Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 399 The Second Year of the Beginning (Combined Chapters)

"congratulation!"

When summer arrived in the second year of the Shiyuan era, the distant vast sea was covered with lush green grass, appearing gentle and pleasant.
He Bo said to Su Wu, who had just awakened from hibernation, "You can finally return to the Central Plains!"

Su Wu's unshaven face still bore the bewilderment of winter and spring.

He held a newborn lamb in his arms and questioned the ghostly spirit that had suddenly appeared before him:
"What's going on?"

"The envoys from the Han Dynasty have arrived. They want to take you and Li Ling back with them."

Upon hearing his question, He Bo told Su Wu the story that had happened in the spring.

Li Ling,

He was a descendant of Li Guang, the Marquis of the Lost, a good friend of Sima Qian, the Grand Historian, and a rare individual who was beaten by his ancestor while still alive.

This special status fostered a rather arrogant personality in Li Ling.

His talent earned him the qualification to lead an army to fight against the Xiongnu as a general many years ago.
His arrogance led him to make the mistake of going deep into enemy territory alone.

Unable to escape the Xiongnu's clutches after a prolonged war, Li Ling ultimately had no choice but to surrender to the Xiongnu.

The Xiongnu Chanyu greatly admired this general from the Han Dynasty and specially married his daughter to him, hoping that after obtaining his body, he could also win Li Ling's heart.

As for Li Ling

His attack on the Xiongnu was intended to wash away his grandfather's shame, but instead it brought even greater harm to his family than his grandfather had done.

Li Ling felt ashamed to face the elders of Longxi, so he chose to stay on the grassland and isolate himself.

Over the years,
He had done some things for the Xiongnu Chanyu, but he was always unwilling to lead the Xiongnu's archers to attack the Han army that came to the grasslands to spread civilization.

The Han Dynasty thus knew that he still longed for the Central Plains and was not like some who had forgotten their roots and betrayed their ancestors, becoming pure Xiongnu people.

Logically speaking, Li Ling could be forgiven and allowed to return to the Han Dynasty.

Unfortunately, in his later years, Emperor Wu was a stubborn and irritable old man.

When he heard that Li Ling had surrendered, he was furious and refused to send any more messengers to bring him back.

"Let him die outside!"

Fortunately,

Liu Ju, a man of gentle character and peaceful rule, inherited the throne.

He believed that the defeat was not entirely Li Ling's fault, but also due to logistical problems on the part of the Han army. Therefore, he sent an envoy to try to bring Li Ling back.

of course,

Su Wu, the Han envoy who refused to submit to the Xiongnu and instead chose to be driven by the Chanyu to the Gobi Desert to herd sheep, was someone Liu Ju kept in mind.

Therefore, this mission...
Liu Ju hoped to take both of them back with him.

“I heard it with my own ears! The Han envoy and the Chanyu argued for a long time in the royal tent, and finally decided to let you go back.”

He Bo, the alter ego of "Fenglang Juxu", actually led a very boring life during the more than 30 years he spent in the northern desert.

Because of the cold climate in the northern desert,
Grass can only grow on flat land, let alone towering mountains.

In many cases,
The scenery of Langjuxu Mountain is just a barren wasteland.

The occasional lively occasions were only because the Xiongnu people came here to hold sacrificial rites.

Therefore,
Besides sleeping, He Bo's daily routine also includes climbing all over Langjuxu Mountain, trying to thoroughly study this tall, beautiful mountain full of frontier charm, and training the various birds on the mountain.

Some of the furballs, having enjoyed the nourishment and caresses of the spirits, became very human-like and would do things according to He Bo's instructions.

While the Han envoy and the Chanyu were arguing, He Bo rode a small flying bird, carrying his own jar, and landed on top of the royal tent. He tapped on the grass seeds he had picked up from the grassland and heard everything clearly.

"Isn't Li Ling going back?" Su Wu asked.

“He won’t go back,” He Bo said. “He said he has no face to see the emperor, let alone his family.”

Although the Chanyu (ruler) did not want to release the people, the Han envoys were always a group of people full of initiative.

Ren Lizheng, who was sent as an envoy to the Xiongnu, was a friend of Li Ling during the Han Dynasty.

He secretly went to meet with Li Ling, touched the ring on the other man's sword, and then touched the other man's foot, thinking it meant "returning home".

As a result, Li Ling burst into tears.

He said:
"I have been in the Xiongnu for so many years. Although I did not obey the Chanyu's request to lead troops to fight against the Han, I did help him train soldiers and repair weapons. When the Xiongnu attacked other tribes on the grasslands, I was one of them!"

“Now that I’m dressed in Hu clothing and my wife is a member of the Xiongnu royal family… how can I possibly go back to my hometown?”

Ren Lizheng said, "When your mother passed away, she kept calling your name!"

According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, after Li Ling surrendered to the Xiongnu, his family should have been punished along with him.

However, Wei Qing, who had not participated in court affairs for a long time and had been recuperating at home for many years, persuaded the furious Emperor Wu to stop.

He said, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. The Li family of Longxi has worked hard for the Han Dynasty for generations. There is no need to implicate the Li family because of Li Ling's mistake."

Therefore, Li Ling's mother survived.

But she missed her son who was far away on the grasslands, and often looked north and wept. Before long, she went blind from crying and died in pain and sorrow.

Upon hearing Ren Lizheng's words, Li Ling cried even louder.

“I harbored resentment towards General Wei Qing because of my grandfather’s affair, which was unjust.”
The state sent me to conquer the Xiongnu, but I surrendered to them; this is disloyalty.

My mother raised me, yet I let her die in shame—this is unfilial!

"How could a fellow like me be worthy of returning to the Great Han?"

"Let me endure the wind and frost on the grassland and die silently!"

"Su Wu would rather go to the Gobi Desert to herd livestock than bow down to the Xiongnu, which makes me very ashamed."

"He is the loyal minister for whom Your Majesty should expend effort to welcome back the Central Plains!"

"How could I possibly walk shoulder to shoulder with him back to Chang'an?"

Ren Lizheng then stopped trying to persuade him.

Upon hearing that the Han envoy no longer demanded that two Su Wu be packed up, the Xiongnu Chanyu also agreed to release Su Wu.

Comparing Li and Su

The Chanyu (Xiongnu ruler) placed even greater emphasis on Li Ling, who could help him train soldiers and repair weapons.

Although Su Wu was very principled and admired by the Chanyu, he did not bring much actual benefit to the Xiongnu.

Therefore,
The two sides quickly finalized the results, and He Bo, who had been observing the negotiations, rode a bird to the vast sea to report the good news to Su Wu.

Su Wu felt some regret over Li Ling's choice.

The latter once complied with the Chanyu's request and went to find Su Wu, hoping to persuade him to surrender, but was scolded back by Su Wu.

Faced with Su Wu's unwavering chastity, Li Ling could not hold back his emotions and burst into tears in front of her, crying out, "My sins reach to the heavens!"

After saying that, he ran out of the tent on his own, too ashamed to see Su Wu again.

He Bo commented on this:
"He was willing to surrender back then, I really don't know why he's so concerned about saving face now."

"Moreover, the contributions he made to the Xiongnu are not as great as what I have done for them!"

Su Wu, who was about to herd the sheep home to pack his things, turned to look at him upon hearing this, his expression filled with shock:
what?
Aren't you the mountain lord enfeoffed on the grassland by the River God?

To be honest, you are from our side of the Chinese nation!
How did you contribute to the Xiongnu?
Why didn't you tell me before?
Seeing his puzzled look, He Bo crossed his arms and said, "When the Xiongnu came to Langjuxu Mountain to perform sacrifices, I was bored, so I drew their shamanistic dance on the rock wall!"

"Even after thousands of years, it will not be blown away by the wind and frost."

"So that's how it is!" Su Wu suddenly realized.

The Xiongnu were a nomadic people who lived on the grasslands.

Their long-term migration and scarcity of resources prevented them from developing a brilliant civilization like that of the Central Plains.

They had no books, let alone a written language.

Many ancient wisdoms can only be known to future generations through oral transmission.

As the Han Dynasty in the Central Plains grew stronger, the Xiongnu people gradually declined.

As Su Wu knew, when the royal camp moved to the northern desert, some of the Xiongnu people could not endure the attacks of the Han army and, according to the divination results of the tribal shamans, began to migrate westward.

In any case, the Kun tribe and the Yuezhi had already set an example for the Xiongnu!

They're living a very comfortable life in the west these days!
This situation greatly angered the Chanyu (ruler) at the time, who ordered stricter control over the various Xiongnu tribes to prevent further population flight.

But how long could such a ban last, given the Xiongnu's repeated defeats?

Perhaps after decades or even centuries
This nomadic people, who had troubled the Han Dynasty for so long and left a significant mark on the history books of the Xia Dynasty, might, like their predecessors, disappear into the northern deserts of the Central Plains. Under such circumstances...
He Bo's work of painting murals and making records for the Xiongnu was far more effective than Li Ling's work of training the Xiongnu soldiers.

After all, in the eyes of the gentlemen of the Xia people,
Temporary glory or decline is not the issue.

Most importantly, it is to ensure the continuation of one's civilization.

To ensure that the blood of our ancestors still flows in the veins of future generations,
The books that future generations can read still use the characters of their ancestors.
To allow people of the past and present to communicate through historical records and to share the same sentiments as the sun and moon...

They will live on and on through that long period of time and reincarnation!

Therefore, the Chinese people valued writing and records, and knew how much influence writing and drawing could have on a nation.

“If the Xiongnu had disappeared like the Yanyun and Quanrong, future generations would be able to learn about their lives through the murals you painted,” Su Wu said.

“You could also write down your experience of being detained to broaden the horizons of future generations,” He Bo said. “What if some unlucky soul suffers the same fate as you and is also detained on the grasslands, exiled to this part of the Gobi Desert to herd sheep?”

“We can’t afford to be ‘what if’!” Su Wu sighed, then suddenly became curious: “Where is that mural located?”

"I remember that when the Marquis of Champion was enfeoffed with the Wolf-Dwelling Mountain, he once carved his achievements on a stone."

"If you wish to preserve that mural for posterity, please treat it the same way and allow the inscription to be seen and known by future generations as well."

"This is natural!"

He Bo proudly waved his hand and said, "I directly arranged the murals together with the inscription of Huo Qubing sealing the wolf's lair!"

"After all, it is through comparison that the gap and the shock are revealed!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wu couldn't help but widen his eyes, then burst out laughing, his beard trembling.

……

When Su Wu returned to the Central Plains with his wife,
In the far west, envoys also embarked on their journeys home.

"I am a Qin person."

"I must die on Qin soil, not in a foreign land."

At the age of eighty, King Sheng passed on his throne as the ruler of Egypt to his not-so-bright son, and then installed his intelligent grandson as the co-ruler of Egypt. After everything was settled, he returned to Andu City to report on his duties.

He did not forget his identity and mission because he had been the ruler for decades.

For Wang Sheng,
Everything he did in Egypt was aimed at transforming that ancient land into a part of the Qin Dynasty.

after all,

In the vast land of the Western Sea, a piece of land that can be cultivated, yields bountiful harvests, and even has floods that can be accurately predicted is extremely rare!

How could the gentlemen of the various states not feel a longing upon seeing this?

And now,
Although Egypt is nominally an independent country,

However, within that country, one or two generations had already received the education of the Chinese and learned their script due to the orders of King Wang Sheng.

As Qin merchants crossed the peninsula separating them from the ocean and arrived in this fertile land surrounded by desert, the need to hire translators became increasingly rare.

Everyone could foresee:
Soon, the exotic name "Egypt" will be changed.

Because its new owner doesn't like this style and doesn't want anyone to use this name to reminisce about the past of this land.

Just as the Qin dynasty did decades ago on the land of Persia.

All the old people from back then have passed away.

The newborn offspring grow up immersed in the culture of the Chinese people.

If we don't look at the "History of Persia," which was compiled after overcoming countless obstacles, how many people would remember who once lived in Mesopotamia and the Western Regions?
"This is all thanks to you!"

"The descendants of Ying Qin will never forget this!"

At the banquet welcoming Wang Sheng back, the Qin emperor, dressed in a black crown, expressed his gratitude to the elderly minister Wang Sheng.

Upon hearing this, Wang Sheng grinned.

He had lost all his teeth and had many wrinkles on his face.

But he still had the strength to raise his wine cup and enjoy the praise he received from the Qin emperor and his ministers.

After returning to their residence,

Still full of energy, Wang Sheng lay down on the bed, with a soft-furred raccoon dog nestled in his arms.

These are the offspring of cats he bred during his mission to Egypt, influenced by the local customs and the allure of their beauty.

When Wang Sheng returned to his hometown to prepare for his final resting place, he did not bring his children or grandchildren. Instead, he chose the most beautiful kitten from a group of meowing kittens to accompany him.

The raccoon turned its rear end towards Wang Sheng's old face, its fluffy tail swishing back and forth, constantly brushing against the latter's eyebrows and eyes.

Clearly, the kitten was a little unhappy at this moment.

It wanted to explore its new territory, but Wang Sheng, oblivious to its feelings, forcibly held it in his arms and ruffled its fur.

What's even more hateful is that
So many years have passed, and Wang Sheng is practically a patriarch of this huge cat family, but his cat-petting skills are still terrible!
Whenever the little raccoon diligently licks its fur until it's smooth and beautiful, Wang Sheng would always reach out his large, muscular hand and stroke the fur against the grain.

The little raccoon would meow in exasperation every time he did this, then continue licking its fur.

Wang Sheng could only let out a strange chuckle in response.

He always finds great enjoyment in playing with cats.

"pity……"

"I'll be entrusting you with taking care of the little raccoon from now on!"

Wang Sheng admired the cat's rear end in front of him, then said to Wang Hong, who was taking care of him.

After the Qin-Luo naval battle, Wang Hong returned to Andu City and took up a new official position.

When Wang Sheng returned, he was the most outstanding member of the younger generation of the Wang family and went to greet him.

Upon hearing his uncle suddenly say such a thing, Wang Hong could only nod silently in agreement.

Although Wang Sheng looks quite energetic, given his age, no one can guarantee what will happen in the future.

Moreover, Wang Sheng's reason for requesting to return to Andu was that he was "old and frail, and wished to live in the capital rather than become a ghost in a foreign land."

"Come here, hug it, let the little raccoon get used to your scent!"

Wang Sheng beckoned to Wang Hong, asking him to bring over the fluffy ball that was busy licking its fur.

The latter obediently did as instructed, and then stared at the raccoon dog, who had suddenly changed its "vehicle."

Wang Hong looked somewhat nervous, as if the furry ball in his hand, weighing only three pounds including its fur and flesh, was more daunting than Ma Lue, whom he had dragged away in haste.

Wang Sheng laughed at him, "With your appearance, where did you get the courage to abduct the Roman consul?"

Wang Hong said, "How can you compare a human to a cat?"

"And Marius won't scratch or grab me, but this furry ball can."

Wang Sheng burst into laughter.

He then stroked his beard, looked at the younger man in front of him with satisfaction, and said, "With you supporting the family business, I have nothing to worry about!"

"Humph!"

"I imagine that Zhang Qian of the Han Dynasty was not like my Wang family, with so many talented people succeeding one another!"

Wang Shengke had already heard about it.

Zhang Qian lost his way and missed his mission during the Battle of Mobei. As a result, the Han emperor stripped him of his title of Marquis of Bowang and sent him to the Western Regions to fight against a group of barbarian kingdoms.

How could Wang Sheng not be pleased?
Let that guy laugh at me for not being able to be granted a title!
it's good now,

He could die as the king of Egypt, could Zhang Qian do the same?
His family's descendants have already demonstrated their abilities and made contributions to the country. Are there any such figures among Zhang Qian's descendants?

"That guy is no match for me!"

Having reached this conclusion, Wang Sheng felt that he could die without regret.

He stroked his beard and gave a toothless smile.

beside,

Just as He Bo was waiting for him to breathe his last, Zhang Qian, who was about to rush over and take away Wang Sheng, who was about to lose all his life, said, "Calm down!"

"I'll go first!"

You can't take it from me!

(End of this chapter)