Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 381, Section 380: The Fourth Year of the Primordial Era
"If I..."

I mean, if!

"If I stir up some waves here, can I, like the Yellow River, temper the people and strengthen their cohesion?"

Concerned about the condition of King Sheng of Egypt, who was so old he could die at any moment, and about his "Ode to the Nile," a work that moved the descendants of the Chinese people to tears.
After learning about the theories of the Way of Great Peace in the Xia Kingdom, He Bo came to the Qin Kingdom and pointed to the West Wei River, saying the following.

The Xijing and Xiwei rivers, two major rivers, often flood.

However, its flow is mostly related to changes in the local climate, so it can be considered more stable than the Yellow River.

Over the years,
The people of Qin used the same skills and energy they had put into building the Dujiangyan Irrigation System and the Zheng Guo Canal to manage these two great rivers, making the waterways wider, the water flow calmer, and the land on both banks more fertile.

This allowed the Qin dynasty, which had planned to develop this place into a "land of abundance," to cultivate a large population over a period of more than ten years.

This also allowed the people of Qin, who once lived on the banks of the Yellow River and were forced to participate in "water management" to varying degrees from their ancestor Boyi to the Warring States period, to deeply feel the difference between the two rivers and the Yellow River.

Wang Sheng's poem thus became more widely circulated.

But He Bo was very unhappy when he heard this.

Beside the embankment of the two rivers, under the shade of the willows planted by countless commoners, he spoke these words to his alter ego.

The black bird, which was perched on a tree nesting in its nest, replied immediately, "Don't go crazy!"

The Yellow River God, whose innocence had been smeared by facts, curled his lip but did not mention again the matter of flooding the Qin people.

He simply looked up and examined the various plants and trees along the riverbank, asking the black bird, "Whose idea was it to plant these trees, and to do it so perfectly?"

Black Poplar

These trees are native to the Western Sea region and have complex and extensive root systems, which help to stabilize the sandy soil.

Long ago, the Persians in Mesopotamia planted it on the riverbanks.

But the strange willow is different.

This willow tree originated in Hexi and the Western Regions, and its root system is even larger and deeper than that of the black poplar.

The strange willow also has a strong tolerance for drought and salinity.

In the Mesopotamian plains, rainfall is insufficient, and the fields have long relied on river water for irrigation. Over time, problems such as soil salinization naturally arise.

Therefore, the trees planted in front of us not only provide shade for people who come to the riverbank to stroll and fish, but will also be very beneficial for the future.

just,

He Bo didn't think that the Qin people, who were focused on farming and warfare, would have such knowledge about this kind of thing.

After all, it was no easy task to bring the seeds of the strange willow from the East to the West Sea, cultivate them into trees, and plant them everywhere.

The black bird replied, "This was made by Liu Tuan."

"If you walk a little further along the river, you can also see an inscription specially carved by local officials to commemorate his virtue of planting trees."

"what?"

He Bo was surprised, and then walked forward. Finally, at a busy ferry crossing, he found a stone tablet with an article titled "The Story of Liu Tuotuo, the Tree Planter".

After reading it, he clapped his hands and laughed, "This old devil has really become the King of Farming in Qin!"

Liu Tuan,

When he was alive, he was a very energetic old man.

Even after he dies, he'll still be restless and want to do things.

He established a manor in the underworld, where he spent his days either farming or playing football with his neighbors. He lived a very peaceful life after death.

Perhaps that is why,

When the news spread that geniuses were to be sent abroad, Liu Taigong was among the first to sign up.

He's going to explore a new world and embrace new challenges!

When He Bo saw his application, he didn't find anything unusual and approved it directly, remarking with emotion:
"Over ninety years old, just the age to go out and make a name for oneself!"

Liu Tuan also happily told people, "I heard that the land and water in Western Qin are more barren than those in the Central Plains and the Xia Kingdom, so much so that the Qin people have to adopt the customs of the Hu people and can hardly eat any leafy green vegetables on weekdays."

"But I am skilled in farming, and I have even received the true teachings of the ancestor Xi... Once I get there, I will let those Qin people know what it means for Shennong to be alive!"

Upon hearing this, onlookers immediately cheered, praising the old man until his face turned red. He then went out and plowed two acres of land.

Only Liu Laosan, standing to the side, was completely bewildered.

He was the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty.

They were the ones who destroyed the Qin dynasty's ancestral temples and altars in the Central Plains.
Now his father is going to the Qin state to instruct the Qin people on farming and find ways to help them increase their grain production.
Is this...is this right?

“What’s wrong with that!” Liu Tuan said, hands on his hips and stamping his feet, in response to his children and grandchildren’s attempts to dissuade him. “You were able to travel around when you were young, so why can’t I?”

There are advantages to being dead.

Although they may look old, they are not as fragile as living people.

Liu Tuan was fully capable of doing things he had imagined doing during his lifetime, but ultimately never did.

then,

He arrived in the Qin state.

Because they had inquired about the situation here beforehand and consulted many friends, they brought the strange willow and other plants with them and transplanted them to the Western Sea.

Over the years,

Liu Tuan participated in everything related to land, which allowed his reputation for virtue to spread widely in the Qin state.

The Qin emperor even issued a special edict, bestowing upon him the staff of a dove as a symbol of elder virtue, and ordering local officials to treat such virtuous village elders with preferential treatment.

Liu Tuan was therefore very pleased with himself.

In the Qin State Ancestral Temple, the former rulers who knew his identity wore a distorted expression remarkably similar to that of Emperor Taizu of Han, Liu Bang.

"Gan Shi and his team calculated a suitable calendar, and Old Liu also brought more advanced farming methods to this area."

"In the southern and western coastal areas, ships have been repaired and have made several trips to and from the Xia Kingdom, testing their ability to withstand the wind and waves..."

"Our Great Qin is truly thriving!"

Walking through a prosperous city in the Qin state, looking at the endless stream of pedestrians with diverse skin tones and attire on the streets, He Bo said happily.

"Back in the Xia Kingdom, I'm sure I can overcome all obstacles and successfully reach my planned goals, just like Qin Han did!"

"We'll have to chant scriptures with the Xia people for at least several decades!"

The black bird perched on his head took out a piece of steamed bun from under its wing and pecked at it. The crumbs fell sparsely onto He Bo's head, making his body instantly feel the aura of "snow".

"Although religious scriptures are always more likely to influence people's hearts than other things, changing long-held beliefs is not an easy task."

"Just like the Qin state, which appears to have unified the Western Sea and is prosperous, there are still many barbarians who have not been educated in private."

"Teaching and chanting scriptures are not the same thing."

"The latter can be achieved quickly, but the former... it's okay to wait two more generations."

These things can't be rushed.

He Bo passed by a school and peeked inside at the young children reading.

There were some seeds from various Chinese lands, and some people's faces revealed a distinct exotic style.

But their clothing was uniform, their language was uniform, and even the pained look they showed when the teacher assigned homework was uniform.

……

While the spirits were wandering throughout the Qin state, inquiring about the king of Egypt,

The governor of Beidi Commandery in Qin State is inspecting the construction of Yubi City, as well as the reclamation of fields and the construction of water conservancy projects this year.

He stood on a ridge in the field, gazing at the green wheat seedlings before him, then sighed and said:
"Our Great Qin Dynasty is facing considerable hidden dangers!"

The guards following him didn't know what he was referring to. The young man even stepped forward, blocking the horse he had ridden, which was now munching on wheat seedlings.

Upon seeing this, the prefect angrily reprimanded him:
"What an ignorant and barbaric child!"

"Spring plowing is so important, yet you let this beast run rampant!"

"Drag him away right now!"

After the young man obediently led the horse away, the prefect pointed at him and said, "I have always relied on you and even adopted you as my godson, teaching you with great care. How can you still be so arrogant!"

"I haven't settled the score with you yet for beating up that noble boy named Pompey when you went to Rome last time!"

"I really don't know what kind of hatred you have for that five-year-old child that you're picking on him!"

"When Crassus, that Roman nobleman, came to mediate, you actually beat him up!"

"You won't let the small ones go, and you won't let the big ones go either, is that it?"

Formerly known as Spartacus,
Now, the Thracian youth, who has been bestowed the name "Ankenu" by the governor, cannot explain where his constant anger in Rome came from, to the point that he would vent it on a child.

But he did it after all.
He simply lowered his head and obediently listened to the prefect's reprimand.

(End of this chapter)