Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 392 Wu Kingdom
Respect the King and Expel the Barbarians

This was one of the major means by which the state of Qi, under the leadership of the Jiang family, achieved hegemony during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Back when the Zhou emperor still retained some dignity and the feudal lords were still polite...
Duke Huan of Qi adopted Guan Zhong's policies, raised this banner high, united the feudal lords around him, and achieved the hegemony of "leader of the feudal lords".

In the century that followed,

The ruler of Jin followed this example, allowing the Zhou emperor to gain some attention and practical benefits by selling his own reputation while he himself was showing off his power.

just,

As the brutality of war intensified, the era in which "domination" could bring satisfaction to great powers was finally over.

With the fall of this once-glorious banner, the Zhou dynasty came to an end.

He Bo never expected this.

After a major version update
Lü Peng was even able to pull this tattered flag out of the corner and use it as a reason to launch a war against another branch of the Xia people.

Is this thing still passed down through bloodlines?
"Aren't you worried about the Han Dynasty blaming you?" He Bo asked Lü Peng.

Lu Peng said, "Although the slogans are similar, the purposes are different."

“I do not intend to use this to usurp the emperor’s power, but only to use the victory over Wu to achieve the goal of reviving the Jiang Qi.”

He Bo then said "Oh".

"Then how can you guarantee that you can defeat the State of Wu?"

Although from a positional perspective,
It was not difficult for the people of Qi in the east to travel south by boat and follow the seasonal waterways to reach Luzon Island, where the state of Wu was located.

However, naval warfare is fundamentally different from the wars that have occurred in China.

It couldn't transport too many soldiers to the front lines.

While fighting against the enemy, they also had to contend with the wind and waves.

Lu Peng calmly said, "The difference in strength between Qi and Wu is actually quite obvious."

"The State of Qi has been based in the Eastern Sea for a hundred years, and its population is more abundant. Moreover, because the land is small and poor, the people of Qi are mostly resilient and hardworking, and they are extremely eager for fertile land and water."

"The Wu Kingdom has only been established overseas for a short time and has been intermingling with the local barbarians. Although the land and water are fertile, it has also made the Wu people unambitious and lazy all day long."

"I do not seek to expand territory or bring Luzon under my control."

"I would be content as long as I could achieve victory, seize the wealth of the Wu Kingdom, and increase my prestige."

Lu Peng paused for a moment, then said, "I heard that there is a country called Rome in the West, where people can travel freely at sea. Its territory is not as vast and connected as the Central Plains, but rather spans across the sea."

“I think, if the barbarians of the West can do such a thing, why can’t we, the Chinese, do the same?”

He Bo felt that Lü Peng's idea was very encouraging, so he didn't tell him about the difference between the Mediterranean and the East China Sea, but only encouraged him to work hard and add some new things to the war history of the Chinese.

"After you've conquered Wu and become the King of Qi, will you still send people to the depths of the East Sea?"

"Will do."

Lü Peng readily agreed, "The future of the Qi people will definitely lie at sea!"

"I will carry on the legacy of my ancestors and explore a new path to prosperity for the State of Qi on the seas!"

Shortly thereafter,

While the sea breeze was blowing strongly southward,

The warships of the State of Qi raised their sails.

The magical conch in the Wu Kingdom complained about this to its original form.

"I've said it before: if we don't strengthen our will and persevere in honing our skills, given the situation in Luzon, we'll be bitten off by Qi sooner or later!"

"Now things are really going to get better. The people of Qi are truly heading south, and they're going to do something that even the rivalry between Qi and Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period never achieved!"

Hundreds of years ago, the states of Qi and Wu did not have direct conflicts because their territories did not border each other.

But who could have imagined,
Today, the territories of the states of Qi and Wu are no longer just a matter of borders.

They are separated by a vast ocean, yet they still want to go to war!
How can this not be considered progress?

He Bo listened to the hermit crab's complaints inside the conch shell, glanced at Liu Qin who was eating and drinking beside him, completely unconcerned about the descendants, and then said:
"Never mind, I won't die anyway."

"At worst, we can just pay some compensation!"

Given the current strength of the State of Qi,

How could Japan and Ezo (Japanese pirates) be able to cross the seas and establish rule when there are still Japanese and Ezo people not completely eliminated from the entire island of Japan?

The turbulent East China Sea is quite different from the Mediterranean Sea, which is like a giant bathtub.

The ruling philosophy of the various Chinese states was completely different from that of Rome, which focused on "collecting taxes as long as possible." Therefore,
Even if the State of Wu is defeated, it will not be at risk of being destroyed.

If all else fails, you can run to the Central Plains and plead with the emperor, weeping and begging for mercy!
Hearing this, the hermit crab had no way to refute him. It could only carry the magical conch shell, move its nimble short legs, run to Liu Qin's side, and give him a hard pincer.

Liu Qin immediately cried out in pain, spilling the pastries and drinks in his hands all over the floor.

"Why?"

"If you're angry, go pinch someone else!"

Why hurt yourself, you poor dead thing?
The hermit crab said angrily, "It's all your fault for having bad seeds!"

"Why is it that none of his descendants are diligent or intelligent?"

While Liu Qin was still alive
With the help of the magical conch shell, he heeded advice and did many things that were beneficial to the country.

As a result, the Kingdom of Wu prospered.

But after Liu Qin passed away...
The situation changed after his eldest son succeeded to the throne.

The magical conch shell had no interest in becoming a family heirloom for the Liu family, and after Liu Qin's death, it left the palace and disappeared.

Without strong discipline, the new King of Wu, whose personality was exactly the same as Liu Qin's when he was young, used his intelligence to carry out a series of operations.

He no longer paid tribute to the Central Plains as frequently as the previous king had, maintaining friendly relations between the main branches and the secondary branches.

He said to his ministers:
"The reason we did these things before was to introduce the seeds of the various Xia peoples from the Central Plains, so as to strengthen the foundation of our Wu Kingdom."

"Why would we need to do that now?"

"The Central Plains are so far from the Kingdom of Wu. Even if one sails with the sea breeze and waves, it would take a long time to travel between the two places."

"Our Wu Kingdom is so weak, how can we afford the expense of building sturdy seagoing ships to sail to the Central Plains?"

More importantly,

After the King of Wu discovered the gold mine, he felt that his coffers were full and he no longer needed to rely on the Central Plains.

The Han Dynasty's exploration of the seas also displeased the Wu Kingdom.

In the eyes of the Wu people,
They came to the South China Sea first.

Good things should belong to oneself.

It's really heartbreaking that the Han people have taken it away!
But since they couldn't win a fight and didn't dare to directly curse him, they could only bury their heads in the ground and unilaterally cut off all contact.

Surely the Han Dynasty wouldn't send troops to attack us over such a trivial matter?

If an angel were to come to the Kingdom of Wu and rebuke their disrespect...

The State of Wu could also find an excuse, saying that there were many troubles in the country and that they had neglected their tribute, and they could simply reflect on their actions and apologize...

all in all,
In the eyes of the Wu rulers and ministers, doing such a thing would be more beneficial than harmful.

Subsequently,

The Kingdom of Wu was on Luzon Island, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the South China Sea.

Excessive heat from the water
Overly fertile land
This made the people of Wu reluctant to do much farming, and gradually fostered a lazy character.

This made He Bo think in his heart that the State of Wu was a disgrace on the road of expansion of the Chinese nation.

Not to mention the hermit crabs that were "granted" the title of Luzon Island.

Fortunately,

The late King Liu Qin did not care about these trivial matters.

Anyway, after he died, thanks to the blessings of the gods and spirits, he lived a very comfortable life, enjoying many delicious foods and fine wines.

Cold pork provided by the ancestral temple?

snort!
Having already tasted and seen it before, Liu Qin had absolutely no interest in it!

The hermit crab then began to lament.

"People died on the other clones' sides, so we can bring them over to serve as slaves."

"Thanks to you, I've never received such treatment!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qin chuckled, holding the pastries he had picked up from the ground. "You're welcome! It's what I should do!"

"Ow!"

He ate another crab claw, and the pain brought tears to his eyes.

(End of this chapter)