Chapter 9: The Bloody Straight Path

"The hairpin swayed..." How could Lü Zhe possibly offend an officer casually? "Zhe obeys the order."

It is even more terrifying than being torn to pieces

He deliberately stopped a prisoner of war, observing what the viscous liquid was while the prisoner was in a state of anxiety so intense that he was almost trembling

It was a grotesque creature supported by four massive horizontal beams, with wooden planks obscuring the view of its internal structure, and the bottom was covered with a dense array of oval conical objects

Once the equipment was set up, thousands of prisoners of war formed a long line like ants. Each person carried a load of dry soil on their shoulders, spreading the soil evenly in the dug trenches. They then exerted great effort to level the soil, raising the originally three-zhang deep trench slightly.

The tent is swaying, but it does not make any creaking sounds. Its structure is not particularly complex; some wooden materials support the four corners, and two not very thick crossbeams intersect in an X shape to reinforce the top. Some parts are sewn with hemp rope. The upright shape is not triangular; it is a kind of cubic form, with ropes binding the wooden materials at the corners, extending outside the tent and firmly anchored to the ground.

In the bewildered gaze of Lü Zhe, they brought over some viscous liquid with an unusual odor using wooden buckets.

Inner kings and outer sages, oh...! ... Heaven! What a peculiar theory of governance this is

As he moved further away, the scent became faint and barely audible. However, upon approaching, he was taken aback by how the aroma was so intense that it nearly made him dizzy. From this scent, he detected familiar traces, which seemed to resemble petroleum. Yet, based on its color, it appeared to be something else.

Indeed, last year I bought a watch, and after a long discussion, Lu Zhe finally understood that it meant "committing numerous evils" and "extreme aversion," among other negative evaluations. Just now, he was startled, thinking that Ma Ren was a time traveler from an island nation.

Philosophy

Lu Zhe bowed and said: "Mazhanniao (Zanniao, the third rank of the Qin nobility)!"

Now, the Qin army, where Lü Zhe is stationed, is set to march towards Shangjun for garrison. This is the first time he has heard someone mention a historical figure he might actually see with his own eyes. Of course, this opportunity is exceedingly slim, as the garrison commander can only catch a glimpse of the prefect from a great distance

The Qin army is still black, which is unrelated to the Five Elements Cycle. Currently, we are in an era of a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending. This may also have nothing to do with personal color preferences; black signifies depth (there is no typo here). The term depth refers to something as dense as a forest, and black naturally conveys a sense of weightiness. A deeper meaning that is universally applicable across all eras is 'death,' whether it be one's own death or inflicting death upon others. Perhaps this is the meaning that is intended to be conveyed.

In the Qin army, one cannot refer to a direct superior as "Lord"; instead, it should be the military rank along with the corresponding sequence and name. Often, it is referred to by the title of the 20th rank along with the surname or name.

The great era of conflict has just concluded, and Confucianism has become an exceedingly minor doctrine, one that is not accepted by the majority. It is understandable, for in a chaotic world filled with warfare, where nations and families can be annihilated in an instant, who would believe in the Confucian ideals of benevolence, propriety, and humility? Moreover, it seems that the nations that once adhered to Confucianism have inexplicably declined from their former strength, only to be swiftly destroyed by their enemies. The more prosperous Confucianism became, the faster the pace of its demise. The process of extinction could not be more bizarre... It appears that the nations that once embraced Confucianism have inexplicably declined from their former strength, only to be swiftly destroyed by their enemies. The more prosperous Confucianism became, the faster the pace of its demise. The process of extinction could not be more bizarre...

In front of Lu Zhe, hundreds of people were digging a trench approximately three zhang deep and six zhang wide, with those muscular young men battling the earth using wooden tools

After the large trench was excavated, more able-bodied men brought in a strange large apparatus

Crimson blood flowed across the thin soil, forming channels, while countless corpses attracted swarms of flies. Amidst the buzzing sound, Lü Zhe could not help but vomit in accompaniment to the exclamation "Wow," nearly unable to straighten his waist

Yinmi is less than fifty miles from the central administrative district of the Empire, and it is not close to any rivers. Listening to the officers of higher rank and the * map * books, Lü Zhe realized that the core of the Empire needed to strengthen the trunk of the straight road, but no one thought much about why this was necessary

What exactly should this be called? The liquid is indeed petroleum, but it is not the asphalt used for paving roads. The liquid contains both glutinous rice and wood chips, but there is no resin present. It should be described as a strange product that Lü Zhe does not understand.

Lu Zhe originally wanted to reach out and hook some to take a look, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. In the end, he waved his hand, allowing the renamed prisoner of war to continue working. He speculated that getting stuck to that strange object would bring great misfortune, indeed very great misfortune

The leader is actually the direct superior of Jia, a hundred-man commander named Ma Ren. He frequently meets with Lü Zhe due to official duties, and the two are relatively familiar with each other

The Qin army had a strict system; without direct orders from high-ranking officers, it was impossible to control the military tokens. Ma Ren thought that Lu Zhe was unwilling, and although he felt somewhat displeased, he could not blame him: "So be it."

Ma Ren did not appear to be rigid, which seemed somewhat inconsistent with the 'personality' of the Qin army. He smiled and clapped his hands, saying: 'You may drink with these demons and beasts while being shackled, is that acceptable?'

Subsequently, Lu Zhe learned about what is called "mass execution by decapitation," which involves nearly a thousand bound captives from different ethnic groups being escorted into a trench, one after another, forced to the ground, and all killed under the flashing blades of swords and knives.

It has been half a month since the last brawl among the prisoners of war. In order to strengthen the management of the prisoners, many soldiers of the Qin army have been assigned tasks. The unit of fifty commanded by Lü Zhe has also been tasked with supervising the prisoners of war. This does not seem to be particularly complicated; each day consists mainly of watching the prisoners dig and fill earth, and more often than not, it involves walking among the prisoners to exert intimidation.

Hundreds of gray and white tents are arranged in formations, either clustered or scattered, creating an inexplicable poetic atmosphere in the rainy weather

Until the soil buried all traces, Lü Zhe's feeling of nausea did not subside but rather intensified, for he saw dozens of prisoners of war carrying equipment down, which was clearly...

It seems that someone has mentioned that the straight roads of the Qin Empire still show traces of existence two thousand years after their establishment. The construction method of the straight roads is a mystery; however, in Lü Zhe's view, the process of building these roads was both grand and tedious

Waiting for Ma Ren to leave, it was only then that Lü Zhe had the opportunity to ask Jia: "What is... ...?"

Suppressing his disgust, Lu Zhe still commanded the soldiers to place the corpses at various positions along the straight path as per Ma Ren's instructions. This was not a religious ceremony, for soon after, prisoners of war would pour that viscous liquid over them, mixing the dark, murky substance with the corpses and blood, and a layer of soil would be covered once again.

The demon is evil, and the livestock are animals wwwhetushucomcom

Who is the current Chancellor of Shangjun? It is Sima Xin! Who is he? He is one of the three great generals of the later Zhang Han army, a well-known figure of indecision during the late Qin and Chu-Han period, and he is also a Confucian scholar

Amidst his wild thoughts, a group of soldiers drove a large number of people towards him. Upon seeing this, Lü Zhe quickly called for his direct troops to assemble. As they approached, he was astonished to discover that the people being driven by the soldiers were not prisoners of war; their attire clearly indicated that they were nomadic tribes.

The rain falls gently, resembling cascading curtains of water. Occasionally, when a strong wind blows, the tiny droplets suspended in the air sway back and forth, dancing and tumbling like silk. After the wind subsides, they slowly descend to the ground

The method of construction involves removing all grass, including trees, clearing any objects related to plants, and using a means that is incomprehensible to Lu Zhe to alter the flow of underground water sources, thereby ensuring that the soil within the construction area of the straight road remains as dry as possible

Ma Ren then laughed heartily and said: "Good!"

Jia's complexion was also not very good, but he mocked nearly a hundred comrades, including Lü Zhe, who were bent over and vomiting. His laughter was somewhat trembling and a bit hollow

Yesterday, he just learned of his location, which is not far from the capital, Xianyang. It is a medium-sized county under the jurisdiction of Beidi Commandery, called Yinmi.

I bought a watch last year! Lu Zhe was instantly taken aback, the words "demonic" and "beastly" deeply shocked him, "Uh?"