Chapter 5: Brawl at the Construction Site

  The Straight Road was the earliest "national road" in Chinese history. In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang unified the six states and ordered the construction of a straight road with Xianyang as the center to connect all parts of the country. The purpose was to strengthen ties with all parts of the country, facilitate the dispatch of troops, consolidate rule, and also make it convenient for himself to tour the four seas.

  There are nine famous roads, including the Shangjun Road that leads to Shangjun from modern-day Gaoling, the Linjin Road that crosses the Yellow River and connects to Shanxi, the Dongfang Road that exits through Hangu Pass and connects to Henan, Hebei, and Shandong, the Wuguan Road that exits through modern-day Shangluo and connects to the southeast, the Zhandao Road that exits through Qinling and connects to Sichuan, the Xifang Road that exits through modern-day Longxian and connects to Ningxia and Gansu, the Zhidao Road that exits through modern-day Chunhua and connects to Jiuyuan, and the Binhaiguo Road that leads to Jianghuai and Kuaiji. According to the "Han Shu: Jia Shan Biography", on flat terrain, the Qin roads were 50 paces wide, with a tree planted every three zhang, and metal pegs used to compact the earth on both sides of the road, while the middle section was reserved for imperial carriages.

  Because Qin Er Shi, who had just ascended to the throne, was about to tour Guiji, Yin Xu and other civilians who received the summons were going to Guiji to repair the coastal highway. The location is in Guiji, Yin Xu inferred based on the geographical knowledge of previous generations, probably in the southern part of Jiangsu today, along the Yangtze River.

  Locals have been arriving at the construction site for over a month, repeating tasks of moving stones and carrying water, driving piles and tamping earth every day. The high-intensity labor day after day, coupled with poor food, has left many people exhausted to the bone, complaining constantly.

  Among them, Yin Xu and the people from Xiangxi Town were quite good. Thanks to the guidance of the goddess, he successfully solved the problem of Wu Youcai's family being haunted by ghosts at midnight, and his reputation spread quickly. Most of the civilians from Xiangxi Town admired him greatly, and with Yin Xu's enthusiastic and generous personality, he soon got along well with everyone, enjoying great prestige among them.

  Arrived at the construction site, he naturally became the leader of Xiangxi Town. Yin Xu, from modern times, had many advantages over others, occasionally using leverage principles, designing pulleys for convenience, and managing methods of division of labor and cooperation, greatly improving the progress of the project. The supervisor, Xiao Li Gao Yi, admired him very much, and the two got along extremely well, with an unparalleled "official-people relationship". The workers in Xiangxi Town benefited a lot from Yin Xu's leadership, with high efficiency and good food and treatment, and their respect and gratitude for Yin Xu grew even more.

  In addition, Yin Xu did not forget one of his main purposes for coming here, which was to make friends with heroes. Among the thousands of workers who participated in this section of meritorious deeds, Yin Xu found that there were only a few people who could be considered heroes after a month. The ones he often socialized with were just Pu Jun, Lu Ming, and Zhou Da, among whom Pu Jun was particularly close to him.

  Pu Jun came from a hunting family in the mountains, his mother died early, and his father and brother went to serve on the Great Wall several years ago and never returned. He was about the same age as Yin Xu, clever and capable, a young hero. His martial arts skills were exceptional, he once killed a snow leopard with his bare hands in the mountains, it is said that his specialty was archery, but there was no opportunity to demonstrate it, and few people had seen it.

  Lu Ming is the kind of intelligent person who sees everything clearly and doesn't act rashly. Another great advantage is that once he's entrusted with a task, it will definitely be completed smoothly. In modern workplace terms, that should count as having strong execution power!

  Zhou Da is tall and majestic, with great strength, and a generous and open-minded person. However, he is somewhat too straightforward and impulsive, often getting agitated over trivial matters.

  There was actually another person that Yin Xue admired, and that was the supervisor Xiao Li Gao Yi. This person was a scholar, around thirty years old, warm and kind-hearted, but in many people's eyes, he was just a weak and bookish scholar. However, Yin Xue did not think so.

  After days of continuous contact, Yin Xu discovered that Gao Yi was absolutely a personal talent. He handled things in an orderly manner, and the construction of the large project under his arrangement proceeded smoothly without any confusion or delay. How many workers were needed for each task? How long would it take to complete? There had never been a single mistake, and progress was rapid. Yin Xu's method of division of labor and cooperation was exactly what he wanted, and the two men quickly came together in harmony, their relationship developing naturally.

  Gao Yi's insights on many things were very unique, which made Yin Xu, a modern person, appreciate him greatly. However, due to the era and circumstances he lived in, some topics could only be touched upon lightly. Gao Yi was a diligent and down-to-earth person who did not like flattery or intrigue, so despite having great ambitions, he remained a minor official who was often ostracized. This time, repairing the imperial highway, a task that was both laborious and thankless, naturally fell to him.

  On this day, after finishing work, Yin Xu was about to go find Pu Jun and Lu Ming to chat. But before he even got there, he saw from afar that the construction shed in the woods was crowded with many people, all jumbled together.

  Yin Xu took three steps in two, rushed over to see the outcome, and pushed through the crowd. But he saw Lu Ming lying on the ground with a broken head and bleeding, motionless, his life or death uncertain. In the arena, five big men were surrounding Pu Jun, fighting fiercely, Pu Jun's movements were agile, but after all, two fists couldn't defeat ten hands. He was already at a disadvantage, and had been hit several times in a row.

  Yin Xu recognized several tall and sturdy men, who were from a certain county in the nearby Guiji Prefecture, five brothers. Usually relying on their own five brothers, strong and powerful, they dominated the construction site, often bullying others, and were also notorious local bullies.

  Looking at the situation now, it's likely that those five thugs bullied and injured Lu Ming. Pu Jun probably intervened to rescue Lu Ming. Although many people were watching, no one came forward to mediate or help. The bystander effect is an old problem in our country, alas!

  At this time, it's too late to think more, Yin Xu rushed in and joined the battle group, leaning on Pu Jun's back and asked: "Brother, are you okay?"

  "It doesn't matter!"

  "First deal with them before talking!"

  Yin Xu made use of the combat skills he learned during his time in military school, and having worked physically demanding jobs for a long time before, his body was very robust, which was absolutely beneficial at this moment. The three principles of combat - speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness - were deeply ingrained in Yin Xu, who had always been one of the top three in the annual school combat competition, and he grasped them perfectly.

  A few thugs saw Yin Xu rush in, showing a disdainful expression, and swarmed up, thinking that five against two was fair and reasonable, with a 100% chance of winning.

  "Speed" is the first key to fighting, especially in situations where you're outnumbered. Yin Xu rushed forward without hesitation, taking the initiative to strike first, and kicked the person in front of him right at the knee joint. He was well aware that although he was skilled in combat, Pu Jun was also agile, but after all, he was outnumbered, and if surrounded by several people, it would be difficult for him to gain the upper hand.

  The burly man was caught off guard, never expecting Yin Xu to strike first with such a ruthless move. He didn't expect the young whippersnapper in front of him to have such skills, and his leg was suddenly struck, causing him to kneel down and fall to the ground. If you don't make a move, it's fine, but if you do, you must be accurate with your attack position and ruthless! Before the others behind could react, Yin Xu immediately rushed up and threw a punch at one person's eye socket, causing them to become dizzy and see stars in front of their eyes.

  The crowd had never seen Yin Xu before, and they didn't have much hope for the young man with a weak crown. They didn't expect him to make such a swift move, knocking down two people in an instant. The crowd applauded and cheered, and Yin Xu exchanged a glance with Pu Jun, greatly increasing their confidence.

  In an instant, he put down two people, and the remaining three were suddenly furious. Before several companions got up and came back to their senses, they surrounded him again. How could he give them too many opportunities? Without hesitation, he rushed forward. The two men in front of him came back to their senses, crawled up from the ground, and five people attacked together.

  Yin Xu and Pu Jun exchanged a smile, putting everything in their eyes. However, they were just a group of rough men who relied on brute force, without any strategy or skill, what was there to fear? Moreover, there was also Zhou Da, who had even greater strength, rushing over upon hearing the news...