Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 343 The World in the Second Year of Yuanguang

In the second year of Yuanguang,

After accumulating enough power, the Han emperor in the East finally launched his second reform with great fanfare.

internally,

He dismissed many old ministers from their posts and forced them to return home to retire.

Then, he adopted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion and promoted the idea of "respecting Confucianism alone and commending the Six Classics" -

Although this great scholar had a fierce debate with two hermit sages when he was in Jiangdu and lost;

Afterwards, he used Confucian tradition and raised the banner of Gongyang Ru's revenge. At the age of 40, he challenged two 80-year-old warriors to a duel, but was defeated miserably.

But this did not stop him from standing firm in his opinion.

In terms of "the connection between heaven and man", he can indeed give in.

But when it comes to "great unification", he would rather die than surrender!

For this,

The two old ghosts, Mencius and Xunzi, were also helpless.

After forcing Dong Zhongshu to modify the content of his ideas that were too related to ghosts and gods,

They walked away, too lazy to bother with him any more.

Just in private,
When Shang Yang, Han Fei and other Legalists get together, they still can't help but complain:
"These two old guys are just being ungrateful after getting an advantage!"

but,

They also understand in their hearts,
When the world is at peace,
The teachings of Confucianism and Taoism are indeed more attractive to others than Legalism.

People are lazy.

Severe punishments can be used to govern chaotic times, because even the strictest laws are better than no laws at all.

But the troubled times are over.
Who is still willing to abide by the old rules?

Moreover, the Confucian idea of "rulers rule, subjects serve"

It also complies with the requirements of monarchical rule!

otherwise,
Why did the young and energetic Emperor Liu Che accept Confucianism?

He wanted to use the method of supporting Confucianism and attacking Huang-Lao to tell the world a truth:
"My power as the Emperor of the Han Dynasty is unlimited!"

"The good days when you, the officials, tyrants, and knights, colluded with each other at will, disobeyed the law, formed cliques and made arbitrary decisions on local matters are gone forever!"

And after that,
To show my determination,
In order to enhance his own prestige and further suppress the conservative officials in the court,

The emperor and his equally young and energetic companions played military chess for a long time, and finally led his army to Mayi, where they successfully ambushed the Huns.

He used foreign military victories,
Prove that he is not just an emperor who talks big but does nothing.

He can fight.
He is not afraid of fighting!

The government and the people bowed down at his feet, acknowledging that this young emperor indeed possessed supreme ruling ability.
The Huns were also furious about this.

then,

When the Han Dynasty was undergoing drastic changes due to reforms,

The long Han-Xiongnu War began with endless smoke and the sound of chaotic horse hooves.

After nearly 600 years of fighting during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the gentlemen living in the Central Plains had digested the vast lands near the great rivers and gradually taken Lingnan into their arms.

Once again, exploration and expansion began to reach even more remote places.

They are like chicks breaking out of their own eggs,
Resolutely cross the Great Wall and usher in a new stage for the nation.

"…But when it comes to shocking the world, the Han Dynasty was still a step late."

"The old Qin people are still very powerful in farming and warfare!"

at the same time,

In the West Sea,
The black bird, worshipped by the Qin people and the water god of the Dahuanshui River, was flying high in the sky, overlooking the battle below.

He Bo expressed such emotion when those coolly dressed Roman soldiers retreated to the west in disappointment and when the Qin people triumphantly entered the city that was fought over by the two countries.

last year,
On the Roman side, a tribune of common origin arrived.

Just like decades ago,
When this national leader, who was loved by the people, stood ostentatiously on the frame, raised his hands high, and walked towards the center of Rome amid cheers,

The Qin envoy also witnessed the incident.

Even because of the long-term alliance between the two countries, the exchange of envoys, and the fact that Qin is now a big country, rather than a small country curled up in a remote corner and never famous outside the country,

The Qin envoy was also able to meet and talk with him and exchange many things.

After the exchange,

The Qin envoy made an evaluation that was completely different from that made by Emperor Taizong Ying Duan when he was on a diplomatic mission several decades ago.

He said privately to his companions:
"Rome is about to be in turmoil. You should return to the country immediately and report this news to the king!"

"The time to seize the West Sea Strait and re-establish Longxi County outside the territory is coming soon!"

Although Qin and Luo had signed a non-aggression treaty,
They also tacitly divided Macedonia, which was sandwiched between the two countries.

Even before the Qin conquered the two rivers,
The two countries also have close exchanges.

But in recent years,

The relationship between the two countries has become unpredictable due to conflicts of interest.

Rome hoped to expand its territory eastward and turn the vast ocean between the two continents into its own inland sea.
The Qin State wanted to expand westwards, using its swords to seize more arable land and the natural passes that could defend the heart of the country.

Who made the area between Qin and Xia so barren?

The reason why the Qin State set up passes and fortresses there was that it hoped to use the mountainous terrain there to block enemies from the east.

Even though Qin and Xia are brother countries,

But it's not impossible for brothers to fight against each other!
The necessary precautions still need to be taken!
The same is true for Xinxia.

Thus,
The only place that Qin could covet and occupy was the West.

The place called "Anatolia" by the barbarians,

The place named "West Long Land" by the Qin people,
It is Qin’s next target!
but,

After the Qin State quickly conquered the barbarian country of Seleucus in the west, it did not directly launch a war against Rome just because it shared a large border with Rome.

They just quietly digested the food that had been swallowed.

Quietly waiting for the opportunity when Rome, the overlord of the sea, would be plunged into civil strife and have no time to pay attention to the East.

When the Qin envoy learned that the tribune was willing to reform,

The Roman people were also very dissatisfied with the fact that the citizens had been fighting for a long time but did not get enough rewards, while the nobles sat in the Senate and ate a lot of greasy food.

He realized:
Qin's opportunity has arrived!
After all, reforming national politics is such a big thing,

How can it be easily achieved?

How could there be no disturbance?
Especially for the country of Rome,

The power of the nobility is like a big tree.
Even if its roots are already rotten,
It is not something that can be overturned in a short time.

Moreover, when this big tree falls, it will inevitably stir up a lot of dust and kill countless plants.

In the eyes of the Qin envoy,
The fate of the tribune named Tiberius is predictable!

He sighed a little at this.

The Qin envoy admired this young and promising official who held a high position but cared about the people.
But he didn't say anything to him.
He just turned around and told the King of Qin:
Prepare sufficient food, soldiers and weapons, and be prepared to end the friendship between Qin and Luo!

as predicted,

When the Qin envoy found a reason to return to Qin and stepped into Andu City,

Fierce internal strife broke out in Rome when the tribunes advocated reform of the land system and wanted to seize the nobles' estates and distribute them to the citizens.

Tiberius and his supporters were publicly killed on the premises of the National Assembly, and their bodies were thrown into the Tiber River that flows through Rome.

The Roman scholars who witnessed the upheaval did not even know what cruel words to use to record the tragedy.

So after thinking for a long time,
The scholars picked up their pens and decided to quote the words of a handsome sage from the far east, who was both civil and military, to describe this reform that had just begun and ended in blood:
"The deceased is like a husband, and will not give up day and night!"

Soon afterwards,

Many Roman citizens also launched riots, demanding that the nobles who had been riding on their heads and occupying a large amount of land without doing anything, spit out the wealth and return it to them.

The robed men in the Senate stamped their feet in anger.

They first dispatched troops near Rome to suppress these unruly people, but failed.

The old men then sighed:
Even the local army can't handle it.

This is no ordinary mob!
Where can I hesitate?

Must hit hard!

then,

The Senate's order was passed down to the generals who were fighting outside:
Lead the army back quickly!

For your sake, I will severely suppress these troublemakers!
As a result, Rome's defenses in Anatolia were left empty.
The tiger and wolf army of Qin State,
They took advantage of this opportunity, followed here and captured the land originally occupied by Rome.

The deep love between Qin and Rome,

In the face of moving interests,

Eventually it turned into waves in the sea and flowing water in the river, never to return.

but,

What's the problem with that?

In order to allow the ghosts and gods to better and more easily manage the mountains and rivers that belong to them, and the underworld that depends on them,

The barbarians from outside the territory sacrificed their lives so that the seeds of the Chinese could grow and multiply with the nutrients they transformed into.
It’s no big deal!

(End of this chapter)