strode over, picked up the brown sugar from his sister's hand, and threw it back to Heifu's feet! When he raised his head, his eyes were full of pride.

"These little brats." Ji Ying was a little angry and wanted to beat these children, but was stopped by Heifu.

"Why bother with a group of children who are still wet behind the ears?"

He shook his head helplessly. Most of the people in Chen were hard-headed. Their customs were frivolous and easy to get angry. In history, more than ten years later, this place was still the base camp of the anti-Qin army. Maybe these boys would have become a member of the anti-Qin army...

He asked people to drive these children away, and Heifu continued to patrol the next street with the soldiers.

Years of war have caused great damage to Chen County. The fields outside the city are in short supply, and the people in the city are also living in dire straits. Although the arrival of the King of Qin, in order to show the king's generosity, opened several porridge stalls inside and outside the city to help refugees who were displaced and lost their food and clothing due to the war, it is still a drop in the bucket.

The war is not over yet, and it is impossible for Qin to use all the military rations for relief. The people of Chen County may have to go hungry until the autumn harvest. The King of Qin exempted the three counties of Xue County, Sishui County, and Donghai County from taxes next year, but Chen County was not included in this list...

"Maybe it's a punishment for their support for Changping Jun's rebellion against Qin. I heard from Li You that the King of Qin hates people who betray him the most."

Hei Fu thought secretly that the King of Qin's mind is always hard to figure out. Sometimes he is so tolerant and generous that it is incredible, and sometimes he is very vengeful.

He can forgive Wei Liao who wants to escape from him and still use him. They could accept foreign traitors like Ye Teng who were criticized for their moral problems.

However, they showed no mercy to the nobles of Handan who had criticized and humiliated his mother's family when he was a child, and killed hundreds of them.

Therefore, Heifu was also very cautious and did not take the opportunity of the protection to make any bold suggestions. He was now just a peripheral official. Before opening his mouth, he had to clarify his identity.

Heifu was not the governor of Chen County, so looking at everything in front of him, he could only hope that the method of improving productivity in Nan County could be used in the newly conquered Huaibei counties next year. Once the Honggou trade resumed prosperity, Chen County would probably be as prosperous as before, right?

"It's really not easy to go in and out. Fortunately, the king will leave Chen County today."

After searching another street, Li Xian came out and breathed a sigh of relief. Although this work was glorious, it was also terrifying. Once there was any mistake, they would be responsible.

"Will the commander follow the king to Xianyang?"

Ji Ying asked with concern. In the eyes of the Anlu soldiers, Hei Fu has been favored by the king, and he may go directly to the king to serve as a high official!

Hei Fu shook his head and said, "I was in the king's tent that day, and I said that I wanted to be the king's general and officer, and fight against the rebellion and make meritorious deeds. Now the remnants of Chu are still there, and the two or three sons are still on the front line. How can I run to Xianyang?"

Hei Fu's attitude touched everyone very much, and while talking, everyone also inspected the market in the north of the city...

Hei Fu looked around. Today is the market day. Chen City is very lively. There are many people in front of each stall. It is the focus of their inspection.

"I heard that this is the place where Xiong Qi raised his arms and thousands of people responded to him by baring their left arms."

"Why did the king choose to take this road?" Li Xian sighed.

However, the King of Qin's itinerary was set by the Central Chariot Office, and it would only be announced temporarily that morning. The Langzhongling and the garrison were arranged to clear the road, but they would not change the established route just to show their closeness to the people.

So Heifu asked people to call the city clerk over and asked him to stop the market immediately! He also sent Dongmen Bao, Li Xian and others to disperse all the silk vendors, straw sandal weavers, and dog butchers in the market!

For a while, it was like the city management crossing the street in later generations. The whole Chen City was in chaos. Although there were some dissatisfied voices, no one resisted desperately. After all, the Qin soldiers only asked them to remove the stalls and leave, and did not confiscate their food.

However, Hei Fu did not know that at the moment when Chen City was in chaos, several pairs of unfriendly eyes were coldly watching him beside a butcher shop surrounded by many people...

...

Chen Yu had stayed in Chen County for more than a year and was very familiar with every street and alley here. He also had many people who had received favors from Zhang Er and could be used by him. So when he learned that Hei Fu led people to search and clear the road from the Chu Palace in the city to the north, he guessed the route of the King of Qin's travel today.

However, after Shusun Tong's verbal attack, Chen Yu also felt that the King of Qin was heavily guarded and they were short of manpower and could not achieve success, so he gave up the plan to assassinate the King of Qin and instead aimed at Heifu...

Now, seeing that Heifu really came to Chenshi in person and dispatched his men to drive away the vendors in the market, and he himself only brought a few guards with bows and crossbows and daggers, standing at the city flag and talking with the city officials, Chen Yu felt that his chance had come...

He looked at the greasy-handed, burly dog butcher in the meat stall, and the three or five people scattered in the protesting crowd. According to Chen Yu's plan, relying on the extraordinary skills of these people, they would suddenly rise up and definitely catch Heifu off guard. He might be able to kill him at close range, and then take advantage of the chaos of thousands of people in the market to retreat unscathed.

This is a good time to avenge the previous shame!

"Then I will be able to hold Heifu's head, apologize to my brother, and comfort the spirit of the deceased in heaven!"

Chen Yu stared at Heifu, who had his back to him, and pinched the short sword in his sleeve. He stood up and wanted to take action!

However, at this moment, a broad and powerful hand suddenly reached out and pinched his arm that was about to draw the sword!

"Don't move."

His voice was low, but he could not say anything. Turning his head, Chen Yu could see his black clothes and the red hat blown by the wind, as well as the copper tube yuè tied to his belt...

The one who restrained him was a middle-aged Qin official, an ordinary looking honest and upright gatekeeper...

It was his brother Zhang Er who came!