Chapter 18 The History of Qin's Demise After Two Generations... Hasn't it been changed...?
With a concrete plan in place, Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao appeared much more at ease when they reappeared at the clerk's office in Songyang County.
They don't treat themselves like outsiders at all.
The golden armor on his body was replaced with ordinary armor, which was not as heavy and conspicuous. It was dark and looked very ordinary, but the cost of this armor was also extraordinary.
Wearing such ordinary armor was also taken into consideration the situation in Songyang County, to avoid attracting attention.
Hei Fu arrived a little later than Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao. As soon as he arrived, he nodded to the two of them as a greeting, then turned and walked outside. He still had to go on patrol in the county!
The county has been quite lively these past few days. Although Wu Shifu has left, many traveling merchants from other places have come to buy curved plows. They are all from out of town, and they speak in a lot of dialects with heavy accents, which some locals cannot understand, leading to conflicts.
Heifu has handled several cases like this in the past few days.
Unexpectedly, Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde reached out and grabbed Hei Fu, one holding his arm and the other putting his arm around Hei Fu's shoulder, looking like good buddies.
But they had just met.
“Hei Fu,” Yu Chi Jing said earnestly, his voice not loud.
"I heard you came from the Qin Dynasty, and were recruited while the war was raging. Which battle was it?"
Which battle?
Hei Fu naturally told General Wang Jian about the arrival of new people in the county government office. The general instructed him to keep his distance from the two men and observe them carefully.
but...
Simply stating which battle you came from shouldn't have any impact, right?
"The battlefield for the conquest of Chu." Hei Fu pursed his lips tightly, his eyes showing wariness but still retaining a certain clarity.
Qin Shubao recalled two wars against Chu: Bai Qi's attack on Chu and Wang Jian's annihilation of Chu.
"Could the general be King Wu, Bai Qi?"
"No, it's General Wang Jian."
As soon as Hei Fu spoke, Qin Shubao realized the connection: the King of Qin was attacking Chu, and Wang Jian was leading an army of 600,000 to destroy Chu and defeat the famous Chu general Xiang Yan. This was a battle that was bound to be won.
But who could have imagined that, sixteen years later, when Wang Jian's grandson faced off against Xiang Yan's grandson, the outcome would be reversed?
And all of this happened just sixteen years later...
Qin Shubao said with a smile, "Don't worry, you won this battle, and you won it very well."
Hearing this, Hei Fu relaxed. Although he no longer needed to go to the battlefield, being on the battlefield always made him tense. Qin Shubao's tone and demeanor were so natural and friendly, just like his uncle from his hometown, that he unconsciously lowered his guard.
"That's good. I heard Xiang Yan is very powerful. I was worried I wouldn't be able to beat him." Hei Fu hung his sword back at his waist, looking shy.
He was conscripted into the army and sent to the battlefield when he was just a teenager; when it comes to understanding human relationships and worldly affairs, he's still a child at heart.
"What are you afraid of?" Yuchi Jingde patted his shoulder hard and said, "I'm telling you, the Qin Kingdom will become the Qin Dynasty, and your king will become the only emperor."
What is an emperor?
The title of emperor was first used by Qin Shi Huang; there was no emperor before that.
At this time, Hef didn't know what an emperor was; he only knew the king. Wasn't the king big enough?
Is there anything in this world greater than the Great King?
"The Emperor? Let me think about how to tell you."
Yuchi Jingde was illiterate, so it was already quite impressive that he knew this much. Who knew this student would even ask questions, especially since Fang Xuanling hadn't taught him.
oops.
It was all jumbled and gurgling together.
"A king who is even greater than the king."
Hei Fu's eyes remained clear; these people were too distant to him. If he hadn't been recruited by the immortals, he might never have seen Wang Jian, let alone the King of Qin.
In his heart, the King of Qin was like a god, because he was so, so very far away from him...
"Your Majesty has only one kingdom, which is no more than a thousand miles long, while the Emperor possesses the entire world. The sun, moon, mountains, rivers, stars, and seas—wherever his eyes can see, are all imperial land. In other words, the King of Qin destroyed the six kingdoms and is the only king in your land."
Fortunately, Qin Shubao, seeing that Yuchi Jingde's explanation was hasty, gave it another explanation himself.
It's explained in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
Is the emperor the only true king?
Hei Fu was deeply shocked. He had never been so proud of being a Qin person. He even secretly straightened his back and lifted his toes slightly.
It was all so that he wouldn't appear much shorter than Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde.
His eyes were dark and bright, radiating hope.
"So, that means everyone in the world is the king's subject?"
Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao nodded at the same time.
Seeing them nod, Hei Fu's heart began to swell with joy. The king was warlike. Since he took the throne, Qin had been constantly at war. After attacking Zhao, he clamored to attack Chu. He lost 200,000 men and then forcibly conscripted another 600,000.
How many people in Qin wondered day and night why they had to fight? Why all the turmoil? The king and nobles could afford to fight, but the common people couldn't. They couldn't even afford to eat their fill, so why did they have to fight? They didn't understand their king.
This moment.
Hei Fu understood his king: if only Qin remained in the end, there would be no more war.
The Qin state was the largest state.
"Brother, take a look at this?" Qin Shubao took out a piece of paper. Although it was yellow, it wasn't as white as the paper produced by the system, but it was still paper, much more exquisite than the paper from the Qin Dynasty.
Hei Fu took it, glanced at it briefly, and was immediately shocked by its contents. This... was it something he could read?
It says on it.
"The First Emperor performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, inscribed a stone to praise his achievements, and claimed that his merits surpassed those of the Three Sovereigns and his virtues exceeded those of the Five Emperors. However, he burned books and buried scholars alive, severing the path of sages; he sought immortality, cast bronze statues, and indulged in absurd arts. His successor, the Second Emperor, was even more incompetent, killing Fusu and executing Meng Tian, causing fratricide; he trusted treacherous officials and abandoned loyal ministers, leading to the collapse of the court. Heaven was disgusted with his virtue, so when Chen Wu rallied the enemy, Hangu Pass was lost, and when Xiang Yu set fire to the city, Xianyang was reduced to ashes."
Blackie's eyes swept over them, as if he had never had eyes at all. His conclusion was:
"The downfall of Qin was not solely due to the crimes of Qin Er Shi and treacherous officials, but also to the accumulated problems left by Qin Shi Huang."
Of all these densely packed characters, only eight are clearly visible: "The Qin government was cruel and tyrannical, and the dynasty perished after only two generations."
Those mere eight words were enough to kill Hei Fu; this was something he had no idea could have known.
Mother, come here! All he wants now is to go home.
Isn't it said that if the sky falls, someone else will hold it up?
Why did it fall on my own head?
I only regret that my mother gave me an extra pair of eyes when she gave birth to me; if I didn't have eyes, none of this would have happened...
Hei Fu's eyes were unfocused and listless.
Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde dared not tease him any further. They exchanged glances and said, "We've told you such a big story, how are you going to thank us? If you're going to give us five bags of instant noodles as a thank you gift, we can tell you who Qin Er Shi is."
How should I thank you?
"If you want a reward, take my eyes." He had no use for them anyway, and he didn't care who Qin Er Shi was.
Hei Fu was listless and didn't even want to lift his head.
These words frightened Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao so much that they waved their hands in refusal. Who would want his eyes?
They just want five packets of instant noodles!
How come this is different from what Fang Xuanling and the others practiced?
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui certainly did not expect that there would be a third reaction besides the two reactions A and B.
That is...
The "life is meaningless" type.
"Take my life too, take whatever you want." Hei Fu waved his hand, trying to stuff the papers back to Qin Shubao and the other man.
But what do they need this for?
They still need this to swindle Heifu's instant noodles. It seems they can't swindle Heifu today, so they'll do it next time. Anyway, they won't let Heifu off the hook.
After several rounds of pushing and pulling...
It ended up in Hei Fu's hands again. He didn't even look at it, just closed his eyes and stuffed it into his pocket. "Hmm, I'll give it to the general when I get back."
Meanwhile, Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde were guarding the city gate at the entrance of Songyang County.
In my spare time.
"Do you think Hei Fu might give the paper to Wang Jian?" Yuchi Jingde asked.
Qin Shubao smiled, a sly glint in his eyes: "He definitely will. Wang Jian is his general; he can't possibly keep it from him."
Hei Fu had been on edge all day, and when it was time to go off duty, he felt like he was carrying a bomb in his arms.
When he returned to camp, the soldiers rushed up to him, their faces beaming with excitement, as if they had something to say to Hei Fu. But he had no interest in responding; he was focused on getting to General Wang Jian's office.
It's been several days now, and General Wang Jian, who usually waits in the tent, is not here today for some reason.
Heifu did not find the general inside the tent, but instead saw him outside, where he was raising a cup to celebrate something with his soldiers.
As he approached, he could hear clearly that Wang Jian was standing on a high platform outside the tent, holding a cup of wine aloft, a rare smile on his face. The surrounding soldiers also raised their cups in celebration, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Gentlemen!" Wang Jian's voice boomed, echoing throughout the camp. "Today, we received the King of Qin's decree of commendation! We have won a great victory in the war against Chu! Xiang Yan has been defeated, and the State of Chu is destroyed! From this day forward, there will only be one Qin in the world!"
The soldiers cheered and jumped for joy, raising their cups and shouting, "Long live the King of Qin! Long live the Qin Kingdom!"
Hei Fu stood on the outskirts of the crowd, listening to Wang Jian's words, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He should have been happy about the victory, but the piece of paper in his arms felt like a boulder, making it hard for him to breathe.
"Hei Fu!" Wang Jian's gaze swept across the crowd and suddenly landed on Hei Fu.
"Come here!"
Hei Fu was taken aback, then quickly walked up to Wang Jian and knelt on one knee: "General."
Wang Jian patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "You performed well in Songyang County. The King of Qin specifically mentioned you. After the war is over, you will come back to Xianyang with me to receive your reward!"
Heifu lowered his head, his mind a jumble of thoughts. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately held back. Now was not the time; he couldn't reveal the contents of that piece of paper in this situation.
"Thank you, General Xie," Hei Fu said in a low voice, his voice somewhat hoarse.
Wang Jian, oblivious to his unease, continued celebrating with his soldiers. Hei Fu silently stepped aside, his heart heavy as if weighed down by a massive boulder.
In the dead of night, when no one was around, Hei Fu sat alone on a rock outside his tent, gazing at the starry sky. He clutched the piece of paper in his hand, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.
"Hei Fu, why aren't you asleep yet?" A familiar voice came from behind.
Hei Fu turned around and saw it was Wang Jian. He quickly stood up and bowed respectfully: "General."
Wang Jian waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down: "Don't stand on ceremony. I've noticed you've been absent-minded all evening, is something on your mind?"
Hei Fu hesitated for a moment, but finally handed the paper to Wang Jian: "General, please take a look at this."
Wang Jian took the paper and read it carefully by the moonlight. As his gaze swept over the words on the paper, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by solemnity and shock.
"Where...where did this come from?" Wang Jian's voice was low and trembling slightly.
Hei Fu lowered his head, his voice hoarse: "It was Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde from Songyang County who gave it to me. They came from the Tang Dynasty, many years ago. They said... this is a matter of the future. If we can find out who Qin Er Shi was and report it to the King, we can change these things and change history."
Wang Jian remained silent for a long time before finally folding the paper and tucking it into his robes. He patted Hei Fu on the shoulder and said in a heavy tone, "Come with me into the tent."
He started walking, and Heifu obediently followed behind.
His mind was a complete mess, and he handed this hot potato to General Wang Jian. But this didn't mean he didn't care about the future of Qin; he just hoped that a tall man could hold the fort.
General Wang Jian should be able to hold out, right?
Entering the tent, the dim light of the oil lamp could not illuminate faces, only casting shadows. Wang Jian approached the lamp and said slowly, "Hei Fu, now I am going to teach you a lesson."
The candlelight in the oil lamp flickered lonely until it encountered paper and suddenly leaped up, turning the paper, which could change history, inch by inch into ashes.
Heifu tried to stop him, but even when he mustered the courage to take a step forward, he couldn't revive the ashes. He could only watch helplessly as the paper burned to ashes.
"There are some things that are better left unknown."
"General, we should report this matter to the King and let him make a decision. If we know who Qin Er Shi is, we can change history. This is a chance to change history."
Hei Fu frowned. He disagreed with General Wang Jian’s words. Heaven had already presented an opportunity to change history, so why hesitate and avoid it?
Wang Jian turned around and looked directly at Hei Fu.
"Hasn't history already changed?"
A note from the author:
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My writing feel is a bit better now. I revised the first few chapters so many times I couldn't tell how well they were written anymore. I've decided never to revise again; I'll wait until it's finished. [Clown] My collection count is very low. [Clown][Clown] Should I change the synopsis and title? I don't know. [Good Luck Lotus] I'm still asking for your collection. I'll update daily and try to maintain a consistent update schedule. Thank you everyone! Lalalala
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