Ying Fusu

"Back then, when I was ordered to leave Xianyang, Lord Zhang was still a general whom the First Emperor valued."

"Two years have passed. I never imagined that Lord Zhang would already be serving in the Imperial Household Department?"

The following morning.

The side hall of the central palace of Xianyang Palace.

Looking down at Zhang Han, the Chief of the Imperial Household Department, who was kneeling upright in the side seat, Fusu could only sigh.

In the original owner's memory, Zhang Han was indeed a warrior with distinctive Qin characteristics.

— Frank and upright.

He is clean, efficient, and quite pure, a stark contrast to the typical bureaucrat who beats around the bush.

Fusu was certain that if the original owner of this body had met Zhang Han, he would have uttered the same sigh.

Furthermore, as a visitor from later generations, Fusu's impression of Zhang Han, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, was mostly concentrated after the Second Emperor ascended the throne and the world descended into chaos.

When the entire Qin court was embroiled in infighting and helpless against the uprising of the rebel army, it was Zhang Han, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, who stepped forward.

No soldiers?

The hundreds of thousands of convicts who built the Lishan Imperial Mausoleum were soldiers!

No weapons?

The spears, halberds, and swords that have been completed and placed in the tomb pit along with the terracotta warriors were the weapons used by Zhang Han to quell the rebellion!

Leading this motley crew of hundreds of thousands, Zhang Han pushed the rebel army all the way back to Guandong, demonstrating his undeniable military talent.

If it weren't for the fact that he encountered Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King who was determined to fight to the death, at Julu, that rebellion that swept across the entire land might have actually been quelled by Zhang Han alone.

In this generation, the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty was Fusu.

Zhang Han was probably no longer needed to save the chaotic and corrupt Second Qin court from collapse.

However, this does not mean that Fusu would overlook Zhang Han's military talent, which has been proven by history.

"I am grateful for the trust of the First Emperor, and there is no one else in the court who can be of use."

"It is only because I, a crude and uncouth military man, have been given the high position of one of the Nine Ministers and am in charge of managing the imperial treasury for the First Emperor."

Fusu's words were spoken in a casual, relaxed tone, and there was no hidden meaning in them.

This left Zhang Han with much speculation and guesswork, but he couldn't figure it out, so he gave a standard and conventional response.

Upon hearing Zhang Han's words, Fusu smiled and waved his hand, saying, "You are too modest, Your Excellency."

"In our Great Qin Dynasty, there has never been such a thing as a 'crude and vulgar warrior'."

"Since Shang Yang's reforms, which boosted the morale of the Qin army and people by awarding twenty ranks of military merit, our Qin has always been known among the feudal lords for its martial spirit."

"When the six states were not yet destroyed, the Qin state, a tiger and wolf, was hated and feared by the six states for many years."

...

"The spirit of martial prowess is the backbone of our Great Qin."

"A valiant warrior, he is the pillar of our great Qin."

"Your Excellency possesses the talent of a general, so please do not use words like 'a crude and vulgar warrior' to excessively express humility."

"The fierce and valiant warriors of our Great Qin would not want their generals to be such reserved and humble individuals."

……

If Zhang Han still cannot understand Fusu's implied meaning after all this has been said, then he is not worthy of being called the Nine Ministers of Qin.

—Fusu, this is clearly meant to bring Zhang Han back to his comfort zone: the military.

As for the reason, Zhang Han only needed a moment's thought to make a rough guess.

He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively began, "What Your Majesty is worried about..."

"Is it the north wall?"

"Still Lingnan?"

"Or perhaps the southwestern barbarians, or the Gija Joseon of the northeast?"

Then Fusu responded with a smile, and didn't forget to raise his hand and repeatedly point at Zhang Han.

Talking to smart people can save you a lot of effort.

However, Zhang Han's mention of the Qin Dynasty's current strategic focus on four external directions has given Fusu a greater desire to speak and explain.

"Don't rush to build the north wall."

"—As early as the Warring States period, our Great Qin, along with the states of Yan and Zhao, each defended against the northern barbarians."

"Since then, the barbarian tribes of the grasslands have never gained the slightest advantage over our Chinese people."

"Yan and Zhao have each expanded their territory northward by hundreds of miles, while our Great Qin has established itself as a stronghold in the Hetao and Hexi regions, which serve as a breeding ground for horses."

...

"After unifying the country, the First Emperor appointed Meng Tian, ​​the current Grand Tutor and former General-in-Chief, to lead troops to drive the barbarians northward for a thousand miles."

"Over the past decade, the teacher said it was 'guarding the border,' but in reality, it had already frightened the barbarian tribes on the grasslands beyond the Great Wall to flee north at the sight of the Qin army's banners, not daring to draw their bows in response, and even less daring to go south to graze their horses."

"At present, although the teacher has returned to Xianyang from the north wall and become the emperor's tutor, the border troops at the north wall are not so leaderless as to fall into disarray."

These words excluded Beiqiang from Zhang Han's future plans, and Fusu paused briefly.

After Zhang Han nodded thoughtfully, he continued, "As for Lingnan, there's no need to say more."

"—In the 28th year of the First Emperor's reign, Tu Sui was the commander-in-chief and Zhao Tuo was the deputy commander-in-chief, leading an army of 500,000 to approach Lingnan."

"After Tu Sui died in battle, the First Emperor appointed Ren Xiao as general, and in the end, he conquered the Lingnan Baiyue region for our Great Qin."

...

"Four years ago, Lingnan was pacified, and the First Emperor established three prefectures: Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiangjun."

"Now, Ren Xiao is the Commandant of Nanhai Commandery, in charge of three commanderies, and is known among the people as: the Commandant of the Southeast."

"With Zhao Tuo, the magistrate of Longchuan, as his deputy, there will be no way things will go wrong in Lingnan."

"—As the Minister of the Imperial Household, you should understand this perfectly well, shouldn't you?"

"The three prefectures of Lingnan have long been stable. What they lack is neither a large army nor good generals."

"Instead, the money and grain were used to stabilize the common people and support the officials."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Han's face immediately showed approval. He nodded and sighed with a wry smile, "Yes~".

"Since the First Emperor unified China, the taxes and levies collected by the court were all allocated to specific purposes well in advance."

"The salaries of high-ranking officials and bureaucrats take up more than half of the agricultural tax revenue."

"The remainder is barely enough to cover the expenses of the troops stationed at the northern border and the Lingnan garrison."

...

"Without the agricultural taxes from the national treasury, we can only rely on the poll tax and household tax from the Imperial Treasury."

"The Great Wall, the Straight Road, and the like, have been eaten up in large quantities."

"The First Emperor mostly didn't ask how much was left, and sent it all to Lingnan."

"As Your Majesty said: What Lingnan lacks is not soldiers, but money and provisions."

"When the three prefectures of Lingnan were first established, the First Emperor issued an order: within five years, Lingnan will not be required to pay taxes to Xianyang."

"However, in reality, Ren Xiao and Zhao Tuo repeatedly submitted memorials to Xianyang, stating that Lingnan would still need Xianyang to provide financial and grain support within the next five years."

"Five years later, the support can be reduced slightly, but it should not be cut off, so as not to expect Lingnan to be self-sufficient."

"It may take at least ten years before Lingnan can support the framework of the three prefectures with local tax revenue."

"As for the fact that, on the basis of self-sufficiency, there is still surplus capacity to pay taxes and provide provisions to Xianyang..."

In the end, Zhang Han simply shook his head and smiled knowingly.

Fusu immediately understood: let alone getting Lingnan to pay taxes to the central government in Xianyang;

Even the five-year and ten-year timeframes that Zhang Han mentioned earlier were mostly the most optimistic—or even overly optimistic—estimates.

After all, Fusu, as a visitor from later generations, knew all too well what Lingnan was like, especially Lingnan in this era.