Chapter 403: Are sand dunes bad luck for me?
Seven men and a lame old horse walked through paths that would turn into wasteland if no one walked on them for a few months.
From afar, there were the enthusiastic sounds of beating drums and gongs and horse hooves hitting the ground, but the burly man with only one arm in the lead thought it was too noisy.
He wanted to cover his ears, but his only remaining arm was holding the horse, so he had to give up and continue walking forward.
There was a woman on the horse's back, lying upside down on it, with a rope tied from the horse's belly to the woman's waist.
The woman's face was rough and pale, covered with dirt and sand. Her brows were furrowed and her eyes were tightly closed. Her face was full of pain. As the lame old horse shook her body extremely violently, she showed no sign of waking up.
The remaining six men were dressed in tattered clothes, and through the gaps in the clothes one could see that each of them had abdominal muscles.
But these abdominal muscles are not aesthetically pleasing at all. The extremely obvious expansion of the bones is enough to prove that these abdominal muscles were gained by being starved to death.
“It’s almost there.”
The one-armed strong man turned around and said, and the moment he turned around, he immediately put on a warm smile.
"Hold on a little longer. The sound of the gongs and drums is from the city leaders, who are afraid that we might get lost, so they are guiding us."
The six people behind him, who had been extremely exhausted for a long time, felt a lot of strength returning to their bodies. This journey that they had thought would never be completed finally came to an end.
Their faces were covered in dust, and their ages could not be seen. The two men at the front took two quick steps and asked weakly with their extremely precious strength:
"Will there really be food when we get to Yiyang?"
"Is there really a doctor who can treat my youngest sister?"
Judging from their voices, the two people asking the questions were quite young.
The one-armed strong man didn't know how many times the two teenagers who had not yet reached adulthood had asked this question, but it was many, many times.
He nodded heavily, countless times, and answered seriously and affirmatively:
"Yes, we have food and medicine."
The man who was following at the end of the team and keeping an eye on the woman on the horse, both to check her condition and to prevent her from falling off the horse due to loosening of the rope, said in a deep voice:
“My benefactor, I know I shouldn’t ask for too much, but I still want to ask.
"The great master can beat the drum in the city, why can't he come out to greet us?"
For the first time in history, the one-armed strong man showed a look of bitterness on his face in front of everyone.
“There are too many roads and no one can be found.
"There are too many people, and I can't handle it."
If you raise your perspective to a thousand meters, look down from the sky, and look carefully, you can see dozens of teams like this one led by a one-armed strong man.
They were like a group of ants that could be found everywhere, crawling towards Yi Yang tenaciously.
The world is big, but Yiyang seems to be the only place where they can survive.
The scientists who saw off the First Emperor entered the Yi Yang Medical Clinic. Outside the clinic were seven newly arrived unconscious people. The scientists and other Mohists who studied medicine began to treat them.
After an hour, five were alive and two were dead.
These people suffer from many symptoms, including severe stomach pain, constant coughing up blood, and body fever.
But in the final analysis, most of them can be attributed to one reason - lack of food. Without food, there is no resistance, and it is easy for the evil wind to invade, resulting in a variety of diseases.
The current food in Han is enough to feed all the people, but every day there are still many refugees from various counties who cannot afford to eat and will starve to death if they don't flee.
At night, the Jade Rabbit rises.
The scientist sat on the bed with a pistol in his hand.
He was surprised that the First Emperor did not take his pistol with him.
In his mind, this weapon of great potential to threaten the life of the First Emperor would never be returned to him if the First Emperor saw it.
Scientists don’t know whether the changes made by the First Emperor are good or bad.
Since the rich people of Yiyang fled to other counties, all counties knew about the situation in Yiyang. Just accepting the refugees has consumed all the attention of scientists.
"Yiyang is growing stronger day by day, Lord, you are wrong this time."
Ever since the last debate with Ying Chengjiao, the scientist has had doubts.
But as time went by and more and more people came to Yi Yang, scientists became more and more certain that the Mohist line was not wrong, but his master was wrong.
But after confirming this, there was no smugness on the scientist's face, but rather loneliness.
Now he doesn't want Yi Yang to become stronger.
He no longer wanted to promote the Mohist school, he just wanted to go back to being a Qin Mo.
"The more prosperous the Mohist school becomes, the more miserable the people become."
A drop of crystal water hit the barrel of the gun.
The parade convoy left Yiyang with drums and gongs. Ying Chengjiao was unaware of the surrounding teams that were heading to Yiyang.
He has sorted out the affairs of Han and made some changes and restrictions to the various schools of thought. Now he has handed over the full authority to the county magistrate Qiang to handle.
Because of the strength of the secret guards, if they encounter something big that they are unsure of, they will definitely report to their lord.
However, minor incidents such as the escape of dozens of people from various counties were never brought to the attention of the police and were ignored by the county magistrates.
In the carriage, Ying Chengjiao was slightly surprised and said:
"Brother, are we just leaving like this?"
Yi Yang was the same when he left as when he came. The First Emperor let Yi Yang go his own way and did nothing about it. This was beyond Ying Chengjiao's understanding of the First Emperor.
"What else do you want?
"Do you want me to appoint the magistrate of Yiyang County as the governor of Xinzheng County?"
The First Emperor asked back.
Ying Chengjiao smiled awkwardly and said nothing. This result was better than the best result he had imagined.
[What did the scientist say to my brother that made him tolerate a city of Mohists? My brother has always had zero tolerance for those who disobey the king's orders.]
Ying Chengjiao was really curious.
The convoy traveled around several counties in Korea for more than a month.
On the third day of May, the First Emperor decided to go to Zhao, and the patrol team set out towards Zhao.
On the fifth day of May, after two days' march, the patrol team, which was about to enter Zhao, turned around and headed for Qi.
The accompanying historian recorded in the History of Qin:
[On April 19th, a meteorite fell from the sky in Donghai County, with a message on it: The First Emperor will die and the land will be divided.]
[On the fifth day of the fifth month, the emperor heard the news and was furious. He abandoned Zhao and went to Qi.]
Donghai County is located on the coast of the East China Sea and is part of Qi territory.
There are many roads to get from Han to Qi. Ying Chengjiao chose a road that goes through Chu - through Dang County, Sishui County, and then to Donghai County.
Pei County is located in Sishui County.
Anyway, I have to go to Donghai County, so it doesn't matter which road I take. I might as well stop by and see Liu Bang.
In addition, Ying Chengjiao is also looking forward to the meeting between Wu Caishen and Guiguzi.
The convoy was no longer parading leisurely, but was speeding like an army march.
The First Emperor was particularly irritable.
The celestial phenomenon of Mars guarding the heart is in front, and the prophecy of a meteorite falling to the ground is behind.
Although he had lost his reverence for heaven due to the influence of Ying Chengjiao, these many signs still made him feel uneasy.
Ying Chengjiao, who was traveling with him, was on the contrary very happy, extremely happy.
The First Emperor asked several times but couldn't figure out why, so he simply gave up and thought that his brother was sick again.
He summoned all the Yin-Yang doctors and the prime minister Zhao Gongming to discuss the matter.
Several yin-yang doctors did not dare to make a rash statement, saying that they had to see the meteorite with their own eyes before they could make a statement. This was also true for Zhao Gongming, a mysterious person who came to the door on his own initiative while riding a black tiger.
If Xu Fu had not died, these Yin-Yang doctors might have dared to express their guesses.
But Xu Fu died because of false accusations against Chang'an Jun.
With precedents in place, these yin-yang doctors dare not speak out their half-baked ideas.
The Yin-Yang doctors he had hired were unable to draw any conclusions about these signs, which made the First Emperor so furious that he almost lost control of his anger and executed all of them.
It is said that time is the best medicine, but even after nearly half a decade, the First Emperor's mood had not yet calmed down.
But the First Emperor was no longer anxious. His reason prevailed again and he ordered the caravan not to rush.
The meteorite has already fallen, there is no point in being anxious.
The convoy was no longer in a state of forced march and returned to its normal marching speed, which made the ministers, who had been pampered and complained about the extremely uncomfortable life, feel relieved.
At night, the caravan set up camp. Ying Chengjiao found the First Emperor, whose mind had finally cleared, and took him to an open space where he could see the starry sky without being blocked by tree branches. He asked all the followers to stay a hundred steps away.
"Don't worry, my brother. The meteorite in Donghai County must have been man-made."
Ying Chengjiao's first words made the First Emperor feel relieved.
"Lu Sheng, Han Zhong, Hou Sheng, these yin and yang doctors can't figure it out, how dare you make such a conclusion?"
"If this inscribed meteorite really exists, it will fall in Dongjun, not Donghai County, in a few years!"
Ying Chengjiao smiled brightly.
The event of a meteorite falling from the sky with the seven words "The First Emperor will die and the land will be divided" written on it was clear to anyone who had a little in-depth knowledge of the Qin Dynasty, and Ying Chengjiao naturally knew it as well.
He couldn't remember the exact year this happened, but it was definitely not this year.
Because of his arrival, the First Emperor unified the world ten years ahead of schedule. In the original history, at this point in time, the three words "First Emperor" did not yet exist, and the world was still filled with many countries.
He didn't remember the time, but he remembered the place.
He clearly remembered that the meteorite fell in Dongjun, not Donghai County!
"How did you know that?"
The First Emperor said in a deep voice.
"What I have learned is diverse, and I just happen to know a little bit about Yin-Yang techniques."
Ying Chengjiao pulled the First Emperor to sit down.
He found a branch and began to draw on the ground, pointing to the stars in the sky and explaining.
At first the First Emperor thought it was just his brother's mischief, but the more he listened, the more serious his expression became.
The First Emperor did not know the art of Yin and Yang, and he was not very interested in this kind of art of prophecy and divination. If everything could be calculated accurately, then the Zhou Dynasty, which was ruled by the Ji clan who was proficient in Yishu, should not have declined and finally perished.
But the First Emperor had read the books of Yin-Yang School carefully. He did not know the art of Yin-Yang, but he could understand it and knew how to use it.
The Qin Dynasty was established as the water virtue and worshipped black. The theory of the five elements rotation of dynasties was put forward by the Yin-Yang School.
And everything Ying Chengjiao said and drew was correct.
[This guy's attainments in Yin-Yang arts are even higher than those of Lu Sheng, Hou Sheng and other Yin-Yang doctors.]
[Learning martial arts and Yin-Yang magic, this guy has wasted all his energy on these useless things! ]
The First Emperor looked somewhat gloomy.
Ying Chengjiao didn't understand what was going on, and thought he had copied something wrong, so he tried to test it:
"Didn't my brother understand?"
The First Emperor said unhappily:
"I understand, go on!"
"Why does your Royal Brother look unhappy? When I was explaining government affairs to you when we were little, you looked like this."
The First Emperor's face looked even worse.
Although Zhao Ji had carefully cultivated him since childhood, he could never compare to Ying Chengjiao, who had been fully cultivated by the Qin royal family - the Ying family.
Zhao Ji's family had a high status in the State of Zhao, and Zhao Ji was exposed to many important events. However, there were some important events that only the royal family of Zhao knew about.
After arriving in Xianyang from Handan, for a long period of time, the First Emperor was unable to express any outstanding opinions on many extremely important political affairs, and needed Ying Chengjiao to give him special lessons.
The unyielding First Emperor was very depressed when he was given tutoring by his younger brother who was four years younger than him.
Although this was due to the huge differences in their growing environments, the strong-willed Emperor Qin Shi Huang still felt embarrassed.
This was also one of the reasons why the First Emperor studied hard, was extremely diligent in government affairs, and had to review a stone of memorials before going to bed every day.
The current scene is very similar to that of more than ten years ago.
"You know a lot, you kid. You haven't been to court for ten years, so you've learned these?"
Ying Chengjiao lowered his head and continued to recite seriously.
"Mars belongs to the element of fire, and is also called Mars..."
[Zhao Gongming, if you try to trick me, I will stew your black tiger and eat it! ]
Zhao Gongming, who ran out to sleep alone with Black Tiger again, was sleeping soundly when he suddenly sneezed.
The dark-faced burly man opened his eyes and frowned slightly.
"Someone cursed me?"
Having traveled a long way in both the Yin and Yang and the immortal ways, he would not be as clueless as Ying Chengjiao who was cursed by witchcraft and sneezed for a whole day.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, drew two random lines on the grass, and then looked towards the direction where Ying Chengjiao was with an incredible look on his face.
"Why do you have ill will towards me? I risked my head to accompany you in deceiving the emperor!"
In the past ten days, at the request of Ying Chengjiao, he racked his brains and finally came up with a set of excuses that even the doctors of Yin-Yang School could not find any fault with.
The explanation that Ying Chengjiao claimed the meteorite in Donghai County was man-made is simple because it is a fact.
Zhao Gongming did not see any meteorites falling from the sky in the past three months. If there was no meteorite falling that day, it was man-made. Zhao Gongming just needs to tell the truth according to the astronomical phenomena and the terms of yin and yang.
But there was no trace of the great evil of Shaqiu, Emperor Ke, or Zhao Gongming mentioned by Ying Chengjiao later, which made it too difficult.
In front of a group of Yin-Yang doctors, Zhao Gongming had to compile a set of Yi-numeric arguments that compared the celestial phenomena based on what Ying Chengqi had mentioned.
If it weren't for what Ying Chengjiao did, Zhao Gongming would have treated him as a saint and would never have accompanied him in committing the crime of deceiving the emperor!
"Sand dunes are a bad omen for me?"
The First Emperor narrowed his eyes .
"The celestial phenomena indicate this. Although you and I do not believe in heaven, there is no need to cause trouble for ourselves. My brother, just remember not to go."
Ying Chengjiao didn't believe in heaven or fate, but there was no need to test such things.
According to historical records, the First Emperor died of illness in Shaqiu, and Ying Chengjiao naturally disliked Shaqiu.
The news of the meteorite falling from the sky in Donghai County made Ying Chengjiao more confident in the reform. In order to reassure the First Emperor, he decided to guide him with the Yin-Yang technique that the First Emperor could understand.
If he told the truth and told the First Emperor that he was a time traveler from the future and that the meteorite fell too early and in the wrong place, the First Emperor would definitely ask Xia Wuqi to cure his hysteria.
