Prime Minister of Great Qin

Chapter 198 Zhao Tuo's Displeasure! (seeking subscription)

Hu Hai's itinerary was turbulent.

Cars and horses traveled day and night, arrived at Yingshou in one day and one night, then changed to a large boat to enter Yunmengze, went straight down the Xiangshui River, and then changed to a small boat to enter Lingnan from Lingqu.

If Hu Hai wants to see him, he can only go to Xiangjun.

After ten days of ups and downs, one early morning, Hu Hai arrived at the seat of Xiang County, Linchen.

This is a small remote city with a very different style from the Central Plains.

The low brick and stone houses are arranged crookedly, and the two narrow streets are also winding. From time to time, water flows past the streets. Under the scorching sun, there are very few people walking on the streets, but all of them are bare-chested and dark in straw sandals, short clothes, but compared with other places, there is a huge bamboo weaving roof.

This kind of bamboo weaving is called a bamboo hat locally!
Hu Hai's cavalry team of hundreds of people just shuttled through the street.

On both sides of the small street, there are several small shops with at most two or three rooms across, piled with all kinds of strange-shaped bamboo utensils, and various red and yellow curvy items. The dilapidated door panels and chessboards of each room are painted with colorful and slightly mysterious images such as various snakes, fish, turtles, and elephants.

But many more cannot discern their shapes at all.

Hu Hai sat in the carriage, looking at the different experiences on both sides of the street, but his face was very ugly.

He is a dignified young master of Qin, originally settled in Panyu.

As a result, Zhao Tuo and others said that there was a situation in Xiangjun, and they needed to be stationed. They didn't discuss with him at all, and they told Linchen directly.

boom!
Hu Hai put down the curtains, and said coldly: "Zhao Tuo is really brave. I managed to come here once. Not only did I not arrange it in advance, but I was asked to come to such a poor place. If it wasn't for my order, I would have turned my face and left at that time."

"It really pissed me off."

Hu Hai was cursing in the carriage.

Zhao Gao's eyes moved slightly, and he said with a smile: "My lord, don't get angry. After all, the South China Sea has not calmed down for a long time. The environment is harsh, and the people of Baiyue are dissatisfied with the imperial court. From time to time, they lead people across the border to provoke. General Zhao Tuo, regardless of his hard work, sits on the frontier. He really thinks about the empire. You are doing this to reward the army. How can you lose the big by doing this?"

"My lord, let him go for a while."

Hu Hai looked at Zhao Guo coldly, but finally didn't say anything.

It's just that the dissatisfaction on the face is visible to the naked eye.

soon.

Hu Hai arrived outside the army's camp.

As soon as he stepped into the stone gate of the Qin Shogunate, Hu Hai's face became even more ugly.

It was not only the strong smell of herbs that could be heard everywhere, nor the sad expressions of the officers and officials rushing in and out, but the roughness with which the shogunate greeted him, which made him feel a great humiliation. The army camp was actually built of rocks.

The soldiers who greeted them were even more terrifying.

All of them were thin and dark, with terrifyingly large eye sockets, astonishingly high cheekbones, and terrifyingly large mouths. They were not as stocky as the old Qin people in Xianyang. Even the soldiers around them didn't have leather armor or iron armor.

In Hu Hai's eyes, these people in front of him are not sharp soldiers of the Qin army at all, but poor refugees struggling to make a living.

Not even refugees.

With a gloomy face, Hu Hai stepped into the tent of the shogunate.

Zhao Gao and Ren Ao followed closely behind.

Entering the military account, generals immediately stepped forward to greet them.

"The last general, Zhao Tuo, sees the young master."

"Chen Lu Jia sees the young master."

"The minister Yang Wengzi sees the son."

"."

Nearly ten generals greeted the ceremony.

With a cold face, Hu Hai said dissatisfiedly: "Zhao Tuo, you have worked so hard to let me go. I told you clearly that I would come to Panyu. Why didn't you go instead and let someone lead me to Linchen, Xiangjun? What's your intention?!"

Hu Hai was not used to it at all, and directly expressed his dissatisfaction.

heard.

Zhao Tuo said with an aggrieved face, "Young Master, the general is really wronged. Now the leader of Baiyue, Jie Jun, has attacked the three counties of Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiangjun a few days ago, causing a lot of damage in various places. Last month, the general asked His Majesty for an order. He will recruit the Ouluo army led by Jie Jun in the near future, intending to completely defeat the Yue people and stabilize the South China Sea."

"The battle is approaching, how dare the last general stay away?"

"It's just that you have neglected the young master because of this, the last general really dare not argue."

"Please forgive me, son."

Zhao Tuo's tone was very low.

Hearing Zhao Tuo's words, Ren Ao seemed to have thought of something, and said in a helpful voice: "Young Master, what General Zhao Tuo said is indeed true."

"I heard about it some time ago. Three years ago, the imperial court captured Lingnan and established three counties, Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiangjun. However, the Yue people have been fighting back, crossing the border many times to attack and kill soldiers. The Yue people are very familiar with the terrain of the three counties. If they don't pay attention, they let them hide in the dense forest. The soldiers of the South China Sea never tire of it."

"Because of this, the imperial court ordered the third conquest of Baiyue, intending to completely crush Baiyue and completely sweep away the Ouluo area where the Yue people gather."

"General Zhao Tuo is probably busy with the military, and that's why he neglected the young master."

heard.

Hu Hai's face softened slightly.

It's just that there is still some embarrassment.

He is a dignified son of Qin, yet people point and point him around, what's the point of this?

see.

Zhao Gao smiled at the side and said: "General Zhao Tuo should be busy with the military. We did come here uninvited when we went south this time. It is reasonable for the general to be unable to leave for a while. Now that the young master has arrived in Linchen, he didn't really take it to heart. It's just that he bumped on the road for a long time and was somewhat irritable. That's why he said something inappropriate."

Zhao Tuo cupped his hands and said, "The war in the south is about to start, I don't know why you are here?"

Hu Hai's face was gloomy, and finally he didn't get angry again, and said: "I came here this time to reward the army. I originally brought some imperial wine with me to reward the army, but the road was rough, and I didn't have enough soldiers with me, so I left all the imperial wine in Panyu."

Hearing Hu Hai's words, Zhao Tuo's face showed a strange expression, and he looked at Hu Hai suspiciously, his eyes were uncertain.

He was very curious, why the reward army was Hu Hai?

Shouldn't it be Fusu?

Could it be that something happened in the court?
Although his heart was full of doubts, Zhao Tuo was still grateful and said: "It is the last general who has made the young master work hard, so the imperial wine will stay in Panyu for now, and it will not be too late to drink after the army returns from victory."

"The last general thanked you son on behalf of the 50 soldiers in the South China Sea."

The rest of the generals bowed in unison.

Hu Hai looked at Zhao Tuo and the others, with a sneer on his lips, and said, "You don't need to be so eager to thank. I did not bring the imperial wine this time, but I did bring other things. General Zhao Tuo led the army to guard the South China Sea and worked hard. The soldiers also worked very hard. The imperial court was grateful for the hard work of the soldiers, and specially mobilized millions of money and food to reward the army, and to honor the money rewards that were confiscated in the South China Sea."

A word fell.

Not only was there no surprise in the arena, but it fell into an eerie silence.

see.

Hu Hai frowned.

He was somewhat puzzled by the reactions of Zhao Tuo and others.

Is it reasonable for the imperial court to be happy when they distributed so much money cloth to the army?Why can't I see half of the excitement?

Don't they want the court to issue money rewards? !

Zhao Tuo lowered his head, and exchanged a glance with a man with narrow eyes, thick lips and a round face behind him. There was a hint of panic and uneasiness in his eyes, but Zhao Tuo quickly calmed down, and said in a deep voice: "The general thanked His Majesty, the court, and the son for the money rewards for the generals, just."

"It's really inappropriate right now."

"What's wrong with giving money rewards?" Hu Hai showed displeasure.

Zhao Tuo gave a wry smile, cupped his hands and said, "Young Master, you have also seen the situation in Lingnan along the road. The soldiers are skinny and skinny, and they are completely different from those in the Central Plains. The environment in Lingnan is too harsh. Compared with Qian Bu, the soldiers in the army want to return home."

"More than three years ago, the imperial court captured the three counties in Lingnan. At that time, the imperial court conscripted 50 merchants, corvees, and Qin people to Lingnan. Although they didn't speak out at the time, most of the soldiers in the army were aware that the imperial court probably wanted to keep them in Lingnan. As a result, morale was greatly depressed. This slowed down the progress of destroying the Ouluo area."

"After several years of relief, the soldiers in the army have gradually let go of their homesickness. If the money rewards are issued at this time, the soldiers may doubt again. If the court really wants to give up on them, the soldiers will be overwhelmed by then. The war is imminent, and the ministers really dare not take such a risk."

"The reward of millions of dollars brought by the young master will be considered as a reward in other names."

At this time.

Ren Ao was puzzled and said: "General Zhao Tuo, why did the imperial court think of giving up the soldiers? Over the years, the imperial court has conscripted hundreds of thousands of people, and also relocated many people in Guanzhong, just to calm the hearts of the people. If the imperial court really wants to give up, how can it be so troublesome? How did this rumor in the army come about?"

Zhao Tuo's eyelids twitched.

He narrowed his eyes and sighed, "Because of homesickness."

"It's hard to leave the homeland. Many soldiers in Lingnan have been in Lingnan for nine years, and the imperial court has been working on the relocation of households these years. This kind of relocation is not the past cattle, sheep, carts, horses and goods, but the army's population going south. Women are even more relaxed. Isn't the plan just to get these hundreds of thousands of soldiers to marry in the South China Sea?"

"This matter has already been decided by the court."

"Some old soldiers have been in the army for many years, and they have already understood this."

Speaking of which.

Zhao Tuo sighed and said: "The sea is full of mountains and rivers. If the army wants to be stationed for a long time, it is fundamental to be able to settle down. From ancient times to the present, a man who has a woman is a home. Without a woman, everything has no roots."

"After the imperial court took some measures, many people have already noticed it, so the morale of the army has been greatly shaken. In the past few years, the generals and I have been working hard to stabilize the morale of the army. If the imperial court suddenly distributes money and rewards, many soldiers may have a feeling of returning home. What will happen in the army at that time, the final general is really unpredictable."

"The last general is also thinking about the safety of the army."

The tent was quiet.

Regarding Zhao Tuo's words, Hu Hai instinctively felt that there was a problem. Although he did not grow up as fast as Fusu, but under the influence of his ears and eyes, he had somewhat improved. How could he not be aware of what was wrong?

As Ji Heng said, the world is full of fame and fortune.

How can soldiers not love money?
What made him more confident was that he knew the follow-up of the court and knew that the court would let the soldiers go back, but there were more or less conditions. He had seen the difficult conditions in Lingnan, but he believed that if the court allowed the soldiers to go back, even if they went to the Kanto, they would be very happy.

Because Lingnan is too bitter!
Hu Hai shook his head, and said straightforwardly: "I'm afraid it won't work. I, Hu Hai, came here to reward the army under His Majesty's order, and I was also ordered by His Majesty to distribute money rewards. How can I change my course? If this is spread to the court, will I be accused of disobeying orders? I, Hu Hai, will never violate Your Majesty's orders."

"General Zhao Tuo."

Hu Hai was thinking about asking Zhao Tuo to mobilize the soldiers, but then he felt that something was wrong. After all, the battle was imminent. If something happened, he might still be in danger. He didn't want to risk himself, so he turned to Ren Ao who came with him, and asked, "Ren Ao, tell me, how should the soldiers' rewards be distributed now?"

Ren Ao pondered for a while, and said: "The lower official thinks that it is necessary to send orders to the army and distribute them according to the standard of 'exposing the head'. There is no need to mobilize a large number of soldiers, or the soldiers rotate. First, distribute a batch, and then distribute batches one by one. However, this may take a lot of time. Therefore, the lower official thinks that the rewards should be distributed directly, but the entire army should be announced, and no corruption can be condoned."

"Anyone who dares to take bribes and break the law will be dealt with according to military law!"

"Kill without mercy!"

heard.

Zhao Tuo's face was a little ugly.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Young master, if it causes homesickness in the army, I'm afraid I won't be able to suppress it."

"My lord, please think twice."

Hu Hai curled his lips and said disdainfully: "General Zhao Tuo, I think you are worrying too much. Even if the soldiers are homesick, the money is real. They really can't go home now, but they can send the money cloth back. Moreover, the environment in Lingnan is difficult. With these money cloth, the lives of the soldiers will be greatly improved. Isn't this a good thing?"

"I don't think anything will happen!"

see.

Zhao Tuo didn't persuade him any more.

It's just that the eyes are getting darker.

Soon.

Zhao Tuo and other generals all left, and only Hu Hai was left in the big tent.

Hu Hai sat without a seat.

Instead, he urged Zhao Gao to burn some mugwort to drive away mosquitoes and flies.

The environment in Lingnan is sweltering and there are many mosquitoes and flies. When passing through a puddle, Hu Hai even saw a mass of mosquitoes like black clouds. At that time, Hu Hai's face was pale. It was the first time he saw so many mosquitoes and flies at such a young age. Now staying in this small and stuffy shogunate, he felt that there were countless mosquitoes beside him.

soon.

Zhao Gao lit the mugwort.

There was an extra fragrance in the big tent, which also made Hu Hai's complexion slightly calm.

He slowly sat down on the fur, looked at Ren Ao and Zhao Gao, and asked curiously: "I think there is something wrong with what Zhao Tuo said just now, what do you think?"

Ji Heng only said to let him do what he was ordered, and not to interfere in other things, but the situation has obviously changed now. In order not to cause too many disputes, he also decided to discuss it with Ren Ao and Zhao Gao, at least to let himself know what to do, so as not to cause any serious problems.

He didn't want to get into trouble this time.

(End of this chapter)