Chapter 402: No Need to Test Me, I Didn’t Kill Him
The convoy has arrived in front of Yiyang City.
The First Emperor lifted the curtain of his carriage with an unhappy expression. He first glanced at this wealthy city in the Han territory and immediately heard something unusual.
Laughter and joy gushed out from the wide-open city gates. This was something that had never happened in any of the cities that the First Emperor had visited - the people of Yiyang were particularly happy.
The First Emperor's expression did not improve at all because of the joy that overflowed from the city gate. He did not believe that these people were excited about his arrival.
The fact that the people of Korea do not hate him is the result of his brother's dedicated governance.
It is almost impossible to expect these people who claim to be Qin people but are actually Han people to worship him and respect him more than those old Qin people in Guanzhong. It is more difficult than Zhang Yi, the great strategist of Lianheng, who went to various countries with only his mouth and broke the alliance of the five countries with his eloquence.
If the change is not caused by external factors, then it is due to internal factors.
The scientist walked up to the First Emperor, who was wearing a black gown with an ink character marked on the right chest. This was the official uniform of the inner court.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
He bowed his head and clasped his hands, being very respectful.
The First Emperor said nothing and stared at the scientist coldly.
Since he didn't speak, the scientist could only maintain this posture and couldn't move.
In the convoy, there were the Langguans who formed the central defense circle, the veterans holding banners in the outer circle, and the well-dressed Qin soldiers who were carefully selected from various armies and held gongs and drums.
While they were naturally solemn and impressed by the aura of the First Emperor, they were also worried about the scientists from the bottom of their hearts.
The scientist was originally an official of the Qin State. After following Ying Chengjiao and becoming a leader of the Mohist School, he never lost his official position. He is still a very famous craftsman in the Shaofu, who is in charge of military equipment production in the Qin State.
This master craftsman is not that great general, but in the eyes of the most arrogant military, who have been cultivated under the martial spirit that has been deliberately fostered in the Qin State for nearly a hundred years, Qin Mo's master craftsman is not much less respected than the general.
Qin Mo holds a high position in the Qin military.
As the saying goes, if you want to do something well, you must first sharpen your tools. The victory of a war is closely related to weapons.
The Qin sword was able to be cast to three feet and still be sharp, and the sword body was not brittle and could not bend continuously. This was all thanks to Qin Mo.
On the battlefield, facing the two-foot-long swords of other countries, the Qin army had a one-foot advantage. Often, the Qin swords had already cut off the enemy's heads before the enemy's swords even touched them.
Whether the Qin army can win depends on Qin Mo's providing military equipment support and constantly updating and iterating it.
Victory means military merit, and military merit leads to promotion.
Qin Mo was an important helper in the Qin army's promotion. Even the most arrogant generals would treat Qin Mo with kindness, care and even be more generous.
No Qin soldier wanted anything to happen to Master Craftsman Qin Mo.
Ying Chengjiao sat in the carriage as calm as a mountain and did not come out to help. The scientist had to overcome this hurdle on his own. He would only come out when the First Emperor was furious and wanted to massacre the entire city of Yiyang.
If the scientists did not get the approval of the First Emperor, he would have no choice but to take back Yiyang.
At least this is much better than the Qin army approaching and repeating the massacre committed in Zhao in the previous three months in Yiyang.
Ying Zheng did not wait for the rescuer behind him, either serious or joking, but understood what his brother meant.
This trip to Yiyang was not a formality, and Ying Chengjiao did not report to him to protect this Mohist city. Instead, he really wanted him to experience Mohism and decide the fate of this Mohist county that had never appeared before.
Like Taoism, Mohism has never been truly used to govern a country.
But the difference between the two is.
Taoists do not govern the country because the rulers of various countries believe that Taoism is useless.
The Mohists did not govern the country because they had not found an ideal monarch who conformed to their ideas.
"Get up.
"You are quite capable to have caused that fellow to be so troubled. Lead the way."
The officials, veteran soldiers, and ceremonial guards all breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the First Emperor's praise was a bit sarcastic, at least the craftsman's life was safe.
The First Emperor got off the carriage alone and asked Zhang Han to lead a group of officials. Under the guidance of the scientists, they entered Yiyang, the city of Mohism.
Ying Chengjiao was sitting in the royal carriage with four horses, quietly waiting for the result.
After entering Yiyang, Ying Zheng discovered more differences.
Everyone I met along the way looked at me with utmost respect.
The last time Ying Zheng saw this kind of look was when Wang Jian, Marquis of Wucheng, led his troops to attack Chu. That was how the Qin soldiers looked at Wang Jian.
Although the focus of his gaze seemed to be on Ying Zheng, Ying Zheng was very clear that Yi Yang Qianshou was looking at the scientist who was one step in front of him.
Ying Zheng said nothing. He walked like a dragon and a tiger, looking around and taking everything in.
The pair of eagle eyes were gleaming with brilliance and extremely oppressive. Wherever they were seen, the people there would unconsciously lower their heads.
"When I first became county magistrate, the city's population was less than 50,000, but now it has reached 210,000."
Scientists are reporting data.
During the Qin Dynasty, a county with a population of more than 100,000 was considered a large county. Most of them were the head county of a prefecture, also called the prefecture seat, where the prefect handled government affairs.
When counties were established, there was only one county in Han, which was Xinzheng.
The first county of Xinzheng County was Xinzheng County, where the county magistrate Qiang was in charge of affairs.
During this trip to Han, Ying Zheng also visited Xinzheng County, the county seat. The county magistrate Qiang reported that the total population of Xinzheng was 110,000.
“Two hundred and ten thousand.
"In three months, the population increased from 50,000 to 210,000, more than four times, 100,000 more than Xinzheng. How did you do it?"
Within a county, the population of a county exceeds that of the county seat. Although it is not common, it is not that rare either.
But those were only slight excesses. For example, Yi Yang exceeded Xinzheng by 100,000, nearly twice the number. This was outrageous, not to mention that it was raised from 50,000.
Except for Xinzheng, all the counties that the First Emperor had visited before had a population of around 70,000 to 80,000, and none had a population over 100,000.
In the Qin Dynasty when technology was not advanced, people were the labor force, and the more people there were in a city, the greater its development potential.
"It is because there are few rich people in Korea, but many poor people."
The scientist's voice was flat.
"What does this mean?"
The First Emperor did not understand.
He asked how the population was increased and what relationship it had with wealth and poverty.
"I have issued a decree that all the people who come to Yiyang will have enough food to eat and a place to stay. I have never paid attention to population issues, but the population of Yiyang is increasing day by day."
The First Emperor realized:
"So that's how it is. All the poor people from all over the country have gone to Yiyang. I was wondering why there are no beggars in the counties and towns, and the population of Xinzheng is not over 100,000."
The scientist's voice remained calm.
"No, only a few poor people entered Yiyang, and most of them died in the wild. Your Majesty's convoy can travel freely in Han territory and cross several counties in one day, but the hungry poor people cannot. The distance between the two counties can be crossed by your majesty's convoy in half a day, but they can't even reach it if they walk to their death."
The extremely smooth narration, like a glass of plain water, made the First Emperor's heart feel like boiling water rolling down!
"Zhang Han, is this really the case?"
He turned his head and asked.
During this entire journey, except for reaching his destination, he was always in the royal chariot drawn by four horses and could not see the lush vegetation on the roadside or the new bones among the vegetation.
This question was somewhat unreasonable. Zhang Han was not a poor man who had left the county, so how could he know the truth?
But as Zhang Han was the confidant of the First Emperor, he knew exactly what the First Emperor was asking.
He said in a deep voice:
"It is not uncommon for me to see corpses. You can see thousands of them within a hundred miles."
Ying Zheng's extremely urgent gaze suddenly lost its luster.
The road the caravan took was a main road for horse-drawn carriages, while the poor people who could not even afford to eat mostly took paths that were not even considered roads.
If there are thousands of corpses on both sides of a highway, how many more corpses will there be on the small paths densely packed with grass and sand?
The First Emperor felt very heavy-hearted, and the joy he gained from the new governing philosophy during his trip to Korea was largely gone.
The main reason for his tour was to suppress the rebellion, but the secondary reason was that he wanted to see the real world for himself and not be blinded by those officials in the court.
He didn't expect that what he could see was still the bright side of the world.
Looking at the people around him who were looking at the scientist with shining eyes and admiration, the First Emperor knew why - it was because of his life-saving grace.
He was silent for a moment, then said:
"Does Cheng Jiao know about this?"
"I don't know." The scientist stopped and said, "Your Majesty, you are the Son of Heaven, you are the king and father. We are all your sons, your people, your subjects, not Chang'an Jun's. Chang'an Jun once said that the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. I personally think that the greater the power, the greater the responsibility."
"I understand."
"I will continue to lead the way for Your Majesty."
The scientists took the first step, and the First Emperor followed.
Ying Zheng saw that the Mohists performed their duties and ate the same millet.
He saw that whether it was farmers or craftsmen, they all wore coarse linen clothes - he could only roughly judge what the people of Yiyang did by what they did, not by their clothes.
He saw everyone talking and laughing, everyone greeted the scientists enthusiastically, and everyone called the scientists "giants".
And from the oral accounts of scientists, we also learned that everyone in the city of Yi Yang is a Mohist.
As a well-read person who had read Mohist classics and had a deep understanding of what kind of group Mohist school was, he understood why his brother was so conflicted.
He followed the scientist to the county magistrate's mansion, which looked no different from the nearby houses and was extremely ordinary and shabby.
After taking a quick look at the interior of the house, he said with a hint of apology:
"You did well, but this city cannot exist."
The scientist smiled without any surprise and said in a treasonous way:
"Is it because I did better than Your Majesty?"
Zhang Han was furious and held the Qin sword in his hand!
"How dare you be disrespectful to His Majesty!"
Apart from Ying Chengjiao, no one could be so rude. There is no other Chang'an Jun in this world.
"good."
The First Emperor's voice suddenly dissipated most of Zhang Han's murderous intent. The hand that was tightly gripping the hilt of the sword also lost its strength, and his heart was filled with astonishment.
[How can your majesty say that? ]
The First Emperor, who was never afraid to admit his shortcomings or mistakes, said in a deep voice:
"They only have eyes for you, not me.
"They are no longer my sons, my people, or my subjects.
"Yiyang has only two options. Either I send a large army to massacre the city, or all the people are sent to other cities and counties."
The scientist showed no fear, but a stern look flashed across his face.
"Your Majesty, do you have no other method except killing? If I treat you according to your Majesty's method, do you think we can leave Yiyang City?"
The First Emperor reached into his bosom with his left hand, pulled out a gun, and pointed it at the scientist's head.
"You will die, but I won't."
Protecting him were not only the palace attendants and Zhang Han, a martial arts master, but also the secret guards who followed him into Yi Yang.
The scientist smiled coldly and also reached into his arms.
Under the frown of the First Emperor, he slowly took out a pistol.
Bang~
The moment the dark black gun handle was revealed, Zhang Han's pupils shrank sharply.
In an instant, his toes touched the ground, and stone chips flew everywhere, creating a small stone pit! The figure was as fast as the wind, and snatched the pistol that was still mostly in the scientist's clothes.
The whole process was extremely smooth. The scientist did not resist at all, as if he had not yet reacted.
With pistol in hand, Zhang Han looked at the scientist with a bit of alertness and a bit of confusion.
It went so smoothly.
At such a close distance, he could feel the scientist's strong internal strength. Although it was far inferior to his, he should not be unable to make any movement.
"I am not good at fighting."
The scientist said.
Zhang Han: ...
While staring at the scientist, he handed the pistol to the First Emperor. This was the only weapon of mass destruction he had ever seen in his life, and if the scientist pulled it out and pointed the gun at him, he had little confidence that he could dodge it.
The First Emperor frowned as he took the second pistol. He felt it was lighter than the original one. He pushed the magazine and found that there were no bullets.
His brows relaxed and he looked up at the scientist.
"What does this mean?"
"I want to tell Your Majesty that my statement of wanting to keep Your Majesty is not without purpose."
The scientist pointed at the two pistols in the First Emperor's hands.
"There are three pistols in the world, all of which are from the Mohist school. This weapon is invincible when fighting alone, but it is not very useful when surrounded by a group of people.
"The doctor's martial arts are unmatched in the world, but my Mohist Rangers can still find one or two rivals. I don't know how the dozens of guards who secretly follow your majesty compare to the secret guards. If they are not ten times more powerful than the secret guards, they will not be able to save your majesty.
"If I say this in other places, it would be arrogant, but in Yiyang, where many Mohists gather, if I say Your Majesty cannot leave, then Your Majesty cannot leave."
At the gate of Yiyang City, inside the royal carriage drawn by four horses.
Ying Chengjiao , who had raised the difficult question, was sleeping soundly . He stayed up all night chatting with Zhao Gongming yesterday and he was sleep deprived.
"You bastard! You did a good thing!"
Ying Chengjiao was awakened from his sleep by an angry shout and rubbed his eyes.
The First Emperor stood before him, looking angry, and slapped the pistol he had given him beside him.
Ying Chengjiao was furious.
"How dare a scientist use a gun on my brother? That's outrageous!
"Brother, calm down. I am dismissing his county magistrate and asking the people of Yiyang to move to other counties."
Scratching his head, Ying Chengjiao asked tentatively:
"Is your Majesty satisfied with this handling? Where is the scientist now?"
The First Emperor sneered.
“You slept soundly.
"Don't test me. I didn't kill him."
Ying Chengjiao breathed a sigh of relief, at least he was not dead.
If he knew that scientists dared to shoot at the First Emperor, he would have definitely followed them into Yiyang and would not have stayed in the carriage to catch up on his sleep.
