Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 393 Before the Curtain Falls (Part 2)

After a brief exchange,
The war of "honoring the emperor and punishing the traitors" in the State of Qi ended smoothly.

As expected, the Wu Kingdom suffered a defeat and surrendered swiftly.

The Qi envoy, sent as a persuader, spoke with a sincere expression to the lazy and dull-witted King of Wu:
"The states of Qi and Wu are separated by a vast sea and have no direct conflict of interest."

"Our current attack on Wu is simply to fulfill the duty of a subject to uphold the dignity of the emperor of all the kingdoms."

The King of Wu did not doubt his words.

Because compared to the Kingdom of Wu,
The State of Qi indeed had a more affectionate and loving attitude towards the Central Plains, and every year the ships that came and went almost formed a line at sea.

The Wu Kingdom, which was fortunate enough to settle on Luzon Island, was unaware of the extent to which the Qi Kingdom depended on the Central Plains, and assumed that the Japanese in the East genuinely admired the Han Dynasty, which was the backbone of the Chinese civilization.

King Wu then said with deep regret, "If I had known this would happen, I would have sent someone to Chang'an long ago to apologize to the Emperor with a bundle of thorns on my back!"

"Now that I have realized my mistake, I am willing to send an envoy to the Central Plains... Can the State of Qi withdraw its troops now?"

"Of course Qi will withdraw its troops!" The Qi envoy paused, then said to the King of Wu, "but the expedition will be a long and costly one."

"Our soldiers are now swaying around Luzon, hoping to find food in the land of Wu..."

"This is absolutely impossible!"

Even the most foolish King Wu understood the fate of his island nation if it were invaded by soldiers from another country.

Even the most diligently trained navy in the Wu Kingdom couldn't defeat the Qi people.
What's more, what about the soldiers who dislike the hot and humid weather and are unwilling to train?

Did they eat in Wu?

Let's not actually swallow up the State of Wu and integrate it into the State of Qi!
"I am willing to offer you gifts, please return home and rest."

Without the messenger needing to say anything more, the King of Wu used his wisdom to reply to him in this way.

For the Wu Kingdom, which possessed a gold mine, any problem that could be solved with money was not a problem!
The Qi envoy was very satisfied with his attitude, and after some discussion, a treaty of peace and friendship was signed between Qi and Wu.

In the treaty,
The State of Qi, as the elder brother among the branches of the Xia people, reprimanded the State of Wu, its young and ignorant younger brother.

The State of Wu was so moved that it wept bitterly, admitted its mistake, reflected on its disrespect for the Han Dynasty, its suzerain state, and then voluntarily sent away treasures to prove its determination to repent.

The State of Qi then returned home satisfied.

General Lü Peng's prestige also increased further thanks to this victory.

Some voices began to emerge in the country requesting that he become king.

After waiting for some time, as the voices grew louder, Lü Peng decided to "follow the will of the people" and accept the abdication of the King of Qi.

But the Water God from Japan said, "No, it must be declined three times to be in accordance with the procedure!"

Lu Peng was somewhat surprised, "There's a procedure for this?"

"Yes!" the Water God said confidently, "That's how abdication is done!"

Thus, Lü Peng accepted the "will of Heaven" and, after refusing three times, successfully ascended the throne.

The young ruler of Tian Qi, who had been a puppet for many years, privately asked him with great concern, "Will I still be able to enjoy wealth and honor in the future?"

The things the Tian family did when they replaced Jiang Qi were actually somewhat unethical.

Since King Wu of Zhou established his state, he created the system of "two kings and three retainers".

The founder of a new dynasty should treat the royal family left behind by the old dynasty with gentleness and courtesy, as guests rather than subjects, to show his intention to "revive the extinct state and continue the interrupted lineage".

Therefore, King Wu enfeoffed the descendants of Yu Shun in Chen, the descendants of the Xia Dynasty in Qi, and the descendants of the Shang Dynasty in Song, so that they could continue the ancestral sacrifices and never cease to worship those sages who had made great contributions to the Xia Dynasty.

Even after the three families divided Jin and became feudal lords, they reserved some land for the Duke of Jin so that he could continue to build his ancestral temple.

just,

Those lands were inevitably situated between the three families of Han, Zhao, and Wei, and thus appeared to be under their control.

It wasn't until twenty years later, during the reign of Duke Jing of Jin, that all those lands were divided up.

However, after the Tian family took over the Qi dynasty, they directly exiled Duke Kang of Qi to an island, ordering him to "eat the food of a city and offer sacrifices to his ancestors."

after that,

This meager fief was also taken back, and Duke Kang of Qi was starved to death.

The King of Qi, who abdicated the throne, knew these historical facts, so he worried that Lü Peng would treat him the same way.

Fortunately, Lü Peng said, "I have heard that those who govern the world with filial piety do not harm other people's relatives; those who implement benevolent policies in the world do not cut off people's ancestral sacrifices."

"Today I am re-establishing the ancestral temple of Jiang Qi, and I should learn from past experiences and make up for the mistakes of our ancestors in losing their country."

"Therefore, I will treat you with the same care as Bingke and will not mistreat you excessively."

When the former King of Qi heard him say this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He stepped down from the abdication platform, leaving only Lü Peng standing high on it.

The large flag with the character "田" (field) on it was taken down, and the large flag with the character "姜" (ginger) on it was hung up.

The spirits who had secretly witnessed all of this returned to the underworld and told the former rulers of Qi about it.

King Jian of Qi was immediately relieved, "Fortunately, we didn't end up like the dead ghosts of Qin, crossing the sea to receive sacrifices from our descendants."

"Otherwise, if the ancestral temple collapses today, it will be reduced to ashes tomorrow!"

Even if Tian Qi preserved the ancestral temple and sacrifices, how could such a small amount of incense be enough to support so many ancestors?
King Jian of Qi thought that in time, there would definitely be a Qi ruler who would not be able to eat cold pork and would thus fall into ruin.

However, his bloodline was quite different from that of the Japanese, and he was also recognized as a "ruler who brought about the downfall of his country"...

Therefore,
King Jian of Qi, subconsciously, felt pleased rather than angry.

King Qi Wei slapped this good-for-nothing descendant, saying, "You can't even protect your ancestral temple; this is clearly the fault of your descendants!"

"How well has the Qin Dynasty developed beyond its borders?"

How dare you compare yourself to them?

King Jian of Qi felt very wronged after being beaten, and with a long face, he shrank behind his parents.

King Xiang of Qi patted his youngest son on the shoulder reassuringly, then said with a sigh:
"Back then, Duke Kang of Jiang Qi starved to death on an island, my son Jian starved to death in the wilderness, and now the last ruler of Tian Qi is also meeting his end on an island... Isn't this a kind of historical cycle?"

The only thing to be thankful for is...
It was only because Lü Peng did not take such ruthless measures as eliminating the root of the problem, but instead used tolerance to resolve the hatred between Jiang and Tian.

"I just wonder what the Han Dynasty would think of this."

……

"Did an abdication occur in the State of Qi, making the former General Who Conquered the Barbarians the new King of Qi?"

"They sent envoys to request investiture from the emperor?"

In Chang'an City,

When Crown Prince Liu Ju, who was celebrating his grandson's first birthday, heard about this, he was surprised for a moment and stopped playing with the baby in his arms.

Liu Xun, the great-grandson of the emperor who was just growing his little teeth, seized the opportunity to grab his grandfather's finger and put it in his mouth as a teething toy.

Despite their arduous attacks, they were unable to inflict even the slightest damage on their grandfather.

"What else can you do besides smear your saliva all over my hands?"

Liu Ju laughed as he pulled his finger out of his grandson's mouth and then returned all the saliva that had gotten on it to Liu Xun's face.

The child then pouted unhappily and started to cry.

His parents rushed over and took the boy, who "only allowed himself to do evil," back home.

With his burden lifted, Liu Ju went with the officials of the Eastern Palace to a nearby room to discuss matters concerning the State of Qi.

What is Your Majesty's opinion on this?

"His Majesty showed no sign of anger and readily agreed to Qi's request."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ju nodded and said, "His Majesty's temper has been much more stable in the past two years than before."

"Maybe being scolded made me more sober."

One of the subordinates, taking advantage of the fact that it was a private meeting, spoke rather rudely.

Liu Ju did not reprimand him for his disrespect.

Because he had similar thoughts in his mind.

He simply said, “No wonder wise men say ‘one-sided listening leads to darkness’... If there are no people around who dare to offer advice, even the most brilliant monarchs will inevitably make mistakes.”

Fortunately, the emperor who led the Han Dynasty to a new stage and created a new era of glory did not go down the path of blindly believing others and never looking back.

Starting from the first year of the Zhenghe era
After easing tensions with the crown prince, the aging emperor resumed his frequent tours.

As he gazed upon the mountains and rivers under his jurisdiction, he saw many people and heard many voices—

Over the years, in the countryside,

A trend of discussing the government's affairs has inexplicably emerged.

Although after the "Great Discussion on Salt and Iron," insightful people could see that for the vast and centrally-controlled Han Dynasty, convening a "National Assembly" like in the pre-Qin period was already a difficult and inefficient undertaking.

But this is still only a potential understanding.

On the surface, the imperial court did not prohibit speech or suppress public knowledge.

Therefore,
Literary figures among the common people, as well as ordinary citizens living peaceful lives, still follow the customs passed down from their ancestors and express their concern for the country's affairs, driven by their own deep-seated patriotism.

To make it easier for everyone to understand the situation in the four regions of the country

Some well-meaning individuals, who wish to remain anonymous, also spread news from afar in the countryside.

Although their intelligence network was almost unbelievably efficient—events that happened in the Western Regions yesterday were already reaching the Central Plains today…

But ordinary people rarely notice this.

The pragmatic instinct inherent in the blood of the Chinese people made them automatically ignore this "trivial matter" and pay more attention to the so-called "exclusive news" from the mouths of those who traveled from the south to the north and were called "reporters".

most of the time,
These "reporters," whose origins are unknown and whose whereabouts are difficult to trace, do not share their opinions with the people. Instead, they bring huge scrolls of paper covered with writing to bustling rural markets.

They would raise their hands high in the crowd, and once all eyes were on them, they would unfold the paper and recount their observations and experiences to everyone.

As for what the common people think or say after hearing about these things, that's none of their business.

after all,

They were just ordinary, unremarkable reporters who blended into the crowd!

After receiving the "news" from the "newspaper," people would sit under the shade of a tree or beside the field ridge during their leisure time and express their opinions on these matters.

Some of these words,
The news would naturally reach the ears of the emperor, who was on tour.

Even bolder individuals would directly utter words that instilled fear in others when the emperor summoned these proponents.

Fortunately,

As the emperor neared the end of his life, he seemed to have rediscovered the "I can't be bothered to argue with you" attitude he had in his youth.

He did not punish those who criticized him for being ambitious and eager for quick success; instead, he rewarded those who dared to criticize the emperor.

In private,

The emperor would say to his trusted young ministers, such as Huo Shan and Huo Guang, "I have been thinking about many things lately, and my feelings are very complicated."

"I have indeed made mistakes in some matters in the past."

"I just don't know how to make up for it now."

Huo Guang comforted the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty's willingness to do so is already a sign of great wisdom."

As for what to do?
Approaching seventy,

What else can we do?

It would be better to entrust the task to future generations and let their successors rectify the mistakes.

Huo Shan, however, said frankly, "We don't know how to make up for it right now, so we'll discuss the corresponding measures later."

“You can admit your mistakes first, so that your subordinates will not continue to follow your old orders without correcting them and causing harm to others.”

The emperor was not pleased when he heard this.

He said to Huo Shan, "What emperor in the world admits his mistakes?"

It's good to admit and correct your mistakes.

But admitting fault?
This somewhat damages the divinity inherent in the "Son of Heaven".

But Huo Shan retorted, "Since Qin Shi Huang, how many 'emperors' have there been since then?"

"Moreover, I have heard that the reason why Western Qin was able to continue and prosper was because its founding emperor summoned a grand meeting to reflect on the mistakes of the Qin rulers throughout history and correct them."

"Even the Western Qin can criticize the mistakes made by their ancestors. Is Your Majesty unable to even admit your own faults?"

At the beginning of the restoration of Western Qin,
While the Qin people were still huddled in the river valleys in the corner of the Western Sea,
As a monarch, Ying Pijiang considered many things for the future of the country.

He personally witnessed the fall of the Qin Dynasty and endured a long and painful migration, and knew in his heart:
It is impossible to consolidate national rule by force and power alone.

Because both of these originate from "human beings".
When "people" decide to rebel against and abandon the monarch above them...
Even the noblest status and position will become useless.

Therefore, the wise men of the various Xia states, including King Wu who founded the Western Zhou dynasty, said in the Book of Documents very early on:
"Heaven sees as the people see, and Heaven hears as the people hear!"

Towards the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty, King Li of Zhou also proved this point through his own experience.

Unfortunately, there are always people who think:
I will be special and cannot be bound by these truths.

Ying Pijiang had to admit that
His revered grandfather,
The First Emperor who unified the world,
In this respect, a huge mistake was made.

Going back further,
Those Qin rulers and kings naturally had similar problems.

Therefore, after a profound reflection on his subjects,

Ying Pijiang ordered that the mistakes made by previous Qin rulers be written on the palace walls where court affairs were discussed, to constantly remind himself not to repeat the same mistakes and lead the hard-won restored empire astray again.

Today,

Although the writing on that wall had faded and dimmed,

However, the new palace in Ando City still carried on this tradition and inscribed it with new characters.

This was a major reason why Western Qin was able to prosper.

This was also an example that Qin envoys often used to boast when they stayed in the Han Dynasty and exchanged pleasantries with the Han people.

But the emperor still didn't listen to Huo Shan. He scolded the guy and then continued his tour.

"I hope Your Majesty can maintain this style and stop doing strange things."

After discussing recent court affairs and the emperor's actions in the small room, Liu Ju couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Subsequently,

His wife came to see him and asked him to continue to preside over the ceremony of the emperor's great-grandson's first birthday celebration.

Liu Ju then dismissed his officials and went to continue attending the celebration.

Soon after,

Perhaps it was the influence of Huo Shan's words,
It's also possible that his regret intensified as he traveled the world.
When ministers such as Sang Hongyang requested that people be relocated from the Central Plains to Luntai in the Western Regions to cultivate land and defend the border, the emperor did not approve the proposal.

He recalled that even the powerful local lords in his own city were not enough to meet the needs of the people, and he knew that there would be no surplus people in the world who could be relocated to the Western Regions, which seemed remote and desolate compared to the Central Plains.

Therefore, he issued the "Luntai Edict," in which he pointed out that the current political affairs should focus on "prohibiting harsh and tyrannical policies, stopping arbitrary taxation, and strengthening agriculture," rather than continuing to expand the scale and duration of war.

Although this military illustrious monarch still believed that the war would not end, and that even if the Xiongnu royal court moved far to the north of the Gobi Desert, they would still pose a threat to the Han Dynasty, the warhorses and military equipment on the border could not be neglected...

But in the end,

He admitted his mistake under the cover of words.

When the ghosts in the underworld heard about this, they ran over to congratulate Liu Bang, the old ghost.

"Your descendants' actions in their later years were similar to those of the First Emperor, and the problems they caused were also very similar."

"But he can eventually admit his mistakes and choose a capable heir... It seems that the Han Dynasty is about to usher in its most prosperous period!"

The previous civil administration was mainly aimed at restoring the manpower lost during the transition from the Qin to the Han dynasties and preparing for the subsequent battles against the Xiongnu.

Now, their martial prowess has enabled them to successfully expand their territory and defeat the Xiongnu, a thorn in their side.

In the days that followed,
The Han Dynasty can now fully unleash its potential and create new glories on this foundation!

Liu Bang casually laughed and said, "As long as it lasts longer than the Qin Dynasty, that's fine!"

"Fortunately, the First Emperor went to the Western Sea."

"Otherwise, if he saw this, I don't know how angry he would be!"

(End of this chapter)