Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 228 Grassland
After seeing the scenery at the seaside,

He Bo took Zhuang Zhou to the north again.

He specially made himself a new set of clothes, wrapped himself in a sheepskin coat, wore a hat with feathers, rode on a horse he had recruited, and blended in with the barbarians here.

Zhuang Zhou was also forced to follow the local customs and wear clothes with left-side lapel.

Because woolen clothes are much thicker and rougher than the cloth of other places, and Zhuang Zhou himself is actually a bit fat, so when he put on the new clothes, his whole body became round.

But he is a dead ghost, and his essence is nothingness.

Therefore, when Zhuang Zhou moved, there was no hindrance at all and he felt very light.

He Bo looked at him and laughed, "Hey, now you don't have to hold the gourd, you can also float in the water!"

after death,

According to his habit during his lifetime, Zhuang Zhou set up a pole rack in his yard and planted a bunch of gourds.

He would use these gourds to make some water-holding tools and exchange them with other dead ghosts.

Among them there was a particularly large one, which Zhuang Zhou loved very much. He often carried it on his back and showed it off everywhere.

Seeing him like this, He Bo specifically asked Zhuang Zhou "Why is it so?"
Zhuang Zhou said, "Isn't this your problem?"

"The many cities in the underworld can only be accessed through the Weak Water, but the Weak Water is deep and cold, and the dead cannot touch it directly. They can only ride on it in a boat. Be careful not to get entangled in the Weak Water and wash away your soul."

"I'm too lazy to look for a ferryman every time I cross the river, so using this big gourd as a boat is just right!"

"Is this gourd still so useful?"

He Bo was a little surprised:
How could a gourd the size of a child support the round body of Zhuang Zhou?
But then I thought about it,
Oh.
Zhuang Zhou is a ghost!

So he had no doubts.

Later, he followed Zhuang Zhou and lay on the gourd, and played rafting in the Weak Water several times.

Faced with He Bo's teasing, Zhuang Zhou was not moved at all.

Anyway, I'm used to it.

He just looked at the Hu people grazing not far away, then raised his hand and stroked his beard and said, "Judging from their appearance, are those people from Zhuxia?"

The appearance of a barbarian,
There are still some differences between him and the gentlemen of other countries.

This is mainly because the ancestors of the Xia people had long since occupied the most fertile land in the Central Plains for their descendants by relying on their illustrious military achievements, and their descendants lived up to their ancestors' expectations, using their diligence and wisdom to develop the land and firmly occupy it.

Therefore,
Many barbarians could only flee to the mountains or the desolate grasslands.

There's nothing we can do about it.

After all, since ancient times, the gentlemen of the various Chinese countries have been clamoring that "the most important affairs of the state are sacrifices and wars." After offering sacrifices to their ancestors, they would go to war, and after the war, they would use barbarians to offer sacrifices to their ancestors.

And faced with this perfect cycle,

The barbarians can only choose to respond to the call of nature in the distance and flee to places that the gentlemen of the Chinese nation have not yet looked down upon or have not expanded to.

As a result,
Being driven and displaced, living in a desolate and cold land, suffering from the sun and rain for a long time, and their eating habits and customs were also very different from those in the Central Plains. Naturally, the appearance of the barbarians was slightly different from that of the gentlemen of the Chinese nation.

Zhuang Zhou went to the plateau with ghosts and gods and saw the scenery there.

It is even more desolate than the grassland, and the people there are more hardworking and experienced than those in the Central Plains.

And now,
Zhuang Zhou discovered that the people herding cattle and sheep not far away also looked tired, but overall, they were very different from the native herdsmen.

He Bo nodded and said, "Yes, when Zhongshan was destroyed, some of them fled to the north."

"After that, the Three Jins were destroyed one after another, and more people came running over."

The ghost also sighed, "The descendants of Zhuxia are always particularly perseverant and good at learning."

"These people originally planned to farm here, but later they found that the soil and water on the grasslands were completely incomparable to those in the Central Plains, so they quickly turned to nomadic farming."

After hearing what he said, Zhuang Zhou quickly deduced the cause and effect in his mind:

After Zhao State adopted the Hu clothing and horse riding,
In order to sharpen his troops, he went to the grasslands many times to "hunt for grass and grain", and defeated many Hu people and absorbed them as part of the Zhao army.

These Hu people followed the State of Zhao. In order to make it easier for the State of Zhao to control them, they naturally had to move south to vacate the land they originally occupied and leave room for the remnants of Zhongshan who fled in all directions because of the fall of their country.

And those Zhongshan survivors,
Under the Zhongshan Kingdom's continuous policy of "Zhu Xiaization", they had long since become like the Zhu Xia people and became the descendants of Yan and Huang.

As Qin's pace of annexing the six states became faster and faster, more and more Xia people were forced to flee the Central Plains.

But if the grassland could be easily reclaimed and turned into vast arable land, the ancestors of the Xia people would have done it long ago. Why would they wait until this time?
then,

These Chinese people who came in large numbers finally chose to follow the path of "Tao follows nature", and implemented the truth said by the sages that "When Chinese people enter the barbarians, they become barbarians."

in this way,

This is how Zhuang Zhou saw the Xia people grazing their livestock.

But Zhuang Zhou had no additional opinions on this change.

Because choosing the way to survive according to the environment is a manifestation of "Tao".

How could it be possible to till the land and sow seeds when it is covered with snow?

All living things in this world are like water. No matter where they flow, they must learn to adapt to the environment there.

He just said, "No wonder I heard that the Xiongnu people on the grassland are descendants of the Xia Dynasty."

"Now it seems that such rumors are not fabricated out of thin air."

He Bo also said, "I have also seen this statement in the treasury room of Luoyi. Unfortunately, the Xia Dynasty is too far away from now, and the transition from Xia to Shang also destroyed some records. So even if the bone armor is immortal, it is impossible to determine whether this story is true or not."

"But Yan Zi once said: 'Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while those grown in the north of the Huai River are bitter oranges.' Thousands of years have passed, and the Xiongnu have long since separated from the Central Plains!"

Zhuang Zhou agreed with him.

But he sighed and said, "Seeing this scene today, I am worried that the Xiongnu will rise in the future and become the enemy of the Central Plains!"

The customs of the Huns
He had learned through ghosts and gods, as well as with his own eyes, that they were indeed different from many nomadic barbarians.

The Huns also believed in being buried in peace. It is said that their ancestors were all buried in a place called "Langjuxu Mountain", and they attached great importance to sacrifices.

Such customs were more easily accepted by the Xia people who fled and had to integrate into the grassland.

During the great changes in the Central Plains, the Xiongnu did absorb many new people, combining the wisdom from the Central Plains with their own military force to expand their own strength.

It has become a powerful force that cannot be underestimated on the grassland, and on the other side of the Qilian Mountains, it constantly challenges the original overlord Yuzhiren.

The Central Plains is undergoing tremendous changes.

Isn’t it the same on the grassland?

Zhuang Zhou therefore felt that

Qin's unification of the world may have been just the beginning of another great event.

He Bo just said to him, "Haven't you always been carefree and unconcerned about worldly affairs?"

Zhuang Zhou said, "This is a major event among our tribe. I have to say a few words no matter what, right?"

As for how exactly,

He can't participate in it.

Let them be!

Anyway, Zhuang Zhou is already dead.

He Bo laughed, looked to the north while riding his horse, and said with some regret, "It's a pity that the mountains and rivers on the grassland are always so rare, and the distances between them are also very far apart."

"Otherwise, I really want to go to Langjuxu Mountain to take a look!"

Who wouldn’t yearn for “Fenglangjuxu”?

Although for He Bo,
If he really went to that mountain, he would most likely be "sacrificed".

But it’s good to be able to go!

Thinking about his current pace of expansion, which is "stagnant" compared to before, He Bo couldn't help but hold his face in sorrow.

To the south,
Because the Huai River is so deeply connected with the Yellow River, after He Bo's progress bar was halfway through, the repulsive force of the Huai River on him also became much smaller.

But the Yangtze River is still difficult to moisten.

After all, in terms of water volume, the Huanghai and Huaihe Rivers combined cannot defeat this surging water dragon.

As for temper,

The Yangtze River and the Yellow River are actually comparable.

The waterway of the former is relatively stable, but it always likes to overflow silently, giving people "love nourishment" at every turn.

The latter likes wild diversions, bringing a "sweep of love" to the people on both sides of the strait.

After such a comparison,
He Bo can only say that the Yellow River is truly a "kind mother".

sometimes,
Too much water won’t make it easy to moisturize!
To the north,
Outside the range of Zhao Great Wall, the vegetation is very sparse, and on the vast grassland, there are few mountains and rivers for He Bo to use as a medium and "stepping stone".

Even now, He Bo's range of activities near mountains and rivers is already very wide. He is no longer confined to the cities built near mountains and rivers as he was at the beginning.

But who can blame the fact that the distribution density of mountains and rivers in the grassland is completely different from that in the Central Plains?
He Bo once tried to travel across the grassland, but the result he encountered was:
"Let's explore the area ahead later!"

For this,

The ghosts and gods who can moisten the plateau above and go to the underworld below can only "sigh at the wolf's lair".

Fortunately, He Bo was open-minded and did not dwell on this small problem. He decided to enjoy life in the moment and experience the infinite scenery of the grassland within the scope of his ability.

He said to Zhuang Zhou, "Come, I recently learned a beautiful ballad from those herdsmen. I will teach you to sing it!"

The chubby Zhuang Zhou sat on the ground, then thought it would be more convenient to lie down, so he leaned back and his entire body disappeared.

In this season, the grass, having enjoyed enough moisture from the rain, is growing wildly, fluttering in the wind, and is so dense that it obscures many things.

He Bo raised his voice, then waved his whip and sang an ancient folk song passed down by word of mouth among the herdsmen.

A gust of wind blew over.
Zhuang Zhou could see that the green grass bent down, revealing the cattle and sheep hiding among it.

(End of this chapter)