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Nanhai County, Panyu. County Magistrate's Office.

The autumn wind suddenly blows, and the withered yellow leaves are blown by the wind, spinning on the ground.

Nanhai County was different from other counties in that it had a county lieutenant as its chief officer, who had the power to command troops and was in charge of civil affairs. He was in charge of both military and political affairs.

County Lieutenant Zhao Tuo was only 33 years old, in the prime of his life.

In the early morning, before daybreak, he came to the martial arts training ground as usual. No matter whether it was cold or hot, or snowy, this was his unshakable habit, which fully demonstrated the tenacity of a military commander.

In the martial arts arena, Zhao Tuo was shirtless, his tight muscles rising and falling with his movements. Holding a spear in his hand, his moves were vigorous and powerful. He exerted force suddenly, and the spear danced in his hand like a snake, at a very fast speed, bringing gusts of wind. The tip of the spear went straight to the vital points of the two junior officers who were sparring with him. The two junior officers were forced to retreat repeatedly by his fierce attack, and they had no power to fight back.

There was no excitement in Zhao Tuo's eyes. He just stared with his eyes wide open, and shouted while dancing:
"That's all you are capable of. How are you going to fight the enemy in the future?"

The older military officer had a calm expression, his feet planted firmly on the ground, his hands tightly grasping the spear, swinging it left and right in an orderly manner, responding to Zhao Tuo's attacks. His eyes were focused, and each defense was just right, without the slightest panic.

The younger lieutenant was a little impatient, and was provoked by Zhao Tuo's momentum, and a feeling of indignation surged in his heart. He suddenly increased the speed of his gun, and the tip of the gun shone in front of Zhao Tuo, and then turned the butt of the gun back and hit Zhao Tuo's shin hard.

"Well done!!"

Seeing this, Zhao Tuo shouted loudly. The muscles in his arms tensed up and suddenly shook, and the power burst out instantly. Driven by his powerful strength, the spear in his hand turned into countless shadows, which quickly swung around his body. This force set off a gust of wind, which whistled and became louder and louder, and finally turned into a roar. With a clang, the spear in the young lieutenant's hand was shaken away and flew high out of the battle circle.

The young lieutenant lost his weapon and was knocked to the ground by the powerful impact. The older lieutenant was affected, but he only took two steps back and quickly stabilized his body. He held the spear tightly, his eyes firm, and guarded his gate tightly.

The spear shadows instantly merged into one, and the spear returned to its original shape.

Zhao Tuo stood with a gun in hand, his eyes sharp. He saw Zhao Cheng standing at the edge of the martial arts field from the corner of his eye. He frowned, put away his gun, stepped back, and jumped out of the circle. After an intense practice, he was sweating profusely, and the heat was constantly steaming from his body.

Two pretty maids came forward with hand towels, trying to wipe Zhao Tuo's sweat. But Zhao Tuo ignored them and walked straight to the young lieutenant. With a frown on his face and dissatisfaction in his eyes, he kicked the young lieutenant hard and shouted angrily, "You can't even stand such a little stimulation. How can you lead troops to fight in the future if you are so impatient?!"

The young lieutenant groaned from being kicked, but dared not complain. He endured the pain, quickly turned over, knelt on the ground with a plop, pressed his forehead to the ground, and kowtowed in fear to apologize.

Zhao Tuo snorted coldly and ignored him. He turned to look at the older military school. His expression softened a little, and a hint of appreciation appeared in his eyes. He smiled at the older military school and said, "Zhao Tong, you are steady and have the demeanor of a great general. You will definitely be able to lead good soldiers."

Zhao Tong was about 25 or 26 years old, with an upright figure. His eyes were deep and steady, like a pool of deep water. Hearing Zhao Tuo's praise, he held his gun and bowed, and said respectfully, "Thank you for the praise, Lord County Commandant."

"If you do well, I will praise you. If you don't do well, I will scold you. There is nothing to thank you for!"

Zhao Tuo spoke boldly, without any hesitation. He looked around, then raised his hand and pointed at one of the maids and said to Zhao Tong: "Zhao Tong, take a look at her, what do you think?"

The maids around the county lieutenant were all carefully selected. The maid in question was in her twenties, with a graceful figure and pretty face.

Zhao Tong only glanced at him indifferently, then quickly retracted his gaze and said respectfully: "The people around the county lieutenant are naturally very good."

"Since you think it's good, I'll give it to you!"

Zhao Tuo's tone was firm and unquestionable. Zhao Tong's body trembled slightly, and he looked up at Zhao Tuo in surprise, his eyes full of disbelief. Seeing Zhao Tuo staring at him, he lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I dare not!"

"There's nothing to be afraid of!"

Zhao Tuo burst into laughter, and his laughter echoed in the empty martial arts training ground: "If you like it, I will take it home to serve you. If you don't like it, forget it!"

Zhao Tong hesitated for a moment, carefully observing Zhao Tuo's expression, and confirmed that Zhao Tuo was not joking. Only then did he feel relieved, no longer refused, and knelt down again to express his gratitude:
"Thank you, Lord County Commander, for your generous reward."

After saying that, he stood up and looked at the pretty maid, his eyes full of gratitude. The young officer next to him watched this scene with envy in his eyes.

Zhao Tuo was known for his strict punishment and generous rewards when leading his troops. He was never stingy with rewards. He waved his hand casually and said loudly, "That's enough, all of you go down!"

The two lieutenants and their schoolmates responded and retreated.

When everyone else in the martial arts school had left and only Zhao Tuo and Zhao Cheng were left, Zhao Tuo slowly turned around and looked directly at Zhao Cheng, his eyes full of inquiry, and asked in a steady tone, "What's the matter?"

Zhao Cheng heard this and took a few quick steps forward. He looked quite solemn and said in a low voice, "Brother! I just got the news that Zhao Gao and the Concubine Dowager have arrived in Changsha County...Brother, do you think he will come to us?"

"Have you arrived in Changsha County?"

Zhao Tuo nodded slightly, folded his hands in front of his chest, and began to ponder. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes gradually became cold as he thought. After a while, he whispered: "This is an opportunity for us. After Hu Hai ascended the throne, this is the first time that Zhao Gao left Xianyang. This is a rare opportunity. How many troops did he bring?"

"Only three hundred guards were brought with him."

Zhao Cheng quickly replied, his brows furrowed even more tightly as he spoke: "But we have no idea how many Black Dragon Guards were secretly brought with them."

"Black Dragon Guard..."

When Zhao Tuo heard the name, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He clenched his fists unconsciously, gritted his teeth, and squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "These guys are elusive and omnipresent. It is really difficult to guard against them. ... We still have to train our own manpower... However, there is still plenty of time, so there is no need to be too anxious."

"Brother...what if Zhao Gao comes and directly appoints the county governor?"

Zhao Cheng said with some concern.

In the places where border counties fought, such as Jiuyuan, Yuyang, Dongjun, and Longxi, the county lieutenant used to be the highest official. But starting last year, Zhao Gao successively appointed county governors in these counties, and the power of the county lieutenant was greatly reduced, so he could only be responsible for military-related affairs. This is an extremely dangerous warning for Zhao Tuo. If Zhao Gao also appointed a county governor in Nanhai County, the power system that Zhao Tuo had carefully constructed for many years would definitely suffer a serious blow. At that time, his status in Nanhai County would plummet, and the situation in which he could control both civil affairs and military affairs would be broken, and he would only be limited to military command. If military operations lose the support of civil affairs, the allocation of materials and the replenishment of troops will be greatly hindered, which will greatly limit the development of his power, and his years of hard work may be in vain. Now Daqin has a total of 48 counties (Xiqiang County and Dayue County were established after Xiqiang and Dayue were newly incorporated into the territory of Daqin)

Zhao Tuo knew that relying on Nanhai County alone to fight against the imperial power represented by Zhao Gao would not be a win. Moreover, the situation inside Nanhai County was not very good, and he did not have full control over the situation. The various forces in the county were complicated, and many people did not really support him. Some people were watching and wavering. If Zhao Gao really came to Nanhai County, these unstable factors would most likely be used by Zhao Gao to disintegrate his power from within.

In addition, he did not master the newly developed artillery and explosives of the Qin army, which were extremely powerful weapons in wartime. These weapons were only deployed from Xianyang during combat, and the management was very strict. Even if Zhao Tuo was a county lieutenant, he did not have the power to mobilize artillery. This led to Zhao Tuo being unable to rely on these advanced weapons to enhance his own strength in the face of the possible threat from Zhao Gao, and adding another disadvantage in military confrontation.

Moreover, Zhao Tuo did not dare and had no way to take action against the artillery battalion. All the supplies of the artillery battalion were directly allocated by Xianyang, and Zhao Tuo had no way to intervene.

Zhao Tuo snorted coldly, with a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes: "Humph, no matter who is the county governor, as long as he doesn't ruin my plan, it's okay to let him live a few more years. If he dares to ruin my plan, it won't be surprising if he dies of illness here due to the miasma in Nanhai County!"

Zhao Cheng felt relieved: "Brother, what you said is absolutely right!"

Zhao Tuo began to pace back and forth, his brows knitted tightly together, obviously lost in deep thought. He knew very well that Zhao Gao's trip was definitely not simple, and he had to be fully prepared to deal with various possible situations. After all, this was related to his grand plan.

Zhao Tuo stopped and looked at Zhao Cheng, and ordered with a serious look: "Pay close attention to Zhao Gao's every move. If he has any new movements, you must report to me immediately. In addition, we must strengthen the defense of the county, especially the key strongholds. There must be no negligence. We can't let Zhao Gao take advantage of the opportunity and destroy our layout."

Zhao Cheng nodded quickly and said, "Yes, brother, I'll arrange it right away." After that, he turned around and left quickly without delaying for a moment.

Zhao Tuo stood alone in the martial arts training ground, his eyes deep and cold. He knew in his heart that Zhao Gao's arrival was a huge variable. If Zhao Gao really came to Nanhai County and tried to install a county governor, his plan would be seriously hindered. He didn't want the power he had worked so hard to build to be easily disintegrated by Zhao Gao.

Zhao Tuo called several trusted captains, all of whom had followed him for many years and were loyal to him.

Several people came to the meeting room. Zhao Tuo sat in the main seat, looked at everyone with dignity, and slowly said:

"Zhao Gao has arrived in Changsha County and is very likely to come to our Nanhai County. If he comes here, he will definitely try to weaken my power. We must prepare early."

A captain said, "Sir, we can strengthen the inspection at the border. If we find any suspicious people, whether they are Black Dragon Guards or not, we will detain them first."

Zhao Tuo nodded slightly: "This plan is feasible, but we must be careful about the method and not alert the enemy. Zhao Gao is very shrewd and we cannot let him catch us."

Another captain asked, "Sir, if Zhao Gao forcibly appoints a county governor, how should we respond?"

Zhao Tuo's eyes were stern. "If he dares to do so, we can't just sit there and wait for death. We must strengthen the deployment of troops in key strongholds and not let him control the situation easily. At the same time, we must be prepared to deal with conflicts and not be soft-handed when necessary."

The captains responded in unison: "Yes, sir."

Zhao Tuo added: "We also need to pay attention to the movements in the county. Zhao Gao may be secretly buying people's hearts. You should send people to keep a close eye on those who may be won over by him. If you find any abnormality, deal with it immediately."

"Sir, the Black Dragon Guards are really a trouble. Should we try to find their tracks?" a captain asked with a frown.

Zhao Tuo pondered for a moment and said, "It's not easy to find them. However, we can increase patrols in the city, especially at night. Arrange more secret sentries to keep an eye on those who move in secret."

For a period of time, the atmosphere in Nanhai County became tense. Border soldiers checked passers-by more strictly, and carefully checked every checkpoint, leaving nothing suspicious. There were more sentries on the main roads and important places in the city, and the soldiers stood guard day and night. The captains personally led the team to patrol the city, keeping an eye out for any abnormal situation.

Zhao Tuo also conducted a detailed review of the personnel in Nanhai County, and asked his confidants to secretly check those who were not loyal to him and were wavering. He compiled a list of these people and related information, analyzed how they might be used by Zhao Gao, and arranged for people to closely monitor their every move to prevent them from defecting at a critical moment.

………………

Changsha County, Xiang County, Huangzhuang.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines through the gaps between the leaves, sprinkling on the ground like stars, interweaving into pieces of light and shadow.

In the main hall, Yi Huawei sat on the main seat, wearing a black brocade robe, tapping the tabletop with his fingers rhythmically, each tap seemed to strike at everyone's heart.

Hei Ren knelt quietly at the bottom, his face expressionless, but his eyes were always paying attention to the movements around him.

The manor manager and Chen Erze knelt on the ground in fear, their bodies trembling slightly.

Chen Er's face was filled with fear, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground, his voice trembling with obvious trembling: "I didn't know it was you, the Prime Minister, who had come to visit me. I really deserve to die. I hope you will forgive me."

"Get up."

Yi Huawei smiled slightly: "You are just performing your duties, what crime have you committed?"

After saying that, Yi Huawei turned to look at the housekeeper and ordered:

"Butler Chen, Chen Er has devoted himself to the affairs of the manor and deserves a reward. From today on, let him be the butler."

Butler Chen quickly responded, "Yes, sir."

When Chen Er heard this, he was stunned at first, then a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he kowtowed in thanks: "Thank you, Prime Minister, thank you, Prime Minister! I will serve you at my utmost!"

"You go down first!"

Yi Huawei nodded slightly, turned to look at Steward Chen, and said calmly: "How is the village school going? How many teachers are there in the village now?"

(End of this chapter)