Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 397 Su Wu
"The Han people are cunning and treacherous..."

"The Qin people are cunning and treacherous!"

As the Qin people in the west intervened in Rome's internal affairs with an extremely aggressive stance, and the Qin-Luo naval battle gradually came to an end...
Returning to the desolate lands of the East, He Bo, who was engrossed in his whack-a-mole business, sighed with emotion.

Su Wu, who was combing sheep nearby, looked up at him upon hearing this and then asked:
"why do you say so?"

"Because the Qin people's methods were too flexible, even the children couldn't hold back!"

He couldn't help but laugh when he thought of the Qin-Luo alliance meeting held in Anyang, the capital of Xilong County, where the Qin people decided to spare Sulla's life so that he could return to Rome and continue fighting Marius. He felt that Caesar looked completely bewildered and that he had truly misplaced his trust in the Qin people as "unbreakable allies."

Fortunately,

As mature yet cunning adults, Marius and Sulla were somewhat prepared for Qin's decision.

Just as Sulla judged:
The Qin people rescued Marius not because they admired this Roman reformer and wanted to recruit him to work for them, but to preserve his life and influence so that Rome could continue its internal strife.

on the contrary,

They will naturally extend their cunning hand to Sura, who is in trouble, to balance all things.

"I've heard that there's a game in the Qin state called 'cricket fighting'."

"Perhaps you and I are just 'crickets' captured by the Qin people to gain benefits for them."

When the alliance ended
After Qin and Luo signed the new version of the "Non-Aggression Pact," Sulla said this to Marius.

Marius merely coughed weakly a few times and told Sulla, "Therefore, this is the necessity of reform."

If it could make Rome great.

What's wrong with abandoning the old system?

otherwise,

If the Qin people could intervene in Rome once, wouldn't they intervene a second time?

As this group of Chinese people migrated from the distant East and established themselves deeply in Mesopotamia and Asia Minor, they rapidly multiplied and gradually absorbed the vast territories they occupied.
They are destined to no longer be as low-key and gentle as before.

When Marius was young, he read "The History of Qin" written by Polybius, a famous scholar who had moved to Rome, and learned about the origins of the Qin people and their ambitions.

Before being elected as the Protector of the People, Ma Lue had served as an envoy to the Qin state, where he confronted their expansion.

Therefore,
Marius could no longer tolerate the growing decline of Rome.

He knew perfectly well that if Rome didn't change on its own, external forces would make it change for it.

The Qin people's intervention is merely the prelude.

However, Sula still disagreed with his point of view.

He said in a low voice, "I will dedicate everything I have to defend the purity of Rome!"

Marius then said nothing more.

The wise men of the Chinese states once said:
"There's no need to argue with people who have chosen different paths, or share your own strategies."

He and Sura,

It is precisely this kind of relationship.

At this pivotal moment, Marius was also unable to comment on Sulla's choice.

Only Caesar, observing the smug Qin officials beside him, suddenly made a request to his uncle:
"I want to study in the Qin state for a period of time."

"I hope to learn more about their culture and understand their thoughts."

"can!"

Marius glanced at the boy and then granted his request.

So when he returned to Rome, Caesar did not accompany him.

He turned and followed Spartacus, who was on his way to Andu City to receive his reward, towards the heart of the Qin state.

And on the eastern wasteland,
Surrounded by more sheep than people, Su Wu, who hadn't had normal communication with the outside world for many years, continued to ask questions while taking wool off the comb.

Anyway, idle is idle.

At this time, the Han Dynasty was at peace, so asking him wouldn't have made any difference.

"How far is the westernmost point of the Western Regions from the Central Plains?"

When the Qin envoy came to Chang'an before, he said, "The Western Sea is ten thousand miles away from Chang'an."

According to He Bo, the land of Taixi is even more remote than the Western Sea. It is like a huge peninsula, bordering the Western Qin to the east and surrounded by the vast sea on the other three sides.

But He Bo couldn't calculate the exact distance between the two places because he couldn't cross the sea to the west.

So he said, "Anyway, it will exceed ten thousand miles."

Su Wu began to knead the wool with his rough hands, unraveling it and then coiling it again, coiling it and then unraveling it again.
"Will Rome become a powerful nation in the West someday?" "It already is!"

"But the Romans never defeated the Qin people!"

Su Wu, using orthodox Chinese thinking, pointed out, "To dominate a region, one must at least be able to defend against external enemies, right?"

"Moreover, starting from the Western Sea and heading west, there are mostly sparsely populated areas. I've heard that the barbarians there are not even as strong as the Huns... I don't know how powerful the Roman Empire, which conquered those places, really is."

He Bo said frankly, "This can't really be considered a problem for Rome."

"The strength of the various Xia peoples is a bit excessive."

The land of Zhuxia has been terrifying since ancient times.

A stubborn child and a short-tempered mother.
How can the people living in the Mediterranean, this giant bathtub, compare?

"Besides, people aren't stupid... By enduring hardship and learning from experience, they might become even stronger in the future."

Su Wu thought for a moment, then said, "Then it's alright."

Anyway, Rome was in the west, and even if it evolved, it wouldn't be able to bother the Han Dynasty.

As for the Qin people?
They deserve to suffer losses!

"What about the Xia people?" Su Wu asked again.

The states of Qi and Wu, which were based overseas, were destined to be no match for the Han Dynasty.

Su Wu paid more attention to Qin and Xia, two branches of the Xia state with vast territories and large populations.

Moreover, in his youth, he frequently visited the embassy to assist the Qin and Xia envoys in compiling the "Great Codex," seeking their advice on being an envoy and traveling to various places.

then,

The Qin Xia envoy also curiously asked him if he was curious about the outside world and intended to take the imperial insignia of the Han Dynasty and follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Zhang Qian to spread the fame of the Han Dynasty abroad.
Su Wu frankly told them, "I do have the idea of ​​going on a mission, but I hope to go to the Xiongnu."

His father, Su Jian, was demoted to a commoner because he missed the appointed time in the war against the Xiongnu.

Although he was later reinstated and became the governor of Dai Commandery, he worked tirelessly day and night to defend against the Xiongnu, and eventually died in office.

This forged a strong bond between Su Wu and the Xiongnu.

He once thought of joining the army as a general, leading soldiers to attack the Xiongnu, both to serve the country and to settle his personal grudges.

As a result, after the Battle of Mobei, the Xiongnu royal court moved north, and the once powerful people who drew bows and arrows fled with their Chanyu in tears.

This greatly reduced the pressure on the Han Dynasty's borders, and the strategy gradually shifted from external offense to internal defense, so there was no need for Su Wu to "abandon his pen for the sword".

Fortunately,

To deal with the Xiongnu, besides sending troops, you can also send envoys!
Su Wu had read Zhang Qian's notes!
When on a diplomatic mission,
In the heat of the moment, some people accidentally drew their knives and clashed, resulting in injuries and fatalities...

Isn't this normal?
Unfortunately,

When Su Wu attempted to emulate Zhang Qian's actions in the Western Regions and replicate the classic Han envoy's tactics in the Chanyu's tent, he ended up stranded on the other side of the vast sea, herding sheep for over ten years.

He was aged by the cold wind, his once sharp edges were gradually worn down, and his personality became silent and calm.

But he never put down the staff he held as an envoy of the Han Dynasty.

Fortunately, He Bo had already refined Wolf Dwelling Mountain by then, and could use the trickling streams flowing from this majestic mountain in the northern desert to irrigate everywhere.

Subsequently,

He then traveled to the Hanhai area.

He Bo naturally dared not slip into the deep, boundless ocean.

So he wandered around the area, gazing at the vast sea and the surrounding scenery, and exclaimed, "Sea, you're all water!" and "Horse, you have four legs!"

At that time, Su Wu happened to be in this area with his Xiongnu wife, and they were herding livestock.
He heard the familiar words of Zhu Xia Ya Yan and went there to meet He Bo.

After learning He Bo's identity, Su Wu did not directly ask him to rescue him and bring him back to the Central Plains.

"I failed to complete the mission His Majesty entrusted to me, and I have been humiliated by the Xiongnu. How can I have the face to ask the gods for favors and ask you to help me escape?" Su Wu said magnanimously.

He only prayed that the spirits would occasionally appear before him and tell him what was happening in the distance, so that he would not have to endure endless loneliness and bitter cold in this desolate place.

He Bo granted his request and, through his connection with his original body, told him about the various developments in the Great World of Zhuxia at that time.

"The current situation in Xia Kingdom..."

When Su Wu inquired about the first branch of the Zhuxia people outside the region, He Bo couldn't help but frown, and he stopped twisting wool yarn for Su Wu.

"I don't think it's very good."

"Perhaps in a few decades, it will become chaotic."

(End of this chapter)