After Ying Xiaozheng came to the conclusion, he worked even harder to handle the official affairs of Shu County, trying to use Shu County as a "test field" to put his ideas into practice.
I learned the term "experimental field" from my uncle.
During this period, Zhu Xiang harvested the first batch of regenerated rice.
Fortunately, there was no rainy or foggy weather during the rice harvest, and Zhu Xiang successfully harvested a batch of grain that was at least five times the current rice output.
Zhu Xiang felt that it was a bit unfair for Lin Zhi to be so unfaithful, and he shouldn't have made so many foods for Lin Zhi that he didn't like.
To express his apology, Zhu Xiang later seasoned the sausages with well salt from Shu County, as well as peppercorns and chili peppers. He then smoked the sausages with cypress trees and sent them back to Xianyang along with a letter from home to make up for the injustice he had done to Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi didn't know what Zhu Xiang was thinking, and thought Zhu Xiang missed him, so he took some sausages to find Zichu to show off, and made fun of Zichu for only having pickles to eat.
Zichu was speechless for a long time when he read the letter from Zhu Xiang which said, "People who don't take care of their bodies have no meat to eat and can only eat pickles."
When the amount of grain was announced, the farmers in the experimental fields were stunned.
The wealthy businessmen in Chengdu soon got the news and paid a large sum of money to buy the seeds from Zhu Xiang.
However, Zhu Xiang distributed the seeds first to the prisoners who were planting on the official fields, and did not even give them to the civilians he cared about the most.
But in Zhu Xiang's eyes, prisoners and civilians are all the same. He is concerned about the large group of "people", so his choice is for the greater benefit, which makes him seem a little cold.
The Qin State had a large number of prisoners who worked as laborers for the empire. The official fields were managed by the prisoners and were the main source of grain income for the counties, which was considered a remnant of slavery.
Although these prisoners lived better than common people.
Zhu Xiang knew that the King of Qin would definitely send troops to attack other countries again in the near future.
For the Qin State, Guanzhong was the "heartland" and had the strictest management of the people. In other places conquered later, the management of the people and officials was slightly lax. The King of Qin only needed these newly conquered places to provide enough food and manpower for large-scale wars, and had not yet thought about long-term stability.
Shu County is isolated and even if there is a civil unrest it will not affect the rule of the King of Qin, so the King of Qin will definitely ask for a large amount of grain from Shu.
The grain in the official fields basically belonged to the granary. If enough grain could be accumulated, the taxes on the common people would not have to be increased. For the prisoners, changing to rice would not affect their interests. Moreover, what to plant in the official fields was entirely decided by the government, so Zhu Xiang could manage it better.
He had not thought of taking the official land before because the seeds Zhu Xiang had provided had not been verified and it was not appropriate to directly occupy the public land. Even if Li Bing would definitely agree, it would be very troublesome to convince many people and Li Bing would have to take responsibility for it.
Furthermore, there were not so many seeds in Zhuxiang, and there was no need to use official fields.
After Zhu Xiang had initially dealt with the spring plowing and planting matters, he handed the documents to Li Bing.
Li Bing didn't even open it and returned it intact, saying that he was too busy and tired and had no energy.
When Zhu Xiang saw Li Bing's letter, he felt the urge to go to the construction site and beat Li Bing up.
He wrote to Li Bing again, asking him to read the documents carefully. He would not stay in Shu County for a few years and would return to Xianyang sooner or later. Li Bing had given half of the work of the county governor to him. After he left, Li Bing would pick up all the work of the county governor again, and there would definitely be a period of confusion.
Li Bing thought Zhu Xiang's words made sense, so he entrusted his son Erlang to Zhu Xiang.
"Let him learn, and when you leave, he will temporarily take over the duties of the county governor."
Zhu Xiang almost tore up Li Bing's letter.
Although local officials would bring their more intelligent children with them when they took office, those children would generally help share the official duties. Especially in a remote place like Shu County, the power of the county governor was equivalent to that of a feudal lord, and it was basically a "family business."
But how old is your son? He must be only twelve or thirteen years old!
Li Erlang said awkwardly, "Lord Changping, I may not be very old, but isn't the young man who is acting as the county governor even younger?"
Acting county magistrate Ying Xiaozheng, who was sitting on a large, elevated chair, raised his head and glared at Li Erlang fiercely.
What are you dissatisfied with me as the acting county governor? Humph!
Zhu Xiang said: "My Jia Zheng'er is different from ordinary people."
Although Li Erlang knew Gongzi Zheng's identity, he still refused to accept it and said, "I am better than a six or seven-year-old child anyway!"
Zhu Xiang snapped his fingers: "Zheng'er, let him know the gap between him and you, and understand the cruelty of reality."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Okay."
Li Jilang: “?”
Ying Xiaozheng first competed with Li Erlang in reciting the law, then in understanding Shu County, and then in calculating the account books, handling documents, and resolving difficult lawsuits...
Li Erlang knelt down on the ground with his hands on his back in an exaggerated manner, making an OTZ (this is a kneeling little man) gesture: "How is this possible!"
Zhu Xiang said regretfully: "Reality is so cruel."
Ying Xiaozheng crossed his arms: "Huh."
Zhu Xiang squatted on the ground and poked Li Erlang, who was hit hard, and said, "Are you convinced?"
Li Erlang shed tears: "I am convinced."
Zhu Xiang said, "Li Bing sent you to me, so it would be bad for me to send you back. You should be Zheng'er's book boy for a while."
Li Erlang had no idea what it meant to be Ying Xiaozheng's servant. He nodded in agreement dejectedly, like a defeated rooster.
In front of Li Bing, Li Erlang was not so obedient. Losing to a child was a huge blow to him.
After seeing Li Erlang being honest, Zhu Xiang was very confused. He heard Li Bing say that Li Erlang was very naughty, and thought he was a very ignorant child. Isn't this very obedient
"Come to think of it, you seem to yearn to be a knight-errant of Yan and Zhao?" Zhu Xiang asked.
Li Erlang immediately stood up: "Changping Jun must be very familiar with the rangers of Yan and Zhao! I heard that Changping Jun was rescued from Handan City thanks to the rangers of Zhao State!"
Zhu Xiang laughed and said, "The rangers you mentioned are referring to the farmers near Handan who, in order to save me, a group of elderly people carried farm tools and attacked Handan City?"
Li Erlang was dumbfounded: "What?"
Zhu Xiang said, "It is a serious crime to attack Handan City, so the villagers kept their young and strong men in the village, and the old men volunteered to rescue me. They are indeed knights, but they are not the rangers you know."
Seeing Li Erlang's stunned look, Ying Xiaozheng said unhappily: "Didn't Uncle Li Bing tell you that the so-called knight-errant is someone who uses force to seek fame and fortune from nobles? You are already the son of an official, and you can become an official through normal recommendation. Who are you asking for what?"
Li Erlang thought about the stories about knights he had heard and suddenly didn't know how to answer.
Zhu Xiang said: "The spirit of the knight-errant in the book is worth learning. If you stick to this spirit, no matter what position you are in, you are also a knight-errant. Chivalry does not necessarily have to be a knight-errant. The knight-errant himself does not want to be a knight-errant forever."
Zhu Xiang patted Li Erlang on the shoulder and said, "Do a good job. If you can seek benefits for the people, you are also following the spirit of chivalry."
Li Erlang didn't know why, but his eyes felt a little sore: "I understand, Lord Changping."
Zhu Xiang said: "Your father and I are friends, you can just call me uncle."
Li Erlang lowered his head and blushed: "Uncle...Uncle...Duke Zhu Xiang!"
I can't call out! This is the world-famous Duke Zhu Xiang!
Ying Xiaozheng snorted and gave Li Erlang a contemptuous sneer.
What a coward.
Zhu Xiang did not force Li Erlang to continue calling him uncle. He and Li Erlang were not familiar with each other yet, and they would get used to each other slowly in the future.
Li Erlang was always on Li Bing's lips and no matter how naughty he was, Li Bing never gave up on teaching him. He was extremely intelligent and had good skills.
Although he couldn't compare to Ying Xiaozheng, who was a cheater, but seeing Ying Xiaozheng's gradually becoming satisfied with Li Erlang, he knew that Li Erlang was indeed a talent.
After Li Erlang lost to Ying Xiaozheng, he treated Ying Xiaozheng with great respect. Although he was Ying Xiaozheng's book boy, Zhu Xiang felt that Li Erlang had become Ying Xiaozheng's "little brother" and "student".
Ying Xiaozheng taught Li Erlang how to use an abacus and how to use charts to process documents. He then handed over all the document data to Li Erlang and checked them again himself. He worked Li Erlang so hard that he became increasingly haggard.
Zhu Xiang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and asked Ying Xiaozheng to assign more work to other people and not to always rely on Li Erlang alone.
Ying Xiaozheng muttered: "But he is the most convenient. Others will always treat me as a child intentionally or unintentionally, even though they know I am very powerful."
Zhu Xiang rubbed Ying Xiaozheng's little head and said, "Alas, the Lord originally said that he would give you the Meng brothers as playmates, but he never fulfilled his promise. Otherwise, you wouldn't have so few friends around you."
"They are not friends, they are subordinates." Ying Xiaozheng corrected, "The King of Qin has no friends, no one can be on equal footing with the King. They are not his uncle."
Zhu Xiang was very confused. He should have taught Ying Xiaozheng in a normal way, so why did Ying Xiaozheng have such eccentric thoughts
Maybe it’s not being aloof, but being self-centered
Only those you recognize are true friends. Zhu Xiang did not correct Ying Xiaozheng and force Ying Xiaozheng to make friends: "If you say no, then no. In the future, when you have a friend you can trust, don't hesitate because of your status. It's a very happy thing to have one more person you trust. If you can't find the right one, it doesn't matter if you don't have friends of the same age, your uncle is your friend."
Ying Xiaozheng said perfunctorily: "Okay."
Zhu Xiang sighed again, wondering why the Meng brothers didn't come to play with his son Zheng'er. Look how lonely Zheng'er was.
Ying Xiaozheng, who was not alone, knew the King of Qin's psychology, but did not want to tell his uncle for fear of making him sad again.
It was very simple. Meng Wu was already on good terms with his uncle. If Meng Wu's son became his playmate, then the Meng family would be too closely connected to him. Even if the King of Qin was not worried about his uncle and himself, he was worried that the Meng family would have too much power in the future.
Grandfather Zeng still recognized his talent and regarded him as a strong candidate to succeed the King of Qin in the future. If the children of the Meng family made friends with him too early, it would ensure that the Meng family would be in a core position during the reign of the next few generations of the King of Qin.
The Meng family came from the State of Qi and were not relatives of the royal family. The King of Qin did not trust them and did not want them to have a childhood friendship with him.
He believed that when he grew up a little more, the people sent to him would not be playmates but subordinates, and he would not have too many personal feelings for them.
Ying Xiaozheng thought that the old King of Qin thought too much and underestimated him. Even if the Meng brothers followed him now, he would not have too many personal feelings for them and regarded them as playmates and friends.
But he was still a child, so he could only endure the elders' excessive contempt and worry.
Zhu Xiang wrote a letter to Li Bing, praising Li Erlang for how sensible he was, and questioned Li Bing's previous evaluation of Li Erlang.
Li Bing looked at the letter in disbelief. He left the construction site for a rare occasion and went back home for a few days to observe his second son, whose temperament was said to have changed drastically.
"I lost to such a young child, how can I have the face to disobey?"
"And Duke Zhu Xiang recognized my chivalrous spirit and always praised me. He is completely different from you, father! You always deny me!"
Li Erlang was still a naughty kid in front of Li Bing, he stood with his hands on his hips and his chin raised and talked back to Li Bing.
Li Bing immediately wanted to hit Li Erlang twice.
Is this your attitude towards your father?!
Li Bing had another big fight with his son, and then returned to the construction site with peace of mind.
If he had known that Zhu Xiang could tame Erlang so easily, he should not have refused to ask Zhu Xiang for help just for the sake of face.
After this, Zhu Xiang continued to guide rice planting and expanded the scale of rice planting in official fields; Li Bing continued to open up mountains; Ying Xiaozheng continued to handle other chores; and Li Mu prepared to train troops.
Although Li Mu entered Shu together with Zhu Xiang and Li Bing, he was not an officer in charge of only Shu County. Instead, he was the commander-in-chief of a "Southwest Military Region". He could also mobilize the garrisons in Ba County and Qianzhong County and was not under the jurisdiction of local officials. However, most of the headquarters and military settlements were in Shu County.
After all, Shu County has plains, while Ba County has few large farmlands. Qianzhong County is still in great chaos. Although it has been established as a county, it is still in a state of constant warfare. The main military station is in Shu County.
When the King of Qin employed people, he gave his ministers great power and trust.
Even though Li Mu was still a young general, Li Mu's record in fighting against the Huns and the recognition of Bai Qi, Zhu Xiang and Lian Po made the King of Qin decisively appoint him as the general guarding the south and gave him the power to find opportunities to train his own troops.
Before Li Mu left Xianyang, the old King of Qin summoned him and told him that if he wanted to attack the State of Chu in the future, he would definitely appoint Li Mu as a general. He encouraged Li Mu to familiarize himself with the climate and geography of the south as soon as possible.
When the Qin State wanted to attack the Chu State, the best way to transport food and troops was by water.
Qin had two water routes to attack Chu. One was through the Han River near the Qinling Mountains, which was also the main route for Qin to attack Chu. The other was down the Yangtze River, which was why the King of Qin attached great importance to Shu County.
Although Shu County and Chu State are separated by Ba County and Qianzhong County, this distance is nothing if you go down the Yangtze River.
Shu County had plains and iron mines, and its grain output and ironware forging were excellent, making it a perfect place to station troops to attack the State of Chu.
Attacking the State of Chu downstream along the Yangtze River also has disadvantages, such as the steepness of the Yangtze River and the fact that the shipping conditions in the Chengdu Plain are not very good at present.
But the King of Qin was a man of great adventure, and he believed that opening up the Yangtze River route was very important for attacking the Chu and Yue regions.
It was for this reason that Li Bing's memorial was approved by the court officials.
After he transformed the irrigation network of the Chengdu Plain, the Minjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, could be directly connected to the city of Chengdu. From Chengdu city, people could go directly to the Yangtze River and go downstream to Chuyue.
And that’s exactly what happened afterwards.
After the construction of Dujiangyan, Chengdu became the largest shipping transit station in the southwest. A Tang Dynasty poem says, "The gate is moored with ships from Wu, thousands of miles away," which describes the grand scene of merchant ships from the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River coming and going in Chengdu.
Grain from the Chengdu Plain was also continuously transported via the Yangtze River waterway to the southern battlefield when the Qin State unified the Central Plains, becoming one of the most important logistical supports for the Qin State's war of unification.
Following Zhu Xiang's suggestion, Li Mu not only trained cavalry, but also sent people to research more powerful warships, installed crossbows on the warships, and trained soldiers who were good at swimming to drive the warships directly from the shore to fight the enemy.
These warships also have greater loading capacity and are very efficient in transporting food and soldiers.
Li Mu is now ready to go, just waiting for the opportunity to train his troops.
It so happened that the Nanman went crazy and invaded the border of Shu County. Li Mu led the newly formed cavalry to fight against the Nanman, broke through the enemy's vine armor with fire, cut off many heads and brought them back as military merits, and conquered several tribes to pay tribute to the King of Qin.
After Li Mu gave the tribal leader and the map to the King of Qin, the King of Qin was overjoyed and gave Li Mu more support.
Having tasted the sweetness, Li Mu wanted to visit Chu.
So he led his fleet to Qianzhong County, and in the name of guiding military settlements, he sent people from Qianzhong County to the State of Chu to survey the situation in Chu.
Chu was not too weak now that it had Chunshen Jun. But Li Mu had been harmed by the sowing of dissension before, and he saw at a glance that there was room for the sowing of dissension in Chu.
Chunshen Jun was not a member of the royal family, nor was he even a member of the traditional nobles of the Chu State. Among the "Four Princes" who were famous in the Warring States Period, Chunshen Jun was the only one who was not a member of the royal family.
Chu was an extremely "traditional" country, with the upper class controlled by the great nobles, and the power of the King of Chu was not great. That's why Wu Qi died so miserably, even throwing himself on the body of the previous King of Chu, he was shot into a hedgehog along with the body of the King of Chu.
Chunshen Jun was a man of courage. Although he did not carry out any reforms, he did some practical things for the State of Chu.
Although the King of Chu trusted him, he had no offspring, so Chunshen Jun's future was worrying.
Not to mention Chunshen Jun's anxiety, the King of Chu, who loved and respected Chunshen Jun, was also anxious and kept going to the harem to cultivate. Chunshen Jun also offered many women to him.
Finally, one of the women offered by Chunshen Jun became pregnant, and it seemed that Chunshen Jun's situation had improved. However, the royal family supported by the great nobles of Chu State would obviously not give up so easily. Now there was a rumor in Chu State that the child the woman was carrying was not the son of the King of Chu, but the son of Chunshen Jun.
When Li Mu heard this rumor, his face looked strange.
He recalled that when he was in Xianyang, someone spread rumors about Zheng'er, saying that Zheng'er was not Xia Tong's son, but Lü Buwei's son. Lü Buwei gave his pregnant concubine to Xia Tong.
However, seeing that Xia Tong was very close to Ying Xiaozheng, and that Lu Buwei's influence around Xia Tong was gradually replaced by Zhu Xiang, it did not seem like the treatment that Ying Xiaozheng should have as his biological father, and the rumor gradually died down.
However, Li Mu suspected that the King of Qin might have taken action behind the rumors being quelled.
Because later there were rumors that Ying Xiaozheng was not the son of Xia Tong, but that Zhu Xiang replaced Prince Zheng with his own son, the King of Qin killed many people and said when killing them that he had given those people a chance.
As for the King of Qin, he could test Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng himself, but as for matters concerning the bloodline of the future King of Qin, he would never allow others to make up stories and reduce the credibility of the future King of Qin.
The rumors in Chu are similar to those in Xianyang. No matter which country, there are only a few rumors, but every time someone falls for them.
Li Mu sighed for a while, and sent people to sneak into the State of Chu to intensify the rumor that the fetus in the belly of a pregnant woman in the palace of the King of Chu was Chunshen Jun, and added the opposite rumor - the fetus was indeed the King of Chu's, but the Chu royal family wanted to seize the position of the King of Chu, and deliberately spread false rumors, waiting to seize the position of the King of Chu's son after the King of Chu died.
What Li Mu sent people to convey was the truth.
However, after the truth reached the ears of the King of Chu, he was still in a bad mood even though he knew about it.
He summoned Chunshen Jun and asked, "Why are they so arrogant? Are they demonstrating to me?!"
Chunshen Jun was also confused.
These remarks were not made by him. He still hoped to enjoy his old age in peace and was unwilling to break off relations with the great nobles who supported the Chu State.
Chunshen Jun believed that as long as the son of the King of Chu could succeed to the throne normally, with his own assistance, he would be able to secure the throne of the King of Chu, and then he would have no worries in the future. So he only needed to wait and did not need to fight with the nobles of Chu who opposed him.
He also thought that the great nobles of Chu would restrain themselves and suppress the rumors about him after seeing his "sincerity".
Unexpectedly, the rumors subsided for a while, but suddenly became more and more intense, and rumors of seizing the throne also emerged.
Apart from the great nobles of Chu State, the only other State that could have spread the rumor to the King of Chu was Qin State.
But now the Qin State has turned its military force to the Central Plains, recalled the general originally stationed in the south, and sent a young general who had just come to Qin from Zhao State to garrison there. It is obvious that it does not regard Chu State as its target.
The relatives of the Chu clan occupied high positions in Qin State. They did not send any news to the King of Chu, which showed that the King of Qin did not intend to attack Chu State.
If it wasn't done by the King of Qin, then it was done by one of our own people.
Why did the great nobles of Chu deliver the news of their intention to seize the throne directly to the king of Chu? They couldn't possibly be courting death. The king of Chu didn't have the ability to kill them. What else could it be except that they were demonstrating to the king of Chu!
The more the King of Chu thought about it, the angrier he became. He was also terrified and worried: "Are they really planning a rebellion?"
Chunshen Jun said calmly: "Although we cannot eliminate them, they also have no ability to rebel. Your Majesty and I are united in our efforts, so there is no need to be afraid of them."
The King of Chu was infected by Chunshen Jun's calmness and felt relieved.
Indeed, if they really had the ability to rebel, they would not target their own offspring, but would force the emperor to abdicate themselves.
Chunshen Jun added: "But what they did was indeed a provocation to the king. The king should teach them a lesson."
The King of Chu immediately said, "Lord Chunshen, please speak!"
Chunshen Jun said: "Why don't you invite them to a banquet and explain your concerns about the rumors at the banquet, and let them help you solve the problem?"
Although the King of Chu was mediocre, he was not stupid. After all, he had been a hostage before, so he immediately understood the implication of Chunshen Jun's words.
He summoned the nobles to warn them and give them a chance to stop. It could show his dissatisfaction and also give them a way out.
The King of Chu immediately agreed and found an excuse to invite all the nobles to attend the banquet.
The people sent by Li Mu immediately spread rumors that the King of Chu was angry and wanted to arrest all the nobles who attended the banquet.
The great nobles were in a panic.
After the King of Chu repeatedly stated that the child was indeed his and firmly supported Chunshen Jun, they temporarily stopped spreading rumors.
Whether they would spread rumors next would depend on when the King of Chu died, the age and talent of the prince who would inherit the throne, and when Chunshen Jun died.
If after the death of King Chu and Chunshen Jun, the new King of Chu could not "win the support of the people", they would continue to spread the rumor and then kill the king and force the emperor to abdicate; if King Chu and Chunshen Jun were lucky and lived long enough for the new King of Chu to gain a foothold, they would continue to be loyal subjects.
Who knew that after they stopped, the rumors not only did not subside, but new rumors also spread, which hit the mark of what they were thinking.
They were terrified and thought that Chunshen Jun had changed his mind and would no longer tolerate them, so he deliberately spread rumors in an attempt to kill them.
When the King of Chu asked them to attend the banquet, they were suspicious and immediately believed the King of Chu's words that he wanted to catch them all at the banquet.
So they secretly mobilized the troops in their own fiefdoms to strengthen the city, and sent people to apologize to the King of Chu, saying that they were ill and could not go.
The King of Chu was shocked to receive the letter of refusal and flew into a rage. He sent people to reprimand Chunshen Jun despite his dissuasion.
The situation of the Chu State immediately took a sharp turn for the worse.
Li Mu, a young general who was looked down upon by the Chu people, was watching this scene in Qianzhong County and asked Zhu Xiang, "Why is it so easy to succeed in sowing discord?"
Zhu Xiang was puzzled: "You're asking me this? Shouldn't you ask why I came to Qianzhong County?"
Li Mu was even more confused than Zhu Xiang: "Do I need to ask? Just tell me what you want to do and I'll help you. Why ask?"
Zhu Xiang: “…” For a moment he didn’t know whether he was moved by Li Mu’s trust and support, or was speechless by Li Mu’s character.
Zhu Xiang first explained to Li Mu: "It's not that the alienation strategy is always so easy to succeed, but the place where the alienation strategy can be used already has a gap. If there is no gap, what is the use of alienation strategy? If there is a gap, they will easily turn against each other without using alienation strategy."
Li Mu sighed again: "Okay, you are right."
Seeing that Li Muzhen didn't ask why he came, Zhu Xiang couldn't help but said, "I heard that you have eliminated the banditry in Qianzhong County. I thought that Qianzhong County should plant more grain, so I wanted to come to Qianzhong County to try out a new planting model."
Li Mu said, "Ah? Farming, it's up to you. But is it okay for you to leave Zheng'er alone in Chengdu?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Li Bing has returned to Chengdu to recuperate temporarily because of overwork. With Li Bing's care, Zheng'er will definitely be fine. Chengdu can't do without him now. Besides, he is young, and the Yangtze River is turbulent, so it is dangerous to take a boat."
Li Mu said: "Although Zheng'er should be fine, if you want to test some new seeds, you can try it in Chengdu. Why do you have to go to Qianzhong County?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Didn't you write last time that the fields in Qianzhong County were abandoned? Moreover, the original Chu people are still accustomed to the extensive planting method of fire and flooding. I am afraid that the harvest will not be much when replanting? The spring plowing in Chengdu Plain has been completed, and there is no need for my excessive guidance. I think you may need me."
To put it bluntly, Zhu Xiang suddenly had some free time in Shu County. When he saw Li Mu saying in his letter that no one was cultivating the land properly in Qianzhong County, he couldn't help but want to find a new place to farm.
In fact, Zhu Xiang also wanted to go to Ba County to guide planting. Ba County is full of mountains and ridges, which is a good place to experiment with terraced fields.
However, the governor of Ba County and the powerful people in Ba County were relatively "xenophobic", and it would be very troublesome for Zhu Xiang to deal with them, so he decided not to go and make trouble for himself.
Li Mu said that Qianzhong County was at war with the State of Chu, which wanted to take back its ancestral land, so it had been harassing Qianzhong County sporadically. Therefore, Qianzhong County was in a state of war, and the power of the county governor was far less than that of the garrison general. Li Mu could make his own decisions here. Of course, Zhu Xiang ran to Qianzhong County by boat.
Li Mu was speechless: "I think it is still quite dangerous to sail on the Yangtze River. You shouldn't put yourself in danger."
Zhu Xiang said: "We are not traveling at night or in bad weather, and we are traveling together as a fleet, so how can it be dangerous? As long as not all the ships are sunk, if there is a problem with a ship, we can rescue it immediately."
In short, Zhu Xiang just can't sit still.
Qianzhong County has a complex terrain. The mountains in the west are suitable for terraced fields, and the Yunmengze Plain in the east is perfect for rice planting and mulberry-based fish ponds. It would be a waste if they are not used properly.
Although Li Mu wanted to refute Zhu Xiang, since Zhu Xiang had already come, it would be meaningless for him to refute him. So he sighed and let Zhu Xiang do as he pleased.
It just so happened that he helped Zhu Xiang to farm in Qianzhong County, which could also further numb the State of Chu.
Li Mu originally wanted to keep Zhu Xiang's arrival in Qianzhong County secret, but Zhu Xiang's white hair was too conspicuous, and the news spread throughout the streets and alleys as soon as he arrived in Qianzhong County. Everyone knew that Zhu Xiang had come to teach farming.
Zhu Xiang touched his hair and said to Li Mu, "Should I dye my hair black with ink before I go out next time?"
Li Mu glanced at him and said, "Are you just thinking about this now? I thought you were deliberately showing off your white hair to show that you are not an ordinary person."
Zhu Xiang said seriously: "To be honest, I am showing off. My white hair looks really good!"
Li Mu: “…” He would never feel bitter or resentful about Zhu Xiang’s white hair again.
Zhu Xiang said happily: "Do you think Chu will send someone to meet me? Chunshen Jun was planning to recruit me at that time."
Li Mu rolled his eyes at Zhu Xiang and said, "Do you think that if I want to attack the State of Chu, I will let the people of Chu come to see you?"
Zhu Xiang: "Ah?! What?! You want to attack the State of Chu?!"
Li Mu: “…”
Zhu Xiang: “…”
The two of them sat in silence for a long time.
Zhu Xiang was the first to hold his forehead with his hand: "I say, you, well, Chu is still quite powerful now, and Chunshen Jun governs Chu very well. Wouldn't it be too reckless for you to attack Chu now?"
If he knew that Li Mu came to Qianzhong County not only to suppress the banditry but also to attack the State of Chu, he would never come to Qianzhong County at this time.
Li Mu said, "Didn't I use the strategy of sowing discord? Don't you know I want to start a war?"
Zhu Xiang smiled bitterly: "Using a strategy of sowing discord does not mean that there will be a war. Look at how many strategies the King of Qin used against Zhao. He brought you and Duke Lian to Qin, but he did not declare war on Zhao."
Li Mu said: "I'll just give it a try, just fight casually, just as a training exercise."
Zhu Xiang didn't know what to say.
It was not easy for him to interfere in military affairs. Besides, Li Mu was one of the four famous generals of the Warring States Period, so he did not need to make comments. He could only sigh that he was really unlucky and told Li Mu to take it easy.
Li Mu was puzzled: "Why take it easy?"
Zhu Xiang hesitated and said, "Don't attack Shouchun City, or directly occupy Shouchun City and force Chu to move its capital again? You can't defend it even if you attack it with the few troops you have."
Li Mu was stunned, then burst into laughter.
When Li Mu was using a strategy of sowing discord against the State of Chu and wanted to use the State of Chu to train his troops, he naturally sent someone to convey the message to the King of Qin by fast horse.
He was used to the differences between Qin and Zhao. Although the King of Qin trusted his generals, he was also very suspicious. He could not make all the decisions on his own, as he did in Yanmen County of Zhao, without asking for the king's opinion. While doing things, he reported his decisions to the King of Qin in due course to reassure him.
Another important reason why Li Mu was able to change his mindset quickly was that Zhu Xiang was almost reading in his ears until calluses appeared.
Sometimes Li Mu thought that Zhu Xiang was very unbridled towards the King of Qin, and seemed not to be afraid of him at all, but on the other hand, he was very wary of him, and perhaps even more suspicious than the King of Qin, always thinking that he would harm them. What a contradiction.
However, what Zhu Xiang said was just a little troublesome. If it could make Zhu Xiang feel at ease, Li Mu would do it.
When the King of Qin received this news in Xianyang, he was stunned for a long time.
"Didn't Li Mu go to the Southern Barbarians to train his troops? Why did he think of attacking the State of Chu? Are the troops he has enough to attack the State of Chu?" King Qin asked Prince Zhu.
Prince Zhu: "..." Even if you ask me, how would I know the answer? !
The King of Qin took a deep breath and said, "Is Li Mu really okay? Is he too young and hot-tempered, and has he been blinded by a small victory?"
Prince Zhu said: "Since Li Mu led the army, he has never been so overwhelmed by victory that he lost the battle. His record makes me feel that I can trust him."
The King of Qin glanced at Prince Zhu and asked, "Do you trust anyone that Zhu Xiang approves of?"
With cold sweat on his forehead, Prince Zhu explained, "It's not that I trust people who are not approved by Zhu Xiang. It's that people who are on good terms with Zhu Xiang happen to be talented and sincere."
The King of Qin stared at Prince Zhu for a long time before he said calmly, "That's true."
He carefully read the letter presented by Li Mu again and said, "Since he is confident, then do it. Anyway, he doesn't have many soldiers. As long as he doesn't lose Qianzhong County, I won't blame him if he loses the battle."
The King of Qin thought the matter was over.
But a few days later, he received an even more urgent letter.
The King of Qin thought Li Mu had been defeated, so he opened the letter anxiously, and then his expression went blank for a moment.
Prince Zhu said nervously: "Father, what happened?!" It couldn't be that he had just said something good to Li Mu and Li Mu betrayed his trust
The King of Qin opened and closed his mouth several times, and said with a strange expression: "Zhu Xiang, he didn't know that Li Mu was going to attack the State of Chu. Because he was too bored, he went to Qianzhong County to teach farming."
Prince Zhu: "... Because it's too boring?!"
What kind of excuse is this? ! Zhu Xiang, do you want to be punished with a ruler? !
The King of Qin took several deep breaths, and seemed to read the letter several times, and said, "Yes, it's too boring. Zhu Xiang said that the spring plowing in Shu County has ended, and Li Bing has Zheng'er to assist him. He has nothing to do. It just so happens that the bandit problem in Qianzhong County has been resolved, and he urgently needs someone to guide the replanting, so he went to Qianzhong County."
Prince Zhu couldn't help but slam the table and yell in front of his old father: "Reckless! Ridiculous!"
The King of Qin looked at Prince Zhu who dared to slam the table in front of him and swallowed his scolding.
He could see that his eldest son was really angry.
"Alright, alright, Dazhu, you know what kind of personality Zhu Xiang has, don't get angry and hurt yourself." The King of Qin consoled him, "Li Mu is on good terms with Zhu Xiang, he won't let Zhu Xiang go into danger, don't worry."
After Prince Zhu slammed the table, he realized that he had been disrespectful in front of his king and father. He was panicking, but he didn't expect his king and father to comfort him, leaving him speechless for a moment.
(End of this chapter)