Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 378 The First Year of the Primordial Era (Part 2 Combined)

"Does the State of Qi intend to launch a counterattack against the mainland at this time?"

When He Bo arrived in Japan, he was taken aback when he heard what his clone told him.

Then he sighed, "Fine!"

"The land of Qi and Lu has long awaited the arrival of the royal army!"

"We're just waiting for Tian Qi to return like lightning!"

The salted fish rolled its belly up and glared at him, "You just love watching the drama unfold!"

"The Han Dynasty already had a navy, yet you still want to see the State of Qi rowing boats to compete with them!"

Because the branches of the Xia people extended overseas,
The Wu Kingdom, which originated from the South China Sea, also frequently praised the customs and cultures of overseas regions.

Although there are problems overseas such as miasma, mosquitoes, diseases, and storms,
However, the area is certainly not lacking in water, heat, and soil.

Compared to the extreme heat and water in the Xia Kingdom, the overseas islands are much more balanced.

Emperor Liu Qin, a ruler who led the way in laziness and stupidity, did not even personally plow the fields for show for several years. Yet, thanks to the fertile soil and water, the country had one bumper harvest after another, and there was never any famine.

If the people of Wu were hungry, they could pick some wild vegetables and fruits to stave off hunger for a while.

Therefore,
This not only aroused the jealousy of the Qi Kingdom in the East, but also aroused considerable interest among the nobles of the Han Dynasty.

As everyone knows,

The fertile land will entice the gentlemen of the Chinese lands, and these gentlemen are always humble and mild-mannered, and will not refuse such goodwill.

So, after developing a slight curiosity about overseas countries, the emperor, who always did whatever he wanted, waved his hand and began preparations to send people out to sea.

The idea of ​​the navy setting sail to attack the eastern seas and defend the country was merely an experiment before the long voyage.

If we can't even reach the nearby East China Sea, how can we sail to the more distant East China Sea, South China Sea, or even the Western Ocean?

Two years ago,
News came from the State of Wu that a gold mine had been discovered on Luzon Island, which made the gentlemen even more excited, and the saws used for sawing wood to build ships were almost sparking.

On the Qi side,

Although they had more experience in navigation than the Han Dynasty, they were ultimately limited by their small land area and poor population, and could not sustain it for long.

It's only a matter of time before we're surpassed by our compatriots from the Central Plains who have gone into business.

Therefore, previous generations of Qi kings, as well as the envoys who have returned from studying abroad to the Han Dynasty, all believe that it is not advisable to compete with the Central Plains, but rather to maintain good relations and exchange goods.

Going to war may bring temporary pleasure,

There's going to be a huge mess to clean up later!
"It doesn't matter!"

"Even if we are defeated, Haidong is not far from Japan. If we are strong enough, we can carry a plank and float back across the water!"

He Bo, who was indeed looking forward to a good show, laughed and grabbed a handful of snails, then started knocking them down along with his clone.

After we've finished eating the Japanese snails, let's chew on two small squid we caught while beachcombing.
He Bo couldn't help but say smugly, "No wonder the ocean's overlords throughout history have loved sucking on squid. This thing is definitely more flavorful than river snails!"

"Some people in Japan like to eat raw food," Salty Fish replied casually, slurping up baby squid.

Eat raw and cold food.

This has been a long-standing practice, and it is especially loved by people living along the coast.

When the Qi people lived in their ancestral land, they loved to wear purple fine clothes, eat fresh fish, crabs, shrimp and shellfish caught from the sea, either steamed or sashimi, and watch beautiful women dance with smiles on their faces.

When the people of Qi crossed the sea to the east and moved their ancestral temples, they also brought this custom with them.

After all, depending on the place and circumstances, it's perfectly normal to take a couple of bites of seafood.

However, eating too much raw or cold food is generally not good.

Therefore, some people don't like this way of eating and would rather go through the trouble of collecting firewood in the mountains and forests, setting up a clay pot, and making a warm soup for their stomachs.

Tian Zhongzhou back then, and Lü Peng today, are the latter.

"I've heard that the current King of Qi, who favors the Japanese, really enjoys eating raw fish?" He Bo suddenly asked.

“Yes,” said the salted fish. “He eats it every day; I’ve never seen him stop.”

“Then there will be something to say about it.” He Bo clicked his tongue in amazement upon hearing this.

Given the conditions in Japan at that time, and the King of Qi's lavish eating habits, it's likely that his body was also brimming with vitality.

"Those Japanese won't have long to live in good times."

Japanese,

Under the rule of the State of Qi, they were originally considered barbarians and slaves.

Even if a few intelligent and docile individuals were educated and transformed into people of Qi, it would not be enough for them to enter the court and be ranked as dukes and ministers.

However, because the previous King of Qi constantly suppressed his spoiled younger brother, who had developed rebellious intentions, he was unable to gather enough soldiers and officials under his command.
The latter, filled with resentment, turned around and recruited many Japanese under the pretext of "slave ownership," and with their power, usurped the throne, which gave the Japanese their rampant behavior.

The people of Qi were deeply dissatisfied with this and ashamed to share a room with these lowly, barbarian dwarfs.

However, the King of Qi was very pleased with the service he received from these Japanese slaves and trusted them greatly. He often punished the people of Qi because of them and liked to seize the land of the people to reward his own servants.

It can be said,
In the few years since King Qi ascended the throne, he has offended almost everyone, both those above and below him.

He listened to the slander of foreign tribes, did not befriend virtuous and capable ministers, and mistreated the people under his rule...

How could he not be overthrown?
Do you think Lü Peng has any chance of reviving the Jiang Qi dynasty?

Lü Peng,

They are descendants of the Jiang Qi royal family.

Because Taigong already possessed a surname inherited from his ancestors before he was enfeoffed in the State of Qi, it was acceptable for him to be called Jiang, Lü, or even Qi.

After the destruction of Jiang Qi,
Many of the original noble families changed their surnames to "Lü" and survived among the common people. Some of their bloodlines still live on in Japan.

"I think he's quite famous among the crowd!"

When Lü Peng was studying in Chang'an, he was the leading figure among the Japanese envoys sent to China.
Upon returning to his homeland to serve as an official, he was highly regarded and relied upon by the late King of Qi.

He assisted the late king in carrying out certain institutional reforms and also oversaw the construction of many water conservancy projects in the local areas. He was a well-known virtuous minister in the court and among the people, which made it impossible for the King of Qi, who disliked him, to order his execution.

Who could possibly know?

"If Jiang Qi and Tian Qi take turns doing this again, they might end up in a state of quantum entanglement and create half an eternal lineage in Japan!"

The salted fish spat out a snail shell and smacked its lips as it spoke.

He Bo said nonchalantly, "As long as we consolidate our ancestral roots and don't get corrupted by those inherently evil Japanese, that's fine."

"...What's the situation like in other places now?"

After finishing talking about the State of Qi, Xianyu, unusually, took the initiative to ask questions, wanting to know what the current "Zhu Xia World" looks like.

He Bo told him, "From top to bottom, the people in Southeast Asia are all lazy bums who just want to die. If it weren't for the magical conch shell constantly urging them on, Ji Zhouwu might have been resurrected in Liu Hanwu's body!"

Last winter,
With the progress in Luzon finally completed, He Bo was able to go to Southeast Asia and meet the pitiful clone he had abandoned for many years.

The River God of the Yellow River, holding a magical conch shell, inquired about the situation of the Wu Kingdom, and then sadly learned:
Since the founders of the Wu Kingdom were a bunch of losers, and its founding ruler did not set a good example, they had no ambition or aspirations for their compatriots like Qin, Xia, and Qi. They only wanted to live a carefree and happy life on Luzon Island.

What ancestral roots?
What do you mean by "all Chinese peoples are of one mind"?
Wu Guocai couldn't be bothered with it!
My own pleasure is the most important thing!
The people of Wu even used the example of Wu Taibo to justify their actions—

Wu Taibo,
He was King Wen's uncle and the eldest son of King Tai of Zhou.

Because his third brother was more talented than himself, and had a "good and sagacious grandson" of Ji Zhou.
Therefore, Taibo did not want his father, King Tai, to worry about choosing a successor, so he took his second brother, Zhongyong, and went to the southeast to establish the state of Wu in the land of the southern barbarians, Baiyue.

In order to better consolidate his rule and integrate into the local community, Taibo took the lead in cutting his hair and getting tattoos, which laid the foundation for the Wu Kingdom during the Zhou Dynasty to last for hundreds of years.

And coincidentally,
The Zhou dynasty of Wu was established in a land of great suffering.

Our great Han Wu Kingdom was also established in a land of deep water and scorching heat;
The Ji, Zhou, and Wu dynasties were established after a long journey of thousands of miles.
My great Han Wu Kingdom was also established after traveling thousands of miles;

Ji Zhou Wu only returned to the Central Plains to acknowledge their ancestors long after the kingdoms were established.

Our great Han Wu Kingdom also returned to the Central Plains to acknowledge its ancestors long after its founding...

Therefore,
I cut my hair and got tattoos.
This is emulating the sages of the past!

On what grounds do you say I have betrayed the aspirations of my ancestors!
Fortunately,

The hermit crab inside the magical conch shell delivered a timely and powerful punch, giving these bastards a sound beating.
This preserved the foundation of the Chinese nation, allowing Wu envoys to tie up half of their hair when they went to Chang'an to pay tribute, instead of letting it all hang loose and looking like shirtless, tattooed gangsters.

"Fortunately, the Han court has already organized a fleet, so we can go down to the South Seas to take a look."

According to the descriptions of the states of Qi and Wu,
The nobles of the Han Dynasty knew that

Heading east, you won't find any resource-rich islands.

The South Seas are a place where one can venture out and try to develop things. If all else fails, one could find a few gold mines there, dig up some wealth, and bring it home to fill one's coffers.

As the Han Dynasty's influence gradually extended overseas,

It seems that the Kingdom of Wu must also pull itself together.

Otherwise, the ancestral land wouldn't be allowed to cling to the coattails of these guys who "treat barbarians as barbarians when they enter barbarians"!
"As for Qin Xia..."

He Bo paused for a moment, then told his clone, "I plan to stay there a little longer!"

He had to personally experience the various changes that the Xia Kingdom's chanting of scriptures brought to the underworld!

Xianyu remained noncommittal, only asking him to come and send him messages every now and then.

Now that these clones are each in their own territory, a lot of information has to be transmitted in a timely manner by He Bo, the main body, running around.

"Although I am a bit salty, I don't want to become a reclusive old-fashioned person who can't keep up with the times."

"It's still necessary to keep up with world affairs from time to time."

With that, the salted fish sank itself back to the bottom of the river, intending to go to sleep.

He Bo peered into the clear river for a while, then, realizing he wouldn't catch anything fishing there, turned and left.

And not far away,
Several guests were arriving at Lü Peng's home.

They dispersed all bystanders, closed the doors and windows, and said to Lü Peng in the dimly lit room:
"This can't go on like this!"

"The tyrant's rule is becoming increasingly cruel, and those Japanese slaves are becoming more and more arrogant, showing a tendency to usurp the lineage of our Chinese nation!"

"If we don't fight back, how can we face our ancestors?"

"You have always been highly regarded in the court and among the people. The late king once instructed you to train new soldiers according to the system of the Han army, so..."

"Ziqiao, let's charge forward together!"

Ziqiao,

It was a courtesy name given to Lü Peng by his teacher during the Han Dynasty.

Both the teacher and he himself hoped that the envoys sent to Han China could become a bridge connecting overseas Chinese with their ancestral homeland, rather than having their friendship weakened by the vast ocean.

unfortunately,

No matter how wonderful the initial idea is, it will change due to the twists and turns of reality.

Who can truly stay true to themselves?

After a long silence, Lü Peng clenched his fists, felt the boiling blood in his chest, and, facing the expectant gazes of his companions, made up his mind.

He drew the precious sword bestowed upon him by the late king, and silently pondered in its cold, gleaming light:
"Your Majesty!"

"If you cannot save the nation from your incompetence and tyranny!"

"Then let the Kingdom of Qi burn!"

……

In Chang'an City,

He Bo, who had returned in an instant, was waiting for Zhang Qian to breathe his last.

After opening up the Silk Road on land through two missions to foreign lands and spending several years in the Western Regions, thus establishing the prestige of the Han Dynasty, this Han envoy finally exhausted all his energy.

Not long after he returned to Chang'an, he fell seriously ill and was unable to recover.

The emperor and many ministers came to visit him, but it was to no avail.

at the moment,

Zhang Qian lay on the bed, struggling to breathe, about to leave this world.

With his last remaining strength, he said to his wife beside him:
“I have done a lot for the country and His Majesty, and fulfilled my duties as a subject. I have no regrets.”

The unseen ghost snorted, "That's utter nonsense!"

"You've been hoping the Emperor would restore your title of Marquis of Bowang!"

He Bo had secretly observed Zhang Qian's life in the Western Regions!

This old fellow has always held a grudge about the time he followed Li Guang on a campaign, but mysteriously got lost and lost his title.

He hoped that through his efforts in the Western Regions, the emperor would be lenient and return the title to him.

result,

He fell ill, and when the emperor came to visit him, he didn't mention the matter.

Zhang Qian burst into tears, unable to utter a single word of grievance.

It's pathetic that people, on their deathbeds, have to put on a magnanimous act for the sake of their reputation in the afterlife!
The wife knew that her husband did not truly feel that way, but she could only hold his hand and silently shed tears.

Zhang Qian paused for a moment, then said, "If there is anything I still miss, it is my old friends in Western Qin."

“He is the same age as me, and now that I am nearing the end of my life, I am very worried about his health.”

That kid Wang Sheng
Will it outlive me?

The thought of such a possibility filled Zhang Qian with anxiety and worry, and in the end, he closed his eyes in such worry.

"It's fine."

"Wang Sheng won't live much longer either."

Underworld

After showing Zhang Qian the situation, He Bo comforted him with great concern.

Even after his death, Zhang Qian remained somewhat indignant.

He lived to be fifty-six years old.
Considering his longevity as an envoy and his constant travels, he was already considered to be in good health.

Wang Sheng was also a person who frequently traveled to other places on official missions, so logically he shouldn't have lived longer than me!

Zhang Qian was jealous!
"Why do this?" He Bo continued to comfort him. "After Wang Sheng dies, although he won't be able to come to the Central Plains Ghost Kingdom, he will receive a much grander reception in the Western Qin Ghost Kingdom than you have!"

Zhang Qian blinked after hearing this.

He naturally knew what the "reception" mentioned by the ghosts and gods referred to.

After all, just now,

In front of Zhang Qian, the spirits brought up many old grievances:
For example, Zhang Qian once spoke rudely about the disguises of ghosts and gods when they walked among humans.
And when passing through the river region, he trampled on himself, etc.

Zhang Qian thus gained a profound understanding of what it means to be "petty and narrow-minded".

Zhang Qian himself had little recollection of those events.
Who would have thought that immortals and gods, who should be indifferent to everything in the human world, would be concerned about this for so long and even wait to settle accounts after death?

Zhang Qian became curious and asked the honest and simple-minded old ghost next to him, "Did Wang Sheng inadvertently offend any deity?"

How could they endure more torment than I did?

Old Gui frowned and thought for a moment, then told Zhang Qian:
"It's no big deal."

"I have only heard that King Sheng of Qin stayed in Egypt for a long time and wrote a poem praising the Nile, in which he mentioned the great river of the Central Plains."

"Is that so?" Zhang Qian stroked his beard and pondered. "Then is the Nile in Egypt like a great river, prone to wreaking havoc?"

"No, there are signs before the floods, and the water brings fertile soil for people on both sides of the strait to cultivate and reproduce."

Zhang Qian then understood.

Why would King Sheng, the ruler of Egypt, write poems to praise that river from beyond the borders?

As for the role of the Central Plains River in this, there's no need to even think about it!
"Wang Sheng, as a descendant of the Xia people, does not know how to appreciate the loving kindness of the Mother River; his sins are truly heinous!"

He straightened his expression and spoke with righteous indignation.

He then asked, "And where is Li Guang?"

“I wronged him in the past, and I still can’t get over it. I want to visit him again.”

Old Ghost sighed and said, "Still lost."

"Ok?"

"I don't know what's going on, but whenever this guy runs far away, he always gets lost for a while... When we send other ghosts to search for him, some of them get affected by him and lose their way as well."

"...Ah, Envoy Zhang, why are you suddenly crying?"

(End of this chapter)