Chapter Thirty-Two: Ideals Are Built

It was the peak of the harvest season in Guanzhong, and the vast majority of the county’s residents were out in the fields.

In contrast, Xianyang City appeared somewhat desolate during this time, as the people had left the city to harvest grain in the rural fields.

Li You strode into Xianyang City. He wore a set of hemp robes stained with mud and barely managed to stay in his straw sandals, his feet still speckled with brown soil. If one didn't know better, they would have taken him for a farmer’s son; who could have guessed that such a young man was the son of the Chancellor?

When Li You reached his doorstep, the servants of the Chancellor’s estate did not recognize him at first. After several rounds of verification, however, they ushered him inside with great respect.

Before Li You could even step into the main hall of the manor, a servant hurried over and whispered, "Chancellor, this..."

As he spoke, he gestured toward Li You, who was walking toward them.

Li Si’s expression remained calm as he reviewed his documents. "What? Is he no longer my son just because he changed his clothes?"

The servant bowed his head and stepped aside.

Li You entered the hall, his eyes scanning his surroundings. Seeing his son standing before him—neither offering a greeting nor speaking—Li Si lifted his gaze slightly and shot him a stern look.

The once spirited Li You, having been met with such a glare, immediately wilted. He lowered his head and took a seat to the side. The elderly servant watching this scene felt a sense of relief and smiled quietly. No matter what the son had become out in the world, once home, a single glare from his father turned him back into the child he used to be.

Li You felt aggrieved, as if he had realized he had done something wrong, though he did not know what it was.

"How goes the digging of the canal?"

Li You replied, "Why ask what you already know?"

Li Si said in a deep voice, "Serve the Prince well. In the coming days, orders for the mobilization of troops from Shu will be sent, and they will be delivered into your hands."

Li You nodded slowly.

Li Si kept a straight face. "Go."

After a long moment of hesitation, seeing his father’s stern countenance, Li You stood up, looking wronged, and departed.

Li You’s spirit was indeed different from before, yet in front of the Chancellor, he remained a child—only a child with a much stronger constitution. In the past, Li You had always worn silk, parading through Xianyang with great arrogance. Now, wearing straw sandals and coarse hemp, he still looked spirited.

Walking through Xianyang, Li You looked at the people in their various garments. Despite his straw sandals, he felt something he had never felt before—a sense that these people had never dug earth or tasted true hardship. Now, Li You felt that no matter what difficulties he encountered, he had the foundation to face them.

At the foot of Mount Shangyan, Zhang Han was watering mulberry saplings, accompanied by three children holding torches. When mosquitoes bit them, the children would wave their torches to drive the insects away. It was nearly the ninth month, but Guanzhong remained sweltering; Zhang Han had to water the saplings at night.

"General Zhang Han, why are you still watering so late?"

Zhang Han looked up by the light of the torches and saw who it was. He wiped the sweat from his chin and replied, "Several died in the heat this summer." Looking at the green buds growing under the firelight, he added, "Once the mulberry trees grow leaves, they are not so easily lost. After another year of care, daily watering won't be necessary."

Li You nodded. "My thanks to you, General."

"No thanks needed. I just come to check on them in my spare time."

The village was exceptionally quiet at night, even the chickens and ducks were resting. In the sweltering heat, only the night offered such coolness. Leading the three children back toward the village, Zhang Han added, "Once the heat passes, we must plant more radishes and celery on the mountain."

Li You nodded. "Indeed. We didn't have enough last year; we must plant more this time."

As he spoke, Li You smiled. In truth, there was another joyful event after the heat subsided: General Zhang Han was to be married.

As the night breeze blew, Li You added, "Starting tomorrow, I must dig a few more vertical wells."

Zhang Han nodded without further comment.

Standing before his door, Li You recalled his father’s words—he would likely have to leave for a long journey soon. Mobilization orders from Shu? What troops were to be mobilized there? Recently, there were only two major affairs in the court: the great harvest in Guanzhong and the situation in Baiyue.

Lying on the large stone in front of his door, Li You realized that if the orders were coming from Shu, then perhaps a war was truly imminent.

***

Those who usually viewed such documents were the accompanying officials and generals.

Li You closed his eyes slowly. Since his father had spoken as he did, he was surely one of those destined for Baiyue.

The next morning, Li You set out early with a wooden hoe and a basket to dig the canal. Shusun Tong began teaching the children early as well. There had been debates in the court regarding Baiyue, but the First Emperor had remained silent, so the discussion had ceased. As for the First Emperor’s true strategy, only a few knew—likely Meng Wu, Li Si, Feng Quji, and Wang Ben.

That day, Censor Zhang Cang arrived at Zhangtai Palace to attend the court session. Seeing Chancellor Li Si approaching with a smile, Zhang Cang bowed slightly. "Chancellor."

Li Si looked him over. "You’ve tanned."

Zhang Cang nodded.

"Is the Prince still at the bridge?"

Zhang Cang explained, "The Prince has been keeping watch by the river. The Xianyang Bridge is nearing completion."

Li Si patted his shoulder and whispered, "There has been much talk in the court recently regarding the Prince’s conscription of laborers."

"I have heard as much," Zhang Cang replied.

Li Si asked in a low voice, "And the previous policy on selecting officials..."

Zhang Cang lowered his posture and whispered, "Chancellor, I have heard many scholars in the court expressing strong disapproval of the Prince’s management of laborers and use of servants."

Li Si scanned the people entering the hall and scoffed. "Pay them no mind." The implication was that he would deal with them sooner or later.

Zhang Cang continued, "Chancellor, I have followed the Prince for nearly a year. Whether it was digging the canal or building the Xianyang Bridge, I have learned a truth from it."

"Oh? What truth?" Li Si remained standing.

Occasionally, people looked toward the Chancellor in the front row. In the quiet, orderly hall, Li Si responded to their gazes with a thin, insincere smile, while Zhang Cang spoke into his ear.

"Chancellor, in just over a year, the Prince has had the canal dug and the fields irrigated. He turned hundreds of acres of wasteland into fertile soil, and the harvest has made Mount Shangyan the most prosperous village east of the Luo River. Back when the Zheng Guo Canal was built to allow Qin to expand eastward, how many members of the Qin nobility were killed? How many people died?"

In his heart, Zhang Cang believed firmly that both Li Si and the First Emperor were men of great ideals. To achieve those grand ideals, killing those who stood in the way meant nothing to them. To the Prince, this might not even be a bad thing; it might even be for the best. It had been years since the Zheng Guo Canal was built; even if one were to dig up those who had been killed for it, they might still be whole, their clothes not even rotted away.

Once the court session began, Zhang Cang bowed to the First Emperor along with the others and stood in the ranks like a statue. He recalled Shusun Tong’s words: the Prince had promised that he would let three hundred children go to war, and once they earned military merit, he would grant them household registration. Thinking of this, Zhang Cang’s heart felt much clearer.

During the session, Li Si and the Confucian scholars argued once more over the standardization of script and carriage gauges. In the hall, Li Si gestured with his wide sleeves, arguing with the crowd; the result of such sessions was often that the unyielding Chancellor forced the scholars to retreat time and again.

Standing in the hall, Li Si declared loudly, "Standardizing the script and carriage gauges is the most important task following Qin’s unification!"

After the session concluded, following three years of debate, the Great Qin officially began the standardization of script and carriage gauges. Fast horses left Xianyang, galloping to all corners of the realm to proclaim the Emperor’s edict. The Great Qin announced to the world that from then on, the scripts of the six kingdoms would exist only in old scrolls; all future learning and writing must use the script of Qin.

Fusu sat by the river roasting meat, and he was particularly happy to hear the news from Tian An. Merchants from the Western Regions had brought back many fine things; Fusu had Tian An buy some peppercorns, which he crushed and mixed with salt, sprinkling it over the roasted meat—it was delicious.

At dusk, Fusu was drenched in sweat, fanning the skewers with one hand and roasting with the other. Tian An smiled as he accepted a skewer from the Prince; the old man’s teeth were not good, so he could only eat the fat.

At the Xiwu Bridge, laborers tied with hemp ropes hung from the sides, chiseling the bridge surface. The characters "Xianyang Bridge" were carved out one by one. Fusu was very pleased with the small seal script. When the man climbed back onto the bridge, Fusu said, "My good man, excellent craftsmanship."

The middle-aged man smiled and bowed. "In reply to the Prince, it is a family trade."

Recognizing the man's accent, Fusu asked, "Where are you from?"

"I was originally from the State of Wei, and I now serve in the Imperial Workshops."

Fusu said, "Give him two more bags of wheat."

Tian An took two bamboo slips from the side and, after having the wheat loaded, handed them to the craftsman the Prince had just praised.

Building the state required the standardization of script and gauges as the necessary foundation. As for building a home, Fusu felt that developing the Great Northwest was building, civilization-building was even more so, and cultural-building was indispensable. By building this bridge, he could benefit the people on both banks of the Xiwu River and allow the armies of Guanzhong to cross, pointing their blades directly at the Xiongnu and the Western Regions.

For this reason, Fusu had never intended to build a bridge with ornate decorations. No matter how magnificent, decorations could not withstand the test of time. As long as the bridge was sturdy, simple, and practical, that was enough.

By the tenth month in Guanzhong, the autumn rains of the west always arrived on schedule. A steady drizzle pattered against the surface of Xianyang Bridge. This was the first time Prince Fusu stepped onto the newly completed bridge, even though the craftsmen had already walked back and forth across it many times.

In the eyes of the people, the Prince walking on this bridge held great significance; even if they walked it thousands of times, it could not compare to Prince Fusu walking it once.

Fusu’s feet stepped onto the solid bridge surface, and he strode forward. Behind him followed a crowd of craftsmen, several officials, and a few soldiers. They followed the Prince from one end of the bridge to the other. As he walked, the Prince would occasionally stop to look at the carvings on the bridge or gaze at the river below.

The dense autumn rain fell on them, but it did not feel too cold. The Prince’s pace remained steady, as did the people behind him. Until they reached the opposite bank of the Xiwu River, Fusu turned back and led everyone across again.

Zhang Cang arrived with a troop of cavalry. "Prince, I have borrowed these cavalrymen from General Wang—there are only ten or so."

The road near the bridge was still muddy. Fusu stood under the eaves and said, "Let the cavalry run back and forth."

Zhang Cang nodded and gave instructions to the cavalry. The neighing of horses echoed as the troop galloped onto the bridge. After running back and forth a few times, they headed west, riding further and further away, with no intention of returning.

Fusu asked with curiosity, "Do they have urgent business?"

Zhang Cang replied, "The Chancellor learned that the Xianyang Bridge was complete, and his original intention was for them to go west to mobilize warhorses."

"The Chancellor... he really is quite opportunistic," Fusu remarked with a sigh.

"Prince, the Chancellor also mentioned one more thing."

"What else?"

Zhang Cang bowed. "The Chancellor said that since the Xianyang Bridge is complete, the army can cross it and strike directly at the Xirong. In the land of the Xirong, there is a valley surrounded by high mountains on both sides. It is said to be an excellent place for raising horses."

Fusu naturally knew where that was; the place had another name: the Hexi Corridor.

On the other side of Guanzhong, at the foot of Mount Shangyan by the Luo River, a joyful event was taking place. General Zhang Han was getting married that day. At the foot of the mountain stood a residence—one that Zhang Han had built with his own hands over the past six months.

It was a happy day, and Zhang Han had dressed in his best, bringing out his finest clothes to welcome his bride. There were few guests for the wedding, as Zhang Han was alone, so only the villagers joined in the celebration.

Li You arrived leading a warhorse, already dressed in Qin military armor. He walked up and said, "General Zhang Han, I have come to bid farewell."

"Why?" Zhang Han asked, stepping forward in confusion.

Li You patted the warhorse by his side. Standing in the drizzle, he said, "It seems the campaign against Baiyue is truly beginning. I have received orders to rush to Shu to mobilize troops."

Over the past year, Li You had truly changed; he was less playful and more mature. Perhaps hardship really could make a person grow.

Li You swung onto his horse and, sitting in the saddle, said, "General Zhang Han, I cannot delay my orders. I am off to Shu, and when I return to Guanzhong, we shall drink together!"

Zhang Han asked, "Are you going alone?"

Li You replied, "The orders for mobilization are in hand; one man is enough. I’m off!"

With that, he flicked the reins, the horse neighed, and he galloped into the rain. Zhang Han, himself a military man, clenched his fists, seemingly infected by Li You’s passion. Watching the figure fade into the misty rain, he whispered to himself, "When you return to Guanzhong, Mount Shangyan will have a whole new look."