The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

On the straight road, hundreds of soldiers with postures as tall as pine trees marched forward in unison, holding long spears. The spears were cold and shining, flashing a cold light under the sunlight.

The soldiers walked steadily, raising a small cloud of dust with every step they took, and followed closely behind a carriage. The carriage was extremely gorgeous, with the body made of precious sandalwood and carved with exquisite patterns, showing its nobility. The decoration on the shaft was even more luxurious, inlaid with sparkling gems, reflecting a colorful halo in the sun.

Sitting in the carriage was Fusu's son, the commander of the Black Dragon Guard, Ziying. (There are different opinions about Ziying's origins. Some say he was the son of Qin Shihuang, while others say he was the nephew of Qin Shihuang and the son of Chengqiao. However, according to the mythological setting, he is identified as Fusu's son.)
Ziying was wearing a black brocade robe, which was made of fine texture and embroidered with delicate patterns in fine gold thread, showing his extraordinary status. His face was stern, his eyes were deep and sharp, revealing an innate majesty.

Ziying was no stranger to the southern land, and the events of seven years ago were clearly imprinted in his mind. At that time, he had accompanied Qin Shihuang on his eastern tour. When they returned from the eastern tour, they came to Dongting Xiangshan for sightseeing.

After seven years, Ziying came to the south again, but his identity had changed. He was now the commander of the Black Dragon Guard and shouldered a heavy responsibility. This time, he came, not for a leisurely tour, but for a mission. This trip was ordered by Prime Minister Zhao Gao, who ordered Ziying to rush to Nanhai County on September 15th.

The group went up the Xiang River and headed for Changsha.

Ziying lifted the curtain of the carriage and cast his eyes on the broad and flat straight road in front of him. This straight road was built by the Qin Dynasty at a huge cost of manpower and material resources, and it stretched straight forward like a giant dragon lying on the ground.

Looking at the straight road in front of him, Ziying couldn't help but feel emotional. He clearly remembered that seven years ago, Changsha County had not yet built a highway, and the journey was full of hardships. The carriage was struggling to move forward on the narrow and muddy path, and the wheels were often stuck in the mud and difficult to get out. Every time the carriage went a certain distance, it would get stuck and had to be pushed hard by soldiers and prisoners to move forward.

The journey was slow and difficult back then, but now, this wide straight road makes travel convenient and efficient, but Ziying's mood is not relaxed. Looking at the merchants and travelers separated by soldiers not far away. The merchants' eyes are full of awe, and their eyes wander back and forth between the soldiers and the carriages, their eyes are full of awe and fear.

The bags of the travelers were bulging with goods, which might be the wealth they had accumulated after months or even years of traveling. The travelers seemed a little nervous, holding their bags tightly and standing cautiously on the roadside, not daring to overstep their boundaries.

Ziying lowered the curtain, sat back on the cushion, and began to rest with his eyes closed. However, his mind could not calm down, and his thoughts were like a surging tide, recalling what Li Si had said to him in Xianyang.

Half a month ago, when Ziying received the order and was about to leave Xianyang, Li Si sent someone to quietly summon him to a secret mansion.

As soon as Ziying arrived, Li Si hurriedly led him into the inner room. After carefully looking around, he waved his hand to signal the attendants to leave. After making sure that there was no one else around, Li Si slowly turned around and stared at Ziying with a serious expression. He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to be choosing his words. After a while, he spoke to Ziying from the bottom of his heart in a heavy tone.

"Ying, I have watched you grow up. Do you trust me?"

"What are you talking about, Prime Minister? Everyone knows that the Prime Minister is loyal to the Qin Dynasty. Please tell me what you want to say!"

"This time Zhao Gao ordered you to go to the South China Sea. After much thought, I think he wanted you to supervise the army."

Li Si frowned, with a hint of worry in his eyes. As he spoke, he kept an eye on Ziying's expression.

"Supervisory Army?"

Ziying was surprised, his brows knitted into a knot, and he raised his voice and asked, "Is there going to be a war? Baiyue? Why have I heard nothing about this? Does Your Majesty have any order?"

Ziying was full of doubts. During his time in Xianyang, he had not heard any news about the war, and he didn't know why Zhao Gao suddenly arranged for him to go to the South China Sea.

During his days in Xianyang, Ziying lived a life of luxury. Every morning, he always woke up with a hangover headache. After washing up, he would go to the busiest wine shop in the city with a group of friends. He and his friends would sit there for the whole day, drinking and talking about the anecdotes in the city. Sometimes it was about which noble family had a new concubine and how beautiful the concubine was; sometimes it was about a skilled juggler who came to the city and how amazing the show was.

Occasionally, they would play games like pitching pots in the tavern, with stakes ranging from gold, silver, and jewelry to precious antiques and calligraphy and paintings. Ziying would often give away treasures from his home to others at will if he lost the game. If they met other noble children they knew, they would gather together and continue to have fun, either playing dice in a quiet corner or listening to music in a pavilion.

Ziying only occasionally heard about the affairs of the court when he met with Chenxi. The complicated power struggles and changes in the situation on the border seemed like things from another world to him. He felt that the Qin Dynasty had the prime minister and many officials to take care of things, so he didn't need to worry about it at all. He just needed to enjoy the prosperity of Xianyang City and live a carefree life.

Li Si heard this and sighed inwardly, rolling his eyes speechlessly. In his opinion, Ziying, the commander of the Black Dragon Guard, was really unreliable. On weekdays in Xianyang City, Ziying was either hanging out with the nobles or drinking in the wine shop, and he didn't care about the affairs of the country at all.

If Li You had not unraveled the various intelligence collected by the Black Dragon Guards and finally deduced some clues that Zhao Gao seemed to be planning to take action against the Baiyue, he would probably still be kept in the dark.

Perhaps Zhao Gao saw that Ziying was too idle in Xianyang, so he found such an excuse to send him out for training.

However, this troop movement was full of strangeness. Why was it so secretive? Was it to guard against certain forces in the court, or was there some other hidden reason? And why did Zhao Gao go to Nanhai County in person? Li Si couldn't figure out the reason. These questions were like a thick fog, lingering in his mind, making him feel uneasy.

Li Si coughed lightly, trying to draw Ziying's attention back, and continued to say, "You have to understand the so-called military supervision. It's nothing more than supervising two things: food and people."

"An army without food will perish. This is an eternal truth. You must firmly control the lifeline of baggage and food. All the food and grass reserves must be under your control. Only in this way will the generals on the front line dare not have any other thoughts. After all, without food and grass, the army cannot be maintained. As for people, you must always keep an eye on the key figures in the army. You must record their every word and action in detail and report them in time. In this way, Your Majesty in Xianyang can clearly know the dispatch of the front line and the progress of military intelligence. Only in this way can we prevent those who have troops and are self-reliant and prevent them from nurturing enemies and waiting for chaos... If anyone dares to have other thoughts, with Your Majesty's edict, you can take back the tiger talisman at any time and make him lose his military power!"

Ziying listened with a chill in his heart, for he knew very well that the Qin army had strict military laws. All along, the Qin army recognized symbols rather than people. Even Wu'an Jun, who had made great military achievements like Bai Qi, and expanded the territory and conquered the world for the Qin Dynasty, could only draw his sword and commit suicide under the death decree of King Zhaoxiang, without any room for resistance. It was tragic and heroic, but it also demonstrated the ruthlessness of the Qin military law, which no one could disobey. Lisdon paused, his eyes became deeper, he lowered his voice, his expression became more solemn: "I heard that the Prime Minister Zhao Gao has taken a secret medicine, and his crippled body has recovered. You also know that Zhao Gao is ambitious, and his every move may have a major impact on the situation in the Qin Dynasty, so you must carefully record all his actions, report to me on time every month, and I will submit them to Your Majesty..."

"what?!"

Ziying's eyes widened in shock. He knew Zhao Gao's power and influence in the court. If his body really recovered...

Just as Ziying was lost in his memories, his attendant shouted from outside the carriage: "Sir, we have reached the Miluo River!"

Ziying came back to his senses and his thoughts were pulled away from his memories.

“Is this the Miluo River?”

Ziying muttered to himself as he quickly got off the car. Standing at the ferry and looking far away, I saw a wide river in front of me, the river water was flowing slowly from the east and then merged into the Xiang River. This Miluo River has the unique beauty of southern rivers, the river water is clear and green, sparkling under the sunlight.

Mallards drifted in groups on the river, looking for food. Sometimes they put their heads into the water, sometimes they floated out of the water, playing happily. On the shore, fishermen were busy fishing. They cast and collected nets skillfully, shouting unique calls, and the sound echoed on the river. When the wind blew, some waves appeared on the river surface, and the waves gently hit the rocks on the shore, splashing white water.

Legend has it that decades ago, Qu Yuan was exiled and wandered in the river. He learned that Yingdu (now Jiangling, Nanjun) had been captured by the Qin army. In despair, he drowned in the river.

Qu Yuan's deeds were widely circulated among the people. Ziying also heard that before Qu Yuan jumped into the water, he had a classic conversation with a fisherman.

Qu Yuan said: "The whole world is turbid but I am alone in being clear; everyone is drunk but I am alone in being sober; that is why I am banished." His words are full of grief and indignation at the turbidity of the world and his helplessness at not being understood.

But the fisherman had a different opinion. He advised Qu Yuan: "The world is all turbid, why not stir up the mud and raise the waves?" The fisherman's point of view was to follow the trend of the times and not to be too stubborn.

But who is Qu Yuan? He responded resolutely: "How can I, who am pure and white, be covered by the dust of the world?" He would rather throw himself into the Xiang River and be buried in the belly of the river fish than be contaminated by the world.

Ziying stood by the Miluo River, feeling filled with emotion.

He thought about the current situation of the Qin Dynasty, the disputes in the court, and the competition among various forces, just like the turbidity of the world. And how can he stay awake in this complex situation and complete his mission? He knew that he could not go with the flow as the fisherman said, but he was worried that he would fall into despair like Qu Yuan because of his persistence in his beliefs. Looking at the river, Ziying fell into deep thought.

...............

After several days of traveling, the group finally arrived at Longchuan Posthouse before nightfall. The posthouse was located at the edge of a forest beside the official road. It was quiet all around, with only the occasional cries of night owls piercing the night sky.

The gate of the post station looked quite heavy, and the red paint on the door was a little mottled due to the erosion of time, but the former glory could still be seen. As soon as he entered the post station, Ziying found that it was very different from what he had seen before. The entire post station had obviously been recently renovated. The ground was paved with neat bluestone slabs, and the gaps were filled with fine white sand. Walking on it made a slight rustling sound. The walls were also repainted, and they glowed softly in the light of the torches. The beams of the post station were all thick logs, exuding a faint wood fragrance.

Ziying was arranged to stay in an upper room at the innermost part of the post station. The furnishings in the room were simple yet exquisite. A large carved bed was placed in the center. The bedding on the bed was new and thick. The screen at the head of the bed was painted with exquisite landscape patterns. A desk was placed near the window, with writing brushes, inkstones, and paper. A thick candle was inserted in the candlestick on the table. The flickering flame illuminated the room.

The soldiers settled down in the courtyard and other rooms of the post station. Exhausted by the long journey, they soon fell into a deep sleep.

Just after midnight, everything was quiet.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

"Whoosh~"

Suddenly, a slight sound of breaking through the air broke the silence, and dozens of sharp arrows shot out from the woods outside the post station and headed straight for the room where Ziying was. The sharp arrows hit the window frame, making a "dudu" sound, waking up Ziying who was lightly sleeping. He jumped up from the bed in an instant, with a flash of alertness in his eyes. Although Ziying was not a general, his martial arts skills were also outstanding among the young masters. He quickly jumped off the bed and huddled in the corner of the room.

At the same time, the soldiers in the yard also noticed something was wrong and woke up from their sleep. For a moment, the sounds of shouting and fighting and the collision of weapons were intertwined. The Black Dragon Guards were indeed an elite force. When they were attacked, they quickly organized a defense. Holding long spears, they stood back to back in a circle, watching their surroundings vigilantly.

But the assassins were clearly well prepared. They came from all directions of the post station, some leaping down from the roof, and some jumping out from the shadows of the wall. These assassins were dressed in black night clothes, with black cloth covering their faces, revealing only a pair of cold eyes. The weapons in their hands gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and their movements were agile and fierce.

(End of this chapter)