Qu Yi looked at Ziyou, who was sitting down, and took a deep breath and said

"Master Wang, it's not that the lower officials don't want to clean up the mountain bandits, but this is a stubborn disease in Shu County, and the lower officials also wanted to go out of the city to suppress the bandits, but every time they were discouraged."

"Sit down and let me hear what this stubborn disease is?" Ziyou asked curiously, Qu Yi's words were full of helplessness and unwillingness, it seems that this Shushan mountain bandit is not as simple as it seems on the surface.

"This group of mountain bandits is the bandits on Shu Mountain, they have been entrenched in Shu Mountain since the establishment of Shu County, and the county guards of all dynasties have mobilized troops to suppress bandits, but the terrain of Shu Mountain is dangerous, intricate, even the most experienced mountain people can not say that they can enter and exit safely in Shu Mountain, so every time the bandits can only return in vain, and the mountain bandits rely on their flexible skills in the dense forest with vines like walking on the ground.

In the end, we had to give up going into the mountains to suppress the bandits and set up an ambush in the trade road, which was quite effective at first, but I don't know when it began, the mountain bandits knew our movements, and the successive county guards found out about this problem, suspecting that it was the rumor that someone was walking inside, but after some investigation, nothing was found.

Since then, there is no other way than to send troops to symbolically maintain the order of the trade road from time to time, but since ten years ago, this group of mountain bandits suddenly rarely haunted, and even if they appeared, a few people were all killed by the caravan's guards, and gradually the bandits in Shushan were forgotten, and I don't know why they reappeared recently, and they also disturbed the adults. Qu Yi said,

"Ten years ago?" Ziyou muttered to himself, behind these mountain bandits there is the shadow of Yu Yuan's guards, or the people in Yu Yuan's guards are pretending, ten years ago was the time when the Eastern Emperor Taiyi entered Yu Yuan in Shu Mountain, at that time, Yu Yuan's guards and the Yin and Yang family went to war, the Yin and Yang family was almost destroyed, and Yu Yuan's guards also suffered serious losses, so this bandit gradually disappeared.

"Yes, Xiaguan took over as the Taishou of Shu County five years ago, and it was okay a few years ago, but the banditry has gradually recovered in the past two years, and Xiaguan also sent people to suppress the bandits, and the same thing happened. The officials of the trade road also sent people to inspect from time to time to ensure the circulation of the trade road, and the caravan was guarded, and the small caravan followed the big caravan together, but there was no major problem. Qu Yi said.

It's not that he doesn't want to suppress bandits, Shu County bandits are a great achievement, if he clears them, it is not a problem to go straight to the court, but the army's action food and grass expenses are serious, and if the army is stationed in the business road, the cost is too high, so it can only maintain the previous appearance.

"I'll stay in Shu County for a while, do you want to deal with the bandits here?" Ziyou looked at Qu Yi and said.

"If you can get rid of this bandit, Master Wang can let the lower officials do anything!" Qu Yi immediately stood up and said, he had heard before that Ziyou was resourceful and unparalleled, and he had no last resort, if he could come up with an idea, this bandit might not really be able to solve it.

Ziyou looked at Qu Yi, the corners of his mouth curled slightly, revealing his signature smile.

Chengdu, Sima Mansion.

Sima Chang and Ziyou took leave to go home to visit their parents, and after Sima Chang left home for five years, Ziyou also promised, Sima Su had already met his mother, and was talking to his father about things on the road in the study at the moment.

"That's what we've been through on the road." Sima Chang looked at his contemplative father and said.

"I've also heard a lot of news about this Master Wang, you said that this Master Wang may have other purposes for entering Shu?" Sima Su looked at Sima Chang and asked.

"Yes, when I first set off, Wang Shi asked me about the Shu clan, father, you may not know, the battle of Korea, Wang Shi was the commander, and the Korean magnates were killed, and the treasures sent to Xianyang were worth three years of taxes in Qin.

Now the whole country is working everywhere, the army is stationed in three places, and it costs countless money, food, and grass, especially the army on the side of Yingchuan County is staring at the Wei State, and it may start a war at any time, so the court is now very short of money, and Shu County is rich, there are countless merchants, and there is countless money at home.

What's more critical is that on the way, Master Wang also mentioned the previous rebellion in Shu and his grandfather Sima Jin, which is tantamount to beating us! Sima Chang looked at his father and gritted his teeth and said

"Father, you tell me the truth, does the Sima family have anything to do with the rebellion and banditry in Shu County!"

Sima Su, who was pondering, was frightened by Sima Chang's suddenly raised voice, sat up from his seat, looked at Sima Chang's eyes full of hatred, and said

"Chang'er, you are confused! Master Wang is not beating us, but providing us with opportunities to make meritorious contributions! ”

"Huh!?" Sima Chang was stunned by Sima Su's sudden voice.

"I finally know why Ling is only an iron official in Xianyang, you can't grasp such an opportunity, why did I give birth to such a fool as you!" Sima Su said with hatred that iron is not steel.

"Father, why can't I understand what you're saying?" Sima Chang asked confusedly.

"Our Sima family is to help the King of Qin to guard Shu County, the original Shu land was led by the ancestors to lay down, although the Sima family is now in decline, but it is still the leading clan in Shu County, and it will not degenerate to the level of becoming a raccoon dog with the mountain bandits, Master Wang obviously knows, so I asked you about these big clans and rebellions, what is the purpose, is to give us a chance, let us have a chance to make meritorious contributions!" Sima Su looked at Sima Chang with a look of pity.

"What chance!?" Sima Chang asked.

"You are really stupid, you know that Master Wang is going to do something to the clan of Shu County, so why don't you immediately be loyal, the king rewarded the widow Qing this time to tell the clans and merchants of Shu County that as long as you serve the Qin State, your reward will not be less, this is to win over, Master Wang is here for this." Sima Su said.

After listening to his son's words, Sima Su looked sorry, if Sima Chang was loyal to Ziyou at that time, and was willing to be the first person to be loyal, and drive the Shu County clan and businessmen to donate money and materials, this is a great achievement, although the second and the first are only successively, but the status is not the same, their Sima family has been in decline for too long, the Sima family was also one of the best families in the Qin State, but now the influence is only in Shu County, this is the eternal pain of the Sima family, the successive heads of the Sima family are committed to revitalizing the family, Sima Su felt that this important task could be realized in his generation.

"Why do I feel that Master Wang is not trying to win over, but really wants to do it?" Sima Chang still insisted on his own point of view,

"It's for sure, the bandits in Shu are endless, if there is no one behind me to support me, I don't believe it, but the Sima family has taken root in Shu County for many years, and has contacts with all families and ethnic groups, Master Wang entered Shu alone, and he definitely needs the help of the local clan, and I tell you that these are just to test the attitude of the Sima family." Sima Su said as he walked back and forth with his hands behind his back.

"Is that really the case?" Sima Chang looked at his father and asked with some hesitation, how did he feel that his father was thinking too much?

"Of course, when Master Wang traveled to various countries, his every move was interlocking, and everything he did was never superfluous, all for the great events of the Qin State to unify the world, do you really think that you are a small iron official worthy of being discussed by Master Wang personally?

Now the county guard is preparing a reception banquet for Lord Ziyou, and the Shu County clan and officials will attend at that time, and the father must prepare well, the Sima family has waited for two generations, since my father your grandfather Sima Jin, the Sima family has once again ushered in the opportunity of Zhongxing, and this time it must be grasped. Sima Su said.

Qu Yi told the Shu County clan and officials in advance that the envoy this time was Ziyou, in order to remind them that the identity of the person who came was not ordinary, you all be careful, in order to deal with Ziyou, everyone collected Ziyou's intelligence everywhere, there are many merchants in Shu County, the news circulates naturally, and the news of Ziyou is endless, in Sima Su's opinion, Ziyou's every move has its deep meaning, and what he did during his travel around the country was to lay the groundwork for Qin to unify the world, and Bai Yifei's surrender is the best explanation!

Therefore, Sima Su was absolutely sure that what he was thinking was right.

"Chang'er told her father what Master Wang liked? The greeting must be ready. Sima Su said.

"I don't know this, except for a few people such as Tingwei Li Sili and others in Xianyang who go to visit Wang Shi, I haven't heard of anyone else visiting Wang Shi, and I haven't heard of what Wang Shi likes, but Wang Shi studied under Confucianism, and maybe he likes elegant things such as classics." Sima Chang said.

"Who are the three women traveling with Master Wang?" Sima Su asked.

"One is the Dongjun of the Yin-Yang family, Concubine Yan, and the other is a Baiyue woman, called Yan Lingji, and the woman with the veil at the end is said to be from the Yin-Yang family." Sima Chang said.

"Good! Classics, Yin and Yang Family, right? Chang'er went to ask the general to take out a few fine jade jewels from the treasury. Sima Su turned around and looked at the bookshelf, in addition to the books that their Sima family originally had, most of the classics on this bookshelf were captured from the Shu royal family when their ancestor Sima Cuo captured the Shu Kingdom, and they were all ancient books treasured by the Shu royal family, and some of them were obtained from the families and Yu Yuan guards who participated in the rebellion when they put down the rebellion in Shu.

Sima Su picked out a few volumes of books, dried the dust on them, and began to wipe them carefully, the contents of these books had been written on paper, and sending them out not only expressed the sincerity of their Sima family, but also the Sima family did not lose.

The advent of paper replaced bamboo slips, but the bamboo slips that used to record the classics became extremely valuable, because they were all unique books.

Sima Chang also came over with some jewelry, each of which is priceless, Sima Su looked at the books and jewelry is very satisfied, the gift should not only be to be favored, but also to choose the right object, since Ziyou took three women into Shu, it means that the three of them are very important in Ziyou's heart, as long as the gift blows a little pillow wind, their Sima family is still worried about not being able to hug the thighs? The pillow wind is more useful than giving 10,000 books, although the three women are not ordinary people, but as long as they are women, they can't resist the temptation of jewelry.

At night, the county guard house is brightly lit, and the steward at the door greets the people who come to the banquet with a smile.

The people who came to the banquet all wanted to have a relationship with Ziyou, and after everyone was seated, they started talking to the people around them, which was a welcome banquet for Ziyou, and it was also a banquet for them to connect with each other.

The seats of the banquet were strictly arranged according to their identity and status, the officials were on the left, and opposite them were people from the four major families, and they were all famous families or scholars in Chengdu.

Everyone whispered to each other as they looked at the empty main seat from time to time.

The closer the time to the start of the banquet, the quieter the voices of the crowd became, and the more subtle their expressions became, and soon the entire hall fell silent.

Looking at the empty throne, everyone realized that something might be wrong.

Just when everyone was thinking nonsense, Qu Yi, who was the county guard, walked into the main hall, but Qu Yi's expression was not very good, everyone's faces suddenly sank, and they looked at Qu Yi nervously one by one, and they guessed one or two in their hearts when they saw Qu Yi walking into the hall alone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Master Wang has been tired all the way, and he has been disturbed by the mountain bandits, and he has rested early, as for this banquet, it will be presided over by this official, and all your gifts should be brought back, Master Wang is not interested in these mundane things." Qu Yi arched his hand and said.

The people present were stunned one by one, they thought that Ziyou would be angry because of the matter of the mountain bandits, and even punish Qu Yi, but they didn't expect Ziyou to connect with the wind banquet and not come, unless it was to catch the wind and wash the dust, it was also to let Ziyou and Shu County contact it, so that things could be carried out later, but they didn't expect Ziyou to come at all, if someone else did this, they might give each other a good look, but the person who came was Ziyou, they didn't dare, in case they angered Ziyou, and they couldn't run away from the army directly into Shu.

As for the gifts sent, they didn't dare to take them, who knew if this was Ziyou testing them, and no one dared to say anything when they looked at each other, but this banquet ended in this weird atmosphere, and the depression and silence of the atmosphere made some people unbearable, and took the lead in standing up and saluting Qu Yi to say goodbye.

"I'm really sorry, there is something urgent at home, I heard that the lord likes fine wine, the caravan brought old wine from Northland County before, if you like it, you can come to my house another day, I will personally entertain the lord." Chen Shu, the head of the Chen family, saluted Qu Yi and said.

Qu Yi was slightly stunned, nodded with a smile and said, "The head of the Chen family is very important in handling family affairs. ”

Chen Shu saluted Qu Yi and left the hall, Sima Su looked at the back of Chen Shu's departure, Qu Yi is from the Northland, and has not returned to his hometown for more than five years, Chen Shu invited Qu Yi to drink the wine of his hometown, the deep meaning of which is self-evident.

(End of chapter)