"Dare to speak up to the chief, ten miles ahead, it is Wuguan!"

The pavilion chief of the small pavilion was respectful, Heifu nodded, asked him to boil hot water and wash his face, and looked at the bronze mirror he carried, finally not looking dusty.

It is now the beginning of January in the spring of the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Qin, and after more than half a month of trekking, Heifu and his party of more than ten people, six carriages finally left Nanjun and Nanyang County, and arrived at the last pavilion before entering the customs.

The so-called Guanzhong refers to the "four passes", that is, Hangu Pass, Sanguan, Wuguan, and Xiaoguan. Although Hangu Pass is the main passage from Shandong, it is more convenient to start from Nanjun. If Heifu remembers correctly, in history, Liu Bang also took this road to enter the customs.

Heifu let his royal warrior Sangmu feed the horses, and asked his cousin Hiko to check the inspection and pass again, in addition to the luggage, several of the carriages were pulled, but two thousand catties of brown sugar......

Yan took out all the things he needed to check again, and said with a smile: "There is a rune of the left chief, can the military officials guarding the pass dare to stop us?" ”

Heifu straightened his face and said solemnly: "Not to mention that I, the head of Zuo, is a high lord in Nanjun, and if I enter the customs, it is nothing." Besides, entering the customs is not a trivial matter, and the guards will be strictly inspected later, and if there is a mistake, I won't care about you! ”

"How can this be?"

Frightened by Heifu, Yan's face turned white in an instant, he just did some small business in Anlu and could speak well in front of the township party, but he had never been out of Anlu, let alone entered Xianyang.

Heifu patted him: "You are not transporting prohibited things such as gold and iron weapons, what are you afraid of?" I'll just tell you the truth later. ”

After a short rest, the group set off again, and they walked on the "Wuguan East Road". This is the road opened up along the Danshui River Valley, east of the Bears Ears Mountains, from the Nanyang Basin to here, the more west the road is narrower, hundreds of miles, generally is a big mountain and long valley, narrow and difficult to walk.

Not long after, after crossing a mountain pass, Wuguan appeared in front of everyone.

However, I saw that this Guancheng was built on a relatively flat high ground between the canyons, with the lofty Shaoxi Mountain in the north and Danshui in the south. The city is built of earth, there are also bricks and stones, the wall is two miles long, and the mountainside is curved through, almost completely blocking the road into the pass!

In order to hold this place, the Qin State also specially set up a "Wuguan Duwei" to guard it, with 5,000 soldiers.

Looking up at Wuguan at this time, Heifu couldn't help but praise secretly: "Strangling the friendship between Qin and Chu, according to the danger of mountains and rivers." Dao Nanyang and the east moves, into the blue field and the right danger. Wuguan huge defense, in one fell swoop, the weight is different, honestly! ”

They are not lonely walkers, and the road in front of them is full of merchants and officials waiting to pass the customs, sweating into clouds and rain, and chariots and horses raising dust.

Among them, the left side is the civil road, the right side is the official road, and the middle passage is reserved for the postal officials to enter and exit. Just standing on the side of the official road and waiting, Heifu had already seen more than a dozen horsemen galloping in and out continuously, probably delivering county documents and military information.

Guanzhong is equivalent to Qin's lungs, and these roads are like blood vessels.

Although Heifu looked like he didn't care whether Yan was alive or dead, he still let him enter the customs at the same time as himself, and when it was finally their turn, Heifu stepped forward and showed the talismans, inspections, and biography issued by Nanjun to him, as well as the edict of the King of Qin ordering him to enter Xianyang.

Although there was the title of the chief of Zuo and the edict of the king of Qin, Heifu was still closely investigated, and a hundred generals who came to inquire first said sorry to him, and then began to divide his subordinates into several teams to check the inspection of Heifu's attaché and the goods pulled on the car.

"What is this?"

Lifting the mat on the cart, the official picked up a piece of horseshoe-shaped brown brown sugar and asked.

"It's a specialty of Anlu County, Nanjun, called brown sugar! Similar to 饴饧. ”

After Yan finished explaining with a smile, he added another sentence according to Heifu's instructions: "This is the tribute that Zuo Shuchang presented to the king!" ”

The hundred generals nodded, looked at Heifu and said with a smile: "Zuo Shuchang, can I test it?" ”

"Please."

Heifu wanted to take this opportunity to see if Yan could afford this million-dollar business, and after throwing down a sentence, he stepped forward to talk to the head of today's shift.

As a result, Hiko had to deal with the guards on his own.

But when he saw that Bai Jiang stuffed the horseshoe-shaped brown sugar into his mouth and bit a piece, he couldn't help but widen his eyes, he thought it was as light and sweet as the glutton, but he didn't expect it to be so sweet that it made people full of relish......

"It's so sweet!" He couldn't help but say something.

The other hundred generals and tun chiefs also heard about it, and asked with a shy smile if they could also try it.

At this time, Yan didn't seem to be nervous, and took out a smile to deal with the county market official: "This brown sugar is in Xianyang, a small piece can be sold for hundreds of dollars, gentlemen, is this considered a bribe?" ”

When everyone heard that it was so expensive, they were shocked, and the hundred generals even wanted to put back the brown sugar they had bitten into, but they were stopped by Yan:

"This is a dedication to the king, if it is sent to the palace and it is found that there is a bite on it, and there is a tooth mark, what kind of sin is this? If you want to taste it, please eat this piece of sugar! ”

After Yan came over smoothly, Heifu looked at him appreciatively: "Although it is your first time entering the customs, you have handled it well." ”

He also praised: "I also learned Guanzhong dialect well."

"When I was a small trader, I didn't see anything like that."

Yan touched the back of his head and said, "Qin officials are afraid of the law and dare to take advantage of them secretly, but they dare not openly ask for bribes. As for Guanzhong, a year ago, Chief Zuo instructed me to find someone to learn it. ”

He couldn't help but admire Heifu's foresight.

They were not required to pay taxes, except that Heifu said that it was "a tribute to the king", but also because in the first month (October), Xianyang issued an order saying that those who entered the customs from outside the customs this year would be exempted from customs duties! Probably to set an example for the national depravity and the lack of recruitment.

However, the people and goods of the black man were fine, but the horses were still lagging behind, and they were smoked everywhere by a group of guards holding wormwood and other things, and the smell was very choking.

"It's a routine check."

The captain of the customs said to Heifu: "The law has a word, and those who come from outside the customs should use fire to weigh their yokes, and inspect the cattle and horses, and do not let the horses enter the customs......"

Heifu knew that the so-called "Sao Ma" was a parasite on the horse, and in order to prevent the carriages and horses outside the customs from bringing this livestock disease, all the carriages and horses entering the customs had to smoke the scales, yokes and driving belts with fire.

The same is true for people, Wuguan, Hangu and other customs have doctors in charge, but anyone who enters the customs will be stopped if they have a disease at a glance, even if it is a headache and brain fever, so as not to bring infectious diseases into the land of Gyeonggi.

"So strict?"

Heifu couldn't help but sigh: "I entered the customs in this year, and I have to fight with the customs quarantine of future generations!" ”

Fortunately, Heifu's horses were under the careful care of Mulberry and there were no problems.

After this strict quarantine, Heifu instead had the feeling that he was actually entering the capital area, rather than going anywhere casually.

Guanzhong, which is the heart of the Qin State, the land of Yongzhou, the solid of Cuihan, and the 800-mile Qinchuan, is the real "country of abundance" in this era.

I wonder what kind of wonders he will see there?

"Please enter the customs."

Everything was fine, and the captain of the guard bowed to Heifu, and then, the soldiers behind him also moved out of the way, and two heavy gates were closed in front of Heifu

Heifu sat in the car, and as the wheels rolled, he entered the shadow of the gate hole of Wuguan City, and as the front became brighter and brighter, he secretly looked forward to it in his heart: "Guanzhong ......"

"I'm coming!"

……

At the same time that Heifu stepped into the land of Guanzhong, thousands of miles away, in Xiaxiang County, located at the junction of Surabaya County and Donghai County, hidden in the Xiang Manor between the mountains and forests, Xiang Liang, who was dressed in Chu clothes, angrily patted the case and yelled at the young man in front of him:

"Let you go to the school room to study, and if you don't have academic achievements, you won't study, and you will beat the master severely. I thought you were tired of writing and martial arts, so I asked Yan Zhao famous swordsman to teach you to learn swords, and you were lazy all day long, and I heard that you also broke the swordsman's blade! ”

"Could it be that the eldest grandson of my Xiang clan is actually a person who is not able to write and martial arts? Have you forgotten how the state of Chu perished, and have you forgotten the revenge that your ancestor and father killed for Qin? ”

"I dare not forget!"

At a young age, he no longer tied his horn hair, but the young man who changed his bun knelt on the ground, hung his head, and after a pause, he said to his father Ji:

"Just think that books are enough to remember names and surnames, so why learn to be a Confucian scholar with first-hand articles? Sword, one enemy also, although only weak crown, but can already defeat three people, he is not a day enemy ten people and hundreds of people, and it is not enough to learn! ”

Xiang Liang didn't expect him to answer like this, he was stunned, and said half-loudly: "Then what do you want to learn?" ”

The young man raised his head suddenly, although he was only twelve years old, he looked like a tiger, and under a pair of heroic sword eyebrows, there were eyes full of hatred!

That's hatred for the Qin State and the Qin officials! The hatred of ruining the country and breaking the family!

With a burning hatred, the young Xiang Yu said word by word: "Husband, be a ten thousand enemies!" ”

……

Leaving Xiaxiang, he walked upstream along the meandering Surabaya, passed Xiapi, passed through Pengcheng, and finally arrived near Pei County. On the east bank of the river, at the main traffic route, there is a small pavilion called "Surabaya Pavilion".

Unlike Huyang Pavilion, Anlu County, Nanjun, there is no store in front of the village, not only next to Lilu, but also two wine shops, which are opened by Wang Yuan and Wu Cheng.

However, on this day, at Wang Yuan's restaurant, Aunt Wang was busy eating, and Wu Ying, who was quite handsome opposite, closed the store and ran over to help.

It turned out that today's two liquor shops were chartered by the newly appointed Surabaya Pavilion Director at the same time......

This new pavilion chief is named Liu Ji.

Liu Ji, who has a beautiful beard, is different from the downfall when he was a ranger in the past, today he is wearing a crown bare, wearing armor and a sword, shyly stomach, and sitting on the upper seat. also held the beautiful widow Cao Shi, who had just met, and accepted the congratulations of his subordinates, Ting's father, Ting's pawn, as well as his good brothers Ren Ao, Lu Juan and others, and his face was full of triumph.

"Unexpectedly, I, Liu Ji, was only chased away by officials in the past, and I also had a day as an official!"

In the past year or so, Pei County has undergone earth-shaking changes.

In accordance with the policy of the Qin State for many years, the Qin army destroyed the old local government of the Chu State and set up the Surabaya County to administer it. Surabaya County and Pei County quickly reorganized the township society in accordance with the Shiwu system of Qin, with five families and one army, ten families and one tithe, registering the population and property, and collecting taxes and military service. Everyone is fixed on the land where the household registration is located, and the neighbors supervise each other and sit together, and they are not allowed to leave their nationality at will.

Under this new system, the most affected are the unemployed vagrants, especially the rangers, who have been brutally attacked and have almost lost their room for survival.

Under the changing situation, the ranger Liu Ji is faced with a major choice, either to be included in the new system in public, fix his residence and occupation, and become a new person.

Either flee and become an outlaw sinner outside the law of the Qin State. For example, Zhang Er, a county hero of Wei who Liu Ji followed in the past, immediately became the target of the Qin government's wanted after the Qin army captured the Wei state, and fled incognito, not knowing where to go.

Since the Battle of Waihuang, Liu Ji had expected today, and without the slightest hesitation, this person who knew the times chose the prodigal son to turn back.

But he was too lazy to listen to his parents, and he was a farmer, so he had the audacity to start the idea of becoming an official!

"Can you be a servant too?" Daddy Liu Taigong was in this tone at the time, and he didn't believe that mud could go up the wall when he was killed.

However, Liu Ji gambled right again, he had no way to be an official during the reign of Chu State, and finally caught up with the good time!

According to the official system of the Qin State, the new county commanders, county officials, and county lieutenants were transferred from the mainland by the Qin State. However, most of the local officials are locals.

There are many ways for local officials to be recruited, they can be transferred from military officials to military officials, they can be recommended by the local government according to certain property and behavior standards, and they can also be selected through "trial officials".

Liu Ji is thirty-five years old this year, and he is a very notorious old bachelor in his hometown Fengyi.

He relied on Ren Ao's relationship as a prison official in the county, and found some Qin laws to excerpt and memorize.

Liu Ji was pinned on by his parents when he was a child, he learned to read and write, and it took him half a year to finally read the "Thief Law", "Thief Law", "Arrest Law", "Prison Law", "Miscellaneous Law", "Gu Law", as well as "The Law of Passing Food" and "The Law of Xingshu" that Heifu had memorized many years ago. and participated in the legal examination in Pei County in October, although there were mistakes, but I barely passed.

As a military official, the pavilion chief also requires swordsmanship and five soldiers, which is Liu Ji's strength.

So, in January, he was appointed as the head of the Surabaya Pavilion.

The head of the Surabaya Pavilion, the size is the length of a place, one hand holds a simple order, the other hand holds a rope to tie people, and there are two or three subordinate Ding pawns under him to call, within ten miles, everyone is in awe of him, but not majestic!

Everyone chatted for a while, and a loud voice sounded outside the door of the wine shop.

"Brother Ji, the second and third sons, the meat is here!"

A butcher in his mid-twenties, with a beard and a full hand of oil, walked in, carrying two freshly burned dog legs.

His name is Fan Xu, he is a dog slaughterer in Pei County, and he is also the little brother he met when Liu Ji was a ranger.

"Ahh

Liu Ji is the boss of everyone, after he let Fan Hao sit down, he grabbed Widow Cao with one hand, kissed her, and then laughed and raised the pottery wine cup high!

"The second and third sons, Liu Ji before entering the office, is a ranger in the township, a ranger travels all over the world, makes friends, and pays attention to righteousness!"

"Now that I am a small official of the government, I have to be subject to the way of being a official and the many restrictions of the laws and regulations of the Qin State, and I must no longer act recklessly. It's not okay to wander around for official duties......"

After saying a few words seriously, the old rascal couldn't help it, and revealed his true form again, and said with a playful smile: "However, you still have to drink wine, and you still have to make friends!" ”

"Well said! Congratulations to Liu Tingchang! ”

Qiu Thief, Pavilion Father, Pavilion Pawn, as well as Ren Ao, Lu Juan, Fan Hao and others also raised their wine cups, drank with Liu Ji, and laughed.

Although the wine is rough and bad, but it is also enjoyable in the stomach, Liu Ji drank a few glasses, and the widow Cao helped him wipe off the wine on his thick beard, stretched out his hand to touch his red curtain, and said with emotion:

"From today onwards, I am also a Qin official!"