Qin Official

In mid-April, the situation in Jianghan had changed, Heifu established a new central government, many Chu people in Huainan were rebellious, and Shouchun was in danger.

At the same time, people in Xianyang, Guanzhong, have gradually accepted the fact that "the First Emperor has died."

As early as early April, after two months of trekking, Hu Hai and his party, who kept secret, hurried slowly and slowly, finally returned to Xianyang City via Hangu Pass. When they were in Sanchuan County, they had already heard the news that Heifu was "resurrected" and led the Southern Expedition Army in rebellion, and they knew that the matter could not be hidden.

On the one hand, they did not expect that Heifu's rebellion would quickly spread across the prairie fire. On the other hand, they also saw that the weather was approaching summer and there would be no funeral. Even though the body of the great Qin Shi Huangdi had been specially treated, it would still stink.

So after Hu Hai discussed with Wang, Feng, Li, and his most trusted Zhao Gao, he decided to announce the death of Qin Shi Huangdi and turn the page for the empire as soon as possible.

For a time, Xianyang fell into mourning all over the city...

The first people to cry were those from the Qin Palace. The cries were low, accompanied by a heavy chorus of elegy, coming from Xianyang Palace, Zhangtai Palace, Ganquan Palace, these majestic but cold palaces, with boundless pressure. It hits the hearts of Xianyang people and leaves you at a loss.

As the news spread, the cry resounded in every street and alley where Qin people lived.

Although the government has made it very clear that this news that makes the mountains and rivers tremble is made public to the world, people are still passing on this information in a quiet way.

A village chief came back from outside and walked to the middle of the courtyard. Several village women who rarely talked to each other saw him, and they actually said four words: "The First Emperor..."

The chief just nodded and hurried home. Everyone who was carrying this news probably didn't sleep well that night.

The First Emperor of Qin ruled Qin for thirty-seven years. To all the people of Qin, His Majesty the First Emperor was the sun in the sky. Since childhood, he had been exposed to the shouts of his elders, "Long live your Majesty." Mighty and majestic.

Many people really thought that the First Emperor could live forever and rule their descendants for hundreds of generations.

But suddenly, the sun set, which plunged everyone into panic, as if it was the end of the world:

Will the sun still rise tomorrow?

Although the sun still rises day after day, life seems to have not changed due to the death of the emperor. But during that time, Xianyang, which was originally a place of excellent security, had soldiers from the Weiwei Mansion standing guard with spears at every intersection, checking the passing crowds, and there was a lot of turmoil.

Compared to the chaos caused by Master Fusu's escape a few months ago, the people of Xianyang were even more panic-stricken. Their backbone was completely gone.

The Emperor's funeral took place on the seventh day, and seven days after the death of the First Emperor was announced, he was placed in the coffin and awaiting burial, which was called "funeral" and moved to the funeral chamber.

One day after this ceremony, on April 18, Prince Hu Hai also officially succeeded to the throne as the second emperor!

…

"Long live your Majesty!"

In the Xianyang Palace, under the leadership of Taiwei Wang Bi, Prime Minister Feng Quji on the left, and Prime Minister Li Si on the right, the officials called three times to pay homage.

Although he was still wearing a layer of coarse linen clothes, Hu Hai was already wearing the sword of Emperor Tai'a. In front of the case was the jade seal engraved by He Shibi. Sitting on the imperial couch, looking through the twelve beads in front of his eyes, Look at the civil and military officials.

"No wonder Zhao Gao urged me to fight for the throne. It turns out that this is how I feel sitting on this throne..."

The grief for his father has been polished away by the return journey. At this moment, Hu Hai, who is only twenty years old, just feels like he is in heaven.

Under the worship of the ministers, he felt as if he was a god standing among the clouds.

Thanks to the centralization of power by the First Emperor, no one was greater than the emperor except God in the shadows. Even the so-called "will of heaven" could not restrain the emperor.

Kill whoever you want to kill!

Whatever you want to do, do it!

With such a status, Hu Hai's dream: to know what the ears and eyes like, and to be happy with the heart, is really simple.

Those treasures that once only belonged to the father and were given to Hu Hai when he was in a good mood, such as the jade from Kunshan, the treasure of Suihe, the pearl of the bright moon, the horse of slenderness, the flag of green phoenix, the drum of spirit...

Now, it has become a private property that he can play with at any time.

As for those slender beauties who filled the harem, wearing pearl hairpins, Fu Ji's earrings, Ajin clothes, and splendid ornaments, his father had always ignored them, but Hu Hai would not waste them. When the filial piety period is over, as long as there are those who pass by and take a fancy, You can serve it on the side and enjoy it to your heart's content.

He had been fond of listening to exotic music such as "Zheng", "Wei", and "Sangjian" that could only be played by a huge palace orchestra. No one could stop him anymore. He could let the dance music list be played for him alone. Tired of hearing it!

Not to mention, the huge empire, the land of Kyushu, all kinds of things in the world, and all living things are all under his control!

Thanks to the system created by the First Emperor, even if a monkey or a fool ascends to this position, he can kill and take whatever he wants!

But Hu Hai also knew very well that he was not the First Emperor, and his authority was less than one-tenth of it.

After the fluttering was over, he began to beat a drum in his heart again. He looked at the faces of the towering people in the palace, and he always felt that the ministers disapproved of him:

"How many civil and military people in this dynasty can truly be loyal to me?"

After all, Heifu, who had just been named "Wuzhong" by the First Emperor and sealed the coffin, immediately rebelled after learning of his death! He also blatantly denied the legitimacy of Hu Hai's succession, concocted the fictitious "Belt Edict", and clamored to get rid of his rebellious son. Fengtian Jingnan!

According to Zhao Gao, Heifu, the traitor, has long had his rebellious intentions. He has been setting up positions in the government and the public for many years, and his followers are all over the world.

There are also many people who sympathize with the eldest son Fusu. Perhaps they are hiding in the court, waiting for the opportunity to attack...

Zhao Gao also reminded Hu Hai that the Feng family, who were also ministers of Gu Ming, must also be on guard.

Now the Feng family controls the military power in the north and south, and Feng Quji is the Prime Minister on the right and the head of the hundred officials. He is the son of an elder brother. It is said that after his father fled to Fusu, he once had the intention of making the son high. This Feng family , could it be because of alienation?

The supervisors also reported that Feng Wuze had lost two battles in Wuchang and Anlu in the south, and was suspected of supporting the invaders. Although Wu Xinhou immediately sent his son Feng Jing back to express his feelings, the Feng family had too much power. Is it really good?

Although he succeeded to the throne in accordance with his father's imperial edict, Hu Hai still felt uneasy in his heart. He couldn't even eat well and couldn't sleep at night.

On the first day after he succeeded to the throne, he appointed Zhao Gao, his only trusted teacher, as Lang Zhongling, one of the Nine Qings. His younger brother Zhao became Zhonglang General, responsible for the security of the palace.

After being reassured that he could at least sleep at night, Hu Hai ordered that all officials from the government and the public who were related to Heifu, such as Beidi County Captain Zhang Han, Zhuxia Shi Zhang Cang, and members of the farm family, would be arrested, regardless of good or bad. imprison!

But Zhang Cang was clever and escaped long before Hu Hai returned to Xianyang. Now he is missing. Some people think that he ran back to his home in Yangwu County. Others think that he followed the Daxia scholar "Su" who left the Qin Dynasty. ", hid in the Daxia people's caravan, and headed west...

In anger, Hu Hai planned to create a prison, drive out all the rebel members, and even want to immediately check and balance the Feng family. In the end, Li Si persuaded Hu Hai.

"The first important thing for His Majesty after he ascended the throne was to handle the late Emperor's funeral affairs to show his pure filial piety. Only in this way can the rumors spread by the gangsters about Your Majesty's disobedience, unfilial piety and even patricide be suppressed. Self-destruction..."

Legalism also emphasizes filial piety. People who are accused of being unfilial by their parents can even be sentenced to death on the spot.

Hu Hai then had an epiphany and postponed the execution of his dissidents, and instead paid more attention to the burial of the First Emperor.

Because Emperor Qin Shihuang himself abolished the ancient posthumous law system of "sons discussing fathers, ministers discussing emperors", Hu Hai could no longer choose a beautiful posthumous title to express his "filial piety".

According to ancient etiquette, the emperor was buried on the seventh day and buried in the seventh month. Although the First Emperor passed away on the seventh day of the second lunar month, Hu Hai and others announced his death in mid-March, so they had to wait until the "First Year of the Second World" next year10 In the month, the coffin of the First Emperor can be buried in Lishan Mausoleum.

The construction of Lishan Mausoleum was accompanied by Qin Shihuang's life. When he just ascended the throne at the age of 13, in the first year of Qin Wangzheng (247 BC), the first brick of the mausoleum was laid, and it took 37 years to build. Because of its huge scale , there are not only above-ground temples, but also unprecedented underground wonders, so hundreds of thousands of people have been working on it for several years, and until today, it has not been completed.

Hu Hai immediately stopped all other projects in Guanzhong, asked all the prisoners and civilians to go to Lishan, and summoned the world's most skilled craftsmen to contribute their skills. At one time, there were as many as 700,000 people in Lishan, and the finishing work was accelerated.

Hu Hai also gave a cruel secret order to Feng Quji, the supervisor: "If it cannot be completed before July and the funeral of the late emperor is delayed, everyone from the supervisor to the craftsmen to the prisoners will die!"

At the same time, Hu Hai also issued an edict to build a temple for the First Emperor. In ancient times, the emperor's ancestral temples were seven temples, offering sacrifices to ancestors of seven generations, five temples for princes, and three temples for officials. The sacrifices were canceled from generation to generation.

However, Hu Hai believed that the merits of the First Emperor exceeded those of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, as well as those of all subsequent descendants. Therefore, the ancestral temple of the Emperor who respected the First Emperor as the emperor was supreme and could not be destroyed even after eternity!

Only two days after taking the throne, Hu Hai took this series of actions, trying hard to prove his legitimacy.

But on April 19th, a piece of news came from Wuguan to Guanzhong, making him unable to sit still:

"Feng Wuze, Marquis of Wuxin, died and was overthrown by the army. The traitor Heifu has occupied Jiangling!"

…

"The dignified Marquis Wu Xin, I gave him my trust and gave him the power to deploy troops throughout the Huaihan counties, but he was defeated by a mere traitor? Is this incompetence or deliberate capitalizing on the traitor?"

Hu Hai was furious. This was already the third major defeat. The Wuchang camp could not be saved, and more than 20,000 people became traitors. Then, the fifty thousand thieves in Anlu were also taken back by Heifu.

There were only three things to do. Feng Wuze repeatedly promised that Hei Fu and his gang members would be annihilated in Jiangling City. This was also the reason why Marquis Wu Xin did not defend the city and fought in the field. If he allowed Hei Fu to escape again, the court would have to change its general!

Now, Lao Feng is dead, Jiangling is lost, and several counties in Jingzhou have also fallen. Hu Hai, who only wanted to enjoy peace and happiness after becoming emperor, suddenly discovered that the southern border of the empire he had just inherited was already on fire, and was gradually becoming a prairie fire, and could burn towards Xianyang at any time.

That night, he even dreamed of a dark shadow pulling him down from the throne and killing him with a sword!

Hu Hai then summoned Zhao Gao overnight to ask for advice.

"The doctor's order, black thieves have become a common phenomenon. If this continues, the troubles in the elbows and armpits are about to reach the heart. I want to send out a large force to exterminate them immediately, but I don't know who should be my general..."

Zhao Gao then knew that Heifu must be stopped, otherwise he and Hu Hai would be in danger of death. The rebellion must be put down quickly and put off. It is hard to say that someone in the court would propose "killing Zhao Gao to stop the rebels", so he bowed. :

"Heifu has a reputation as a good general and has been praised by His Majesty the First Emperor many times. Now that the generals of the Qin Dynasty are withering, even Marquis Wu Xin has been defeated. According to my experience, looking at the world, the only one who can command the army to fight against Heifu is Just three people!”

Hu Hai asked anxiously: "Who are the three people?"

Zhao Gao said: "The first one is Meng Tian. Tian once commanded 300,000 soldiers and civilians, drove the Huns from the north and built the Great Wall. Your Majesty believed in and loved him. He is also a handsome man."

Hu Hai shook his head: "Meng Tian can't do it. He once released Fusu privately and was imprisoned by his father. He must be dissatisfied with his father for appointing me as the prince. If he is allowed to command the army, I'm afraid he will collude with Hei Fu. I won't kill him. It is a great kindness..."

Zhao Gao did it on purpose. He guessed that although Hu Hai had not killed yet, he could not trust the Meng brothers. This test turned out to be true, so he went on to say: "The second one is Li Xin. Li Xin is the favorite general of the First Emperor and is good at riding. , has repeatedly performed extraordinary feats, and is known as the black dog and white horse together with Hei Fu. If he were to face off against Hei Fu, he would surely win."

Hu Hai still thought it was inappropriate: "Li Xin also has close contacts with gangsters, not to mention that he is far away in the Western Regions, and I don't know where he is now."

Zhao Gao's mention of Li Xin reminded Hu Hai that he felt that the west was no longer safe. Not only did he not want to use Li Xin as a general to attack Heifu, he also decided to send people to the Western Regions to recover Li Xin and his tens of thousands of people. ! Only by imprisoning Li Xin can you rest assured.

So, only the last one is left, in fact, it is also the only candidate!

Zhao Gao showed a meaningful smile.

"This man is the number one general in the world today! He once commanded an army of hundreds of thousands, and his troops gathered like clouds, and defeated the enemy like thunder. In comparison, Li Xin, Meng Tian, ​​and Hei Fu are all juniors. It’s not even worthy of having a tail attached to it!”

"This man has been a general for more than thirty years and has made great achievements in battle. He destroyed Wei, defeated Chu, defeated Yan, and surrendered to Qi! In terms of merit and rank, he is no less than Wu'an Lord and Wuchenghou (Wang Jian)!"

"He is your majesty's wife, the late emperor's personal assistant to the government, Taiwei of the Qin Dynasty, Marquis of Tongwu, Wang Ben!"

…

ps: There is still only one chapter today, and the fifth volume will end tomorrow.