Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 351 Daytime
The historians of Qin compiled the "History of Persia".
It has gone through many twists and turns.

at first,

They believed that this was the first time in the history of the Chinese nation that the political, military, and livelihood affairs of a barbarian tribe had been recorded with such solemnity, so they took it very seriously.

then,

After painstakingly collecting, comparing, copying, and organizing various sources, the historians of Qin couldn't help but grit their teeth and show signs of stress when faced with the pile of materials in front of them.

finally,
Unable to resist the power of these Persian historical materials, which were full of fantastical content, dramatic plots, and conflicting accounts, they abandoned their studies to join the army, leaving this history of a barbarian nation to its fate.

Damn it!

To compile histories for barbarian tribes beyond the borders.
It would be better to go to the battlefield and fight the enemy!
Although the historical records of the various Xia dynasties contain many tales of gods and ghosts, at their core, they still cannot conceal the pragmatic nature of the virtuous men.

Talking about ghosts and gods,

This was an inevitable event in that wild and ancient era.

The Yanhuang people, who are growing from youth to maturity and strength, still have much to learn about this world.

However, they did not mention ghosts and gods as frequently as the Persians;

Secondly, there is no direct record of the power of a god's manifestation, as in Persia.

most of the time,
The gentlemen of the various Xia states would be very tactful.
Natural disasters, dreams, celestial phenomena, and divination are used to demonstrate that the power of ghosts and gods is descending upon the human world.

However, those responsible for interpreting those mysterious contents were mostly historians or priests.

In terms of status, they were subjects of the emperor and feudal lords, not independent priests separated from royal power.

This is a legacy left by Emperor Zhuanxu when he severed the connection between heaven and earth.

Therefore,
When faced with the results of their divination, the ruler can choose to believe or not believe, or believe only half of it.

When Duke Xian of Jin deposed Crown Prince Shen Sheng and installed Xi Qi as the new crown prince, he consulted divination rather than fortune-telling.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a story about Duke Qi who was afraid of shooting stars and followed the advice of the priest and shaman to pray to Heaven not to send down disasters, but was opposed by Yanzi.

He said, "What use is this? It's nothing but witchcraft. If the ruler has good character and governs the country well, why worry about disasters befalling the nation?"

“If the people’s hearts have already turned away and they have abandoned their ruler, what use is it even if the sacrifices are performed well?”

Even earlier,
King Wu, who established the Zhou Dynasty, even stated it directly:
"Heaven sees as the people see, and Heaven hears as the people hear!"

Yes,

Heaven is the people!
How can a country go against the natural order, focusing only on ethereal spirits and gods while neglecting the real people?
If that were really done,

Therefore, the demise of a country is a very normal thing.

As for the feelings of ghosts and spirits?
Ghosts and spirits don't care about such trivial matters!

If people in the world only know how to bow and kneel before His idol, recite a couple of scriptures, and then righteously ask Him for blessings, allowing those who recite the scriptures best to enjoy the highest treatment and eat the most delicious food, then...
Those lazy spirits are probably about to unleash a great flood.

He couldn't stand being nagged in his ear every day, and having a bunch of parasites around him who relied on his divine power for their livelihood.

……

"The most basic thing in compiling history is to record what happened."

"If you don't know what to write, you can write about the customs and traditions of Persia, such as their clothing, food, and daily necessities!"

He Bo pointed at Gan and Shi, who were still fighting, and said to his clone, "Why are they fighting over this?"

Xuan Niao rolled her eyes and said, "How many times have these two old ghosts found excuses to fight?"

Then He Bo suddenly realized.

They simply left those two old men alone.

He simply walked out of the Qin State's archives, let the black bird perch on his head to nestle, and then strolled around the city of Andu.

The spirits who had come from afar pointed at the pedestrians around them and said, "Andu City is very lively now. It seems that the current Qin ruler is governing the country very well."

"That's true." The voice of the black bird came from above, "but the people here are indeed more tolerant than those in the Central Plains."

The gentlemen of the various Xia states,
The dignity of being a "human being" was established long ago.

Perhaps among them,

There is also a distinction between noble and lowly.
It possesses a stark contrast and distance, like white clouds and black soil.

But in the lands of the Xia, in the Central Plains, in the annals of history,
Where is there truly, completely superior?
Sun Shu'ao was raised from the sea, and Baili Xi was raised from the marketplace.
Yi Yin, who assisted Tang of Shang, was merely a male slave who accompanied his wife in marriage.

When the angry common laborers from Dazexiang stood out with bamboo poles and hoes...
When Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uttered that famous line...
This already determined that the social hierarchy among the various Chinese states would never be as stable and enduring as that of those outside the borders.

When Ying Qin arrived here,

After possessing the two rivers that the Chinese people had long dreamed of for so long,
They are also doing their best to cultivate it and make it thrive.

We must use our own sweat to completely transform these two great rivers into our own.

We must use the wisdom of the Chinese people to transform the people along this great river into refined and cultured gentlemen.

But time...

Time always seems to pass so slowly.

In the imprint of a nation, decades are but a few generations, or the wheat in the fields ripening dozens of times.

The old still exists. The new is still growing.

What will the final outcome be?
That depends on whether the environment shapes people, or whether people can conquer nature.

"...However, being too focused on winning or losing is a bit extreme."

"The gentlemen of the Central Plains still value moderation and peace!"

It is very difficult for humans to survive independently of their environment.

And if there were no traces of people between heaven and earth, the world would lose much of its fun and variety.

Therefore,
If we can make peace, then let's make peace!
He Bo muttered to his clone in his mind, then chose a restaurant, ordered the restaurant's signature dish, and started eating it.

The pancake the boss brought out was as big as He Bo's face, and it was a bit dry to eat.

Fortunately, what followed was a bowl of steaming hot mutton soup.

The thick, large pancake is pinched into small pieces and soaked in soup. It quickly becomes soft and chewy, making it even more delicious.

"It looks a bit like mutton stew with bread!"

He Bo said with delight.

Upon hearing this, the black bird on his head, though invisible to mortals, still proudly puffed out its chicken breast.

"Of course!"

"I figured out how to make this!"

The body can be used to make tofu in the Central Plains.
Can't he make paomo (a type of flatbread soup) outside of China?
Just right,

In the areas outside the Mesopotamian Plain, the Qin state implemented a policy of semi-agriculture and semi-pastoralism.

Thanks to the traditional skills passed down through generations of the Qin people, there is no shortage of cattle, sheep, and horses here.

Occasionally, the Black Bird would transform into a stonemason, helping many people make stone mills.

This way, the wheat that is widely grown here can be better consumed by people.

"It's just that bamboo is hard to grow in the Mesopotamian plains, otherwise many things could be made."

The black bird flapped its wings with great regret, longing for the soft buns, dumplings, and other delicious foods.

"I plan to have someone import some bamboo from the Central Plains or Xinxia and plant it in Epang Palace and the coastal areas of Xilong County for trial planting."

"There's enough water and heat there, so it should be possible to grow some."

"Besides, why did you put two holes in the pancake?"

The black bird had just finished reminiscing about the abundance of resources in the Central Plains and muttering a few words about its plan to import specialties from the Central Plains when it looked down and saw—

He Bo cut two holes in the pancake, held it up to cover his face, and furtively peered through the holes at the pedestrians on the street.

"Oh."

"That's because I saw Zhang Qian."

"This guy, he's been dragging his feet on the road, but he's finally arrived in Qin today!"

The timing and route of Zhang Qian's second mission.

Both were much longer than the first time.

Including this time,

Zhang Qian's goal was to try to trade with Western countries and exchange for precious goods that were rare in the Central Plains, so his pace was much slower.

Years later,

He had just arrived here.

Arriving at this place, a place that makes even a burly man grimace and exhale in response to stress, he found himself in a situation where he couldn't help but grimac and exhale violently whenever he thought about it.

"Although this place is not as bustling as Chang'an, it has its own unique charm."

Tang Yifu remained by Zhang Qian's side.

He rode his horse, following the guidance of Qin officials, slowly walking along the main road of Andu City, and curiously looking around at the scenery.

then,

He and He Bo made eye contact across a large pancake.

Tang Yifu burst out laughing and pointed in He Bo's direction, saying to Zhang Qian, "This guy's face is as big as a pancake, it's really interesting."

Zhang Qian looked over and smiled as well.

Only ghosts and gods did not laugh.

His clone, having agreed to be of one mind with him, immediately flapped its wings and said:
"Do it?"

"Do it!"

He Bo put down the pancake, crushed it, soaked it in water, and then said to his clone.

(End of this chapter)