Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 401 Omen
"There seems to be a bit little rain lately."

While the Han Dynasty in the east resumed its policy of recuperation and development, gradually moving towards its zenith, the Qin Dynasty in the west interfered in Rome's internal affairs, hindering its prosperity in order to protect its own interests.

The large building in the middle is accelerating downhill.

With the emperor's indulgence, the power of aristocratic families expanded rapidly.

In order to fully transform themselves into the new "aristocratic class" and restore the prestigious system of the pre-Qin period, where bloodline could monopolize official positions and grant supreme authority, they sought to achieve this.

Some powerful families even began to promote the "caste" system advocated by India in the south within the country.

After hundreds of years of suppression and conquest by the Great Xia, the eyes of the people of Sindhu in the south have long been forced to become much clearer.

Although they still refuse to change their traditions, Brahmins continue to engage in fierce religious struggles with Buddhist monks.

However, both sides reached a consensus on their attitude towards the Xia people—

The monks, who had been subdued by the Xia Kingdom, revered the emperor in the north as the "Buddha in this world."

The small country bordering the Xia Kingdom and directly facing the Xia people's fear was equated with the noble Brahmins.

Although separated from the Xia Kingdom, the more southern Sindhu Kingdom, which knew of its prestige and martial prowess, even referred to it as "Asura".

This is a mistake that puts someone in a position similar to a Brahmin, but who does not belong to the normal caste.

In the worldview of the Sindhu people, they are classified as "enemy castes" and are enemies of the great gods.

all in all,
Whether it's respect or slander,
The strength of the Xia people is widely acknowledged by the people of Sindhu.

When some nobles of the Xia Kingdom showed a more conciliatory attitude towards the Indian monks from the south, who were skilled at brainwashing the people...
Brahmin masters would debate the scriptures for them, exaggerating their noble lineage and status.

after all,

The relationship between enemies and friends can be transformed!

Brahmins who are rigid-minded and unwilling to accept foreign things
In India, a land where "whoever comes, conquers," one cannot survive.

This caused King Wen of Xia, who had single-handedly laid the foundation for a century of peace and prosperity for the Xia Kingdom, to weep uncontrollably with heartache.

He was extremely harsh and oppressive towards India. After defeating India's army, he refused to accept their surrender and instead turned them away as a mound of corpses.

But a hundred years later,
His depraved descendants, for their own selfish desires, forgot the teachings of their ancestors and chose to collude with them.

Greedy people,
They always want more after they've already asked for more, taking from those who have less to give to those who have more.

Therefore,
Over the years, King Wen of Xia would often go to the graves of his ancestors, bow to the large tree he had planted himself, which was now lush and green, and then turn and walk towards the Taiping Road.

Nowadays,

He was also kowtowing to his ancestors.

He Bo looked up at the sky, his gaze sweeping over the withered grass and trees on the hillside, and let out a soft sigh.

"Zou Yan truly deserves to be called a great and wise teacher; his words are like they've been blessed."

Previously, King Wen of Xia asked Zou Yan if he could have the Way of Peace give the Xia Kingdom a severe beating, so that it would see stars and remember its former simplicity.

However, Zou Yan believed that the contradictions had not accumulated enough and the time was not yet ripe.

it's good now,

Rainfall is decreasing.
However, the temperature in Xia Kingdom did not drop accordingly.

The sun hung high in the sky, baking the earth until it cracked.

King Wen of Xia asked with some anticipation, "If a severe drought breaks out this year, will that be enough to start a rebellion?"

Those awful guys,
He couldn't wait for the other person to die!

When you die,
He also wanted to hang them up one by one and whip them!
"Not good enough yet..."

He Bo led King Wen of Xia out of Zuling Mountain and to the banks of the Xindu River.

Many people are fetching water and washing clothes by the river.

Others squatted on the irrigation ditches beside the river, trying to use waterwheels to bring more water into the nearby farmland.

He pointed to the scene and said, "The water conservancy projects built in the past are still playing their role today."

"A temporary drought is not enough to force people to rise up in rebellion."

Only when the blessings of our ancestors are exhausted...
Only when the people's bodies crack like the earth baked by the scorching sun can true public outrage be unleashed.

“If we take action now, we won’t be able to exert our full strength, and the lesson won’t be enough to make the Xia people remember it deeply.”

"Then just wait."

King Wen of Xia looked at the relatively peaceful village before him and felt a pang of sorrow.

Despite the lack of rain and the blazing sun, the villagers here are still trying to dredge the irrigation ditches and set up more waterwheels, which shows that they still have some hope for the future and believe that as long as they get through this difficult period, their lives will improve.

In reality, however, starting fifteen years ago, the number of people sent by the imperial court to local areas to build and maintain water conservancy projects has become increasingly rare.

From top to bottom, a culture of vanity permeated the land, with aristocratic families devoting all their wisdom and energy to persuading the emperor to relinquish power and to arguing why aristocratic families were noble.

The emperor of Xia did not see anything wrong with this.

For him, the fact that aristocratic families were obsessed with such frivolous things actually made him feel more at ease.

The fact that there were genuine rebellions in the east, with princes seeking to overthrow him and take his life, was already enough of a headache for the emperor.

The powerful families only needed to be given some titles and power to be satisfied. Moreover, because they were influenced by the unique "peacefulness" of the Indians, they not only solidified their own class but also helped to strengthen the emperor's sanctity, reducing the possibility of rebellion and usurpation...

Isn't this good enough?
In any case, the emperor did not see the powerful families as an urgent problem.

Let them do their nonsense for now.

Once he has dealt with the local warlords, everything will be alright!
But one day,
The young and impetuous emperor would realize, amidst the violent upheaval, that some things, once let go, would vanish into the distance, leaving no trace behind.

"Plagues are unlikely to break out here."

"The Ganges is still too gentle."

Just as King Wen of Xia was secretly grieving, Zou Yan, the great and wise teacher, was also complaining.

He Bo sensed that he was implying something, so he stared at him with wide eyes.

Zou Yan glared back defiantly, "What are you looking at?"

"Drinking Ganges water can indeed cure some ailments. You can't do it yourself, so why shouldn't others point it out to you?"

At this time, the Ganges,
Because their hero has arrived—

Those gentlemen from the distant East, who knew to relieve themselves in designated places, to wipe themselves with toilet paper or toilet paper afterward, to wash their hands carefully after pulling up their trousers, and to ensure a proper burial after death, were truly virtuous.

Therefore, it did not degenerate into being tainted by the Sindhu people and turned into a gruesome soup.

Its river water remains clean and clear.

Its reputation as a "sacred river" has been preserved.

The special effect of "treating diseases with drinking water" made the Xia people praise it even more.

After Wang Sheng set an example, poems and essays praising the Ganges River emerged in large numbers in the Xia Kingdom.

But He Bo was very angry about this.

He said to Zou Yan, "You know it in your heart, so why say it to my face?"

"I think you also want to soak in the Yellow River!"

Zou Yan completely ignored the Yellow River God's impotent rage.

He simply told King Wen of Xia, "The celestial phenomena this year are strange; a severe drought is sure to occur."

“I originally thought that drought and little rain would lead to the outbreak of epidemics... which would make it easier to start an uprising.”

The reason why the Way of Peace was able to spread so widely was because of its use of talismanic water to cure diseases and to provide relief to desperate disaster victims.

If epidemics were frequent, coupled with the current situation in the Xia state, it would be enough for Zou Yan to grant King Wen of Xia's request.

But the Ganges flows quietly by.
Some symptoms just begin to appear, then disappear without a trace.

This left Zou Yan feeling somewhat helpless.

He said to King Wen of Xia, "It's not that the Way of Peace is not working hard."

"It is truly because your country's fortune has not yet run its course."

King Wen of Xia was unsure whether to laugh or cry at this.

All he could say was, "I hope that when the country collapses, not all disasters will come at once."

With the water conservancy system in disrepair, droughts and floods were inevitable given the climate of the Xia Kingdom.

When the stored food is exhausted, and it becomes difficult to find prey and wild fruits in the mountains and rivers, the people, with empty stomachs, probably do not have enough physical strength to survive until the Ganges River begins to flow.

At that time, countless people will fall ill like a landslide, and the plague will spread far and wide.

Add to that all sorts of man-made disasters...

"Ugh!"

"I wonder if the new ruler who conquers the world after the change of dynasties will be able to eliminate the effects of these natural disasters."

Although King Wen of Xia was already anticipating war.
But his true intention was to use war to remove the country's deep-seated problems and decay.

He hoped that once everything returned to calm, the people could quickly emerge from the chaos of war and embrace a new life of peace.

(End of this chapter)